Chapter Text
Corbett stared at the single package of instant ramen noodles in his hands, his lips firmly pressed into a straight line. In spite of his efforts to stretch out his meager food budget for the whole of the university term, he was somehow down to his last morsel of food...right before the start of final exam week. He glanced back at the opened cupboard, hoping there was something else left in there--some crackers, an onion, anything. But only dust and cobwebs remained.
He looked back at his ramen, feeling all too keenly the pang of hunger that had been stabbing at him all day, and ripped open the plastic wrap without further ado. Setting aside the seasoning packets, he weighed the flat disc of dried noodles in his hands before snapping it in half. After a moment of further consideration, he snapped each half apart into quarters. He would eat one quarter now, and then eat another quarter each day he had final exams.
While waiting for the water in the electric kettle to boil, he gazed out of the small window of his dorm room, watching the early summer sun’s lazy descent over the university grounds. The bell tower chimed six times, and students began to pour out of the buildings across the way, having finished the last classes of the day. Among the exodus Corbett spotted a head of flaming orange hair slowly making its way toward his general direction. The kettle began to whistle, and Corbett reached over to turn it off. He poured the hot water into a ceramic cup with the ramen noodle quarter, and carefully shook approximately one-fourths of the contents of the seasoning packet into the cup. He began to stir the mixture with a fork, and by the time the noodles had cooked all the way through, the door to his room opened.
“Hey, Corbett.” The flame-haired individual nodded at him from the doorway.
“Hey, Erich.” Corbett watched his roommate saunter inside and dump his book bag onto his bunk. Erichthonios, or Erich as he preferred to be addressed, was in the same year as Corbett. They had first met a year prior as they happened to share several classes together. The two of them quickly became study buddies, and then roommates the following year.
Erichthonios straightened up and pointed at Corbett’s mug. “Coffee?”
“Sure.”
“You liar. It smells like chicken stock in here. You know you can just ask me to take you to get a meal at the dining hall, right?”
“You know I don’t like asking for charity. You already got me that summer job at your father’s friend’s home in the countryside...”
“And I don't like constantly asking you for help on homework and studying for exams, but here we are. You might as well get something out of it.”
Corbett sipped from his mug. “I’ve never minded. I like spending time with you. You’re very kind and sincere. It’s been rather hard to make friends here, being a scholarship student...”
Erichthonios shook his head. “It is not enough to be upper class. Take a dimwit like me--sure, people come to me because of my father’s status, but the moment they realize I’m nothing like him, they leave and then point and laugh at me from afar.”
“You are not a dimwit. Your strengths lie in practical knowledge and caring for others. It’s not your fault your father made you take courses in more theoretical and abstract subjects.”
Erichthonios blew air through his nose. “Yeah. It’s dumb. Just have to survive until I graduate, but I don’t know if I’ll even make it this term. If you want to continue having me as your roommate next year, could you please come to dinner with me and go through our study guides together after?”
Corbett slurped the rest of the noodles from his mug, and set it down with a resigned smile. “Good point. Alright, Erich. Let’s go to dinner.”
Thanks to Erichthonios’s generosity, Corbett did not have to spend finals week subsisting solely on his three remaining quarters of instant ramen noodles (although they were consumed as a late night snack). With a full belly Corbett aced his exams with full marks, and Erichthonios managed to achieve grades that would keep his father’s ire at bay for another few months, or so he said.
Now, the two of them were sitting together in the nicest car Corbett had ever been in, chauffeured through winding country roads to the estate they would both spend their summer vacation at. Corbett, who had never been outside the city his whole life, spent much of the trip with his nose pressed against the window, marveling at the rolling green hills and lush meadows, the quaint little villages dotted here and there, the patches of dense forest bordering cattle pens and crop fields.
“Oh--” Corbett turned to Erichthonios, remembering something he wanted to ask. “Did your father’s friend ever tell you what sort of work I would be doing over the summer?”
“About that...” Erichthonios shifted uncomfortably. There was a long silence. “You won’t be doing any work,” he finally said.
“What?”
“You won’t be working at the estate this summer. You will be staying with me there as a guest.”
“What?!”
Erichthonios leaned forward, his ruby eyes serious. “Corbett, did you honestly think I would have you mop floors and wash dishes inside all day while I go off on horseback rides and fishing trips and hiking excursions?”
Corbett thought about it. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t. But why not just ask me to spend the summer with you, then?”
“Would you really have accepted? I know you usually spend your summers working odd jobs so you can afford enough instant noodles for the upcoming school year.”
“Fair point.” Already a low sense of panic was gripping Corbett. If he was going to be out in the countryside all summer not working, how was he going to afford to eat later in the year...?
Erichthonios’s expression softened. “Don’t worry. I know you were really counting on that job. So you’ll still receive the money as though you worked. It’s all been arranged.”
“I can’t accept that!” Corbett protested. “I don’t feel comfortable taking money for nothing.”
“I knew you’d say that. How about...a fully paid for unlimited meal plan for the whole year? I mean, food is what you normally spend your money on.” As Corbett continued to demur, Erichthonios added, “Think about it. The grapes and oranges and apples you always like to get whenever I take you to the dining hall--you can have all kinds of fresh fruit whenever you want, however much you want. Same with everything else.”
Fresh fruit and vegetables whenever Corbett wished...yes, that sounded much more ideal than another year of eating salty instant ramen noodles and further exacerbating his nutrient deficiencies. And not being constantly hungry meant he would have the energy to pursue hobbies outside of schoolwork--reading novels, visiting museums and historic sites. Perhaps he could even find the time to learn to play the piano like he had always wished to. For once in his life, he could be selfish. “Alright, I can accept the meal plan,” Corbett said slowly, feeling a weight he never knew he had lift off his shoulders. “Thank you, Erich. I truly appreciate it.”
Erichthonios lightly punched his arm, grinning. “I knew you’d come around. We’re going to have an absolute blast this summer, just you wait.”