#scholar oc

Tegan tossed a pen to the ground, shakily leaned over to retrieve it by way of bending from the waist with his knees locked, and snapped back upright. A good number of his joints cracked along.

“AHA!” Tadashi threw the door open so forcefully it hit the opposite door with a loud bang as he barreled into the classroom, phonN in recording mode and pad of detention slips at the ready.

“I KNEW... it…” he trailed off, slowly backing up into the wall as his mistake sank in. He had intended to make a clean, swift getaway, but misjudged where the doorway was behind him. The only thing he could do now was to cut his losses and hope all three of them would forget the incident soon enough.

Tyler grinned and waved at him. Well, more towards the phone than Tadashi. “Hi! I’m Wyler Tilliams, and you’re watching Did—”

“...Oh. I thought Axel or Ellie was in here with you. Doing stuff. Against the rules.” Tadashi mumbled sheepishly, slinking back out the door. It was a weak excuse, but it was far too late to recover. He resolved within himself to be absolutely certain next time, and not let his love of laying down the school bylaws get in the way of sound judgement and good sense.

Tyler watched him go, then turned to Tegan and shrugged nonchalantly. “Meh, there was a good chance of you hitting your head on a ceiling fan that way, anyway.”

Tegan dropped down into a chair, eyes wide. “What?!”

“No time to waste, onto the next one! Strategy B!” Tyler ran over to him and grabbed him by the arm.

Tegan hastily pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand. “But what–”

Tyler shoved a finger right in his face. “DO NOT QUESTION THE PROCESS!”

Tegan bit back a sarcastic comment and sighed. He meant well, but once Tyler was in full Determined Art Kid Mode™, there was no stopping him.

“Come on, come on, we gotta go go go!”

Tegan barely had time to react as Tyler pulled him to his feet and propelled him forwards by pushing him from behind.

“I do not have a speed setting this high!”

~~~~

Viktoria walked out of the main building, swinging her purse back and forth as she walked. She scanned her surroundings for any of her friends. Confirmation output.

There were Tyler and Tegan, over in the corner by one of those circular flowerbeds surrounded by a wall of overlapping stone bricks. She felt her pace slow, the toes of her shoes scuffing on gravel.

Something was different. Off.

They weren’t talking to each other, or laughing, or even nudging each other as you’d expect. They were just standing there, motionless. Calmly. Unobtrusively, even.

Tegan seemed upset? Should she go see what was up, try to comfort him? Or maybe he just wanted space more than anything. No, he was just squinting. Why would he be…

What happened to his glasses?

Viktoria observed the two of them for a bit, but they didn’t even acknowledge her presence. Tyler in particular seemed to stare right through her. She shuddered and continued walking past, then made a wide circle back and dropped behind the other side of the wall once she was sure they were no longer watching her. Being small at least came with a few perks.

Tyler cleared his throat, picking up right where he had left off without missing a beat. “ And then once you drop that line, you lean in all smooth-like, and best case scenario they’re also leaning in—”

“Like this?” Tegan interrupted, his tone quizzical.

Viktoria dared a glance and slowly raised her head and shoulders, startling at the sound of them yelping in unison. She quickly pushed the stems of a clump of orange tulips to the side and was rewarded by the unmistakable sight of TnT dropping to the ground in pain, accompanied by the sound of two dull thumps.

She shoved a fist against her mouth to muffle any potential noises of ausement, but enough air escaped to be audible. Oh no.

Tegan groaned like a water buffalo in heat and rolled over so he was lying facedown on the pavement. “That’s it, Tyler. I’m tapping out for today. Romance is overrated anyway, I have my waifu body pillows to love me.” He gathered his legs up underneath himself and painstakingly got up, then trudged in the direction of the dorms.

Viktoria hit the deck as Tyler slowly rounded the flowerbed and squeezed her eyes shut, willing for him to not see her.

“MISSION FAILED!” Tyler yelled right above her head, and Viktoria shoved her fist against her mouth for the second time that afternoon.

She sat up on her heels quickly and was about to retort when she noticed just how agitated Tyler looked.

“I can’t believe you saw all that!” Tyler squatted down to get on her level. “I am disgruntled! Not that I wouldn't’ve done the exact same thing had I been in your situation, but that is not the point-”

Viktoria plucked a leaf from her hair and let it drop. “Tadpole probably did too.”

Tyler steadied himself with one hand on the dirt. “Who what now?”

“Tadpole… Tadashi.” Viktoria motioned vaguely upwards. “The new security system? Yanno, he has direct access to the security feeds that the cameras are recording, and...”

Tyler groaned as if the news caused him physical pain and let his head hang down, forehead nearly brushing the ground as his free hand moved to his knee. “Wonderful.”

He straightened up and grinned brightly. “Well, hey, now that you know, I guess you gotta confess now!”

Viktoria blinked once. “No.”

Tyler threw his hands up in the air in frustration and annoyance. “Oh come on! Why not? What possible reason could you still have after all that?”

Viktoria took a strand of her own hair and began twisting it between her two palms. “Because if he’s been rehearsing, then that can only logically mean he wants to be the one to make the first move, on his own timetable. Yes? No?”

“Yes, but—” Tyler started. “But I— Ugh!” He slapped his hand against his forehead and slowly ran it down his face with a weary sigh. “You two deserve each other. Ay caramba.”

Viktoria stood, then offered her hands to Tyler, who accepted them after a brief pause and one more vexed glare. “Impossible. Both of you. I expect some sort of compensation in both of your living wills.”

“Yeah, okay.” VIktoria quietly watched with appraising eyes as he dusted off the shoulders of her jacket.

“You know, he’s really lucky to have you.”

Tyler turned towards the direction of the dormitories and shrugged halfheartedly. “Meh. I guess I’m entertaining, I guess.”

He laughed as he pulled open the door. “I said ‘I guess’ twice in that sentence.”

Viktoria turned around and walked backwards through the doorway, then grabbed him by the shoulders as he followed her in. “Hey. Do not sell yourself short.”

Tyler crossed his arms and made a show of noticeably scanning her up and down. “You’re right, that’s your job.”

Viktoria made a strangling motion with her hands, eyes filling with a murderous rage.

“TYLER WILLIAMS YOU ARE D-E-A-D DEAD—”

Tyler maneuvered past her and started running down the hall for dear life, shrieking. “AAAAIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!”