Jeb and Jay, En Route to School

[ax_volt]

While on the train to New York, Jeb and Jay have a conversation about expectations, hopes, and fears.

Fancy train ride, as far as Jeb was concerned. Then again, he'd never been on a train before, so he didn't have a lot of room to judge trains and the ride. But it gave him plenty of time with his brother. Maybe too much time, as far as maybe one or the other was concerned, but it wasn't a big deal to Jeb. At least not right now. It wasn't like they'd gotten on each others' nerves yet.
Yet.

"So what do you reckon it'll be like?" Jeb asked, sliding down a bit in his seat, looking at his brother. "Fancy uniforms?" He hadn't seen if it had a website or anything. And his Tracfone didn't have internet access, so it wasn't like he could check it out from that.

Jay was tucked into his seat, knees up and cheek on the windowpane. His guitar case was taking up the seat next to him. "Hope not. I'd have to cut them all up." He picked at a feather absently. "Mama ain't around to fix 'em for me."

"I'm sure they got someone there that can do that sorta thing," Jeb said easily. "Ain't like mama's the only one that's handy with a thread 'n needle."

Jay took his eyes off the scenery and looked at his brother. "Sure. Doesn't matter. You'd hate it if there was a uniform. Can't rightly see you wearin' a tie every day."

"Uniforms don't gotta have ties. Do they?" he asked. "And besides, I'd look right fancy in a tie. Just... y'know. Need yer help tying it."

"Boy's uniforms always have ties." He turned his face away a bit to hide a slight laugh. "I'm gonna teach you, anyway. Right shameful, boy doesn't know how to tie his own tie."

"Well, never needed it but once," he said. "And Sam took care of it." He didn't want to talk about the one time it was necessary, though. "But I reckon I'll pick it up fast enough."

"Ain't hard." Jay sighed. They had been bumping through unfamiliar green countryside for what felt like forever. The sun was hanging low in the sky. He wasn't sure if he was more hungry, or exhausted, or nervous. "Not exactly the Hogwart's Express in here, huh?"

"Says you," Jeb chuckled. "And yeah, I mean, we ain't goin' to a wizard school fer wizards. It's a mutant school. Mutants don't make trains run faster," he said. "Least, I don't think they do."

"Nope. We don't even get a cool themed candy cart. I'm hungry."

"You know mama ain't one to let her two boys risk starvin'," Jeb chuckled, swinging his bookbag into his lap and unzipping it. "Got homemade trail mix. Even had mama mix in some Reese's Pieces into this batch," he said, offering the baggie to Jay.

Jay dug out a handful of trail mix. Reese's Pieces were his favorite. It was making him feel a little choked up. "I wish I could have spent a little more time at home first."

"We'll visit sometimes," Jeb assured him. "I'm sure they got some sorta thing where we can go home fer Thanksgivin' and stuff," he said. "Wouldn't wanna miss mama's turkey."

"Nobody cooks like mama. Can't believe we're signing up for months of Yankee food."

"Didn't mama teach you some home cookin'?" Jeb asked. "Maybe they'll let you do some cookin'."

"Maybe." In his experience, boarding institutions only provided trays of dubious quality food.

"C'mon, it ain't gonna be that bad," Jeb said, trying to be reassuring. "Besides, we get to see ourselves the big city. Whatsit, the.... Big Apple?" He wasn't sure why they called it that. There was probably a reason.

"I don't know about that..." Jay pulled his wings in tighter to his body, though they were already tucked in firmly. "It's alright for you. You look normal. You can do all that tourist stuff and no one will look at you twice."

"You know city folk are always more acceptin' of different folks," Jeb replied, easily. "Ain't like them bass-ackwards folks we got all over in Kentucky."

"Maybe. I'd rather not take my chances just yet."

"That's fair," Jeb said, relaxed. He wasn't going to push Jay into anything he wasn't comfortable with. But he'd look out for his brother. "I got yer back, brother." Sometimes it just needed saying. Especially with all the shit that Jay had been through. Hell, Jeb had given out a pair of extra black eyes for him, lately.

"Listen, Jeb. When we get to New York, I want you to look after yourself. Make friends. Go to Coney Island or whatever you want to do in the big city. Don't spend your energy worrying about me, ok?"

"I'll do what I want," Jeb said, his tone in agreement. "But part'a that is lookin' after you. Family's gotta stick with each other."

"Guess so. Then I gotta keep you outta trouble, too. Fightin'." He shook his head.

"Only fought them Cabot boys," Jeb said, defensively.

"I know." Jay looked down at his hands. "I don't want anymore fighting, all the same."

"Fer what it's worth, I don't think there's gonna be much fightin' at this school," Jeb said. "An' if there is, I ain't gonna have a part of it unless someone's throwin' shade on the Guthrie name."

"After everythin', I think we can let a little 'shade' roll off our backs."

"Yeah, maybe," Jeb admitted, looking out the window. "You reckon it's gonna be a lotta big buildings and the like?" he asked, wistfully. "Think the air's gonna be too thick?"

"I hope not. I hope there's trees an' there's room to fly. I don't think the school is close enough t' get the New York smog."

"That's good. Maybe they got a range where I can practice my aim with my lightnin' eyes," Jeb said, allowing his eyes to glow blue momentarily, slight sparks coming from the edges as his vision twinged blue momentarily. He always had this habit of beaming while he was even so much as hinting at the use of his powers. It was like he'd won the damn lottery, as far as he was concerned.

"Hey, hey! Careful with that!" Jay turned his body, looking back and forth along the aisle to see if anyone had noticed.

"Careful's my middle name," Jeb said, rolling his now-not-glowing eyes. "Besides, ain't like it's so strange. You got wings, after all."

"I know. But at least you...you just want to be careful who sees that."

"Ain't ashamed of what I am," Jeb said, shrugging. "I'm a Guthrie, I'm a mutant. Ain't ashamed'a neither."

"I'm not saying be ashamed." Jay burrowed deeper into his seat. "I'm just saying be careful."

Jeb could tell that his brother was a bit bothered, and didn't want him to fuss anymore. "Alright," Jeb said, trying to assuage him. "I'll be careful."

"Thanks," Jay said, as he visibly relaxed. "It'll all be different when we get to New York."

"Yeah," Jeb said, glancing out the window again. "Y'think they'll have us room together?" he asked. "Or you hopin' for a change of face when it comes to who yer livin' with?" He chuckled.

"Oh god, I didn't even think of that." He clasped his hands and looked up at the sky dramatically. "Please don't room me with my dweeb brother."

Jeb laughed but lunged in to try to tickle at his brother's ribs. "It'll be just like old times, brother!" he said. "It'll be great!"

"No way am I ever going to be ok with coming back to a dorm room and you've got a sock on the doorknob."

"Ugh, you think I'd be okay with that?" Jeb asked, recoiling.

"Nope. We've got to beg them to split us up."

"Yknow normally I'm all about keepin' family together, but I think in this case, yer right."

"Smart. Guess you might do ok at this school after all."