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Gaian Name: KaenIttou
Name: Andrè
Age: 17
Dorm #: 215
Sexual Orientation: Bi, Uke
Taken or Single: Single
Bio: Very small for his age, André has always been seen as younger than he actually is. Paired with his slightly feminine qualities, this makes him a frequent target of bullying and ridicule. It got so bad that his godfather decided to send him to a private school where, his godfather reasoned, there would be less teasing from the students. André’s parents died when he was very young and his godfather and he moved constantly, his godfather determined that sending him to a private school would also lessen his stress from traveling all the time. Slightly spoiled by his godfather, who finds it hard to discipline his charge, he still sleeps with and carries around a stuffed kitten plush as a comfort in place of social contact. It was hard for him to decide to take it with him, the fact that living in close quarters with other boys would make it nearly impossible to hide. André doesn’t like that he and his godfather are going to be separated for an extended period of time, but he’s accepted it and is ready to face the challenges of an all boys private school.
Personality: Quiet and shy, it usually takes André ages to open up around people. Used to his constant travels, he has taken it into his head that he’ll never be around anyone long enough to get to know them and it's too painful trying to make friends or search for a significant other to end up leaving them behind.
Appearance:
Click Here
Other information: None at the moment.




André wandered aimlessly through the dorm hallways, trying to familiarize himself with the building. His plane had been delayed by weather conditions and thus he had a room all to himself, his luggage had been forwarded from the airport and was supposedly waiting in said room. Glancing one last time at the slip of paper he received at the reception desk to memorize the number, he slipped the note in his pocket and continued wandering. There would be time to find the room and unpack later, it wasn’t as if his unpackaged luggage would bother anyone seeing as he had no roommates.

The student dorms here were larger than several of his previous schools put together, and the prospect of getting lost made him nervous. He hoped no one would catch him alone in one of these hallways… Unpleasant memories of encounters with bullies in a few of his previous schools made his footfalls quicken noticeably, and his breath came in short, almost inaudible gasps as he tried to find his way back to the more populated areas of the dorm. ‘Where’s the café? The pool area? Anything?! God why does this place have to be so big… I can’t even imagine what the school will be like if the dorms are this confusing, why did I let Abuelito talk me into this...’ He whimpered and shut his eyes tightly with panic as he sharply turned a corner, hoping against hope he wouldn’t run into anyone… unpleasant.



Lost post



As André turned the corner he ran headfirst into someone; a small grunt escaped him as he rebounded off the other to land on his a** in the middle of the hallway. He heard the other apologize and saw a hand in his peripheral, supposedly to help him up. Frightened, he instead crawled backwards a few paces and scrambled to his feet. Mumbling a quick “Sorry,” under his breath, he turned and attempted to bolt in the other direction, eyes firmly fixated on the ground to hide the terror-induced tears blurring his vision.



How rude... I hold out my hand to help and he doesn't take it... Haiku thought in his head. "Wait! Why are you backing away?" Haiku asked him as he took 3 steps forward the weird guy. Haiku held out his hands again, giving the strange boy one more chance to be friends. "Need help?" He asked him.



Hearing that the other boy’s voice held no malice, André turned around and blinked a few times to clear his vision. The other, though slightly annoyed, had a sincere air about him and André tried to slow his racing heart. He cleared his throat, hoping his voice didn’t crack as he replied, “Um, yeah. Do you know where the dining hall is?” His face smoothed as he gained control over himself and the only action belaying his anxiety was that his hand constantly fiddled with the hem of this shirt.



"Oh, just go into that elevaor and go to floor 1 and walk down the straight hallway and turned left and it'll be around there!" Haiku said ashe started to walk towards the pool. "Ok, weel bye!" Haiku said as he walked towards the elevator and pressed the button 1.



André nodded cautiously, but the stranger had turned and was heading toward the elevator himself. Repeating the directions to himself a few times to make sure he had it down, though they seemed a little too simple to him, he turned and headed in the opposite direction. Originally intending on finding the stairs, he hesitated as he started passing rooms with numbers similar to his own. ‘Maybe I should unpack now…’ He walked nonchalantly down the hallway until he found his room. Letting himself in he closed the door and sagged against it to breathe out a sigh with relief. Looking around his room he spied his luggage sitting innocently in a corner of the room. Stuck with the need to find ‘it’, he threw himself at his bags and frantically dug through them. Pulling ‘it’ carefully out of the wreckage of his luggage, he’d clean up the mess later, he moved to one of the bunks and pulled off the comforter. Cradling his treasure affectionately, he dragged the surprisingly thick blanket with him into the shadowed corner behind the door. Cuddling up under the protective weight of the blanket, his old, love-worn kitten plush held adoringly in the crook of his arm, he drifted to sleep.



Shiro woke up quite suddenly; angry, even. Apparently, his dream had been a nightmare. Where others would wake up scared, nightmares pissed off Shiro beyond belief. He stood up bitterly and kicked his dorm room opened, not even bothering changing. He had fallen asleep in his clothes anyway. He walked down that hall, his hands shoved in his pockets, his rubber ball gone because of himself.



A loud bang from the hall awoke André, who sleepily rubbed at his eye with one hand while the other still cradled his kitten-plush. ‘What’s with all the racket?’ He thought, more curious than irritated. Stifling a yawn, he stood and stretched. After his back popped a few times in quick succession, he ran his fingers through his sleep-mussed hair a few times before walking over to the door. Groggy, and forgetting he still carried his stuffed animal, he stepped out into the bright hallway. He then blinked owlishly and tried to make out the source of the noise.



Shiro stopped and looked back. Someone complained. Someone complained and he had a feeling he would use this little provocation as an excuse to break someone's teeth. Then he saw the plushie, and that thought left him. He sighed miserably.
"This school just keeps getting worse," he said pathetically.



Unable to find the source of the noise that awoke him, André turned and strode back into his room. A glimpse out the window suddenly made him crave a bit of fresh air, so he grabbed a book and walked to the door. He blinked at the door handle and then looked from one hand to the other; kitten plush, book, kitten plush, door handle… How to juggle his belongings? His face scrunched cutely in his confusion but then brightened considerably. He carefully balanced his plush on his head like he used to as a child, and opened the door. Problem solved!

Grinning mischievously, and with his plush still balanced precariously on his head, he clutched the book to his chest and jogged to the elevator to make his way outside. Elevator buttons and door handles no longer hindered him, though he did get a few strange glances from passersby. Once outside, he made his way toward a bench he knew to be out front in the courtyard. His steps faltered as he noticed someone there already, however. He looked at the other, a little frightened. ‘He looks ready to rip someone’s face off…’





Shiro looked down at the incredibly short boy beside him. He frowned. He poked the plushie on his head. "Geez, talk about a strawberry shortcake," he said as he poked the plushie.

"Are you just pretending to be small, or are you really just seven?," he asked with a raised eyebrow and an irritable expression.



The door opened up for Satoru and he opened his eyes just before it closed. He saw Yasujiro and another guy just through the crack. He reached out to stop the elevator but it was too late. It closed.

" D*** it! D*** my luck!" Satoru screamed loudly, beating against the metal door of the elevator.



Akiro stopped poking the short guy and waited for the damn elevator. Eventually, it opened, but not before Shiro heard what sounded like an angry gorilla trying to get out.

"The hell?," he wondered. Eventually, the doors opened to reveal a young man with long hair and a very, very irritated expression.

"Oh."



André gaped for a few seconds before a blush made its way up his face and he stuttered, “Wh-what?! I-I’m not seven...” He could feel the tips of his ears burn with embarrassment. “And my entire family’s short! It’s not my fault.” He could feel himself hunching a little, defensively. This guy reminded him of the bullies who used to beat the living daylights out of him at his old school, but for some reason he didn’t feel the terror that he did back then. He’d taken a smack-down before, he could do it again… His eyes sparked with defiance, though tinged with uncertainty.



Satoru growled to himself.

" D***. They'd escaped by now..." He muttered furiously, hitting the wall again. He passed by Shiro with a very dangerous expression on his face. He had no idea where Yasujiro's dorm was; it could even be on an entirely different floor. So he settled for slamming the door to his dorm angrily and crawling up into his bed and fuming on the ceiling.



Shiro smiled down at the short one. "Yeah, that's it," he said with his most annoying smile. "Never take crap from anyone, short guy." When he looked up at the guy who walked out of the elevator, Shiro felt it.

A cold chill went through his spine as this guy walked right by him and the short one. For a moment, Shiro didn't move, looking like an animal that had just sensed danger. He didn't move for a second until the guy was in his dorm. Then, he narrowed his eyes and relaxed his guard.

"Whoa," he said. "What's eating him up?" That guy was dangerous; Shiro made a mental note to look out for him.

He walked into the elevator and turned. "Coming elf?," he asked the short guy, holding the elevator doors open. "I'm going down to the courtyard."



André blinked, confusion on his face. Before he could think of anything to say there was a pounding on the elevator doors and someone stormed out. As the angry, stomping man passed them André did feel a tinge of that old terror creep up his spine. He grunted in response to the tall guy’s question and glared a bit at the “elf” comment, but followed him into the elevator all the same. Once inside the elevator, he sidled next to his new acquaintance. More shaken by that other man’s appearance then he’d like to admit. He tried to cover the awkward closeness with conversation, “I was just headed there actually.”



Shiro nodded, and the elevator doors closed. As it went down, Shiro decided to make some conversation himself. "Name's Shiro, you?," he asked. Unless the guy gave him his name, Shiro would bug the living hell out of him with the short jokes. Then again, he might just keep going for the hell of it.



“André,” he muttered, eyes kind of unfocused. Without thinking about it, he reached up and picked his plush off his head to clutch it to his chest, book held loosely by his side. It was a small comfort, but a comfort all the same. He was brought back to reality by the elevator doors opening, and he hesitated. He didn’t want Shiro to know he didn’t have any idea where he was going… He bit his lip in indecision and glanced up at the other shyly, hoping the guy wouldn’t notice his pause and just lead the way unconsciously.



Shiro was too busy thinking about how much that other worried him to consider André lack of knowledge. He merely walked out of the elevator into the lobby, out the dorm building, and into the courtyard. He then proceeded to sit on a bench and cross his arms. God, he wished he had his rubber ball.



André almost sighed in relief when Shiro took off, he tried to keep to the other’s heels. Shiro’s strides were much larger than André’s and he was a little pressed to keep up, Shiro seemed to be thinking about something and didn’t notice but André didn’t mind. Once at the bench, he sat a little cautiously next to the other. Shiro had uncrossed his arms and then proceeded to open and clench his hands, as if he wanted something to grasp, his gaze in the distance. André’s expression became almost pained for a moment, fighting some inner battle. Then, his face bright red, he turned, closed his eyes, and plopped his kitten plush right into Shiro’s lap. He then quickly turned away and buried his nose in his book.



Shiro had been so gone in his mind he hadn't even noticed that André sat beside him till the guy's plushie was on his lap. He looked down at it with a rather confused expression, then picked it up and looked over at André questioningly.

"Erm, not to burst your bubble, but I don't cuddle plushies," he said, half-joking, half-dead serious.



André meeped and fumbled his book, the item falling to the ground from his numb hands. He tried to look at anything but Shiro and said in an almost-whisper, “You just seemed kind of… I dunno, lonely. Like you needed something to hold…” His face still tinged a pinkish hue, he angled his face so his hair covered his eyes and he fiddled with the hem of his shirt as he continued, “I’ve had him since I was little, since…” his voice lowered to a barely audible murmur, “my parents died.” Suddenly looking up, right at Shiro, he continued in a louder tone, “He always made me feel better when… I was sad so…” He trailed off and looked away again, his eyes going cloudy with memories.



Shiro blinked, then looked back down at the plushie. Something to hold, something to give him comfort. Weird, most people wouldn't have bothered to try and do anything that was remotely comforting. In fact, the only one who ever tried was Akiro, and even then it was just a bit, since Shiro was so tough.

He started with a chuckle, then burst out laughing. It wasn't a mocking laughter; it was a genuine, happy laugh. He patted André's head and gave him a kind smile.

"Thanks André!," he said. "You're a good guy!" He gave him back the plushie. "If you don't mind, though, I'm not much of a plushie guy."



André shakily took back the plushie, a small smile hovering over his lips at the slightly wistful expression Shiro had worn for all of two seconds. When he burst out in joyful laughter, André couldn’t help but beam like a small ray of sunshine had just burst though the clouds. He got the feeling that not many were privy to that laugh, and it made him feel sort of special. When Shiro patted his head he felt an almost playful urge to either bat away the offending limb or… nuzzle it? Anyway, his chuckle soon joined Shiro’s and he felt that, for the first time in what felt like forever, he could label someone “Friend”.



Shiro laid back against the bench and looked up at the sky. He really did feel better; at least he wasn't thinking over Akiro as much. Weird guy, this André. He glanced over at him with his smile, then got serious.

"So, you're parents are dead, huh?," he asked. "Mind telling me how that happened?"

He'd understand if André wouldn't want to talk about it; after all, it was his life. However, this didn't change the fact that he was suddenly curious for this short guy.



André jumped a bit at the personal question, but somehow this Shiro had wormed his way into a position that had until today had been held by his grandfather alone.

He looked up into the sky as Shiro had done earlier, and said with a small smile, “they were in their anniversary. My dad wanted to treat my mom to something really nice, so they left me with Abuelito-that’s my grandfather, while they went to Las Vegas for some kind of remarriage thing with some famous guy or other. I was barely three at the time so I can’t remember all the details, but apparently they were leaving the studio when some guys jumped them. Maybe it was because they were coming out of an expensive place, maybe it was supposed to be an ambush for the bug guy who was remarrying them. Whatever the reason, their bodies were found a few weeks later…”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then said slowly, “All I can remember of them is my father’s stubble and the way the wind felt as he tossed me, my mothers voice as she sang me to sleep and her hand brushing my bangs out of my face…” His eyes opened again and he kept watching the clouds pass overhead.



"Hmm." Shiro looked up at the sky also. Tragic, no doubt about it. Even worse, to die on one's anniversary. That must suck. He remained in respectful silence for a moment before patting André's head again and smiling.

"Well, at least you've done pretty good for yourself, right?," he asked him. "I mean, save for being about a foot shorter than me, it doesn't look like you've had a bad life."



Grateful for the second pat that pulled him from his thoughts-the contact was comforting, like his kitten plush-he had to laugh out-loud at the “good life” comment. It was tinged with a bitterness that he couldn’t quite hide. “Yeah, moving every few months to a new place is really something. And getting the crap beaten out of you every day during lunch behind the gym is great; you should really try it sometime.” He grimaced at his accusing tone and whispered a soft, “Sorry,” as he looked down to hide his eyes again. His grip on the plush so hard that his knuckles were white with tension.



"Heh, no problem," Shiro said. He stood up and smiled down at him. "So, you get beat up every now and then, eh?," he asked. "Yeah, I guess people would pick on you."

He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave André a serious yet friendly stare. "I'm not going to pretend I understand what you're going through," he said. "But, what I do know is that you're a good guy, so if you ever need help with someone, come look for me." He smirked. "I'll set them straight, eh?"

He turned and left. "I'll be going now. Thanks again, André. You really did brighten my day."



André looked up at Shiro in surprise, his eyes were slightly watery and the rapid movement sent one tear coursing down his cheek. He winced at the wetness and looked back down to hide it, his throat too tight to speak. As Shiro turned around he looked back up again, a torn expression on his face. He half-raised his arm toward the other, and then let it drop. Cursing at himself he scrambled up with another muttered apology and ran past Shiro into the building and past the elevator, probably headed for the stairs. His book lay forgotten by the bench.



"Huh?" Shiro looked over where André had run with a rather confused expression. He looked back at the bench and realized that André had left his book behind. He picked up the book and silently looked at it.

"Hmm."

Weird guy, all right. He looked up the dorm building. He should give this back to him. It wasn't like Akiro was just going to suddenly show up anyway. Finally decided, he went into the building and up the elevator. It was then that it him; he had no idea where André's room was. Well, he was on the second floor, no doubt. He'll just knock down doors till he found him.



Bursting into his room, still cursing himself, André pulled another comforter off a different bed and dove into the one already in the shadowy niche behind the door. Said door was slightly open from when he slammed it against the wall in his explosive entrance, but it’s not like anyone would come by so he had nothing to worry about. Why did he have to get all defensive on Shiro? Just when they we’re getting closer… His first friend in years and he just had to blow it all in the first hour. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He sniffled and grit his teeth, curling around his stuffed kitten under two protective layers of blanket.



Shiro walked down the hall of the second floor. He really was going to kick doors open, but decided against it, since it could cause him unnecessary problems. He did, however knock on a few doors. Sighing, he finally came upon one door that was slightly open.

Not one to respect privacy, Shiro did kick this one open. The book under his arm, he walked inside. "André?," he asked, having not seen him under his layers of blankets.



André completely failed at hiding his swift intake of breath at the sound of Shiro’s voice. ‘How can this day get worse?’ He thought as he rubbed his eyes dry with harsh movements, though he was curious and confused as to why the other followed him. ‘And how’d he find my room…?’ He had his answer as he poked his eyes above the quilt line and saw the door wreckage. Mouth slightly agape, he looked up at Shiro and froze like a deer caught in the headlights.



Shiro noticed André's shocked expression and looked back at the door. "Oh." He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I was bit rough there, wasn't I?"

He handed the book to André. "Anyway, I came to give this back to you. You left it over at the bench." He smiled at him. "You should be more careful with these things, ya know?"



He accepted the book with a nod and a small, “thank you, Shiro.” He hoped that Shiro wouldn’t notice how scratchy his voice was, and that the lighting was dark enough that it might hide any redness around his eyes. “I’ll be more careful next time,” he said softly in his tear-roughened voice. He wondered if Shiro would leave him alone faster if he just crawled back under the covers and… and he didn’t want Shiro to leave. He realized with a guilty start. The very thought of it compelling him to stand shakily and move close enough to grab the hem of Shiro’s shirt, his half closed fist trembling around the fabric. He hid his expression by tilting his head down again, one perk to being short.



Shiro blinked, but smiled and hugged him close. "You're an odd guy, ya know that?" He chuckled as he patted his head again. "For starters, just how many guys blush so much?"

Laughing a bit again, he sat beside André's bed and lowered his head. "I hope you don't mind, if I sit here for a while, eh?," he asked. "It's been a long time since I had company."

Letting his head hang down, Shiro fell asleep. Akiro, I'll find you eventually, he thought. For now, he'll keep André some company. He seemed to really need it.



André clutched, rather pathetically if he said so himself, at Shiro when he initiated a hug. Almost bursting into tears and apologies right there. He gave a choked laugh at the blushing comment and reluctantly loosened his grip for Shiro to sit against the side of the bed. After barely a minute Shiro was asleep and André pondered if he could somehow lever him into the bed, sleeping in that position couldn’t be comfortable at all! Giving up on that idea pretty fast, André sat next to him and leaned against his shoulder with a small sigh. If Shiro wanted to still be friends after the way he acted today, who was he to refuse such a blessing? He soon was asleep as well, eventually curling so that he lay half sprawled across Shiro’s lap. Things might get a little interesting first thing tomorrow morning, but for now the little brunet slept unaware of the world.





Shiro awoke with a start. "The hell?," he asked himself. He looked down and realized that André had fallen asleep on him. Wait, he actually fell asleep in this room? Shiro looked around; Yep, he did.

"Hmm." He chuckled a bit. That was very unexpected; he only wanted to sit down, no fall asleep in someone else's dorm room. He wondered if he should let André sleep. He smirked and kicked up lightly, nudging André awake.



André, dreaming peacefully, suddenly felt his world skew. Startled, he made a small animalistic noise of fright in the back of his throat and woke to see Shiro’s grinning face hovering over him. Groggy from sleep and a little confused, he had to wonder at what Shiro had to be grinning at and… wait, Shiro? André finally noticed that he was practically curled around Shiro, half of him actually almost-sitting in the other’s lap. His face red as a beet he removed himself from Shiro’s, um… lap, and scooted a little away to put a some distance between them. He stuttered a small, “Ack, um, uh, I, erm…” his voice broke and he trailed off with a small groan and covered his face with his hands.

He swallowed and took a shaky breath then piped a high pitched, "morning" from behind his hands.



"Morning," Shiro replied with a smile. He made no sign of having noticed André crawl away from him. He simply stood up and stretched. Wow, he felt pretty good actually, though he was sure his back was going to make him pay for sleeping in a sitting position soon enough.

For now, though, he'll focus on the terrified little guy that was looking at him as though he was surprised of his existence. "So, you sleep good, André?," he asked him with his unusually kind smile, his hands shoved in his pockets as per custom.



Shiro smiled at him and André felt the horror at his sleeping position slowly seep away. He lowered his hands and smiled tentatively, still embarrassed. André caught himself staring as Shiro stretched and he looked away quickly, the pinkish hue from his earlier blush still remaining. He stood and resisted the urge to pop his back, Abuelito told him it was bad for him but he still did it unconsciously most of the time.

The last vestiges of last night came back to him at Shiro’s question, and André looked up at Shiro with a sheepish expression. “Yeah, I slept fine. Sorry you had to sleep on the floor like that, I couldn’t think of a way to get you into one of the beds to sleep more comfortably.” Shyness was evaporating like early morning dew, and André continued, “You’re a lot bigger than me and I was afraid to wake you.” He grinned roguishly and in the back of his mind wondered at how comfortable he was around Shiro… when he wasn’t putting himself in awkward situations anyway.



Shiro laughed a bit. "No worries," he said. "I've slept in worst places anyway." He approached André and leaned down so that his face was closer. "So, wanna eat breakfast or what?," he asked with a grin.

"Unless, of course, you want to try something else while we're here alone, hmm?" He said this in a rather sinister way, playing around to see how André would react. He couldn't understand why, but he loved messing around with this guy.



André blinked as Shiro leaned closer and suggested breakfast and… His eyes widened comically and his lips opened a fraction at Shiro’s implicative question. Shiro was grinning again and his face was close enough that André couldn’t, for the life of him, break eye contact. He could feel the tips of his ears beginning to burn as he squeaked, “breakfast sounds good.”

The fact that he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday and the fact that he must look like a rumpled mess forced him to turn around with a mortified gasp and run over to dig through his belongings for something clean. Oh how his Abuelito would scold if ever he were to see him now, were the thoughts racing through his head. Momentarily forgetting someone else was in the room; André hurriedly ripped off his shirt, pulling out a clean one from his drawer. The muscles in his back rippled with his frenzied digging for new clothes, and he pulled the shirt on in a rough motion and began working at his belt. ‘Augh how long have I been wearing this outfit?’



Shiro chuckled at André's reaction. This guy was fun to mess around with; never had he met anyone so shy and apparently afraid of human contact. Still, he did blush, greatly even, sot that told Shiro a lot. His hands still shoved in his pockets, he watched as André desperately searched for clothes.

Shiro scratched his chin a bit as he watched André take off his shirt. "Hmm." He observed for a while, keeping his silence as he watched André. Then, perhaps to make André aware, he said; "You're not too bad without your clothes, André. Makes me consider that other option even more."

He smirked, being pretty sure that this would freak out André even more. He wondered if the guy was actually straight; he seriously doubted it.



At Shiro’s comment André froze in the middle of undoing his fly, he took a startled glance over his shoulder and stared wide-eyed at the other; whom he had apparently forgotten was in the room. He blanched a bit, and then resolution settled over his features. His thoughts could be seen written across his face clear as day, ‘We’re both guys, it’s not like I’ve… got anything he hasn’t seen before.’ He pulled out some clothes to minimize the amount of time he’d be “exposed” and continued undressing. Though there was a noticeable pink tinge to his cheeks as he quickly slipped off his dirty boxers and practically jumped into the clean pair.

Once he finished dressing he slid his fingers a few times through his hair, lamenting his lack of a mirror, and then turned and tried to act nonchalant. “So… About breakfast,” his act failed miserably however, he found he couldn’t meet Shiro’s eyes for fear that he his face would flush again.



Shiro chuckled and grinned when he saw André continue. At least the guy wasn't the type to let others affect him; that was all very good in Shiro's eyes. Plus, the guy didn't look half bad naked.

"Yeah, breakfast," he said as he placed one hand on André's right shoulder. "Well, let's go downstairs then, eh?" Before he turned, however, he gave André a kiss on the cheek. Then he turned and left, chuckling all the way.



André gave a sharp intake of breath and slowly raised his hand to his cheek, an awed expression on his face as he stared at Shiro’s back as the other made his way to the door. Warmth spread through him and he couldn’t help grinning like a madman. Though not truly understanding the feeling, he pushed his confusion to the back of his mind, following at a slightly faster pace to catch up with Shiro. It felt natural and… safe following Shiro, and he reveled in the strange new comfort. Indulging in a strange impulse, he sidled close enough to brush his shoulder in a companionable, almost affectionate manner against Shiro’s arm before ducking his head and moving away enough to not be in the way of Shiro’s range of movement. He couldn’t stop the small smile that he’d donned since they’d left the room.



Shiro continued striding calmly to the elevator, a calm smile across his face as he pressed the elevator button. He yawned a bit, scratched the back of his head, but otherwise didn't seem bothered by anything. His mind did go back to Akiro, but this was just a fleeting thought that soon left.

He looked over at André and smiled at him. "So, what ya feeling for breakfast, André?," he asked him.



André tilted his head a bit to look up at Shiro. “Well, I’m kinda new so I really don’t know what places there are to eat around here,” he tilted his head, like an inquisitive puppy, and said, “it doesn’t really matter where we go, I’m sure most places will have some kind of breakfast or brunch menu.” He brightened considerably and started wondering aloud, “maybe we’ll find a place that serves waffles or, oh! Pancakes! Though I doubt they’d be as good as my Tia’s… Hmm maybe some place has fresh fruit, strawberries were really expensive in a few places I lived but I bet they’re not so costly around here…” He trailed off and smiled disarmingly, “What about you, Shiro?”



The elevator doors opened and Shiro stepped inside. "Me, I'm feeling for some good ol' bacon and eggs," he said. "I've barely had a chance at it here. Besides, I'm sure there's everything we need at that freak cafeteria. I tell you, it's like they got the world's food in there."

He blinked, then chuckled. "You know, you seem a lot more cheerful than five minutes ago. Why's that?," he asked. He was happy for him for being happier, but that didn't stop him from wondering.



André followed him into the elevator and burst out with, “ohmygod you think?!” He was pretty sure that Shiro was joking about the cafeteria having all the “world’s food” but he couldn’t stop the hope from rising. He gained a wistful expression, “it’s been so long since I’ve had real menudo…” he almost moaned at the memory of the delicious soup alone.

When Shiro asked about him being happy; André gave him a funny look, raising an eyebrow as if to say “well, duh.” He just replied with, “it’s nothing” and smiled softly, returning his gaze forward as a ping resounded and the elevator doors slid open.



Finally on the ground floor, Shiro walked out the elevator, his hands shoved in his pockets. He knew André was following. After walking through the courtyard, he made his way through the doors to the cafeteria. He frowned. Another line.

"Come on," he said. He grabbed André's wrist and elbowed his way to the front, to the dislike of every other person on the line. Once in front, Shiro turned to André. "So, what do you want?," he asked him.



André stuck close to Shiro, taking a look around as they walked and trying to memorize the way so he could find the place later. When Shiro stopped to growl at a long line of people André almost bumped into him. He gave the line a calculating look, trying to estimate the waiting time, when Shiro grabbed his wrist in a rough movement and started butting their way to the front of the line. André made a small “eep” in startlement and tried not to push into anyone too hard as he was pulled through the throng; he glanced down at Shiro’s hold on his wrist and blushed faintly. Though the grip on his arm was secure, to avoid separation due to the crowd, the hold was surprisingly gentle.

When Shiro turned to ask him what they wanted, he immediately said in a breathless voice “do they have menudo?” The Spanish accent he stressed on the word making it sound like “menutho”. He tried to hide the hope on his features, but he never was good at being social and he was sure it showed on his expressive face easily.



Shiro raised an eyebrow. The lady at the counter raised an eyebrow, then went out back to ask. She came forward and smiled, saying: "All right then. And you sir?"

"Told ya they had everything," Shiro told André with a small smile. He turned to the lady. "Pork with ramen." The lady nodded and went out back. After a moment, their meals were served to them. "Let's grab a table, eh?," he asked. He left and picked a table just across Akiro. He still hadn't noticed.



André stood to the side of and slightly behind Shiro with bated breath, not daring to move a muscle lest he somehow jinx the whole affair and that they wouldn’t have the dish—rare this far from highly populated Hispanic/Latino areas. When the lady behind the counter returned with a smile he felt his held breath release all at once. Feeling a little light headed, André turned to smile up at Shiro gingerly and laughed breathily with Shiro’s “I told you so” comment. “Un,” André replied while balancing his bowl and condiments on his tray, following as Shiro picked out a table.

Sitting down, André took a minute to inspect his meal. Curious as to how it would be different to when he was used to. Right away he could spot a few dissimilarities, but they were little things that he knew he wouldn’t mind. ‘I always left those at the bottom of the bowl anyway,’ he thought to himself about one difference as he began to throw in oregano, onions, and a few other spices provided on a separate plate.

Fishing out a chunk of a strange looking piece of meat, André exclaimed quietly, “they gave me ‘honeycomb’! Wow, it’s chancy to get that quality in restaurants I’ve been to before…” He then chuckled to himself and continued, “I doubt they get many orders for it here though, it’s not like I have much competition.” The piece of meat had thin, raised geometric shapes and it wasn’t hard to guess why André called it “honeycomb”, though it would be hard to figure out what animal from which it came and from where on that animal if you didn’t already know.



"That so?," Shiro asked as he wolfed down his ramen. "Does look good. I think I'll try it one day."

As he ate his ramen, Shiro looked around the cafeteria. Nothing but strangers; no Akiro yet. He did notice a few irritated faces that seemed to glance at him, but he ignored them. Probably idiots from the line. He continued slurping his ramen and drank some soda.

"So, André, what do you think of this school, hmm?," he asked, trying to make conversation.



André smiled mischievously and snickered out, “I don’t know if you’d have the stomach for it, not a lot of people do unless you grow up around it. For instance I knew someone who would not stop bugging me about trying octopus, he was Korean and it was a familiar dish he loved but I could not keep it down.” André winced slightly but then he perked up almost immediately after and said to himself in a thoughtful tone, “If they have this… they might just have lingua too!” He grinned toothily at Shiro and couldn’t help but laugh at the other’s rigorous eating.

André paused and gained a thoughtful look upon receiving Shiro’s question and said slowly, “honestly? I thought I’d hate it here.” He took another bite then continued, “I’m used to traveling a lot, and I knew for once I’d be staying somewhere for a long period of time; whether I liked it or not. And I had to leave Abuelito behind…” He looked a little sad for a moment as he said softly, “the old man’ll probably get lonely… it’s the first time we’ve really been separated before.”

Another bite, “Also, well, let’s just say I’ve had a bit of a hard time at a few of my older schools because of my build and appearance. That and it’s been habit to carry Kimi around and people like to make fun of me because of it—oh Kimi’s my stuffed animal,” a pink tinge dusted André’s cheek, “it’s the name of the cat we had before… and after I started traveling we had to give her away.” He smiled brightly at Shiro suddenly, “it’s really not so bad here, though. No one’s been terribly mean, yet anyway, and besides the fact that the place is bigger than what I’m used to it’s pretty nice here.”



Shiro frowned. "I hate it here," he said as looked around the cafeteria. "It's boring, and no one has the guts to fight me. Worse, I can't find my brother anywhere." He sighed, apparently unaware that he never did mention his brother before.



André tilted his head to the side cutely, “Ennui does seem like it might be a problem, huh?” He pondered for awhile and said a little shakily, “are we not allowed off campus? Augh I hate the feeling of being confined… If not, I’m sure there are places to go and things to do.” He smiled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, “I’ve been guilty of sneaking into a few movie theaters before, and I’m sure there’s gotta be a pub or dance-club or something away from the school. Even an arcade or maybe a LAN place…” André’s smile softened and he looked down at the table, “Usually when I get bored I’ll read or take a walk or something. If it gets really bad I just sleep.” André ignored the fighting comment in favor of the latter, “brother? You have siblings, Shiro?” André blinked up at Shiro in a curious manner, awaiting the answer.



Shiro merely shrugged. "When I get bored, I'd play with a rubber ball. Unfortunately, I broke it." He sighed. "Now all I do is muck in my own misery." He finished his ramen and looked over at André.

"I really don't like reading; it bores me to tears. And worse, I'm too active to sleep. I haven't met anyone that'll fight me, which only frustrates me further." He blinked and looked down at André. "Anyway, yeah, I have a brother. He studies in this school. His name's Akiro. You ever met him?"



André’s sympathetic smile from hearing about the ball twitched into a pained grimace before settling on a small, sad smile when Shiro said he was miserable. For some reason it made his heart ache that Shiro was so unhappy, and he found himself wishing with all his might that he could help in some way… André kind of missed the greater part of what Shiro was saying, lost in his own thoughts, until the other mentioned his brother again. He looked up, the sadness in his expression slowly replaced by concentration. “Hmm, Akiro? …No, I don’t believe we’ve met.” He smiled more warmly, though the glint of pain didn’t quite leave his eyes. “What’s he like?” Truly interested, André tried to push the unexplained tightness in this chest away, the strange mental anguish to the back of his mind. He would wrestle with and identify his wayward emotions later, now was not the time.



"He's alright," Shiro told André. "He's nice, though a bit too gentle sometimes. You could say he's the stark difference from what I am." He frowned. "I fear what kind of relationship he's got. He's not exactly the dominant type, ya know? It's that he can't be; he just doesn't bother with it."



André’s eyes softened and he smiled sweetly at the one sitting across from him, ‘you can be gentle too Shiro…’ He thought back to when the other pulled him through the crowd to get to the front of the line; Shiro’s grip had been insistent but light, as if he was afraid he’d break the small wrist in his tugging hand.

André’s expression changed to a thoughtful one, his head tilting to the side slightly like an inquisitive puppy. “Is it so bad not to have such a dominant nature? From what you’ve told me about him,” André smiled reassuringly, “he wouldn’t be himself otherwise.” He then bit the inside of his cheek and quickly turned his head so as not to see the other’s reaction to his statement, suddenly frightened he might have crossed an unspoken line by speaking so openly about someone Shiro obviously cared for a great amount.

Under the table he fiddled with the hem of his shirt nervously, “he seems like a sensible person, I’m sure he wouldn’t get himself into a troublesome situation…” André whispered half to himself; still gazing to the side, his eyes a bit unfocused. ‘I shouldn’t have pushed the subject… Shiro probably hates me now.’