Fic dedicated to the Mods~ :) [Main focus is the mods from Spica Academy, although, that wasn't my original intent x~x]
It was a lovely winter day, blusteringly cold as it was. The members of the student council and school administration of the two academies had decided to take a stroll throughout their grounds—in different directions, of course. It was more of a patrol than a stroll, yet the weather and bright sunshine that illuminated the campus grounds made the task less tedious than usual. Whether or not it was fate or chance that caused the forces of both schools to collide is something that still eludes each participant of that day’s event even now. Perhaps there was a tell-tale sign, a slight breeze, the scent of pine needles crushed underfoot, or the light downfall of snow that stuck to hats and noses alike that informed them something was amiss. Or perhaps it was a parental intuition that each had accumulated during the school year. Whatever it was, as their thoughts drifted towards the clouds, they didn’t notice they had surpassed the borderline of their campus and were now in a mutual place, an area shared by the founders of the academies.
“It’s too cold,” Mako muttered bitterly as he rubbed his gloved hands together.
‘Why was I even sent to patrol? Nobody’s really on campus anyways. It’s Christmas break…’
He had earnestly wished to stay boarded up in his dorm room for the duration of break, perhaps reading a book—or planning on how to pay for living expenses, etc. for his brother and himself. However, work for the student council was first priority, as it came with certain perks that helped support his small family of two. That was the true reason he had decided to brave the cold, and as bitter as his thoughts were, he appreciated the beautiful scenery that lay out before him—from the frozen ponds, to the bare trees that were dusted with the white, powdery snow; he had to admit it was all quite picturesque.
“Mako!”
Someone’s exclamation brought him out of his reverie, and he snapped to attention.
“Yue…”
He looked up into the serene face of the fair haired girl who had been resting her gaze upon him for quite some time. Her crystalline blue eyes looked up at him questioningly, as if curious about his thoughts. Before long, her focus was broken by the calling of a blue bird high up in a tree, and she looked away.
“If you’re so uncomfortable, you could’ve stayed at the dorms,” she stated jovially, her thoughts becoming whimsical as she gazed gleefully at the snow all around. She leaned down, scooping up and forming a small ball of the white precipitation and started to toss it between her hands before walking forward.
“There’s nothing to patrol, really,” she continued.
“That’s what I thought,” he muttered underneath his breath, a long sigh escaping his lips. As the pair continued to walk around the grounds, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, despite the fact it was the perfect time to play tricks.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, gazing at the wintry world around them.
“It’s almost as if the whole world is sparkling,” Yue murmured.
However, Mako didn’t believe so. With an exceptional distaste for winter and the cold, he simply wished this ordeal was over. Watching his fellow student’s eyes grow wide in amazement, he didn’t feel the need to spite it as much though. Although he seemed stern and a tad harsh at times, he was still human; he had a heart, one that was compassionate for the ones whom he cared about, which included all members of the Spica student council.
“It’s nice,” he said mildly, brushing the snow off a nearby bench.
“Sit.”
They’d walked quite a ways from the main buildings on the grounds, and he was sure that she, as a female, was at least slightly drained.
“Thank you,” she replied, perching herself on the bench and gazing at the scenery fondly.
Together, they sat in silence for a while, and Mako soon grew restless. He didn’t feel like talking; especially because the wind was starting to pick up, making the temperature feel lower than it actually was, and the chilly gales biting the exposed skin on his face. Meanwhile, Yue was flustered as to what she should say. Mako seemed especially surly, though she couldn’t imagine why. In her eyes, the snow-laden grounds were a peaceful haven, one free of worries or cares.
They were saved from having to say anything when they saw a figure emerging from the distance. His outline was distorted, but as he grew closer, they found out it was not a he, but in fact, a she. It was the professor of Toxicology from the neighboring school, Ouran Academy.
“Hello!” she called out, waving an arm in the air. She’d finally spotted the two individuals she had been searching for.
“Who is that?” Mako wondered aloud, standing up from his seat, striding forward to meet the woman halfway. Yue soon followed suit, thinking it rude to leave her companion with this stranger by himself.
“Hello! I’m the professor of Toxicology at Ouran Academy,” Anko started off.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of me,” she added with a wink at the two, “but you may address me simply by my first name, Anko.”
“Nice to meet you, Anko-san,” Yue replied with a polite bow.
“Nice to meet you,” Mako said brusquely.
“What business is it that brings you to our school?” Yue asked, tipping her head towards the side, looking at the teacher inquisitively.
“I’m here to deliver news of an event that was planned by the board that the two of you must carry out.”
She extracted a manila envelope from the depths of her voluminous coat.
“Ah, here it is,” she said before handing it to Mako, whose hand had been proffered the moment Anko had started searching for the envelope.
“Have a nice day,” she added cheerily, before turning on her heel towards Ouran, her business at Spica finished. She had projects she had to finish, and it simply wouldn’t do if someone snuck into her lab again. However, she did wonder what the contents of the envelope could be; she couldn’t possibly know. All she did know was that someone had assigned her the job of delivering it, and giving them a brief explanation, throwing it in her face and forcing her to leave the comfortable confines of her laboratory.
“What is it?” Yue asked, as soon as the odd professor was out of earshot.
“I’m about to find out,” he said, ripping open the top of the envelope. Inside, he found a formal looking letter printed on beautiful, thick paper.
‘Hmph, the audacity of the rich…’ Mako thought as he scanned the invitation. It read:
To members of the Spica student council:
Greetings! You have been cordially invited to a Christmas party planned by none other than the school directors in commemoration of your achievements accomplished at this school. Please reply promptly and if you choose to attend, be ready for the event by 7:30 PM on Christmas Eve. You should be wearing formal wear, and may invite a total of 1 guest(s)! There will be food, dancing, and a bonfire; however, your attire must be warm as this event is outdoors! Your escorts will be waiting by the entrance of the Spica main-school building.
Sincerely,
Your Headmaster
Mako looked upon the invitation with distaste, wrinkling his nose and readjusting the position of the red scarf around his neck. Today was Christmas Eve.
“Today is Christmas Eve,” he muttered to himself, scoffing.
He had been dead set against going, until he spotted the words “may invite a total of 1 guest(s)!” Bolin could get to eat some fine cuisine, and the thought of a bonfire was inviting. He hadn’t been near fire in quite a while. In a way, he missed its presence, not being able to openly use his fire-bending unless having been given permission to on Spica’s campus.
“I’m going,” Yue stated cheerily, interrupting his brooding.
“It sounds like it’ll be a fun event, and it means I’ll be allowed to admire the snow in all its beauty underneath the moonlight,” she said dreamily.
“What about you?”
“I’m going too,” he said, staring at the invitation.
“That’s good. We all deserve to rest, and I’m sure the other members who are still on the grounds will be there as well,” she said, stretching.
“Yeah.”
They continued to patrol until dusk approached, and they went their separate ways to prepare for the party.
-
Neither of them expected what would happen as they arrived at the main building. Yue, having arrived first, leaned against a stone column and hummed to herself. After a while had passed, she grew restless and was about to wander about before she was stopped by a pair of hands that had blindfolded and hurried her off in a different direction than the one she was about to step towards.
As she was sat down, having thrashed about on the way towards her destination, she took a large gulp of the frigid air.
“What do you want?” she snapped.
However, as the blindfold was lifted, she was pleasantly surprised. She was near a large bonfire, surrounded by fellow students and professors who had stayed behind for the winter break. They were all smiling in anticipation of her reaction, and she could see a few of her companions from Spica and Ouran were sat down around her, looking as confused as she.
“Cheers!” the crowd around them said, all lifting glasses of what looked like grape juice—or possibly champagne-towards the air.
“What for?” she could hear the others whispering amongst themselves.
“Cheers to our wonderful student council and administration, especially the ones officially known as the mods!” she heard someone else shout from the back of the crowd, and the entire congregation busted out into laughter.
“Yeah!” the others added in cheerily.
Tears of emotion filled her eyes as she looked upon them all. Happiness filled her to the brim, and the feeling of genuine warmth filled her with more strength than any medication possibly could. After that, the other mods shrugged or laughed it off; taking the drinking glasses that had been offered to them and starting to go after the food. She soon found out that the Christmas party had been a cleverly planned hoax intended to lure them here. The banners, decorations, and food that had been placed all around were all for the mods. It was a party in celebration of… them. It was the appreciation that all the mods deserved, given from the students and teachers who didn’t always make that appreciation apparent. It was a party of…love.
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From: Ririchiyo mun