#aww they asked him a question about pirates it was FATE

[littlegaycubeoftofu]

Somehow I watched Rhys Darby on QI over 12 years ago, remembered his appearance, but never actually connected that man with the Rhys Darby I'm currently obsessing over in OFMD. I mean, I watched that QI episode a LOT. I used to leave the whole series running while I worked. THIS IS WHY HE SEEMED SO FAMILIAR YOU IDIOT

[pen-of-roses]

WHG-Conor 1

Stepping into the apartments for the captured almost came as a relief.

Almost.

The smug and confident whispers that surrounded this new group were stifling as ever as always. Give anyone enough power and they think they can control everything, that they know the course of the Fates. How horribly boring for them.

On the other hand, the hint of determination, whispering promises to escape to not submit to this were a joy. The hint of despair and hopelessness whispering of failure were not. They would prove less likely to act, less likely to sway into action off their paths. At least smugness made people easier to manipulate. Easier to veer of course.

No, these whispers simply would not do. Would not do at all.

Others had been sent down as well, and he walked behind them until the helpless feeling seemed to turn from a whisper to a scream behind one door in particular.  Wordlessly, he slipped from his position behind them, if they’d even noticed him there to begin with, and through the door.

The little assassin that had been reaped with Reine sat starring unfocused at the wall, curled in on herself. It took all his self-control not to scowl.

“And here I sense more fire and determination in you before the Games. This is just sad really, after everything I heard about not giving up, about finding a way to survive.”

“Whatever you want, I don’t care.”

“You should. Or have you really abandoned yourself so thoroughly? If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s people not being true to themselves.”

She glared up at him, though the expression was dampened somewhat by the exhaustion that screamed in the air around her. Still, the spike of anger sounded like music. Good, there was something in there after all.

“You still have something to fight for you know. There is a chance to escape.”

“We failed. There’s nothing.”

“You failed, the others did not. Despite what you might have believed, you are all still alive yes? No longer trapped in the Games, a feat that should have been impossible. It speaks of many doesn’t it? People to valuable to risk the deaths of.”

“I don’t have time for your games, just say what you came to and get out of my hair.”

His lip twitched down unconsciously at the address. It’s not like she had much else to do after all, she should be honored he even deigned to entertain-no. Getting upset would do nothing in this instance. “They’re keeping you alive for a reason. They went so far as to free multiple of you from the Games. What purpose would that serve them if it wasn’t something deeply important?” There it was the trill of curiosity and hope. “You value knowledge if not your own life, don’t you? Use it. Or else who knows where your little friends might end up. Tell me, are you really ready for more blood on your hands?”

She froze at the words but forced herself to relax. “And why would I trust you?”

“Why indeed?” His grin was all teeth. “I have very little interest in seeing any of you perish. And I hate to see such a spirit as yours wither up and die, it would make life just a little bit more boring. But I believe I’ve said all you’re willing to listen to, so I do hope you think over my words.”

Confusion whistled around her, but it was enough to dampen the wailing of her earlier despair and sounded lovely with the growing curiosity. Yes, that was much better. Get her thinking and who knows where it could lead? Her refusal to fight in the Games had already caused a stir, but a refusal to fight back now would do no good. Asking questions though, that could always lead to answers and reactions he could watch.

Besides, she knew the most about them. Get her to ask the right questions and he might get his own answers sooner or later.

But as for right now...

There was a spike of anger and defiance that had seemed to just beg him to investigate and who was he to deny such a request?

His grin returned full force when he slipped into the room the other two he had come down with were leaving to find District Ten’s thieving little tribute inside. Oh, but she was so much more than that now, wasn’t she? Leaning against the wall, he casually raised an eyebrow, "I must say, you are far more interesting than I first thought. Though I suppose you've been hearing that far too often as of late."

“And you’re looking remarkably less ridiculous than the last time I saw you.”

“Oh good, you recognized me, I was deeply worried you wouldn’t under all that. But I suppose you did go through all that effort to steal from me with my dear star’s help I presume.” Would likely have been the only way her attack dog—or rather cat—let anyone who wasn’t supposed to be there near the floor. The gall to actually steal from one of them! But then, it had been far too long since an actual challenge and he was never one to shy away from those that brought a little more chaos in their wake.

"Nah. That was all me. And by the way, I had my stylist burn those hideous gloves after the interview."

Her words hum with the lie at the beginning, as well as the slightest hint of...anger? Wariness might be the better word. But she’s not backing down from the challenge. Interesting. Still, the fact that she burned something of his-no. Don’t get distracted. "Burn, really? And here I thought you had an affinity for ice that would prevent such a thing. Still, doesn't really matter now that you're here. I was so worried after I discovered that lovely little trick that I wouldn't get a chance to properly meet you, that the Games would claim you well before ally cat and I arrived with your crew to aid the escape. But imagine my surprise when instead you were delivered to my newest interest?"

“Hmm.” Confusion whined around her as she looked him up and down. “Those are a lot of vague claims that I don’t have time to unpack right now. So, what can I do to placate your interest?”

“This.” He spread his arms, savoring the building melody of her confusion and wariness. “Your very existence is interesting to me from what I've been hearing, about how you shouldn't exist. It's different and new and exciting. Here I thought you and my lovely Reine would cause an uproar here for me to watch with your escape. Instead, I discover a strange group of people, these Shades, working for the Capitol with powers I haven't seen before, which is really quite impressive, Pirate,” the reminder caused a stir but she did well in hiding it. Interesting. "After all we've been around for quite a long time. She did tell you that right? Or I'm sure you're clever enough to have seen the signs of it anyway."

Curiosity at that. So he’d been right, as much as she may have fancied the girl his star hadn’t felt the need to expose them. Shame, she’d been so much more fun when she cared less about those pesky rules.

Triel recaptured his attention with her own little bow, how adorable. "I'm honored that my existence intrigues you. Would you like my whole life story, or just the paraphrased version?"

It had been too long since someone new had spared with him like this. He missed it. "Oh, I like you. Yes, it seems I wasn't off the mark here, you will be so much fun to watch as this all plays out. Your loyalty is inspiring, truly. I am curious what you will actually tell me of your life though? To give you this much fire after everything when even poor rainbow is beside herself over losing you. If you will indulge me Pirate?" He returned the bow.

"Well, it all started when my father told me that I should have never been born. So, I ran away and joined some pirates. And did I tell you that Churi was my father? I bet you've seen him. That's why he hates my guts." She forced tears and a crack in her words, but her emotions held the same hum.

Well, he always did love a good tale.

"Oh shall I get some popcorn for this beautiful tale you are spinning? Tell me which of the higher ups in the Capitol is the mother?" He feigned a gasp, "Oh don't tell me, President Snow is the wealthy uncle who will leave you everything in the end after a dramatic murder? Though I do think your acting may need a little work, not quite as sharp as your words."

“Joke's on you, I was making it obvious. And I hadn't thought about President Snow being the wealthy uncle. You think he'd bust me out of here?"

"Hardly seems the type, no see,” he easily slipped into the storyteller role, “you can't find out about it until after the death because then there's the will explaining how the entire thing was an act to keep you safe, but the untimely death means there's no one else to continue his work, no? Of course, I'd say that's when you discover the whole secret world full of magic and impossibilities and whatever unique power runs through your blood, but it seems you've skipped that part."

“And what part would you play in this story?” There was a lovely trill of wariness as she eyed him now. Good, she was smart, and not easily taken by his words. Yes, he liked her quite a lot.

He pretended to think for a moment, eyes catching on the time momentarily, "I suppose that depends on who is telling the story. Whatever best fits my desires at the moment. Currently? The audience watching what'll happen next, when you'll make your next move to escape this because you hardly seem the type to just sit by, and what this shady organization will do to try and stop this and spin the narrative in their favor. Though I suppose now I should play the distant old friend who shows up in time for dear Reine to cry on the shoulder of about failing you."

A hint of fear. So she was concerned for her as well?

She nodded. "So, since you are part of the audience, you must be satisfied to see the protagonist, so, in order to not bore you, you should probably take your leave."

Aww and here they were getting to be such good friends. But what a good little hero she would make in this tale after all. If that fire persisted, she could do wonders on this strange group and the Capitol. Alas, he really did need to meet them before they became suspicious. Shame.

He bowed slowly, never breaking eye contact, “It was a pleasure to finally meet you Triel. I am sure you will not disappoint me in your endeavors.”

Indeed, she would not. With the right push, if the people adored her or were half as interested, her escape—because she would try again, no way someone with that fire would sit quietly by—why it might just cause a riot. An uproar and spark that could cover his trail and provide just enough entertainment to be worth the effort.

And that wit...it was too soon to say, but he’d definitely need to keep a close eye on this particular person.

"I'm sure I'll see you clapping in the audience soon enough."

"Unless I'm need elsewhere of course,” he offers with a wink before taking his leave. There were things to put into motion after all.

. WHG tag list: @concealeddarkness13 @maple-writes @ratracechronicler @thoughts-of-nora @knmartinshouldbewriting @sparkles-and-hens @madammuffins Does anyone else want to be tagged in these?

[rage-is-here]

Fronnie | One-Shot

A/N: Hello! This is Rage, writing about a ship I really like-

BTW IN THIS STORY HEADCANONS ARE THAT BONNIE IS JEREMY, FREDDY IS GABRIEL, FOXY IS FRITZ, CHICA IS SUSIE AND G.FREDDY IS CASSIDY

Warning: if you do not like Fronnie (Freddy x Bonnie), please, p e r i s h -

So, with that being said, let's head on to the story itself;

uwu uwu story time uwu uwu

The camera buzzed as it moved from left to right, observing the room fully. The animatronics on stage just sat there looking lifeless. And that's what the nightguard thought as well - they didn't believe in that gostly-possesed crap everyone seemed to believe for those animatronics.

... At least that was the case until they suddenly saw the camera be filled with static. When the white noise cleared, all three of the animatronics were staring straight at the camera; no, straight to him. It looked like the animatronics were watchinghimthrough the cameras.

Mike felt the blood instantly drain from his face and he yelled in sudden terror. Pulling down his monitor, he checked the lights outside the office doors. No one or, more likely, no thing was there. Taking a deep breath, he pulled up the monitor again, only to widen his eyes terrified again.

The only animatronic on stage right now, was Freddy. Bonnie and Chica were gone. Frantically, he checked around the cameras, searching for them anxiously. Finally, he heard noises from the kitchen, and assumed one of them was in there. Yet, he wasn't sure who.

He found Bonnie in the closet. That was... An interesting location. Mike couldn't suspend a snort of a giggle.

He checked around the cameras again, and at one point, he clicked on the Pirate's Cove camera. The purple curtains of the small out of order stage had been pulled by a little, revealing a fox animatronic's head. For some reason he looked... Grumpy? Yet, his piercing eyes were seemingly tearing through Mike's soul.

He pulled down his monitor to check the lights again... Bonnie was right there.

Mike screamed and slammed on the door button, the door falling with a rather loud thud, followed by a smaller one, like something hit on the door. Looking from the glass next to the door, Mike saw the bunny turned around and holding its nose, a kind of pained expression on its face. The sight made him laugh in amusement; those animatronics feel pain? Upon hearing him, the bunny turned his attention to him, death staring him, before walking away with angry steps..

Meanwhile, back on stage . . .

The Freddy animatronic opened his eyes lightly, quickly groaning and blinking rapidly, trying to adjust to the lighting. He prefered rather darker environments due to how sensitive his eyes were.

Taking a few slow steps, he got off the stage and looked around. Bonnie and Chica were both nowhere to be found. 'The probably be hunting the nightguard', he thought.

He yawned, still sleepy and all that, when he saw Bonnie walk out of the west hall. His ears were slumped over, and that was a clear sign that he was annoyed and/or angry.

"Uh, y'okay Jer?" the bear asked asked, walking towards him.

"I'm fine." the bunny said impatiently walking by him, not even shooting a glare at the bear.

"You definitely don't look like you're okay though." his fellow animatronic replied again, looking straight at him.

"Oh christ, leave me be Gabriel! I want to focus on finding a way to get to the nightguard, cause he pissesme of, there!" Jeremy barked at him angrily.

"... What did this nightguard do to piss you off this time?" the bear, apparently named Gabriel, asked, following the bunny.

Jeremy rolled his eyes in slight annoyance as the bear apparently refused to leave him on his own.

"...He closed the door when I was about to get in, making me hit my nose on it." the blue/purple bunny muttered.

The bear looked rather unamused.

"Don't you think you have a tad bit too short temper...?" Gabriel questioned, crossing his arms, "I mean really, we are after him and want to kill him, so isn't it like, justified that he slammed the door?"

Jeremy looked at the bear animatronic surprised, but the surprise soon turned into anger.

"Are... Are you feeling pity for him?!" he exclaimed loudly, "How can you? Have you forgotten what they did to us? Do you not care for that?!"

"B-But it wasn't him who kille-"

"I. Don't. Give. A. Fuck!" the bunny yelled, cutting Gabriel off, before closing his eyes in an attempt to calm his nerves, "I know for a fact though that he works here, and this place is owned by Afton, so he works with or for that disgusting creature, and I won't EVER show any kind of pity towards him OR the people that work for him, and if you ever decide to come tell me that bullcrap, I swear..."

The bunny trailed off as he opened his eyes, looking at Gabriel. The poor bear had cowered back, a scared look on his face. His eyes were wet, and seemed like tears were threatening to fall any moment from now. He had forgotten how sensitive the bear was, and yelling at him like that weren't the wisest of choices.

A few seconds of silent staring passed, with the only audible thing being Gabriel's heavy, unstable breathing.

"... Fine, I-I'll leave you to it, have fun killing yet another person-" Gabriel said as he started walking the other direction in a fast pace.

"W-Wait Gabs..." Jeremy said as he grabbed Gabriel's arm, just above his elbow. He quickly pulled at him, making him forcefully turn and face him. The sight broke the bunny's heart, as a few tears had stained the bear's cheeks who just stared at him silently, not trying to break free from his grasp. Instantly, he pulled the bear in a tight hug, surprising the smaller animatronic.

"I... I'm sorry... I-I shouldn't have yelled at you like that..." Jeremy muttered, feeling disappointed in himself for his actions.

The bear did not respond, yet he just hugged the bunny back just as tightly. They both stayed like that, unmoving, silent, both enjoying the feeling of the other's embrace, and calming, to the sound of their breathing. Neither wanted to let go of the other, and hoped for this moment to last forever.

"Aww, aren't you two adorable..." a low, girly voice said.

Both animatronics instantly looked around, breaking the embrace, but still instinctively holding each others hand, to see who said that. Neither could locate anyone close to them though; but then, Gabriel caught a glimpse of a faded gold suit, before it disappeared instantly.

"Damn you Cassidy." Gabriel mumbled, followed by a quiet, girly giggle.

"Could we, um, you know, have some privacy right now?" Jeremy asked, slight embarrassed.

"Heh heh, sure, sure..." Cassidy said, still giggling, before the room went silent again.

"Okay now that happened," Jeremy commented dully.

"Yes," Gabriel replied, "...Where were we...?"

"I think we were to the point were I was going to kiss you." Jeremy said looking straight at the bear.

"Oh yeah righ- W-WAIT WH-" the bear exclaimed before he was shut of by something blocking his mouth.

The bunny had grabbed the shorter animatronic by the shoulders and pulled him into a kiss, closing his eyes while doing show. Gabriel just stood there, his mind shutting off for a few seconds, before he nervously kissed back. He had to admit that he absolutely loved the feeling, loved this sudden rush of non-existent adrenaline through his metal veins.

A few moments later, Jeremy broke the kiss, opening his eyes and looking straight into the bears bright blue eyes, while the bear looked into his crimson red ones. The bear smiled, and hugged the blue animatronic again, softly pressing his head against his chest, hearing the soft sound of Jeremy's metal pump. It's sound so inhuman... Yet, to Gabriel, it sounded identical to the sound of a human heart.

The bunny hugged back, petting softly at the bear's back of the head, as he felt his breathing against his chest, as well as the rise and fall of his chest. For a second, he imagined. He imagined, what if they never died. Yes, he would still have his family. But now, at least, he has him. And, for the first time, after that fateful day, the bunny felt truly happy.

They might be trapped in this living hell. But at least, they are together. From today, till the end of all days.

A/N: Holy heck finally I am done with this- I know, the end might feel a bit rushed but oh my lord, I personally love how it turned out :)

Anyways, stay safe you all, and see you some other time-!

[wierdogal]

z-aliada reblogged your post and added: (under the cut because it got a bit long :) )

wierdogal, thank you for one more thought-provoking post! Yes, when Rogers mentioned that the Dark One doesn’t get cold, I was kind of torn between amusement and ‘aww’ :D His 'wallowing’ line was rather harsh but I do understand where it comes from - and you pretty much nailed it. His partner never gives up indeed. His partner. This is making me emotional again, and I don’t mind at all :D

As much as delighted I was to hear that ‘friend’ line (yeah, I know it sounded soppy and stuff but I love it anyway), the implication in it left me a bit confused as well. Like, to which moment exactly does it refer? Because Rumple didn’t look in any way *murderous* when he ran into Wish Hook near Alice’s cottage. Desperate? Yes. Resigned? Yes. Annoyed with Hook interfering? Yes. But I don’t believe he could harm him. The reason for that, though, is more difficult to explain. We just weren’t given enough material to work with. What do we know? 

1. Rumple and Wish Hook had exact same history as Rumple and original Killian, the only difference is that the curse wasn’t cast. Given that they’ve lived for a couple of centuries up to this point, I can imagine that Rumple could’ve called WH ‘his oldest friend’ as he did original Killian in s4. So this part of their relationship definitely stays - the part where they hate each other, and yet acknowledge the significance of their past, its impact on their lives, and the fact that their fates are forever interwined (more about that further)

2. Alice. Now they don’t just have a history together - which is definitely stuff of legend, but in no way suggests them becoming fast friends in the near future - thanks to Alice, they got a renewed history, the opportunity to start over with their changed selves. In other words, it was only possible because they changed, BUT this change alone would not have been enough because they just wouldn’t have seen it in one another if it weren’t for Alice who gave both of them unconditional affection and proved to them that they could indeed remain their better versions.

Afterwards, up to the casting of the curse, we don’t have much to work with. We don’t know anything except that Killian came to Rumple for help to prevent the curse from happening and got a white elephant. It may not seem very eloquent - at least in terms of Rumple/Killian relationship because as Rumple says, he’s doing it for Alice. BUT we do have this moment where Killian seriously suggests that Rumple could’ve done it for him (’Are you doing it for me? - I’m doing it for her’). I don’t imagine Killian asking this question if he thought it impossible (like, he could’ve absolutely asked ‘Why are you doing it’ instead) Rumple’s answer isn’t so self-explanatory, etiher. Yes, he does say that Alice is the main reason why he’s doing it (which of course makes sense), but he could’ve potentially said something like ‘No. I’m doing it for her.’ He hadn’t - and it tells us much. At this point, I imagine he mostly thinks of Killian as Alice’s father, someone she loves and someone who can make her happy. And it’s a great start which got a spectacular extension in their cursed version when they were finally able to form their relationship from scratch, to basically follow through that intiial ‘push’ Alice had given them. Their first cursed meeting is very symbolic in that sense. They don’t meet through Tilly. This time it’s Rumple who brings Killian and Alice together. Positions are reversed, and it’s the most beautiful thing ever because it made Rumple painfully aware of the ‘why’ of his initial actions towards Alice. I mean, of course he knew why he did it in the first place, but seeing the results of it, witnessing this touching story, experiencing their uncertainty and pain, helping them to get closer - and all of this while bonding with Killian as his partner who respects and admires him. I have not the words to describe how amazing that is. 

It got quite long, but the main point is, I do think that this ‘friend’ line refers to their old history and Rumple’s reluctance to kill Killian because: 

1. They had known each other from the beginning and had shaped each other’s life in many ways. This argument is kind of dubious, but I’ll try to expand on it further. 

2. Rumple wasn’t feeling particularly threatened by Hook. However, even from that perspective, Hook who can cause trouble (but isn’t capable of anything serious) isn’t much fun, either - I mean, why bother with the possibility of an impending trouble if you can get rid of its source once and for all? Even more so that it’s never been a problem for Rumple who ‘doesn’t like leaving things to chance’ (as he himself once says). 

The only explanation I can come up with is that he acknowledges Hook’s right to revenge (we had a similar situation with original Hook in s5 when Rumple does something that endangers the lives of others and responds with ‘acknowledged’ to Hook’s ‘I should kill you.’). Rumple acknowledges the impact of what he’d done. He acknowledges that he’d created himself a mortal enemy, and that very act was one of those permanent things that sealed his fate as the Dark One (while their first meeting, when Rumple was begging to give him his wife back, was the beginning of him becoming the Dark One). I imagine, just remembering all of it evokes *a lot* of emotion. 

So it’s not about Rumple being particularly nostalgic. For one, what is there to be nostalgic about? It’s not like it’d been some great adventure (well, in a way it was - psychologially, but considering the amount of emotional pain Rumple must have suffered, I don’t think it was the first thing on his mind). It’s about Rumple entering the greatest stage of self-discovery which basically showed him who he could be. It showed him that he could fight back and punish someone who caused him pain. By his account, the slate is clean. He took his revenge on the pirate, and what that pirate wants now is not his concern. And yet, he of course realizes that Hook has other views on the matter (as bascially do most people he crosses as the Dark One). Hook was the first, though. He was the evidence of what Rumple turned himself into. He was the evidence of Rumple taking the power for the first time in his life. He was the evidence of Rumple’s ability to do the hurting (instead of hurting himself). And that… that must have felt huge. At the same time, this very ablity, this very transformation from ‘weak’ to ‘strong’ was the thing that caused him the biggest pain - and Hook was the evidence to that as well. 

Hook knew both versions of Rumple - ‘a good man who was trying to protect his son’ and ‘the Crocodile’ Most people only knew the mask Rumple was presenting to the world. if we put his every relationship into two categories, the simplified version of it would probably look like ‘the overflow of feelings’ and ‘no feelings at all’. Rumple/Hook dynamics definitely belonged to the first one, and seeing as most of Rumple’s relationship (not just encounters) always consisted of the never-ending balancing between ‘this is who I am and I’m proud of it’ and ‘I don’t know who I am’, it’d make sense for him to recognize his relationship with Hook as something that gave him that kind of substance, that moving force that at first turned him (a good man) into a static villain and then did the complete opposite at the end of his journey (well, not directly, but if we leave alone the technicalities the main meaning stays - Rumple did do it for Killian and Alice). 

And also, now that I think of it, that ‘friend’ line coincides beautifully with Wish Hook’s initial offering of friendship. Back then, it was his initiative and Rumple just went along, but this line shows us that Rumple had also been thinking in those terms, and of course his relationship with Alice only intensified it and turned it from a rather abstract concept into a real one. 

Oh yes, you noticed the 'our Rumple’ line as well! I haven’t seen anyone mentioning it yet! It made my heart melt - like, for real. I actually secretly wanted them to call one another by their given names but never thought it was going to happen. Well, it didn’t quite happen, but we got pretty close to it!

Any ship with Rumple is something to wacth, I agree! And Golden Hook was especially interesting due to the heavy intensity of it. Still, I don’t believe they could’ve developed this kind relationship Rumple developed with Wish Hook, even though I’d be very tempted to see that kind of dynamic. 

Oh wow @z-aliada !!

At first I was very skeptical about the “friend” line also pertaining to Killian but you have me convinced!

I agree though that the material we have for both original Hook and Wish Hook interacting with Rumple is limited. Then again with so many characters, focus on a particular ship or a particular character is very limited in the show unless moving the story along.

Rogers and Weaver, Wish Hook and Rumple or whatever we may call it was again another highlight of S7.

[theitalianscribe]

Pirate Play

Hey, before I get into the fic, I want you to know that even if you think no one cares, someone does care. You do matter and no matter who you are, you are amazing and your existence is 100% worth it. And if any of you are feeling down, go ahead and leave me an ask or message me. I’m down to talk and have a plethora of cat photos that I will share without shame if that makes you smile. Now, on to whatever this is.

"En guarde, you scurvy dog," Michael squawked at Jake

"The only one who should be on guard is you-guarding against the tip of my blade!" Jake shouted back.

Christine coughed. "Er, Aye mean...ye should prepare fer a fate at the tip 'o my saber!"

In his peripheral vision, Michael could see Christine make a face. Deliberating, then deciding to roll with it.

"Captain, Aye'll handle this scally-wag! Rescue thee thine sweet prince!" Christine swung her arm out and cut into the fight with a weapon of her own.

Thing was, they didn't have blades. All Jeremy and Michael could find in their garages were a collection of plastic light sabers bought at chain stores and rainbow-colored carnival knock-offs. Jeremy swore that he had some toy swords somewhere, but the few they could locate were either too small to hold, too realistic for their impressionable audience, or too flimsy to do any form of fighting with. But, hey, the group of tiny cousins at Christine's Fourth of July barbecue were not too picky and one of them even happened to be wearing a Star Wars shirt and huge smile.

Back to the scene at hand.

Christine joined the fight and Michael slipped out. He pretended to scan the deck of the "ship" (The grassy part of the Canigula front lawn) for the dashing damsel in distress.

"Oh, Captain, My Captain!" A overly-dramaticized (yet lacking in more laughter than the rest of their friends sans Christine) cried from behind him. Michael spun around (and smiled inwardly at the swoosh of his hoodie tied around his neck like a cape) and faced the tree. Tied snugly (loosely) around it with a gnarly rope (plastic Hello Kitty jump rope) was Lord Jeremiah the First of the Heere district in all his princely glory.

"Never fear, my sweet prince," Michael declared with all the gusto he could fake as he lept to the tree, "I swore by my blade that I would protect you," Michael shoved his lightsaber in the knot of the jump rope and by some miracle it loosened the knot rather than collapse into itself. He tugged the rope loose the rest of the way and pulled Jeremy out of the "bindings."

He stole a moment to tug Jeremy close. He could smell the root beer (the Pepsi-rejecting heathen) and Cheetos on his breath. Staring directly into Jeremy's eyes, Michael added, "And that is a promise I never intend to break for as long as I live."

Michael doesn't remember if Christine had told Jeremy to say anything at this point when they had a quick planning session, but regardless, Jeremy was a speechless mess pictured in a deep hue of red.

"Not if I can help it!" A voice called behind him.

In an act that Michael wishes he could claim was expertly practiced reflection and not him getting jolted at the snap out of whatever temporary world had been built around the two, there was a thwack and grunt followed by a lispy hiss. (Part of him made a mental note to apologise to and fetch ice for his friend after this was over, but at the moment, he was just a bit spiteful for how he'd shattered whatever moment was happening.)

Rich dropped to the ground-simultaneously avoiding Michael's swinging strike and grabbing the saber he'd apparently dropped. Since Michael had taken a few Kendo classes with Jeremy after one feverish Star Wars binge, Michael actually had some training and the fight consisted mainly of Rich swinging haphazardly, Michael blocking, cries of "Hiya!" and a few points where Michael let Rich get a few hits in. He had to be careful to control his force. He and Jeremy knew the force the lightsabers could take, how much they stung, and what it felt like to accidentally shatter them in a too-eager swing. Nonetheless, after exchanging a few blows, Michael knocked the lightsaber out of his opponent’s hand and (gently) pushed him to the ground.

“Ye were sayin’?” Michael teased. He hovered the plastic green blade over the downed boy’s chest.

“Guess aye couldn’t help it,” Rich drawled with a dry laugh. There was a cacophony of squeaky gasps and cries. Apparently, Rich was a crowd favorite. “Please be gentle.”

Rich and Michael both had to fight back laughs. Serious, boys, keep it serious.

Michael reached into a felt pouch tied around one of his belt loops and held up a power sphere. (Really, it was a large marble from Christine’s old collection. They were going to be very careful about keeping these particular props out of her cousin's’ hands.)

Slowly, Michael pressed the marble to Rich’s forehead and yelled, “Sleep!”

After some dramatic cries about seeing light and slipping away, Rich fluttered his eyes closed. His last words were, “I shall awake in the sequel, mark my words!”

“Behind you!” Jeremy cried. Rather than swing at Jenna, Michael sidestepped her and let her charge past. He knew she would be back, but he spent the time she took recovering to toss Rich’s lightsaber to Jeremy. Just in time, it would seem, for Chloe jumped at the prince a breath after he extended the blade. Soon, Brooke joined in flanking the boys and it was three on two.

The next minutes were spent with the five teens fighting and exchanging banter (while bad at memorization, Chloe was actually pretty good with improving, especially when it came to trash talking. Apparently, Captain Michael had stolen her chance at a happy life when he threw her clan into poverty and Brooke had only recently pulled her out of a dark spell.) The battle concluded with Jeremy getting hit with a dazing spell, Chloe falling off the “ship,” Brooke jumping after her, and Jenna revealing that she had been an undercover protector of the prince and deemed the captain worthy. Meanwhile, Christine and Jake’s duel (from what Michael heard and saw of it later) was a rather balanced battle of quick tongues and even quicker blades. Then again, the two did take fencing class together over on weekends. (Ever since she went to that on renaissance fair, an interest in the sport had ignited and she had easily convinced Jake to return to the lessons. Michael suspected that she would try to drag Michael and Jeremy into fencing later today, now that she had seen their rusty sword skills.)

“Ye’ve no where to go, Captain Jake Robbin!” Michael struck a pose and threw his voice to catch his attention.  The jerk managed to continue to hold his own against Christine while still giving Michael a questioning glance.

“We're at the sea du-er...Mate! I can go wherever I want.”

“But it's not a matter of where you want, but what. Or, rather, who you want. Is it not?” Jeremy asked. Each word was carefully delivered and he held himself with the facade of confidence his continued time in the Drama club had helped him built. Michael (and from her grin, Christine) felt a glow of pride at the boy. “You came for me.” He took a shaky breath. “Well, Heere I am,” (half of Michael wanted to snort at the pun while the other half wanted to grab his stupid self-sacrificial butt and hold him tightly.) “If you promise to call off any attacks and retreat, I'll go with you. I'll lead you where you want to go,” He let his voice break as he added, “and I won't fight back.”

“Hold your heart, Fair Prince.” Michael put on the mock-offended face reserved for when Jeremy dissed his favorite game or questioned his extensive knowledge of 90’s pop culture. “You are in company more than capable of protecting you.” He then turned to Jake. “Capturing my prince is more than enough reason for me to know just what fate to sentence you to.”

Whoops. Was that too protective? Jake actually looked taken aback for a moment.

“Wait,” He cried. “Wait. Wait wait wait wait.” He took a step away from Christine and held up his hands in defense. “I don't want your prince. Taking him hostage wasn't even my plan.”

“Firstly, it's bad etiquette as a captain to not take responsibility for your crew’s actions.”

“They weren't really my crew,”

“Hey!” Michael cried at being interrupted. The crowd if children giggled.  “What, then, was yer plan?”

Before Jake could think of what to say, one of the adults walked up to Christine and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry to cut this short, but Lunch is ready.”

“Aww!” one of the cousins whined, “Five more minutes, please?”

“Food? Yes! I'm starving!” Jake positioned himself to book it for the backyard, but he was met with the puppy-dog pouts of Christine, Jeremy, and several dozen children. “Ah, nooooo!” Jake deadpanned and clutched his right arm. “Aye’ve been had! Those scratches must’a cut deeper than aye thought! You’ve bested me, fair lass,” Jake began to back away until he was standing on top of the short cement barrier. Below was a lazily-sloping grassy hill and an unamused Chloe creeping to stand ready. “Goodbye, cruel world,” Jake cried in as cheesy a voice as he could. “Tell my story of how awesome I was!”

With that, Jake Dillinger, master of falling with little regard to physics (like, seriously? Where was his center of gravity and how did the boy manage to rock that much before falling?) took a trust fall right into Chloe’s arms.

“Thanks,” He grunted to the girl

“If you make a joke about falling for me, I will drop you,” She hissed. “I will drop you and will laugh in your face.”

“Huzzah!” Christine held up her lightsaber and cheered. “We have thwarted the enemy crew and love has conquered evil!”

“Or something like that,” the ghost of pirate Rich muttered.

“Now be hearty, mateys and valliant adventures,” Jeremy added, “And enjoy the hotdogs and hamburgers. Thank you.” He flourished the statement with a grandiose bow-one which Michael could see him rise from with a reddened face and that had Christine give some cross between a curtsey and bow.

Christine rushed forward, gestured to Michael to take a bow, then joined hands with him. Jeremy grasped Michael’s other hand and called Rich over. The rest of the teens (sans Jake who had slipped away to get an early spot in the line for lunch) joined in the bow.

“So,” Rich asked when everyone began to disperse, “Food?”

“Let’s go!” Brooke cheered.

Chloe and Jenna retrieved the cameras they had propped up and Jenna exchanged contact information with one parent who had been recording the hastily thrown together performance. They were rambling about how this was going straight to Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms. After a glance at the blanching Michael and Jeremy, Jenna amended that they would only share clips and photos and the youtube video would be unlisted.

“Just for parents and us to enjoy!” She reasoned.

“Or like a Broadway recording for archival purposes?” Christine called.

Christine had started collecting props. Some lightsabers thrown here and there, a few nerf guns and darts, and one plastic box of various coins and costume jewelry that ended up not getting used. Michael and Jeremy quickly joined in, as well as handed her the pouches of marbles.

“Shame the captain and his prince never got that Hollywood kiss,” She crooned after a while.

“Yeah,” Jeremy agreed, “And I think promises like the one you made are best sealed with a kiss.” The air of confidence from performance was still fresh enough in the boy that he didn’t mumble or backtrack.

“Ah, but, my sweet prince,” Michael teased, “Don’t you feel tender kisses are best shared in private?”

“Are you saying you don’t want the world to know of your love?” Christine asked.

“Nonsense! You wound me, loyal sister!” Michael thrust a hand over his heart. “I would steal the stars from the sky so the would could see how brightly my prince shines! I would steal a thousand kisses! I would line each peck with the dozens of ways he makes my world! I would…” There was movement in the corner of his eye. “I would travel across the seas and back to get him, even when he tries to SNEAK AWAY FROM THE ATTENTION!”

Jeremy froze in his steps and was tackled by Michael. The punishment for escaping was a trail of kisses from the hair on the back of Jeremy’s head to his neck, to the lips he spun around to catch. Jeremy stared up at him and the deer-in-headlights look melted into fondness at his adorkable mate. And in that moment, the world faded away. They were back to the moment of a captain seeing his prince safe in his arms after being kidnapped and mocked and who knew what else. A warm summer breeze blew past but all they could feel was one another relax into the embrace. The world blooming around them was just the two of them and it was growing smaller yet more precious the more they closed the distance between their faces. Suddenly, there was nothing. And everything. Warmth and fast hearts and happiness and anxiety. The world was spinning and still and dazzling.

Then there was an artificial click and cry of “Oops!”

“Were you recording that?” Christine asked in mock-shock. “Shame on you two.”

There was a whisper of, “Send it to me and send it to them.”

And the world began to flood back in. But it was okay, because even as they went from parting their lips to slipping out of the hug to clutching each other’s hands, they were still there. They were still close.

“So,” Jeremy asked as they made their way to the backyard, “How did you like the pirate play?”

Christine gave them a thumbs up as she rushed past them and into her garage.

“Not gonna lie, Dude; it was kinda gay.”

Jeremy chuckled. It was the adorable chuckle where he snorted a little.

“Were kinda gay,” Jeremy countered when he finally won the battle against the giggles.

“Right you are, My Prince. Right you are.”

The world around them was loud and filled with squealing children, gossiping adults, and nosy friends. And yet, that was okay. He was okay with the world. Especially when his world was currently clinging to his arm and drooling at aroma wafting through the yard. Especially when his world was safely and happily at his side.