A Generation Icarus High School AU That Nobody Needs or Wants

Movie Nights and Off-Key Singing

I don't own Generation Icarus, or any of the characters, despite my many attempts to bribe Hawk to come to me with waffles. The glamourous Jess Pawley is the owner of them. (The series, not waffles. Luckily waffles do not have a copyright out on them, to the extent of my knowledge.)

ALSO: Hopefully I'll update regularly, but we all know how well that works out. I'm still procrastinating on writing a character death from over a year ago. I plan to update about once a week, preferably Monday's, but again, see the above rant for the relevance of that statement.

FINALLY: I started writing this in about March of 2016, and wanted to get the plot and such sorted out, (as well as putting enough writing in to be able to update even if I haven't been able to write recently) so there will definitely be story inconsistencies between the original Final Stand and the newest version, since Jess said that she was going to be completely changing the last half or so of the book in her interruption chapter of Third Time Lucky that still has my head reeling from all of the fourth wall smashing. Now, for anyone who has not read the series the whole way through, not to worry, for I will be putting in the author's note if there are major spoilers, and from what book.

Ok, now on to the actual story:

***

KESTREL- A year before everything changed.

"D'ya know what the saddest part about this whole situation is?" I asked my best friends. Neither of them bothered to answer me, instead keeping their eyes fixed on the TV. I laid down across them in retaliation, my head on Tui and feet on Condor. Tui shifted under me, sighing loudly about my new position.

I rolled my eyes but kept talking, knowing that they were actually listening. "This is the third time we've watched The Princess Bride since school started back up. It's what, the middle of October?"

Con grunted in response, reaching for the popcorn. I held it away from him, pushing my foot against his face when he tried to move again. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly but paused the movie, the pair finally looking at me. I continued on my mini-rant. "I mean, look at us. It's a Friday night during what Stephanie calls 'social season'. We're probably the only people in the city who aren't out at some ridiculous party. Heck, didn't Falcon even call to say that the rest of the Flight were going out?"

"To the Y," Tui defended. "That doesn't count as plans, we practically live there!"

"I prefer this anyways," Con insisted, making another grab at the popcorn.

Tui snorted. "That's 'cause you only watch, bird brain. I don't think you've actually fought for months. Here, you've got – "

I cut her off. "Owl and Raven are down teaching classes, Falcon is with them, probably kicking asses by the dozen, and we're – "

I heard the front door slam and Stephanie and Astrid giggling as they walked in. Tui bolted upright, shoving me off. "– out," she finished, grabbing her jacket with one hand and a vaguely confused Condor with the other. He shook her off, still seeming to be in some kind of junk-food-induced coma. Tui shrugged and pulled on her jacket. "Sorry to cut movie night short, but the second your sister and her demon friends arrive, I'm out."

I sighed, turning off Netflix and getting up as well. Someone shrieked from the kitchen, causing the three of us to wince. "That'll be Junior, making a pass at... Someone." I trailed off for a moment, then shuddered. "I do not need to be seeing that tonight. Count me in."

We both looked expectantly at Con, who hadn't moved.

"You coming, bird brain?" Tui asked with a grin.

He shook his head as if to clear it before slowly standing up. "Yeah," he grunted, grabbing the popcorn and his jacket off the coffee table. He held out his hand expectantly for the keys, and I sighed, giving them to him and taking the popcorn in return.

Our dear Condor was, quite frankly, terrified of my driving skills. To be fair, the only time he had ever been in the car with me driving was right after I got my license, in which I had swerved to avoid a deer and almost crashed the car. I think that had been the one time in my life that I had heard Condor yell, and my laughing at his terrified 'JESUS CHRIST' had not done me any favors in proving that I was, in fact, a safe driver.

Now, he basically owned my car, considering that the three of us did almost everything together and he was the only one he trusted to drive.

Well, actually, Tui and I still don't know what Con thinks of her driving habits, since she doesn't want to have to worry about accidentally killing us while she's driving and having that on her conscience.

I heard footsteps making their way towards the living room, and Tui cursed. The three of us ran at the back door, barely making it out of sight before Stephanie and company made it to where we were not ten seconds before.

We slammed the back door behind us, and I fell against it, laughing. "So, are we going to the Y, or are we off to do something else for once?"

Condor put in his two cents. "Since this was supposed to be movie night, we could go see what's playing at the Cinema in town?"

Tui made a noise of disapproval, reaching up to mess with Con's hair. "You just don't want to go to the Y," she teased.

Con shrugged, not seeing the point in trying to hide it. "I mostly just sit there, Tu."

She smirked, tugging at his hand. "So tonight you're fencing with Owl. To the Y, Chauffeur!"

Tui turned back around to face me. "Shotgun!"

I grinned, pushing myself off the door. At best, Tui was aggressive with her constant shotgun-calling. "Coming!"

Tui laughed, jumping into my Jeep and slamming the door shut. As I made my way over, I heard Tui arguing with Condor over the music choice, until she finally made a triumphant sound and Bruno Mar's "Natalie" started playing.

Condor groaned as Tui cheered, and she started singing along. I hopped in the backseat, and he sped off to the sounds of two off-key screeches of 'NATALIE!'

***

Ok, but real talk, Natalie is like the perfect car-jam-out song. At least, it was for my cousins and I. I've put it in in the media box for your listening convenience.
If all goes according to plans, another chapter next Monday will be in order with most of the Flight and a few other characters you might recognize. *Winks as unsuggestively as possible.*

Ooh, and I put Astrid in as a piranha. I really didn't like her, and usually the people that the fanfic author hates get put in as the populars, so.....

Chapter teaser: Condor getting his arse handed to him, Kestrel's hidden talents, and some Owl and Raven appreciation.