Chapter Text
“Doc, pleaseeeee! Just this once, I promise I won't ask anything like this ever again! Pleasee, just look away this one time?”
Luuk huffs out a laugh, which makes the blonde student in front of him make an attempt to make her puppy eyes look more endearing in hopes of melting his composure with cuteness. An interesting sight for someone who can only see the colour of her blond hair.
By the looks of his calm smile, it doesn't work one bit.
“You still haven't given me a reason to write a sick note for you, Lynae.”
“I did! Look, you just patched up my arm! How am I supposed to take notes with an injured arm, doc? You know how brutal Professor Arwen's class is! And he insists on us manually writing out his notes, ugh!”
“If you can still wave it around like that, then I'm sure you can write your class notes just fine. Want some candy?”
“Doctor Luuk!”
His laugh is louder this time. He shakes his head as Lynae accepts the red candy from his outstretched hand even with her pout. She had only just arrived at this academy a little over a year, yet left quite the impression on him with her exuberant nature as well as her constant visits to the infirmary. She pulled so many different excuses to try to get out of class with sick notes, N.A.N.A. had practically used Lynae as a practising dummy on how to intimidate students to stop requesting for fake ones.
There were plenty of times where she came in with various bruises and cuts, ones she sheepishly admitted were from testing out her motorcycle modifications. He can appreciate someone who knows their way around a bike though, so he didn't give her much grief for that.
Luuk's eyes sparkle with amusement as he reaches for the stack of blank forms, his pen gliding across the paper while he continues, “All right, all right. Here you go, but on one condition.”
Purple eyes immediately light up, a bright grin breaking through the disappointed frown. Lynae snatches the approved sick note before Luuk could even hand it over himself. “Anything! What is it?”
An idea forms in his mind as Luuk rises, walking over to N.A.N.A. who was going through medical reports by the counter. “N.A.N.A., I'll be taking my break a few minutes early. Can you help me file the reports on my desk? I have an appointment to get to.”
“Of course, Doctor Herssen. Have a happy lunch,” the robot chirps, nodding at Lynae as well when the girl waves goodbye while hastily shoving her sick note into her backpack.
“About the condition…you're friends with Chisa from the Engineering Department, right? Could you call her for lunch together?”
“Chisa? I mean, sure…but why? You want me to buy you lunch, doc? I don't have much, but uh- No, I can definitely afford anything you want! Just say the word! Haha…”
Her awkward laugh fades as she glances over at the tall blond who had been quiet since they exited the infirmary. She always sees Luuk with his gentle smile, but this contemplative look is new. 'Is he worried about something?'
“Uhm, Doctor Luuk? Everything okay?”
The question seems to snap Luuk out from his thoughts, the somber expression disappearing behind his usual smile in the blink of an eye. “Hm? Ah, yes. Everything's fine. I'll pay for lunch, you just…”
Luuk seems to think for a moment, then with a warm smile he murmurs, “I just need your help in cheering up a dear friend of mine.”
“I pulled everyone into my grand plan to ‘save the world,’ and when it mattered most, I wasn't even there.”
The despair in his voice when he said those words made Luuk's heart sink, that day they were treading through the snowy path. Luuk knew that Rover's mental state was in a bad place after Aemeath, and the face-off with the Grand Architect only added fuel into the furious fire.
Luuk knew that look in those molten gold. That was a thirst for blood. A thirst that would be his drive to self-destruction, all for the taste of his enemy's demise. If he hadn't been there to stop Rover from charging head on…
“A Sonoro of Honami City? Woah, isn't that a city in Ashinohara that was destroyed years ago? That sounds trippy…”
Luuk blinks out of his thoughts at the loud exclamation on the opposite side of the table, his red eyes flicking over to the students huddled together around one black-haired man. More specifically, Lynae grilling Rover and Chisa over what had seemed like a conversation about their adventure before Lahai-Roi.
The 'condition' was for Lynae to invite Chisa over to have lunch with Rover together with him. He had been making sure to keep in touch with Rover whenever he can, and he thought that having two of the friends he made in this academy at lunch would give an extra boost to his moods.
It's been a few days since the incident with 'Nivora'. Rover has been much more susceptible to accepting his efforts in comfort ever since, much to Luuk's relief. The loneliness in the solemn face (so reminiscient of the Rover he met decades ago, it hurt to see it again on this happier version of him) has abated to wistful hope, and much more willing to talk to the doctor compared to the beginning of their meeting.
“The real city was swallowed by the Lament. I was dragged into the Sonoro twenty years ago, and was stuck there until Rover came,” answers Chisa with a nonchalant bite of the stick in her hand, the chocolate-coated biscuit snapping under her teeth. “It only felt like months to me, so finding my parents who became so much older than what I thought was…something.”
“Still, that sounds so cool! Not the ‘missing for twenty years’ part though, that's kinda scary. How'd you even get out?”
It's nice to see a spark of life in Rover's eyes when the man responds to Lynae, unlike the dulled golden when Rover came to demand for plans on the Exostrider. So deep in his grief, rejecting his offer of comfort in candies…the only way the doctor could figure out how to distract such a mind was to direct the focus elsewhere. It also gave him the chance to talk more with Rover and reintroduce himself to the man who had been such an important part of his life. So either way, it wasn't all bad.
“We had some outside help as well. They were the ones who made sure we were safe and sound.” Rover turns his head to the side, a familiar warmth in the smile directed towards Chisa. (God, he missed that smile. What he would do to have that smile directed to him again.) “Speaking of which, is your body doing okay now? I know you said it's more stable, but…”
Luuk decides to jump in with a kind smile, pushing away his empty cup to the side as he leans on an arm on the table. “She's doing just fine, Rover. She's doing wonderfully in her physcial tests, and her condition is showing improvement with every checkup. As long as she doesn’t overwork herself burning the midnight oil or skip out on meals, she'll have no problems.”
"Well, don't you worry about the meal part! I'm here to make sure she gets all the nutrients she needs in this growing body!" Lynae exclaims with a jump from her seat, nearly knocking into the table as she goes around to wrap her arms around Chisa in a tight hug. The seated girl doesn't seem to mind the awkward angle of the hug, at least.
"I'm technically twenty years older than you…"
"Yeah, but your body didn't grow out that twenty years! So you're still the 'you' twenty years ago!"
"That doesn't mean you need to act like my babysitter."
"Ah-ah! No excuses! Come over to my room tonight! I saw a pretty fun recipe online, we can try it with my new mini cooker!"
"…Lynae, you can't cook-"
Rover and Luuk share a glance, amused at the back and forth between the two girls. The spirit of youth, indeed.
(He wonders where Rover would fall on in this matter. The man is clearly centuries years old, yet his appearance never changed from the day they first met. But this Rover must have had only the memories of the past year or two, so he's…?
(…He should stop thinking about it, lest his mind starts to wander to the ethics of having feelings for someone who doesn't remember their own past.)
Lynae's terminal buzzes with a notification, pulling the blonde out of her playful squeezing of her new friend. She pulls it out in curiosity, which then turns into alarm as she lets out a panicked gasp.
"Oh, shit! I forgot I have a group assignment due! Oh, no no…"
Blonde hair flutters as she turns on her heels, breaking into a run as she waves frantically to the group. "Gotta go, guys! Let's meet up again next time!"
Then she turns to Chisa, her smile just a little bit brighter. "See you tonight! You know the passcode to my room!"
Then gone, just like the whirlwind that is her personality.
Luuk lets out a silver of a laugh, shifting his gaze to Chisa who had been staring at Lynae's retreating back. The look in her eyes remind him a little of himself.
"She's a cheerful girl, isn't she?"
Chisa's eyes flick towards Luuk, seeing his ever friendly smile. Rover glances over to Luuk as well, curious to see what the doctor wishes to say.
She doesn't think much of the question, nodding with her gaze shifted to the empty box in her hand. "Lynae is very nice. She helped me around the academy during the first week I got here."
"Is that so? It must've been hard to be thrusted back into a crowd as soon as you got out from isolation."
Chisa pauses, then shakes her head. "It's all right. I…I'm glad to be back. I missed it here."
Her words gain a reaction from Rover, whose eyes soften as he pats the girl on the head. "I'm glad we got out safe. Namipon would be happy to hear all your stories once things settle here."
Luuk's eyes flicker with a researcher's curiosity at the unfamiliar name, but he puts it aside for later. "I'm very happy to hear you fitting in well, Chisa."
The doctor tilts his head. "You seem to like her a lot. I've heard from other students that you two are very close."
"…Is that so? I didn't think much when we first met, but I really like her company." Chisa looks away, a quirk of her lips forming the softest of smiles on her face. "She's one of the kindest people I've talked to. She makes me feel safe to be myself around her. She's outgoing and popular with everyone, but she always finds time to spend it with me. I'm just…really glad to have her."
Luuk hums, "Sounds like you two have a connection." It reminds him of himself, when he first got to know a certain someone after his world was flipped upside down. His gaze lingers on golden hues for a fraction of a moment, turning away before they can meet with his own crimson orbs. "It's always the ones who you least expect to get attached to, hm?"
Before Chisa can ponder on the meaning behind the doctor's words, a sound from her terminal stops her short. She checks over her messages, then swiftly clicks off to rise from her seat.
"My class is starting in 20 minutes. I have to get going now," says Chisa as she picks up her trash from the table, bowing with a slight smile. "Thank you for the food, Dr. Herssen. I'll stay in touch as well, Rover."
The table reaches a lull with the two girls gone. Most of the people in the cafeteria have left as they rush to their respective classes. Luuk doesn't seem to be in any rush, crimson eyes focusing on Rover who quietly fiddles with his terminal.
"You don't have classes, Rover?" Luuk's voice is noticeably softer, much softer than within the company of his students. Like using a voice that is reserved for one special person.
Too engrossed in whatever he was working on in his terminal, Rover replies without looking up, "My afternoon classes are cancelled for today. The professor said it was for personal reasons, though she did mention something about Frostlands research."
"I see." Luuk lets the silence linger for a moment, then continue as Rover clicks off his terminal, "You haven't eaten much. Not hungry?"
"Ah…" Rover throws a sheepish glance over to the half-eaten pack of…whatever the academy deemed as food. "I'm still not used to eating…here."
The doctor understands. As much as Luuk appreciates the progression of science, the taste is…left much to be desired. His own heart, versed in the love for cooking, aches every time he laid eyes on the mysterious neon colours of the contents.
"I'm so sorry, Luuk. I know you paid for it-"
"It's okay, Rover. I understand," chuckles Luuk, shifting his position to prop his chin up with his right hand on the table. His eyes carry a certain tenderness as he murmurs, "You've been pretty quiet the whole time. Something on your mind?"
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. It was fun to just listen to how they've been doing these few months," hums Rover. "It's been a while since I've sat with them."
He turns to Luuk, his lips stretch into a small smile. Luuk hides the stutter in his heart well at the warmth in the beautiful curve of those golden eyes. "You invited them for my sake, didn't you? Thank you, Luuk."
'Perceptive as always.'
Luuk shakes his head, shuffling through his pockets for a candy. It's a lemon-flavoured yellow this time. "It's nothing. I'm always glad to be of help to you."
"You've been helping me since Aemeath's…situation. I feel like I'm making you do too much, honestly," laughs Rover with slight guilt in his voice, accepting the candy but not eating it yet.
Luuk furrows his eyebrows at that. His voice remains gentle, but with the slightest of firmness to it. "You lost someone dear to you, Rover. And then, you discovered the person who took her from you. I know how hard it is. You don't have to carry this alone."
Because that's what Rover always did. Rover was by his side when he discovered the deceit of his father's death, when he was spiralling from the revelation that his whole life was built on lies. When he agonized over what he let slip through his bloodied fingers, Rover was there with gentle hands wiping away his tears. When his monochrome world threatened to fall apart, Rover was there with the gold of his eyes becoming his guiding light.
But this ancient being refused to extend the same grace to himself. He would rather bottle up his own suffering, rather than sharing the burden with his companions. He treats everyone with a heart of gold, yet treats himself the cruelest of all. Rover never did told him the full story of his own past, but he saw the longing in those golden eyes under the shine of the stars.
Scientists yearn to reach beyond the sky when they look up. Researchers seek the solution for the Lament within the unknown.
Rover looked at them like it was home.
'But you don't look at home with such sadness in your eyes.'
"…You're really sweet, doctor," mutters Rover as he rolls the yellow candy in his palm. Luuk stares at the gentle flutter of eyelashes as the black-haired man mulls over his words. "You always seem to know what to say. I just feel like there's always more that I can do, I suppose."
Luuk senses that this is approaching a conversation that should be done in a more private area. He gives a cursory glance around the cafeteria — mostly empty, but a public place nonetheless with TARD-Es on patrol and stray students wandering around. Luuk makes a decision and stands up.
"How about we continue our little lunch at my place? I have hot chocolate and pastries, nothing like the cafeteria food." Luuk picks up the candy from Rover's palm, unwrapping it and taking the sweet little ball in between his fingers. "My schedule for the rest of the day is free. We can move to somewhere more comfortable in the meantime."
An urge to press it against Rover's lips tingle in his mind. The doctor suppresses it, placing the unwrapped candy back onto the man's palm. "Shall we?"
Rover's gaze flicks from Luuk's reassuring smile, to the yellow candy in his hand. He raises it to his lips, and sour-sweet bursts on his tongue.
"…Okay."