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maybeimamuppet · 3 years

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in her pride

happy Wednesday and happy pride, friends! this is a request fill for @jusanotherconfusedfangirl who requested our art freaks and Elijah attending pride!

trigger warnings for:

homophobia

one use of d-slur

panic attacks

I think that's everything, but as always please let me know if I've missed something and I will add it in.

enjoy!

“Hey, Peanut,” Janis greets as Cady leaps into her arms. “You look cute!”

“Thanks!” Cady chirps happily. She does look rather adorable in her shorts and tank top combo, complete with bi flag suspenders and a matching headband. She also found bi flag socks and stole a pair of Janis’ boots. Cady pulls back to see Janis’ outfit too. “Wow. You look… really good.”

“Why thank you,” Janis purrs. She’s in her usual shorts and tights, but this time has a lesbian flag t-shirt and matching socks poking out from her own boots. She does a spin to show off her outfit, revealing that one the pockets of her shorts has also been painted with the many orange and pink stripes of her flag, and her infamous ‘female power’ painting done in miniature on the other. “Come on.”

Cady follows her into the house and up to her room. Julie waves as they pass her open door. She’s got on a rainbow shirt in solidarity, but wouldn’t be joining them on their little excursion.

“Do you want your flag painted on your face?” Janis asks, pointing to her own cheek decorated with yet another lesbian flag. Cady nods excitedly, so Janis gestures for her to sit across from her on the bed and grabs her paints and a brush.

“What’s it going to be like?” Cady asks as Janis tenderly brushes a thick stripe of blue onto her cheek.

“Loud,” Janis replies immediately. “In a lot of ways. There’s gonna be a lot of bright colors, obviously, and a lot of noise. And probably a few weird smells.”

“Okay,” Cady chuckles gently so she doesn’t mess Janis up.

“It’s a lot of fun, though. You’ll get to see and meet all sorts of people who’ve been through and experienced all sorts of things,” Janis says. “You’ll love it.”

“I’m so excited,” Cady says happily as Janis finishes brushing magenta on top of her purple stripe. “When did you start going?”

“Ninth grade,” Janis says quietly. “Damian and I went with our moms.”

“Aww,” Cady coos. “You sound sad.”

“I’m… I don’t know,” Janis says. “It was a great thing overall that year, but I had an… ordeal, let’s say, with a group of protestors there. I’m still not sure how I feel about that Pride as a whole.”

“Oh,” Cady frowns. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not right now,” Janis says. “It’s your first pride, let’s just focus on that for today. I’ll tell you some other time.”

“Okay,” Cady says. “You look good in warm colors, you should wear them more often.”

“You think?” Janis chuckles, putting her hands on her hips and striking a pose. “Haven’t worn this much pink since I was a Plastic.”

“Love, you wore that pink shirt so many times during our junior year,” Cady says. “And last year, too.”

“What pink shirt?” Janis asks in confusion. “I don’t have any pink clothes.”

Cady heads over to her closet and pulls out the two-toned pink striped shirt, a dress with pink flowers, and a pink sweater.

“Then what color are these?” She asks, holding them up to show off.

Janis goes very quiet and purses her lips. “Diet red. I don’t wear pink.”

Cady bursts out laughing and comes to kiss her cheek. “You’re allowed to wear pink if you want, lovey. It suits you.”

“Humph,” Janis grumbles. “Do you have everything you need?”

“I think so,” Cady says. “Sunscreen and sunglasses, ear defenders, hats, water, snacks, phone, ponchos, flags.”

“Sounds good to me,” Janis says. “Dame and Elijah should be here in a few minutes and then we can go.”

“Yay,” Cady says happily, coming to straddle her girlfriend for cuddles.

Sure enough, Damian and Elijah come quite literally parading into the room about ten minutes later, having let themselves into Janis’ house. Cady and Janis are more than a little concerned when they hear Julie yell “Oh my god!”

Until they see what she’s on about. Damian is looking… colorful in a full rainbow outfit, complete with cloud hat, bright red lipstick and wearing a trans pride flag as a cape. Elijah is entirely topless but in a rainbow skirt, long and made of tulle. He’s also wearing a flag cape, but his is the demisexual flag. He has a fan in each hand. One says ‘Oh honey’ with a bee pattern on it and the other appears to say ‘Power bottom’. Janis gags a little as he hands the latter back to Damian.

“Jesus Christ, guys,” Janis laughs. “Looking good.”

“Whoa,” Cady blinks. “I want a cape!”

“Do you have a flag?” Damian asks. Cady nods and grabs her larger bi flag that she’d impulse-bought a while ago out of her bag. He takes it and ties it loosely around her neck to match them. Once she has her cape, Cady does a superhero pose with her hands on her hips and her chin jutted out proudly.

“Bi-der girl,” Janis mumbles under her breath. Cady hears her and laughs, nodding in agreement.

“Can we go now pleeeease? I’m so excited,” Cady begs, tugging on Janis’ hand to get her to stand up.

“Yes, we can, easy,” Janis laughs. “Save your energy.”

“She’s got plenty,” Damian chuckles. “Let’s go, E can drive us there.”

—————

“Whoa,” Cady says in awe, looking around at all the bright rainbows and fun outfits surrounding them. They got a spot near the start of the parade, to get the best goodies. “Is that person-“

“Naked? Probably,” Janis finishes as Cady trails off. “There’s a lot of different things people are here for, some are a little ‘out there’ even for me.”

“Hm,” Cady hums thoughtfully. “Fun!”

“Just wait ‘til it starts, Butterfly,” Janis says, kissing her cheek. Cady flinches a little when the screaming begins along with the parade, and Janis quickly realizes she can’t see much. Cady accepts the offered perch on Janis’ back and watches like that, waving at people passing by and catching them a few of whatever is flung their way.

By the time the last few floats and groups have gone by, Janis is almost totally covered in all sorts of rainbow and pride accoutrements. Necklaces, other beads, candy, flags, and even some condoms.

“That was awesome!” Cady squeals in her ear. “What now?”

“Now we get to walk around and enjoy it,” Janis responds, following Damian and Elijah down the street. “Ooh, cupcakes.”

Cady is glad Janis seems to have forgotten she’s still on her back, since it means she doesn’t have to walk around. Janis buys them each a cupcake with their respective pride flag frosted on top, and Cady climbs down to dig in happily.

“Ooh, mine is funfetti!” She says around a mouthful, showing Janis her cupcake with the bite missing.

“I think mine is strawberry,” Janis says around some of her own, showing off the pink center to hers. Cady cheekily leans in and takes a bite of it. “Hey!” Janis leans in and takes a bite of Cady’s. “You got frosting on your nose.”

Cady crosses her eyes to see, and sure enough, there is a little bit of purple frosting from her cupcake on her nose. She pokes her tongue out to try to get it, but Janis kisses it away instead. Cady grins and clambers back onto her girlfriend’s back, peppering a few kisses over her cheeks.

“What’s that?” She asks, pointing to a group of people who seem to be doing some sort of craft as they listen to a local band on a stage nearby.

“I dunno, sometimes they have art stuff here. Do you want to go see? I think we’ve officially lost Dame and Elijah,” Janis says.

“How did we manage that? Damian is literally dressed as a whole rainbow,” Cady mutters confusedly.

“Exactly, it’s perfect camouflage,” Janis chuckles. “They’ll find us eventually, come on.”

Cady clings to her shoulders contently as she’s carried over to the area. A lady is running a booth there and explains they’re painting rocks to go in a garden outside the local LGBTQ+ youth shelter. People are painting anything from pride flags, to animals and other random things, to supportive messages on some of the larger ones. It’s free, so Janis grabs a few rocks for each of them and a paper plate with all sorts of colors of acrylic paint.

“So what do you think so far, Butterfly?” Janis asks as she gets to work painting a bee on one of her rocks.

“It’s fun! You were right, it’s loud, but it’s… safe feeling. A good loud,” Cady responds, deciding to do a rainbow lion, as a little nod to her pride of lions from Kenya. “And everything is so interesting, there’s so much here.”

“Good,” Janis replies, leaning in to kiss her cheek. Someone from one of the other blankets yells over that they make a cute couple, and they both call back a thank you with a giggle.

“And everyone is so nice, too,” Cady chuckles, brushing a streak of purple into her lion’s mane.

Once all their rocks have been thoroughly decorated with all sorts of flags and rainbows and messages, they return them to the booth to dry and be placed, and then head off to find another thing to do.

“Oh, there’s Damian,” Cady says, having been on her tippy toes and scanning the local area.

“Of course he found the food trucks,” Janis mumbles under her breath. She yelps slightly as Cady grabs her hand and starts running them in that direction.

By the time they make it to him, she’s thoroughly out of breath. Damian turns around at the sound of her panting and chuckles.

“Hey guys!” He greets. “I found tacos. You good, Jan?”

“Gimme,” Janis puffs, reaching for his slushee. He hands it over begrudgingly and lets her have a few gulps. “Ooh, blue raspberry. Thanks.”

“Get your own,” Damian whines. “They’re, like, two bucks.”

“And you owe me ten,” Janis shrugs. “Mine now.”

“Why does Damian owe you money?” Cady asks worriedly.

“I bet him ten bucks I could steal a sheep without being noticed,” Janis responds. “And then I did.”

“You-you-“ Cady stutters. “Wh-what-why- why did you-“

“Good job, Janis, you broke your girlfriend,” Elijah chuckles.

“I put it back after,” Janis says, as if that makes anything better. Cady is still stuttering over several questions. “I named him Walter.”

Cady just blinks and then sighs, leaning her head against Janis’ shoulder. “Stop stealing livestock. Just leave them alone.”

“I didn’t steal the cows! Or the chickens,” Janis defends quickly. “And the sheep was fine. I just borrowed him for a second. Also, did you know sheep are not as soft as you would think? They’re very scratchy.”

“There’s a reason I can’t wear wool,” Cady chuckles in response. “Now get us some tacos, you heathen.”

Janis pouts, but does head up to the window to order them some food. Cady takes hers and leads them all over to a picnic table nearby, trying to navigate around the sticky soda spills and leftover gum.

Elijah tells them about the clothing and accessory booths set up a ways away, showing them all the cool pride necklaces he had purchased along with a few t-shirts. In return, Cady points out the cupcake place back closer to the beginning. Damian suddenly looks much more excited than he did a second ago.

“They’re really good! Mine was funfetti, and Janis let me try some of her strawberry one,” Cady says.

“I didn’t let you, you stole a bite,” Janis retaliates. “Don’t twist this story.”

“And you took some of mine,” Cady argues jokingly. “You would’ve given me a bite anyway.”

“No I wouldn’t! You’re a thief,” Janis says. Damian and Elijah both shoot her a look. “What?”

To prove her point, Cady juts out her bottom lip and blinks at her pleadingly. “Jayjay, can I pleeeease have a bite of your taco?”

“This is a trap, this is a trap,” Janis whispers to herself, trying her hardest to resist. Cady takes it up a notch and leans into her shoulder, blinking those long eyelashes at her adorably. “Fine!”

Cady laughs victoriously and steals her bite. “I told you. I have the power.”

“Outside the bedroom, maybe,” Janis mutters crankily. “Ow!”

“Janis Sarkisian,” Cady scolds, whacking her arm once more. “We just got a whole intervention a couple weeks ago, did you not learn your lesson about keeping things private?”

“I was joking, ow!” Janis laughs. “Stop hitting me, I’m sorry. I gave you my taco.”

Cady chuckles. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have hit you. I love you.”

Janis grins again as Cady cuddles back into her shoulder. “I love you too.”

Damian shoots them a warning look, so Janis restrains herself to one kiss against Cady’s hair and less aggressive cuddling than she wants.

They finish their food and sit there chatting for a while before Cady pipes up again. “I’m bored, can we go find something else to do?”

“Sure, Cads,” Damian chuckles. “Come on, there’s some photo booth thingies this way.”

Cady says, “Ooh!” excitedly at the same time Janis gives a groan, but they both follow Damian and Elijah regardless. “Jayjay, it’ll be fun! Oh, look at all the backdrops, they’re huge!”

Janis can’t help but smile at her excitement, remembering the joy she felt at her own first pride. Cady takes all sorts of selfies and pictures with her little squad at every flag backdrop, even the ones nobody in their group belong to. They are all very pretty and do make excellent photo backdrops.

Janis takes some of just Cady in front of the bi flag pasted to the side of a building. Cady smiles happily at her and does a few poses. Damian cheers her on from the sidelines before joining her for a few more. Janis smiles even more. She and Damian are and always will be platonic soulmates, but he and Cady have something special too.

Cady eventually comes back to her girlfriend after no fewer than fifty pictures. Some Plastic habits have taken longer to fade than others. “Do you want any of you?”

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, Peanut,” Janis says. She’s perfectly content to peruse their group shots or the photos of Cady, she’s never been one to enjoy taking pictures of just herself. “I’m in plenty of the group ones.”

“Okay,” Cady says. “What do you want to do? You’ve just been following me around so far.”

“No, I got the cupcakes,” Janis reminds her. “And you’ve picked good stuff to do. Let’s go check out the shopping stands, though, they usually have good stuff.”

Cady nods and takes her hand. Damian and Elijah realize they’re leaving and follow after them at a slight distance. Cady looks around curiously at all the rainbows and other color schemes in various forms around them. “I’ve never felt so… safe. Or secure in my sexuality,” she says quietly as they pass under a rainbow balloon structure.

“Good. That’s how it’s supposed to feel,” Janis says back with a smile. It quickly fades. “Too good to last.”

“What?” Cady asks. Janis points to a crowd of religious protestors nearby, holding signs with all sorts of cruel phrasing on them. “Oh.”

“Just ignore them for now, unless they start getting physical or go after someone young,” Janis shrugs, turning to browse some pride earrings. Cady nods and follows.

She notices Janis tense up as they’re forced to get closer to keep browsing, so she squeezes her hand gently to comfort her. Janis squeezes back thankfully.

Cady and Janis manage to ignore them and continue browsing. Cady buys everyone scrunchies patterned with their respective flags. Elijah puts his on his wrist, but Damian goes the extra mile and manages to get a little ponytail together on top of his head.

He and Elijah continue walking around for a while, but Cady and Janis stay and find a place to sit. It’s quiet and peaceful as Cady braids Janis’ hair down her back and ties the end with her new scrunchie.

So quiet that Janis forgets where they are and who’s nearby, and leans in to kiss her. All she knows is Damian and Elijah aren’t particularly close by, so she has free reign to kiss her girlfriend as much as she wants.

She’s violently brought back to reality when she hears some yelling. All she can make out is the word ‘dykes’. And to make matters worse, her hand suddenly feels warm and wet. One of them spat on her.

Damian and Elijah make a return as they hear the slurs being yelled, and Janis runs to cuddle into Damian. Cady, however, is fuming.

Cady knows she’s not supposed to engage these people. It won’t change anything, and puts her at risk. But, as she sees Janis being led away by Damian apparently in tears, she can’t hold herself back. Elijah is waiting for her, and there’s plenty of safe people around.

“Listen up, you fucks!” She snaps, getting the mob’s attention. “You know damn well you don’t belong here. This is an event for us, to give us a safe space. You’re entitled to your opinions, but attacking my girlfriend is where I draw the fucking line. Fun fact, pride actually has two meanings. This, and a family of lions. I grew up surrounded by several prides. I know how they fight, how they protect each other. The same applies here. If you even think about doing anything to anyone here again, I’ll show you how a whole pride of lions fights. Now fuck off.”

Surprisingly, they listen and back down a little bit. They don’t leave like she had hoped, but deep down she knew they wouldn’t. They’re suddenly swarmed by other pride-goers, congratulating her on her speech and going to try to cover the signs of the protestors.

“Damn, Cady,” Elijah says lowly. “Nice.”

“They hurt Janis,” Cady growls furiously. “Where did they go?”

Elijah points to an alleyway and leads them to it, quickly revealing a sobbing Janis being cradled by Damian. Cady’s seen her like this a few times before. She’s having a panic attack.

“Oh, darling,” Cady breathes sadly, any trace of anger gone once she sees the state Janis is in. “I’m so sorry.”

Janis reaches for her, so Cady cuddles in by Damian and squishes Janis between them. Elijah waits a little bit away, but in earshot if they need him. Janis doesn’t know him as well and his presence seemed to be making her more upset.

Cady pulls her bag off her back and roots through it, pulling out a water bottle and one of the snacks she brought, Janis’ sunglasses, and her own ear defenders.

“Mpenzi, do you want to try these? You don’t have to, but they help me when I’m overwhelmed,” Cady says lowly, tenderly stroking over Janis’ braid. Janis nods with another burst of sobs, so Cady helps her get the sunglasses on without poking her eyes and gently pops on the headphones. “Deep breaths, love, everything’s okay.”

Janis continues weeping in their embrace, sniffling anxiously every once in a while and clinging to both of her comfort people. Cady usually would offer a calming strategy, but she gets a sense that this time it’s important for Janis to just get it out.

A few people pass by the alley and ask if she’s okay, but Elijah plays bodyguard and sends them on their way again with the assurance that they’re handling it.

Very, very gradually, Janis does calm down. She pulls the headphones down around her neck and tucks the sunglasses into her shirt, reaching for the water and snack.

Cady unscrews the lid and hands it over, but helps her hold it when she sees how violently Janis is still shaking. Janis downs a couple gulps and continues clutching it as she shifts off of Damian and closer to Cady.

“Can I kiss you? Here?” Cady asks, tapping Janis’ forehead. She doesn’t know what triggered this, yet, and she doesn’t want to overstep. But Janis nods, so she pulls her close and peppers kisses against her temple. “You’re okay now, they’re gone.”

Elijah gets a little closer now that Janis is no longer in tears, sitting across the alley against the other wall.

“Did they-did they do anything? To you?” Janis chokes quietly, checking over Cady for any injuries and her face for any hint of sadness. Elijah snorts. “What?”

“Cady cussed their asses out,” Elijah responds. “She went off, even I was scared. They didn’t have a chance to get anything in edgewise.”

“That’s not- not safe,” Janis whispers anxiously. “Wh-why?”

“Shh, darling, I know it was a bad idea,” Cady says, blushing slightly at Elijah’s summation of the events. She just said whatever came to her. “But they hurt you. I’m not gonna let anyone get away with that. Nothing happened, and I won’t do that again.”

Janis looks warily to Damian, who gives her a sad nod. Cady gives a weak grin watching their apparent psychic connection.

“When I was-well. The first-the first time,” Janis begins shakily. “I was-was fourteen. Stupid. I-I made f-fun of them. And-and-and…”

She breaks down again, crying into Cady’s shoulder gently. Damian asks her if he can tell the story for her, and she nods.

“She kind of taunted them. I did too, it was funny for a while,” he says quietly. “But then one of them got really angry. He got them all to yell at us a lot louder, and Janis was obviously still kind of sensitive to the whole d-slur thing. Which they noticed, so they yelled that over and over. And then he threw a rock, and it hit her. She had a bruise for almost a month, it almost broke her arm.”

“Oh god, love,” Cady whispers in sad shock. “I’m so sorry.”

“That guy was arrested, but the rest of them weren’t. And he got out pretty quickly, unfortunately. His church paid his bail,” Damian growls. “We’ve tried to avoid them since.”

“Was he there?” Cady asks him quietly.

“No,” Damian says with a shake of his head. “But it was similar enough to what happened last time. She wasn’t right for a long time after it happened. And it makes sense she’s traumatized a little.”

Cady nods sadly and cuddles her girlfriend closer. It’s so hot, but Janis is crying so hard into her shoulder that she can’t think about anything else.

“Shh, darling, I’m so sorry,” Cady says quietly, rocking her girlfriend from side to side. “You’re safe, I’m safe. All of us are safe, nobody got hurt this time. Everything’s okay, I promise.”

Janis nods gently against her and tries to calm down, matching Cady’s slow, deep breathing as best she can and inhaling her comforting scent of rosewater, cherries, and books. They all mingle in an enchanting aroma around Cady, and Janis can’t get enough.

After another few minutes she stops crying again, and is just sniffling quietly in Cady’s hold.

“Okay?” Cady asks quietly. Janis nods gently again. “Good. Do you want to go fix your makeup or stay here a while longer?”

“You could do both,” Damian shrugs, pulling out a pack of makeup wipes and a few basic products. “What? You never know what you might need.”

“Gay,” Elijah teases. Damian pokes his tongue out at him.

Cady takes a few of the wipes and tenderly swipes the mascara and streaky remnants of a pride flag from Janis’ face. Her lipstick survived, so she leaves that. “Look up, dearest.”

Janis does, so she gently swipes on a new coat of eyeliner and several layers of mascara, as Janis likes it to be. “Thank you.” She says quietly, blinking a few times to get everything in place once Cady finishes.

“You’re welcome,” Cady responds with a kiss to her cheek. “Do you want to go home? You’ve been through it today.”

“No,” Janis replies instantly. “I-I went home last time. I let them get to me. I can’t do it again.”

“Okay,” Cady says. “If you’re sure you’re okay.”

Janis nods and stands up, brushing over her cheeks to try and help any remaining tear tracks fade. Cady, Damian, and Elijah stand as well.

“Oh, hang on a second,” Cady says hastily, taking her bag off again and rooting through it. She pulls out Janis’ pride flag and ties it gently around her neck so she has a cape like the rest of them. “It came off your face. You need another one.”

Janis grins weakly and squeezes her hand, leading them out of the alley and back to the festival.

“Hey,” Cady says quietly as they follow Damian and Elijah back closer to the entrance. Janis looks at her with a questioning hum, still not really in a mood to speak. Cady holds their intertwined hands up. “I love you.” She squeezes Janis’ hand three times, one squeeze for each word.

Janis smiles and leans in for a quick kiss. She looks around anxiously before she does, but the fact that she’s even willing to do so at all is frankly a miracle. “I love you too.” She squeezes Cady back four times, following the same pattern.

Eventually they get close to the area where they had painted the rocks earlier. And Cady gets an idea.

“Darling, will you be okay if I leave for a few minutes? I think I left something back that way,” she says to throw Janis off slightly. Janis pouts but nods and picks up a bit of speed to catch up with Damian. He screams and whirls around when she taps him on the shoulder, and Cady muffles laughter into her hand as she loops around a building and runs over to the booth.

“Oh, hello! Welcome back, are you here to do some more?” The kind lady asks.

“Um, yes, do you have any that are like that one?” Cady asks, pointing to one of the ones she decorated earlier. “And could I maybe keep this one?”

“I’m really not supposed to, but I don’t see why not. Our gardens aren’t that big,” the lady shrugs, handing over a rock of a similar size and shape.

“Thank you!” Cady calls, squeezing out all the colors she’ll need and running to hide from her little group. She copies the design she wants, and grins when it turns out even better this time. The paint dries within ten minutes, so she holds it carefully as she returns her supplies and takes her time returning to Janis.

Once it’s dry enough, she tucks it into her backpack and rejoins her friends and girlfriend.

She finds them by the cupcakes again. Damian seems very pleased with his lemon transgender pride flag one, Elijah got a cookies and cream demisexual one, and Janis seems content with another lesbian pride one since she gets this one all to herself.

“Hey, love,” Cady greets, once again leaning in and taking a small nibble of her cupcake. Janis whines in defeat, but turns to greet her with a smile.

“You’re a thief,” she gripes jokingly, kissing Cady’s cheek.

“A cute thief,” Cady responds.

“You got me there,” Janis chuckles. “Did you find your thing?”

“Yep! All good,” Cady says. “Now you have frosting on your nose.”

Janis scrunches her face up to see, making Cady giggle. She leans in to kiss it off, returning the favor Janis gave earlier.

“Jan, are you done?” Damian asks around the last mouthful of his cupcake. Janis takes the last bite of hers and nods, standing up to throw the wrappers in the nearby bin. Cady sneakily puts their backpack on Janis’ shoulders. She looks at her oddly, but puts her arms through to carry it around.

“Should we leave? I think we’ve done all there is to do,” Elijah says. “And I want ice cream.”

Janis perks up at the mention of ice cream. She’s lactose intolerant, but will be damned if it keeps her from enjoying her favorite cold treat.

“Janis, no,” Cady says. “You get sorbet.” Janis pouts, pulling her own puppy eyes pleadingly. Resist, Cady. “Fine, we’ll stop somewhere and get you your lactose pills.”

Janis thinks for a second before giving a begrudging nod. She’d rather not deal with a stomachache on top of everything else today, maybe her lactose pills are a good compromise.

“Good, come on,” Cady says. Janis shrieks in surprise as she picks her up piggyback style and starts following Damian and Elijah to the gates. “What?”

“When did you get so strong, babe?” Janis asks, clinging to her shoulders as Cady grips her thighs.

“You’re not that heavy, Jay,” Cady chuckles, adjusting her grip slightly. “And I did grow up in Africa. I carried a lot of water around.”

“Are you from Africa, baby, really? I had no idea,” Janis teases.

“I will drop you,” Cady threatens in retaliation. “If you don’t appreciate my services.”

“No, I appreciate them,” Janis says hastily, clinging to her tighter. She rests her chin on Cady’s shoulder and squishes their cheeks together. The rhythm of their steps nearly lulls her to sleep. “‘S nice.”

“Good,” Cady giggles. “You’re so cute.”

“No,” Janis whines, turning her head away to hide her blush. “That’s not how this is supposed to go.”

Cady laughs again. “Well, it’s how it’s going, so I suggest you learn to live with it. I think you’re absolutely adorable.”

“Why?” Janis pouts. “I spent so much time trying to make myself not cute.”

“Because you just are. Your eyes are so big, and you care so much about the people you can be bothered to give a shit about, and the way you stick your tongue out when you try to focus just… hurts me, almost,” Cady says, listing a few things. “And you love cuddles and when I hold you, and you still blush every time I call you Jellybean, and you pout when you get tired, and-“

“Okay, okay,” Janis says desperately, cutting her off so she can calm down. Her face is bright red by this point. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Cady says, depositing her safely just outside the car. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Janis says, leaning in for a kiss.

“Oh my god, get in, losers!” Damian yells far too loudly. Janis and Cady both laugh and slide into the backseat.

————-

“You have an ice cream mustache,” Janis chuckles at her girlfriend once their tasty snack is finished. “Come here.”

Cady reaches for her, and Janis presses their lips together contently, the flavors of chocolate and strawberry mingling on their tongues.

“There,” Janis says once they finally pull back. Damian and Elijah went inside to browse the candy for sale, so she doesn’t have to worry about being scolded for kissing Cady so aggressively.

“Thanks,” Cady giggles. “Oh, I have something for you.”

“Huh?” Janis says confusedly as Cady takes the backpack back from her and starts rooting through it. Cady pulls out her rock and holds it behind her back.

“You have to promise not to laugh at it, I did my best,” Cady demands. Janis nods in confusion and holds her hands out for her gift. Her brows furrow for a split second when Cady drops the stone in them, but she smiles widely when she turns it over to see what it’s been decorated with.

“The rainbow lion,” she says happily, tracing a tender finger over a piece of his mane.

“I went back and made another one for you, the lady let me keep it,” Cady says. “Do you get it?”

“No, I didn’t know there was something to get,” Janis says. Cady sits next to her on the bench and smiles as Janis leans onto her shoulder.

“A group of lions is called a pride,” Cady says quietly. “And you’re in my pride. In more ways than one. I love you, so you’re in my group. And I’m so, so proud of you. For just… being you. And being here. And letting me love you.”

Janis pulls back, and Cady notices her eyes brimming with tears as she suddenly tackles Cady in a tight hug. Cady squeezes her back just as tightly.

“I love you so much,” Janis sniffles. “Thank you.”

“I love you too,” Cady says, stroking down Janis’ braid. “Oh, darling, don’t cry, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” Janis chuckles through her tears. “Good cry this time.”

“Ah, okay,” Cady says, gently rubbing up and down Janis’ back as her girlfriend moves to sit on her lap. The sun is finishing its journey for the day, the stars are just barely visible and the horizon is still bathed in varying shades of pink and orange and purple. “Happy Pride, darling.”

“Happy Pride, Peanut.”

I’m glad I’m in yours.

well i’ve had quite a bit of excitement trying to get this posted, so i hope you enjoyed!

requests are still paused, but i am hoping to get them re-opened in the next few weeks. nearly there.

thanks for reading!

lots of love,

ezzy

#cadnis #paint by numbers #space safari #cady heron x janis sarkisian #cady x janis #cady heron #janis sarkisian #damian hubbard #mean girls #mean girls broadway #mean girls musical

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captainkirkk · 4 years

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King Falls AM Fic Recs

I finished listening to Kfam about a week ago and immediately started binge-reading fics (and re-listening to the entire series). So rather than clogging up my weekly fic round-up, I thought I’d make this into its own list. I’ve still got plenty of fics left to read, but here’s a list of the ones I’ve really, really enjoyed so far.

(Contains spoilers!)

You Don't Tip Over by helloearthlings (Note: this author is going to keep popping up in this list - their fics are just so good)

“I mean, I’m just an intern,” Ben says quickly. “I’m not – I’m not complaining or anything. It’s just – I came to LA just for this internship, and I’ve never lived away from home before. So on top of all the shit I get here, I’m in this awful sublet with five roommates who act like smoking pot is a personality and there’s never a moment’s quiet, and it’s so expensive anyway. I just really miss my mom, this is the first time I’ve lived more than a few miles from her, and the town I’m from is just so special to me and I’ve never been away for longer than a week – oh God, I’m rambling, I’m so sorry -”

“Ben,” Jack moves to squeeze his shoulder, recognizing the symptoms of a panic attack after years of helping Sammy through his. “Just breathe. In and out. You’re gonna be okay.”

[In which Jack recruits Ben as an intern for Shotgun Saturday Nights.]

Take My Heart and Run Along by SolBaby

Ben is 12 and Sammy is 18 and they're whole years too young to try and survive and navigate life on their own. But they have friends who love them more than they know what to do with. And they have each other, despite everything bad in their life that's trying to force it otherwise, at the very least, they have each other. And that's the best they could ever hope for.

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Cassidae

Ben had This Is Your Year, Sammy Stevens clips edited to Green Day’s Good Riddance, subtitled Time of Your Life. It’s a song about someone leaving, but that’s semantics.

Then Sammy’s gone.

[ The first Sammiversary happens sans Sammy. This is what happens after. ]

Wish You All The Best by FoxGlade

“This is gonna sound like a stupid question,” Ben says suddenly, “but what year is it?”

Well, Ben has said stupider things. “2018,” Sammy answers. Ben looks to Jack, who looks to Emily, who narrows her mouth into a thin line.

“That’s… maybe a problem,” she says.

(The Christmas magic of King Falls strikes again, giving Sammy a firsthand account of his own future.)

Call On Me by FoxGlade

There's only one 24 hour grocery in King Falls. Considering the night owl habits of what seems like half the town, Emily was expecting it to be busier, but she's the only one cruising the aisles at 4am on a Tuesday morning. She's just passed the pharmacy section and picked up the medicine she needs, and now she's idling in the produce section. It's maybe too early in the morning for her brain to be online.

But it's not too early for someone else.

The phone only rings once before the voice on the other end says, “You're live on King Falls AM for our special Get Better Ben show.”

(Emily calls into the station while Ben is home sick.)

for a higher love by helloearthlings

“Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage this morning, 5-4.”

Ron could tell in an instant that Sammy already knew; something about him crumpled when Ron said it out loud.

God, the guy was – sad about this? Ron’s quiet suspicion about which way Sammy swung was absolutely confirmed – the straight and narrow of King Falls might be all woe is me over the fact that they didn’t have a monopoly on marriage anymore, but no one looked this wrecked if the decision didn’t affect them personally. The question was why this had put Sammy in some sort of drunken stupor.

[Ron, Sammy, and Pride in King Falls.]

tell me we'll never get used to it by feather_cadence

Ben, Sammy, and Lily come up with some rules for living together. Lily tries to figure out just where it is she fits.

reflected by helloearthlings

“Oh God,” Sammy says faintly with Ben’s voice, staring slack jawed. “I didn’t even know my face was capable of making that expression.”

Ben doesn’t think he has any particular expression on but Jack nods emphatically in Sammy’s direction. “That’s how I knew it wasn't you! Your face just doesn’t do that.”

“Do what?” Ben feels particularly defensive of his face – it’s his face, he can’t change it, except apparently he can, since it’s Sammy’s face right now and oh shit, Ben needs to lay back down and wake up from this surreal dream.

Shine by neversaydie

It's not a flashy affair, more of a cookout than a parade, but Ron's dock is decked out in rainbow bunting and there are cheesy tunes blaring from a speaker inside the Bait and Tackle - as the man himself flips burgers in nothing but his daisy dukes and a rainbow flag tied around his shoulders like a cape.

He is, quite literally, the hero they deserve.

Sammy watches from a distance, leaning against the side of the shop and nursing a beer as the party unfolds. There's already talk of repeating the event next year, getting some local sponsorship and making it bigger and better.

It's… nice. Weird, but nice.

[in which Pride makes it to King Falls, and Sammy gets used to being out and proud.]

Tend by helloearthlings

Ben had been so startled the first time this happened, running in and finding Sammy sobbing and crying out like there was a monster under the bed, but Ben had quickly adapted to this new feature of their friendship. He could be the big brother for a change. He’d shaken Sammy awake, wrapped his arms around him and fell back asleep curled up next to him to make sure Sammy slept through the night.

Sammy told him again and again, with a lack of eye contact and pink cheeks, that it really wasn’t necessary, that he could take care of himself. To which Ben always replied that Sammy had done enough taking care of himself in the last three years and it was someone else’s turn now.

i'm bleeding, i'm not just making conversation by helloearthlings

“I – I don’t know how to say it,” Sammy says, desperately wanting to because he just wants someone to understand, but he knows Jack can’t no matter how hard he tries, and Sammy’s so ashamed already even without his best friend knowing he’s faked his entire life. “I think I’ve been trying to say it all my life, but I can’t, I just can’t, I can’t say this out loud. Every goddamn choice I’ve ever made, every decision, every fucking – personality trait – it’s all fake, it’s all to stay hidden, I don’t think I’m a real person, I really don’t think I’m real.”

[Sammy's internalized homophobia over the years.]

living for the right now by helloearthlings

The crib isn’t all that’s in the box. There’s a stack of kids’ books – Dr. Seuss, mainly. A couple of onesies. One of them is yellow and has a giraffe pattern on it, the other green with turtles.

What really gets Ben is a little brown bear, barely bigger than Ben’s hand when he picks it up with all the reverence he can muster. It’s got a big, bright smile, little black nose, and says I Love You Beary Much on the heart in its paws.

“Oh,” Ben hears Sammy’s voice whisper from somewhere behind him. His voice is very soft and thick, like he’s choking tears back.

That’s when Ben breaks, little sobs coming out of his mouth that he just can’t help.

Oh Bondage, Up Yours

neversaydie

Part 1 of Kink Falls AM (Note: I don’t normally rec smut fics, but this series is a character study with an amazing amount of depth that just happens to be centred around kink. Very well written.)

In which Sammy and Jack's less than vanilla sex life becomes apparent, Ben is extremely sex positive while trolling, and Sammy is absolutely mortified.

a fever i am learning to live with by helloearthlings

Sammy had never lived alone before he came to King Falls.

[Five times Sammy had to deal with living alone for the first time, and one time Ben put a stop to that.]

#my posts #fic recs #kfam #king falls am #man i HOPE that 'read under the cut' works #if not: i'm so sorry mobile users #long post /#kfam recs

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eyebright-iris · 5 years

Text

Review: Met Gala 2019

Good morning to girls and gays only. Straight men can perish.

Well, the Met Gala has rolled around once again and all I can say is: I’m so glad I’m a lesbian. The theme for this year was ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’ and my GOD did some men decide that this was the perfect opportunity to come in a bland black tux or worse.

Some of the biggest disappointments of the night for me have to be Rami Malek and Taron Egerton, who, having both just played some of the most iconic men in recent history who lived, breathed and ate the essence of camp, saw fit to turn up in black tuxes. Taron’s was kinda sparkly though and I still respect the dude for his general lack of typical masculinity elsewhere (more men commenting “phwoar” on their mates’ Instagram, please). Shout out to Frank Ocean who showed up looking like any bouncer you might find outside one of my local clubs on a Saturday night. He collaborated with James Charles to prove that while some gays showed their best, others certainly did not. The theme was CAMP, James Charles, and you still couldn’t deliver.

I appreciated the change in pace from Darren Criss and Harry Styles, but to be honest, Harry’s had camper looks in concert and Darren Criss…well, I loved his look, but it also took me a solid ten minutes to work out that it was him and not just Brendon Urie in his regular concert gear. Glittery jackets and statement eyeliner do not a camp icon make, I’m afraid, though you certainly did better than so many others.

Kim Kardashian was certainly…there. I’m impressed with the way she managed to make herself look like she’s just stepped out of the ocean butt-naked and dripping wet, but girl. You’re rich as fuck. There’s more than bodycon dresses out there. Also please smack your husband, he’s a dick and he’s wearing a black tracksuit. Kendall and Kylie were a little more flamboyant but honestly, they were single-colour knockoffs of things I would say you could find at a Rio street festival, except that would be an insult to Brazil and all the ways Rio festivals embody everything the Jenner looks were not. And to be real with you? For all the colour that was there, they were boring. What is it with these women and being afraid to be #Iconique? It’s sad that all they seem to know how to do is emphasise their boobs and hips in dresses with very little fabric to try and be daring. If they weren’t so rich and influential no one would pay them any mind because you can see the same look on anyone else.

While I don’t like Cardi B, I can appreciate her attempt to get into the spirit of the Met Gala, which she pulled off so well last year. I only wish her skirt hadn’t ended up looking like rows of theatre seating. Katy Perry was there as both a chandelier and a hamburger, which, while a step up from the Jenner-Kardashian contributions, leads me to wonder if she knows what ‘camp’ means, or if her foray into queer culture stopped once she was done appropriating sapphic sexuality for male consumption in 2008. Special mention must go to Benedict Cumberbatch who saw fit to show up dressed like some bizarre visiting cousin of Colonel Sanders who maybe definitely owned a plantation. It wasn’t a black tux but somehow I just wish it had been.

To get to the real stars of the night, I think it’s only fair to start off by saying this Met Gala was once again, Black Excellence. I cannot BREATHE for the number of incredible, powerful black icons taking to the pink carpet in works of art. Let’s begin, shall we?

Billy Porter showed up (and showed everyone else up) with six hot half naked slave dudes decked out in gold carrying him in on a black-and-gold chaise-lounge like a modern-day Cleopatra and, once he had both feet firmly on the floor, threw up the massive golden wings of Isis and owned the entire space around him. The crown. The wings. The copious gold sparkly shit. The gold bedazzled stuff on his face. Every other man should be ashamed of his failure to measure up to the king. Also every man in a tux found DEAD by the side of the road thanks to our Lord and Saviour Billy Porter.

If Billy Porter is the king, then surely, there are too many queens to choose from. From Laverne Cox’s strikingly shaped black dress with her brilliant blue-white hair and statement makeup, to Lupita Nyong’o showing up in the full neon spectrum of the rainbow, black women showed up to take the crown every single time last night. Janelle Monáe’s stunning artsy dress blew me away, from the Picasso-like features to the multitude of hats that I have no idea how she balanced, she’s a masterpiece. Lizzo stepped out looking like the Empress of Flamingos and I am absolutely here for every second of it. The colours are loud, bold, and the outfit is as large-as-life as Lizzo herself. Her hair was so stunning, I swear I thought it was a crown at first.

Black hair certainly had a starring role on the red carpet as well, from Tessa Thompson’s insanely long braid (she was carrying a WHIP to complete her outfit RIP all wlw) to Lupita’s impressive afro with its many golden combs. I adored Danai Gurira’s hair and especially loved her Oscar Wilde-inspired outfit: here is a woman who understands her brief and works from it to great effect, and I loved Keiynan Lonsdale’s gorgeous hair and butterfly gown – seeing him embracing his queerness with both arms since Love, Simon led him to come out has made my heart big.

I can’t move on from the black dominance and excellence of the night without mention of two of my favourite looks: Zendaya and Lena Waithe. If Billy Porter is the king and there are too many queens to count, then Zendaya stands out yet again as the living, breathing princess of the lot of them. I can hear the white tears over black girl magic Cinderella from here. She arrived in a whole Cinderella dress that expanded and glows from within, a pumpkin-carriage purse and her own fairy godmother to transform her with a little bibbity-bobbity-boo? She even lost her damn glass slipper on the stairs. A true artist. As they say in the LGBT+ community: um, wig.

Speaking of which: Lena Waithe. The lesbian icon herself, who showed up to last year’s Catholic-themed Met Gala in a pride flag cape, and who went hell for leather this year as well, putting every man in a tux to shame by not only out-classing them in how fantastic she looked in her lilac suit, but also paying homage to the origins of camp, with the back of her jacket boldly stating “Black Drag Queens Invented Camp” and the pinstripes on the suit actually being cleverly displayed lyrics to iconic drag queen songs. She really Did That yet again and I’m knocked dead.

This review is already long as hell and it’s about to get longer because there are more looks that I want to mention.

First of all: Lady. Fucking. Gaga. My girl did four outfits on the pink carpet in the space of 15 minutes and holy shit did she kill it. Starting out in a voluminous hot pink ballgown, followed by a more sedate but still impressive black one with a matching umbrella, then down to a slim hot-pink number, huge sunglasses, and statement telephone, and finally ending up in an iconic mesh and underwear set, all while sporting the most gorgeous gold false eyelashes that made the whole thing pop. The creativity and flair of everything Gaga does has made her iconic throughout the years and this event was no exception.

Ezra Miller FUCKED IT UP. Pinstripe suit with the sweeping train, glittering cage corset on top and a myriad of imitation eyes all over his face, carrying an eerie mask of himself on a stick? Phenomenal. The confidence in his walk as he moved and the way he displayed his look was so striking and seeing him own it so much made my night.

I loved Jordan Roth’s take on Billy Porter’s wings, allowing him to show up as a literal whole theatre. I loved Ryan Murphy’s sparkling pink champagne tux and high-collared cape. Florence Welch absolutely slayed in her glittering wing-collared cloak.

However, one of the standout looks for the night was Hamish Bowles. The embodiment of camp, with that magnificent fur-trimmed patterned cape. The look is absolutely dominating even when he’s standing still, and when he moves, the whole thing comes alive. Watching some of the dynamic shots taken of him having fun with his outfit, I felt like I was watching a bullfighter in a lion’s mane – and all of that is good. I can’t quite put my finger on why I felt he looked like a fabulous Mrs Doubtfire (maybe it’s the shoes) but the outfit was one of the best and definitely set a bar that so many men fell short of.

Final Words:

Can someone please tell cishet men to step their game up? Or men in general (I see you Frank Ocean and James Charles letting the damn side down)? They can stay boring if they want, however. The rest of us will be having far more fun without them, and the plain black tuxes certainly are no talking point of the evening.

#review #met gala #met gala 2019 #fashion review #fashion #red carpet #zendaya #billy porter #ezra miller #lady gaga #i wanted to get this out in a timely fashion so it was relevant #also idk if you can tell but i'm eagerly anticipating macdoesit's review because his red carpet reviews are EVERYTHING and i think it shows #*it shows here #i am INFLUENCED because i love him

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that-one--book-nerd · 6 years

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Pride and Love (a fierrochase one-shot)

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! I was inspired by Rick’s tweet about Magnus and Alex at a pride parade so I sat down and wrote this. I feel like I went off track from my original idea, but I like where I went with this. I feel like this is incomplete so I might write a continuation of this, but no promises. We’ll see what happens.

You can read it on AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/14851220

I hope that link works. If not, my AO3 username is

@ that_one_book_and_theatre_nerd

If you like what you read below, remember to reblog and like! Comments give me life also.

Okay NOW for the good stuff ;)

Magnus felt like his heart was going to burst with pure elation as he watched the parade travel on. Flags with multi-colored stripes waved through the breeze as people cheered and marched.

Magnus had gotten a small flag face-painted on him, just three simple pink, yellow, and blue stripes—the pansexual pride flag—a few inches below his right eye. Alex also had a flag on his face, but it was colored pink, white, purple, black, and blue—the gender-fluid pride flag. The pansexual flag was painted on his other cheek, while in his right hand he waved a small transgender pride flag.

Balloon arches with rainbow patterns seemed to float along the street. Magnus and Alex always cheered a little louder when someone with a pansexual and/or gender-fluid pride flag walked by. They had promised to meet up with Blitzen and Hearthstone in an hour at Blitzen’s Boutique, but Alex persuaded Magnus to spend just a few more minutes at the parade.

“I love this,” Alex said, squeezing Magnus’s hand.

“What?” Magnus shouted back. The loud music that was blasting from seemingly invisible speakers and the large cheering crowd made it difficult to hold a conversation.

Alex lifted Magnus’s hand to his lips and kissed it.

“I LOVE this!” Alex shouted.

“This pride parade or me?” Magnus shouted back, smiling.

Alex rolled his eyes, but smiled as he leaned down to kiss Magnus.

“Yes,” Alex whispered into Magnus’s ear.

Magnus couldn’t stop the giggle that burst out of his mouth as he hugged his wonderful boyfriend.

At that moment, a very pretty girl walked by, passing out little handkerchief-like pieces of cloth, each decorated with the stripes of a different pride flag. Alex walked up to the curb where the girl was and got four flags (two pansexual ones, a gender-fluid one, and a trans one). He returned to Magnus, who wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist.

“Should we start heading up to Blitzen and Hearth?” he asked.

Alex was busy staring at the little square gender-fluid cloth with a bright smile and eyes filled with sunshine and rainbows.

Huh. His eyes are filled with rainbows both literally and figuratively because we’re at a pride parade and he looks so happy, Magnus thought to himself. I’m so smart.

“It’s usually a hit-or-miss with finding gender-fluid themed stuff at pride events, but this place is a treasure chest!” Alex exclaimed. He threw his arm across Magnus’s shoulders as they continued to make their way through the crowd that was blocking them from the relatively open sidewalk. Blitz and Hearth would probably be impatiently waiting for them. Magnus looked at his watch.

“Yikes, we’re twenty minutes late.”

“Oops,” Alex replied.

“Once we get out of this crowd, we should pick up the pace and—”

“Hey!” Alex interrupted Magnus.

Magnus turned to look at his boyfriend, who suddenly had a mischievous smile growing.

“Oh, gods. What now?” Magnus asked. “I know that smile, Fierro!”

Alex set down the bag full of the goodies they got at the parade and took Magnus’s face in his hands. Magnus couldn’t help but smile giddily.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Alex said before bringing his lips to Magnus’s. Magnus closed his eyes and kissed back, and for a moment, it was just him and Alex together.

Magnus’s period of zoning out abruptly ended when people around them cheered and applauded. Alex pulled away and bowed to the crowd. Magnus timidly waved and was finally able to catch his breath a few minutes after he and Alex joined hands and escaped the crowd of thousands.

“What do you mean ‘I’ve always wanted to do this’? We’ve kissed—” Magnus paused to count on his fingers “—nineteen times now!”

Alex’s eyebrows rose on his forehead as he began to laugh.

“You’ve been keeping count of the number of times we’ve kissed?”

Magnus felt the heat rising to his cheeks from embarrassment and from seeing Alex laugh. The sight of seeing him laugh felt like being able to breathe after feeling like you’ve been underwater for far too long.

As Alex turned to him, Magnus sensed his—no, her, now—gender change.

“Of course I keep track of the number of times my beautiful significant other and I have kissed.”

“You’re such a dork,” she replied.

They walked in silence for a minute, attempting to catch their breath as they walked up a steep incline. Magnus could just make out what he was pretty sure was the top of the neon Blitzen’s Boutique sign, glowing with the colors of the rainbow.

“You’re a girl now, right?” Magnus asked, rubbing his thumb in circles on Alex’s hand.

“Sí, mi pequeña bola de sol,” Alex replied, kissing Magnus’s forehead.

“Did you just call me a fireball?” Magnus asked, smiling.

“No, idiot, I called you ‘my little ball of sunshine.’”

“The sun is a ball of fire, so technically I’m not wrong.”

Alex rolled her eyes and smiled.

“How do you know?” Alex suddenly asked as they continued walking. The sun was starting to set, and the streetlights were starting to glow.

Magnus looked up at her brown and amber eyes.

“Hm?”

“How can you tell when I shift genders? Sometimes I feel like you know it’s happening before I do. So what’s your secret?”

Magnus shrugged.

“Well, when you shift genders, you kind of glow for a second. It’s super faint and it lasts for shorter than a second, but I guess I notice that, and something about your eyes change too. Like, they don’t change into something different or anything, but it’s like they sparkle a little more than they usually do, and then I just…have an instinct, you know?”

Alex stopped and took Magnus’s other hand into her own.

“Incredible.”

It was all she said before pulling Magnus into another kiss. Magnus happily obliged, but pulled apart and looked around.

“What is it? Monsters?” Alex asked, immediately on alert. She tightened her grip on Magnus as her multi-chrome eyes darted up and down the street.

“No, no it’s nothing like that,” Magnus hastily explained, feeling his face become warm.

Alex rolled her eyes. and looked past Magnus to make sure there weren’t really any monsters or other creatures that were out of the ordinary.

“Then what is it, Maggie?”

Magnus gently guided Alex’s face towards his own and leaned forward so their foreheads and the tips of their noses were touching.

“You’ve been so…open about me today. About us,” Magnus whispered. The sky was becoming darker, but Magnus and Alex had luckily found themselves under a streetlamp.

“You’re usually so…careful when we’re in public,” Magnus continued, taking each of Alex’s hands into his own.

“But today…kissing me in front of all those people…those strangers—”

“I’m sorry,” Alex interjected. Her head drooped. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m so sorry.”

“No no no! It’s okay! It was good! I mean, it was great, but I—uh, I was, um…” Magnus trailed off as Alex slowly lifted her head back up and Magnus’s eyes met her own.

“Gods, you dork, do you ever start a sentence on the topic you wish to speak about?”

“First of all, don’t use that adorable little pretentious professor voice with me, young lady.”

Magnus felt his heart breathe a sigh of relief as Alex restrained herself from giggling.

“Second of all, what I’m trying to say is that you’re usually so careful when we’re in public. Like, you’ll hold my hand, but if someone gives us a weird look, you either let go or shove your hand—and my hand—into your pocket. That time we and Sam were sitting in the park on that bench, you and I were being all lovey-dovey and gross and Sam got annoyed so she went to get some food and I followed her to the taco truck and we came back and you barely let our feet touch and Sam asked you what was wrong and you said it was nothing but then I saw a big white guy glaring at us with a Confederate flag on his shirt and an ugly MAGA hat and he looked like the type of guy to defend the rights of a gun to exist rather than the lives of children—”

“I remember the horrible conservative in the park, Magnus,” Alex interrupted. Magnus took a deep breath.

“The point is, you always seemed…well, scared in public when it was just you and me. For a while, I thought it was because you were embarrassed to be seen with me—”

Alex interrupted Magnus again, but instead of talking, she grabbed his face and kissed him.

“Don’t say things like that. I’m only embarrassed to be with you when you spill a milkshake on a poor waitress.”

“That was one time!” Magnus exclaimed. He paused to breathe before continuing. “I’m just wondering what made today different than any other day,” Magnus explained.

The sky was pitch black by now, stars were twinkling against the navy blue atmosphere, and the temperature had significantly dropped. Alex and Magnus still stood under the light of the lamppost, albeit closer together. (Whether it was human instinct to keep warm or some other reason, neither einherjar cared.) Alex looked into Magnus’s eyes and brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face.

“Well, that day in the park, the man approached me and said to me: ‘I don’t know what the hell you think you are, but you and your little lesbian friend and that terrorist are the reason this country is falling to pieces. It’s things like you that make me wanna start building a wall right here. To keep your people out, to keep those terrorists out, and to keep all those god damned fags out of this good country. President Trump will deport you, and then this country will become great again.’”

Alex was shaking by the time she finished recounting what happened. Magnus looked at her and then pulled her close into a hug. She started crying.

“Ever since then, I’ve always felt like we were in danger. Like we’d be holding hands one day, then suddenly some bigots come out of nowhere and start…I don’t know, beating us up. I know we’re already dead, but like…when we’re in Midgard…” Alex shuddered.

Magnus held Alex for a while as she cried. The street was thankfully empty (save for a few people) due to it being blocked off for a few days thanks to the pride parade.

“I’m just so scared that I’m putting you in danger. When I was homeless or in foster homes, I was always the target. I was always ‘the boy who thinks he’s a girl.’ I was always…abused. I…I can’t subject you to that. But today, when I kissed you in front of all those people, I felt safe. In public. For the first time in a long time.”

Magnus thought he might just die (for a second time) on the spot. He couldn’t think of what to say that could possibly console Alex, so he held her tighter and kissed her cheek.

“Let’s go find Blitz and Hearth. They’ll have some guava juice, and we can continue this talk at their place, okay?”

Alex sniffled and nodded.

When the couple finally approached the boutique they found a sleeping Hearthstone and Blitzen sitting on the sidewalk next to the door. The lights were still on inside the store, even though they should have closed an hour ago.

When Alex and I were supposed to meet them, Magnus realized, suddenly feeling guilty for making Blitz and Hearth stay up and fall asleep on the sidewalk. Hearthstone was the first to wake up, who immediately shot up and wrapped his arms around both Alex and Magnus at the same time. Then there was a thump, and Blitzen was awake.

“You silly elf! Pillows aren’t supposed to up and—” Blitzen stopped when he saw Alex and Magnus. “Let’s go inside,” he said while also signing for Hearth.

The moment Blitzen closed the door to his and Hearth’s apartment, he almost exploded.

“What were you two thinking?! Where were you? Why didn’t you let Hearth and I know where the Helheim you were?!”

Hearthstone gently took Blitzen’s hands—which were frantically waving around as he yelled and paced around the room—into his own. He kissed them, then gently put them down so he could sign. Calm down, dear. They were fine. I saw them. One block down that street. Being lovers. Cute. Gross.

Blitzen’s eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline as he exclaimed “You were one block away?! Kissing?! In the middle of the night?! Poor Hearth here wouldn’t go back inside until you two came back! And—wait.”

Blitzen stopped and turned back to Hearthstone.

“When did you notice them if you fell asleep outside?”

Hearthstone shrugged. I woke up and I saw them walking together. Then they stopped one block away. I fell asleep. I am fine. I used a rune to help me keep strength. Hearth pulled out a rune and held it up proudly for Blitzen to see. Blitzen only sighed, exasperated.

“You stupid elf, what were you thinking, falling asleep in the dark like that?! Rune or no rune, you could have died! What the Helheim was I thinking, letting you go outside when it’s so dark? Gods, why would I—”

Blitzen was interrupted when Hearthstone picked him up and kissed his lips. Blitz seemed to calm down and melt into Hearthstone before Alex cleared her throat.

“So…are Maggie and I grounded now?” Alex asked.

Magnus elbowed Alex in the side.

Hearthstone gently placed Blitz back down and kissed his temple before signing. We will talk in the morning. We are all very tired. Goodnight.

Blitzen almost started to say something before Hearthstone gently took his hands and guided him to their bedroom. However, Blitz looked right at Alex and Magnus and quickly signed: Don’t even think about sleeping in the guest room. You two are grounded for the night. There is one couch. Goodnight.

Alex and Magnus stood in the middle of the bright living room for a while before Magnus cleared his throat.

“I guess we’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Alex had no time to retaliate before Magnus fell face-first onto the couch.

“Magnus, if you think you get the couch, you’re dead wrong.”

“Only half of that statement was true,” Magnus replied, his voice slightly muffled from talking right into a pillow.

Having his face buried in a pillow proved to be a bad idea once Alex collapsed on top of Magnus.

“Move over, you couch hog.”

“I was here first!”

“I’m taller.”

“You’re the reason we’re sleeping on the couch in the first place!”

Alex only repeated what Magnus said in a mocking tone.

“Real mature, Fierro.”

“I know,” Alex smirked.

“Will you get off of me now? I can’t breathe.”

“Fine, but only so I can turn off the lights.”

Magnus arranged the couch and the ottoman to form a semi-functional bed while Alex found blankets and pillows and turned off the lights.

As the two einherjar got comfortable in their makeshift bed, Magnus turned to Alex and cleared his throat again.

“Do you have a frog in your throat, Maggie?”

“Do you have to start every conversation sarcastically?”

“Yes.”

“Liar.”

“Prove it.”

Magnus froze, realizing he couldn’t think of a time when Alex hadn’t started a conversation with a sarcastic remark.

“I can’t think of one right now, but I’m sure it’s happened at some point.”

“Sure, Maggie. If you say so.”

The couple was quiet for a moment before Magnus turned to face Alex.

“Alex, about earlier—.”

“I want to go to sleep,” Alex replied, turning on his side to face away from Magnus.

“Me too, but I think it’s important that we have this conversation sooner rather than later.”

“I’m going to go to sleep and you can’t stop me.”

“Oh, really?” Magnus slyly smiled as he climbed over Alex and laid down to face her. She had an amused expression on her face when Magnus took one of her hands and leaned in and kissed her.

“You have my attention,” Alex replied, rolling her eyes.

Magnus took a deep breath to prepare himself.

“Alex, you said earlier that you were afraid of putting me in danger for being with you in public. I understand, and I’ve thought about the same thing as well. But, here’s the thing…”

Magnus paused as he took a hand and gently tilted Alex’s face to meet his so that their noses were touching. It was one of the few things that made Alex giggle. (She claimed she wasn’t ticklish, but Magnus knew better.)

“There are going to be bigots, and we’re going to have to face them. But I know you’ll protect me, and I’ll protect you. Those bigots that hate us for who we are have much bigger problems than a dead boy dating a dead gender-fluid person, whether they themselves see it or not. my point is, when we’re together, we aren’t in danger, because I’ll always have your back, and I know that you’ll always have mine, okay?”

Alex was quiet as she took in Magnus’s words.

“Do you have nothing to say to that?” Magnus asked, jokingly offended.

“No, I do not,” Alex replied. Before Magnus could say anything, Alex closed the small gap between them and kissed him. She rested a hand on his face, and he held that hand and rubbed circles on it with his thumb.

“I like it when you do this,” Alex whispered.

“What, kiss you?”

Alex chuckled.

“No, like when we hold hands and you trace little circles on my hand. It feels good. I like it a lot.” Alex leaned up and kissed Magnus’s thumb.

“You know what I like about you?” Magnus asked.

“What?” Alex replied, smiling.

“I like it when we’re holding hands, and we both lean over to say something to each other, and then we kiss. And then we don’t stop.”

“You like accidental kisses?”

Magnus nodded.

“Gods, you’re such a dork,” Alex chuckled.

“Oh, I’m the dork, little Miss ‘I Like It When You Rub Circles On My Hand With Your Thumb.’ Please.”

Magnus and Alex couldn’t help but quietly laugh together.

“We should try to keep our voices low, Blitz and Hearth are probably trying to sleep.”

Alex yawned.

“Good idea, I’m exhausted. I had a great day.”

“Me too,” Magnus replied. “Oh! I just remembered something.”

“What?”

“I like you because you’re brutally honest with me, but you’re also such a softie on the inside that it’s almost confusing, but not in a bad way.”

“Is that the one reason you like me?” Alex jokingly asked.

Magnus was thankful Alex couldn’t see him blush. Magnus turned on his side so he could be the big spoon, and Alex held onto his arm and kissed his hand.

“Alex, I love you for an endless amount of reasons,” Magnus sighed. He only then noticed that Alex had completely froze.

“Alex?” Magnus asked.

“You said love,” Alex whispered.

“What?” Magnus asked again.

“You said love,” Alex repeated.

“What? Wait, didn’t I say—”

Magnus felt his heart drop.

They hadn’t said ��I love you’ to each other yet. Alex wanted and needed time to adjust to being in a relationship, as did Magnus. They usually just said ‘like’ in place of ‘love.’

Gods damn it. Why do all my declarations of love happen when I don’t even know what I’m doing? The Ship of the Dead thing, and now this? Great.

Magnus’s thoughts raced around in his head like Mallory after eating fifteen Pixie Sticks in less than five minutes.

Alex abruptly sat up and turned to face Magnus.

“Do you mean it?” she asked.

Magnus sat up and took Alex’s hands into his own.

He could feel his heart beating at a million miles an hour. He was almost certain he could feel Alex’s heart beating through her hands.

“Of course I do,” Magnus replied, brushing away strand pieces of Alex’s hair so he could properly look her in the eyes. He wiped away a single tear as well.

“I’ve loved you since I first saw you, though I didn’t know what I was feeling. I realized that I loved you—or at the very least, had true romantic feelings for you—the day we fought that wolf at my Uncle Randolph’s house and we sat on those lounge chairs drinking guava juice. That was when I realized how much I truly care for you. And I finally admitted to myself that I loved you when you kissed me for the first time in Niflheim and you said that you weren’t going to die without doing that. I admitted it out loud on the Ship of the Dead during my flyting with Loki. And ever since then…I’ve always just known that…I don’t know, that maybe the valkyries had a reason to bring you to Valhalla.”

“Besides the fact that I died doing a heroic act?”

“I’m trying my best to be sappy, okay?”

“Oh, I can tell, and it’s making me sick,” Alex joked. She took his face in her heads and pressed their foreheads together.

“I just…I just hope that you—”

“Magnus.”

Magnus leaned away slightly and looked up at Alex when she spoke over him. He almost didn’t believe his ears when he heard what Alex whispered to him.

“I love you, too.”

Alex and Magnus looked at each other, and before they knew it, they had the biggest smiles on their faces and they were kissing each other and repeating the words ‘I love you’ back and forth, almost like a game of hot potato.

“So, am I allowed to say it out loud to you casually now? Because honestly, the fact that I haven’t been able to has been driving me up the wall.”

Alex chuckled as she laid down on her back and took Magnus’s hand into her own.

“I suppose you have my permission,” she replied.

“Oh, thank the gods, I was worried,” Magnus sarcastically replied.

“Shut up,” Alex said.

“Make me.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Is it?”

Alex immediately rolled over right onto Magnus and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her back as she gently held his head.

“This is exactly how I like you,” Alex whispered in between kisses.

“What, silent or the kissing?”

Alex chuckled.

“Both.”

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