#school fic

The Rain Knew Our Names - Part I

WC: 1k

Tags: Young love, oc shipping, school au, thunderstorms, oc x oc, short fic, ocs, original characters, own characters, fluff, fluffy

Note: you have to admit: That's a wicked title

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William flicked his pen at his desk mindlessly as he listened to the teacher’s monotone voice, trying desperately to keep himself awake. He listened to the quiet pitter-patter of the rain as it hit the window. The air was chilly, for radiators were a luxury that the school couldn’t afford. He sighed, taking a sip of water. He felt the lukewarm liquid hit his tongue as he rolled his eyes, wishing he’d brought a flask of warm tea instead.

Rayna sat directly behind him, bouncing her leg up and down underneath the desk. She paid attention to the teacher, occasionally jotting down notes with the knowledge that she couldn’t even read her own handwriting. She had buttoned up the first few buttons of her blazer, as she too felt the chill in the air. She shivered every once in a while, her teeth chattering as the air from the corridors blew into the classroom. She watched the water in her plastic bottle sway from side to side as her leg jounced, accidentally hitting the table every once in a while.

RING!

“Bloody hell!”

“Holy crap!-”

Both students were jolted out of their daydreams by the peeling of the lunch bell, their peers immediately stood up, grabbing their bags and walking out of the classroom eagerly. The teacher sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, seemingly irritated by his lecture being cut short.

William cocked his head to the side at the keenness of his classmates, standing up as he grabbed his coat and bag, glancing out of the window, which was now displaying the pouring rain, no longer a light shower.

Rayna simply shrugged, trying to seem unbothered by the abrupt sound as she stood up, mentally cursing herself for being fooled by the warm weather that morning, which had caused her to leave her coat at home. She let out a long sigh as she picked up her rucksack and walked out of the room.

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The corridors were crowded and stuffy, the warm bodies heating up the corridors as the occasional sneezes and coughs broke through the sounds chatter and shuffling. William sighed, watching couples meeting each other in the middle of the hallways, throwing their arms around each other as if they hadn’t spoken for years.

William scoffed. How could people be so lovesick? To him, relationships were frivolous. He didn’t have time, anyway. He had plans for his life, and he’d be damned if he let himself get sidetracked and heartbroken by a… girl.

Rayna huffed as she shoved past people in the halls, squeezing her way through as thunder cracked in the distance, eliciting gasps from a few people. She, however, remained calm.

Eventually, she made it to the end of the corridor, and made her way outside into the courtyard, and towards a tree, unperturbed by the thunder and rain that echoed in her ears. As she neared the tree, she instantly broke into a sprint and sheltered under it. She leaned against it with a sigh, knowing that her food would probably get soggy if she were to start eating it. She didn’t feel that hungry anyway.

As William pushed through the halls, he finally made it into the courtyard and sighed, looking around the area and noticing the lack of students, causing a small smile to form on his face. He wrapped his coat around himself and walked towards a tree, it seemed no one was sitting under it, so why not?

He approached the tree and sat under its shelter, resting his head against it as he chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. He considered just going into the lunch hall like any normal person, but he decided against it. Besides, he enjoyed the smell of petrichor. 

Rayna fiddled with the bark of the tree before going to pull at the grass, the leaves of the tree managing to keep it fairly dry. As she reached further around the trunk, she felt something different. She raised a brow as her heart skipped a beat. Had she found a worm? She prodded at it curiously, despite the fact that she couldn’t fully see it.

As William enjoyed the solitude, he felt a sudden pain in his finger, his reflexes causing him to instantly pull it away.

Rayna raised an eyebrow as the mysterious object suddenly retracted. She raised a brow, peeking her head around the tree.

William was now intrigued. What on Earth could that of been? He sighed, sitting up slightly and peering around the tree.

BASH!

Heads collided as the two fell back in shock.

“Ow!”

“Christ!”

They exclaimed, rubbing their heads and staring at each other in surprise.

“William?”

“Quinn…”

Rayna huffed, “What on Earth are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be studying?” She muttered, rubbing her head.

William scoffed, “I could ask you the same thing. You could easily catch a cold, you know.”

“Oh, and you’re immune to germs?” She spat back.

“Where, pray, is your coat?” He asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

“I don’t need a coat.” She murmured petulantly, crossing her arms as if it were proving the strength of her immune system.

William raised an eyebrow in confusion, as well as slight amusement, “A strange girl.”

“A strange boy.”

“Hm, you give as good as you get, i suppose.” He smirked, “We should go inside.”

“Scared of a bit of rain?” She grinned back at him playfully.

He huffed out a laugh, “Scared of a natural occurrence? Hardly. I’m simply wise enough to know the dangers of staying outside in a rainstorm.”

She rolled her eyes, “I bet you wouldn’t stand in the rain with me.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

Rayna smirked, standing up and pulling him into the rain and towards a bench which was situated out in the open.

“Yes you are.”

“Fine.” He sighed, unzipping his bag and pulling out an umbrella. He unwrapped the Velcro strap from around the handle, and opened the umbrella, standing up and lifting it above their heads.

William’s eyes widened, “Hold on!” But before he could protest any further, he was already sat down on the cold, wet bench. He groaned in annoyance, “Really?” He exhaled, shifting uncomfortably in his wet trousers.

She grinned, sitting next to him, clearly unbothered by the rain now soaking into her skirt. She leaned closer in attempts to get under the umbrella, “Having fun?”

“Getting my ass wet? Hardly.” He complained, changing the position of the umbrella so that it would shelter both of them.

“Boohoo, big deal. Can’t handle the rain?” She teased as thunder was heard once more, a bit closer this time.

“You really need to shut your mouth.” 

She chuckled, “Well I’m not the one getting wet.”

He growled in vexation, cupping her face and pressing his lips against hers, the umbrella slipping from his hands and hitting the ground with a loud clang.

He was surprisingly gentle considering his temper, he held her as if she were a rare gem.

Rayna was shocked as she felt the rain hitting her body, causing her to shiver, however the sudden kiss bewildered her even more. She reciprocated it nonetheless, however. Her body being warmed very slightly by him. Her heart was also warmed, but it was not by his physical heat, instead it was by his caring nature, and the way he ensured her comfort in the intimate moment.

If it was the case, he looked rather happy to be back. His eyes scanned his surrounding like he was looking for something and he had a large smile on his lips. He did not look like a runaway. His uniform was clean, slightly crumpled by his night in the car but still in a good state, his hair was combed and he seemed healthy. His eyes suddenly stopped on the group waiting for the bus and his smile grew larger as he ran up to the students who didn't know how to react.

"Wow, everyone, I missed you guyyyyyys!" he exclaimed, grabbing anyone he could put his hands on, especially the girls. When he faced the Italian twins, there was like a pause as all three of the shared a gaze. Two older ones thought there was something very familiar about the boy but couldn't tell what it was. "Well, I see we have new faces! What are your names?" he said eventually.

They introduced themselves and both received a greeting hug. Feliciano was glad. Romano wasn't. Then Romeo turned as he seemed to look for someone that he found very quickly. "Sophie!" he shrieked, throwing himself at the Monegasque. "How are you? Did you miss me?"

He didn't let her answer and stuck a beautiful kiss on her lips. A couple of kids catcalled them. Sophie quickly recovered from the surprise and firmly pushed him away. He took a step back but kept holding her waist. She wasn't smiling, her expression a perfect poker face.

"You are still beautiful," he complimented with a wink.

She squinted at this, like she was thinking intensely, but the rest of her body didn't move. She needed a moment to answer. "Thanks."

Romeo smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair before scratching the back of his head. "You're mad?"

"Yes."

"Oh. And what can I do for you to forgive me?"

She went quiet for a few moments which he took advantage of to snuggle up to her and kiss her forehead with fondness. "Tell me what happened."

He laughed nervously and looked away. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not allowed to. I could tell you but I'd have to come up with something and you'd know right away that I'm telling bullshit and we'd fight and you wouldn't let me celebrate coming back tonight and…"

"Okay, okay, stop," she interrupted, blushing and a few snickered around them.

He laughed and played with a lock of stray ash-blond hair that fell out of her braid. Then he stopped and stared at her breasts. "Wait, isn't that the bra I got y…"

A slap to the face cut him short. "Romeo! What was the deal?!" she cried furiously, stomping out of his embrace.

"Ahah, sorry, I forgot," he said, rubbing his cheek."

"What was the deal?!"

"No x-ray vision outside of lessons," he replied with a bored look. "Sorry, Sophie, I won't forget again, promise."

She didn't answer, going back to her poker face. She turned her back on him, pretending to ignore him. Romeo sighed loudly but his playful smile grew back almost instantly. "If that's what you're worried about," he said charmingly, "I didn't look at any other girl while I was away…"

She stayed perfectly still for almost a minute, like she hadn't heard him. But eventually, she held out her hand to him without looking back and he held it with a knowing smile. "Lier…" she whispered.

"Not at all and you know it," he replied, snaking his free arm around her shoulders.

They argued a little more until someone in the group stopped them in favor of asking Romeo to tell where he had been all this time. Romeo refused with a grin, claiming that it was a secret, but the other students joined in and, quickly, the entire group was begging him loudly. There was a short respite when the shuttle finally arrived but, once they were in the bus, they all started asking again. After all, it was exceptional for the principles to allow a school trip outside the campus's limits, so it was absolutely phenomenal for a student to leave for over two months.

"Okay, okay, fine," he conceded after at least fifty demands.

He stood in the middle of the bus to make sure everyone would hear him, pleased with all the attention the whole thing was bringing him.

"So here's the story," he announced. "My grandma died at the beginning of summer and I absolutely had to attend the funeral. My mom called the principles to ask them if I could spend the vacations with her, to comfort her, you know? At first they refused but my mom can be super convincing. She has tons of family in Italy and they could do a vendetta if she asked. So the principles said I could spend a week with her but no more, so you guys wouldn't hear about it. And I had to keep it secret or everyone would want to do the same and it had to stay an exception. But my mom outwit them. I went to Grandma's funeral, the week passed but instead of sending me back here she took me on a car trip around Italy and France. It was great, we'd never spend two nights in the same town, it was like a spy movie! Since I wasn't coming back, the principle sent those two gentlemen you saw after me but they couldn't find me until last Monday. The thing is I hadn't realized school had started again so I was pretty happy they found us. So… Yeah, that's how I spent my vacation!"

Everyone cheered and Romeo bowed like an actor who just played the role of his life. He went back to sit down next to Sophie who was looking absently through the window. "What did you think of my story?" he whispered.

"I wasn't listening," she answered just as quietly. "I'm not interested in lies."

"I thought you liked my stories."

"Stories. Not lies." He laughed and kissed her cheek. She smiled and blushed a little. "You dirty lier."

"But you like that about me, don't you?"

She didn't answer but leaned onto his shoulder, swearing to herself that she'd make him spit the truth out sooner or later.

If there was one thing Young Soo was adamant about, it was how necessary it was to have K-pop music for a party to be good. And he did not accept that Ling, the appointed DJ, wouldn't play any. So he had written a formal demand to the principles in order to be allowed to choose a few songs.

But just when he was about to knock on Gaia's office's door, he heard voices inside. Two men and two women, and all seemed extremely tense. His curiosity took over the rest, he pressed his ear to the panel to listen. The wood was thick and he couldn't get all the words but he made out most of the muffled conversation.

- … absolutely unacceptable!" said Luna's voice, obviously angry. "Your part of the deal was always clear!"

"No need to blame us," one of the two men firmly answered. "We are only telling you about the council's decision. Please understand we are not trying to upset you."

"Well so much for that," Gaia sighed, almost to herself.

"You can probably guess our answer," Luna continues. "Gentlemen, I believe you know where the door is…"

The other man raised his voice. "Miss Chrones! Maybe this wasn't clear at first but I'll be a little more explicit: this is not a favor we are asking but an order you both have to follow in accordance to the contract that, may I remind you, you both signed. So please stop wasting our time!"

"You can shove that contract up your…"

"Luna!" Gaia exclaimed. "That's enough, calm down."

There was a long moment of silence and Young Soo figured out that the principles were whispering with each other. The two men didn't react, waiting patiently for them to finish their debate. After a few minutes, there was a very long sigh and the sound of a chair scraping the floor.

"Very well. We'll fulfill your request in accordance with the contract," Luna said. She spat the last word like an insult but nobody called her out for it.

"Thank you for your cooperation," said the first man with a monotonous voice. "Please be assured of our utmost esteem."

"Right, now get out."

That was Gaia's voice and before he could step back the door suddenly turned, making him fall forward. Gaia, her hand on the handle, threw a fit of laughter when he fell face first on the floor of her office. Her sister and visitors looked slightly less pleased about the presence of this spy. The men stood, throwing a rebuking look towards the older woman, and left like everything was normal, stepping over the Korean boy's body as he was too scared to stand up again. He sent a pleading look towards Luna and winced at her furious expression.

"I guess I don't get my request either?" Her brows knitted together. He stood and dusted his pants.

"You won't tell anyone about this conversation, right?" Gaia said with a peaceful smile.

"Pr-promise."

She stepped away from the door and he didn't wait for an invitation to run out, ashamed of being caught spying.

Tino was waiting on a chair, next to a still and silent Berwald. He did not know what to do. It had been two weeks. Two weeks that Berwald had been following him everywhere, or been making him follow him outside his lessons. Two weeks that he'd been trying to tell him he was creeped out by a stranger doing that to him. But to no use. Each time he started talking about that, Berwald would have this terrifying expression and he'd start stuttering apologies when he wasn't too scared to even talk. He really didn't know what to do.

"Sorry for the delay! I found it!"

Tino jumped and looked up. The shopkeeper had just come back from the stockroom and was proudly dangling a light grey costume in front of him, along with a dark shirt and a tie. Tino stood to go and try it on. The tie was too short and the pants would fall on his shoes. When he stepped out of the changing room, Berwald gave him another one of his scary looks and Tino shivered but the shopkeeper stepped close. The Finnish boy didn't really see what she did but when she stepped back again with a satisfied smile the entire costume fit him perfectly.

"Magic!" she smiled as only explanation. Tino burst out laughing.

When they left the shop, it was almost noon. Tino wanted to go back to the bus station but Berwald offered in his incomprehensible gibberish that they'd stay a little longer. He didn't refuse. It was a nice day, although the wind was blowing, bringing the temperature down to the autumn norm. Compared to what both Nordics had known at home, it was like a heat wave.

They wandered through the streets. Tino was making all the small talk by commenting nervously what he could see, like every time he was alone with Berwald. The taller boy was as mute as usual, only using little "uhums" to communicate. Sometimes, he'd open his mouth to say something but, in those moments, his face was so terrifying Tino would let out a strangled cry and the Swedish boy had second thoughts.

As they walked by a toy store, Tino stopped before a little stuffed animal at the window. It was a small white dog, sitting down, with large black button eyes and a pretty blue ribbon tied around its neck. Tino couldn't repress a fond smile as he looked at this cute furball. He only managed to walk away after a couple minutes. He was going to apologize for the delay when he realized Berwald wasn't there anymore. He looked around, confused and slightly worried, but couldn't see him. That's when something move at the shop window. A shopkeeper moved the cardboard scenery that separated the little scene from the rest of the shop and took the toy he'd been admiring earlier before disappearing again. Tino barely had the time to feel disappointed before Berwald came out of the shop less than a minute later, holding the little dog.

The Swedish giant walked up to him and handed him the stuffed dog, slightly blushing. "F'r you."

Tino took it, looked at it and needed a moment to understand what had happened. His eyes widened when he realized Berwald had just offered him the toy. "Th-that wasn't necessary!" he exclaimed, panicked. "I promise there was no need for a present I… It's too much, it's…"

"You d'n't w'nt it?" Berwald still had that scary expression but, this time, watching closely, Tino could see something like disappointment and felt guilty immediately.

"No! That's not what I meant! It's… It's very pretty, thank you so much I love it, but I… I don't know what to do in exchange, I…" He did not want to owe him anything.

Berwald seemed to calm down from behind his glasses. "It's f'r you. You d'n't h've t' do an'thing."

Tino was hesitant but Berwald was insisting so he couldn't refuse. He looked at the stuffed toy and melted as he watched those big dark eyes. A happy smile settled on his face and he hugged the little dog close. "Thank you," he said.

Berwald watched him as he cuddled the toy silently, a short while, without looking away for even a second. Tino felt a little uneasy under his insistent gaze but pretended he wasn't. "F'ling bett'r?"

"Huh?" Tino looked at him, not sure he got it right.

Berwald looked away, almost… shyly? "You look'd w'rried," he explained vaguely.

"Ah, no, I assure you, I'm fine! Well… Alright, I am a little tense but it's… probably because of school or…"

"Th't's n't wh't your aur' says."

Tino needed a little more time to decipher that sentence. Berwald seemed to be mumbling more and more. "My aura? What do you mean?"

"'t s'ys y'or sc'r'd."

"What?"

Berwald closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You. 're. Scared," he articulated slowly.

Tino needed a few seconds to piece the whole conversation together. When he finally understood what Berwald was saying, he mentally slapped himself for how slow he was. The Swedish boy could see auras, so he knew for a while now how he was feeling about his company. Well that was one thing down, now he just had to ask for an explanation. Go Tino, you can do it! "It's nothing it's just that I don't understand why… You're following me around all the time… We barely know each other but you suddenly decided we were together and I don't know what to think and I want to know why you're doing this."

"'cause you're m' w'fe."

Tino frowned and pouted. "I'm not a girl. And I… Don't love you."

Berwald went silent for a moment. His eyes seemed deeper here, like the color of the sea. Tino held his gaze, determined not to back off again. He thought to himself that, when you looked at them long enough, Berwald's eyes weren't actually that scary. You could see emotions in their icy color. Right now, there was sadness, surrounded by a halo of determination.

"It's 'kay," he eventually said. Tino didn't answer, he wasn't sure what to say. Berwald didn't wait for an answer and continued : "Wh'n you meet your soul m'te, you c'n f'll 'n l've 'mmediat'ly b't, m'st 'f the t'me, you need t'me t' 'nderst'nd…"

Berwald stopped. Tino couldn't understand a thing he was saying, it showed on his face. He sighed and let it go. Instead, he reached out and slowly touched Tino's hand. He didn't push it away. "Ev'n 'f 't t'kes t'me, ev'n 'f you're n't read' yet, I w'nna stay w'th you. B'cause I've kn'wn s'nce I've m't you…"

Tino thought through Berwald's words. He barely understood half of them, at best, and wasn't sure what he meant by that. Could he really trust him? Berwald barely ever spoke about himself. No, really, Tino didn't know what to think of it.

So he just stopped thinking about it. He held his little stuffed dog close with his right arm and started walking again down the street. "We need to hurry, the next bus is coming soon," he said like the whole conversation never happened.

Berwald was walking close, and there was a reason for that: Tino still hadn't pushed him away.

At the corner of the street, half-hidden behind a flowerpot, Elizaveta was frenetically writing something down on a notepad. "I hope you didn't miss anything," she whispered."

Kiku appeared from behind a trashcan and gently tapped his camera. "It's all in the box, Elizaveta-senpai."

Eduar, Toris and Raivis were alone in the music room. It was kind of like their private hangout, safer than the common room were the Russian boy was bound to be. If someone came to bother them, since they were part of the music club's choir, they could pretend to be practicing so that they'd be left alone. Eduar was surfing on the web, Raivis was reading a comic and Toris was working on his future visions that he'd note down step by step on a sheet of paper.

He'd cross out most of them that kept changing and had to give up on some that were too blurry to mean anything. Up until then, the only really clear image he'd seen was the BTT, obviously planning one of their awful pranks. He was desperately focusing on that one, trying to get details about when it would be time to be careful. He really hoped the three pranksters wouldn't do anything during the party. They'd probably bring some alcohol they found god-knows-where, like every year, but hopefully it wouldn't be anything more…

"Hey, Toris!"

The Lithuanian looked up. Eduar was still focused on his computer but he was sure he was the one who called him. "Yes?"

"You look deep in it, did you see anything interesting?"

Toris took a look at his papers. "I thing the BTT is planning something but I don't know when. There's… Elizaveta who keeps hesitating between a red and a green dress. And I can't see Ivan so maybe he won't be there tonight, but I have no idea why. Oh, and it's raining tomorrow."

"No Ivan tonight? Cool! We'll finally be able to party!" Toris smiled. Eduar was joking of course. Both of them were very introverted when it came to parties. "Do you think the BTT will bring drinks, like last time? I'll ask the girls to take pictures of the "shota" this time."

"I can hear you, you know?" protested said "shota" looking up from his comic.

This time, Toris laughed. "Shota" was what people called Raivis after the shipping club tried to match him with someone, the previous year. His two makeshift friends had heard the term in the yaoists' mouth and kept using it ever since. Although Raivis was the youngest of the three, he loved alcohol and drank every chance he got until he couldn't walk straight. At least, the drinks made him happy, even if he ended in… at least strange positions.

"What girl are you guys dancing with, tonight?" he asked.

"You know we don't dance, Raivis," Eduar said.

"Yes, but there's gotta be a girl or two you like! Parties are the best meet-cute settings!" Raivis was also a romance novel and lovey-dovey poem lover, and had no problem starting "girly" conversations about them.

"Well, if I had to choose one…" Toris started. He needed a moment to think, blushing. His two friends wondered who he was thinking about to look this embarrassed but he quickly turned back a normal shade of pink. "I'd say… Natalya." Eduar looked at him with wide, incredulous eyes. "Yes, I know she is obsessed with her brother but she's very beautiful. And if Ivan isn't here tonight, than there aren't as many risks as there could be."

"But Toris!" Eduar cried with an offended expression. "I was planning on asking her out!"

"Wha- Well yeah, me too!"

Eduar and Toris stared at each other straight in the eye for a few moments, in a staring contest that seemed like it could decide who would win the gorgeous Russian girl's heart. Raivis placed his comic in the middle to make it a tie. "You're not going to fight over her, are you?" he said, taking it back.

"No, you're right, it'd be stupid," Toris admitted.

"We'll just let her choose," Eduar finished. Raivis let out a sigh that made both the other boys turn to him. "What about you?"

"What, me?"

"You've got things to tell us too! Which girl would you like to go out with?"

Raivis blushed wildly and looked away. "Nobody."

The older one send him a dubious look and he sat back into his chair. "We told you who we were into so it's your turn, "shota"." Raivis frowned and muttered something they couldn't hear. "Sorry, what?"

"…-sha."

"Be even more quiet, maybe we'll hear it better."

Raivis tensed up even more, took a deep breath and finally said a name. "… Katyusha."

There was a long silence. Toris and Eduar stared at him with unfathomable expressions and the only comment the Latvian boy got was from Eduar: "She could be your mom."

"Don't say that, she's not that old."

"She can drive and you're not even fifteen. So she could be your mom."

"You know, if it's because of her breasts, there are other pretty girls…" tried Toris.

Raivis rolled his eyes and went back to his comic. He wasn't expecting his "friends" to understand anyway. Eduar and Toris started talking again about who had the best chances with Natalya.

"And why don't you try seducing your lovely roomie?" Eduar joked with a sly grin.

Toris rolled his eyes. "Leave her- him out of this."

"Beautiful slip up."

"Stop it."

"What, you look like you're getting along."

"He's nice but way too annoying."

"I thought you loved getting stepped on…"

"Not true! And I'm not even gay!" Someone coughed from the room's door, interrupting them. As one, they turned and spotted the Polish boy watching them with a mocking expression. Toris blushed, praying that Feliks had heard as little as possible. Then he wondered why it bothered him and blushed even more.

"I know you got, like, tons of stuff to talk about but Luna said that, like, Tor-Tor totally had to get ready because he's got to help preparing the party room."

Toris glanced at his watch and hurriedly put his stuff back in his bag. "Gosh, I didn't know it was already that late."