School got easier. He had a friend by his side in all his classes and Neuvillette was slowly working down all of Wriothesley's barriers. They were actually bonding and becoming friends. Clorinde was proud of her childhood friend. He had always been a shy kid. He acted tough to survive, but it was nice seeing him actually flourish and begin to thrive as an actual teenager. It was even better watching him be normal… the thing he was robbed from at such a young age.
It was a few months into the school year. Wriothesley stopped eating his lunch out on the bleachers and began eating inside with his new friend group: Clorinde, Neuvillette, and Navia. The conversations were lively and fun.
"So, what are the plans for the weekend?" Navia asked. "I've been dying to go to that new little coffee shop that opened up. I saw they sell macaroons!"
"We can go. But remember next weekend we are busy. So make sure to rest this weekend." Clorinde said, eating a bit of a sandwich..
"What's next weekend?" Wriothesley asked.
"There's a student council get-together next weekend," Navia sighed. "Clorinde asked me to come along with her."
"What is the get-together?" Wriothesley was confused… usually Clorinde told him about plans.
"Well um actually…" Neuvillette cleared his throat. "We are going to the coast to the beach."
"It's a beach day!" Navia cheered. "I can't wait to show off my new swimsuit!"
"We each get to bring a plus one since it's a private school event. Would… you like to join Wriothesley? I have my plus one open." Neuvillette was a little awkward asking his friend to join him. It almost felt like he was asking him on a date. He hoped his cheeks weren't flushed.
"Yeah that would be a lot of fun." Wriothesley smiled. "Ah shit.. Clorinde we will need to go buy swim trunks and a rash guard then. I haven't been swimming since…" He trailed off, knowing he can't continue, but Clorinde gave him a knowing nod.
"How about all 4 of us go together? We can go to the outlet mall this weekend AFTER the coffee shop and pick out some new stuff!" Navia suggested. "Neuvillette do you have plans?"
"I would love to join. I could use a new pair myself." Neuvillette gave a small nod.
"It's settled then! How about we meet at Clorinde's house and we can carpool? It'll be so much fun!" Navia clapped happily.
"Does this mean I am driving?" Clorinde groaned.
"Well of course it does! You have the nicest car out of all of us and there's two of you in the same place! Makes the most sense out of all of the meeting places!" Navia twirled her straw in her fingers with a wink.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Wriothesley gave a thumbs up. The bell rang shortly after and the group separated to go to class. Wriothesley and Neuvillette walked down the main hallway to class.
"Hey thanks for inviting me along. I'm really excited, I've never been to the coast, let alone to the beach. I will admit, I barely know how to swim. I do, don't get me wrong, but it's barely," Wriothesley laughed slightly.
"It's alright…I can teach you if you'd like. I know how to swim well. Freshman year I was on the swim team after all," Neuvillette offered.
"That would be great actually. But only a little bit of teaching. This trip is for fun after all!" Wriothesley said.
"Yes it will be a fun trip. All of the student council is going so it may be a good opportunity to add to our little friend group." Neuvillette took a seat at his desk, Wriothesley doing the same. The classes dragged on the rest of the day, the bell finally ringing at 3pm. Clorinde walked home with Wriothesley after the school day.
"Rash guard huh?" She asked.
"Yeah…I don't want to scare all of the student council. You know what I look like under all the layers." Wriothesley tugged on his sweatshirt. He wore long sleeves or hoodies every day along with long pants and boots. He wanted as minimal skin showing as possible around other people.
"Other people have scars Wrio… they're nothing to be ashamed of," Clorinde reassured.
"Yes, but people don't have burn scars and stab wounds all over their torsos. I'd rather not." Wriothesley shrugged.
"If you're that insecure about it, we will find you some longer shorts too. Navia can always work some magic." Clorinde gave a smirk and a thumbs up. Wriothesley laughed. He was grateful to have at least one person he could have minimal walls up around.
Two days later was Saturday morning. Navia insisted on starting the day early when the shopping center opened. The best selection was at opening after all! Wriothesley sat on the porch, yawning. He had adjusted to sleeping in on weekends. 7am wakeup time was too early on a saturday. Thank goodness coffee was in his foreseeable future.
Navia came running up and hugged the sleepy, zoned out man. Wriothesley tensed a bit but realized it was his trusted friend. He relaxed as much as he could and patted her back.
"Good morning Navia… How are you so awake this early without coffee?" Wriothesley gave a weak chuckle.
"Who in the world said I haven't enjoyed my morning coffee yet?" Navia gasped.
"But…we are literally going to a coffee shop as soon as Neuvillette is here?" Wriothesley pulled back confused.
"My dear boy." Navia raised a brow. "You CAN have more than one cup of coffee a day."
"Ah right I guess." Wriothesley looked away shyly. He was used to his single cup in the morning as part of his rationed daily breakfast.
"Fret not Navia. We can go get your second or third cup of coffee now." Neuvillette chuckled as he walked up, holding a small tote bag in his hand. Clorinde walked onto the porch with her keys. She locked up the house and motioned everyone to her car in the driveway, a newer model black Corolla. Wriothesley let Navia take shotgun so she could guide Clorinde to the coffee shop and the mall.
Wriothesley sat in the back seat, sipping his matcha latte and waking up. The mall was a little bit of a drive so he had time to relax and wake up. He peered over at Neuvillette next to him. He seemed so awake. Oh how he was jealous of that…
Before he knew it, they had arrived at the mall in front of a store that specializes in swimwear. Wriothesley didn't even know stores like this existed. Do they really do enough business to stay open? Was it actually a front for something shadier? He shook off the train of thought and followed the group inside. Navia pulled Clorinde towards a navy blue two piece set immediately, leaving the two boys to fend for themselves. Wriothesley looked around, a little bit overwhelmed at the size of the store and the number of options. There were so many colors and patterns. Where was he supposed to start?
He began to move along the wall trying to search for a rash guard type shirt and the longest pair of swim trunks he could find. Shorts wouldn't be terrible… pants are just more comfortable for him. He grabbed a pair of black swim trunks. They only came to his knees but it was the best the store had to offer him. What size was he? He had never tried on a swimsuit… were they like pants or boxers?
He grabbed a large and extra large to compare them and hoped they fit loosely. He had muscular legs so they probably wouldn't. There was a small section of rash guards in the back. He found a red one in his size. That one he at least knew but wanted to try on the shorts. He ran into Neuvillette on his way to the dressing room.
"Did you find what you needed?" Neuvillette asked.
"Yeah I just need to try it on. I do think the girls are going to need a while though." Wriothesley smiled at his friends in the front of the store. Navia was slowly gathering every swimsuit in her size it looked like with Clorinde carrying the overflow.
"Maybe we should go help Clorinde." Neuvillette offered.
"She actually doesn't mind. She's pretty smitten with Navia after all." Wriothesley smirked. He knew his childhood friend had had a crush on the blonde cheerleader for a long time. She would tell him all about her whenever she visited him in prison. Maybe that's why he was comfortable with Navia so fast… he already basically knew her.
"I had a feeling. I am rooting for those two." Neuvillette chuckled lowly. "Clorinde has no idea Navia feels the same does she?"
"Not one bit." Wriothesley smirked. Oh the irony in the two pairs situation.
A store clerk took everything from Clorinde and set Navia up in a dressing room. Wriothesley snuck into one quietly to figure out what swim shorts to buy and to double check that the rash guard would fit ok. He stared at himself in the mirror, cheeks pink. He… actually liked how he looked in this. That was a new feeling for him. The red and black complimented his skin tone well and his scars were mostly hidden. His legs were never as torn up as his arms and torso… they could pass as normal almost. Just some scarring around his thighs and knees, could easily be scars from hard farm work or something like that. Yeah… that would work if anyone asked.
He changed back into his clothes, stepping out of the fitting room to see Navia basically having a fashion show next door to his room. Maybe Clorinde was right and he was overthinking all of this. There Navia was showing all her friends swimsuit options, clear small scars on her arms and thighs. She didn't pay attention at all, if anything she flaunted them. Maybe… with some hard work… Wriothesley would do that one day. He took a seat on the bench next to Neuvillette and Clorinde. They both had stacks of swimsuits on their laps.
"Er… do you guys need help putting them away?" Wriothesley asked.
"No, don't touch them yet! Actually we can re-sort these a bit! Clorinde, you hold onto the swimsuits I like and are cute. Neuvillette, you hold onto the maybe pile that I need to think about. Wriothesley, can you start putting away the ones that didn't fit me right?" The group gave thumbs up to Navia's suggestions. It made Wriothesley feel better to have his hands occupied and moving anyway.
An hour later, Navia finally finished her fashion show. Clorinde had a stack of 10 swimsuits, Neuvillette had handed off his stack of maybes and Wriothesley had put away all of the rejected swimsuits.
"Oh goodness… I don't know what ones to get." Navia sighed. "They were all so cute. What do you guys think?"
"Well you have 3 in the same cut so maybe pick your favorite color of them?" Clorinde suggested.
"Oh yes you're right! Okay… I will keep the dark purple one in this cut. And this one is a double too! I'll keep the navy blue one." Navia handed the other ones to Wriothesley who put them back.
"There… you are down to 7. Do you prefer two pieces or one piece?" Clorinde asked.
"Definitely two." Navia replied. Clorinde handed two more suits to Wriothesley.
"5 is much more manageable." Clorinde said. "Why dont I buy two of them for you and you get the other three?"
"You would really do that for me?" Navia smiled happily. Clorinde smiled and took the two more expensive swimsuits from her friend. She then took the two pieces from Wriothesley and headed to the front counter.
"She's so wonderful." Navia sighed dreamily as she followed her up.
"Did you find anything Neuvillette?" Wriothesley asked. He hadn't noticed his friend holding anything.
"Ah unfortunately now. I have a few at home. I will be fine for the trip. Just nothing caught my eye here. Maybe another store." Neuvillette offered a small smile. "I am glad you and the girls found something though."
"Yeah me too… I was worried for a moment. I haven't ever owned a pair of swim shorts so it was a little daunting for me." Wriothesley admitted. Neuvillette raised a brow but didn't pry. It was a bit odd owning your first swimsuit at age 17 but he knew he would hear Wriothesley's story at his own pace.
The gang walked around the mall, searching other stores for potential swimsuits for Neuvillette and of course Navia. They had a small amount of luck. They got lunch and headed on their separate ways after Clorinde dropped them off at their respective homes.
"Are you doing okay?" Clorinde asked as they pulled back into the driveway.
"Yeah… I appreciate the concern. Today was actually a lot of fun. It definitely helped me feel normal." Wriothesley smiled. "Also when are you gonna confess your feelings to Navia?" Clorinde sputtered a bit, blushing and getting out of the car.
"I have no idea what you mean. She would never like me back anyway." Clorinde said, opening the front door.
"Yeah uh-huh… that's why she was giving you puppy dog eyes and held your hand all day." Wriothesley teased.
"Well we got everything we needed. I will get started on dinner in a few hours. Relax the rest of the day okay?" Clorinde headed up stairs to her area of the house. Wriothesley did the same, happy to have a little bit of quiet time to read and relax.
The week flew by for the teens. The excitement was high for everyone. Wriothesley was a little nervous about going on the outing but it would be alright. It was anxiety… nothing else. He would be perfectly fine and he had his friends to help him along the way.
They arrived at the beach early in the morning, around 9am. Wriothesley carried a large cooler Clorinde had packed for everyone. She had made sandwiches and snacks for everyone. Clorinde had the bag of swim gear for the pair, both opting to change in the beach house instead of driving there in them.
"You guys made it!" A cheery voice said, running to them. Navia hugged Clorinde. "Wriothesley, would you be a dear and get the water cooler from my car as well? It's too heavy for me. My brothers carried it to my car at home."
"Yeah of course. Where can I set this one down first?" He inquired. Navia led them over to a little cabana area they had rented to make the event a little more comfortable. Wriothesley set down the first cooler and went to Navia's car for the second. When he returned, Neuvillette had arrived and was sitting in a beach chair.
"Hey Neuvillette you made it." Wriothesley smiled, setting down the cooler.
"Yes, I apologize for my tardiness. There was some traffic I didn't expect." Neuvillette smiled. "Would you guys like to walk with me to the beach house to change?" Wriothesley nodded.
"I will wait for Navia to go. We are waiting for Furina and Lynette to join before we head up there. We will hold down the fort." Clorinde handed the beach bag to Wriothesley.
The two men walked up the boardwalk to the beach house. Wriothesley didn't know what he expected but it wasn't this. The beach house had two sides, a mens and a woman with a middle area for families. They entered the men's side and it had 3 sections; showers, toilets/sinks and changing areas. Wriothesley could feel his face heat up. He was very used to changing in front of other men but this felt somehow made him uncomfortable. What was stopping some random person from opening a basically sheer curtain while he was changing?
He shook his head, pushing the intrusive thoughts out. Neuvillette was about to ask if he was alright when Wriothesley walked into the open changing stall and closed the curtain. He set the bag on the long bench and changed into his swim trunks and rash guard. He was happy at the amount of skin he successfully covered and was ready for the day at the beach.
"Wriothesley? Are you alright?" Neuvillette asked from outside the stall. Wriothesley had no idea he had been in there that long.
"Ah yeah… sorry about that." He said coming out, scooping up the bag. He tried not to panic when he saw Neuvillette. His friend had his long hair tied up into a tight bun. He was wearing the swim trunks they found at another store on their shopping trip, a blue pair with water like patterns on it. He also wore a loose white tank top. It honestly made Wriothesley more comfortable knowing he wasn't the only one covered up.
"I am going to only say this because I want you to feel safe today… please if your color changes today please tell me without hesitation. We can go on a walk or I will take you home. Does that sound alright?" Neuvillette asked as they walked back to the cabana.
"Yeah it sounds great. Thank you for always looking out for me." Wriothesley gave an honest smile.
"Absolutely. And I am quite excited for you to meet the rest of the student council. They are a great bunch." Neuvillette smiled. They heard a crash at the cabana and a loud laugh from someone Wriothesley didn't recognize.
They hurried their way back to see a girl with blue and white hair standing on the couch with a tennis racket in hand. The crash was a tennis ball bouncing off Navia's metal cooler. There was a blonde girl next to her eating some desserts Clorinde had packed.
"Furina I can't for the life of me find where the ball went." A male voice sighed. Wriothesley saw a boy who looked very similar to the girl eating. He had never seen these three around school before.
"It's probably still in the hut, Lyney. She has more, don't you worry." A monotone female voice said, like the fact he was looking outside was stupid.
"It seems everyone is here." Neuvillette chuckled. "Wriothesley allow me to introduce everyone to you. This is Lynette, our treasurer… Furina, our secretary… Lyney, Lynette's twin brother… and Chiori, our friend from abroad."
"It's great to meet you at last mr. Wriothesley!" Furina swooned, jumping off the couch and setting her racket down. "Neuvillette has told me so much about you! I didn't expect you to be this handsome!" Wriothesley definitely felt his face turn red.
"Um… thank you? It's nice to meet you Furina." He stammered out.
"Lady Furina, you are going to scare the poor boy. He seems too reserved for your forwardness." The girl leaning against the cabana, Chiori said.
"Don't mind them. Come sit…" Lynette patted the spot next to her on the couch. "There's treats. Clorinde worked hard on them with Navia." She handed Wriothesley the plate of macaroons and cookies. He gladly took one of the macaroons.
"It is good to meet you in person! We wanted to meet you when you arrived at school but our paths never crossed. Maybe we will see each other in classes together next semester." Lyney said, leaning on the edge of the couch near Lynette.
"Uh maybe… I think I switch to gym class next semester. I think that's my only change." Wriothesley shrugged.
"You'll see most of us then! That's senior gym class so a lot of us will need to take it." Navia smiled, picking up her beach bag. "We are gonna go change. See you shortly~." Clorinde took the beach bag from Wriothesley and walked with Navia and Furina to the beach house. Lynette, Lyney and Chiori came in their swimsuits.
"Wriothesley, would you like to swim?" Neuvillette asked. The other man nodded, happy to spend some time away from the crowd of people. They walked down to the beach line and let the waves crash against their feet. It was surprisingly warm. Wriothesley looked out at the vast sea fondly. He had never seen such a sight. He couldn't have ever imagined it looking like this. He slowly waded his way into the water, excited to see how it felt as well. He went in about waist deep before looking back at Neuvillette.
"Are you coming in?" He grinned. Neuvillette nodded and followed him into the water. "I can't believe how pretty the water is… it's so warm but the current isnt as strong as I thought it would be."
"I'm glad you're enjoying the ocean." Neuvillette smiled. "I am very fond of it myself. Water is one of my favorite things." He swam out a little deeper than Wriothesley did. "Do not feel like you have to go out farther unless you are comfortable."
"I am probably going to go a little deeper but I don't think I am ready to go out too far." Wriothesley smiled weakly. It was all a new experience for him.
"How do you like everyone so far?" Neuvillette inquired.
"They seem great. Just…a lot of personality to take in at once." Wriothesley laughed. "Thanks for dragging me out here… you knew I was going red didn't you?"
"I could tell yes…" Neuvillette smiled. "I am learning your ques slowly but surely."
"I don't think that's a bad thing. I appreciate having such a great friend." Wriothesley smiled warmly. "Thank you for being my friend."
"You do not need to thank me. I am happy to be your friend." Neuvillette wished he could have said how he really felt. But it wasn't time for that.
The two swam for a bit before Clorinde, Navia and Furina joined them. They splashed around and tried to guide Wriothesley a little deeper out to sea, within his comfort level of course. It was so freeing to him. He couldn't help but smile and laugh.
"So Wriothesley." Furina smirked as she swam up to the hulking man. "Do you have a girlfriend yet?" Wriothesley blushed heavily, his brain erroring from the sudden, invasive question.
"He doesn't like women, miss Furina. Don't waste your energy." Clorinde said, floating by them on her back.
"What? Really now? I didn't expect this development." Navia gave a small grin to Neuvillette. The president averted his friend's gaze, knowing exactly what the grin was for.
'I told you in confidence Navia… please do not give me away.' Neuvillette thought to himself.
"I just…" Wriothesley sighed. "I tried to like women. I do as friends! Romantically or sexually I'm just… not. I prefer men in those aspects." He felt raw and very exposed. He just told his friends about himself. A barrier fell without him even realizing it. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. It was a terrifying aspect if he was honest. "I um… I am going to step away for a bit. I'm sorry." Before anyone could protest, he got out of the water and hurried towards the beach house. He slowed down a bit when he reached the boardwalk. Did he overreact? He thought it was normal to like guys… it was for him at least. Did he make it weird because of his reaction?
"Are you alright?" A calming voice called from nearby.
"... red…" Wriothesley said as Neuvillette approached.
"Okay… let's go on a short walk. There's some benches over there." Neuvillette guided him over and sat him down gently. "Can you tell me what's going on?"
"Did I make it weird?" He murmured softly.
"The trip? Of course not." Neuvillette reassured, sitting next to him.
"No… our friendship. Now that you know I don't date girls…" Wriothesley scratched his hand nervously, an anxious tick of his.
"Of course not… why would your sexuality reflect negatively on our friendship?" Neuvillette tried to steady his voice to calm his friend. He just wanted to convey to his friend that everything was alright.
"Because we're both guys." Wriothesley practically whispered.
"Well yes… but none of these things are related." Neuvillette hesitated but put a hand on his friend's knee in comfort. "You are you. You are my friend. Nothing is going to change that. How about this… can I be vulnerable with you?"
"Um…" Wriothesley looked around to make sure they were truly alone. The nearest person was over 50 feet away, definitely out of ear shot. "Seems safe enough, shoot."
"I am Demisexual." Neuvillette smiled. "I only feel attracted to someone I feel a deep emotional connection to. You are the only person who knows this fact about me."
"You… you trust me enough to tell me first?" Wriothesley blinked.
"Of course I do. Since we've met we've become close friends. I trust you fully." Neuvillette reassured.
"Thank you… for telling me. I trust you too. Your secret is safe with me… i promise you that." Wriothesley smiled. "I don't know how you did it but you somehow managed to take me out of my comfort zone and make it comfortable. I am back to yellow."
"Shall we go enjoy some lunch in the cabana? Us two can take off a little early… I heard Lyney brought some fireworks for this evening so many will be staying late." Neuvillette offered.
"That sounds like an excellent plan." Wriothesley stood up and offered a hand to Neuvillette to stand up. The pair walked back to the cabana to see everyone was out of the water. Furina apologized multiple times for making Wriothesley uncomfortable. He accepted it, explaining he was just shy around new people. The group ate the treats and sandwiches Clorinde worked hard to make and enjoyed the friendly banter. Mid afternoon, Neuvillette and Wriothesley went back up to the beach house to change back into street clothes and departed from the small party.
"Thank you for driving me home early… I unfortunately am not used to extraordinary amounts of people and personalities like today was." Wriothesley rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Of course I fully understand. Do you have a key to get into the house separate from Clorindes?" Neuvillette wanted to confirm before they got too far away.
"Oh yeah… we keep one in a dummy rock hidden in the front flower bed. Thank you for checking." Wriothesley knew exactly where it was too.
Neuvillette drove them back to the house and parked in the driveway. He smiled warmly at his friend. "Thank you for joining us today. It meant a lot to both Clorinde and I. Please know that Furina is harmless… she just has no filter."
"I'm not mad or anything. If anything I was embarrassed by how I reacted to everything. I had a wonderful time today. Thank you for having me… I will text you?" Wriothesley got out of the car and smiled to his friend in the window.
"Please do." Neuvillette watched as his friend found the key and headed into the house. He sighed and hit his forehead softly on the steering wheel. A lot had happened in a short little trip. But… he felt his friendship was developing in a positive way and he noticed his friend opening up. Truly, Wriothesley was night and day compared to when he had started at school just a few months ago.