(no subject)

[choneychurch]

Who: Addy & Cecil
When: After Class
Where: Main Lodge
What: A study session that leads to goofy bonding and unexpected plans.
Warnings: None

Plants were supposed to be easy, and fun. Addy felt, as she tilted her chair on to two of its legs, that this was a bold-faced lie. She’d met Cecil in the main lodge as part of a long standing tradition; he’d actually help her in Herbology, and she’d pretend to help with any Potions questions he probably pretended to have. It worked out, because he was one of possibly the only people she felt obligated to pay attention to. It didn’t mean she couldn’t try to break the mind-numbing silence during the parts where they were supposed to be reading. That felt just about charitable. She leaned the two legs back on the floor with the tiniest of thuds, and grinned up from her textbook.

“So. You never said said if you did anything fun this summer!” Which maybe he had, and maybe it was an obvious distraction, but Addy was still rusty at not-studying techniques. They’d get better.

Because all of this was like a tradition, not just the agreement to study together but Addy's inevitable (and often successful) attempt to distract him from the subject, Cecil glanced up from the book in front of him with a knowing smile. A smile that said he was on to her, but willing to go along for a few minutes if she needed a break that badly. He touched one fingertip to the page to mark his spot, then answered with a brief laugh, "I did the same thing I do every summer, Addy. I went home. Helped dad with the hives, wrangled my sisters, learned a few new recipes from mom. Same old, same old." Coming from anyone else, this might've sounded like a complaint, but he spoke of his family with uncomplicated and obvious fondness. The same way he talked about their housemates. While there had been a few deviations from the normal this year, like discussions with his parents about what he might do after graduation and an absurdly one-sided crush on a Muggle neighbor that he'd met in town, none of that seemed worth mentioning.

Instead, he leaned one elbow on the table and looked at the girl beside him expectantly. Then he asked the obvious question. "What about you? Your summer's always more exciting than mine. And Herbology."

Addy practically beamed when the (very obvious) ruse worked. Cecil was a really good sport like that. “That sounds nice.” wasn’t even a little sarcastic. “Think you like. REALLY need a break from wrangling, though.” The uncharacteristic sheepishness in her smile meant that she still hadn’t forgotten the amount they’d put him through already, this year.

“I was actually so good this summer!” Her face flickered back to a more normal, delighted expression. “I was only grounded once, and I went to Kentucky. Separate incidents. AND I saw my sister in DC and didn’t even like, try to start an international scandal with a senator.” She raised an eyebrow, to gauge how impressed he was. “See? So good.”

It wasn't difficult to read the meaning in Addy's expression and Cecil produced a reassuring smile, shaking his head and teasing, "You all are my break. You think you're more mischievous than pre-teen triplets? Don't kid yourself." It wasn't entirely true. His sisters were a handful at times and listened to him about as reliably as Levi, but there were still only three of them and his parents were on hand if things ever got really out of control. But he also wanted Addy to know that the comparatively minor transgressions of the year weren't weighing on him (...much) and that they shouldn't weigh on her either.

Then he listened to the girl talk about her summer and his smile deepened. "So good," he agreed brightly, then tilted his head faintly to one side as he considered. "What's in Kentucky? Besides the derby, bluegrass, and bourbon, I guess."

“Do you think I couldn’t be worse than pre-teen triplets?” Said to her parents or a teacher, this would be maybe an actual threat of really awful behavior to come. At Cecil, it was a nudge to his elbow, and a tilt to her grin. “Careful, there.”

She had to watch his face to see if he was trying to teasing her about the next part. She didn’t really mind either way, and probably deserved it for bringing it up in the first place. “WELL.” She drawled out, fake-considering. “And fried chicken, and a 400-mile yard sale! We went there. Jonny lives in Kentucky, I visited.” She shrugged, as if it was very casual and not at all happy. Her face probably gave her away, too. “But it’s super pretty, you should visit Virginia sometime, and we could go!”

Cecil, considerably larger than Addy, didn't budge when he was elbowed and instead took the opportunity to catch the girl in a brief, one-armed hug. "Not a chance," he reiterated warmly, giving her a gentle squeeze before letting her go and adding, "They've got a secret language and everything."

Knowing relatively little about Addy's boyfriend, just enough to be surprised (and occasionally a little concerned) by the fact that he was her boyfriend, Cecil hadn't been teasing her and his expression remained genuinely curious. Her feigned drawl made him laugh and he was about to respond in kind when she came to the real reason. Understanding dawned on the young man's face. Even if he wasn't always sure about Jonny, though, he could see how happy she was and he intended to support her. "Lots of good things in Kentucky, then," he acknowledged earnestly and nodded, "I'm glad you got to go."

She didn't seem inclined to dwell on it, though, so he didn't press. Instead, he added, "That'd be fun. Going to Virginia or Kentucky, I mean. I've never seen either."

Addy took the opportunity of a surprise-hug to nestle into Cecil’s shoulder, just for a second. She emerged with about a million watt smile. Her head boy was just about the best person she knew, and she’d missed him. “Some of the best things, in Kentucky.” She agreed, face staying lit up. It was the closest she’d probably get to talking about Relationships. “SOME.” She was very serious about that emphasis, pointing directly at Cecil, who was also the best.

“You’ve never?” Was almost genuine surprise. “Well, you have to. I mean, if nothing else, I’ve gotta have some excuse to bother you after graduation. WHICH is this year?” She looked almost betrayed at the fact.

Still smiling, albeit more gently in the aftermath of Addy's touching proclamation, Cecil looked back at the girl and echoed the sentiment earnestly, "Some."

Then, after a moment of pause, he glanced down and shrugged his broad shoulders. "I've never really been anywhere," he admitted, not knowing quite how to explain it. His parents rarely left the rural stretch of North Dakota where they lived and both were dedicated entirely to work and family and home. The outside world was fine to them, but he sometimes thought that they could live the rest of their lives quite happily without it. He didn't fault them for it, but he thought he probably wouldn't choose to live the same way once he was on his own. Even if that wasn't something he was entirely prepared to wrap his mind around.

When he looked up again, he greeted Addy's injured expression with reassurance. "Before graduation or after, you never need an excuse to bother me. You know that. But I'd like that." His eyebrows quirked faintly upward and he teased, "So. Roadtrip?"

He might’ve been teasing, but Addy’s eyes sparked up anyway. “Roadtrip!” And it was good as confirmed. “We can see everything.” She didn’t want to dwell on the fact that he hadn't been anywhere yet, because he had plenty of time. Her chin perked up when she remembered another point.

“And I'm like. A really good driver.” Because she couldn't really lie to Cecil, though, she ended it with a little laugh. “I mean. I didn't get a ticket this year, so chances are getting better that you'd PROBABLY live.” She kicked her legs out a little, getting far into this hypothetical. “Where would you want to go first? Like, when you have the chance.”

Cecil had been kidding, but the rapt expression on Addy's face and the eager tone in her voice immediately made him reconsider. It would be a good way to see a lot and good way to spend time with his friend once she was no longer a classmate; he liked the idea. He folded his arms on the edge of the table, the place he'd been marking in the textbook with his finger forgotten now along with the studying, and nodded enthusiastically. "Me too. I'm a pretty good driver, I mean." His father had taught him to drive two summers ago, though his experience was limited almost entirely to North Dakota's country roads where seeing other cars was rare and paved segments were even rarer. But he thought the principles would be the same anywhere. "So we could take turns. And still probably live."

The question, though, gave him pause. There were lots of places that he wanted to go, but the place he wanted to go first...he had no idea. He bit his lip briefly. "I'd have to think about it," he admitted finally. This break in the conversation's momentum allowed him to realize that this might all still just be hypotheticals and he hesitated before adding, "If you're serious about this?" He found himself hoping that she was.

Addy rolling her eyes meant that there was an implied duh just behind them. “Duh.” She said out loud this time. “Dead serious. It’d be really fun! I share a car with my sister, technically, but I’m SURE she’d let us use it.” She cut herself off mid-plan with a smirk. “OR I mean, if you’d prefer not being trapped with me in a tiny space with me for hours on end, we could ask other people and get a bigger van, or something. But it’s BASICALLY a rite of passage, so we have to.”

Cecil laughed, the sound bright and genuinely delighted even if Addy was rolling her eyes at him. It was a lot to consider and, while adding more people to this adventure would undoubtedly make everything more complicated, he was certain that it would be worth it. This rite of passage was meant to be made with friends. And driving a van couldn't be that different from driving a truck. He smiled broadly at the younger Blue Jay. "Have I told you lately that you're brilliant?"

Addy scoffed, but just a little. Mostly, she couldn’t help but look delighted right back. He didn’t know yet, but she really was already plotting where to go and how many people/all their things you could fit into a van with magic. She knew it would work. Specific details weren’t that important; it had no option but being the best. “Takes brilliant to know it. You make me a guest list and some places you want to hit, I’ll figure it out.”

"I'll work on it," Cecil promised. He still didn't want his senior year to go by too quickly and he still didn't know what life might look like after graduation, but this was one aspect of the future that he could look forward to without any hesitation.

Finally, reluctantly, he reached over and tapped the book in front of Addy. They had to get back to the here and now at some point. "...But let's be sure we pass first?"

Sometimes Addy would push for distraction to continue, but he wasn't wrong. And anyway, he'd just agreed to a big, potentially irresponsible Thing; she had to meet him halfway, sort of. With a long suffering sigh,and a proclamation of “IF I MUST,” Addy drew the book back towards her.