Chapter Text
Subaru really didn’t give a damn about that annoying purple-haired guy, that man was execrable. He hated him deeply, an old resentment. So, it was normal to look at him sometimes, only to see if Julius would make a fool of himself of course !
Yet, Julius seemed far too serious and disciplined to put himself in a shameful situation — much to Subaru’s dismay.
All Subaru knew about Julius was that he was the best student in literature of their grade. Although Reinhard surpassed him in every other subject, in literature Julius was superior.
Honestly, it suited him well, the role of book-obsessed nerd — Subaru imagining him in the middle of the night being distressed over an eighteenth-century French play. Anyway, he knew the kind of books Julius read by chance. He sometimes heard him explain to his other classmates the importance of French authors in literature, citing figures like Molière, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola and others, figures Subaru didn’t know at all and had no desire to know.
Julius praised the merits of dead authors as if it were the single most important thing in the world. Subaru wondered if he didn’t have a serious problem with the French because his obsession with them was worrying. But by the greatest coincidence of course, Subaru had once heard Julius talk about a poetry collection by a certain author named “Pierre Thibaud”, but strangely Julius didn’t ramble on as much as he usually did. Did he not like that collection ?
So all of this was truly nothing but a coincidence if Subaru had that author’s book in his hands. Seriously, the bookseller Subaru had come to know after regular visits seemed surprised to see him buy something other than a manga and pointed it out to him.
Bursting back home, cheeks red with shame, what a surprise it was when even his parents made fun of him ! Seriously, was it that surprising that he was reading a book by that old poet ? But well, his mother told him she was proud to see that he was starting to develop good habits. Without expecting more, he headed straight to his room, almost impatient to finally read that piece of literature that left that idiot Julius speechless !
He let himself fall onto his bed. Taking out the book cover, he read “Pierre Thibaud – Vent Nomade”, he smiled imagining himself already as some kind of intellectual. So he opened the book — skipping the preface because no one really reads those. The first poem said :
As a poet
you know words
only as exile
this stone this meaning
without end slip away
from the margins of the sayable.
. . .
Well... he had understood strictly NOTHING of that poem. That’s not a big deal right ? There are dozens of poems in this book, right ?
Sighing at his literary incapacity, he turned the page hoping this time to find a simpler poem :
Take your head
and place it at the bottom of the night
then you will be a lost star feverishly searching in the night the imperceptible glimmer of a friendly star.
Oh, that already sounded better than the first one ! It talked about stars, right ? Logically, Subaru should understand that poem — his name literally coming from a star.
Well, his interpretation surely wouldn’t be as good as.. what was his name again..? Victor Hugo or something but he understood the poem as if the author were asking his reader to abandon their former self, to empty their mind and not worry about anything, becoming as naïve as a newborn. He would be lost, in an unknown world and while searching for a path, find someone similar to himself. A star, a counterpart.
Ahh damn it, it made his tongue sting to say it but the poets and writers Julius constantly praised might not be so bad after all.
And before he even realized it, the pages were flipping before his eyes, his brain analyzing every word and interpreting them in an almost poetic way for someone like him.
Then the light came, Subaru noticed too late that time had passed at an abnormal speed. He looked at his phone and saw that it was already five thirty-six in the morning. . had he really spent the entire night deciphering this poetry collection !? Fuck ! He was only supposed to read a few pages so he could show off and say more to Julius about that book when he wasn’t an expert on the subject. So how could he explain that feeling that was forming in his chest when he thought back to the verses he had read all night ?
Rubbing his eyes, he looked once more at the book cover. How could simple words touch an individual so deeply ? Was that what the author meant in the first poem ? Argh he was getting too caught up in it ! If he keeps going like this he’ll end up like that purple-haired nerd !!
Subaru straightened up on his bed, stretching as he usually did. He even started to wonder if Julius felt like this every time he finished a book, and by wondering that Subaru leaned even further into the question. How many books had Julius read ? How had Julius fallen in love with that passion ? What was Julius’s favorite book ? And those favorite authors of his, who were they ?
. . .
Fuck, he really strayed from his original mission.
The morning was hell. He seriously couldn’t take it anymore, every class made him want to sleep more and more. However, his energy peaked again when the bell rang through the halls of the school.
He left his classroom almost as if he were escaping a war zone, nearly rushing to the cafeteria so as not to make Emilia wait even though she arrived most of the time after him.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Looking around, he took it out and saw his beloved’s name displayed on the screen, so he immediately pressed the answer button.
"Emilia-tan ! What do I owe this call to !"
"Hi Subaru, ahh I’m reaaaally sorry but the science teacher gave us a presentation to do for this afternoon and my partner and I completely forgot to do it !! So I won’t be able to come to the cafeteria today, sorry..," Emilia said with a worried voice.
"Ah.. ah but it’s fine Emilia-tan ! Taking your studies seriously is the height of class ! Mh if the supervisors aren’t around I’ll drop by the science room to bring you a snack."
"Oh that would be most gracious of you !"
"Who even says that nowadays," Subaru muttered under his breath, hearing Emilia use the same expressions as a certain poet.
"Well ! Goodbye Subaru, enjoy your meal !"
"Bye !"
Holding back a sigh, Subaru slipped his phone back into his pocket. Honestly, eating alone didn’t appeal to him. He could have eaten with Otto but he had told him that due to a lack of sales, he was completely broke. And if Subaru decided to eat with Ram, he would be publicly insulted and called a pervert. He wasn’t ready to face that right now.
So he made the most logical decision, he bought food from the vending machine and went to hide on the rooftop, away from everyone.
He quickly climbed the stairs, dodging waves of people far too imposing and numerous in them. Upon reaching the rooftop, the wind crashed down on him. His bangs were blown back, he raised a hand in front of his face to keep the wind from hitting him full force but lowered it when he noticed a familiar silhouette.
Julius wasn’t feeling his best today, he would have sworn that stars were forming in his field of vision every time he moved his eyes. Was it the result of an illness or one too many sleepless nights ? Yet he had gone to bed quite early last night, his body no longer seemed able to move and so he decided to regain his strength by sleeping.
A faint noise made him flinch, his gaze dropping toward the cause of his startle. His stomach had growled once again, it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. He couldn’t let himself be distracted by his body’s lack of restraint. So he ignored it once more, his expression betraying not a single moment of weakness. To everyone’s eyes, he seemed to be following the lesson as if his life depended on it.
When the bell rang, Julius packed his things with a strange slowness. He organized them as he always did, his book crossed his gaze. No matter, it could wait.
Julius then headed straight to the rooftop, since no one in his school seemed interested in it, he had created his own little place there where he could let his mind drift along with the afternoon breeze under the timid rays of the season’s sun.
He settled into his usual spot, but before he could even sit down, a gust of wind a little too strong crashed onto the rooftop. His hair danced in sync with the air, his eyes opened, his long lashes adding a particular charm to his gaze as they met the eyes of another student.
The purple-haired teenager turned fully to face the student who, like him, had come to the rooftop to take refuge. Their gazes met as the wind continued to assail them.
"Subaru.."
Julius spoke his words with an undeniable softness that Subaru could only take as an insult. His name leaving Julius’s lips was blatant disrespect, he could clearly see that this bastard had to be mocking him.
"Tch, Julius."