Being forced to move so many states away from all that he once knew, Nessa was nervous to tackle his new life. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Nessa to meet a plethora of unique individuals who welcomed him into their lives:
The optimist, the k...
The look in his eyes was sweet, and Nessa couldn't help but nod his head in response. Maybe Kris would notice their absence, but Nessa couldn't find it in him to care. The impending dread ticking away within his head at the idea of going to Mythology would be pushed to the side for the time being. And that sounded like a wonderfully pleasant conclusion.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
There was a plain stare on Kiwi's face as he watched Ilya wave Ian towards them. His gravity-defying corkscrew curls trialed behind him with every turn of his head, hands engulfed in sweater paws, brown eyes tinted with annoyance, and the threat of dimples burrowing within his cheeks in response to pursed lips. Kiwi was every bit as handsome as he always was, his presence impossible to ignore in Ilya's peripheral vision.
"What do you want?" Ian furrowed his brow as he approached them, clearly uncomfortable with Ilya wanting his attention. "Class is going to start soon."
"Sit with us." Ilya shrugged. He wasn't sure why Kiwi was in such a bad mood, but he hoped that it would improve if he was surrounded by his friends. Maybe it was because Ian had walked him home when he was drunk and broken, or because he didn't push Ilya away even when he was draping himself over him and being too affectionate. He still made sure to catch him when he almost fell. And that was a kindness that deserved to be acknowledged. "Emi isn't here to tell you off."
Ian glanced at Kiwi for a moment, then back at Ilya. "I'm not sure that I should."
"It's fine." Kiwi said, and Ilya looked at him happily. That response must have meant that having more friends was already helping. Kiwi had settled his chin in his palm as he looked at them. Ian sighed and sat down where Venice usually would, clearly not at all convinced that this was a good idea.
"I actually think that I might be resolving the conflict with Emi." Ian said, causing both Ilya and Kiwi to curiously stare at him.
"What do you mean?" Ilya asked, completely surprised that something like that was even possible. Emi held a grudge better than anyone Ilya had ever met.
Ian shrugged, fixing the cuff of his white undershirt. On top he had a navy blue sweater paired with grey plaid pants, which was somehow the most color that he ever seemed to wear. Ilya wondered what it would take to get Ian to dress like a slut rather than a grandpa. "We talked a bit a few days ago and she didn't seem to utterly loathe me by the end of it."
"Doesn't that just mean that Armageddon is on its way?" Ilya concluded.
"Indisputably." Ian agreed, a frown on his lips.
A thoughtful smirk captured Ilya's lips as he thought about what it would take for Emi to fully warm up to Ian again. He genuinely had never entertained the possibility. She was a master at holding grudges, and the one she held against Ian was pretty understandable. Cheating was a disgusting act, but Ilya couldn't pretend as though he was a perfect being. There had been more than one occasion where he helped someone cheat on their significant other.
