xbirds-of-a-feather - Tumblr blog

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

jxnxstvrmvr‌:

From what he could gather, Bryn was going to be fine — she was lucky in the sense that they were lousy shots, especially considering the giant pair of wings she had on her back.

When she confirmed that she would be alright, Jono nodded and glanced around him at the ensuing chaos. “I’m alright, don’t worry about me,” he assured. “’Dunno, some thugs from the looks of it. Heard someone mention a bomb, too — just what we bloody need. You should get outta here while you still can.”

Don’t worry about me. Right, like that was going to happen. Bryn didn’t have very many friends with the way she lived her life (curse of being nomadic and free-spirited), but she considered Jono one of them and she wasn’t just going to leave him there. 

“I’m not going to just leave you here, Jono.” Although, hearing about the bomb was starting to make Bryn reconsider the merits of sticking around. “We should both get out of here. I got hit in the leg, so I can still carry you. I can fly us out of here, take us somewhere we can get help?” She wasn’t sure exactly where that would be. She wasn’t close with any of the superhero teams or mutant teams, and she had a feeling that the police wouldn’t exactly be able to help very quickly given all the chaos that was currently happening around them. 

Interrupted Performance

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

goldenelixxir​:

He was close to hitting a decade since his own X-Gene activated. Since then, he’d seen all manner of mutations and powers. Hers were not the first set of wings he’d laid eyes on, and even years after his death he couldn’t help but think of Jay every time he came across someone else who had them. Josh didn’t let his mind wander. They were both at risk in the open, and he had no idea how she managed to stay in the park after curfew without attracting NOVA’s attention. He didn’t mean to interfere with it, regardless, and intended to work quickly.

“If you’ll let me,” he answered with a nod. He pushed his sleeves higher up his forearms and moved enough for her to see the gold tone of his skin. Maybe it wasn’t necessary, but identifying himself as a mutant to others who were in the same boat usually helped to ease some worry. “I’m Josh. I have a clinic in District X, but I thought in this case I might need to come to you.”

Had the old location not been raided even prior to the walls of District X going up, he might have considered remaining outside its boundaries, too. There was something to be said for independence, but lately more to be said for the whole idea of safety in numbers. Besides, more people needed him inside the walls than out. Most mutants has aready made the move.

“Can you make it to one of the benches so I can get a better look?”

At his positive answer an expression of both relief and gratitude lit up Bryn’s face, her smile warm. “I would hardly stop you. I was honestly starting to get a little worried, but...” She shrugged. “The hospital isn’t an option.” For several reasons, the fact that she couldn’t afford to even get a band-aid in a hospital tied up there with the fact that she had wings. “Bryn, it’s a pleasure, despite the circumstances.” Her smile went a little bit wan then, arms wrapping around herself as she was hit with a series of chills. 

When he asked about the benches she nodded. “Oui.” Her leg hurt but the bench wasn’t that far away, and she could bear the pain until she got there. It wasn’t exactly quick, but she managed to limp to the nearest bench, sweat beaded across her brow as she sank down onto it. 

“Voilà.” Her smile was a little strained as she tried to make light of the situation, probably not doing the best job of it. 

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

halfalienblood‌:

It was not that hard for him to believe that reading cards was real, the world they lived in, was kind of impossible not to believe in it. They lived in a world filled with aliens, mutants, among other things, not to mention the parallel universes, so was it really that unbelievable? Not really.

However, he often liked to keep the future a secret, and not find out what would happen. It was dangerous to know, as he could try to change it, and would just end up making things worse. But that day, his curiosity got the best of him, and after what happened recently, he couldn’t help but want to know, even if it was just a small hint, “Oh, I thought that you would still be open,” he never really went there, so he had no idea what time they opened or closed, “No, I was going to ask you to do a card reading, but since you’re closing, I can always come back another day, what time and day do you usually open?” he wasn’t sure if he would really go back, he may change his mind until then.

Oh, he was polite. She hated when they were actually polite, it always made her feel bad, and really she was more than a bit of a softy. Sighing to herself she was smiling she glanced at her things, which were mostly packed, and then she was smiling as she looked back up at the newcomer. 

“I’ll tell you what, I can’t do a reading here, but there’s a little cafe across the street from the park, they have a few tables out front. If you give me another minute to clean up here we can go and I’ll do your reading there for a cup of coffee?” 

As flirtatious as Bryn could be she wasn’t actually making a pass for once, a coffee from the fancy place across the street cost about what she ‘charged’ (it was a suggestion more than anything) for a reading (actually, a little less, but she wasn’t really counting, yesterday had been a good day so she wasn’t quite strapped for cash this week), and she felt bad sending the young man away when he was being so nice about the whole thing. 

Last Call

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

Bryn had been disappointed when Sam left, but she’d understood. Most things in life were ephemeral and she’d just been happy that she got to spend as much time with Sam as she did before he left. Neither of them had suggested trying the long-distance thing, perhaps because they both knew it wasn’t a situation that would work for them for various reasons. They still talked every so often, but it wasn’t quite the same, but life went on as it always did. 

She hadn’t been expecting Bucky to come looking for her. Thankfully it was after her golden Samaritan had been by and so, instead of being feverish and in pain she was in perfect health. Perfect health also meant she was back at work, and she was just clearing up her table when Bucky arrived (today was one of her half-days, and the other busker she time-shared with would be coming to take her place soon). 

Looking up from her task her face lit up upon seeing the brunet. “Bucky! [What a pleasant surprise! We do, although I’m actually done for today, it’s one of my short days.]” She effortlessly slipped into her native tongue as she stood up, reflexively beginning to approach him to greet him properly, but she stopped herself before she got moving, remembering his aversion to being touched, and instead just smiled brightly at him. “[How have you been?]”

@xbirds-of-a-feather

Sam’s abrupt return to DC had been unfortunate, but it was what it was. He’d elected to keep in touch with Bryn anyway, all too familiar with how it felt to be isolated somewhere. The time he’d spent on the run and alone had been out of necessity, but there was no reason to leave someone else in a similar situation when all it took to remedy it was a walk in the park. Literally.

He’d only half believed her when she said that she lived there, but if nothing else she definitely did her work there. Even though he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was real magic in the world, he wasn’t so sure how he felt about reading the future. Not that his opinion about it mattered much.

“Do fortune tellers get lunch breaks?” he asked her in French, slipping back into it like he had in the kitchen.

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

maybemaybemartian‌:

Bryn’s wings were magnificent. M’gann clapped her hands to her mouth in delighted surprise. “Oh! Oh! Bryn they’re beautiful! You are beautiful!” This was going far better than M’gann had hoped. They both spent their days in District X, so M’gann had realized there was a chance Bryn was powered. But the alien had come to assume that fortune telling was her power. It didn’t occur to her that there was more!

“Okay. Hang on, watch this!” M’gann bubbled with excitement. She flexed her shoulders and formed her own pair of wings, identical to Bryn’s. Tricky though it was, M’gann was careful not to knock anything over either. “I might need a longer apartment,” she said, narrowly missing a floor lamp. “I just shifted to look like yours. It’s one of my gifts.”

She reabsorbed the wings and did several full transformations in succession. First, she grew into the tall, caped figure of Batman. Then she shrank and curled into the form of an orange tabby cat. With a loud meow, she turned herself into Bryn. She became Bugs Bunny with a wink. “An old favorite of my uncle’s, doc,” she explained. And finally, she became herself again.

As much as Bryn didn’t care what others thought about her (which hadn’t always been the case, it had taken quite a lot to make her realise that the only opinion of herself that mattered was her own) she’d still been mildly concerned that her friend may not take the reveal of her wings very well. Not everyone had the ability to roll with such big surprises. 

Thankfully, it seemed like M’gann did. 

The compliments had Bryn’s cheeks tinting pink and she smiled widely. “You’re too kind, mon amie, but I thank you.” As much as she was loathe to keep her wings tucked in when she didn’t have to hide them Bryn did pull them in, the room not really big enough to comfortable accommodate such large wings. It was a good thing she did because not a moment later M’gann was sporting a pair of wings identical to Bryn’s. 

Teal eyes grew wide at the sight of them, surprise clear on her face. She’d seen other people with powers, of course, but she’d never seen one quite like this. “Magnifique! That is a very impressive gift!” She wondered if they were capable of flight like her own were. Before she could ask the wings were gone and M’gann was shifting forms, Bryn’s eyes growing bigger and bigger in her impressed shock. 

When M’gann finally shifted back to her own form Bryn clapped, a grin on her lips. “That was absolutely wonderful! Can you turn into anything?” 

our gifts

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

Bryn wasn’t exactly surprised when someone came looking for her after that whole ordeal in the park. It had been a mess all around, a lot of people had seen her wings, and, yeah, it just really hadn’t been the best day. To top it all off the paramedics had insisted on taking her to the hospital, which was— well, it was laughable if you knew her. With no insurance and barely enough money to live week to week there was no way she could afford to stay in the hospital for an hour, let alone overnight for observation like they wanted. 

So, she’d left, checked herself out and (very) slowly made her way back to the park. Trying to walk without her wings and a fully human body had been an Experience. One she hated. She felt incredibly heavy and completely off-balance. More than once she had to stop to catch her breath, or catch herself when she stumbled. She was trying to think back to before the plane crash, the last time she’d been ‘human’, before her secondary mutation triggered, but it was so long ago, it was impossible to dig up any sort of muscle memory from that time. 

Eventually, she’d gotten to the park and getting into her tree had been a whole nother Experience. She managed it eventually, though, and after that she just stayed. In the next forty-eight hours she left her tree maybe four times, and she’d nearly cried with relief when the pain came. Changing back to her normal hurt just as much as changing into being human, and thankfully, it happened at night when no one was there to hear her scream. The other silver lining was that it didn’t take too long, and when it was over the only pain left was the throbbing from her calf. Unfortunately, she was pretty sure the bullet graze was getting infected, but she couldn’t exactly do anything about it. 

The next night when someone approached her tree Bryn was feverish and shivering with the chills, her wound definitely infected. The question of whether or not she was still injured was met with borderline hysterical laughter, but she quickly clamped down on that before it got out of hand. “Oui, it wasn’t bad, but I think it’s infected.” Normally, she would ask more questions, but, the cards had been favourable that morning and, honestly, her leg hurt too much to be all that suspicious. 

Carefully, so she didn’t fall out of the tree, Bryn climbed down to the lower branches and then she hopped down the rest of the way. Instead of landing on her feet she caught herself on her wing claws, her large wings easily absorbing the shock of impact, and then she was lowering herself carefully to balance on one leg, keeping her weight off her injured leg. “I’m hoping you’re here to help?” She smiled, one hand reaching up to push her long lilac locks out of her face. 

When: AFTER abilities are restored

Where: Cascades Park, after dark

Who: @xbirds-of-a-feather

If the inhibitors hadn’t interfered, healing six gunshot victims of non mortal wounds should have been a cinch for him. In the end, though, it had been all he could do to hold pressure and keep two of them from excessive blood loss before the paramedics arrived. He hadn’t forgotten the faces, though, and not all of them had remained at the hospital for treatment. He’d followed up, just to make sure. 

It took him a few days to track down the woman, though since she was a mutant it became considerably easier than it might have been otherwise. Josh had no access to Cerebro on his own, but his case was compelling enough to get a little help. So he found himself back in the very same park that it had all happened in, well after dark and after curfew, with his hood pulled up and his arms covered. The location had seemed strange, but sure enough…he found the woman where Cerebro had indicated. He just had to look up into a tree to do it. 

Josh held up his hands as he approached. “This is going to sound strange, but are you still wounded?” 

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

Last Call

@halfalienblood​​ liked for a starter.

As much as Bryn would like to keep taking clients the entirety of the day her spot in the park was one she shared with another busker and they had a very specific schedule set up. It was for everyone’s benefit really, kept any disputes from breaking out and made sure they both got equal access to prime time foot traffic. 

Of course, after the shooting the park’s foot traffic had gone down dramatically which was...well, not so good. Thankfully, Bryn’s injury had been minor, and had been taken care of by a very nice young man who, apparently, had also been at the park that day. 

It was the lack of foot traffic that had her closing up early, in the process of packing up her old, well-worn tea set and tarot cards when a shadow was thrown over her table. Glancing up from her seat there was an apologetic smile on her lips. “Je suis désolé—” The French slipped out without thinking like it often and she shook her head a bit, sending the feather decorations in her purple hair fluttering. “I’m sorry, if you were wanting a reading I’m just closing up.” Then it occurred to her that perhaps the young man wasn’t there for a reading (she had a surprising amount of people ask her for directions). “Or was there something else I could help you with?” 

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

suestxrm‌:

Susan had the pleasure, and displeasure (whichever way one would look at it), of knowing different species of alien and meeting all sorts of people with different mutations. A pair of bird wings, regardless of talons, didn’t really weird her out all too much. She knew of one X-Man at least who had wings, and Namor himself had little wings on his ankles, permitting him the ability of flight.

She thought they were beautiful, but a hassle nonetheless. She was glad the only thing she had to worry about was turning invisible when she got nervous. Susan nodded at the question and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I’m fine. Thankfully none of the water got on any of the papers, so my kids’ work is spared at least,” she smiled as she straightened the stack a little, making sure the paperwork sat neatly.

“I’m Susan, by the way. It’s nice to meet you,” she continued and stood to offer her hand, figuring it was the polite thing to do. “I’m sorry to ask this, but… do you live here?” She asked and glanced up at the tree - the tree she had a tendency to sit beneath while she graded homework when she needed fresh air.

Bryn smiled when the woman said she was alright. “Oh good. The park is usually so nice, I’d hate for this to spoil it for you.” Bryn quite liked the park, which was good since she lived there and everything, and she did her best to keep it a nice place. Not only for the sake of the park itself, but also because her livelihood depended on the amount of foot traffic going in and out of the park. 

When the other woman introduced herself Bryn smiled brightly, reaching out to shake her hand. “Bryn, and the pleasure is mine.” Teal eyes were bright and friendly, the mutant brushing lilac-hair over her shoulder. 

The question about where she lived surprised the woman at first her eyebrows arching before she followed the blonde’s gaze up to the tree behind her. There was a beat of silence and then laughter was bubbling up and spilling out, the Parisian grinning as she looked back to Sue. It took a second to get a hold of herself, but then she nodded, voice still clearly amused. “Oui, I like the open space, and it is...” She mused for a moment, searching for the right idiom, before lighting upon it. “Ah, yes, dirt cheap.” She chuckled at her own little joke, not seeing the problem with living in a tree— she’d lived in worse. 

Neighbourhood Watch

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

jxnxstvrmvr‌:

Jono and Bryn’s first meeting started off with him taking her spot; it was the best impression he was going to get, so he should consider that lucky. That awkward moment turned into them eventually playing together - him on guitar while she sang. It was a good little set up. Earned them a bit more cash each than if they were on their own, at least in his experience, but they couldn’t do that all the time. Her wings never bothered him none. How could they when he was missing a third of his body? He thought they were one of the better mutations, if not for the colors alone. Better than his, that’s for sure.

The crash looked to be a hard one, so he started to hurry over before he noted how the crook with the gun edged closer. With a quick pull down of his scarf, Jono sent a jet of psionic fire in their direction, effectively knocking them off their feet. Their burns would be minor. Once he was sure they wouldn’t get up, Jono walked over to Bryn and looked her over.

“Y’know, luv, now really ain’t the time for a cat nap,” he quipped as he offered her a hand. “How’s the leg? Can you stand?”

When the guy with the gun went flying a sigh of relief whoosed out of Bryn, and then a smile pulled at her lips when she heard Jono’s voice in her head. Thank goodness for that. Even if he was teasing her. 

Rolling her eyes she took his hand and pulled herself up, keeping her weight off of her wounded leg. It hurt, but it had been a graze, nothing vital hit so it was more of an annoyance than anything.  “I’ll be alright, thanks.” Despite her words she kept a hand on his shoulder, happy to have the extra support (and it also meant she could grab him and take off quickly if she had to). “Are you okay? Who’s shooting?”

Interrupted Performance

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

maybemaybemartian‌:

“Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, for all their faults, are super overpowered. Like, the gifts they give are basically superpowers. Aurora can talk to animals because she has the gift of song!” M’gann kneaded her fingered together and started overthinking it. “And the gift of beauty? That is wild. That has to change her genetic makeup!”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Satisfied that her guest was enjoying the riskiest course of the meal, M’gann took a bite of her own. “Oh.” M’gann swooned. “Oh my. I have outdone myself.” They tasted as good as they smelled. “Everyone else is seriously missing out.”

She had a little spoonful of butter. “It’s on my desk at work, but I can show you next time you pick me up for lunch! I’ll try and resist the urge to reshape it.”

M’gann ate one more delicious little snail and decided it was time. She put her fork down and pressed her palms nervously against the table. “So there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” M’gann started. “Please, keep eating!” She stood up. Then sat back down again. “We’re in District X. You’re a fortune teller. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I’m not… without my quirks.” M’gann glanced at the bottle of red wine chilling in its ice. It lifted itself up, out of the bowl, and drifted to the table. “I’m a Martian.”

Bryn’s smile was warm and a bit amused as she listened to M’gann go on about fictional fairies and how magic would affect them. She was probably thinking about it a little too deeply but Bryn didn’t mind in the least. “I don’t think magic cares too much about genetics, mon amie.” Her tone was teasing, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes expressing her mirth. 

The lilac-haired woman chuckled softly at the expression of relief, and then she was happily tucking into the appetizer. “You have, they are wonderful. And that only means there will be more for us.” Bryn winked, teal eyes bright and playful. She could understand why people didn’t flock to escargot, but they truly were missing out on a delicacy. 

Bryn noticed the shift in her friend’s energy, and without really thinking about it she put down her silverware as well, giving the other woman her full attention. When M’gann told her to keep eating the fortune teller waved a hand dismissively, instead gesturing for her to go on, wanting to know what was so important. 

Quirks. Yes, she supposed that was a nice word to use. Honestly, she’d had some doubts about whether or not M’gann was fully human, but she’d never pried. It was hardly her place to do so when she was keeping her own secrets. Seeing the bottle float to the table Bryn’s eyes widened and then she actually clapped a little bit in her surprise and delight. “Magnifique!” Bryn didn’t know what a Martian was exactly (well, she knew the little green men from outerspace Martians, but she didn’t think M’gann was exactly that), but no matter what her friend was Bryn would never judge her. 

The reveal of M’gann’s secret decided a choice Bryn had been mulling over for some time and she pushed herself away from the table, standing up with a smile. “I have a surprise for you too, mon amie.” The mutant moved took a couple steps away from the table so she wouldn’t accidentally knock anything over. There wasn’t enough room to fully unfold her wings, but there was enough so that she could show them to the other woman. 

Pulling her shrug off her shoulders Bryn tossed it over her chair and then slowly her wings unfurled from where they’d been pressed tight against her back, and she stretched them out as much as she could (which wasn’t much really). “I am a mutant.” A mutant who had once (along with her twin) been called The Clayr, but she wasn’t going to mention that unless asked, her past not something she willingly talked about so much. 

our gifts

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

Seeing that the other woman hadn’t gone running had a small smile pulling at Bryn’s lips. While she wasn’t ashamed of her wings in the least (she’d have them out all the time if they didn’t cause a hassle that she wasn’t keen to deal with) it was always nice when they didn’t scare people. 

The shrug and the question had an amused laugh escaping the lilac-haired mutant, her smile growing. Yes, ‘kids’ summed it up rather nicely. She was just glad they threw water balloons and not something that could have actually been dangerous. 

The next question was answered with a nod.  “Oui, just a few ruffled feathers.” Really, there was no reason not to make bird jokes once someone knew about her wings. Unfortunately, her feathers weren’t water-resistant the same way a duck’s were, but they’d dry soon enough. “Are you alright?” She’d been spared the water balloons, but Bryn figured most people might be startled by a winged woman jumping out of a tree.

Neighbourhood Watch

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

Interrupted Performance

Bryn wasn’t the best singer in the world, she certainly could pursue it as a professional career, but singing in the park? That she could do. Honestly, her voice was more suited to more ‘intimate’ settings like the park, or a coffeehouse rather than a big stage somewhere. She and Jono had been busking together for a little over a week now and they were making fairly good money. Not as much as she did telling fortunes, but she couldn’t do that everyday (her best spot was shared with another busker) so singing was a decent enough way to make extra money in the meantime. 

She was in the middle of a song when there was a gunshot and she spun around searching for the source even as her wings burst out from under her shrug. She’d be able to see better from the air, unfortunately the blue, tan, and white wings also made her a target, heat then pain blossoming across the back of her calf as she rose in the air. Merde! 

Bryn hadn’t gotten very much altitude, but it was enough that she could dive for a bush, landing hard on the other side. “Ah!” She tried to stifle her cry as she jostled her leg, falling back to land sprawled out on the grass wings and limbs akimbo.

Today sucked. 

A shadow was thrown over her face and teal eyes narrowed as she focused on trying to see who it was, hoping it was a friend rather than a man with a gun come to finish the job. Not that she couldn’t defend herself, but the wind had been knocked out of her when she hit the ground and she was still catching her breath. 

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

maybemaybemartian‌:

“You’re literally a fortune teller, Bryn. I think you have enough magic to be a fairy.” She scraped the last morsel of cheese off the side of her bowl and started to clear up for the next course. “I’d rank you miles above Tinker Bell and a little below Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather from Sleeping Beauty. Not personality wise, obviously. You’d win in that hands down.”

M’gann raised an eyebrow and nodded obligingly. The more closely she inspected the wine, the lower quality it seemed. She nestled the bottle into the bowl of ice and set the empty soup bowls in the fridge. She opened the oven and slowly, making just the right movements so as not to let Bryn see, used telekinesis to pull the escargot out and onto a tray. They looked and smelled perfect. She’d purposely gone all in on the butter and garlic.

“Ta-da!” M’gann lifted the tray to show Bryn and moved to set the dishes on the table. “I hope you like them. I know not everyone is into escargot, but I took a calculated risk.” She wrung her hands nervously as she waited for Bryn’s response.

“Awesome! I’ll text Betty tomorrow and work out the details. I think you’ll really like Betty. She’s started taking these sculpture classes and last week she brought in a little ball of clay for each of us!” M’gann had squooshed her little ball of clay into a Bactrian camel.

Bryn laughed a bit, shrugging with a smile. “Perhaps I do.” Another amused laugh escaped at the comparison and her smile grew to a grin. “I appreciate that I’d win the personality contest. Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather would definitely win in the magic department, I’m afraid.” Even Tinkerbell would win in the magic department since Bryn had no magic to speak of, just a mutation that was weak and not quite whole since she lost her twin. 

The reveal of the escargot made Bryn’s face light up and she actually clapped a little in her excitement. “Oui, I love them! And no one ever seems to eat them  here.” Here being America in general. Picking up one of the shells and a fork Bryn dug right in, making a delighted sound as she tasted the buttery garlic snails. “Oh, they’re delicious!”

Looking to M’gann Bryn smiled as she continued to work through the plate of snails, doing her best to remember to leave some for the other woman. “Oh? You’ll have to show me what you made, I’m sure it’s lovely.” 

our gifts

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

sgtbbarnes107‌:

“Well, I’ve got a whole arsenal. Throw a word at me and I’ll probably understand it.” It was handy, he couldn’t lie about that, to know that he could go most places and stand a good chance of finding someone he’d be able to communicate with. “Sam won’t stand a chance.” Not that Bucky was had any qualms about making fun of him in plain old English, either. He didn’t. He just hadn’t been in much of a humor mood lately to do it, but that was easing off. 

He did feel a little pang of guilt at the idea that their house had been so…upturned…that Sam had taken the extra step to not even let them know someone was there. He did live with them, even if the timing of his arrival had ended up being unfortunate in the grand scheme of things. It’s not like Bucky had known his head was going to fucking implode. He probably should’ve expected that at a moment’s notice, in general, but he’d been doing alright (on a Bucky Barnes scale of ‘alright’ at least) before that. 

“Ah. Well…still. I’ll be sure to tell him he doesn’t have to show off my construction skills that closely anymore. But I can throw a rug in there just in case. One of those big,” he mimed with his hands, “fluffy ones.” 

“[I’ll keep that in mind.]” Bryn smiled over her shoulder at the brunet, then she was focusing on the pancakes again. The words made her chuckle, the sound light, but she didn’t disagree. She had a feeling Sam would come up with some sort of equally amusing retaliation, but for the moment she was content to see how it all played out. 

Checking the pancake it was just about ready to be flipped and so she did, pressing the top down with the spatula lightly. Doing one pancake at a time would be a little slower, but she didn’t want to crowd the pan. 

The offer of a rug had Bryn glancing back over her shoulder, and when she saw the way he mimed the rug she couldn’t help but laugh, her grin bright. “[Yes, I would appreciate it, just in case.]” She doubted she was going to end up in the closet again, but you never knew how things were going to go. 

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

maybemaybemartian‌:

“Is that how you get your exercise?” M’gann asked, imagining Bryn power walking laps around the track amongst a herd of high school athletes, yoga moms, and one old man wearing only shorts. “Sorry. That came out wrong,” she apologized. “I just… I don’t know. It’s hard to picture you doing all that walking. You seem like someone who just flies here and there like a hummingbird.” M’gann took another spoonful of soup. “Or like a fairy!”

The bottle flew to M’gann’s waiting hand. “I wouldn’t say it’s a good red.” She eyed it wearily. Her body reacted poorly to alcohol. Very poorly. “They gave each of us a bottle for working a fundraiser at the library last month. Here, you take a look. I was never a good judge of wines. Pretty hard to judge something you don’t drink.” She gave a little wink and passed Bryn the bottle. “I’ll get some ice and we can chill it. Do you chill red?”

“Oh yes. You are in for a treat.” She grinned. “In fact, I can take your first treat out of the oven as soon as you are finished with your soup.” M’gann made a little flourish with her spoon and took a few more sips. The soup bowls weren’t particularly large and she was already starting to scrape the sides for the scraps of crispy cheese. “I think this is my favorite part of French onion,” M’gann said, digging at a tough spot. “A challenge with the finest of rewards.”

Full of pride that Bryn not only liked the soup, but was also impressed with the purchase, M’gann gave her shoulders a little shrug. “It’s a gift! You know, I could probably get you a spot in the hall to tell fortunes at the flea market. It’s always busy. You’d get plenty of customers,” she offered. “Plus, we’d get to see each other on weekends!”

Ah, how nice it felt to make a friend laugh. M’gann basked in that happy feeling while she listened to Bryn’s slightly noncommittal description of her relationship with Sam. That freeness regarding relationships was strange to M’gann. She’d only once allowed herself to fall in love. The secrets she’d carried for so many years complicated things. Even with forged documents and rehearsal, her backstory struggled under intense scrutiny. She could never give the whole story and it had felt wrong to know so much about another person when he knew so little about her. Despite a perfectly accurate and functioning anatomy, intimate moments were a challenge as well. Eventually, M’gann had broken it off. “He sounds very special, to me,” she said, keeping time with the conversation. “I like the little smile you get when you talk about him. Tell me more, though. I want to know all about your Sam.”

The question about exercise made Bryn chuckle, the chuckle growing into laughter as M’gann went on. She couldn’t help the way her wings rustled under her shrug as she was called a hummingbird, her lips curling up in an amused smile. “Oh, something like that. I think a fairy would have more magic, though.” She was teasing, teal eyes dancing as she continue to eat her soup. 

Having been looking down at her soup bowl for a moment Bryn missed how the wine bottle got to the table, then she was looking up with a smile at the sound of the other woman’s voice. “I’m sure it will be lovely.” She accepted the bottle turning it over in her hands to read the label. It wasn’t the best vintage, but it wasn’t garbage either. “It’s hard to go wrong with red.” Normally she wouldn’t chill red with ice, but she wasn’t enough of a wine snob to care. “It’s better chilled most the time, but take your time.” There was water at the table and Bryn wasn’t in a hurry. 

Mention of a treat had Bryn arching a brow, but then she was smiling as she took another spoonful of soup. “Oh, now you’ve piqued my curiosity.” Bryn was near done herself, taking another moment to scoop up the last bits of cheese and soup, wanting to leave the bowl clean. “It really was delicious.”

Bryn smiled at the offer, reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Perhaps! Every other weekend, maybe.” Bryn had always preferred open areas to indoor spaces, but more potential customers would possibly be worth the shift in location. 

Bryn smiled widely at M’gann’s words. “He is, very special.” He and their nonlationship was the first thing that felt like home since she left Paris. At the encouragement to go on Bryn chuckled shaking her head a bit with a dismissive wave of her hand, he smile warm. “Oh, don’t get me started, we’ll be here for hours.” 

our gifts

[xbirds-of-a-feather]

maybemaybemartian‌:

For a moment, M’gann thought back to their first French greeting. She’d been caught off guard. In Star City most people said hello with a wave or a little hug, but Bryn’s way was special. M’gann appreciated the way it made every meeting a little more intimate. Like she was really being seen. This time, it seemed as if Bryn was a little out of breath. “Did you walk?” M’gann asked, pouring water into Bryn’s glass. “I think I have a bottle of red, if you’d like. I don’t drink, but that doesn’t mean you can’t.” This was true. Ingesting certain things that came with unusual side effects for the Martian. Alcohol didn’t exactly hurt her, but the results weren’t pretty. She even needed to be careful with cooking alcohol.

“I think you’ll enjoy the menu I’ve prepared for tonight,” M’gann said with an excited grin. Anyone who’d ever eaten with Bryn knew that the girl had a healthy appetite. As such, M’gann had prepared four courses. Soup first, then a very special appetizer, followed by a dish Bryn had mentioned often with a very hungry look in her eye, and finally, a warm berry clafoutis with powdered sugar and cream for dessert.

“I’m so glad you like them!” M’gann had bought the basics for her apartment: her bed, her couch, her table, and her chairs. A very few things she had brought with her from Australia.  Almost everything else had come from the library flea market and swap. “Two dollars for six!” She sat down across from Bryn. “You should come with me this weekend. You might find something you like. They have a lot of interesting jewelry and clothing.” Things M’gann wouldn’t buy for herself. If anyone looked around her apartment with an observant eye, they would notice that M’gann didn’t own any clothing or jewelry. The accessory she owned, a belt, wasn’t really a belt at all, but rather a backup bio-suit in case something unthinkable happened to the one she usually wore.

“Ooh, another lunch with Sam.” M’gann placed an elbow on the table and leaned on her hands, wagging her eyebrows up and down like a fool. She blew on a spoonful of soup and tasted it. Just right, she thought to herself. It wouldn’t do to brag about the food before her guest had taken so much as a mouthful.  “It sounds like you two are getting pretty serious.”

“Walk?” It took a second for Bryn to follow again and realise why M’gann was asking it. “Oh! Yes, I, uh, walked. Well, what do you Americans call it?” She hummed as she tried to remember the right phrase. While she was fluent in English, she wasn’t always great with idioms and certain ‘American’ concepts. “Power walked! That’s it.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t just like she could out and say she flew there. Though, honestly, Bryn was getting tired of keeping it a secret. If it wasn’t for NOVA and the current tense atmosphere in Star City she would just walk around with her wings out and let people say what they wanted about them. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. 

Accepting the glass of water Bryn smiled her thanks and then sipped at it. Mention of wine drew a soft laugh as she lowered the glass, her eyes dancing as she looked at M’gann. “Ah, well, France may never have me back if I turn down a good red.” She was clearly teasing the other girl, though it was no secret that Bryn enjoyed a glass of wine or two or three. Her metabolism was so fast it was difficult for her to get drunk, and even when she managed it the effect never lasted very long before her body processed the alcohol. “If it’s not too much trouble, of course.” 

As the topic shifted to food Bryn grinned, the other girl’s excitement infectious. “Oh?” Honestly, Bryn was pretty sure she’d enjoy it no matter what— Bryn just loved food. She was almost constantly eating, yet another consequence of her speedy metabolism. Thankfully it was more like a bird of prey’s than say a hummingbird’s, but it was still much faster than the average human’s. “I’m sure it will be delicious.”

Bryn’s smile was amused as she picked up her spoon and stirred her soup. She was polite enough to wait for M’gann to start eating before she just dug right in, but she was awfully tempted. Hearing the price of the bowls her eyebrows raised in surprise. “That is quite a steal, mon amie.” 

The offer to go to the flea market was answered with a smile, Bryn tilting her head slightly, as if she could still look into the future as easy as she once could, old reflexes dying hard and all that. “Perhaps, depending on the weather and how many people still want to know their future.” Rainy, overcast weeks were the worst for Bryn, business was always negligible which, generally, meant skimping by until the weather cleared and her customers came back. Now that she and Sam were seeing one another it wasn’t as bad, she could nearly always count on him to want to go out for a meal, but really, she preferred when she didn’t have to rely solely on his goodwill to eat. 

M’gann asking about Sam had Bryn smiling, the expression so warm and affectionate that it would have been of little surprise if hearts started floating around her head. Of course, they didn’t, and then M’gann was waggling her eyebrows and Bryn burst into laughter, the sound kind, laughing with the redhead rather than at her. “Oui, another lunch.” This one not because she couldn’t feed herself, last week had been a fairly good week overall, but just because they tended to go out to eat a lot. 

Lifting a spoonful of soup to her lips Bryn blew on it before she took her first mouthful. Oh, that was delicious. Her approval was conveyed in a pleased hum as she swallowed and then took another bite. M’gann’s question distracted her from the soup and she set her spoon down and pat her lips with a napkin before she answered. “Serious?” She hummed thoughtfully. She supposed that was one way to describe it. Of course, she didn’t really have anything to gauge against. Bryn was usually a butterfly: flitting from flower to flower, or bed to bed in her case, never staying anywhere for too long before she moved on. But, she and Sam had been seeing each other for a few months now and, more surprisingly, she hadn’t been seeing anyone else in that time. “Perhaps. We haven’t really talked about it.” It just hadn’t occurred to her to ask, they were happy together and beyond that the rest would work itself out. “I think he’s special, though, different than the others.” For one they were still together even though they hadn’t actually slept together yet, which was a big deal for someone who rarely went more than two weeks without. It had been months, and yet, Bryn was willing to keep waiting, because Sam was worth it. 

our gifts