Chapter Text
"We're going on a trip to Summers soon, the bus will pick us up at the gate and we'll drive approximately 17 hours. We'll take a look around town and do some class activities. Any questions?"
Maxwell looked around his science class, watching a few hands rise. "No, you won't have to wear your uniforms for this. Yes, you'll need to pack lots of water, Summers is the complete opposite of Winters, as the name already suggests. Why am I even explaining it to you?"
Tony sat right next to his best friend and boyfriend, Jeff. He was listening attentively to his teacher as he answered everyone's questions. "Write that down, write that down!" whispered the 15-year-old eagerly to his boyfriend, tapping the 16-year-old's arm. He'd always been overly caring, especially towards Jeff. He always made sure he was well fed and that his glasses weren't dirty or that he'd go to bed.
To be honest, Jeff found Tony's behaviour endearing, it was by far better than whatever his dad called "parenting".
Tony secretly went on his phone, already making a shopping list for the trip. Sandwiches, water, chips, soda...
"Tony!" The student almost dropped his phone. "Phones are meant to be off during class! I know you're excited for the school trip like everyone else, but the rules still apply as long as we're on the school grounds."
Tony blushed with embarrassment and put his phone away, pouting at being caught. "I'm sorry, Mr. Labs, won't happen again..."
Maxwell just nodded before continuing to answer questions. "No, just because you can freely choose what to wear on the school trip doesn't mean you can choose who to share a room with too! You're going to share a room with your current roommate!"
Jeff had to hold back a snort seeing Tony's red face. "That's just your luck, man!" He said, knowing all too well that every time Tony tried to break the rules for even the tiniest reason, he'd get caught or even reprimanded. It was only by sheer luck that Maxwell was an accomplice in sneaking Jeff out of the school when he had to save the world 3 years ago.
"Shut up..." Tony replied, still embarrassed about it.
"Why didn't you just write on the paper?"
"Because no one takes handwritten shopping lists to the store anymore, also i'd just forget it in my school bag!" Tony answered, a little annoyed at his boyfriend's smart mouth.
"I still do." Jeff responded, a deadpan look on his face.
Tony sighed. "At least Maxwell is more lenient on these things, any other teacher would've confiscated my phone..."
"True." Jeff replied, "maybe don't break the rules next time then."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tony asked in mock offense.
"Nothing, just that you're not really good at breaking the rules without being caught."
Tony laughed both in disbelief and amusement, seeing the opportunity for friendly banter.
"Nope, that's it! We're no longer boyfriends, you lost your boyfriend privileges!"
Jeff laughed. His boyfriend did this playful banter often. "Oh come on, Tony, don't do this again."
But Tony was having none of it.
He pulled a fake pout and turned away from him dramatically, which only made Jeff laugh more and let out a snort.
Tony had to laugh from it too, barely having his wheezing under control and sounding like a kettle. They both tried keeping it together, their faces red from holding all the laughter.
This grabbed Maxwell's attention, but luckily he was the kind of teacher to take it lightly, especially with Tony and Jeff. "What's going on over here?" He asked with a big grin.
Without hesitation, Jeff pointed at his still laughing friend. "He started it! He made me laugh with his overdramatic play!"
"Well, knock it off, you two, there's still 5 minutes until class is dismissed." Maxwell gave them a smile before returning to his desk, letting the students talk eagerly about the school trip until the bell rang.
Tony pulled out his suitcase from under his bed and started packing. Maxwell had said to pack light clothes, but the only light clothes he had were an oversized Kingdom Hearts shirt and a couple of shorts. Maybe he'll find more clothes when he's there, he thought to himself.
Jeff also pulled out his suitcase. He had even less light clothing, the lightest was a thin green hooded jacket.
"We're gonna die of a heatstroke..." Tony said with a heavy sigh. "Not really." Jeff disagreed. "Why are we expected to take clothes we don't even have?" Tony whined.
"Because that's what's recommended to wear in Summers." Jeff answered.
"Let me whine in peace, hun!" Tony complained.
Jeff climbed onto Tony's bed to look at him from above. He smiled. "Nope, because I don't like it when my boyfriend is whining."
A faint blush appeared on Tony's face before he took his hat off and shoved it into his boyfriend's face. "Shut up..."
Jeff couldn't stop giggling as he got the hat out of his face and put it back on the auburn coloured head. "What, are you flustered, Tony?"
"... Yes..." Tony admitted, his blush only growing, but he couldn't help but smile at the teasing.
"Awww, how cute!" Jeff exclaimed before pressing his lips on Tony's cheek. Tony felt some relief at the gesture, his blush subsiding. He always liked receiving affection after teasing or flirting. "You're mean sometimes, Jeff..." he complained.
"Yeah, but it's fun seeing you all red and flustered like that."
"We still need to buy some stuff for the trip." Tony changed the subject, "Food and drinks and all for the bus ride."
"You think they'll let us out to go to the store?"
"If we ask Maxwell, why not?"
Jeff got off the bed again. "Alright, I'll head out and look for him. Be right back!" He headed to the door and opened it before turning around again. "You wanna tag along?"
"Nah, I'll continue packing my things while you're gone. Do you want me to pack your stuff too?" Tony replied.
"Sure, why not, that saves me some time that I can then spend with you." Jeff accepted the offer, affection being in his voice, which made Tony blush a little. "O-o-okay... I-I'll make sure... to do that..." Tony stammered flustered before going back to packing his things. Jeff chuckled and went out, closing the door behind him.
Jeff walked through the halls, heading to the teacher's office. He knocked on the door and a teacher opened the door.
"Could I speak with Mr. Labs, please?" Jeff asked, already bracing himself for being bombarded with questions.
"What's the purpose of it?" The teacher asked. "I just need to ask him for permission on something." Jeff answered, trying his best to hide his frustration.
"Alright, wait here, I'll get him for you." The teacher said before closing the door and Jeff sighed in relief at having avoided unnecessary drama. After a few seconds, the door opened again. "Jeff! What is it, buddy?" Maxwell came out and asked. "Hey Maxwell, I just wanted to ask if Tony and I could have your permission to leave the school grounds to visit the shop and stock up on snacks and drinks for the school trip." Jeff replied.
"Yeah, sure, I'll open the gate for you real quick! Just don't separate or stay out too long, you know the rules." Maxwell said and promptly strutted towards the gate while Jeff went back up to his room to collect Tony.
Jeff entered the dorm room. Tony was sitting on the floor in front of Jeff's suitcase, thinking of what Jeff would wear. "Maxwell gave us permission, we can go out now, if you want." he told him.
Tony immediately sprung up, excited to go shopping for snacks with his best friend.
"We've only got chips and soda so far... I don’t like that, we should grab something healthy too." Tony said thoughtfully. He went to the fruits and vegetable aisle, looking for something that he could easily transport in a lunchbox.
"We don't need that." Jeff said, heading the other way, but Tony stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. "Stay!" he commanded as if Jeff was a dog. "No, seriously, that stuff would just get spoiled because no one eats it." Jeff argued.
"I'll eat it, and so will you!"
There was no use in fighting. When it came to keeping his best friend and boyfriend healthy and happy, Tony could be very adamant and stubborn.
Jeff rolled his eyes and just grabbed a cucumber. "Is this enough?"
"No, but it's a start, I could cut it up into pieces we can eat during the bus ride." Tony replied with a sigh before turning back to the fruits and vegetables, "What should we get next?"
Knowing that it would make Tony happy, Jeff tried to look for fruits and vegetables he could bear eating. Luckily, he felt like eating strawberries, so he grabbed a pack and handed it to Tony, who immediately took it with a smile. Obviously, because he loved strawberries. Jeff knew that and he liked making him happy.
"I could also bake something in the community kitchen if you want!" he exclaimed, "Just tell me what you want!"
"Hmmm... how about some cookies? You love making cookies." Jeff answered, remembering all the times Tony just randomly decided to bake cookies for the two of them.
Tony chuckled. "You really like my cookies, don't you?"
This time, Jeff blushed. He hated to admit it, but he liked Tony's cookies, his cooking in general, actually.
"T-they're just cookies! Cookies always taste good!"
Tony just chuckled. Jeff was a bad liar sometimes, especially when it came around Tony and his skills.
"Well, then store-bought cookies will do, eh?" Tony responded teasingly.
"What? I never said that! Do your baking if it makes you happy!" Jeff protested.
Tony broke out in laughter. "Just kidding! Of course I'll make cookies for the trip! I know how much you prefer mine."
Finally, the day of the bus ride came. At 19:30, all the students of Jeff and Tony's grade at the Snow Wood Boarding House stood in front of the gate, waiting for the bus.
Tony struggled to carry his heavy suitcase along with his three backpacks. Jeff helped him by lifting the suitcase at the stairs and taking one bag. He wasn't nearly as packed as Tony, only one bag and his suitcase lightweight.
"How did you manage to overpack when you don't have that many clothes for warm weather?" Jeff questioned.
"I packed us blankets, an electric kettle, pillows, hygiene products..." Tony listed off everything he packed.
"So mostly stuff the hotel provides us with anyways?" Jeff replied.
"I don't know, you're the one who's been to Summers before, not me!" Tony complained.
"As if you've never been to a hotel before!" Jeff responded, exasperated.
Tony sat down on his suitcase. "Does it matter? I made sure we got everything we need for the trip." He looked around, still not spotting a bus. "Where the hell is the bus? We've been waiting for 15 minutes now!"
"Ok, that is weird, not gonna lie..." Jeff replied, "Maybe it got stuck in the snow on the way here?"
"I mean, I'm used to Winters' climate and I'm the weirdo going outside in shorts on a daily basis, but even I'm getting a little cold now." Tony whined.
"Then why didn't you at least put on a jacket?" Jeff asked.
"Because I didn't expect us to wait here for so long!"
Jeff sighed and rolled his eyes before taking off his own jacket and draping it over his boyfriend, revealing a Doctor Who shirt underneath.
"You're such an idiot sometimes... Don't you dare catch a cold now!" He scolded him, the frustration in his voice laced with affection and care.
"As if I'm catching a cold from waiting a couple of minutes..." Tony protested, but put his arms through the sleeves regardless. He was starting to shiver, so Jeff sat down next to him and pulled him into his arms, gently rubbing his arm to keep him warm.
After a few more minutes, they saw the bus slowly arriving, struggling to get through the snow. When it finally came to a halt in front of the school, everyone jumped up excitedly, but a police car showed up and a teacher told everyone to be more patient as the policemen were going to check the bus and the driver for all the standards.
This disappointed everyone. Tony slumped back down on his suitcase, sighing in exasperation. "Can't we just drive already? I'm starting to get sick of seeing the snow when we're supposed to be on our way to warmer climates..." he complained.
"I thought you liked the snow" Jeff said.
"Yes, but not when I expect to be on my way to warmer climates!"
Tony huffed annoyed. He let his thoughts wander until he settled on a specific one.
"Wouldn't it be funny if we got a couple's room because all the standard double bedrooms ran out?"
"Don’t get your hopes up, love." Jeff said, his tone dry, but the pet name made Tony's heart flutter regardless.
"No need to be so rude... It was just a funny thought." Tony pouted.
"Ok, then I gotta admit, it's a pretty funny idea. Although, maybe, if they're not bolted to the ground to keep up the 'perfect image' of a luxurious hotel, we could just push them together."
"You'd do that?!" Tony stared at the blonde nerd dumbfounded. He wasn't necessarily flustered by the idea, but they had gotten in trouble before for pushing their beds together. The promise of the teachers not barging into the rooms unannounced sure made Jeff feel a little mischievous. Just a smidgeon.
"Yep, I wanna take the one chance we get to not only live like a married couple, but also to sleep like one."
"As long as we don't bicker like one..." Tony smirked. He found the idea of them acting like a married couple amusing and he always teased Jeff about it.
Jeff kicked his shins but couldn't help but smile.
Finally the police drove off and everyone was free to stuff their suitcases in the luggage compartment before scrambling inside the bus, fighting for seats.