Being a group of outcasts gets all of them some odd looks, all of them were used to it.
Lincoln for his aura and his magic.
Dreamer for their refusal to stick to their own magic.
Theo for being a rare type of shifter.
And Corvus for both his appearance and his quirks.
But they all stuck together, protected one another.
Every time someone tried to give them all a weird look, all of them would stare right back without any hesitation. Corvus' was… a little more unsettling because of the whole unblinking thing, but… it worked.
They all had a certain spot to meet up after all of their classes to walk to the Union for their daily chats. It's always at the edge of the building facing one of the fountains, it's essentially become a reserved spot to sit to wait for the others to meet up.
Dreamer got there first, their class ended early so they had the time to get everyone a drink and wait for the others. They just hoped the drinks wouldn't go warm by the time the others got there.
It was a nice day; not too warm though sunny, a light breeze rustling the trees overhead. The only thing was that it was a smidge too bright for Dreamer to read the screen on their phone, no matter the brightness they set.
"You got out early," the unmistakable voice of Lincoln spoke up behind them, making them tip their head back to be able and see him.
"Yeah, something happened and the professor cut it short," they shrugged, handing him the drink they got him.
Lincoln looked between the drink in their hand and their eyes, "You… didn't have to."
"To pay you back for the fries yesterday, just take it before it gets watered down."
The Graviton energetic rolled his eyes but still took it, "Aye aye, cap'n, since when did you get so bossy?" He commented, amusement evident in his words.
"I'm not about to get stuck in this loop all over again, Link, just take my act of kindness," they countered, mirroring his energy, and catching the flustered look in his eyes.
He sat next to them, trying not to make it too obvious being shoulder to shoulder with them… and probably failing.
"So…" He began, playing around with the straw, "When did Corvus say his last class ends?"
"Something like 3 or 4, he wasn't entirely sure."
"Core? Unsure of something? That's new."
Dreamer snorted a short laugh, "He listed off several possibilities of why the class could go on, so it's not like he hasn't considered each and every single one of them."
"Yeah… should've known," he got a sip of the drink they got him, they remembered his favourite… as if he couldn't fall further for them.
"He said he had one thing to finish up and then he'd be right over," Dreamer answered, subconsciously leaning into him. They do it often without really realizing, something about his aura comforts them.
They heard him hum, but it sounded like there was a bit of a voice crack in it. Hm. Interesting… they wouldn't mention it though.
Quiet passed by, as quiet as it could be with other students chattering around. Lincoln could feel his heart in his throat, his nerves fraying by the second.
Why couldn't he just say it…
Lincoln choked on his words, Dreamer nearly on their drink, as Corvus zipped in out of nowhere.
"Hey, Core," Lincoln greeted in return, helping Dreamer sit up to cough the liquid that threatened to go into their airways. "How's it going, how'd your class go?"
"It was very informative, though no one else seemed as interested in the curriculum as I was."
"Yeah," Dreamer finally got their words back, "not everyone really likes the garbage classes, it's boring to them."
"It's not boring to me, I don't classify a basic class as "garbage," considering that everyone has to take it."
"That's why it's considered a garbage class," Lincoln added, "everyone has to take it so they just want to get it done and over with so they can take the classes they want."
"Ah," Corvus hummed a quiet sound, "I see. They see it as a "throw away" class then, as I've overheard some classmates say."
"Exactly." Dreamer smiled, handing over a drink for him.
Though, the demon looked confused, "I… say again, friend, I do not need-"
"I think you'll like it, heard you say you were interested in why humans like sodas so much, so I got you one in a flavour that seemed basic enough."
"Oh," Corvus tentatively took the drink, in a gentleness the other two haven't ever seen from him, like he was scared he'd break the plastic cup. With a short sip, Lincoln and Dreamer tried not to laugh when the demon's face scrunched up for a moment. "Ah… so that's what carbonation tastes like… It's very… tingly."
"Do you not like it? I'm sorry if you don't, I probably should've gotten you a tea instead."
Corvus shook his head, continuing to sip on the soda. Okay, he likes it. Good. Now they know what to get him if the chance comes about.
Corvus' tail swishing around like a content cat's, he stood there. He could sense two emotions from his friends. But, as he was told, he wasn't about to admit out loud and drop the bombshell of how his friends felt towards one another. He knew, though… Oh, he definitely knew.
Theo showed up not too long after that, but instead of walking up, the three saw the Gyrfalcon swoop down and shift midair to land down next to the group.
Dreamer snickered, "Ever the dramatic, hm?" They mused, handing over the last drink.
"Hey, it was either that or try and sprint half a mile in this heat, I'm taking the easy route," the shifter shrugged, taking the drink with a nod of appreciation.
The group, now that they're all gathered, started for the Union to chat about anything and everything that comes to mind. Lincoln stuck close to Dreamer's side, Theo on his other side and Corvus on Dreamer's. Definitely a group that stood out, but they blended well together.
Lincoln was the first to notice the looks again, overhearing the comments about him and the others. He was too used to this, just ignore them all…
Theo and Dreamer were talking with one another, Corvus looking over to listen as he lightly sipped on his soda.
Dreamer kept having to pull the demon out of the way of someone so there wasn't a repeat…
And instead, Theo ended up accidentally bumping into a guy.
"Hey! Watch it, bird brain!"
Theo quickly apologized, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention-"
"Yeah, clearly," the student scoffed, "didn't have your bird's eye view, did you?"
"Dude, leave him alone, he already apologized," Lincoln spoke up, standing between his friend and the aggressor.
"Maybe he should stick to flying, I thought hawks had good vision."
"He's a Gyrfalcon, actually." Corvus interjected, "Native to northern tundra climates, Gyrfalcons are much larger than Hawks. In fact, they are the largest-"
"I didn't fucking ask, you demonic freak."
"I am aware you didn't ask, I was merely correcting your incorrect-"
"Do you ever shut the fuck up?" The student was only getting more annoyed.
"Look, dude," Lincoln held a hand up, "Theo apologized, it was an accident, lay off. It's not worth it."
The student scoffed, but dropped it, instead shoving between Dreamer and Lincoln to get through.
Dreamer thought it was the end of it, until they caught one last thing as the guy muttered under his breath, "At least my magic is more than just putting people to sleep."
Lincoln was about to turn, stumbling back when Dreamer shoved their drink into his free hand.
They grabbed the back of the students shirt, tugged him back.
And before he can ask what the fuck they were doing, they swung their free hand, curled into a fist, straight into the aggressor's chin.
Everything around them stilled as the guy fell back, knocked out but still breathing.
Dreamer held their hand back to Lincoln for their drink. He handed over, staring stunned at what just happened.
Dreamer scoffed as they got a sip, looking down at the unconscious student as others moved in to get him to a healer.
"I don't need to use my magic for that."