There are worse things than failing, right?

Telling himself that is easy. Believing it, not so much. Alexi stares down at the test helplessly. He’s never failed before. His teacher frowns down at him and Alexi lowers his head.

“What happened, Karnstein?”

“I- I don’t know, sir,” Alexi whispers. “Just... a bad day?”

“I hope so, for your sake.”

Alexi nods and the teacher moves on. His grades have been slipping recently. Ever since he lost Mika. His gaze moves across the classroom to Mika’s empty seat. Does he even want to keep doing without him? They were supposed to do this together.

His gaze moves lower after a few moments. Percy sits a few seats further forward, twirling his pen absently. Alexi’s lips quirk into a small smile, hand going to his chest as warmth flutters through it. It’s strange. He’d never imagined he’d be quite so smitten with someone after so little time. 

Perhaps he’s been spending too much time with Percy though. He’s not focusing on his studies, is he? Percy’s taking too much attention. It’s not just grieving for Mika, is it?

“Lexi?” Alexi lifts his head. Class is filing out. Percy smiles down at him and Alexi smiles back. “You’re spacing out again.”

“Sorry, just…”

Percy tilts his head and Alexi glances over at Mika’s empty desk.

“Oh.”

“Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Percy says. “It’s perfectly normal to miss someone who was important to you, right?”

“Have you ever lost someone?” Alexi says.

“Not really,” he replies. “I don’t think I’d handle it nearly as well as you are.”

“Am I handling it well?” he says.

“You’re not falling apart. You’re still here and carrying on. I think that counts for something.” Alexi nods. He supposes it does count for something, he’s just not sure what. “Wanna get a drink?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“You don’t have to. You don’t sound too sure.”

Alexi smiles and shakes his head. “Really. I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Percy nods and they head through the halls together in comfortable silence. Alexi isn’t sure what to think about his grades. He should make more time for it, shouldn’t he? He should start studying again. He can’t fall apart. He can’t let everything he’s worked so hard for fall apart just because he’s lost Mika or because he’s involved with Percy.

“What is that?” Alexi says as Percy sets down his drink.

“Comfort,” Percy replies, pushing a matching one over.

Alexi frowns down at it. The large mug is warm to touch, but he’s rather concerned the cream, that doubles the height of the mug, might tumble if he moves it too quickly. The mountain is studded with marshmallows and covered in a cocoa snow, with a few sticks that look like some kind of biscuit sticking out.

Percy looks far too proud of himself.

“Do you mind,” Percy says, lifting his mug and somehow not making a mess, “if I ask just what you and Mika were? I know the rumours but I know better than to trust gossip.”

Alexi nods. “Mika and I… we were friends. He was my best friend. I imagine it’s a bit like you and Damien, right?”

“He’s not a Golden Knight’s kid either?” 

Alexi shakes his head. “He was one of my father’s pets.”

“You father’s really the Demon King?” Percy says.

“Everyone in my family has an impressive title, huh?” Alexi says. Percy smiles. “Demon King, huh? I’m sure Her Majesty hates that term. She’s the only monarch allowed, isn’t she?”

“In my experience Her Majesty found your father rather amusing whenever he was brought up.”

Alexi smiles. “It seems our situations are more similar than we ever imagined.”

“Our positions could easily have been reversed.”

Alexi had never really considered it like that. The only sons of Her Majesty’s favourites. 

Despite being in the same class, Alexi is a year older than Percy. He wonders if Percy’s father simply took the place of his parents. If Percy really was secretly a prince, perhaps explaining his mother’s name being redacted, his age lines up with General Galene moving in the second his parents were removed.

That's all rather irrelevant though.

“I need to focus on my studies more,” Alexi says with a sigh, picking up a marshmallow. “I failed yesterday’s exam.”

“Oh,” Percy says. “I thought you got good grades.”

“I usually do,” he replies. “I’ve never failed before.”

“Bad day?”

“I guess but my grades have been dropping since Mika.”

“Do you want help? Or… would you rather I gave you time alone to focus?”

Alexi isn’t sure. Being alone had always worked. He and Mika would sometimes sit together and work but usually in silence, with snacks and drinks and the odd comment as they worked. He’s never really tried studying with someone else. Percy talks but hasn’t helped study so far. Something isn’t working though. He needs to do something before he’s kicked out of the institute.

Her Majesty’s Golden Knights are supposed to be the best of the best. Testing to get in is rigorous and brutal. Even children trained from a young age to follow in their parents’ footsteps are subjected to the same strict rules and many fail. Only the top ten percent of those who take the tests are allowed entry. Standards are to be kept up. If Alexi’s results continue to drop, he’ll be kicked out. He’d have to go back to his mother until he can retake the tests or find a new path.

The chair dips next to him and Alexi jerks his head up. Percy is squashing in next to him. He frowns, but scoots up so he can fit in the deep armchair. Percy smiles and takes his hand, their fingers laced together gently.

“You ok?” Percy says, voice soft and warm as ever.

“I can’t go back home,” Alexi says. “I need to get my grades up again. I can’t get expelled.”

“Well, the eclipse is coming up, right?” he says. Alexi nods. Pallas will be going into a full eclipse as Moros passes between them and their sun. “We can spend the entire time studying, if you want. I’ll even promise to behave for you.”

Alexi laughs a little, leaning into Percy’s shoulder and squeezing his hand. Somehow, Percy, just manages to lift the mood without even trying. Or maybe he is trying and Alexi just can’t see it behind his mask of smiles. Is he ever going to figure Percy out?

“If you’re going to promise things like that, I might not get anything done,” he says. Percy frowns, tilting his head. “If you’re going to behave for me, I might have to take advantage of you.”

Percy laughs and nods. “Sounds like all the more reason to behave. Although, not very helpful for you studies.”

“Well, we’ll just have to make sure there’s balance, won’t we?”

Percy grins and nods. Alexi knows he should focus on studying. He should just lock himself away and focus and not let himself be sucked in by Percy’s charm. He just can’t help himself though. Percy is so utterly enchanting. Like a siren luring him onto the rocks of failure.

“You’ve got cream all over your face,” Alexi says with a sigh.

He reaches up and wipes the cream from his cheek with his thumb. He really has become a lovestruck idiot, hasn’t he? Percy laughs, catches Alexi’s hand and licks the cream from his fingers.

“Percy!”

“I think it tastes nicer when had like this anyway.”