forum Only Fools... // ROMANCE // OXO

Started August 08, 2019 by @Painted-Iris group

tune

Lucas hummed quietly, thinking. "Probably art would be my favorite. The people in there are more bearable. Everyone else looks at me and sees a lesser shadow of my brother."

Aurian turned to Lucas, brow raised. She wanted to ask about the brother, but decided to cheer him up first. "I think you seem pretty great so far," the girl complimented. That was her goal afterall. Make him feel appreciated.

Lucas smiled weakly. "Thanks… probably since you didn't know Claus. He was pretty popular, so I suppose I sort of pale in comparison. You've probably noticed that I'm quite shy."

Aurian frowned. By the sounds of things, Claus had likely graduated already and gone away or he…
Shaking her head, she got rid of the worst possible option. "Well, you were the first one to talk to me, so I'd say that's at least some progress," she replied, offering a small grin.

Lucas nodded a bit. "I mean, I know what it's like to be alone… I'm not about to strand someone who needs help."

"That's sweet," Aurian said. She was sure that his brother would be proud of Lucas for being a good person. Brushing her brown curls out of her face again, she gave a small hum of satisfaction.

"I guess… well, here's your class. See you after." Lucas waved to Aurian and went off to his own class. He knew Aurian would probably hear about Claus from his classmates, but he couldn't do anything about that now.

Aurian gave a small wae before entering her class. It was like this the rest of the day. Strange looks as she left with Lucas along with being bombarded with questions. Now the two were back in the hall on their way to their final class. Art. She remembered Lucas saying it was his favorite. She didn't blame him, it sounded fun.

Lucas sat down with Aurian after grabbing his paper. He seemed to be watercoloring a still life of flowers in a vase. It was quite good, honestly. He heard whispers starting from the other students, trying to just ignore them for now.

"That's beautiful," Aurian commented with a soft smile. And that was when the idea came to her. After getting a sheet of paper, she began sketching with her pencil the general guidelines for a side profile of the human face. Humming, she looked to the side and began to draw Lucas little by little. It wasn't hard for anyone to notice that the girl continually kept glancing at the boy. She started with the eyes, just a ways below the hairline, almost almond shaped. Eyes were gorgeous, the gateway to the soul. Lucas' were no different. But they seemed sad. Perhaps it was due to his brother not being around. Sighing, she moved onto the rounded point of the nose and gentle curves of the lips.

Lucas was too focused on his painting to notice Aurian drawing him. He tucked a bit of his hair behind his ear so it wouldn't be in the way, the rest of his rather long hair spiked up smoothly with gel. The back of his hair was short, which was normal for the guys here. He added a bit more paint to one of the flowers, humming softly. He jumped when someone's voice piped up, talking to Aurian.
"What're you doing with him?" They asked, casting a pointed look at Lucas. He looked away, seeming nervous.

Aurian turned in her seat, looking at the person who spoke to her. "He's been showing me around today. I'm allowed to ask for help aren't I?" she asked rhetorically. Her tone seemed a bit irritated. "Lucas has been really kind to me for your information. I don't see a problem with what I'm doing," she added, narrowing her eyes. Normally, the girl would have been a bit kinder with her word choice, but she hadn't liked the way Lucas had been mentioned. Him. As if that word was as nasty as old gum on the bottom of your shoe.

They rolled their eyes. "Was he your only option? Honestly, all he does is cry about his brother." Lucas went pale, trying to continue his painting, though his hands were noticeably shaking. "It's been years, Luke! Get over it!" He gripped his paintbrush tighter, turning his head away. A few other people were watching the interaction by now. Lucas never tried to stand up for himself, and by the looks of it, he likely never had.

Aurian wanted to yell, but refrained as it would disrupt the class. Taking a deep breath, she gave the other an angered look. So… it was the worst option that had happened after all…
"He wasn't my only option, and if you can't be okay about other people's choices, then ignore it. I'm not looking for a fight, so I'd appreciate it if you could calm down," she replied, right hand in a fist. She had never felt so angry and sad at the same time. Why were people being so mean to him? Lucas still seemed very upset about a family member being gone. Why did no one else see that…? Aurian then turned back around and gave his hand a light pat. She wanted to hug him or rub his shoulder, but that seemed a bit much for the first day of knowing someone.

(You have no idea how hard it was not to go all out yelling and cussing.)

"Whatever… I'm just saying, bad things tend to happen to the people around him."
"Stop." Lucas's voice was weak, almost pleading. The other student raised their eyebrows.
"What was that, Luke?"
"I… n-nothing…" He replied, just as quietly. "Excuse me…" He stood up and left the room as calmly as he could.
"Oh, there he goes again…" A few people sighed in exasperation.

Aurian wanted to slap the other student but only said this. "Sorry that your deaf ears couldn't hear, but he said stop."
The girl turned over the page she was working on before asking to be excused. The same student now glared at her retreating form, thinking about how they warned her. It was Aurian's fault if bad things happened.
Now in the hallway, she glanced around for her friend. At least she liked to think they could be friends. Aurian called quietly for the boy, not wanting to disturb other classes.

Lucas was sitting in a silent corner that was a ways away from the classroom. He had his knees drawn up to his chest with his arms crossed on top, and his face was hidden in his arms. He seemed to be trembling slightly as he quietly hyperventilated, trying desperately to calm down so he could just return to class like nothing happened as always. Everyone knew he was lying when he said he'd just gone to the bathroom. He saw the crash in his mind, flinching. Claus's pale face covered in the blood they shared, his green eyes that normally held such warmth were cold and unseeing. Lucas stared blankly at the floor between his knees with wide eyes, a couple tears dripping onto the cold tiles.

Aurian called out once again, and wondered if Lucas simply wasn't replying. She couldn't take a whole lot longer or she might get in trouble. "Lucas…? Please answer… I'm sorry that this happened. I…" she paused, feeling awful. The students would have made fun of him anyways, but she still felt horrible about it. "I don't know what I should say," Aurian started again, voice sounding a bit quieter that her usual confident tone. Walking a bit further she continued. "I have no idea what you're feeling, but I'd like to if you'd let me. Because… we're friends right?"
Aurian frowned. He probably wouldn't reply. She was only new and probably making too big of an assumption for the first day. It would happen hopefully, but she wondered if Lucas spoke to her for a reason or… if he would end up avoiding her to avoid the extra bullying.

Aurian finally got within earshot of Lucas. His soft sobs were audible from around the corner, and he had his fingers tangled into his now disheveled blonde hair. His hat had fallen off by now, the glass wounds on his head showing through his hair. There was blood staining the nearby hair as well.
He choked on his sobs, still staring unseeingly at the tiles as the flashbacks pressed deep into his brain. It was giving him a migraine, and the crying mixed with the visions themselves and the headache made him nauseous. He wasn't quite responsive right now and he was shaking violently, flinching whenever he heard the car crash again and again. The younger him looked up at his mothers face, streaked with blood as well. Her loving hazel eyes were empty, one of them torn to shreds.

The girl froze at the sound of crying and extremely rapid breathing. She quickly walked towards the sound before finding Lucas. He looked… awful. She was about to speak when she noticed the blood on his head. She looked at the abandoned hat and noticed a few faint red stains on the inside.
Did he do this to himself…? Now wasn't the time to ask. Not knowing what else to do, Aurian kneeled in front of him and placed her palms lightly on his forearms.
"Take deep breaths. You'll make yourself sick if you don't calm down. It hurts and I understand. Crying this hard will dehydrate you and make it worse though," the girl attempted, eyes wide with worry.

Lucas glanced up at her, what she could see of his baby blue eyes full of terror. He didn't seem to be fully seeing her; more looking through her than anything. His hoodie sleeves had slipped down to reveal hidden cuts on his arms, which were clearly self inflicted. He was so worked up that he couldn't even speak, only choking and coughing ifhe ever tried. Even though Aurian didn't know him, it was clear that he'd endured severe emotional trauma. This wasn't normal. Well, for Lucas, yes, but it was concerning for anyone.