#with milo thatch.

[warplanet]

with @studiodrafts, kida and milo. — someone could hear us.

"shh!" her shushing is paired with a huge, impish smile, one that smothers back the giggling trying to escape her lungs. as she pulls milo's long arm behind her, tugging him down the narrow path, kida listens for the sounds of her royal guards. they're up the walkway a bit, chatting casually, and completely miss the queen and her consort's disappearance from the palace steps. if kida is lucky, it'll be hours before they notice the two have vanished into the atlantean jungle alone. "i always run off," she whispers to milo, pulling him along. "they're used to it. besides." at a small fork in the path, kida spins around to face the linguist; they bump into each other unceremoniously, and kida places her finger over his lips. "there's nothing here that can hurt me. if there was, you'd protect me. wouldn't you, milo thatch."

another mischievous grin blooms across her face, and they're back to darting down the gravel stretch before them. they dip behind waterfalls, dart over streams, and climb a small rocky cliff before kida brings him to their destination. before them sits a large pond, and at first it appears shallow and murky. upon further inspection, it's clearly deep, deeper than either can see from the surface. underwater ruins, a long tunnel... "do you recognize where we are?" she asks, hands on her hips. "perhaps it will look familiar to you." then, to further jog his memory... "you swim pretty good... pretty girl..." her eyes are twinkling. "i remember."

[satellitewar-archived]

from @wovetales: you make it hard to focus. / milo for buzzy!

"is it my humming? i'll stop." buzzy zips his lip with two fingers, then tosses an invisible key over his shoulder. at once, he starts rocking back and forth on his heels, hands behind his back, not humming. milo is taking a very long time to solve the puzzle — which is fine, of course, if it were a casual thing in a garden somewhere or on someone's back porch with their grandmother — but this is life or death. this is they've been trapped, and the only way to escape is through this locked door, through this strange puzzle on the wall. milo took point, and now buzzy, with a strained expression on his face, braces for the worst.

"okay, can you or can you not solve it?" at last, buzzy breaks free of his silence to poke his head over milo's shoulder. "it's a nonogram. can you solve a nonogram?" he very much adores his friend and trusts him with his life (as anyone would), but there does come a point where the near-death experience outweighs any shred of kindness. "can i help? i won't hum. i swear. just — can i try? do you mind? or do you see that as an offense taking over of your territory and, subsequently, your manhood?"

[warplanet]

with @studiodrafts, arra and milo. — " hey arra, mind giving me a hand here? " milo is definitely not strong enough to handle these many boxes, but he wanted to impress his girlfriend and try to move everything in to make things easier on her. despite being a smart man, his inability to asses everyday life situations is lacking, and he struggles with the weight of it all within seconds of his lifting attempt. milo sheepishly smiles at arra as he places the stack of boxes onto the ground, glasses fogging up from the heat of all that exertion. " ah, guess i'm not meant to be a heavy lifter, " he says with a sigh. " sorry your boyfriend isn't the strongest guy around. i should rely on you and your muscles. "

arra can't help but laugh and shake her head — not out of shame, but pure amusement. fondness. care. milo's passion and effort is limitless, his enthusiasm, overwhelming at times. she loves it. she loves watching how hard he fights to impress her. "i can handle this by myself," she teases gently, stepping up beside him and kissing his cheek. "big move in day. you're the one letting me move in with you; i should be doing all the work while you lounge about." her eyes scan the nearby row of bookcases, admiring his expansive collection of textbooks. not a single fiction novel to be found, just rows and rows of knowledge. "can't believe the day is finally here." arra scoops the stack of boxes up into her arms and finishes the walk to the office. "you know, when you said your grandfather left you a house, i didn't realize it would be this big. no wonder you asked me to move in. there's so much space!" so much space, in fact, that arra gets her own office next to milo's. she sets her boxes down on her empty desk and spins around, hands on her hips. "how many more were there? if i hand you small ones, will you grab a few? i'll tackle the bigger boxes." if only just to make milo smile and blush, arra flexes her right arm. "your strong girlfriend can handle it, no problem. we'll be done in no time."

[warplanetarchived]

from @wovetales / to kida — milo gently cradles kida's cheeks and moves to kiss her forehead in a gentle display of affection. "hey you," he mumbles sweetly. "you got time for your chatty husband this morning?"

mornings with milo come with whispers and faint kisses. they come with tangled limbs and (sometimes) awkward questions, but kida wouldn't have it any other way. the queen has fallen in love with the adventurer who came to atlantis, and now she holds him in her arms, sighing, drifting in and out of sleep as he murmurs to her and kisses her forehead. around them, their royal bedroom is spacious and open, a gentle breeze blowing through the loose curtains surrounding their bed. everything is peaceful in atlantis, but this room offers the most tranquil atmosphere under the sea. "i enjoy it when you call yourself my husband," kida whispers, her voice raspy from sleep. "it is a lovely word, and it suits you, just as you suit me, and i suit you." nuzzling in closer to his form, kida tucks her nose beneath his jaw and remains hidden there, smiling. "i always have time for you, milo thatch. for the rest of our lives, however many thousands of years we get together, i will listen. you know i enjoy listening to you." kida's palm glides across his bare chest as another soft breeze makes the curtains around them shiver. "i love you, milo." when the queen lifts her head from her hiding spot, their lips brush, and her eyes glow with love. "tell me, beloved. what's on your mind today?"

[satellitewar-archived]

*milo kisses his wife on the cheek*

and just as she's done a million times before, arra smiles, sneaks her hand into milo's grip, and tugs him back before he can wander away. "you missed," she tells him matter-of-factly, gently pulling on his fingers. "you completely missed my lips with that, milo. care to try again? i'll stay still this time." her giggle is as buoyant as it is melodic. "i thought i taught you better than that, professor thatch..."

[satellitewar-archived]

from @wovetales: milo vc: arra do you wanna sit with me by the campfire? :3

it's the first time he's asked, and it means the world when he says it. the rest of the team appears very close-knit, very ingrained in their connections and past history together on the iceland expedition — leaving both arra and milo, the newcomers, to wrestle with feelings of exclusion. that's why the ask means so much. that's why her face lights up. "i'd love to." arra abandons her spot near the tents and follows milo over to the campfire, unsure why her stomach twists in knots as she scurries after him. she's here to protect this man at all costs during this very dangerous expedition — so why is she so nervous right now? why does his big bashful smile and wide eyes behind his glasses make her blush?

she takes a seat beside him, fully aware of the eyes that are on them when they sit down. the conversations stop and turn to awkward coughs and glances around... which means milo and arra just interrupted a chat between friends. how embarrassing. in an attempt to smooth things over, arra prompts a friendly comment from dr. sweet, and soon awakens a more comfortable space around the campfire full of multiple voices. everyone eases up. things go back to normal. when she looks back at milo beside her, noting his nervousness, she reaches out, squeezing his hand in a show of affection. "we'll fit in," she tells him quietly. "we do fit in. it's okay. just got to get them going on the right topic. thanks for..." she blushes again. "thanks for sitting with me, milo. you're a good friend."

[satellitewar-archived]

from @wovetales: milo to shawky: you kinda remind me of my grandpa. he had the same sort of enthusiasm as you do. it's kind of endearing, really. it really makes me feel good working with you.

considering the high praise and legendary stories shawky's heard about milo's grandfather, this may be the biggest compliment anyone has ever paid him. he's touched. he doesn't know how to process such a comment, nor does he really have an adequate answer ready to go as the feelings of warmth and gratitude surge through him. his heart floods with joy, and his eyes go a bit swimmy. milo means this compliment. he means what he says here, comparing shawky to his beloved grandfather, and shawky takes it as deeply as it comes. he clings to the remark. he buries it in his chest, locks it away with a golden key. it's precious.

swallowing against his emotions, shawky reaches for his friend and pulls him into a tight hug. for now, that's all he can do. that's all he can think about doing — hugging him, showing his elation with a supportive gesture. "i know how much your grandpa means to you," shawky murmurs, rubbing his friend's back as they hug, "so this... this means a lot to hear you say. thank you, milo. that's the highest praise you could give me." he pulls away, beams, and removes his glasses to wipe his eyes. "i wish i could have met him, milo. for him to have raised you into such a wonderful person, he must have been pretty amazing, himself." a happy stare lingers between them, until... "tell me more about him. what was he like?"

[satellitewar-archived]

continuing this, from @wovetales

thank god they're not using the bridge. one more step and buzzy was sure to go tumbling to his death. it seems milo, shawky-esque as he is, has enough sense about him to pick up on the life-or-death scenario ahead of time. what a relief. mopping his brow, buzzy scurries after the other explorer, ducking away from the others in order to converse quietly amongst themselves. "another way across? hmm." he gently snatches the map from milo's hands and peers at the old sketches, squinting until he finds their current location. "all right, there's the bridge." stating the obvious. "and... we need to get over there." another finger taps the next stage of their expedition, the ancient ruins, lost deep in the jungle across the way. "i wonder if this cavernous drop has an origin point. i mean, there's water beneath us." they're far from the edge now, but shawky still remembers glancing down and spotting the river, its water churning fast. "that water is moving for a reason, milo. maybe there's a waterfall farther down where we could cross. avoid the drop and the bridge, and cross before the waterfall. it might add some time to our journey, but it's better than toppling to our deaths." he hands the map back to milo, his brows raised high on his face expectantly. "so? should we go look? your call, milo. we're running out of time to go looking for it, but we don't have any other options as far as i'm concerned. we cannot risk crossing that bridge."