Just something small I wrote today because I miss TVF.

I don't own DS, Apple, or Instagram. Staybeautiful1 (miss you) owns Ronnie. I own Kade. For those of you who are new, they are shameless self-inserts who are sometimes around but not always. They usually appear when we need a break from real life. Yolo?

The Pool

Guest-starring Ronnie from OFL & Kade from SNS

"It's hot." Kurda lamented from beneath his Michael Kors parasol.

"Is it, Kurda?" Mika griped from atop a tube which floated peacefully on turquoise waters. "Is it really?"

Kurda thought about that for a moment, then replied with an insightful "Yep."

"It's about 94 degrees but the humidex makes it feel like 105. But good news, we can expect a cloud to pass in front of the sun for about 5 minutes so we'll have enough shade to feel the temperature drop by three degrees. In just one hour!" Paris announced, leaning back perkily on his inflatable lazy chair, iPad enclosed securely in a waterproof case.

"Thanks for inviting us out to the farm, Kade. We really needed a pool day." said Darren happily. "Things were getting a little… heated... back in Vampire Mountain."

"Hey, no problem." Kade shrugged her freckly shoulders. "You're just lucky my parents are out of town for the week. Not sure what they'd think of 6 grown men and a midget with a skin condition invading our pool. Whatever. Drinks, anyone?"

"Toss me a blue one!" Ronnie called from over in the shallow end of the pool where she was standing with Darren.

"I'll take one too." Darren added.

Kade grabbed two from the extra-large cooler, and chucked them. Ronnie caught hers. Darren did not, and it smashed on the concrete.

"DARREN. We don't waste alcohol!" Mika scolded in dismay. "Have we taught you nothing? Crepsley, are you gonna tolerate that from your student?"

"This is my first vacation since that debacle with Arra and the RV. I have better things to do than reprimand Darren for being a nincompoop when he is perfectly aware that he is one." Larten snorted. "By the way Kade, I have found at least 5 dead spiders in this pool? You need to be more careful. There are lives at stake."

"It's hard enough keeping the neighbour kids out! Spiders aren't my problem." Kade protested.

"No, that's your problem." said Arrow, pointing towards the deep end where Seba had just been apparently violated by a water jet. He was hollering violently and splashing about in a frenzy trying to find his aquatic attacker.

"Shit, his water wings are gonna come off again." Kade grumbled. "Seba! Do you need a lifeline?"

"THAT IS SOMETHING I NEED." came the panicked reply between splashes. A lifeline was tossed, and Seba was hauled back to the shallow end where Paris could watch over him. Problem solved. On the scale of Seba disasters, that one didn't even register a 2.

"Well handled." Arrow grinned lazily up at Kade from his spot on a fluffy beach towel. He was splayed comfortably beneath the canopy on the deck, lying face-down with an ice cold beer in his hand.

"I'd say we've definitely had worse." Kade smirked, settling back down beside him to watch the relatively peaceful proceedings of the pool zone. Ronnie and Darren were standing in the shallow end, tossing a volleyball back and forth. (Darren glancing around every now and then to make sure his Vampire crew wasn't excessively embarrassing him in front of his ladyfriend). Larten was paddling about rescuing spiders from certain demise. Mika and Harkat were waging a fearsome noodle war, taking great care to splash Kurda who was sitting on the side beneath his parasol, manicured toes dangling in the water. He was documenting the field trip on his new favourite creative outlet, Instagram.

"Smile, Mika!" the blonde instructed the dark Prince as he floated by. Mika growled menacingly. Kurda snapped it and tagged it at the speed of light: m_verleth #bestfriend #silly #happy #smiles #swimming #sundayfunday #friends #carefree #summer #instacute #lovelife #likeforfollow #followforfollow and about 47 emojis.

"Only 13 hashtags on that one. Step up your game." Arrow commented, reading Kurda's phone over his shoulder. Mika glared, and promptly intercepted Darren's volleyball toss so he could whip it at Kurda's head.

"Oww, Mika! If you wanted me to come play volleyball you could've just asked!" Kurda whined.

"That is the opposite of what I want."

"Mika, don't be a douche!" Ronnie reprimanded. "Of course you can come play with us, Kurda!"

"Yayay!" Kurda cheered, clapping like a seal. "Be right in! I'm just gonna set this here…" he carefully placed his brand new white iPhone 5s (a birthday gift from Paris) on Arrow's back.

"And you think your phone is safe there because…?" Arrow inquired boredly as he glanced up at the blonde.

"You don't like water and neither does my phone, duuh. I can't think of anything else here that isn't gonna go in the pool today." Kurda shrugged as though his choice was absolutely obvious.

"Uh, the table, maybe?" Kade scowled.

"Oh." Kurda scrunched up his nose thoughtfully, then turned around. "Mika, you haven't told Kade about your plan to set up a swim-in bar, have you?"

"No, Kurda. No I hadn't." Mika grimaced, with a hopeful look in Kade's direction. "Kade, can we put your parents' expensive table in the water and serve alcohol from it and possibly dance on it?"

Kade rolled her eyes and considered it for a moment.

"Probably."

"Well in that case, yes, I am the only thing inside this fence that will not be entering the water today." Arrow confirmed. That was good enough for Kurda. Confident that his phone was in safe dry hands (or on dry back), he cartwheeled into the pool. Landing on Seba. This was not well-received.

"You sure?" Kade asked gently, turning her head so she could look Arrow square in the eyes. "This is the safest place in the world to try to swim. We have plenty of floaties, and you could borrow Seba's water wings."

"I'm good here." Arrow replied, despite the fact that the thought of wearing water wings made him grin. "But if there was anywhere I'd want to try, it would be here."

"Fair enough." said Kade, breaking into a smile herself at the expression on his face.

"Get in there." Arrow added insistently, gesturing to the beckoning blue. "Don't you waste your whole day sitting on a towel. I promise I won't fall in while you're gone."

"Yeah? You sure?" She sat up slowly.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be." Arrow grinned up at her from beneath his aviator shades.

"'Aight." she said, leaving down once more to plant a kiss on his forehead, right on his middle tattoo. "Behave."

"Don't I always?"

"No."

This won't have any sort of storyline, it'll just be a collection of oneshots. Sometimes with Ronnie and Kade, sometimes not.

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rxx