Misc.

hunchback but modern

the campus was vast and huge, with fields that stretched on and giant school buildings filled with classrooms and opportunities. it was like it was a new beginning for the both of them, like they could finally choose the path they wanted to walk along.

jehan, youthful and bright-eyes diligently followed his older brother to their dorm room where they spent the day moving in and unpacking.

"i want the top bunk!" jehan yelled throwing himself up onto the highest bed.

"fine, just don't fall."

"i'm not gonna do that, don't be stupid." jehan rolled his eyes. "we should go out for drinks!" he said, realizing that no one could stop them.

"no. we have reading to catch up on before classes." claude said, serious, more focused on his books than he was on even getting set up first.

"we can do that later. we have a week."

"jehan, no."

"jehan, yes." he said, already pulling his shoes back on and grabbing his keys.

"there's a curfew at 9, i-"

"you can cover for me. right? just tell the RA i'm in the bathroom or something." jehan shrugged, grabbing a sweater. "please?"

claude hesitated.

"fine. just this once, because school hasn't even started yet, but once classes begin i'm not helping you any more."

but jehan was already out the door headed to the campus bar. he was only two hours late that night.

as weeks passed, jehan kept sneaking out, both after hours and during class time. the on campus bar turned into local bars and then bars downtown, far away from the university. one drink turned into four which turned into a bunch of shots until he couldnt see straight. though he started off well in the first month and a half, by the time their midterms had passed, his grades had already started declining.

claude found him one day hanging around the community college for fine arts students down the street, smoking and laughing with a bunch of queer looking kids. he was enraged. grabbing his younger brother by the sleeve he pulled him away and stuffed him into the car, ranting to him on the drive back up to campus that those students were bad and unholy, wrong and sinful.

"we were just talking, claude." jehan protested quietly.

"yes, and talking turns into interacting and i wont stand by and watch my brother fall into a sinful life, i'm not covering for you again. you're going to stay in our room and finish your goddamn studies."

and he did. jehan stayed in, reading his books, hiding in a corner up on his bed, but he read them, and his grades got minimally better, though jehan remained quiet and withdrawn from the people around him. he missed the people he'd met at the bars, the arts college, and he hated himself for more reasons than he could count on his hands. he used to be so peppy and bright, claude couldn't understand what happened.

on a sunny afternoon in mid-november, claude came back to a horrible sight. returning from a catholic studies class he opened his door to see jehan drawing a razor across his arm. he was bleeding and looked up like a deer caught in the headlights when claude came in.

"oh my god, jehan." he said, hastily taking the razor from his brother and throwing it in the trash before anything else could happen. jehan was silent, unable to speak, feeling dizzy and spaced out, like he wasnt aware entirely of the severity of his actions. frollo gently wrapped a clean cloth around his forearm. "what were you thinking? why would you do something so stupid?" he asked, concern coming out as frustration.