Oneshots [IdentityV]

Music Notes Between Us [Frederick x Aesop]

College AU

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He checked his watch again, there was still about fifteen minutes left before class started. According to the online schedule, his lecture hall should be the one just down the corridor... He pulled up the collar of his sweater a bit before pushing open the heavy fire doors of the auditorium with one hand, the other being occupied with his textbooks. He scanned the room with his eyes, his gray irises noticing a group of people in the left row chatting happily. He looked away from them and walked down the steps to the front row on the right. He quickly readied his things in advance and then decided to look at his phone while waiting for the professor to arrive.

Ten minutes later, a brown-skinned man took the seat next to him, a neutral expression on his face.

"Yo, 'Sop."

He nodded in response. The man's name was Ganji Gupta, one of the few people he had befriended in the social hell that was college. The black-haired male didn't talk much like him but rather than introversion as it was in his case, Ganji simply didn't see any point in saying more than necessary. Aesop didn't quite understand why but some people apparently found this to be a charm of the man and he was regularly invited by strangers to these student parties.

Finally, a few minutes before class started, his other friend eventually arrived as well.

"You're almost late, Campbell," he announced.

The man with a pierced nose laughed with awkwardness as he dropped into the empty seat on his other side.

"But I'm not, right?" he retorted.

Aesop rolled his eyes before grabbing a pen to start writing because the professor had also just arrived seconds after Norton's arrival.

The class went on as usual, like all the others of the semester. The large room was silent except for the voice of the history professor echoing off the walls, the occasional chatter in the background, Norton playing with his pen, and the faint, steady breathing of Ganji, who had dozed off. For his part, Aesop was diligently taking notes of the class, sometimes stopping to wake up the joints in his numb wrist or because his mind had wandered for a moment to a familiar figure.

After an hour, the teacher luckily did not give any homework this time and then left. Aesop tidied up his notes while Norton threw bits of gum in Ganji's face to wake him up.

Most of the students had already left by now, but there were still three people on the opposite side of the room from where they were sitting.

"You're looking at those rich kids again." commented Norton.

"No..."

"Are you still thinking about him? You said he was your childhood friend, but I've rarely seen you two talking together since the beginning of the year." added Ganji, at last brought down to earth.

"Ha, I guess his arrogance has gotten the better of him now that he's found his people."

"You're being too hard on him. Frederick is..."

Aesop gathered his books and glanced again at Frederick a few feet away. He appeared to be chatting happily with his friends, a man and a woman with brown hair. These three were particularly well-known on campus and even he knew them despite the fact that he didn't really like to mingle. As far as he knew, the young woman was under the mentorship of a renowned researcher in entomology and the man had already published some writings when he was only in his twenties.

As for Frederick... His name appearing in the newspapers spoke for themselves.

There was a time when Aesop would have been the one at his side instead of these two. Now, with the rise of his success, staying with him would only hold him back.