the first meeting

All day, he'd had nothing to do, and this bothered him. Noah tried to do as much in his days as he could, filling them to the brim with being social, trying new things, and talking to new people - today just hadn't turned out that way. He supposed every now and then he needed a break, lest he "work" himself to death, but this logic did not alleviate the restlessness growing inside of the pit of his stomach.

He walked through the courtyard now, hands tucked within the confines of the pockets of his brown cargo shorts and sandals crunching in the grass. Noah was glad he'd chosen a white top for today, since it was a little bit warmer than usual and apparently white repelled heat.

As he walked he spotted a young woman underneath a tree, and before he could even really think about his course of action he made his way over to her. Stranger or not, he was just the tinniest bit desperate for something to do, even if it was idle chit-chat.

"What are you reading?" he asked, nodding to the book and standing before her.

As Noah waited for the young lady to respond, his eyes couldn't help but trail down over her countenance; it was a force of habit, in a way. Something seemed a bit... odd, though he couldn't exactly place it, and it was odd that he couldn't figure out what it was. Usually he was sharper than this, so what was it?

"Ah, I see," he said, eyes returning to her face. She was blushing, although he didn't know why, unless she was the shy, insecure, uncertain type. It was possible, given the way she spoke, pausing and all - unless he was inadvertently doing something to make her uncomfortable. He nodded as the cover was shown to him, familiar with the title although he'd never read the book himself.

"Well if you like it you don't have to justify it to me," he said with a laugh, a bright smile coming across his face. "I was just asking." And now he was just trying to put her at ease.

"You mind if I sit here with you for a bit?" he asked, knowing it was always polite to inquire before actually doing something.

Noah smiled, about to sit down when he heard the voice of an acquaintance calling his name. Whirling his head around, he turned to look in his direction, head cocking to the side. Tranny...? Oh. The person he was speaking to? Well, that must have been what he couldn't figure out as strange, then - it was because the girl was actually a guy. It wasn't like it really bothered him, or even mattered much. If this guy was happy, then why should anyone else care?

The friend, however, was slammed into a wall, much to Noah's surprise. He turned to look at Rei, who was hovering above the ground, and took a step back, if only to give him room. He couldn't help but wonder how often he suffered like that, or how many people made fun of him for it. He was brave to be who he was in a world like this.

Once everything had settled down and Rei was sitting again, Noah took a place beside him, looking over at him without much on his face other than sympathy and understanding. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of," he said, easily reading the look on the other's face. "If you're happy and if you're strong enough to be who you are then you've got no reason to listen to douchebags who make fun of you. It's hard to ignore them, but you've got to; can't let them eat up and try to destroy you, not when you've already found yourself. Gotta be comfortable in your own skin before anything else."

Draping a comforting arm around his shoulders, Noah pulled him into a sort of awkward half-hug. "The names Noah Lancaster," he said with a nod. "And yours?"

Not proud? Noah could see that, it was easy to tell. The constant flushing, the way he spoke and how small he looked - they were all signs of insecurity. He couldn't help but feel bad; everyone should be proud of who they are, even if no one else saw it that way. He'd learned that a long time ago with his own family. "Yeah, it does get old," Noah said with a nod, almost as if he knew what Rei was talking about. "And hey, don't worry about the 'because'. You are who you are. That's all you can ask for."

Shrugging, he settled to rub Rei's shoulder, hoping it would make him feel better. "Nice to meet you, Rei," he said. Once again, his eyes went to look over his - her? - form, but it still eluded him. "I don't know how he even knew..." he mumbled. "You hide it well." It was the truth, at least.

"Don't care at all," Noah said, brows lifting. "It doesn't affect me. It's your life, you have to live it the way you want to. You know what I mean?"

His features softened. Ridicule. He knew it, but he ignored it, or just rolled with it - it wasn't like he was open and out here at school anyway. His private life was kept private, just the way it was supposed to be. "Yeah, I know," he said with a nod and a gentle smile. "Whatever, there are people who aren't like him anyway. You just have to find them and surround yourself with them." Still, he spoke as if from experience - and in a way, he did, although he'd never gone through anything half as bad as what Rei clearly did.

He allowed Rei to lean in closer, not minding one bit as he did so. The story he told seemed awful from the word 'dare', and as it continued Noah's eyes went wide and his lips parted somewhat in shock. "He what?" he asked, clearly disgusted. Was no one in the world allowed their privacy anymore? Where the hell had common decency gone? Who would look up someone's skirt, male or female, while all they were doing was just walking by minding their own business? Who would do that period?!

"People make me sick sometimes," he mumbled through a clenched jaw.

When Rei buried his face into his shoulder, Noah's hand lifted to gently smooth back his hair. The poor guy... Noah mentally reprimanded himself. Girl. Shit, it was going to take him a while to drive that into his head, as much as he hated to admit that.

"You can't help your genes," he said, moving his hand away from Rei's hair when she pulled back. A smile graced his lips when Rei settled into him again, allowing it without hesitance. How long had he gone without being cared for? It was awful; it was like they'd been raised in two different worlds. Noah had been smothered with love, almost suffocated by it - and it seemed that Rei hadn't.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.