Chapter Text
Will wasn’t really an early morning person; especially today since he had stayed up late last night to study. A large part of him just wanted to go back to bed and pretend it was still the middle of the night. Despite this, he was still one of the first people to arrive at class (today, the first lecture was marine biology). He took his seat and got his stuff out, barely noticing that the room was filling up until he heard a voice next to him.
‘Uh, hi. Will, right?’
Will looked up. The person talking to him was his classmate, Kaiko, who had started at the college about a month ago.
‘Yeah. Hi.’
‘Sorry, is this seat taken?’
‘Oh. Um. Yeah, sure, you can sit there.’
‘Thanks.’ She sat down, brought out a notebook and pencil and waited for the class to start. Will wasn’t sure what to make of this situation; he had tried to talk to Kaiko when she first started but she’d had to leave soon after. Ever since then, their interactions had been limited to incredibly short conversations in the corridor.
‘What?’ she asked and Will realised he had been staring at her.
‘Sorry! I was just... I didn’t mean to... sorry.’ He turned away from her, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing, but he was convinced he could feel her baffled gaze on him.
Fortunately, at that moment, the professor decided to start the lecture. As always, Kaiko was the best student, listening with keen interest and answering every question posed to the class. Will had always been impressed by her knowledge; at times, it felt like she should be the one teaching.
When the lecture eventually ended, the rest of the class packed up and left but Kaiko paused to glance at Will’s notes.
‘Seems like you were having a little trouble there.’
Admittedly, he had been distracted; their earlier interaction had gotten in his head. ‘Guess I’m not really at my best today.’
‘Well... if you want, I could go over it with you later.’
‘Oh! Really?’
‘Sure. But, you know, only if you want to.’
‘No, no, yeah. That would be great, thanks. Uh, does after lunch work for you? We could meet by the library.’
‘Yeah, that works. I’ll see you then.’ With a slight smile, she turned and walked towards the door, leaving Will standing in the aisle. He sighed. At least he hadn’t completely weirded her out. Maybe he would be able to redeem himself later.
When the meet-up time finally came, Will headed down to the library and found Kaiko waiting for him. She greeted him with a polite smile which he returned awkwardly. They found a place to sit and then Kaiko started to walk him through what had been covered in that morning’s lecture. It took a while as Will found himself getting distracted again and needed her to repeat some bits but they eventually got through it.
‘Have you got all of that?’ Kaiko asked once she had covered everything.
‘I think so,’ said Will, ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem.’
‘You really know your stuff. Are you planning on becoming a marine biologist?’
‘Uh... actually, yes.’
‘I bet you’ll be great at that. How did it become an interest for you?’
Kaiko looked away uncomfortably. ‘It... um... I just got into it as a kid and I guess it stuck.’
Will could tell there was something else she wasn’t saying but it was clearly a sensitive subject; he didn’t want to push her to talk about it.
‘You’d think I’d be better at marine biology since my parents basically lived on the ocean,’ he said. More or less everyone in the college knew who he was. It had been kind of annoying at first – people kept whispering to each other when he walked past – but, over time, the excitement about his presence had died down. He still got the occasional look but, other than that, he was pretty much just another student. ‘I mean, I do find all the creatures interesting but it’s also difficult for me to remember all the details about them.’
Kaiko shrugged. ‘That’s okay. Everyone has things they’re not good at.’ She checked the time. ‘I should probably get going.’
‘Oh, yeah.’ She started to walk away but Will called out to her. ‘Hey, this was fun. Do you think we could study together again sometime?’
‘Okay. That sounds good.’ She smiled warmly then turned to leave. ‘I’ll see you in class. Try to remember what I told you.’
‘I’ll try my best,’ he replied. He waited until she was out of sight then packed up his own things and headed for his next class.
Over the next few weeks, Will and Kaiko spent whatever free time they had together studying. They would go over what they had learnt in class and Will would occasionally share stories of his family’s adventures when they needed a break. Kaiko seemed captivated by the stories, listening almost as intently as she did to their lectures.
‘So, if marine biology isn’t your area, what is?’ she asked after one study session while they were walking back to the halls of residence.
Will smirked. ‘Well, I am better with other areas of oceanography. But mostly physical and geological, I think. I’m also pretty into cartography.’
‘Ah yes, you did mention you were into old maps.’
‘Hey!’ They both laughed. ‘But come on. My family are explorers; you can’t blame me for having an interest in old stuff.’
They walked on quietly for a few minutes before Kaiko said, ‘My parents own a marine reserve.’ Will looked at her curiously. ‘Remember, you were asking about why I wanted to be a marine biologist.’
‘Oh! You know, you don’t have to –'
‘No, it’s okay. I want to tell you.’ She took a deep breath. ‘When I was a kid, my parents would sometimes take me out with them when they needed to do surveys. And when I got older and they were too busy doing other stuff, I would sometimes go out on my own. I loved being around the fish; it was like I could just be in my own world. I think I felt most at home in the ocean.’
Will smiled; that sounded like the kind of thing someone from his family would say. Then something occurred to him.
‘Didn’t your parents worry about you going out on your own?’
Kaiko shook her head. ‘Honestly, I’m not sure they noticed. And I think I got used to it, not being noticed. I think that’s why it surprised me when you did. I mean, you were the first and really the only person here who tried to talk to me.’
‘Well, you were on your own,’ said Will, ‘You seemed lonely, I thought you could use a friend.' He paused and looked down awkwardly. 'I think I wanted a friend too. I think being from a famous family sometimes makes people treat me differently. Except for my roommate, but he’s kinda distant. It’s nice to feel like a regular person for once.’
‘I have to admit, it’s nice having someone to share my interests with.’ She smiled at him. ‘I like talking to you.’
‘I like talking to you too.’
‘So... does that mean we’re friends?’
‘Of course!’ Will grinned, ‘I’d be honoured.’
Kaiko beamed back at him and they continued on, happy in each other’s company.