#nonbinary sun lark

[archester-creations]

Rated: G

Pairing: Solar Dawn (Sky Lark/Sun Wukong/Yang Xiao Long)

Word Count: ~2k

A/N: Day five: healing @rwbyrarepairweek ; security breach au, animatronic Sky

Not every kid likes Sky. A small portion actually hates him, though he is supposed to be a jester and not a clown and Yang had thought the clown-fear thing was mostly myth. That was before she started working for Scarlatina Entertainment as a technician. Yang rubs the back of her hand against her forehead, smearing grease. "Alright, can you move your fingers?"

Sky raises his left arm, the bare brown metal glints slightly under the lights of her workshop under the Pizzaplex, and flexes his fingers. They move without so much as a creak and he smiles. "Fixed."

"Thankfully. Now on to the second one," Yang says. "Can you turn for me?"

Sky nods and turns around to straddle the chair, draping the already fixed arm over the back. He drops his head to rest on it, too. "I still can't believe those brats managed to hurt both arms before a parent got to them."

"Neither can I." Yang clicks her tongue. If Ruby or her did that, they would've been grounded for weeks. Not that either of them would've ever done it. Even as kids they were both way into robotics.

Actually, thinking about it, if they were young enough they might have tried some pretty stupid stuff to try and see how it worked. Yang still remembers all the pens and mechanical pencils she tore apart—a few of which were Weiss' that she ended up being unable to fix. There is a knock on the wall and Yang calls whoever it is in without turning from Sky's wires.

"I heard Sky got hurt again?" Sun asks as he walks into the room.

"Yeah," Sky and Yang sigh together.

"Have you sewn his sleeves?" Sun asks.

"Yeah." Yang vaguely gestures to where they sit on the table, next to the still open sewing kit. "Can you put it on him?"

Sun nods, knowing that while she can't see it, she would know he did anyway. "So did you scare them or were they just bastards?"

"Bastards." Sky sighs. He holds his arm up so Sun can attach the sleeve to his forearm. "Preteens."

The cloth is long and flowing; it attached to under the metal at the joint between the animatronic's upper and lower arm and Sun carefully feels along the seam to reattach it. His fingers flutter against Sky's metal and wires. It doesn't hurt, but it does tickle, and while Sky tries to stop he can't help squirming.

Yang clicks her tongue. "Babe, stay still."

"Sun is tickling me," Sky giggles, the noises bubbling up.

"Sorry." Sun removes his fingers and sits on the table in a clear area. Cloth hangs loosely from the spots Sun didn't get to. "I'll finish after you're done, Yang."

"Thanks," Yang hums. "And sorry, too, I forgot how ticklish he is there."

"So did I for a few moments," Sky says. He lays his arm in his lap, the action making a hollow ting sound. It's easy to forget he's ticklish even like this. "Are you almost done?"

"About. I need to go slower with your arms, I don't want to hurt the wires so your fingers malfunction," Yang says and smiles at the panel she's messing in. "You need those to flip off Cardin."

Sky hums. "I do, so I guess I can sit here patiently for a little longer, if Sun entertains me." He glances up at his other boyfriend and Sun snorts. It's an ugly type of snort, it always is, but it also always makes Sky feel a little like he's overheating. He loves that snort.

"What do you want me to do?" Sun asks and Sky forcefully keeps himself from shrugging. Yang hums in appreciation.

"Anything. Yang's too focused to talk to me," Sky says.

"Then what if I…" Sun pulls three balls out of seemingly thin air, sliding off the table as he does, and Sky laughs. "juggle?"

"Isn't that supposed to be my thing?" Sky asks.

"You don't have a monopoly on juggling." Sun taps a finger against his beak.

"Alright." Sky rolls his eyes in mock annoyance. "Show me what you got."

"Cool." Sun smiles and it's just as sunny as his name. Sometimes Sky thinks Sun should've gotten the security jacket with the sun patches instead of the lightning bolts, but he likes that his security guard matches him. "I've been practicing this."

Sky shifts in the seat, not enough to disturb Yang but just enough to sit up. Sun throws all three balls up together and catches them before he starts truly juggling. As an animatronic, Sky is nearly an expert at juggling. It's one of the things that's just in his coding. He's literally built for agility, hand-eye-coordination, athletics. Anything a jester might need to physically entertain. Whether or not he was actually good at any of that stuff while he was human, he doesn't really remember, but he thinks he was. All that is to say, Sky loves watching this. The balls arc and spin, Sun moving with them and never missing a catch, even as he has to lean into the table for one. The movements speak of time, speak of hours, speak of passion. The way Sun smiles, bright and large and all laughter just without the sound, speaks of passion. Speaks of fun. Sometimes Sky fumbles a ball, but his body is really just code. It's wires and metal and made for errors like that to happen as statistically seldom as human error can achieve. And with Yang as the main technician– as his only technician– Sky rarely makes a physical error. Meanwhile Sun juggles without error because of practice. It is beautiful, though Sky knows neither of his human boyfriends would naturally think of it that way. But that's okay. Sky knows people see beauty in different things and he is more than okay with being the only person to look at Sun and see his forever messy hair, curls bouncing as he juggles, and know that it is beautiful.

A spark in his wires causes him to look over at Yang, who flushes and looks away from Sun and back at his arm, and Sky thinks happily that she does see it, too.

Sun juggles for a bit longer, and on the ball's last loop he throws each of them higher and ducks under them, mouth wide, and swallowing after all three falls so it looks as if he's eaten them. One of his arms is behind his back, and Sky knows it means he's simply caught them. Something he thinks is more impressive, because that means Sun caught all three without looking. With all three balls in his hand, Sun takes a bow. Since Yang has his right arm, he claps by hitting his thigh. His palm makes a soft ringing sound against the metal there, like a bell.

"I'm done," Yang says at that moment and rolls her chair away. She stands and stretches, her spine and elbows making a popping sound. Sky smiles and flexes the fingers of his right hand, rotating the wrist to make sure everything is working probably, though he knows it is. The only reason he checks is because he knows Yang wants him to.

"Thanks, Yang," Sky says.

"Anything for my girlfriend," Yang says, smiling cheekily as she adds, "Plus it's how I get a paycheck."

Sky puts a hand on his chest to gasp dramatically. "Is that all I am to you? A job?"

"No," Yang says, sudden seriousness belied by the way her lips are twitching upward again. "You're also an annoyance."

"How dare, good sir! Sun, do you see how our boyfriend treats me?" Sky bemoans, making Sun snort. If not for the weight difference, Sky would’ve leaned against Sun just to really sell it. Instead he tips backwards in the chair.

“She’s being terribly cruel,” Sun agrees and that gets Yang to break, laughter filling the room as they join in. it always feels good to be silly with them. Natural in a way that isn’t related to his job, though that is very natural, too. It’s just different. Sky waves his arm and the cloth moves in the air like a wave.

“Finish my sleeves for me?” Sky asks, batting his eyelashes. There is still humour in Sun’s smile as he takes the unattached cloth in his hands and continues to attach it to Sky’s arm while Sky tries his best to keep it still despite the tickling feeling, so he doesn’t pinch and hurt Sun’s fingers.

"You're so spoiled," Yang says, only half joking but fully fond and unrepentant as she is one of the two doing the spoiling, and bends down to kiss his forehead. Sky beams up at her.

"As I should be," he says with all the snottiness he can muster while smiling and being unintentionally tickled. It makes Yang snort. Sun purposely flutters his fingers at his wires and Sky gives a cut-off laugh, freezing up.

“Suuun,” Sky complains and Sun just smiles.

“Gimme your other arm?” Sun says. Sky sighs and holds up his other arm so Sun can connect the other sleeve.

[cascadiadeafnation]

An Upcoming Virtual Event:

Do you enjoy watching dances by Deaf community members?

Check out Bay Area International Dance Festival 2020!

Urban Jazz Dance Company presents:

The 8th Annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival VIRTUAL!

August 14-16, 2020: Fri-Sat 6:00 PM (PST), Sun, 5:00 PM (PST)

Workshops Fri-Sat 10:00 AM-12:00 PM (PST)

Sun 10:00 AM-1:00 PM (PST)Location: 100% VIRTUAL

https://www.realurbanjazzdance.com/bay-area-international-deaf-dance-festival-virtual.html 

Suggested Donation: $5-25

(San Francisco) The Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival is back for its eighth year and 100% virtual!  

Highlighting the important contributions that Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) artists make to our community, the Festival features three days of performances and workshops. 

Sunday’s performance is family-friendly. In addition to the Bay Area, this year the Festival welcomes Deaf artists from California specifically, San Diego and Los Angeles, across the USA and Internationally from India, Colombia, Venezuela, Canada and Mexico. 

The Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival is a fiscally sponsored project of Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco’s oldest alternative arts space, presenting groundbreaking works in the literary, performing, visual and interdisciplinary arts. www.theintersection.org.

In addition to performances, the festival will feature workshops in Classical Indian Dance, Cumbia Dance, Jazz, Contemporary Ballet, Flamenco and more different types of dance classes taught by International, National and Local Deaf, Hoh artists. These workshops will be taught for both Youth and Adult participants in VIRTUAL. 

For more detailed information on workshops, please visit our website.  All workshops and performances are open to both Deaf and Hearing community members in ANY location around the world.

Accessibility Details

All events will have ASL and English voice interpretations, International Sign interpretation and CART captioning. Saturday’s performance will have Spanish voice interpretation. 

Sunday’s 5 PM event will have Audio Descriptions by Gabriel Christian of Gravity Access Services (www.jesscurtisgravity.org/access) supported by a generous grant from the Haas Fund, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation and the National Arts and Disability Center at the University of California Los Angeles and Ability Central.

ABOUT URBAN JAZZ DANCE COMPANY:

Urban Jazz Dance Company is a convergence of artistic forces, where raw energy is rooted in an athletic expression of freedom and passion, featuring the syncopation of urban jazz rhythms.  These dancers are a mix of trained deaf and hearing dancers from all over the world.  The mission of Urban Jazz Dance is to provide opportunities for Deaf and disabled artists to contribute to the arts and the larger society and to promote the educational awareness of Deaf issues through the performing arts. The company values the importance of play and performance to connect cultures of all races, ages, disability and backgrounds to live their dreams.

About Antoine Hunter, Director

Bay Area native, Antoine Hunter also known Purple Fire Crow is an award-winning Internationally-known African-American, Indigenous, Deaf, Disable, choreographer, dancer, actor, instructor, speaker, Producer and Deaf advocate. He creates opportunities for Disable, Deaf and hearing artists and produces Deaf-friendly events, and founded the Urban Jazz Dance Company and Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival.Antoine has received numerous grants and awards including the inaugural Jeanette Lomujo Bremond Award for Humanity, Isadora Duncan (Izzie) for Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival, and SF King of Carnaval. Antoine’s work has been performed globally, most recently in Turkey, UK and Russia. He has lectured across the U.S. including at Kennedy Center’s VSA, Harvard and Duke University, and the National Assembly of State Arts. In 2019 alone, his company Urban Jazz Dance Company, an ensemble of professional Deaf and Hearing dancers, performed for and engaged more than 4,200 schoolchildren. His shoe company DropLabs and Susan Paley just released an innovative product to help people feel music through their shoes. He is Vice President of Deaf Counseling, Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA's) Board. DCARA is a non-profit, community-based social service agency serving the deaf community. Established in 1962 as one of the first deaf-run agencies in the country. 

www.RealUrbanJazzDance.com

Image Description for the flyer:

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION:

Image of a poster with Purple background strip across the top with the bottom ¾ of the poster with a white background and various pictures and text.In the top purple strip white bold text as follows"BAY AREA INTERNATIONALDEAF DANCEFESTIVAL”

Picture overlayed across the banner of Zahna Simon leaping through air with her front leg reaching out into the white background below. She is wearing black shorts and sportsbra, long blonde hair is down and looks in action

On the left bottom of the picture in white bold text "AUGUST 14-16, 2020" To the right bottom of the picture "A VIRTUAL SHOWCASE"On the right is text in black "PRESENTED BY ANTOINE HUNTER’SURBAN JAZZ DANCE COMPANY"In purple bold text “WITH PERFORMANCES BY”

In black text a list of performers “Urban Jazz Dance Company (Bay Area)

Samantha Figgins (New York)Deaf Pride Dance Company (Bay Area)

Danzaluz (Venezuela)

Natasha Bacchus (Canada)

Irit Specktor (Los Angeles, California)

Carlos Javier Ortega Opisno (Colombia)

Matthew J Posh Schwartz (New York)

Proyecto Paz (Mexico/Bay Area)

Fusion in Motion (San Diego, California)

Lark Detweiler (Los Angeles, California)

Fusion in Motion (San Diego, California)

Shruti Neelesh Kelkar (India)

Visceral Roots Dance Company (Bay Area)

Listen With Your Eyes Dance Troupe (Arkansas)

And MORE local, national and international artists!

FRIDAY AUGUST 14 | 6 PM PST

SATURDAY AUGUST 15 | 6 PM PST

”In purple text: “RECOMMENDED DONATIONS: $5-25”

3 purple background logos in with white inside of sign language interpreter, closed captioning and audio descriptions.Below is a collage of 15 different pictures of the performers in the shape of a “D”. 

Going from left to right, descriptions are as follows:An artist portrait of a single dreadlock visible across his cheek and the rest of his hair in a low braid. Antoine has a full beard and is bare chested with his left hand raised artistically near his face. His right hand is gently supporting his left forearm.

Picture of a Young Black Woman smiles and poses with her hand on her hip with her left leg lifted to her side. Wearing a pink floral jumpsuit.

Lark, a young nonbinary person wearing a red sequined long sleeve crop top posing at a beachstands against the sky. Lark looks up and while extending their left elbow artistically toward the sky.

Blue-eyed woman looking directly at the camera, her face is partially hidden by a red flamenco abanico (fan). She is wearing an embroidered silk shawl.Two Dancers posed in black dark background. They pose in a modern stylistic way connected to each other, one in a ponche, the other with their head back.

----Next Line-----

Picture of 5 UJDC dancers reaching to the camera upwards. Background is on a stage with green strips of hanging fabric behind. They are wearing black leotards with wraps, from the left the colors of the wraps are purple, blue, green, blue and purple. 

Deynis, a Latinx presenting person wearing a black tank top, dancing barefoot crouched down on a stage wearing a dark sequined jacket and black pants.Black and white photo of headshots of all the dancers with bare shoulders. From left to right is one male and four females. 

----Next Line-----

Jewish male with brown pompadour hairstyle with blended blue green yellow blonde on sides of head, wearing black top, cape, and tights. Silver tree branch necklace while signing sign name: JPosh with right hand using the ILY 

Handshape Headshot of a Black presenting female with short hair wearing a green long shirt crossing their arms smiling directly at the camera.Three females and one male, looking straight into the camera, standing closely together, horizontally with right shoulders visibly and standing in front of a board full of multi-art decors that were glued on, and overlapping in some areas and some photos pasted on as well like a Betty Boop character photo, and a Marilyn Monroe photo. 

Starting from left to right: (far left side) 

A male, with dark brown thin cut beard and mustache, wearing a baseball hat with letterings of a baseball team, and wearing a burgundy colored polo shirt. (next left) 

A female with dark brown long thick curly hair pulled up in back, with bright red lipstick, wearing a yellow sleeveless turtleneck shirt and mixed brown and tan colored earrings. (in the middle) 

A female with light brown curly hair pulled back with long bangs pulled to the right side of face, wearing a blue tank top with a black tank top layered underneath, and soft mauve colored lipstick. (far right side) 

A female, with long blond braided hair hanging over left shoulder, wearing a black fedora style hat, silver hoop earrings and a cheetah-print short sleeve shirt. 

Professional portrait of Noelle taken from above. Noelle has long, curly brown hair and is smiling at the camera. They are wearing a black dance top with a mesh pattern of small rectangles over their chest.

----Next Line-----

Picture of 2 latinx presenting humans sitting in crossed legs position facing profile towards the camera in between folded up red and white striped lawn chairs. Background is outside. They are facing away from each other. On the left is a male wearing black shirt and black cap. On the right is wearing a red shirt, blue long skirt and dark hair half pulled back.

Carlos, a Latinx presenting person is leaning against a wall made of colorful flattened rocks. He is wearing a white sweater with a blue banana around his neck as he holds a wide brimmed straw and brown colored hat. 

Picture of an indian presenting female with dark hair smiling. She is wearing a white sari with yellow wrap and arms are in a dance pose.

[END IMAGE DESCRIPTION]

[archester-creations]

*cowboy voice* It’s high noon (sky lark/sun wukong) hours

[archester-creations]

Broken Wing

phantom thief au high noon(sky/sun) sidestory

Starling = Sky who uses they/them this whole fic

Starling dropped onto the balcony of their favourite detective. It was disappointing that he’d missed the heist. But right now, not too disappointing. If he’d been there, then he wouldn’t have been home. Then Starling wouldn’t know what to do but wait. It’s not like they could go to the hospital. They were a criminal and they couldn’t risk being asked questions they had no good answers to. At least it’s unlikely anyone saw their fall. Minus their unwelcome acquaintance. Which was bullshit; when they’d started thieving for fun they’d never thought they would get mixed up in someone else’s show. But that was where life led. Now Starling was here, breaking into the apartment of their favourite detective. (Not for the first time, they will admit. The second time. There really was no desire to break into the detective’s home, it wasn't fun like the heists were, but the first had extenuating circumstances as their detective had been hurt and they'd had no other way to check on him.)

The door was locked. A golden curtain covered the glass, but they could still see light shine weakly through. Pro of being a phantom thief who works at night. Starling got out their lock picks and got to work. There was a twinge in their left shoulder. It made their hand spasm and scrape against the lock- Starling winced at the seemingly loud noise in the quiet night. They shook out their hand, careful not to jostle their shoulder too much, and switched hands. Without having the worry of jostling the bullet wound, the lock clicked much faster. They sighed in relief and opened the balcony door. The pain wasn't great. Soon, though, Starling could let their detective handle it. And they wouldn't have to worry about the pain.

Blonde hair peaked out over the back of the couch. It didn't turn toward Starling. Whether that was because they opened the door so quietly or because the detective didn't think a threat could come from out here, they didn't know. It could go either way. Not only did their detective live on a higher floor, he could be rather reckless. (Once, Starling had watched him climb a pipe five stories up to sneak up on a criminal. The detective caught the criminal, but was stabbed in the process. Had it not been for their own interference, well. Starling didn't want to know how badly that could've gotten. It was bad enough seeing a knife go through their favourite detective’s palm.)

"Hey there, detective," Starling stepped inside from the balcony.

“Starling? I live on the thir- Starling!” Bright red eyes widened and Starling knew he'd noticed the wound. Good. If he hadn't, they would be a bit disappointed. It was fairly obvious. At least, Starling thought so. They'd tried to fix up their wound as much as possible, but there was only so much one could do without a first aid kit. The most Starling could do was staunch the bleeding and attempt to wrap it. Which would've been easier if the shot hadn't hit their shoulder. Blood had run hot in a trail down Starling’s arm and dripped at their fingertips as they pressed the sleeve of their shirt to the wound. Now, the red stained the silver shirt sleeve. It spread like a clasp over their left shoulder. Sun sprang up from the couch and rushed over to them. A hiss escaped through their teeth as the detective touched their shoulder. The hand backed off immediately. A guilty look flickered across red eyes. “Sorry.”

“Nah, it's fine,” Starling smiled. “Barely hurt.”

Sun looked at him incredulously. Worriedly. Then he forced a smile. “Right, it's just a flesh wound.”

“Exactly. Now, do you think you could help me fix up this flesh wound?” Starling asked. “Not that I couldn't do it myself but-”

“The bullet didn't go all the way through?” Sun said.

Starling blinked. “How'd you know?”

“A guess. I've seen your disguises enough to know there are wounds you've started to hide, but this is the first time you've brought one to me which means it must be more difficult to deal with then the others. From the bleeding…” Sun trailed off, fingers ghosting the red on their shoulder. Starling followed his eyes. It really wasn't as bad as it looked. Or, Starling didn't think it was. Hoped it wasn't. … now that they thought about it, they'd never stopped to question if their detective could even patch up a bullet wound. Of course Starling could- this wasn't the first time they'd been shot. But the other times had been in the thigh, the lower arm, and the side respectively. And all four had gone clean through. All grazes really, except the second shot that had gone through Starling’s side. That had been moderately far into their flesh and definitely not pleasant. “I thought ‘bullet’ would be a good guess. Unless you were stabbed and yanked the knife out before deciding to fly over here?”

“No,” Starling shook their head. “Just shot this time.”

“This time.” Sun looked at them in surprise, practically choking on the first word. The thief smiled. It was cute to see the detective thrown off. And worried specifically about them. Even if Starling was in a bit of pain.

A lot of pain.

Getting shot in the shoulder hurt, okay?

“One of my acquaintances is a bit more archaic than the others,” Starling shrugged their uninjured shoulder, doing their best not to jostle the injured shoulder.

“Archaic? She uses a sword or something?” Starling nodded. Sun frowned at them. “Anything else?”

“Well, short, stabby, seems to be angry a lot. There's not a lot about the others,” Starling said. Only one of the acquaintances ever got close to Starling. The short one whose appearance never seemed to be the same- except the size and the anger. It was like Starling could taste blood thirst radiating in the air around the short acquaintance. Whoever said short people are angry because they were closer to hell certainly met her. There were two others, but- all Starling had seen of the tallest was a hat and of the other was their gun. A sniper, because that's what Starling wanted following them while they were trying to put on a show and steal a gem. Now Starling actively had to keep an eye out for a possible shooter. Thank Oum the acquaintances didn't show up at every performance.

Sun nodded, seeming to accept that. Somehow, Starling doubted that was the end of the questioning. Eventually there would likely be more. (Detectives were the nosiest breed, after all.) “You weren't-”

“Followed? Of course not. I'd only ever let you follow me, dear.” Starling smiled at him. Hopefully charmingly. With the adrenaline draining out, the pain was draining in. Each beat of Starling’s heart pounded it through them. It was like they could feel the bullet where it was stuck. Perhaps they could. The smile has to be stiffer than what Starling had gone for, because Sun’s eyes flickered back to the covered wound and his weight shifted between his feet. For a detective, his tells were glaringly obvious. My detective would likely have no chance on the stage, Starling thought. Though, at least for Starling, the detective himself would distract from however bad his performance might be.

But maybe Starling was being unfair. It was usual for these specific signs to show. As far as Starling knew, their detective rarely got nervous like this. All anxious body movements and quiet mouth. And perhaps that was the greatest poker face of all. Simply not needing one. Sun worried his bottom lip between his teeth like Starling knew he did when he thought, and Starling pushed down the desire to gently remove his lip from the abuse. Wherever the detective’s mind went, Starling needed it back here. The other thieves weren’t Sun’s concern- or shouldn’t be, they were more dangerous than Starling was. Not to mention that thieves were possessive and Sun was their detective, no one else’s- and there was still a more pressing matter. Like the bullet still in Starling’s shoulder.

“Detective?” Starling questioned. Sun startled out of his thoughts. His thumb brushed softly against Starling’s shoulder.

“We should fix this,” Sun said, though his voice sounded mostly far away. Starling reached up to grab Sun’s hand and squeeze it. The detective blinked a few times. Slowly, red eyes focused on blue ones. “You wear contacts.”

The statement startled a laugh out of Starling. Of course they wore contacts. Heterochromia was a bit too rare for a phantom thief to have, so Starling wore a blue contact to all their heists. (Or sometimes a brown one, depending on disguises. But by the time the chase began, Starling’s eyes were always back to blue to match their hair.) “Of course. I can’t make it too easy to figure out who I am, can I?”

“I guess you can’t.” Sun smiled and there were dimples and Starling’s heart gave a singular hard ba-dump. That smile was one of the reasons Starling had started to woo the detective. Wherever Sun had gone, he was back now. His hand threaded with Starling’s and he used it to lead the thief to his couch. “Stay here, I’ll get the industrial kit.”

It did not surprise Starling that he had an industrial med kit. Really, Starling wished it did. But it didn’t. He was a self sacrificial moron, always thinking he had to help everyone. Even when it put him in danger. Starling had seen a few of the scars Sun had gotten because of it. The slit in his palm. The slash across his forearm. The starburst in his side. Of course Sun would do it all again if he had to and… Starling could respect that. Even if they didn’t quite like to see their detective hurt so much. They could still respect it. Starling sat and watched Sun’s back as he went to get the kit. He flicked the overhead light on as he left and Starling blinked a little at the light change. Once the detective was gone, Starling looked around the apartment. Brown walls and open space. It was a fairly tiny apartment. Definitely smaller than the one Starling lived in, though they shared the space with others. Sun’s couch was beaten with age and comfortable. An episode of Dragon Ball Z was on at low volume. Starling moved their legs up onto the couch and leaned against the arm, making sure to leave their left shoulder exposed for Sun.

When Sun got back, Starling actually had a moment to be surprised. Enough that it showed on their face- Sun’s eyebrow raised in response. In Starling’s defense they had not expected a medkit that large. It looked like Sun had stolen it off a paramedic truck. Though, given the amount of injuries Sun no doubt got,  Starling thought it likely someone had forced it on him. Honestly Starling could understand.

With Sun’s help, Starling’s shirt was removed so he could get to the hole in their shoulder. “The bullet’s still in here.”

Starling laughed at what felt like the current most obvious statement in the world. The action moved their shoulder and a shot of pain went through it. “Yeah, I can feel it.”

Sun winced. “Right. Let's deal with that first.”

“Smart.” Probably. At the very least, it will likely be the most painful part of the process and Starling would very much like to get it over with.

Sun talked while he searched for the bullet. He doesn't stop talking, like if he stopped the wound would magically get worse. Usually Starling only saw the detective on heists, with the occasional case mixed in. Starling forgot how much the detective could talk. Especially when he was nervous. That was the tell Starling knew from the rare moments they'd seen him nervous. It made them want to reach out to Sun. To tell him that it was okay. That they'd be fine- after all, this wasn't the first wound they'd ever gotten. It wasn't even the first gunshot wound. Instead, Starling swore as the tweezers hit a nerve. “ Fuck.”

“Sorry.” Sun looked worried again and Starling waved it off.

“It's fine, you'd be surprised how many stitches I got as a kid.”

“Lots of people shooting at you then?” Sun joked. It was his way to make light of the situation, Starling knew. Though Starling had a feeling it was for his own benefit- not the thief’s.

“Just the normal amount.” Starling smiled at him. He smiled back; too small to see his dimples but enough to make his eyes glitter like the heart of a fire. The bullet is grabbed and removed in the space of more banter. More jokes and thinly veiled accusations of adrenaline seeking that by this point both know are true. Starling denies them anyway. So does Sun. (Perhaps Sun’s denial was a little more fair. It's no secret between them that Sun finds as much danger as Starling does. Though Sun usually stumbled into it. Like the danger sought him out. And Starling usually searched for or created it. At least, Starling did. Before the first run in with the other thieves.) There's a light clink as the bullet is placed on a dish Starling hadn't noticed before with a smattering of blood. It's both more and less blood than he'd expected. Immediately there's more pain as Sun presses an alcohol swab against the newly bleeding wound without so much as a word. If Sun hadn't been holding it, Starling’s arm would've jerked. For someone who had been talking the whole time it was a hell of a moment to go quiet. “ Ouch,” Starling said, emphatically.

“My bad,” Sun winced in honest sympathy.

“I thought you didn’t want to hurt people.” Starling pouted at him. In response to their slight overdramatic-ness, Sun rolled his eyes.

“Of course not, asshole. But this is gonna hurt.”

Starling sighed, “I know.”

A needle and thread was sanitized and then the needle began to make its way, stitching up their skin. There wasn’t much for Starling to do except sit there and not wince too much. It was a good thing they were good with pain. Sun mumbled to himself as he worked. There were a few words Starling caught. They were pretty sure the make and model of a gun were some. Which meant they were right, Sun’s mind was partly on the other thieves. A bit of annoyance shot through like the pull of the needle. Right now Sun’s attention should be on Starling, not the three acquaintances. After all, it was their skin he was stitching. Their wound that he was caring for.

“Why did you come here?” The words were sudden and it took a minute for them to even register for Starling. When they did, Starling blinked. Why? Because they trusted their detective. Because they loved him. Because somehow they didn't mind the thought of him taking care of them.

“Well, I figured with all the times you get hurt you must be a professional,” Starling said.

Sun paused and looked at them for a moment, thread and needle hovering in the air. “What if I told you I went to a hospital for every injury?” It wasn’t true. Both of them knew it. The needle went back through Sky’s skin.

“I’d say I’d hate to see your medical bills.”

Sun laughed and it pulled at Starling’s skin painfully, but it was worth it to see those dimples and the flash of sharp canines. Thankfully their wince went unnoticed. The needle went through a few more times before the thread was gently pulled on and it was tied off. A bandage was placed over the stitching and gaze wrapped around Starling’s shoulder and chest to keep it in place. Then he packed the supplies back up and… it was done. Starling carefully moved their arm. It was still sore, of course it was, but at least now they didn’t have to worry about it. They stood up off the couch. It was time for them to leave. Suddenly it felt like time passed too quickly. Starling smiled even as they sighed inside and took Sun’s hand. They brought his hand up to their lips and brushed a kiss against his knuckles. 

“Thank you, my dear detective.”  Starling smiled at the pink on Sun’s cheeks, illuminated by the tv’s light. “But I fear this is where I take my leave.” They bowed and vanished to the balcony. The two of them would meet again next heist. Until then, Starling would have the memory of glittering red eyes and freckles standing against a soft blush.

For just a moment, Starling looked back at Sun and mourned the loss of intimacy. Then they dropped off the balcony and into the night.

[archester-creations]

Following the Neon Signs

Okay. So the party was more boring than Sky’d expected. Sure he didn’t really know anything about the party. Or the host. (He’d heard the name ‘Neptune’,- apparently the friend who was holding the party?- expected another of Russel and Cardin’s mythology talks to start, and pretty much immediately checked out.) But it was a New Years party. Shouldn’t it be illegal or something for those to be boring? He hadn’t even spotted any alcohol. When they were all legal. And, again, New Years. He sighed. To think he’d even gotten dressed for this. Like, dressed dressed. Makeup, white shorts a little too short, fishnet tights, the works. If he’d gone to Cardin’s sister’s party, she’d be proud. But he let Russel drag him here instead. He ran a hand through his hair, scratching at his scalp. There was a cup of punch in his hand and he swirled the purple liquid absently. Someone else walked up, and he got caught by bright red eyes. His eyes traveled further down. A chest with scars greeted him, followed by dark jeans with a chain looped down between two belt loops and a singular golden arm band- one that wasn't fully connected but was brought close together by a coiled circle on each end.

“Bold.” Sky raised an eyebrow. The other boy paused, a ladle to a cup, to give him a confused look. He smiled and gestured to the boy’s torso. “No shirt.”

For just another moment the boy’s brows were knit in confusion. Then it cleared. He took his own onceover of Sky. “I can say the same for those shorts.”

Sky laughed. “Maybe for this party.”

“You know another?”

“One,” Sky said with a half shrug. “A friend's.”

The guy smiled at him. “Why’d you come here then?”

“Trying to get rid of me already? You don’t even know my name. And it’s because another friend convinced me to come here with him.”

“I wouldn’t want to get rid of you even if I did know your name,” he took a sip of the punch and looked around the party. “Where’s your friend?”

“No clue. I ditched him to find something interesting to do when he went to find his boyfriend.” Sky sighed. “Or, I tried to find something interesting.”

“Yeah, Nep's never been the best with parties,” the guy laughed again. Just a light chuckle of a noise.

“‘Nep’? You're friends with the host?”

“Best friends,” the guy confirmed.

“I almost feel like I should apologize,” Sky said.

“For saying my bff holds shitty parties?”

Sky barked out a laugh. “ You said that, I implied it. And no, apologize that you're friends with him. If this is the kind of party he throws I can imagine how boring it must be to hang out with him.”

The guy frowned. Or, tried to. Sky could see the smile struggling to form. “He's really not that bad.”

“Maybe,” Sky shrugged. “Still, I'm gonna head out before my friend finds me again.”

“You're ditching?”

“Of course. Why, want to join?” It's a rhetorical question. This is this guy’s best friend’s party. On top of them being strangers; not even knowing each other's names. Of course he'll stay. But to his surprise, the guy shrugs.

“Sure,” he says.

“Sure?” Sky echoed. Just to be sure he actually heard that. He didn't think his hearing was going, but. Who knew.

“Yeah.” The guy shrugged again. “They'll be other parties but who knows when I'll have a handsome stranger ask to whisk me away again.” There's a certain sparkle to his eyes. Casting them as embers, seconds from bursting alive again. He smiled at Sky, showing off sharp canines. And then, like an after thought, he winks. And. Oh. This guy was flirting with him. Sky felt his own grin form, sure and confident, in response.

“If you think you can keep up,” Sky said, just a bit of a purr. Because he honestly couldn’t help himself. This guy was undeniably attractive. And it’d been a while since he really just flirted with someone. Been a while since he’d done something like this in general, heading off with a stranger. Though… He frowned in thought. The outfit was good, but it was missing pizzazz for Velvet’s party. If he was there with him, at least. Thankfully Sky had what he needed to fix that.

“I’d love to try,” the guy answered. Sky nodded and the guy moved to leave before Sky stopped him with a laugh.

“We’re fixing this before we go anywhere else.” Sky waved a hand over the guy’s face.

“What?” The guy’s brow frowned even as he remained smiling.

“If we’re crashing a party you’re gonna look like you belong at the party,” Sky explained, taking the guy’s wrist. The skin under his thumb was warm. Much warmer than his own. Though that wasn’t exactly an accomplishment, he guessed. Even when he was a kid his temperature ran low. (‘Cold hands, warm heart,’ his mom would say.) Still, this guy was close to being on par with Penny who was basically a human heater. Just slightly the confusion cleared and the guy let himself be led to one of the bathrooms in the stupid large house, despite the fact he’d probably know better than Sky where a bathroom would be. It took two doors for Sky to find a room with white tile, light blue-gray walls, silver trim, a toilet, bathtub/shower, and a surprisingly big mirror over a sink. Lights lit up over the mirror when he flipped the switch. He’d already taken note of how oddly fancy this house was. Even the rooms he’d gotten glimpses of were fancy, two big bedrooms- one with bold, bright colours and the other with deeper, rich, practically royal colours- with a big plush bed and an armoire. If he wanted a nap, he’d be inclined to sneak into one of them and just bury himself in the pillows. There were so many even if the bedroom’s owner walked in, they probably wouldn’t notice him among them. But no, it was December 31st and he wasn’t sleeping anytime soon. He directed the guy to sit on the toilet seat and went to dig into his bag.

“Are you okay with this?” Sky paused before he really got anything out. Suddenly he remembered not every guy was okay wearing makeup, unlike basically his entire friend group. (Whether it was personality, the fact the entire group was part of the alphabet mafia, or the sheer amount of theatre kids in the group, well. Sky was sure it was all three.) He wanted to be sure before he did anything.

“Go for it,” The guy said with a nonchalant shrug. “Unless you're gonna make me look like a clown.”

Sky snorted. “Damn, you've figured me out.”

“Maybe another time.” That gave Sky brief pause before he steadfastly ignored the slip. Because it had to be accidental. Neither of them planned on sharing contact info with the other, he was sure. This would be one night with one party. The implication they'd see each other again past this was highly unlikely. It was just something people said, anyhow. It really meant nothing. He pulled out the palette and opened it.

This close he could make out the light freckles across the bridge of the guy’s nose and his cheeks. They just begged for golden glitter. Which gave him a good idea of what to do all around. He dabbed the brush into his brown, lightly blew the excess off, and got started. To his delight, there was no flinching as he put it on. (Usually he put eyeshadow on Russel who did his best, but did still sometimes flinch back or blink at inopportune times.) Even after he got out the black eyeliner, the guy didn’t move. It made something pleased curl in his chest and he gave an easy smile.

“You're better than I expected.” The guy made an inquisitive sound but didn't move. “I'd expected you to blink more or something, since I'm messing with your eyelid.”

A small smile graced the guy’s mouth. “One of my other friends likes to do makeup sometimes and I'll let him use me as a guinea pig.”

Sky raised an eyebrow. “Has he turned you into a clown before?”

“Not quite,” the guy chuckled. “It was a near thing but he couldn't find the red, squeaky nose and made me a mime instead. Nep wouldn't let me speak afterward until I'd washed it off.”

“He wouldn't let you speak?”

The guy shrugged slightly, obviously being careful not to throw off Sky. It was appreciated. Sky’s smile widened a bit, amusement tinging its edges with the guy’s next words. “Something about breaking code or something.”

Sky nodded sagely even though the guy wouldn't see it. “Of course.” In the next moment he finished with the eyeliner and retrieved a brush to add the final touch.

When he finished, he stepped back to admire his handiwork. Golden dust across the guy’s cheeks in a mirror to his own silver. Dark brown eyeshadow, just dark enough to be seen. Black eyeliner, bold and thick into a delicate and sharp wing. Perfect. The smile turned to something more pleased, only half his mouth quirked, and he gestured to the mirror. The guy stood up to look and seemed pleased with what he saw. That pleased feeling in his chest warmed and spread.

“Normally I'd go ‘more is more’ for an event like this-” Sky gestured to his own makeup, the bright blue eyeshadow popping off his skin with the help of his winged eyeliner and glittering silver brushed across his cheeks like rain, “but you look good like this.”

“Thanks,” the guy said and Sky could hear it was sincere.

“Of course,” Sky clicked his palette shut and put his things away. “Like I said, I had to make you presentable if you’re going to come with me.”

For a moment, the guy looked unsure. “Are you… okay with me coming along?” Sky frowned, an eyebrow raised at the sudden change. Just minutes ago he was so confident in joining. “It’s just that. I’ve had friends before who weren’t entirely… pleased that I’d followed along with them.”

That. Didn’t sit right in Sky’s stomach. Only a few minutes with him and he already knew that insecurities were not something he wanted to see on this guy’s face. He smirked. A teasing lilt touched his words when he spoke, and he hoped the stranger could hear it. “I thought you wanted me to whisk you away.”

The guy blinked and bit his lip. For the first time, Sky noticed his canines were sharp. It sent a tingle of danger through him that he fully chose to ignore. “Yeah, I did.”

“Good. I was looking forward to it.”

Like a switch had been flipped, a small smile lit up the guy’s face. It was like this tension Sky hadn’t noticed fell off the guy’s shoulders. The lights from over the mirror caused the gold across his cheeks to sparkle.

He took out his keys, swirling them around a finger.

“Ever ride a motorcycle?”

 It turned out he had. The guy who invited him here- an old ex and a good friend, apparently- owned one and he’d gone on rides before. How fast that friend went, Sky wasn’t sure. But he wouldn’t doubt that he went faster. He switched lanes, an eye out for other vehicles only by habit. There was no real need. The roads were empty right now, people tucked away in their own parties. City lights swirled like Picasso’s Starry Night and buildings went past in a blur as his bike climbed past 100. Wind cut into the skin of his midriff and he spared a moment to be glad he’d had the forethought to give his passenger- they’d yet to exchange names- a jacket. Not that it probably really mattered. With the way the guy clung onto him, chest pressed to his back and arms a firm weight around his waist, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was warm. Sky certainly took the brunt of the wind. But that was fine with him. This was part of why he owned a motorcycle. The bite of the wind and the blur of the midnight city around him.

Velvet’s house came into view, small and large at the same time. It was one story and not much more than a rectangle with a porch. But the backyard was large with woods expansive and looming in the back like a border line between this world and the next. Something about Velvet’s place had always struck him as oddly [otherworldly]. They slowed to a stop in the backyard, next to where Velvet parked her own bike for the night. Sky stayed on to let the guy swing off before he removed his helmet and followed down.

“So, I know this is a bit late, but I'm Sun,” The guy- Sun - said as he handed back the helmet. (The extra helmet he only kept because Cardin had caught him driving with Penny, his helmet on Penny’s head and him without protection, and decided to carry an extra with him just so he wouldn't have to hear that particular safety/bad example rant again. Or get one from Velvet, like Cardin threatened.) And Sky felt amusement curl in his chest.

“Perfect. I'll be your Sky for the night,” Sky said with the slightest purr in his voice, equal parts teasing and flirting. An eyebrow quirked up before it seemed to click.

“Is that your real name?” There was obvious laughter in Sun’s voice, shaping the question.

“If it was?” Sky asked, locking the pannier.

“I'd agree, I think it's perfect.”

“I'm glad we're in agreement, then.” Sky held his arm out for Sun to loop his through. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

Velvet’s party was loud. Party loud, not club loud. Voices built on top of eachother like layers you could peel apart if you really tried to. There was a large fire in the pit Dove, Nora, and her had built that backlit a good portion of her backyard and the people inside it. There were only a few dozen, about the same amount from Neptune’s party. It was only ten, though. More would surely appear as the night wore on. Sun went for the bonfire almost the second it was in sight, like a moth to a flame, and Sky followed behind him. Though he paused before he fully caught back up with Sun. Now, Sky will admit, he was just average height. That did mean he was one of the taller of his friend group, but not by much. Even so, at 6’0 there were plenty who were shorter than him. Sun was not that. Inches stood between them in height, when they first got on his motorcycle he noticed he only came up to Sun’s shoulder. From his position he could see the way the flames played along Sun’s cheeks, making the gold glimmer and swirling in his red eyes like a sunset. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Sky smiled to himself. Though he wasn’t superstitious, he already had a feeling meeting those eyes this night would be quite the delight. It has been so far. Here, Sky could hear the music Velvet had playing over the crackling fire and voices. Midnight City started. Pumpy notes and a drumbeat that made Sky smile. Something about this song always made Sky want to move. So he took Sun’s hand, just to pull him a short distance from the fire. Not far enough to lose the heat or the way it played in Sun’s eyes. But enough for there to be no danger when Sky swept him closer or swayed him to the left, back towards the bonfire. With only the briefest hesitation Sun followed his lead. Together they swayed, perhaps a little like idiots, next to the bonfire. With the way Sun smiled it was worth it.

 It was close to eleven when they left Velvet’s party for Taiyang’s. They sped back down the road and this time, Sky left off the helmet. He’s glad he did. As he drove, Sun rested his head on Sky’s shoulder. The extra point of contact was warm and Sky’s smile wasn’t fully from adrenaline.

The third party is inside. It's quieter, more on par with Neptune’s party. Except where Neptune’s was large and spread out this one felt closer together and more homey. There was enough empty space for breaks of privacy. Sun and Sky found themselves in one of those spaces pretty quickly. Their bodies were still close despite the room they had- Sky could feel Sun’s warmth against his side. The tv is on and it's loud but not too loud. If he looked, Sky could see a countdown clock in the corner of the screen with the ball to be dropped in the middle, patiently awaiting it’s one job. Midnight- the new year- was fast approaching, but Sky didn't really pay much attention to that. Until he did.

It's a dumb joke. (Though, to some of his friends all his jokes were.) For the life of him, Sky couldn't actually remember what words came out of his mouth. What order they flowed in. He wished he did. If only to get this reaction again.

Sun snorted. Loudly. It was a sound Sky was sure was supposed to sound unattractive. Just as a rule. Was sure on anyone else, it would've. But something about the scrunch of Sun’s nose and the crinkle of his eyes, Sky couldn't help but think it looked rather attractive on him. Would it be bad to kiss someone who was still practically a stranger? (Or was he even a stranger anymore? Had they passed that threshold between makeup and driving and party crashing and dancing.) Then the countdown started and he felt a decision solidify, all impulsiveness filling his blood as he grabbed Sun’s cheeks to get him to lower his head and lifted himself just slightly onto his tiptoes. He'd leave the overthinking for Cardin, where it belonged.

Five… Four… Three…

Realization lit up red eyes and Sun adjusted himself better, moved more fluidly toward him.

Two… One

Their lips met softly. Easily. Warmth against warmth. Where Sky’s lips were soft, Sun’s were chapped. They angled their heads together and Sky’s hands trailed lightly across Sun’s cheeks- no doubt picking up glitter from the gold he'd put there hours ago- to lace together behind his neck. Still on his tiptoes, Sky carefully walked them backward. He bit at the corner of Sun’s bottom lip, chapped skin caught between his teeth. When his back hit the wall his teeth drew blood. The metallic taste had him lean back and he licked the wound in apology.

“Happy new year,” Sky whispered against Sun’s lips, who echoed his words. Then he was pulled back in and Sun’s lips found his. Sun didn't seem bothered by the rough bite. In fact, Sky felt sharp teeth nibble gently at his own bottom lip. And when he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, those teeth moved to his tongue. Time seemed to pass like caramel like that. Sweet and slow. Until Sky could taste his own peppermint chapstick on Sun’s lips.

 A long time later, a new sparkle entered Sun’s eyes.

“One more party?”

Sky easily agreed.

“One more party.”

 Sky had been to raves before and that was the only word to describe this party. The lights were bright- neon bright-, the music was loud, and Sky wasn't convinced her house wasn't actually a club. Who just owned personal speakers that large? And how many noise complaints had they managed? They didn't really start drinking until Neon’s party. There were Jell-O shots and regular shots and fruity mixed drinks and by the time Sun dragged them onto the dance floor, both were more than a little tipsy.

Their dance swayed with the music. It wasn't as coordinated as their first one. But Sky thought it was just as good. Sun had grabbed his hips and his hands were two warm points of contact; skin against skin. In response Sky linked his hands behind Sun’s neck in a mirror of their pose during their earlier makeout. He stepped closer till there was barely any room between them and his jacket Sun still wore brushed against him with every sway. The music pounded between them like a shared heartbeat. Somehow their feet didn't get tangled. They didn't trip each other up with their proximity. It was easy, like rocking with the waves. Sky could’ve stayed there, in that moment, forever. Or maybe that was the alcohol talking. Maybe it was the way the light played in Sun’s hair and made the glitter shine. Whatever it was, it didn’t change the feeling and how it filled up every part of him like he was a balloon. Later, if he remembered to, he’d have to thank Russel for inviting him to the first party.

Sky felt light and airy. More so than he has since Sun first came up to him. By now he has stolen so many kisses he was sure if he’d been keeping count he would’ve lost it. Especially when the stolen kisses double, Sun’s lips pressing to his as they move. The inches Sun had to dip brought a giggle from him and Sun echoed it against his cheek.

“It’s getting late,” Sun said and Sky could hear the disappointment in his voice.

“How do you even know that?” Sky didn’t check his phone. He had a feeling Sun was right.

Sun shrugged his shoulders. The hands on Sky’s waist didn’t move. “I’ve always been good with time.”

Sky wanted to make a joke. He wanted to ask for some of that, brothers knew he needed it. Time was usually all but lost to him. The only reason he made it to anywhere on time was about fifteen different alarms on his phone. But he couldn’t. They wouldn’t see each other ever again after this. Something disappointed went through his chest and he ignored it. Instead he dug his head into the hollow of Sun’s shoulder, since the boy hadn’t moved back after the last kiss. “Where do you live? I'll take you home.”

“Alright,” Sun sighed and his breath tickled against Sky’s ear.

This time Sky drove slower, loath to fully end the night. The stars were higher now. He glanced up. Just past the light pollution, he could see Orion’s belt. When he turned into Sun’s neighborhood, he took the opportunity to look at the Christmas lights on the houses as they passed. By the time they reached the house, Sun was actually asleep. It was undeniably adorable. Sun’s cheek was against his shoulder, his face turned into his neck so Sky could see his freckles when he turned to look. He shook his shoulder so he could wake him. “This is your stop.” There was a groggy noise as Sun sat up. Red eyes blinked at him, slow like a cat. Sky leaned forward enough to kiss him under the eye. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

“That’d be nice,” Sun said.

It’s the last place they’ll kiss. So Sky pours the whole night into it, mapping Sun’s mouth and tasting a number of fruits and alcohols on his tongue. By the time he pulled away he felt breathless and with the way Sun’s chest moved he knew the boy was the same. Still, Sun pulled him close again. There was a last nip of sharp teeth against his bottom lip.

“Goodnight,” was whispered against his lips.

“Goodnight,” Sky echoed.

It was a goodbye for both of them. Disguised as something less final. Sky wanted to bash his head against the door when it closed. Instead he went back to his motorcycle and drove to the house he shared with Penny and Dove and Weiss.

 “I’m so tired of him. I don’t know why I’m cursed to be the only one out of my friends who’s good at this stuff, ” Scarlet groaned, his head in his hands. Russel hated to say it, but he could sympathize. Lately Sky has been much the same as Scarlet’s friend. For a while he’d be normal. Then he’d dip into bemoaning new year’s. ( “He was the best thing that could’ve come from that stupid party. I can’t believe I didn’t get his fucking number.” ) It’d been a week. For Sky, that was unusual. To use a metaphor Sky himself would use, he flowed like the rapids. Even in high school he moved past things- past relationships- faster than any of the other people Russel saw going through the same. Age had not changed that. Any other time he would’ve moved past this by now. But he didn’t. He still talked about red eyes with something wistful there. Still talked about golden glitter and freckles when he got drunk. And Russel hadn’t missed that the jacket Sky had worn to the part was missing. “I wish Sun just got his damn number.”

Russel blinked. “What did you say?”

“I wish he got his damn number,” Scarlet repeated. Somehow he sounded tired the second time. 

“No, the name,” Russel clarified.

“Sun?” Scarlet said.

And it clicked. It clicked so suddenly and so oddly Russel laughed. His boyfriend looked at him with something approximating concern. Which felt silly because it wasn’t exactly rare for Russel to laugh. Though maybe this time it was a little more breathless than it should be, disbelieving as it was. With how much their friends talked about this, Russel was surprised neither of them had actually caught it.

“What is it?”

“I know who Sun is pining for,” Russel said after he took a deep breath to calm down. “I know exactly who Sun is pining for- and Sky too.”

There was a pause as Scarlet thought it over. When his face fell, Russel was sure he’d gotten it. “No fucking way.”

“Yes fucking way.”

“So we’re solving this immediately,” Scarlet said.

“Definitely,” Russel said with a smile. This would no doubt make Sky happy. And Sun too. From the way Scarlet talked, Sun was just as lovestruck- was pining just as hard. It felt good. They’d take care of their friend’s heartaches together. And hopefully help start something great.

 “Do I have to go on some dumb blind double date with you and your boyfriend?” Sky groused. Sometimes Sky missed high school when Russel was a little bit more of a doormat.

… that was a lie. It’d been terrible for Russel’s mental health. They were all glad that Russel had learned to recognize when he was detrimentally putting others emotions above his own and that it was okay to not do that. All of them had grown since they met in high school. For the better, thankfully. So despite his grumbling, Sky went along with Russel.

“Of course. You’re gonna love this guy, I will bet on it,” Russel said.

Sky narrowed his eyes. “You don’t like bets. Not unless they’re with your stupid boyfriend.”

“I know.” His voice was sing-song. That was an omen. But Sky didn’t know what for. “Now let’s take your motorcycle.”

“Wait, what?” Sky paused on their way down the stairs. Because Russel had decided they'd meet at his apartment instead of at the restaurant. This must be why.

Russel shrugged innocently. If he hadn't known Russel, he might believe. But he does know Russel. For someone so damn nice, his friend could be incredibly manipulative. Personally Sky thought it came from years of dealing with Cardin. Sometimes when he was at his most stubborn manipulation was the only way to get him to not be a dumbass. “I'm going back to Scarlet’s afterward, so I thought it'd be smart to just take your motorcycle instead of my car. You know, to save gas.”

“What's the catch?”

“No catch! Just helping the environment. I'll even buy you gas on the way if you need me to.” He wanted to bash his head against the stairwell. If this was anyone else, he wouldn't believe them. Of course he's not inclined at all to believe Russel right now, but that's so painfully Russel . There's just no way to figure out what ulterior motive there may be. Except to wait and see.

‘Wait and see’ took them to the restaurant. It took them to a booth to wait for their dates. And it led to Sky looking up and up to his jacket and a pair of very familiar red eyes. Sky glanced at Russel who smiled encouragingly, though not without some sass. What were the odds that Russel’s boyfriend was that Scarlet?

“Sky?” His name brought his eyes back to Sun’s. Sun, who'd lit up just like his namesake. “It's nice to see you again.”

Sky leaned forward with a smirk. So that was the catch. Russel would leave with Scarlet, and Sun would leave with him. Honestly, Sky wouldn’t be surprised if Russel didn’t expect them to leave early. And if he didn’t then he should’ve . Because why would Sky ever wait? “Did you drive?”

For a moment Sun looked surprised and confused. Then he smiled again. It was a smile of shared understanding. “Scarlet drove me, actually.”

“Perfect,” Sky said. A teasing lilt touched his next words. He hoped Sun could hear it. That he would remember. “I have my motorcycle. I’m not a stranger, but would you still want me to whisk you away?”

“I was looking forward to it.”