When Lust & Envy Meet

10. LUMINOUS

Birth of the Milky Way, Rubens, 1636
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"Isaac! Get up, you're late!"

Isaac was startled awake by Ash's face unpleasantly close to his, body shaken vigorously.

"Huh?" he murmured half asleep.

"You missed morning attendance."

He shot up. "What time is it?"

"It's already half past seven!"

"Hell," he groaned, "I thought Beckett would at least have the common decency to wake me."

"Prefects have to meet thirty minutes earlier with the teachers. He probably thought you'd appreciate more sleep."

"Or he wanted to sabotage me," he grimaced.

"Stop accusing him and get your arse out of bed already, dammit. You're going to miss breakfast completely otherwise."

"Fine!" he shouted as he threw his covers off. Cold air met his skin."At least let me change first."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✦ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Isaac entered the dining hall like how their breakfast eggs were prepared—he scrambled.

"Care to explain your tardiness, Harley?" Charlie Franz confronted.

"Actually, I would!" he said. "A certain perfect prefect couldn't even be bothered to wake his hungover roommate."

"Are you talking about Josiah? Surely you're not blaming him for your own incompetence."

"Perhaps I am."

"Well perhaps you shouldn't. Grow up Isaac."

He walked to the seat beside Ash visibly agitated. "What's his deal?"

"Charlie? He's actually quite nice once you get to know him."

     "How so?"

     "I don't have specific examples of him being nice. He just...is, in a casual setting at least. Plus, he's got a killer taste in music."

     "What is it with you and your obnoxious love for prefects?"

     "I don't love him, I just think you're being too judgmental without actually getting to know him, that's all. You did kind of delay attendance." His words were muffled as he ate his bagel. "How about we swap roommates tonight?"

     "Buzz off. You may say that now, but I better not hear about your new crush in the near future."

      "Don't worry! no one will replace Josiah's spot as Eton's hottest prefect in my heart." he said, gulping water to wash down his meal.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✦ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"Watch your step everyone, the hill is steep," said Josiah as he led the other students through their morning—well, now midday—hike. "Also remember to keep an eye out on the wildlife and record your sightings, I promise it'll help with the assignment."

After trudging up the hill, they stopped to take notes and sketch.

"Hey," said Isaac walking towards him, "Let's talk about the topic of our project."

Josiah stopped, mid-sketch of a red squirrel. "No need. I'll handle it on my own."

"What?"