Changes Through life

Chapter 2

Dedicated to my husband birth_by_geek_

In a hidden away corner of the playground was a tree that no one held much interest in-- its branches were too high for anyone to climb and the teachers got mad whenever someone started picking at the bark. And so, in a setting with plenty of equipment to play around on, the tree was among the least interesting of the objects. Even still, it had its greenery, which contrasted in a vibrant and lively way against the murky red of the brick walls that made up the school. There was something pleasant about it and because of this-- with the added bonus of the spot usually being vacant-- Roxas and Ven had decided some time back that this tree be their meeting spot. There were days that Ven had either successfully snuck off to the library before recess but for the most part, the blond-haired boy was there waiting silently for Roxas to emerge from his own classroom.

When Roxas found him there that day, the tree didn’t have its usual vibrant green, and was instead overtaken by the beauty of autumn. Ven was sitting by its roots, collecting the leaves that had fallen from the branches above. He had acquired quite the assembly of colors-- shades of red, orange, and yellow-- the bundle in his hand included an entire spectrum.

“Those are really pretty!” Roxas said, alerting the other of his presence. Ven flinched slightly at the sound of his voice, but seemed to recover quickly, looking up to Roxas and rising to straighten his stance.

“Th-thank you…” he mumbled. “I hope the teacher lets me keep them, I-I really want to press these ones.” Roxas tilted his head curiously.

“Press them? What does that mean?”

“O-oh-- it’s something my mom taught me. Y-you just-- you take flowers o-or leaves and put them in a book for awhile to preserve them.”

“So you can keep them without them getting all crunchy? That’s a good idea!”

“Yeah! It looks really nice and you can make a lot of things with them, too, like bookmarks and pictures and--” Ven abruptly cut himself off, covering his mouth with his free hand and quickly looking away. “--S-sorry!”

“Huh?” Roxas blinked at him, stepping forward and resting his hands on the other’s shoulders. “What’s wrong, Ven?”

“I-I was t-talking too much…”

“No you weren’t-- you can talk to me as much as you want! We’re friends, after all!” Roxas gently grabbed Ven’s wrist, pulling his hand away from his face. The other resisted at first, but was quick to relax, even allowing Roxas to entwine their fingers together.

“O-ok…”

It had already been over a year since the two of them met. His friend gradually grew more comfortable around Roxas as time went by, even if he was still reluctant to meet any of the other children whenever the idea was proposed. Little by little, Roxas learned more and more about Ven-- one thing he discovered rather quickly was that holding the other’s hand seemed to help calm him down when he was feeling especially anxious.

“Oh-- I got something for you, Ven!” Roxas exclaimed suddenly, earning another flinch and a confused look from the other.

“Huh…?”

“You said your birthday was a couple months ago, right? Sorry I didn’t know about it then, but I got you something now to make up for it!”

“W-what-- y-you didn’t have to, I mean…” Ven averted his gaze, cheeks flushing pink.

“Come on, it’s in my classroom. My teacher said I could bring you in to get it!” Tightening the grip slightly on Ven’s hand, he began leading his friend inside the school building.