Chapter Text
You never liked the foundation. Even at a glance, you could tell something was off about it. The rules, the regulations, the procedures... None of it sat right with you. However, as an arcanist, it was undeniably the safest place for you to be.
You had been raised in Saint Pavlov Academy, just as many other young arcanists had been. However, in comparison to them, you were quite weak. Your arcanum was quite... finnicky, to say the least. All things considered, it was only logical that you would end up being assigned to the research sector of the foundation. And so, here you are. First day of the job, for who knows how many years to come.
You quietly open the door to the lab, peeking your head through the crack.
"Um... Hello."
A boy sits at one of the desks, swiveling his chair around to greet you.
"Welcome! You must be the new staff, you're right on time!"
The nametag pinned to his chest reads "X". He picks up a clipboard, and goes through the standard job introduction. As he's talking, your attention is drawn to his eyes. They're what you know to be heterochromic, but youve never heard of a pitch black sclera. It's almost enchanting. You must be staring, as he diverts his gaze from yours.
"Apologies, I know my eyes are a bit unsettling at first."
He says this with a smile, yet it doesn't seem like a happy one. You panic a bit, not wanting your coworker's first impression of you to be that you think he's unsettling.
"No, no, not at all! I-"
Shoot, how do you say "I was distracted by how pretty they are!" without sounding like a creep?! Your voice trails off, as you fumble for words.
"I just thought, uh, that..."
He cocks his head ever so slightly, waiting for a response with curiosity and amusement.
"Go on, you thought..?"
Oh god, this couldn't have gone any worse. How embarrassing... After collecting yourself, you mumble a response.
"...They're pretty. That's all."
Fighting the urge to hide your face in your hands, you stand in place.
"Aw, well aren't you sweet? I'm flattered~"
There's the faintest hint of teasing behind his voice, which just makes another part of you die inside. This is the worst first day ever...
The next day, you try to pretend that yesterday didn't happen. Telling your coworker that he has pretty eyes? Nope, never happened. Not at all. As you enter the lab, only one of the desks is filled.
"Good morning, X. What should I get started on?"
He turns around, eyes lighting up.
"Ah, once again you have perfect timing! Some new research papers came in, could you read through them for me?"
He gestures to a pile of documents, the size of which is intimidating. Regardless, you nod in agreement and get right to work.
Several hours pass, the stack of papers slowly getting smaller as you read through them. All the while, the sound of metal clinking can be heard. Whenever you catch a glimpse at X, he seems to be working on a small machine of some kind. Even through lunch, he tinkers away. You notice that he hasn't taken a single break since he started working. However, you just focus on your own work.
It gets concerning when he's still working away at it well past the end of your shift. Even when you leave an hour later, he barely glances up at you.
"I'm headed out now... See you tomorrow."
All you get in response is a small mutter of "you too" as you close the door behind you. Maybe he's just really close to finishing it, and just wants to get it done... Yeah, that's probably it. He'll head to his dorm when he's done, right?
One good night's sleep later, you return to the lab. You're only half surprised to find X slouched over his desk, still in the same spot you'd left him in. The position can't possibly be good for his spine, and you debate whether or not you should wake up your coworker. On one hand, he's obviously been up all night and needs some rest. On the other hand, though, he might get in trouble if a surprise inspection comes by and he's asleep. You step closer to him, still trying to make up your mind. His head rests on his arms, taking up the only desk space that isn't covered in odds and ends. A silver curtain of hair falls perpendicular to his face, which holds a calm expression. It's different from the usual look you've seen on him, this feels less forced. He seems truly at ease like this, you just can't bring yourself to disturb him.
When X eventually wakes up, you pass him a cup of freshly made coffee. You'd spotted the machine in the corner of the room, and combined with his less than ideal sleeping habits, you easily put two and two together.
"Morning, X. Did you sleep well?"
He takes the warm mug and laughs softly at your remark, both of you knowing full well that he slept horribly.
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
Taking a sip of the coffee, he chuckles to himself. He mutters something in amusement, but you can't quite catch it. There's a brief window of time where neither of you speak. Though the room is quiet, it doesn't feel like an awkward silence. Rather, it's comforting. The aromatic coffee steam rising through beams of sunlight from the window, the soft ticking of the wall clock that's just a few minutes out of sync, and the pleased sigh that X lets out upon finishing his drink. It feels more akin to a cozy day by the fireplace than the start of a work shift, nothing at all like the horror stories of nine-to-fives that you'd heard about. The moment of serenety drifts away as you remember the mountain of paperwork you still had to do, courtesy of X. You wonder if he'd been letting it pile up for a long time, pawning it off on you to do instead. You glance over at him, still tinkering away at a machine. Yeah, it doesn't seem like he's been doing much paperwork...
You chip away at the pile of papers, yawning as you stretch back in your chair with resting eyes. Instead of empty space, of which you were sure there was plenty between you and the wall, you hit an obstacle. This startles you, causing you to lose balance and fall further backwards. Thankfully, the obstacle catches you in time.
"Haha, I've got you!"
You stare up at X, who's precariously holding your chair to the point where you're more laying down than you are sitting. Despite the fact that you could've cracked your skull open if you'd fallen, he grins cheekily down at you. A little embarrassed by yourself, you give an awkward laugh.
"Uh, thanks for catching me."
His grin twists ever so slightly, and his eyes narrow in a way that you percieve to be mischievous.
"Hmm... I suppose that means you owe me a favour now, does it not?"
Though he says this with a playful smile, you feel a hint of uneasiness at the idea of being in his debt. Unsure, you play it off with a joke.
"Well, that depends on what the favour would be. I don't plan on burying a body for you, y'know!"
He laughs, completely washing away the worry you'd briefly had.
"No, no, nothing like that! Just a bit of help in an experiment, that's all."
As he returns your seat to its proper, upright position, he looks at you expectantly. You suppose he really does want your assistance on some experiment, and you are his assistant after all.
"An experiment, I can do. How can I help?"
"Alright, stand right here..."
"Uh-huh."
"Hold the sensor like this..."
"Yep."
"And look at the fan right there."
"Okay."
X hovers around you, adjusting small ratchets and screws affixed to various cables. The whole setup is beyond you, if you're being honest, but you can gather that it has something to do with you and electricity.
"You uh, don't plan on electricuting me, do you?"
"No, not at all. This is just designed to turn on a fan using nothing but your ambient arcanum!"
Your stomach tightens uncomfortably at the mention of arcanum. He switches on the machine right away, and you try to voice your concerns.
"I don't think this is a good idea..."
"Don't worry, the machine is perfectly safe!"
The fan starts spinning.
"No, the machine isn't the problem!"
The plastic blades rotate faster and faster, the buzz becoming so loud that you have to yell just to be heard.
"My arcanum is!"
Realization dawns on him a second too late, the wires sparking around you even after you pull away from the machine. X sees the fan begin to smoke, and lunges toward you to keep you from further harm. You fall to the ground together, as the device makes a loud crackle followed by a pang of smoke. X covers your body with his own, his gloved hand cushioning your head against the floor. As the fan comes to a full stop, X looks at you with concern.
"Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"
To say he's close to you would be an understatement. X quite literally hovers inches above your face, propped up only by his hands and knees. Even though you're well aware that it's strictly because of the minor explosion, having a boy pin you down like this sends your heartrate through the roof. You don't say anything, not even an "I'm okay," out of fear you may end up a stuttering mess. Instead, you just lay there as X tries to discern whether or not you're injured.
After what seems like an hour, but was more likely only a few seconds, X releases you and sits on the ground. He looks down at his crossed legs, hair obscuring his face from view.
"I am so, so sorry. Truly, I apologize from the bottom of my heart for causing this accident."
His voice is low and quiet, missing the playful tone he so often has. In its place is a slight waver. You shuffle closer to him, gently reaching a hand out to his shoulder. He flinches slightly, which is unfortunately a common reaction from kids who grew up with the foundation. The tension soon fades, and his shoulders relax.
"X... Thank you."
He looks up at you, surprised. You smile reassuringly, giving his shoulder a light squeeze.
"Thank you for worrying about me, but you really don't need to be sorry for anything. I didn't tell you my arcanum was so unstable, and it messed up your experiment. Even so, you put yourself at risk just to shield me... I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
X is silent for a moment, then smiles.
"I guess it really is true... you learn a lot from accidents."