Home- A Fierrochase AU

This Morning is w e i r d

(btw new cover!!!!!!)

Magnus POV

I have no idea why that joke was so funny, and if I were to guess Alex didn't either. Something about it just... was. Some instinct told me look up at Alex. His face was lit up with pure ecstasy and laughter. It almost would've been a normal scene of two teenagers laughing, but everything was slightly off-kilter. I was wearing a towel around my waist and trying very hard to keep it that way, and we were in a boring and poorly lit bathroom. Not to mention that it sounds like Alex hasn't laughed this hard in months, maybe longer and my face was already hurting from smiling.

Our moment was brought to an abrupt halt as we looked into each other's eyes. His heterochromatic eyes seemed to have less... contrast than normal, the colors closer in hue. He looked almost too perfect in that moment, like something from heaven.
No.
What the hell?

No you weirdo, you've known for, like, 3 days. These... these... feels are not allowed. Prohibited. Everyone knows falling in love this quick in fairytales. Love? Where did that come from? None of this matters, you'll leave soon and you'll forget all of this.

Before I knew it, the air had grown stale and awkward as we both realized we were staring at the other before blushing and looking away.

"I'll... uh... I'll go get dressed. Yeah. um..." I said just to break the silence. It sounded dumb even to me, but it seems being dumb is the only thing I can accomplish.

I enter my room and throw on a silly shirt my Mom got me for my birthday soon before she died. It brings back bad memories, but it's also my favorite shirt. It's supposed to have Shakespeare in sunglasses saying "let's get lit", but it's pretty faded and you can barely tell it's Shakespeare. I throw on a pair of jeans and a baggy black hoodie, the hoodie because it looks like it might snow. You may be thinking 'dude it's November you'll need more than that!', and to that I say: No shut up I'm fine. The cold doesn't really bother me (anyway! yes I went there.)

Ten minutes later, I hear Alex turn off the shower and go to his room to get ready. I stay in my room staring out the window, since I don't need to go anywhere. I have nothing to do, I'd half expected Ms. Bridgeton to try to enroll me in a school, but she hadn't... yet. A little while into my dazed musings, I'm disturbed by a sharp and incessant rapping on the door. Who the hel is this annoying? Seriously? I've been ignoring them for the past 30 seconds and they haven't given up!

I finally walk over and open the door to an exasperated "About time!". I look around at eye level but don't see anyone until I look down and am greeted with a very agitated Jack. The explains the... zealous methods.

"Ms. Bridgeton asked me to get you. I've been knocking for, like, ten minutes!"
"Jack it was about 30 seconds."
"Well it felt like forever!"
Over the few days I'd been here, I'd learned that Jack was very energetic and very impatient, so you've just gotta stay calm and nothing would escalate.
"Can I leave my room now Jack?" I asked since he was still standing angrily in my doorway
"Oh yeah! Okay." he the whispered in an undertone "She's in a bad mood."

I tried to hurry so that I don't keep her waiting on me, Normally I wouldn't give a rat's ass about this but Ms. Bridgeton is terrible normally and being in a bad mood is really bad. If you make her mad, your life will be hel for a few hours, then you'll be on edge for a while. I'm still a little jumpy from last- nope. Nuh-uh. I put it where I put all the stuff I shouldn't think about. It's getting pretty full.

I got to the bottom of the stairs and looked around, realizing I was lost. It was then that it struck me that I haven't even gotten a tour of the house. Honestly, I had never really asked for one. Usually I could figure places out pretty quickly, but this place was a maze of old Persian rugs, antiques knick-knacks, and suffocatingly long, dark hallways. It's a miracle I hadn't had an asthma attack yet from all the confined and dusty spaces. I decided to go to one room I did know how to find, the dining room (hopefully to get directions).

I opened the door and saw no one but Alex.
Oh god. Well, that's just my luck.

"Hey Alex, would you know where to find Ms. Bridgeton?"
"Yeah, she's probably in the 'Sitting Room'" he said with a air quotes and an eye roll.
"Can you tell me where that is? Sorry but I don't know where that is."
"Sure. Just memorize it because I'm not coming back for you, those blueberry Eggo waffles are calling my name."
"That's fine."

With that, he led me down the hallway taking me through a couple of redundant-seeming turns that I hoped I would remember when I needed to leave. Randomly right before we got there, Alex paused and said

"She/her now."
"Okay"
We arrived and she turned to me
"Go get 'em Bird Boi."
Then, the thing that made my heart stop beating for a possibly unhealthy amount of time, she
WINKED.

As Alex Fierro turned away, she winked at me.

I, of course, immediately begin to overthink it and before I know it, I'm blushing up a storm.
What is wrong with me?

It takes me a moment, but I remember why I'm there and go inside the to a very irritated and impatient Ms. Bridgeton. She simply raised an impossibly thin eyebrow at me as she tapped her foot.

"I apologize. I... uh... don't really know my way around and so I asked Alex for directions. Sorry Ms. Bridgeton."
It hurt to suck up to her about as much as it hurt when she slapped me the next moment.

"Don't let it happen again. I have very urgent news to tell you. Don't dillydally when I call you here. I have enrolled you with our other high school age... children... go. You start today."
"What I don't have supplies and it's the middle of the semester-" The words came flying out before I could stop them, but Ms. Bridgeton cut them off with another slap. She really likes slapping me. Fun.
"IDIOT! I've taken care of supplies. Your teachers can catch you up, I'm sure."

"Okay. Thank you Ms. Bridgeton." that was barely more than a whisper, but it felt bitter and acidic to say even so quietly. I thought I'd wash the flavor out a bit, regardless of commeuppance, though.

"Oh, and Ms. Bridgeton? You're a bitch."

Her face was deadly calm and her movements cat-like as she walked over to her bottle of spring water. I barely had time to wonder why they sold water in glass bottles before she slammed me in the stomach with it. The pain was like a shattering, despite the bottle staying miraculously intact. It took a moment to register before a dull ache spread from the collision point, out. I hit the ground but somehow didn't make a noise. Maybe I was too scared. She then kicked me to make a point.

"Get up. Go to school. Your supplies are on the side table."

After a moment or two I did so, grabbing my binders. I winced as I held them against my torso. Okay. Ouch. Bad idea. However, I walked calmly out of there as quickly as possible without seeming like I was panicking. I had forgotten the path back to the dining room, as you do, but eventually found my way to the stairs and down the hall and to my room on the end.

I looked up at the clock on the wall, the only decoration other than that terrible "hope" poster. 7:20. Fuck. I decide that checking the damage takes priority over breakfast. I go into the bathroom to look in the mirror, but don't see much (luckily). There's a fading hand-shaped pink spot from her slap on my cheek. I lift my shirts and see a large, already dark bruise, but since the bottle didn't break, there's no blood. I drop my shirt and think with more than little bitterness;

So much for a home.

(wow that was kinda long for once. I'm sure you guys just love me now. Like my band teachers always said "Your pain fuels me!". I feel like his thoughts are little too sporadic? I don't know. I re-read the 5 paragraph, argumentative opinion piece I wrote for my own satisfaction on the miraculous nature of Harry Potter's mental and physical health and hot dam it was long, angry, and surprisingly well written. Anyways as always, thank you for reading this and feel free to comment about how bad I am!)