[As Grace ascends the stairs gracefully, Simon stubs his toe on a few. He lives on the first floor, okay? Give him a break.]
Whoa-oh, oh!
[Simon wiggles, sure, but he desperately tries to gain his balance again. He hesitates at the door to her room, feeling a bit shy.
Simon meekly looks on for her permission to enter, nodding and... Um, is that a curtsy? It is. He does that before entering. People's rooms feel like itttle kingdoms. Or, at the very least, that's how he feels about his own.]
Hate to break it to ya, but most Europeans are pretty snobby when it comes to foreigners. Maybe try to laugh it off, and um, enjoy the wine and cheese? Pretty sure we're legal to drink over there, too, so if that's the kind of fun you're after...
[ She does have a canopy bed but for now, out of respect that they're almost perfect strangers, the desk will be where they conduct their business. Grace makes a face at his comment about Europeans being snobby and she leans back a bit, pouting. ]
This isn't a trip that I want to spend hungover. I have a scholarship, remember?
[ Oh, she's aware that everyone knows. It must be kind of a slap on the wrist to know that someone like her is riding out on something like that -- but that's just how the world works. ]
I'm already at a disadvantage. A lot of the girls I'll be studying with focus primarily on dance with everything else coming as a second. I have AP courses and an inability to conjugate, apparently. So.
[ She breathes in. She breathes out. Okay. Her attention drops to some of the work she's already completed. There are certain things she felt she understood better but, the future assignments were kinda rough. Her syllabus is also fetched and put on the desk. ]
I don't know if this is enough to kind of help structure these sessions. Maybe?
[He looks up. It's clear that Grace's distress is palpable, and hey, guess who's always wanted to play hero for a beautiful damsel in "distress" (disgusting, I know).]
Right! Okay.
This isn't gonna be a normal procedure.
[crise about infinity train dialogue echoing]
Let's try and be analytical about this.
Objective numero uno- Get your grades up so that you start feeling more confident. Honestly, a lot of the stuff they dock ya for is really just technical, and it doesn't have much to do with the actual speakin' part. It's still fall, so, hey! You've got plenty o' time to improve.
Objective two... Once your grades start getting better, I think we should try to hold a few conversations. Let's start with tryin' to talk about somethin' for five to ten minutes, no English. It might be a good idea to round out our sessions with that.
[Wow, look who is um. Surprisingly academic. Old spelling bee champ habits die hard, I guess.]
[ Her disbelieving expression and tone lasts for roughly 5 seconds of suspended silence before she laughs. Just let her have this corny shit. She calms herself and sighs, but some of the tension has worked it's way from her posture. ]
I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That sounds...good. No, great. You know, you're kind of good at playing teach. You sure this isn't your secret side hustle outside of the AV Boys?
[ oh la la please have a conversation with her in French you wirey little thing you. ]
I am all yours, then. Even if it weren't for the trip my massive ego might take a beating by not getting straight As for the first time in my life. So, thanks.
[Laughter, full-on laughter, and not a snicker at a niche meme is a rare thing for Simon to experience. It fills the room, lacking the rasp of his train counterpart, a warm, honest noise.]
Objectives un et deux, then.
[Counting is easy, but then again for a Simon in any universe, numbers have always provided some form of comfort. It's the false precision that they provide.]
I used to coach.
[He doesn't say for what or why, but the tense he's used implies that something happened. He hasn't been all grunge and dark colors forever, oh no. There was a time when Simon was a shy and timid nerd, someone who just loved school, and had dreamed of one day going to a top college where he could make a name for himself.
For right now, though, he can't say he has any in particular.]
God, I feel ya there. One missed assignment or wacky test and it's like, "Oh, god!" Good grades were the one thing I could count on growin' up.
[ She hums in a show of approval for the correction, grinning at the blond next to her. This is kind of nice. It's a bad habit borne of a wealthy upbringing that allows a critical thought to shadow her good mood; would be be here, acting all nice with his sweater vest and his laughter at her awful jokes if she weren't paying him? It had nothing to do with the fact she'd seen where he lived; she's had well-off acquaintances that had proven to be fare weather friends.
Grace is quick to scold that little voice; she'd been the one to bother him first. She'd offered to pay him for his time and help. He was providing a service. Leave it to her own brain to offer a bit of pessimism to a good thing.
She picks up on the hint and leans over enough to casually nudge their arms together. For once, she wasn't the only one that had a little bit of mystery to them. It's kind of exciting. ]
Hey, if you stay out of detention -- thanks to me -- who knows? Maybe I'm a good influence on you.
[ Unlike her train counterpart. So what if her dismal grasp of the French language is what's really bringing them together? She's totally going to take credit where she can even pretend it exists. ]
Go on then. Work your miracles.
[ Grace, don't slap your work down on the table that hard. Don't sound posh in that phony way. Assume, however, that she actually is a good student and takes whatever he says as serious tutelage. ]
[ Remember that part where she thought this was nice? Simon's whole spiel doesn't seem to be immediately terrible; they were already making a habit in exercising their awful gremlin humor at one another.
But then he keeps fucking talking. About street cred and her affluence. ]
Wow, Simon. You sound like everyone else.
[ Maybe he's just joking around, sure, but this is how Grace weeds out those aforementioned fare weather friends. Shutting her book, she stood and for a moment she looks down at him.
Honestly, she's debating if she was overreacting with her tanking mood but... dammit, she's disappointed. For a hot second she was already thinking of asking him to hang out to study in general. Like friends do. She wouldn't know. ]
Listen, I'm thirsty and I'm all out of the tears of my enemies so I'm going to go downstairs. Can I grab you something? A clue, maybe?
[ Mayday! Pretty girl is pretty upset. She's sounding more firm with every word that comes out of her mouth. Who is going to have an angry cry in the butler's pantry? This boss bitch, that's who! ]
[She runs before he can get a hold of her, and admittedly, it takes him a little time to do so because her house is humongous, but it's clear from all his huffing and puffing that he has desperately been trying to find her.]
Oh, god, I'm sorry-
[He reaches out but avoids touching her. Oh no.]
L-look! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, honest, I... Don't even know what street cred is.
Have you seen me? Other than the other AV guys, I never talk to anybody. I was joking, I swear to god.
[He considers returning her venmo transaction because wow he fucked up-]
This is the most fun I've had in a long time. It'd be the same if we met in a dilapidated RV. Are people really that crap to ya?
[ Grace is totally taking advantage of how large her house is, but she doesn't actually expect him to come running. She makes an attempt to collect herself. Even if she was hurt, she didn't really like the idea of some guy seeing her cry.
They never understood the catharsis that was The Angry Cry.
Her jaw feels a little tight from the effort to keep her expression neutral when she finally turns but she's quick to look away, leaning a hip against the counter awkwardly. She's a little more subdued than her usual self when she finally cuts in on his rambling. ]
I know... that you definitely have no idea what street cred is.
[ Was that a joke? Possibly a pointed one, but she's trying to pretend she didn't just cry over a boy she was barely friendly with. Pathetic. Taking a deep breath, she shrugged. Not that she's not flattered. What he's saying is... sweet. And she's grateful for an apology that actually seemed sincere. ]
To me? No. They don't usually see me for me, so there's that.
[ Hold on... ]
Did you really say 'dilapidated RV'? How dilapidated?
Like, possible staph infection dilapidated? And I hate germs, so...
[He is unkempt, not unhygienic. That's totally different.]
You should... Probably get your money back. Makin' you cry is definitely a violations of the Terms and Conditions of whatever this is.
[She will notice that he makes no attempt to leave her however, instead maintaining a very respectful but comforting distance between them.]
I'll stay the rest of the time though. I know I can make sure that you understand the homework, at least. And...
I know what it's like to feel like you just can't count on anybody to be there for all the bad stuff. 'Cause things can get pretty bad, sometimes. And even if you're loaded, I'm... Sure there's stuff that even money can't fix.
[The AV club was a good place to spend his time, much like all his little hobbies. But when it came to talking about how his father's death had made him feel, or how hard it was to be the man of the house when he had just barely turned eighteen, they really weren't the best at conversation.
And even with his mother's two jobs, the health insurance they can afford really can't cover therapy.]
[ She's fast to deny the offer to get her money back. He hasn't moved yet, even with the implications. It's something she's not used to; tears were something to be had behind closed doors, away from sight. ]
Let's just press rewind on this afternoon okay? We just had a misunderstanding. It's fine. You're fine. I want you to stay.
[ Pushing off the counter to step closer. She offers her hand for a handshake...
That she probably won't let go of because she's kind of vulnerable and he's... nice. Sorry. ]
Next Tuesday will be better.
[ One day she'll find out about his life and be perfectly happy to listen, but for now she's in a place of just leading him upstairs. By the hand. This poor boy. ]
[ If it isn't it is now. Soft lady hands, my dude.
Honestly, she's offhandedly aware it might be a little weird that she's dragging a boy to her room by the hand (and there's a mortified flash of heat that climbs along her neck she valiantly ignores)... but not weird enough to let it go.
Even with his face going red too. ]
I'm sorry that I took it personally.
[ They're at her room again and she seems a little fidgety. There's a slight grin. ]
I'm also sorry I said you were like everyone else. That wasn't fair. Now that we've established we're awesome, shall we?
[It's not as though either of them know what the rules are for this kind of thing, anyway. And, are there? There is no is one universal code that dictates every deep interpersonal connection between two people. In fact, the terms must be negotiated as both parties see fit.
He smiles at that little vote of confidence. Grace may be used to faking it till she makes it, but Simon has yet to adopt this mentality.
When they both sit down at her desk, he takes one final glance at her homework, and then looks back up at her, smiling.]
Okay! We'll start with what needs the most work- Let's getcha up to speed on all things past tense.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2021-05-10 02:19 am (UTC)Whoa-oh, oh!
[Simon wiggles, sure, but he desperately tries to gain his balance again. He hesitates at the door to her room, feeling a bit shy.
Simon meekly looks on for her permission to enter, nodding and... Um, is that a curtsy? It is. He does that before entering. People's rooms feel like itttle kingdoms. Or, at the very least, that's how he feels about his own.]
Hate to break it to ya, but most Europeans are pretty snobby when it comes to foreigners. Maybe try to laugh it off, and um, enjoy the wine and cheese? Pretty sure we're legal to drink over there, too, so if that's the kind of fun you're after...
Maybe you should just make the most of it.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-10 03:02 am (UTC)This isn't a trip that I want to spend hungover. I have a scholarship, remember?
[ Oh, she's aware that everyone knows. It must be kind of a slap on the wrist to know that someone like her is riding out on something like that -- but that's just how the world works. ]
I'm already at a disadvantage. A lot of the girls I'll be studying with focus primarily on dance with everything else coming as a second. I have AP courses and an inability to conjugate, apparently. So.
[ She breathes in. She breathes out. Okay. Her attention drops to some of the work she's already completed. There are certain things she felt she understood better but, the future assignments were kinda rough. Her syllabus is also fetched and put on the desk. ]
I don't know if this is enough to kind of help structure these sessions. Maybe?
[ Poor girl is stressed, Simon. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-10 03:12 am (UTC)Right! Okay.
This isn't gonna be a normal procedure.
[crise about infinity train dialogue echoing]
Let's try and be analytical about this.
Objective numero uno- Get your grades up so that you start feeling more confident. Honestly, a lot of the stuff they dock ya for is really just technical, and it doesn't have much to do with the actual speakin' part. It's still fall, so, hey! You've got plenty o' time to improve.
Objective two... Once your grades start getting better, I think we should try to hold a few conversations. Let's start with tryin' to talk about somethin' for five to ten minutes, no English. It might be a good idea to round out our sessions with that.
[Wow, look who is um. Surprisingly academic. Old spelling bee champ habits die hard, I guess.]
Sound good?
Pre work tags man I'm sorry
Date: 2021-05-10 10:37 am (UTC)Uno? Listen even I know that's Latin.
[ Her disbelieving expression and tone lasts for roughly 5 seconds of suspended silence before she laughs. Just let her have this corny shit. She calms herself and sighs, but some of the tension has worked it's way from her posture. ]
I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That sounds...good. No, great. You know, you're kind of good at playing teach. You sure this isn't your secret side hustle outside of the AV Boys?
[ oh la la please have a conversation with her in French you wirey little thing you. ]
I am all yours, then. Even if it weren't for the trip my massive ego might take a beating by not getting straight As for the first time in my life. So, thanks.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-10 05:24 pm (UTC)Objectives un et deux, then.
[Counting is easy, but then again for a Simon in any universe, numbers have always provided some form of comfort. It's the false precision that they provide.]
I used to coach.
[He doesn't say for what or why, but the tense he's used implies that something happened. He hasn't been all grunge and dark colors forever, oh no. There was a time when Simon was a shy and timid nerd, someone who just loved school, and had dreamed of one day going to a top college where he could make a name for himself.
For right now, though, he can't say he has any in particular.]
God, I feel ya there. One missed assignment or wacky test and it's like, "Oh, god!" Good grades were the one thing I could count on growin' up.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-10 11:47 pm (UTC)Grace is quick to scold that little voice; she'd been the one to bother him first. She'd offered to pay him for his time and help. He was providing a service. Leave it to her own brain to offer a bit of pessimism to a good thing.
She picks up on the hint and leans over enough to casually nudge their arms together. For once, she wasn't the only one that had a little bit of mystery to them. It's kind of exciting. ]
Hey, if you stay out of detention -- thanks to me -- who knows? Maybe I'm a good influence on you.
[ Unlike her train counterpart. So what if her dismal grasp of the French language is what's really bringing them together? She's totally going to take credit where she can even pretend it exists. ]
Go on then. Work your miracles.
[ Grace, don't slap your work down on the table that hard. Don't sound posh in that phony way. Assume, however, that she actually is a good student and takes whatever he says as serious tutelage. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 01:41 am (UTC)[He holds up a hand, as if to imitate a stop sign.]
If we're gonna be spendin' all this time together, let's get one thing straight-
[Look at this smarmy... Neckbeardy motherfucker.]
I'm not interested in any kind of good influences.
I'm just here to have fun. And maybe up my street cred a notch.
[He actually just wants to spend time with you girl.]
It's not every day that I get to spend my time with someone who looks like they belong on the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 02:20 am (UTC)But then he keeps fucking talking. About street cred and her affluence. ]
Wow, Simon. You sound like everyone else.
[ Maybe he's just joking around, sure, but this is how Grace weeds out those aforementioned fare weather friends. Shutting her book, she stood and for a moment she looks down at him.
Honestly, she's debating if she was overreacting with her tanking mood but... dammit, she's disappointed. For a hot second she was already thinking of asking him to hang out to study in general. Like friends do. She wouldn't know. ]
Listen, I'm thirsty and I'm all out of the tears of my enemies so I'm going to go downstairs. Can I grab you something? A clue, maybe?
[ Mayday! Pretty girl is pretty upset. She's sounding more firm with every word that comes out of her mouth. Who is going to have an angry cry in the butler's pantry? This boss bitch, that's who! ]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 02:34 am (UTC)[She runs before he can get a hold of her, and admittedly, it takes him a little time to do so because her house is humongous, but it's clear from all his huffing and puffing that he has desperately been trying to find her.]
Oh, god, I'm sorry-
[He reaches out but avoids touching her. Oh no.]
L-look! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, honest, I... Don't even know what street cred is.
Have you seen me? Other than the other AV guys, I never talk to anybody. I was joking, I swear to god.
[He considers returning her venmo transaction because wow he fucked up-]
This is the most fun I've had in a long time. It'd be the same if we met in a dilapidated RV. Are people really that crap to ya?
[Simon begins to blather on, a nervous habit.]
But you're awesome.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 03:09 am (UTC)They never understood the catharsis that was The Angry Cry.
Her jaw feels a little tight from the effort to keep her expression neutral when she finally turns but she's quick to look away, leaning a hip against the counter awkwardly. She's a little more subdued than her usual self when she finally cuts in on his rambling. ]
I know... that you definitely have no idea what street cred is.
[ Was that a joke? Possibly a pointed one, but she's trying to pretend she didn't just cry over a boy she was barely friendly with. Pathetic. Taking a deep breath, she shrugged. Not that she's not flattered. What he's saying is... sweet. And she's grateful for an apology that actually seemed sincere. ]
To me? No. They don't usually see me for me, so there's that.
[ Hold on... ]
Did you really say 'dilapidated RV'? How dilapidated?
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 03:20 am (UTC)[He is unkempt, not unhygienic. That's totally different.]
You should... Probably get your money back. Makin' you cry is definitely a violations of the Terms and Conditions of whatever this is.
[She will notice that he makes no attempt to leave her however, instead maintaining a very respectful but comforting distance between them.]
I'll stay the rest of the time though. I know I can make sure that you understand the homework, at least. And...
I know what it's like to feel like you just can't count on anybody to be there for all the bad stuff. 'Cause things can get pretty bad, sometimes. And even if you're loaded, I'm... Sure there's stuff that even money can't fix.
[The AV club was a good place to spend his time, much like all his little hobbies. But when it came to talking about how his father's death had made him feel, or how hard it was to be the man of the house when he had just barely turned eighteen, they really weren't the best at conversation.
And even with his mother's two jobs, the health insurance they can afford really can't cover therapy.]
Like how much people suck, geez.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 03:50 am (UTC)Let's just press rewind on this afternoon okay? We just had a misunderstanding. It's fine. You're fine. I want you to stay.
[ Pushing off the counter to step closer. She offers her hand for a handshake...
That she probably won't let go of because she's kind of vulnerable and he's... nice. Sorry. ]
Next Tuesday will be better.
[ One day she'll find out about his life and be perfectly happy to listen, but for now she's in a place of just leading him upstairs. By the hand. This poor boy. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 03:56 am (UTC)Okay.
[Welp, nevermind. Simon is just gonna be red as a cherry tomato as she leads him back up the stairs.]
I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
I'm sorry I did.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 04:14 am (UTC)Honestly, she's offhandedly aware it might be a little weird that she's dragging a boy to her room by the hand (and there's a mortified flash of heat that climbs along her neck she valiantly ignores)... but not weird enough to let it go.
Even with his face going red too. ]
I'm sorry that I took it personally.
[ They're at her room again and she seems a little fidgety. There's a slight grin. ]
I'm also sorry I said you were like everyone else. That wasn't fair. Now that we've established we're awesome, shall we?
[ from the top! ]
end!!!
Date: 2021-05-12 04:42 pm (UTC)He smiles at that little vote of confidence. Grace may be used to faking it till she makes it, but Simon has yet to adopt this mentality.
When they both sit down at her desk, he takes one final glance at her homework, and then looks back up at her, smiling.]
Okay! We'll start with what needs the most work- Let's getcha up to speed on all things past tense.