fandomhigh | Library, [11/21]

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Library, [11/21]

Jonothon's streak of days that were comparatively less terrible than usual continued. He and Raven had gone on a ~~handwavey~~ date last night, taking in the buskers in a park in Gotham, and it had been... well, pleasant, though he'd be terrible at admitting it, emotionally-stunted plonker that he was.

So. Last night had been fairly... not bad at all... which meant, naturally, that Jono was due to start getting paranoid that the other shoe was about to drop.

He was straightening the books on the shelves today very, very carefully, trying to simultaneously hang on to his decent mood while still taking quick glances over one shoulder for anything that might be creeping in the shadows behind the stacks. Good moods were always just the calm before the storm, weren't they?

... Weren't they?

[Open library is open!]

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"Savor it," Henry advised. "I don't want to sound ten thousand years old, but you're right. Good weeks don't come too often to some of us. So when you get one ... don't question it too hard."

He was happy to hear Jono was dating again, but asking a student about his sex life did not sit right with him.

Well, beyond sharing that he'd had a date- going for a walk, really- Jono wasn't about to start volunteering more information about last night, either. Henry was safe from that, at least.

//Th'moment I stop questioning it, that's th'moment I'm worried about,// he admitted. //I can't just... let my guard down. 'Comfortable' never lasts long.//

"It doesn't, but that's why you have to enjoy it," Henry said. "The bad stuff is going to happen even if you spend every second leading up to it waiting for the other shoe to drop. All being nervous does is spoil the good parts, if you want my opinion."

//Mm, I suppose so.// Jono managed to not wince at Henry's words. He was right, after all. Life wasn't fair. That was part of what made it life. //I suppose... having to pay attention to everything else makes being paranoid an easy trap to fall into. If it isn't one thing, it's another.//

"Except when it's not anything," Henry pointed out. "Other than the stuff there always is, that you can't do anything about. I get what you're saying, but you don't want to let things go by because you're too busy worrying."

Jonothon bit back his knee-jerk response. Managed to keep from saying the first thing that came to mind, that things hurt more if you didn't expect them, if you didn't suspect that pain was where everything good led to in the end.

Instead, he nodded, a little numbly.

//I'll keep that in mind,// he replied.

He'd just have to make his nervous glances over his shoulders a little more subtle, that's all.

"Well ... good." Henry suspected what Jono wasn't saying, and he wanted to tell Jono he was wrong. Wanted to tell him that he'd been through a half-dozen things he'd seen again and again, and no matter what he knew or didn't know, they hurt about the same every single time.

He reminded himself not everyone was a time traveler and smiled, biting his tongue as he decided to change the subject. "We should do a non-denominational holiday display," he said. "After the break, I mean."

Oooh, topic changes. Jono could get all over that.

//Lord, it's a good thing you clarified after th'break, or I might have to make faces at you for bringing up th'holidays in ruddy November, too.//

... Jonothon was not generally a huge fan of Christmas.

"Not my favorite part of the year either," Henry said with a little shrug. "But I don't want it to be December 12 and all of a sudden I get the vague feeling I should do something or other."

//So, non-denominational. What's that, then? Snowmen and penguins?//

They could give Bobby a little hat and make him stand in the doorway.

"Penguins, snowmen, collections of winter fables from many cultures," Henry shrugged. "Trees. No nativities and no dreidels. Half the people here won't understand them anyhow."

//Mm, true.// Jono leaned his head back, eyeing the ceiling as he thought on the topic for a moment. //Paper snowflakes and all that rot. It shouldn't be too difficult to throw together, really.//

"Pretty much it's cake once we cull a couple books for it," Henry agreed. "I'll sketch out some ideas later."

Jonothon nodded a little, glancing back at Henry.

//Let me know what you'll need for it, and I'll be happy to set it up next Sunday,// he decided. //Or at least start pulling th'books you want from th'shelves.//

Yes. Still in November. On the long weekend. Like he'd ever let that stop him before.

"You are allowed to leave the place closed on a Sunday during a long weekend once in a while," Henry pointed out, eyebrows slightly raised. "I'll still be on my way back from Chicago anyhow."

The thing was, he was pretty sure Jono wouldn't like the idea.

//Mm. From celebrating a Yank holiday,// Jono pointed out, //which exists for th'sake of turkey and ham and Yank pride. I'll be fine to come in, mate. There are plenty of other students who don't celebrate it, besides just me. Might as well stay open for them.//

... And because he liked it in here. Especially on the quiet weekends, when he was one of the few left on the island. It was peaceful.

And this was the first time Henry had been accused of nationalism, for god's sake. He was feeling oddly thin-skinned about it.

"Then knock yourself out," he shrugged. "I'll leave you a list of possibilities for the display."

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Library, [11/21]

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