First non-identity-related chapter! This one is a Tobecky prompt I got a couple months ago on tumblr (thanks, misty-gold!). It's set in high school, post-identity reveal and character development and stuff.
(I actually had a song I listened to while writing this one! I should totally do it more often because it really helps. In case anyone's curious, it was 'Fearless' by Taylor Swift.)
Prompt: "Don't you dare throw that snowba-, goddammit!"
"Flying is cheating!" Tobey grumbled at the sky as he stomped through well-trampled snow. "I know you've got a snowball, don't you dare throw tha-"
A glittering orb soared silently through the air and exploded on the side of his head, stopping him mid-sentence. He swore in surprise, dropping his own snowball and stumbling a bit away from the blow. He whipped off his glasses, hastily wiped the snow off the lenses, and shoved them back on.
Bending down to scoop up a fresh handful of snow, Tobey tilted his head back up towards the sky. "Where are you…" he muttered as he stood back up, squinting into the light and pressing the powder into a rough sphere between his gloves.
Crunch.
Instinct made him whip around and blindly aim the icy projectile at the source of the noise. Once his initial panic subsided, his mind registered the scene before him: his girlfriend stood only a few feet away, poised to attack but frozen in what he assumed was shock. (Her expression was hard to make out from under the snow covering her face.)
"I'm sorry!" he burst out, taking a few steps forward. "I didn't mean to - I was startled -"
Becky blinked once, twice, then dissolved into laughter as she relaxed her throwing arm and wiped some snow off her face with her opposite hand. He cracked a smile at her reaction and reached out to brush some more of the powder from her hair and coat.
"Well, that was unanticipated," she said, still grinning widely. "I honestly never thought you'd manage it."
He couldn't help the smirk that spread on his face. "I'm full of surprises, you know."
Becky mirrored his smug expression, taking a step closer so their breaths visibly mingled in the chilly air. "Uh-huh," she said in mock skepticism. "Like what, robot boy?"
"Well…" he breathed, swaying towards her. Before he moved to close the gap, his eyes flicked up from her lips to meet her gaze. The snowflakes caught in her eyelashes sparkled as she raised one arm so she could position her hand behind his head -
- And press something wet and oh, so cold against the back of his neck. He let out a cry of shock, flailing his arms in an attempt to dig the snow out from under the collar of his coat.
By the time he recovered from the sneak attack, Becky was already a safe twenty feet away, fresh snowball in hand and amusement written all over her face. "You were saying?" she called out.
Tobey huffed in frustration. "So this is how it's going to be?" he replied, reaching for the remote stuffed safely in his coat pocket.
Becky let out a laugh - that adorable, infuriating laugh of hers - and slid her feet apart slightly, moving into her battle stance. "Bring it on."
(Note: it's a robot built specifically for snowball fights, not for destruction or anything, don't worry. I tried to fit the detail in but couldn't get it into such a short story easily :/)
