#the trick uhhh you gotta wait like another week or two

[noodleblade]

TRICK OR TREAT!!! 😈👻💀🦇

A TREAT. FOR YOU SPECIFICALLY 👻

[raendown]

Todays follower milestone gift fic is for @sparklemagpie with the prompt word importune. Can you tell I had fun writing this one?

Pairing: ShikamaruTemariTayuya Word count: 1966 Rated: T+ Summary: For the two women in his life Shikamaru will do whatever it takes. As long as they're happy he's happy. When they're not...well, when they're not you get situations like this one.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Just The Right Cherry On Top

Shikamaru would have told anyone who asked that it didn’t start off as begging. No one was really asking, though, and the shreds of pride still buried in the back of his mind somewhere told him that was a problem. If no one was asking questions that usually meant they thought they already had the answers. But they didn’t. They really didn’t. When it came to his two girls Shikamaru was smugly aware that he was usually the only one with answers. 

Well, answers to questions like ‘are you sure they’re not trying to kill each other’ or usually ‘how can you stand to live between that’. The questions about what might be going on in either woman’s mind were ones he didn’t even try to guess at. He knew when to back away from a problem he would never figure out. 

Right now he didn’t so much have a problem as he did have a disaster. He knew very well that relationships took work, that his work would be doubled when he agreed to marry both of the most important women in his life, and since he had not a day went by when he didn’t consider that work so very worth it. For the most part their days were happy. Blissful, even. Shikamaru was as flawed as any other human being but among his flaws pride wasn’t usually the one that tripped him up. Disaster only really happened when pride snuck up on the other two parts of his soul. 

Tayuya, as usual, was the first to start throwing insults. And of course Temari, when faced with a hot temper, flared her own with the kind of heat usually accomplished only with the most deadly katon. Standing on the other side of the kitchen with a frying pan in one hand and his face in the other, Shikamaru briefly wondered if there were any missions available that would take him far away until these two crazy goddesses sorted their own shit out. 

There weren’t. He checked. Discreetly, of course. 

After the first couple days of cold silence it became obvious that this was one of those fights they needed him to bring them back from, when pride and stubbornness and sheer petty spite held both of their lips shut, eyes refusing to meet, tempers refusing to back down. These were the kind of fights that reminded Shikamaru why the three of them really worked as a full unit, one single whole, any weakness in one covered by another. Knowing that never made it any less annoying trying to be the cover to their weakness. They might need him but in those moments they sure didn’t want to need him. 

“What’ll it take this time?” Shikamaru could hear the exhaustion in his own voice but that’s just what happened when he hadn’t gotten more than three consecutive hours of sleep for the past week. 

“Nothing,” Temari snapped. “Maybe this is just it!”

Drawing a hand down his face spoke louder than words how little he believed that. If he looked really close he could see the lines of aching tiredness in Temari’s expression that told him she didn’t believe it either.

“Right,” he murmured. “I’ll just go talk to her then.

And so he did, though it would be hard to express just how unsurprised he was to get a very similar reaction from Tayuya.

“Fuck that bitch and her high horse!”

“You could if one of you would say sorry,” Shikamaru couldn’t help pointing out. 

“Oh no fucking way! Not with a ten foot god damned pole!” 

“What if I said please?”

So that was how it started. Or got to the middle, really. Much to the contrary of what other people seemed to think, Shikamaru was not so whipped as to just fall on his knees and beg any time he encountered the slightest of resistance in their relationship. He had some self respect. In the face of these two boneheads, however, self respect was a concept he was more than willing to throw out the window in favor of a full night’s rest, something he would not be getting until their home saw peace again. 

One instance of saying please did nothing. Twice did little more than that. Somewhere around the fifteen ‘please’ he switched tactics and added a cherry on top. Tayuya rather harshly reminded him that she hated cherries and described in very colorful detail where he could stick his polite words. Clearly another tactic was needed.

As a smart man Shikamaru very carefully ignored all of Naruto’s well meaning suggestions like sending his wives flowers pretending they were from each other. Maybe that would have worked on someone like Hinata who was determined to look at the world and see the best in everyone but Shikamaru had married two people determined to look at the world through a cold lens of cynicism. Gods but he loved it. Loved the both of them. He just didn’t love the fights. Naruto meant well but the one and only time any of them had seen Hinata truly mad had been the middle of a battle against the reanimated body of a dead man handing Naruto his own ass. It was great for the two of them to finally find happiness. When he thought of their calm and sweet relationship Shikamaru sometimes just couldn’t help but wonder how they didn’t get bored with no one around to throw a plate or two. 

Since being nice about it didn’t do much his next step was to try being firm. This time he went to Tayuya first because if he could crack her then honestly he was pretty sure he could crack the whole world. His efforts in this round were about as successful as the first. 

“Go ahead and try to tell me what to do one more time, Nara.” Right up in his face Tayuya was all fire, in her hair and in her eyes and in every move of the arm currently jamming in to his chest. “I’ve had just about enough of being ordered around for one lifetime, you hear me?” Oh he did. He did hear her. He also heard the undertone of heat and it wasn’t until an hour after he left their home in the daze of post orgasmic bliss that he realized he’d been had. Maybe Choji was right and he did think with his dick a little too much. 

Going to see Temari hadn’t exactly had better results - although he’d known better from the start than to consider either one of them ‘better’ than the other in certain departments. After making it very clear how much she both enjoyed and scorned his attempts to law down some kind of law Temari rode him against the nearest walls and sent him off afterwards with a few choice words about how she really didn’t mind wearing only his marks on her skin from now on. Since he hadn’t been the one to bring that up Shikamaru saw through it right away. They missed each other, a blind man could see that. Getting them to admit it was the hard part. 

So that was a bust on trying to put his foot down but if he were honest Shikamaru hadn’t expected any different. The next thing he tried was bribery. After the harsh years both of his wives had experienced it was entirely understandable that they should enjoy being waited on hand and foot. Usually the offer was an irresistible one to them; hence why he didn’t make it very often, a special treat for special occasions when he needed to remind them just how precious they really were. When not just one but both of them turned him down this time Shikamaru had to take a nice long walk through the woods and feed the deer for a while, wondering if maybe the magic offer had lost its touch at last. Or if maybe he was the one that had lost his touch. It took a good long while and three different deer taking curious nibbles of his ponytail before he shook himself and stood up with a little more steel in his spine. 

Clearly this problem was running out of control and that meant bringing in the biggest weapon he had at his disposal. One didn’t spend a lifetime best friends with the Yamanaka heir without picking up some tricks. 

“Please?” 

“No.”

“Please please?”

“I said no, fuck off Shika.”

“Uhhh, please and please and please?”

Tayuya actually stopped walking to round on him with furrowed brows. “You get hit upside the head or something? This is- you’re acting like a damn child!” 

“Maybe.” Shikamaru clasped his hands together and lifted his eyes to the clouds above them. “How many times I gotta say please? Cause I will. Give me a number, I’ll do it.”

“For real?”

“Please, please, please, please, plea-”

Ignoring the baffled looks of anyone passing them by was a lot easier than ignoring the sharp voice that spoke from the doorway, rough at the edges under the heavy weight of defeat and sadness. 

“He might not look like it, but he’s really just a child in a man’s body.” Temari studiously did not look at her wife when Tayuya whipped around to stare at her, missing the ripple of yearning that went through all those well honed muscles. “You probably shouldn’t test it. He really will just keep going.”

“Sounds annoying as hell,” Tayuya ventured. 

Neither of them seemed to notice when Shikamaru fell silent, still, waiting with baited breath. 

“It’d probably be less painful if we just give in. He already did that to me for two hours this morning and I don’t know if I can listen to it for much longer without violence that I’m pretty sure I would regret.” The proud set of Temari’s jaw was that of a queen making concessions. The dark warmth of her eyes when they finally canted sideways was that of a wife who missed the touch of her beloved.

“Good fucking god, two hours? Yeah, hell no. I ain’t listening to that. Let’s just get this over with or something then.”

“For the best.”

Despite that agreement it still took about five solid minutes of staring wordlessly in to each others’ eyes before either of them made any more toward the other. In the end they moved at the same time, reaching out with the same hand, laughing in a fondly awkward way as their fingers entwined. The moment would have been utterly beautiful if Shikamaru hadn’t breathed in very deeply just to let it all back out in one great rush. 

“Finally,” he muttered. Both of his wives frowned at him. 

“Wait.” Temari narrowed her eyes as though only now realizing what she’d done. “How did you do that?” She didn’t seem to appreciate the sheer exasperation filling him up in place of all the soft pleading he’d been wearing for days now. 

“You don’t just hang around with Ino for this long without learning how to annoy someone in to giving up.”

Before either of his wives could say anything Shikamaru was spinning on one heel and marching out the door, grumbling under his breath while he rummaged around his flack vest for a pack of smokes. Troublesome women and their troublesome tempers. At times he really did wonder why he put up with it. Two sets of footsteps rushing after him was a good reminder, though he thought he would be well within his rights to make them do a little begging after all the trouble he’d gone through just to bridge the gap between their overinflated prides. Worth it, absolutely worth it, but damn if they weren’t trouble sometimes. 

[thetriggeredhappy]

sniperscout week day 2 ft. trying to format and play among us at the same time

Day 2: Meet Cute

@sniperscout-ship-week

The Sniper looked up as the doors swung open, a gaggle of people moving through them, some towards waiting cars, some towards the parking lot, some towards the line of taxis waiting outside. He scanned the crowd, trying to spot any of the distinguishing features he’d been told about, sifting through the visual of various men in suits and women in skirts and dresses and elderly folks and small families until finally his eyes landed on one sole man, standing with his back straight and his eyes nearly shielded entirely from view by a baseball cap emblazoned with the logo of some American sports team or another. Baseball, maybe?

He scanned the line of cars, sweeping back and forth a few times, until that pair of narrowed eyes finally swept far enough to one side to land on him. A blink, a visible brightening of his posture as the kid gave him a brief up-and-down, a goofy grin.

And damn, kid really was the word to describe him. He looked like he could be in his late teens, practically, even though gossip around base was that their newest teammate was somewhere in his mid-twenties. And he wasn’t particularly muscular, at least not from what Sniper could tell, and the way he moved as he walked over was so casual, nothing like the walk of their standard hired killer. No glances over his shoulder, clearly not strapped, probably not even carrying a knife, just walking straight up to him.

“Yo, uh,” he opened with, and his tone was easygoing enough, voice louder than expected, “are you uh, that guy that Miss... Pauling, right? That Miss Pauling sent?”

He looked at the kid. “Just get in the van,” he said flatly, and stood up to move around to the driver’s side.

By the time he opened his door, the kid had just popped open his own, looked a little nervous. He was tapping a little rhythm into the door with his fingers. “Uh, pretty sure I heard somethin’ in school about not gettin’ in random dudes’ vans, at least once or twice,” he half-joked, glancing around the inside of the van. “Especially dudes who might, y’know, maybe be armed.”

“I’m definitely armed,” Sniper deadpanned, buckling his seatbelt. “I’m also the one driving you to the base. Now get in the van.”

Somewhere between him sticking the keys in the ignition and checking his left mirror, the kid got in the car, buckled his seatbelt, deposited his bag at his feet, and kicked his feet up onto the dash. He was working on rolling the window down by the time Sniper glanced over the check the right mirror, tapping a rhythm into his own leg now. Quicker than he’d expected. He took mental note of that fact. “So, uh,” the kid said, leaning to look back out the window towards the doors of the airport, “is that Pauling lady not gonna show up? She driving separate?”

“She’s at the base,” Sniper said, trying to figure o it what accent the kid had as he pulled out of the line of cars. East Coast, he knew. What was that city called?

“Okay. So are you one of those dudes I’m supposed to be workin’ with? Because she kinda mentioned that I’m gonna be on like a team with people but she didn’t name any names and she said she’s not on that team, so are you one of those guys or are you just kind of a paper-pusher too? Or do you drive full time maybe? Weird that they’d give you a freakin’ camper-van for that, like, what if you gotta drive a couple people at once, you could get maybe two other people in here, or is this not a camper-van? Is it like, weapons and shit in the back? That’d be pretty sweet—“

“Sniper,” he cut in.

“Huh?”

“I’m the Sniper. On the team,” Sniper said, still mentally trying to catch up with what all the kid was saying. “We’ve all got titles. Don’t use real names. Got yours yet?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m uh—“ He stopped to fish through his bag, coming up with some half-crumpled papers, squinted at them. “Uhhh, the uh... Renconin—no, uh, Reconescent and—and Scouting Specialize—uh, Specialite—no, wait—okay, y’know what? Scout. I’m the Scout.”

He wondered, brow furrowing, if the paper was too crumpled to read, or if the jostling of the van was throwing him off, or if the Scout just couldn’t read. “Awright. Scout it is,” he shrugged.

“Hell yeah,” he said cheerfully, sifting back comfortably in the seat again, tossing the papers back down with his bag.

The question was burning a hole through his tongue. “How old are you, exactly?”

“Twenty-three,” he said, and out of the corner of his eye Sniper could see that he was making a face. “And yeah, yeah, I know, look way younger than that, whatever, but it’s totally true. Practically twenty-four, even! Birthday’s only two months out.”

He side-eyed the man, but decided to drop it. Apparently, the Scout didn’t.

“What about you, huh?” he prodded. “Probably like thirty-five, right? Forty?”

“Late twenties,” he said dryly, not particularly wanting to get specific.

“You’re kiddin’!” He leaned over the gearshift to elbow him in the upper arm, and Sniper tensed up at it. “Hey, it’ll be nice havin’ a younger guy around, huh?”

Sniper stared out the windshield and didn’t make eye contact.

“So what’re the rest of the guys like? They cool?” he prodded further.

“We get there in half an hour, you’ll meet them yourself.”

“Yeah, but it’d be nice to know what to expect, y’know?” The kid started fishing through his bag for something. “Any of ‘em Australian like you?”

“No,” Sniper said, voice flat. He paused for a second. “Few Americans, few Europeans, a Russian, one person who we aren’t sure about. Think they’re all at least mid-thirties, oldest nearly fifty. And none of them would be this patient with your bloody badgering, so I’d recommend being a little quieter once we get there. Already I’m about three questions away from leaving you on the side of the road with a map and making you walk.”

The Scout laughed, as if he was joking, and leaned forward to fiddle with the radio, eventually finding a station that was playing music and cracking the tab on the can of soda he’d apparently had in his bag. It was mostly quiet the remainder of the drive.

-

“Badgering, you said.”

“Did not,” Sniper mumbled.

“You absolutely did!”

Scout managed to roll over onto his front without elbowing Sniper in any soft tissues, the tiny camper-van bed making any maneuvering at all a bit of a challenge, looking up at him with that goofy grin he’d become so familiar with.

“Still annoyed about my badgering?” Scout chirped.

“What do you think?” Sniper drawled, fighting to hide the little upwards tick of the corner of his mouth that always gave him away. From the little huff of a laugh that Scout gave, apparently he didn’t quite manage it.

“What was your deal, anyways?” Scout asked, shifting a little to get more comfortable. “Like, even knowin’ you a little better now I’m pretty sure you had to be in a pretty bad mood that day.”

Sniper exhaled, trying to stretch his memory back that far. It had been a few years by then, and admittedly, his memory was a little fuzzy. “Wasn’t exactly thrilled about the growing trend of me being the team driver,” he said, reasonably sure that was accurate. “Especially such a long drive.”

“Would’ve been a shorter drive if you’d gone over the speed limit,” Scout mumbled.

Sniper shot him a look, albeit with an undercurrent of amusement. “We’re not having this argument again,” he deadpanned.

“No, for sure we’re not. It’s just funny is all that you still use your turn signal in the middle of the open freakin’ desert with no other cars around—“

“Awright, if you’re gonna get on my case for being a safe driver—“

“We’re mercenaries, Snipes, Jesus Christ, what’re they gonna do, pull you over? Are one of the dozens of cops that don’t fuckin’ exist out here gonna pull you over? It’s so ridiculous, why wouldn’t you just speed up—“

Sniper leaned in and cut him off with a firm kiss on the lips, and the second Scout processed it he was leaning into it, argument almost instantly forgotten in lieu of trying to get an arm up over Sniper’s shoulders. When they parted again, a few seconds later, Scout’s grin said that he’d effectively forgotten what they were just talking about.

Or he’d figured, anyways. Because after a few seconds of looking at each other, Scout spoke. “Badgering, you said.”

Sniper picked up the pillow from behind his head and shoved it in Scout’s face, making him squawk in indignance, and tried his damndest not to smile. Unfortunately, that trick hadn’t worked for quite some time.

[the-good-noodle-kf]

The Happiest Place on Earth (is When We’re Together) Part 2/2

This is technically a late entry for day three of saiou week but since it is legitimately more than four months late, I’m not going to describe it as such. But! It’s a part two of its previous part one-

(In which Shuichi loves everything about Kokichi, from his unbreachable veil of lies, to his annoying, yet somehow unexplainably endearing personality, and everything in between (but he can’t admit it because he thinks Kokichi might be lying about his own feelings towards Shuichi.)

Also, they go to Disney World together! :} :}

Rated T: for crude language and sexual innuendos.)

It’s not the alarm that wakes Shuichi up in the morning…

He’s woken up by a loud, startling, “HAAAAAI-YAAHH!” accompanied by a loud thump, followed by the sensation of pain where his body meets the floor, and then more pain everywhere else as something falls on top of him. 

“Uggghh,” a pained moan resonates from above him as a hand pushes him closer to the floor. 

Kokichi pushes himself up, still disoriented, and realizes he’s been attacked in his sleep. 

He looks up and faces his assailant. “So you think it’s a good idea to disrupt an evil supreme leader’s sleep, huh?” He asks as he gets to his feet, only just realizing Shuichi must’ve been the one to break his fall, since he’s underneath him, and the pain in his own body is concentrated at his stomach where he was kicked instead of anywhere else. “What’s your goal?”

“I should ask you the same thing!” She points at him accusingly. “What were you planning sneaking in our room during the night! Such suspicious behavior is fitting for a degenerate male.”

Shuichi sits up, rubbing his head with a groan. His surroundings tell him that he was pushed off of the bed, blanket and all. 

“Nyeh? What time is it?” Himiko raises her head from her pillow, her hair thoroughly tangled from sleep.

Shuichi glances at the digital clock on the night table. “It’s… seven o’clock.”

“Too early,” she mutters before collapsing back on the bed. 

Shuichi rubs his eyes and stands to his feet. “We should get ready.”

“First, explain what you were doing in here!” Tenko commands.

“Weeelll, the manager of this resort came by to tell us we had to sleep in this room or they’d kick us all out!” He prattles falsehoods.

Shuichi amends the statement with the truth. “We traded beds with Maki and Kaito.”

Himiko perks up again, “huh? Why would you do that.”

“Miu was trying to fuck Keebo with us in the room!” He exclaims.

“Kokichi, stop lying.” Himiko seems oddly annoyed. It must be because she’s tired.

“Actually, that’s not a lie,” Shuichi assures them.

“What!? Tenko will set them straight!” She proclaims as she swings open the door to the other room and starts scolding them. Shuichi, from his position on the floor, can see Maki packing some knives away into her backpack. He really hopes she doesn’t plan on taking them into the park.

Kokichi shuts the door behind her and the upcoming mayhem, grinning wildly. “Whatcha guys waiting for? We’re going to Disney!”

“Ah...” the detective yawns. 

“I wanna go back to sleep…” For her next trick, the magician disappears under the covers.

--

“Hey, that wasn’t too bad. We might not be the first ones on this bus, but we still got seats!” Kaito hits them with some positivity.

Maki’s shockingly awake, and Shuichi never expected she’d be a morning person. 

“How the hell do people wake up this early?” Miu asks rhetorically before chugging down a thermos of hot coffee.

Keebo smiles beside her and hands out breakfast snacks that he packed for all of them. 

Shuichi takes a granola bar. “Thank you.”

“This doesn’t make up for you’re unforgivable behavior, vermin!” Tenko makes sure he knows that much before grabbing an apple from his hand and furiously wiping it with her shirt before biting it. 

Himiko’s sleeping on Tenko’s shoulder, and none of them are convinced she woke up at all to get ready; Tenko carried her to the bus stop, and she hasn’t spoken once. 

“Nee-heehee!” Shuichi isn’t sure why Kokichi’s drinking Panta this early, but he is. “Shuichi! Did you download that app I told you about?”

The detective cocks his head to the side, before he remembers. “Ah, yea.”

“Open it up! C’mon.”

So he does; it’s kind of like charades with talking, and there’s a Disney themed category. Kokichi mentioned how it would be a good way to pass time before they visited. He chooses a total of four teams, since there are eight of them, and passes the phone to Kokichi. 

“I’m gonna win!”

“Huh?” Kaito looks over.

“We’re all gonna play. Tenko, wake Himiko up or I’ll have Shuichi poison that apple like an evil old lady!”

“I won’t let him!” Tenko fights back.

“I-I wouldn’t do that!” Shuichi waves his hands in front of his face frantically, looking more than a little worried. The outburst, however, does the trick. Himiko slowly blinks her eyes and yawns. 

“What is it?”

“We’re gonna play a game, m-kay?” Kokichi grins, showing off his teeth.

“Nyeh, okay.”

“What’re you guys playing?” Miu asks, raising an eyebrow and tucking her thermos away. 

“You too! We put it on our forehead and our teammate describes it without saying what it is. If they guess it, tilt the phone down, and tilt up to skip.”

“I don’t trust that you won’t cheat.”

Kokichi sticks out his tongue. “Ugh, fine then, you can go first Harumaki.”

“Don’t call me that.” She glares threateningly as he passes her the phone.

She lifts the phone to her head and the game begins. “Kaito, describe them.”

“Uhhh..” he squints. “Skip that one.”

Keebo opens his mouth to speak, but then he realizes it’s not his turn and keeps quiet. 

“Oh! It’s the toy!”

“Hah, I bet you wish it was a sex toy,” Miu remarks.

“Fuck no!” Kaito yells back, before trying to explain. “He’s the space one! To infinity, and beyond!” Kaito puts a fist in the air. 

“Buzz Lightyear.”

“Yeah! Oh, that guy’s real strong. He can probably do almost as many push-ups as me.”

“Strong…” Maki furrows her brows. “Hercules.”

“You got it Harumaki. Okay, now this one’s a princess. The one with the yellow dress.”

“Belle.”

“Uhh, this one. Skip it. Okay, another princess. She also wears yellow, I guess…” He scratches his goatee. “Red ribbon, I think, and short hair.”

“Snow White.”

“He’s a duck-”

“Hey! Duck is in the name, degenerate!”

“Oh, fuck, right. Skip.”

“He’s a doll, and he can’t lie. Well, he can lie, um.”

“What..?”

“His nose. It gets longer if he lies. Yeah, that’s it. It’s his nose.”

“Heh.” Miu smirks.

The ex-assassin stares. “I’m skipping.”

“Maki! Oh you know this one-” he begins when there’s a beep.

“Awwww, looks like you’re out of time!” Kokichi grabs the phone and looks at the list of characters. “You guys only got four! Hey Shuichi, put this on your head. We got this.”

 “Right!” Shuichi nods, taking the phone and getting ready.

“Mmm, Shumai, you gotta tilt the phone forward a little.”

“Hah-haha! Pooichi can’t even do it right!”

“One, two, three, go! He’s the monkey in Lion King!” 

Shuichi thinks for a moment. “Um… Raf-Rafiki?”

“Yup! Girl Mickey rat!”

“Wh- Minnie Mouse?”

Kokichi nods, “Nee-heehee! It’s Miu!”

“Nnnnnnnn,” Miu squirms in her seat.

“Miu? Kokichi, what?”

“Y’know, Miu. In that famous spaghetti scene from that movie with the dogs.”

Shuichi hesitates, “...Tramp?”

“Right-o! Didn’t know you had it in you Shuichi! Skip!”

“O-okay,” Shuichi stutters. 

“Hmmm, Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na!” he sings.

“Kokichi…”

“C’mon Shuichi! You can do it. If she doesn’t scare you, then nobody will!” he continues impishly.

“Cruella De Vil...”

“Good job Shumai! Oh! Oh! They’re emo like Shuichi!” 

“Kokichi… I already told you I’m not like Eeyore…”

“Nee-heehee, you still got it. His mom was shot!”

“...is this really in a Disney Movie?”

“Yup! Would I lie to you, Shuichi?”

“Yes.”

“He’s a deer!”

“Right, I think I’m gonna skip.”

“Shuiichiii,” Kokichi whines, “you could’ve gotten that one. But skip this one. Hmm, oh, evil lion!”

“Scar!” The detective declares.

“Okay! Last one! Glass shoe!”

“Cinderella.”

“Yeah! Times up! We got seven! I bet no one else can beat that.” He taunts.

“Oh yeah?” Miu challenges, taking the phone and putting it on her head. 

 The countdown begins. Keebo frowns. “Um, I don’t know that one. Skip. That one either… Who is Scrooge McDuck?”

“You’re not supposed to say it!” Kaito exclaims.

“But who is it?” Himiko asks. All of them, except for a very focused Miu and Keebo, shrug.

“She’s a small fairy!” 

“Scrooge McDuck is a small fairy?” 

“No, Keebo is describing the character on Miu’s head.”

“Tinker Bell!” Miu slams her free hand down on her lap. “Hah! I’m a fuckin’ genius!”

“Correct! He is a dog.”

“I’m gonna need more than that babe.”

“My apologies! He is friends with a cat, if I remember correctly.”

“C’monn Keebo, hurry up.” Miu urges.

“He has a birthmark shaped like lightning!”

“Harry Potter?”

“Harry Potter is not a dog, nor is he Disney!”

Wh-what? I got it wrong?” Miu seems shocked as she meekly looks away.

Keebo keeps playing, already accustomed to Miu’s random bouts of timidness. “Skip! She is the significant other of Simba. She… when we watched the movie you said she has bedroom eyes...”

“Hah-hahah! Nala. All you had to say for that one was bedroom eyes. That was all I needed.”

“He was raised by animals!”

“Oooh! Gonta! Hah! I totally nailed it!” 

“Gonta is not a Disney character.” Keebo asserts.

“He’s not?!” Kokichi gasps like he’s been lied to his whole life.

“He swings on vines!” Keebo stands to his feet and pounds his fists against his chest. “Aaaaaaa-auaa-aaaaaaah!”

Kokichi boos, “Kee-boooooo! Your time ran out.”

“Wait, Gonta isn’t Tarzan?” Himiko tilts her head skeptically.

Miu takes the phone down and looks over the results, the others peering over.

Kokichi laughs, “You idiots! You only got two!”

“Shut up cuck!”

“Ahahahaaha!”

 “It’s our turn!” Tenko declares. She hands the phone to Himiko and eagerly waits until the mage holds it against her forehead. The round begins. 

“In the morning, Himiko is usually…”

“Sleepy,” she answers correctly.

“Skip! A degenerate male that steals bread!”

“Aladdin!”

“She’s an innocent princess that’s defiled in her sleep!”

“Aurora.”

“Another degenerate, this one tries to trick a girl into leaving her parents forever!”

“Nyeh… Peter Pan.”

“Aha! His name describes him perfectly!”

“Beast.”

“She has long, golden hair!”

“Rapunzel.”

“Skip this one! And this one! She saves China!”

“Mulan.”

“The least menacing of all males!”

“The… hunchback, maybe.”

“His full name!”

“Quasimodo!”

“She’s a beautiful native princess that’s manipulated into betraying her people.”

“Pocahontas.”

“She’s a sea witch that tricks a naive mermaid!”

“Ursula.”

“A degenerate talking dog!”

“...Bolt?” 

“No, another one!”

“Nyeh?” Himiko tilts her head.

“He’s friends with vermin!”

“It’s goofy!”

“Yes! Skip, ahhh, Himiko, we’re out of time.”

“Nyeh, we couldn’t have lost with my spell casting helping us.” They all glance at the screen, showing eleven correct.

“How did you do that?!” Keebo is astounded. He can’t seem to wrap his head around the fact that he and Miu were only able to answer two correctly.

Himiko’s smile brightens. “With my magic…” 

 --

 After making their way through the security check...

  (Kaito was plucked out of the group to pass through the body scan machine, and complained, “Oh come on! I’m the suspicious one?!”

“Of course!” Tenko remarked.

Shuichi took note that Maki was able to successfully smuggle in her weapons. It was a little disconcerting, but the thought of a possible forthcoming lifetime ban from Disney World was a little more disconcerting.)

(Kokichi also begged the seven of them to rent a stroller to push him around in, but sadly, they did not.)

 ...They make their way through the crowd toward Tomorrowland. 

 Shuichi had set up fast passes for them in advance, so they would get to do more things with less waiting. Their first one was for Space Mountain, at Kaito’s request. Himiko and Tenko had mentioned that they are not a fan of big roller coasters, so they opted for a fast pass for Peter Pan’s Flight. It isn’t until later though, so they go on line for the race-track ride as the remaining six of them hurry towards the roller coaster. 

Kaito’s expressions display his complete captivation with the theme of the ride, and Shuichi can just tell from that, that this is definitely Kaito’s favorite ride. Keebo is appreciating the decoration too. Kokichi is bouncing with excess energy at just riding rides in general, and all the positivity must be rubbing off on Maki; she’s smiling slightly. Miu’s pretty pumped up and isn’t making any profane jokes for the moment. Shuichi is smiling, but at them all; he’s glad to be there with them all. 

The Neo-Aikido Master and the self-proclaimed mage meet up with them soon after to go on another ride in Tomorrowland; Maki’s score on the Buzz Lightyear laser shooting ride surpasses the rest of theirs by far, but Kokichi still manages to get in second place, winning against Tenko by a few points. 

“Our next fast pass is for Pirates of the Carribean.” Shuichi reads off of his phone. 

“Nyeh? Where is that?” Himiko asks, peering over his shoulder.

“Nee-heehee! I say we go this way until we find it!” Kokichi spins around and stops, pointing his finger in a random direction.

“Kokichi! You’re just going to get us lost again. We should stick to the map!”

“Boooring, Keeboy. Are robots only capable of coming up with predictable ideas?”

“I am not a robot!”

Shuichi looks at the map in Keebo’s hands. “It… says it’s this way.” Shuichi points.

“Good job Shumai! Your navigational skills are almost as good as Rantaro’s!” Kokichi praises gleefully.

“Kokichi! You’re doing the same thing I suggested!”

“Hmmm, nope. Shuichi using the map is waaaay different,” Kokichi lies. 

“It’s not different at all!” Kaito disagrees, and Kokichi just laughs.

 --

 “This ride is about me!” Kokichi claims from his seat beside Shuichi.

“No one cares,” Himiko drawls, leaning against Tenko, half watching the animatronic pirates sing.

“How is this ride about you?!” Keebo challenges.

“Don’t you know Keebo, I live a secret life as a famous pirate! I am the phantom pirate, king of the seas!”

“That’s a lie!” he accuses from the row of seats behind. 

“Yup, now be quiet Keeboy! You’re disrupting the other people on the ride!”

“Kokichi, you’re the one who-!”

Kokichi shushes him, grinning. He subtly scoots closer to Shuichi, but Shuichi still notices it and tries to stop himself from blushing. 

Shuichi isn’t stupid. He knows it is fairly likely that Kokichi’s interested in him romantically. His blatant proclamations along with some observed involuntary mannerisms have clued him into that much.

However, Shuichi is a detective, which means he can only make deductions; he knows it’s likely that Kokichi likes him, but he’s not sure. He has known Kokichi for years, and if there’s one thing he’s sure of, it’s that Kokichi Oma is a liar. He can’t risk reciprocating these feelings that Kokichi has been projecting, because he knows that it might be a lie, and if it is a lie, then things would get awkward, and awful, and Shuichi is happy just being next to Kokichi. If being close to Kokichi means that he has to shove down his feelings, then so be it. 

 --

 “Fuck it’s hot outside,” Miu states the obvious, fanning herself with her shirt. 

Himiko and Tenko approach. “I knew my tracking spell would help us find you guys.” 

“Hey,” Kaito greets them, “we’re about to go on the Haunted Mansion.”

“Ooooo, sounds exciting!” Tenko chirps while Himiko nods with a smile.

 --

 As they get wait to get inside the elevator of the Haunted Mansion ride, Kokichi speaks up, “Hey Kaito, guess what?”

“What?”

“A whole buuuunch of riders actually died on this very ride ten years ago! People say their ghosts haunt the ride and mess with the seats! Workers even claim that some of the decorations aren’t just fake projections, but real ghosts!”

“Wh-wh-what?!” Kaito screeches, clinging to Maki, who returns Kokichi’s claim with a glare.

Miu guffaws, “hah! That’s bullshit.” 

“Kokichi, everyone knows you’re lying!” Keebo points at him.

Kaito crosses his arms and avoids eye contact. “...yeah, you’re obviously lying.”

Kokichi grins, “are you sure?”

(Maki starts glaring even more than usual at Kokichi after she finally gets Kaito to stop screaming about the “definitely real” ghosts)

 --

 They’re strolling through Fantasyland after eating something for lunch.

“Hey,” Kaito walks back from where he was walking ahead with Maki, “we’re about to go on, uh… the teacups.” He points towards the Wonderland-themed ride.

“It’s a mad tea party!” Kokichi grins.

“Me and Keebo are gonna go on Splash Mountain instead.”

“Isn’t the wait for that, two hours?” Shuichi inquires.

“Yeah? So? ...I just wanna get soaked.”

There’s a relative groan of annoyance at the innuendo.

“We’ll meet you guys at Cosmic Ray’s after,” she informs them, remembering the name from Kaito when he was talking about where he could get a burger.

 --

 “Wheeee! Shuichi, isn’t this fun?”

“Kokichi, could you please slow down?” Shuichi doesn’t mind going fast, but this is… very fast. He’d like to go a little bit slower, at least.

“Hmmm, fine, but only for you, my beloved.” Kokichi smiles wide.

Shuichi’s cheeks turn pink.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Kaito groans from beside them. Tenko wanted all the girls to go in one teacup, and since the teacups are two to three per cup, it worked out pretty well… for them.

As soon as they get out from under the hood of the teacup ride, rain starts pouring down.

“Shit,” Kaito mutters.

“Of course you degenerate males wouldn’t come prepared! Luckily, me and Himiko came prepared!” She reaches into the magician’s small backpack and pulls out some rain ponchos. 

“Tada!” Himiko proclaims, “eight magic ponchos for all of us.” She hands them out to the group.

“Too bad Miu and Keebo aren’t here to use them.”

“Nee-heehee! Guess they’re getting soaked after all!”

 --

 Eventually, after some more walking and shopping around, they find solace from the rain at the restaurant Kaito insisted they all go to for dinner. Shuichi remembers him mumbling something about the “full Tomorrowland experience” or whatever that means. It works out alright though, since Kaito gets his burger, and the rest of them get to sit down. It’s still pretty early for dinner, but they plan to make it back to the hotel to rest so they can be back and more awake for the fireworks. 

They’ve all got a booth to themselves, which is good because that means no one besides the five of them has to witness Kaito inhaling his burger unless they look his way. It also means no one can hear Tenko when she scolds him for his lack of manners. 

“Shuichi! Feed me a fry!”

Shuichi blushes but picks up a fry and lowers it towards Kokichi’s head as it rests in his lap. “Please don’t choke Kokichi.”

“I’m the supreme leader of an evil organization! You think eating while laying down could kill me? No way!” He insists, inching up towards the fried potato.

“If you’re sure…” Shuichi trails off as Kokichi eats the french fry.

He prattles on after chewing, “I’m the king and Shuichi is my servant! Nee-heehee-ouch!”

Kaito snorts, food in his mouth as he asks, “did you just bump your head on the table?”

Kokichi sits up from Shuichi’s lap, rubbing his forehead. “Of course not, I just bypassed an assassination attempt. Because of my invisible helmet, Harumaki’s blow to my head only gave me a teensy headache,” he lies, adding hand gestures to emphasize.

“That’s a lie,” Maki calls him out this time, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “If I were to attempt to take your life, you wouldn’t survive,” she assures him.

“Awwww, does that mean Harumaki doesn’t actually hate me after all?” Kokichi tilts his head, his voice teasing.

“Don’t push it.” Her expression is deadpan. 

“Do you want me to feed you a fry, Himiko?” Tenko tilts her head, holding up the offered fry.

“Nyeh… I’m okay.” Himiko bites into her burger. 

“Okay!” Tenko smiles. “So how was everyone else’s time while we were gone? Hopefully not getting into too much trouble.” 

“Nee-heehee, what else can you expect from an evil leader like me?” His grin broadens. “Keebo screamed like a little kid on the rollercoaster! Too bad you missed it!” Kokichi teases.

“What time is it?” Kaito asks, looking towards Maki as she sips her water. 

She reaches into her backpack and checks her phone. “It’s five-ten.”

“Hey fuckers,” Miu greets as she walks up to their table with her tray alongside a very wet and sulking Keebo.

“Miu! You’re shirt’s see-through!” Kaito yells reproachfully.

“Heeeeee!” Miu covers herself. “Well don’t look perv…” she mumbles as she sits down meekly.

“I didn’t know Keeboy was water-proof!” Kokichi changes the subject with faux surprise.

“Kokichi, we have been in the pool at the same time!”

 --

 They get back into the park around eight-thirty, a little more awake than before. 

“Shouldn’t we just go back to the hotel? It’s still raining…” 

“Not before the fireworks Keeboy! I wanna see things explode!” Kokichi exclaims.

Keebo and Miu have rain ponchos on now too, not that it’s making much of a difference since they ran from the buses without them.

They all try to navigate through the crowd in front of the castle to find the best place to see the fireworks from as possible. It’s not very full, since it’s still raining, but a decent crowd has decided to stick around. 

The rain turns to drizzles as the show begins.

Shuichi looks at Kokichi’s face light up in amazement while watching the firework show and feels warm inside.

 --

 They go on a few other rides they weren’t able to get to earlier. (One of them is called Astro Orbiter and they ride it mainly for Kaito.) 

They’re sort of just roaming around when Miu halts the group in their steps. “I gotta go on jungle cruise. I sorta told Gonta I’d get some pictures of the animals... C’mon Keebo.”

“Okay!” Keebo nods.

For some reason, this prompts Maki and Kaito to converse amongst themselves before approaching Shuichi. “We’re gonna head back. Y’know what they say: early to bed and early to rise.” Kaito pats Shuichi on the back and gives him a wink… for… some reason.

“Ah, okay.”

“Have fun, we’ll see you later…” Maki smiles as they head towards the exit, four remaining.

“Are you tired yet Kokichi?” Shuichi asks.

“Who needs sleep when you can stay up late and wake up early in the morning?”

“...”

“But, I was more tired earlier. Taking a nap with Shuichi made me much more awake! I’m ready to ride more rides!”

Shuichi smiles at that. He doesn’t want the leader to push himself too hard. He’s experienced Kokichi completely shutting down because of a lack of sleep. Shuichi has struggled with insomnia too, but Kokichi isn’t able to sleep in like he can. The other normally wakes up early regardless of when he goes to sleep.

“Let me know if you get tired Shumai! I wouldn’t want my beloved to lie just for my sake. I hate liars, you know.”

Shuichi nods, “I’m alright for now. I think we can stay a little bit longer.”

Himiko then speaks up, “Hey. We’re going to watch Mickey’s Magic Show. Do you wanna come with us?”

“Sounds like fun!” Kokichi grips his hand, racing ahead of the other two. Tenko seems to take that as a personal challenge, so she lifts Himiko for a piggy-back ride and chases them.

 --

 Himiko pulls a blanket out of her backpack once they get into the waiting room for the show; none of them are sure why or when she brought it but the air-conditioned room is pretty cold and the air outside is beginning to cool down because of the season. At least it stopped raining.

“It’s a cape, because I’m a mage,” she says, but the fleecy crescent moons and clouds on it say differently.

 --

 Shuichi and Kokichi had already decided they would ride Thunder Mountain next. Well, Kokichi decided, and Shuichi quickly agreed.

Tenko knows Himiko won’t want to ride anything that high up, so she suggests a less intense alternative. “We never got to ride Mine Train Himiko! Do you want to go before the park closes?” Tenko remembers that Himiko wanted to at least try riding Seven Dwarves’ Mine Train.

“Nyeh… but isn’t the wait still really long?”

“It might be, but we can check!”

“Okay. After Mine Train let’s leave right away. My feet hurt, and my MP is too low to cast a health recovery spell.”

Himiko and Tenko set out towards the ride.

And then there were two.

 --

 The line for Thunder Mountain Railroad isn’t unreasonably long, but it’s definitely not quiet either. 

Kokichi has his arms up the whole time, and even though Shuichi is gripping the safety bar for dear life during the sudden turns, his eyes are wide open, and there’s a rush of adrenaline going through him. It’s not an intense roller coaster by any means, but the wind on their faces and the loud crackle of the tracks makes it exciting. After, Kokichi pulls him by the hand towards Adventureland and Shuichi smiles the whole way there.

 --

 In the last few minutes before the park closes they make it back to Pirates of the Carribean again, for the last ride of the night. Now that it’s just the two of them, it feels somehow different from when they were in a group. 

“Shuichi, we need to talk.” The boat has begun to move along its track in the water, the false night sky of the ride seeming so realistic overhead.

Shuichi’s eyes widen. “Ah, what would you like to talk about?”

“Do you like me?”

Eyebrows raise, “of-of course.”

Kokichi rolls his eyes, “C’mon Shuichi. I know you’re not that dense.” He pauses. “What I mean is, how do you feel about me, as more than a friend?”

“O-oh,” Shuichi stammers, feeling his face preheating like an oven.

Kokichi leans forward expectantly. “So?”

“Um… I like you, Kokichi.” 

An involuntary smile appears on the leader’s face. “Good, me too.”

Shuichi smiles back.

“So let’s make it official.” Kokichi says, looking ahead instead of into Shuichi’s eyes as he laces their fingers together.

“I’d like that.” Shuichi smiles lovingly as he leans over to press his lips to Kokichi’s cheek.

Even though it’s a little dark in the ride, Shuichi can still see Kokichi’s blush. It’s really cute, he notices, but then Kokichi’s facing him again, and he sees a searching look in those purple eyes that’s even more cute. Shuichi nods, and Kokichi takes the opportunity to grab onto Shuichi’s shirt and pull him closer until their lips meet.

It’s nothing crazy, just a soft press of lips against one another with that yo-ho pirate song echoing in the background, but it makes the two of them feel really warm and giddy. The seriousness of the moment is stopped quickly, since Kokichi can’t help himself from grinning. It sort of stops the kiss, but he can’t help it; he’s suddenly so full of energy, and he just can’t stop smiling. Shuichi opens his eyes and seeing Kokichi makes him smile too. It’s like their cheeks are stuck like that, but neither of them really mind.

As they’re getting off of the ride, Shuichi speaks up, a million little thoughts going through his head, “maybe we shouldn’t say anything to the others yet.”

“Why not? Are you ashamed of me?” Crocodile tears well up in his eyes.

Shuichi shakes his head. “No, I just think that Tenko would be less willing to share a room with us if she knew we are together.”

“Nee-heehee, so devious Shuichi. I think I’m rubbing off on you.”

“Maybe…”

 --

  (They don’t make it back to the hotel until midnight because of the long bus wait. Himiko texted them to warn them, but by the time they get there the line is already long and they have to wait for two buses to depart before finally getting on the third one. But, as they sit down in the seats and Kokichi falls asleep leaning against Shuichi’s shoulder, he finds that he doesn’t mind too much.)

I also posted this on my Ao3 Account

[weeping-petals]

A New Game - Part 1

Word Count - 3,403

The Temple in the Chalcedony Forest has become active, and the Crystal Gems take Steven along to check what affects the ancient relic has undergone. In the forest, someone waits, and she does not want visitors.

The sales guy was told there was another home on the far point of Beach City. It was way out of the way, but his pitch hadn’t landed on most of the residents who answered their doors, and it was mentioned casually that the owner usually indulged hard working door-to-doors.

 The home was actually really nice, and he could see why the owner would indulge a pitch. It was built in the front of - or into - an enormous statue reminiscent of some sea goddess or whatever. Not a fancy place by no means, but the property tax alone must’ve been astronomical.

 He scaled the long series of steps to the front of the home and knocked on the screen door. While he waited, he straightened his tie and fixed the lapels of his suit. Most the home was visible behind the screen, it went far back, into what resembled a cave. A genuine naturalist, interested in preserving the native rock. Footsteps rocketed from above, from what he could presume was an upstairs loft. There sat some windows up there, for what must’ve been a splendid view.

 A small and what he would describe politely as a pudgy child hit the door. Hit the door before he grabbed at the latch and pulled it open. “Hi!”  

 “Hello,” began Fran – short for Frankenstilk. “Can I inquire if either of your parents are home?”

 “Either?” responded the child. “Can I ask, which would you want?”

 “Which? Hmm. Your mother or father, or grandparent. Any suitable guardian.” Fran hefted his briefcase. “I have a revolutionary product that will change how you do dishes.”

 “Well,” the boy looked like he was giving this serious consideration. “That pitch might fall best on Pearl. Is it a cleaning product?”

 Hopeful, Fran brightened. “It’s actually a machine. A new dishwasher, saves water and energy.” At that mention, the boys eyes lit up. “And time, might I add.”

 “That sounds cool! But, we don’t have a dishwasher. We do it all by hand.” He looked down and prodded the threshold with his toe. “I’m the only one in the house that eats, so I don’t know if Pearl will come to the door. Between you and me, she really doesn’t like talking to people.”

 This was getting weird, and going nowhere. “Could you try and get her for me? Maybe she’ll talk to me. It is a wonderful product, and we have several sizes to fit your family’s needs.”

 At the far end of the room, what appeared as a kind of flat platform with crystals embedded on the base, lit up. Like a concerts lighting effects or stage, it beamed with radiance that flooded the interior of the home. Fran gawked, and the boy spun around, going tense. Something appeared in the center, but in a blink it was gone and once more the interior catered to the typical light from lamps.

 “OHH!” squealed the boy. “Did you see that?”

 “Uhh….”

 “I knew I saw it! I knew it! The ghost! You saw it too, right?” he grabbed Fran by the pant leg and shook him. “I didn’t have my camera! Can you wait here? I gotta get someone! Pearl! She’ll want to talk!”

 “Uhhh…..” Fran wanted to leave. Now.

 The strange formal man with the briefcase was gone by the time Steven had located one of the Crystal Gems, not Pearl. Garnet figured Steven would be looking for her, but there were any number of scenarios that could have led to him needing her. The one where he saw a ghost was not one, and that concerned her.

 “This is the third time I’ve seen it.” Steven had a book loaded with spectral apparitions, stories of unsolved conundrums, and mystical time portals. All rubbish in Pearl’s eyes, but it fascinated Steven.

 To Garnet, none of that made sense. Over the centuries, she and the other Gems dealt with corrupted monsters left over from the war, unaccounted shards that needed a good sturdy bubble, and passive gems corrupted, but rooted to their locations and passive, but needed to be looked after. Corrupted Gems and shards could not use the portals, yet, that was where Steven insisted, he saw this apparition.

 “Did you get a good look at her, this time?” she posed. She sat on the couch, watching Steven pace back and forth – a habit he picked up from Pearl.

 “No. It happened too fast.”

 Garnet hummed, contemplating this information. She skimmed through the twisting timelines, searching for insight into these visions Steven was having. None came to her, immediately. “Are you sure Amethyst isn’t playing a trick on you?”

 “No. I don’t know.” Steven let the disappointment leak into his voice. “Usually, she surprises me and gloats about how I’m so easy.”

 Yeah. This didn’t sound like Amethyst’s doing.

 Over the next few weeks, Steven poured into the spooky and mystery books from the local bookshop. The mail carrier was hauling one or two large volumes a day. Pearl was at her wits end.

 “Steven. These volumes are not accurate education materials. There’s no such things as… spirits,” she huffed.

 Thankfully, Amethyst was at the bar folding a burger into a pizza. “Psh, yeah. Except the creepy gem bits we keep in the basement.”

 Steven looked up from the book he was perusing through. “Gem… bits?”

 “Amethyst!”

 A loud argument irrupted from that. For the most part, Steven was confused, and Amethyst teetered on the edge of divulging something, which Pearl was having none of. It only came to an end when Garnet entered from the portal doorway, her presence and stoic expression demanded silence.

 This didn’t happen immediately. Garnet had to clear her throat to break the others out of bickering. “We need to make a trip to the Chalcedony Forest. The temple in the heart of that region has become active, and one of the warp pads there is now silent.”

 Pearl and Amethyst remained pensive. Steven was the first to speak up.

 “What does that mean?”

 “My plans for the day are canceled,” Amethyst quipped.

 “You didn’t have any plans,” Pearl rebuked.

 “Aside from eating my purrurger. It’s a pizza, burger, and a burrito. All rolled up in one.” Amethyst began gnawing on the culinary behemoth, while Pearl made the gag face. The one she made, whenever Amethyst shoved a none traditional, edible food item into her face.

 “Steven. Would you like to come with us?” Garnet bypassed the bar, to look on the child with his book.

 “You mean it?” he beamed. The face faded, he looked at his book. “Even after the Moon Temple?”

 “Lunar Sea Spire,” Pearl corrected.

 “One minor error.” Garnet ruffled his curly hair. “We all make them, one time or another. What matters, is that you want to continue and learn. And avoid repeating the same mistakes. No artifacts this time. Our mission will be simple recon. Maybe your short stature will help us locate anything we miss.”

 “I’m short!” Amethyst burped.

 “But Steven does it better,” Garnet responded. “We need to leave soon. Go get packed.”

 Steven bolted from his chair and rushed to the loft. He grabbed the hamburger backpack off his shelf and dumped all the supplies from it, then restocked it, accounting for new gear he needed for the so named forest.

 “Do I need bug spray!”

 “No.”

 “Suntan lotion?”

 “Dude! We’re going to be in a forest!”

 “What about a canoe?”

 “Steven!” All three said in unison.

 Steven stuffed in one snack, and felt ready for the trip. He raced downstairs, and joined the other gems at the front door. “So, what’s the Chardony Forest like?”

 “Chalcedony Forest,” Pearl corrected. Amethyst facepalmed. “It was a land in the midst of gem petrifi—”

 In a beam of light, the gems vanished from the surface of the warp pad and shot through the light stream. Within a matter of minutes, a flash burst halfway across the globe on a sister pad.

 Deep in the forest terrain.

 “—Since then, ah, we’re here,” Pearl announced, when the light faded and the chaotic land rose up around them. The trees clustered close to the area of the pad, and it was askew in the soil. Steven wobbled where he stood on the slick surface. “Since then, the forest has adapted to the partial terraforming.”

 “Wow.” Steven bounced off the pad and weaved among the shrubs. The trees were the largest he’d ever seen, some had trunks larger than his own home. He shielded his eyes from the falling sun, the light cascaded down was intense. Though, some of the looming timbers shimmered and reflected light, the surface polished like glass. Smaller and less impressive foliage remained traditional bark and fiber. “Oh, so they’re like glass.”

 “The Chalcedony Forest,” Garnet restated. “Many of these plants adopted gem like qualities. Some are primarily mineral.”

 “Chalcedony is a kind of gem?” Steven questioned. He leaned down, inspecting the jagged crystals shooting from the sprouts of a shrub.

 “Yes.” Garnet stepped by, patting his head. “Let’s get moving. We won’t have much daylight, especially with the trees. Amethyst.”

 Amethyst was prodding a root. “What? I��m just looking.”

 “It’ll be important to stay close. The thicket is dense, and it will be easy to become separated, and difficult to call out for each other.” This was Garnet code for, keep a close eye on Steven because he might get distracted by something and wander.

 “So Pearl!” Steven bounded up beside his favorite tall and booky gem. “What else can you tell me about this place? How are the trees both glass and growing?”

 Pearl smiled, “Well, the technology was very sophisticated at the time, and this region was intended to be utilized for aristocratic gatherings. See the view?” She cast an arm out, gesturing the expanding valley stretching from the slope of the mountain. Steven hurried ahead, eyes beaming. The forest went on

 FOREVER

 Unbeknownst to the gems, in the low canopy above them, a dark shape plopped onto a branch and stood, bent, surveying the three. It was loosened, looming, gleaming eyes narrowed. In a flash, the figure was out of sight. Aside from leaves spiraling down from where the figure darted, no evidence was apparent to warn the others.

 A half hour later, the gems were hiking uphill. A path wove among the branches and breaching roots, but the terrain was not clear of rocks or shattered tree mineral.

 “Hey,” Steven wheezed. “How far is the temple?”

 “Mmm,” Garnet thought. “Another three hours.”

 “What!”

 “That was the closest warp pad?” Amethyst grouched. Though not tired, walking was boring. And they weren’t here to fight any creatures or living islands.

 “There was one nearer to the temple, yes,” Garnet answered. “Though seismic events might have….” There she stalled, and raised her head to the canopy above. “Watch out!” She knocked Amethyst backwards, then bolted forward snagging Steven and Pearl. She crouched beside the base of crystal spikes, shielding them from a rapid succession of bursting sparks that erupted on the trail.

 Amethyst rolled backwards, narrowly evading miniscule shards. A few hits struck home, inflicted damage to her arm. “Hey! What gives!”

 Laughter spilled down from the branches. From the dense leafy assortment, a lanky thread slunk down. It alit on a branch, recalling its body into a concise shape.

 “Well-well-well, what have we here!” the speaker hissed. “Look who’s come to invade my territory.” The lithe shape dropped, swinging from its legs, directing an oversized finger at each below under scrutiny. She sang in a mocking tune, “If it isn’t Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Oh dear, Pearl, long time no see. Eh?” She slung around, and flipped back up onto the branch. “What happened? Run out of Corrupt Gems to Terrorize!”

 Pearl eased out of Garnet’s arms, squinting at the silhouette. “Who is…? No. It can’t be.”

 “But it can. And it is! Oh, and now you’re here, for me. Come to finish what you started! IS THAT IT!” She bounded down tree limbs, marching with her fists swinging. “You’ll all have another thing comin’, mark my words.”

 Steven shuddered. Garnet held tight in her arms, while all focus was directed up at the strange… person. He’d never seen her this tense before, not since the arcade. “Garnet,” he murmured. “Who is that? Do you know… her?”

 Garnet didn’t respond. She set him down and moved to place herself between him and the figure up high, descending beat by beat. This movement didn’t go overlooked.

 “Ah! Who’s that you got there? Another reject, from the furnace!” The person sprang up and down on the branch, stamping her feet. “If you think—”

 “Amethyst,” Garnet hissed. She didn’t need to look, to know she caught the other’s attention. “Return to the warp pad.”

 “Who! Is! That!” The figure demanded, cocking those gleaming eyes.

 Pearl already had a spear summoned, and was moving around the side of the tree. In part striving to conceal intents, partially tempting attention – feigning a poorly construed sneak attack. Meanwhile, Amethyst crept among the brush from the other side, to where Garnet with Steven stood poised.

 “Come on, Steven.” Amethyst nabbed his hand and tugged him away. Her quick response on the command and lack of resistance made Steven uneasy. Amethyst was prone to argue if there was a chance for a fight, but here and now, she hefted him above her head and hurried into the retreat.

 “Wait,” Steven countered. “Who?— What’s—?”

 “Steven!” The silhouette barked, bristling. “Steev-En.” The body of the odd figure went limp noodle. “Oh. Ooh. Perfect.” Her gleaming eyes slanted. “Steven. All grown up. Look atchoo. Aren’t you cuute. I have a surprise. How ‘bout a new game. The rules are simple. Winner takes all. Won’t you stay? Can’t you play? Think of all the fun we’ll have!”

 “Spinel!” Garnet boomed.

 Pearl was scaling the tree, vaulting up the branches, fast as she could manage. She reached height with Spinel and thrust her spear, intending to shoot a bolt or energy. But Spinel already lept backwards, extending an arm. She caught Pearl by the foot and knocked her out of the elegant ascent.

 “Just like old times,” Spinel cackled. Her limbs uncoiled, she snatched ahold of branches near the forest floor and hauled her body downward like a missile. “Have fun while I wasn’t around? Learn new tricks? Make new games?”

 Amethyst hurtled around trees, while Steven flailed his arms. “Who is that? What is—” He crashed to his backside when Amethyst came to an abrupt halt, dropping him and scooting backwards. On the ground the lanky gem was coiled and flattened, a wild grin plastered on the face. An arm snaked out and snared Amethyst by the ankle, in one fling Amethyst went skyward. Steven shuffled backwards.

 Spinel sprang off the floor, limbs jagged and bent. “Found you!”

 “Don’t you dare harm him!” Garnet snarled. She launched over Steven’s head, gauntlet extended. The blow narrowly connected with Spinel’s shoulder, but rather knock the enemy gem off balance, legs coiled about Garnet’s shoulders and wrist, looping tightly.

 Spinel twisted into the flip, hauling the bulkier gem along. Arms unraveled catching at the trunks around them, and she began spinning in an unrestrained vortex, abandoning control. A bright glimmer emitted from the core of the cyclone, and when Spinel released Garnet, the fusion collided with a crystal tree. The Chalcedony burst, collapsing into glittery bits and forming a glittery cavity.

 Perched in the low branches, Pearl saw an opening. Spinel skidded across the soil, whipping around to face an oncoming lilac buzzsaw. Soundlessly, Pearl vaulted down, extending her spear. Unfortunately, she forgot the critical rule of fighting Spinel.

 Spinel was already relocating, a constant motion, never ceasing step aside from a millisecond beat. She spied Pearl in descent, and once Amethyst was a hairpin close, grabbed the whirring ball by the sides and launched her upward. Amethyst collided with Pearl, and the two plummeted.

 Steven backed away when the gem spun his way; a wide grin met him, the arms loose and curved. She made no move on him, didn’t acknowledge him aside from the sinister gleam. The barest suggestion of an encounter sent a shiver up his spine, and he continued to retreat, until his back hit the bent root of a tree. He didn’t know what to do, how to help. This was unlike any scenario they practiced for. This was clearly not a creature, he didn’t think she looked like one. This was a gem. A real gem person.

 Why were they fighting?

 Pearl and Amethyst were struggling to recover from the impact. That was when Spinel sprang into their midst, spinning and kicking one or the other. “How I MISSED YOU!” Pearl rose to jam out a spear, but Spinel smashed it to the ground underfoot. Amethyst cracked her whip, and Spinel countered by coiling an arm into the lash and hauled Amethyst downward. “How lonely I WAS! Can you IMAGINE?” She grabbed Amethyst, swept around and flung her against Pearl’s body. “Remember all the fun we used to have? Do ya! Well I DO!”

 Spinel’s gem gleamed, and she slapped a small block to the back of Amethyst’s shoulder. Pearl sprang in, not recovered from the last blow. She tried to spear Spinel with a wild shot, but missed when the other gem bowed aside. Not only swung, but scooted up right behind Pearl. Spinel pried at her shimmering heart, and shoved a third and final device to the back of Pearl’s head. The force of the delivery sent Pearl into a flip.

 “You LEFT ME! Thought you could forget all about me, HAUGH!” Spinel spat, as she backed away. Directly behind her, Garnet launched in, gauntlets out stretched and energy crackling across her knuckles. Spinel performed a tight twirl on one leg, bending backwards, the other leg slung up and tripped Garnet. While the larger gem somersaulted, Spinel snatched the shades from her face.

 And fitted them over her own eyes. “Thought you’d just… abandon me, didja?” Her gem gleamed, this time, she brought forth a device about the size of her hand. “Not a one of you thought to come find me! Thought you’d be through with me! Dust your hands of that lil trifle? Well, GUESS AGAIN!”

 The three gems saw the device, but it was Amethyst who spied the something… on the back of Pearl’s head. She blurted, “She’s got a—”

 Garnet landed and recovered, right beside Spinel. But she didn’t contend with the gem, instead, she propelled herself forward. There was no time. Spinel hit the switch, and sneered at the other two.

 Each tech on each gem, Garnet included, blazed a bright light. The forest around them was engulfed completely by the intrusive radiance, even sound burned away. Too near the radius, Steven covered his head and body, perplexed and terrified by everything spiraling out of control. It very well could have been their end. He would never see another Cookie Cat. His dad would never know what happened. Their adventures were over.

 “Steven,” Garnet howled. Voice nearly enveloped completely by the grating yowl of the light. She wrapped her arms around the boy, intending to shield him, and defend him from whatever may come.

 Right beside her, Spinel laughed. “Nice try. No dice.” Garnet nearly missed the comment. She curled around Steven tighter, reminiscent of another time long-long ago, when she had protected a friend.

 Eventually, the light faded by layers of haze, and even then, the gems could not see clearly. The surroundings were apparent, but they remained in a glaring fog.

 “What was that?” Amethyst grumbled. She walked into another tree. She tried crawling, but wound up waddling right into a crystal rock.

 “A flash,” Pearl supplied. She leaned on her spear struggling with the affects, shaking her head – where her gem was situated. “It impedes our gems ability to perceive surroundings.”

 “Just say we can’t see. That makes more sense,” Amethyst spat. “Man! I thought she was gone, like, forever ago. Garnet? Is Stev okay?” Worryingly, Garnet was silent. “Hey! Was he affected? How’s he doing?”

 Garnet was the first able to recover. She managed to summon a pair of shades, though still suffered some intent of the radiance. Which meant, Spinel was affected as well, to some degree. Which on its own was troubling. What bothered Garnet more, was that she was holding only the hamburger backpack, and it was empty. They lost Steven.

[kingfallshistoricallibrary-blog]

Episode Sixteen: Santa Clause Ain’t Comin’ to Town

[podcast music]

[King Falls AM music]

B: You’re off the charts excited, Sammy. Are you sure this isn’t about Christmas vacation?

S: Not at all, I've just finally got something big to bring to the table spooky stuff wise, and I cannot wait-

B: You are glowing, man, I can’t wait to hear this.

S: Good evening, ladies and gents, and welcome to King Falls AM, that’s 660 on the AM dial. And this is our last show of the year, our last show before our big Christmas break, as Ben mentioned.

B: Lets not say big, it’s just a break, but we’ll be right back here literally on New Years Day. Thanks, Merv. But we’ve got a hell of a show for you.

S: Okay, can I just get a few minutes off the top to talk about today’s discovery?

B: I was literally just saying the floor is yours, Sammy.

S: Okay, alright, so you know sometimes I'm a little bit, uh, skeptical, when it comes to-

B: Literally everything, you are skeptical of every phenomenon that has crossed our paths.

S: I wouldn’t say every.

B: Oh, I would. Do you wanna recap? There was the alien abduction, the-

S: *laughing* No, no, no, I think you know your stuff, so, you should know that I'm very excited to bring my own bit of King Falls lore to the table tonight.

B: Before you press on, are you sure this is a good idea?

S: What do you mean?

B: I'm not trying to be, argumentative here, but the last time you brought in a find of your own like this, you brought Howard Ford Beauregard the Third into our lives.

S: That was a mistake, and we have talked about that.

B: I know, I'm just saying. Be super sure about this one, huh?

S: This is nothing like HFB3.

B: Then please continue, my friend.

S: So, I was out doing a little bit of shopping earlier today at the King Falls mall-

B: Was it crazy crowded? I still have to pick up something special for. My mom.

S: It was crowded, not Black Friday crowded, but nicely, darkly, opaque Tuesday, if you will.

B: Okay, cool.

S: We all know that gift is not for your mom, by the way.

B: Whatever.

S: So. I'm at the mall, I make my purchases, but I'm all worked up, I got an appetite, and I'm not gonna wait in line at the eatery with the Christmas people, you know? So I'm thinking, why not go the three minutes away to Frickard’s?

B: Traitor. But, I get it.

S: So I make the drive over to my favorite froggery, a number 5 fricassee with extra frog puppies-

B: You actually eat the frogs there, man? I heard they poach them directly from lake Hatchineha.

S: Don’t say that, they are a fine sponsor of the show.

B: Facts are facts.

S: Okay, so I get there and pulling up, right beside me, is this beautiful candy apple red corvette. It was a beauty, let me tell you, early 1960s, but the closer I look, the weirder it gets. It’s got bells, like sleigh bells, all over this thing-

B: Lets, uh, move on, Sammy.

S: So I look over at the driver, this bigger older gent steps out of the car, red suit, red tie, massive white beard.

B: Sammy, I think we should-

S: Tiny little glasses, rosy red cheeks, and the friendliest damn face I've ever seen. He introduced himself as Chris.

B: So you run into a mall Santa running late for work?

S: Oh, this was no mall Santa, Ben, this was the Santa. We made chit chat, and there was only one available table, so with it just being myself and him we took it-

B: You had lunch with a mall Santa.

S: Ben! He knew my name, without me saying it!

B: You’re a radio sensation, Sammy, lots of people know your name.

S: Do they know my childhood address? What I got for Christmas when I was six? I don’t think so.

B: Oh, jeez, you’ve got a Santa stalker, buddy. Either that, or Creepy Carl got released on bail. Moving forward-

S: He knew all this stuff, Ben. My wants, my likes, good things and bad things. Y'know I'm pretty protective of my personal life, Ben.

B: Yeah, I do, Shotgun.

S: This was Santa Claus, real as day, right here in King Falls. Not only that, but he told me that he actually vacations here part of the year! Think about that, the big guy hanging out here! Dude, why are you looking at me like this?

B: Do you know how many older gentleman in the world dress up as Santa Claus, Sammy? A lot. It’s a job for some folks. Some of them go to hospitals. It’s a big deal for some folks. This was one of those guys, just pulling your chain, Sammy. Santa living here part time is, *scoffs*, I doubt very, very seriously that this guy you met-

S: It was him. I don’t understand why you’re so hell bent on dismissing this. If a caller called in with this story, you’d be on a mission.

B: I'm not hell bent on dismissing you, I'm just looking at this from all angles, how about that?

S: Are you saying King Falls isn’t good enough for a Santa vacation home? A second house?

B: Not at all. That’s ludicrous….did he tell you I said that?

S: Ah ha! So you know I'm right.

B: No, Santa, I mean, mall dude Santas are tricky, I don’t trust them. Look at this wedge he’s driving, man.

S: You know something about this.

B: You want me to tell you what I know?

S: I do!

B: Here’s the scoop. I know you met some guy. I know he’s not Santa, because Santa would not go to Greg Frickard’s place to eat. I know-

S: You’re full of it.

B: You wanna put this to the callers? We can poll this thing out.

S: I think I do, Ben, this guy knew what I got for Christmas years ago. He knew about Wolfington the terrier, which I got for Christmas, as a kid, he knew it all.

B: Okay, King Falls, do you think Sammy met the real Santa Claus earlier today? Think about this, and give us a call. 424-279-3858.

S: You are on, buddy. I'm not gonna be the only person here-

B: Operation King Falls Kringle!

*banjo music*

Randy: Howdy y’all, it’s Randy Mcmullet from Mcmullet’s international palace of snake skin boots. And I'm  here to let you know we’ve got some rattlin’ news for you. After this sensational success of black mamba Friday, it’s time to roll out our next deal of the year. This weekend it’s our annual secret Santa albino snake skin special. We’ll have all our whitesnake choices at our unbeatable dark snake prices. So slither on down, just outside of town, at the corner of route 72 and Old Bombing Range Road. Mcmullet’s International Palace of Snake Skin Boots. Where we fill your boots, with savings.

[King Falls AM music]

S: What the hell was that about?

B: It’s about saving money on boots, man.

S: No, whatever you yelled, right before the commercial.

B: I don’t know what you’re talking about, I sneezed.

S: I'm watching you.

B: Watch away, Sammy. Pick a line they’re all lit up! Like Christmas!

S: You’re way too smug, I don’t like this. Lucky. Line. One.

B: An excellent choice.

S: Good evening, you’re on with Sammy and Ben.

Cynthia: First off, Sammy, obviously you’re off your rocker. Santa lives in the north pole!

S: Hi Cynthia.

C: Secondly, are you for real shopping at the King Falls mall? Do you have a death wish?

B: What are you on about, Mrs. Higgenbaum?

S: It honestly wasn’t that busy.

C: I'm not talking about crowds! I'm talking about the gang of vampires that live in the mall. Just waiting for the perfect time to strike.

B: What?

C: Of course you wouldn’t know, Ben.

B: I'm pretty up to date on my-

C: Obviously you are not, or you’d know about the gang of vampires that live in the mall.

S: Cynthia, thanks for calling tonight, even if you are dead wrong about Santa. Now, would you like to expand about this, uh, the-

C: Gang of vampires.

S: Right.

B: How do you know they’re vampires, Cynthia?

C: Pale much? Check. Dark clothes? Check. Never ever out in the light of day? Check!

Ben and Sammy overlapping: Talking about hot topic, aren’t you?

C: They just glare at you, soulessly, when you walk in! Eyeing you up and down, probably looking for a good vein.

S: Or a neck tattoo.

C: This is not to be made light of, Sammy, you’ll see.

B: They’re just goth kids, Mrs. Higgenbaum.

C: Oh please! Like you know! Let the record state that when King Falls is overran in a lost boys type fashion by these emo vampires, that I tried to warn you. And you just laughed!

S: What do you recommend, Cynthia, should we stock up on garlic and stakes?

B: I think just knowing our parents loved us enough should do the trick.

C: Laugh it up, you dumbs. You know I hate telling I told you so, but I will tell your ass I told you so so fast! Merry Christmas!

*hang up noise*

B: So, we’ll count that as a no. Oh and one, Sammy.

S: Line five, welcome to King Falls AM.

Finn: Hey Sammy, hey Ben!

S: Hey Finn, long time no talk buddy! You doing alright?

F: Oh yeah, never better. Just had to get a couple of shots, y’know?

B: That’s good to hear, Finn. What’s your take on this?

F: Oh, I was actually just phoning ‘cause I wanted to tell you fellas Merry Christmas before it was too late.

B: Merry Christmas to you too, Finn. Stay safe out there on the roads.

F: You know it.

S: Thanks for calling in, Finn, and y’know we’re glad that you’re feeling better. We were pretty worried about you.

F: Aww, you fellas! Howl at the moon one little time and you guys get all worried.

S: It was more than once, Finn.

F: You know what I'm saying. It’s not like I'm going to sleep and waking up naked in a field somewhere with chicken feathers and god knows what all over me...on the regular.

S: That...is...uh. Good to hear, Finn.

F: Just every now and then, y’know?

B: Okay. You, you take care of yourself. Happy holidays.

F: You know it!

*hang up noise*

B: That was another-

S: Don’t count that. Finn didn’t comment on it either way.

B: I’ll mark it as “Switzerland”. Another call?

S: You bet your ass another call. You pick a line.

B: Uhhh, line three, good evening and welcome to-

Hershel Baumgardner: You goofy sons of b**** hung up on me last time I called! When I get my dick beaters on you, there’ll be hell to pay!

B: Uh, we must have been having phone difficulties, Hershel, we would never...did you call during the electrolocaust?

HB: I called two damn weeks ago Ben Arnold, don’t you electric holocaust me. You gotta wake up pretty damn early in the morning to scoot one past Hershel F. Baumgardner.

S: Hershel, we are so sorry the phones were malfunctioning last time you called. Are you on tonight to talk about Santa's appearance and possible living in King Falls?

HB: Santa who? Santa Livingston? I haven’t heard from that son of a b*** since the beaches of Normandy.

S: Santa Claus, Hershel.

Hb: No! I ain't here to talk about no Santy Claus. You two need to grow the f**** up.

B: What’s on your mind, Hershel?

HB: Don’t rush me, you two toned pecker sniff. I’ll get to it when I get to it.

S: Hershel, do you think-

HB: Motherf****. I had it before you opened your damn trap. I’ll ring you later when I can think of it, and you better not hang up on me again.

S: You do that, Hershel, if we don’t hear back from you before then, have a Merry Christmas.

HB: You two going somewheres?

B: It’s our Christmas break, but we’ll be back live on New Year’s Day.

HB: You know what my generation called breaks?

S: They weren’t just breaks?

HB: We called it being f***ing dead, ‘cause that’s the only break you get in life, you free loadin’ radio commies. Enjoy your break, and vacay or whatever you pansy bastards call it.

B: Happy holidays to you too, Hershel.

HB: I didn’t kill Hitler to say happy f***ing holidays…*trails off, mumbling*

*hang up noise*

S: Ladies and gentleman, Ben and I are talking about the appearance of Santa here in King Falls earlier today. I was told from the jolly one himself that he enjoys staying in the Falls quite a bit when he isn’t in the busy season. Ben says otherwise.

B: Have you or anyone you know ran into this phoney Santa saying he’s squating here? If you have, give us as call *cough*OperationKingFallsKringle*cough*

S: I knew you were up to something!

B: Please, you’re paranoid because you’re losing. Line two, this is King Falls AM.

Troy: Hey fellas, Merry Christmas! Or Happy Hanukkah, if that’s the way your dreidel spins, or have a good Kwanzaa, etc and so on.

S: Merry Christmas, Troy.

B: Are you not supposed to call us on duty?

T: I'm on break, Ben, dammit all. Don’t start. I'm calling to tell you something important.

B: This again? You’re a broken record. Bye, Troy.

S: Don’t. Let him speak.

B: *scoffs* Whatever.

T: Thanks, Sammy. And right off the bat, I wanna tell you I believe you saw what you say you saw.

B: Troy! Come on! You know the drill!

T: I'm not saying he was or he wasn’t. I'm just saying if you saw him, I believe you. Maybe a man just wants to lay low, far away from the spotlight. I mean, King Falls is a heck of a town to retire to.

S: Mark that down, Ben.

B: He’s only saying it just to spite me.

T: That ain’t close to true, and you know it Ben Arnold. Now if you’ll permit me, I've got a gift for you.

B: If this is your friendship, I hope you kept the receipt.

T: It’s actually not that. Though it’s ripe for the picking whenever you want it, Ben.

B: Don’t hold your breath.

S: Come on. Do you wanna bring it by the station Troy?

B: Don’t.

T: Well, the problem is that I bought it online and I'm, I'm having it shipped here, and well...seems it's going to be a little late.

B: Of course it is. You can’t even get a Christmas present right, try. Just give it up.

T: We were best buds growing up. I ain't giving up on that. Or you. I mean, you’ll see. You and me we’ll be back where we started just as sure you can say pickled pied piper.

B: Next caller.

T: That’ll work too. Well, I’ll quit yacking and make like a shepherd and get the flock out of here.

S: Take care, Troy. Merry Christmas to you and yours, buddy.

B: Bye already.

T: Catch you later, future buddy.

*hang up noise*

B: We have time for one or two more before break, you wanna keep going or give it up?

S: By my count, we’re tied.

B: Glutton for punishment. Call it.

S: I'm gonna go back to lucky line one. Happy holidays, you’re on King Falls AM.

??: Hey man, I wanna talk about this Kris Kringle business.

S: We’re all ears, sir. Have you seen him around town, or am I just being fooled by a facetious Saint Nick?

??: The way I see it, uh-

B: Hey, who are we speaking with?

??: That don’t matter none.

B: Right. Uh, what were you saying, sir?

??: I just think that a man wants to lie low in a place where he’s not gonna get bothered, or pestered, or recognized, then good for him. Maybe life got too stressful, or he didn’t wanna buy a caddy for everyone he met. Hell, maybe he followed the love of his life to this small podunk crazy haunted town. Maybe it’s because he found out that Rose makes the best peanut butter banana sandwich you ever laid eyes on.

S: Are we still talking about Santa Claus, sir?

??: Of course.

S: Okay. It just seemed like maybe we were talking about somebody else for a second. Like yourself.

??: Don’t be cruel, Sammy. I'm just a teddy bear. A teddy bear with nothing to hide. I say if old Saint Nick wants to hang out in this spooky place then so be it. We can’t have *singing* suspicious minds *back to normal voice* about it. Just let it be.

B: Sir, I, I don’t wanna make this about you, but you sound a lot like the king of rock, and, I-

??: Yeah, little less conversation, Ben.

*hang up noise*

S: I'm just gonna say that I think that guy knows what he’s talking about, Ben.

B: Still doesn’t mean anything.

S: Why are you fighting me so hard on this, Ben?

B: Okay, I'm not saying you’re right-

S: But I'm right.

B: But, but! If somebody as important as Santa Claus were to have a vacation home or hide away spot in King Falls, and he doesn’t!

S: And he does.

B: But...maybe it’s for a reason. Like a specific reason. Like, maybe he doesn’t wanna be bothered with a bag of mail every day. An email address overflowing with wants and needs. Non-union worker issues. Maybe the wife wants a place to escape the hustle and bustle of the great white north a few times a year without TMZ knocking on the door. If that were the case, and I, I don’t think it would be fair to call attention to it.

S: If that were the case.

B: Right. If that were the case. Now, I do not think that’s the case at all, I mean this is a case of mistaken identity. Or maybe you were tricked by a chubby, merrier than thou prankster who is just too friendly to not keep the appearances. But. I don’t think you really saw the real deal here. And he certainly wouldn’t live in King Falls for a few weeks every year if you did see him.

S: Huh. Maybe...maybe I was mistaken?

B: It could have been anybody.

S: I think you’re onto something, Ben. I think I was, uh. Huh. I think was misled.

B: Maybe so.

S: Oh, well. Okay then.

B: We good?

S: Yeah, I think we’re good. Uh. So I hear we got a hell of a show lined up for tonight, is that right?

B: Ha! Better believe it, buddy. Right after the break,- *ho, ho, ho!*

S: Sorry about that folks, somebody must owe Chet some money. Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for hanging out with us on this chilly winter’s night. We’re just getting started here, but we’re gonna take a quick break to pay some bills. If we don’t hear from you before then, Merry Christmas to you and yours from King Falls AM.

??: Merry Christmas!

[artificialqueens]

Who Doesn’t Like Christmas? (Vatya) - Honey

A/N: This is the fic I wrote for @thepastpresentandfutureofdrag for the secret santa fic exchange! Katya tries to get Violet into the christmas spirit

“Violet, you want me to make you some hot chocolate?” Katya called from the kitchen.

“Do you really even have to ask?” Violet answered, laughing. She sat in his living room, staring at the television screen. Katya had put her in charge of picking a movie for the two of them to watch, but she couldn’t find something that she thought they would both like. Knowing there would probably be a debate about whatever she picked anyways, Violet decided just to wait until he came back into the room to choose.

“So, what’d ya pick?” Katya asked a few minutes later, carrying two mugs of cocoa.

“Uhhh, I don’t know… I can’t decide,” Violet whined. Katya rolled his eyes.

“You don’t have to whine about it, I’ll help you. How about a Christmas movie?” He set the mugs down on the coffee table and grabbed the remote out of her hands, flipping through the list of movies on the screen.

“Mmmmm… no,” Violet stated simply, and snatched the remote back from him.

“Ugh, right, I forgot. You “hate Christmas” or whatever,” Katya huffed, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

“You say that like you don’t believe me!” Violet yelled defensively.

“Yeah, because I don’t! Who doesn’t like Christmas?”

“Me, bitch!”

“Okay, well maybe it’s just because you haven’t had a good one! But this year, you get to spend Christmas with…” Katya paused and stood up, using his hands to frame his face. “me,” he finished, holding the pose with a shit-eating grin on his face. Violet tried to remain straight faced, but she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Whatever you say, Kat,” she giggled. Katya could tell from her tone of voice that she didn’t actually believe him. He paced around the middle of the living room a few times before sitting back down next to her, looking her straight in the eyes.

“Violet, I’m going to make this your best Christmas ever. And that’s a promise.” Violet stared back at him. His level of sincerity made her nervous. She knew that once Katya committed to something, there was probably no going back. Suddenly, she felt his hands grab the sides of her face. He pulled her in for a quick peck on the lips. “Don’t look so scared, Vi. I swear, I’ll make this enjoyable for both of us.” Violet realized that she had probably been staring at him for a while with a nervous expression.

“… I guess,” she conceded. Without warning, Katya lunged at her, pushing her over so she was laying on her back across the couch. He climbed on top of her and began kissing her all over her face. “Ew, get off me!” Violet pretended to be disgusted and used her hands to shield her face. Secretly, though, she liked the extra attention.

Once Katya stopped his assault, he sat back up on the couch.

“Right, so, first order of business: we gotta find a Christmas movie that you’ll enjoy.”

“Ugh, we’ve been over this,” Violet said with an eyeroll. She sat back up on the couch as well. “Christmas movies suck!” Katya made a pouty face and cuddled up close to her.

“Oh, come on. There has to be some Christmas movie you like?” he pleaded. Violet gave him an annoyed look, but finally sighed.

“Well… there is one…” Before Violet could say any more, Katya’s eyes lit up.

“I don’t care what it is, we are watching it right now!”

——–

“Ugh, I can’t believe you count that as a Christmas movie, Vi,” Katya groaned from his comfy position, his head resting on her shoulder.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Nightmare Before Christmas is clearly a Christmas movie… It even has the word “Christmas” in the title!” Violet pushed his head off of her playfully. The end credits rolled on the tv screen that neither of them bothered to turn off.

“You know what, you’re right. It’s a spooky one, but it works. Okay, now what are your thoughts on Christmas music?” Katya already knew the answer to that. Violet’s face scrunched up.

“It sucks,” she groaned. “Please don’t make me listen to it, Kat. I really don’t like it. It’s bad enough they’ve been playing it in every store since November!”

“Okay, okay, okay, I won’t make you,” Katya laughed. “Let’s talk about arguably the most important part of Christmas.”

“Family?” Violet guessed.

“Presents,” Katya answered. Violet giggled, until he grabbed her and awkwardly dragged her so she was sitting in his lap. It was difficult, because Violet was the taller of the two and her long legs extended far past his, but somehow Katya made it work. “Ho ho ho, what do you want for Christmas, little kid?” he said, in a voice that sounded more creepy than anything else.

“I really want you to never use that voice again,” she huffed under her breath.

“Okay. That can be arranged,” Katya replied in his normal voice. “What else?” Violet gave him a look.

“You don’t really need to get me anything, Kat. I know I’m kind of hard to shop for. Don’t worry about it.” Katya stared at her. Did Violet’s face actually look… sad?

“Nice try. Mama, if you don’t think I’m gonna spoil you with presents… you got another thing coming!” Katya saw the hint of a smile tease the corners of her mouth. “Anyways…” he said, waiting for her to look at him, “that was a trick question because I’ve already bought all your presents!” Violet tried to stay cool, but she couldn’t hide her excitement.

“Really?” she said in disbelief. “But… Christmas isn’t for another two weeks. And you told me not to get you anything!”

“I know, I know. And you still don’t have to get me anything. But if this is gonna be your best Christmas ever, you’re gonna need some good-ass presents!”

“Well, I already got you something too!” Violet barked back at him. “So there!” Katya raised his eyebrows. “Anyways… where are you keeping my presents?” Violet attempted to ask nonchalantly.

“Yeah, right, like I would tell you,” Katya laughed. “All I’ll say is that they’re not in my apartment.” What Katya wasn’t going to mention is that he was keeping them at Trixie’s apartment, specifically because he knew that Violet was the type to snoop around. Violet groaned at his answer.

“You know I hate surprises, right? Can you give me a hint pleeeeeeeease?” She did her best attempt at puppy dog eyes, and pouted her lip out at him. Katya snickered at Violet’s out-of-character behavior.

“Well, I do have one of your presents here that I guess I could give to you early…” He pretended to think about it. Violet nodded her head furiously in encouragement. “Okay, wait here. I’ll bring it out.” Katya got up and went into his room. He came back and put a shopping bag in Violet’s lap. “I haven’t wrapped this one yet, so it’s still in the bag.” Violet nervously reached in and pulled out… a sweater? She couldn’t quite tell what it was until she held it out in front of her.

It was a red and white striped onesie. It had a long zipper running down the front, and a hood attached to the back. The whole thing looked like one long candy cane. The material, Violet had to admit, felt very soft and cozy.

Once she realized what it was, she began to laugh hysterically. Katya sighed in relief that she liked it. Before he knew it, they were both cracking up.

“Bitch, I can’t believe you got me this!” Violet said, between giggles.

“It’s actually quite a chic piece of fashion, Vi. You should wear that to your next gig!”

“Oh god, you wish.”

“So, how do you like it?” Katya asked.

“Honestly,” Violet confessed, “I dig it. This feels soft as fuck.”

“Well, then, what are you waiting for?”

Violet looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Go put it on already!” Katya ordered. Without another word, Violet sprang up and ran into his room to change.

——–

Violet strutted back into the living room as if she were on a catwalk. Stopping in front of the couch, she struck several poses for Katya to admire.

“This is golden. Can I Instagram this?” Katya laughed.

“Of course,” Violet replied, and continued posing so Katya could get a good video for his story.

“The fans are gonna go crazy when they see this,” Katya remarked, watching the video on his phone.

“I can’t believe it fits me,” Violet remarked, looking down at herself in the onesie. She walked over to Katya on the couch and sat in his lap once again, this time straddling his thighs and facing him. She draped her arms around his neck, and stole a small kiss.

“Well it was quite easy to find, actually,” Katya replied. “I just walked up to the lady working at the store and asked her to bring me one that would fit a skinny baby giraffe.”

“Oh, you’re so funny,” Violet said with a roll of her eyes.

“But seriously, I’m actually also surprised that it fits. I even kept the receipt in case it didn’t, or in case you refused to put it on.”

“You thought I wouldn’t like it?” Violet asked, tilting her head.

“I thought that that was possible, yes. I know you don’t like Christmas.” Katya paused for a second. “Vi, you would tell me if I’m being too pushy with all this Christmas stuff, right?” The two stared into each other’s eyes for a moment.

“’Course I would.” Violet looked down at her lap between them. “Sorry I’m so weird about this. Christmas is just… a weird holiday for me. I guess I just don’t have all these nostalgic memories of it from my childhood like you probably do, or like most people. It’s… kinda hard to talk about…” Katya could tell that she was uncomfortable by the way she was mumbling and squirming in his lap.

“It’s okay, Vi. You don’t have to talk about it. You know I’m not asking for an explanation.” Violet looked back up at him and nodded, and then leaned forward so her head was on his shoulder. Katya rubbed his hands up and down her back. “Now,” he continued, “since you seem to be all cozy already, let’s go to bed.” He tried to stand up while still keeping her wrapped around him, but that proved to be too difficult. Violet noticed his struggling and peeled herself off of him, standing up in front of him. Katya stared up at her and smirked.

“What?” Violet asked, wondering about what he was smiling.

“Oh, nothing, I was just wondering if you’re wearing anything under that onesie…” He leaned forward and rubbed a hand up and down her belly.

“Well, I guess you’re just going to have to take it off me and find out,” Violet giggled, and then turned and walked into his bedroom. Katya could tell that his face was probably all red, but he didn’t care. He stood up, turned off the tv, and then followed her into his room. He had quite a few other ideas about how he would give Violet a good Christmas, but all those ideas would have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he had other things on his mind.

[blueneonlightshow-blog]

What day is today?

Marco entered the kitchen, yawning as he grabbed a bowl and a box of cereal. What was it about not going to sleep early that made him so tired? “Good morning, Marcoooo~” the princess sang as she entered the room. “Hey Star.” He mumbled, still half asleep. “You seem to be in a good mood today…” She giggled. “That’s because today’s a special day!” Marco’s eyes opened, fully awake now. “It… is…?”

Star stared at him with a blank face before breaking out in laughter. “Haha, oh Marco. You’re so silly. Good joke! Oh! Hand me some of that cereal!” He handed over the box, watching his friend pour out her breakfast. Today was something special? But… how come he can’t remember what it was? It’s not a holiday… Mewni or Earth. He made sure to try and memorize all the important Mewnian dates. Is today an anniversary? The first time he met Star? No, that was in September… It’s not her birthday… is it? Wait, is it? Did he ever ask when her birthday was? Panic and fear set into his mind. Marco gulped, slowly glancing at Star who was happily eating her cereal. No… no, it couldn’t be her birthday. She would’ve told him about it long ago! ...Right? “Marco-” “Y-YES!?” he answered, faking the worst smile of all time. Star blinked. “...Uhhh… I was gonna ask if you had any plans for today. But if you do, I don’t-” “Yeah! I mean, no! I don’t have any plans! Totally free. After all, it is that day today… uhh… yeah. All special and stuff. Heheh...” Oh man, it really is her birthday, isn’t it? He didn’t even get her a present! The princess smiled. “Great! Because I have some pretty cool stuff planned for today. I hope you’re ready Diaz, cuz things are gonna get a little wild,” she whispered, pulling out a list of activities to do. “Haha, r-right… uh… what exactly do you have planned-” “Shhh, it’s a secret, Marco! If I tell you, it’ll ruin all the fun!” “Right, right. Totally get it.” Star looked down at the paper and smiled. “Alright! First on our list is the this one arcade dimension called Blitz n’ Chips and trust me, it’s amaaaaziiiiing~ Went there with Ponyhead one time. We won the grand prize at one of the machines there.” “Sounds like a tons of fun, heheh...” Marco mentally sighed. Perfect. Maybe he can win a prize and make that her present… no, wait, that’d be too shallow. It needs to have meaning! “Great! Then let’s get going, Marco!” She cut open a portal and grabbed the boy’s arm. “Hey, wait, I’m not done breakfa-”

===========================================================

Marco landed onto the colorful, tiled floor as he heard the air filled with chatter, electronic alarms blaring with each prize won, and the sound of coins being dispensed at each machine. He looked up with confusion and saw a stadium sized arcade room packed with several different inter-dimensional species playing as well. Some humanoid beings, others… well… he wasn’t sure how to describe them. “Uhhh…” “Ohhh, nice!  Looks like we came here on a slow day!” “This is a slow day?” Marco got to his feet and scanned the arcade. “I’d hate to see it on a busy day…” “C’mon Marco, let’s go get some coins.” “Um… maybe I should pay. You know, since today is… well…” Star laughed. “Don’t be silly! I wouldn’t do that to my best friend on today of all days.” “Heh… riiiight.” Marco scratched his head. Man, is he going to feel guilty later. The two spent the first few hours exploring the hyper advanced arcade stadium, finding games that seemed similar to the ones on Earth and Mewni on top of the unfamiliar alien-like machines that attracted the other dimensional creatures. Star was right at home, cheering and enjoying every moment of it, while Marco stuck close to the princess, not wanting to get lost in this seemingly endless arcade. Despite his precaution, Marco couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching. “Hey, Star? Maybe we should-” “Huh? Yeah, yeah, hold on Marco. I’m almost done with- OH COME ON! Not again. I keep falling for that same trap.” Marco looked around the large room, the uneasy feeling still lingering. “Star?” “Oh, Marco! I forgot to sign us up for a chance to win a neeblet. Can you go to the front and write our names in?” “Star, I’m getting a bad feeling ab- a neeblet?” “It’s a thing that does stuff. It’ll be cool, I promise. In fact, I probably should've gotten that as a present....” she said absentmindedly. Marco sighed at her ambiguous description. He put away his worries for Star’s sake and looked around for the ‘front’. “Um… where’s the front desk?” Star pointed to her left, not taking her eyes off the screen. The boy wandered in the direction, moving past the interdimensional creatures playing their own games. “Sorry, excuse me. Sorry. Watch out. Coming through.” After several minutes of being pushed around and getting lost, he finally made his way to the ‘front’. He could see multiple booths lined up against the wall where portals would open up and reveal a new customer. Marco approached the front desk. “Hello?” “HELLO!” Marco jumped back and fell to the ground. He looked up to see a familiar face. “Wait, aren’t you the guy that sells goblin dogs?” “Goblin dogs? Ohhh, you must be talking about my brother, Roy! My name is Troy." "Roy and Troy, huh?" "Our parents weren't very creative. So what can I do for you, kid?" "Well..." Marco rose to his feet. "I'd like to sign up for a raffle for a... neeblet?" "Sure thing. Line's over there," the little goblin man said, pointing at the enormous line. Marco narrowed his eyes. "Your brother had something like this before. This isn't just a trick to see who's worthy of signing up, is it?" "Oh, that. Yeah, Roy likes to do that for some reason. This is business here, kid. I can't keep the lights on if I pull pranks like that here." "So... no tricks?" "No tricks." Marco looked back at the line which only grew longer as he waited. "How long's the wait?" "Should be an hour, tops." "An HOUR!?" "Hey, look on the bright side! It's a slow day today, so you won't have to wait for a week like those poor souls there," the goblin said, pointing at the a group of malnourished monsters. Marco sighed. "Great..." He stood in line and thought for a moment before turning back to Troy. "Hey, what IS a neeblet?" "What's a neeblet? Pfffft HAHAHHAHAhahaha... ahhh, good one, kid. Love the joke." "What? No, I'm being serious-" "Riiiight, sure you are. Haha... alright, now don't distract me. I gotta get back to work. Don't worry, the line shouldn't take long." Marco crossed his arms and pouted, mumbling to himself, "but I don't know what a neeblet is..." He looked forward, ready for the long wait, but something caught his eye. He squinted, trying to make out the figure. It... looked like a bird... and... wait... "Can you watch my spot for me? Thanks," he said to the monster in front of him. "...What...?" Marco ran off to follow the large figure, pushing past the crowded room. He found an opening and stuck his head through. Marco gasped. "That's it, girls. She has to be around here somewhere! The wand is glowing with magic!" "Ludo..." Marco whispered. "Oh man, this is not good... I gotta warn Star!" =========================================================== "YOU ARE A WINNER!" A small crowd cheered for the princess as she completed one of the most difficult games in the dimension. Tickets spewed out from the machine rapidly as Star jumped in place. "I can't believe I won! And I didn't even have to cheat yet." "Star!!" "I didn't cheat, I swear!" she said, holding her hands in the air. Marco passed through the others, panting as he finally made it to Star. "We have go! Now!" "What? Why?" Star gasped. "Did we win that raffle already? Ohhh nice work, Marco. I knew you could do it!" "No, not that. We really need to go now! There's-" "Woah, slow down there, Marco. I just beat the hardest game in this place and won the biggest jackpot of all time. We gotta exchange these tickets at least. Besides, there's another gift I want to get today! I think you'll like it. I know I will." "I appreciate it, Star, but we're in danger right now!" "In danger of losing more money on these games, maybe." "Starrr!" "Hello!" Star cheered in a cute manner. The boy groaned, taking a deep breath before continuing. "We have to go. Ludo is-" "Right where I need to be." The two turned to find Ludo riding on top of his spider with the eagle. "Star Butterfly! I'm here for that book of spells!" "Ludo!? Marco, why didn't you tell me he was here!?" "Are you kidding me!?" "Ahem..." Ludo raised his broken wand at the princess, emanating an ominous green color. "The book." Star sighed. "Look, can we do this another time? We're trying to celebrate a birthday here and you're kinda ruining everything." "A birthday party? You two are having a party and didn't even bother to invite me!?" "Why would we!? You try to kill us all the time!!" "Kill is a strong word. I just want that BOOK!" Ludo shot a bolt of green energy at the two. Marco quickly pushed Star out of the way, just barely feeling the hot sting of the spell. Star gave her friend a quick smile before glaring at Ludo. "I don't even have the book with me! Go away! You're ruining ruining the birthday!" She took aim with her own wand and fired a narwhal blast at the green monster. Ludo took a direct hit, flying back against one of the arcade machines. He growled, quickly getting up to his feet. "Go get 'em girls!" The spider and eagle began to attack the two kids. Marco nodded at Star before charging in. The large spider spit it's webs at Marco but missed as the boy weaved through each shot. He kicked the spider away but was tackled by the eagle onto the ground. Star gasped. "Marco!" She ran over to him but a blast of green energy blocked her way. Ludo growled. "Oh, how did I miss?" He fired three more shots at the princess who elegantly dodged the spells. "Hyper sonic apple beam!" The wand began firing a barrage of delicious apples, burying Ludo under a pile of fruit. She smiled for a brief moment before another blast of energy blew the apples away. "Aw man..." The monster rubbed his head before firing more blasts at the girl. She raised her wand up before slamming it to the ground. "Diamond bubble shield!" The blast of energy bounced off the shield, firing dangerously at all directions, almost hitting Marco. The boy jumped when he saw a flash of green nearly hit his face. "Staaarrrrr?" "Sorry!" Marco continued to run from the eagle, trying to avoid being carried away by the bird. He jumped on top of one of the arcade machines, readying himself for the attack. The eagle flew straight towards him for another tackle but missed as the boy jumped up and kicked it away. "Ha! Gotcha- woah!" Marco fell back as the spider web hit him, pinning him to the ground. He struggled to get out, freeing one of his arms from the web. The spider jumped on top of him, ready to take him away. Star jumped behind one of the games, avoiding more of Ludo's spells. She glanced over and saw her friend pinned down. She pointed the wand at the spider. "Mystic ice wind!" An air of cold burst through the wand, blowing the spider away and freezing the web in the process. Using his free hand, Marco karate chopped the ice, breaking himself free. He ran towards Star and stood by her side. The two monsters retreated to Ludo's side who readied his wand once more. "Alright then... let's try this again. Ahem... please give me the book?" "Uhh... nnnnno?" "Well I tried." Another blast of energy shot towards the two. Star deflected the spell and sighed, looking visibly annoyed. "You just had to pick today, didn't you?" She gripped her wand and began to make a series of poses before raising her wand in the air. "Warnicorn stampede!!!" Ludo's eyes widened as he remembered this particular spell. "No no no no no no! Girls, let's get out of here, quick!" He jumped on top of the spider and grabbed hold of the eagle's feathers, making their getaway before Star could fully cast the spell. "I'll get that book, Star Butterfly, if it's the last thing I do!" He shouted as he disappeared into the distance. "I didn't even have it with me today!!" Marco raised an eyebrow. "He sure seemed scared of that spell." "Yeah, warnicorn stampede hasn't been a very good spell for him." "HEY! YOU TWO!" The pair turned to see Troy running towards them. "What do you think you're doing?" Star shrugged. "Uh, saving the day. Duh." "Saving the day, huh? Is this what saving the day looks like?" He pointed at the several rows of broken machines and lights. "Well... more or less, yeah." "Oh yeah? Well how's this for more or less. You two are never allowed to come back here!" Star gasped. "But, but, but, but-" Marco stepped in. "Hey, c'mon Troy, this isn't our fault. We were attacked by-" "And you can forget about winning that neeblet." "What's a neeblet!?" The goblin grumbled as he walked away to call in security. Star leaned over and whispered, "I think we should go." "Yeeeeahhhh, me too." =========================================================== The two stepped out of the portal and back into the kitchen. Everything was still in its place, like nothing even happened. "Well... that was fun, I guess." Star let out a sigh and sat down at one of the chairs with a sad face. Marco took a seat and put an arm around her. "Um... I'm sorry Ludo ruined your birthday..." The princess groaned. "I just wanted today to be really fun. I mean I had the whole day planned out for us and- wait... my birthday?" "Look, how about this? Tomorrow, I'll take you someplace really special! My treat. I don't think I can tell you where since it'll spoil the surprise." "It's your birthday today..." "...What?" The two stared at each other for a minute before bursting out in laughter. Star smiled and hugged her best friend once more. "Aww you thought it was my birthday today?" "Heheh... y-yeah... kind of... forgot about myself there." "Wow, Diaz. Even I'm not that forgetful." Marco raised an eyebrow, making Star turn her head. "...most of the time." "Uh-huh." Star stuck her tongue out at her friend, giggling at their banter. Their laughter slowly died down as they continued to gaze into each other. An awkward silence hung over them as they stared into each other's eyes. "...O-okay! Well, thanks for the trip, Star. That was pretty fun." "Y-yeah! No problem..." "I'm just gonna go upstairs and... yeah..." "Right! You do that!" The two nervously chuckled before meeting each other's eyes again. Another awkward silence... "..." "..." "...Um... bye." Marco ran upstairs to his room, shutting the door. Star put her head on the table, sighing to herself. "Happy birthday, Marco."

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An update? From me? Holy shit. Here are some more fics for you to read!

@wholesome-week I think this is prompt 2. Birthdays right? I’m only a month late :D