Me: Tagging is hard on AO3, I hope the tags become official soon. Better yet, I hope the fandom gets bigger so we have more people in the server.
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Normal POV!
Contrary to popular belief, rich kids aren't actually as laid back in their students as people make them out to be. In fact, with the added pressure of their parents and their reputation at stake, students are less likely to fake sickness or an injury to get out of their classes, and even then these kids take their health seriously, so really, the amount of times Enon has to actually do his job is quite rare, so most of his days are spent in tranquility.
Suffice to say, Enon is living quite comfortably for such a major transition from a pharmacist to a school nurse.
And then Yuder Aile gets sick.
"I know you have more reason to work hard compared to other students," gruffly chides Enon, incredulous as he places a cool, wet towel on his current ward's burning forehead, "So I thought you'd know better than to run yourself ragged considering your situation!"
The object of his lecture, the new student in this rich kid school, only stares at Enon blankly, too feverish to form a reply. Enon stares back, unimpressed, and when it becomes clear that the younger does not hold even an ounce of regret, his blood pressure rises.
Unlike the rest of the school body, Enon understands that Yuder is in a tougher position. Orphaned since young, Yuder grew up in the mountains with his grandfather, living a modest life in seclusion. While he's what one could call a country bumpkin, the boy's resilient nature did wonders to help him blend in well despite being new to the city, even securing a scholarship to a school like this.
Because of his somewhat reserved personality, he blends in well with the other students, studious enough to be on equal footing with the rest in academics, and conspicuous enough to avoid being ostracized. He is neither bold nor withdrawn, and by treating his classmates as his equals regardless of their family status, he garnered enough respect for his upbringing to not matter.
'Which is why getting sick from studying too hard is the last thing I expected from you,' Enon thinks with a sigh, rising with the bowl of water in hand. Although he supposes being a workaholic aligns with his nature, he expected the boy to at least know better than to neglect his health. "In any case," he grumbles, putting away the bowl and digging through the drawers for some cold medicine, "You should know better now to run here as soon as you start feeling unwell. But for your sake, I hope there won't be a next time."
A cough draws his attention to the other occupant in the room, and Enon narrows his eyes when he receives an almost-sheepish smile in return.
"If it helps, Nathan and I made sure to send him here as soon as he showed signs of being sick," the boy, Kishiar la Orr, reasons in an attempt to soothe his ire, but Enon only huffs.
"I would prefer that there are no 'signs of being sick,' at all," he replies wryly, earning a shrug from the other. "And why are you here anyway? Don't you have any other duties as the student council president?"
Guiltless, Kishiar offers an assuring smile as Yuder stares at him from the bed. "I'm sure the rest can handle a day without my presence, and Nathan should be there to ensure everything's running smoothly."
Right brow twitching, Enon gives up shooing the uninvited guest and proceeds to prepare things Yuder will need. It's not a secret that the student council president has been oddly attached to his new enigmatic schoolmate since Yuder stepped foot in this school, and even with only a few shared classes the times the two can be seen without the other are quite scarce.
One could argue that the taller is only looking after his peer out of concern for his less-than-favorable circumstances, but Kishiar is smart enough to understand that the other does not need assistance in adjusting to his new environment, and neither is he helpless enough to even need help. If anything, Yuder is doing quite well not letting his financial constraints hinder his studies, or life for that matter.
"Well, since you're here anyways, why don't you help Yuder later and make sure he gets home?" Shaking his head, Enon suggests, already expecting the nod he gets in return as he helps Yuder sit up, telling him to take his medicine as Kishiar stands to get him a drink to wash the aftertaste away. Pausing, Enon faces Kishiar and says, "I'll speak to your instructors and excuse you from classes. For now, watch over him and make sure he rests before you leave."
"With pleasure," the other responds, half-hearted as he helps his patient lie back down on the bed, setting the empty glass on the nearest surface.
Turning to Yuder, Enon clears his throat. "And you. Make sure to use this time to get better. Exams are still two weeks away, so you should have ample time to study if you focus on recuperating," he scolds, not unkindly as he walks to his table and grabs a handful of sweets from his candy bowl, walking back to his ward to give it to him.
"..." At the questioning look Yuder gives him, Enon insistently places the candies on the other boy's palm.
"Eat it when you're better," he grumbles, "An incentive."
Even with a blank expression, there is an unmistakable gleam of curiosity present in his gaze as Yuder stares at the assortment of sweets in his hands. "But what are they?"
Pausing, Enon stares. Even Kishiar froze on his way to take a sit by the bedside.
"Candies," is all he can say, really, adding, "They're sweet."
Enon opts to ignore the mildly concerning twinkle in Kishiar's eyes, face scrunching up as he watches Yuder pocket the candies despite the confusion. It's moments like this that remind Enon that the kid grew up in the mountains. Dismissing the somewhat bizarre discovery, he faces Kishiar.
"I'll leave you to it, then."
Enon leaves the infirmary feeling more productive than he ever did, and perhaps the fascinated look in Kishiar's eyes should've been his clue.
It's a problem for later, but for now, Enon remains unaware of the incoming headaches the two will bring him in the coming days.
~•~
All things are subject to change, and for Enon, it starts with the appearance of an unexpected variable that will cause a disruption to his cherished mundane life. In this case, it starts with an unforeseen catalyst in the form of unwanted attention.
Mainly, Kishiar's interest.
One would think that being a school nurse means fewer interactions with the student body, but for some unfathomable reason the universe seems to conspire against Enon, he ends up becoming a reluctant observer of the two's strange antics.
The first time can be attributed to harmless curiosity. While uninterested, Enon can see why Kishiar finds entertainment in the discovery of Yuder's lack of exposure to certain things due to his time living in the mountains.
So when the two happen to bump into each other in the school corridors and Kishiar stops, halting Yuder's steps as well, Enon casts a judging stare towards the taller as he wordlessly rummages through his pockets and picks out a green apple-flavored candy, handing it to Yuder.
At a loss, Yuder can only take the sweet being handed to him under Kishiar's expectant look, while Enon and three other students, Nathan Zuckerman, Kanna Wand, and Gakane Bolunwand, watch on in varying degrees of befuddlement.
Now that his objective is attained, Kishiar bids the three goodbye with a satisfied smile on his face, continuing on with a puzzled Nathan trailing after him, leaving a dazed Yuder with his two stupefied friends.
Meanwhile, Enon walks away, not wanting to involve himself further.
The second time it happens seems to be with the intent to indulge in amusement. Rather, Yuder's accepting response to being handed a candy seems to please Kishiar in some way. So the next time they cross paths, with Kishiar delivering some handouts for Yuder's class, and Enon just happens to be passing by on his way to the bathroom, he's not surprised to see the older boy pull out another sweet, this time strawberry-flavored from what he could see.
Although still confused but more curious of Kishiar's actions, Yuder takes it without protest, earning another satisfied grin in response.
Then he leaves, unconcerned by the shocked whispers he roused from those who witnessed the entire exchange, and Enon resumes his journey, perturbed by the way Kishiar's eyes softened at the sight of Yuder accepting his gift.
The third time is what starts a routine, with Yuder readily taking the offered grape-flavored sweet as soon as Kishiar hands it to him, blind to the gaping of their classmates.
Enon leaves the cafeteria, deciding to eat his lunch in the infirmary.
And the fourth makes it a norm. At that point, everyone's accepted the weird ritual between Kishiar and Yuder, so nobody bats an eye when Kishiar deposits a watermelon candy into Yuder's accepting hands.
Still, Enon wonders why that bothers him.
~•~
It's not until Enon is at the confines of his workroom that it occurs to him why the entire ordeal seems so familiar.
While he's not well-versed in psychology, he recalls an old lecture about behavioral psychology that talks about Ivan Pavlov and the experiment he conducted for classical conditioning.
To summarize, the test consisted of training the dog to associate the bell's ringing with food, making it so the dog starts salivating at the ring of the bell, understanding it as a signal for meal time.
And to Enon's horror, he's currently a spectator to the live imitation of the said experiment, with Yuder as the dog, Kishiar, the bell, and candy as the food. And while Kishiar's intentions are questionable at best and suspicious at worst, there's no denying that Yuder's conditioned to expect candy by Kishiar's mere presence alone.
Psychology, while not his forte, had been one of the subjects Enon enjoyed when he was a student, but he wouldn't say he liked it enough to see classical conditioning in action.
Groaning, Enon tells himself it's not his business, but it doesn't stop him from wishing the clueless Yuder luck in their next encounter, much to the younger's confusion, getting a pitying look in response when he routinely takes the offered cherry candy.
If Enon starts giving a stink-eye behind Kishiar's back, the latter is none the wiser.
~•~
Examinations pass in the blink of an eye, and both the faculty and the student council become busy with work.
Despite the lack of need for Enon's service, he does have some paperwork to do. With nothing better to do, he doesn't mind the sudden influx of work. The lack of activity in the infirmary makes him feel restless, and Enon's been itching to use his hands and busy himself with something as of late. As laid-back as he appears to be, he doesn't want to come across as having it easy compared to the other employees.
It is by chance when he sees Yuder in the empty hallways of the school, on his way back from delivering infirmary records to the faculty room.
Yuder stops in his tracks, and Enon pauses his steps, curious at the sudden halt. When he follows Yuder's line of sight, he's not surprised to see it land on Kishiar.
It's already late, and most students have already left school to either hang out or go home. Inside the classroom, Kishiar seems to be in deep discussion with fellow student council members, looking invested in whatever is being talked about yet managing to look cheery even with the high stack of papers on his table.
Then he stands up, Nathan helping him carry the papers as they exit the room. Kishiar's eyes meet Yuder's, and a smile reflexively forms on his lips, nodding at both Yuder and Enon in greeting. Beside him, Nathan also offers a gesture to acknowledge them, and the two leave with the other student council members joining them shortly after, continuing their discussion as they walk, presumably towards the faculty room.
In the silence of the hall, Enon's the only witness to the dejected look that cracked the surface of Yuder's inscrutable mask, appearing for only a nanosecond before his expression shifts to his usual impassivity, and Enon's left alone with a contemplative look on his face.
Pursing his lips in disapproval, Enon replays the brief moment of weakness he saw in the usually indifferent boy. When one feeds a stray, they are expected to take responsibility thereafter. He tells himself it's for his own peace of mind, sending one last considering look at the spot where Yuder used to be.
Making a decision, he makes his way to the infirmary.
Later, Enon meets Kishiar on his way out of the faculty, looking weary and nearly drained, unusual for his cheery nature, and before the other can so much as notice him, Enon drops a lemon candy on his hand, earning a confused smile in return.
"You forgot something," is all he says, giving a firm pat on the student's shoulder.
It's enough to make Kishiar's eyes go wide, sending a thankful look Enon's way before leaving to chase after Yuder, who should be making his way out of the school at this time.
And if Enon stays a little longer to watch the two perform their exchange by the school gates, nobody has to know.
~•~
In the days following, Enon becomes content watching the two perform their self-designed ritual.
After the short mishap from days ago, Kishiar seems to always have candy prepared in his pocket, and there's not a day that goes by without their usual exchange.
In fact, ever since that day, Kishiar seems to be more attuned to Yuder's presence, crimson eyes constantly straying to the younger boy whenever they're in the same vicinity. And Yuder, now used to this practice, also seems to notice it whenever the student council president is about to initiate their exchange.
There is this one instance, another deviation in their routine, when Enon is heading to the library to return a book he borrowed to read in his free time.
Kishiar, who happens to be walking in the same path as Enon, perks up when he spots Yuder exit the library, accompanied by an energetic underclassman talking his ears off, a student named Elpkins who harbors a lot of admiration towards his stoic sunbae.
When the two pass by, neither notice Kishiar or Enon, too invested in whatever discussion they're having, and only Enon is there to see the way Kishiar loosens his grip on the candy hidden in his pocket, and the droop in his shoulders as he walks away, defeated even when he seems unaware of the subconscious gesture of digging his hand inside his pocket at the mere sight of Yuder.
This, Enon realizes, is an oversight on Pavlov's part. Just like how he successfully trained a dog to expect food with the ring of a bell, the man had unknowingly conditioned himself to provide food to the dog at the bell's signal. The behavior in front of him serves as proof, and Enon takes comfort in the thought that both are equally affected by this psychological phenomenon.
Realizing this, Enon feels reassured, knowing that contingency has also been secured should Kishiar ever forget to bring one on hand.
Kishiar does end up giving Yuder his daily sweet in the form of a melon-flavored candy, when Yuder is unoccupied and can accept it without distractions.
~•~
It's when Enon finds himself alone in the quiet of his workspace staring at the mountain of sweets atop the candy bowl on his desk did realization hit him with enough shock to feel like ice-cold water poured on his head.
With enough self-control to rival a monk's, Enon resists the urge to bash his head into the nearest hard surface he can reach. He curses himself for naively thinking that his lack of further interference is enough to pull himself out of the situation he suddenly finds himself in.
Groaning audibly, he realizes he's doomed himself the moment he handed that candy to Kishiar, maybe even since he introduced sweets to the unassuming Yuder. Thinking that he could avoid involvement by simply observing is naive, because looking back on it now he's unintentionally become another victim of the psychological phenomenon Kishiar and Yuder are engaged in.
'I've been Pavloved to watch their exchange,' Enon thinks to himself, now conditioned to watch the two perform their odd courting ritual, almost in hysteria as he slumps down because try as he might, he can't ignore the fact that his eyes always find their way to the two whenever they're in the same room, always searching for the presence of sweets within Kishiar's person.
With the indisputable proof presented right in front of him, Enon can only sigh, resigned to his fate.
Well, if Enon continues to replenish the sweets in his candy bowl, it's no one's business but his own.
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Me: I actually wanted to publish this after I finish renovating my discord server (tdNdHA9), but that one is taking too long so I did this first. Ah, it may be linked but please refrain from joining until it's ready!
~~~CHAO!~~~