2019 Black-Owned Gift Guide!
It’s that time again! This Black Friday, try and support a Black-owned business for all your gift-giving needs. For last years gift guide, click here. For the 2017 gift guide, here. For the 2016 gift guide, click here. For the 2015 gift guide, click here. (This is the FIFTH annual gift guide! Time flies!)
Similar to 2018, I kept every individual item listed under $100! Click on the links to be taken to the websites in order to peruse more yourselves. Every item and brand has been hand selected and curated. Sustainability has been increasingly on my mind, especially when it comes to fashion; as such, several brands on this list are ethically and sustainably sourced. Several also include donations from your purchase being made to philanthropic causes.
[And as always, this guide has been split into categories to make it easier to get through, but feel free to mix and match for the person in your life that fits all of (or none of!) these categories!]
Gift Guide 2019 Items
For the Homebody:
eLo ‘Gloria’ Cotton Spray, $30
Shea Shea Bakery Candy Cane Candle, $22
Shea Shea Bakery Coffe Mug Candle, $12
Shea Shea Bakery Bowl of O’s Signature Candle, $20
Shea Shea Bakery Milk & Cookies Bath Set, $16
Shea Shea Bakery Bath Whip - Confetti Cake, $12
Shea Shea Bakery Honey Bear Bubble Bath, $6
Shea Shea Bakery Milk Mates - Salts + Bubble Bath, $16
Shea Shea Bakery Milk + Honey + Syrup Bubble Bath Set, $22
Shea Shea Bakery Cast Iron Skillet Wax Burner, $22
Shea Shea Bakery Sweet Mini-Melt Cinnamon Bun Wax, $10
Shea Shea Bakery Sweet Mini-Melt Peanut Butter Cups, $10
228 Grant Street Candle Co. Amber + Sandalwood Apothecary Jar, $30 (pictured)
228 Grant Street Candle Co. Oakmoss + Amber Jar, $20
228 Grant Street Candle Co. Botanical Garden Gold Travel Tin, $10
Kicky Mats ‘Don’t Bother, We’re Broke’ Doormat, $50 (pictured)
Jeffrey Manning “You Are” Art Print, $55
Jeffrey Manning “Mellow Bliss” Art Print, $40
Duchess 365 ‘When I Get Home’ Art Print, $23.99 (pictured)
Tactile Matter ‘Safe Space’ Art Print, $45 (pictured)
Tactile Matter ‘Peaches & Coffee’ Art Print, $45
Galerie.la Small Market Basket, $28
Galerie.la Botanica Medium Candle Harvest, $24
Galerie.la Relaxation Rituals Box, $44.95
Galerie.la Botanica Large Candle Nirvana, $32
Galerie.la Rooted Incense Holder In Gray, $68
Galeria.la Calma Herbal Salt Soaks, $20
‘Hypnotic’ Quilt Set by Justina Blakeney, $100 (pictured)
Brass Bette Planter by Justina Blakeney, $ 75
Ida Mirror by Justina Blakeney, $70
Kahelo Black and Gray Rug by Justina Blakeney, $89
Kashmir.VIII ‘The Party’ Pillow, $50 (pictured)
Cards For All People “Angry Moms” Card Game, $17.99
Cards For All People “Black Card Revoked” Card Game, $17.99 (pictured)
Trading Races Card Game, $24.99 (pictured)
Winsults Card Game, $25 (pictured)
For the Foodie:
Zach & Zoe Wildflower Honey, $12
Zach & Zoe Wildflower Honey - Lavender, $15
Zach & Zoe Wildflower Honey - Raspberry, $15 (pictured)
Zach & Zoe Honey with Ginger Root, $15
Soul Fit Grill Assorted Spices, $55.99 (pictured)
Raw Cells Mind Fudge, $15 (pictured)
Raw Cells Calm Cookie, $8
Raw Cells Brain Brownie, $5
Raw Cells Bliss Bar, $7 (pictured)
Chris Cardi ‘H Street’ Apron, $25.03
Cultured Kombucha ‘Flight Glass’ Set of 4, $35 (pictured)
Cultured Kombucha ‘Cultured’ Tote, $15 (pictured)
Kashmir.VIII ‘Ms. Hill’ Mug, $16
Kashmir.VIII ‘Easin’ Mug, $16
Kashmir.VIII ‘We Did It First’ Mug, $16 (pictured)
Kashmir.VIII ‘The Black Power Mixtape’ Coaster Sets, $35 (pictured)
Botanicals on Blush Kitchen Tea Towels by Justina Blakeney, $28 (pictured)
‘B. Smith Cooks Southern-Style’ by B. Smith, $29.99
For the Beauty Guru:
Oui The People ‘The Single’ Rose Gold Single-Blade Razor, $75 (pictured)
Oui The People ‘Sugarcoat’ Shave Gel-To-Milk, $64 (pictured)
Galerie.la Rose Quartz Facial Roller, $28
Galerie.la Jade Mask, $42
Galerie.la Base Coat Nail Polish Vault, $20
Galerie.la Base Coat Nail Polish The Simon Collective, $20
Galerie.la ‘The Makeup Bag’ (Navy), $59
Galerie.la ‘The Makeup Bag’ (Yellow), $59
Galerie.la Mermaid Milk Superfood Moisturizer, $42
Shea Shea Bakery Buttered Pound Cake Body Mist, $5 (pictured)
Shea Shea Bakery Glazed Donut Body Butter, $25
Shea Shea Bakery Detoxifying Charcoal Cleanser, $15
Shea Shea Bakery Antibacterial Apple Cider Toner, $6
Shea Shea Bakery Almond Milk + Chocolate Peppermint Moisturizer, $6
Shea Shea Bakery Scar Healing Serum, $23
Shea Shea Bakery Gentle Foaming Cleanser, $8
Shea Shea Bakery Chocolate Coffee Bean Scrub, $12
Shea Shea Bakery Rose Garden Soap Bar, $5 (pictured)
Monie Squared Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Soap, $8
Monie Squared Brown Sugar Fig Goat Milk Soap, $7
Monie Squared Warm Vanilla Sugar Goat Milk Soap, $7
Monie Squared Leave-In Detangling Conditioner in Blood Orange, $16
Camille Rose Naturals Algae Renew Deep Conditioner, $20
Camille Rose Youth Burst Anti-Aging Night Time Elixir, $18 (pictured)
Camille Rose Seedless Skin Pore-Perfecting Facial Exfoliator, $19
Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade, $13.99
Oyin Handmade Boing! All-In-One Coil Styler, $14.99
Oyin Handmade No Ash At All Lotion, $9.99
Hunny Bunny Boutique Hunny Lavender Face Bar, $9
Hunny Bunny Boutique Rose Clay Facial Mask, $8
Bejia Flor Naturals Acai Mango Lotion, $22
Vee + Co. Apothecary ‘Seven’ Aromatherapy Roller, $18
Vee + Co. Apothecary ‘Mellow’ Aromatherapy Roller, $18
Vee + Co. Apothecary ‘Faith’ Aromatherapy Roller, $18
Vee + Co. Apothecary ‘Tisane’ Body + Bath Oil, $25
Jade & Fox Co. Liquid Gold Facial Cleanser, $15 (pictured)
Jade & Fox Co. Neptune Hyaluronic Face Mist, $15
Jade & Fox Co. Flower Power Toner, $18 (pictured)
Jade & Fox Co. Fineapple Face Mask, $22
Jade & Fox Co. Maui Wowie Serum, $17 (pictured)
Jade & Fox Co. Angel Eyes Under Eye Cream, $24
Jade & Fox Co. Crushed Velvet Butter, $26
Jade & Fox Co. Honeysuckle Spray, $14
Jade & Fox Co. Lust Oil, $15
Jade & Fox Co. Crush Body Oil, $17
Jade & Fox Co. Vixen Oil, $15
Jade & Fox Co. ‘Show Girl’ Body Oil, $17
Jade & Fox Co. Siren Highlighter, $18 (pictured)
Makeup/Beauty/Hair Brands:
Plain Jane Beauty (pictured)
Mented Cosmetics (pictured)
Beauty Bakerie
Bovanti Cosmetics
Colour U Cosmetics
Hue Noir
Gold Label Cosmetics
Lamik Beauty
Lip Addyct
Magnolia Makeup
Lotus Moon Skincare
The Lip Bar (pictured)
Ginger + Liz Nail Polish
Foxie Cosmetics
Blac Minerals Cosmetics (pictured)
Danessa Lyrics Beauty
Lena Lashes
AJ Crimson Beauty
KSquared Nail Paint
Kinky Curly Yaki
Heat Free Hair Movement
Big Chop Hair
Princess Hair Shop
Haute Kinky Hair
Private Stock Kair
Catface Hair
Mischo Beauty (pictured)
Brown Butter Beauty (pictured)
Her Muse Studio
Elo Lipcare (pictured)
Glam Goth Beauty (pictured)
For The Fashion Conscious:
Galerie.la Abbot Corduroy Knit Robe Berry, $98
Galerie.la Denim Crop Bra, $35
Galerie.la Golden Organic Cotton Crop Bra, $35 (pictured)
Galerie.la Recycled Cotton Baby Tee Black, $39
Galerie.la Alicia Crossbody Brown Bag, $85 (pictured)
Galerie.la Stacking Rings Brass, $25 (pictured)
Galerie.la Diamond Stacking Ring, $25
Galerie.la Petite Arch Earrings Brass, $34
Galerie.la Thelma Top Mauve, $48
Galerie.la Silver Hashtag Earrings, $58
Galerie.la Cascade Dress Charcoal, $59
Galerie.la Petra Jumpsuit Charcoal, $65 (pictured)
Galerie.la Sabbath Cocoon Tunic, $98
Galerie.la Flap Wallet Mustard, $79
Galerie.la Zipper Wallet Blush, $69
Glam Goth ‘Goon’ Beanie (red), $25
Glam Goth ‘Goon’ Beanie (black), $25
Glam Goth ‘Goth’ Cap, $30 (pictured)
Glam Goth ‘The Young Angel’ T-Shirt, $20
Instant Vintage - Azul by Giancarlo Bolero, $55
Instant Vintage - Merlot Veiled Hat, $30
Instant Vintage - Turquoise Velvet Bow with Headband, $45
Instant Vintage - Sweetheart Floral Dress, $48 (pictured)
Sir and Madame Striped Wool Split Back Shirt, $75
Sir and Madame Logo T-Shirt, $40
Sir and Madame 'Madame’ Cropped Tank, $28
Sir and Madame 70′s Script T-Shirt, $45
Sir and Madame “A Better Tomorrow” T-Shirt, $40
Sir and Madame Red Wing Engineer Boot, $75
Sir and Madame Jungle Camo Woven Shirt, $45
A Life Well Dressed ‘Artsy’ Statement Cap, $16 (pictured)
A Life Well Dressed ‘Create’ Statement T-Shirt, $20
Gregory Sylvia ‘Farrah’ Watch, $95
Gregory Sylvia ‘Chandler’ Watch, $78 (pictured)
Gregory Sylvia ‘Rosen’ Watch, $105 (slightly over budget but a beautiful watch!)
Gregory Sylvia ‘Crimson Crave’ Wallet, $69
Tree Fairfax Lois Belt, $40
Tree Fairfax Distressed Wrap Clutch/Wallet, $54
Chris Cardi ‘H St. Nostalgia’ Tee, $30.03
Chris Cardi ‘Bastards’ Tee, $30.03
Sole Rebels ‘The Surge’ Shoe, $90
Sole Rebels ‘The Exodus Ahhh’ Shoe, $100
Sole Rebels ‘The StepUP’ Shoe, $95
Sole Rebels ‘The Exodus RIFF’ Shoe, $100 (pictured)
Sole Rebels ‘TooTOOS Holees’ Shoe, $85
Enbois ‘Jafari’ Watch (Zebra), $85
For the Bookworm:
‘The Water Dancer’ by Ta-Nehisi Coates, $28 (pictured)
‘Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland, $18.99 (pictured)
‘Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner’ by Geneva Smitherman, $6.38 (pictured)
‘Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America’ by Geneva Smitherman, $7.77 (pictured)
‘White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue ... and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation’ by Lauren Michele Jackson, $23.49
‘Mules and Men’ by Zora Neale Hurston, $15.99 (pictured)
‘The Black Book’ edited by Toni Morrison, $35
‘Bloodchild and Other Stories’ by Octavia Butler, $14
‘Rebel’ by Beverly Jenkins, $7.99
‘B. Smith: Rituals & Celebrations’ by B. Smith, $35 (pictured)
Rayo & Honey ‘Eat Words, Drink Stars’ Pin, $12 (pictured)
Rayo & Honey ‘Read More, Writer Better’ Banner, $50 (pictured)
Rayo & Honey ‘Books Change Your Mind’ Banner, $55
Rayo & Honey ‘Hundreds of Books Under My Skin’ Bookmark, $8 (pictured)
For the Kids:
Yinibini Baby ‘Trunk of Hearts’ Elephant One-Piece, $29.50
Yinibini Baby ‘My Neighborhood in DC’ Tee, $26.00 (pictured)
Jade & Fox Co. Fantasy Body Lotion for Babies, $16
Duchess365 Framed Art Print [Ladybug], $57.99
Duchess365 Throw Pillow [Lollipop], $29.99 (pictured)
Duchess365 Framed Art Pillow, $47.99 (pictured)
Herbaceutikals Talc Free Baby Organic Baby Powder, $14.25 (pictured)
‘Party, A Mystery’ by Jamaica Kincaid, $17.95 (pictured)
‘The Last Last-Day-of-Summer’ by Lamar Giles, $8.49
‘Puppy Truck’ by Brian Pinkney, $11.38 (pictured)
‘Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten)’ by Laura Veirs, $17.99
‘Little Melba and Her Big Trombone’ by Katheryn Russell-Brown, $18.95 (pictured)
Vee + Co. Apothecary ‘Mamatoto’ Aromatherapy Roller, $12
KaAn’s Designs ‘Living The Dream’ Denim Jacket, $40 (pictured)
Sir & Madame ‘Sir’ Kids Pullover, $55
Amina Abdul Jillil Kids Velvet Sneaker, $89 (pictured)
For the Masculine:
Gregory Sylvia ‘Durham’ Watch, $78 (pictured)
Gregory Sylvia ‘Grayson’ Watch, $95
Gregory Sylvia ‘Fullerton’ Watch, $95.00
A Life Well Dressed ‘Create’ Sweater, $34
A Life Well Dressed ‘District of Champions’ Sweater, $48
Sir & Madame Scratch Goods Beard Oil, $24 (pictured)
Sir & Madame ‘Sir’ Shirt (Blue), $40 (pictured)
Sir & Madame ‘Sir Shirt (Orange), $40
Sir & Madame Classic Logo Beanie (Gray), $40
Sir & Madame Classic Logo Beanie (Orange), $40 (pictured)
Sir & Madame ‘Sir’ Long Sleeve Black Shirt, $55
Sir & Madame ‘Sir’ Lapel Pin, $10
Instant Vintage - Pink and Blue Plaid Pants, $50 (pictured)
Instant Vintage - Camel Leather Blazer, $90
Instant Vintage - Tan Trench Coat, $60
Enbois ‘The Weekend’ Bag, $60 (pictured)
Enbois ‘Cocoa Collection’ Bracelets, $50 (pictured)
Enbois ‘Garvey’ Watch (Black), $70 (pictured)
Vee + Co. Beard Mist, $12
Vee + Co. Beard Oil, $20
Vee + Co. Beard Wash Shampoo + Conditioner, $18
Mr. Blackmans Bergamot & Spice Beard Balm, $11.99
Scotch Porter Nourish & Repair Hair Conditioner, $24.99
Scotch Porter Hydrating Hair Wash, $24.99
Scotch Porter Charcoal & Licorice Moisture Defend Face Lotion, $19.99
Levi Fisher Balm Diggity Softening Beard Butter, $12.99
Levi Fisher Smooth Operator Detangling & Conditioning Beard Serum, $9.99
Levi Fisher Go Tea Herbal Grooming Spray for Short Hair and Beards, $9.99
Sole Rebels ‘exodus Traveller ‘Shoes, $100
Sole Rebels ‘stepUP Ed. 2′ Shoes, $95 (pictured)
Sole Rebels ‘the SURGE any’ Shoes, $90
For The Technologically Savvy:
Enbois Case iPhone 7/7plus/8/8plus/iPhone X/iPhone XS/iPhone XR, $12 (pictured)
Enbois Walnut Case iPhone 6/7/8, $8
Enbois Rosewood Case iPhone 6/7/8, $8
Enbois Power Bank, $15 (pictured)
Enbois Grip Socket, $3 (pictured)
Embrii Shop Iridescent Macbook Case, $49
Embrii Shop Matte Gold Messenger Laptop Sleeve, $39
Embrii Shop Champagne Gold Glitter Macbook Case, $49
Embrii Shop Emerald Tartan MacBook Case, $49
Chic Geeks Black Faux Crocodile MacBook Case, $78
Chic Geeks Emerald Faux Crocodile MacBook Case, $78
Chic Geeks Grey Marble MacBook Case, $68 (pictured)
Chic Geeks Rose Gold Keyboard Cover, $12 (pictured)
Chic Geeks Space Gray Ombre Keyboard Cover, $12
Chic Geeks Emerald Faux Crocodile iPad Case, $78 (pictured)
Chic Geeks Unicorn Sparkle iPad Case, $68 (pictured)
Chic Geeks Emerald Glitter MacBook Case, $58
Chic Geeks Black Marble MacBook Case, $68
Chic Geeks Gray Marble iPad Case, $58
Puku G8 Earphones, $29 (pictured)
Khristian A. Howell Fig Life Sleek and Chic Phone Case, $39.99 (pictured)
Khristian A. Howell Deuces Sleek and Chic Phone Case, $39.99
Khristian A. Howell Buffalo Plaid Sleek and Chic Phone Case, $39.99
Cards, Stationery and Gift Wrap:
Greentop Gifts Clarence Claus Candy Canes & Trees Gift Wrap, $7.50 (pictured)
Greentop Gifts Clarence Claus ‘HOHOHO’ Gift Wrap, $7.50 (pictured)
Greentop Gifts Clarence Claus Close Up Gift Wrap, $7.50
Greentop Gifts Clarence Claus Gift Bag, $4.50
Sweet Potato Paper Red Plaid Gift Wrap, $9.95
Sweet Potato Paper Yellow Triangles Gift Wrap, $9.95
Sweet Potato Paper ‘Can Swim’ Gift Wrap, $9.95 (pictured)
Sweet Potato Paper ‘No Worries’ Notecards, $10.50
Sweet Potato Paper ‘Sunny Thanks’ Thank You Cards, $1.25 per card
Sweet Potato Paper ‘Audio Thanks’ Thank You Cards, $1.25 per card (pictured)
Sweet Potato Paper Blotting Paper, $1.25 per sheet
The DynaSmiles Stationery & Gifts Assorted Christmas Cards Bundle, $28
The DynaSmiles "Fro La La" 4x6 Sticker Sheet, $3.50 (pictured)
The DynaSmiles "Santa's Beard" Christmas Collectible Mug, $20 (pictured)
Addie Rawr ‘A Room Full of Dolls’ Adult Coloring Book, $15
Addie Rawr Fall Dolls Stickers (Die Cut & Sticker Sheets), $6.50
Midnight Reflections Melanin Prima Ballerina Ceramic Ornaments, $15.99 (pictured)
Midnight Reflections Kwanzaa Wrapping Paper Kit, $15.99
Midnight Reflections Black Santa Gift Bag Kit, $18.99
Midnight Reflections Black Angel Wrapping Paper Kit, $8.99 (pictured)
Midnight Reflections Black Santa with Snow Flakes Wrapping Paper Kit, $8.99
Khristian A. Howell Rosey Holiday Gift Wrap, $8.99
Khristian A. Howell Rosy Twinkle Gift Wrap, $8.99
Khristian A. Howell Ansley Park Gift Wrap, $8.99
Kashmir.VIII ‘Maya’ Notebook, $11 (pictured)
Kashmir.VIII ‘The Marathon Continues’ Sticker, $9-$20
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Highschool Infiltration AU (4)
@disturbed02girl
(Part 1) (Part 2 & 3)
___
East Woodborough Public High School, Monday morning, the light smacking in yellow sunspots from the glazing. Throb of engines and the bass, ticking of bicycle wheels, the clap and rattle of skateboards - a cacophony. Washed out sky dyed in a blue that is turning white with heat, rubber soles picking up the dust from the concrete. Everywhere bodies turning humid inside of shirts and shorts, faces pinking. The clarion of girls laughing all ha-ha-tee-hee. Girls. Not misses. Girls who walk with their shoulders first, slouching jeans and gemmy eyes, self conscious of acne and braces. Girls with biro down the backs of their hands, boys with trouser hems trodden into soft runnels of thread, boys with secret tattoos.
Children.
Heero wades through them, a small Gulliver encroaching into Lilliput. An old man in a skinny boy body.
He finds breathing space and shade beneath straggling trees on scratchy grass, occupied already by children scribbling final answers to last weeks homework, and stray cigarette butts.
He’d expected more similarity to the other schools. There’s next to none. Kids run here and talk loud, smack their gum, turn up in clothes pulled from bedroom floors. No uniforms. No stables. No fencing. No hush and wood polish.
Heero feels his own anonymity more acutely than he ever has. A good thing, for the mission.
Two girls clapping, singing nonsense, or talking. “No! No!” one says to her friend, signalling with the rest of her body, “Yes, say more!”
Heero has a pen and ten dollars in his pocket, but he should have brought a backpack. It would blend more. It’s part of the uniform, he realises. The uniform that isn’t a uniform. The other of the clapping girls looks back, and then drops a whisper into her friend's ear and they peal away into the chaos.
Laughing at him?
Doesn’t matter. It’s not relevant to the mission, and they’re not potential targets. Heero doesn’t need to know anything about them to know that. They’re too ordinary. Ordinary is safe.
Safe enough. The school is a big white block of a building, Heero blinks and it’s rubble. Blink. Box. Blink. Roar of children’s voices.
Blink.
“The fuck?” someone says. A flash of another face, like all the others. Incredulous at the concept of Heero Yuy.
Heero realises he’s scowling like fury.
Twenty minutes till first bell.
Detaching himself from the trees, he drives himself away towards the back of the school. Time now to focus. Establish territory.
Heero breathes in the dry clay of the earth. Time to choose a sport.
____
It’s a powder blue convertible with that new car smell, as though Santa baby only just dropped it off. It must have been in the garage for several years though, brand new even whilst ageing.
Quatre dismisses Ahmed’s suggestion of an escort, and puts the hood down. It’s a speed control zone, but even a sedate thirty miles per hour creates soft fingers of air that ruffle over his scalp. Sunglasses, chinos, understated but overpriced watch, Quatre supposes he’ll make the appropriate splash when he arrives. First port of call, student services, of course, to make his introduction to the Dean.
And then in turn, Quatre presumes to be introduced to the other high school royalty. Or perhaps they will simply magnetise themselves to his presence, like lions aware of a newcomer prowling into their territory.
Not that he intends to be threatening.
The big houses and lawns give way to smaller lots with bigger roads and untidier kerbs.
‘Why wouldn’t I be at private school?’ Quatre wonders of his character. ‘Money? Character?’ It’s a very nice car. Quatre resolves on personality; a rags-to-riches, Grand-daddy’s alma mater reasoning.
A naif desire for reality and diversity. Get a little taste of the other half before the inevitable route to the board room.
“And in that case,” Quatre says to himself, wheeling the sports car into the parking lot, “I won’t even need to act.”
___
Town planning guidance states that, as the ideal, each household should be within a 500m walk of a bus stop. Wufei has to trudge more than twice that to the main road. A bus the colour of old mustard and half empty.
Wufei takes a seat near the back. Perches really, thinking of gum concealing on the underside. The outskirts slip drearily past the window, strip mall, gas station, drive-thru, then another. The fat man at the wheel meets Wufei’s eye briefly through the rear-view, but with only a bovine attention. He’s been doing this for too long to care one way or another. All he wants is for the kids to sit down and keep their hands and their drinks to themselves.
Tilting his head, as they groan between stops, Wufei finds a spider in the corner of the window, which oscillates into a blur in its web whenever the driver squishes a foot on the accelerator. ‘Go faster, or let me off?’ Wufei muses.
It’s the most relatable thing he’s seen in days.
The bus lurches to a halt, rear skewed into the nearside lane, and more kids tramp aboard, already looking travel worn. Cups clutched in bare hands, books and bags.
“Hey, pay!” the driver yells at one kid. He turns on a heel and flicks -ping! klink! - a dollar fifty in coins into the slot. The driver snorts.
“Eat it,” says the kid, backing down the aisle, middle fingers raised. Cock of the rock. Wufei rolls his eyes. Wonders what it is about the light spectrum that makes neon looks so dead in the daylight.
“Move.”
There’s a tussle and a kid is evicted from the seat opposite Wufei. He goes stumbling up the bus, with the surprised offence of a person hit in the face by an errant bluebottle, and then drops into a new seat. Boots bridge the aisle, thumping onto Wufei’s seat and making the springs bounce.
“What?” Duo challenges.
Wufei, finger and thumb, pulls the edge of his jacket out from under Duo’s heel and scoots over.
“Nerd.”
The glint of a shark’s grin in the corner of his eye. Wufei lets his body go reptilian. ‘Don’t overdo it,’ he warns with his silence. ‘Don’t push me,’
Pop of bubblegum, bleep of a game. Pure theatrics. Wufei stares at the spider hanging onto its threads.
It’s going to be a long day.
___
Trowa changes in a classroom, and returns to the roof to watch the sun rise. He watches staff arrive over the course of an hour, in ones and twos. None of them think to look up. Mostly they look at their shoes.
Then the before-school kids arrive. Parents with morning meetings, the sports kids, the band kids, and kids with reasons that Trowa can’t discern from twenty metres above.
Then the mob. Spooling from buses, the whole hive-like mass of students erupting from the surrounding roads. So many it’s hard to pick out individuals, though he sees Quatre sweep in, shining and spotless. He evokes a bubble through the crowd as he passes through it. People gape and then cling to his wake, taking it all in. As he climbs the steps of the school, Trowa gets a glimpse of sunshine redolent on golden hair, and a smile before Quatre vanishes.
He crowds down a little lower, and trusts no one else will bother looking up.
Duo births himself out the window of a bus not a few moments later, brash and obvious. A distraction that nearly makes him miss Wufei slinking off, having disembarked in a more orthodox manner. Duo stands and scans the building and then mooches away in the opposite direction, towards the bleachers.
Sensible.
He doesn’t spot Heero, but then Heero is always aware of his angles. He wouldn’t expose himself to surveillance like that. Trowa watches the other kids instead.The lonely ones, the bold ones.They make for a curious study. Height simplifies them and their behaviours. He can compare them to cattle, or ants, or apes, but knows that once among them, it won’t be the case at all.
‘Bias,’ Trowa thinks, leaning back from the edge. Under his feet, a bell is chirring. Warning bell. It sounds more suited to a military application than anything as homely as a school. Trowa arranges his face into something nondescript and his body into a slouch. Touch of gangling disorganisation in the limbs, dragging feet. He descends into the school, and takes turns following small groups of children, adding characteristics to Sven until Sven is more alive than conjecture.
When the bell rings again, Trowa mutely holds his note over the desk to the school secretary. “I got lost,” he says.
“First day,” she replies, thrusting spectacles onto her nose and reducing him at once to paperwork. “Right, let’s see where we’re putting you, shall we?”
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