fandomhigh | Summer Shenanigans, Wednesday, June 26, 202

Summer Shenanigans, Wednesday, June 26, 202

There was an ice skating rink set up in the center of the park, which would be nice of a day like today if center ice hadn't been ominously filled with plastic ball pit balls. There were four laundry baskets spread out equally around the circle of balls, four scooters--red, yellow, blue, and green--next to the baskets, and most disturbingly of all...four hippo costumes.

Anakin, what have you wrought?

"We're playing Hungry Hungry Hippos," Anakin announced through the unnecessary megaphone. "And by we I mean you. Listen for your names!"

TEAM RED
Lydia
Steph
Belle
Arden

TEAM BLUE
Rosa
Vi
Stewart
Beta

TEAM GREEN
Cara
Beaker
Amaya
Kamala

TEAM YELLOW
Dean
Steve M
Don
Eleanor

"You only need to wear the costume while you're retrieving the balls!" Anakin announced like that made it better. He pointed to the boring red, blue, green, and yellow t-shirts next to him. "Just wear the t-shirts for everything else."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Vi should really just stop coming to the park at all during summer. Especially when her shoulder had had a chance to seize up overnight make its complaints known about just how hard she'd pushed it yesterday.

Edited 2024-06-26 15:17 (UTC)

"Oh no, I hope this doesn't awaken anything in me," Steph said, grinning like the brat she was.

Vi rolled her shoulder to loosen it. "No," she said flatly, then more affectionately. "Brat."

"Damn right." Steph was not sorry at all, but she did reach over to massage Vi's shoulder. "That bad today?"

Vi let out a soft groan, and leaned into Steph. "Overdid it yesterday," she said. "Shouldn't have let it tighten up after."

"You should have said something," Steph protested as she put a little more effort into the massage. "We could've gotten it taken care of sooner."

"I know," Vi sounded vaguely guilty about that. "I guess I'm just still not used to it mattering."

"Dumbass," Steph said in the gentlest and fondest tone possible. "Of fucking course it matters. I am not a fan of you being in pain."

"I'm not a fan of it either," Vi said wryly.

"And if we can do something about it, there's no point in you suffering." Steph squeezed her shoulder. "Not on my watch."

Vi's guilt complex would argue there was totally a point to her suffering, so good thing Steph had the deciding vote there.

Vi covered Steph's hand and squeezed back. "Yes, boss."

Steph half-playfully grimaced at the epithet, but smiled back at her.

"We'll stop and grab some Icy Hot or something for that shoulder after this, and then you're taking it easy the rest of the day."

Sure, it might be slightly more sensible to tell her to just go home and rest instead of partaking of this madness, but it was still progress.

Look, leaving early was just inviting something even more ridiculous next time.

"That sounds nice." So long as they both remembered to wash their hands before the inevitable fooling around.

And Steph knew better than to tempt fate where Anakin's inexplicable whims were concerned.

"I am very nice, as a matter of fact."

Was Vi's narrative trying to imply that Steph would have so little self-restraint as to let things get out of hand when she was trying to let Vi's shoulder have a chance to heal? Gasp.

Vi's narrative had met both of them.

"So nice you deserve nice things in return."

Case in point.

"I mean, I'm not gonna argue," Steph said, waggling her eyebrows before she gently shoved one fingertip against Vi's chest. "But I can also wait on that for a day or two."

Was that growth? Gasp.

Growth? Or the pride before a fall? Only time would tell.

Vi gently caught her hand, rubbing her thumb over Steph's knuckles. "You're assuming that I want to wait on that a day or two."

Why couldn't it be a little bit of both?

"I assume the exact opposite, actually," Steph retorted, attempting to poke at Vi's chest again despite her hand being suddenly caught. "That goes for both of us, by the way. Knowing you're in pain, like actual pain, is not sexy though."

"It doesn't hurt that much." Never mind Vi would probably say that unless she was lying curled up on the floor, and possibly not even then.

"I call bullshit," Steph said, lightly but pointedly. "If it didn't hurt that much I wouldn't have been able to tell."

Which was only because she knew Vi well enough. So there.

It was deeply unfair of Steph to use the fact she loved and cared about Vi like that.

"I have two hands?" Vi tried instead.

Yes, how dare she let that dictate her actions!

"You are taking. It. Easy tonight," Steph said again with a low and slightly pained chuckle. "Promise I'll make up for it with interest later. Just let me take care of you, okay?"

It was downright rude of her.

"Fine," Vi said with a very dramatic sigh as she tried to pull Steph into a hug.

Oh no, a hug!

Steph folded into the hug with an eagerness that was at least half an attempt to keep Vi from actually having to make an effort to pull her in.

"There could even be ice cream and cheesy movies."

They were not watching Vi's favorite movie, because that would be counterproductive.

The day Vi couldn't give Steph a hug, they were really in trouble.

"How could I say no to that offer?"

Maybe a little.

Summer Shenanigans, Wednesday, June 26, 202

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