Needle In A Haystack (EarthMix AU)

Chapter 2 - Snickers

Mix never thought he'd spend his Tuesday evening like this. Nibbling on a soft bread given to him by a classmate and grinning like an idiot as he recalled his firm handshake. He was unable to focus on his book, all the words just jumbled together and didn't make sense as his mind wandered back to the encounter earlier today by the bicycle stand. Earth was big, way taller than a 17 year old boy should be, and with his oversized hoodie and loose pants he just looked massive. His voice didn't match his face; Mix expected some grumpy growling but what came out of Earth's mouth was softer than the perfectly baked bread he has given Mix. "What are you grinning about Mik Mik?" "Hm?" Mix put down his book as his mother entered his room, calling with an endearing nickname. "I'm not grinning." He answered, touching his face. Sure enough, his lips were curled and cheeks raised, and he quickly relaxed. "What do you want?"

Mom smiled as she leaned against the door frame. "I was going to ask if you'll be dinner but I guess you might be full, considering..." She glances towards the half eaten loaf of bread on Mix's bed. He quickly wrapped it back in its paper and pushed it behind his back, the smile creeping back on his lips. "That's okay. What's for dinner?" "Pepper sauce chicken." "Oh, yummy!" Mix clapped as he got of the bed. "So what's with the bread? Since when do you eat bread?" His mom asked. Mix picked up the loaf and unwrapped it. "Wow, what did you do to it? Are you a caveman?" She laughed when she noticed half of the bread was dug out like a bowl. "Just smell it." He suggested. When she inhaled the delicious smell and tried to rip off a chunk, Mix quickly snatched it away and wrapped it back. "Hey, that's mine." Mix put his bread back on the bed, following his mom to the kitchen. The food smelled heavenly, he loved his mother's cooking as it was the most comforting thing in the world in any occasion. "Where did you buy it anyway? Is there a bakery near the school?" "Nah, he baked it for me." "He?" Mom raised an eyebrow. She knew Mix would forget about their old place as soon as he meets a pretty boy, and she was more than fine with it. After a summer holidays which he spent half the time with Niam, Mix needed a new person in his life, even if it was just a friend. She just didn't expect him to start crushing on someone the second day of school.

As the days progressed and Mix became more comfortable in the new school environment, he made more than just a few friends in the class. Out of the other 19 people in it, he spoke to 18 of them on the daily, like a social butterfly who seemed to make everyone around him smile. The person he didn't speak to much, or nearly at all, was Earth. Not that he didn't want to, it's just that the boy seemed to avoid any interaction with others, especially when Niam was around. Besides 'hi' and 'bye', Mix and Earth didn't seem to progress their new friendship until nearly a month later when they met for the first time outside of school. Just a regular Saturday in a small town without much to do was Mix's time to spend exploring the place on his bike. His usual rides around town always ended by the outskirts where the houses became more spare and the road was no longer asphalt. Something drew him to the dirt road, he knew there was a lake there somewhere, they passed by it in car once. It took only a few more minutes of pedalling before a shiny surface emerged beside him, a small lake surrounded by tall oak trees which leaves were already turning red. "Hey Mix!" Said a familiar voice somewhere behind him, and Mix made a mistake turning his head around before getting off the bike.

"Whoa!" Mix yelped as the bicycle wheel snagged against a rock and he was thrown off, his body falling onto the rocky road. He finally looked up, coming to meet a pair of...hooves? His eyes travelled higher up to see the worried face of his friend sat on a tall horse. Earth swiftly jumped off, patting the horse with a gentle 'stay' before kneeling down and yanking Mix's arm to help him stand up. "Dang, are you alright?" Earth asked worriedly as Mix stumbled, but still managed to stand up properly. "Yeah, I think so? Uhm, your hand..." He mumbled as he looked down. Earth immediately released his grip, he himself didn't realise his own strength. "Sorry. Here, your bike." Earth picked up the mangled metal and Mix groaned. The chain was snapped and the front wheel was all bent sideways. "Oh no...how do I get home?" "That's not important now, you're not alright. Look at your leg." Mix gasped in shock when he looked at his leg Earth was pointing at and saw a long thin line decorating his entire calf that has started seeping blood. Of all the days when he wore long pants he's never got hurt, and now, the rare day he decided to wear shorts, he gets a wound? As if acknowledging it finally made it hurt, Mix hissed and tried to pick out a rock stuck in his wound.