He chuckled, a sound that was only barely above a whisper in the afternoon's glow and half lost in the roar of the tides as they rolled in and out just enough to catch the edge of his foot where it was planted to flex and keep the slow sway too and fro of the hammock steady. The space wasn't a large one, netting tangled like a cocoon, a small bubble of time and space just between the two of them.
"Me? You sure about that? Yu's got more fire to her." By no means a lie either, in fact he counted it as one of the best things about the other fae. In fact, between the three of them Cal saw himself as the least blazing. It could have been biased of course, people saw the world how they wished to when their vision was laced with stars and happiness; everything had a certain lovely glow.
"Maybe just a little warm, but I think it's the both of us." Because it always would be, not simply himself but the three of them was where the sunlit gleam came from. It was easy to forget now and then, the seas were a chilly sort of place, but all the more reason to sink into that pleasant sensation and set aside the rest of the day and all the thoughts that went with it. He stretched, yawned, never quite fit right in narrow spots with those too-long legs but neither of them cared much.
The shift offered Cal a change to hang one arm higher over the top of the netting and El to find that spot at his shoulder where he could feel the warmth of her alive and aligned with himself as they relaxed and did nothing at all with the daylight.
Sometimes it was better that way.
He talked, rambling circles about places and books and whatever else crossed his mind and she listened, as always, letting the words wash over her in his lazy tones like the humid air rising from the surf and drowning the both of them in the simplicity of existing inside that moment. When he'd run out of words and the tide had chased itself back out to sea neither noticed, the sunlight was still settled deep in their skin and wrapped around them like a blanket.
Days like that, Cal had decided, were going to make forever worth being around for and he still had so many to look forward to.
Can we please please please have some headcanons about Alpha Lexa with her tiny pups and Clarke absolutely loving seeing Lexa being super protective over her little ones.
Well, for the first month or so after their birth, Lexa won’t want to let them out of her sight. If Brenna or anybody else suggests that maybe she should consider holding court once in a while, she snarls at them so terribly that they run away (except Brenna, who just raises an eyebrow and withholds dessert from Lexa’s dinner). She only performs the absolute necessities of her Commanderly duties, and whenever she absolutely has to leave her mate and pups, she’s in such a foul temper that nobody gives her any crap.
When they all first go out together, it’s after a ceremony presenting her pups officially to the citizens of Polis. Lexa shepherds Clarke through the city as though she’s their personal guard dog, and she’s exuding alpha pheromones so thickly that Clarke feels like she’s walking around in a cloud of them. It would be obnoxious if it wasn’t also obvious just how proud Lexa is - she can’t seem to decide whether to snarl at anybody who gets close or yank people over to look at her children, loudly proclaiming how beautiful her mate and pups are.
Just when Clarke’s about fed up with it, however, they reach Geib’s shop, where they introduce Jake, Anya, and Aden to Geib and his husband. He’s so gentle and sweet and nonthreatening with the pups that Lexa finally relaxes just a little and stops pumping out alpha smell in such alarming quantities. Eventually she’s able to allow people to come close and coo at the babies, who are wide-eyed amazed at everything in this new world (a fact which makes both Clarke and Lexa nearly die of adoration).
can't believe my first fic on @calturnstogold already has 53 notes! thank you so much to everyone who's read it & liked/reblogged! it's sososo appreciated! <3
Cal was what was often called a Track Child by many of the other racing teams including Dinoco’s
Ever since the age of 5, Cal had been traveling with the Dinoco Race Team all over the country for 10 months out of the year; the other two spent in their home in Texas.
Over these years of his life, Cal was homeschooled at least 3 days, which three days of the week varied depending on the race schedule for the week.
The one rule he had was no school on race days whether it be a qualifying race or the actual race itself.
Oftentimes these lessons were taught on the road over a video/skype chat with a tutor for various amounts of time. The first day was the lesson day, the second was the review and check day, and the third day was the test on how well he understood the topic. And on some of the days off, Cal would put off an hour or two for practice or do his homework.
Cal quickly picked up on what the tutor taught him and he was an A or B student depending on the subject, but he has almost gotten a C on a few occasions. He finds math to be the easiest for him because they would take the problem and translate it into one that relates to racing; so like finding the average lap speed or the minimum distance a driver could break to avoid a crash however far in front of him. In fact, they did this with a lot of the topics because they found he was unable to concentrate unless they related it to racing and told him that it was necessary to learn them if he was going to be like a race car driver.
Depending on where a race was, his tutor might send him to check out certain geographical or historical features nearby
He started to take shop and car mechanic “classes” with some of Dinoco’s mechanics and pit crew members from a young age. At first, he would observe what they were doing as they talked through what they were doing step-by-step he could hand them the tool they need. Eventually, they would let him observe a damaged car and ask him what he thinks is wrong and how to fix it, and once he was deemed old enough (around 12) they started to let him get hands-on with some of the cars and assist with repairs. These were his favorite “lessons” by far.
Because of this homeschooling method, Cal missed out on much of the pop culture a normal child would learn. Hence why he is oblivious to any slightly sexual references, no matter how little.
During the two months they were not traveling, Cal would be homeschooled with a tutor in person on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, roughly from 8-3 with an hour break for lunch around 11 am. He normally stuck with that schedule unless something came up, but it was rare during the offseason.
These were so much fun to write! Ah! I’m pretty happy with how they turned out, some more than others, but I tend to pick and choose ones I lean more favorably to that I can imagine or make sense.(Humanized for obvious reasons) I put it under keep reading because it’s soooo long but that's a good thing! ;)
2. Who would they call/want by their side during an emergency and why? During an emergency, such as a really bad crash, his Aunt and Uncle would be contacted immediately if they weren’t already informed for obvious reasons. Although there aren’t any other people who are as close as his Aunt and Uncle, he would love to have some of the members in his close racing family; though if he had to pick, it’d be Lightning and Bobby because Cal had gotten to know them the best. Honestly, the more people he could have by his side the better because he really appreciates having so many people that care and worry about him. You can bet if he woke up in a hospital with his Aunt and Uncle by his side, he would immediately start to cry at the sight of all the balloons and cards everywhere that all the different teams and fans made for him, and you bet there would be a card from one Chick Hicks. There would be so many of them because they all really like Cal and worry about him; if he was gone they would definitely miss all his quirks and comfortable atmosphere he creates(plus they’d miss his cookies). It makes Cal feel so happy that he would keep every single one and put them in a binder/scrapbook or something so he could see them whenever he wants.
3. How do they portray feelings of hostility or dislike? There are 3 basic stages of anger he displays. The first real tell of Cal becoming hostile is his accent gets thicker. Like, it has always been pretty easy to understand, but when he is annoyed he gets overly polite and his accent gets nearly incoherent. Then there comes a point where he will stop talking altogether because he can’t find the words to describe how he feels so he will just give them this look that might be a tad bit frightening, and usually people will back off. Honestly, it is rare anyone goes past the 2nd stage because if it gets that far the person can’t pick up simple signs and is completely oblivious. The 3rd stage is more of a rumor among the teams because no one has ever seen him get that mad. Quite a few people have tried to get him angry, but if the Dinoco crew catches them mid-attempt they put an end to it immediately. Not like anyone has succeeded though.
7. Are they prone to violent outbursts or thoughts? The closest thing Cal gets to an outburst is when he is either distressed or overwhelmed to the point where he has more expressive outbursts. No one outside of his Aunt, Uncle, Tex, and the Dinoco team has seen one but most of them have heard one, and they are not pleasant to listen to. And despite never seeing one, everyone who knows him easily picks up signs; he is unable to concentrate, his hands will shake, slight heavy breathing, and he gets a bit of an anxious look on his face. If they do see the signs, they will immediately find Strip or Lynda, and if they can’t find them they will find the nearest Dinoco team member. It’s usually around that time that they pull him into an empty facility room, press room, or even the medical center if they are able. From what they can tell, it gets fairly loud and it sounds like things being thrown, but when Cal exits he appears to be in a far better state and his guardians look far more relieved. Thankfully, they are rare and only happen a couple of times over a season, so it is more a small secret(kinda) among the pit members that no one really talks about but everyone knows about it and informed.
11. What are their eating habits? There is this thing below but I have more! So outside of being unable to eat before races but being hungry afterward, Cal doesn’t eat as much as you’d think someone of his age would. He’ll have maybe two big meals a day on a normal day and a medium sized snack or something for lunch usually. Other days he might skip breakfast in favor of a late Brunch, but it varies.
In the eyes of the press and news, he is always eating. But because no one knows of his race-day eating habits (or lack thereof), some people point out the fact he never appears to stop eating. The funny thing is, he doesn’t like to say no when a few other drivers ask to go out to eat so in their eyes he does appear to have a never-ending appetite. There are always jokes being thrown at Cal discussing how he never gains weight or how he eats so much for his little size (in my head he’s smol, like 5’4” or something), but he takes it all in stride and laughs most of it off. It doesn’t bother him too much because he’d rather not have the entire racing press/paparazzi on him about his non-problematic(to an extent) eating habits.
19. What does family mean to them? Cal never experienced your stereotypical and average two-parent household with children running around in the large front yard of a picture-perfect house with a large tree and picket fence, and if he ever did he doesn’t remember it. Since his parents passed when he was five, he has stayed with his Aunt and Uncle within the sights of the press, some paparazzi, and fans all over asking for his Uncle’s autograph. 10 months out of the year the tree of them drive across the country in a huge million-dollar motorhome or fly in private jets to a fancy hotel, so he can’t really relate to most of the population when it comes to what a family looks like. He spent many days being homeschooled by his Aunt or by a temporary hired teacher or online, but he spent the majority of his time on the track grounds with the Dinoco Pit Crew. For Cal, a family is not limited to blood nor was it ever, and anyone can be family in his eyes. In fact, most people are. Some of the other racers he’s close to are his siblings (he’s never had any so he was excited to hang out with people his age with the same general interests), the Dinoco Pit Crew is his slightly-weird but lovable extended family, and Tex and his brother Dex are kind of like grandpas of sorts.(yes, Tex has a brother named Dex)
21. What makes them feel guilty. Cal is a very guilty person when he has no reason to be. The most prominent example is after he’s won a race, he’ll see the disappointed and/or frustrated expressions of his fellow racers and he will immediately feel guilty. Often times after races he will go up to those teams and congratulate them on a good race, and maybe even give them a few pieces of constructive criticism on things he noticed followed by large compliments(whether or not it makes them feel better they smile and thank him because everyone knows it bothers him to see other people who are distressed or upset). Most of the time, the team throw him compliments about how he deserved to win that race which is almost guaranteed to make him blush. He was never and never will be one of those people who celebrate a win with the belief that they are the best driver on the track, rather he celebrates the fact that he made his Aunt and Uncle, Tex, his team, and Dinoco proud. Every win and every close finish renews his confidence and belief in himself, making himself remember that he deserves to be racing on the track (and it kinda relieves everyone else too because sometimes when in a bit of a slump he seriously doubts himself and just talks plain stupidity if you ask anyone else). In interviews, he always gives credit to other teams in the race, and as he does he is always smiling though tentatively. He still feels really bad and often will bake cookies for them if it really gets to him.
Cal especially feels guilty when he watches racers crash, causing them to end the race or injure the driver. Every crash in every race makes him instinctively want to rush over and see if the other person is alright, but he is coaxed on by his Uncle to keep racing by telling Cal that the first responders are already there. However, he will constantly ask if the other driver is alright and won’t stop until he gets an answer, and after the race, he will go and personally ask if they are alright; something Cal is known for doing with any driver who gets into any crash whether or not they are at fault.
