Henry Mills is the (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} boywhobelieves) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} wariscoming,@ 2015-01-18 19:31:00 |
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What: Henry skips school
Where: their awesome house of awesomeness
When: Backdated to last Monday, January 12
Status/Warnings: Complete/Nah
Henry had always been a fan of school. But then middle school had hit and he was finding that it really wasn’t the place he wanted to be anymore. Not because of the actual curriculum. He adored learning. He loved reading and math was okay, science was tricky but fascinating and he figured history was important because if seeing his grandfather falter so many times had taught him anything it was best to learn from past mistakes.
Except with school came other kids and usually he was a fan of them. He liked his soccer and baseball teams, chatting with his friends about comic books and movies. It sucked that he couldn’t tell them that his Uncle Clark was actually the Superman and that he could tour the Fortress whenever he wanted but he understood he needed to keep everyone safe. Also that people would probably think he was crazy if he tried to explain it.
But it was the talk that seemed to revolve around the stupid show whenever it came back on that had Henry dreading returning on Mondays. It usually died down by Tuesday but Mondays at lunch time after an episode aired always put him in a rotten mood.
He didn’t like hearing about all of the horrible things that were happening. Sometimes he didn’t even like hearing about the nice things…especially when they went against the nice things that he had here.
Sure, Hook was probably an okay guy but he wasn’t Graham.
There was no baby sister over there either.
It was all a confusing mess and he wondered how much trouble he’d be in if he just didn’t show up on Mondays after a new Sunday episode had aired. Couldn’t be too much right?
What was the worst that could happen?
He decided to give it a try and hid up in one of the empty bedrooms, flashlight in hand as he read his history book underneath the bed, hopeful that no one would actually catch wind of what he was up to. Definitely didn’t hurt to do a practice run and see how many poptarts he needed to be able to handle a day under the bed.
~~~
It was as if her kid didn't know her at all. Like he'd forgotten that not only had she once gotten paid to find people, but that she had once been a master of playing hooky. Not that she would condone that part, or bring it up often. But that was besides the point.
Though Emma would have preferred to take Henry and pick him up every day, he insisted he could take the bus by himself. Since there wasn't an abundance of demon issues at the time, she thought that was probably okay. But she watched. The bus stopped in front of their long drive and Henry boarded it and it wasn't being weird or overprotective if they lived in a city full of evil and magic, right?
That morning, though she had seen him leave the house, he hadn't gotten on the bus. At some point between the moment he closed the door and the moment the bus pulled up, her almost thirteen year-old had backtracked. And, as any detective mother would, she pulled up the GPS on his phone. What surprised her was that he wasn't off to the mall, or to play video games at someone's house. No. He was there. In their house.
She checked his room first but there was no sign of him. Then she checked the nursery. Aislinn wasn't hiding him, either. As soon as the baby was settled in front of the TV with her books, Emma went off looking. Room by room, one by one. Pausing in each doorway, listening. Checking the bathrooms behind shower curtains. Finally she heard it. Steady breathing. Not the closet. Under the bed.
Dropping to her knees, she didn't even hesitate to lift the bedskirt. She simply lay down and scooted underneath beside him. "Whatcha reading?"
~~~
Well crap.
At least she didnt’ sound angry, that had to be in his favor. “My history textbook.” He shifted the book and light so that she would be able to see it before setting it back so that he could keep reading.
Silence filled the room and Henry decided that he wasn’t going to be the one to break it again. It was better to simply keep on reading so he would still be caught up with where everyone else would be at school when he showed up again tomorrow. Or in an hour if his mom dragged him there. He didn’t really think that Emma would do that though. Or...he at least hoped that she wouldn’t.
He did wonder how she’d found him so quickly. It hadn’t even been an hour. How did she even know he was still around? He had been quiet, hadn’t made a single peep, and he’d picked a room that none of them used so as not to tip her off that anything out of the ordinary had happened.
Henry turned the page, not really able to concentrate on reading as he waited for Emma to speak.
~~~
She let him read for a few minutes while her brain raced. His history book? The kid skipped school to...do his homework? She'd expected a comic book or maybe a novel. But he had a schoolbook.
It didn't make sense. Henry loved school. He'd been devastated every time she'd had to pull him for one Seal related reason or another. Bullies? Maybe. That had occasionally been Emma's own reason for skipping.
"Wanna tell me why you're reading your history book here instead of...I don't know, your history classroom?" She wasn't angry, exactly. And it was hard for her to be too judgmental when he was already a million times better about school than she'd ever been. Of course, she'd have to punish him. Her least favorite part of parenting. But he had to have had his reasons.
~~~
“I don’t like going on Mondays.” Would it be enough to just say that much? He didn’t really think it would be. Not with how his mother liked to investigate things. She was almost as bad as Aunt Lois in that regard Henry stared at the book, not sure he really wanted to let Emma know why he was wanting to stay behind. He knew that she wasn’t a big fan of the show either.
“I like some of them.” He looked over at her finally and placed the book down. “I just don’t like the ones after when the show comes on. Everyone is always talking about it.” During lunch and so many other times as well. It was like people couldn’t quite stop going over theories or simply talking about what they had seen.
“I don’t like hearing about it.” Or knowing any of it. He still remembered stumbling upon that his dad died because people had been talking about it and he didn’t ever want to find out something like that ever again.
~~~
And the puzzle pieces clicked into place. Emma didn't usually bring up the fact that most of the time, she still watched. It was her only way of seeing her parents. The only way she would meet her baby brother. And so many details of the life she'd never known came to her because of it. Was it always happy? No, of course not. Neal had died by her side and, though she had Graham and she knew the Neal with them now was very much alive, it had ripped her apart. She had seen horrible truths come out. And Rumplestiltskin continued to play them all like finely tuned instruments.
So of course she understood why her kid didn't want to hear about the show. It could be brutal to their family sometimes. But he couldn't just not go to school every Monday for a couple of months. "It's just a TV show, Henry. We're not there. Nothing that happens there is going to affect us here." Unless some villain showed up with a thirst for her blood. Or Pan. That man wanted her kid and she'd be damned if he'd have him. A particular demon knew the price of messing with Emma's family.
"You can't just skip school once a week," she pointed out. "It'll become pretty obvious it's Monday's only."
~~~
He pressed his face into the book. That hadn’t been an answer he’d wanted to hear. He knew it would be the one he’d get but a small part of him had still held out hope that he’d be able to get away with it. Part of him wanted to try and just be homeschooled like he had been at first. But then he’d miss out on the classes he did like and his friends and the extracurricular activities that he loved. All because of a stupid show.
“It could. Remember when Uncle Clark was swapped out with evil Superman? Something like that could happen here.” Or what if Rumplestiltskin came back and started causing problems? From what he’d been hearing that was what he was always doing. Everything the man did seemed to have a layer of motives to it.
“I just hate hearing everyone talking about it. And saying bad things about people sometimes.” Especially his family and those who’d become his friends. It was hard to separate what others said from what he knew. They weren’t fictional to him.
~~~
Considering her age and size, the position was hardly the most comfortable. But Emma reached out, resting her hand on Henry's arm. "Henry... Look, kid, it's more complicated than that and you know it," she reminded him gently. "I know it's hard. It's scary. There's a world where Aislinn doesn't exist, where Graham is dead, and that's terrifying when I think about returning. But that's their world, not ours."
While he made a good point about people showing up later, she couldn't fight that. She sighed, closing her eyes, though he wasn't likely to see them from their positions. "We handle each new threat the way we always have. And that includes the things from the show. Henry, this family has a way of getting through things. We always have. That's true love for you." Did she think future her truly loved Killian? Yes, absolutely. But that was years ahead for her. Now, she loved another man, one who she had seen true love with. And she was fine with things staying just the way they were.
"You could go back to homeschooling if you wanted," she reminded him gently. "We have enough people here who would likely be more than willing to help you."
~~~
“No. I like my friends and my classes.” He just wanted all of the gossiping and chatter about the show to go away. Too bad the stupid wishes couldn’t have given him that. He’d trade in both candy drawers for it to happen and he really loved those drawers.
The worst were the ones who bad mouthed his dad because they preferred Hook and were glad he was gone from the show. It didn’t matter to them that he was dead. All they saw and talked about were the romances and he hated that. It wasn’t fair that Neal had to die. That Graham was dead. That Aislinn wouldn’t be around back in their world. It was hard to come to grips with it all.
Henry glanced over at her, looking particularly glum. “Can I just be homeschooled on Mondays? Couldn’t we say I’ve got to get a treatment or something then?” They knew doctors. He was pretty sure they could get one of the doctors to write up a note about that.
~~~
Her eyebrows lifted and her expression was skeptical. "So rather than have them talk about the show and what they think is fictional, you'd rather they gossip about you and what's wrong with you?" Smirking, she scooted closer so her head was touching his. "Kids can be cruel. But in this case, they don't intend to be."
It had never really hit her before how hard being fictional was on her son. Especially considering it was a show that was still on the air and a lot of the people they loved were affected by it.
"If that's really what you want, we can. But I don't think it is." Lightly, she kissed his temple. "What about finishing your lunch quickly and then going to the library until the next period? Is that an option?" This was easier when the school had several displaced teaching there. He could have eaten in one of their classrooms on Mondays.
~~~
Maybe it could be an option? They couldn’t kick him out of the library, could they? Like the whole point of school was pretty much learning to read now. They should encourage it. Extra time in the library might even give him a bonus in English and if he only did it one day a week then he’d still be able to enjoy the other four with his friends. Talk about the show usually died down by Tuesday morning. Everyone was moving onto some other show. Usually Teen Wolf when that was airing.
Which was also weird when he actually knew some of them. Not as crazy as when people were talking about his own life though. He could handle that a whole lot better. It wasn’t personal.
“Maybe that could work. They can’t kick me out of the library, right?” He bet he could get an excuse for it if he really needed one. His English teacher did like him. He could probably get the guy to write a note that allowed him to read in there for the duration of lunch.
~~~
"I doubt they could," she said quietly, considering it. The idea had never even occurred to a younger Emma. "And it's better than hiding in the boys' room or outside where you might get in trouble. If they need a legitimate reason we could always have Connor write up something and tell them your tutor gave you extra assignments. But I doubt it'll come to that."
It had to be better than her kid trying to skip school once a week. That was a little ridiculous, really. And impractical. What if he had a test on a Monday or something? Or an extracurricular. "Besides, they won't let you play sports if you skip. I don't think you want to give those up, do you?" Her voice was mostly teasing but her face was a little more serious. She was genuinely worried about how he was going to deal with all of this.
~~~
“No. I like my teams.” Losing out on playing would suck. Majorly. He was not about to let some stupid show ruin his life. He just needed to figure out how to ignore it as best it could when it was on. Why couldn’t summer come faster and so there would be a long hiatus? Or couldn’t the show just get canceled? They’d all still be living their lives back home but he wouldn’t have to hear about it day in and day out. There wasn’t much he could do about that though.
“We’ll use Connor as a last resort.” Henry hoped they wouldn’t need to use a letter from him. “But I’ll try the library thing.” He looked over at Emma and frowned. “Do I have to go to school today though?” Because he wasn’t quite ready to give it a go just yet.
~~~
She knew her kid. And she knew the thought of missing out on his favorite sports teams would help drive him back to school. Just like she threatened to take a book away as punishment instead of TV or video games like most parents. Henry really just loved learning.
At his question, she grinned. While she should have dragged him into school by his ear, she wasn't likely to do so. "You've already missed two periods," she pointed out. "It would be sort of silly to go now. Why don't you and me have an us day? We'll see if Ariel can watch Aislinn for a bit." She missed her house full of baby sitters. But one was better than none. "Anything you want. A movie, video games...whatever."
~~~
That got an actual smile out of him and he scooted out from under the bed, thankful to not need to head off to school but also grateful to get some one on one time with his mom. He loved his baby sister, but sometimes he really just needed to spend an hour or so with Emma without the little girl. And then she was free to come around and take up both of their attentions.
“Let’s go with movie. If we did a video game then she’d want to be there trying to get in the way of everything we were doing. Especially if there were explosions.” Movies were a little easier to get the baby to ignore. Unless it was something that interested her and right now the movie would need to involve animals so that was a no go. “I wanna watch Guardians of the Galaxy.” Which he could do now that the two from it had left.
~~~
"I was going to say we'd go out, but that works, too." And would be helpful if Ariel wasn't able to watch her. Or maybe Neal was around. Surely she could sweet talk one of them at least.
She wiggled out from the uncomfortable position, groaning a little as she did. "How were you reading under there? I am getting way too old for that." She'd be thirty-two that year. It was a little crazy if she thought on it too long. If she'd been told ten years ago that this would be her life in her thirties, she'd have rolled her eyes and scoffed. But she loved every minute of it, even the less than pleasant parts.
~~~
“It’s easy cause I’m still young and my muscles and bones aren’t old likes yours are.” He grinned at her, unable to help with the comment. He was her kid, she should expect it from him, especially now that he was hitting his teen years soon. The loveable boy that he had been wasn’t exactly gone, he’d just become a whole lot more sarcastic in Lawrence. It was bound to happen.
He didn’t really want to go out. That would involve seeing other people and he wasn’t quite up for that just yet. Plus staying in would help him pull off pretending to have not felt good at school tomorrow. It wasn’t a complete lie. His body simply wasn’t sick. “Plus here I can make a sundae that has everything I want on it without having to worry about stepping out into the cold after eating it.”
~~~
The sound she made was an annoyed one, though Emma smiled just the same. That didn't mean she wasn't going to swat at him as they made their way to the hallway. "Too bad, you young whippersnapper, I'm all you've got right now!"
Her eyebrows lifted as he explained his reasons for staying in. "Kids who skip school don't get ice cream sundaes," she pointed out, her expression smug. "No idea where you got that idea." Which, of course, she would relent to and allow. But he was going to have to earn it. "And speaking of skipping school? You're grounded for the week."
~~~
Henry dropped his head back as he groaned, not at all surprised that he was getting grounded. He wondered what that would actually entail. “But moooom.” He wasn’t opposed to whining at her at all. It was fun to do and he knew he’d be getting that sundae. She couldn’t exactly say she wanted to spend time with him and not give him a sundae!
“A whole week? Is this like a grounded to the house one? Or a I can still do my sports one? If I’m grounded do I gotta go to school?” He needed to know the details.
~~~
Emma rolled her eyes. "Do you really think you're getting out of school when being grounded for missing school?" Shaking her head, she groaned. "I almost don't believe you just tried to pull that one. You're going to school and you can go to practices. That's it. I'll pick you up and drop you off. No TV after school, either."
She was pretty sure that's all that was involved in groundings. She'd never actually had to punish Henry before. But skipping school was kind of a big deal.
~~~
He rolled his eyes right back at her before leaning over to give her a hug. “You’re such a mom.” He wouldn’t even complain about the grounding. He did know he deserved it and technically he’d gotten off light. Plus she hadn’t said anything about the internet or video games so he could survive no TV for a week. No biggie at all.
“Thanks for the ideas.” Having a game plan made heading back to school infinitely easier. And if he started now at the library on Mondays t should give him a good amount of practice with it before the show actually started up again.
~~~
Not only did she accept the hug, she returned it tightly. "That's about the best compliment you could give me." And it was. It truly was. She was still fairly new at the parenting thing, and she knew she was going to have a tough time with the teen years coinciding with the terrible twos. But those kids were her life and they were worth every struggle she dealt with.
Turning him around, she pointed him towards the staircase. "Meet me in the kitchen. You're making two sundaes. Because ice cream for lunch is how you play hookie. I'm going to go check on your sister and then see if Ariel or your dad can watch her for the afternoon."
~~~
Like he was going to say no to those orders. “I’ll start right on that.” He grinned at her before heading off toward the kitchen, feeling one hundred percent better than he had felt earlier in the morning.