AU: High school AU

WC: ~1.4k

Got the idea from Keralis' dare for Iskall and decided to throw it all into a high school au because those are easy and I've been in an easy writing mood

-

Determined to not fall behind any further on his history project, Bdubs did his best to ignore the group of his classmates in the corner of the class laughing and shouting and continued to work away. Barely anyone worked during study hall, especially in his class, but for once Bdubs wasn't going to be one of the kids sitting on a desk, shouting across the room. Besides, once he was done, he was going to head to the art room to hang out with Gem.

As he typed away, Bdubs became so focused on working that it wasn't until the person in front of him said something did he realize someone was standing there at all.

"Hey, Bdubs?" Iskall quietly asked.

Instantly a smile tugged on his face. "Hi! How can I help ya?" He eagerly asked, closing his laptop a little to give them more attention. Whatever it was Iskall was going to ask, Bdubs was already excited.

He wasn't quite sure when or how his crush on Iskall began. All he knew was sometime during his freshman year, he realized he liked being around Iskall and making them laugh more than anyone else. Initially, Bdubs assumed it would be a short-lived crush, but there they were, a third of the way through senior year and still head over heels.

His classmate cleared their throat. "Listen this um, this might sound like it's coming out of- out of nowhere but um-" They took a small breath and Bdubs fixed his posture.

When you talk like that you get my hopes up, he blissfully thought. His heart was prematurely racing, thumping in his chest.

"Would you want to go out on a date sometime?" Iskall blurted out, bracing themself.

Bdubs blinked, his mouth agape. How long had they liked him back and he never noticed? He could barely keep up with his heart rate, finding himself struggling to breathe.

But then, as quickly as he found himself lifting to the clouds, he was yanked back down, slamming against the floor.

He heard a chorus of muffled laughter and snickering from the group in the corner and the two of them glanced their way. The students quickly looked away, but Bdubs' suspicions were already raised.

The pieces slowly found their way together as he looked back up at Iskall.

The slight hint of guilt tugging at their face only solidified the puzzle.

"Oh," he whispered as his face fell. "I see."

Bdubs stood up, slamming his laptop shut which caused Iskall to jump. "You're all hysterical." Sarcasm dripped like poison from his words as he packed his backpack.

"N-No, Bdubs- wait- please-" Iskall quietly protested, placing a hand on the desk.

"Aw, c'mon don't be like that!" Keralis called from the group. "It was just a silly dare!"

Etho laughed. "And you fell for it too!" He teased.

Flipping them off, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the classroom before his anger melted into hateful tears.

Unfortunately, Iskall had followed. "Bdubs please," they begged, grabbing his wrist.

"Let me go!" He snapped, ripping his arm free. "Listen, last I checked you were seventeen, not seven. Grow up, Iskall I thought you were better than that. Talk to me when you've decided to treat me like a person again and not the subject of your stupid game!"

His body was burning with anger and embarrassment. Etho was never going to let him live it down, most likely neither Scar, Keralis, Tango, Cleo, or Cub either.

"Okay, yes, I know it was hurtful and insensitive to ask you out because of a dare Keralis gave me, but I would never have agreed to it if I didn't mean it," Iskall insisted.

Bdubs shook his head. "I don't believe you," he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Bdubs, please," they repeated as they took a step towards him. "I like you, okay? Genuinely. I promise."

"How naive do you think I am? You're fucking with me and I know it! Now leave me alone," he accused, pressing a finger against their chest. A part of him wanted to believe them, to smile and say 'okay, let's go out!' and have a moment to pretend that they could be happy together.

Alas, he stormed off before Iskall could attempt anything else and headed for the nearest bathroom.

Hanging up his bag on the hook, he sat on the toilet and hugged his knees. With the luxury of being alone, Bdubs allowed hot tears to pour from his eyes. His sobs echoed around him, fueling his embarrassment. How could he believe them so easily?

Because they're sweet, and typically an honest, genuine person, Bdubs bitterly reminded himself.

Hearing the bathroom door creak open, he took a shaky breath as he covered his mouth.

"Bdubs?" Iskall called, their footsteps carrying them closer.

"I said leave me alone!" He snapped without thinking, his voice trembling more than he would have liked.

He saw their sneakers stop outside the stall door and heard their hand brush the door. "I'm sorry," they whispered. "I promise I'm not messing with you when I say I like you. Let me start over, let me try to persuade you to go out with me. Please?"

Bdubs was ready to say yes. Despite how angry he was, he admittedly was still crushing hard on them. But to stop being upset so quickly? That wasn't something he could manage.

Slowly he stood up, his hand touching the stall door beside his bag. "Iskall I-" He let out a heavy sigh, leaning his forehead against his bag. "Yes I do like you back but- I just need some space. That was humiliating."

"I know and I'm so sorry," Iskall murmured. "I'll make it up to you, don't forget that."

He pursed his lips as he watched his feet move away, waiting a few minutes after he heard the door closed to leave.

-

After an excruciatingly long day at school, Bdubs never felt more relieved to be home. Deciding that some fresh air would most likely do him some good, he sat outside on his front steps. With music to ease his mind, he closed his eyes as the warm afternoon sun gently held his face.

When he heard a car pull up, he assumed it was his mom. But when he opened his eyes, he found Iskall approaching him, a small bouquet in their hand.

"What? Is this your way of making it up to me?" He scoffed, taking out his earbuds as he stood up.

Scratching the back of their neck, Iskall offered the bouquet. "The first part, yes," they sheepishly admitted.

"First part?" He repeated as he hesitantly accepted. Twisting the bouquet in his hands, he studied the different flowers whilst glancing at them a few times.

"I mean I planned to already give you a flower or a bouquet every day once I finally confessed because Wels gave me the idea, but I'm hoping it'll um, help."

Bdubs cracked a smile. He couldn't help it. "That's sweet," he whispered.

"I'm not going to push you to agree to go out with me. I'm not going to try and stop you if you realize you like someone else instead. But I'll still try everyday to earn your favor and I'll wait for the day you've decided whether or not you do want to go out with me," Iskall firmly explained with a small smile.

He nodded, attempting to keep as calm as possible to hide his excitement. Before he could comment, Iskall offered to leave him be and took a step back.

Unable to stop himself, Bdubs grabbed their bicep, holding them still as he pecked their cheek. "Thank you," he whispered, stepping back as a smile grew on his face. "I know we haven't had the best start to all this but- just- thank you."

"And thank you for not giving up on me."

"It's kinda hard for me to let go of my feelings that quickly," he quietly admitted as he squeezed the bouquet.

Flashing a small smile as their cheeks bloomed pink, Iskall nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then! And I'll do my best to keep the others from bothering you about it all. Honestly I wish I said no and gave you something more romantic."

"Who knows; maybe if you do ask again in a more romantic way I'll say yes," he teased, waving as Iskall headed back to their car.

And he wasn't lying. 

-

Simple and straight to the point, no? After this I'm hoping to return to my bigger writing projects, these few little oneshots I've been posting here and there are hopefully enough to keep people happy before I go back to the big books!