Rodrick x Reader

Chapter 1 - New beginnings

It's been a disaster. It's almost the end of your first day at your new school and you've barely talked to anyone. Obviously you didn't expect to be the most popular kid in school right away, but you feel so unwelcome in this strange new state. Above all, you miss all of the friends you were forced to leave behind for your dad's stupid new job. As you walk through the corridors to your next and final class, the weight of your isolation hits you. If you were back at your old school right now, you'd be smiling at your friends and saying hi as you passed by them.

When you reach the classroom you slump down into the only empty desk and let out a small but exasperated sigh. Your education is the last thing on your mind right now. Out of the corner of your eye you notice the boy sitting in the desk next to you. He had a look that any other boy would be downright scared to rock. A spiky black bedhead with black eye liner to match. In fact, almost  everything he wore was black. He had that kind of 'hasn't-slept-for-5-days' look, but in a hot way. You feel your pulse raise a little and force your gaze back to the front of the class in case he notices. As the teacher reads the register you find yourself listening for which name this mysterious boy would answer to. As it turns out, you didn't need to pay too much attention because the teacher has to repeat his name several times before he drowsily responds. After this you can feel his gaze turn towards you, not bothering to disguise it as you had done. You try to pretend you don't notice, but it's almost impossible, and you can feel yourself tensing up and starting to flush pink.

As the lesson begins you try even harder to focus on the teacher and the task at hand. Just when you think you have finally blocked him out, you feel someone poking your left arm. You turn towards the source, mildly outraged, to see Rodrick looking back at you. The split second of direct eye contact sends a small shiver down your spine.

"Can I borrow a pen?" You struggle to suppress an eyeroll. For some reason you thought he'd have something more important to say than that. What's more is that he is clearly holding a pen already after just having used it to poke you. He sees you looking at it and tries to hide it in the palm of his hand.

"Uh, it's out of ink." You nod, not believing him for a second, and hand him a black pen from your pencil case. As he takes the pen your hands touch for a moment, and it's as if he'd just given you an electric shock. 

"Thanks." He grins at you boyishly, lingering on you for a second before turning back to his 'work'. Glancing down at his paper, you can see the words 'löded diper' scribbled in the margin. What does that mean?

                                                                                                ---

After class, you're about to leave to go home, when you hear someone call after you.

"Hey, new girl!"  You turn around to see Rodrick standing by the doorway. He's tall and slim, but sturdy. Exactly your type. You concentrate all your energy into remaining cool and collected.

"Hey, Rodrick?", you ask casually, as if the name hadn't been seared into your brain. 

"Do you want a ride in my van? I could take you home." You heart flutters. You've only just met this guy, but something tells you to go for it, especially considering the other option is the school bus.

"Sure." He grins at you again in that playful and lopsided way, and he shows you to his van in the school parking lot. The words 'löded diper' are written on the side in black paint. You have to know what it's all about.

"Hey Rodrick, can I ask you something?" You're sure you see his pale face redden, just a little.

"Uh, yeah, anything." 

"What does 'löded diper' mean?" He visibly relaxes. 

"It's the name of my band, I play drums. Pretty cool, right?" You can't help but smile. Beneath his arrogance it was so obvious how eager to please he was. He was like an adorable emo puppy.

The engine of the van splutters into life and you begin chatting. It turns out he lives in the same neighbourhood as you with his parents and two younger brothers. An idea pops into your head.

"Hey, we're having a housewarming party this weekend, why don't you come over?"

"Sure, why not? I mean, I guess I'll have to check, but I'm pretty sure I'm not doing anything." You feel as if a fire has been lit in your stomach. Rodrick agreeing to come has already made the prospect of the party 100x better. The conversation continues and you talk about school and moving house and your favourite music. All too soon the van pulls up to your house and you both get out. Rodrick walks towards you and before you know it you are centimeters apart. You're so close that you can practically hear his heart beat in his chest, and feel his hot breath on your skin. The hairs on the back of your neck prick up.

"One last thing before you go..." You gulp, your heart in your mouth. A part of you wants to resist, but a larger part knows this is what you've wanted ever since you laid eyes on him.

"Here." He presses your biro into your hand. A wave of embarrassment crashes over you and you wonder why, after knowing this guy for all of 90 minutes, you thought he was going to pull you close and kiss you like you'd never kissed anyone before. 

"Later, new girl!" He gets back into his van and drives off, leaving you dumbfounded. Surely he knew what he was doing. Was he making fun of you? You take a few deep breaths before you enter the house in an attempt to bring your pulse back down to a normal level. Even though nothing happened, you still don't want your parents to know that you let a stranger drive you home on your first day.

Satisfied that you don't look too much different from usual, you unlock the front door and walk in.