Happy GamTav day. Have some dorky kids playing.
You don't wanna go to the park. It's big, hot, and mean people pick on you because of your face paint. You want to go back home and watch cartoons, but Kurloz said that it's good to get some fresh air. He's a meanie too.
Your brother is tugging at your hand with a vice grip, making complete sure you don't run off somewhere. The though makes you scowl. Where would you go? You might make a break for the car, but you don't know the way and even if you had tried, Kurlz' would find you in a heart beat and he'll be mad at you and he won't watch cartoons with you anymore.
"It'll be fun," he signs with a huge reassuring smile plastered on his face. "I promise."
You don't believe him. He reminds you of those ladies you see on TV that shows you stuff. Like frying pans and blenders.
Your brother makes a steady pace alongside the cement paved walkway, passing by nameless faces playing with their children in the grass. They ignore you both for the most part, except for a few kids pointing at you and asking their parents 'are they from the circus?' Your brother has grown a tolerance over it; the whole 'sticks and stones' deal, but it still embarrasses you and makes you want to run home.
But since Kurloz is a jerk, you won't get to.
About halfway in the park, your brother is approached by a teen his age, sporting a large grin and duel-toned hair that rivals your brothers. In fact, he looked like a character in those weird cartoons that play late at night that your dad won't let you see. He greets your brother and they talk. And talk, and talk, and talk. About what, you have no idea. You eventually tune them out, plotting for a way to dash out of here.
That's when you see him.
He's sitting alone in the grass, a small orange shovel in hand digging away at the soft ground, ignoring everyone else around him. He's tan, a little pudgy, and sports one of those gelled up fake looking Mohawks. He also has freckles, which you can't help but find cute. The boy stands, smudging dirt all over his Pokemon tee, and moves to a new spot not too far from you, digging like he was previously.
"Tav! Don't wipe dirt on your clothes! Dad'll get mad." Your brother's friend scold. 'Tav' visibly shrinks, but he nodds all the same. Kurloz squeezes your hand and when you look up, he points to the boy.
"Play with him." Your brother mouths. "He's a nice kid, I promise."
You're not too sure if you can trust him yet after dragging you here, but you do it anyway, trudging over to the busy boy with a nervous grin. He notices you and momentarily stops digging when you take a spot next to him, and you detect a thin blush dusting his features.
You wanna poke his freckles.
"Hi." You greet lamely, meekly waving at him.
He doesn't say anything at first, instead he favors the ground under him. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he finally glances at you and mumbles, "Hi…" He then goes back to digging at the dirt, slowly, like your presence is disturbing him. You won't be surprised if that's the case. Hurt, but not surprised.
"Whatcha doin'?" You don't see why the ground is interesting to the other boy, but you'll humor him.
His answer's barely audible over the shuffling of dirt and the jovial shrieks of kids playing around you. "Digging… F-for treasure…" You could almost see a small sparkle in the boys chocolate eyes, but it disappeared quick.
"Cool!" You didn't think this place could be that interesting. "What kinds of motherfuckin' treasure is there?"
He flinches at your sudden curse, but you see him lighten up, shoveling at a faster pace. "M-my friend, says, that, um, it c-could be anything… Like, Pokemon cards, or candy, or…"
"Or Faygo?" You perk at him, bouncing in your seat.
"Yeah, I, uh, guess." A nervous chuckle follows. You beam at him, his anxiousness lost on you.
"Cool!" You repeat, then you start clawing at the ground yourself, determined to find a treasure chest full of your favorite soda. The boy stops momentarily looks at you with a bushy brow raised and you return it with a broad grin, pointing at the hovering shovel. He blinks and goes back to digging, a small smile plastered on his face. "I'm Gamzee," you say over the shuffling of dirt under your nails.
"I'm, Tavros." The boy replies, with a sheepish smile. He offers you his shovel. You decline.
After a few minutes of tactic digging and stolen glances at the peaceful, but fretful, tan boy, you hear a small, surprised squeak coming from your new friend next to you. Turning, you find Tav flinched backward, away from the hole he made. Curious as to why your new friend has gone a little squeaky, you investigate the little dirt hole. You hold in a little laugh when you pull out a little pink-ish, gray-ish earthworm, wriggling for dear life in your fingers tips. Tavros makes a mewl of discomfort in front of the tiny thing.
"Ewwww, put it, down!"
You blink, cradling the insect in your palm. "Why?"
"Because! It's a, worm, and we're, not supposed to play with them, I think…" You can see him shiver at the sight of it.
You blink again, failing to see any problem with the squirmy bug. "But, Tavbro," he flushes at the sound of his new nickname, "It's not a worm." Tav sort of gives you this strange look that borderlines on 'what the fuck' and 'yes it is, stupid' as you pull the slimy thing back into your fingers.
"It's a motherfucking dragon."
That 'what the fuck' face didn't leave.
"A… dragon?" He asks, not once taking eyes off the insect-turned-mythical creature.
You laugh at the shortsightedness and shake the insect in front of you. Its writhing for dear life enough to make you feel bad for the thing. "Yep," you affirm, "little motherfuckers tryin' ta all up and do his job, ya hear?"
You cant tell if he's still confused, or if he's finally playing along, but he sorta smiles at you. "What's, his job?" He sits back on his legs, facing you for your answer.
Shaking the worm once more, you crawl to face Tav. He cringes when you thrust it in his face. "To protect the princess, o' course." You plop the little guy on his lap, and you can tell that neither Tavbro nor your little gray friend wants to be there.
"Um," He's trying not to swat the 'dragon' away. "I thought, we were l-looking for, uh, treasure?"
"The princess is the treasure!" Duh.
He shifts. "Oh, um. Why, does he do it?"
"'Cause, my friend, he's in love with her!" You poke the bug threatening, as if it's going to attack the two of you. "So he kidnaps the princess, and takes her away, and guards her and stuff. But she ain't all for loving him back none. Motherfucker did just all up and take her." You look up at your bemused friend, who starts to look more and more amused. He grins.
"A knight, saves her, doesn't he? That's, u-usually how the story goes, right?"
You honk, louder than you intended, making Tavros flinch. You catch yourself, wheezing out an answer. "Naw, that'd be too easy, see? Instead, the motherfuckin' dragon faces," you pause for dramatic effect, poking at the bug in the boys lap, watching it twist in protest, "a jester." You shine a smile. Your brown-haired friend cringes his face like those weird small dogs and nearly shouts his disbelief, almost loud enough to draw attention to the brothers behind them.
"No way!" He denies your claim, but he doesn't make a move to correct you, and you think he wants you to continue. Maybe.
"Uh-huh!" You shot back. "The jester goes against the dragon, not to fight it, see? 'Cause that' just too un-miraculous right there. Instead, the brother gets his motherfuckin' jest on; joking, juggling and shit for the big guy." You peer at the worm on Tav's lap and you make weird faces at it, not caring that you may look like a fool. The boy above tries to stifle his laughs, but fails, and it's the cutest thing ever. "Pretty soon," you continue between shifting faces, "the dragon pretty much just falls back laughing his scaly bits off. He's laughing so motherfuckin' hard, the scaly lizard doesn't notice when the jester all up and takes the princess from his den and shit." You end the tale with a flick at the worm, sending the thing to the ground where it belongs. You look up at your new friend to see a endearing smile plastered on his face.
"And they live, happily ever after, right?" He asks, timidly, brushing the loose fringes on his forehead back.
"Why the hell not. They deserve it, after facing a dragon and all. Shit's terrifying, yanno?" The boy nods enthusiastically.
You were about to ask if he wanted to keep digging, until he heard a call directed at the both of you. Turning you find Red Saiyan (you never got his name) and your brother waving you both over. You run to them like obedient little children.
"We're getting some lunch," he trails off, reaching to grab Tav's hand, "and Stitchpunk's buying." He gestures over to Kurloz, who just shrugs and takes your hand. You ask him about the nickname and he just signs for you to be quiet. You're about to tease him when you spot Tavros run up beside you, Red Saiyan in tow, and gives you a big broad smile. You smile back, linking your arm with his and marching toward the parking lot.
Endings suck.
