Who: Bash & James Where: Their Overlook home When: Afternoon, Sunday 10/29 Status: Complete
James was in his study when Sebastian returned from Greg's house. It was close to the front door so on the rare occasion he worked from home he had a good view of who left the house and when. It suited him, he really did not like not knowing what was going on under his roof, though it was easier to swallow when he wasn't actually there.
"Bash?" he called out when he heard the front door open. He'd left his own office open to make sure he caught his son coming home. He had promised to try and suss out what was going on with him though he wasn't exactly looking to interrogate him.
Full from his lunch with Greg, Sebastian was looking forward to collapsing onto his bed and taking a nap before he started on his homework. He was no longer feeling quite so hungover, but a night with Hunter didn’t usually result in a lot of sleep. Not that he was complaining at all. In fact, he was in such a good mood that he’d mostly forgotten that he was giving Reagan and Caius his blood the next day. It was a worry for later. Nothing could ruin his high at the moment.
He looked towards the study when his father called for him, a touch surprised, but not worried. Not yet. “Hey Dad,” he said, poking his head in. “What’s up?”
"Hey champ," James said as he got out his chair and walked around the desk. "Good to see you're back to your normal self." It was tongue in cheek, Sebastian's costume had been pretty cool. "Did you have fun?" He leaned back against his desk, casually folding his arms over his chest and crossing his legs in a relaxed manner. This was not an interrogation, he hadn't really seen his younger son in a while, they could chat.
“Yeah,” Sebastian smiled, walking a bit further into the room. “Victoria went all out on the decorations. It was seriously impressive. And just a really good party. We slept in this morning, then went to Moxie’s.” He felt like he needed a brief explanation as to why he was getting home so late in the day, even if it was the norm. His father wasn’t always there and he wasn’t totally sure he realized how often he spent his Saturday nights at Greg’s house.
"Did you eat already?" James asked. It might be an idea to take his kids out for something to eat, something Brianna wouldn't appreciate Phee eating but James didn't much care. He'd get to spend some time with his kids and try to read their overly expressive teenage faces as he asked them random questions about their lives. The look on Bash's overly expressive face answered his question before Bash did and he gave him a faintly disappointed smile.
Sebastian cringed. “Yeah, like half the diner.” It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he just wanted to collapse and suffer through a mid-day food coma. “It was breakfast food though, so maybe something later? Something light?” It was hard to even think of food right now, but he could probably eat a salad later. After all the drinking and the junk food, he felt like he needed to eat something healthy.
James laughed at that. "Ah, hangover food, huh? Did you drink a lot?" He didn't mind, he'd been a rascal back in the day and he was very well aware that his sons were no different. He was more sensitive to Phee participating though, she was more vulnerable than the boys. "Your sister didn't get in any trouble, did she?"
“A little,” Sebastian said, feeling like telling his parents he’d been drinking was different than them knowing he had. His smile was telling enough. At least this time he hadn’t been sick. “No, Phee was good. I’m glad she went. I think she made a new friend.” While Phee was casually friends with a lot of people, she didn’t really have a lot of girlfriends. Not the type that stayed over, at least. So it was cool to see her and Jen click like that.
"Yeah, the sheriff's daughter," James replied with a little nod and a smile. He was definitely pleased about that though in a cautious way like everything to do with Phee made him feel. "I teased her about that, I think she bought it for about a second or two. Cop kids are more likely to rebel and all." He straightened up again, gesturing idly to the hallway. "You wanna hang out for a bit? I could use a break."
“She doesn’t really strike me as a rebel,” Sebastian said with a little laugh. Sure, of the two of them, Jen was probably the more rebellious, but he didn’t think she was the type his father needed to worry about. Jen wasn’t going to lead Phee down a wrong path or some nonsense. “Sure,” he said, cautiously taking a few steps into his father’s study. They didn’t ‘hang out’ a lot, and he’d really rather be in bed, but he didn’t feel like he could say that. “How’s work going?”
"Not here," James chuckled. "You look like you might slip into a food coma so let's go chill in the TV room." He winked at him before leading the way out of the study, patting Bash's shoulder when he caught up. "Work is work, that's not what I want to talk about when I'm on a break from it. Tell me about what's going on with you instead, you did good on Friday, kicked that team's ass. You ready to do it again in a week?"
Sebastian relaxed, much more into the idea of chilling on the couch. He always felt like he needed to watch himself in his dad’s study, like the room itself had rules about posture and behavior. He nodded along as they made their way to the TV room, glad that they weren’t discussing his father’s work as well, even if he’d been the one to ask about it. He hadn’t really known where to start in a chat, which really spoke to how out of it he was. Luckily, his father pulled him back to a suitable topic. “Of course,” he grinned, flopping down on the couch. “I think we’ve got it in us to go all the way. We’ve got a good team, good players, everything really jives and I think so long as we all keep our heads in the game that we won’t have any issues. I was a little worried a few weeks ago when a few of us had to sit out a game, but we’ve recovered.”
"That was a painful one," James agreed, turning on the tv for some nice background noise. "I thought Wheeler would stomp on out there against doctor's orders, he looked like his top was about to blow." He wasn't a big fan of Greg Wheeler but he seemed to be getting a little more likeable over the years so there was that. James of course attributed it to Bash's good influence. "What else is going on with you? I feel like we haven't talked in a while."
“Yeah, I was a little worried it was causing him more pain to sit that one out than it would’ve been for him to be in, but it wasn’t his first concussion. It’s not worth the risk,” Sebastian said, toeing off his shoes and making himself comfortable on the sofa. He ran his hand through his hair as he tried to come up with a good answer for his father, one that didn’t touch on Hunter or magic or the curse he was going to help break. “Ummm, mostly just school. Working on college applications, that kinda thing. Greg’s thinking he might not go, which is a bummer. We’d planned on rooming together. But I’ll figure something out.”
James nodded, but he was watching his son closely for any little tells that something might be wrong. He looked casual enough, only displaying distress at the thought of college which was completely normal. It was intimidating to think about while still in high school but James had no doubts that Bash would feel right in his element once he was there. If it was anything like James's experience it wouldn't really matter if he knew someone there already or not. "You'll go and have the time of your life with or without him," he murmured. "I heard about your homecoming queen shacking up with a Lucas... You alright?"
“Yeah, I know, it’ll just be weird not having him there,” Sebastian said with a little smile. Greg had always been there. He was practically family. In the hours since their discussion, Sebastian realized that not going to college together wouldn’t change that. “She wasn’t my queen, dad,” he said with a little laugh. “She’s just a friend, so yeah. We’re cool. Still close.” Sebastian actually liked where they were now better than when they’d been dating. He could be honest with her, something that had been lacking before, and their families and lives were similar enough that they could relate to each other in a lot of ways.
"You used to date," James pointed out. "It can be hard to see your ex girlfriend in a new relationship." At least in this one Bash wouldn't feel intimidated by the other guy, Jules Cooper really was slumming it. "I know a few people who'd probably throw a party if you got back together," he added with some amusement since he wasn't really one of them. It was better to be free and single that first wild year in college. A girlfriend was just baggage at that point.
“Yeah, like mom?” Sebastian said, rolling his eyes. He knew Jules’ mother was also on that list. It might be short, but it was persistent. And in this case, they were going to be disappointed. Sebastian couldn’t imagine ever going back to girls, even if he and Hunter were to break up. Not that his parents knew that, but it was a lost cause. “We’re really okay. We’ve talked about it and this just works better for us.” And the best part was he didn’t even have to lie about it.
"Seventeen and already breaking hearts," James said with a little grin. "Obviously not Miss Cooper's but her mom's, definitely." It was such a folly to put too much stock into your kids's love lives when they were still in high school. Those romances didn't last anyway so as long as the kids were careful it shouldn't impact a goddamn thing. Of course that didn't apply to the daughters so James couldn't quite blame Jules's mom for fretting. "Anything else going on? Anything you wanna tell me?" he asked with a little head tilt as he observed his son. Bash wasn't letting anything slip that was for sure, if there was anything to let slip other than the magic. James wasn't sure he wanted him to tell him about that, pretending to not know until Bash was old enough to go against his mother's wishes was better.
Sebastian had never been a great liar. The only reason he’d been able to hide his sexuality as long as he had was that he’d been fully invested in the lie, almost to the point of believing it himself. Now he could continue it because he skirted around the actual issue. The only person who had outright asked him if he was gay was Jules. Lying by omission and avoidance was his game and that continued here. He’d learned that the best way to keep a secret was to tell the truth as much as possible and to give a little when necessary. “Um… there is one thing,” he said, looking down as his brows drew together, then back up at his father. “I was seeing ghosts yesterday. I don’t know why.”
James nodded. He'd seen them too and he thought it might have something to do with the surge in his magical powers. Hearing that his son had seen them only strengthened his belief that this had to do with their bloodline and being witches. He had to wonder if Phee had seen them too or if this was strictly something practicing witches had experienced. "Did you recognize them?" he asked because he would rather Bash came to his own conclusions.
“I don’t know,” Sebastian said with a small frown. “They seemed familiar, but I don’t know why. They were all dressed in, like, old timey clothing.” He wasn’t going to even ballpark guess when they had died. He’d always been bad at history. “They didn’t hurt me or anything. They were just there, and then gone. I was with Phee when I saw one of them, but she couldn’t see it.” That was what bothered him the most. He’d always expected that if a ghost appeared, that everyone would be able to see it. Being singled out worried him.
"It was the six," James told him. "I don't know why they're showing up now but I saw them too. I don't think there's anything to worry about though, it could even be a good sign." He couldn't very well explain why he thought so but having his magic strengthened as it had been had felt good and he was sure the two were connected. "You should probably not mention this to your mom. You know how she gets."
“Oh yeah,” Sebastian said as father explained. “Greg and I went on that tour. They had pictures of them. It didn’t even dawn on me.” It wasn’t like he’d spent a lot of time staring at their pictures. He’d been more interested in this history that had been kept from him, things he knew his mother wanted him to avoid. It was why he hadn’t even told her about the tour, though he’d rather her bitch at him for that than any of the real trouble he was up to. “I know,” he said, speaking of not telling his mother. “She freaked out about me buying a bracelet. I don’t want to be grounded for seeing ghosts, especially if they’re gone now.”
James had been somewhat amused by Brianna's insistence that he check Bash's bracelet for magic. He'd bought it at a witch festival but that didn't mean a thing. He would hope that Bash could pick up on anything being off about a magical object, even if he had no training, but he'd agreed to check it out. Anything malicious coming from that market would get said witch into trouble so he himself hadn't really worried. Of course it had just turned out to be a boring, magic-free bracelet. "I wouldn't let her ground you for something you can't help," he said with a little smile. He might indulge his wife in many things but he was certainly not whipped by her.
“Thanks,” Sebastian smiled, even while he wondered if that would always apply. And if his father would hold himself to the same standard. “Do you have any idea what caused it?” Even if they didn’t talk about it, he knew his father had to practice magic. He had to know more than he let on. Maybe not about the ghosts he’d seen, but from what Reagan said, most witches were trained their whole lives, learning about magic even before they could do it themselves. So much of that had been kept from him, but his father might know.
It was times like these James missed being able to tell his kids he'd tell them more when they were older. It was such a nice thing to say when he didn't know and he hated to admit that he didn't know. Right now he was at a loss. It wasn't like this was an annual thing so it couldn't have been triggered by the festival. Maybe someone had cast a spell this year. He couldn't help but wonder if his son's sudden increase in magical energy - despite his mother's warnings - had something to do with it. Sebastian was definitely experimenting, there was no doubt in James's mind. He hummed and shrugged casually. "I have theories," he said. "Nothing solid yet. Let me know if you see them again?"
Sebastian would have loved to have heard those theories. If they could sit around and talk magic, he felt like he’d finally be connecting in to one of the few things they all had in common. Even his mother. But that was a subject to avoid, especially since it would be hard to continue down that path without revealing how much he’d learned. He didn’t want to put his father in a position where he’d have to lie to his mother, so it was better to keep his mouth shut. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I’ll let you know. So far today’s been back to normal.”
James nodded, a ghost of a disappointed frown passing over him before he smiled again. "Have you decided anything about college?" He might have ideas for his son but there was no family tradition when it came to colleges and James had always been glad for that. As long as they got into a quality school, nobody really cared which one it was. "Thought about what you might want to study?"
This felt like a far safer topic to Sebastian, even if he didn’t have all the answers. It was normal for someone his age and he had time to figure it all out. “I’m still trying to narrow it down. I’m really leaning towards Massachusetts, but we’ll see.” He knew that was probably the most expensive option and he wanted to make sure he settled on some place both he and Hunter could afford. “Florida’s also an option. And… I’m thinking about nursing?” He was still trying the idea out and well aware it might not be his father’s preferred profession for him.
James approved of Massachusetts, shook his head dismissively at Florida and then all but lost his jaw at the nursing bit. "Nursing?" he asked, not trying to hide the fact he was baffled. "Why would you... Why not a doctor if you're going into that field anyway? It's underpaid, stressful, underappreciated." No, his son should definitely do something better than that, it was also a very female dominated field. "You want the guys to be calling you a murse all the time?"
Sebastian took a deep breath, doing his best not to get frustrated and defensive. He knew where his father was coming from, but he still hated having to explain himself. “I don’t want to be a doctor, but I do like the idea of helping people. There are lots of guys in nursing, dad. I could work in the ER or one of the Trauma units. And if I’m in a big city with a Level I Trauma center, I’d make a decent amount.” So he’d done a little bit of research. It was his life he was talking about. He felt like he needed to do more than just pick a major and find out the rest later.
James had to admit that he was impressed that his son had actually researched his interest but that didn't change the fact it was a terrible interest. His expression was mild enough and he didn't want to make Bash feel cornered and defensive. "What's wrong with being a doctor?" he asked jokingly, as if Bash had just insulted the whole profession with his choice of words. He still meant it though, he thought Bash could do a lot more good as a doctor than as a nurse, it just seemed beneath him.
Sebastian struggled to come up with a reason that wasn’t ‘it’s too much work’. All work was work, but everything he’d ever seen or heard about doctors had led him to believe that work was their life. That it was all encompassing. He didn’t want that for himself. He wanted the ability to go home at the end of the day. “You mean besides the crazy amount of school and tests and loopholes?” he asked. “I don’t know if I could get into medical school and if I can’t, then what do I do? A science degree is great if you’re pre-med, but if you’re not then you’re stuck with teaching science or going into research. I don’t want to teach and research pays worse than anything. It’s hard to be a doctor, but they’re always in need of good nurses. And I could, like, have a life outside work. Maybe I move up and manage a department at some point. It’s not a dead end job.”
"So you think it's too hard?" James asked skeptically because that's what he was getting from the bit about school and tests and loopholes. "You're smart, Bash, you can handle school, quitting doesn't sound like your thing." Which was absolutely not what Bash had been saying but it was the part James latched onto, not convinced his kid wouldn't make a great doctor. "It depends on what kind of doctor you want to become. Plastic surgeons have a pretty good lifestyle, nobody's asking you to go fight ebola in some remote country."
“I’m not saying it’s too hard. I think I could do it if I wanted to. But I don’t want to. And… and if I don’t want to be a doctor, then I don’t think I’ll have the drive to make it happen.” Sebastian didn’t like the idea of being a quitter. He’d never quit anything in his life. But part of that was not starting something he couldn’t finish and he knew deep down that he didn’t want to be a doctor. It appealed even less to him when his father mentioned plastic surgery and his expression showed it. “I want to help people, not fix their noses and blow up their chests. But maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s not the right field for me. I could go into social work. Or work for a non-profit.”
"Don't be ridiculous," James sighed. "And plastic surgeons do help people, it's not all nosejobs and silicon." He raised his hands to motion he wasn't going to press the issue, though he really hoped Bash would change his mind before he graduated. "I just want you to remember that you are capable of greatness, you come from a long line of successful and powerful people. You can change things from the top more easily than you can from the bottom." And as far as he was concerned, nurses were quite close to the bottom.
You can do a lot from the bottom, Sebastian thought, but he held his tongue. He didn’t even like the implication that he was choosing a profession that was a disappointment to him, but he also didn’t like the other options he’d been given. Maybe medicine wasn’t for him. Or maybe his father would change his mind when he came out, since he was being all sexist about it. Murse. “It was just an idea,” he sighed. “I’ll spend my first two years doing the basics anyways. I don’t have to declare a major right now, I just have to get accepted.”
"You will," James told him. The forced diversity didn't seem to have gotten to the point of being threatening though he could see it looming, but he had no doubt his kid would get into a good school. He was smart, talented, and rich and, despite his misgivings that he might not be, he was hard working. "Just put in your application everywhere you can imagine going. You know I'm not going to pressure you on where to go, but I can always put in a good word in Harvard if it comes to that."
“Thanks,” Sebastian said, giving his father a small smile. UCLA was probably more his speed, and University of Miami was both closer, cheaper, and easier to get into, but that was an argument that he could have later. While his father said he wouldn’t pressure him, Sebastian knew that was only true if he liked the choices. Just like he clearly didn’t like what he wanted to major in. “I’ve still got some time. Most of the applications aren’t due till December or January.”
"Better to start too early than too late," James pointed out. "It's almost November. If you need any help or advice you know where to find me." And he hoped Bash would come find him and not try to juggle all that crap alone. Teenagers were so stubborn and so much dumber than they thought they were, of course Bash wouldn't realize that until he was older too. "I wouldn't recommend following Trip, it's a lot more fun to pave your own way."
“I know, I’ve just had a lot going on,” Sebastian said. It was a lame excuse, but it was true. It felt like there was no time to do things like college applications. School took up enough time as it was. “I’m pretty sure I wanna go somewhere else. Not that it’s not a good school, but… I wanna do something different.” He’d been trailing in his brother’s shadow his whole life. He had no plans to continue doing that through college. They were completely different people. His father had to see that.
"It is a good school," James agreed. "But there are other good schools." He certainly wouldn't have wanted his brother to come trailing after him in Harvard, making James feel obligated to play the good brother and show him around. Owen probably wouldn't have wanted him to either, they both valued their independence. "I loved it there," he mused. "Sometimes I wonder why I came back." Only he knew why, it was family and roots and Brianna that kept him in Point Pleasant as well as something about the magic feeling stronger here. He felt more powerful at least, maybe it was a small pond syndrome, he didn't much care.
“Yeah, me too,” Sebastian said with a little laugh. If he went away to school in Massachusetts, he couldn’t imagine ever moving back. But this was where he’d grown up and he liked it well enough, so he wasn’t complaining. He knew there were some that whined about it being a small town, but it served him well so far. Sighing, Sebastian check the time on his phone and sat up. “I probably need to go start on my homework.” If he put it off till later, he wasn’t sure he’d get it all done before he was ready to crash.
"This is why you finish your homework before you go partying," James admonished him though there was no real bite to it. "So you don't have to suffer Sunday night." He waved him off with a grin, well aware that homework was often just an excuse to go be alone. Parents were boring when you were a teen.
“I had a game Friday night,” Sebastian reminded him. “I got some of it done earlier on Saturday, but…” He shrugged it off, not having a great excuse. He’d had chores, but there’d been more time on Saturday before the party. It just felt lame to spend the daylight doing homework. Now he wished he’d done a bit more. Plus, he didn’t want to give his father any more time to ask questions. “I’ll be down for dinner,” he told his dad, then headed on up to his room. That should fulfill his family time quota for the weekend.