Expectations

In the morning, Noa woke early to the faint sounds of voices and movements upstairs. The room was a little chilly, and he was a little sore, but mostly he just felt lucky. He hadn't been kidding when he'd told Ogimura that this was a better outcome than he'd expected. 

He got dressed, grateful to have the chance to change out of his hoodie and jeans, but kept to street clothes. He'd packed his uniform by reflex, but if he'd stopped to think he would have just left it. Anything that might identify him was a liability now. 

There was a knock at the storage room door. "Takasu-kun, are you awake?"

Instead of answering, Noa opened the door to find a human-sized Ogimura standing in front of him. "You're big again," he noted. 

She gave him a once-over and frowned. "Of course I am, it's time to leave for school. Do you want to walk together?" 

Noa shrugged. "I'll walk you part of the way there, at least." 

"Do you not…have your uniform?" she asked. 

It seemed she was really pushing this. "I don't need it. I'm not going." 

"Well." Ogimura stepped back. "I'd like some company as far as you want to go." 

Noa nodded and left his bag behind. Ogimura didn't say anything, so presumably she intended to let him stay at least till school let out. 

That suspicion was confirmed when she passed him the key to the front door instead of locking it. "Here," she said. "You and I are the only ones using it, so keep it unlocked for me when it gets to be evening, okay?" 

He smiled, relieved. "Sure." 

The shopping street was quiet this early in the morning, with the smell of cooled cooking oil wafting from the pub on the corner. He thought he heard Ogimura's stomach rumble, but when he glanced down at her, she refused to look at him. 

He noted the route as they turned the corner. "Do you keep it a secret?" he asked. "Being a pixie, I mean." 

"I don't exactly advertise it," she said, "but I wouldn't say it's a secret, either."

"Are people mean about it?" he asked. Every school he'd attended was a little different, including the levels of bullying. But his classmates had seemed nice enough at this one. 

"Not exactly," Ogimura said. "I just don't want to stand out, you know?" 

She was already the class representative, so her version of "stand out" must not count that. "Gotcha," he said. "Well, I won't be seeing anybody from school for a while, probably, but if I do I won't say anything."

She glanced his way, looking surprised. "Thanks." 

"And, uh…" Noa scratched the back of his head. "Don't tell anyone I stayed with yu last night, okay? I want to avoid rumors."

"…Sure." Ogimura frowned at him now. "Takasu-kun, do you…?"

They stopped at the next intersection. On the street Miyori was about to turn onto, there were lines of uniformed students meandering their way to school. 

"Okay, this is as far as I go," Noa said, and tugged his hood up over his face. "Later, Ogimura-san." 

He turned back the way they came before she could answer, careful not to walk too fast or too slowly as he made his way back the way they'd come. 

When he got back, the house overhead—if it could be called a house; it was more of a warren of rooms wedged between the neighboring buildings, as far as Noa could see—was bustling, but the entryway was still barely lit and quiet. 

Noa let himself in and stood in the hallway, staring upwards.

He'd gotten himself a place for the night—a place no one would look for him. And it seemed like this might work for a second night as well. But the question was, what next? 

He couldn't go to school. He couldn't do anything to draw attention to himself. And he wasn't sure yet how far Ogimura's generosity would go. It was one thing to help a classmate through a bad night, but if she knew how much trouble he was really in, she'd probably feel differently about letting him stay. 

Well, if she didn't know, she wasn't complicit in hiding someone with fae connections. That was what he had to tell himself, anyway... 

"Oh, hey. Thought I heard the door." 

Noa jumped and stared at the tiny man that had just dropped from a hole in the ceiling. "Miyori said she'd brought a guest, but I figured you'd be going to school with her. Skipping class?" 

"Had to drop out," Noa said cautiously. "Are you Ogimura-san's father?" 

"Yep," he said. "Name's Yutaka. I thought I'd check in and see how you were doing." 

"I'm…good." 

"Really? Because it looks like you're staring at the wall in the dark." 

Yutaka waited patiently for Noa's reply, and Noa thought fast. "Well…actually wondering if you needed any help around the house," he said. "Or, you know, if there's anything else I can help out with. I don't want to just freeload." 

"You won't fit in our house," Yutaka said, chuckling. Noa flushed. "But my sister's got some yard work she's been moaning about for the past couple of weeks. You any good with your hands?" 

"Good enough."

"What about magic?"

Noa shrugged. "Better than average, probably." 

"Well, you won't know pixie magic, of course. But you should still be able to do most of what she'd want you for. Let me go find her, I'll see if she can spare a few hours to cross some things off her list." 

He left through the hole in the ceiling again, and Noa relaxed a bit. He hadn't been sure how a conversation with an adult would go, but he hadn't been asked any questions he couldn't answer. Besides, being given something to do wasn't the sort of thing you did for someone you wanted out of your hair as soon as possible. 

It seemed he'd really lucked out with these people.