WONDERLAND.

everyone parts with everything eventually

[ramshackleds]

sunhalf​:

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Takes more than some wannabe hardass to mess me up.”  Piper gets in fights more regularly than is advisable but, hey, THEY WIN ALL OF THEM.  They look to the other, take in the torn shirt and the bruises, and she laughs something unkind but not without sympathy.  “I’m impressed, prefect.  Here I thought you were just a goody two shoes.”  Getting into fights — she’s got a real delinquent on her hands!  But, above all, he’s a kid — and a small one, at that.  Piper shrugs off their blazer, handing it to the other.  “Here.  It’ll swallow you, but that’ll at least keep it from being obvious that your shirt got wrecked.”  A thought occurs.  They came here with nothing, right?  Did Crowley…give him clothes?  Does he have more than, like, four shirts? “Do you…have anything else?  ‘Cause if not I can fix that.”  She means she can rob somebody.

     ❝ you...did? ❞ it felt weird to hear. back home everyone had branded him a troublemaker just from looking at him. to hear that someone thought he was a goody two shoes  &  praise them for fighting after all the fuss he’d gotten over just yelling at someone back home was odd. ❝ i try not to let people push me around anymore. ❞ he had already made more friends at night raven than he’d had back at his school in his world. if nothing else, they’d understand him fighting back ( maybe even stand up for him like pearce had ). & crowley wouldn’t just throw him out into an unfamiliar world.

     at least, yuusuke hoped he wouldn’t.

     they stared at the blazer for a moment too long before he slipped it on. it did swallow him. the sleeves went past his fingers & the length went down to his knees, but they didn’t really mind. ❝ thanks! ❞ they tried rolling up the sleeves, mentally taking stock of what was in his closet back at ramshackle.  ❝ i’ve got the clothes i came in... & a couple more uniforms & gym clothes. ❞ not a lot, but enough to get through the days.  

     ❝ fix it? you mean like...getting more clothes from sam’s? ❞ somehow, yuusuke doubted that was what they meant.

[wondermemes]

Some Protective Friend/Sibling/Parent figure starters

The protected

“It doesn’t seem THAT dangerous…”

“I don’t need a coat.”

“Sorry, but I’ve made up my mind.”

“You’re not my dad/mom!”

“Don’t try to talk me out of this.”

“But It’s easy, I’ve done it before- oops.”

“He was just having a friendly conversation with me!”

“I like being friends with every single person I meet.”

“How did you even find me here?”

“It’s not that bad, really! I can walk!”

“I wasn’t being reckless, I was thinking quickly!”

“I’m not that tired, I can still keep going!”

“Don’t take it easy on me this time.”

“I can do it myself.”

“I can walk, I’m fine.”

“Yeah yeah, it’s just a small cold.”

“I really was behaving, honest.”

“You always treat me like a kid!”

“I was asking for an outing together, not a personal body guard.”

“I-it’s so cold…”

“I think I’m a little drunk… Just a little.”

“If I tell you, promise you don’t get mad?”

“You’re grounding me?! It’s not fair!”

Protective person

“What were you thinking?!”

“I don’t like the look of that guy…”

“I know what’s best.”

“Can you walk?”

“What happened? Are you hurt?”

“You could of gotten yourself killed!”

“You’re so reckless!”

“Slow down, you’ll just wear yourself out.”

“Stay behind me…”

“We should leave.”

“I’ll handle this, you leave.”

“You’re in over your head.”

“Are you seriously drunk?”

“You have a fever…”

“I’m just trying to watch out for you.”

“You don’t have to worry. I’ve got your back.”

“Here, take my coat.”

“You’re running a fever!”

“Here, I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

“You had me so worried….”

“Just stay close.”

“When that person asked if they could have you for dessert tomorrow I think they literally meant it.”

[ramshackleds]

sunhalf​:

It’s odd to be reminded that the prefect will, eventually, return to whence they came; he’s such a fixture here these days that it’s easy to forget the details of just how he arrived — and how, most likely, they will need to go back eventually.  While Riddle cannot personally identify with watching to return to a home — a mother — they can sympathize even so.

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t be allowed to.  If nothing else, I’d hope that she’d believe you when you told her about your grades.”  A beat; when they continue, there’s a note of worry to their voice, perhaps worrying that their mothers are alike: “I hope that she’s supportive of you, Yuusuke.”

     ❝ it’s not really the grades... i just don’t know if she’ll believe that i was at magic school in another world. ❞ but if he had his papers filled with magical history tests & alchemy recipes, maybe he could possibly convince her. he shifted a bit on his feet, his grip on his paper growing a bit tighter. ❝ she does. kind of. i mean, she’s not bad or anything. ❞ their expression shifted, nose wrinkling as they thought.

     ❝ i was...having a really hard time in school before i came here. we’d moved & the language was different. she thought i wasn’t studying & we used to argue about it a lot. we argued about a lot of stuff. things were hard for her, too, & i didn’t mean to, but i think i made it worse. ❞ they kept their head down. they were pretty sure they weren’t going to cry, not over this, not now. but, even so it was better to be safe than sorry. ❝ if i bring something like this back...then i can prove that i’m good. ❞ a good student. a good kid. good. just good.

      ❝ y’know? ❞

[ramshackleds]

sunhalf​:

“Don’t let people push you around, dumbass.”  The delinquent — they have to stop getting into fights or they’re gonna get expelled, and that means they die — shakes out their hands.  Throwing punches again.  And sloppy punches at that.  Still, break one nose, and they all go running.  They look back to the one they’d rescued.  “You okay?”

    ❝ i didn’t let him. ❞  in fact, the whole thing had started because they’d fought back. the perpetrator had shoved them aside first, & had only gotten mad when yuusuke had pushed back. it had only gotten scary when he’d grabbed them by their shirt, lifting them practically off the floor. back home, he’d been the same size as the other kids in his classes, but here he was smaller than almost everyone –––– he’d have to keep that in mind the next time he tried to defend himself. ❝ ‘m fine. ❞ their shirt was torn, & they had a few bruises both from being grabbed & falling to the floor when they had been dropped when the other had come to help him. but, they were no big deal.

     ❝ how ‘bout you? are you okay? ❞  

[ramshackleds]

     ❝ are you guys...okay? ❞      

[ramshackleds]

sunhalf​:

Yuusuke is so kind, and — normally so is she, but she’d been so mean this morning, and the kind of mean that even she’d have noticed.  Her shoulders hike further, eyes lowering.  Yuusuke is so kind, and — and just a kid.  She’d promised herself, when they were both stuck here, that she’d protect them.  And instead she’d just been unkind to a kid the way a shoujo heroine might.  And now they’re offering to help her, as if she remotely deserves that.

She smiles uneasily, because it should be easy, it should be, down at her hands and avoids their eyes.  “He was — uh.  Kind of the golden child, you know?  Athletic, sociable, smart.  He’s the one who taught me how to game and hack and everything, too.  He was so good at that sorta thing.  Good at everything.  And, uh…kind, too.  Nobody else really hung out with me or wanted to be my friend, ‘cause of…”  She gestures vaguely, as if it should be obvious.  “But he always supported me, no matter what.  He was my best friend.”

     they never thought they’d understand the concept of the golden child, but they do. the kids in their class back at home were good at everything in the same sense that he was bad at everything. the difference was that yuzuha’s brother had encouraged her, while his classmates–––– well, they weren’t exactly as nice. admittedly, though, he was confused as to why no one would want to be her friend. she’s nice & fun & smart! he let himself get distracted, only for a moment, to ask, ❝ we’re friends, right? ❞ as if he felt the need to ensure she knew that they were–––– as long as she wanted to be friends with him, at least.

     their legs shifted against the ground. ❝ it sounds like he was a really good big brother. ❞ not that he would be a very good judge, but he did sound nice.  ❝ & that you guys had a lot of fun together. that’s good. it means you’ve got a lot of good memories. ❞      

[ramshackleds]

daisyscape​:

          And show off, he should ! 

          “Yuusuke, that’s wonderful!” Mateo chimes as he gets a closer look at the test. Professor Trein is no easy tester—or so the children say, and he’s always been inclined to believe them. “Congratulations! You’ve done a great job.” 

          All victories, big or small, are deserving of celebration in Mateo’s book. He rises from his desk with a clap, as if an idea had just hit him. “I think some ice cream from the school shop is in order. And perhaps maybe even some tuna for Grim. What do you think?” 

     ❝ thank you! ❞ their head tilted back, grin on full display as they held the paper delicately to their chest. it would be tucked away carefully when he returned to his dorm for safekeeping. & , hopefully, it would be the first of many excellent grades.

    ❝ ice cream!? ❞ the suggestion had clearly been a good one, & yuusuke found himself nodding his head, even as he considered the additional part of the proposal. ❝ grim did study, too. he definitely deserves a treat, but uh––––. ❞ after crowley’s comment about the cost of food just before the last winter break, he’d been doing his best to scrounge up a bit of madol here & then. grim certainly didn’t mind doing things on the headmage’s dime, but yuusuke hadn’t been able to help but be aware of it. even if he didn’t mind, celebratory ice cream certainly wouldn’t be on the list of approved purchases.

     ❝ i don’t think i have madol enough for both. ❞

[ramshackleds]

sunhalf​:

“Look at that,” Riddle replies, voice light — the note of pride within is impossible to ignore, however.  For as much as the Heartslabyul housewarden may seem strict, or even joyless, he is not one to forgo well - earned praise.  Least of all to one who, it often seems, went too long without it.  Their reasons are different, but that, at least, the boy understands.  “Congratulations, Yuusuke.  I know you’ve worked very hard.”

     the pride in riddle’s voice only made his smile grow wider. he’d missed this feeling, of knowing he’d made someone proud–––– that he’d done something right. ❝ i have! i really have! ❞ they tried their best to sound as though they weren’t bragging, because that wasn’t what they meant to do. they were just proud & excited & happy!  ❝ i studied a lot! i even got grim to study, too! ❞ though he had grown bored much quicker than yuusuke had.

     his eyes roamed over the paper once again, & he was speaking before he could think. ❝ i hope i get to take my papers with me when i go back home. i want to show my mom. ❞

[ramshackleds]

     his gaze was focused on the paper in his hand, though he held it close so that no one else could see. there was clearly an excited energy about him, bouncing on his feet, a bright grin on his face. finally, they flipped it over, revealing that it was their most recent history test with a crisp 90 written atop the page ( they didn’t mean to show off, or anything, he was just very proud of the hard work that they had put in for it ). 

     ❝ look! i did really well this time! ❞

[ramshackleds]

     his gaze was focused on the paper in his hand, though he held it close so that no one else could see. there was clearly an excited energy about him, bouncing on his feet, a bright grin on his face. finally, they flipped it over, revealing that it was their most recent history test with a crisp 90 written atop the page ( they didn’t mean to show off, or anything, he was just very proud of the hard work that they had put in for it ). 

     ❝ look! i did really well this time! ❞

[ramshackleds]

     his gaze was focused on the paper in his hand, though he held it close so that no one else could see. there was clearly an excited energy about him, bouncing on his feet, a bright grin on his face. finally, they flipped it over, revealing that it was their most recent history test with a crisp 90 written atop the page ( they didn’t mean to show off, or anything, he was just very proud of the hard work that they had put in for it ). 

     ❝ look! i did really well this time! ❞

[ramshackleds]

sunhalf​:

It’s a quiet, pensive sort of thing; she sits outside Ramshackle, finger drawing idle designs in the dirt path.  She’s so rarely a quiet, pensive sort of thing.  “I’m sorry,” Yuzuha starts with.  She’s been off all day, and not in a fun way; strange, prone to snapping, impatient.  She’s sorry.

Her eyes drift farther away from the other, easier to pretend she’s talking to no one at all.  “It’s…I…I don’t really ever talk about this, ‘cause it happened, like, a long time ago, and it’s — totally fine, now.  I’m t - totally fine.”  Her hand stops moving.  Her knees shift, like she wants to pull them to her chest; she folds them to sit cross - legged instead.  Her hand settle between them on the ground, shoulders raising.  “But today’s the…anniversary of the day my big brother died.  And it’s just — it was a two years ago, I’m totally fine, and it’s not an excuse for being mean and — and I’m really sorry.”

     of course they’d noticed her mood, it was almost impossible not to. they’d spent most of the day wondering what they had done to deserve that kind of treatment.   & , when he found no reason for it, he started snapping back ( admittedly, they felt bad as soon as they’d yelled what’s you’re problem,  but it hadn’t stopped them from saying it ). he was clearly confused when he came back to ramshackle for the day, watching her sit outside of the dorm. she was so...quiet, but he waited for her to speak first.

      & it wasn’t what he expected at all. they kicked the ground slightly, hands stuffed in his pocket. ❝ two years...really isn’t that long. &, sometimes, how long it’s been doesn’t really matter, anyways–––– at least, that’s what my mom says. ❞  & what they knew, but they weren’t really ready to talk about that yet. they fell quiet, building up the courage to say what they knew they needed to. ❝ i’m sorry, too. for yelling at you this morning. ❞

     he sat down, legs cris––––crossed. ❝ do you wanna talk about him? it might make you feel better. ❞