At the birth of any child, parents were given two wonders - a baby to hold in their arms, and sometimes many, and the assurance that said baby would be loved one day dearly by someone. The proof of it was brazen, written in one word or many, right over their beating heart, the first words their soulmate would tell them. Whether that be for one's true love, a lifelong best friend, a figure of constant stability and support, there was always something there for the living, the promise of love from someone and somewhere and a rainbow of those promises in a variety of languages and styles always adorned the hearts of newborns.

Some hearts were adorned with many words, so distinct that they'd know just who their soulmate was the moment they heard it, a promise that meant only having to wait for the right time, and the right person.

On the other hand, Nick Nelson had been born with a single word over his heart. And that word was "Hi"- a fact most would consider rather unfortunate, given its frequency of use.

It didn't stop him from listening out, however - anyone who started with a "Hey" or "Hello" was eventually scratched out as an option, but the number of people who used that particular greeting with him was just frequent enough it always left him wondering. Besides, he was hardly at the point of feeling desperate for one, having plenty at Truham to focus time on; it was as his mum always said, when you found your soulmate, a part of you would know with certainty, even when you had a word as common as his own. He wasn't entirely sure of that, especially because he didn't really know if he'd already met his soulmate and not realised because - well, do you remember every person who's said "hi" to you? But then again, he guessed there had to be some sort of tell, and his mum did end up finding hers in the end so...he'd trust his gut if it ever happened to feel something special when he heard it said. And he'd be lying if he said for most of the ones before now, there'd not really been much of a spark - but then again, "Hi" was hardly a word that could invoke that...

Right?

He had his mum, he had school life, he had the rugby team, he had Nellie, and that was enough, with that being the persistent thought upon his return to school. It was...about what he expected it to be, as it hardly changed; bustling corridors, the click of opened and shuttered lockers, the constant bumping shoulders with people, the ring of the bell and the itch of a uniform you hadn't worn for what felt like longer than it was, and of course, the return to the rugby field for Nick. But first, there came something else - new form groups.

Nick had made it to his seat first; by the window, sunlight streaming in across the desk. And for a while, he sat, and he waited, wondering what this year would be like, if the rugby team could slip in some victories this year - even if that wasn't likely going to be a clean streak, if they were facing St Johns - and who he might end up sitting next to for now. For a bit, he almost was starting to wonder if the teacher had planted him here by himself - up until his ears picked up the opening of the room door, as an influx of other students entered. One, two, three...all at different tables.

"Ah, if it isn't Charlie Spring. Happy New Year," Mr Lange greeted, briefly looking up from his papers.

"Hi, sir," a quiet voice, the aforementioned Charlie Spring presumably, answered in reply.

"Here to join the ranks of Hamlet House?"

"Apparently so,"

"Now, let's see where did I put you in the seating plan..." the teacher murmured, flicking through the small collection of papers sprawled across the desk. "Ah, yes...! You're next to Nicholas Nelson, he's in Year 11. Only one year older than you - one of the rugby boys too, I think. I'm sure you'll get along swimmingly...or you can just, sit in silence for the rest of the year. It really doesn't affect me in any way whatsoever,"

Amidst the sea of chatter, Nick's head turned briefly as he looked up at Charlie - a boy with black curls and soft blue eyes, who seemed to stop a little before sitting down next to him. For a moment, things were quiet, as he put his jacket over the back of the seat and sat down, pushing his bag under the table.

Thump. Thump.

Then, it came, as they looked at one another - that word. That single word.

"Hi..."

Something about it made Nick smile. "Hi,"

He might not have remembered it so much, if that was the only time. But...it wasn't. Each time he met Charlie Spring, that single greeting always came back, the same as the first time.

It found them as they bumped shoulders while going for the same door.

Thump. Thump thump.

"Hi...!"

"Hi,"

It found them when Nick would see him in the corridor, and like instinct he'd say it; "Hi!"

"Hi...!"

Thump. Thumpthump. Thumpthump!

Of course, it found them when they were at that shared desk in their form group, as Charlie worked away at notes with one of his pens, Charlie having made it there first this time.

"Hi,"

"Hi..."

In the corridors, by the lockers, at that desk. There was something about that word that always seemed to find its way past his lips when he met Charlie, and past Charlie's lips when he met him in turn.

Coincidence. It was probably a coincidence, but there was something about that heartbeat, and something else inside of him he couldn't quite look in the eye, one Charlie already had, something he was more than familiar with - that the school was familiar with, whether he wanted them to be or not.

That made two people now for Charlie Spring - two whose first word to him was "Hi".

"Hi" - the only thing written over his heart.

A/N: Aaa hello, readers! I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. This show and comic have really been consuming my entire soul lately, and I've been itching to write something for it, and this was the result! Thanks for reading, and if you have any comments or feedback then don't be afraid to leave a review! ^^