[Location: Varynfall City – 05:10 p.m.]
[Novarch University]
"Seriously, man, you don't gotta be shy. It'd be so damn cool if you actually fucked Annabeth."
"I'm telling you, you fool, nothing happened."
Nero's tone was flat but carried annoyance he didn't bother hiding anymore. His fingers brushed through his wild white hair, trying to ignore the idiot walking beside him.
They walked down the main hallway together — the crowd had thinned since earlier, fewer people gawking at Nero as if he were some rare animal. That at least was a small relief.
Alexander, as usual, didn't know when to shut up.
"C'mon, man. I don't get you sometimes," he said, throwing his hands up dramatically. "A total babe's all over you, and you're out here acting like she's offering to stab you or something."
Nero shot him a sidelong look. "There's an explanation for all that crap," he muttered. "So maybe just keep your mouth shut until we actually get to the dorms."
Alexander groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're unbelievable, dude. Seriously, you get all the luck in the world and don't even wanna cash it in."
"Every random bitch throwing herself at me just 'cause I look a little cute isn't what I'd call luck," Nero scoffed.
Alexander tilted his head. "Are you… like, asexual or something?"
Nero shrugged lightly, his small hand slipping into his pocket. "Dunno. Maybe."
They stopped in front of a door marked with a faded metallic number: 10.
"Well, this should be it," Alexander said, fishing through his pocket before pulling out his student ID. "Oh—right. You should probably pick yours up later, by the way. Otherwise, you won't be able to get in when I'm not around."
Nero gave a small nod, his hair falling forward slightly as he tilted his head.
Alexander swiped the card by the door frame — a short electronic beep sounded before the lock clicked open. He pushed it wide and blinked. "Huh. I kinda expected something cooler."
The room was plain. Spacious, yeah, but sterile — white walls, two beds across from each other, a window framed in metal, two wardrobes, and a single door that probably led to a bathroom. No decorations. Just empty space.
"We're not paying students," Nero reminded, walking inside. "We just got scholarships." He dropped his bag lazily beside his bed.
"Yeah, yeah, but still," Alexander complained, closing the door behind them. "Scholarships for science, bro. You'd think geniuses like us would get something better than this glorified box." He flopped dramatically onto his bed, sinking into the mattress with a sigh. "Whatever. Have you seen some of the girls here? I might actually get laid this year!"
Nero raised an eyebrow, brushing a lock of white hair out of his face. "What? Already over Catherine?"
Alexander groaned, staring up at the ceiling. "C'mon, you know she'd never give me the time of day. Sucks, man. She's so hot."
"Boo hoo," Nero muttered dryly, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He tapped his knee absently, eyes narrowing slightly in thought. Then, almost as an afterthought, he said, "Anyway, check this out."
Before Alexander could respond, Nero snapped his fingers.
A sharp crackle filled the room, followed by a brief burst of red light. Between Nero's slender fingers, red sparks flickered to life — little lines of energy.
"Wh—what the hell?" Alexander blinked, eyes wide as he leaned forward. "Is that… some kinda magic trick?"
"Nah," Nero said casually, holding up his other hand. The air between his palms hummed, the sparks growing brighter, louder. His hair lifted from the charge.
"H-holy shit!?" Alexander stumbled backward, eyes turning between Nero's hands and his face. "That's—what the actual hell is that!?"
Nero's lips curved into a faint, almost playful smile as the energy fizzled out. His hair fell forward again, a little wild from the static. "Neat, huh?"
"Neat!?" Alexander repeated in disbelief. "That was—what even was that!?"
"Are you stupid?" Nero asked flatly. "I got powers."
Alexander blinked again, still half-convinced he was being pranked. "Powers? Like—real life powers? Dude, that's insane! You're saying you can just… generate and control electricity or something?"
"Electricity, maybe. Lightning, too." Nero flexed his fingers, feeling the static still crackling against his skin. "But there's another one."
"Another one!?" Alexander's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. You have two powers? Lucky bastard! What's the other one?"
Nero leaned back on his hands, his expression thoughtful. "Well, that one's why you saw Annabeth at my house earlier. I think it's the ability to manipulate my own biology. I accidentally turned into her before I realized it."
Alexander froze. "Wait—what?"
Nero nodded simply. "Yeah."
Alexander's eyes widened even more. "So you… turned into Annabeth?"
"Yep."
"You grew boobs?"
"Yep."
"You got thick thighs?"
"Yep."
"You got a vag—"
"Didn't check," Nero interrupted quickly, his tone dry.
Alexander just stood there, blinking like his brain had short-circuited. "Holy shit…"
"Yeah," Nero said mildly, leaning forward. "It's weird, right?"
Alexander stared at him, still trying to process. "So… can you transform again?"
"Hm? Yeah, I guess. Seems easier to turn into chicks than guys though," Nero said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Probably something to do with hormones or whatever."
"So, like… you could turn into Elizabeth or Catherine?" Alexander asked, his expression shifting into that unmistakable grin.
Nero glanced up — and caught it instantly. His red eyes narrowed. "You're disgusting."
"I—I wasn't thinking anything like that!" Alexander protested immediately, hands raised in surrender.
"Uh-huh. Sure." Nero leaned back, unimpressed. "Pervert."
"Hey, c'mon! You can't blame a man for wondering! It's not like—"
"What the hell are you fantasizing about?" Nero interrupted coldly.
Alexander froze. "N-never mind."
Nero held up his fingers, that red spark returning. "I'm gonna zap you."
Alexander stumbled back. "Now, hold on—"
Bzzt!
"OW!"
"Told you."
--------------------
[Location: Varynfall City – 05:20 p.m.]
[Novarch University]
"Whoa—what's up with your hair?"
Catherine tilted her head, squinting at Alexander's head like it was some kind of odd exhibit. His brown hair was sticking up in uneven spikes, like he'd just lost a fight with a hairdryer.
Alexander rubbed the back of his neck. "What, this? I, uh… tried something new this morning."
"It looks like you gave up halfway through," Catherine said flatly, taking a long sip of her drink.
Nero, seated across from them, barely glanced up from his cup of coffee. "She's right. You look like you just crawled out of an outlet."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Alexander grumbled, running his fingers through his hair. "Not all of us were born with hair that looks like it came straight out of a shampoo commercial." He cast a pointed look at Nero, whose wild white hair somehow managed to look elegant.
They were seated together in Novarch University's cafeteria — though calling it a cafeteria felt wrong. It was far too clean and far too expensive-looking.
Marble floors lit up beneath rows of oak tables. Every polished surface caught the reflection of hanging lamps that bathed the massive hall in light. The air buzzed with low chatter, laughter, and the sound of classical music playing over hidden speakers.
In the corner, where the noise thinned out, their group had claimed a small table. Nero sipped coffee, expression unreadable. Alexander was halfway through a greasy burger and fries. Elizabeth, athletic as ever, stuck to her vanilla protein shake. Catherine — well, Catherine had enough food for three people: two burgers, a hotdog, fish fingers, and a piece of fried chicken.
Alexander blinked at her tray, appalled. "You planning to feed an army or something?"
Catherine didn't even look up. "Munchies," she said, already chewing through half a burger.
"You're gonna regret that later," Elizabeth warned, shaking her head. "Keep that up and you'll be rolling across the volleyball court."
Catherine just shrugged, swallowing. "Worth it."
Elizabeth sighed, then abruptly leaned toward Nero. "Alright. Now that everyone's here — time for answers."
Nero arched a brow. "Answers?"
"Don't play dumb. You ignored us for an entire month." She folded her arms, frowning. "No texts, no calls, no nothing. You just disappeared."
"I was bus—"
"And if you say 'busy,' I swear I'll throw this shake at you."
Nero stopped,. "So violent," he muttered under his breath.
"Well?" Elizabeth pressed.
Nero stared into his cup for a moment, watching the steam curl up. Then he sighed softly and leaned back in his chair. "I just wanted to be alone," he said finally. "Hanging out's fine, but sometimes I like the quiet more. That's all."
Elizabeth blinked, caught off guard. "That's it?"
"That's it," Nero replied.
Her expression changed—something between confusion and mild hurt—before she tried to mask it with a light chuckle. "You could've just said that instead of vanishing. We thought you'd gotten kidnapped or something."
Catherine snorted through a mouthful of fries. "Yeah, imagine someone trying to kidnap him. They'd probably apologize halfway through."
"Probably," Nero said, earning a glare from Elizabeth.
He could have apologized right there. He knew that. Elizabeth would have forgiven him immediately, probably hugged him until he complained. But he didn't. Because in his mind, there wasn't anything to be sorry for.
Catherine broke the silence again, licking sauce off her thumb. "Anyway, you guys got in on scholarships too, right?"
"Yeah," Nero said, lifting his gaze. "You did too?"
Catherine nodded, jerking a thumb toward Elizabeth. "Obviously, the tuition here is cray. Both of us are in the volleyball team."
Alexander's eyebrows shot up. "No shit? That's sick. You two got sponsors yet?"
Elizabeth groaned. "Don't even start. The only people reaching out are creepy old guys trying to 'invest in our future.'"
Catherine laughed. "More like looking to fuck us."
"Cathy, could you not say it like that?" Elizabeth muttered, red creeping up her neck.
"I'm just saying the truth," Catherine said, waving her hand dismissively. "I don't mind the idea, but they look like they'd croak halfway through."
Alexander nearly choked on his soda, coughing violently as his imagination betrayed him.
Nero raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Why are you blushing, buddy?"
"Huh? I'm not blushing!" Alexander exclaimed, face now entirely red.
Catherine grinned. "Sure you're not, Romeo."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, her earlier irritation softening into laughter.
She leaned her chin on her hand, glancing between Nero and Alexander. "So what about you two? What'd you get scholarships for?"
"Science," Nero said, straightforward as ever.
Elizabeth blinked. "Wait, for real? Damn, you two are the smart ones then."
"Naturally," Alexander said, smirking. "Brains and looks. We're basically the full package."
"Please," Elizabeth said, snorting. "The only thing you're full of is yourself."
"Still counts," Alexander grinned, unbothered.
The tension from earlier melted away as laughter filled the small corner of their table. Catherine was still devouring her food with zero shame, Elizabeth was giving her grief about it between sips, and Alexander was trying — and failing — to sound smooth. Nero just sat there quietly, watching them all.
He didn't say much, but he didn't need to. For once, the noise didn't bother him.
He took another sip of his coffee, letting the warmth settle in his chest.
The atmosphere wasn't bad. Not bad at all.