Lydia walked toward the clinic for her daily suppressants, the morning sun warm on her face but doing nothing to calm the storm inside her chest. On her usual comfy hoodie and jeans, but the memory of standing on that podium in front of the entire academy still lingered like glitter she couldn't brush off even after four days.
She had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the five boys in their formal uniform acting like ravage animals for her attention and she didn't entirely hate that feeling.
As she reached the corridor that housed the clinic, she nearly collided with Ignis, who was just stepping out. He looked fresh and bright-eyed, red hair slightly tousled from the wind, a warm smile already spreading across his face the moment he saw her.
"Hi," he said, voice soft and genuinely happy.
Lydia managed a small smile and waved. "Hi."
"How was your night?" Ignis asked, falling into step beside her as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
