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portwellbabes · 2 years

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set after episode 7, directors room

Ricky walks into the directors room looking for EJ.

“Oh there you are Elton, Val is looking for you she needs to check off the “In Summer” choreo.”

Ricky gets no response from EJ, so he moves closer to him. “Hey? You good? Whats…” He notices EJ has tears stained on his cheeks and his voice shifts to a softer tone, “EJ... whats wrong?” Ricky sits next to EJ putting an arm on his shoulder as EJ wipes away his tears.

“Gina broke up with me tonight” he says without making eye contact with Ricky.

Ricky looks at him speechless. He knew that Gina and EJ were kinda tense throughout the night but he had no idea it went this far. “Oh. EJ, I…”

Ricky is cut off as EJ starts to ramble anxiously, “I’m just stupid! I’m so stupid for thinking that I could be good enough for her.”

“No EJ don’t say that”

“No it’s true!” EJ makes eye contact with Ricky before continuing, “first Nini, now Gina! I’m just, a horrible person…I’m not- I’m not worth it” he concludes feeling extremely defeated.

Ricky looks at him upset, with a pang of guilt as he realizes that he unintentionally ruined two of EJ’s most treasured relationships.

EJ looks down at his feet, smiling wryly, “I mean, I’m such a failure that I’m not even good enough for my own father to say that he’s,” he stops for a moment staring at the wall blankly, “that he’s proud of me.”

A moment of silence passes until Ricky speaks up, unable to see EJ in such a weak and vulnerable position. He’s almost shocked to see the graduate so insecure of himself. Maybe he’s not as perfect as he seems to be?

Ricky turns to face EJ. “No you know what, that is absolutely not true you are not a failure EJ, you are so worth it, you are worth so much more than you know. and you know what? If your dad and Gina can’t see that then it’s their loss, because you are so incredible EJ.” EJ looks at him through his teary eyes as Ricky rambles on with a distant smile on his face. “I mean you’re talented, you’re kind and smart, and if I’m not wrong you were voted most likely to become a hollister model” he chuckles and EJ scoffs with a smile. “I see it, Maddox sees it, Val sees it! you’re the one who can’t see it.”

“Ricky you’re just saying that”

Ricky looks at him seriously, “I’m not! and EJ you don’t need someone else to prove that you’re worth it. I get it trust me, we all need validation. But EJ, you need to believe you are worth it. and as for Gina” Ricky sighs, “if you guys really are meant to be, she will come back to you. But EJ, maybe you just need to let her go first?”

“Yeah, i guess you’re right” EJ smiles back sadly.

Ricky smirks proudly to lighten up the mood, “when am i not?”

EJ punches his arm lightly as the two laugh quietly.

“Hey, it’s kind of like in frozen when Kristoff lets Anna go to Hans and when she realizes she loves Kristoff she comes back to him!” Ricky suddenly realizes, making a perfect analogy to EJ and Gina’s relationship. However, EJ doesn’t register this, choosing to focus on the fact that for once, Ricky actually got the plot of Frozen right. EJ looks at Ricky stunned, turning his body to face him.

“You- you actually know the script?” he asks.

Ricky blinks, “I mean, you did tell me to study it,” he replies referring to a couple hours ago at the camp prom.

“And you did??”

“Yeah…?”

“I- wow… thanks Ricky”

“No, thank you. You’re the reason we’re not gonna make a fool of ourselves on national television tomorrow. You might not think so but, I do appreciate you EJ.”

Ricky stands up and walks out, giving EJ a small smile and leaving him feeling a little more confident in himself than before.

i always pictured ricky and ej having some sort of heart-to-heart conversation in s3 after they’ve finally put their differences aside. this headcanon is where i imagine ricky discovering his sexuality for the first time after realizing he’s some what attracted to ej? and where ej realizes that ricky’s not that petty junior he was at the beginning of the school year and they can actually be friends. and it kinda leaves things open ended for portwell, rina, and caswen which they could’ve explored in season 4🤪

#hsmtmts #ej caswell #ricky bowen #portwell #gina porter #caswen #matt cornett #joshua bassett #jatt #rini #gina x ej #ej x ricky #wylett #east high school #headcanon #ej deserves better #ej caswell defense squad

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secretariatess · 6 months

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Kylin 28

Taking such a long ride back to headquarters on Vicious was nothing short of a challenge. Even though he had used his final days with Amelia taking Vicious out on rides out of the paddock, she had not settled enough for him during the trip. The times she was well behaved were the times he was most on his guard, knowing she was just trying to lure him into a false sense of security before taking off into the wilderness. Or even just attempting to buck him off.

And they did have to pause several times for Vicious to do just that. Some of those times Kylin suspected she was just too excited and didn't care for saddle manners.

He noted the moments of improvement, and did his best to praise her for them. However, it was going to be a long time before he could get her to the level of behavior he had with Wylett. Allowing himself to be distracted in the saddle and trust that she would continue on was not an option.

It was a trip that took him much longer than it needed to, but he had finally arrived at the headquarters.

He pulled Vicious to a stop, keeping a tight rein on her as he took a moment to stare up at the treehouse before him. A small sense of relief unwound in his chest, making its way out in the form of a sigh. He could still call this place home. Even though it was coming at such a high cost, it was still home. How much it would have ached if he had actually decided to leave the Rangers.

He was about to nudge Vicious forward, to bring her to the horse master while he went to look for Rei, when he noticed a figure descending the stairs. The figure noticed that he was there the same time he saw her, and lifted her head.

Her hood slipped off her head, revealing the cascade of curls belonging to Marta. A grin split her face when she recognized Kylin. She launched herself off the final steps and towards him.

He smiled softly at the sight of her and began to dismount. Vicious, who normally would whip her head around to see if she could get a bite or snort in, had her attention fully focused on the woman flying down the path.

Marta pulled herself to a stop just in reach of Vicious. Before Kylin could greet or warn her, Vicious stretched out her neck and snapped at Marta. She was quick enough to avoid any damage to her shoulders or face, but her hair was not so lucky. Vicious pulled back on the lock she had grabbed and began munching all too happily.

Sighing with a hint of a growl, Kylin slipped his finger into the corner of her mouth to encourage her to open her mouth. Despite Vicious's attempts to fight, she was still forced to release Marta in order to get Kylin's hand away from her mouth.

Marta wiped her spit laden curls, still grinning, while Kylin scolded Vicious.

"Is this how she greets everyone, or just me?" Marta asked when Kylin was done.

"Everyone," Kylin said darkly. "'Nice' is not a word in her vocabulary, and it's not because she wasn't taught it."

Marta tossed the lock back with the rest of her hair. "But at last you're finally back!"

He held back the wince to avoid explaining the terms and conditions as long as possible. "Of course I am. I wasn't kicked out."

"Well, no one knew how long you'd be gone," Marta said. "Rei came back a while ago, and never specified when you'd be back."

Kylin didn't immediately answer. Instead, he fiddled with some of the bridle straps, debating on changing the subject or coming up with a nonchalant answer. Or perhaps hoping that Marta would move on.

The look on her face, however, told him that she was hoping he would address why Rei didn't specify anything.

"Well, speaking of Rei, he did want me to speak with him when I came back," Kylin said.

Her face fell very slightly as she tried to hide her disappointment. "Ah, I see." She hesitated, though Kylin wasn't sure if it was because she was tempted to press him, or if she was just trying to remember where Rei was. "I can take you to him," she said. She hid her emotions with a smile that would have fooled him had he not noticed her disappointment earlier.

She led the way back to the stables where Kylin was able to relieve himself of Vicious. The horse happily dropped to her knees and began rolling around in the bedding the moment she was rid of the tack.

On the way up the stairs, Marta launched into a full report about everything that happened while he was gone. The flower still hadn't been found, which left Rangers in disagreement about its fate. Teams had been sent out to every naiad and dryad clan to gather any more information about the forest behaving oddly. In addition, the Rangers had found evidence of the dreaded ankhegs in the forest. The giant insect creatures had been chased out years ago, given that they were terrible for the forest. Their tunnels ruined tree roots and other fauna, and a colony of them could easily chase out or kill the forest's natural creatures. While, Marta admitted, no one had actually seen an ankheg just yet, it was not great news to hear that there were tunnels being formed.

Apparently Rei had sent word to the soldiers of the villages to be on their guard for out of the ordinary things in the forest, and tried to suggest that villagers avoid the forest path for the time being. While villagers tried to listen to the Rangers, the soldiers, of course, mostly did not heed the advice. Their defiance of the advice was only bolstered by the fact that nothing had happened yet. Currently, the only activity noted was that certain creatures seemed to be agitated.

Once Marta had regaled him with the important and relevant information, she moved on to tell him about the not so pressing matters that happened in headquarters. Things such as one of the apprentices going missing for an entire day, only for her to be found the next morning wandering around the treehouse in tears, trying to find the room she had been given. Or that someone had absentmindedly brought in a few of the dogs into the med bay, where one of them ate through Morganne's supply of roots, only to hurl it up in the library. An enraged Morganne informed any Ranger she came across that they had better be very careful in what kind of illnesses and infections they acquired, or they could just die.

"The one responsible said he'd just go to Amelia, then," Marta said, "and she told him not if he brought the dogs, or he'd be out of luck with her as well. But it does mean that you probably shouldn't get injured any time soon."

"Noted," Kylin replied.

Marta didn't have much time to tell more, as the first place they looked -Rei's office- they found him.

Rei waved them in when he saw them, eliminating the need for knocking.

"It is good to see that you're here, Kylin," Rei said. "Marta, would you do me a favor and tell Vivienne I would like to see her, please?"

Marta nodded, tossing Kylin a glance before heading out. Rei gestured for Kylin to take a seat.

While it was known as the captain's office, Kylin suspected that compared to any other office, it would not look like one at all. The room was carved into the cliffside and was shaped to have eight walls. One of the walls had the door from the hall and another had the door to the captain's quarters. The wall opposite the entryway had an elaborate mural carved into it, depicting the Veil Forest and its inhabitants. Special paints were used to bring the carving to life, creating a shimmering effect. Balls of light were affixed to the corners by the ceiling by the mural. Together, they gave the illusion that the mural was a window, and the lighting was the sun streaming in. The other walls had mounted shelves laden with artifacts from the forest. A large oak table sat in the middle of the room, with one side fitted with drawers. Papers were strewn about the surface, placed in ways that made it appear Rei was in the middle of organizing them. All around the table, and placed into the corners, were chairs of various woods and styles. They had been made by different carpenters over the years, the oldest rumored to have been made at the formation of the Rangers. The spaces against the walls that were not taken up by chairs, doors, or the mural were taken up by chest high bookshelves, stacked with journals of all the captains that had gone on before. The shelf next to the captain's quarters contained the oldest of the journals, and was fitted with locked glass doors.

Kylin took a seat closest to the door. Rei settled himself comfortably in one of the chairs by the table and clasped his hands together.

"I'm pleased to see that you decided continue forward after all," Rei said.

Kylin didn't answer. He was instead mulling over the fact that Rei had called for Vivienne directly, which would make it harder for him to make plea to become an apprentice for another position.

But not impossible.

He slowly took in a deep breath, hoping, praying, that perhaps the argument he had been building up for himself would be enough to convince Rei.

Rei realized that he was working himself up to say something and waited patiently, hands folded together. A part of Kylin, particularly the one that wanted to walk out and leave, wished that Rei would just speak over him.

"I have come back," Kylin admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm in agreement with your solution."

"That much I have figured," Rei said casually, hands still folded. "I was not looking for agreement or favor of my decision."

Kylin didn't address his comment, focused on the bit he wanted to argue. "You were right- I could not convince you that I had any interest in another field. If I were to pursue a senior master apprenticeship, it would have to be to be the beast master, wouldn't it?"

Rei raised an eyebrow at the wording.

"However, I think a better solution, one that would still satisfy what you're trying to do, would to allow me to take on an apprenticeship for a junior master."

"And you wish to tell me that you've completely thought through the consequence of taking on an apprenticeship for a junior master?" Rei challenged.

"I would rather not take on any apprenticeship, but as it's something you've required of me-"

"You find it an acceptable compromise?" Rei cut across him. "Shall we review the positions in the field, then, and ask if you would truly be suited for them?"

Kylin wanted to answer, but he wasn't sure how. Rei's voice was not accusing, nor were his questions rhetorical. He sounded genuine, yet at the same time, certain the result would not be in Kylin's favor.

"Only three of the four masters are accepting apprentices at this time," Rei said. "Of the remaining three- equestrian, canine, and avian- all of them would require you to spend the majority of your time here at headquarters. I have no doubt that you would do well enough in those areas. I believe you capable enough of rising above your peers and making yourself a strong candidate to be the next master. However, you wouldn't be happy." Rei leaned forward, keeping steady eye contact. "You know you wouldn't be happy. You would tire of it quickly, because you would be inclined to wander."

Unfortunately, Rei was very right. Kylin had been more focused that this was an acceptable compromise that he hadn't fully thought through the different kind of sacrifice it would require. Part of the joy in being a regular Ranger was the ability to wander the forest, to visit with Amelia and the villages on a more consistent basis. But many of the junior masters worked at the headquarters, given the work they did. Even the spare time he would have would restrict how far he could go.

As he tried to determine if this was in fact something he could suffer through for the sake of avoiding the beast master apprenticeship, Rei continued.

"I did not settle on my decision to make you suffer," he said. "If that was my goal, I would accept your compromise."

He probably had more to say, but the sound of footsteps heralded Marta's return with Vivienne. Before the two women reached the door, Vivienne could be heard cheerfully dismissing Marta. She then stepped into the room, shoving the door a little too hard behind her and causing it to slam back into its frame.

The first time Kylin had met Vivienne, he had gotten the impression that she was the result of mixing an angered grizzly bear and excitable puppy, and put into Human form. Even now, she still gave him that impression. She rivaled Ivelios in height, and outstripped most Rangers in muscle. Old scars ran up and down her arms, implying that there more in areas covered by her thick grass and dirt stained clothing. Another visible scar ran across the right side of her head, preventing hair from growing there. Instead of using her dark blonde hair to cover it, Vivienne had swept it aside, proudly using the scar as the part in her hair. Despite her tough stature, she had the biggest grin on her face, and a twinkle in her eye that matched the stars on a clear night.

When she caught sight of Kylin, her grin only widened more. Kylin braced himself for impact as she greeted him with a hearty smack to his shoulder. Had he been less ready, he would have been knocked from his chair. If there was any uncertainty about the feeling and strength having returned to his arm and shoulder, Vivienne's gesture of greeting had cleared it up.

"Well, am I glad to see you again!" she said. Her voice reminded him of a bell, as it carried a rich kind of ringing that caused people to stop and listen. "I was hopin' that we'd cross paths again!"

Kylin made a weak attempt at a greeting smile, avoiding looking her directly in the eye.

He hadn't seen her since he had withdrawn his name from pursuing her apprenticeship. Even at that time, he couldn't really look her in the face, not wanting to see any emotion she might have been displaying. Her telling him that she had been wanting to see him again only made him feel worse.

If she noticed his discomfort, she made no indication. Instead, she straightened, getting all business-like while still excited.

"Now, given that a few years have passed, I'm 'fraid I can't have you using what you achieved back then," she informed him. "For yer sake, I hope ya've retained some knowledge from then, so it'll make studying for the tests much easier."

He clenched his jaw, struggling not to show the inward groan. He also hoped that he retained much of what he had studied, as Vivienne's tests were not for the faint of heart. And those were simply the evaluation tests, given to monitor progress and help Vivienne determine if it was worth it for him to continue his pursuit.

Though, as this was now part of an ultimatum, they would also serve to show Rei he was taking it seriously.

"Make sure yer on good terms with the rest of the masters," Vivienne continued, ignoring the grimace. "Ye'll also need to have the recommendation of all the junior masters in the field."

This information was not particularly new to Kylin. When he had first expressed interest, his Ranger mentor had rattled off all the requirements and expectations for the position, perhaps to discourage any arrogant and lame assumption that it was going to be easy.

"Speaking of which, I think it would be good for you to shadow the huntin' master," Vivienne said, rubbing her chin as she thought about it. "Help get you some of that hands on experience with some creatures sooner rather than later." She glanced at Rei, seeing if there was any objection.

He said nothing to her; he only gave her a placid look.

"It will also put you in the middle of tracking down that flower thing," Vivienne said. "But given what's been going on, I know that's not the only thing ye'll be dealing with." She sighed in frustration, then shook her head. "Anyways, that's what you can be workin' on for the time being. We'll talk evaluation later." Finished, she beamed at him

The more she talked, the less he shared in her enthusiasm. The way she talked, and the way Rei let her, indicated that Rei had no intention of being convinced into letting Kylin take any other path.

There was still comfort in the fact that there was no apprentice for him, though. That could delay the process for quite some time.

When he didn't say anything in response to her plans, Vivienne turned back to Rei. "D'ya suppose I'm missing anything?"

Rei shook his head. "I think everything's covered."

"Good. I'd stay and chat a bit more, but I found a peryton fawn only a couple of days ago, and she's just started to realize that she's got wings. I suspect she's made a mess of things already, and I daren't leave her longer to make it worse." With nothing more than a cheery wave goodbye, she swung the door open and slammed it back into its frame behind her.

#between the veil and crown #kylin #rough draft

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