Chapter Text
[TW/CW: loneliness, depression, school, anxiety]
They were just another pair of students that were legally required to stalk the halls of Endsville's decaying school system, like every other kid they'd known was. At least one of them really didn't want to be there, and the other one may not have had the smarts to have considered that there was anything better, whether that was a good or bad thing. He always did turn out to think it was okay by the end of the day, which the other would have simply considered naive optimism. Still, it was probably better off that way: if only for the sake of not completely losing your mind from being in such a vicious cycle of what humans had considered the "waking world."
But up until then, Nergal Jr was almost always wickedly alone. It wasn't unlike either of his parents, but it wasn't what he would have ever wanted for any of them. He'd watch the kids gather in tiny groups among themselves, always with smiles on their faces and laughs in their hearts. It was something that he so desperately longed for, but simultaneously seemed so foreign that it must have only ever been allowed for anybody in the universe except him. And it always broke his heart.
He appreciated when his cousin would invite him to things, but there was something in the pit of his stomach that was completely convinced that this was an act of solely guilt rather than truly wanting to, or any hint of actual friendship. But it was the only bones he'd ever been thrown, so he typically went with it. Billy had friends, and he was never shy to make more. But the friends that he did have join them didn't pay an awful lot of attention to Junior; at least not enough to determine that he was more than a pal that knew Billy. Even Irwin, with whom he had made up long ago for misunderstandings, seemed to only really like being around him when that moderator was there. He never blamed him.
So he was used to the solitude. In a way, it was only that with which he could muster an idea of friendship (no matter how sad that actually was). It just was his truth, and one that he'd figured he would live with him for the rest of his demigod life. Quite a heavy idea for someone who was only a handful of years old, but maybe it was really just a punishment for being born. Who knows?
Being too caught up in thinking about being alone, he didn't notice the nasally redhead approaching his empty lunch table. "Hi there, Junior! Mind if i sit here next to you?"
He looked up from his daydream. He instantly recognized Pud'n's freckly little face from some of the classes that the two had together. They didn't really know each other, but from experience Junior was aware that he was one of the harmless members of the student body. He bypassed the usual mental struggle of allowing someone to try to get near him, figuring that the happy young fellow really had nothing to gain should this just be a trick to get Junior's hopes up. "Uhh, sure Pud'n."
Pud'n set his tray down and hopped into the seat next to Junior's. "Thanks, buddy!" He picked up his spork and started eating his trayful of whatever the cafeteria had decided to call the slop that day.
Junior's insides churned at that word. He's always excited to hear a word related to friendship, but had quickly learned that people will often use those phrases in very negative ways. In his personal experience, they'd be used like daggers to rip at his dwindling faith in his peers, usually said either ironically or passive aggressively. He took a moment to fully consider this instance. It didn't seem venomous, but he wasn't all too certain that it was genuine, either. He decided to question it. "'B-buddy?'"
Pud'n swallowed his food. "Sure! Everyone is my buddy!" A smile crossed his empty head and he continued eating.
Junior knew that it couldn't be true. "Everyone? But what about those bullies that pick on us? Are they really your buddies?" He didn't think that Pud'n would have a good answer in him, but he didn't really want to pass up being incorrect about it.
He looked up at the boy sitting next to him. "Sure! We might not always get along, but it doesn't mean we can't still be friends when they're nice."
"Really?" That doesn't make any sense. If someone is usually aggressive towards you, even unprovoked, then they can't be a friend, can they?
"Of course! You and Mandy are friends, right? She can be mean, but in the end, she's still your friend." Junior doubted that Mandy truly would be a friend had he ever needed her to be. She was there, but she was even flightier than Billy.
Junior sat silently for a bit, looking over the uneaten food on his tray. He rested his head on his hands and pondered for a bit. It took him a few minutes to remember that he wasn't actually alone at that moment. Which, now that he thought about it…
"Hey Pud'n? Why did you want to sit with me today?" He figured that he actually did have friends that he usually sat with, so there wasn't really a reason for him to be here now.
Pud'n looked at him. "I like to sit with everyone! I saw that you were all alone here, so I thought to sit with you today." Junior usually sat alone, though. What made today different? "You always sit by yourself. I thought that you could really use some company, even if you do prefer being alone."
He guessed that made sense. It wasn't common for Junior to be on the receiving end of a nice gesture. It made him feel a little guilty, but part of him said that it was Pud'n's fault if he had wound up having a bad time here. Still, he should probably do what he could to become a little more familiar with this boy. Junior racked his brain.
"Um," he was shy to be the one starting the conversation. "W-what else do you like to do?"
Pud'n took a moment to think. "I like to do lots of things! I like to read books and watch tv and listen to music and play video games; and i like to ride my bike and run through the flowers and play with my friends; and i like to sweep the floor and wash the dishes and do the laundry and pull the weeds and bake cakes and cookies and pastries and all sorts of other things."
Junior forced himself to reply nicely, "oh." He was honestly pretty overwhelmed. He picked the last thing that he could remember Pud'n said to make something up. "I kind of like to bake, too."
Pud'n seemed to perk up at that. "Wow, really? I love to bake. Sometimes i think i could be a baker when I grow up." Junior immediately regretted it, and what Pud'n said next made that far more intense. "What kind of things do you like to bake?"
Junior panicked. He dug deep within his mind to find something that wasn't just parroting. "Oh, i like to baaake" he took it slow to buy himself time, looking around for any baked goods he could see in the cafeteria: "brreeaaadd, a-and mmuuuffiiiinnns, aaaand…" he wasn't thinking, "pizza!"
"Ah, i love pizza! What's your favorite kind of pizza?"
A lightbulb lit up for Junior. He realized he actually had something to talk about. "I like all kinds of pizza. My dad owned a pizza shop in town once and i got to try every combination of toppings you could think of." He was actually impressed with himself on being able to muster that.
Pud'n's eyes lit up. "Wow, really? What was it like?"
He couldn't exactly be honest. "It was fun. The pizzas were really tasty because my dad is a good cook. I even got to meet a lot of people because i was a delivery boy."
Pud'n smiled wide. "That's so cool!"
"Yup!" Junior couldn't really remember what else happened in that episode; but he wasn't a delivery boy anymore, so he guessed the business had ended for some reason. He needed to diverge what he was saying. "I liked to make funny faces with the toppings." He also remembered it was courteous to engage others in the conversation as well. "Whhhat kind of toppings do you like on your pizza?"
"I like cheese and pepperoni." Pud'n grew a little coy for how he'd been acting. "I'm not really adventurous with food and things."
Perhaps he was being a little too bold by saying what he did next. "Oh. Maybe we can make pizzas together some time so you can try new toppings." But he only realized that after he said it. He froze.
Pud'n smiled happily. "That sounds like fun! And we can make cupcakes for dessert!"
Junior's tension started to fade. "Yeah!" He even grew a little bit excited at the idea of meeting someone outside of school. Maybe he would be able to make a friend after all. Or maybe he was getting a little carried away. He smiled genuinely, nonetheless.
Pud'n giggled. Junior couldn't help but giggle too. It wasn't often that he got to laugh, far far less actually WITH someone. He did his best to savor the moment.
Out of seemingly nowhere, the lunch bell rang. Junior was suddenly crashed back to reality. Did he really have to go back to class and leave his new companion? He grumbled to himself in his mind, hoping he could keep up appearances until they actually separated. His eyes latched themselves onto Pud'n.
He stood up, and Junior followed his lead. They walked toward the garbage can to dispose of their trash before leaving the lunch room. "So," he began, "do you know when you'll be able to hang out with me?"
Junior was stunned that he had asked that. Unfortunately he hadn't actually considered that part of the situation. "Uhh…" He knew he could probably get away from home long enough after school to be able to do something like this, but he considered asking his parents first anyway. "I… think i can see you on the weekend, if you want." He was nervous about everything regarding that answer.
"That sounds good to me!" Pud'n grinned wide. He lifted a hand and began waving. "I'll see you later, Junior!" He skipped off to his next class, leaving Junior behind in a pool of thought. He was so consumed by the idea of meeting someone and making a friend that he almost missed the bell. But he didn't mind very much right now.