Chapter Text
Alexander looked up at the sky in frustration. Truly, this day couldn't get any worse. It's his first day in this wretched university, and he just had to go and get himself lost. Not that it was all his fault.
The students weren't much help in guiding him around the campus grounds. Each time he'd approach someone to ask for directions, they'd either scoff and ignore him, or turn to him, look him up and down and glare in a manner that would make you think they'd seen some sort of wriggling bug.
The teachers weren't much help either, rushing from one building to another. He accidentally bumped into one said teacher, and their reaction was...alarming, to say the least. Alexander shudders at the thought of that encounter. Hopefully, he won't be seeing any more of that particular teacher anytime soon.
He sighs in exasperation. He looks around once more, taking in his surroundings and scratches the back of his head. He decides that there's no point in turning back. He's already lost half of his morning classes, and by the time he finds wherever it is he's supposed to be, the entire school day will be over.
He shakes his head, and a small smile appears on his face. He might as well enjoy the scenery around him. He walks for bit, feeling the cool breeze in his hair. It's quiet, no sound of busy teachers or gossiping students anywhere close. It's nice.
He frowns a bit as he thinks of the students again. Most of them come from old money, or new money, who cares. They all seem to carry themselves with an air of confidence and arrogance that feels forced and suffocating. He'd seen the way they judged his appearance. He'd heard some whispered comments as well. Did they not know what the word 'subtle' or 'discreet' meant in the Capitol?
Honestly, for being the most advanced city in charge of an entire country , you'd think it's people would know how to behave appropriately. There's a thing called manners, you know? The people in the districts have them.
Do the people of the Capitol believe themselves to be above all social queues as well? Ridiculous. To Alexander, it seemed like they were pretending to be more than they were. Clowns in fancy clothes. Idiots trying to rule a country when they couldn't even rule a city.
Alexander clicks his tongue in annoyance. He wants to go back home where he belongs. Back to 4. He knows he can't. He knows he's been luckier than most. A nice new home in the Capitol, with nice new clothes and nice warm food. His parents with well paying jobs. All because they happened to be on the 'right' side of the war. He hates it.
He's only been in the Capitol for a short while, and he already knows he'd rather be back in district 4. No matter how bad the situation may be over there. He'd rather starve and fight for scraps each day than live a lie in this fake paradise.
How could anyone expect him to simply enjoy his life in luxury when he knew how bad others had it back at home? In his district. In every district. His parents told him to move on. They told him that they were above them now, that they were better now. That they were Capitol now. He scoffs.
He'll never accept such a fate. One day, he'll go back. He just knows it. He can feel it to his very core. No matter how much anyone tries to change him or mould him into the image of a perfect Capitol boy. Inside....inside, he'll always be district.
He stops walking once he reaches a large oak tree. It's beautiful. He can hear the faint sound of the leaves dancing in the wind. The birds chirping high up in the branches. And an odd sound that he couldn't quite place.
He moves around the giant tree roots to find wherever that misplaced sound is coming from. He finds a thicket of bushes shaking in an unnatural manner. He walks up slowly, an uneasiness creeping up his spine. The shrubbery suddenly stops moving. Alexander freezes, waiting.
A moment passes, then another. Alexander exhales and relaxes, a goofy grin spreads across his face. His mind is always looking for trouble where there is none. He chuckles and goes to move away. That's when it strikes.
In an instant, a furry ball jumps out of the bushes at lighting speed. Before Alexander can react, the little monster latches itself to his face. He let's out an undignified screech. He takes several steps back, trying to shake the little demon off.
He reaches up to grab it, but it moves. It crawls around his body, refusing to jump off. Alexander erratically shakes his arms and moves his legs in all directions to no avail. Then he feels nothing. He holds his breath.
He slowly opens his eye and realises the tint beast is nowhere to be seen. He sighs in relief. It's gone. He turns to leave , he'd rather not be around trees with rabid animals in them. He notices he can't move. Why can't he move?
He looks down and sees his foot lodged in an odd angle, shoved into a small hole near the bushes. In his fright, he hadn't noticed that his foot got caught. He tries to tug it out, but it's shoved into the hole pretty tightly. He kneels down, trying to pull his leg out with the help of his arms.
That's when he sees it. On his arm. It's there. It's still there. That mutated, rabid squirrel hybrid is watching him with its evil beady eyes. They stare at eachother for a split second. Alexander already knows what comes next. It leaps up to his face once more, but Alexander leans back quickly.
He manages to dodge the feral creature's tiny claws, but in his haste, he doesn't realise that his foot slips out of the hole. His entire body plummets to the bushes behind him. He accepts his fate. He lands in the middle of the biggest bush in an ungracious manner. He sighs in exasperation once he realises he's stuck once more.
He looks up at the sky, watching the white clouds float by. He doesn't know how long he stays there. Long enough to fall asleep it would seem. He wakes from his short nap to the sound of whimpering.
He tries not to make any noise. He doesn't want to disturb whatever is outside the bushes. In trying to be quite, he accidentally shifts his body, making the bushes shake as well. The whimpering stops. He holds his breath and waits.
After a moment, he sees the leaves above him being parted by shaking hands. A face appears above him. A boy. The sun right behind him, creating what seems like a halo of light around his dark curls. Pretty.
Pretty is the first thought that crosses his mind while looking at this boy. He must be an angel sent to save him.
"Are you ok?" The angel asks Alexander is still admiring this spectacular being's face. Once he takes him all in he frowns.
"Why are you crying?" He asks bluntly. The angel moves away quickly, and Alexander can no longer see his face. He tries to untangle himself again. The angel reappears and helps him out of the bushes, grabbing him by the arm and slowly guiding him to safety.
Once Alexander composes himself, he turns to the angel. He's short, well not short, short, but shorter than him. Not an angel then. A boy.
He looks down at him and smiles. He can tell the boy doesn't trust him when he extends his hand to introduce himself. He watches him warily as he explains everything that had just transpired before he was found lying in the bushes.
After his dramatic, and honest retelling of the squirrel attack, the boy laughs. Alexander watches him in awe. What a lovely laugh. What a lovely smile. He tells him as such, but the boy just laughs again.
Alexander asks why he was crying before, but the boy simply changes the subject. He must not want to talk about it with this random stranger. He could respect that.
Alexander tries to introduce himself again. The boy finally gives him a name. Sejanus. What an interesting name. Sejanus, sejanus, Sejanus. It sounded odd in his mind. A perfect name for him though. A lovely name for a lovely boy.
They shake hands and it feels like a promise. He thought he wouldn't be able to make any friends at this awfully institute. Perhaps he was wrong. After all, the Capitol couldn't be all bad, if it had bought a person like Sejanus to him.
He'd like to be his friend, he thinks, as he smiles at him. In the distance, something catches his eye. He looks behind Sejanus for a brief moment. He sees someone watching them.
A tall blonde student. He can't see his face clearly. He looks tense, before Alexander can get a better look, the blonde student turns and walks away quickly. Huh. Strange. He shrugs it off.
He's sure it's nothing.
Alexander's sure he has nothing to worry about. He goes back to smiling at Sejanus. How happy he is, to finally make a real friend.
Surely, nothing could go wrong.