#brooooos

 Every high school had that cheerleading tradition where each football player was “assigned” a cheerleader. Most decorated their guys locker game days and once he’d seen a guy get a whole plate of homemade cookies. It seemed a bit outdated a tradition, but more in good spirit than anything else. Cheryl had assigned her team the night before and by practice the next day everyone knew who they had been paired up with.

Franz stared for a moment and then smiled at his brother. "I could never forget that." After all, Forde had looked after him since he was little, and he had painted that portrait of their mother. Franz had so few memories of her.

But it was okay because he had always had Forde. Like his father and brother, he wanted to be a great knight in the service of Renais. He wasn't very good now, but he knew that one day he would prove himself.

Specs knows he shouldn’t be surprised at Katherine’s help. She’s been there, even before he knew her as anything other than Miss Plumber, the sweet reporter who bought up his papes even though he sold for a competing office. Now she’s more than that. She’s the woman who’s promised to bring all their struggles to the forefront of the city’s mind.

She’s the woman currently kneeling beside him in a rickety fire escape while utter chaos goes on below them.

“‘M aight,” Specs slurs, touching his forehead and wincing, because he knows he has a knot, but has no clue how big it is. He was hit with a fist, thankfully, not a baton, but his legs are shaky, and he can’t hold himself up.