#drabbleshy

AO3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11750733/chapters/26483289 AO3 profile: Drabbleshy

Published: 2017-08-09 Updated: 2017-08-08 Words: 1623 Chapters: 1/?

Summary:

“That’s one way of putting it,” the other retorted in a low utter as he dusted his book off, before pausing again, the book in both his hands now. “Sorry, did you just say-”

“What I think you said?” Apollo finished the inquiry for himself and the young man, too. The prior held his wrist very close to his chest. “Nope, bye!” Moirai avail me, he prayed mentally, quickly dashing down the streets of New York City.

Chapter 1 : It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea

Apollo sighed. It had been too damn early for the average, lucid person to be awake; then again, he doubted he was either. People had either been sleeping for hours by this time or had just come home from night shifts and nights of parties and booze and drinking and had passed out on the couch or the floor. Oft the latter for our hero. People, he found, weren't particularly inclined to wake at very peak of dawn. It had been a peculiar revelation to him, seeing as he had done it since the day he had been born. His parents' friends used to laugh at the fact that he had been born with the rising sun. It - his birth - had been rather sudden, the labor starting a little too quickly. His father, he reasoned, broke a law or two too many to get them to the hospital on time.  "It's like you were born on a farm," his parents would tell him every morning when he was younger. When they were still... there. Gods, now he's made himself feel miserable. It had been about seven years now, approximately eight, but it hadn't stopped him from missing them. He figured that, as a child, losing your parents is just a big part of you. Forever.

He still remembered the day, in all its details, despite what others may tell him. His new guardians is what he called them, despite their gentle and, what they thought were subtle, nudges towards calling them Mom and Dad. His reply was always an astronomically simple one; "No." After which he'd leave the room or carry on with whatever scheme he was working on.

He shook his head and sighed. He can reminiscent of his parents later. Now is the time for one of the most consequential things in life: coffee! He paused and pouted, unsure where he was going. Well, he knew he where he was going, just not sure how to get there. He paused, surveying New York City with a determined look. Here, even minute streets could look familiar. He should have taken the subway, he knew that he should have done so since the moment he had passed the Lincoln Centre station. Now he was countless blocks away and he had seen no point in turning back now He supposed that if he turned right he could find a coffee shop near Central Park bu--

He stumbled forwards as somebody bumped into him. Turning around, he frowned at a puerile-looking man. The man smiled guiltily at Apollo, having forgotten to look ahead of himself as he walked. “Zeus, I apologise,” Apollo spoke first.

“That’s one way of putting it,” the other retorted in a low utter as he dusted his book off, before pausing again, the book in both his hands now. “Sorry, did you just say-”

“What I think you said?” Apollo finished the inquiry for himself and the young man, too. The prior held his wrist very close to his chest. “Nope, bye!” Moirai avail me, he prayed mentally, quickly dashing down the streets of New York City.

“...” The unfamiliar man stared in the direction that the other had made his elusion towards, before running after him. “HEY, WAIT A SECOND!” He caught up to him after a few streets but lost him when a crowd broke them up. He tried finding him, his apparent soulmate , again, however, he couldn’t. The man had disappeared into thin air. Not that could be done. Nope. That is ridiculous, he thought. Oh, well. He should go get coffee, he’s got classes in… He gaped at his watch and decided to hurry. He’ll be late as is.

***

He ran into the independent coffee shop, one of his new favourites in town, and ran up to the counter, out of breath. Releasing a tired sigh, he answered his phone. It was too early, he hadn’t had his coffee yet, he was going to be late, his soulmate ran away, and now his father was calling him. Could this day get any worse? “‘Mornin’,” he answered, endeavoring to sound as awake and gleeful as he possibly could at the very moment. A pause. “Yes, I’m up. Yes, I’m on my way to class.” A longer pause. He turned to check if the man ahead of him had finished with his order yet, before he paused, turning around sharply. In a somewhat hushed voice, he replied once again, readjusting his beanie meanwhile;

“What? There’s no need to come here, Dad! … Dad, please, I have to leave a good impression and, and working hard on the first month is consequential. Maybe you should come and meet me here in a few months, yeah?”

This had been some quick thinking on his side. He didn’t exactly want to spend his first month in college keeping his father away from potential friends. Once, Dad had been worried that he would drown. While standing. In ten inches of water. When he was fifteen . Just because he was looking up at the sun and the sky for a few minutes. He recollected the even with a small chuckle, forgetting to actually listen to his father speak.

“--, okay?”

“What? Um, sorry, affirmative, of course!” He relinquished a loud and surprised oh ! “Look, I gotta go, I’m gonna be late! BYELOVEYOUDAD!” His father barely responded before the young man ended the call and raised his head. “COFFEE.”

The waitress gave him a look. The Look. “You can stop yelling now, dude.” This earned her a blink.

“Right, sorry.”

“Kids these days. First, your friend comes in here, almost running away without paying when ya show up and now you. Yelling.” He observed her, confused. Kids these days? Miss, you’re five years older than me, tops! he didn’t say. “Tell me your order and your name. My break is now, but my buddy there will make your coffee. Or whatever you want. So, what will it be?”

He couldn’t decide if her smile was genuine or not. He gave it a thought before figuring that she’s either happy for a break or just trying to be polite to the customers, trying not to get fired. Either one was fine with him, voraciously. He glanced behind her, smiling a bit more. The guy was cute at least. One point to “Icarus. The name is Icarus.”

***

Icarus, mind you, did get that guy’s number. Well, he was working on it actually. He got started on it. He got his name. Craig. It was a nice name, he figured. He was more thinking about the amount of cute and hot one person could hold within themselves.

The rest of the day went wonderfully, he even forgot about the random man who was plausibly his soulmate, as well as his dad-crises. His professor was late, too, having arrived and then remembered that he had forgotten to turn off an electrical appliance that was sure to burn the house down seven times out of ten. Icarus believes that it was a stove or an iron. He isn’t sure, he never listened to the adults too much, unless they were speaking about something he was truly interested in. Literature. His first classes had been “THE BEST THING EVER” according to him, and he was exhausted from the excitement only by the end of his last class. He ended up meeting a few people, adding each on his social media, whichever they preferred. Icarus nearly jumped through the roof from the exhilaration he felt when somebody gave him their actual Tumblr.

The day ended with few incidents: somebody always managed to make a ruckus behind him, above him, every few classes - it nearly got him into trouble, every time. Icarus ended up splitting from his new-found friends soon enough, or perhaps too soon, seeing as he had been messaging them within the hour. A few of them mentioned meeting up with a ‘ handsome guy from the class.’ Apparently, his name was something they hid, all seeming a bit too delighted to do so. He decided to try and ignore it, thinking that perhaps they had already formed a group joke or initiation of some sort; the lot knew each other, most of them, and most were not first-years at all. He sighed, rubbing at an eye as he locked his phone and pocketed it. He was glad that it was cool today, it gave him an excuse to wear a beanie and his favourite button-up sweater, too! He scowled, wishing that he could have more coffee, but he promised that he’d save! Well, promised himself. That means that he can’t break it, it’d be rude and dishonest to himself! He paused as his stomach grumbled, remembering that he hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, in all that excitement!

He ceased where he stood, staring at his ebony black boots. He decided that taking a pause from walking home was a good, if not a great idea; he stepped onto the soil of the kids’ park, he sat into a free swing and pushed nonchalantly. The rocks pushed against each other, deeper into the ground, as his boots pushed against them all. He observed the beige rocks, the yellow leaves, he listened as the sounds of a nearby busy street and the wind that messed with stray locks that crowned his cheeks and even his plump, soft lips. Icarus smiled, raising arms with the wind, thoughts, fantasies of flight crawling into his mind. He hadn’t even noticed that someone had been in the seat beside him until the light-haired man interrupted his mind’s work, just as he had tasted the seas and oceans far away.