“I’ve given back two papers already. One should come up before breakfast is over, if I’m remembering correctly..” Claude seemed to be thinking out loud, leaning forward in his seat. His elbows rested on the table, and his chin rested on the back of his hands, folded one under the other.
“God, Claude, why don’t you charge those kids?” Edward groaned, clearly tired of hearing Claude complain about their awful writing.
“I have too much time on my hands, it’s just busywork. Remember how I took all those summer classes last year? Those closed up my credit requirements for the most part. I literally only have two classes a day, Ed. I need something to do.” Claude shrugged, thumb pressed against his top teeth.
“Knock some fuckin’ sense into this prick, Kalen, won’t you? Maybe it’s just the American spirit talkin’, but you gotta agree with me- for the shit this man does, it’s stupid that he wouldn’t make them pay at least a little!” Edward cried, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
“Shut the fuck up about your ‘American spirit’, Ed! You moved here when you were 13 and you know it!” Wilhelm retorted, rolling his eyes.
(I'm unsure what to say..)
(ah, sorry! i’ll add some more real quick!)
(got it! again, sorry, but hopefully that helps!)
Kalen flinched a little at the sudden raised voices, and he turned his face away from the others so they couldn't see the terror that had glossed over his eyes. "We discussed it last night…" he couldn't really say much else apart from that without his voice cracking. Mentally he prayed that the others hadn't noticed his voice wasn't as calm as it usually was.
“Kalen, are you alright?” Claude blinked, noticing both Kalen’s change in tone and his movements. His tone was quiet enough that the others two boys (now arguing) wouldn’t pay attention, but loud enough for Kalen to hear- or at least get a vague idea of what he was saying.
"Y-Yeah I'm fine." Kalen lied with a weak smile, his glassy eyes flickering up to Claude before back down at the table. He hated himself so much for being a weakling, and he was convinced that people would laugh at him when they found out. "I just don't do well with people arguing."
“I understand. Are you- uh- are you sure you’re okay? First bell’s going to ring in about 15 minutes, but nobody will notice or kind if you need to step outside for a moment.. It’s quieter there, if that helps?” Claude knotted his brow, a (badly concealed) concerned expression on his face. He never thought himself to be good at comforting people, and it was clear why.
"Could you come with me…?" Kalen bit his lip, trying so hard to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. He rose from the table and started making his way out of the hall and towards the garden. The cold air sent a shock running through his body, but he didn't care, he just wanted to get away from the arguing.
“Oh- of course I can.” Claude grabbed his bag, following after Kalen. The cold air was biting, for sure, but he didn’t show it. “There’s a bench in the front of the garden, you see it?” Claude shoved his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders and leaning forward just a bit.
“Yeah I see it.” Kalen’s voice cracked, the air choked the words out of him before he was ready to speak. He made his way over to the bench, sitting down on the chilly surface, covering his face with his hands to prevent Claude from seeing his now falling tears. “I’m sorry…”
Claude sat next to Kalen on the bench, wincing a bit at the feeling of cold metal. “Don’t be sorry, it’s alright.” He tentatively placed a gentle hand on Kalen’s shoulder, unsure of how he would react. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Kalen looked up, his tears glistening under the cold winter’s sunlight. He mentally kicked himself because there was something Claude could do, but I was a little odd in Kalen’s opinion——it was something only his mother ever did. “Uhm… Would you let me hug you?”
The offer caught Claude off guard for sure, although he wasn’t about to say no to someone who was already crying. “Oh, uh- yes. I don’t mind.” He wasn’t quite sure what to do- hugs never were something he was a fan of.
Kalen hesitantly turned, and slowly moved his arms around Claude’s waist——just like his mother used to do——and carefully tightened his grip so that he was actually hugging Claude. It felt good to hug someone again, even if it was at an awkward position. He knew Claude wasn’t a fan of the embrace from the moment Kalen had made the offer, and for that he would forever mentally kick himself.
Claude was quiet and still for a few moments. He hesitantly wrapped an arms around Kalen’s shoulders, unsure of what else to do. His hands were cold, as they always were, but the frigid air magnified it, and the lack of heat seemed to emanate off of him. After a small time, Claude relaxed a bit in his posture, no longer stiff- although he absolutely didn’t hug Kalen back.
There was a sad pang in Kalen’s chest as he slowly pulled away from Claude. He felt awful for asking to hug the other boy when it was clear that he didn’t like it. “I’m sorry, I won’t ask again…” While it made Kalen feel better from what had happened earlier, his fear had been replaced by guilt.
“No, don’t feel bad, Kalen. It’s okay, trust me. I can’t stand liars, so why would I be one myself?” Claude laughed a little, patting Kalen on the shoulder. “I’ll be honest, I’m not too fond of hugs right now, but, if it helps you calm down, I don’t mind them.” He gave him a small smile. Claude almost reached out to ruffle Kalen’s hair, though he stopped himself before he could do it.
“You know you can touch my hair if you want to…” Kalen smiled shyly, noticing the slight movement from Claude’s arm that never followed through. It soothed him to know that Claude didn’t completely hate him for the hugging, though it only made him curious as to what had happened that had put him off hugs in the first place.
“Ah, thank you.” Claude ruffled Kalen’s hair, smiling. “Your hair is nice.” He was musing out loud again, and his voice was soft. To Claude, touching somebody’s hair was almost like a hug, just less constricting and intimate.
“Thank you!” Kalen beamed a radiant smile, “I use coconut oil.” he reached up on his tiptoes, gently patting Claude’s head——something he’d wanted to do since they had met, but didn’t have the courage to do so until now——and let out a soft chuckle, his eyes sparkling innocently.
“Oh, you do, huh? I need to try that out sometime..” Claude smiled, ducking down just a bit to make it easier for Kalen. He clasped his hands behind his neck when Kalen was done, glancing at the school building. “Should we head back soon? The bell is going to ring in a few minutes..”
“Yeah we probably should, can’t be late for that Philosophy lesson.” Kalen let out a nervous laugh upon remembering the homework he needed to hand in. No doubt the teacher would be having words with him about it’s poor quality.
“That reminds me.. I know you stayed up late last night working on your homework for that class. I’m sorry that I wasn't much help.” Claude pressed his lips into a thin line. He adjusted the strap on his bag. “I said I would help, and then I didn’t, and for that I would like to apologize.”
“No it’s quite alright, besides,” Kalen playfully bumped Claude’s arm, his signature bright smile glowing up at him. “If I didn’t do it myself and make mistakes, what am I supposed to learn?” He stood in front of Claude with a stern expression, holding one finger up, putting on the best Dutch accent he could. “‘If you don’t struggle a little, you’re in the wrong classes.’”
