2

"Thanks, Ann," Fiat runs a hand through his hair as he huffs and drops his stuff onto the floor as Ann holds out breakfast for him. Everyone was to meet at the parking lot by the bus and wait until everyone arrives or at least ten minutes after meeting time. Fiat squeezed in an earlier errand run with the market in order to have enough time to shower and make it to the meeting time. Fiat sat on a ledge of a planter and enjoyed his muffin. "We'll be in a bus for like four hours. Do you really need to be applying all that?"

"Probably not, but I'm not about to get caught lookin' raw and bare the first day," Ann says glancing at her reflection from a compact mirror. Fiat shrugs not really caring. The pair start loading their bags once the driver opens the compartment at the bottom of the bus. "Just letting you know. I'm taking the window if you're going to sit next to me. I cannot handle long drives if I am not the one driving."

"Don't you want to sit with someone else?" Fiat chuckles tossing in her bag next to his. At the same time another arm reaches in the cabin to place a bag and Fiat glances over and sees one of Ann's friends. He acknowledges her and she gives a stiff smile before pulling Ann away. Fiat sighs as he hops onto his designated bus on his own. Students were scattered all around the bus and he finds a spot in the middle of the lower level. He slips into the aisle seat and places his jacket onto the window seat in case Ann really does sit beside him. Fiat had been distractedly on his phone playing a game when his shoulder got nudged. With his brows knitted together, he looks up to see Ann sliding into the row in front of him with the girl from earlier.

"Will you be good on your own?" Ann asks. Fiat nods saying it was better and he did not have to deal with her talking. She sticks up a finger before plopping down into her seat. With a proud smirk, Fiat looks down on his phone only to spew a silent curse as he saw he lost his game.

"Hey, can I sit here? I'd rather not get mulled at and catch some sleep." Fiat was just about to restart his game when someone approached him. He looks up to see Leo and he nods. "Can I take the aisle? I need the leg space."

"Yeah, of course," Fiat slides over and places his jacket over his lap. Leo slides in and gives a grateful smile in which Fiat returns. "You do well on long car rides?"

"Yeah, I'm alright with them, just want the option to go to sleep undisturbed. You know what I mean?" Fiat nods his head knowing exactly what he means. As he thinks about it now, this was probably a better arrangement. Ann would have talked his ear off until she fell asleep. Fiat was actually feeling exhausted as his mind and body starts to relax. He had his usual late night study session and an extra early morning errand run for those at the market. He probably squeezed in a few hours in between. Just thinking about it made Fiat yawn. "You can sleep too. Not a morning person?"

"Quite the opposite," Fiat chuckles. It was weird that after all of these years he was actually having a 'get-to-know-you' conversation with Leo. "I just had less than normal sleep."

"Ahh. I'm more of a night owl. Thought I wouldn't have made it. Can you let me know if they make any important announcements?" Leo asks as he adjusts himself and places a neck pillow behind him. He did not even wait for Fiat give a response as he shuts his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. Fiat blinks and quickly leans in to the seat in front of him.

"What the hell, Ann? Why'd he sit next to me?" Fiat whispers to the girl who was looking back at him with excitement.

"Take as many pictures as you can. He looks beautiful sleeping, Fiat. Take the photos." Ann demands. Fiat quickly argues that it was creepy and would not do it. Ann threatens to make his trip hell and pulls away, rolling his eyes. He leans closer to the window and flicker his eyes to the sleeping body beside him. It seemed it did not take long for the tall man to fall unconscious. Fiat takes the time to actually observe him and realizes his height makes him look a lot older. Now that Leo was just sitting beside him asleep, he looked a lot younger. Fiat's eyes hears a clearing of a throat and sees Ann looking at him with pleading eyes. Fiat rolls his and carefully takes a few photos. He checks it and notices that even though Leo had quite full cheeks, he still had prominent facial features. Shaking his head, not knowing why he was focusing on this, Fiat sends the photos over to his friend. Thinking it was enough, he leans his head back just in time for the leaders of the trip to announce their departure. Fiat listens for the small speech before slipping in earphones and falling asleep.

"Mmph?" A constant tingle on his eyelids and forehead pulls him from his slumber. Fiat feels something soft under his head and nuzzles his face closer only to feel it shake. He peeks open his eyes and slowly reorients himself.  Fiat immediately lifts his head as his cheeks warm up and turns his head to his makeshift pillow. "Sorry, Leo. I didn't realize."

"It's fine," Leo chuckles. He winces a bit as he adjusts himself and stretches his muscles. Fiat looks around and notices a lot of students were missing from their seats and they had reached their first pit stop. "Your friend said she would buy us some snacks and to let you sleep a bit more. I'm just gonna head to the bathroom."

"Oh, okay. Uhm, thanks for letting me sleep. Sorry for leaning on you. Next time just push me over or wake me up," Fiat says. Leo just places his neck pillow around Fiat and nods before walking down the bus aisle. It takes him a few moments before deciding to stretch his legs. He fumbles with the pillow for a bit before deciding to just keep it as he walks out to stretch just outside the bus. Fiat stretches his arms over his head and moans as he feels not only his muscles thank him, but his joints as well. Suddenly, something that crinkles whacks his back and he spins to find Ann chuckling with her friend. "The hell, Pipsqueak?"

"You're lucky you're my friend. You lived my fantasy. How was sleeping on Leo's shoulder? Is it as stable as I dreamt it to be?" Ann speaks all dreamily and Fiat looks at her like weirdly. Fiat clarified that he was laying on the neck pillow, not the shoulder and then went on and blaming her for not waking him up and save him from embarrassment. "Oh, please, Fiat. You of all people deserve to sleep. Fiat, you're allowed to give yourself time outside of school and your weird jobs."

Fiat huffs and grabs the plastic bag to find weird items. He had to dig through before finding his favorite snack only to see that it was crushed. "Wow, thanks a lot, Pipsqueak."

"Hey, I also got you a drink. Make sure my Love get's his food," Ann requests making Fiat join his arm around her neck and give mess with her hair. "Fiat!"

The two had a peculiar relationship and unlike his usual persona, Fiat was actually quite playful. The two of the laughed as he playfully wrestled the girl. The friend found it annoying as she rolls her eyes at the side and holding the bag of food to prevent it from spilling. "You guys are like children. Why do you even let him do this to you, Ann?"

Fiat looks over at the girl unamused as he removes his arm from Ann. "At least I don't have a name like Ficus."

"Fern! My name is Fern!" The girl stomps her foot and glares at him before turning her head to Ann. "I'll be inside. I don't want to have to educate this thing. Don't hang around him too much. Might be the reason guys steer clear from you."

"If a guy worth her time came by, I would gladly let them know we are nothing but pests to each other, alright? Ficus?" Fiat wraps his arm back around Ann comfortably.

"Fiat," Ann gives a warning glance to the guy who scowls and holds his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, Fern. Let's go inside now. Fiat, don't forget to give the food."

Fiat watches the two walk back up the bus feeling annoyed now. He never got along with Fern. They were on opposite teams during the freshman orientation and had somehow made an unhealthy competitive relationship. It did not help that they both befriended Ann as well. Fiat ruffles his hair as if it would clear the unnecessary thoughts.

"So you and her aren't together?" Fiat looks up to see a more refreshed Leo. The question made his face construe with distaste. "Hey, you can't blame me for thinking that. I almost always see you guys together."

"We aren't like that at all. Ann and I could never be together, so if you like her you should try and talk to her. She's honestly a great person." Fiat tries to do the one job he came here for and hopes for the best. With anticipation, he sees Leo tilt his head with amusement. Maybe he was better at this than he thought. "If you look past her unusual antics, Ann is amazing. I would not have been able to stay sane without her."

"So you think I'm worth her time?" Leo asks referring to Fiat's previous words. Fiat's jaw drops for a moment realizing that Leo had heard a lot more than he thought and nods his head with a shrug. "What about yours? Am I worth yours?"

"What?-"

"Load up the bus! We have a schedule! Make sure you don't leave anything behind!" A leader calls out for everyone who were still lingering outside the buses to load up.

"Mustn't forget you," Leo smirks glancing down at Fiat. Fiat brows furrowed as he looks at the taller man in confusion. "You still got my neck pillow around you. I'd rather not forget it or lose it."

Fiat was about to take it off when Leo stopped him. Leo lets him keep it for a bit and takes the bag of food from Fiat's hands. "Ann bought some stuff. I'm not really sure what's in there."

Leo nods and tilts his head towards the bus telling Fiat that they should head in. Fiat nods and leads the way onto the bus. He ignores his friend in the row ahead of his and slips back into his seat by the window. Seconds after, another body slips into the seat beside him. Leo leans forward and taps Ann's seat. "Thanks for buying all of this. I owe you."

"O-oh. Of course, Leo! I hope you like what I picked out," Ann stutters as she leans up on her chair to look at Leo better. Fiat rolls his eyes and stares out the window.

"Yeah, I'm not picky. Fiat and I will enjoy these." Fiat turns his attention back with the sound of his name. Leo was just looking at him with raised brows and he just gives a small nod. Ann seemed over the moon and slipped back into her seat properly just in time for the leaders to go around and check for attendance. Fiat takes his crushed bag of pastries and Leo looks at it with a bit of pity. The two end up staying awake for the rest of the trip and even learned that they both like to play the same phone games. It was a comfortable and enjoyable ride to say the least.

When they arrive, everyone gathers by the leaders who were distributing cabin groups and Fiat earns a tight pinch at the mention of his along with a tall badminton club member. He glares at his so called friend and threatens to not help her under his breath. The moment his eyes look up from her, he finds the man already lookin at him with a kind, almost glad expression on his face. Fiat grins back with an acknowledging nod before grabbing his things and telling Ann to deal with her things on her own. He chuckles as she makes a fit and leaves with a simple wave of the hand. The moment he steps into the cabin, he was met with the loud banter between guys who were overjoyed with the idea of being on a trip and having a cabin to themselves. His eyes glance over with amusement as he steps towards the last bunk. Tossing his bag to the top, he nods towards Leo who had taken the one below. "These things creek so take it easy at night alright?"

"Shut it," Fiat laughs and hits his shoulder before hopping up to see just how bad his sleep was about to get. Every move made a squeak. He glances down and apologetically. "You can have the top if you think I'll wake you up."

"I can top another time," Leo smirks leaving Fiat confused. Before he could even say a word, Leo grabs his phone and steps out of the cabin. Fiat rolls his eyes not catching the insinuation and pulls out his books to squeeze in a bit of homework before they get called for the mandatory 'bonding' activities.

When the time does come, Fiat keeps to himself as he stands in the crowd of bodies. His eyes flit across to find the reason he was here. Rather than finding the short girl, he met eyes with his roommate a few feet away. Fiat quickly looks away wondering why he seems to always see him now. While he had been trying to figure out his fate, a bump at his shoulder pulls him from his thoughts. Fiat sighs in relief seeing the short girl with her annoying friend. Ann asks about his cabin and begs him to take note of Leo's sleeping habits and take more photos. "Ann! I'm not about to be a creepy stalker person for you. You're lucky I even came here. I could be somewhere else doing something more productive."

"Productive? Like what?" They turn to find Leo had joined their group. Ann clutches onto Fiat's arm and he gives a throaty moan. Leo raises his brow as he continues to look at Fiat. To Fiat's luck, the leaders start explaining that everyone needed to split into groups that they would have for the rest of the trip. Unluckily, however, it was a group of four and it was quickly made between them. Ann takes the initiative to put their names in a group after labeling Fiat as leader. She comes back name tags and an armband. Fiat sighs as she slips it around his bicep. Fern was vocal about her disagreement while Leo agrees with it.

"C'mon, Fern. Fiat is the best at delegating and time management. I heard there were loads of activities that require a bunch of different tasks with a time limit," Ann reasons and Fern rolls her eyes while Leo listens carefully with a weird proud expression. Fiat ignores the plant, looks at the tall one weirdly before turning to the small one with an unamused expression. The first bonding activity was building up towers out of skewers. A lot of groups started going right into it by creating a bunch of squares out of the wooden skewers. For Fiat, he started sketching out a detailed design. With the task, he easily instructed each person with different focal points to their structure. A sturdy foundation with reinforcements allowed them to stack up while other's had wobbling creations. As they reached higher, Ann and Fern were making the following pieces while Leo and Fiat were attaching them.

Fiat stretches as high as he could. He lets started to shake as he stood on his toes and hands grip his hips to steady him. When he successfully does his part, he lowers off his toes and thanks, Leo. "I think I'll get the rest of it. You guys just keep checking for parts that are missing and tell me where to put them. I highly doubt we'll lose since everyone's either focusing too much on durability or focusing more on height, but Fiat did a great job on his blueprint that I really want to see it come to life. Are you sure you didn't want to become an architect or something?"

"Fiat is just smart like that. He probably did some light reading in the architectural section," Ann rolls her eyes while putting air quotes around 'light reading'. Fiat messed with her hair causing the two to get into a tiny brawl before Ann finally jabs at Fiat's stomach causing to double over. She quickly fixes her appearance and glares at him before smiling sweetly at Leo and helps hand him tape.

"Deserved that, nerd," Fern side comments as she fumbled with the extra skewers. Fiat retorts with a purposeful mistake with her plant name and smirks happily as she glares at him. Both end up paying no attention to the other and only hoped for the time for group activities ends to be as far away from each other as possible. The group of upperclassmen were the judges and started going around. Each build was judged off of uniqueness, sturdiness and height. The structure had to hold for at least five seconds without anyone holding onto it and while many held hands in hopes ended up with in falling skewers. When it was their turn, they acted like everyone else and held their breaths as they stepped away.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Success!

The four immediately congratulated each other as exchanged high-fives. Ann hugged Fiat and Fern excitedly before turning shy as Leo welcomed her into a congratulatory hug. Fern and Fiat just exchanged glances. Leo turns to Fiat and smiles. "Ann was right putting you in charge. Do we hug too, or?"

"You're kidding, right?" Fiat raises a brow and Leo chortles. Leo raises his hands in surrender and turns away with a smirk as they wait for the rest of the groups to be judged. Many had either toppled over or were way below the heights of others. After a moment of discussion between the judges they started to give a speech of why this activity was important. They droned on about the importance of planning, systematic procedures, and teamwork. They used the idea of the structures to represent what they want all of them to learn. A good foundation is always a good start to build yourself, but there needs to be a support system in which reinforces you as you reach unsteady levels in your life. Sometimes it was not about going right to the top, but branching out into different departments and making sure to balance yourself. It was a speech that seemed overly inspirational, but actually had a meaningful message.

After the speech, they started getting into the point system that they were going to have for the rest of the trip and the group with the most points would earn a reward. Complaints of not knowing about it sooner were thrown at them, but they just shook their head. "You guys did not learn anything? Competition is the worst kind of foundation! If that is your strive then you don't deserve to win! We want you guys to bond with each other and get to know each other in a humble way. If we had told you guys about the points and reward before you guys started, do you think you would have laughed as much as you guys did during and after building? Do you think you would have as much faith in each other as you guys did? Or how about the fact that you guys still gave each other encouraging words after watching your structure collapse? No. There would have been power trips from overly competitive people, sabotages and results would cause harmful words to be passed on for a measly structure built with tape and skewers. That is not what we want you guys to get from this trip. We are here to learn about our strengths and weaknesses. We accept them and we want each and every one of you to help support each other. Now, even if your structure collapsed, we took account the building process. We observed and watched you guys build it from be ground up. We will calculate the points after each activity and post the points on the community board for everyone to see. We hope you guys do not take this fun activity and ruin it. Work hard for the reward as shortcuts and manipulation will not get you any closer. We are fair judges and only hope to see everyone have fun. Today's morning activities are over. Lunch will be prepared in about an hour, so spend a bit of free time together. Get to know each other more, meet new people and gather back in time to eat."

*******

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♡︎ ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

thoughts??