The Year We Had (MCYT AU)

2: New Arrivals

When Wilbur followed his dad into the school grounds, dragging his suitcase behind him with one hand and carrying his guitar case with the other, he had to admit that Tommy's Harry Potter comment was somewhat accurate. The architecture was old, to say the least.

But that wasn't really what he was focused on. They came to a stop in a hallway, where the kind woman who had greeted them turned and scuttled off to retrieve the Headmaster.

Wilbur let out a sigh, and Techno side-eyed his brothers, folding his hands in front of him respectfully. He waited for a moment, and then spoke in the most monotone, casual voice he could manage. "So, ten bucks on two months?"

Phil turned on him so quickly that he almost slipped over, and Tommy and Wilbur burst into sudden laughter. "Techno." Phil warned, sending the middle child a warning glare.

"It's a joke, it's a joke." Wilbur covered, managing to pull himself together. Tommy was in tears, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands and trying to regain his breath. When Phil turned back around, Wil mouthed 'fifteen on one'. Techno nodded, and they both smirked as the Headmaster approached.

All three of the Watson boys tried their best to rein it in, pushing down their laughter in exchange for serious expressions. Of course, this only got them so far. Phil stepped forward and offered the man a bright smile and a handshake. "Robert, nice to see you!"

"Phil." The man said, a professional smile on his face as he accepted the handshake. "How are you, old friend?"

"Oh, you know." Phil waved it off, turning to gesture to his sons. "Thank you so much for taking them on. I know that their records aren't the cleanest." If Tommy wasn't trying to hard to keep it together, he would have scowled at his dad.

"Of course." Robert nodded, his eyes brushing over each of the boys in turn. Wilbur had already decided that he didn't like the look that his new headmaster was giving him. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us, I see."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tommy muttered to Techno, who had scrunched up his nose at Robert's words. A sharp look from Phil stopped their conversation before it could happen.

"I should get going, I'll leave you to it." Phil said, and Robert nodded. "You have my number in case you need it."

"I'm sure we'll be just fine." His old friend reassured.

"Alright." Phil turned to his boys. "Behave. All of you."

The three of them looked at him and nodded hesitantly, their features softening slightly. "We'll be good." Wilbur said, and Phil had to smile. He pulled the three of them into an embrace, ignoring their complaints.

"I love you all so much."

He let them go, and stepped towards the exit. "I'll see you soon, okay? Be good."

"Bye, Dad." Tommy said, a little sadly as he watched Phil leave.

And then they were alone.

The second that the doors had closed behind Phil on his way out, Robert cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention immediately to him. "Take that beanie off immediately."

It took Wilbur a moment to realise that he was the one being spoken to. He slowly reached up and pulled it off his head, his nose crinkling slightly in distaste. But he kept it together and brushed the hair from his eyes.

The headmaster then turned to Techno, his lip curling. "There's a strict no piercing and no hair dye policy."

Techno kept his composure completely, his hands folded respectfully in front of him. "This is my natural hair colour."

The headmaster didn't look at all convinced, but moved on nonetheless, holding out a hand expectantly. "You need to remove your piercings, now." It was more a demand than anything else.

Slowly, Techno reached up and unfastened the piercings from the top of his ear and his eyebrow, removing them with only minor discomfort. He dropped them into the mans waiting hand, who immediately put them in his pocket and looked to the youngest of the brothers. When he saw that there was nothing inherently wrong with Tommy, he cleared his throat.

"My name is Headmaster Jennings, and you will refer to me as such. I know about your history, and what happened at your last school." He gave them a harsh look, but none of them faltered beneath it.
They had dealt with their fair shares of teachers before. And besides, what had happened wasn't their fault. For once, they weren't the problem.

"Things here will be different to how they were at your old schools." He continued, turning and gesturing them to follow. "Mishaps will be punished, and breaking the rules will not be tolerated. You will either follow the rules, or you will spend a goodly amount of time in detention." That was nothing new to any of them, but they thought better of saying so.

The boys followed their new headmaster down the hall and through a corridor, nothing but footsteps and squeaky wheels on their suitcases to contrast against the blaring silence. They were led through to the administrative office, where an older woman sat behind a desk.

She looked up on their arrival, and nodded knowingly as she wordlessly held out three slips of paper. The headmaster took them and glanced over each one before handing them out to his three new students. "As you've come in mid-semester, we had to find availability where we could. Your rooms are listed here."

Techno's eyebrows twitched at that. It was three weeks into the school year, hardly the middle of the semester. But he read the situation and kept quiet, silently taking his slip of paper.

It took Tommy all of three seconds to compare his slip to Techno's and to frown. "We're meant to be rooming together. Phil said--"

"Tommy." Wilbur cut him off, eyeing the headmaster. Tommy looked at his older brother, his mouth open in silent argument. "Thank you, headmaster. I'm sure that we'll do fine here."

"I'm sure that you will." The headmaster said, seeming unconvinced by Wilbur's display of maturity. "Follow that hallway, then take a left and head straight. I'm sure you'll find your rooms easily."

"Thankyou, sir." Wilbur said with a nod, turning and walking down the hall. His brothers followed his lead, and they could all feel the headmaster's eyes watching them go.

"Ten on two weeks." Tommy muttered, almost under his breath as they reached the corner.

Techno smirked a small, reserved smirk. "You're on."

"We'll be home before we know it." Wilbur agreed under his breath as they turned the corner, finally escaping the eyesight of Headmaster Jennings. "Don't worry about that. What rooms are you guys?"

"A17." Techno read aloud, glancing at his slip of paper.

"B12." Tommy frowned. "Why do we have different letters, Blade?"

"Probably because we're in different years." Techno observed, glancing at the fancy art on the walls as they passed.

"I'm in A2." Wilbur supplied, pausing for a moment to pull his beanie back over his head. It wasn't really a rebellious act, he was just tired of pulling the hair from his eyes, and the beanie was useful. It did make him feel good to break the rules, though. He came across his door far quicker than he expected to. "Oh, would you look at that?"

Tommy frowned dramatically. "Bye Wilbur."

Techno snorted and Wilbur rolled his eyes. "Go to your own room, child. I'll literally see you at dinner."

"My feelings are hurt." The youngest boy huffed, crossing his arms.

Techno gave him a light shove. "Come on, nerd. I'll help you find your room before I head to mine."

The two younger Watson brothers gave Wilbur a wave before they turned and headed down the hall, in search of their own assigned rooms.