Expect the Unexpected (CHISCARA Highschool AU)

I Won't Let You Fall

The young boy made his way to a small neighborhood at the coast of Galesong Hill. The houses looked nearly identical, each with its own garage and lawn closed off by a picket-fence. The only tell-tale difference seemed to be the home owner's personal decor choices. Scaramouche never would have guessed Ajax was from the suburbs— perhaps this is why he acts so entitled . He glanced back at his phone, skimming over the address once more. This was definitely the house.

Scaramouche walked along the stone path leading up to the porch, climbing the stairs and hesitantly ringing the doorbell. Every muscle in his body was telling him to leave, go back, abandon this entire situation. But he was already here. After a short moment, the boy heard what seemed like footsteps stomping down a flight of stairs. Ajax first swung open the door, paused, then opened the screen in a rather awkward manner.

"Great! You're here. 'Cmon." The taller boy grabbed Scaramouche by the arm, dragging him to a large bicycle which leaned on the side of the house. It had one, long seat, and only a single handlebar. He stared, hoping to the archons that Ajax wasn't thinking of what he thought he was.

"No. Absolutely not. I'm not getting on that thing— I'm not letting you be the death of me."

"It's okay! I do this all the time with my friends, I swear! It's perfectly safe!"

Scaramouche wasn't buying that for a second. Still, he obeyed. Anything to keep his mind off of what awaited him back home. Ajax climbed onto the front of the bike, ushering the smaller boy to hop on behind him. He sat himself behind the ginger, nearly falling in the process.

"Grab onto me."

The boy stiffened. Skeptical, he wrapped his arms around Ajax's waist and held on tight. They dashed down the bike lane as the wind ripped through his hair, realizing only now that he had no idea where they were off to. He wondered vaguely if Ajax had the guts to kidnap him.

"...You okay back there?" The ginger furrowed his brows, noticing a pounding heartbeat pressed against his back.

"Yeah, It's fine." Scaramouche would be lying if he said his heart wasn't in his throat. At first, he boiled it down to anxiety and uncertainty— though he wasn't so sure of that now. He was painfully aware of how close the two were, his hands digging into Ajax's shirt.

They arrived at a parking lot filled to the sidewalks with cars. The building in front was boxy and wide with ivy growing along the brick wall and an overgrown lawn. The taller boy hopped off the bike, leaning it against a fence and tying a chain around one of the tires. He secured it with a bulky, silver locket. The thought of Ajax kidnapping him may have been a joke at first, but now he was seriously starting to question that premise. To Scaramouche, this building looked horrifically sketchy; if it weren't for the cars, he would have thought it were abandoned. But to Ajax, this is where memories were made. He and Itto would come here every weekend during middle school, blowing their entire monthly allowance on the arcade. What better place to kill time than here?

They ascended the steps to the entrance, Scaramouche following closely behind. The midnight-haired boy entered through the glass doors, stopping in his tracks as his boots hit the movie theater-patterned carpet. Never in his life would he have expected such a sight to lie behind those orange brick walls. The building felt much larger inside; in the back laid a large roller rink with a booth to rent or buy skates. It wrapped around in a circle with an area for dining in the center. Toward the left stood a huge arcade which held every game imaginable. There was pac man, mario-kart, fruit ninja— even guitar hero. The radiant lights reflected upon the boy's eyes like a thousand stars.

He was pulled back into reality once he realized he was no longer standing beside Ajax. In the distance, the ginger was found speaking to a man standing behind a small booth. He wore a black and white striped button-down with suspenders. For a moment, Scaramouche felt pitiful that he was forced to wear such an embarrassing uniform. He caught up to the taller boy, just in time to be asked his shoe size. He honestly didn't know what his size was, considering he hadn't gotten a new pair of shoes in years.

"Uhh..." Ajax turned around, eyeing the boy's feet. "I'll just take a size 9, please."

"Sure thing." The man disappeared into a small room behind the booth, before returning with a pair of rollerskates in his hands. He placed them upon the counter.

The ginger digged around in his pocket for a moment and pulled out a small handful of mora. He counted it carefully, whispering the amount to himself before handing it to the man and grabbing the pair of skates. "Thanks!"

The two walked off and parked themselves onto a bench. Ajax had already brought his own skates, as he untied his laces and began to remove his sneakers. Scaramouche was far too amazed at the sight before him to even argue about the fact that he never agreed to skating— nor did he know how. Never in his life had he been to a roller rink. To him, these places only existed in movies.

"What are you waiting for? 'Cmon, start putting on your skates." Ajax had taken note of the boy's daydreaming.

"Wait... I don't know how to skate. I can't—"

"That's fine, I'll show you! It'll be fun."

Scaramouche examined the pair of skates. They looked quite small. "Are you sure these'll fit...?"

"Sure they will! Well— you seemed like a size 8, but it's better to size up if you're unsure. You'll be fine!"

He sighed, wondering how in Teyvat Ajax managed to sound so confident with everything he said. The smaller boy untied the laces on his boots, picking up a roller skate. He paused at the sight of each buckle and strap. How the hell...

"Here, I'll help you. Have you ever been skating before?"

Scaramouche shook his head as he watched the ginger loosen the tongue and unbuckle several of the adjustments. He couldn't imagine that this could come naturally to somebody. That thing looks like a gadget from Sumeru. Ajax slipped the skate onto the boy's foot, tightening the straps and making sure it fit correctly. He then stood up on his rollerblades, reaching to Scaramouche with an outstretched hand.

He attempted to stand, but stumbled immediately onto the taller boy. In the distance could be seen groups of skaters flashing by, skating as if they've been doing it for a lifetime. Scaramouche watched with a dumbfounded expression. If he couldn't even stand, how was he going to skate? And how the hell was Ajax managing to stay upright with those blades?

The ginger took a hold of Scaramouche's hand, leading him away from the bench. He noticed the boy's worried expression, speaking in attempts to reassure him. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall. I promise."

With this, they hit the rink.