[Authors Note: Is that a...PLOTLINE?!]

[Why yes it is]

[Bet you never saw it coming though]

[:D]

We had broken off our fight for an early supper and a movie, well not really a movie but a series of Dragonball Z episodes contrasted with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic installments. I absentmindedly rubbed his horns as we watched, he purred loud enough to mask some of the dialogue.

Did I mention how much I loved Equius? Cause I loved him a lot, and he loved me back just as much if not more. I had yet to expose what he oh-so-carefully hid down there but I was going to do it, somehow. I pecked him on the temple and stood up.

"Gonna hit the washroom, I'll be right back," Equius nodded then turned his attention back to the brightly colored animated ponies. I did my business and washed my hands, I was drying them off on the towel when I heard the phone ring. I ambled over and picked it up.

"Strider & Zahhak residence, who is it?" There was a quiet sniffle on the other end, then a voice.

"Dirk, It's Calliope," I recognized the voice as Roxy's girlfriend, A green-blooded Cherub who stood taller and nearly broader then Equius but wouldn't hurt a fly. "Roxy got hUrt, she's in th' hospital, someone attacked her,"

That was it the floodgates opened, I lowered my voice and took down the address of the hospital. I thanked her and hung up the phone, arm shaking. The noise of the tv stopped, the soft pad of feet warned me of Equius's approach.

"What is it?" He set a hand on my shoulder and turned me, I let him do it. "Dirk? You can tell me what's-,"

"Roxy's in Hospital, I need to get there," I batted his arm off my shoulder and strode to the closet and pulled out my coat. A grey arm appeared in my field of vision, pulling out a second coat as well.

"I'm coming with you," Equius stated.

The drive was quick and the walk to the door was even quicker, I didn't bother with signing in, I just breezed past and headed for the room Calliope had told me about. It wasn't hard to find, there wasn't many other rooms occupied with the large green frame of a Cherub kneeling beside a bed.

I walked in and Calliope straightened, she nodded and shifted out of the way. I pulled a chair over and sat down. Roxy was a mess; there were bandages all over her arms and a couple stuck to her face. She was awake, thank god, but she seemed a little out of it.

"Roxy," I said her name quietly, not wanting to shock her. She turned, a smile spreading on her face.

"Dirk, honey, there you are, Callie said you were coming," she's just as happy and bright as the sun, even when she was hurt. Her hand slid into mine and squeezed it.

"What happened," I didn't ask, I demanded. Whoever did this would pay dearly. Her smile faded, but then lit up again when Equius walked into the room.

"Equius, nice t'see you" Equius gave a solemn nod; he caught sight of Calliope standing off to the side and nearly jumped out of his skin. Roxy laughed, sweet beautiful laughter that was cut off by a cough and a groan.

"Roxy, who did-," I was going to repeat myself but Roxy shushed me.

"Some weird-ass clowny guy, he honked when I kicked him in the balls," she grinned at me. "He said he was getting someone back for somethin', and he used motherfucker like punctoo…punctuate…punctuation," she sighed and her gaze turned to Equius, "He had horns like you, Eq, but tall and curvy," her hand waved in the air to illustrate the shape.

Oh no, oh no no no, hell no, hell fucking no, fifty shades of no. It was that same troll that nearly beat in Equius's head. He had said that he was going to fuck me up, which I was okay with cause I would just beat his ass again, but fucking with my friends was way past the line of too fucking far.

That clown was going to die.

The drive home was tense, Equius drove as I sat on the passenger side and plotted; I needed to find the troll first, knock him out, restrain the smiley fucker and cut him till he bleeds dry. How to get him out of hiding would be the hardest part, he went after my friends, my boyfriend, but not me.

"Dirk, are you alright?" Equius asked as he parked. I sighed and rolled my shoulders back, the tension barely unknotting itself from my shoulders.

"It's nothing Eq, just a bit distrac…" my voice trailed off as I saw something flutter against a tree, pinned there with a familiar blade. "Equius, get out of the car and into the apartment, I don't think it's safe," he heard the edge in my voice, the strain I put in safe. He unfolded himself and hurried to the door, opening it and then shutting it firmly behind him.

I left the car slowly, taking my time to steel my nerves. I walked up to the tree and lo and behold, my sword was sunk a hands width into the trunk with a grungy piece of paper skewered on it.

I pulled out the blade and the note fluttered down at my feet; I didn't stoop to pick it up, I could read the messy purple print easily:

Round two, MOTHERFUCKER.

HONK honk

:0)