Jonathan looked up at Edward and the hand extended to him, looking almost immediately suspicious. He didn't fancy touching his hand, felt like a trap and all but he also knew that it was good manners so he was compelled to return it, shaking Edward's hand firmly before rising to his feet picking up his bag, cramming his book into it.
"Don't get too carried away now, son. You don't even know me. You watch yourself and you keep away if you know what's good for you." He slung his bag on and stepped around Edward, heading towards the exit. He was the lowest of the low here, any time spent with him would not help his standing. He was doing Edward a favour.
Son? Huh. Edward wanted to just follow right behind Jonathan, but unfortunately some of the boys had taken it upon themselves to heckle him over sounding like a nerd before, apparently. It might have ended even worse, but luckily Edward knew how to charm some of the girls in class, at least temporarily, making them speak up to have the boys lay off him.
He assumed that really would only lead to more hurt down the line, but at least it meant he could follow behind Jonathan. Of course, by then it was too late and he had to go to his next class anyway.
It wasn't until it was time for detention that he did see Jonathan again and he just sat down next to him this time. "If I knew what was good for me, I wouldn't be stuck here."
He just continued their exchange, as if the hours between then and now hadn't passed.
"What?" He looked at Edward, trying to work out if he had said something to lead into that... then he had a mini flashback and realised that yes, he had. He took a sharp inhale and then tried not to laugh as he turned forward, staring at the blackboard instead. "You just saved that up for when you saw me again? Huh. You really don't like unresolved shit, do you? Or do you just like to have the last word?"
Probably a mix of both. He checked his watch and sighed, knowing he had half an hour to go and the teacher wasn't even here yet. Usually all they had to do was clean so it wasn't going to be too awkward. Hopefully.
"Some of column a, some of column b. Oh, and every other conversation I've had today has been so dreadfully dull, you are like my shining light in this ocean of shit." That was slightly exaggerated in some ways, mainly that he knew that Jonathan wasn't that much of a light. Didn't even seem like he wanted to look at him, for one, something Edward had never taken to well. Not from people whose attention he wanted.
Perhaps Jonathan should have been shocked, there was an awkward moment where he felt his heart stop because it was just a habit but these days, the feeling didn't linger any more. It was a quick feeling, in and out of him, and all that was left was resignation and amusement. He got asked this a lot. Or called it a lot. With a tired sigh, he still didn't look at Edward. This boy clearly wanted to provoke but not because he wanted to make an enemy - he wanted to make a friend. He wanted Jonathan to give him some sort of attention or validation. He wasn't going to give it - it was more fun this way.
"Bad classroom conduct again." Jonathan tsked, his tone mocking. "That's a slippery slope to Satan right there."
"Good, good. I was hoping I'd get to see the devil coming down to Georgia, Jonny." Might as well, he had had that song stuck in his head since he'd made the connection before. All the more reason to befriend this strange boy. Since Jonathan still wasn't looking at him, Edward looked at him all the more closely, studying what he could see. Plaid, like the unofficial uniform dictated. Did not fit him well, his clothes. His hands were calloused, he had felt that before. Farm work? Probably, at a place like this.
Edward so wasn't the type for outside work. He was annoyed enough by the freckles he was already sporting. So not his style. "So, what do you do? I'm a sinner." Evidently.
"I can tell." It was pretty obvious that Edward was a sinner and he loved being one. Not that Jonathan cared either way but he did find men who dabbled in sin more interesting, more intriguing, more... attractive. He didn't like to think about it too much, that was a good way to get himself into a lot of trouble but Edward was stupidly handsome and it was stupid to pretend that he wasn't.
"Doesn't matter what I am or what I do. I ain't looking for friendship." He was just looking to be left alone. People around him were baggage, weaknesses that he couldn't easily get rid of - he didn't need people.
"Shame." Edward thought about that for a while, or maybe he was thinking about a lot of things at once, if the scribbling in his notebook was anything to go by. He really, really hated this place. He hadn't thought he'd miss even the things he didn't like about Gotham so much. At least he knew the idiots there. This was new, strange and a lot more shrouded in religion than he felt comfortable with. "You got a car? Because detention's made me miss my ride. What if I throw you a pretty please?"
"What? You can't just walk it?" He supposed a city boy wasn't used to walking home, probably had some form of transport and lived close to his school, didn't face a daunting 50 minute walk home when he missed the bus or anything. Jonathan wasn't really one for offers of charity, he didn't exactly do things just cause. "Maybe you just shouldn't have gotten detention, genius."
Before they could discuss it much more, the teacher entered and proceeded to give them a ten minute lecture on classroom etiquette before making them clear out the classroom, in silence, on opposite sides of the room. Jonathan was used to this sort of thing, he just turned his mind off and got through it, waiting until the teacher told them that they had done enough.
"When you come tomorrow, I expect you both to attend with a very different attitude."
"Yes, ma'am." Jonathan pulled his bag on and wondered if Edward would try his luck for a ride again or what. He kind of hoped he did, he was amusingly persistent.
"Sure." Edward expected he'd be way more combative from the start, mostly. Honestly, this wasn't bad enough to teach him much of a lesson. Few things were, he was never deterred that easily. Which was also why he simply walked next to Jonathan, as if he had already been guaranteed a ride with him. Sometimes that worked with people, got them to go along with him.
"I am a genius, actually. You know?" Yes, he was continuing a conversation again as if it had just been paused temporarily. "They had me tested. Not that these tests are all that conclusive, honestly. Better than nothing, I guess."
Hadn't helped him, he was still doing nothing much in hick town, nowhere, Georgia.
"Congrats to that." Jonathan offered him with utter disinterest in his tone because it was awfully amusing to see Edward just pick up where they left off every time, not deterred by breaks and distractions. Jonathan really did find him entertaining. He was strangely endearing with how needy and determined to prove himself that he was - Jonathan never knew he liked needy people. How novel.
"No one who's real smart would have done any shit to get them sent here. You came from a city and now you're in the middle of fucking nowhere. Not a lot to do with that fancy IQ now, is there?" Only cow tipping and hay rides.
"If being smart granted me autonomy, it would have had to somehow age me out of being a minor. But, you know, what flies without wings? Mountains will crumble and temples will fall, and no man can survive its endless call. Time. Only thing that will get me out of here." And, evidently, painfully slowly. One day, however. "I like it better from you."
Wait, he should explain what he meant. "The accent. You make it sound better." Kind of hot, actually. Maybe he liked country boys after all.
As they finally exited the school, Edward groaned and lifted his hand to shade his eyes. "Why is it so sunny all the time?"
"You're a weird one. All city boys this weird?" Talking like they only spout riddles, calling his accent nice and then whining about a beautiful sunny day like it was the worst thing that could happen to him. He was an odd one but he was charming in his own weird way - and he said things that made Jonathan feel things that he certainly didn't want to feel. He pushed it all down as he pulled out his car keys and walked towards the battered old truck at the far side of the parking lot.
It was light blue, rusted as hell and the back was full of farming tools his grandma always needed him to have. He unlocked the door, tossed his backpack in and then looked at Edward, who was clearly waiting for a ride.
"You want something else? Directions, maybe? I can give you some advise on what fields got rattles in 'em. You don't wanna tread on those."
"No. I mean, maybe? But they are not like me. Most of them are as moronic as the imbeciles that populate this school." He smiled at Jonathan, knowing that the boy could see it out of the corner of his eyes, even if he stubbornly refused to look directly at him. "Present company excluded, obviously."
He looked at the car and whistled. "That's impressively rural. Looks like a prop for a music video."
He loved it, honestly. "I like that you go all in. No half-assing the aesthetic here." He could appreciate that. Not so much the idea of snakes in fields he'd have to walk through. He put a hand on the car door, stepping closer.
"Aw, Jonny, don't tease. You know you want to know me better. I'm the most interesting thing that's happened to this town in ages."
"Then you ain't heard about the crop circle up at Mr Henderson's farm. Now that, son, is real interesting." Jonathan rolled his eyes as got into the car and waited for Edward to get in, manually winding down his windows cause it was fucking on in his car and cause he wanted to smoke. He put a cigarette in his mouth and light up, letting it hang loose between his lips as he started up his car.
He didn't bother with a seatbelt, he just backed up out of the space once Edward was in, checking behind him before taking off. It was one hell of a bumpy ride and Jon drove with one hand on the wheel, the other pulling the cigarette from his lips.
"Peach Tree Street. The one behind the church." Because apparently this nothing town just had to have more than one Peach Tree Street. He hadn't even seen a damn peach tree yet! Not that he was all that eager to. Edward leaned back in the seat, pulled a leg up and wrapped his arms around it, watching Jonathan from the side. He didn't like the smell of smoke, never had, but he had to admit that there was something aesthetically pleasing about all this. Jonathan had a strong profile. He fit the country boy thing, but his eyes held more than he saw in anyone else around here. He was taking note.
"Crop circles are interesting." He could admit that. "Hey, Jonny. You know where to get weed around here?"
"That depends, you know? Depends how much you got and how big of an order you fancy?" Jonathan admitted as he took a left onto a dirt road that would get them to peach street way quicker. It also rattled his suspension like a bitch but what did he care? If this piece of shit broke, his grandma would just have to get another. He wasn't paying for a new one, no way in hell. He didn't have any cash.
"You gotta talk to Philip Trenton, his brother grows the stuff. Real good deal but you gotta keep it under your hat. You get caught and you snitch, they'll drag you round on the back of their car. Tell 'em when you talk to him that you know me or they'll deny they have any." They weren't fond of strange clients these days. "Philip is a real asshat but his brother is okay." He didn't call him a fairy or a fag so he seemed nice.
Huh. For one thing, why the hell were they taking this road? Honestly, Edward almost had to wonder whether Jonathan was taking him out back to get shot, but he wasn't really getting those vibes. Or blowjob in a field vibes. Regrettable. Potentially both regrettable, his self preservation wasn't the best right now.
For another, he apparently knew about the weed. "See, Jonny, you are way too harsh on yourself. Here you told me it'd be good for me to stay away from you. Turns out you are like an angel sent to me by the Lord." Or whatever kind of language these people here used. "Thank you kindly. You gonna smoke with me? I'll share."
"You might think it's fun now but you won't be saying the same thing in a week or two. Trust me, it isn't worth it. We aren't friends." Jonathan clarified, wanting to reinforce that before Edward got too attached to him. He didn't want to drag Edward down into his horrendous level of unpopularity. "I'll tell you where to get the drugs and I'll get you home this once but I'm not about to make this whole thing right here a normal thing. This is a one off."
Jonathan sped up a little as he stubbed out his cigarette on the dash, tossing it in the back of the car so it was out of the way. It was a pretty barren area they were driving through, not the most reassuring area but Jonathan knew what he was doing. That and he had to make a quick stop somewhere before he dropped Edward off - he figured scaring Edward a little would be funny.
Which is why he suddenly swerved off the pathway and into some very dodgy looking off road area.
Edward didn't make a sound, but he did tighten his grip around his own leg, feeling his heart beat faster. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to situations that seemed off, scary, unsettling or dangerous. Growing up where he had, that was basically something that happened every other day.
Didn't mean that he wasn't still nervous. Jonathan had a vibe that could fit with a serial killer, which somehow didn't take away from the sexy vibe he had to Edward. Might have enhanced it. He knew he had issues, nothing new about that.
"Just wanna see a friend, is all. Won't take long, promise." Jonathan smirked at Edward before he took off faster, driving further into the grassland field before slowing down and parking them in the middle of nowhere. Couldn't even hear a car from where they were, let alone see any other people. Jonathan leaned into the back of his car and moved some shit around until he found what he wanted. "You can stay here if you want. I'm just gonna go and attempt a murder."
And with that, Jonathan hopped out of the van with a pouch in his hand - which honestly could have contained anything. He walked out into the field and looked around the trees before checking his watch. Should be about the right time. "Ichabod!"
Jonathan opened his pouch and started to toss food on the ground, walking slowly along. It was a bit like a gothic horror in some ways - almost out of nowhere, a large pack of crows came swarming towards Jonathan. His heart beat fast but he smiled regardless, holding his arm out so Ichabod could use it as a perch. She always reached him first. "Well hello there, darlin'."
Honestly, Edward didn't really want to go outside. He had very little appreciation for exposing himself to more nature than necessary, there was too much sun, too much grass, too many trees and, as it turned out, entirely too many animals. However, he was very curious. So he did follow behind Jonathan, shading his eyes and sticking close to him, making sure he couldn't be ditched.
Of course, that meant that after he'd given him a weird look at the calling out of 'Ichabod', he ended up yelping when crows descended on them. He hid himself behind Jonathan, pressing against his back to keep his face safe. What the hell was happening? He glanced up, seeing the crow that had landed on his arm. Hell.
"Could have told me that you're the genderbent Gothic country version of Cinderella." And, yes, his voice did give away his fear. He felt that was understandable.
"Did it scare you?" Jonathan was smiling but then, it was pretty funny. He tilted his head back and looked at Edward, hiding behind him, unable to deny that it was very appealing to him. Edward looked so fun when he was scared, he definitely took note. "They won't go after you, they just want the food. They know who I am by now, don't you?" The crows were roaming around them getting seed and meal worm, not wasting any time. A few fought near Edward's legs but Jonathan saved him from getting caught in the crossfire by using his foot to break them up.
Turning to Ichabod, he smiled at her and reached out, gently stroking her head and beak with great care. "This is Icky. She's a smart one, real keen. I'm training her. Training them all. I just gotta keep on my good side, can't miss a day just cause of you."
He didn't want to lose any progress. Turning around to face Edward, he moved the bird closer to him and she cawed at Edward, looking very unimpressed. "You wanna hold her?"
"Of course it fucking scared me! You just summoned some crows out of nowhere, what did you do, watch too much Hitchcock?" Certainly seemed that way. Edward kept himself very, very close to Jonathan, not because he wanted to come on to him, but because he so was not facing those crows alone. "Crows are very intelligent. I've read about that. It's interesting, because it's making scientists think differently about brain functions..."
And, no, he didn't want to hold the bird, for a variety of reasons, but he was fascinated. "Her name is Ichabod? Of course you'd like Sleepy Hollow."
"It's a classic. Icky, off you go, have some food. I'll see you later, okay? Another day." He gently moved his arm to encourage her to go down, watching Edward cower close to him as more and more crows seemed to come over. They didn't see scared of Edward's presence, more interested in fighting for food as Jonathan tossed the last of his food down. Once he was sure they were all happy and content, Jonathan turned around and pushed Edward ahead of him. "Get up there, would you? And stop worrying, they don't care about you. They ain't coming at you."
Not yet, anyway. Perhaps one day, if he ever stopped being amusing to Jonathan but he had some hope now. Edward definitely seemed entertaining enough to keep around. "When you get scared, you breathing speeds up a lot. It's ... cute." Was that the word? Eh. Whatever.
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icebergloungers2021-02-13 09:10 pm
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"Don't get too carried away now, son. You don't even know me. You watch yourself and you keep away if you know what's good for you." He slung his bag on and stepped around Edward, heading towards the exit. He was the lowest of the low here, any time spent with him would not help his standing. He was doing Edward a favour.
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He assumed that really would only lead to more hurt down the line, but at least it meant he could follow behind Jonathan. Of course, by then it was too late and he had to go to his next class anyway.
It wasn't until it was time for detention that he did see Jonathan again and he just sat down next to him this time. "If I knew what was good for me, I wouldn't be stuck here."
He just continued their exchange, as if the hours between then and now hadn't passed.
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Probably a mix of both. He checked his watch and sighed, knowing he had half an hour to go and the teacher wasn't even here yet. Usually all they had to do was clean so it wasn't going to be too awkward. Hopefully.
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So, maybe he should provoke him. "You gay?"
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"Bad classroom conduct again." Jonathan tsked, his tone mocking. "That's a slippery slope to Satan right there."
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Edward so wasn't the type for outside work. He was annoyed enough by the freckles he was already sporting. So not his style. "So, what do you do? I'm a sinner." Evidently.
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"Doesn't matter what I am or what I do. I ain't looking for friendship." He was just looking to be left alone. People around him were baggage, weaknesses that he couldn't easily get rid of - he didn't need people.
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Worth a try.
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Before they could discuss it much more, the teacher entered and proceeded to give them a ten minute lecture on classroom etiquette before making them clear out the classroom, in silence, on opposite sides of the room. Jonathan was used to this sort of thing, he just turned his mind off and got through it, waiting until the teacher told them that they had done enough.
"When you come tomorrow, I expect you both to attend with a very different attitude."
"Yes, ma'am." Jonathan pulled his bag on and wondered if Edward would try his luck for a ride again or what. He kind of hoped he did, he was amusingly persistent.
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"I am a genius, actually. You know?" Yes, he was continuing a conversation again as if it had just been paused temporarily. "They had me tested. Not that these tests are all that conclusive, honestly. Better than nothing, I guess."
Hadn't helped him, he was still doing nothing much in hick town, nowhere, Georgia.
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"No one who's real smart would have done any shit to get them sent here. You came from a city and now you're in the middle of fucking nowhere. Not a lot to do with that fancy IQ now, is there?" Only cow tipping and hay rides.
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Wait, he should explain what he meant. "The accent. You make it sound better." Kind of hot, actually. Maybe he liked country boys after all.
As they finally exited the school, Edward groaned and lifted his hand to shade his eyes. "Why is it so sunny all the time?"
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It was light blue, rusted as hell and the back was full of farming tools his grandma always needed him to have. He unlocked the door, tossed his backpack in and then looked at Edward, who was clearly waiting for a ride.
"You want something else? Directions, maybe? I can give you some advise on what fields got rattles in 'em. You don't wanna tread on those."
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He looked at the car and whistled. "That's impressively rural. Looks like a prop for a music video."
He loved it, honestly. "I like that you go all in. No half-assing the aesthetic here." He could appreciate that. Not so much the idea of snakes in fields he'd have to walk through. He put a hand on the car door, stepping closer.
"Aw, Jonny, don't tease. You know you want to know me better. I'm the most interesting thing that's happened to this town in ages."
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He didn't bother with a seatbelt, he just backed up out of the space once Edward was in, checking behind him before taking off. It was one hell of a bumpy ride and Jon drove with one hand on the wheel, the other pulling the cigarette from his lips.
"Where'd you live?"
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"Crop circles are interesting." He could admit that. "Hey, Jonny. You know where to get weed around here?"
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"You gotta talk to Philip Trenton, his brother grows the stuff. Real good deal but you gotta keep it under your hat. You get caught and you snitch, they'll drag you round on the back of their car. Tell 'em when you talk to him that you know me or they'll deny they have any." They weren't fond of strange clients these days. "Philip is a real asshat but his brother is okay." He didn't call him a fairy or a fag so he seemed nice.
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For another, he apparently knew about the weed. "See, Jonny, you are way too harsh on yourself. Here you told me it'd be good for me to stay away from you. Turns out you are like an angel sent to me by the Lord." Or whatever kind of language these people here used. "Thank you kindly. You gonna smoke with me? I'll share."
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Jonathan sped up a little as he stubbed out his cigarette on the dash, tossing it in the back of the car so it was out of the way. It was a pretty barren area they were driving through, not the most reassuring area but Jonathan knew what he was doing. That and he had to make a quick stop somewhere before he dropped Edward off - he figured scaring Edward a little would be funny.
Which is why he suddenly swerved off the pathway and into some very dodgy looking off road area.
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Didn't mean that he wasn't still nervous. Jonathan had a vibe that could fit with a serial killer, which somehow didn't take away from the sexy vibe he had to Edward. Might have enhanced it. He knew he had issues, nothing new about that.
"What's this place then?"
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And with that, Jonathan hopped out of the van with a pouch in his hand - which honestly could have contained anything. He walked out into the field and looked around the trees before checking his watch. Should be about the right time. "Ichabod!"
Jonathan opened his pouch and started to toss food on the ground, walking slowly along. It was a bit like a gothic horror in some ways - almost out of nowhere, a large pack of crows came swarming towards Jonathan. His heart beat fast but he smiled regardless, holding his arm out so Ichabod could use it as a perch. She always reached him first. "Well hello there, darlin'."
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Of course, that meant that after he'd given him a weird look at the calling out of 'Ichabod', he ended up yelping when crows descended on them. He hid himself behind Jonathan, pressing against his back to keep his face safe. What the hell was happening? He glanced up, seeing the crow that had landed on his arm. Hell.
"Could have told me that you're the genderbent Gothic country version of Cinderella." And, yes, his voice did give away his fear. He felt that was understandable.
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Turning to Ichabod, he smiled at her and reached out, gently stroking her head and beak with great care. "This is Icky. She's a smart one, real keen. I'm training her. Training them all. I just gotta keep on my good side, can't miss a day just cause of you."
He didn't want to lose any progress. Turning around to face Edward, he moved the bird closer to him and she cawed at Edward, looking very unimpressed. "You wanna hold her?"
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And, no, he didn't want to hold the bird, for a variety of reasons, but he was fascinated. "Her name is Ichabod? Of course you'd like Sleepy Hollow."
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Not yet, anyway. Perhaps one day, if he ever stopped being amusing to Jonathan but he had some hope now. Edward definitely seemed entertaining enough to keep around. "When you get scared, you breathing speeds up a lot. It's ... cute." Was that the word? Eh. Whatever.
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