HIGHSCHOOL // AU

[birdsbirdsbirds]

This shit has practically become its own canon so here's a post pulling it all together.


1) Robin and Tek meet at a party, get drunk, play gay-chicken in a closet, get kicked out of said party, and then have a weird sleepover at Robin's house.
2) They wake up in the middle of the night because Tek has to puke, but Robin is nice about it and the two of them fall back asleep.
3) They meet up again after school, and Robin "invites" Tek out to go eat at Danny's and see a movie.
3) At the movies, hilarity ensues.

ALSO THIS STUFF (not in chronological order yet):
https://psychoshenanigans.dreamwidth.org/13202.html?thread=947346#cmt947346
https://psychoshenanigans.dreamwidth.org/17522.html#cutid1

Also notes for the canon:

Robin's parents are divorced; his biological dad is not brought up much. His step-father is doing work abroad and has brought many of Robin's step-siblings with him. Robin was left behind to finish his education and he's been bitter about it ever since. His aunt swings by to take care of him, feed him, make sure he's doing okay, etc., and his mom Skypes with him at least a couple of times a week.

Also his teenage name is "Robin Redmond", lol.

Comments

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[Robin finally snort-laughs at the thought--the creepy doll is one thing, but imagining a plastic, store-bought doll next to it really brings the absurdity of this situation home.]

Oh man, how fucking crazy would it be if the haunted doll like, strangled a Barbie doll or something. Or--that's the twist, the Barbie doll was haunted the whole time!

[now that would make for good viral YouTube material!]

[heresyandlace]

[as astoundingly stupid as that whole idea is, Tek snickers--partly because it's important to keep Robin engaged in this project at all if he wants it to work out, and partly because he really is just as immature as his friend.]

I'd been thinking, like, another porcelain doll, but you're really onto something with a Barbie. Though, we're increasing the chances of evil just by bringing one into the house.

[and with the doll finally packed safely away, Tek returns her to the bag.]

Do you want to go over there now? We can get whatever else we want for the night while we're out. I've had the worst craving for pizza rolls.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[Robin snickers immaturely. making fun of Barbies is something he learned from his brothers, and though the impulse has mostly left him in his old, teenage years, there's a little sliver of an immature twelve-year-old in him that may never die.]

Man, you are like... A garbage disposal. Where do you put it all?

[he gestures at all of Tek, what with his slender figure in the face of eating junk food whenever he can get away with it. but as he does this, he picks up his car keys and stands up again.]

But pizza rolls sound good. Either that, or I'm getting my own fries.

[heresyandlace]

My mom called me a "pack of piranhas" the other day... which I assume was because of my appetite and not my personality.

[he slings his bag onto his shoulder and leaves his empty fry basket on the table.]

And you should get both. You still need dinner, right? Or, we could grab teriyaki while we're out.

[the piranhas must feed again soon.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Well, would you really be that offended if your mom likened your personality to something that can strip a live snake of its flesh in under five seconds?

[he smiles wide, spinning his key-ring around his finger.]

Teriyaki sounds better than fries. Let's have a day of it.

[it's probably familiar now, but Robin unlocks the doors for Tek to go ahead and climb in.]

[heresyandlace]

[the pack of piranhas just giggles as it practically skips its way to the car.]

--Oh, and hey, I meant it when I asked how many candles you had at home. We might have to make another stop if the answer isn't "enough to summon ghosts."

[birdsbirdsbirds]

But how much is enough to summon ghosts?

[he asks, foolishly, ducking into the driver's seat.]

[heresyandlace]

...Yeah, okay, that definitely means we need to stop at a Sofas Shelves and Such. Or a dollar store.

[and as soon as he's buckled into his seat, he props the flaps of the box open enough that a hint of the doll inside can be seen... and he starts snapping pics. gotta get an early start on the evening's social media adventure.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[a short laugh, before he mockingly says to an imaginary cashier:] 'Hi, uh, we're buying your entire candle section?'

[he rolls his eyes at the thought, pulling out of the parking lot and driving towards the start of a ridiculous haunted doll adventure.]

[heresyandlace]

[and what an adventure it will be.

after candles and teriyaki is the most important leg of their journey: Toys R Us. fueled by glazed chicken and the spooky mood of approaching evening, Tek practically frolics down the aisles. despite the fact that he is almost uncomfortably out of place in this setting--more than one mother giving the gothy, cross-dressing teen a sideways glance and steering their child in a different direction--Tek hits the shelves like he owns the place. whether he's been here recently or just has an exceptional memory from his childhood days, he seems to know the place like the back of his hand.

first, they head to the all-pink section of the store to pick out a doll friend. in the Barbie aisle, their adventure starts out as all snickers and mockery... until Tek's pace slows at the far end of the row and he gets quiet, beginning to take closer looks at a particular set of dolls there.]

...Actually, this one is kind of cute. And... is she shorter than the other ones?

[birdsbirdsbirds]

I think this aisle is giving me a headache...

[said more to himself than anyone else as they pass through the doll aisle. he's never been one to hate pink thinks just because they're pink--but the sheer volume of peptol-bismol-colored plastic garbage assaulting his retinas may actually be hurting something in his brain.

to cope with this (and the small, nagging weirdness of being a teenage boy in a store for kid's toys), he gets distracted by the first thing he finds remotely interesting.

by the time he realizes something else is going on, he's pulled back on the string of a pink bow ("girl power, no boys allowed, xoxo" are just some of the bright decals slapped all over the heart-shaped handle) and is aiming an invisible arrow at Tek. it isn't until talking happens that he starts paying attention.]

Huh? [he tilts his head out around his own pointing arms.] What's that?

[heresyandlace]

[Tek doesn't seem to notice the weapon aimed at him and holds the boxed-up doll out toward Robin, expectantly waiting for him to take it while he takes another one off the shelf.]

Whoa... and I think this one is actually chubby? ...Barbie makes dolls that aren't all white, blonde aliens??

[warning! warning! Tek is beginning to sound something like actually interested in Barbie dolls.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he's not so dedicated to this pink bow that he actually wants to hold it up long enough to get a reaction--so eventually he drops his arms, hangs the bow back up on the wrong hook, and takes whatever doll is being held out in his direction.]

Uh... Yeah, I guess so.

[he is really the wrong audience for this. outside of viral YouTube videos about plucky groups of internet celebrities trying out the haunted doll fad, he really doesn't have much experience with them or reason to care.]

Maybe they finally caught up to the 21st century, I dunno.

[he shrugs. again, not his department.]

[heresyandlace]

[for once, Tek doesn't need outside acknowledgement for something that he's interested in. this one is all him... and it looks like it might take a hot minute. he's got two dolls--one in each hand--and he's quietly scrutinizing the both of them. by the look of it, there is a complicated system of measures and factors being weighed against one another in his head while he tries to decide... and none of them have anything to do with a silly, haunted doll prank that they're meant to be a part of.]

...Hmm.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[...okay, is he just supposed to stand here, or what?]

Are we... going to keep going, or...?

[and then he really looks at the scrutiny on Tek's face, the way he seems to be measuring a number of invisible things, perhaps rationalizing a purchase, and he realizes--]

Tek, are you seriously unironically thinking of buying Barbie dolls right now?

[heresyandlace]

What? [returning to the present, he's quick to at least try scoffing.] No. I'm just trying to decide.

[but, boy, that assertion seems to fade as he steps toward Robin to show him the two he's trying to decide between. as if Robin's disdain and disinterest is magically going to turn to something more helpful in the span of seconds.]

So, there's this tall Asian one, which is pretty great, but her clothes are really boring. And then there's this chick. Her hair like... has a blue streak in it and her clothes aren't embarrassing? But she's just got a boring white-girl face.

[...so yes, absolutely trying to decide which Barbie doll to unironically buy.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[Robin looks briefly between two dolls, still holding the one that Tek handed him originally, eventually glancing skeptically back up at Tek.]

Are you asking for my opinion?

[heresyandlace]

[whatever makeup nonsense Tek had decided to conjure this morning happens to compliment the flat, bitchy look that he gives Robin now perfectly. it's like he knew he'd need it.]

No, I want to know what you want to have for lunch tomorrow.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[to that, Robin rolls his eyes, something he's gotten a lot more practice with since becoming locked in eternal friend-torment with Tek.]

This is the gayest thing I have ever been a part of.

[he tosses the box in his hand back towards the shelves; someone else will pick it up, it's not his problem. he has an exasperated comment to make.]

The Asian one, obviously. Get that other basic bitch out of here.

[he will then attempt to walk away, as if that somehow absolves him of having had an opinion about any of this.]

[heresyandlace]

[Tek actually lets him go, but there's a stupid, girly smile on his face before Robin pivots away. Robin has expressed any opinion--this means that he is part of this decision, this is a shared endeavor, this doll purchase is partly his responsibility, whether he realizes or accepts this or not.

the other doll is returned to the shelf, the winning doll is tucked lovingly under Tek's arm, and he skips over to catch up with Robin before he gets too far.

when they leave the aisle, however, he doesn't turn toward the checkout lanes. he turns and heads toward the back of the store for the real reason he's here.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[Robin actually takes a step towards the registers before he realizes Tek isn't following him. there's the tell-tale squeak of his sneakers as he spins in place, backtracking to head after his weird boyfriend.]

Sorry, are we not done with that? [he'd thought the doll was, uh, pretty much whatever the fuck they were here for?]

[heresyandlace]

[Tek glances back, looking surprised both at the fact that Robin apparently hadn't been following him, and that he seems to be confused about something.]

Done with what?

[turning again, he's taking them right into the boardgame section.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Done with the doll stuff...

[originally, he'd seriously assumed that Tek just wanted to go here for weird doll accessories that would make the whole "seance" thing funnier... but they pass up the rest of the doll aisles entirely in favor of the boardgame section.

what were they looking for, Yahtzee? Monopoly?]

What are we still looking for?

[he follows along behind, clearly oblivious to what awaits them further down the aisle.]

[heresyandlace]

What do you mean? We need to get a board...

[duh! exasperated over Robin's apparent cluelessness, Tek flounces his way down the aisle, quickly scanning the titles as he goes... until he finally stops in front of what he'd been looking for, and just gestures to it with a big flourish.

there, awaiting a couple of suckers like them, are the Genuine Hasbro Ouija boards.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

What?

[judging by the confusion, and then surprise, written all over Robin's face, he had no idea that Ouiji boards were available for purchase in local stores. he walks right up to a set, picks it up, scans over the lid and repeats the only question he can think of.]

What?

[he flips the box over to the back. upon seeing that it is not an elaborate prank (but instead, a Genuine Hasbro Product), he turns to look back at Tek in complete bewilderment.]

These are a children's toy??