Authors don't need As
A guest asked for a oneshot of Henry's grades slipping dramatically resulting in him being grounded. He sneaks out but Emma drags him home. She tells him she's tough on his grades because none of her foster parents cared about her schooling and she doesn't want that for him. They make up.
There was no way Henry was spending his whole weekend studying. What was the point? He was the Author, for crying out loud! He wasn't going to go to college and get himself a normal job. He wasn't even going to into the family business and join the station. Heck, he wasn't even planning on joining his family lineage and being a proper royal. Nah, none of that stuff was meant for him. There was a reason he was chosen to be the Author and he wasn't letting school work get in the way of his destiny. He couldn't believe his mom had the cheek to ground him in the first place. Like she ever tried hard at school. She was in jail before she could have graduated, and from the little bits and pieces of her life she had told her son it was clear to him school was never really her top priority.
Henry had his music blasting through his headphones as he stomped down the street. He was so furious, he just wanted to block the whole world out. So he didn't notice when his mom's bug came screeching round the corner. Or when she slammed on her breaks right behind him, got out the car (slamming the door behind her) and marched up to him screaming blue murder. She yanked out his headphones, causing him to whip round furiously.
"What do you think you're doing?" Henry snapped, grabbing back his headphones. Emma's nostrils were flairing.
I would not be taking any kind of tone with me right now kid. Not if you know what's good for you. I go up to see if you need any help with your work to find out you've snuck out? Do you have any idea how disrespectful that is?" Henry snorted.
"You didn't mind so much when it was my other mom's house I was sneaking out of to see you." He reminded her. "Besides, it's not like you never snuck out when you were a teenager. Don't even try to deny it." Henry tested her. Emma softened slightly. He really had no idea.
"You think that was all because I couldn't be bothered studying?" Emma asked him, fighting to keep calm. Henry stayed silent, sensing he'd over-stepped a line. Emma sighed.
"Henry, whenever I ran away it was because I was in a house that didn't give a jot about me. They certainly never cared about my grades. I was a meal ticket to most places, and they made sure to remind me of it. I ran away from homes because I was sick of being hit. Of being yelled at for so much as breathing too loudly. For being an orphan." Emma told him. Henry now felt bad. "I'm hard on you about your grades because there was nobody there to be hard on me. I know you want to go explore the realms. But at some point, you might want to hang up your pen. I want you to have a life you can come back to here. That involves having some decent grades. You get me, Henry?" Emma asked him. Henry gave a small nod.
"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." He agreed quietly. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry." He added. "I shouldn't have left." Emma nodded, gently patting his shoulder.
"Let's just move on." She suggested. "Come on, let's go home. I can quiz you on algebra." She offered. Henry grimaced behind her back. Why couldn't she start with literature?
