𝑺𝑰𝑳𝑲𝑬𝑫

LANDON KIRBY Legacies, S2E7

...             aleki was probably a little lucky that he didn't have visions of doom and tragedies lurking on the edge of his mind. it took him a few months, but his optimism was finally slowly returning. and despite all the bloodshed, and despite all the madness, he had found a way forward through everything. one day at a time, he thought. and although he found it difficult to admit his troubles to his own friends, not wanting them to worry about him, he still couldn't help but worry about them. especially, waaiz ──────     scouring the threads of fate for answers, risking his own sanity to figure things out. if he could take half the burden, he would. but unfortunately, all he could do was create lava and swing his weapons. all he really had to offer was his company. ❝ that— that feels kind of good. ❞ a boyish chuckle, found it quite amusing how waaiz touched him as if he was trying to commit his shape to memory. or maybe, waaiz was using his head as a crystal ball. who knew ? definitely not him since he wasn't psychic. ❝ and hey, you've there for me first. don't think i've forgotten how you cheered me on through every game back at the dragon festival ... never really told anyone that i was struggling at the time, and you being my cheerleader kind of helped a lot. ❞ aleki's shoulders lifted slightly in a shrug : if anyone was extending the favor, it was definitely him. but aleki didn't want to get too sentimental, looking at waaiz with a somewhat dopey smile. ❝         ... hot ? ❞ he let out a small laugh before staring at himself in the mirror once more ; he didn't look bad, he knew that much, but he probably needed some more time to really take in this new look. ❝ i think i look a little weird ... but thanks ! i mean, i trust you. it takes one to know one, y'know ?        ❞ he said, throwing the compliment back with a little bit of subtlety. and aleki wasn't exactly known for subtlety, but it was definitely better than embarrassing himself by outright telling waaiz that he found him so attractive that he'd let him tie him up with his silk. he'd always been curious where those come out of anyway. ❝         so ... got any plans tonight ? you can kick my ass to the curb now if you want ...       ❞

❝  in  that  case  my  only  plans  are  hopefully  hanging  out  with  you.  when's  the  last  time  you  had  a  movie  night  or  just  walked  with  someone?  a  dinner  even?  ❞  no  strings  attached,  just  hanging  out.

" and what did you bring? " he opened the box of donuts, a few already gone, but plenty of them still there. " no, of course, i'm glad you came. it was time we got to properly chat. "

“  one  of  seth's  favorite  drinks.  perks  of  working  at  fate's  oasis.  ”  he  handed  riah  a  cup  just  in  case,  ready  to  serve  him  with  the  pitcher.  “  you're  right.  feels  like  i  barely  know  you  even  though  we've  been  here  months  together.  ”   

...             aleki doubted that he was the only one in this world to ever feel this way. but maybe it was still a little dramatic to consider a haircut to be such a watershed moment. it shouldn't really be a huge deal at all      ──────     yet something about it felt unusually profound. for a few minutes after waaiz gave him the buzzcut, aleki could only stare at the red locks on the floor. it was probably what made him easily remembered : a pasifika demigod with strange red hair. aleki wasn't really sure how to feel at first. then, a gust of air escaped his mouth, a gasp so loud as he felt that peculiar feeling of weight being lifted off his shoulders. he wouldn't say he was a changed person. but there was still a sense of renewal. i died. i died. i died. but for what might be the first time since then, aleki felt alive again. maybe, he could finally move past what happened to him. maybe, just like a snake that shed its skin to leave behind the damage of the past and grow, he could begin again. ❝         thanks,         ❞         aleki said as he absentmindedly ran his hand over his freshly buzzed head, chuckling awkwardly at the new and strange sensation of the short bristles under his fingers. he grinned, glancing at his reflection in the mirror : it didn't look bad at all but it was definitely going to take some adjusting. nonetheless, aleki just had to ask waaiz for his own peace of mind.         ❝         i don't have a weird head shape ... do i ?         ❞ @abusabat

a  small  nod  and  smile  that  plastered  across  his  lips  while  he  looked  over  at  the  other.  “  you're  welcome.  you're  always  there  for  me  so  i  wanted  to  extend  the  favor.  really,  anything  you  need  feel  free  to  stop  on  by.  ”  at  the  next  question,  waaiz  simply  followed  his  own  impulse.  he  moved  his  hands  up  and  ran  them  over  the  back  of  aleki's  head.  then  he  moved  them  to  the  sides  and  to  the  top.  trying  to  get  a  sense  how  someone  like  levin  would.  “  i'd  say  it's  defined,  but  not  weird.  you  look  kind  of  hot  with  your  hair  shaved  off  actually.  ”  not  that  he  was  unattractive  before.

❝  as  grateful  as  I  am  for  that,  that  was  kind  of  the  least  of  my  worries  in  retrospect.  just  glad  you  &  seth  are  back  to  normal,  though  I  do  think  the  visions  might  have  put  seth  off  his  usual  freelancer  charm,  I'm  sure  he'll  get  it  back  on  his  next  visit  to  their  mysterious  anito  twink.  ❞  mai  chuckles  as  they  clean  some  leftover  glasses,  grateful  to  once  again  be  in  the  bar  where  they  belonged.  popping  one  of  those  delicious  sushi  rolls  into  their  mouth,  mai  sets  the  glass  down.  ❝  surprisingly,  no.  normally  I'd  go  to  a  club  or  to  the  roller  rink  but  this  week's  been  quite  a  bit.  from  the  markupo  to  the  amalfi  trip  down  to  the  seer's  curse,  I  think  I'll  call  a  rain  check  this  go  round.  how  about  you,  peter  parker  ?  doing  anything  now  that  your  head's  alright  ?  ❞

“  don't  worry,  i  don't  think  anything  can  put  that  man  out  of  service  for  too  long.  he'll  be  getting  blown  right  behind  the  bar  while  we're  both  working  in  no  time.  maybe  the  anito  twink  is  just  what  the  doctor  ordered.  ”  he  laughed  right  alongside  mai.  he  wasn't  offending  seth.  he  was  actually  happy  that  the  man  seemed  to  have  found  something  that  worked  for  him.  a  way  to  find  some  normalcy  in  the  midst  of  all  of  this  crazy.  “  i  think  seth  has  a  mission  for  some  of  us  so  i  want  to  make  sure  i  help  out  that  way.  aside  from  that  just  doing  a  couple  of  research.  into  persephone,  what's  impacting  levin,  and  dragons.  y'know,  the  usual  in  the  day  in  a  life  of  a  half  god.  ”

after sending the photo he walked over to the amphitheater and he settled himself, grabbing one of the chocolate donut and reading his book, and waiting for anyone if they decided to arrive.

“  hi  riah,  brought  something  for  you  to  wash  those  donuts  down.  ”  always  prepared,  waaiz  also  brought  some  glasses  with  him.  he  placed  everything  down  next  to  the  other  and  took  his  seat.  “  hope  i'm  not  interrupting.  ”

there was definitely something in the air — seth's sudden disappearance, ratatoskr's harrowing affliction, and levin looking more and more exhausted every day — but aleki was probably the last person who could figure it all out. though, that didn't make him any less worried. he set out for the shopping strip, planning to visit seth and levin ────── but attention was piqued by waaiz instead, worries somewhat eased just by the other man's presence. although they might not know each other very well, waaiz was such a supportive companion during the acoma festival, enough to leave a wonderful impression on aleki. " seth still not around ? " aleki asked as he took a cup of lemonade and a cup of sweet tea, drinking from each until both was only half-full. he then poured the lemonade into the sweet tea, mixing it together with a finger. " i'm starting to get worried about the mentors. especially levin . . . and i'm scared it's my fault. " was that an overshare ? maybe. but it was also harder for aleki to mask his feelings than just being straightforward. he drank his sweet tea lemonade, a refreshed sound slipping past his lips, though concern remained in his features. " at least you've found something to do with your time until the tiki bar reopens. but ... " a pause, almost as if he was talk himself off a stupid plan in his head. but alas, impulse won. " how would you feel about breaking into seth's quarters ? you know, out of concern. maybe we'll find clues there. "

“  i  know  that  you're  still  worried  about  levin,  but  i  don't  think  bringing  you  back  is  the  reason  he's  like  this.  seth  is  worried  about  him.  ”  not  that  seth  was  the  end  all  be  all.  “  since  you  helped  me  get  some  answers  for  seth,  how  about  i  return  the  favor?  i  can  get  some  answers  about  levin  if  i  reach  out  again.  ”

❝  are  we  though  ?  what  if  seth's  found  a  twink  that's  more  than  just  a  good  blowjob  and  wants  to  close  the  shop  forever  for  eternal  cock-sucking  ?  ❞  for  mai,  this  was  a  crisis  of  sorts.  ridiculous  notion  of  career-derailing  fellatio  aside,  mai  had  something  of  point:  what  if  things  were  forever  changed  ?  what  if  the  bar  never  opened  back  up  ?  what  if  seth  never  returned  ?  what  if  everything  had  stopped  forever  ?  ❝  something's  gotta  change  I  can't  go  back  to  stripping  dude  I  won't  !  ❞  crazily  enough,  swinging  on  the  poles  was  not  something  mai  had  interest  in  going  back  to,  too  close  to  some  very  unsorted  issues.  in  their  brief  crumble,  waaiz's  suggestion  of  finding  the  soothsaying  oracle  gave  them  some  hope,  snapping  them  out  of  their  spiral  as  they  take  another  cup  of  lemonade.  ❝  that's  not  a  bad  idea,  but  we  kind  of  don't  have  any  leads  as  to  where  he  went,  not  to  mention  he's  kind  of  our  only  dude  who  can  see  into  the  future.  how  do  we  find  a  guy  who's  always  a  step  ahead  ?  ❞ 

now  that  seth  is  back,  there's  still  a  lot  that's  weighing  on  waaiz's  mind.  mai  was  a  great  source  of  comfort  after  that  vision.  as  was  aleki.  the  two  of  them  were  probably  the  main  reason  that  he  still  had  a  semblance  of  sanity  left.  “  i  guess  this  is  what  a  little  hope  does.  you  don't  have  to  go  back  to  stripping  anymore.  ”  he  greeted  them  after  leaving  the  kitchen  and  going  over  to  the  bar.  he  finished  making  quite  a  few  of  the  seer's  sushi  rolls.  ironic  since  being  a  seer  was  part  of  the  reason  why  he  got  into  that  mess  a  week  ago.  “  you  notice  anything  different  with  the  big  boss?  i  don't  want  to  risk  looking  into  the  future  again  for  him,  but  i  don't  know.  he  seems  more…  ”  then  waaiz  realized  that  the  word  he  was  looking  for  was  normal.  at  least  in  his  terms.  “  anyway,  any  plans  for  the  weekend?  ” 

Mihael Belilov

❝  I'm  feeling  suicidal.  ❞  mai  deadpans  as  they  take  the  glass  of  lemonade  from  their  now  former  coworker.  were  they  exaggerating  a  bit  much  ?  absolutely,  but  the  sentiment  was  kind  of  there.  ❝  The  first  job  I  actually  liked  working  for  since  that  one  sushi  bar  and  it's  literally  gone  in  less  than  2  weeks  !  &  on  top  of  that,  seth  kind  of  goes  missing  with  no  real  rhyme  or  reason  to  shutting  the  tiki  bar  down  !  it  makes  me  so  mad  I  could  just  tear  a  building  in  half  with  a  cyclone  !  ❞  mai's  voice  comically  exclaims  in  exasperation  which  causes  a  few  onlookers  to  look  with  concern  or  worry  as  they  walk  by.  sighing  in  no  point  of  getting  so  riled  up  with  nothing  to  aim  it  at,  mai  looks  to  waaiz,  curious  as  to  what  he's  now  doing.  ❝  so  like,  are  you  working  for  a  lemonade  shop  or  something  ?  I  thought  you  hated  being  out  on  the  front  lines  of  a  shop  …  ❞  sip,  sip,  sip.  at  least  it  was  good  lemonade  though.

even  though  they  had  only  worked  together  for  a  short  amount  of  time,  waaiz  wasn't  surprised  by  the  way  that  mai  was  reacting.  they  always  were  theatrical.  that  was  something  that  he  could  admire,  sometimes  from  far  away.  “we're  going  to  get  everything  back.  this  is  only  temporary.  the  job,  seth,  all  of  that  being  gone  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past  soon.”  for  some  reason,  he  seemed  determined  by  that.  even  though  he  had  no  logical  reasoning  or  proof  for  his  assurance,  he  was  still  going  to  continue  to  say  that.  “i  do,  but  people  are  going  to  grow  restless  if  seth  doesn't  come  back  soon.”  he  smiled  when  mai  seemed  to  at  least  enjoy  the  drink.  hopefully  that  was  enough  to  prevent  that  cyclone  from  coming  to  the  island.  they  didn't  need  to  add  vandalism  on  top  of  everything  else.  “i  have  an  idea  if  you're  open  to  getting  our  job  back  faster.  why  don't  we  look  for  seth  ourselves?”

LANDON KIRBY ↴ Legacies | Not All Those Who Wonder Are Lost ( 4x12 )

the  cackle  that  comes  from  mai's  lips  is  delightful  and  genuine  to  say  the  least,  though  it  might  have  been  a  little  less  abrupt  if  it  wasn't  for  the  mai  tais.  ❝  kissing  cute  spidermen  on  the  job  ?  oh  where  was  this  job  like  4  years  ago   ?  ❞  their  laugh  is  light,  until  they  feel  a  pair  of  unwanted  hands  on  their  sides:  the  folding  fan  in  their  hand  closes,  and  before  they  even  know  it,  a  loud  BONK  can  be  heard  as  the  bundle  of  metallic  spokes  crashes  against  the  handsy  patron's  skull,  flicking  back  open  to  swipe  them  away  with  a  humongous  gale  that  sends  them  spiraling  feet  away  and  to  the  wall.  everyone  else  stares,  but  mai  resumes  their  conversation  as  if  nothing  ever  happened.  on  one  hand,  it  showed  that  mai  wasn't  just  a  pretty  face  for  the  front,  but  waaiz  seemed  to  already  know  that.  ❝  well  as  long  as  you  don't  have  like,  toxic  cum  or  something  I  think  you're  just  fine:  read  he  took  out  MJ  like  that  in  a  run  or  something.  that's  just  terrible,  to  die  by  toxic  jizz.  ❞  amazing  they  could  remember  that  kind  of  stuff  but  if  asked  something  important  they'd  probably  draw  a  blank.  taking  one  more  sip  of  their  drink,  mai  pulls  out  the  needed  drachmae.  ❝  I  should  head  out,  spider-babe,  since  I'm  torpedo-ing  the  drunks.  usually  means  my  limit  is  on  the  rise  and  I  might  start  sprouting  my  horns.  ❞  what  that  meant,  mai  didn't  go  into  detail  right  now.  a  little  extra  for  waaiz:  they  knew  what  it  was  like  to  survive  on  tips.  ❝  thanks  for  the  drink:  you  make  a  killer  mai  tai.  hope  we  can  talk  a  bit  more  frequently,  yeah  ~  ?  ❞  the  wind  summoner  stuffs  their  closed  fan  right  in  their  cleavage,  grinning  and  winking  to  the  son  of  neith  as  they  begin  to  walk  out.

being  called  cute  was  still  something  that  he  was  getting  used  to.  waaiz  spent  most  of  his  time  behind  a  screen,  book,  or  in  the  middle  of  nowhere.  social  interactions  were  minimal.  mai  was  laying  it  on  thick  and  he  had  to  compose  himself  every  now  and  then.  ❝  the  important  thing  is  that  you're  getting  the  job  now.  right?  ❞  anything  to  sell  the  gig.  even  though  he  didn't  think  that  he  had  to  do  anymore  selling,  but  a  little  more  wasn't  going  to  hurt  anyone.  seeing  mai  forcefully  push  someone  with  a  large  gush  of  wind  wasn't  too  shocking.  he  already  knew  what  they  were  capable  of.  when  people  got  handsy,  they  should  suffer  the  consequences.  he  would've  webbed  their  hands  together  if  the  other  didn't  try  anything.  ❝  i  don't  think  my  semen  is  toxic  on  any  level,  but  i'll  keep  you  posted  if  something  every  does  happen.  ❞  not  that  he's  rampantly  having  sex  all  of  the  time  to  know  that.  maybe  he'll  just  study  his  own  cum.  hopefully  that'll  give  him  the  answers  that  he  needs.  waaiz  took  mai's  glass  and  put  it  in  a  bin  behind  the  bar.  then  he  grabbed  the  money  and  placed  the  correct  amount  in  the  cash  flow  before  shoving  the  rest  in  his  own  pocket.  ❝  you  should  put  that  on  your  resume.  you  can  stop  a  creep  right  in  his  tracks  before  he  does  something  that  he's  going  to  regret.  ❞  the  horns  comment  did  have  him  curious,  but  there  was  going  to  be  time  to  figure  that  out.  hopefully.  ❝  well  you're  going  to  work  here,  so  you'll  see  more  of  me.  you  might  even  get  sick  of  me.  ❞  THE  END  !