High school AU open post

Calling in sick for Koschei wasn't exactly anything new. It was almost routine, really, only that it hurt, because it was a stark reminder of the brief period of relief being over once more. He called in sick for himself, too, because Koschei needed him and because he realized that he actually wanted the reprieve and that just wouldn't do. What they could have was worth more than that.

"Do you want me to get you your meds?" It was always a difficult line to skirt, not sounding condescending, not sounding concerned. Barty tried his best. "We can both stay in today."

"No, they make me sick," Koschei denied easily, shuffling back to make enough distance between himself and Barty, knocking against the boxes they stored under their bed. It was nice and roomy, at least. And it was much easier to see attacks and keep hidden if he was under cover. "I'll try again next week, I don't want to try today."

He did, however, reach his hand out to Barty. A gesture that he didn't want to be alone. "Come under with me? Only for a bit. Then I promise we can go watch TV together. Or a film or something. I just don't feel like going out today." Or yesterday. Or the week before. He was slipping back into his reclusive ways.

"Okay," Barty agreed and he marveled a little at how unaffected his voice sounded while he felt anything but. "You can try some other time."

He smiled briefly and nodded, at least now feeling his throat closing up a bit too much to say anything else with that goddamn fake voice that he was beginning to hate. He turned away momentarily, pretending to check on a book on his nightstand but mostly just wanting to hide his expression from Koschei. Only a few moments, then he got on his knees and moved under the bed next to him, wondering if telling him that he could use a proper shower would do any good. He imagined not.

"It's like a fort."

"It is, isn't it? I like it. I miss when we had forts," Koschei admitted as he rolled closer and rested his head on Barty's chest, trying to close his eyes and relax a little. It made it easier to venture out of the bedroom and get up, get himself back into the groove of things. He just had to stay calm, count backwards from ten and think of Barty.

"Are you pissed with me?" Koschei asked finally, eyes still closed. "That I'm not taking my meds. I'm sorry, I am. I just don't want to today. Like I said, they make me sick. They're rotting my brain."

"Yeah? Maybe we can build one again some time." Barty took a deep breath and started to run his fingers through Koschei's hair. He was staring at nothing, straight ahead, listening to Koschei and feeling strangely as if this wasn't actually happening to him, but as if he was watching it.

"I'm not pissed." He didn't think Koschei was up to comprehending the disappointment, fear and sadness he actually felt, so he had no intention of bringing it up. "You'll take them some other day. Like you said."

"Yes, I promise I will. I really do. And if I don't, you have permission to call my doctor," Something he was only really saying. Right now, he still trusted the man. But give it another week and he'd soon retract what he said. He stayed against Barty for several long moments before exhaling, knowing they both had to get up sometime.

"What should we do today?" Koschei asked, though it was more him asking Barty what he had to do instead of what he wanted to do. Because, really, he did tend to let the things he had to do slide sometimes. It was hard to be motivated on days like this, when he just wanted to be with Barty and no one else.

A Pinky and the Brain reference occurred to him, but he wasn't really in the mood to actually make it, so he just shrugged. "Nothing. We can do something if you want to, but I'm fine doing nothing. Maybe I'll sleep some more." Because he was tired. He was so very tired of all of this. He wanted to pretend his life was happening to something else, that actually made it almost ridiculous enough to be funny.

"Sleep sounds good," Koschei agreed, very happy to nod off if he could. He didn't want to go out of this room, this was the safest point. No one could get to him here. Or Barty. They were both safe and they were going to be okay, he knew that. "We'll just sleep today then. And then later I'll make dinner."

He probably wouldn't. He said things that he thought sounded normal these days instead of seeking to actually be normal. It was easier to lie sometimes.

"Sure you will."

There wasn't any teasing to that, said as flat as anything else he'd said today. He turned his head to the side and decided to stay quiet instead now, because he was increasingly feeling like kicking himself for every word out of his mouth. Just being here and holding Koschei was at least not terrible.

They lay together for an hour or two, Koschei sleeping on and off. Then, finally, he felt his stomach rumble and shook Barty away, giving him a half glazed look. He never did work well after sleep, the old Koschei didn't either. He often struggled to manage when half asleep. There was that one time he'd tried to put cereal in the toaster in an effort to make himself breakfast at six am.

"Barty, we should have lunch. It's getting late, isn't it?"

Barty was usually a light sleeper, so he woke up easily enough, although he didn't entirely want to. He nodded before even really thinking about the question, then already rolled out from under the bed.

"I'll make you something." He found he wasn't really hungry. Maybe later. "What do you want? Anything in particular?"

All that money for his education and he was some kind of terrible live-in maid that didn't get tipped. His father was right about him after all.

"Lets have pizza," Koschei suggested as he clambered out from under the bed, following after Barty with a loud yawn. He was trying to readjust his mind and get himself back onto track, he felt oddly fuzzy today. And Barty was... well, off. He wasn't really reacting and he didn't seem to be smiling as much as he usually did.

And when he did smile, it wasn't there in his eyes.

"I said I'd cook, let me cook," Koschei insisted, wondering if he could get a smile out of Barty. A proper one. "I should of hired that maid, makes it so much easier. Neither of us like housework, it's boring."

"You can cook." He wasn't really going to fight him on this. Barty wasn't sure why Koschei was pretending right now or whether he was just really tired, but he tried his best to be neutral toward it, rather than angry or, even worse, hopeful. He turned on the oven and took a pizza out of the freezer to hand it to Koschei, letting him cook. In a manner of speaking.

"I don't think we're really suited for having a maid." He shrugged. "I can put up with some boring work. It's not so bad."

Koschei put the pizza in the oven and slid it inside, setting up the gas mark and making sure it was all set. While it cooked, he leaned against the cooker, looking at Barty with concern. He didn't seem any happier and Koschei was doing what he promised. Shouldn't that of helped? Just a little.

"You hate it, you told me more than once," Koschei insisted as he crossed his arms, frowning slightly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Yeah, well, that was me whining. You know, exaggerating a bit. It's not as if it's that big a deal." The question made his stomach drop and he smiled uncertainly, moving to sit down by the table.

"I'm just tired today. Don't worry about it. Maybe I'm getting a bit sick."

"Sick?" Koschei frowned for a moment before sitting down as well. Koschei didn't look great himself, he hadn't shaved in a while nor washed and he clearly looked about as mental as he felt. It was funny how his mood was reflected that way. "Do you want to skip lunch and go back to sleep?"

High school AU open post

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