#thanks to a lovely comment on violets and rabbits for the little hop-run they do at the beginning

[mothfables]

♡ Bunny Flops ♡ - Part Three

Here we are at the end! I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I loved writing it <3

The third time it happens, they’ve found themselves in the Veteran’s home era. Several hours of walking mixed with dodging knights (making Sky and Warriors scowl) later and everyone is all too eager to crash at Legend’s house with its’ numerous soft blankets and pillows that the Vet insists he has no use for but keeps around anyway. Warriors teases him for being a hoarder but they all know how soft the seasoned hero is inside.

(Warriors also has the suspicion it also helps with Legend’s chronic pain and bad joints, but Legend would literally rather be hit over the head with a moblin club than admit such a thing. That’s fine. He’ll just ask Ravio.)

Finally, the house is in sight and Legend speeds up as much as his aching joints will allow. He can’t wait to see his orchard and his garden, to coo to Sheerow and talk with Ravio, to lay in his own bed and drink his own tea, to get up when he wants and not some ungodly hour of the morning, and and and-

And the door is opening and Ravio is there, dark curls catching the afternoon sun as he turns to see who’s coming up the road. Legend’s speedwalk turns into a half-hop, half-jog as he hurries towards his partner. Ravio gives a shout of delighted surprise and copies him.

(Legend is sure it must look very odd, to anyone who isn’t them, but they’ve always done this - since they first began to like each other as people, since they became actual friends, since they agreed to be partners, not just best friends.)

Ravi likes to joke that it’s just another bit of proof they’re each other’s mirror. ‘Rabbits in a burrow,’ he’d tease as Legend pouted.

Then Ravio is reaching for him, checking him over and tutting as he notices the newest accumulation of injuries and overall exhaustion. Legend simply leans into him, relishing in the sensation of his partner’s care. After a moment he jerks a thumb over his shoulder at the group still coming up the road behind him.

“Got room for eight more, Rav?” He smirks tiredly. Ravio titters, gently taking his arm and waving to the Chain as they make their way towards the couple.

“We’ll just be inside! You know where things are; make yourselves at home,” he calls. Then, more quietly, “Come on, bunny. Let’s get you off your feet, yeah?” Legend gives a token grumble for the show of it but follows Ravio’s lead as his partner tugs him through the door and into the house.

Once inside, Ravio leads him over to one of the plush chairs by the fireplace, waiting until Legend lowers himself into it before busying himself with lighting the fire and setting their beat-up old kettle on the stove. He pulls down Legend’s favourite mug: a slightly misshapen thing painted with apple blossoms. It had been a gift, given to him years ago, and something he treasures to this day. As the water boils, Ravio comes back over to check on his partner. Legend greets him with a tired smile before glancing at the fire, then at Ravio, hoping he’ll get the hint. He does; giving a dramatic sigh, the merchant gathers an armful of pillows and blankets and arranges them into a small - but cozy - nest before the fire.

The kettle whistles and Ravio scurries back to the kitchen, leaving Legend to drag himself out of the chair with a drawn-out groan. His limbs shake from the effort but before he can collapse Sky swoops over and catches him. The other hero helps him stumble over to the nest and down into it, then not-unkindly swats his hands away from where they fumble at the laces of his boots.

Once his boots are off Legend moves to get comfortable, rearranging the blankets to his liking as he scoots closer to the fire. At the same time, the rest of the Chain scatter around the living room as they finish settling in. Sky and Warriors sit near the nest, sharing a smile when their tired younger brother accepts their presence with nothing more than a glance and a roll of his eyes.

It doesn’t take long before Ravio reappears from the kitchen with a now-steaming mug in his hands. He hands it to Legend - making sure the other boy can hold it without trouble - before circling the nest a few times. He fluffs pillows and readjusts blankets before giving a happy hum and toes off his shoes to join Legend in the center of it.

Legend immediately leans into him, giving a contented hum of his own at the extra warmth. Ravio presses a kiss to his hair and the Vet’s eyes slip shut. “Ah ah, drink your tea first, love,” Ravio chides. Legend gives a tired whine, the sound pulling on Sky’s heartstrings. “I know, but it’ll help your joints. Come on, bunny, no falling asleep just yet.” Legend huffs grumpily at the order but complies.

Sky can see the stress and exhaustion leaving his little brother’s body as he sips at his tea. As he drinks, his eyes droop and he leans more and more heavily into Ravio. For his part, the merchant bears the added weight with ease, as if this is something that’s happened many times before. Sky gets the feeling it has.

His ear flicks at the sound of Wind’s pictobox. He turns to shoot a Look at the Sailor, who has the grace to look sheepish at his actions. (Sky will be getting a copy of that picture later, but now is not the time. He doesn’t want Legend getting embarrassed and forcing his aching joints to move because of it.) Luckily, the Vet doesn’t seem to notice. He’s done with his tea by now, barely holding onto his mug as he inches closer to sleep with every second.

Ravio reaches to grab it but Wars beats him to it. Gently taking the cup from limp hands, he gives the merchant a warm smile. “I’ll take care of it, you just let him sleep, yeah?” After a moment Ravio nods before turning back to the sleepy hero on his shoulder, leaving Warriors to stand and make his way to the kitchen unimpeded. He glances at the mug in his hands as he walks; it’s a simple thing that’s easy to hold and decorated in lovely pink blossoms. Apple blossoms, if he remembers correctly. It’s something that’s obviously been used and loved for a long time. The thought brings a smile to his face.

Returning to the living room, Wars is just in time to see Legend sliding off of Ravio’s shoulder to land face first in the mass of blankets, where he squirms for a moment to get comfortable before relaxing again. Ravio gives a fond sigh, slipping off the hero’s hat and placing it to the side to press a kiss to strawberry-blonde locks.

Legend purrs quietly at the action, and Ravio’s cheeks glow softly in the firelight as he beams. Turning to Sky, he whispers, amazed and proud, “Link almost never lets himself get so relaxed. He must really trust you.”

And if that doesn’t hit Sky like a shock arrow to the heart. From the sudden intakes of breath and muffled sniffling behind him, he’s not alone.

Warriors retakes his seat beside Sky with a thump. “We will do our utmost best to continue to deserve that trust,” he swears solemnly, and Sky catches the glisten in his eye. Ravio glances at him, startled, before catching his gaze, suddenly serious. The Captain holds it calmly. For a moment neither moves before the merchant nods and looks away.

Sky lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

The matter settled, Ravio stretches his arms over his head with a sudden jaw-cracking yawn. He adjusts the blankets around them one final time before curling over- no, on top of his partner. Legend’s purring gets marginally louder at that; after a moment a second, deeper one joins in. A few minutes later both boys are fully relaxed, comfortable and warm and appearing near-boneless as they fall asleep curled up together.

The house is warm, and safe, and Sky lets himself drift off in the knowledge that his brothers are right where they need to be.

Click! goes the sound of Wind’s pictobox.

<<<<First : <<Previous

[ericsonclan]

Up on the Housetop

Summary: It the beginning of winter and everyone wants to help kick off the Christmas spirit with a surprise for Willy and AJ.

Word Count: 2738

Notes: Version of the song that I took inspiration from: Pentatonix's Up On The Housetop

Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSJ4RHQzGHc

Read on AO3:

Clementine steadied her breathing. The cold air caused her breath to fog up as she tried to make sure that it did not waver the bow’s aim as she set her sights on a rather plump rabbit. The rabbit’s eyes darted left and right as it nibbled on some grass, unaware that soon an arrow would end its life. With one more quiet breath Clementine let the arrow free and watched as its aim was true, hitting the rabbit with a squelched thunk.

“Damn,” Aasim strolled forward past his friend. “I will never not be impressed by your archery skills, Clem.” He leaned down and picked up the rabbit before tossing it over his back. His compliment made Clementine’s heart warm, a soft smile on her face as she walked forward towards the next patch of lightly snow-glazed grass where wildlife had been spotted.

“Thanks, you’re not a bad shot yourself.” Clementine smiled over at Aasim and nodded towards his shoulder which held two of his own kills.

Aasim gave a small chuckle and scratched the back of his head. “Thanks. I think I’ve finally found the right balance in the pull of the drawstring and arrow placement.” He stopped for a moment when he spotted another rabbit. But instead of it being a plump, fat one it looked to be just a small baby. The pair shared a look, silently communicating with each other. It was clear that the bunny wouldn’t give a good amount of meat right now. However, it could potentially in the future and with their bunny hut back at Ericson it could prove useful either as food or as a short time pet. With that idea in mind, Clementine slowly moved forward, making her way behind the bunny as Aasim remained still, his eyes searching for any potential walkers. After Clementine was sure she had blocked its exit she made a sudden jerking move, causing the bunny to scamper forward and get its leg caught in one of the traps. Aasim and Clementine moved forward and studied the bunny rabbit.

“You undo the trap and I’ll carry it,” Aasim offered with a smile. Clementine gave a short nod and got to work undoing the trap. Once it was done she passed over the small bunny that seemed terrified at first but soon settled down in Aasim’s arms.

“I didn’t know you were an animal whisperer,” Clementine teased as she led the way, her eyes scanning for any potential danger. Aasim gave a small chuckle and brushed his finger on top of the rabbit’s head.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Clementine was about to comment on her friend’s statement when she noticed a walker a few feet in front of her. It seemed totally oblivious to the world around it, completely lost to its curiosity of the snow that covered the ground. The pair shared a look before Clementine moved forward towards the walker. The walker glanced up, its milky white eyes staring blankly at Clementine. With a harsh kick she caused it to kneel then dug her knife into its skull. A deep squelching sound emitted on impact and with a strong yank Clementine pulled out the knife and covered the limited snow on the grass with blood. The walker collapsed, limp and lifeless.

“It’s clear,” Clementine looked back at Aasim who moved forward to join her. Sheathing her blade again, Clementine and Aasim return to their casual conversation, never truly dropping their guard while they made their way back to Ericson. Once they were in sight of the school they saw the youngest member of the group looking vigilantly out into the forest. As soon as his eyes caught sight of Clementine and Aasim, AJ’s face brightened. Giving a friendly wave, he turned to let the others know.

“Guys, Clem and Aasim are back!” That news made Rosie trot over happily to the gate, wagging her stub tail back and forth at the sight of the pair. Louis jogged forward and pushed open the gate, running out to meet the pair. Rosie beat him to Clementine and received a plethora of pats from the girl.

“I see hunting went well,” Louis smiled brightly at Clem then stole a quick kiss. The gesture made Clementine’s heart grow warm.

“Yes, it did.” Aasim stated simply and moved past the couple. “I’ll be dropping off the bunny then I can help out with dinner prep.”

“Oh, wait. Let me take the rabbits first.” Clementine took a step forward. Aasim quickly passed over the kills to Clementine who swung them over her shoulder.

“Thanks, Aasim.” Clementine smiled warmly to her friend who gave a short nod and disappeared behind the gates.

“Well shall we, my lady?” Louis offered his arm. Clementine rolled her eyes good naturedly and took it as the pair walked forward. Once they entered the gates AJ peeked his head out from the watchtower, beaming at them.

“Hey, Clem. Whoa, you caught a lot today.” AJ stared at the rabbits with awe.

“Yep, looks like once again Clem has provided a feast for us,” Louis smiled proudly at his girlfriend.

Clementine felt touched by the compliment and shared a look with Louis before glancing up to AJ. “You need a break, AJ?” The kid shook his head, a determined look dancing in his eyes. “No, I got it.”

Clementine gave a small chuckle. “Alright, I’ll be over by the picnic tables then.”

With that Clementine and Louis made their way over to the picnic tables. Ruby was talking with Aasim for a moment before giving him a loving kiss and returning to her work. Her entire focus was on the carrots; she was slicing them into circles before cutting them into the shape of stars. The redhead’s attention was only pulled away when she heard the couple approaching the table. A small frown was on her face when she saw Louis.

“Louis, you went running off in the middle of dinner prep,”

“And for that I give a thousand apologies, but I couldn’t not give a welcome back kiss to Clem.”

Ruby shook her head and pushed over a small number of potatoes to the dreadlocked boy.

“You can apologize by cutting these into the shape of trees.”

“Consider it already done,” Louis swept back his coat tail and sat down. Clementine placed down the rabbits and took the spot beside Louis, beginning the work of skinning the critters.

“Seems like you and Aasim were successful,” Ruby smiled warmly over to Clementine who paused in her knife cuts to look up at her friend.

“Yeah, we were able to get our part of the plan in place,” Clementine lowered her voice down to a whisper. “Is everyone prepared?” Ruby gave an energetic nod as she finished her first set of carrot stars. “Everything is going peachy here.”

“I’m sure the surprise will knock the socks off AJ and Willy,” Louis added with an enthusiastic smile. That news made Clementine happy. They had been talking about what to do to make this Christmas season special as a group but they wanted to surprise the two youngest ones with something newl. Something that would really get them in the holiday spirit. She looked around at the courtyard that was slowly getting dusted with snow. This would probably be one of the last times they would be eating outside before taking refuge in the admin building. Clementine was about to return to her task when she noticed Violet walking forward with a small basket. When the blonde had gotten closer to the picnic tables, her eyes grew large noticing that Clementine had returned.

“Hey, Clem,” Violet gave a small smile then put down the basket on the table. “I got the herbs you needed, Ruby. At least I hope I did.”

Ruby peeked at the contents of the basket then looked up at her friend. “You did great, Violet.” “Care to join us, Vi?” Louis flashed a happy smile to his friend. Violet gave a non-committal shrug and sat down beside Ruby. After a few minutes of watching the trio working on dinner Violet began to prepare the herbs for supper.

Fifteen minutes passed before Aasim reemerged and made his way over to the picnic tables. “Everything is looking great. Where’s Prisha and Willy?” “Working on some new invention or something,” Violet didn’t bother to look up from her work. “They’re in Prisha’s and my room.”

“Alright, well I think I’ll check with AJ about watch duty before dinner,” Aasim leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Ruby’s cheek, making her rosy cheeks even reddier before he made his way to the gates.

The four continued to work until Omar came over with a pile of firewood to get the flames beneath the pot even higher then began to make the stew. It took a while for all prep to be done and for Omar to give the official seal of approval on his stew. Once he did, Louis and Violet went off to gather the others for dinner. Louis jogged over towards the watchtower and cupped his hands around his mouth.

“Aasim, AJ! Dinner’s ready!”

AJ’s eyes lit up at those words. He worked to get down from the watchtower and was soon followed by Aasim.

“Care for a special wintertime piggyback ride towards the tables, little man?” Louis gave a warm smile to AJ who immediately returned it.

“Yeah!” AJ hopped onto Louis’ back and within seconds the pair was off steering their way towards the picnic table, leaving Aasim to enjoy his leisurely stroll to dinner.

When the three had arrived at the table they heard the doors to the dorms open and saw Willy scurry out with Garbage who gave soft hisses that only grew louder when the pair nearly fell on their butts. Willy had been so excited for dinner he had failed to see the small patch of ice outside the dorms.

“Careful, Willy,” Prisha called out to the boy, a worried expression on her face that lessened when Willy gave a thumbs up when he had regained his balance. Garbage still seemed unsure about the whole situation though, burying her face against the boy’s jacket. Prisha gave a sigh of relief and gave Violet’s hand a gentle squeeze as the couple made their way over to the dinner table together. It only took a few minutes to get everyone situated around the table. Willy with Garbage in his lap slid into the spot next to AJ who sat beside Clementine and Louis. Prisha and Violet took the available spots next to Ruby and Aasim, only letting go off each other’s hands when dinner was served. Omar worked hard to make sure each of them had food before taking the last spot. Everyone began to eat until Willy let out an excited gasp.

“This potato looks like a tree!” The boy looked around the table with a toothy smile. The others smiled in response to that.

“We thought it’d be nice to bring some winter fun into dinner prep,” Ruby gave a wink over to the pair of boys who shared a look. Their spoons dug into the stew in search for other surprises when AJ lifted up his spoon with a carrot.

“Willy look! The carrot looks like a star!”

Willy stared in awe at the spoon. Everyone shared looks before laughing at the pure joy and excitement on the younger boys’ faces. After a few minutes they settled down and began to scarf down their food which caused small frowns to appear on both Aasim and Ruby’s faces. But it didn’t deter from the happy, joyful tone that surrounded the table. Different conversations went around the table as everyone shared how their days went. After a little while the stew had been completely consumed and the bowls had been pushed to the side.

“Speaking of Christmas songs,” Louis leaned forward with a smile, “Know any good old timey Christmas songs, Prisha?” Prisha looked over at Louis. “I do actually. One of my favorites was ‘Up on the Housetop’.”

“What’s ‘Up on the Housetop’?” AJ asked, his nose wrinkling in confusion.

“Good question, little dude,” Louis ruffled the top of AJ’s afro. “I think the best way is to show not tell, right, Clem?”

“I agree,” Clem smiled over at AJ and Louis then looked towards Omar. “Omar, care to help out?”

“Sure,” Omar gave a short nod and began to beatbox a simple tune. Willy and AJ looked over in surprise as they saw the others shift in their seats to prepare. It was time for the surprise. Within seconds nearly everyone at the table started to sing.

“Up on the housetop, up on the housetop  yeah, yeah. Up on the housetop, up on the housetop click, click, click.” Everyone around the table hit the table or stomped their feet in time to the clicks. Louis stood up and jumped to the head of the table.

“Up on the housetop reindeer pause, out jumps good ol’ Santa Claus. Down through the chimney with lots of toys, all for the little ones’ Christmas joys.” Louis dramatically sang the song when all of the sudden everyone joined in, the dreadlocked boy taking a spot at the table again.

“Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn’t go. Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn’t go. Up on the housetop, click,click, click,” Violet and Prisha stomped their feet while the rest slammed their hands on the table again to match the clicks. “Down to the chimney with good Saint Nick.” The group started the chorus again when Clementine rose from her spot and began to sing.

“First comes the stocking of AJ,” The mention of his name made AJ gasp in shock and awe. “Oh what a good boy he’s been up to this day. Give him a shiv that he can guise, to attack a walker in its eyes.”

The table all joined in again, singing and stomping their feet to the clicks. After going through the chorus once more, Prisha got up from her spot, taking the spotlight.

“Look in the stocking of Willy. Oh just look at all the toys you see. Here is a hammer and lots of tacks. A whistle and a bomb and a possum snack.”

Willy and AJ bounced in their seats; they couldn’t believe what was happening and that they were in the song. Everyone began to sing once again and finished the chorus when they got to a new section of the song.

“I’m talking ‘bout the Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen.” Everyone started to repeat the reindeers’ names over and over again. Everyone was getting into the song now, even Violet and Omar. After going through the reindeers’ names four times the group sang the chorus one more time, everyone stomping and clapping their hands on the table at the last three clicks, ending the song. They all began to breathe heavily as they looked towards AJ and Willy who sat in stunned shock. Big goofy grins appeared on their faces as they jumped up from their spots.

“That. Was. So. Cool!” Willy exclaimed, causing Garbage to plop on the ground and wander off with a series of hisses.

“Yeah, that was awesome!” AJ shot his arms out and beamed at everyone.

“Glad you liked it,” Louis smiled over at them.

“It was a lot of work,” Violet crossed her arms but a small smile was on her face.

“But it seems it was all worth it.” Prisha’s smile grew when she looked towards Willy and AJ.

“Can you sing it again?” Willy asked, jumping up and down with excitement. AJ’s eyes grew large; it was clear he hadn’t thought that was an option but as soon as it was presented he was for it.

“Can you? Please, Clem,” AJ gave his best pleading face.

Clementine chuckled at the sight. “Well, I’m fine with it. What about you guys?”

Everyone else at the table chimed in, all in favor of it.

“Yes!” Willy sat down and gave Rosie some energetic pats before AJ joined him. Clearing his throat, Omar started what was surely not the last time they would sing this song. As they began to sing, Clementine looked around the table, her smile growing as she saw how happy her family was. This was the beginning of a great Christmas season.

[zenonaa]

Pride Flag

The park sign was connected between two columns, black with sophisticated golden font. However, for the weekend, vibrant scarves had been tied and knotted around each column, the same colours in the same order. At the top, pink, then red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and at the bottom, violet. They wore a rainbow and the font on the white cloth hanging below the sign was rainbow too.

In bold, bright colours, it read ‘WELCOME! KEIKI PARK PRIDE’, and a cartoon rabbit with rainbow fur accompanied the text. Music belted out from speakers, upbeat pop, and here and there, people on the park plaza danced to it. Already, the plaza was flooded with people, and at the entrance stood a group of eight.  

“Wow, it’s so busy!” Komaru piped up, wide-eyed, clasping her hands together. Her mouth hung ajar as she surveyed the area, standing under the park sign with her friends.

A couple passed them, holding hands, and when one of the women kissed the other’s cheek, Komaru homed in on them and beamed. They didn’t notice and walked off, and Komaru stared after them.

“Stop gawking them, Omaru,” Touko grumbled next to Komaru. “Y-You’ll catch flies with your mouth gaping like that... or something else...”

Komaru separated her hands and held them up as two excited fists. “Sorry, but I can’t help it! I’ve never been to one of these before!”

Someone else caught Komaru’s wandering gaze, and she broke away from the group, chasing after her target with an arm extended forward.

“Excuse me, did you buy that flag here?” she yelled out, and as she could have been referring to one of many people holding or wearing flags as capes, a lot of heads turned to her.

Touko whined through her teeth and raised her hands, clawing the air in frustration. Aoi rested her palm against her stomach and pursed her lips.

“I want a flag too, but I think I’ll eat first,” mumbled Aoi. She lifted her head, hardened her features and grabbed Seiko’s hand. “Come on, let’s find a food booth! The website said there are some here.”

Without waiting for an answer, Aoi pulled on her girlfriend’s arm and ran off with her. Seiko lurched with a shriek and stumbled, but she regained her balance without falling over. She panted as she tried to make sure it stayed that way. Those left behind watched as the crowd swallowed the two women up.

Makoto moved next, though only to scratch at his cheek.

“I think it’s a bit too early for lunch for me,” he commented.

“We can look around the booths in the meantime,” suggested Kyouko, who had traded out their usual black ribbon for a larger one bearing various stripes. It was horizontally symmetrical, with black sandwiching grey, white and then a single green stripe on the line of reflection. Komaru had bought it for them online shortly after Kyouko revealed they were agender.

“Do you think they have a t-shirt with the pan colours on it?” asked Yasuhiro as he looked around. “Or sunglasses? I hope they have sunglasses.”

“You know, you could just go around and find out for yourself,” Byakuya said, arms folded over his chest.

“Do you want to come with me?”

“No,” said Byakuya. He stuck up his nose. “That was why I suggested that to you.”

Yasuhiro burst out laughing, which was the opposite of what Makoto would have done, and he clapped Byakuya on the shoulder. Byakuya flashed a wince and adjusted his glasses.

“All right, Togami-chi. You want me to buy something for you?” asked Yasuhiro with no ill-will.

“No,” Byakuya replied. Yasuhiro shrugged.

“Aw, okay then. See you soon, guys!” said Yasuhiro, waving as he ran off.

As he disappeared into the crowd, Komaru returned to the entrance, notably lacking the flag that she so desired. That didn’t dampen her spirits. In fact, she seemed more excited than she had been when she flitted away a minute or so ago.

“They’re doing face paints! Let’s get our faces painted, Touko-chan!” she said, hopping from one foot to the other. She grabbed Touko’s hand and turned to Byakuya. “I’ll be borrowing your girlfriend for a little while, if that’s okay?”

Byakuya didn’t reply, and Komaru led Touko away.

“Kidnap! This is kidnap!” bleated Touko at walking speed, but she let her friend take her into the plaza.

That left Byakuya, Makoto and Kyouko.

Makoto turned to Byakuya. “I guess we’re - ”

“ - I am not third-wheeling you both,” said Byakuya bluntly and he strode off.

Okay, so that left Makoto and Kyouko. Makoto frowned after Byakuya, but when he felt Kyouko’s gloved hand catch his hand, he turned his eyes away from the opening that Byakuya had carved into the crowd, which had already nearly closed, and set his attention onto Kyouko instead.

“Let’s investigate the vicinity,” said Kyouko. Their phrasing brought out a smile and a good-natured chuckle from Makoto. He nodded.

There were many booths, and they could all be fitted into three categories. Some were run by activists or event organisers, who handed out flyers to passersby. Others sold merchandise. Most of the items on sale incorporated a rainbow scheme in some way, whether it be on the main body or an accent, but there were other schemes too.

For example, there were buttons, and Makoto bought himself one with three stripes - pink, lavender then blue in descending order, with the lavender stripe being the shortest in height. He also bought two wristbands, one with five horizontal stripes: two light blue, two pink, and one white, which was in the middle, and a rainbow one. Kyouko bought a badge that matched their ribbon as well as a charm bracelet with the same pink, lavender and blue colours as Makoto’s button.

Finally, there were a lot of booths selling food. After they had done a lap of the plaza, Makoto messaged the group chat, and an hour later, they started to gather at a table by one of the food booths. They didn’t meet up at the same time. Makoto and Kyouko found Aoi and Seiko already there, with Aoi’s cheeks streaked with paint, and shortly after, Byakuya sat down looking exactly like they left him.

“Cute badges!” Aoi said to Kyouko and Makoto. She noticed Makoto’s wrist band and then showed off her own. Hers consisted of stripes that on one end, started orange, lightening to white and then shifting to a striped gradient of pink on the other side. They matched her hair clip and her face paint, as well as the mask that Seiko wore over her mouth.

“Thank you,” said Kyouko with a smile. “I like yours as well.”

The group waited a bit longer before Kyouko messaged the group chat again. A few minutes later, Yasuhiro made an appearance, wearing a flag as a cape, pink, yellow and blue. He also wore rainbow shutter shades and a lot of buttons and wristbands. Another colour scheme present other than the rainbow and pan colours was one that went yellow, white, purple then black, for nonbinary.

Not long after, Komaru arrived at their table with Touko. Komaru had found the flag she wanted and wore it as a cape, and she wore a black t-shirt that said ‘PRIDE’ on the front in rainbow font. Touko wore a similar black t-shirt and had the bisexual colours painted on her face, like Makoto’s and Kyouko’s matching buttons, and she held a small trans flag in one hand, like the one on Makoto’s wristband.

“Like my outfit?” asked Komaru. She gave a twirl, showing off her rainbow tutu, and then lifted a leg to reveal her new rainbow socks. The flag she wore was the one with pinks and oranges, like what Aoi and Seiko had on.

“I love those socks!” Aoi gasped, twitching a hand to her mouth. “Where did you find them?”

“I’ll take you to the booth after lunch,” promised Komaru. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a button.

This one was peach, white, hot pink, black and purple-blue, and she held it out toward Byakuya.

“I thought you wouldn’t get yourself anything,” remarked Komaru.

Byakuya eyed it, but Komaru didn’t budge so he took it.

“You’re welcome!” Komaru grinned.

“W-What are you talking about?” Touko wrinkled her nose. “I paid for it. I paid for everything... and I even hunted for that button specifically and specially bought it for my darling Byakuya-sama...”

“I said I’d pay you back!” Komaru said, pouting, and Touko buried her fingers in her hair with a huff.

“When will you get a girlfriend so you can mooch off her instead?” she asked Komaru, who stuck her tongue out.

Yasuhiro plucked the badge from Byakuya’s hand, intending to put it on for him, only for Byakuya to snatch it back and put it on himself.

“Do you want a bisexual button to match your genderfluid one?” asked Komaru, flourishing one seemingly appearing from nowhere.

“One will suffice,” Byakuya said. A beat passed. “Thanks, Naegi... Touko.”

He glanced at Touko, who was smiling at him, then looked away and put his arm around her. She squealed happily and melted into him, causing his face to flush pink.

The others laughed quietly, but with no ill-intent. Kyouko and Makoto caught each other’s eyes and shared a smile used only with the other, and then the group started their lunch.