"You'll learn the definitions of nouns and prepositions; literacy's your mission, and that's why I think it's a GOOD TIME!! (To learn some grammar)"
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Sharing a crossover piece I've wanted to write for a million years and finally did because I am cringe and free <3
“Flypaper” - One-shot
Read on AO3
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The panel they’re speaking on starts in two minutes. Super Why hasn’t shown up. If you've never tried looking for a 3-inch-tall, non-invincible superhero in a busy convention center, WordGirl highly discommends it. It's gonna be one of THOSE days...
Also, teen friends sharing a vacation rental get to have wholesome fun at the beach. Life has its bumps and jealousies, but it's beautiful and kind today :)
[Unless you're Roméo Mécano and Tobey almost flings you into the sun, but this ain't about him /jk]
(First 1,000 words under the cut)
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Flypaper
N. - Sticky, poison-treated strips of paper used to catch and kill unwanted pests
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Huh. So… Even at a superhero convention, she just can't catch a break?
Of course she can't. Two minutes before the "Learning Is Fun!" panel is supposed to start, Kid Math yanks WordGirl from the restroom doorway. He really jerks her too, almost throwing her spine against the water fountains with all the super strength in his 16-year-old body. Her elbow slams the fake white bricks. "Hey!" she yelps. Huggy squeaks from his position on the younger hero's arm and smacks the back of his head. Gently. Sort of.
Kid Math doesn't hesitate. He grabs her shoulders and shakes her back and forth hard enough to rattle her eyes around in her sockets. "Hey," he blurts, STILL shaking her. The word explodes in a bright yellow burst in her head (courtesy of eternal synesthesia). "Have you seen Super Why? He's been AWOL all day. Huggy and I even flew around to check all the flypaper strips, but there's no sign of him. He's going to be late!"
Late is one of Kid Math's favorite words. It's spiky and violet in her brain like a train caboose at the end of the rainbow. If WordGirl could play a reel of all the times her friend has called her phone, kicked in a door, interrupted date night, or slammed his hands down on a counter to ramble on about how if they don't leave in "exactly 4.218 minutes" then there will be heck to answer for, she'd love to. Well… "Love" is a strong word. And actually, watching a montage of his fretting sounds decidedly awful. That's not the point.
"What?"
"No one can find Super Why," Kid Math repeats, fussing with the collar of her cape. His gloved hands are rough, unintentionally aggressive. He's six inches taller than her these days (and his curls add another six inches on top of that). His icy breath smells like chalky candy necklace powder. WordGirl slaps his fingers away. Kid Math floats back, looking queasy. His brows form a carat on his forehead. "Do you think he's hurt?"
"I think I need a few seconds of personal space," she mutters. It's almost too bad that she put her gloves back on after washing her hands. She'd like to flick a bit of water at him. It might give him goosebumps. He deserves it.
Kid Math backs even farther away. Huggy tacks on another statement, gesturing across the convention center with a wave of his arm. Apparently, they've both been looking for Super Why for the last 15 minutes. In addition to the flypaper strips, they've also checked the bug zapper by the main entrance and did a search on ground level for mouse traps. No sign of the tiny superhero hanging out around those hot party spots either. Which is for the best, obviously, but… What's she going to do about this?
Focus. Super Why is missing…
WordGirl presses one hand to her temple, still centering herself after that dizzy shaking spell. It's a bad day for headaches. The lights and noises of the convention center have been pretty brutal on her super-hearing so far. Both she and Kid Math have been checking in with each other every hour, making sure they're drinking water and taking regular quiet breaks outside. She had lunch with TJ at a pizza place down the street. WordGirl tries to pull up the memory of the big glass windows, brick interior, and the scent of tomato sauce and garlic powder in the air. The alfredo pizza with the spinach mixed into the sauce? It's amazing.
Okay. So… No one's sure where Super Why went? Not that unusual; the convention center's pretty crowded and he's easy to overlook. There are a thousand reasons why he could be running behind, from waiting in line for somebody's autograph to struggling to push the button on a water fountain. Being his size can't be easy. He also doesn't have super speed. Maybe it takes him a while to get from one place to another.
"He's late," Kid Math says, drawing close again. Another violet blossom blooms in her mind's eye, back to back with the green circle that represents he in her brain. He's late, he's late, he's late…
Right. Also, Super Why could totally be at risk of getting crushed under someone's foot, but WordGirl doesn't point that out. She, um, doesn't really know Super Why that well and he'd probably get offended if either of them imply he can't take care of himself even at age 18, but… it is pretty weird that nobody's seen him. A flicker of anxiety shoots up her throat. How well has their non-invincible, 3-inch-tall (friend? associate?) been doing two days into the superhero convention without a proper bodyguard?
But she doesn't bring that up. "Calm down, calm down," she says instead. She pries Kid Math's gloved fingers from her arms, firmly pushing his shaking hands down by his sides. He's got hot sweat droplets dripping down his forehead. Kid Math always smells like mangoes and apricots now. Apparently, that scent's natural for Hexagonian sweat after puberty. She's more jealous than she'll ever let on. It's one of the most unfair aspects of his home planet over hers, second only to the fact that Rex grew up next door to a real, actual unicorn ranch. Garbage. Absolute atrocity.
WordGirl lets go of his wrists, drawing in a calming breath. "Hey. Super Why knows not to get too close to the floor. He's probably just in the bathroom, like I was. Let's take a loop around."
Huggy nods, situating himself a bit more comfortably on Kid Math's back. "Okay," says Kid Math, but his shaky answer doesn't peel the frown from his face. That tentative word is sparking and blue. He twists his hands, wrinkling his gloves as though making tiny snowballs. "But I can't find him, and everyone's waiting for us onstage. We're going to be late."
There are worse fates than being late. For example, despite Huggy's search check, Super Why could be inches from touching another bug zapper. He gets way too much enjoyment out of coasting along their edges, playing with cruel fate and bright blue sparks. No joke, but yesterday her heart dropped like a guillotine every time she heard him whoop and spiral. He'll definitely get his hair fried one day if he keeps that up, and he's cheeky enough that it probably won't stop him.
I like seeing Ms. Question and Brent as a couple because Ms. Question is already an incredibly efficient villain and Brent’s obsession with creating schedules would just make her F A S T E R
Tonight I plan to finish my Brent and Ms. Question sketchdump and finalize my fankid’s design.
Also do these two have a ship name, because as punny as the one I have in mind is, once I say it I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to look myself in the eyes again.
