Chapter Text
[Periapsis by AnarkissedxDoll]
Annoyed, I forcefully slammed shut the textbook that had been perched in my lap. I hadn't been able to fully complete the final test question on the exam that I'd taken earlier that day. I'd deliberated too long on the preceding questions–failing to consider the amount of remaining time that was available and before I knew it, Mrs. Wallace had asked for all papers to be passed toward the front of the class.
I needed to get some sort of response on that paper.
And so, I reached for my cellular phone and began to type out…
[Me] 8:31PM
Good evening, I am need in need of that favor, if you're still up to it...
Reservation began to creep over me as I waited in the driver's seat of my mother's Lexus for an answer. She'd been picked up by a friend for an evening outing and so in desperation, I'd borrowed it-parking the vehicle in an inconspicuous area, though still within walking distance to the school building. My eyes flicked about, vigilant for any passerbys, and I began to mentally debate whether or not to just go back home and forget the entire thing.
Yet there was something thrilling about sneaking into school at night-
There was an abrupt vibration of my phone and I gazed down at the illuminated screen.
[Nanami Sai] 8:34PM
What's up, Xeno?
[Me] 8:35PM
If you are able to and it is not too much trouble…
I need you to kill the security cameras. At school.
Several moments of silence followed.
[Nanami Sai] 8:38PM
Seriously? What are you planning lol
Are you pilfering chemicals again?
[Me] 8:39PM
Perhaps I should while I'm here…
I need to gain access to an unfinished paper that I turned in today, an examination.
[Nanami Sai] 8:43PM
Give me a few minutes.
I felt my lip curl at the drollness of it all.
Me, trespassing on school grounds just to finish an examination that I hadn’t properly budgeted time for. In essence, it was technically my own fault…But I knew that I’d be tossing and turning all night if I couldn’t put this blunder to rest by correcting my negligence.
Lightly placing my hand on the metal handle of our science classroom door, I began to press downward and was met with slight resistance. Shit, was it actually locked? Swallowing, I applied a little more force in a jerking sort of motion and the handle depressed entirely in a smooth motion, allowing the door to swing forward and I stepped into the dark, empty classroom.
As the door closed behind me with a quiet click, I made note of the deactivated ceiling camera in the far corner of the room. I definitely owed Nanami Sai in the near future. In fact, he’d managed to kill all security cameras within and outside the perimeter of the building.
‘You have an hour…Maybe hour and a half.’ He’d said in his text message. ‘The code will only hold for that long, I have to tend to my little brother, so make haste in whatever you’re doing.’
Too generous–I’d likely need no more than 20 minutes.
The glow of the evening moon allowed an elegant amount of light to stream through the windows of the classroom and wasting no time, I placed the small knapsack that I’d brought next to a table and moved toward Mrs. Wallace’s workspace. To my relief, the familiar red folder of ungraded tests was in its usual place. With one last glance toward the ceiling, I opened the folder and began to delicately rifle through the papers.
With my own test papers in hand, I returned to the table that I’d set down my bag next to and slid into an unoccupied seat. After perusing the first nine questions and being satisfied with the responses that I’d given only hours before, I re-read the tenth and final question:
The fight-or-flight response includes greater heart output and a rise in blood pressure.
This response is due to:
A) insulin secreted by the pancreas
B) thyroxine secreted by the thyroid gland
C) oxytocin secreted by the pituitary gland
D) adrenaline secreted by the adrenal glands
Bonus: explain your answer
Admittedly, my expertise gravitated toward chemistry and simple mathematical formulas, but thankfully I had an upstanding knowledge of the human body. After taking a few moments to consider a thorough yet concise explanation, the pencil in my hand began to move across the paper. Perhaps six to seven sentences would be enough. The overall stillness of the classroom was broken by the sudden buzz of my cellular phone and my eyes unconsciously flicked to the camera in the corner of the classroom as I reached for the device.
[Nanami Sai] 9:01PM
…Are you good?
[Me] 9:02PM
Yes, I’ll be done momentarily.
You have my gratitude, I owe you~
Before I’d even managed to set my phone back down, I heard the unmistakable rolling and small clattering noise of my pencil hitting the floor. After bending to retrieve it, my eyes re-focused on the five sentences that I’d manage to write and thankfully the brief interruption hadn’t been enough to break my concentration. After finishing the last two sentences, I reviewed my explanation in its entirety.
Satisfied, I returned to Mrs. Wallace’s desk and flipped through the papers of several other students before deciding to tuck in my own. In all honesty, I’d glimpsed some ridiculous and blatantly incorrect answers on the other examinations, but that was none of my business…
What was my business, however…
My eyes drew toward the glass-paneled chemical storage cabinet in the corner of the room, positioned conveniently under the surveillance camera. Of course it was positioned there. Interest piqued, I gingerly moved to stand in front of it and with a smirk, pulled both doors open, quietly gleeful that it was devoid of any sort of locking or security mechanism.
Oh but how foolish of our school faculty…
The abrupt, sinister sound of the classroom door closing behind me caused me to straighten with a jolt and immediately my heart dropped into my stomach. There was no denying that I was no longer alone. Shit. Who the hell–
Perhaps the janitor had still been there after all?
I closed the cabinet doors quickly, not daring to turn around, and I tried to quickly think of how I should respond…But perhaps the response wouldn’t matter at all and they’d swiftly report my trespassing to the appropriate authorities. But in essence, they too, could technically be trespassing if they weren’t the school janitor or administrator…
And then I heard it–the distinct sound of boots dragging almost lazily across the floor, yet the steps were seemingly intentionally heavy-footed. My eyes slid shut in displeasure as the heavy-footed boots drew closer.
Oh fuck no. Anyone but him, please not him–
“Hnn…” the voice began in slight amusement and I felt like a fish confined within the mesh of a net, “...thought so.”
Stilling my face into impeccable calm, I turned fully to acknowledge the presence behind me and was met with a dark red varsity jacket and head of golden hair, “...It’s a little unsettling that we should be meeting like this…Were you following me, Snyder?”
“...And what if I was?” He smiled nastily–rolling a sucker in his mouth as his aureate eyes bore into me, “...why are ya in here, Wingfield?”
Was there any chance that I’d be able to get away with a lie? Most likely not.
“I wasn’t able to finish today’s examination…” I stated cautiously, “but I was able to do so, just now…I have no ill-intent of sabotaging anything else.”
“F’ckin’ nerd,” he muttered under his breath, though his eyes flicked toward the camera above us, “...y’ killed the surveillance…or…Nanami did that.”
A ripple of annoyance passed through me, though I refused to let it show.
How…how did he–
As if he heard my internal thoughts, his lip curled as he rolled the sucker in his mouth, “Y’re not the only one who’s acquainted with him~”
Animosity began to rise in me, “...And how did you know that I was here?”
“...Saw the Lexus across the street when I was passin’ by~”
Tch.
“What is it that you want.” I deadpanned, wanting nothing more than to gather up my belongings and leave.
I watched him move toward Mrs. Wallace’s desk and he flipped open the red folder, ruffling through its contents. He stepped back toward me, holding some papers–
“I want a good score…So look through mine and if y’ see anything that needs to be changed, I’ll do it…and I won’t tell no one about either of us bein’ here t’night.”
What an insolent, entitled, certified scumbag–
“...And if I refuse?” I tilted my head upward in a petulant manner.
“Then I’ll report both of you.”
I swallowed.
“You’d be incriminating yourself as well.”
“...Then I guess we can all be expelled together,” he replied easily.
Frustrated, I snatched the papers from his hand and pointed toward my seat, “Sit down and shut up for a bit.”
With a quiet chuckle, he moved to sit in the very seat that I’d been in. After quickly glimpsing the time on my cellular phone and the security camera in the corner of the room, I began to review the answers that he’d given to the test questions. Eight out of the ten happened to be correct, with no detailed elaboration on any of the choices that he’d made–though it had always been an optional aspect when it came to Mrs. Wallace’s examinations. He clearly wasn’t aiming to dethrone me in scoring perfectly, he was aiming to simply pass at a high-enough score.
In essence, Snyder wasn’t unintelligent at all, but perhaps, just undisciplined.
“You need to change your answers for Question #2 and #7,” I muttered, sliding the papers in front of him.
Continuing to mouth the candy, he reached for the pencil that had been in my hand, “Thanks, teach.”
“Be quick with it then, I don’t have all night,” I snapped, watching him rub the end of the eraser onto the paper.
I swallowed slightly at the light of the moon reflecting off the gold of his hair, long eyelashes, and eyes–He was undoubtedly attractive.
What else does that irksome mouth do…
The indecipherable eyes met mine as he slid the papers back to me once more and I evaluated the corrections that he’d made.
“How elegant,” I sniffed, voice dripping with sarcasm, “perhaps you aren’t so simple-minded after all…You can put it back, but don’t put it immediately at the front. Mrs. Wallace has a sharp eye~”
Blinking, he took the papers from my hand and moved to place them back into the red folder. Relieved, I began to put away my belongings and turned to face him.
“Are we even now?”
And even if we were, how in hell would I be able to trust that someone like him wouldn’t go back on their word. The unexpectedly predatory look in his eyes as he crossed toward me said otherwise and I fought back a grimace. What now.
“Got one more thing t’ ask of y’,” he murmured, leaning unbearably close so that I was pressed up against the edge of the table. The scent of strawberry wafted into my nostrils.
“And what is that,” I scowled, trying to indicate that he’d invaded my personal space.
“A kiss,” he breathed shamelessly.
I stared. I’d heard incorrectly.
“A kiss. With me?” I gawked dumbly, “...and why would you want that with me? I had assumed that your preference was towards girls.”
The silence was deafening–saying everything that he didn’t dare verbalize out loud–causing my brows to raise in surprise…And my face to flush entirely red.
Oh my god. Was Stanley Snyder gay–
“...Have y’ ever kissed someone before?” Snyder leaned into me further and simultaneously, my left hand braced itself upon the table behind me and my right hand shot up with the intent to push him away but in its hesitation, rested upon his chest instead. He definitely works out.
“N-not funny,” I stammered, entirely unsure of what to do in such a state of being flustered.
This wasn’t a trivial science formula that I’d be able to faultlessly work through within minutes.
He tilted his head, lip curling slightly, and I wanted nothing more than to push that smug face away, grab my belongings, and get the fuck out of there–
“Indulge me, just this once…And I promise t’ not say anything about any of this.”
The buzz of my cellphone going off caused my left hand to instantly grab it and assess the message:
[Nanami Sai] 9:21PM
Yo, Xeno, are you out yet?
“...That must be Nanami checkin’ on ya.”
“You’re such a slimy prick,” I snorted, “...is that why the ladies aren’t very fond of you?”
“Oh they’re fond of me,” his strawberry-laced breath came out in a laugh, and I glared as he pressed closer, “...my interests are…elsewere.”
What. What the hell. Was that…was that some sort of confession–
“How unsightly,” I countered as nastily as I could, “that you’re practically blackmailing me into kissing you, knowing that I could easily reveal what you’ve just told me as well.”
“And yet…” he had the audacity to slide his fingers under my chin, forcing me to look at him, “I don’t hear y’ sayin’ no…So how ‘bout it?”
Just do it, Wingfield. Get it over with so you can get the hell out of here.
It was fine, wasn’t it?
He was gay…and so was I.
And it appeared that we both found the other physically attractive enough to even consider–
There wasn’t anything wrong with…experimenting, right?
It didn't-wouldn't mean anything-
“Hmm…” he made a thoughtful sound, drawing the sucker away from his lips and pressing it lightly to my own, “...open y’r mouth.”
Panicked, I caught onto the insinuation of his words immediately and my gaze flicked down to the candy. I knew that he’d expect me to resist, to put up a fight–that was the sort of person he was. Snyder got off on making people uncomfortable.
Well, two can play at this game…
In a calculating manner, I opened my mouth barely to allow the candy sucker into my mouth, managing to throw him the best sultry look that I could manage. Surprise crossed his face briefly-indicating that he hadn’t expected me to actually follow through and despite the redness on my own face, I reveled in his muddled expression.
But the fingers gripped firmly along my jaw and he leaned forward to rejoin our mouths with a little more force. Taken aback by his hand sliding backward into my hair and the other at my waist, a sound of surprise left me as his tongue pressed into my mouth alongside the sucker. A shameless battle between our tongues commenced as we both attempted to exert control over the strawberry candy. Why wasn’t I pushing him away? In fact, my hand had closed upon the collar of his jacket and had pulled him closer. Brazenly, I emulated the movement of his tongue with my own and I heard him sigh loudly over the sound of my own labored breath.
Shitshitshit–
I shoved him away roughly, feeling that things had gone entirely too far, and the sucker had thankfully returned to Snyder’s mouth. We were both breathing hard. Nervously, my eyes flicked once again to the surveillance camera in the corner of the classroom. It appeared to still be in a disabled state.
“Goddamn…w-what the fuck, Wingfield.”
“Are we even now?” I repeated in a low, deadly tone, refusing to show that I was completely rattled by the touch of his hands on me.
“Y-yeah…we’re even,” he jeered in a huff, turning on his heel and pausing at the door, “...see y’ on Monday.”
The door closed with a soft click and the sound of his boots stepping down the hall gradually dissipated. Entirely displeased with how the evening had played out due to such an unforeseen interruption, I made haste in packing my belongings and made sure to visually confirm that I’d left no sign of having been there.
Stepping into the main hallway, my fingers tapped quickly across the keys of my cellular phone.
[Me] 9:32PM
I apologize for the delay. I’m heading out now.
[Nanami Sai] 9:33PM
Good, because you’re cutting it close.
[Me] 9:34PM
Again, you have my thanks. Please don’t hesitate to ask, should you need a favor from me in the future.
[Nanami Sai] 9:35PM
No problem, always good to test my coding skill every so often lol
Exiting the school completely and proceeding onto the main sidewalk toward my mother’s vehicle, the evening air was a refreshingly welcome sensation against my flushed skin. My eyes darted about for any sign of the red jacket and golden hair, but he’d probably been long gone. Gnawing on the inside of my mouth, I entered the car and slid into the driver’s seat with an audible sigh of exasperation.
I’d kissed Stanley Snyder.
And it hadn’t been a plain-vanilla kiss–the fact that our mouths had been practically wrestling over the sucker bordered on the edge of obscene, pornographic even. And a few days from now, we’d both be sitting in Mrs. Wallace’s class, pretending like none of this had even happened.
What the hell. I began to rub my temples in agitation and fumbled to straighten my knapsack on the passenger seat. A sudden vibration of my cellular phone caused me to look over at the screen.
[Unknown] 9:42PM
Ya just gonna sit there, genius?
Fuming, I sat up a little straighter and forced myself to not give him the dignity of even looking around.
[Me] 9:43PM
…How in hell did you get this number?
[Unknown] 9:44PM
Told Nanami that we’re workin’ on a project together and that I lost your number.
Took a bit of convincin’ though. He’s mostly sharp, like you
Flabbergasted, I sat motionless for several moments and attempted to compose myself at the brazenness. In truthfulness, I felt no hostility toward Nanami Sai as we were quite similar–intellectually talented, though socially awkward…And perhaps, a little naive when it came to certain things. Fingers poised, I began to type out angrily but paused as another message appeared.
[Unknown] 9:45PM
Anyway, thanks for lookin’ at my test
See ya in class
On cue, there were headlights and the unmistakable sound of a car engine starting a little down the street from where I had been parked. The instant shrilling noise of the tires maneuvering in a hasty U-turn caused me to roll my eyes in vexation. At least he’s finally leaving, the unbelievable cretin.
With a forceful exhalation of breath, I turned the key in the ignition and set my course for home.
[fin]
Chapter 2: Monday
Notes:
...I honestly didn't think I'd write anything else after Part I. I'm honestly not sure where this is going LOL.
Chapter Text
[Monday]
Steeling myself, I took in a deep inhalation of breath as I entered the science classroom and noted that Sai was already in his assigned seat. Our eyes met briefly–though he looked away promptly–and I moved to sit in the very corner of the third row. My gaze temporarily drew toward the table that Snyder and I had tussled on and I grimaced as a student slid into the seat. I pulled out my cellular phone to type:
[Me] 10:35AM
I need to discuss something with you, after class.
[Nanami Sai] 10:36AM
Sure. Let’s meet in the library during lunch~
I raised my gaze to him and he gave me a confirmatory nod before reaching to pull out his textbook and other belongings from his backpack and I began to do the same. Noisily, other students began to file in and my tablemate, Olivia Pemberton, muttered a quiet greeting to me as she sloppily set down her hoodie. Politely, I brushed the pink arm sleeve from my open notebook and she gave an apologetic giggle, simpering slightly.
Moments later, the sound of heavy-footed boots entered the classroom, though I kept my gaze downward at the handwritten notes in front of me. Do not look up, do not look up. When it seemed like the commotion of everyone settling in had died down, only then did I look up at the whiteboard to see Mrs. Wallace writing several topics of discussion for the day. Against my will, my gaze wandered toward Golden Boy and I regretted it immediately.
Though his head had been also directed toward the whiteboard, he’d managed to keep a golden eye fixed on me. As usual, there was a sucker in his mouth and I winced, remembering what had occurred in this very classroom a few nights before. Snyder’s lip began to curl, as if he was remembering as well, and I tore my gaze from his to focus on my notebook once more.
“You’re so organized, Xeno,” Olivia mused as her eyes scanned over my writing, “I wish we coulda sat together through the year~”
Realization began to dawn on me, but all I could offer was an inelegant “oh.”
Olivia had been soft-spoken, with kind, quiet eyes–and thus I hadn’t minded us being paired together. There was something sisterly about her and had I not been born an only child, I wouldn't have minded an older sibling in her likeness.
“Good morning, class,” Mrs. Wallace turned to face all of us with an encouraging smile–though it fell quickly and she moved a little trash bin toward Snyder with a reprimanding look.
Begrudgingly, he pulled the candy from his mouth and allowed it to drop noisily into the bin.
“Anyway…” she continued, returning the bin to its usual spot, “as you know, today is mid-semester and so after I pass all of your tests back, we’ll be making some changes with the current seating arrangement.”
Immediately, my hands began to feel ice cold and so I wiggled my fingers in an attempt to re-establish circulation. The apprehension was laughable, really.
The chances that you’ll end up sitting next to him are astronomical.
…Though not impossible.
“Superior work as always, Xeno,” Mrs. Wallace complimented quietly as she swept by, placing my papers face-down on the table before me.
With baited breath, I lifted the papers with a forced sense of composure.
110/100.
“Y’know…” Olivia smiled, leaning over slightly with her own papers, “...I think I’ve only scored well in this class from being your tablemate…um…thanks for…um always explainin’ the concepts to me…It really helped.”
Taken aback by her earnest gratitude, I opened my mouth to reply, but noticed the amber pair of eyes observing us.
I purposefully leaned toward her, eyes slightly narrowed, “Of course, Miss Pemberton…you are always welcome to consult me, should you ever need further assistance.”
She nodded, eyes flicking down as she straightened her papers to put them away, and I tilted my head toward Snyder with a faint smirk.
I’d been successful in my attempt to annoy him–he averted his eyes promptly, likely pretending to look over his own test.
But we both knew there was nothing to really look over…
“Right then,” Mrs. Wallace announced, “Moore…trade places with Allen…Reyes, you can occupy the seat next to Brooks…Miss Morrison, you can sit next to Li…”
I began to flip through a few pages in my textbook, scanning ahead for information related to the topics that she’d written on the board.
“Herrera, you can switch with Chen,” she continued, pointingly waving her finger, “Pierce…please take the seat in front of Chapman…Miss Pemberton, you can move up one seat…”
At the mention of Olivia’s name, I paused in my movements of rifling through the text in front of me and she gave a sheepish smile as she began to collect her things. At least we would still be relatively within the same vicinity...
“Nanami,” Mrs. Wallace hummed and tapped her chin thoughtfully, “...next to Miss Pemberton, please…Garrett, switch with Bowman~”
Placing Sai into the very seat right before me, next to Olivia…
A developing sense of unease began to slide over me as I realized the seat next to me was now entirely unoccupied–
“Snyder…” she began and I immediately straightened in my seat, not daring to breathe.
There was no way. No fucking way.
“Next to Wingfield, please…Miss Holland, switch with Navarro~”
The next few pairs of names were entirely blocked out by the shock that had come to settle upon me entirely. The dismay began to slide into irritation and Sai threw me a questioning look as he moved into his seat.
He was entirely unaware of the…inelegant tension between Snyder and I.
Well, he’d know a lot more by lunchtime–
Wordlessly, Golden Boy slipped into the seat next to me, placing his own binder upon our shared table. Refusing to look at him, I watched his hand slowly slide over his test papers and he tapped his finger at the top of the page.
100/100.
“Jennings, next to Hale, please~”
Aggravated, I rolled my eyes but the curious sound of crinkling caused my gaze to finally land on him in question. The hand that he’d had in the pocket of his jacket moved to slide something else in front of me and as it drew back, my face flushed immediately.
“Are you mentally unhinged?!” I hissed quietly, rapidly snatching the colorfully-wrapped candy sucker and pulling it into my lap underneath the desk. My eyes darted about nervously, but no one else appeared to have noticed–not even Sai or Miss Pemberton.
“Christ, relax, it’s a ‘thank ya’ gift,” Golden Boy murmured in a nonchalant manner, “no need to get so heated."
This had to be an entire mistake. There was no way in HELL that my beloved stars would happen to align in such a calamitous manner.
Perhaps I would do well to speak to Mrs. Wallace after class...
With a huff, I dropped the sucker into the open backpack near my leg.
Strawberry.
This was going to be an exhausting two months.
In silence, I managed to keep a respectful distance behind Sai as we entered the school library earning two expected beeps of the card reader. He gestured toward a table at the far side of the room–near the computers–and I nodded.
“So…” he began in a low voice as he placed his backpack onto the chair next to him and appeared to pull out a book on coding theory, “...what’s with you and Stanley Snyder?”
I stiffened visibly at the name and he tilted his head in curiosity.
“You noticed,” I hesitated, “...regretfully, I have to inform you…that Snyder is onto us–well, myself, in particular.”
“H-how?” Sai breathed, a tinge of panic creeping into his voice, “the code was faultless, I–”
“It was nothing on your part,” I cut across gently, then lowered my gaze feeling irked, “I wasn’t aware that he had been following me on Friday evening–”
“What the hell…” Sai croaked, “does he…Does he have a problem with you or something? That’s like…is he stalking you?!”
“Not so loud,” I chided feebly, “I…I don’t know–”
“And for Mrs. Wallace to sit him next to you in class,” his hand slid over his own mouth in exasperation, “she doesn’t have any idea–”
“Well neither did you,” I commented lightly, “...he duped you into giving him my phone number.”
Horror crossed his face immediately as the dots appeared to suddenly connect in his code-ridden head.
“Shit…” he uttered, looking guilty, “I-I really thought that you two were w-working on something together and–”
“I’m not mad at you, Sai,” I sighed, trying to reassure him that none of this had been his fault, “...perhaps it would be wise of us to not take him lightly from hereon–whatever is going on in that infuriatingly detached, scheming head…”
“...What does Snyder want?” Sai questioned, doubt crossing his face.
“I-I’m not sure,” I lied, “...when he confronted me, I–”
Careful. Don’t even dare go into what happened *afterward*...
“...Let’s just say that I aided him in scoring perfectly on Friday’s examination,” I finished, trying to push away the memory of Golden Boy’s mouth on mine.
“That’s grounds for academic expulsion.”
“This entire situation is grounds for academic expulsion…” I corrected with a crooked smile, “...and while I am still truly grateful for what you did for me…Snyder intended to expose both of us…All of us, himself included…And that is why I did what had to be done.”
Sai continued to eye me, completely unamused. He ran a hand through his hair in vexation.
“So essentially, we’re both being blackmailed.”
I chewed the inside of my mouth thoughtfully, “Yes…though I have an ace up my sleeve, should I need to utilize it…I cannot disclose exactly what it is at the moment, however.”
He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“Should he bother you…” I assured, “...Snyder can answer to me.”
“...What? Why?” Sai wondered out loud, not entirely convinced.
“Trust me,” I replied with a faint, knowing smile, “...Snyder’s not as untouchable as he portrays himself to be.”
[fin?]
kiri_no_yami Mon 24 Nov 2025 03:33PM UTC
Comment Actions
AnarkissedxDoll Mon 24 Nov 2025 05:01PM UTC
Comment Actions
DrXeno Mon 24 Nov 2025 07:05PM UTC
Comment Actions
AnarkissedxDoll Mon 24 Nov 2025 10:40PM UTC
Comment Actions
nanimeme on Chapter 2 Wed 26 Nov 2025 05:12AM UTC
Comment Actions
xsmollotakux on Chapter 2 Wed 26 Nov 2025 04:22PM UTC
Comment Actions
DrXeno on Chapter 2 Wed 26 Nov 2025 04:44PM UTC
Comment Actions