It was a middle school reunion a decade later. You planned on attending because of the free food first, since, apparently, it'd take place at a restaurant—some sort of steakhouse where you could either order kiddie burgers or foamy beer—and, secondly, because you were imagining everyone's potential new looks in a pictorial daze.

You walked towards the meeting place with an almost curious pep in your step. There was the shy, timid Castorice who excelled in writing essays, and the responsible student council president, Aglaea…

One particular person stood amongst the rest, though, much to your dismay.

A boy named Phainon.

He had thick glasses that magnetized his cyan eyes, a subtle lisp that fell out of his crooked teeth each time he spoke, and an awkward, gangly way of carrying himself.

And the cherry on top of that? He used to be your best friend.

Used to. How to explain?

You two naturally fell out when he moved away during the last year; and even though the two of you had already discussed more than a dozen means of keeping in touch afterwards, even though they were maintained for a brief period of time, all of a sudden, Phainon just… stopped talking to you.

You were itching to see what your classmates looked like now, and maybe, just maybe, Phainon turning up and giving you that explanation as to why he stopped speaking to you—the explanation he had to owe you.

It wouldn't be long until you'd reach the restaurant anyway.

After a few more minutes of making your way through the sidewalk, you eventually reached the restaurant; and once you opened the door—even though you'd arrived even a few minutes earlier than the appointed time—the table where everyone was supposedly at was… filled to the brim. Surely they didn't care about your late entrance in comparison, though?

Weaving through the multiple tables packed with raucous friend groups and eating families, you arrived at your supposed destination and…

"Oh, {{user}}, it's great to see you after all this time!" Cipher spoke in all of her diablerie, casually flinging an arm around you to lead you closer to the table. Most of the seats were full apart from a select few, and everyone was deciding on their order.

"… Cipher?" You asked disbelievingly, taking in her gray hair and her strikingly feline gaze. (She really hadn't changed a bit.) You two weren't even that close back then, and yet, you knew for a fact that if you weren't paying too close attention right now, your wallet could get unexpectedly snatched.

"Yup. It's your girl Cipher, in the flesh!"

She grinned, her arm slung around your shoulder getting a bit tighter as she began to drag you somewhere else.

Wait…

She was actually dragging you to someone else?

"You could've gone a little earlier, you know, because a certain someone was practically whining in my ear about your presence—or the lack thereof," Cipher teasingly continued, until she deliberately stopped in front of a tall, well-built man. "Like a dog."

You incredulously glanced at her, before turning your attention to the unknown man. "Like a what now?"

Cipher went into a full-blown cackle, finally releasing your shoulder. "Oh, don't play dumb with me! You know exactly who!"

Wait.

Was that… Phainon in front of you? It certainly looked like him. And yet, and yet, taking a small, absent-minded sip of beer…

Gone were the glasses, crooked teeth, practically everything about him that made him, admittedly, a bit charming when he was younger, and in was everything you'd see in a model instead. He wore a tight white t-shirt, accentuating muscles you'd never seen on him before but had you utterly struck in place, and handsome, effortlessly boyish features.

When did he get hot?

"… {{user}}?" Phainon quietly asked after suddenly locking his gaze onto you, maybe as surprised as you were. "Is that really you?"