Starkid/TCB Oneshots

Shop Class

A/N: This one shot takes place before Jane (and Ethan ;-;) died, and Tom still teaches Shop class.

"C'mon, Lex. Shop class will be fun! Besides, it's an easy A. Don't we both need that?" Ethan and Lex were walking down the hallways of Hatchetfield High, and Ethan was walking backwards, which he knew was dangerous, considering the fact that the hallways were crowded with students due to it being a passing period.

"I don't know Ethan. Won't we be ditching this place anyways once we save up the money? Why do grades matter?"

"We've got to at least try." He stopped and grabbed her shoulders, stopping her in the middle of the hallway. He looked her into her eyes. "We need to do this. For Hannah. And hey, if we're going to be living in California by ourselves, it'd be nice to know how to make stuff. Like tables or something."

Lex stared at him suspiciously. "Shop class is not going to teach us how to make tables."

"Says who?" Ethan grinned. "I already signed up. Will you?"

Lex sighed. "Alright, when does it start?"

"Next week."

~Time skip~

"Ok kids. Now I know why you're probably here. Sure, there's the few of you who actually want to learn something. However, I know that a lot of you are here because you think this class is just going to be easy. Well.."
Mr. Houston droned on about how shop class wasn't easy, but Ethan couldn't pay attention. Not with Lex whispering in his ear.

"I told you this was a bad idea."

"No, it's not! It's only the first day and we're learning."

"Yeah, because Mr. Houston lecturing us about safety and the importance of caring about our grades is "learning.'"

"Ok, maybe I made a mistake. But it's only the first day! We shouldn't jump to conclusions."

Lex muttered something that he couldn't quite hear.

"What was that?"

"Hey, you two in the back!" Their heads snapped up and they saw Mr. Houston glaring at them. "What are your names?"

"Um, I'm Ethan and this is Lex."

"And would you like to share what you two lovebirds were talking about back there?" Ethan looked down and he could feel the heat on his face. He was clearly blushing. He could hear multiple snickers from some of the other students.

Lex straightened. "We were just talking about how pointless and boring this class is." People started whispering excitedly, until Mr. Houston finally was able to silence them.

"And why do you think this class is boring?" Lex cleared her throat, prepared to answer. Ethan didn't know where Mr. Houston was going with this.

"You're just talking about boring rules and stuff. I thought this class was supposed to be fun." Lex playfully glanced at Ethan during the last part.

To their surprise, Mr. Houston laughed. "Well Lex, I have to go over these rules. It's the school protocol. If it wasn't, believe me, we'd already be getting started. But you'll see, when we get going."

Lex was shocked into silence as Mr. Houston continued his lecture about safety. Something to do with hands and saws? Ethan didn't know. He wasn't particularly listening.

"Why are you staring at me?" Lex asked, keeping her voice quieter than before. Ethan shrugged. "Just admiring my girlfriend. That was a bold move, saying all of that to Mr. Houston."

It was Lex's turn to shrug. "He didn't take it the way I expected him to. I thought I was getting detention for sure." Ethan smiled. "That's my girl."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I have work after school. Can you pick Hannah up?"

Ethan placed his hand on his chin dramatically. "Oh I don't know. I think I might have plans.."

Lex slapped him on the arm, the twinkle in her eyes giving away that she wasn't serious. "My shift ends at 7, ok?" He nodded. "I'll come around 6:30, since Hannah likes looking around at all the shops."

"Great. See you then."

~Time skip~

In the following week, Mr. Houston finally gave them their first project. Turns out, it was the most boring thing imaginable.

"This week, you'll each be crafting your own birdhouses. I have instructions posted on the board, and there's wood, paint, and nail guns in the back. I will also be providing each of you saws to cut the wood for your birdhouses. Just make sure to be careful with them. Now I would like you to go select a couple pieces of wood and start measuring them. I will be right back with the saws."

He left the room, leaving them all alone. The class burst into conversation excitedly. Lex groaned. "Seriously, why can't we make something cool? A birdhouse is lame."

Ethan grabbed a couple of small pieces of wood. "I agree with you on that one. I can't believe some of these people are actually excited about this. But oh well. We need to make the best of it."

Lex rolled her eyes and they began measuring their wood. Finally, Mr. Houston and one of the janitors each came in with large carts that carried large saws.

"Alright, we will come by and put a saw on each of your desk's."

They waited until they each had a large saws on their desks. Lex already started cutting her wood.

"How are you already starting that?!" Ethan shouted over the noise.

"What?"

"How— you know what, never mind."

Soon almost everybody in the class was cutting their wood, and Lex wasn't able to hear a single word Ethan was saying, even though she was already done. She started to build the bird house, connecting the pieces and nailing them together. She was about halfway done when Ethan was the last one in the class to finish cutting his wood.

"You know, I don't why I complained so much. This is actually really easy." She noted. Ethan clearly thought differently. As he tried to set up the base and the walls of his bird house, it turns out that he didn't nail them in the right spots, so the walls were leaning heavily to the right. Lex stifled a laugh when she saw it.

"Ethan, I-I have no words." She bent over, hardly able to contain herself.

"Yeah yeah it's hilarious, I know. I genuinely don't see why I thought this was a good idea."

Lex pointed at his "bird house."

"That is exactly why this is the best idea you've ever had."

"Easy for you to say, yours looks perfect!"

"Oh, is little Ethan upset?"

"No, I—"

Lex reached up and kissed him on the cheek, shutting him up.

"No PDA, you two!" Shouted Deb, who was sitting next to Lex. She laughed. "You're one to talk."

Deb shook her head and continued her work.

"Hey, why don't I take you to a movie tonight? My treat." Ethan said, smiling.

"Do you have the money? And what about Hannah?"

"About the money, I may have enough to take us. And about Hannah, well, we obviously can't leave her with your mom, so what about asking Grace Chastity?"

"That girl's a nerdy prude, everyone knows that." Lex scoffed.

"I know, but you have to admit, she's a great babysitter."

"Grace Chastity it is, then."

He held up both her hands. "Tonight will be so much fun, I promise you."

Lex smiled. "I wouldn't doubt that for a second."

"Get a room!"

The class erupted into laughter, but they didn't care. They just stared into each other's eyes, not caring about the world around them.