Title: words of (warning)
Rating: G
Fandom: Shingakkou
Relationship: none
Wordcount: 445
Short summary: While Cecil watches Michael and others play football, he is greeted by Father Lazarus who has some things to say…
“Good day to you, Cecil.”
Without taking his eyes off the field, Cecil moved to his right, accommodating the newcomer. There was more than enough space on the towel that Cecil was sitting on, especially if he put his notebook away.
“Good day, Father Lazarus.”
Once the ball went out of bounds, Cecil turned to face the man who greeted him. Seeing Father Lazarus outside during breaks was more common now that it was closing in on summer and the weather was sunnier and drier. Of course there was another reason for the change, but no one spoke of it much. And Cecil knew even better than most… So there was no need to say it out loud. Besides, Father Lazarus continued to keep Cecil’s secret, so…
“Watching Michael?”
Cecil nodded. His eyes flicked back to the field. Michael was slapping hands with some underclassmen on the same team. Cecil was happy to see Michael smiling so widely.
“You don’t want to join?”
Cecil shook his head. “I’m not that into sports… generally.”
A different word was on the tip of Cecil’s tongue, but he managed to divert in time. It would be no good to mention someone who was no longer here. Joshua… If only things could have turned out differently for him and Robert…
Father Lazarus nodded. “I see. Well, it is good to get some fresh air and sunlight. You… could use a little more… color.”
Cecil bit his lip. He didn’t want to know what Father Lazarus was really trying to say there, but there was obviously a warning of some sort. Perhaps about the fact that, with the loss of Joshua and Robert and Jack, that Cecil needed to spend some more time with other students… That only being Michael’s “best friend” was not a safe enough defense.
“Thank you, Father Lazarus.” Cecil managed a small smile. “I think some time outside is good for us, yes.”
That elicited a nod and a smile from Father Lazarus. It seemed the message was received. Father Lazarus stood up and smoothed out his cassock.
“Well, I should return to the office. Take care, Cecil.”
“Have a good day, sir.”
Cecil picked up his notebook and opened it to a blank page. He wasn’t sure what to write or if even he was going to write something down, but keeping track of the scores and who was making good plays would be useful. Later he could talk to Michael about it, and then… It might come as a surprise to Michael but surely he’d catch on. Because Cecil would take Father Lazarus’ words seriously; just, he would navigate them in his own way.