Mr. and Mrs. Wexler were a successful couple who had always wished that same success upon their children. For this reason, they had given each and every one of them names that represented this wish, starting off with their firstborn. Victor.
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So, really, it wasn’t that Vic thought the meaning of his name was lame, the problem was that it had always reminded him of everything his parents expected of him. But it wasn’t as if he would tell Claude all this.
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”Huh, so it really does sound fancy…” He laughs, taking note of how difficult it now was for the other to get out every word. Really, how much had he drank since he got here?! ”Is that really what it means though? Damn... At least it’s kind of cute!”
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It was a simple comment, but one he meant, grinning at the other man.

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+ claude anderson

Vic nodded a couple of times in acknowledgement while he ate his lunch, listening to the other boy talk about his sisters and his relationship with them. Honestly, he didn’t really know what it was like. His own sister was only nine at the time, and as far as he was aware, she couldn’t have cared less about things like popularity and being “as girly as possible”. Maybe things like those would come with time, when she got to be around their age. But, right now? She was more of a handful than what even he had been back when he was her age.
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“They—my parents prefer daughters over sons.”
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Huh... Was that really a thing? Weird.
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”Do they really? That’s kind of silly… Why should those things matter at all?” As always, he was oblivious to that kind of thing, always prone to forgetting that most people out there saw the world differently than what he did. Particularly adults. Especially adults.
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When the other boy almost dropped his rice ball in surprise, he laughed; not mocking, but because it was a funny sight. ”Harassed? Mmm… Why would I?” Vic tilted his head, while also being well aware that the other probably meant that his other friends would say the kind of things they had already asked and said. Did Alex think he would lose all his friends if they began hanging out? That was just silly!
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”I have a lot of friends, I’ll be fine,” he shrugged, then beaming at Alex ”I like having a lot of people to hang out with. That includes you!” And, he really would be just fine, because things like peer pressure and gossip had never really affected Vic, and he really didn’t see why he would lose his friends thanks to that. He was nice to everyone and liked getting along with them all, that’s what mattered the most.


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+ Alexei Ivanov

Talk about a failure, huh?
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Everyone knew Flynn was the best player in the team, so it wasn’t supposed to be easy and Vic hadn’t expected it to be. If it had been, he would have probably thought the older boy had taken pity on him.
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Still, when he goes for the steal and Flynn so easily and expertly maneuvers around him, there is the slight and always unwelcome sting of failing at something he enjoys. A sigh escapes him, and he looks at the other boy. ”Man, that’s just not fair!” There is a laugh though, one that doesn’t really go well with the surprise and slight whining in his tone, and also a grin – for he doesn’t really mean his words. It’s fun; in the way playing soccer always is, and also in the way that comes with being in good company…
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He’s not about to give up just yet.
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”Okay, again!” The grin turns into a smirk, and taking that as enough of a warning, without waiting a second longer, he takes off. This time, everything about him, from his posture to every movement his body makes signals that he will try to kick the ball with his right foot and towards the right, but instead, he puts all of his weight on it in the last second, reaching to kick the ball with the left one. A feint.

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+ kris flynn-edwards

Had the situation not been what it was, Vic would have thought the boy in front of him looked really serious for someone who was wearing such a cute Mimikyu headset. Maybe it was his way of dealing with things? Maybe, beneath that whole aloof demeanor, he was really stressed or scared or annoyed – or, all of those! Vic wouldn’t have blamed him. It was a difficult situation, after all, and even he himself wasn’t in the mood for his usual cheeriness an–
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Wait… Where was this kid going?!
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Without giving it much thought, he followed along. Not just because he didn’t want to be left on his own, but because he felt as if it wasn’t a good idea for any of them to be alone in this sort of situation. It was important to stick together! What if something happened?! Maybe the other could handle himself just fine, but Vic wasn’t going to act based on the possibility of that, especially not with all those creepy noises ahead growing louder and louder...
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He hadn’t really intended to hold onto the boy’s shirt, but it had ended up happening. It was still dark as night even while having his phone in his hand, and this made it easier not to lose sight of him in the darkness.
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”Uhmm…” was all he could bring himself to say, well aware of those violet eyes staring at him. ”...Where are you going? The exit’s that way,” with his thumb, he pointed back in the opposite direction. Where could this person be headed if it wasn’t outside of the café?


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+ jayden cross

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He watched the bartender (Brian, apparently) as the man approached, refilling the glass only for it to be downed in a few seconds and having to be refilled once more. Technically, it wasn’t the man’s job to tell anyone to stop drinking, Vic knew as much. Hell, he’d usually benefit much more if they did not, but… was it really okay to let this go on? He was beginning to lose track of the amount of glasses the other had downed, and that was never a good sign…
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Of course, Vic himself could have said something too, but in this state, it felt like if he did Nameless Stranger over here was more likely to get annoyed and drink even more. Maybe it was better to just keep an eye on him... for now.
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”Ha! Isn’t it kind of obvious?” It probably wasn’t given the other’s state. He could have even forgotten his name already and it wouldn’t have surprised Vic in the least. ”It’s Victor. Lame, huh?” He smirked, swirling the liquid in his glass before drinking some of it.
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Gaze met that of the stranger once again. This time, a faint smile accompanying it. ”Your turn.”
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+ claude anderson

It may have only lasted a couple of seconds, maybe even less than that, but the older boy’s arms had suddenly wrapped around him, pulling him into a quick hug. Why? There was no particular reason why. Vic often did the same sort of thing with his friends, so he knew as much, but it wasn’t the sort of action he would have expected from others, especially not from someone like the soccer team’s captain.
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’So, that’s what it feels like…’
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A grin illuminates his expression, bright as the sun that shines above them on this warm summer day. He’s stunned by Flynn suddenly deciding to take the ball back, but he chuckles, watching the other boy as the distance grows between them. ”You want me to steal it from you?!” Flynn being the best player in the team, the task seems impossible. It’s a challenge; one that Vic welcomes with laugher.
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One deep breath later, he runs.
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See, the difficult part isn’t catching up. The difficult part is always moving around the other player in order to steal the ball, especially when they know what they’re doing with defending. 'Wait for the steal.'
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Vic isn’t one for patience, but he does try to wait. Running side by side, shoulder to shoulder, his gaze meets Flynn’s for a mere second, a smile on his face. And swiftly, as the ball passes from one foot to the other, he attempts to kick it away...

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+ kris flynn-edwards

“It feels like that—”
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It wasn’t often that Vic had nothing to say. He was rarely comfortable with silence, he didn’t like it, and yet, this time he allowed that very same silence to take over as he watched his friend.
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What could he have even said? Sometimes just wanting to help wasn’t enough. Sometimes people had deep wounds that took time to heal up. But, this in itself was a lesson Vic was yet to learn when being so young…
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”Mmm… What about your sisters?” He couldn’t help but ask then, wondering how it could be that someone’s siblings didn’t care for them. That wasn’t possible, right?! Didn’t all siblings love each other even if they fought? He himself would have done anything for his own, without a question.
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Wasn’t it the same for Alex?
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“But there really is no one…” A pause, finally taking the time to get his lunch box out of his backpack and calmly opening it before looking at the other boy once more. And this time, when he spoke, his usual smile was back – an honest grin that reached his eyes. ”...Then I’ll make sure to care! Since we’re friends, right?”
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Maybe it wasn’t as simple as that, but sometimes things in life were easier to handle when the whole complicated side of them was set aside.


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+ Alexei Ivanov