#but hopefully this treasure trove of small goodies will do!

[oumaheroes]

hi do you have any writings about the bothers bullying (brotherly bonding) england? like any type of pranks from a fake snake tied to his shoe to an ice cube down the back of his shirt. I really have a craving for them to just really push him around bc he's the youngest (not counting northern Ireland ofc) please and many thanks if you have any

I don't I'm afraid! (Kinda)

I don't think they're generally a fun kind of pranking family, or aim to do anything planned like that. They're more the type to verbally take the piss out of each other and are very opportunistic when it comes to pranks- if a possible attack point presents itself, they will use and abuse it. Things can quickly escalate, something is taken seriously, and before you know it they're scrapping on the floor only to be sharing a beer down the pub the next hour. Very quick and non-lasting swings and round-abouts

So they do, but they won't go out of their way to plan to be pranky or anything really so light hearted. They mostly bicker or fuck about

I have written them as being shits to each other many times but they're usually part of stories, rather than whole stories in their own right.

Here are some examples:

From Odd Socks:

Alasdair pressed a hand to his chest mock wounded, ‘My love, you sound surprised.’ ‘Arthur attempted to convince me that you’d planned to wear jogging bottoms.’ ‘Oh that’ll be Patrick’s idea, they had a dare on.’ ‘Ah. It almost worked.’ ‘I’m offended. But also not surprised.’ ... A muted crash and a cackle came from somewhere in the crowds and they both looked over to find Arthur, half staggered into a chair and scowling, and Patrick bent double with laughter nearby. Their mother turned and made her way over to them and Alasdair hissed in sympathy.

From I.C.E:

‘My nose is already half fixed, I’m surprised they’ve not noticed.’ ‘I could break it for you again, if you’d like.’ ‘Ha ha.’ Alisdair sighed and rubbed awkwardly at his eyes with his free hand, ‘I wish they’d turn these bloody lights down.’ ‘Concussion?’ ‘No, I just want to sit in the dark for fun.’ Alisdair closed his eyes and grimaced. He was obviously tired, face drawn and weary easy to spot even amongst the fresh bruising. Arthur wasn’t surprised. No matter how many times they had died or been hurt, no matter how long they had lived or how much they had endured, a primal, human fear of dying gripped them as much as it did any mortal man. A desperate, wild panic for life that overrode all logic, ignored all past experience to burn right through to that still human core of them. It was exhausting, and trialling death as blithely as they did not dull its sting or make it any easier to bear. He absentmindedly picked a few pieces of dirt and stray glass out of his brother’s hair and began to update the group chat they shared with Rhys, Sean and Patrick. ‘You the closest?’ Arthur pursed his lips, ‘Not your first choice I know, but I stayed in Meriden; Rhys went back to Cardiff.’ ‘With that attitude you’re certainly not.’ Alisdair thumped him gently in the stomach, ‘What time is it?’ ‘Three in the morning.’ Alisdair let out a soft whistle, ‘I got to Newcastle?’ ‘Just passed Middlesbrough. You’re in Newcastle now though; better A&E and I assume they thought you were critical.’ ‘I thought you sounded like less of a twat. Thank God they didn’t take me to Middlesbrough; a right shithole that is.’ ‘Stop it.’ ‘How are you getting on in here?’ A doctor opened the curtain and approached the bed. She introduced herself with a quick smile to Arthur and then leant forward so that Alisdair could see her properly, hands going to his neck brace, ‘Right, we can take this off; nothing concerning on the CT scan.’ ‘That’s a surprise.’ Arthur quipped. ‘Please ignore my brother, he gets antsy when he’s tired.’

The entirety of Afterparty, but particularly:

‘What’s the hold up?’ Scotland called from further down the little garden, the yellow light from the street lamps behind him obscuring the details of his face, ‘Come on I want to get in; he’s heavy.’ ‘I’m not fucking heavy,’ England hopped wildly on his one good leg as Scotland moved abruptly sidewards, the other ankle now noticeably swollen, ‘You’re just weak; I’m barely putting my weight on you.’ ‘Do you want me to throw you over to next door’s garden? Cos I bloody well will.’ ‘Oi, stop it a sec,’ Ireland called to them, putting his hand on Wales’ shoulder and giving it a light squeeze, ‘What are you doing, get us in.’ ‘You can piss off, you’re the reason my ankle’s fucked up.’ England wasn’t finished. ‘It wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t insist on walking on it for two hours,’ Ireland shot back. ‘What else was I going to do? Drag myself across Cardiff?’ ‘I thought it was a pretty clear hint that I wanted to leave you behind.’ ‘Oh, so it was intentional, then?’ ‘You’ll be fine.’ ‘Of course I will but that’s not the point, is it?’ ‘If I had known you were going wilt like a tight-laced Victorian noblewoman, I wouldn’t have tried to move you aside.’ ‘You pushed me down a bank!’ Ireland gave a casual shrug but his grin grew wicked, ‘You were in the way.’

The entirety of Road Trip. Too much to quote haha

Whenever they all appear together in It's All About the Delivery:

‘What the bloody hell are you two doing here.’ In the doorway to the room was Lord Kirkland looking somewhat harried. His accent was different than it had been when the PM had spoken to him last at the manor, vowels distinctly sharper and more pronounced than before- glass cut and Eton grown rather than the roughened and gentle burr of yesterday. The PM made a note to ask Mr Williams about the change later. ‘Took you long enough,’ Alisdair said, cheerfully. Kirkland narrowed his eyes in suspicion and Alisdair’s expression grew sly, ‘We noticed that you’d left your guest alone so we thought we’d step in to lend a hand. Terrible manners that, turning up so late.’ ‘Why are you here. We’re supposed to be meeting at Downing Street (2).’ ‘We are, we are.’ ‘Were we supposed to be?’ Rhys looked confused. He turned to Alisdair, ‘You said we had to meet England here.’ ‘Did I?’ Alisdair feigned a look of exaggerated surprise, ‘Lord knows what happened there. Where on earth were you anyway.’ Kirkland’s jaw was clenched tight, ‘A sudden and unexpected diversion that I now have a feeling wasn’t the result of miscommunication at all.’ Alisdair tutted, ‘Ach, a shame.’

and, of course:

‘I told you about Mr Marchand’s problem, didn’t I?’ The PM opened his mouth to interject but promptly shut it again, recognising that there was no point, ‘Besides, if you’d have known what I was planning, you’d’ve told him.’ ‘”Him?” I do have a name.’ ‘Aye, I’m told it’s “Dirt”.’

...

She shooed him off and the PM crossed the room, noticing how both Alisdair and Rhys immediately paused their conversation at his approach. ‘Good afternoon,’ he greeted them and Mr Williams, ‘Where’s your brother?’ ‘You mean Dirt? Or is he mud pile today. I’m fond of ecological wasteland myself.’ ‘Alisdair.’

Lastly, there are also a couple of quips in Reset that are too small and numerous to many any particular one

[danetobelieve]

You’ve Got A Friend In Me || Ariana and Winston

When: just before the 12th of June. Who: @letsbenditlikebennett​ & @danetobelieve​ Where: At Ulfric’s Trailer Summary: Ariana and Winston clear through some of Celeste’s old belongings. Warnings: this is all about Celeste so sibling death tw 

While Ulfric had done a good job of at least getting Celeste’s things immediately out of sight, Ariana had still been dreading going through it. She knew there were things she’d want to hold on to and things that needed to go, but actually doing, sorting through each individual thing would be opening up a fresh wound over and over. It was why she was grateful when Winston offered to help. Not having to do it on her own made the task seem a little more bearable. Nothing would completely take away the sinking feeling in her chest, but even a little light was enough of a reason to push forward. This made things final and more real in a sense. There was no running from what happened, so she had to face it head on with a good friend by her side. She heard the quiet hum of their car pulling into the driveway and lifted herself off the floor. The door was open as Winston was walking up the way and she offered a weak smile. Not forced, but still not reaching her cheeks as it normally did. She offered a hand when she realized they were carrying iced coffees and snacks, too. “Hey, Winston,” she greeted, “Thanks for helping with this. It really does mean a lot to have you here with me. The iced coffee definitely doesn’t hurt either.” 

Shopping for snacks was one of Winston’s skills. They had long ago honed in one the best that the supermarket aisles of White Crest had to offer. They knew the best places to go if you needed doughnuts, cookies, pizza, coffee. For a town this size the variety in snacking opportunities were diverse. But sometimes, you couldn’t beat the basics. Pulling up in the drive, Winston stepped out of the car and grabbed a rucksack which they had stuffed full with every imaginable variety of snacks. Scooping up the iced coffees, Winston moved up to meet her. “Hey, no problem, I’m happy that I can be here to help.” They reached over to pass them their drink before slipping in through the front door. “I’ve got the whole weekend if you need it, we can go at whatever pace and even if we get nothing done it’s not the end of the world, we’ve got other weekends.” Hopefully. Almost in response to that fear, the eyelid on their palm itched and Winston had to stop themselves from touching it. 

Ariana stepped aside and took a long sip from her iced coffee as she let Winston into the trailer. It was obvious they came prepared with more goodies than they could have possibly needed, but she appreciated them all almost as much as she appreciated their endless patience and understanding. When they spoke and explained that they could take their time, the tears that pinched at the edge of Ariana’s eyes weren’t for Celeste. She couldn’t believe she had such a good friend in her life. She had so many good friends in her life at this point, but Winston was her first real friend she made here. The first person she told she was a werewolf and someone she knew she could always turn to. With all the moving around, she’d never really gotten a chance to form this close of a friendship with someone. It left her feeling both overwhelmed and grateful all at once. She nodded slowly, gesturing toward the counter so Winston could set some of the snacks down. Once their hands were free, she set her own coffee down and gave them a hug. She buried her head in their chest for a moment, finding comfort in the family prattle of a heartbeat and their scent. She pulled away and said,”I think I’m ready to tackle this. Helps that I’m not doing it alone.” She led the way back to the room the girls had shared. She pulled out some duffle bags from the closet and boxes that had been stashed under the bed. She let out a sigh as she looked at them and took a seat on the floor, grabbing her iced coffee hoping it’d give her more energy to do this. “There’s just too many reminders in here right now. I know one day I’ll want to remember, but right now it feels weirdly suffocating and empty at the same time. This just,” she paused, taking a deep breath, “It sucks. She should be here. She didn’t--” She cut herself short, breath hitching in her throat. Nope, it was way too soon into this process to get emotional. “Right, uhm, any books are yours to keep. You’ll get more use of them than I would.” 

As Winston set their treasure trove of goodies on the counter of the trailer, they found themselves enveloped in a hug. Pulling Ariana in as tightly as they could, they held her until she pulled away and looked down at her giving her a small smile. “You’re not going to be alone through any of this, me, Ricky, Rio, Blanche, everyone else, we’ve all got your back through this.” Winston couldn’t imagine how difficult this would have been for her. Losing a loved one was hard, Winston could tell from first hand experience that was far too recent for their liking. Although now that they were going to get Bea back it was less of a worry for Winston, but it did only drive them to be more determined to help Ariana through this. “Well, we’ve got storage space if you want to give me some boxes to keep out of sight for a while, at least until you’re ready to see them again.” Winston hadn’t checked with their roommates but they knew that they wouldn’t mind. After all it was the very least that they could do to help her. “Everything about this is so violently unfair and difficult,” Winston put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze before squatting down next to the pile of books and raising an eyebrow, “Uh, thanks, I’ll look through them later and donate any that I don’t want, what’s the best place for me to start?” 

If there was anything that kept Ariana pushing through the thick waves of pain that came and went with grief, it was the fact she truly did have so many people who loved her and were looking out for her. She’d found all she ever wanted in White Crest-- that found supernatural pack that fought and cared for each other through thick and thin. It just still felt wrong that Celeste wasn’t here for it. “I know I’m not. Everyone, especially you, have been really-- well, you’ve been here. Continue to be here and let me just feel my way through it,” she weakly smiled and looked down at the bags in front of her. She nodded along with Winston’s offer, feeling a small bit of relief that if she didn’t get through everything today, she could at least have it out of sight for a little bit. “I may take you up on that depending on how much of it we get through.” She opened up one of the bags in front of her, which primarily seemed to be assorted photos as well as some important documents. The photo on top had been one of her and Celeste when she was about five years old. It was at some playground back in Washington and she was hanging from the monkey bars. She looked at it, remembering just how fun the day had been, with her eyes already watering up slightly. She set it down, figuring this whole bag was a keep bag so it could be shoved back in the closet. “You’re right,” she said softly, “It’s not.” The next bag she pulled out was mostly clothes, easy enough to go through. “If you could help me pick anything out of here that’s not black, white, brown, yellow, or blue-- that’d be great. I can wear most of it, I’ll donate the rest,” she explained before noting, “I think all her books outside of a novel or two are on different supernatural species.” 

“No one can expect you to feel anything other then what you’re feeling right now and I can’t begin to understand what that is, but I want to help however I can.” Winston’s heart had broken that night that they had seen Celeste drop to the floor with a knife in her chest. Winston couldn’t imagine what Ariana must be feeling. She had lost so much and if there was anything that they could do then they would. “We can see how it all goes,” Winston knew that they would probably take a bit more time doing this then they normally would with anything or anyone else. Raising an eyebrow gently as Winston sifted through the pile of clothes that they had been given pulling a few items to one side and the rest to the other. “Wow, we could definitely add those to the library, which you need to remind me to show you, even if you’re not going to really read anything it’s just really cool. It’s this old building that is kind of falling down, me and Rio have been working on it for a while, we’re slowly digitising this library from this old group of people called the Scribes and they had a lot of knowledge stored there, so that would actually be a really great addition and that way it could help other people instead of you know, just me. I’ll obviously keep the originals but digital versions of everything would be great as well I just have to do some photo copying.” 

When everything had first happened, Ariana had been worried that Winston would see her differently. They hadn’t known about the supernatural for all that long and she had turned into a wolf and mauled a man in front of them. She wouldn’t have been able to blame them if they were a bit frightened of her after the fact. It seemed her worries were unfounded because Winston had been offering support throughout it all. They knew Adrian Aquilla had deserved what she’d done and worse. They knew her world felt like it was falling apart and they were here every step of the way to help pick up the pieces. “You’re right,” she agreed. However far they got along today was progress. While going through a bag that had most of her weapons, Ariana perked up at the mention of a library that seemingly had information on the supernatural. While reading wasn’t her thing, that sounded helpful as fuck considering where they lived. “A library? Yeah, I definitely want to check it out. If it’s digitized, I can usually put it through a text to voice thing so I can understand it better. That’s super fucking cool you guys are doing that though. Celeste would be happy to have some of her books contributing.” She set aside the hunting knife she knew was Celeste’s favorite and knew she’d keep that one for herself. Kaden could have most of the rest. All of her arrows could be Layla’s. She turned to Winston, “Think any of you would want one of her hunting knives? I usually carry one on me for runs because White Crest be like that sometimes.” 

Pausing for a moment, Winston considered the predicament that they all currently found themselves in. It was hard not to crumble under the terrifying weight of all of this but Winston wasn’t going to allow something as heartbreaking as this to tear them apart. They’d made it through the worst, they had to have made it through the worst. If they hadn’t made it through the worst then they didn’t know what they were going to be able to do to cope in the future so they had to believe it was going to now get better. “Yeah, I mean, parts of it are digitized, it is a pretty time consuming process but we make progress every week, what we have got should be compatible with various types of accessibility software, we’ve been really careful to try and make it as easy to use as possible because some of the books are super old and we don’t want just anyone going through the originals. The amount of times I’ve almost spilled coffee on a hundred year old leather bound tome is humiliating.” Winston laughed gently and shrugged. “Uh, I don’t really carry a knife …” or any weapon other then the gadgets they were tinkering with at the time, “but I can check if the others want one, I could always hang the knife on wall or something too…” Taking one of Celeste’s weapons felt wrong and Winston wasn’t sure that they were the right person to offer this to. 

Focusing on Winston’s words was much easier for Ariana than paying attention to the pangs of pain that kept hitting with every object she picked up. Everything still smelled like her and part of her wanted that to never fade. That familiar floral smell that always had a hint of lemon to it. While it had always been comforting before, the threat of it fading away left her heart thudding against her chest erratically. Library. Books hundreds of years old. Not spilling coffee on them. Making them accessible. Noble cause not that she’d expect anything less from Winston. “That’s pretty fucking cool. With all the weird shit that happens here, having some references to help figure things out is definitely good. May save us all from impending doom one of these days. Buy us some time before the mimes kill us all,” she chuckled softly even though she wouldn’t actually be shocked if the town was destroyed by mimes. It wasn’t surprising that Winston wasn’t really one to carry knives around. She’d probably just hold on to them for now. Part of her wanted to give them to Kaden since he and Celeste had been close, but she was hesitant. She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if he used them on another wolf as much as she wanted to trust that he wouldn’t. Maybe Nell, she was short and feisty. Plus her and Bea had helped them out. Then again, Kaden had tried to as well. Ugh. She had enough to worry about without trying to be a hunter’s fucking keeper. “Nah, I think I know someone who may actually use them. I’ll just set them aside for now.” They could easily be stowed under the bed and Ariana didn’t feel inclined to think on that one for much longer. She shoved them under the bed and grabbed a box she had in the corner of the room. “Any clothes in the throw away pile can go in here. Figured I could donate them or something… well, besides the ridiculous Al’s uniform.” 

“Honestly, finding that library was one of the best things that had happened to me in the last few months, the amount of information that it has allowed me to find and that information has helped me help other people,” Winston ran a finger through their short hair and shrugged, “it’s really cool, I’d love to give you a tour one day if you wanted.” Winston trusted Ariana implicitly. “Just, keep it on the downlow, we don’t want too many people to find out about it just in case the wrong sort of people decides to use it for the wrong sort of research.” Winston was sure that the old scribe library would have more then dangerous information that was not something they wanted the public to have access to. Either way, the conversation seemed to be helping to distract Ariana. Winston couldn’t imagine how intense this must be for her. Being in a room filled with memories and reminders of what they had lost. “I can run them down to the local thrift stores or whatever, my mom probably has some charity that her book club is collecting for or some church drive or something that would love to take them.” Winston paused, “Also, I may have been talking to my parents about you and they want you to come over for dinner … if that’s cool?” 

“I’m glad you found it then. I’m sure it helps with trying to make sense of the whole supernatural world thing. I’m not even new to the supernatural and some of the stuff that happens here is wild even for me,” Ariana responded as she sorted through shoes. They were able to share shoes so she put the pairs she liked back into the closet as she went. Having Winston here definitely made this easier. While the sadness never completely faded away, she was able to enjoy Winston’s company despite it. They made it easier to not hone in on how every single memento made her feel. She could listen to them and feel a bit more at ease. “You got it, definitely don’t want the wrong person finding it and using it to try and destroy the town… or make more mimes. Did I ever tell you I actually broke into Yours, Mime, and Ours?” She didn’t think she did, since they’d been so adamantly against the idea when she mentioned it, but hey, she was alive and not arrested. At the mention of Winston taking the clothes to donate for her, she felt herself relax a little bit. Once less thing to do with all of this. They really were doing so much to make this loss just a little bit easier to navigate. “If you could, that’d be great. That’s cool that your mom does those kinds of drives. It doesn’t surprise me that your mom is great though. I mean, look at how awesome you turned out,” she said, her smile fully reaching her eyes this time, “I’d love to meet your parents and you know how I feel about dinner. You’re like… the first real close friend I’ve gotten to have. It’d be super cool to see the people who raised you.” 

“There is just so much for us to learn; or that we could learn and that library has all of this amazing knowledge in there. It’s like the library in season two of Avatar the Last Airbender just minus a giant owl and if you say that you don’t know what that is then I definitely have our next show we’re binge watching together.” Winston was hoping that anything would distract Ariana. Being there for her wasn’t hard. Actually helping her was an entirely different story. They just hoped that one day their new friend could grow from this, but losing Celeste would’ve been difficult for anyone. “No, you didn’t tell me, but I did too, you have any run in with that creepy mime monster that they’ve got lurking around there?” Winston hadn’t thought about mimes in almost a few months at this point. Seemed kind of absurd that they had been such an issue for a hot second there. “I don’t know if my parents are planning on anything special or anything, but I’ll let them know that you’re happy to come around and we will organise a time, I’m sure they’ll end up inviting Ricky and Orion too. If you think that you love Ricky then you haven’t met my mother yet. She treats him better then her own kids.” Winston grinned at that, obviously a lie but it didn’t matter, Ricky was family. 

Confusion was apparent on Ariana’s features as Winston spoke of that Avatar show. She’d heard of it, but she really hadn’t done too much in the way of watching television shows. When she did they were typically cooking shows or some home project show on HGTV. That was when they had cable at that, which hadn’t been very often as she was growing up. Streaming made it a little easier, but she’d never been able to sit still for long. Well, at least not before all of this. Grief had a way of immobilizing even the most energetic of people as she recently learned. “Looks like we have a new show to binge watch then because I’ve never seen Avatar. I trust you either have it on DVD or know exactly what streaming service it’s on,” she said with a laugh. They were an unlikely pair, but she did enjoy learning about the things that excited Winston. It was definitely preferred to the memories that came flooding back as she pulled out Celeste’s roller skates. She sat there for a moment, staring at them and remembering last summer that they’d spent in California. She could still see Celeste on the boardwalk with a sprinkle covered ice cream cone in hand, laughing over some dumb joke Ari had told. They’d been on the run even then, but somehow that day had seemed more carefree. She swallowed back the lump in her throat and blinked a few times, “Yeah, there was no weird mime monster, did have to fight my mime clone though. Bitch turned into a wolf and everything. The wolf had stripes and wore a beret and honestly I’m still offended by it.” She didn’t tell the story with the same enthusiasm she usually did, but she found it more difficult to muster that kind of hype when she wasn’t feeling it. A shadow of a grin did come back to her face as they talked about going to their parents’ home. “Honestly, how could anyone not love Ricky? Whatever we do, I’m sure it’ll be nice. I look forward to meeting them.” 

Winston smirked, “Great, we can watch legend of Aang and then legend of Korra. That’s like several seasons of good wholesome enjoyable content. You’ll dig it. It takes a while to get going but you know, we’ll get there eventually and you’ll realise that you’re viewing literal art.” Raising an eyebrow as Ariana discussed her excursion to the mime cafe, Winston chewed on their lip and sighed. “Well, all things considered with the mimes I guess that it could be worse, I had to deal with a mime version of me too.” That wasn’t one of Winston’s fondest memories and despite the fact that it had been a little more then a month ago, it felt almost as if it had been years since that had all happened. Weird how things change like that. Everything had changed. Bea. Celeste. Everything. “Don’t worry about it, a lame knock off mime version of you wouldn’t hold a flame to you. You’re one of a kind. Can’t be copied and replaced.” Winston really meant it. They just hoped it was enough. Honestly, the thing with grief is that sometimes it could feel like a tide that swells and constantly washes you away from the shore. It always feels like a losing battle until it doesn’t. “I only have a single condition that you must agree to before I arrange this.” 

While Ariana didn’t really understand the shows they were talking about, she was sure she’d figure it out as they watched. Plus, wholesome content was exactly what she needed right now. “You got a deal. We’ll be binging Avatar and is Korra the same thing? Are they different? You’re like speaking another language right now that I still need to learn.” She kept sorting through odds and ends she pulled out of the closet, not really wanting to concentrate on the feelings each individual item brought up. It wasn’t easy, there was still this void inside of her screaming that all of this was just too much. Nothing would ever just fill the spot Celeste had played in her life, but she reminded herself that didn’t meant her life was as empty as it felt. Hell, Winston was right here by her side, through the thick of it all, doing what they could to make things a little bit easier. “Yeah,” she agreed, “It sounds like a lot of people had to confront their mime twins which is just weird, but you’re right, definitely could’ve been worse. I only got a little bit scratched up and to be honest, the scars look pretty badass.” Her hand ran over her side and she frowned slightly as she remembered Celeste patching her up. Ugh. Why did everything have to remind her of what she’d lost? Not that she wanted to forget Celeste, she just wanted a little bit of peace. Though Winston’s words did bring a small grin to her face. “Likewise, there’s only one Winston Dane and no one could ever replace them.” Her eyebrow arched up at Winston’s mention of agreeing to a condition. She was intrigued and asked, “What’s the condition?” 

“Okay, the concept of Avatar is that there are people who can control the elements, they call them benders. The avatar can control all four elements and is reincarnated in a cycle. So Legend of Aang is about the avatar called Aang and Korra is the sequel about … you guessed it, the avatar named Korra.” Winston loved the show and was very excited to show Ariana it. Hopefully it would be another wholesome distraction. As they worked, Winston tried to put themselves in Ariana’s shoes. But the idea of losing a sibling wasn’t something that they could cope with, Celeste in so many ways had been more then just a sibling for Ariana and the pain that their friend was experiencing wasn’t something Winston could comprehend. “The scars definitely look badass,” Winston agreed. They were sure that by the end of this year they would all be covered in an entirely new set of scars. But for now they were safe and that was what mattered. They’d keep taking care of Ariana as best they could. “When my mother tries -- and I guarantee she will -- when she tries to bring out the photo albums, you must rapturously and vigorously deny her the opportunity because I can’t live through another night of those.” 

“Okay, that actually does sound pretty dope. I’m not usually super into TV, but it sounds like a good story. Plus, hanging out with you makes anything more fun,” Ariana responded with a real smile this time. If there was one thing that gave her the strength to keep going, it was how much love and support she had in her life. The future still felt like a giant question mark, but she had so many reasons to keep pushing forward through all the grief, uncertainty, and anger. Even just being here and talking with her made this task that had seemed so daunting before a little bit easier. She’d only teared up a little so far and they’d gotten through a lot of Celeste’s things. The one benefit of being on the run is they always had to leave possessions behind. With a small laugh, she said, “Scars definitely have that effect. Helps that I’m already a badass, too.” At the mention of photo albums, Ariana cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. “I’m supposed to say no to seeing photos of little Winston? I don’t know, that’s really asking for a lot, especially because I definitely want to see those photo albums.” 

“You’ll like it, I promise you that I would never recommend something that you wouldn’t enjoy.” Winston grinned gently. TV recommendations was one of their few strong suits. Besides, supporting Ariana through this was something Winston could try and do. They would need to help her make a new family here, even if it hadn’t been the same as when it was just her and Celeste, they could still make this safe for her. This could still be her home. “You were always a badass,” Winston agreed solemnly. “Yes, because if you don’t say no or if you go and then look at the albums then all of my … coolness will well and truly disappear and you will realise that I am actually pretty lame, and gaslighting you into thinking that I’m cool is like the only thing that I’ve got going for me at the moment and I don’t know if I’m ready to lose that.” 

There was little doubt in her mind that Ariana would enjoy the show, especially if it also meant more time spent with one of her closest friends. Now that the daunting task of going through Celeste’s things had been mostly done, Ariana felt a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. Winston had helped her carry it and she couldn’t have been more careful. The sadness was unavoidable and she knew she’d always miss Celeste, but how much support she had left her confident she could learn to redefine what her future would hold and what happiness meant. She smirked at the mention of being badass, “Always have been and always will be.” Her tone still sounded tired and run down, but there was a hint of playfulness to it that showed she was moving through. She shook her head, “Mmm sounds fake. I’d never think you’re lame. You’re supportive, kind, honest, and smart as hell. Even if you are a nerd, I still think you’re cool.” 

Raising an eyebrow gently at Ariana’s kind words, it took them by surprise that despite everything that was going on she could still have the capacity to care for them in her own special way. Winston knew that there was a reason that they had become such good friends, despite the age difference and the differences in upbringing and life experience, Ariana had quickly become like a younger sister to them. More then that she had become one of their closest friends. “You’re really kind supportive honest and smarter then hell, plus you’re not a nerd, so … you win.” Winston winked playfully and finished off their box. They’d been at this for awhile and honestly WInston was exhausted. They weren’t sure how Ariana was feeling but taking a break wouldn’t be a bad idea. “How are you doing on your end? You want to go take a snack break or something?” 

Ariana couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh. “Fine, fine, if you insist, I win. That just means you’re even cooler for having the dopest friend around.” She playfully nudged their arm and finished off the box she was working on. They’d gotten through most everything, so she more than welcomed the suggestion of a break. She wasn’t sure how she would have made it through so much of Celeste’s stuff without them. The easy going conversation kept her mind from being 100% tuned in on the crushing feeling each little memory brought her. Winston was a damn good friend and she would make a point to always be just as supportive. “A break sounds like a good idea. We’ve got some frozen pizzas in the kitchen. Wanna heat a couple up and watch some of that Avatar show you were talking about,” she asked. With Winston’s approval, she threw some of the pizzas in the oven before joining them on the couch and handing the Roku remote to Winston. She cozied up with one of the blankets she had laid out on the couch and let herself relax a bit. Today had been draining though now that it was done, she felt a bit lighter. Like maybe tomorrow would be a little bit easier.