Thread: An Unexpected Romance [Xanatos and Sigr]

Austin walked along side Alex as they headed back towards homeroom. His thoughts returned to the sketch that Seth had gotten so defensive about. He wondered if it were possible that Seth had met someone before they moved and by pulling him away from her they managed to push him further away. He shook his head at his own line of thought. It seemed wildly unlikely that Seth would meet anyone, especially not in the condition he was in before they moved. He decided it was best to probably just let it go. He didn't want to risk pushing Seth away by bringing it up again. Instead, he was perfectly content to idly chat with Alex as they made their way back. His smile spread a little when he saw the others, raising his hand to wave, albeit less energetically than Alex. Seth had walked beside Mike but said nothing. He was grateful to him for his company, and certainly felt more at ease with someone familiar nearby, but that didn't mean that he was suddenly a sparkling conversationalist. He was glad that he was able to help Mike work through some of his own struggles, but now he had his own thoughts to worry about. His gaze remained glued to the floor as they walked, thinking about how to actually take that first step. He owed it to Austin to tell him first, but how? Would he understand? Would he care? Would he still be so protective and supportive? What about their new friends? He got the feeling that Mike would be more receptive, but he didn't know enough about Alex to say that he trusted her. He sighed audibly, clutching a little tighter to his bag strap. When they finally met up with Austin and Alex, Seth finally looked up. Austin smiled a little wider, glad to see that Seth was doing alright, or at least, not worse than he'd last saw him. He patted his shoulder gently. Hey you, how was class? He asked, returning his hand to his pockets. It was fine. He offered a brief glance towards Mike before looking back towards Austin. Listen, Austin. I... He stopped himself when he heard the invitation to come to lunch. He looked from Mike and Alex to his brother, who was already pulling out his cellphone. That sounds awesome! Thanks man! Austin replied thankfully when Mike had invited them. He'd noticed that the invitation was offered more to Seth than himself which made him smile a little. He hoped that Mike had been able to reach him on some level, even if he was also a little envious that it wasn't him that finally broke that shell. He brought his phone to his ear, turning away from the group. Hey, Mom... No everything's fine... Yeah, Seth's right here, he's fine... Mom, he's fine. Look, we're going over to a friend's place for lunch... Don't worry Mom, everything will be fine... Yep, love you too. Buh-bye. He sighed as he hung up the phone, returning his attention to the others. Alright, we're good to go! He blinked a couple times before looking back to Seth. You were going to say something, yeah? What's up? It's not important. It can wait. Seth mumbled quietly as his gaze fell again. The brief interruption had caused him to lose whatever nerve he had gathered. Thanks for inviting us for lunch. He said softly to Mike, still not looking up.