“Yeah, it was diffi- sorry, what was that? You and James?” Wilhelm cocked his head curiously, leaning forward just a bit.
Pheasant Brook (O/O with Icarus!)
Connor ducked his head a little. "He's my…" he sighed softly, raking a hand through his curls. "Maybe ah should have told yeh yesterday. But…" he looked at his tea again, still blushing bright red. "James is…we're…" he wasn't sure how to say it. He'd never had to before. "Dating, ah guess'd be th' righ' word."
“..Oh.” Wilhelm nodded, suddenly unsure of what he was supposed to do with his hands. “You’re under no obligation to tell me something like that, first of all. Don’t feel like you should’ve told me earlier.” He cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. This was Connor’s business, so why was Wilhelm upset? Connor was smart, he was charming, and he was attractive. It made sense that he wouldn’t be single.
Connor was blushing still. "Well, ah just meant because yeh told me yesterday. Tha's all." He replied, taking another sip of his tea and not quite able to look at Wilhelm. "So. Now yeh know."
“Well, someone else would’ve outed me sooner or later, and based off of how Jack acted when he saw, it was sooner.” Wilhelm ran his tongue over his teeth. “But.. yeah. Now I know.” His voice was quiet and almost furtive, in a way.
Connor nodded. "Tha's the only thing anyone could possibly call me ou' on, an' it would be rather hard for them to even find out." He shrugged slightly.
“Yeah.” Wilhelm’s head darted up, hearing the screeching ring of the school bell. “First bell- we should get to class.”
Connor nodded, finishing his tea and setting it down, then getting up and taking care of the plate and mug. Putting his sketchbook back in his bag, he stood straight. "Let's go." He said softly. His cheeks were still dusted with pink.
“Yeah. Just a warning with this teacher, he hates me. Don’t ask why, because I don’t know.” Wilhelm’s voice was back to its usual boyish tone, laced with humor and charm. “His class isn’t too hard though, if you know what you’re doing. I, however, do not.”
Connor nodded. "Oh. Alright." He replied after a moment. He adjusted his bag strap. "Le's go, then." He looked up at Wilhelm.
“I think you’ll be fine. You seem like your grades are good, yeah?” Wilhelm led them down the long hallways, finally entering the vast English ward. It was bustling with students filing into their classes and teachers trying futilely to shut them up.
"Well yeah, unless ah took all m' notes wrong." Connor replied with a shrug. He followed Wilhelm carefully, his bag clutched under his arm.
Wilhelm shrugged back, leading the other boy into a classroom. Like every other room, the class was gorgeous. It was dark brick, of course, but these floors didn’t have the perpetual layer of dust that the others seemed to. Bookshelves stood sentry on the east wall, looming far above the desks, arranged in a semicircle that fanned out. A dusty chalkboard took up a good chunk of one wall, a few notes scribbled onto it. Most seats were taken, except for a few in the front and the back. Wilhelm made his way to his usual desk in the far right corner.
Connor looked around appreciatively, giving a slight nod. "It's really nice." He said with a quick smile. He followed Wilhelm, sitting down in an empty seat near the German boy.
“Professor should be in any moment now. I think you’ll like him- he’s a nice guy, he just doesn’t like me that much.” Wilhelm laughed quietly, watching the other boys file in and take their seats. “One of my favorite classrooms, actually. Not classes, just the room.”
Connor nodded a little. "Alright." He replied. "Ah should probably introduce myself when he does come." He said, running a hand through his red hair.
“It couldn’t hurt. He’s a sucker for good presentation, so make sure you look spiffy before going up to him.” Wilhelm took out his pens and his English books, drumming his fingers on the desk as he waited.
Connor nodded. "Well…ah'm no' changin' m' clothes, so this'll have to be spiffy enough." He replied with a smile. He got out his own supplies.
“Of course, of course.” Wilhelm nodded, returning Connor’s smile. “Ah, shit. Today’s the final, isn’t it?” He groaned, hitting his head lightly on the desk.
(gtg now. Good night!)
Connor laughed. "Yeah. We studied las' night, remember?" He replied with a smile, watching Wilhelm with amusement.
(goodnight!!)
“Fucking.. yeah, I remember. Goddamn.” Wilhelm scrunched his hair in his hands. “I remember now. Can’t remember what the hell I learned, but it’ll come to me eventually, I’m sure.”
(just kidding, I'm on for just a little longer lol)
Connor laughed. "Want me to quiz you again? Just a little?" He asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.
“Ah, why the fuck not? Shoot.” Wilhelm leaned on his elbows, going over everything in his head. In all honestly, he looked like when you tell a dog to sit and they obey, expecting a treat or reward.
Connor smiled a little, and got out his notebook. He asked Wilhelm the first question, smiling just a little bit still. He had recovered from his blushing earlier, thankfully.
“That’s a fucking.. uh.. that’s..” Wilhelm mumbled a couple answers before deciding on the correct one, his tone final and confident. “That’s the one, yeah?”
Connor let out a soft laugh, and nodded. "Yeah, tha's correct." he replied with a smile. He asked another question, studying Wilhelm for a moment. Damn, I want to paint those eyes.
“Ah, easy. That’s-“ Wilhelm jumped slightly, hearing the class door shut and a man’s voice boom through the classroom.
“Quiet! As you all know, today is your final. Yes, go ahead and groan, but at least you’re not grading all of them.” The teacher chuckled, standing at the front of the room. He looked to be maybe 60 or so, and looked like the stereotypical old English academic, white beard and all. Hell, if he could, he’d be smoking a pipe.
Connor sighed softly, and put his notebook away. He wanted to go introduce himself, but…he wasn't quite sure how to go about doing that.
“I’ll be passing out your test in a few minutes. Until I do, you may study quietly amongst yourselves.” The teacher walked to his desk, sitting down and stapling papers together.
“If you want to go talk to the man, now’s your chance.” Wilhelm whispered, leaning over to Connor’s desk. “Just mind your p’s and q’s, yeah?”
Connor nodded. "Alright." He replied. "Wish me luck." He joked, smiling a little. He headed over to the desk. "Excuse me, sir? I'm Connor MacPhearson. I just got here late because I had to wait for some broken bones to heal. You sent me the curriculum so I could still study, remember?"