fandomhigh | Living on the Outskirts, Friday, Period 2

Today when students entered the classroom, they might notice how the usual pastries were completely absent. The seating set-up was the same, if only because the teacher had walked in to see the seats all shoved aside and had decided, to hell with it, he wasn't going to make the attempt to rearrange them. Oh. And the room smelled like burning brimstone. A little.

//Sick bloody joke,// the leather-wrapped teen who had taken a seat on top of the teacher's desk was grumbling. Well, 'grumbling.' Talking directly into the students' heads was more like it. And he wasn't even particularly good at it yet, considering the way he had to pause every few words in order to round up his focus all over again. //'A guide to fitting in... for those not meant to?' Really?//

Today's class might be a touch counter-productive.

//If yer not meant to... yer not meant to. World's got a pecking order to it. We... can't all be superheroes or rock stars or... prom kings. And a person'll just get burned if they set their sights... too high. Whose idea was it, having th'likes of me teach this? 'Those not meant to.' Plonkers.// Was young, skinny, burning Jonothon a little grumpy? Yes. Yes he was. //Th'way to fit in... is to find somebody who... happens to be as big a freak as you are. Anyone else... is probably just trying t'make themselves... feel better.//

He cast a look around the room, chestnut-coloured eyes glowing fire-hot for a moment.

//Tell me I'm wrong. Go on. Try.//

... That was probably about as close to an assignment as the class was going to get from Jonothon today, yes. So, go on. Tell him he's wrong.

[Open!]

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"Yeah," Mercy said quietly. "When the world seemed to be ending and I'd lost everything I cared about - before he even knew what I was. And it meant enough that when this crazy island turned me into a kid I went to his house because I knew I'd be safe and cared for then."

She sighed and a hand went out to rest over the place her tattoo lay hidden. "And he helped me understand and be brave enough to come out with what I am here, in this safe place, to let people in. I'll never forget that."

//Well... then... I'm glad he was there for you.//

Which was an odd thing to be saying about some future version of himself, but it was true enough.

//Or that I... will be. Or however it works.//

"Me too." Mercy wasn't going to worry about all the wheres and whyfores just now.

"Which is why I thought I should come and tell you. That it gets better, you know? And that you find people who accept you and care about you and make you happy."

And she didn't know if he could see into her mind or just speak into it, but she let herself remember some of the silliest moments of that Christmas concert, figuring even if he couldn't, he'd see the smile on her face and hopefully understand that she was remembering good things about him.

Jono wasn't looking, no. He wasn't yet at a point where he felt even remotely comfortable with the idea of being able to look. But some things were almost impossible to filter out, especially for someone who didn't know how to just yet, and even if he didn't know why she was smiling, he could certainly tell that the smile was genuine, and that she was thinking happy thoughts that she intended to direct to him.

He hesitated for a moment, not sure quite what to make of that, or even what to say. So he settled for attempting to return the smile, missing half of his face be damned, and nodding a little.

//Then... thank you. It's... good t'know there's... something worth hanging in there for.//

Mercy smiled at him. "You're welcome. Good luck."

She nodded and turned to go, hoping she'd maybe managed to help a little.

Living on the Outskirts, Friday, Period 2

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