IDK HOW TO USE THE READ MORE BREAK ON MOBILE SORRY
Beetlelands human/college au
âDonât say shit!â The unholy screech echoed through the library, disturbing the other students there.
Adam was standing over his partners, hands raised in a nonthreatening gesture. Barbra couldnât help snickering, but she didnât turn away from the monitor. Beetlejuice, on the other hand was full on glaring. The open word document on his computer was still impressively blank.
âIf you say a single goddamn told you so, Iâm going to crush your sexy twink throat with my thighs!â
âAlright! Alright! I came to support you not to antagonize you!â Adam reminded as lovingly as he could. Quickly he pressed a kiss to Beetlejuiceâs forehead before he could be swatted at.
âShut the fuck up.â He dramatically spun back to the screen.
Even though Beetlejuice put on an expression of indifference, it was true. He had practically begged Adam and Barbra to spend the night in the library with him. Out of his five classes there was only one he wasnât failing and that was World History. Beetlejuice had somehow maintained a solid seventy all semester which meant this last essay was the only thing between him failing or passing.
It didnât matter that much to Beetlejuice. Since third grade there wasnât a single class he hadnât had to repeat or at least take summer classes for.
But Adam and Barbra were taking American History next semester. If he passed, that meant they could all sign up for the same course.
Theyâd be forced to spend an entire hour with him!
And he could copy their homework!
Finally the tapping on his shoulder broke through his thoughts. Beetlejuice spun to face Barbra.
âItâs almost 7, BJ. Start on your rough draft.â Even though it was a command, Barbra made it sound like the gentlest of suggestions.
âFiiiiine.â His eyes moved back to the screen. He could see Adamâs reflection. The brunette had settled in a chair behind them, typing something on his tablet.
Beetlejuice scrubbed a hand through his crunchy hair. Green flakes rained down in front of his vision.
What the fuck was he supposed to be writing about anyways? He couldnât remember the last time heâd been to that stupid class. October had been a blur of frat parties and drug experimentation. November had been a blur of seasonal depression and long cocaine binges.
God he could really go for a hit of something right now.
Beetlejuice looked over at Barbra. She probably had some weed in her bag somewhere. Then again, she actually knew how to balance her school and party life. She was the type to get high then come to the library, not bring a joint inside.
âWhat? Iâm thinking!â
Barbra tilted her head, âLooks like youâre not thinking about the right thing.â
âI didnât give you consent to read my mind, babe. You guys are always riding my ass about this kind of stuff so whatâs with the double standard, huh?â
âHere.â Adam had stood up. He leaned over BJ to get to the mouse and keyboard.
Beetlejuice ended up with his neck sandwiched between Adamâs arms. The top of his head was brushing against Adamâs chin.
âLetâs start with the heading.â
âMm actually Adam, while youâre at it, why donât you type the essay and Iâll proofread it.â
âAfraid I canât do that, love. Iâm here to help, not to do it for you.â
âBut youâd be helping by doing it for me-â BJ whined, âDon't put that! My nameâs Beetlejuice!â
Adam corrected what he had typed, without arguing, âOkay now whatâs this essay about? I can help you with the outline.â
âGood question.â Beetlejuice casually rubbed a hand over Adam's, interlacing their fingers.
âDo you have notes or anything?â
âIâve got a few notes. I canât hit the high ones too well anymore on account of my balls dropping.â
Adam took that as a no. He clicked open a different tab, scrolling through BJ's folio account. Eventually he found a link for the essay requirements. It was pretty tame as far as college essays went. Three hundred words over any of the topics listed below. AP format. The works cited page even counted toward the three hundred.
âAlright, so which of these topics do you know the most about?â Adam asked highlighting the list.
Beetlejuice chewed the red nail polish off his ring finger as he forced his eyes to focus on the words.
Blah, blah, blah, empire, blah, blah, blah, crusade, blah, blah, blah, civilization.
Using the hand not in his mouth, Beetlejuice poked a random topic on the screen.
âThe Byzantine Empire?â
âAlrighty! That was an interesting period of time, especially architecturally.â
Of course Adam knew a lot about boring history stuff. That sexy nerd was majoring in the most boring major there was: architecture.
âYou guys hungry? Iâm starving!â
He could see Barbra raise a brow out of the corner of his eye. The two of them had already stopped to get food before they got here. Barbra had insisted, since she knew how hard it was to get things done on an empty stomach.
âDonât give me that look, babe. You know Iâm a fucking fatass.â
Her expression shifted, âYouâre beautiful, sweetie.â
She pulled a dollar from her pocket, âHere. Go get something from the vending machine.â
Adam moved back as Beetlejuice snatched up the dollar.
âHold up!â BJ grabbed his backpack and dug out a roll of masking tape.
The couple watched as he carefully taped one side of the dollar then carefully taped the other side. Heâd seen it in a video once and was eager to try it.
Beetlejuice jumped up, zooming to the vending machines on the other side of the room.
If this worked he was going to clean out every vending machine on campus.
The dollar disappeared into the slot easily enough. Beetlejuice held on to the tape, waiting for the pulling to stop before he yanked the dollar back out.
A bag of m&ms edged forward before dropping into the slot.
âFuck yeah!â Beetlejuice yelled.
At least thirteen people glared at him. That didnât stop him from cramming the dollar back in.
Beetlejuice managed to snag two bags of m&ms and a honey bun. He was waiting for a bag of doritos to fall, when the bag stopped.
âWhat the fuck? Hello?â He banged on the machine once.
Beetlejuice let his other snacks fall to the carpet. He shoved the dollar in his coat pocket before winding up and kicking the machine. The resulting sound was loud but the chips didnât budge.
Fine. He could do this the hard way.
He took a small running start, then slammed his shoulder into the machine.
He backed up and did it again.
Someone might have been saying his name, but theyâd have to wait.
He slammed into it again.
Suddenly Adam and Barbra were standing in front of him, looking equally concerned.
âBeetlejuice!â Barbra snapped.
âWhat the heck are you doing?â Adam joined in.
âChips got stuck. Now move.â
âBJ, sweetie, donât worry about the chips. We can get someone to open it later.â
âYeah, look at the snacks youâve already got.â He hadnât seen Adam pick up them up, but there they were in his hands.
Barbra wrapped an arm around Beetlejuiceâs back, steering him back to the computers, âCome on. If you break another vending machine I donât think theyâll let you off with another warning.â
âItâs bullshit anyway. We already pay to go here! Why do we also have to pay for food and parking and stupid books we donât even use!â He was accidentally yelling.
Barbra pressed a kiss to his cheek. Her and Adam managed to wedge him into a chair between their chairs, with a hand on each of his arms.
âWe know, BB,â Adam practically purred, âYou canât keep picking fights with vending machines though. We donât want you to get hurt.â
âIâmâŚâ It was hard to argue when they ganged up on him with their special brand of gentle affection. Beetlejuice practically melted, ââŚFine. Whatever.â
They stayed like that for a little while until Beetlejuiceâs attention shifted back to the food. He dug into the honey bun while Barbra asked for critique on her own paper. It was for some literature class and wasnât due until the next night.
From what Beetlejuice heard as she read aloud, it sounded pretty good. Adam gave suggestions on some sentence structures. Beetlejuice suggested she add stuff about reverse cowgirls.
She put on the final touches, submitted it then turned back around expectantly.
He spit the bit of m&m wrapper heâd been chewing onto the floor, âSo Barbra.â
âWhat time is your paper due?â
ââŚ7AM. I got an extension because Iâm stupid.â
âYou are not stupid.â The couple spoke in perfect unison.
Beetlejuice waved them off dismissively. It was already 8:57⌠somehow.
Whatever. He still had like twenty hours.
âNow that Iâm finished, we can all focus on getting your paper done!â Barbra chirped.
âYeah!â Adam pulled BJ and himself back over to the computer, âI was going to suggest writing about the architectural aspects of course, since I could really help you there, but youâre probably not interested in that.â
Beetlejuice bit off another piece of wrapper, chewing on it thoughtfully.
âWhat about the fall of the empire?â Barbra suggested, âYou love dissecting weak societal structures.â
âOkay this is good.â Adam excitedly began typing, âYouâll have an intro, three paragraphs then a conclusion. Your intro can explain the inner workings of the empireâŚâ
Beetlejuice looked back over at the vending machine. His poor chips were still in there, just waiting for someone to free them. Someone, meaning Beetlejuice. If anyone else tried to take those doritos he was going to break their fucking shins. That was a promise.
âBeetlejuice, we pulled up a few links that talk about the fall of the Byzantine empire. All you have to do is sort through the information and use it to support your topic.â Adam explained.
Beetlejuice blinked, âThat doesnât sound difficult to do at all.â
âOf course not. Itâll be fun!â Barbra smiled.
BJ moved the mouse around the screen, clicking through the links they had pulled up. So many words. So much reading. He was getting tired just thinking about reading.
One of the links was a video. Beetlejuice immediately went for that one.
âThis is one of my favorite educational channels,â Barbra informed, âItâs certified as academic content and they really get right to the point.â
Beetlejuice checked the video length, âFifteen minutes! How the fuck do you get right to the point in fifteen minutes?â
âIâm sure itâs possible.â Adam pushed a notebook and pen into BJ's hands, âI want you to write down anything interesting you hear in the video.â
Beetlejuice groaned loudly, âCan we take a break?â
He expected them to say no and call him lazy since he literally hadnât done anything yet.
âYup. We can take a break after the video.â Barbra said instead.
That was⌠fine. A fifteen minute video then a fifteen minute break. Beetlejuice gnawed on the end of his pen as the video began. Vaguely, he realized he had swallowed the wrapper piece.
Adam and Barbra took turns hitting pause whenever they noticed the scratching of pen on paper. They even made the video interesting by making jokes about people in ancient Rome.
By the time it was over, Beetlejuice had accumulated an entire page and a half of semi usable notes. His handwriting was barely legible, but if he stared long enough heâd probably figure it out.
âBreak time!â The notebook and pen landed messily on the floor as he jumped to his feet, âYou guys wanna make out on the staircase?â
Barbra smirked sideways at a blushing Adam, âWe'd get in a lot of trouble if we got caught.â
Obviously Barbra and Adam did. The goody two shoes. Even though they hadnât admitted it, Beetlejuice knew theyâd chosen to meet at the library because every time they did a dorm study night, no one could keep their hands to themselves.
Clearly they had underestimated his love for exhibitionism.
Beetlejuice pulled them both closer as he aggressively smushed a sloppy kiss to Adamâs lips. Adam only resisted a little, shoulders slumping.
He cut Barbra off by immediately turning and connecting his lips to hers'. It always caught her off guard when he was gentle. She gasped lovely and perfectly into his mouth.
âBeetlejuice Shoggoth.â Adam snapped, pulling him from Barbra.
Apparently he had underestimated Adamâs goody two shoe-ness.
âGetting in trouble for public⌠inappropriateness does not look good on a permanent record!â He hissed.
Beetlejuice rolled his eyes, plucking himself down onto Barbraâs lap, âGod Adam calm down. Why you gotta be so sexy.â
Barbra stroked his back while she giggled. She was still a bit dazed from the kiss, âWe can have all the fun we want when we get back home.â
Adam shook his head, âIâm setting the break time for ten minutes. Thatâs not really enough time to walk there and back.â
âWe donât even need to go back to someoneâs room! Thereâs a unisex bathroom right there!â
âAbsolutely not!â Adamâs face was a delicious shade of cherry red.
âBeetlejuice, darling, Adam said no.â Barbra stepped in, pressing her face into Beetlejuiceâs shoulder.
âBaaaaaabs!â He whined, leaning into her.
âDon't babs me! How about you and I go for a little walk, clear your head, then we can knock out this essay?â
Beetlejuice had already forgotten about the essay. The reminder almost completely extinguished his mood.
âYeah⌠okay. Adam, make sure no one steals our shit.â
Adam nodded, face still very red.
Beetlejuice stood up, clutching Barbraâs hand.
He didnât spend a lot of time in the library. The last time heâd been there, heâd been stoned to the point that his roommate had had to give him a piggyback ride home. The time before that him and Barbra had taken a nap on the floor of the satanic cult book section. Theyâd been pretty hungover that day.
âDid you know thereâs four floors?â Barbra asked as she led him to the staircase.
âMe and the library donât really hang.â
He mumbled back.
Barbra went on as if she hadn't heard.
âMy lab partner told me that the fourth floor is haunted! Apparently there was some sort of smoke problem and a few people didnât make it out. She said thatâs why no one uses the fourth floor.â
âThat sounds like the perfect place to make out.â
Barbra gave him an absolutely filthy grin, âSix minutes. I donât want Adam to worry.â
Beetlejuice hurried his ascent of the stairs, eagerly pulling Barbra with him, âSix minutes is all I need!â
It was weirdly empty on the fourth floor, not that either of them was really paying attention.
They bee lined for one of the walls not lined with windows and Barbra was immediately on top of him.
They may have gotten a little carried away.
Beetlejuice blamed Barbra. She was fucking hot when she dropped the polite exterior and took what she wanted.
Beetlejuice stuffed his underwear in the bathroom trashcan.
He rarely went commando in a suit. The general sweatiness and chaffing made it a little uncomfortable, but today he would take it instead of the other option.
Beetlejuice rejoined Barbra at the top of the stairs. She looked a little embarrassed.
âIâm sorry.â She said quietly as they descended.
âBabe. Baby girl. Babs. I would do it again in a heart beat.â He gripped her hand.
It was a lot easier to think now, he had to give her that.
Adam looked surprised to see them, when they got back to their corner. âWow. You guys were almost on time. Ready to get back into it, Beetlejuice?â Coming from anyone else it wouldâve sounded sarcastic and patronizing, but from Adam it was genuine.
âNo, but letâs do it anyway!â BJ snapped with fake enthusiasm, âByzantine empire and how it fell, huh.â
Like the way vending machines sometimes fell and crushed people. That was one of the many Die-o-ramas from that old Crash Bandicoot game. What was the name of it? Whumpa racing? The villain was that ugly whumpa guy, but there was also that green guy with a German accent that was probably an offensive German stereotype. What was the name of that game? Beetlejuice used to play it at his cousinâs house all the time. Lydia only played it sometimes. Her skills mostly lay in backseat gaming. Was it a one player game? He definitely remembered playing it with her, but he also remembered Crash being the only playable character. That was probably in adventure mode. God that game was great. Next time he was back in his home town heâd have to play it again. What was the name of that game though?
âNitroâŚ? Nitro racing?â
Beetlejuice realized heâd been muttering bits of his thought process out loud. Barbra and Adam were staring at him blankly.
He pulled up a search engine and attempted to spell Bandicoot.
âLetâs let him find it, or else itâll bother him for the rest of the night.â
Beetlejuice spent the next few minutes typing and scrolling and retyping while Adam and Barbra did their own things on their phones.
There was a reason the seats around them were empty.
âWhat a stupid fucking name! Howâd they go from Twin-sanity to Tag Team Racing?â
âThe 2000âs were a simpler time.â Barbra shrugged.
âThe only reason Crash died is because he jumped on top of that shit. RIP to Crash, but Iâm different.â
âWhat?â Adam closed the tab, âWait, no, never mind. BJ, you need to get back to your essay.â
Beetlejuice huffed. It was onlyâŚ
He looked at the clock. It was already past ten.
âHoly shit! Itâs almost midnight! I thought you guys were gonna fucking help me!â
âWait, no. I didnât mean that. Iâm sorry. Sometimes I lash out at others when Iâm really just disappointed in myself⌠and by sometimes I mean always.â
âItâs okay, Bee.â Barbra rubbed his back comfortingly.
Adam picked up the abandoned notebook, âYeah we know school's tough, but you did come to us for help. Acknowledging your problem and accepting help is the first step to improving.â
âDidnât know this was an AA meeting.â
Adam couldnât help but smile, âOkay. How about you type up these notes then we can start incorporating the rest of the sources into the body.â
Beetlejuice nodded. Typing in Microsoft word was baby work.
It didnât take him long to do at all.
All he had to do now was read a bunch of stuff and type three hundred words.
âYou finished the notes?â Barbra asked.
âYeah.â Beetlejuice picked up the pen, clicking it idly.
âAlright so, what I would do is read through some articles and find parts that explain your topic. You can copy and paste them into the word document then weâll go back in and rewrite a lot of it.â Barbra stared into his eyes as she spoke, ensuring he was listening.
âFind parts, copy and paste. Got it.â
Beetlejuice returned to the internet tabs. All of the articles had looked boring when he first flipped through them so, he picked one randomly. It was a lot of words in tiny font. He sighed, settling his chin in his non occupied hand as he began mentally scanning the page. Every time he began reading a sentence, his eyes would bounce to the bottom of the page and heâd lose his place.
âWould it be easier to read aloud?â Barbra more suggested than asked.
Beetlejuice glanced around at the steadily emptying library. If he spoke at the volume of an average person, only Adam and Barbra would hear him.
He pulled his eyes back to the screen.
âIn three-thirty A.D the Byzantine empire was itâs title- dubbed itâs title by empire Con⌠Con- Constant? Constant. I?â He squinted at the words, âWhat the fuck.â
âEmperor Constatine the first.â Barbra supplied.
âYeah. ThatâŚ. He it- wait, fuck. He declared it New Rome on an AncientâŚâ Beetlejuice lost his place for a moment.
Refusing to submit to dragging his finger across the screen and forgetting the highlight feature of the mouse, he took a good minute to find his place.
âAncient Greek colony.â Beetlejuice hated fucking reading. It took him so long to read that one sentence.
He blinked and scrubbed at his tired eyes.
âYouâre doing great, bug!â Adam chirped, rubbing his back.
Beetlejuice wanted to call out Adam for lying, but he couldnât. The compliment and acknowledgement of how hard he was trying, felt good.
He gave his eyes one last hard rub, before resettling in his seat.
This was going to be a long ass night, but at least he knew Barbra and Adam would be there to help him through it.