LEVIATHAN MORNINGSTAR: JUNE, 2000
It was the last night Levi would spend at The Academy as a fourth year. The last night Levi would spend at The Academy with Corvus. With Steve.
Levi felt stiff. His lungs weren't working. His eyes were burning. Everything in his body hurt. This was stressful, this was far too stressful for him, he needed to leave.
He nodded in agreement with his own thoughts, but when he turned to walk away, a hand grabbed at his arm. His head whipped back to make eye contact with the hand's body. Enrico.
"Morningstar? Where're you going, mate? It's their graduation party." The hand left Levi's arm to gesture around the room. Levi wanted to puke.
"I know," his voice was quiet, his eyes searching the room for a soul other than Enrico who had noticed his decided departure. "Just...was gonna get air, is all."
Enrico frowned and Levi realized that he looked painfully similar to Giotto when he did so. "I'll go with you." He seemed to decide, his frown breaking into a bright smile. "Can't have you disappearing again! You always seem to at parties."
Levi did not think it was important to mention that his disappearance was normally caused by someone he didn't know approaching him. He didn't think to mention that he always hid in his dorm like a coward. He didn't want to mention that Mekhi normally came up to talk to him afterward. Instead, he let out a breathy laugh and turned to leave the common room with Enrico.
Once in the corridor, Levi simply allowed his back to hit the wall. He slid down slowly, meeting the floor. Enrico stood, towering above him. "Does it make you sad?" Levi asked softly, his eyes watching the wall in front of him intently.
"What?" Enrico was leaning against the wall now. He had his foot propped up on it. He'd been doing it for months, ever since he saw Vincent Koven (who Enrico thought was "bloody cool!") from the East Sector doing it.
"Them graduating. Does it make you sad?" Levi clarified, his head tilting up to look at Enrico.
"Oh." Enrico's head tilted to the side, the way it did when he thought hard about something. He'd done it since their first year. Levi thought it was a bit endearing, but he never said so out loud. "I mean, I guess? I see them during the summer anyway, so I don't imagine it'd be any different now."
"Oh." Levi's head turned swiftly away from Enrico. He was trying to force himself not to be bothered by those words. He tried to force himself to not think about the fact that not only were Corvus and Steve graduating, but so were people like Joceline Archambeau. He tried to force himself to not think about the fact that he didn't even get so much as a letter from anyone during the summers, other than Simon.
"It is a bit sad, I suppose." Enrico sounded uncomfortable, but he was sliding down the wall to level with Levi. He didn't normally talk about emotions this way, Levi appreciated him trying. "Y'know, little less in the compartment. Little less in the common room. Little less in the hallways."
Levi nodded softly and leaned into Enrico. "It'll just be different, is all." He was whispering and Enrico was nudging his shoulder.
"If you want, you can come to my dorm and we can make stupid letters to send to all of them, so we can all catch up?" Levi felt his chest swell and he made a face in an attempt to hide his oncoming smile.
"All of us?" Levi questioned, wanting so badly. He knew it would never happen. Knew it wouldn't, because the group barely spoke to him anymore. Knew it wouldn't, because Rima didn't even know he was here right now. Knew it wouldn't, because no one would have him in the common room once Steve was gone.
