𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚; 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘! - ᴍᴀʟᴇ ғᴀɴ x ᴍᴀʟᴇ ᴡᴇʙᴄᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴀʀᴛɪsᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ
𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧 𝟯.𝟬
"It's not that complicated, no matter what they say
You'll never meet another me
It's not that difficult to get your head around
You'll never meet another me
You'll never, never, ever, never, ever meet another me"
𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙤 — 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨
M/N stared at the screen of his phone as he walked through campus, rereading the hiatus message for what felt like the hundredth time.
_______________________________________
“Hi guys!! 💕✨
I’ll be taking a short break to recharge and come back even stronger!!
Thank you so much for all the love and support!you mean the world to me 🥺💖
Please wait for me!! (≧◡≦) ♡”
_______________________________________
Very cheerful, Very bright, He knew that. But that was the point. No one needed to know he was stuck. That he didn’t understand the thing his entire comic depended on.
He stopped walking, thumb hovering over the upload button. If he pressed it now, everything would pause.
Maybe that was good. Maybe it wasn’t.
He didn’t know if the break would help, or if he’d just come back with the same emptiness and fewer excuses.
He sighed and started walking again. Lost in thought, he didn’t notice the person stepping into his path until they collided.
—THUMP !
The impact wasn’t hard, but enough to knock his phone from his hand. It hit the ground with a sharp sound that snapped him back into the present.
M/n’s phone slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
“Oh—sorry,” the other person said immediately.
“I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
He winced, crouched, and picked it up. The screen was fine.
“It’s okay,” he said. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Are you sure?” the guy asked. His voice was calm, a little rushed but controlled. “I really wasn’t paying attention.”
“Yeah,” M/n said, already stepping past him. “I’m fine.”
Great. A collision before class. What a great way to start his day.
M/n was about to walk away—
Until he noticed the guy's face.
The guy was still there, watching him with mild concern. Blonde hair, very light, almost silver in the sun. Pale green eyes, that glimmered like amethyst. Simple clothes yet very charming.
…No.
There was no mistaken this...
The guy literally looks like the spitting image of Evander...
This was stupid, he must be tired, he must be! That was the only explanation. He hadn’t slept well, his mind was overloaded, and now it was playing tricks on him.
“Hey,” the stranger said gently.
“Are you really okay? You kind of spaced out.”
M/n blinked hard, rubbing his eyes. The image didn’t disappear.
“Yeah. Sorry.” He sounded annoyed, mostly at himself. This was stupid. There was no way someone like Evander could just exist in real life. He turned to leave,
“Wait—sorry,” the guy said, reaching out and lightly catching his wrist. He stopped immediately after, like he’d realized what he’d done.
“I just—can I ask you something?” M/n looked down at the hand, then back up.
“What?”
The guy pulled back and handed him a folded piece of paper.
“I’m a little lost...My class is about to start, and I don’t think I’m in the right place.” M/n glanced at the paper.
Same building, same unit, same time as him...
“…We’re in the same class,” he said.
“Just...follow me.”
“Oh, thank god,” the guy said, relieved.
“Thank you. I was starting to panic a little.” M/n started walking. The guy fell into step behind him.
“So,” the guy said after a moment,
“are you a first-year too?” M/n responded by nodding.
“Ah, I thought you were my upperclassmen.” he said, chuckling.
“I hope we can get along though.” M/n hummed quietly in agreement.
They walked in silence for a bit before the guy spoke again.
"Oh! Right, where are my manners? I’m Oriel, by the way. Oriel Milan.”
“M/n,” he replied.
“Nice to meet you, M/n,” Oriel said, smiling. “Thanks again for helping me. I would’ve been late for sure.”
“It’s fine.” Oriel glanced at him, curious but not pushy.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” M/n stiffened slightly.
“…Not really.”
“That’s okay,” Oriel said easily.
"I hope you don't mind me talking." M/n didn’t know how to respond to that, so he didn’t. They reached the building and headed inside. Oriel kept pace beside him, hands in his pockets, still relaxed.
They reached the classroom door just as students were filing in. M/n stopped, hand on the handle.
“This is it,” he said. Oriel nodded.
“Glad I ran into you then." M/n didn’t respond, his attention drifting again, his eyes catching on Oriel’s profile. The resemblance still didn’t make sense. He frowned slightly.
“You okay?” Oriel asked.
“…Yeah,” M/n said, quickly opening the door. “Just thinking.”
Both M/n and Oriel took their seats, but not together. The moment they reached the room, M/n veered off without a word, heading straight for his usual spot at the back.
Oriel paused like he wanted to say something, then shrugged and took a seat nearer the middle.
M/n dropped into his chair and stared at the desk.
'This is stupid,' he thought, fingers tightening around his pen. His mind kept replaying what had just happened earlier, every small detail looping whether he wanted it to or not.
“Hey.” M/n flinched.
Bonibell leaned over from the next seat, smiling way too brightly.
“So you’re already friends with the new student?”
M/n blinked.
"There was an announcement about it?” Bonibell’s smile turned into a grin.
“Seriously? The professor announced it yesterday. Were you even listening?”
“I—” M/n stopped, frowning.
“I don’t think so.”
Bonibell laughed softly.
“Figures. You always look like you’re somewhere else.”
M/n rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.
Before M/n could say anything else, Bonibell lightly tapped his arm.
“Uh...He’s looking at you.”
M/n’s eyes lifted on instinct, scanning the room. He found Oriel almost immediately. Oriel was sitting calmly, posture straight, lips curved in an easy smile. When their eyes met, Oriel lifted a hand in a small wave, then mouthed, 'Thank you!'
“What…?” M/n mumbled, the professor walked in before he could react, and the room quieted instantly.
The lecture started, but none of it stuck. M/n’s gaze kept drifting forward withut meaning to. Oriel listened attentively, pen tapping lightly against his chin as he thought, before starting to scribble something in his notebook in a circular motion.
“That’s not—” he stopped himself. “No.”
That was one of the qualities he gave Evander when he's bored in class.
M/n shook his head, trying not to think too much.
'Some people do that too, it's nothing worth losing my head over something minor.'
Oriel adjusted his grip on the pen, eyes focused on the board, completely unaware of the man sitting at the far back that was drilling holes to his head.
M/n looked down at his notes, realizing he hadn’t written a single word.
M/n tried to focus. He really did. The professor’s voice blended into a steady hum as small squeaks from the whiteboard marker could be heard, but his thoughts kept slipping away.
He wrote a random line in his notebook just to look busy, then stared at it, not remembering what he’d written. His eyes drifted forward again before he could stop himself.
Oriel tilted his head, listening, before he took out something inside his bag. A turquoise aqua flask.
M/n’s stomach twisted.
'No way... He has the same color of Evander's aqua flask...' M/n was getting overwhelmed by the many coincidence that appear in one guy. the more he tried to dismiss it, the louder the thoughts became.
'It's like Evander came to life...'
M/n pressed his pen too hard against the paper, the tip almost tearing through.
“Maybe my head is messing with me?” he thought, trying to delude his thoughts with reasonable logics.
“That’s it...You didn’t sleep. Your brain is just filling in gaps.”
Bonibell leaned closer, whispering,
“You okay? You keep on glancing at the new kid."
“I’m fine,” M/n muttered, too quickly.
M/n clenched his jaw.
He asked for someone like Evander. He just didn’t expect the universe to mock him by getting the details right.
THE bell rang, and Bonibell was already halfway out of her seat before she turned back toward him, grinning like she’d remembered something important.
“Hey,” Bonibell said, leaning over his desk.
“I won’t be joining you for lunch today.” M/n blinked.
“Why?”
“My boyfriend wants to try that new place near the gate. The one with the long line yesterday.”
“Oh...Okay." M/n nodded. She squinted at him.
“That’s it? No complaint? Not even a 'I'll miss you.'?”
“You said you’re eating,” he replied.
“Not disappearing forever.” Bonibell laughed.
“Wow. So mature.” She slung her bag over her shoulder, then softened.
“You sure you’re fine?”
“Yeah,” M/n said.
“Go. Have fun.”
She smiled, clearly pleased, and waved as she left. “Don’t miss me too much m'kay?”
“I won’t,” he said, though she was already gone.
◦•●◉✿ ✿◉●•◦
Outside, the bench felt bigger than usual. M/n sat down and immediately noticed the empty space across from him. Bonibell usually plopped herself there without asking, already talking before she even sat properly. Now there was just sunlight on wood and the quiet atmosphere accompanying him.
“…It’s fine,” M/n muttered to himself. He set his bag down, pulled out his lunch, and scrolled through his phone while eating, eyes glazing over post after post. He wasn’t really reading. Just moving his thumb so his brain wouldn’t wander.
Suddenly, A tap landed on his shoulder. M/n flinched slightly and looked up.
Oriel stood there, hands tucked into his pockets, posture relaxed. He smiled like this was the most natural thing in the world.
“Hey,” Oriel said. “Uh… is this seat taken?”
M/n hesitated. His gaze flicked to the empty space, then back to Oriel.
“No.”
“Mind if I sit?” Oriel asked anyway.
“…Sure,” M/n said after a beat. Oriel’s smile widened.
“Thanks.” He sat down across from him, setting his bag neatly by his feet. M/n immediately looked back at his phone, telling himself not to overthink it.
Don’t make it weird.
Oriel pulled out his lunch, carefully packed, simple. A salad and a carton of milk.
M/n froze for half a second before forcing himself to look away.
This is stupid.
“Is that all you’re eating?” Oriel asked, glancing at M/n’s food. M/n followed his gaze. Just water and crackers.
“Yeah.”
“That’s… light,” Oriel said.
“I’m not that hungry.”
“Food is very important to replenish your energy.” Oriel asked casually. M/n frowned.
“I know. ” Oriel chuckled.
"And yet you're eating very light...”
There was a brief silence. Not awkward, just filled with distant chatter and the sound of wrappers opening around them.
Oriel hummed under his breath, then said,
“I forget to eat sometimes too. But then I get dizzy later.”
“I don’t,” M/n replied.
“Still,” Oriel said, opening his container.
“It’s better to eat properly when you can.” M/n didn’t respond. He scrolled faster, eyes fixed on his screen.
Then something moved.
M/n glanced down just as a portion of salad slid toward him. He frowned.
“What are you doing?” Oriel looked up, fork paused mid-air.
“it's called sharing.”
“I didn’t say I wanted it.”
“I know,” Oriel said easily. “You just looked like you needed it.”
“That’s not your call.” Oriel tilted his head.
“Is it that bad?” M/n stared at the container. “Yes.” Oriel paused, then slowly pushed it back only to stop halfway.
“You don’t have to eat all of it. Just eat some and I'll stop.”
“…Why do you care?” M/n asked quietly. Oriel blinked, then laughed a little.
“Is it weird to care?”
“For strangers, yeah.” M/n said.
“Well,” Oriel replied, smiling again,
“we’re not strangers anymore.” M/n’s fingers tightened around his phone.
"Technically we are." M/n said, chewing on his crackers. Oriel sighs.
"What's my name?" M/n tilted his head.
"Oriel?"
"See! We're not strangers—"
"Then, what's favorite food?" M/n cuts him off.
"W-well..." Oriel sweat dropped.
"See, you dont even know me. Only my name."
"But we aren't completely strangers."
Evander used to say that. Word for word.
"It's also not taboo to help a stranger as well."
Oriel added, almost absentmindedly,
“Though It’s not much, but it helps. At least a bit.”
M/n contemplated for a second before sighing heavily. He finally took the salad back and started eating.
Oriel smilled at him, glad that he made M/n eat more.
"Cute..." He mumbled.
M/n just kept eating, while Oriel was humming softly, like the silence didn’t bother him at all.
“…You don’t talk much,” Oriel said after a bit, tone light.
“No,” M/n replied.
“That’s okay,” Oriel said.
“I talk enough for the both of us.” M/n glanced up at him, annoyed despite himself. Why wasn’t he leaving? Why wasn’t this working?
Maybe he’s just like Bonibell.
The thought irritated him more than it should have.
When they finished eating, Oriel closed his lunch container and asked, “Hey, can I walk with you to class again?”
M/n stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
“Sure.” Oriel matched his pace easily as they walked. After a few steps, he tilted his head, studying M/n a little too closely.
“You know,” Oriel said,
“you kind of look like someone I know.” M/n raised a brow.
“I do?”
“Yeah,” Oriel said. “Not just look. You act like him too.” M/n blinked.
“Act?” Oriel nodded.
“Quiet, Distant, Like you’re always thinking about something else.” M/n looked away.
“You’re probably thinking of someone else.”
“Maybe,” Oriel admitted, smiling. “But still.”
M/n didn’t ask. He already had an idea of what Oriel meant. The kind of character you see everywhere. Shy. Awkward. The type who somehow ends up with someone way out of his league.
Figures.
Oriel suddenly nudged the salad container toward him again.
“You sure you don’t want more?”
“I said no.” Oriel laughed softly.
“Alright, alright.” Then, without warning, he added,
“You’re adorable, though.”
M/n stopped walking.
“…What?” Oriel blinked, then smiled like he’d said something normal.
“Adorable.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“That’s probably why,” Oriel said easily.
M/n stared at him, completely lost.
“That doesn’t make sense.” Oriel shrugged.
“I guess you're naturally cute.”
The bell rang, cutting off whatever response M/n might’ve had. Students around them started moving, noise filling the hallway. Oriel stayed close, walking beside him like it was already decided.
Oriel didn’t seem bothered by the silence at all. He walked beside M/n with an easy pace, like this was something they’d done before.
“So,” Oriel said, glancing at him, “what’s your favorite food?”
“Spicy,” M/n answered. Oriel nodded.
“I can't handle spicy food much. I like chicken though! I like trying new flavors— oh! But my favorite is garlic parmesan."
“That’s…cool?” M/n said, eyes forward. Oriel laughed softly.
“Yeah. Especially on cheat days.” M/n’s fingers twitched at his side.
Huh...
Coincidentally, that was Evander's favorite food. Coincidence. That one still counts as coincidence.
They kept walking.
“What about animals?” Oriel asked.
“Do you have one you like?”
“Cats.”
“Really?” Oriel smiled.
“I like dogs. Labradors, to be specific. I like animals who are loyal to their owner.” M/n slowed just a bit before catching himself.
Labradors...
He told himself to calm down. Cats were common. Chicken was common. Even Labradors weren’t exactly rare favorites. On their own, none of these meant anything.
But all of them?
Stacked neatly. One after another.
“What about seasons?” Oriel continued, still cheerful. “Any favorite?”
“Winter.” Oriel’s expression softened.
“Autumn for me! I like stepping on dried leaves on autumn, it's very satisfying.”
M/n stopped walking. Oriel noticed immediately.
“What about— Hey—are you okay? You look like you spaced out.”
“No,” M/n said quickly. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
They walked again, but M/n’s thoughts spiraled.
It would be normal if one or two matched. People like dogs. People like chicken. People like autumn. Those were safe, average answers. But every single one lining up? Down to preferences and the reasons he’d written in a character sheet at three in the morning, thinking no one would ever mirror them exactly?
That wasn’t normal.
That was eerie.
Oriel didn’t just resemble Evander. He didn’t just act calm or dress simply. He moved like him, spoke like him, and now this.
his tastes,
his habits,
his rhythm.
I
can’t find a single thing about him that doesn’t scream Evander.
The realization made M/n’s chest feel tight.
Is this really happening?
The idea was ridiculous. Evander wasn’t real. He was fictional. A carefully crafted personality, refined over time. You couldn’t just bump into someone like that on campus.
And yet—
If someone like Evander did exist…
M/n glanced at Oriel from the corner of his eye.
Oriel would be the closest thing to him.
“Hey,” Oriel said suddenly, breaking the silence.
“You’re really quiet. Did I say something weird?”
“No,” M/n replied. “You didn’t.”
“You sure?” Oriel tilted his head slightly. “People usually tell me when I talk too much.”
“You’re fine.” Oriel smiled, clearly taking that at face value.
“Okay. Good.” They reached the classroom soon after.
As they stopped, M/n felt another thought creep in, unwanted but persistent.
He would be the perfect reference.
The thought made him uncomfortable. Using someone like that. Turning a real person into a tool for his comic. It felt wrong, especially when they’d only just met.
Asking now would be strange. Creepy, even.
No. Not yet.
If he wanted answers, real ones. then he’d need to get closer first.
Not for the comic.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
Oriel waved lightly. “See you inside.”
“Yeah,” M/n said. Oriel headed to his seat. M/n walked to the back of the room, sat down, and stared at his desk.
This was either the biggest coincidence of his life…
Or the universe had a cruel sense of timing.
Either way, he wasn’t ready for it.
CLASSES finally ended, the sound of chairs scraping and voices rising filling the hallway.
M/n let himself get carried by the crowd, bag slung over one shoulder, head slightly down like always.
He was already planning his route home when someone matched his pace beside him.
“Today was pretty productive,” Oriel said, stretching his arms lightly. “I didn’t expect my first day to go that smoothly.” M/n glanced at him.
“It was… normal.” Oriel laughed.
“I’ll take normal. I’m exhausted already. I can’t wait to go home and rest.” M/n nodded.
“Same.”
They reached the campus gates, the crowd thinning as students branched off in different directions. Oriel slowed, then stopped walking altogether.
“Hey,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly a little shy.
“Can I ask you something?” M/n paused.
“What?”
“You’re kind of… the first person I actually talked to today,” Oriel said.
“Would it be okay if I got your contact? I’d like to get to know you more. Maybe chat online too.” M/n blinked. He didn’t really hesitate. There wasn’t much reason to.
“Sure,” he said, pulling out his phone. Oriel’s face lit up instantly.
“Really?”
M/n read out his number. Oriel typed it in carefully, like it mattered.
“There,” Oriel said, smiling.
“Thanks. I mean it.”
“No problem.” Oriel nodded, clearly pleased.
“I’ll message you later, then.”
“Okay.” They stepped outside the gates. Oriel waved and took a different path, glancing back once before disappearing into the crowd.
M/n stood there for a moment longer.
This is awkward.
He’d told himself that if he ever met someone like Evander, he’d observe them. Study them. Learn. But standing next to Oriel all day had done the opposite. It didn’t feel clinical. It felt… unsettling.
Still, if he needed to get close to Oriel to understand him better, then friendship was the obvious route. Useful, at least.
“I’ll give it a week,” M/n muttered under his breath. “Just one.”
ORIEL didn’t walk far before stopping.
He pulled out his phone again, staring at the newly saved contact. M/n. Just the name alone made his chest tighten. A slow blush crept across his face, his smile stretching into something far too intense to be casual.
He exhaled shakily. “God…”
So cute.
He covered his mouth with his hand, eyes bright, unfocused. Calm. Quiet. Awkward. Every small response, every short answer, it all replayed in his head.
Just like Quillan.
No—exactly like him.
Oriel hugged his phone to his chest for a second, then pulled it back up, staring at the screen again like it might disappear.
“This has to be fate,” he whispered.
“It has to be.”
Of all campuses. Of all days.
“…You really exist,” he murmured. His lips curved into a smile that didn’t match the gentle one he wore all day. This one was wider. Hungrier. His fingers hovered over the contact as if touching it too much might wear it down.
“That face you made,” Oriel said, laughing under his breath. “You didn’t even realize how cute it was.”
He pressed the phone against his cheek this time, eyes half-lidded.
“This can’t be coincidence. There’s no way.”
Out of everyone in the world, the one person who felt exactly like Quillan existed. And Oriel just happened to find him. On the first day. In the same class.
“God really does have favorites,” he said
quietly.
“And for once… it’s me.”
M/n didn’t just look like Quillan. He acted like him.
The same distant politeness.
The same lack of reaction.
The same quiet presence.
And Oriel had spent years loving Quillan.
Studying him. Memorizing him. Obsessing over every panel, every expression.
That was why Evander existed.
Oriel’s fingers brushed his dyed hair unconsciously, Platinum blond, Perfect. His contacts tingled slightly as he blinked, pale green catching the light.
Everything about him...
His posture,
His habits,
His preferences,
I
t's not his.
Every favorite food. Every preference. Chicken on cheat days, Autumn afternoons, Labradors, specifically. Healthy meals paired with strange drinks, Scribbling circle on his notebooks when bored, loving the color turquoise, sharing food without asking.
All of them isn't him, far from it.
He didn’t always look like this. He didn’t always act like this.
But Evander was Quillan’s favorite.
And Oriel wanted to be chosen.
He remembered the decision clearly.
“I’ll be him,” he’d said back then, staring at his reflection.
“If that’s who belongs next to you… then I’ll become him.”
"I’m so glad I enrolled here,” he murmured, smile widening. “I almost didn’t.”
He lifted the phone closer to his face, eyes soft, unhinged with affection, and pressed a small kiss to the screen.
“I’ll take good care of you,” he whispered. “I promise.”
Friends first. Slow steps. Trust.
Evander was patient.
And so would he be.
Oriel glanced once more at the contact, thumb hovering over the message button.
“Soon,” he whispered. “I’ll make you look at me the way Quillan looks at Evander.” He slipped his phone into his pocket and walked on, smile never fading.
Meeting M/n wasn’t coincidence.
It was destiny finally catching up to him.
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