Pineapple: #21, #11, #2, Pistachio: #28, #20 #30, #24, Vanilla: #5, #12, #4, Carrot Cake: #29, #4 #1
Author: bassair
Challenge: Pistachio #28 : waiting, Vanilla #5: friendly competition, Carrot Cake #29: activate.
Toppings: Chopped Nuts
Extras: Pocky
Title: Step Back
Rating: PG-13
Pairings/Characters: Danni/Ben, Erica/Ben.
AU/Canon: AU. College ‘verse!
Beta: skullgirl013
Story: White Scar
Summary: Danni vs. Erica.
She’s been waiting for Ben to get home for fifteen minutes when she arrives.
“He’s not home,” she grinds out. The other woman eyes her.
“He invited me here.”
“Well, you’re obviously wrong,” she says, as the intruder activates the buzzer. “He invited me.”
“Ben? It’s me, Danni. Let me in.”
“He’s not in,” Erica repeats, standing up and approaching her. “Go home.”
“Step back, bitch,” Danni says. “Before this gets violent.”
Within seconds, it’s become violent and, when Ben and Chris arrive home, Chris says, “Ooh, cat fight!” while Ben launches himself into the fray to drag them apart.
Author: bassair
Challenge: Pistachio #24 : retreat, Pineapple #2: take two and call me in the morning, Carrot Cake #1: stop.
Toppings: Chopped Nuts
Extras: Pocky
Title: Beating a Hasty Retreat
Rating: PG-13
Pairings/Characters: Danni/Ben, Danni/Chris, Lisa (implied Lisa/F).
AU/Canon: AU. College ‘verse!
Beta: skullgirl013
Story: White Scar
Summary: Danni realises what she’s done.
Note: At this point, Danni is still in a relationship with Chris.
After waking up in Ben’s arms, Danni realises, after a moment in which her heart ceases beating, it’s a good idea to make a hasty retreat.
So, it’s with speed and determination she vacates the premises and legs it back to her dorm room. Lisa isn’t in her bed, so Danni collapses onto her own, pulls out her phone and calls her.
“Danni?”
“I think I gave my virginity to Ben.”
There’s a pause and a distinctly female and not-Lisa voice mumbles something.
“Take some aspirin. Call me tomorrow,” Lisa grumbles, hanging up.
Danni sighs and goes back to sleep.
Author: bassair
Challenge: Pistachio #20 : practice, Pineapple #21: Wait until I give the signal, Carrot Cake #4: pull.
Toppings: Chopped Nuts
Extras: Pocky
Title: Target Practice
Rating: PG-13
Pairings/Characters: Danni/Ben
AU/Canon: AU. College ‘verse!
Beta: skullgirl013
Story: White Scar
Summary: Ben teaches Danni how to shoot.
The weight of Ben behind her, pressed against her back, with his hands holding hers around the gun moves away. “Just don't fire until I say to,” he warns, as he reaches for ear defenders.
Danni grins and pulls the trigger, almost falling over from the recoil. The bullet goes through the arm of the target. “Hey! I got him!”
Ben glares at her. “What don't you get about ‘until I say so’?”
“What? I just need more practice,” she says, with a pout. “More... one-on-one practice. With you.”
Ben, ears still ringing, grins. “I think I can arrange that.”
Author: bassair
Challenge: Vanilla #4: I can’t believe you don’t know how to..., Pineapple #11: Give me one good reason.
Toppings: None.
Extras: Malt (a birthday prompt: picture).
Title: Skating Day
Rating: PG
Warning(s): Slight swearing.
Pairings/Characters: Mikey/Dustin, Farah, Samuel.
AU/Canon: Canon (because I’m definitely taking that sucker’s arm. XD)
Beta: skullgirl013
Story: Runners
Summary: Mikey takes his family ice skating.
Note: I have been ice skating once in my life. I wasn’t well that day and my foot had a huge gash I it. I got on the ice, fell on my arse and swore never to do it again. So although the falling-over part is accurate, I’m not sure the rest of the skating is. Opinions on this matter will be appreciated (albeit ignored). =P
It’s a well known fact that men never grow up. However, this isn’t true. They do, indeed, grow up. They grow up the day they get married, or fall into a long-term partnership, or have the fate of an entire kingdom resting on their shoulders.
The only problem is that they then de-age once they have children.
This applies itself to Michael Brown quite successfully.
“It’s frozen solid out there!” Mikey exclaims, excitedly, stood by the window and looking out over the frozen-over kingdom.
“Which is why you’re coming back to bed, where it’s warm,” Dustin says, from bed, hunkered beneath the covers.
“No, that’s why we’re going ice skating!” Mikey exclaims, excitedly.
Dustin’s head emerges from beneath the covers. “We’re doing what?”
Mikey blinks at him. “Skating?”
“What’s that?” Dustin sits up a bit.
“Ice skating... with the blades on the feet and the falling over a lot? You’ve gotta know what skating is...”
Dustin shakes his head. “No.”
“Don't... don’t you have ice skates?”
More head shaking.
Mikey rolls his eyes. “Go back to sleep,” he says, as he heads out of the room. “I’m going to visit the blacksmith.”
*
Two days later, Mikey walks into the castle and heads straight through to the large living room. He’s gotten used to it, now, but it used to strike him as surprising every time he stepped inside. The room they treat as a living room is bigger than his entire house back... he wants to think ‘back home’ but that isn’t home anymore.
Back where he came from. That’ll do.
He stands in the doorway smiling for a moment, watching Dustin chasing Samuel around the living room in circles, Farah sitting on the floor between them, laughing and clapping her hands, shouting, “Papa! Get him, Papa! Get him!”
Samuel falls to the ground and Dustin lands on him, tickling him even as he squeals and wriggles.
Mikey leans against the doorway and raises an eyebrow. “You shouldn’t encourage them, Farah,” he says.
Farah jumps up. “Daddy!” she squeals, running over to him and hugging his legs. He leans down and scoops her up into his arms. “Where were you, daddy?!”
Mikey grins at her and pokes her tiny nose with the end of his finger. She goes cross-eyed trying to see and he laughs and says, “I got you, papa and Samuel a present each!” He holds up four perfect pairs of ice skates. “Fancy giving them a whirl?”
Farah grins and nods at him. “Yeah!”
Mikey carries her, one-armed, across to Dustin, who takes the skates off him with a curious look. “What are these?”
“Ice skates,” Mikey says, with a grin.
“These are boots?” Dustin enquires.
Mikey nods at him. “Yup.”
“They look...” Dustin eyes them some more. “They look like they’re highly likely to have you lose a leg to match your arm, Michael.”
Mikey grins. “Nah. I’m good at skating.”
“Can we try them, Papa?!” Samuel exclaims from behind his father.
Dustin rolls his eyes. “Yes, but if you lose a limb, on your head be it.” He hands Samuel the right pair of skates and the boy grins, laughs and runs off through the castle.
Farah tucks her head in against her other father’s neck and lets him walk her out of the castle with Dustin by their side.
*
The ten minute walk to the lake is spent with Dustin and Mikey walking behind the children, Mikey’s pair of skates suspended from their clasped hands. Farah and Samuel shout to each other, running about ten feet ahead and randomly attacking each other for the fun of it.
Dustin squeezes Mikey’s hand. “Whether this ‘skating’ is a good idea or not,” he says, “the day out is appreciated.”
“You’ve been stuck inside doing kingly things way too much recently.” Mikey shakes his head at his husband. “You need to get out more.”
Dustin rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“You live your whole life in that castle, Dustin.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, either.”
Mikey grasps Dustin’s hand, tightly, and pulls, breaking off into a run towards their children. “Come on! Live a little!”
Dustin laughs as he gets dragged behind Mikey, catching up with the two kids up ahead and then overtaking them, running the rest of the way to the lake.
“I’m not sure about this,” Dustin says, as he helps Mikey lace up his boots a few minutes later, then turns to his kids.
The younger man rolls his eyes and stands up. He wobbles on his feet for a moment before regaining his balance and standing there, grinning like the goofy idiot Dustin adores.
When they’re all laced into their skates and just about balancing on two feet, Mikey turns to them all and says, “If you fall over, keep your fists... or fist, in my case, clenched.” He grins at the group. “Go wild!”
The kids run off, already learning as they go, but Dustin just topples forward into Mikey’s waiting arm.
“I can’t do this,” Dustin complains.
Mikey grins at him and, once he’s stood up straight again, holds his hand. “Come on, we’ll go out there together. You have more chance of not falling over than me, anyway.”
“Why?” Dustin says, with a glower.
“Because you have two arms to balance with, dumbass.” Mikey pulls him towards the ice and Dustin grimaces.
“Fine...”
The next few minutes are filled with squealing. Farah squealing the most, closely followed by Dustin as he almost crashes to the ice multiple times.
Mikey holds on tight to his hand as they go around, using his stubby upper arm to help balance. “Stay away from the centre of the ice,” he calls out to his children. “It might be thin.”
“I really do not like this,” Dustin whines, holding on to Mikey’s hand for dear life. “It is disconcerting to feel my legs pulling away from me.”
“Eh, imagine watching your arm fly across a battlefield without you,” Mikey says, with a shrug. “The leg thing is a doddle in comparison.”
Dustin gives him a death glare. “That,” he says, “is not at all humorous. I do not wish to hear about your loss of limbs.”
“Look,” Mikey says. He grabs him and turns him around, smiling into his face. “It was a long time ago. I was young and I’ve grown up. I’ve grown used to only having one arm and, honestly, I’m rather attached to Mr. Stumpy.”
Another glare. “Farah may appreciate you playing puppet shows with your stump, but I do not.”
“Hey look.” Mikey lets go of Dustin’s hand as they glide around the lake. “You’re skating.”
Dustin stares down at his feet as he drifts around the lake. “I’m ska-” His legs go from under him and he slams down backwards onto the ice, sliding towards his kids, who point and laugh at him. “I am never skating again,” he gripes as Mikey hauls him to his feet and they both go slamming back down onto the ice, Mikey landing on top of him and scrabbling futilely to get up.
From this vantage, Dustin finds himself warming up to the idea somewhat. “Or... maybe I will. Keep wriggling, Michael.”
Mikey returns his death glare from earlier and finally manages to get to his feet.
“Daddy! Skate with me!” Farah exclaims, grabbing her father by the cape and pulling him towards the centre of the ice. Mikey looks back at Dustin, who’s still lying on the ice, making no attempt to get up.
“That’s okay,” Dustin says. “You may leave your King here to die of cold.”
“Papa! Skate!” Samuel exclaims, poking his other father in the shoulder repeatedly until Dustin catches his finger and drags the boy down on top of him. Mikey laughs from where he’s making circles in the ice with Farah.
“Papa doesn’t skate,” Dustin says. “He lies here and wonders when his masculinity deserted him.”
“You’re so boring at times,” Mikey says, skating over to him, the blade of his skate coming awfully close to his throat. “Skate with us!”
Dustin glares at him then closes his eyes and pretends to be dead, so he sighs and somehow manages to drop to his knees with one hand and skates on his feet. He bends down and whispers in Dustin’s ear, “If you make an effort, we get to do that thing you like...”
Dustin opens one eye. “You swear?”
“On my life,” Mikey replies.
“It will be your life if I try skating again,” Dustin mutters, but he lets Mikey and Farah help him up anyway.
*
After another hour and a half of Dustin attempting to skate and Mikey literally running rings around him, Dustin gives it up and retreats back to the side of the lake, sitting on an old log and shivering quietly to himself. Mikey stays on the ice for a few minutes longer, shouting things like, “Don't lean back!” and “You’re toppling!” at his children, before finally admitting they’re better than him and going to join his husband.
“I admit,” Dustin says, as Mikey sits beside him and tries to toe off his skates, the king’s already abandoned by the side of the log, “this morning has been fun.”
Mikey smiles at him. “Told you,” he says, as Dustin drops to his knees. His eyes widen. “Here?!” he squeaks.
Dustin rolls his eyes. “No,” he says. “I was just going to help you with these.” He reaches down and helps pull his skates off. Mikey gives him a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Thanks,” he says.
“You’re welcome.” Dustin places Mikey’s skates beside his and rubs his arms.
“Are you cold?” Mikey enquires.
“Yes,” Dustin replies. “I fear you have frozen me.”
Mikey smiles. Sometimes Dustin talks so normally and other times... But, what is normal to Mikey anymore? He’s lived in this world as long as he has the one he was born in, so what constitutes as normal to him anymore? Back where he came from, people called each other ‘mate’ and swore regularly. They dropped letters and slurred words because it was ‘cool’ but here everyone talks using the full words, their slang is different, more logical and smooth.
“Where did you go?” Dustin enquires when Mikey blinks himself out of his reverie and refocuses on the face of the man he loves.
“Nowhere I ever want to return to,” he replies, before kissing him.
*
One year later.
“Hey! Everywhere’s iced over!” Mikey exclaims, from the window. “We can go skating!”
Dustin pokes his head out from the incredibly thick quilt he’s snuggled beneath. It’s already cooling down from the lack of Mikey’s body heat and all he wants is for his husband to return to bed and for the two of them to not get out of it for a week. But he has a horrible feeling that’s not going to happen.
“Give me one good reason to get out of this bed,” Dustin says. “One reason why I’d even consider going skating once more.”
Mikey turns away from the window and, wrapped in a blanket and silhouetted against the rising winter sun, says, “Because you love me.”
Dustin retreats back under the quilt and whimpers. He can’t argue with logic.
Author: bassair
Challenge: Vanilla #12 : a storm, Pineapple #30: ‘til death do us part.
Toppings: Caramel
Extras: None.
Title: Wedding Day
Rating: PG-13
Pairings/Characters: Danni/Ben, Alec/Devon, Alice, Chris, Erica. (Lisa, Jesse)
AU/Canon: Canon :)
Beta: skullgirl013
Story: White Scar
Summary: Two years after the end of White Scar, Ben and Danni finally find the time to tie the knot. In a world where marriage isn’t that common anymore.
She didn’t want a veil. She had no plans to have a silly white thing dangling down over her face. She just wanted to walk up to Alec, stand in front of Ben and declare undying love for the rest of her life. Something final in a world where everything changes around her so easily.
But Alice insisted. She’d worked all night turning an old white sheet into a basic veil, so now it hangs down the back of her head because, honestly, if Ben doesn’t want to look at her on their wedding day, that’s his problem, not hers.
“You look gorgeous,” Alec says, eyes scanning over her outfit; jeans, a silver belt, basic combat boots, a blue tank top and a veil.
“I look like a circus act with this thing on my head,” Danni says. She moves to take it off but Alec grabs it and makes a screwing-in-place motion.
“It stays,” he warns. “Or I won’t marry you.”
She pouts at him. “And there I thought you were in love with Devon.”
“Elope with me, my darling,” he replies.
She rolls her eyes and blows a runaway strand of hair away from tickling her nose. “I’ll tell him you said that.”
“Ben or Devon?”
“Which’d be worse?”
“Devon, currently, who seems to want to pull my circuits out.”
“Aw. It’s just a lover’s spat. You’ll get over it.” She reaches up and ruffles his hair. “You’ll both be over it soon.”
“Come on!” Alice exclaims, bouncing in through the door at the back of the van they’re stood in. “We gotta get going!”
“Alright, alright.” Danni pulls a face. “I’ll get the van started.” She hops out the back and Alice turns to Alec.
“Have you thought any more on what I said?”
Alec scowls at her. “He’s thirty-eight,” he snaps.
“And you’re going to live forever. It’s time to start making plans!” Alice retorts.
“Look.” Alec grabs her by the arm and pushes her into the corner of the van, slamming the door closed for privacy. He holds her against the wall by the arm and speaks an inch away from her face. “I’m hoping Devon will live until a ripe old age. That gives me at least another fifty years before I even have to start considering life without him. When that happens, feel free to talk to me again but until then-” He slams his free hand on the wall next to Alice to stop her escaping. “Don't try it on with me. Do you hear?”
“I hear you,” she snaps. “But you’ll have to face up to it one day. We’re both going to live forever while Devon and all our friends wither and die. It doesn’t hurt to make plans.”
“I won’t,” Alec says. “I won’t make plans for something so far away.” He moves away from her and kicks open the back of the van. “So stop asking.”
He jumps out onto the Scar; the previously barren land starting to grow once more. There’s grass beneath his feet. Just a little, but enough to scream life to the heavens and reclaim the Earth as its own.
*
Danni is actually surprised at how happy she is right now, stood before Ben with Alec officiating between them, their friends sat on the grass in various positions, watching the occasion. The wind kept catching her veil and her hair, so she’s taken a bulldog clip from the back of her pants and it’s hanging off her hair and veil like an insane hair pin that just makes Ben love her more.
The sun, once shining overhead, has hidden itself behind a cloud, one that’s grey and glowering down from overhead, threatening rain and more.
“Although the original wedding vows aren’t particularly appropriate in this day and age, Ben asked that I say they’re getting married under the eyes of God and Danni... Danni wants God to know she thinks he’s a perv.” Alec pauses. “Now that’s out of the way,” he says, as Ben looks despairingly at his bride and Chris and Alice snicker, “I’d like to say something.”
“I’ve never met anyone more perfect for Danni than Ben.” Alec gives them both a smile. “And I have never met two people better suited to spend the rest of their lives together. I want to say that-”
As Alec continues, Danni looks out over her friends sat on the grass. Chris and Erica, leaning together to watch the ceremony, Devon and Alice glaring at each other from other sides of the grassy area and the other friends from the X5, accumulated over the years. Her eyes land on the gaps. The gap Lisa would sit in, her hand clasped in Jesse’s beside her, nothing bad ever having happened, Jesse never having betrayed them. Raven, beside Lisa, trying to figure out the strange ritual she’s watching.
On the other side, there’s a gap where her father should be. Watching his little girl get married with tears in his eyes and one hand on his bike; the one he’ll ride away on to avoid the party afterwards.
For a second, they all seem to be there; ghosts fading before her eyes and, tearful, she turns back to Ben.
Alec is still talking.
“They’ve been through a lot together and -”
Thunder claps overhead and Danni looks up as a raindrop hits her eyelid and sparkles for a second against her eyelashes. She looks at Alec and says, “Hurry it along!”
Alec sighs and rolls his eyes. “Do you, Danielle Jordan, take this man, Benjamin Fisher to be your... less than lawfully wedded husband?”
Danni grins. “I do,” she says as more rain patters down around them. A few of the guests squeal and jump up to run for shelter, but the important ones stay, hiding under jackets.
“And do you, Benjamin Fisher take this woman, Danielle Jordan, to be your really not lawfully wedded wife?”
“God, yeah,” Ben says, grinning down at Danni.
“In that case, you may now-” Alec rolls his eyes as Danni grabs and kisses Ben with all her might. “Kiss the groom,” he finishes.
The rain is torrential now, hammering down around them and drenching everyone not under cover. Alec’s fringe drips down over his nose as he runs across the grass to dive under Devon’s coat, held above their heads. Danni and Ben don't even notice they’re being soaked, lost in each other.
“Do you wanna get food?” Alice says, as she walks past the two men.
“I’m good,” Alec replies. She shrugs and carries on walking. Devon scowls.
“Can we not fight please?” Alec says, annoyed.
“I get it, okay?” Devon snaps. “She’s gonna live forever and I’m not. If you wanna be with ‘er, that’s your choice t’ make.” He tries to turn away but Alec grabs him by the front of his shirt.
“My god you’re an idiot,” he snaps. “It’s your jacket I’m hiding under, not her umbrella, and it’s your life I wanna be part of. I wanna still be part of it when you’re old and wrinkled and bald and you can’t even climb stairs without my help anymore because, you stupid idiot, I am in love with you. Madly, passionately and forever. Do I have to marry you in front of a million people or cut out my heart and give it to you on a silver platter to prove this to you? Long after you’re gone I’m still going to be in love with you. I’m never going to leave your side. Not for Danni, not for that random guy I was flirting with yesterday and certainly not for Alice.”
Devon doesn’t even reply, he just bends down and kisses him.
“You’re never gonna break those two up,” Chris says to Alice as she approaches him.
“I’m realising that,” she replies.
“So, I guess you have fifty years or so to burn?”
She gives him a look. “Really. No.”
“Worth a try,” he replies, before walking off to find Erica.
*
“So, kids next?” Ben says. The rain is still plummeting down to earth around them, but they’re still ignoring it, stood beneath the massive oak tree, arms around each other.
“Hush, you,” Danni warns. “I’d like to avoid adding stretch marks to my list of scars for at least another five years.”
“That’ll make you forty-six!” Ben exclaims. “And I’ll be...” He shudders. “I’m not even thinking about how old I’ll be.”
“You’ll be ancient.” She taps him on the nose. “But I’ll still love you. Because you’re Ben.” She shrugs, pulling his arm around her shoulders as they walk across the grass towards the others. “Anyway,” she says, “you know as well as I do, people live longer these days. You’ll still be middle aged when you’re sixty-five.”
“You wish,” Ben replies. “That’s just your wishful thinking talking.”
She grins at him. “Convincing, isn’t it?”