"Huh?" Neaf grunted in surprise as someone crashed into him, sending him sprawling onto the unforgiving, icy floor.
"Ah," he groaned in pain as the weight of a larger body pinned him down.
"What the hell, kid? Didn't I tell you to move? What the hell were you thinking?,"
Neaf looked up at the person who was berating him, bewildered by the fact that he was the one who had been crashed into, not the other way around.
"Me? Am I the one at fault here?" Neaf asked incredulously, taking in the slender frame with a small frame, one ear pierced, and piercing purple eyes, small face obscured by black hair.
Purple eyes?
That thought stuck in Neaf's mind. In this parallel world, he couldn't distinguish between humans and robots. Even Alfred looked human when he wore his skin. What was even more shocking was that he knew he could peel his own skin off, but he was too afraid to try.
"Yes, you're the problem here," the stranger retorted, lifting the head to look directly at Neaf.
Neaf bit his tongue as he gazed at the boy, who was more beautiful than any girl he had ever seen, with alluringly feminine features, a small face, and large eyes, but no breasts.
"Back on Earth, kid,"
Neaf snapped back to reality.
"Me, a kid?" He could clearly see who looked like the kid here, but what was more important right now was this unexpected encounter with a beautiful boy. He felt like he had lost his mind or maybe lost his sense of direction.
"Move," Neaf said, not wanting to prolong this nonsensical situation when he was already grappling with an existential crisis in this unfamiliar world.
"Yeah, I don't feel like being all over you either," the stranger replied, placing hands on either side and attempting to stand up.
However, the stranger failed and fell back onto Neaf.
Startled, Neaf pushed the small body away from him and scrambled back.
"What did you just press?" Neaf wondered as he felt something in his chest, his heart pounding so loudly that it felt like it was being pressed.
"You're such a jerk! I'm hurt, you motherfucker," the stranger loudly complained, rubbing the sore ass.
"I..." Neaf's words caught in his throat. He didn't understand his own reaction, but his introverted nature despised being touched and being the centre of attention, which he was at that moment.
"What, huh? You think you're tough because you just bullied someone smaller than you?"
Bully?
It was the first time he had been called that. He and being bullied were a better match. How was this bullying? He was the one who had been pushed and was now being called a bully. This guy needed to get his definitions straight.
"I'm sorry," Neaf sighed and stood up, brushing off his pants and ignoring the looks he received.
"Didn't your parents teach you to help someone when you harm them?"
Neaf rolled his eyes, thoroughly annoyed with the phrase. What was there to teach when he wasn't in the wrong? Nevertheless, he relented and offered his hand so the other person could take it and stand up.
"No need. I don't need help from someone like you," the stranger replied, standing up and shooting a death glare at Neaf's hand.
Neaf withdrew his hand and started walking. "Where are you going, kid? Which class are you from? Maybe I can help you. By the way, I am Vastuna Aswin," Vastuna introduced.
Bipolar much.
That's the only thing Neaf could think of at the moment. One moment he was attacking like a stray cat, and now he was being friendly.
"Room number 24 is my class," Neaf scoffed as he stopped and looked back. Taking help would be better, especially since he couldn't find the class himself.
"Oh, it's mine too. We're already late. We better get going, or else Mr. Lucas is going to kick our asses," Vastuna said joining Neaf, and they both started walking without further elaboration.
"Smells good," the thought crossed Neaf's mind, but he immediately brushed it off.
A guy doesn't smell nice; they smell manly, he reminded himself.
"Both of you are late on the first day of the new semester," the teacher scolded as Neaf and Vastuna entered, drawing the attention of their fellow classmates.
Neaf immediately panicked a little. He hated the whole first day routine with introductions and such, and now he was late. Who was going to save him now?
That was the burning question.
He just hoped he wouldn't faint again. At the very least, he could expect that much from himself.
"It's not my fault, sir. I'm new here, and it was hard to find the class," Vastuna answered nonchalantly.
"I was trying to find the class too, Mr. Lucas," Neaf spoke, recalling the teacher's name. He couldn't help but feel that Vastuna beside him was behaving like a mannerless brat.
"As if I don't know how new you are. It's just the start of a new semester, but you're old enough to know your way around the school and its classes," Lucas pointed out. "What's with this behaviour? Don't you know it's against the rules to wear boys' skin when you're not a boy?"
Neaf's eyes widened as he looked at Vastuna when Lucas spoke, making it clear that Vastuna was not a guy.
What had pressed against his chest before wasn't from inside; it was the boobs of this girl who looked like a boy.
His face immediately flustered.
"At least she's a girl," his conscience remarked.
Which was true. He should be content. He found a girl beautiful, not a boy, and at least this body's attraction didn't swing the other way.
There was nothing wrong with it, but it just wasn't for him.
Even though he had never dated a girl, at least he knew he had never been interested in guys either. It was better than that, at least for now.
"As if it's some crime,"