Finals week | Paige, Jono, and Mel
May. 5th, 2024 11:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsPaige passes out in the library and Jono helps her back to her room.
Finals week was imminent and Paige had practically moved into the library at that point. She had taken over an entire table, study guides and flash cards spread haphazardly over the surface, snack wrappers mixed in randomly. Her textbooks took up the chair next to her while a practice quiz loaded on her laptop. Paige was going to get through this finals season and she was going to get A’s in all her classes, no problem. No matter that the words were starting to run together and she couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten a proper meal. It was fine, Paige just needed to close her eyes for a moment, that would help.
A moment turned into a minute, which turned into a full nap. Paige slumped forward onto her laptop keyboard, spamming the short answer question box with an ongoing keysmash.
Jono's shift at the library was just about to end. It had been..... a rough few weeks of trying to avoid being weird around Paige. It wasn't her fault that he was apparently incapable of being normal around her, and if she wanted him as a friend then she deserved to have him not struggle quite this much with this stupid internal conflict. She deserved a friend who wasn't thinking about the fact that he couldn't kiss her because he didn't have a mouth.
As such, he'd saved the books that needed reshelved in Paige's usual study area for last, hoping that she'd have returned to her room before his shift was over. But as he rounded the corner of the shelf he saw her slumped over on the table snoring in a way that would put a chainsaw to shame. He quickly and quietly shelved the books before trying to wake her, shaking her gently. She didn't even stir.
Jono checked the time, noting that his shift was over and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. He removed Paige's books and laptop from under her face and did his best to dry the drool with the hem of his shirt. He carefully packed her bookbag full of her school supplies before putting it on his own shoulders. He tried once more to wake her to no avail. So, so gently he slipped one arm under her knees and the other under her back and lifted. Fortunately, it wasn't too far of a walk back to Paige's room- however he would be braving her roommate for the first time, and without the use of his arms to communicate.
Upon reaching Paige's suite, Jono looked helplessly down at his hands, which were supporting her weight and then at the doorknob. He closed his eyes, mentally groaned, and kicked at the door. Hoping her roommate was home so that somebody could answer the door.
Mel looked up from her movie, wondering who was banging on their door at this hour. It wouldn’t be Sam or Jay- they woulda just walked right in. She got up and walked over to open it.
The sight of a very asleep Paige greeted her, and then the person holding her. Mel narrowed her eyes. “You. What’re you doin’ with ma sister?”
Jono didn't answer, couldn't really- his control over his very limited telepathy was extremely limited and he hadn't quite figured out how to make it work when he wasn't boiling over with anger yet. Instead, he pushed past Mel, doing everything in his power not to jostle Paige too much as he moved into her room, noting the open door and the disaster zone around her bed.
Ignoring Mel's protests behind him, he gently sat Paige down on the bed and untied her shoes, pulling them off before covering her with her comforter. He took off her backpack and set it down next to her bed and then looked around the room. It was somehow even worse than it had been last time she'd had him over. He left her room and moved back into the main suite, where he took it upon himself to open the fridge. Of course- nothing. He'd have to do something about that.
“Excuse me, what the hell d’you think yer doin’?” Mel stood with her arms crossed, thinking a lot worse just in case he decided to take a trip in her mind again.
Jono closed the fridge and blinked at her, shaking his head. It wasn't worth engaging, it would just take up time. He left the suite, and walked into Salem Center, returning one paycheck poorer, but with enough food and containers to keep Paige fed during her examsas well as several trashbags. He knocked on the door again, waiting for it to be answered as he mentally plotted out the meal prep he'd do to get Paige set up for the least stressful exams possible. She spent a lot of time in the library, but she'd never fallen asleep there so completely she wouldn't wake up when touched. He tried to pretend that the butterflies in his stomach were only anxiety over her well-being rather than anxiety over how she'd react to hearing from her sister that Jono had carried her back to her room. He needed to get a grip....after he was sure Paige would be alright.
Mel, who wasn’t so terrible a sister that she would wake Paige up when she so clearly needed the sleep, greeted Jono at the door again, face stormy. “You cain’t jus’ come in here and do whatever you want. This ain’t yer suite.”
Jono rolled his eyes and pushed past her, placing the grocery bags on the counter before starting to unload them. First the containers, which got a quick wash in the sink and then the food. He washed the fruit and set out the bowls, scooping a serving of yogurt into each one and topping it with fruit before putting them in the fridge, a sticky-note was then placed on each container that read "breakfast" in nearly illegible handwriting.
She watched all this with her hands on her hips, scowling, before returning to the couch to watch her movie. Pulling out her phone, Mel typed a text to the group chat, each hit on the keypad ominous. It got sent off with a glare in Jono’s direction.
Jono then prepared several salads with chicken, putting those in the fridge with a label of "lunch." He turned towards Mel once he was finished the salads and shot her a wink and a raised middle finger as he pulled out the ingredients for dinners. Smoked sausage and vegetables sauteed together with warm earthy spices, something simple but filling that was then put into containers labeled "dinner."
He washed his hands thoroughly before grabbing several trash bags and entering Paige's room. Into the lion's den so to speak.
“Hey!” Mel called after him, abandoning her furious text chain. She hurried over to Paige’s room. “You cain’t be in here! The kitchen is one thing- but not her room!” Mel hissed it at a whisper, not wanting to wake Paige but still indignant.
Jono held the trash bag up in one had and then a slightly moldy half-PB&J in the other and raised an eyebrow before putting the sandwich into the bag. He turned around and continued to throw away things that were genuinely unsafe, while moving others into piles. Books were placed on her bookshelf. Notebooks were placed on the desk. Any piece of paper with writing on it was put into a neat pile on top of the notebooks and then weighed down with pens, pencils, and an eraser he found behind the trash can that was shaped like a little cartoon dragon.
The clothes strewn around the room were gathered up unceremoniously and thrown in the hamper which had sat completely empty. He turned to look at Melody and raised his eyebrows as if to say ‘well? Creepy enough for you?’
Honestly, as if she had any room to judge when she lived with Paige and allowed Paige to live in a room like that. At least he had taken steps to make Paige’s life better.
He closed up the trash bag and moved to walk out of Paige’s room. His work here was done.
Mel checked to make sure Paige was still comfortable before following Jono back out, closing the door softly behind her. There was no winning with this guy.
Jono sat the bag down and pulled out his phone to quickly send Paige a text telling her where he'd put her books and papers, and that he'd made her meals for the week- a moment's pause and then he also added that she should try sleeping in a bed rather than the library, or he'd have to carry her back to her room again.
Pocketing his phone, he turned to look at Mel and pulled out his lightwriter. "Well, bye." Just as quickly as he'd pulled it out he pocketed it again and then picked up the trash bag, trying to leave the suite.
“Are ya at least gonna stop ignoring her now?” Mel said it with her hands on her hips, looking as Sam-like as she could muster.
Jono rolled his eyes and left the suite. What use was it talking to Melody when she already hated him for no reason and now hated him even more for actually taking care of her sister. Hopefully Paige would have an easier finals week once she woke up.
Finals week was imminent and Paige had practically moved into the library at that point. She had taken over an entire table, study guides and flash cards spread haphazardly over the surface, snack wrappers mixed in randomly. Her textbooks took up the chair next to her while a practice quiz loaded on her laptop. Paige was going to get through this finals season and she was going to get A’s in all her classes, no problem. No matter that the words were starting to run together and she couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten a proper meal. It was fine, Paige just needed to close her eyes for a moment, that would help.
A moment turned into a minute, which turned into a full nap. Paige slumped forward onto her laptop keyboard, spamming the short answer question box with an ongoing keysmash.
Jono's shift at the library was just about to end. It had been..... a rough few weeks of trying to avoid being weird around Paige. It wasn't her fault that he was apparently incapable of being normal around her, and if she wanted him as a friend then she deserved to have him not struggle quite this much with this stupid internal conflict. She deserved a friend who wasn't thinking about the fact that he couldn't kiss her because he didn't have a mouth.
As such, he'd saved the books that needed reshelved in Paige's usual study area for last, hoping that she'd have returned to her room before his shift was over. But as he rounded the corner of the shelf he saw her slumped over on the table snoring in a way that would put a chainsaw to shame. He quickly and quietly shelved the books before trying to wake her, shaking her gently. She didn't even stir.
Jono checked the time, noting that his shift was over and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. He removed Paige's books and laptop from under her face and did his best to dry the drool with the hem of his shirt. He carefully packed her bookbag full of her school supplies before putting it on his own shoulders. He tried once more to wake her to no avail. So, so gently he slipped one arm under her knees and the other under her back and lifted. Fortunately, it wasn't too far of a walk back to Paige's room- however he would be braving her roommate for the first time, and without the use of his arms to communicate.
Upon reaching Paige's suite, Jono looked helplessly down at his hands, which were supporting her weight and then at the doorknob. He closed his eyes, mentally groaned, and kicked at the door. Hoping her roommate was home so that somebody could answer the door.
Mel looked up from her movie, wondering who was banging on their door at this hour. It wouldn’t be Sam or Jay- they woulda just walked right in. She got up and walked over to open it.
The sight of a very asleep Paige greeted her, and then the person holding her. Mel narrowed her eyes. “You. What’re you doin’ with ma sister?”
Jono didn't answer, couldn't really- his control over his very limited telepathy was extremely limited and he hadn't quite figured out how to make it work when he wasn't boiling over with anger yet. Instead, he pushed past Mel, doing everything in his power not to jostle Paige too much as he moved into her room, noting the open door and the disaster zone around her bed.
Ignoring Mel's protests behind him, he gently sat Paige down on the bed and untied her shoes, pulling them off before covering her with her comforter. He took off her backpack and set it down next to her bed and then looked around the room. It was somehow even worse than it had been last time she'd had him over. He left her room and moved back into the main suite, where he took it upon himself to open the fridge. Of course- nothing. He'd have to do something about that.
“Excuse me, what the hell d’you think yer doin’?” Mel stood with her arms crossed, thinking a lot worse just in case he decided to take a trip in her mind again.
Jono closed the fridge and blinked at her, shaking his head. It wasn't worth engaging, it would just take up time. He left the suite, and walked into Salem Center, returning one paycheck poorer, but with enough food and containers to keep Paige fed during her exams
Mel, who wasn’t so terrible a sister that she would wake Paige up when she so clearly needed the sleep, greeted Jono at the door again, face stormy. “You cain’t jus’ come in here and do whatever you want. This ain’t yer suite.”
Jono rolled his eyes and pushed past her, placing the grocery bags on the counter before starting to unload them. First the containers, which got a quick wash in the sink and then the food. He washed the fruit and set out the bowls, scooping a serving of yogurt into each one and topping it with fruit before putting them in the fridge, a sticky-note was then placed on each container that read "breakfast" in nearly illegible handwriting.
She watched all this with her hands on her hips, scowling, before returning to the couch to watch her movie. Pulling out her phone, Mel typed a text to the group chat, each hit on the keypad ominous. It got sent off with a glare in Jono’s direction.
Jono then prepared several salads with chicken, putting those in the fridge with a label of "lunch." He turned towards Mel once he was finished the salads and shot her a wink and a raised middle finger as he pulled out the ingredients for dinners. Smoked sausage and vegetables sauteed together with warm earthy spices, something simple but filling that was then put into containers labeled "dinner."
He washed his hands thoroughly before grabbing several trash bags and entering Paige's room. Into the lion's den so to speak.
“Hey!” Mel called after him, abandoning her furious text chain. She hurried over to Paige’s room. “You cain’t be in here! The kitchen is one thing- but not her room!” Mel hissed it at a whisper, not wanting to wake Paige but still indignant.
Jono held the trash bag up in one had and then a slightly moldy half-PB&J in the other and raised an eyebrow before putting the sandwich into the bag. He turned around and continued to throw away things that were genuinely unsafe, while moving others into piles. Books were placed on her bookshelf. Notebooks were placed on the desk. Any piece of paper with writing on it was put into a neat pile on top of the notebooks and then weighed down with pens, pencils, and an eraser he found behind the trash can that was shaped like a little cartoon dragon.
The clothes strewn around the room were gathered up unceremoniously and thrown in the hamper which had sat completely empty. He turned to look at Melody and raised his eyebrows as if to say ‘well? Creepy enough for you?’
Honestly, as if she had any room to judge when she lived with Paige and allowed Paige to live in a room like that. At least he had taken steps to make Paige’s life better.
He closed up the trash bag and moved to walk out of Paige’s room. His work here was done.
Mel checked to make sure Paige was still comfortable before following Jono back out, closing the door softly behind her. There was no winning with this guy.
Jono sat the bag down and pulled out his phone to quickly send Paige a text telling her where he'd put her books and papers, and that he'd made her meals for the week- a moment's pause and then he also added that she should try sleeping in a bed rather than the library, or he'd have to carry her back to her room again.
Pocketing his phone, he turned to look at Mel and pulled out his lightwriter. "Well, bye." Just as quickly as he'd pulled it out he pocketed it again and then picked up the trash bag, trying to leave the suite.
“Are ya at least gonna stop ignoring her now?” Mel said it with her hands on her hips, looking as Sam-like as she could muster.
Jono rolled his eyes and left the suite. What use was it talking to Melody when she already hated him for no reason and now hated him even more for actually taking care of her sister. Hopefully Paige would have an easier finals week once she woke up.
