Chapter Text
Wise’s general unathleticism, the first day of classes, and an all-nighter made for a decidedly deadly combination. His back hurts, his eyes are sore, and his legs feel like leaden bars being dragged over the floor.
“I told you it was a bad idea to stay up all night playing video games,” Belle says, her voice smug.
“Like you weren’t doing the same?” Wise counters back. Although her sleep schedule is just as chaotic, Belle is bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and fresh-faced. She looks picturesque, like those cheerful students in zombie movies before everything goes to shit. As for Wise, well, he could pass as one of the zombies, his eye bags are permanent fixtures of his face at this point.
Looking at them, some people could hardly believe they were siblings. Belle was sociable, energetic, and spirited in ways that Wise was just… not. It’s no surprise that she was the more popular of the siblings by far. Wise never minded, he was the kind of guy that preferred staying out of the spotlight. Some people, like Belle, were born to be main characters, and others were just NPCs.
“As I was saying, we really need to get serious about our classes this year. Especially you, Wise, if your attendance drops any more, you won’t be able to graduate no matter how smart you are. Wise? Are you listening to me?”
Wise, who is about to drop dead from exhaustion, wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. When he sees a group of other students running towards him at top speed, so fast he could almost see the dust kicked up by their feet, his reflexes aren’t quick enough to dodge and Wise steels himself to get knocked over.
“That guy… Transfer student…”
“Super hot!...” He manages to catch briefly their squeals before the force of the pushing causes Wise to lose his balance, and he flails his hands stupidly in the air to try and catch himself.
“Wise!” Luckily, Belle notices. She reaches out her hand to steady him, saving him from a painful, and embarrassing, trip. “Are you okay?”
Taking a moment to catch his breath, heart still racing from the close call, Wise nods. Curious now, both siblings turn towards the source of commotion, coming from the parking lot they had emerged from. Parked next to their tattered old minivan was a shiny, expensive sedan, making the sibling’s own vehicle look far lamer and sadder in comparison. A blonde haired girl was making her way out of the car, but what seemed to draw more attention was her attendant.
Tall, dark, and handsome, wearing sunglasses and dressed head to toe in tight leather clothes. He looked somewhat out of place standing next to the prim and proper young lady, but somehow the contrast made him stand out even more.
“Wow,” Belle gasps. “He looks so cool!”
“Really? Didn’t think you’d go for the biker type,” Wise teases, and gets jabbed in the ribs for his efforts. He squints to get a better look at the man, it’s not everyday you see a guy like that in New Eridu. The rider tosses his head, jet black hair flipping to cover one eye, Wise catches a glint of green eyes before he pushes his sunglasses up to hide them again. Standing cockily with his hand on his hip, Wise had to admit, the guy was cool.
“He certainly stands out in a crowd, doesn’t he?” Belle whispers. “I wonder who he is.”
It’s not like Wise isn’t curious, but he’s always minded his own business, and social detective work is not quite his thing. “Well, when you find out, share with me your findings.”
Belle does finger guns in his direction. “You’ll be the first to know.”
Wise glances back at the biker surrounded by his adoring admirers. It’s as he thought, some people were born to be main characters.
“Let’s get going, Belle. The professor marks us absent if we’re five minutes late.”
“Oh crap!”
In general, Wise leads a pretty unremarkable life. Sixth street, where he lives with his sister, is a friendly, peaceful part of town known for its trendy youth and gaming culture. It’s busy enough to keep the siblings occupied, but not too overwhelming with its hustle and bustle.
Sixth street’s library, where Wise currently holds a part time job, may seem boring to some, especially compared to Belle’s more interesting job at the bardic needle. After all, who would choose to go to the library when they could be at the arcade, or catching an indie concert at the rock pit? But the peace and quiet suits Wise just fine, it’s not that he’s incapable of being friendly, but socializing all day is exhausting.
Besides, this ‘boring’ job offers him enough free time to surf the inter-knot, and the free unlimited wifi helps him work on their second, more lucrative side hustle.
Wise is your everyday, ordinary city boy. He’s also one half of the legendary hacker, Phaethon.
This time of the year is usually pretty quiet, the children are all at school, and college students don’t have to start cramming their assignments yet. Wise finishes off his college work quickly, and still has a lot of time left in his day. Hey, just because it was easy didn’t mean he should procrastinate until the last minute, that was more Belle’s style.
Wise is just wondering whether he should log in as Phaethon and look through commission requests or put on some headphones and chill with a movie when he hears the sound of a revving motorcycle engine.
He looks up, and sees a vintage motorcycle pulling up near the entrance.
It’s beautiful, all sleek metal and black leather cushions, luxurious and well looked after, probably expensive to keep and maintain.
The only bike Wise has ridden is his trusty bicycle, and he briefly wonders what it would feel like to take a ride on a motorcycle like that.
Of course, the handsome biker guy has nothing to do with it.
The handsome biker guy, who is, by the way, entering the library.
Wise does a double take.
Over a week had passed since Wise first glimpsed him at the parking lot, and it was more than enough time for Belle to dig up all the details from her friends, and then some. His name was Lighter, a private bodyguard for the new transfer student Luciano de Montefio. He originated from the outer ring, which accounted for his unique fashion sense, and girls loved his aloof, mysterious, bad boy persona (those were Belle’s words, not his).
Wise has seen Luciana, Lucy as she preferred to be called, a few times at campus. She shares a couple of classes with Belle, and was friendly with his sister. She seemed like the headstrong and independent type, like the last person who would want a private bodyguard.
Lighter looks up, making eye contact with Wise, and then seems to continue staring for quite a long time. It’s hard to tell his expression underneath the sunglasses.
Wise doesn’t know what to make of that, but he still gives his best award winning customer service smile .
Lighter coughs, the sound breaking the silence in the library, and quickly looks away.
The silence resettles like water atop a lake, ripples of awkwardness permeating the air. Wise doesn’t speak, it’s not his style to be pushy with assistance. It’s enough for customers to know that he’s there, ready to help if they need it. Perhaps this is even a little mean to admit, but it’s kind of entertaining watching the biker stomp around, so out of place among the plain white bookshelves and tiny reading nooks designed for children.
Lighter walks around the shelves, even doubling back on himself several times. Wise starts to feel bad the longer he keeps watching, and wonders if he should approach to offer his help after all. Lighter might be the type who feels shy asking for assistance.
Before Wise can get up from his seat, Lighter approaches him first.
“Hi there, welcome to Sixth Street Library. How can I help you?” Wise greets in a well-practiced customer service cadence.
Lighter doesn’t answer immediately, it seems like he is mulling what to say. His stare behind his eyeglasses is intense, and Wise starts to wonder if they’re actually in a staring contest before Lighter finally speaks.
“I’m looking for a book…” His voice is deep with a pleasant rumble, easy on the ears. It suits him, though Wise was expecting something a little more… gruff. Well, he’s not complaining.
Wise has to bite down any sarcastic comments, he doesn’t know Lighter well enough for those. It would be nice if the biker was a little more descriptive with what he wanted, though dealing with difficult customers was part and parcel of his job.
“Of course, may I know what kind of book you’re looking for?”
Lighter pushes his sunglasses up, seemingly thinking about what to say next. “It’s not for me, it’s for Miss Lu- I mean, it’s for my friend. You see, her laptop’s broken and she’s got a test tomorrow on uh… accounts… managing accounts?”
“Do you mean managerial accounting?” Wise completes the sentence.
Lighter snaps his fingers, perking up considerably. “Yes! That’s the one, it’s like you’re a mind reader or something.”
Wise smiles, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Not really, just a lucky guess. The books you’re looking for should be on shelf 16, row G, on your right. If you’d like, I can offer you my recommendations.”
“That… that’ll be good,” Lighter says, almost slumping in relief. He lets Wise take him to the aforementioned shelves, picking out a few books he found helpful. “You’re a real lifesaver,” Wise notices Lighter eyeing his nametag. “...Wise.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Wise says. Has this guy ever considered doing ASMR? Because even Wise’s bland and boring name sounded good in his cadence. “I took the same course last year, so I’m familiar with the topic.”
“Oh?” Lighter says, tilting his head. “So you go to college here too?” His gaze cuts into Wise, even through the glasses, intense and bold. Wise could almost believe that Lighter is actually interested in him, the power of cool guys is really something else.
“I do, I’m a final year student. I’ve seen you around campus a few times, though you’ve probably never noticed me.”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t notice a cutie like yourself.”
“Uh…” Wise’s eyes crinkle into half crescents as he forces a smile onto his face. Again with the weird flattery. Does Lighter go around sweet talking any guy or girl he just met? Or maybe he was just a natural flirt, is that the kind of guy girls liked? Wise files it away to ask Belle later. “I… it’s alright, I’m not offended. But if you’d like to make me feel better, would you like to sign up for a library card? You get a loan extension on these books, and 20% off overdue fees.”
Lighter gives a low chuckle, his lips parted out to reveal perfect teeth. “With a pitch like that, how can I say no?”
Let nobody say that Wise wasn’t a good salesman.
Wise carefully checks out the reference books while Lighter fills out the membership form. From this, Wise learns that his last name is Lorenz, that his home address is still in the outer ring, and that his date of birth sets him only a few years older than Wise.
“Here are your books, and here’s your library card. Thank you for coming.”
Right before Lighter is about to leave, he thinks of something else and turns around.
“It seems like you’re a tried and true local. So, could I ask if you know anywhere I can get my friend’s laptop repaired?”
“Well, the nearest computer store is at the ballet twins, which is a bit of a drive. I’m pretty good with electronics, so maybe I could have a look for you?” Wise doesn’t know why he offered. He’s a busy guy, so he’s not in the business of offering everybody his services. But there’s something about Lighter that makes Wise curious, a side that wants to get to know him a little better.
He doesn’t expect Lighter’s glasses to slip, and for the man to look at him like he’s an angel descended into human form.
“I don’t want to inconvenience you or anything.”
“It’s no trouble,” Wise gestures at the empty store. “It’s pretty slow this time of year. And besides, I never said I’d do it for free.”
“Hmph…” Lighter pushes his glasses back up, a smirk gracing his handsome features. “I’d let a pretty boy like you scam me anyday.”
He leaves briefly to fetch the laptop, and Wise is grateful for the respite because he feels woozy and light-headed. He never thought he’d be susceptible to flirting but there it is. Because Lighter is flirting with Wise, isn’t he? There’s no other way he can view it.
The why, however, leaves him truly baffled.
Wise slaps his reddening cheeks a few times to calm himself down. There was no reason to get embarrassed, for all he knows, Lighter talks like that to everyone.
Wise doesn’t make eye contact at all as Lighter returns with the broken laptop in question, but Wise soon forgets his own awkwardness in favour of gawking at what he has brought. The laptop is totaled, wrecked, like someone dropped it off the side of a moving vehicle.
“What did you do to it?” He finds himself saying out loud, already reaching for his tools in the drawer. “I don’t think the computer store at ballet twins would be able to handle this.”
Lighter winces, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Yeah… uh… the miss can get pretty clumsy.”
“Clumsy? This looks more like someone smacked it around with a sledgehammer.” Luckily, Wise is not just a guy who’s ‘pretty good with computers’. He’s legendary hacker Phaethon, and he loves a challenge.
Wise may not be the best with people, but machines are his thing, and he can spend hours tinkering with them. Wise busies himself with dissembling the laptop, piece by piece, figuring out which parts were salvageable, which ones needed replacing. It’s delicate, precise work, which he’d usually enjoy if not for the intense gaze boring into his skull.
“Normally, in this case, I’d suggest just getting a new computer.” Wise says, Lighter shakes his head. “If that’s a no-go… I could try fixing it.”
“You really mean that?” Lighter kind of resembles a puppy the way his head perks up. Wise can almost imagine little pointy ears and a wagging tail and the thought of it makes him want to laugh.
“Pft… sure.” Wise barely manages to control his laughter, barely. He can still feel the pressure of his eyelids trying not to crease. “It’s not going to be free, but luckily for you, I don’t overcharge handsome guys.”
Lighter freezes, it’s almost like he becomes a statue, a human equivalent of a blue screen.
Wise feels his own smile stiffen. Did he misunderstand the situation? He was just in a playful mood, trying to tease a little, to give Lighter a taste of his own medicine. He didn’t expect the poor guy to totally shut down.
Wise knows people don’t expect it because he’s usually so mild mannered, but he has a sense of humour too, okay?
Damage control… damage control… he’s got this.
“I’m sorry,” Wise apologizes sheepishly. “I was just trying to lighten the mood… just pretend I didn’t say anything.” Alright, that was smooth, Wise, not awkward at all. “Yeah, I can fix it.”
Maybe his off-handed comment ruined whatever rapport they had built, because Lighter looked like he was in a hurry to leave after that. Maybe guys like Wise just can’t pull off flirtatious. He resolves never to tell Belle about this interaction because it was just embarrassing, and he hopes Lighter won’t remember it on their next encounter.