After grabbing Cody's food, she set it in their makeshift pen before smiling softly. "And he says he isn't cute." Melissa mumbled, brushing stray hairs out of her face. She disappeared up the stairs after that, knowing she needed to finish up the rest of her homework.
(Skip?)
(Yep yep)
Lucas was still asleep when Melissa came downstairs in the morning. He'd neglected to set an alarm, so he was dead to the world. Cody was happily eating his food, still in the makeshift pen.
Melissa knew it was getting later and later, and managed to make it down the stairs. She assumed it wasn't too bad, considering Lucas hadn't come up to check on her. But When she saw Lucas still asleep on the couch, she had a slight panic attack. "Lucas?" She asked softly, glancing over to the wall clock as she shook him a bit.
"Mmmm…" Lucas whined softly and stirred, looking up at Melissa tiredly. "Do you need something, Mel?" He asked, yawning a bit.
"Yeah, for you to get up. We need to be leaving in the next couple of minutes. Why are you still asleep?" Melissa seemed frustrated, but stopped herself from talking any more. "I… sorry. Good morning, how'd you sleep?"
"Wait, shit, what time is it?" Lucas checked his phone and quickly got to his feet. "Agh… forgot to set an alarm…" He sighed softly, running his fingers through his hair.
Melissa gave him a light smile, stepping over the boxes. "We don't have much time, so you go ahead and get ready. I'll get you some breakfast."
"Alright, thanks." Lucas quickly grabbed his bag and went to go get ready. He returned within a couple of minutes with his hair still fluffy from sleep.
Melissa had pushed most of the boxes up against the wall, so Cody was running around curiously when Lucas had come down. Melissa was in the kitchen, currently working on toast for herself and him.
Lucas ran his fingers through his hair to try and neaten it up, seeming jittery and nervous. He didn't like being late. He headed into the kitchen and gently kissed Melissa's cheek.
"Oh- hey." She greeted softly, picking up a plate off the counter. "Here, eat this and we can head out. We'll also need to send Cody out with some water. I've already checked the weather, and it said clear skies."
"Alright, sounds good." Lucas accepted the plate and took a bite of his toast, still seeming antsy. "How long do we have until we have to go?" He asked.
Melissa gave him an odd look, picking up her plate. "I… I mean, as soon as we're finished, we can go. I already talked to my dad about feeding Cody in a little bit. All we have to do is set a water bowl and him outside."
Lucas nodded and kept eating, glancing up at the clock nervously. He soon finished his toast and grabbed a bowl, which he filled up with water for Cody.
"Why so nervous?" Melissa asked softly, starting to rinse off both plates when she had finished. Once she had them cleaned off, she set them in the dishwasher and glanced up to him.
"I… um… I'm not a big fan of being late…" Lucas fidgeted a bit, opening the door so he could go put the water bowl outside.
"Oh- I… I'm sorry then. I should have come down sooner, to check on you." Melissa mumbled, making her way into the living room to get Cody.
"It's not your fault, Mel… please don't blame yourself. I was the one who forgot to set my alarm." Lucas sighed.
"Yeah, but I should have come check. You normally come check on me." Melissa responded lightly, not seeming upset or frustrated too much. She scooped Cody up and started to take him outside.
"I guess…" Lucas followed Melissa outside to make sure Cody was okay and to give the puppy a last few head scratches.
"Be a good boy, Cody. We'll be home in a little bit." Melissa hummed, kneeling down and setting him on the porch. "Ready to head out, Lu?"
"Mhmm." Lucas gently kissed Melissa's cheek and headed back in to grab his backpack. He held open the front door for Melissa when they reached it.
Melissa had picked her bag up, on the way, and started out the door. "We haven't got long, but if we hurry, we should be there on time." She hummed softly, taking his hand when the door shut.
"Hopefully…" Lucas toyed with his hair a bit as they walked, holding onto Melissa's hand tightly and picking up the pace. "The teachers won't be too mad, will they?"
"I doubt it. We're both good students, and normally early. So one day being a couple of minutes late, is nothing. If anything, we'll just be marked tardy." Melissa shrugged a little, keeping a good pace with him.
Lucas nodded a bit, still seeming nervous. "Tardies don't go on our permanent records, right?" He asked.
Melissa glanced over to him, giving him a strange look. "I… I don't think so. Why is this bugging you so much? I know you don't like being late, but this seems like a bit much."
"Um… I dunno…" Lucas fidgeted a bit more. "I need to do as well in school as possible so I can get a good job and support us both when we're older… and possibly some stuff related to my curfew, but that's kinda dumb. I really shouldn't be bothered by it."
Melissa sighed softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey, you shouldn't be worrying about that. Doing well in school, while it is important, shouldn't be stressing you so badly. You don't have to try to do everything on your own- I'm always here to help. We can support each other."
"I know, I know… I'm just being dumb and overdramatic again. Don't mind me, Mel." Lucas smiled weakly and kissed Melissa's cheek. "I'll get over it."