Veil of a Smile || Twisted Wonderland

-°.*✧ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

        He seemed shaken up and, most of all, downright anxious out of his mind. [Name] felt a tinge of sympathy seeing him like that, but she should just mind her own business and worry about herself rather than put energy into anything else. Oh, if only she told herself that a minute early and listened to her own advice. Before she knew it, her water bottle was already in hand, and she was standing in front of the student. 

        She and her nosy self, she mentally berated herself. 

        "Hey, want some water? You look like you need it." She offered her water to him in hopes of calming him down or at least keeping his mind off whatever was freaking him out. 

        He jumped a bit at the sound of her voice, very obviously not foreseeing anyone coming up to him during class. The male was so caught up in his own world, hardly managing to push down the nerves that slowly piled up as the lesson went on, he hadn't even considered that anyone would even bother talking to him. He had spent it living under the safety of the ocean all his life; it was only this year when he had gone up on land and had to get used to this thing called legs. 

        It was so, so painful the first few times, the prickling, burning pin needles shooting up his legs every step he tried to walk. Then, his legs would wobble, and he would fall down. Honestly, he didn't know if having his two childhood friends around was better or for the worse. There were times where he didn't know if he'd make it through it had they not been there, but other times, it was mortifying watching them get the hang of walking so fast and poked fun at him.

         He attempted to hide his embarrassment, glancing away, but the slightly reddened complexion gave him away, not that she was going to mention it or anything. Still really cute, though. The male cleared his throat and readjusted the frames of his glasses. 

        "I..." just as he was about to decline, the distant yelling of the students threw him off guard. He quickly darted his eyes toward the front, only to see them flying mid-air, hanging onto the thin stick that was the broom. He swallowed dryly, sensing the dread in his stomach grow, much to his dismay. "Thank you..." he finally grabbed the water bottle she offered and took big gulps out of it, downing it until it was half empty. 

        While he drank her water, however, something dawned on her. Just before class, she did take a couple of sips from her bottle. As childish as some might think of it, [Name] found herself becoming a little self-conscious, and her cheek warmed faintly from the indirect kiss. 

        Real smooth of her.

        Ugh, man, what am I, in fifth grade? She was really counting on him not to realize her internal dilemma.

        This time, it was her who cleared her throat once he returned the bottle. "It's no problem; glad I could help, uh..." it was then when she noticed she had no idea what his name was, trailing off her sentence. Hopefully, he took her hint and could perhaps introduce himself or anything along the line. 

        And so he did. "Azul Ashengrotto."

        "Right, Ashengrotto-san." She didn't miss the cue to continue the conversation. She supposed she should say her name as well to make it even. "Well, I'm [Name] Mochizuki." Azul merely nodded at the mention of her name, not looking much better than before she approached him. That wasn't too good. She thought for a second before speaking up. "Do you want me to go before you? I can tell you what it's like after, so you'll know what to expect." 

        For a moment, he was silent as if taking a while to contemplate her words and the arrangement she suggested, a long while actually. She was about to go back on her offer, feeling a little awkward from the lack of response, when he eventually said, "...if you don't mind, then please." His voice was small, barely any louder than a whisper, almost sounding reluctant—a murmur only meant for her ears alone.