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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jan 23, 2022 1:07:37 GMT -5
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ronan asked, and halfway through it turned into a genuine question, though whether anyone could tell was probably another story entirely.
He flipped a hand at Hinata, but he didn’t reply. Hinata had always seemed much looser about coming out in general than a lot of people were, and though Touka seemed (aggressively) supportive, he wasn’t about to start sharing his life story right here, in hell’s own parking lot.
He regretted not bringing Chainsaw along.
He was still trying to work out what Touka meant by American flag and whether or not it was an insult, so he added, mostly to Hinata, “No, TERFs think you’re trying to ruin sports. Or taking one for the team so all your friends can, or whatever.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jan 23, 2022 3:44:00 GMT -5
Hinata blinked, a grin crossing his face at the image of Ronan as ‘American Flag.’ On the surface, he did seem to be more ‘American Flag’ than he did anything else, but Ronan on the surface was different from Ronan Ronan. The real Ronan was kept tucked inside, hidden so deep it might take a lifetime to find him. Or at least… that was what Ronan probably thought. Hinata saw Ronan Ronan pretty clearly.
“No worries!” he told Touka, his grin never fading and the bounce in his step not even faltering. “Hey, it just means I pass better than I thought!” He glanced at Ronan for a second, sticking his tongue out at the taller boy for a moment before he crossed his arms.
“They’re just scared that I can beat them! Or I guess… you know, I don’t know what they think. Transmisogyny sucks and they have no idea how to deal with trans guys. TERFS are stupid.” He didn’t seem to mind that he was repeating himself. In his mind, it was a point that was worth repeating.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 21, 2022 21:31:17 GMT -5
Touka | Meetup time | @ hawk and stri |
Touka walked across campus at a brisk pace, heading for the parking lot where she'd been told to meet the group. A little twist of nervousness settled itself inside her stomach, and she ignored it, stubbornly keeping her gaze set straight ahead. It would be fine. Hinata would be there, and they'd all seemed pretty nice over chat, except maybe Ronan. And he didn't seem so bad, either.
She neared the parking lot and scanned it for a sign of anyone, hoping she'd gone to the right one.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 21, 2022 21:49:40 GMT -5
Ronan leaned against the driver’s side of his car, waiting for the others to arrive.
Since there were thirteen people he was supposed to be driving and about half as many seats, it probably would have made more sense to take two cars, but he was secretly pleased to have been singled out as the driver. So far, Touka was…
She was surprisingly alright. He had to respect the guts it took to hang out with a group as big and tight knit as theirs.
Sal approached the parking lot, still putting in one of his pigtails. Not that they weren’t probably going to come undone anyway while he was skating, but…
He liked fixing them up right before he met new people. Maybe he just liked having some control over the kind of first impression he made.
Juuzou swung his legs a little as he waited for the other to arrive, as much as he could while sitting on the roof of a car.
Not Ronan’s. He had a feeling Ronan wouldn’t have let him. But it was close enough for him to keep an eye on it, so he still wouldn’t be left behind.
Spook approached the parking lot, slowing a little as it came into view. He’d felt late, but it didn’t look like anyone was there, yet…he slowed to a stop, checking the time on his phone and lowering it again.
He didn’t really want to be the first person there. Especially if Touka got there next.
Maybe he’d wait a couple minutes, until more people showed up…
Varian hadn’t exactly meant to be late, but he was anyway. He scrambled for his goggles out of habit as he left, double checked that nothing else was burning, and shut the door behind him.
Kenma couldn’t quite see the parking lot yet, but he was close. He had to wonder how Ronan planned to fit them all in the car - and whether Nico would be okay with being squished in with that many people, one of which he didn’t even know - but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. He considered texting him to ask, but he hadn’t thought of it in time…
Maybe he’d subtly try to get him on the far side, near the door. That would probably be better than nothing.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Mar 21, 2022 22:04:49 GMT -5
Noah approached Ronan’s car as quickly as he could. He didn’t know how he felt about meeting someone new, but Touka seemed nice so far. He just… wanted to be able to claim shotgun, especially if there were going to be thirteen people crammed into Ronan’s car. Even if it meant that there were going to be at least three of them in shotgun. Maybe someone could fit in the trunk?
Nico hadn’t really thought about how crammed the car was going to age until he was on his way. He didn’t like the idea, but what other choice did he have? These were his friends, and he wanted to meet the girl Hinata was so excited about. He wanted to go roller skating with all of them. He stopped in the shadows just outside of the parking lot, trying to catch his breath. He needed to calm down and take a moment now before he had a breakdown in the car.
Hunter wasn’t entirely sure what the etiquette was when there was a new person involved, but he thought showing up fashionably late couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t like Ronan was just going to leave someone behind if they had all said they were going. Besides, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be the first person to meet Touka. She seemed interesting enough, but he knew he made a much better first impression when he wasn’t alone. Noticing Varian racing up ahead of him, Hunter picked up his speed to catch up to him.
“Hey,” Wylan said, coming up behind Spook. “Thought I might find you hovering around here.” He gave the other boy a warm smile before he lightly took his hand and began approaching Ronan’s car. “You sure you’re okay? I mean… I trust Hinata’s judgement obviously, but… I get it. New people are kind of… unnerving.”
Hinata was the second person there. His eyes widened as he noticed Touka, jumping up and down excitedly as he sprinted towards her (slightly faster than he normally would have. He wanted to show off at least a little.)
“You ready for this?” he asked, eyes wide and excited. “It’s going to be the best. Oh, also Ronan’s car is right over there,” he added, pointing towards the sleek BMW.
Zuko wasn’t necessarily taking his time, he just… wasn’t sure how he felt about new people. It wasn’t like he thought some sort of bullshit like Touka was going to ruin their friend group, it was just… he didn’t know how he felt about someone else. It wasn’t that she seemed bad, he had just gotten used to the dynamic they had. But she was one person, and if he didn’t like her, he could just hang out with someone else in the group. He’d be fine. It was going to be fine. He picked up his pace a little, determined not to be too late.
Newt had finished up his run early, but not early enough to shower before he made his way to the parking lot. He felt a little bad that he hadn’t had a chance, but it wasn’t like he would be the only one sweaty by the end of the night. He smiled a little as he noticed Juuzou perched on one of the car roofs. He raised a hand in greeting, slowing as he neared the car in case Juuzou wanted to talk before they reached the others.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 22, 2022 7:56:28 GMT -5
Touka relaxed slightly as Hinata raced towards her, glad he was already here. It would have been really awkward if she'd showed up before him and had to try to make small talk with the others. She could already tell he was a good buffer to stop any awkwardness before it started.
"Hi, Hinata," she said, giving him a smile as he neared her. "I am so ready to kick everyone's ass at roller skating, yes," she said, tilting her chin in mock superiority.
As they neared the car, she started to take in everyone else who was around - and it was a crowd. She had basically known there were going to be thirteen of them, but now that she was actually seeing everyone, she was surprised at how big the group was. A group like this was probably big enough to have cliques inside it, maybe people who didn't get along so well. She would have to figure all that out as she went.
For now, she simply took mental notes of everyone who showed up. Some of them she remembered by name, others were still strangers to her.
Ronan. He looked...a little bored, and not too concerned about any of this. Fit the vibe she had from him so far.
.....Sal, wasn't it? The person with the pigtails. She liked them so far. She was curious about his face, but she wouldn't ask.
The kid sitting on top of the car she didn't recognize. He looked excited. She watched him kick his legs, and briefly wondered in amusement if he was one of the ADHD kids.
She didn't recognize the person nearest Ronan by name. He was probably one of the ones with the avatar that wasn't a real picture.
Oh, that was Hunter coming up on the car now. She recognized him from his picture. He seemed friendly.
And then two others she didn't recognize yet - one boy with a scar on his face, and another who was waving to the kid on top of the car. She was determined to learn everyone's names and remember them - eventually she would figure out who was who.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 22, 2022 14:38:22 GMT -5
Ronan shifted as more people started to approach, including Touka and Noah.
Hinata had already run off to meet Touka. He really did seem to like her…
“Hey, Czerny,” he called instead, pushing himself off the car as the other boy came closer. “I saved you a seat.”
Kenma slowed as he came closer, taking in the people he could already see trickling in. It looked like a lot of them were approaching, now…he could see Hinata talking animatedly to Touka about something. As much as he didn’t like interacting with people himself, he knew Hinata thrived off this sort of thing.
He scanned the nearby shadows for a moment, then slipped forward again.
“Are you alright?” He asked quietly, stopping once he was close enough to Nico to be heard.
It took Varian a moment to realize there was someone behind him. He glanced back, shooting Hunter a grin as he moved. “Hi! This should be fun, right?”
Spook shifted a little at the voice behind him, turning to give Wylan a small, crooked smile as the other boy joined him. He gave his hand a quick squeeze as they moved, trying not to seem quite as nervous as he felt.
“She seems okay,” he replied quietly, eyeing the others as they approached. “And Hinata seems to like her a lot. Are you okay?”
Sal raised a hand as he came closer, waving to the people already in the parking lot. A lot of them seemed to be trickling in pretty slowly…he could understand the urge. Touka seemed nice enough, but most of them were a little bit more naturally cautious than Hinata tended to be.
He shifted a little, moving so he could fall in beside Zuko a moment later.
“You okay?” He asked, quiet enough not to carry. “I know new people aren’t really your thing.”
Juuzou grinned as Touka sent him a glance, giving her a wave as the others began to arrive. He guessed a lot of them were trying not to be the first once’s there, but if everyone did that, it was going to take them forever to arrive…
Movement caught his eye and he turned, giving Newt a wide smile as the other boy slowed next to his perch. “Hi! Did you get your run finished in time?”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Mar 22, 2022 17:55:31 GMT -5
Noah grinned as he approached Ronan and heard what the other boy had to say. He wasn’t sure he really believed it (at least literally. There were going to be seats, but that didn’t mean there would be one just for Noah). “I take it it’s not too early to call shotgun?” He glanced around, wondering if the rule of shotgun meant he had to say it loudly enough for everyone to hear it. Somehow… he figured nobody would begrudge him it. Especially if one or two other people had to cram into the shotgun seat with him.
Nico glanced over at Kenma as he heard him, eyes widening just a little as he recognized the concern in Kenma’s voice. It wasn’t that he had thought Kenma wouldn’t care, it was just… he still wasn’t used to people caring about him or his wellbeing.
“Oh. Yeah,” he murmured after a moment, forcing a smile. “I… yeah, I guess I kind of wish Ronan had agreed to let Noah drive too. But it’s not that far, and I’ll be fine.” He was silent for a few moments before his gaze lifted to meet Kenma’s. “Thanks for noticing me.”
“I guess so,” Hunter replied, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked alongside Varian. He was trying to pretend he didn’t care. Trying to pretend he wasn’t excited, because… well, because he still wasn’t used to having friends and he didn’t want to push them away by being too excited. Or something else stupid like that. He pushed the thought away, then looked up. “Seems like everyone else is already here.”
Wylan matched Spook’s smile with one of his own, giving their entwined hands a quick glance. He was comfortable like this, Spook’s hand cradled in his. He hoped Hinata had thought to make sure his new friend wasn’t homophobic… not that… a blush colored his cheeks and he desperately hoped Spook hadn’t caught on to his thoughts. “I’m okay,” he confirmed, quickening his pace just a little. “You know it’s okay to be nervous, even if she seems okay, right?”
Hinata’s excitement only seemed to grow as the others joined them. He bounced up and down once more as Touka watched everyone gather, giving some of them waves if they happened to glance in his direction. He had never really thought of their group as large before. He was one of the newer ones, but he had melded into the group with ease. He hoped it was the same for Touka, if that was what she wanted.
“I’ll race you when we get there,” he challenged, puffing up his chest a little.
“Ha,” Zuko replied, the tension in his voice unmistakable. “I mean… yeah, I’ll be fine. She seems… competitive, which I at least know how to act around.” He gave a nervous laugh, then steeled his shoulders as he approached the car. He was beginning to question the wisdom of cramming fourteen people in a car, but it was too late for that now.
“Do you think it’s one of those roller rinks that has like… slurpees and stuff?”
Newt stretched his arms over his head, then grinned up at Juuzou. “Sure did! It was a little shorter than I anticipated, but hey… I’ll make up for it with roller skating.” He stepped to the side, giving Juuzou enough room to jump down from the roof of the car if he so chose. “Have you been before?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 23, 2022 20:53:24 GMT -5
Touka joined the group, weaving in and out of it and giving Juuzou a wave and a quick second glance. He looked...weirdly familiar. Had she met him before somewhere? She couldn't think where, though...
Shaking off the feeling, she looked around at everyone else, feeling slightly overwhelmed at their numbers. "Uh.....hey guys," she said, giving an awkward wave to no one in particular. "Cool to meet you outside of a screen."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 25, 2022 4:39:12 GMT -5
“Never too early,” Ronan replied, well aware that he was probably going to get called out for favoritism. He eyed Touka for a long moment as she joined the others, then tossed a more relaxed look at Noah and tossed his keys into the air.
He felt a little better about her presence now that everyone else was here. And so far, she’d seemed…wary, but genuine.
He wondered whether she’d agree to ride in the trunk if they ran out of space.
Kenma watched Nico for a long moment, well aware of what the comment meant, coming from him. It was sort of odd, how many of them seemed to feel a bit…invisible, sometimes. How many of them probably wouldn’t have ever even spoken to each other, if certain others hadn’t initiated.
He felt a rush of affection for Hinata. Touka wasn’t the only one who’d been found and promptly adopted by his energetic best friend, after all.
“If you’re sure,” he replied, giving him a small nod. “I’m sure Ronan would let you have the front seat, if you wanted it.”
“You don’t think they were waiting for us?” Varian asked, speeding up a little as they approached. Hunter was right - he could see everyone else, either already there or approaching ahead of them. He probably shouldn’t have started an experiment with only a few hours before he had to leave…
“You must be Touka! Hi!” He called, raising a hand to wave at her as soon as he came into earshot. “I’m Varian!”
Holding Wylan’s hand, as though it were something casual, something people just did without having to explain themselves…it felt right. He didn’t want to let go, though he knew he’d have to once they got to the others. Maybe they could sit next to each other in the car…he pushed the thought away, feeling the warmth on his face at the idea. The last thing he needed was for Hinata’s new friend’s first impression of him to be him blushing at his own thoughts.
He was struck by the feeling of both desperately wanting someone to see them and very much hoping no one would notice their approach.
“I…am a little bit nervous.” He admitted quietly, Then, a little lower, “Less now that you’re here.”
Sal gave Zuko a quick, knowing look, but he didn’t press it. He didn’t know that he would have exactly called himself a people person, but compared to most of the others in their little group…well, he may as well have been. Talking to new people didn’t bother him as much as it did them. He actually kind of enjoyed it, as long as the new people weren’t being purposefully cruel to anyone.
Which meant it was probably his (and Hinata’s) job to break the ice a little. He had a feeling sparking some kind of competition might help with that, from what he’d seen of Touka so far.
“I think so,” he replied, pulled back to the conversation by Zuko’s words. “Most of the ones I’ve seen have something. Maybe we could all get slurpees or something, after we skate.”
Juuzou missed Touka’s double take as he hopped down, landing lightly on his toes and stretching his arms up as far as they would go. He grinned back at Newt as he lowered them, hooking his thumbs through his suspenders and starting towards the BMW.
“Not really,” he replied, shaking his head a little. “Not to a real rink, with a lot of other people. But I know how to skate.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Mar 29, 2022 0:43:01 GMT -5
Noah grinned again, knowing full well that the others were going to want the seat as much as he did. He would be willing to let them have it on the way back (and in truth he didn’t have a reason for wanting it on the way there), he just… wanted to hang out with Ronan. Besides, front seat had to navigate, and there were a great many people in their friend group he wouldn’t trust with that job. He glanced up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, a smile spreading across his face as he waved to Touka.
“That’s okay,” Nico replied, though he wasn’t entirely certain that it was. He’d be fine if he had to, but he didn’t really want to think about being pressed up against the others. It was a good thing he trusted them. And an even better thing that he was able to prepare for it before it ended up actually happening.
“I might have to take it on the way back, but as long as I’m not like… crammed too much in the middle on the way there, I’ll be okay. Thanks, Kenma.”
Hunter watched as Varian immediately introduced himself. Their group wasn’t exactly the most accustomed to new people, but they did have their fair share of people who could be welcoming when they put the effort in. Hunter sighed to himself, then decided he might as well put the effort in. He wouldn’t have stuck around if it weren’t for the others that acted like he might have a chance of belonging with them. He forced a smile (he didn’t have to do much work to force it, at least), and raised a hand.
“Nice to meet you in person, too.”
If Wylan could think about the fact that he was holding Spook’s hand forever, he thought he might. But it wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. They were friends, this was what friends did. Plenty of the others in their group held hands, so it was just… rude to Spook to imbue any sort of meaning in it. They were friends. Friends. No matter what his heart or the blush on his cheeks wanted him to think.
“I’m glad I could help,” he whispered, lightly nudging Spook’s shoulder with his own. “It’ll be okay. It’ll just be like… I don’t know. When it’s all of us, but just with one more person. And maybe she’ll stick.”
Hinata couldn’t hide his smile as the others started to greet Touka and welcome her into their ranks. He knew how difficult it was for some of them - he knew they weren’t exactly used to new people - and he was proud of them for it.
“Don’t worry,” he said, just loud enough for Touka to hear, “It seems like a lot of us right now, but once you get to know everyone a little better it won’t be as… much. At least that’s what Nico told me when he started getting to know everyone a little better. He was more overwhelmed than anyone else was, I think.”
Zuko glanced over at Sal, catching the look he gave him. Perhaps the hard part of having friends was they were able to tell when you weren’t entirely certain about things. Sal knew him better than anyone else ever had. He was grateful for it, but it was also… hard to remember, sometimes. That someone cared about him enough to learn how to read his expressions.
“I’d like that. It’s been forever since I had a slurpee.” He glanced at Sal, giving a genuine smile before he quickened his pace to the car.
“Last one there has to sit in the trunk!” he called, grinning back at Sal as he kicked up the speed.
“How’d you learn?” Newt asked, brow raising. He had been skating once, if he remembered right, but most of his memories from that time were pretty blurry. He didn’t like thinking about that. He was just… looking forward to making new memories here with his friends. As he approached the car and opened the door to the backseat, he raised a hand in greeting so Touka didn’t feel excluded or unacknowledged.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Apr 5, 2022 13:49:56 GMT -5
"Really?" Touka turned to glance at Nico, mentally adjusting her image of him. Not aloof...nervous. A little unsure. About her, probably. But judging by all the cautious glances she was getting, he was far from the only one.
She shifted on her heels, watching them all. "So.....what's the seating plan here?" she asked, giving Ronan a tiny grin. "If somebody has to ride on top of the car, I call it."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 8, 2022 16:25:55 GMT -5
“Sure, dude,” Ronan replied, cocking an eyebrow at Touka as she spoke up, and then at Newt as he came close enough to open the door. “Hey Newt, you wanna ride up there with her? Maybe one of you will be able to stay up all the way there.”
Kenma nodded a little, letting it go. He guessed it wouldn’t exactly be fun for him, but then…it wasn’t exactly going to be fun for Kenma, either. Maybe not for the same reasons as Nico, and certainly not as strongly, but he did have to admit he was nervous about this. Meeting people was Hinata’s job, not his.
They’d probably have to approach eventually, but he guessed it would take a few minutes for the others to orient themselves. He was content to stay back a little until they did.
Varian glanced around, watching as the others trickled in, some of them automatically gravitating towards each other. He waved at Wylan and Spook as they came close enough, then turned back to Hunter and the others.
“We should probably figure out how many people we can actually fit in the back,” he said, frowning a little at the car. “I still think we should take two cars.”
Spook smiled a little at the feel of Wylan’s nudge, letting it last just a second longer than necessary before he glanced away again, focusing on the people clustered around the car ahead instead.
“Maybe,” he agreed, trying to sound convinced. “At least it doesn’t look like Ronan hates her.”
Sal opened his mouth, about to say something else when Zuko took off towards the car.
“Hey!” He called after him, a laugh slipping into his voice as he sped up too. “No fair, you had a head start!”
Not that he was going to just let him win because of that. He sped up again, doing his best to pass the other boy.
“I taught myself,” Juuzou said proudly, giving Newt a wide smile. “I found some old skates in the trash one time and tried ‘em on. It wasn’t too hard to figure out after that.”
He waved a hand at Touka as he paused her, giving her a curious look as he did - did she look familiar? No, of course not - and climbed into the backseat as Newt opened the door, moving far enough to lean out the opposite window.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 14, 2022 0:25:31 GMT -5
Noah laughed to himself as they all started to get themselves sorted into some sort of seating configuration. He didn’t know what to expect of getting seven people into a car (especially a car like Ronan’s), but he had a feeling if anyone could do it, it would be them. He slid into the passenger seat, crossing his arms and kicking his feet up onto the dash as though he could claim the seat all for himself. He had a feeling there wouldn’t be anyone actually protesting, especially if Touka wanted to ride on the roof.
Nico caught the glance that Touka sent his way, and he returned it with a small raise of his hand. It wasn’t quite a greeting, but it was an attempt at one. He steeled himself, then turned back just enough to look at Kenma. “Maybe… we should get into the car before they decide to do something stupid like having someone hanging out the window or something.” As absurd as it sounded, it was something he thought his friends might think of. And something at least a few of them would be keen on actually trying.
“Coward,” Hunter shouted to Varian, the humor clear in his tone. “I think fitting enough people into one car to be a safety hazard sounds like a great idea. Not likely to get us arrested at all.” Although the words were sarcastic, there was something of a childish glee in them. He wanted to try it, even if it meant being shoved between two of his friends at once. Actually… that was a benefit. He hadn’t gotten much physical contact before he’d met them, and there was something comforting about having them all so close.
Wylan sped a little more quickly towards the car. He didn’t think being the last one there would necessarily be a bad thing, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to sit next to Spook unless they got to sit down sooner rather than later. And there were already people getting into the car. If he was going to be squished, he might as well be squished against Spook… he squeezed Spook’s hand once, then let go. He didn’t want Touka to get the wrong idea and spoil his feelings for Spook… those were better kept a secret.
“No fair!” Hinata piped up, bouncing up and down as some of his friends claimed their spots. “I want to ride on the roof with Touka! It sounds really fun!” He had every confidence that they’d find a way to cram all of them into the car, but he wasn’t going to just give up the chance to sit on the roof. Of course… if that didn’t work out, he could always bike there. He lived near enough to the school to bike, and he had promised his mom he’d come home for the weekend. A little more biking wouldn’t kill him.
Zuko let out a sharp laugh, sprinting forward without giving Sal anything more than a backwards glance. His eyes were on the prize (or rather, the car). He was pushing himself as fast as he could, gasping in air as he neared it, running into the door almost at full speed. He wasn’t going to let Sal win just because he did something silly like slowing down so he didn’t collide full force with the car. That would just be stupid.
Newt grinned at Juuzou as he made it over to the car, about to respond to the other boy when he heard Ronan’s voice. His brow raised as he looked up at the roof of the car then back down at Touka.
“Is that a challenge?” he asked, lips quirking into something of a smirk. He had more common sense than most of the others (sometimes), but when it was a direct challenge like that… well… he couldn’t exactly back down, now could he? “How, exactly, were you expecting us to stay up there? It’s not like it’s got a bloody bike rack or anything. The trunk might be a better option.”
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