ft. fairdoves:
. ﾟ * ｡ ･ “ why do you always carry that with you ? ” maybe it’s a dumb question, given that they’re teenagers and it’s a lighter and she’s smart enough to connect the dots to smoking, but still, curiosity killed the cat. despite being a keen and observational person, dawn can’t recall him using the lighter for any purpose other than to simply watch the flame. ( not that she’s watching him —- she isn’t. well, she is, but only out of an idle inquisitiveness of the lighter’s purpose. that and the fact that one now - faded cigarette burn from her father left a lasting impact. ) in london, students smoke left and right and reek of it when they come to class from their five minute intervals ; dawn wonders if students in the US do it as well and she simply hasn’t noticed yet. / @allcrdyce liked !
john snorts at the question -- he’s gotten in trouble for showing off around just anybody. there’s a run-in or two with the police than can attest to the problem, but john flicks the lighter a couple times in his hand anyways, contemplating. he does have a smoking habit, but that’s more just a symptom of the greater reason he goes through cheap bic lighters like candy.
worth noting -- john doesn’t really know what’s typical of american schoolkids. he doesn’t have the most typical of peers, and before this he had never been to america. “ you wanna see ?? ” he asks. he passes his hand over the flame. as he does so, out goes the spark emitted from the lighter, but it settles in the palm of his hand instead. it grows, and takes shape -- until john holds something about the size of a baseball between his fingers. if she’s a dick about it, like everyone is, he’ll just light her hair on fire. easy peasy.
