it could be you 🌧 | blur + dalex

2🌧

Even after he'd finally made it to his first class (albeit several minutes late), the memory of the early morning experience was sticking around in his mind. He wasn't quite sure why, but he found himself thinking about it throughout the day.

The scene played over and over. The sound of the falling raindrops hitting the sidewalk, some of those drops hitting him as well, looking over and seeing the sight of the stranger he'd met at the bus stop handing him his umbrella, the boy's blue eyes looking right into his as a smile crossed his face.

A stranger...

A kind of good-looking stranger...

"James? Are you listening?"

He blinked, his train of thought skidding to a halt as he rapidly turned his head upwards. All of a sudden, the class was staring at him, causing him to blush in embarrassment. Still, he had to reply. "U-uh, yes sir."

At least no one was laughing at him. But then again, he hated how painfully silent the room was.

His professor only shook his head, looking back toward the board. "Pay attention, Steven."

Alex cringed at the use of his first name. It's not like it was a particularly embarrassing name; he just didn't like it. He already used to get picked on enough for seeming posh, and having a first name like that didn't help. So he just stuck with Alex instead; his middle name.

That's why the only people on Earth who called him Steven were his mother...and, for some annoying reason, his French professor.

Rolling his eyes, he slumped down into his seat, staring down at the open page of his notebook, which, ironically, had barely any notes on it.

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"I mean, I don't get it! Isn't it easier to just say 'Alex' instead of 'Steven'? Why must he insist on calling me that every time?!"

Graham shrugged, a smirk flashing on his face. "Whatever you say, Steve."

Alex jokingly elbowed him in the side. "Alright, Leslie."

Once French class had ended (which seemed to take an eternity on its own), he had a free period. Alex was sure the purpose of the free period was meant to be for studying, but he usually spent it hanging out with his good friend Graham Coxon in the school's courtyard. Sitting on a bench under a tree, its leaves next to motionless as the misty, humid air passed through them, the two boys recounted to each other the events of their morning, as they'd always done since Alex started school there.

"You wanna see my art assignment?" Graham asked, his voice sounding proud. "I spent all night working on it."

"Well, go on, let's see it, then."

Graham leaned down to where his backpack sat next to him, unzipping it and digging through it for a moment until he revealed a canvas roughly the shape of a magazine page, turning it horizontally and handing it to his friend. 

It was an oil pastel painting of a field of grass, the main attractions in the scene being a handful of tulips to the left and some farmlife off in the distance.

Alex nodded, smiling at him. "Impressive, Gra. It's even better than the last one you showed me." He raised a finger to point at a figure on the painted horizon. "The zebra's a nice touch."

"It's a cow, you knob."

"Oh. I see it now."

As Alex was admiring the craftsmanship behind this particular cow, suddenly a large water droplet fell onto where it sat on the canvas.

"Hey!"

As Graham took his painting back to try and dry it, that droplet was joined by several others now falling from the sky, until, before they knew it, the rain was pouring down once again. Alex rolled his eyes, letting out an annoyed groan. Not this again.

But wait, Alex remembered. I actually came prepared this time.

Digging through his own bag, he pulled out the umbrella that had been given to him that morning, setting it up and raising it over their heads. Graham scooted closer to Alex, holding his painting, desperately trying to dry it off. "Bloody hell, this'll ruin it!" As he fanned the painting with his hand, he glanced up at the umbrella. "Since when do you own an umbrella?"

"Since now, I suppose."

"Makes sense." Graham muttered. His eyes narrowed as he stared up at the umbrella until they suddenly widened. "Hey, where'd you get it, anyway?"

Alex was startled by the sudden question. "Some nice chap gave it to me this morning. Why?"

"That's Damon's umbrella!" Graham looked very excited. He always was when he talked about Damon.

Now it was Alex's turn to be surprised as his heart did a leap and the image of the boy and his blue eyes came back into his mind. "That's the Damon you've been telling me about??"

"The one and only!" Graham was grinning ear to ear. "I didn't know the two of you met!"

"We hadn't. Until this morning, that is." Alex glanced out at the falling rain. "It was raining just about this hard. He gave me his umbrella right before I hopped on the bus." He looked back over to Graham. "I feel like I should give it back to him. Once it stops raining, of course."

"Tell you what," Graham began as he continued to fan his painting. "Once classes are done for the day, we can go see him and you can return it."

"Could we?" Alex was beginning to get a little excited at the thought of seeing him again, now that he'd learned he and Graham are good friends. He'd heard so many stories about a Damon Albarn that Graham had grown up with, but he'd never seen a face to put with the name.

"Sure!" Graham seemed eager at the thought too. "He takes Musical Composition here on Tuesdays, y'know. Last class of the day. We could drop by then, maybe hang out for a bit, and give it back."

"Okay, let's do that!"

As the once heavy rainfall was beginning to die down, Alex looked down at the watch on his wrist. They didn't have much time at all left of their break. He got up from the bench, slinging his bag over his shoulder, but still holding the umbrella over Graham, who placed his painting carefully back into his backpack.

"Let's pray by the time I get to art class, that cow looks more like a cow than a zebra."

"Don't count on it." Alex teased. By the time Graham had stood up, the rain had almost completely stopped, now reduced to a light sprinkle. Deciding it was no longer needed, Alex put Damon's umbrella back into his bag and began to walk with Graham to his art class. He wasn't in that big of a hurry to get to where he was going, so he had time to walk him.

"Hey, Gra? Do you, erm...Do you think Damon will like me?" Admittedly, it was a silly question, but one that Alex felt was necessary to ask. 

His friend gave him a smile. "I say you've got a good chance already. He wouldn't have done that for just anyone."

For some reason, this made Alex blush. These words gave him a small glimmer of hope, but he tried his best not to let it show too much. All the stories Graham had told him about Damon sometimes made him wish he knew him like Graham did.

Maybe Damon would want to know him too.

Maybe.

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A/N: HI IT'S BEEN A MONTH SKDFJKLWKDFJKKDS don't worry i have not abandoned this fic i've just mainly been working on trying to finish my gramon one!! but it's very close to its ending and once it ends i'll be able to update this one more often so!!! just hang in there until then!!! ksmncvbghfdjk thank you for reading let me know if you wanna see this story continued blah blah blah love you all goodbye <333333 :]