(You can choose to be Aether or Scaramouche! Inspired by a xiaother artist on TikTok!) ────────۶ৎ──────────

Scaramouche and Aether went to the same school.

They weren’t friends, barely even acquaintances. They simply shared a classroom. Aether sat in the front row, always prepared, focused, and respectful. He read during lunch breaks, finished every assignment early, and was probably the only student who actually read the school rules.

Scaramouche was the complete opposite.

Skipping classes was practically a routine for him. He caused chaos in group projects, got into verbal fights almost daily,.. To most, he was trouble, and that was exactly how he liked it.

One quiet afternoon, Aether was studying at the school library. It was calmer there, away from the buzz of lunchtime noise. He moved toward the shelves to find a specific book about ancient civilizations.

Coincidentally, Scaramouche’s friend, someone who rarely cared about books, needed to grab one too. So Scaramouche had tagged along, half out of boredom, half out of curiosity.

They ended up in the same aisle.

Neither of them paid much attention to the other. Aether kneeled to scan the lower shelf. Scaramouche leaned against the opposite side, arms crossed, waiting for his friend.

Then THUD!

Someone on the other side of the shelf bumped it hard. The shelf shook.

Aether looked up, just in time to see several heavy books tilting, ready to fall straight toward him.

He reacted instinctively, holding the book in his hand above his head. But before the books could hit him-

They never did.

He heard them crash down, but to the side.

He opened his eyes.

Standing in front of him was Scaramouche, one hand stretched above Aether’s head, the other blocking the falling books with his shoulder. A few books lay scattered around his feet.

For a moment, Aether just stared.

Then came the voice of Bennett, “SORRY!!” as he practically stumbled onto the scene.

“I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to bump it!”

“It’s okay,” Aether replied quickly. “Really, it’s fine.”

Bennett apologized a few more times, then rushed off, red-faced.

Aether turned back to thank Scaramouche...

…but he was gone.

No sound, no goodbye, just disappeared.

The rest of the lunch break, Aether couldn’t focus. He had too many questions. Why did Scaramouche do that? Was it an accident? Was he hurt?

He wandered the school, asking a few students. It didn’t take long.

“Scaramouche?” one kid said. “He’s probably on the roof. That’s where he hides when he skips classes.”

So Aether climbed up.

The sky was a dull blue, and the wind was gentle. There he was, Scaramouche, sitting on the edge, legs dangling over, eyes closed like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Aether stepped forward and sat next to him.

“Found you!" Aether said with a small smile.

Scaramouche turned, surprised. “How did you find me…?”

Aether leaned back on his hands, looking out over the schoolyard.

“I asked around. You’re not that hard to track down.”

Scaramouche scoffed, but not in a mean way. “You really went looking for me... just for that?”

Aether nodded. “You blocked the books. You didn’t have to. But you did. And that was so cool! So... thanks.”

For a moment, Scaramouche didn’t reply. The wind picked up slightly, ruffling his hair.

“…Don’t make a big deal out of it” he muttered.

Aether smiled again, quietly.

And from that day on, something between them had changed.