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[Akihiro Chen]

Akihiro wasn't sure how his life had come to this. He felt more isolated than ever, after the prefects meeting. He groaned as he fell onto the couch, rubbing his hands over his face. What was even going on? He'd stopped going to see Professor Moncrieffe after she'd essentially scolded him for sending a rose, so he felt isolated from her. His father was trying, but he was gone most of the year and busy when he was home. And his sister... he still loved her, and still considered her his best friend, but they had separate lives at school. They didn't spend all that much time together, in the end.

He sighed, feeling tears prick his eyes. He tried to spend more time with Giulia, but he'd been so busy trying to pursue her that he had put his own feelings on hold, for the most part. He'd been focused on trying to get to know her, convince her he was sincere. He supposed in that moment he felt isolated from her, too. He didn't feel like he could go to her with this- how would she see him talking about his ex? His very conventionally pretty ex girlfriend. He groaned, and unknowingly a few tears had started to slip out.

Gwen had been a mistake. He'd dated her because she was pretty, and she acted- well, she acted like his mother. Proper, all smiles. But just as superficial. Just as shallow. He let out a shaky breath. He had tried- tried to bond with Gwen, form a connection, but she'd held no real interest in him. He'd thought ending it would have concluded things- she would use it as a source of pity for a while, he'd been sure of that, but it had been so long ago. And now she'd humiliated him in front of all of the prefects. Attacked the head people verbally, embarrassed herself. Was she really so immature that she couldn't swallow her pride for one hour a week? He'd even be willing to split up to do patrols- he'd cover a few floors and she'd take the others, with very brief and curt moments in the beginning and at the end.

But no... instead, she'd had to have her way, and when she didn't get it, she'd thrown a fit, and when he'd tried to reassure the girl she'd possibly hurt in the process, he'd been blown off. Politely, but she'd ignored him all the same. How was it that she'd painted him in such a negative light, and he didn't have a single friend to turn to? Did no one else see how superficial she was? Had all his efforts really been for naught?

He didn't know when it had started, but he'd started crying. Just sobbing softly, his face hidden in his hands. Guilia was dating him now, but it was just a matter of time before she left him. He was certain if he hadn't ended things, Gwen would have. His mother had left him, and Professor Moncrieffe had basically turned him away. What had he even expected? No one ever built that sort of bond with a Professor- just because his mother had left him, that didn't mean that a Professor would take her place. And despite his efforts, his father was always going to be a world away.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia was doing her best not to become That Girl who was obsessed with her relationship, but it was hard. She felt like Akihiro was always in her mind, drawing her thoughts away from her classes and into daydreams, imagining their love story in thousands of different worlds. She was a lonely dragon-slayer whose heart was opened by a handsome prince. A scientist rescued from a crashing spaceship by a superhero. A dowdy handmaid who won the heart of the heir. Each fantasy scenario was more vibrant than the last, but they were all outshone by real life itself.

Having given up on her homework, Giulia had decided to indulge her daydreams a little. She had a notebook and pen in her pocket, and was going to jot down some ideas for a totally original romance story she was thinking of writing. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as she entered the lounge though, heart dropping through her stomach as she realised what she was seeing. This couldn't be real, life seemed to slide off Akihiro without ever bothering him. She had never even thought about the idea of him crying, and had no idea what to do with it in reality. After a long moment of her stomach twisting with nerves, she slowly approached, sitting next to Akihiro and resting a hand on his back. "What's wrong?" She asked softly.

 

[Akihiro Chen]

-godmod approved-

Akihiro tensed when he felt someone sit beside him. The tension didn't go away when he heard her voice. He took a shaky breath, trying to force himself to pull it together. "It's fine," He offered, pleased that his voice came out steadier than he'd been hoping. He turned his head a bit, trying to subtly wipe away the evidence that he'd been crying. He took a deep breath, and turned to give Giulia what he hoped was a stable smile. "I'm fine, just tired," He reassured her, reaching up to tuck a few stray curls behind her ear. "Hello, sweetness, how are you?" He asked, deflecting things- hopefully.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia was impressed by how quickly Akihiro pulled himself together, quietly wishing she could be that collected. It wasn't enough to fool her though, and she rubbed his back softly. "I'm fine..." She said, tossing up whether to go along with it or not. The image of him so upset wouldn't leave her mind though, and in the end she couldn't help it. "Do you... need to talk?"

 

[Amodeus Jones]

Amodeus walked by, completely unaware of what was happening inside.

 

[Akihiro Chen]

Akihiro hesitated, very sorely tempted to open up to her. He peeked over at her, his shoulders slumping a little. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, and he bit the corner of his lip. He sighed softly. "I don't want you to think poorly of me," He offered, lowering his eyes. "Your opinions... they mean a great deal to me," He explained almost shyly, which was a bit out of character for him. "I'll be fine, really," He promised, looking up to her again and reaching out with the intent to brush his thumb over her cheek. "I learned a long time ago how to deal with my emotions... I wouldn't want to bother you,"

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia's heart sank as Akihiro spoke, and she fumbled to find the right words. "You're not bothering me." She said slowly, still rubbing small circles on his back. "And I won't think... poorly of you. I want to help you." Her tone was soft, hand gentle and even on his back. "It's okay to have feelings, and... I want to support you when you do."

 

[Amodeus Jones]

no

 

[Akihiro Chen]

Akihiro took a deep breath, and after a moment he offered out his hand, a silent invitation to hold hands. "It's... a bit of everything, I suppose," He started slowly, trying to think of where to start. "I... I don't know. I was paired with my ex, Gwen, for prefect patrols. Not ideal... but it's been years, we should be able to handle it maturely. But no, she threw a fit, caused a huge scene and cost the house thirty points." He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "I was the one that ended the relationship all that time ago... I realized we wanted seperate things, it would never have lasted." He sighed. That wasn't all that was bothering him, but it was the most recent.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia grimaced as Akihiro explained what had him so down, heart sinking. "Oh, I'm so sorry..." She said softly. "That's horrible..." She nodded as he went on. "It makes sense. But surely they could have just switched you to different partners? It doesn't make sense for them to keep you together if you aren't going to work effectively together."

 

[Akihiro Chen]

Akihiro pulled his hand back, trying to ignore the little twinge of his heart when Guilia hadn't taken it. He sighed, running his hand into his hair. "She tried. I think Eugene, the head boy, I think he was going to go for it. But then Celia- she stepped in and it all became a mess. She insisted that the pairings were final, and when Gwen didn't get her way she threw a massive tantrum, dragged down Eugene's girlfriend and insulted Celia in every way she could think of. I tried to apologize to Renata- Eugene's girl- but she just ignored me." He was slouching a bit. "It was humiliating. And after I'd left, I just realized... I have no friends, no one really on my side... I didn't have anyone to turn to." He peeked up at Giulia. "I didn't want to be a burden to you."

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia spotted the movement of Akihiro's hand too late, shooting out with her own quickly to grab it. She held his hand tightly as he spoke, cringing in horror. It sounded like so many of her own worst fears all come together, and the thought of Akihiro having to go through that.... didn't bear thinking about. "Oh, that's horrible..." She breathed, squeezing his hand tighter as he went on. "You're never a burden to me." She said softly, kissing his temple once before encouraging him to rest his head on her shoulder. "I wish I could have been there for you. They've got no right to treat you like that." It was surreal, imagining someone as cool and popular as Akihiro in such a painful situation, but it only took one look at how upset he was to see that it was true. "I'm so sorry that happened..."

 

[Akihiro Chen]

Akihiro relaxed as she took his hand, leaning his head on her shoulder and shutting his eyes. "I wish I'd never dated her," He admitted gently. "I... I was so caught up in appearance... but really, she was- she just like my mother." He winced as she said it. "Proper. Pretty. Superficial." He sighed. "Mother left us," He told her. He hated talking about it, but at the same time it felt like he had to get it off of his chest. "We were very young... and father... for a long time, I blamed him. I thought he was weak. But he's a sweet man, gentle. Mother- she was tired of us. Tired of being a housewife. She wanted a different life, a better one... one without us tying her down."

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia listened quietly, thumb stroking softly along the back of Akihiro's hand. She was a little surprised when he pivoted to his mother but kept listening, heart aching. It immediately brought her thoughts to her brother - for all their differences, the biggest difference between her and Louis had always been that Giulia had a mother. Louis' mother had seemingly decided the moment he was born that she didn't want to be a parent, and she had seen firsthand the effects that could have. "I'm sorry..." She said softly, turning her head slightly to kiss the top of his. "You deserved better than that."

 

[Akihiro Chen]

Akihiro shifted, leaning more into her side, trying to lay his arm over her tummy. "Can we just lay down for a bit?" He asked her gently. "My head hurts, my heart hurts... I just want to sleep a little and forget it for a while," He peeked up at her, looking uncharacteristically vulnerable. "I feel better when you're with me,"

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia had known for a long time that she loved Akihiro deeply, but seeing him so vulnerable, so open... she felt her heart melt, nodding as she gently shifted and pulled him closer, settling them into a more comfortable position. "Of course... get some rest." She said softly, kissing the top of his head again. She rubbed his back softly as he settled, voice a little shaky and off-pitch as she quietly sang him a French lullaby her mother had sung to her every night as a child.

 

[Akihiro Chen]

Akihiro let himself fall in against Giulia, shutting his eyes and relaxing in against her. "Thank you," He murmured, yawning. It didn't take him long to fall asleep- she was warm, and her touch was comforting. He liked listening to her sing, passing out while just focusing on the sweet sound of her voice.