High School AU - Part Seven
Marshmallow #19. When I Grow Up
and Strawberry Banana #14. Fortunetelling with Chopped Nuts
Story : knights & necromancers ( High School AU)
Timeframe : Monday
Word Count : 846
Rating : G
I am going in chronological order with this : PARTS 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
Sethan tossed his backpack down on the edge of Kairn’s desk. About to do the same, Kairn thought of the egg nestled in its wad of napkins in the pocket with his calculator and put it down gently. He was sure he caught a snicker from Sethan at that.
Kairn scooped up the can of fish food from the corner of the desk and headed to the tank. Sethan peered over the bags at the pile of brochures and applications that had overrun Kairn’s workspace and raised a brow. “Still trying to decide?”
Kairn looked back over his shoulder as he tapped the flakes into the bowl and a half dozen little brightly colored fish darted out from their plastic foliage. “Nah, I’m just going to send one in to all the state schools. That’s what Mom can afford. Some of them want papers though, and that’s killing me. I mean, look at this.” He plucked a set of crisp white sheets from the clutter and thrust them in front of Sethan. “What sort of stupid question is that to ask a sixteen-year-old anyway?” He tossed the application back into the waiting heap of brochures. “Where do I want to be in ten years? Not here?”
Sethan laughed.
“So what about you?” he said, capping the fish food and stowing it back on the desk. “Where are you in ten years?”
Sethan’s face twisted as he took a moment to tick it off on his fingers. “Finishing medical school, I guess.”
“Ten years and you’re still in school?”
Sethan glared at him over the tops of his splayed fingers. “You think I’m looking forward to it?”
Kairn eyed the pamphlets spread across the desk. “You could do something else, you know.” Not that he was getting any ideas from the repetitive shots of generic teens gathered on lawns with fat books in their laps or the brightly colored logos splashed around them.
“Yeah, you tell my mother that.”
“I’m sure she’d- Why are you going through my bag?”
Sethan pulled out the egg with a smirk, and Kairn rolled his eyes.
“You know,” said Kairn, idly flipping one of the pamphlets open to a wall of text and a smiling, goggle-wearing girl with a microscope. “I’ll be happy just to get in somewhere at all.”
“Better get writing then.”
Kairn scowled at the discarded application. “Yeah. Well, in ten years I’d better be done with school. For good. Maybe I study fish or something. That’s good, right? I could go work at the aquarium downtown.” He shot Sethan a cautious smile, but he was too busy digging in his own bag now to bother.
“Don’t forget the missis and the little one.”
“You’re not going to let that drop, are you?”
Sethan looked up, a fat black Sharpie in hand. “You’d be in a lot of trouble if I did.” He stretched his arm out into the open air and the egg teetered between his fingers.
“You know what I mean.”
Sethan pulled the egg back from its supposed imminent doom, uncapped the marker, and shook his head. “I mean it, you know. One day you’re going to wake up and stop ogling slutty cheerleaders, and the rest of us are just going to have to deal with you and Reida all cow-eyed over each other.”
“Unlikely, but whatever. It’s not going in any essay at any rate. Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? No.” The Sharpie squeaked against the eggshell with the rapid strokes of Sethan’s hand, but he kept his head bowed, a thick curtain of dark curls hiding his face.
“You think you’re going to be alone, don’t you?” Sethan still didn’t look up. “In ten years, wherever we are, you’re still my best friend.”
Sethan straightened himself, facing him with his usual tight-lipped smirk and turning the egg to display his work. “Look, I gave it a face.”
“I’m sure its mother will approve.” As if carrying around a slowly rotting egg wasn’t embarrassing enough. “She thinks it’s a girl, you know. The pink stamp and all.”
Sethan sniffed. He turned the egg back around and the marker returned to its squeaking. “Speaking of mothers, mine left again this morning.”
“Oh?”
“Some business thing like always.” He shrugged. “Ohio, or maybe it was Iowa, I don’t know, I wasn’t really listening. Is that better?” Along the lids of its big, glossy eyes, the egg now had rows of thick, curly lashes.
Kairn groaned. What did he expect, opening his mouth like that? “Sure,” he said. “So, they’re both gone again?”
“Yup.” He propped the egg carefully against the base of a lamp and gave what was now the top of its head a pat. “I think I might just start renting their room out.”
“Are you staying for dinner?”
“Do you think I could?” The smirk was gone for a moment, something more humble, genuinely hopeful even, in its place.
Kairn laughed. “Like my mom’s going to let you go back to an empty apartment and Spaghetti-O’s or whatever crap your mom’s left you.”
and Strawberry Banana #14. Fortunetelling with Chopped Nuts
Story : knights & necromancers ( High School AU)
Timeframe : Monday
Word Count : 846
Rating : G
I am going in chronological order with this : PARTS 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
Sethan tossed his backpack down on the edge of Kairn’s desk. About to do the same, Kairn thought of the egg nestled in its wad of napkins in the pocket with his calculator and put it down gently. He was sure he caught a snicker from Sethan at that.
Kairn scooped up the can of fish food from the corner of the desk and headed to the tank. Sethan peered over the bags at the pile of brochures and applications that had overrun Kairn’s workspace and raised a brow. “Still trying to decide?”
Kairn looked back over his shoulder as he tapped the flakes into the bowl and a half dozen little brightly colored fish darted out from their plastic foliage. “Nah, I’m just going to send one in to all the state schools. That’s what Mom can afford. Some of them want papers though, and that’s killing me. I mean, look at this.” He plucked a set of crisp white sheets from the clutter and thrust them in front of Sethan. “What sort of stupid question is that to ask a sixteen-year-old anyway?” He tossed the application back into the waiting heap of brochures. “Where do I want to be in ten years? Not here?”
Sethan laughed.
“So what about you?” he said, capping the fish food and stowing it back on the desk. “Where are you in ten years?”
Sethan’s face twisted as he took a moment to tick it off on his fingers. “Finishing medical school, I guess.”
“Ten years and you’re still in school?”
Sethan glared at him over the tops of his splayed fingers. “You think I’m looking forward to it?”
Kairn eyed the pamphlets spread across the desk. “You could do something else, you know.” Not that he was getting any ideas from the repetitive shots of generic teens gathered on lawns with fat books in their laps or the brightly colored logos splashed around them.
“Yeah, you tell my mother that.”
“I’m sure she’d- Why are you going through my bag?”
Sethan pulled out the egg with a smirk, and Kairn rolled his eyes.
“You know,” said Kairn, idly flipping one of the pamphlets open to a wall of text and a smiling, goggle-wearing girl with a microscope. “I’ll be happy just to get in somewhere at all.”
“Better get writing then.”
Kairn scowled at the discarded application. “Yeah. Well, in ten years I’d better be done with school. For good. Maybe I study fish or something. That’s good, right? I could go work at the aquarium downtown.” He shot Sethan a cautious smile, but he was too busy digging in his own bag now to bother.
“Don’t forget the missis and the little one.”
“You’re not going to let that drop, are you?”
Sethan looked up, a fat black Sharpie in hand. “You’d be in a lot of trouble if I did.” He stretched his arm out into the open air and the egg teetered between his fingers.
“You know what I mean.”
Sethan pulled the egg back from its supposed imminent doom, uncapped the marker, and shook his head. “I mean it, you know. One day you’re going to wake up and stop ogling slutty cheerleaders, and the rest of us are just going to have to deal with you and Reida all cow-eyed over each other.”
“Unlikely, but whatever. It’s not going in any essay at any rate. Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? No.” The Sharpie squeaked against the eggshell with the rapid strokes of Sethan’s hand, but he kept his head bowed, a thick curtain of dark curls hiding his face.
“You think you’re going to be alone, don’t you?” Sethan still didn’t look up. “In ten years, wherever we are, you’re still my best friend.”
Sethan straightened himself, facing him with his usual tight-lipped smirk and turning the egg to display his work. “Look, I gave it a face.”
“I’m sure its mother will approve.” As if carrying around a slowly rotting egg wasn’t embarrassing enough. “She thinks it’s a girl, you know. The pink stamp and all.”
Sethan sniffed. He turned the egg back around and the marker returned to its squeaking. “Speaking of mothers, mine left again this morning.”
“Oh?”
“Some business thing like always.” He shrugged. “Ohio, or maybe it was Iowa, I don’t know, I wasn’t really listening. Is that better?” Along the lids of its big, glossy eyes, the egg now had rows of thick, curly lashes.
Kairn groaned. What did he expect, opening his mouth like that? “Sure,” he said. “So, they’re both gone again?”
“Yup.” He propped the egg carefully against the base of a lamp and gave what was now the top of its head a pat. “I think I might just start renting their room out.”
“Are you staying for dinner?”
“Do you think I could?” The smirk was gone for a moment, something more humble, genuinely hopeful even, in its place.
Kairn laughed. “Like my mom’s going to let you go back to an empty apartment and Spaghetti-O’s or whatever crap your mom’s left you.”