The New Reaper

Maths.

You apprehensively follow Grell and the others down the hall, feeling more than a little out of place as you linger behind them on the way to Grell's dorm room. You haven't been to a party before, but from what you've heard and read about they are loud, busy and everyone gets drunk and does stupid things. Sometimes dangerous things. You feel a knot in your stomach begin to develop, but then focus on the redhead in front of you and all your anxieties fade to idolisation and curiosity. The small brunette looks back to notice you staring at the back of Grell's head, and hangs back a little to walk alongside you.

"I'm Alan," introduces the brunette, who doesn't look into your eyes, but just hangs beside you. You find it easier to talk this way. Less confrontational. Less hostile and most importantly, less daunting. You find it easier to talk with Alan than the others, for some reason. You suppose that his small stature makes him less intimidating. But you don't hesitate to be weary.

"I'm (y/n)" You answer; just as an instinctive response which you have seen other people use when someone has told them their name. They do it and you repeat. Easy concept to follow.

"I know," Alan laughs. "You already told us in the room,"

"No I only told Grell," you retort, slightly angrily and louder than you meant to be. Alan gives you a kind of sad look, and mutters an 'okay then' before speeding up slightly and joining the rest of the group. You mentally chastise yourself. This was not going well. You had already upset one person and you weren't even at the dorm yet! You give an exasperated sigh, perfected and planned out so that you still gain the relief it provides yet you are quiet enough so that the others don't know you are sighing. Once again, you try and act as inconspicuous as possible.

As you enter the dorm room, you are pleasantly surprised (yet still a little suspicious) to find that there aren't crowds of people dancing around to 1000+ decibels of tech music with plastic cups littering the floor. There is one other reaper, sitting on one of the neatly made beds, a tall blonde one in a dress shirt with rolled up sleeves and a large smile, drinking from a wine bottle and smiling enthusiastically, if a little unfocused due to his drunkenness. In the background some kind of record is turning in the gramophone, you've never heard the song before but whatever it is it isn't tech. The reaper smiles brighter, you notice when he sees Alan. Alan flushes slightly and bows his head. You stifle a laugh and can't help give a knowing smile.

"Hey (y/n)," Grell smiles. "This is Eric, my roommate,"

The tall blond nodded and waved a small greeting to you. He held out the wine bottle as an offer, nodding in encouragement. You don't like this pressure. This split-second decision. This is too unpredictable. You need to either make a decision or get out. You are apprehensive, but you have been apprehensive about everything so far. You don't trust these people, but when do you ever trust anyone? You take the bottle since you expect that will get the others to accept you a little more, and raise it to your lips. The liquid is bitter, and it catches your throat, and you cough. You wait for something bad to happen; you wait to get dizzy or fall down or start laughing like a drunken maniac. But you don't. You feel...fine. A little weird maybe, but fine. You certainly don't see the point in drinking any more wine, since the weird feeling is just weird and neither pleasant nor unpleasant, so you won't have anymore. But the wine seems to have initiated you into this group, and everybody gets comfortable.

Grell, Ronald and Alan are sitting on one bed, so you sit beside Eric on his, one to make it more even, two because you don't want to isolate him, and three because you haven't done anything weird around him yet so you might have a higher chance of having a normal conversation. You stay quiet as the others talk, your eyes taking in the room, every little detail and running the data through your mind. You stay silent until you notice the titles in Grell's library, and you suddenly shout.