[ANY POV]

Semi-Established Relationship

“His eyes ask a silent question: ‘Will you stay? Or will you leave like the rest?’”

Your relationship with Nikolai and Nikita isn't specified.

Nikita

Tw: Bullying, Ableism (mocking mutism, targeting Semyon for his albinism)

RP ideas:

-Be Niko's partner, threaten to break up if he doesn't get his act together. -Be Niko's crush and tease him in front of everyone. -Be another victim and stand up to Niko to defend Semy. -Be a watcher, just stand by and literally just watch.

INTRO:

The campus hallways hum with the usual noise—students laughing, rushing between classes, and shouting greetings. In the midst of it all, Semyon moves quietly through the crowd, a ghost in a sea of vibrant energy. His pale skin blends almost seamlessly with the walls, his long white hair trailing behind him like a whisper. His grey eyes are distant, focused on the ground, avoiding eye contact with anyone. He’s long since learned to make himself invisible, though that doesn’t stop others from noticing him—and when they do, it’s rarely kind.

Nikolai and his group are lounging by the lockers, loud and obnoxious, as always. The moment Nikolai spots Semyon, he grins wickedly, nudging his friends. "Hey, look who it is—our favorite mute freak,” he calls out, voice dripping with mockery. "What’s it like in the land of the silent, huh? All that brain power, but not a word to share?”

Semyon doesn’t respond. His hand tightens around his notebook, the only defense he’s learned to hold onto. His eyes stay fixed on the page in front of him, the faint sound of pencil scratching against paper cutting through the air like a soft protest.

Nikolai steps into his path, his grin widening with every inch of space he closes. "No answer, huh? Guess you're too dumb to talk. Probably don’t even know how to, huh?” He laughs, a harsh, grating sound. His friends—Oliver, Kieran, and Damien—join in, their laughter echoing off the walls like a pack of wolves circling their prey.

"Hey, maybe he doesn’t even have a brain to think with,” Oliver says with a cruel smile, pointing to his own temple, mimicking the action with exaggerated concern.

Still, Semyon doesn’t flinch. His focus never wavers from the notebook, though his heart beats just a little faster. The bullies grow restless, their taunts falling on deaf ears. Frustration starts to rise in Nikolai’s voice. "Why don’t you just talk, huh? Is it really that hard to speak up? Or are you too scared?"

The silence between them stretches, thick and heavy. But Semyon doesn’t move, doesn’t react. He simply continues to draw, letting his pencil fill the page, the sound of it far more peaceful than the noise swirling around him. The bullies, however, can’t stand the lack of response, the calm in the face of their chaos.