#i saw that tj was the one rushing up the wing and i had never felt more sure in my life that a puck was going into the back of the net.

[larsnicklas]

'i would've liked to not have picked the low corner, scared me a little bit, but uh, found the back of the net.' (x)

+ the aforementioned low corner

[theresnourieandme]

Iron Maiden.

TJ never thought the devil wouldn't dress Prada. Especially after being forced by Amber to see that movie. Yet neither Andi Mack, Buffy Driscoll, nor Cyrus Goodman wore designer clothes, excluding the Mint Chip’s ones. All the boys and girls at the school would never dare be on their way as they headed to the locker rooms, or in the classroom, but not because they were afraid, rather because they were revered as gods. Instead, TJ thought only that they were rude and too touchy to admit the truth – that they, after all, were like all other teenagers, selfish and in need of attention. That's why TJ had no problem standing in front of them as they walked, and he had no problem getting in right before one of them in class, because none of those three made his knees tremble.

Marty, on the other hand, behaved like everyone else in their year, even though he only had eyes for Driscoll, what he called ‘his soul mate’. He had a crush on her since he met her at the first party at Andi Mack's house, and from there he hadn't taken her out of his head.

Jonah always tried to be nice to them, even though he was with everyone. TJ, however, had noticed, observing him when the Good Hair Crew – this is how Buffy, Andi, and Cyrus called themselves – passed by them, that the friend followed with the gaze always and only Andi. TJ knew full well that Jonah didn't have a chance, because Andi and Amber had been dating for a while, but he didn’t want to shut the little dreamer’s wings.

It was a Tuesday in the cafeteria that TJ realized he had done it all wrong. He was quietly seated at a table with his two best friends when Marty saw in the distance the three gods approaching. Every time they walked with their heads held high, time seemed to slow down and it was as if everything was going in slow motion. Marty fidgeted on the bench as he warned TJ and Jonah of the three's impending arrival at their table.

When TJ heard a fake cough right behind him, he turned annoyed. The Good Hair Crew stood behind him and watched him full of disapproval.

Marty was becoming visibly nervous. "Hello," he greeted in a whisper. Andi gave him a quick look before returning her gaze to TJ.

"Kippen," Buffy began. The curls adorned her face to perfection and she seemed to have no out-of-place hair; her eyes were burning as if they had been lit up by some kind of fiery arrow. "You have to stop."

TJ sighed, frowning. "To do what?"

"Don't be a dummy, we don't believe you," Andi continued. "You have to stop not respecting us."

He chuckled and turned a second towards Marty, who said no to him with his head. He returned to study the guys in front of him with a puzzled look. "I'm sorry I don't do your comforts, but I would like to live my life in peace."

Before Buffy could retort, Cyrus interrupted her. "Come on, girls," he said, putting his hand on her friend's shoulder. "Let's leave him alone. In the end, he's right." He smoothed his Mint Chip's blue shirt while all who were present looked at him puzzled.

"Sorry, how?! I thought we all agreed to kick this idiot's ass!" protested Andi, pointing to TJ, who heard everyone in the cafeteria's eyes on him – because yes, when it came to the Good Hair Crew everyone was looking in their direction.

Cyrus put his hands forward and raised his eyebrows. "You two agreed," he said, gesturing between the two. "and then you got me involved." Buffy and Andi looked at each other in amazement and turned to heels, leaving Cyrus there at that moment. The boy sighed and then turned to TJ, still shocked by the scene that had presented itself before his eyes. "Sorry, they just wanted to..." Cyrus didn't find the right excuse and made him understand with a sign of his hand that he had to let go. "Are you all right?" he asked.

TJ nodded. "I always thought they were bitches, but they're... they're terrible."

Cyrus chuckled and sat down with ease, right in front of Jonah. "You probably already know me, am I wrong?"

The three nodded in response, and Marty raised an eyebrow. He had finally recovered from the initial shock at seeing a member of the Good Hair Crew sit at their table. "And you probably don't know who we are, am I wrong?"

He shook his head with a smile. TJ first noticed that, well, he wasn't bad as a guy. "You're Marty, aren't you? We do computer science together. I'm sorry, I don't remember your last name."

The other belittled him with a hand gesture. "Marty’s fine," he said, smiling.

"And then," Cyrus continued, moving his index finger to the right to point the boy in front of him. "You are Jonah Beck, the frisbee boy." He nodded, really pleased that someone remembered him for one of his passions. "And you're TJ Kippen, the captain of the basketball team," he finished, pointing to the blond next to him. Cyrus seemed to have almost an iron memory, and in fact, TJ remembered the lessons he spent with the moor, in which he could almost memorize an entire chapter of the biology book. "I've always wondered what your real name was, though."

Jonah shrugged his shoulders. "He doesn't want to tell us either."

"And we've known each other since we were three years old," Marty added, leaning slightly over the table as if it were a secret.

TJ responded with the most serious tone in the world, even if his cheeks were slightly purple. "I'm not telling you because it's too embarrassing."

"How embarrassing was it that you can play the piano?" asked Jonah, his tone of voice sarcastic and raised eyebrows.

"You can play the piano?" asked Cyrus, startled. He settled better on the bench and TJ nodded just as the bell rang the end of the lunch break. "Well, see you after school? At the Spoon?" he proposed, continuing to send furtive glances at TJ, who noticed and pretended nothing. Marty nodded with a smile on his face and everyone got up to head out.

Marty and TJ greeted Jonah, who had chemistry class, while the two of them had math. "I think Cyrus is slightly interested in you, you know?" said Marty, putting the literature book into his backpack for the next hour. TJ remembered when he had begged Principal Metcalf to change his locker to put him next to his best friend's, and he, tired of hearing complaints, had allowed him to exchange with Gus, who was much more comfortable with his old locker for his moving.

"Nah, I think he was just trying to be cute after Driscoll and Mack's outburst." And anyway, TJ wasn't interested in him. All those years the Good Hair Crew had thrown shit at him and wouldn't have forgiven them easily. But now that he thought about it, Cyrus seemed really sorry for everything that had happened, and those eyes, God, were the most beautiful TJ had ever seen.

Marty shook his head amusedly. "You said that of Kira last year, and yet she was interested in you."

"But I wasn't interested in her."

"Ah, " Marty seemed surprised by those words. "So, you like Cyrus."

TJ blushed more than he should’ve and tried to hide it by looking back at the locker and starting to close it. "I didn't say that."

"As you wish," he laughed, slamming the door of his and beginning to walk toward the classroom. TJ shook his head, giving up on making him think, and followed him trying not to lose sight of him.

 Jonah placed his hand on his shoulder as they left. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "How did biology go? Goodman was there, too, wasn't he?"

TJ nodded. "He sat next to me."

"Sorry, who sat next to you when?" asked Marty, rushing to them. He had his gym bag in his hands and his face all red and sweaty: TJ imagined that he had made a new time. He took advantage of it to change his mind.

"Did you break your record?"

Marty nodded in reply. "I made 11.5 for the first time. But answer my question."

The other snorted before blushing a little, hoping that the friends would take the blush on his cheeks like an effect of the cold that froze the streets. "Cyrus, in biology time."

Jonah raised his eyebrows at Marty. "Now he calls him by name, heard?" Marty nodded and glanced unrestrainedly at TJ, who ignored his friends' jabs altogether.

"Guys, stop it. We haven't even talked that much."

"However, have you already decided who you're going to see the Iron Maiden concert with if and when you're going to buy the tickets?" asked Jonah. TJ knew full well that both of his friends would want to go with him, but his mother had allowed him and Amber to bring only two other people – of course Amber would invite Andi – but he still hadn't decided. Marty was definitely his best friend, but Jonah went crazy for Iron Maiden, so the choice was really hard.

"I don't know, guys. Can't one of you pay for your own ticket?"

Jonah put his hands forward. "Don't look at me: you know what my family is in."

The other two nodded, perfectly remembering that Jonah's father had been fired and now they were going to the broken bank. Marty then shook his head to answer the question. "I had to spend all my savings on my sister's birthday," she explained. Marty's little sister, Michelle, had been born two years earlier and he really loved her very much, even more than he loved TJ – and it was all about.

TJ passed his hand through his blond hair and exhaled heavily. "I will try to make a decision, but I promise nothing. It may well be that the savings will not be enough for me,"' he joked. The other two took a little fun look at him and remained silent until the destination, the Spoon. "Do we really have to?"

Marty seemed astonished. "TJ, Cyrus Goodman wants to meet us at the Spoon! We've made an incredible upgrade!"

"A fall from grace," Jonah added, pushing the diner's door and tinging the golden bell over their heads.

TJ barely remembered the last time he was there. His father had insisted on spending a final day with him and Amber before he left and had bought them strawberry milkshakes. Then he had taken them home without a word and put ten dollars apiece in their hands. Then he left to never come back. In conclusion, TJ didn't have a good memory of the Spoon while Amber was working on it – that's how she met Andi. However, the setting was not bad: the orange and blue leather sofas stood out between the white tables, and the counter was crowded with people waiting for their takeaway. Cyrus was sitting at a rectangular table in the middle of the room and had already ordered a milkshake, though he was sending continuous glances to the kitchen, perhaps waiting for something else.

A blond man TJ found familiar approached him and placed his hand on his shoulder, sitting next to him. Cyrus's face lit up with a slightly too forced smile at the sight of his supposed friend, but his eyes glistened as he saw the three approaching the table.

"Hey, guys!" he exclaimed, as they took their seats on the free chairs. "You already know Reed."

The blonde to his right smiled at TJ, who was sitting at the head of the table, right to Cyrus’ left. "Do we know each other?"

TJ dug through his memories to find the blond and, after squared him up well, said, "I think so. Do you often ride a motorbike with Lester to the construction site?"

Reed nodded and suddenly seemed to remember him. "You are TJ! Man, you've got a great bike. How much did it cost you?"

"My father bought it for my birthday, but I think a few tens of thousands of dollars."

An awkward silence descended on the group that TJ could have cut with a knife. Luckily, Amber, in her blue maid uniform, arrived with a basket full of baby taters. "Hey, Cyrus! Andi and Buffy?" he asked, looking around.

Cyrus bit his lip and TJ couldn't help but think he was really cute when he was agitated. "They don't come today," he said, better settling in the chair. "Let's say I've found someone else I can't share my baby taters with today," he chuckled.

Amber smiled amusedly and noticed TJ, who looked at her with an almost guilty look. "TJ, I hadn't seen you," she said, her tone calm and her eyes studying him. "Hello, Marty. Jonah," she added and glanced warily at Reed before returning behind the counter.

Cyrus had an unequivocally puzzled look. "Do you know each other?" he asked, sliding his eyes from TJ to Marty, to Jonah, and then to look again at the blond to his left.

Marty nodded, speaking before TJ could. "Amber and TJ are brothers, and Jonah was her boyfriend a few years ago."

Reed fidgeted in his chair before he began to speak. "That reminds me…" he began, looking at Cyrus.

"Oh, it's true. It completely crossed my mind and I don't even know why. I've been getting a lot of distracted lately and-”

"Cyrus, you're rambling," Reed said.

Cyrus took a breath before smiling. "It's true, sorry. Reed and I are together."

The news was met with an unwelcoming silence. Although TJ tried to deny it to himself, the last sentence caused him an ache in the chest and to lose a beat. Reed was probably the right one and he had to be happy for them. But what did Reed have more than him? They were both blond, tall, beautiful, athletic, they both had a bike. The only differences were two: the first was that Reed was rude and was said to have once brought a gun to school; the second was that Cyrus most likely knew Reed longer ago. TJ wondered what would have happened between him and Cyrus if they had known each other before.

 "Good luck with Andi," he said, dissolving the embrace in which her sister had hugged him.

"Good luck with yourself," she joked but reserved a sad smile for him.

"It's a very sad thing to be wished," he replied, greeting Amber with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. He saw her walking away smoothing out the pink and white dress she bought with two-year savings just that night. Happy teenagers came in and out of the school gym. He turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder and found himself in front of Jonah.

"Hey," he said. He had the usual smile printed on his face, and his hair was combed neatly with the familiar tuft. The suit bandaged his athletic and lean body as if it had been sewn to measure for him. "Amber's gone in already?"

TJ nodded gravely. "You asked Natalie to accompany you, didn't you?"

Jonah widened his smile – as if it were possible to do so. "Yes. She's waiting for me," he added, pointing to the noisy gym with a nod. "I still don't know how Driscoll agreed to go with Marty."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I only know that they went out sometimes and strangely she accepted with a smile."

"Marty was so confident when he asked her," Jonah said. "Hopefully everything will be okay. Anyway, they're already here. Are you waiting for someone?"

TJ held his breath: he wanted to say yes, but the truth was that he knew Cyrus would go with Reed, and he didn't even have the guts to name the prom next to Cyrus. Yet he would have liked to enter with him under his arm, take him for a drink, dance with him under the hot lights of the spotlight. "No," he said, seeming almost exasperated by that reality. He passed his hand through his hair free of the gel at least for that evening, sighed and then wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders, as he made his way to the entrance. When they were inside, Jonah smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder before reaching Natalie, on the track, waiting for her knight. TJ spotted Marty and Buffy dancing in the middle of the track – they were probably competing in a bloody last-breath race – and Amber and Andi laughing near the drinks table.

He examined the gym in search of his lean and defenseless figure, his bright eyes as the stars, his genuine way of laughing. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find himself facing an amused Cyrus.

"Were you looking for someone?"

TJ hesitated. "Yes, actually." He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I was looking for you."

Cyrus bit his lip, trying to fend off a smile that still appeared on his lips. "I was looking for you too."

A knot in the stomach, a lost beat, a breath held back. All sensations that had almost become familiar when Cyrus was close to him. "Why?"

Cyrus' gentle gaze met his green eyes, and in an instant TJ felt as if he was carried away by a current of an invisible sea towards the horizon, unable to do anything to counter it. "I dumped Reed," Cyrus replied as if it were nothing, looking around casually and shrugging his shoulders.

TJ tried not to point out his red cheeks and hoped that Cyrus, in the darkness, couldn't see him well. "Why?"

"I found out he doesn't like Iron Maiden! Can you be so ungrateful to the world?" joked Cyrus and TJ chuckled, knowing that there was most likely something else underneath. "Also, there's a more serious reason: he stole his father's gun to ‘have fun’, as he said. I don't want to deal with someone who ‘plays’ with a gun."

TJ nodded, swallowing soundly. He didn't know what else to say, so he tried to bring in the only thing he found out they had in common. "So... you like Iron Maiden, huh?"

Cyrus smiled and nodded. Then he seemed to remember one thing. "Oh, you know there's going to be that concert an hour's drive from here?"

TJ nodded in response. "I've already got the tickets, really."

Cyrus seemed slightly disappointed. "Oh," he said. He lowered his eyes to the polished floor of the gym and raised it after sighing. "Actually... I wanted to ask you to come with me."

TJ looked up in a second. "Yes, that's fine!" He cleared his voice to calm himself down and Cyrus chuckled at that reaction. "I wanted to say that... I can give my tickets to Jonah and Marty, who wanted to come, and I could come with you."

Cyrus smiled and TJ's heart made a somersault for happiness. "Of course." They smiled mutually for a few moments, admiring each other. "Do you want to dance?" he asked, as Queen's ‘Don't Stop Me Now’ started by filling the dance floor.

"Why not," TJ replied, shrugging his shoulders. He offered an arm to Cyrus, who clung to him affectionately. TJ smiled, and he thought that sometimes dreams really come true.

[myshipshipsitself]

Skipping Stones

Title: Skipping Stones Fandom: Andi Mack Character(s): Cyrus Goodman, TJ Kippen (Andi Mack and Buffy Driscoll mentioned) Ship(s): Tyrus Summary: When TJ teaches Cyrus how to skip stones, he also learns more than he expects. (Idk, I’m bad at summaries). Word Count: 2,031

Notes: Set after One in a Minyan. Not really any spoilers, but just fyi.

Cyrus wasn’t answering his phone. Not texts or the one call. He wasn’t answering at all.

There wasn’t any particular reason why TJ was calling Cyrus. It wasn’t like he was dying or anything. But it was still a bit odd that Cyrus wasn’t answering, and it was the day he’d invited TJ to come to a party at Andi’s. Some end of the school year thing that Cyrus and his friends were almost scarily excited for. Seriously, what happened at these parties? They acted like they’d all get superpowers or sprout wings or some crazy crap, the way they all went on about it.

Still, the excitement was infectious—at least Cyrus’s was—and TJ couldn’t help but be looking forward to it as well. Except that now Cyrus wasn’t answering him.

So he did the only logical thing, and went to the park. But when he got there, Cyrus wasn’t on the swings.

He frowned a bit, looking around. He could try Cyrus’s house, but— TJ paused, seeing a familiar looking figure standing over by the lake. A small smile curled across his lips as he made his way over to where Cyrus was throwing rocks into the lake.

As he got closer, he could hear the huffs of frustration each time Cyrus threw a rock into the lake, and watched in bemusement as he picked up another and threw it in the lake.

“What are you doing?” TJ called out once he was close enough.

Cyrus jumped and turned around, a looked of fearful surprise morphing into a warm smile. TJ couldn’t help but smile back as he leaned his arms against the back of the park bench a few feet away from the boy.

“Trying to skip rocks,” Cyrus said, his expression looking more defeated as he looked back sullenly at the lake.

“Do you want some help?” TJ asked, making his way around the bench to stand beside Cyrus.

“It’s hopeless,” Cyrus said with a dramatic sigh. “I’m just not destined to be good at skipping rocks.”

TJ laughed and shook his head. “Nah, you just need the right teacher,” he said. He crouched down closer to the lake, looking through the rocks until he picked out a flat, smooth one. “First lesson is picking out the right rock. One that’s not flat enough will just sink. You need one like this.” He held it up, turning it over in his palm before holding it out to Cyrus.

Cyrus took the rock, frowning at it as though it had already failed him. “Now pull your arm back, and just—“ He broke off when Cyrus threw the rock like he would throw a frisbee, too hard and too high, and it just plopped into the water like the rest of them.

“See?” Cyrus said sullenly, but TJ was still smiling at him.

“All I see is that you’re ready for lesson two,” TJ said confidently. He picked out a few more smooth, flat stones and held another one out to Cyrus. “So lesson two, it’s all in the wrist.” He showed Cyrus the right way to hold the stone, to pull his arm back, and made a slow motion demonstration of flicking his wrist the right way as he swung his arm around. It took a couple more tries, but the look on Cyrus’s face when his stone skipped once on the surface of the lake before plopping beneath the surface was worth it.

“Did you see that? I did it!” Cyrus was practically bouncing as he said it, warm, bright eyes staring at TJ for his approval.

“You did, that was amazing!” TJ said with a short laugh, clapping Cyrus on the shoulder as he looked back around to the lake as though in disbelief of what had just happened on it’s flat, shiny surface.

When they made their way back over to the bench, Cyrus chattering on excitedly about finally being able to skip stones on the lake, and being able to do a somersault, TJ listened with rapt attention. He was as interested in the stories and odd anodes coming out of Cyrus’s mouth as he was just listening to his overly excited voice—which sounded as cheesy in TJ’s head as he expected, and he wasn’t intending to dwell on it too much.

“Oh, you were calling me,” Cyrus said, picking up his phone when he sat back down not he bench and saw the amount of unanswered texts and missed call. “Sorry, I didn’t even hear my phone.”

“It’s alright, nothing important,” TJ said with a shrug. He resumed his place standing behind the bench, bent forward with his forearms leaning against the back of the bench beside Cyrus. He’d really just wanted to talk to Cyrus before the party; not for any reason in particular, just to hear his voice—which also sounded as cheesy in his head as he expected. That happened far too often, he found, when it came to Cyrus. “Just wanted to know what time you were gonna head over to Andi’s, but we can just head over there together, if you want.”

“Oh, yeah, the party,” Cyrus said, his smile fading a little. Very much unlike every other time he’d talked to TJ about the party, during which he’d sounded and acted like an overexcited puppy.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, brow furrowed in concern at the boy’s sudden change in attitude. “You were excited about the party yesterday.”

“Yeah, no, I was—am, I am excited,” Cyrus said quickly.

“Could’ve fooled me,” TJ said.

Cyrus shifted a bit uncertainly, pointedly avoiding looking TJ in the eyes as he spoke. “It’s just, Andi and Buffy— They’ve been…hinting at stuff lately, ever since the Shiva.”

“What kinda stuff?”

“Nothing—Nothing important—No, it is, important, I mean, but it’s not. It’s,” Cyrus stopped himself and took a deep breath. Despite Cyrus’s obvious discomfort, TJ couldn’t help but smile just a little at how very Cyrus his behavior was. “They just—They think I should talk to you, about something. And I don’t know that I can yet.”

“Cyrus, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” As odd as the words felt coming out of his mouth, they were true. He’d never been very open with his friends before, he’d meant it when he said Cyrus was the only person he could really talk to, openly and honestly. He hoped Cyrus knew that the same was true in return. “You don’t have to, but you can.”

“I know,” Cyrus said slowly. “And I want to. I’m just. Scared,” he admitted quietly.

Without thinking about it, TJ reached over to put a hand on Cyrus’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “You’ve dealt with me through my dyscalculia, helped me make things right with Buffy—you actually thought it was worth it to even help me make things right with Buffy, and didn’t treat me like some jerk, idiot jock. There’s nothing you could possibly want to say to me that you need to be scared to say.”

“I’m gay,” Cyrus said it in such a rush that TJ wasn’t sure he’d heard it correctly. Or rather, it took a second for his brain to process. “And that’s not all.” Cyrus still hadn’t turned to face TJ, just staring determinedly at the lake, though TJ could feel him shaking a little under this hand. “I-I like you. And that’s—I know it’s weird, and it’s not okay, because you’re my friend—“

TJ only half heard the panicked rambling that was coming out of Cyrus’s mouth. Cyrus liked him. His best friend was gay, and liked him. He couldn’t keep the bright smile form his face. “Cyrus,” TJ tried to interrupt the rambling, but the younger boy wasn’t pausing for a breath.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want it to be weird, but I know I made it weird, and—“

“Cyrus!” TJ said a bit louder, but Cyrus still didn’t stop. The smile was starting to fade as it looked like Cyrus was about to be able to relate to Jonah on having panic attacks in about .2 seconds.

“And you probably think I’m weird, and you don’t want to be my friend—And I don’t want that. TJ, I don’t want you to stop being my friend, I’m sorry for making it weird, I didn’t mean to—“

TJ cut him off in the only way that made sense in his mind—actually it didn’t really make sense in his mind, but it was an idea that popped into his head, and he had a bad habit of just grabbing the first semi-logical or illogical idea and running with it.

TJ put a hand on Cyrus’s cheek, turning his head so the boy had no choice but to face him, and pressed a firm kiss against his lips.

It succeeded in stopping Cyrus’s nervous rambling, but TJ realized about a split second after he did it what he had done. He let himself enjoy the warm glow that seemed to engulf him for about two seconds before pulling back to see the look of complete shock on Cyrus’s face. He opened his mouth to say something, then realized he had nothing to say, and closed it again.

He hadn’t really thought this plan through very far.

It was probably only a second or two, but it felt like hours before Cyrus broke the silence. “You kissed me,” he stated, his voice a mixture of shock and awe.

“Yeah,” TJ answered, unable to form any other words. The smile seemed to from on Cyrus’s face in slow motion, lighting up his face in a way that made it impossible for TJ to not smile back at him just as brightly.

“You like me back?” Despite the answer being obvious, Cyrus’s tone still formed a question, and TJ had to force down a laugh.

“And here I thought I was being subtle,” TJ said in a deadpan tone that made Cyrus crinkle his nose and shove at TJ’s shoulder. TJ laughed and leaned back to knock his arm against Cyrus’s shoulder, though more gently than he’d been shoved. “Now that that’s been cleared up, wanna head over to Andi’s?”

“Yes!” Cyrus cried out so excitedly that TJ had to laugh. He stood up, holding a hand out to Cyrus over the back of the bench, and watched Cyrus’s face, if it was possible, brighten even more. Cyrus was—and TJ hated how cheesy it even sounded in his head, but there was no other way to describe it—glowing. His eyes were wide and bright, his smile brilliant, his entire body bouncing as he stood from the bench, he was practically exuding pure light and energy as he reached out to take TJ’s hand.

TJ was starting to walk around the side of the bench to join Cyrus, but the younger boy apparently had other plans, and TJ watched with no small amount of concern as he stepped up not the bench and attempted to hop over the back of it to join TJ. Except that his foot caught the back of the bench and he nearly face planted on the ground, if it hadn’t been for TJ’s arm instinctively shooting out to catch him around the chest. He laughed, holding onto Cyrus until he had both his feet properly underneath him again, and shook his head.

“You could’ve just walked around the bench, you know,” TJ teased.

Cyrus made a face at him, shoving his chest, though TJ held on tight this time, one hand clutching Cyrus’s at their sides, the other wrapped around Cyrus’s back. Tj couldn’t help himself, and leaned down to press a brief kiss against Cyrus’s cheek before pulling back so they could walk side by side, hands swinging between them and shoulders bumping against each other as they walked.

Just before they reached the edge of the park, Cyrus stopped, his head falling back and a long groan escaping his lips.

“What is it?” TJ asked, stopping beside him and watching the odd expression on his face.

“Buffy’s gonna say ‘I told you so.’"

[lastsonlost]

What the fuck!?

The Dec. 18 document from the FBI specifies an alleged plan for activists to purchase guns from a “Mexico-based cartel associate known as Cobra Commander,” or Ivan Riebeling.

When federal law enforcement officials last year began collecting dossiers on mostly American journalists, activists and lawyers in Tijuana involved with the migrant caravan, one part of their investigation focused on an alleged plot by a drug cartel to sell guns to protesters, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation report.

A Dec. 18, 2018, document from the FBI, obtained by the Union-Tribune, specifies an alleged plan for activists to purchase guns from a “Mexico-based cartel associate known as Cobra Commander,” or Ivan Riebeling.

The protesters wanted to “stage an armed rebellion at the border,” the FBI reported to dozens of federal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Mexico.

The unclassified report was provided to the Union-Tribune on the condition the person providing it would not be named, and with the request that the entire document not be shared online because of the ongoing nature of the investigation.

The document warns of “anti-fascist activists” that “planned to disrupt U.S. law enforcement and military security operations at the US/Mexican border.”

Two additional law enforcement officials confirmed the investigation is ongoing, although no one has been charged. “Unclassified” means information can be released to people without a security clearance, but the document was also labeled “law enforcement sensitive,” which means it was intended to be seen only by those in law enforcement.

“This is an information report, not finally evaluated intelligence,” the six-page report states. “Receiving agencies are requested not to take action based on this raw reporting without prior coordination with the FBI.”

The FBI sent its report with “priority” to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Administration, among other agencies.

Two people named in the report, Ivan Riebeling and Evan Duke, said the accusations are untrue and illogical.

Duke said he never met Riebeling and that Riebeling was not someone he would have associated with.

Riebeling also said the accusations in the FBI’s report are illogical.

“It doesn’t make any sense that someone from the United States would purchase guns in Mexico. And the Hondurans certainly didn’t bring money to buy guns. It doesn’t make any sense; in fact it’s extremely absurd to say the Hondurans wanted to attack the United States at the border,” said Reibeling.

A few names included in the FBI report overlap with names included in a secret database of people being monitored by Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, originally reported by NBC San Diego and Telemundo 20.

However, the database includes many others not included in the FBI’s report, and it remains unclear why those people — mostly American journalists, activists and attorneys — were targeted and monitored.

In March, it was discovered that Customs and Border Protection had compiled lists of people it wanted to stop for questioning at the border. Agents questioned or arrested at least 21 of them, according to documents obtained by NBC San Diego. On that list, Reibeling is described as an “instigator,” and Duke’s name and picture is also included.

CBP said the names on the list are people who were present when violence broke out at the Tijuana border in November and January, when agents deployed tear gas. The agency said people were being questioned so that the agency could learn more about what started the altercations.

Some of the people detained and questioned said they were asked whether anyone was encouraging migrants to rush the border during the two incidents. Several people confirmed they were told they were being questioned as part of a “national security investigation.”

The FBI’s report says a group of activists in Tijuana supporting the migrant caravan “were encouraged to bring personally owned weapons to the border and the group also intended to purchase weapons from a Mexico-based cartel associate known as Cobra Commander, AKA the Mexican Rambo, and smuggle the weapons into the United States.”

Several activists involved with the migrant caravan said the accusation that they would try to purchase weapons in Mexico is especially absurd, given that buying guns in the United States is easy and legal.

“Here I find the government again trying to tie me into some (stuff) I wasn’t involved in,” said Duke, a U.S. activist who is opposed to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and whose work in Tijuana was monitored by federal authorities.

Duke said Riebeling was not someone he would have associated with because he didn’t trust him and because Riebeling had expressed negative views in social media videos about the migrants in the caravan.

“We were warned to look out for him,” said Duke. “We took the precaution to find out who he was and where he was, but we never had any contact with him. And we never saw him around the migrant caravan.”

Riebeling said he was originally helping an earlier caravan of mostly women and children who arrived in Tijuana, but he quickly decided he “no longer wanted to help Hondurans.”

“I can send you several videos of myself attacking the Hondurans because they are my enemies,” Riebeling said during a recent interview.

Reibeling said he was never detained or interrogated by the FBI about his involvement with the migrant caravan. He said he took no part in trying to sell guns to anyone and that he’s not a cartel member.

“I am not cartel. I don’t sell drugs. I don’t sell arms,” said Riebeling. “I’m a revolutionary. A man who believes in his ideals, and I’m going to defend Mexico.”

The unclassified FBI report identifies Riebeling as being “associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel,” but Riebeling, a Tijuana resident, said he is not.

“If I were selling drugs, or guns, they would kill me,” said Riebeling.

Riebeling said he was upset by the accusations in the report.

“The government of the United States knows perfectly well that I am not a member of any cartel,” said Riebeling. “I have associates with several of the cartels, yes I do, but I am not a narco-trafficker and they know that.”

Riebeling said he became angry with members of the Central American caravan in Tijuana after he discovered some were selling items he brought them for humanitarian relief, like blankets, water and shoes.

“They were exchanging these items for drugs and it made me mad, and I no longer wanted to help them and I was vocal about it,” he said.

In a video he posted online, he encouraged members of drug cartels to attack migrants with bats and “hunt down” migrants to take them to Mexican immigration authorities to be deported.

Many members of the migrant caravan were attacked with rocks and tear gas. Two Honduran teenagers were brutally killed.

Duke said he was told to avoid Riebeling because of his negative views about migrants.

“I was warned about him when I arrived in TJ,” said Duke. “His name came up to me from a couple different sources to watch out for this guy.”

The FBI’s report says Duke was working with Riebeling and others not just to procure weapons, but to help set up camps to train activists to become “community defense militias, also known as autodensas.”

“Organizers planned for the camps to be used as staging platforms from which five person units would form to train anarchists in fighting, combat, and conducting reconnaissance, and then launch to disrupt U.S. government operations along the border,” the report states.

After the report was distributed to dozens of law enforcement agencies, Duke faced intense scrutiny when crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Duke said that along with another activist, he was twice hot-stopped — held at gunpoint by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and detained for hours — as he tried to cross.

In one instance, Duke said, he was driving into San Diego from Tijuana at the San Ysidro Port of Entry after delivering supplies to migrants at shelters in Tijuana.

When he got near the CBP checkpoint, border officials drew their guns and ordered him out of the car, Duke said.

“My first thought was: ‘Wow I don’t think this is good. This can’t be good,’” said Duke. “I overheard their radios and someone was saying, ‘You’ve got so many guns on these guys. You’re only supposed to have six guns on them.’ I think there were 25 guns on us at that moment.”

Based on questions investigators asked him, Duke said he believes it’s possible that authorities are acting upon information provided to law enforcement by right-wing conspiracy groups. He said a North Dakota radio talk-show host bragged on the air about reporting him and his colleagues to law enforcement.

In mid-November, Duke and a group of activists began renting a house in Tijuana and hosting about 25 volunteers at a time working to counter what they viewed as the U.S. government’s violation of asylum seekers’ human rights.

The FBI’s report says the rental house in Tijuana was guarded by armed group members.

Riebeling, who also goes by the names Ivan del Campo, Ivan Mariano Martin del Campo and Jose Ivan Reiveling Sierra, has criminal records in Mexico and the United States, according to a Mexican state police document and confirmed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Riebeling was arrested in 1997 by CBP for allegedly trying to smuggle nine to 10 pounds of marijuana into the United States, but the charges against him were dropped, according to a June 2017 letter from the DEA to Baja California’s Policía Estatal Preventiva.

In March 2007, Chula Vista police arrested Riebeling on suspicion of carrying a concealed stolen gun in his car, according to the letter. DEA agents in San Ysidro arrested Riebeling in March 2008, and he was convicted in federal court for kidnapping and robbery. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison but received clemency, the DEA’s letter states.

The “Procuraduría de Justicia del Estado de Baja California,” which is the equivalent of the attorney general for the state of Baja California, confirmed that Riebeling has at least two criminal records in Mexico for assaulting police officers. 

[sunflowerpostsposts]

happy valentines!

Surprise! I’m your valentine @lovinmullen! Happy Valentines Day and I hope you enjoy these little headcanons!💖

thank you so much to @swingsetboys for organizing this and generally being amazing!

-After Andi got grounded for the high school party her phone was taken away for a bit. Amber freaked out at first thinking that Andi was mad till Cyrus (lord bless his peace making soul) filled her in on the situation. A letter arrived two days later in Andi’s mailbox, guess who it was from? Amber. It was an explanation to her parents and a was signed with “Sorry if I got you in trouble! Heres my address and keep exploring the world Bambi! There are many more things like that pool in Italy” (Andi has that note in a scrapbook)Thus begins a pen pal relationship, full of not so unrequited crushes, scribbled hearts, holding of hands and eventually after stealing a flannel from each other...a kiss. 

•Cyrus saw it coming from a mile away. No one just decides to go to the Spoon on every single day Amber is working and sit there with hearts popping from her eyes. 

 Andi will call Buffy or Cyrus and gush about a moment that happened. Little does she know that theres group call happening between the Kippen siblings, Marty and TJ are about to knock Amber out “Oh my god Amber if we hear about Andi’s eyes one more time!”. It becomes a cycle of calling. They even drew a diagram of how it would go. 

Andi calls Buffy calls Cyrus in groupcall, then afterwards Cyrus calls TJ who calls Marty who calls Amber to confirm that feelings are present who calls Andi to talk about her annoying brothers. Then everything repeats.

This can repeat for hours but hey it works.

-Ambi becomes official and everyone e x p l o d e s. It was expected but WOAH IT FINALLY HAPPENED? The pining is finally over thank schnitzel

-To celebrate one month Andi made a bracelet for Amber, she was hesitant at first and said “Are you okay with a girlfriendy thing?”. Amber acts chill about it but internally is screaming.

-(They worked out Amber somehow getting Jonahs bracelet a while ago). Andi gets her phone back soon and they are the couple who uses 22 emojis per text but its adorable! 

-In the end when they do the lanterns again Amber doesn’t put anything in hers. When Walker asks why she glances at Andi and shrugs “I already have everything I could wish for”

Bonus: Their first kiss was in a canoe! It flipped over causing them both to get soaking wet. On shore Amber lifted up their towel to block anyone watching right as Andi leaned forward to kiss her her again.

-Marty learned that Buffy moved away and that was the first time he messaged her since their fight, he apologized and said he hoped that she would have a good life in Arizona. 

-She kept him waiting for a few days because she’s still trying to figure out her feelings, friendship or crush?

- “Marty, thanks for apologizing. Can we talk when I visit?” He immediately says yes! 

-Once she comes back they talk. Its has a few embarrassing moments, some sad as well but in the end they both leave, hearts pounding and thoughts occupied with how even if they were friends how it could be different someday. 

Bonus: Marty comes out to Buffy as trans and Buffy comes out to him as bi. They go to parades together and will wear their respective flags with pride! Marty is the one to paint the flags on their cheeks. 

Bonus bonus: Its been almost 5 months since they talked about the crush situation and the FaceTime calls keep getting longer 

Bonus Basketball: Buffy and him play during the off season of basketball, soon Marty joins the guys basketball team. They still play against each other every Saturday morning.

Heres some Hogwarts shenanigans! 

Gryffindor: TJ, Buffy and Leo the Locker Boy

Slytherin: Amber, Reed and Natalie

Hufflepuff: Cyrus, Marty and Iris

Ravenclaw: Jonah and Andi!

The GHC became friends in 1st year, interhouse friendships for the win!

Marty joins the group 3rd year after the Yule Ball, he and Buffy dance so the group adopts him 

Buffy and TJ’s rivalry starts in 2nd year after a fight with who got the Quidditch field, then he insulted her and her skills. Not even a rap apology was going to be enough for him to be admitted into the group. He is Quidditch-Player-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name

TJ lashed out at her because he wanted to be Quidditch Captain but she was the one who got the position

They make up after Cyrus has a Charms class with TJ, the reason? Both agree that Cyrus is a very soft kid and we will protect him at all costs. 

(Buffy suspects more but doesn’t push at the reason why TJ does that little smile when Cyrus figures out a spell)

He writes an apology, near the end of the letter it says “You were right. You are the best Quidditch captain Hogwarts has seen” After this their rivalry is more of a friendship.

Andi finds the Room of Requirement and decides its going to be a LGBT+ club (she gets permission), the next time she walks in a pan flag appears above her head.

Cyrus helps her set up a network of kids who might want to attend 

Amber, Iris and TJ are more of the popular group so when Amber and Iris walk into the Room on a meeting day you can imagine the surprise. 

“Are you sure that this is the meeting Iris? They won’t stop staring” 

Andi is shooketh because holy heck my crush is coming to the meeting be chill Andi, b r e a t h

She greets them and after some snacks from the house elves everyone feels comfortable talking to each other and introducing themselves

Amber and Iris say they’ll be regulars.

Andi had to lie down after that meeting. 

Cyrus has Potions with TJ during 4th year. Mrs. Deborah, the teacher, sat them by each other to make a potion and it exploded first try. TJ got frustrated because he mixed up some numbers but Cyrus just laughs “Its okay! We can try again” 

Thus begins Smitten Kippen 

Don’t get him started on when they made Amortenia, they were supposed to share with the class and Cyrus declined. 

TJ in that moment: Oh my god what did he smell

Cyrus to Buffy and Andi later: I don’t see what the big deal about Amortenia is? It just smelled the same as when TJ sits by me like he does in Poti-wait                                                                                            Buffy and Andi: Are you okay??

TJ and Cyrus are the disaster gays of Hogwarts. 

They’ve tried to ask each other out almost 30 times now. But it always gets interrupted by something, a troll, a werewolf turning etc. 

Cyrus has almost given up until 5th year where at a Quidditch game he gets TJ’s scarf.

It was like the meme where someone says their cold and the other person piles warm clothing on them. 

He only needed the scarf because the blush was real in that moment, nothing could cool him down. He hugged TJ said a very rushed thank you then ran to the stands. 

After that game he gave TJ a sign that said “I’m not Kippen when I say I like you” 

It becomes almost a game to see who can out flirt who

Special blueberry macadamia muffin was delivered to the Gryffindor common room. Book about lizards sent to Hufflepuff with a note in the cover. Plenty of notes sent to each other during classes.

The one who makes a move is Cyrus, TJ writes him a small poem and he marches up to TJ after dinner to say “TJ Kippen will you go out with me?”

Nothing interrupted him and TJ said yes so fast it was like something possessed him

They have a cute Hogsmeade date <3

Buffy and Marty are the most competive friends anyone has seen. Mention Quidditch? They jump for the chance to see who gets the Snitch. Spells? Get under cover this is going to be a BATTLE

Due to these competitions they get sent to the hospital wing many, many times. 

They ate too many Weasley sweets and didn’t realize they both ate a vomiting one. 

Madam Pomfrey banned Weasley treats after that, said that students were too irresponsible (a healthy black market trade arose)

Once they got out and realized they both had actual physical harm happen because of a competition Marty proposed something

Marty: Look Buffy I love our competitions...but could we stick to banter for now?                                                                                                    Buffy: You know what would be convenient? Lets go on dates, easier way to banter with each other                                                                        Marty: *screams* 

He agrees after falling down a staircase they were walking down. 

(back to the hospital wing Marty) 

By the next day it was back to regular banter! With the occasional hand holding and kiss if one of them said something a little too silly

This is the one year Jonah and Walker are beaten in the Best Couple Competition. 

Speaking of Best Couple Competitions...the year Cyrus and TJ become public is the year they almost beat Wonah (the nickname for the pairing) 

Cyrus kisses him on the cheek, his hand and on tiptoes he’ll kiss his nose but never the lips. 

TJ is totally okay with this but wonders about it sometimes. 

Skip ahead to the final Quidditch match, they’ve been dating a few months. 

TJ (about to get on this broom): Hey how about a kiss for good luck? Its the last game it might work                                                                  Cyrus (rolling his eyes): Okay you dork

Cyrus pulled him down by his collar and gave him a brief kiss

TJS FACE WAS BRIGHT RED and Slytherin was crushed by Gryffindor in a record amount of points.

Amber and Andi are a background couple most of the time, content with sitting in the library by a window. You can find them if you know where to look, the tree by the lake or near the kitchens where they sneak into for a snack. Amber is always wearing a headband from Andi and Andi will be wearing a charmed ring from Amber.

Bonus: After they both graduate, TJ is hired on a Defense of the Dark Arts teacher and Cyrus is the Arithmancy teacher. TJ goes on to be the headmaster! He makes new policies that allow students to be more comfortable with their sexuality and genders/

Bonus Bonus\: TJ and Cyrus go to Andi’s GSA weekly meeting and thats how they come out to each other. They walked in and both went “Shit”. That was the quietest they have ever been together. They walk out together and separate after throwing each other a quick smile.

[i-am-church-the-cat]

Into The Forest

This is for @tj-is-tgay . You seemed pretty invested in this crack ship, so I figured I would get on the bandwagon. Sorry that it’s rushed. 

---

The nymph watched as the strange creature traveled cautiously through the forest. Reed had never seen a human before, at least, he assumed the thing walking by was a human. When the other nymphs had heard that an unknown beast was traversing through their lands, they had been wary, choosing to hide deep within the forest. But Reed hadn’t been scared. In his opinion, no creature could be a threat to him, not in the forest. The others had warned him not to go, but all he was doing was observing the human.

The human was taller than Reed, but his features were plain, with pale skin and brown hair and eyes. Reed had to admit, the human wasn’t unattractive, even if he wasn’t as colorful as the nymphs of the forest. The human wore clothes made of wool instead of the plant fibers Reed was used to. The human was clumsy in the forest and their walking was loud enough to wake the trees. It had no grace or sense of decorum. Reed was perplexed by it. How could the others be scared by such an open and vulnerable species?

Reed crept closer to the human. What would the creature hope to accomplish in the forest? Humans weren’t exactly accepted by the fairies, elves, and nymphs that normally occupied these lands.

Suddenly, the human snapped around to where Reed was sitting on a low hanging branch. Reed froze before relaxing and offering the obviously on edge being one of his cunning grins. It was probably less reassuring and more frightening, but all the human did was give Reed a hard stare.

“Who are you?”, the human asked.

“I should be asking you that”, Reed replied gracefully falling from his place on the branch. The human retreated a few steps when Reed hit the ground. “I’m Reed. What’s a human like you doing so far into the forest?”

“I’m searching for my sister. She was taken by a tree nymph”, the human, Marty, answered, still on edge, but obviously letting his guard slip.

“Well, that’s entirely plausible, we nymphs are very impulsive creatures”, Reed explained nonchalantly, though he was careful to watch the human’s reactions. “Do you know who took her?”

Marty shook his head. “All I know is that she had blue hair and black wings.”

Reed’s blood ran cold. The only nymph with wings was the fallen air nymph, Malion. If she had taken this boy’s sister, she was probably already dead. For some reason, Reed felt sad for the human at the thought.

“Listen, if what you’re saying is true, it would probably be better for you to go home now. No one goes to Malion’s place and comes back alive.”

Marty scowled and shook his head vehemently. “I have to get her back. I was supposed to protect her and I didn’t. What kind of older brother would I be if I just gave up on her?”

A sensible one, Reed thought, though he could see on the human’s face that this was not what he wanted to hear. Reed shook his head. Who knew humans were so insistent on getting themselves killed. Reed sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose when he realized he couldn’t let the human go in there alone.

“Ok”, Reed said. Marty who had been ready to return to his trek whipped around. “If you’re so sure you want to do this, I’ll show you the way.”

“Really?”, Marty confirmed, eyes widening.

Reed shrugged an tucked his hands behind his head before walking in front of the human. “I’m always doing something stupid. I guess today it’s this thing.”

***

Marty was nervous. He had tried to act tough and self-assured when he first met the nymph, but he had never left home. Sure, he’d done a lot of stupid stuff, causing a sheep avalanche and falling through the roof of his family’s hut being a few of them, but he had always had to look after his sister Ana, he didn’t have time to go out traveling the world. Not that I’d have enough money to do that anyway, he thought sourly as he followed the blue-eyed nymph through the forest.

Reed intrigued Marty, probably more than he should’ve. Any sane person would’ve run as soon as they saw the trickster nymph, but Marty was known for being a dumbass. Even so, he definitely shouldn't feel as drawn to the nymph as he did or get distracted by how his spiky blonde hair shown in the rays of sunlight that fell through the treetops. Reed seemed to bounce through the forest as if the roots and fallen leaves weren’t even there. He looked like he was just a part of the forest, as much as the trees or the dirt or the animals were. Being a creature of the forest, it made sense.

It was their third day of traveling and after hours of walking in silence, Marty decided to breach a topic he was curious about.

“How did you get your name?”, Marty asked. It was no secret that nymph names had hidden meanings, but Marty had never known exactly for what purpose. Reed flashed him a glance over his smile before answering.

“My father grew up by a lake. He’s a water nymph and I got my eyes from him. Reeds were often frequent along the banks of the river, and since my mother was a sand nymph, they chose the thing that was in between them.”

“Well, what makes a nymph a certain kind of nymph?”, Marty asked, still not seeming to grasp the concept.

“Well, it’s kind of like our source of power, where we were born, our homeland. We’re always stronger there”, Reed explained. As he talked, he turned so he was walking backward while conversing with Marty. He seemed just as comfortable walking forward as backward.

“So you’re stronger when you’re around reeds?”, Marty teased. “Why not just take them along with you?”

Reed shook his head, though not in a disbelieving way. “Doesn’t work. It’s the place itself, not just the object. Trust me, I tried.” Marty nodded along before something caught his eye.

“Hey, what’s that?”

Reed turned around and the two walked out into a clearing where a waterfall fell into a lake. What was strange was that the water seemed to come from nowhere and the water couldn’t have been up farther than Marty’s shins in any place. Reed tensed, sensing something Marty couldn’t. Suddenly, a chair appeared in the middle of the lake, a blue-haired nymph lounging gracefully in it.

“Aw, has the human come to get his sister back?”, the kidnapper mocked. Marty started to approach the woman but Reed held him back.

“Playing with humans Malion? I would’ve thought it was above you”, Reed interjected, looking bored.

The nymph was unimpressed. “I’m not the one leading one through our homelands unrestrained. You know what happened the last time your curiosity went unchecked, Reed.”

Reed looked regretful at that. It was strange, Marty having only seen him looking nonchalant or amused before. “I’m well aware”, he said, his voice strange. “Though I doubt yours is anymore founded. Why do you need a human child, anyway?”

“I don’t, but I can’t just let human’s say whatever they want about me. If this boy had kept his mouth shut, maybe his sister would be safe at home”, the nymph explained, giving Marty a pointed glare. Marty cast his head down at the memory of what he had said to the nymph. She had insulted the village and so he had defended them and may be added in a few choice insults. The nymph had sprouted wings and Marty was sure he was about to die when his sister had run in front of him. Marty had cried out, but by then, the nymph had whisked her away toward the forest.

Marty looked up to see Reed looking at him sympathetically. For the second time that day, Reed came to a decision that didn’t seem to please him very much.

“What do you want?”, Reed asked Malion, eyes not leaving Marty’s face.

“Mmm, already making deals for this human. How long have you two known each other again?”

At this, Reed did turn to face Malion. “What do you want?”, he repeated.

Slowly, the nymph smiled. She opened her mouth and

***

Reed sat in the limbs of a tree on the edge of the forest. It was a week since he had helped Marty save his sister, but it felt like longer. Malion had made a deal with Reed, that if he erased Marty’s memories of ever encountering a fairy, she would return his sister. Marty had protested claiming they would find another way, but Reed knew there was no other way. Somehow, Malion had seen the small bond that had grown between them in the few days they were together and decided that they only fair trade of someone of worth was someone else. Reed had understood, still, it had hurt erasing Marty’s memories and delivering him and his sister back home.

Now, Reed was sitting in this tree, hoping to catch a glimpse of Marty in his village. So far he hadn’t been able to see anything. Reed was about to head down for the night when he elt the tree shift before him. He looked down to see Marty a few limbs down. Reed sat in awe as the boy got to where the nymph was sitting here.

“Hey”, Marty said, albeit a bit breathlessly.

“W-What are you doing?”, Reed asked incredulously.

“I saw you sitting up here and I felt a weird urge to come and talk to you”, Marty said. “I’m Marty.”

“Well Marty, this was a pretty dumb plan you had”, Reed replied slyly as he started down the tree.    

“Hey”, Marty called, causing Reed to look up. “Aren’t you going to tell me your name?”

Reed grinned and gave the human boy a wink before slipping off into the forest. That night, the boys dreamed of a bright nymph and a daring human, respectively.