this ficlet was based off the wonderful work of thejoeyestjojo on tumblr! i just had to make their doodle of lightning eagerly greeting his brother and saying he had eaten a crayon a ficlet the moment i saw it. thunder's face was just too good not to! i also really appreciate them that they had read my old storm twins fics! i'm always happy to hear that people enjoyed them!

here is the art! thejoeyestjojo . tumblr . (com/) post/636812464719364096/kibasniper-funny-you-say-that-i-read-the (just remove the spaces and parenthesis!)

Cheerios and Crayons

The honey-glazed ovals tasted better than Thunder anticipated. While he was still understanding life on the surface, the assortment of breakfast foods beguiled him. Cereal was a simple pleasure that evaded him for too long. Compared to the variety of rice dishes he prepared, such as enjoying cơm tấm with Lightning when dawn broke on their cloud, the bowl of "Cheerios" doused in whole milk alighted his taste buds with subtle sweetness and a hint of almond.

Thunder ate and fiddled with his Titans Communicator. He scrolled through the early morning messages. His index finger pressed on the screen and caused it to illuminate with blue and yellow colors. The dancing lights always fascinated him for how quickly they appeared and vanished. He had been told by their dear green one the lights flickered because of the pressure he exerted on the screen, and remembering the fact, Thunder tucked his finger back into his palm and set his communicator by his cup of green tea.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway of his humble home and grabbed his attention. His spoon clinked on the rim of his bowl. He straightened his back as the sound of the sliding door filled the otherwise silent living room.

"Good morning, brother!" Lightning exclaimed with a wave, his smile particularly jubilant. "I have eaten a crayon."

"What?" Thunder erupted, all sense of composure instantly lost.

The siblings stared at each other. Thunder's jaw dropped and his brows came together, creasing his forehead. Lightning grinned and gripped his hips. A sense of vacantness surrounded him, truly not understanding what he had said was worrisome. Thunder glanced at him up and down, the cawing of the distant seagulls louder than the throbbing in his brain.

"You...ate…?" Thunder vaguely gestured to Lightning's stomach.

"A crayon," he replied, nodding. He picked at his incisors. "I feel there may still be a hint of wax between my teeth." He snorted and ran his fingernail along his gums, his mouth twisting into a frown. "Oh, blasted scrap of paper, I feel it behind my molar, too. I thought I chewed it properly, but it seems some unwelcome residue remains."

A glaze slowly formed across Thunder's vision as Lightning scrapped at his teeth. His headache passed across his mind and fixed itself squarely behind his eyes. Closing them, he grabbed his communicator as Lightning snatched Thunder's spoon from his bowl. Squinting, Thunder scrolled through the list of fellow Honorary Titans, huffing a sigh as heavy as himself while Lightning grumbled and complained.

"Fickle, colorful piece of what used to be tree bark!" Lightning snapped, holding the spoon close to his mouth. He pulled his lower lip down and ran his tongue across his teeth. "Brother, I cannot see it, but I know it is there. Can you-?" Lightning jerked his head over to Thunder. "Who could you possibly be speaking with at this irritable time? Do you intend to ignore my troubles?"

Static flashed across the communicator's circular screen. It vibrated in his large hand, jostling against his fingers. He did his level best to ignore his brother's interference, the spoon lightly smacking into his shoulder testing his patience.

On the screen, Jinx appeared in the middle of curling her hair behind her ear. She blinked, realizing she was on the call and tucked her hand away. She cleared her throat, saying, "Oh, hey, Thunder. How are you?"

"I could be doing better," he admitted, glancing at Lightning out of the corner of his eye. "Please excuse my interruption. I know you were performing your morning feminine ritual."

"You're excused," she dryly remarked.

'

"Thank you. Now, you are someone who was once associated with a person who devoured copious amounts of…" Thunder hummed and raised his head. "...inedible substances. I believe you are the best person for Thunder to pose this question. Would eating a crayon harm the body?"

Jinx rolled her eyes as Lightning leaned over his sibling's shoulder. She seemed to understand the situation as soon as she saw him licking his teeth. Leering at the younger elemental, she directed her question to him. "How many crayons did you eat, stupid?"

Lightning gasped. Offense burned his cheeks scarlet. "The insult is unneeded, she-cat! It is a stab upon my honor! Lightning is not-!"

"One," Thunder replied, pushing Lightning out of the shot, his brother yelping as he tripped over his feet.

"Oh, just one?" She shrugged. "Eh, he should be fine. Mammoth ate three packs of crayons, and that's when we had to take him to E.R. when we attended the academy. If Lightning doesn't eat anymore, then he should be fine." She shook her head and rubbed her brow. "Man, I thought I left this idiocy when I ditched those dumb boys during the Brotherhood of Evil takedown, but I guess I can't escape stupid no matter where I go."

Relief soothed Thunder's headache. He sighed and thanked Jinx for her reassurance. She nodded and said goodbye. The last thing Thunder saw on Jinx' screen was her picking up a tube of the colorful liquid used to accentuate lips.

Lightning growled and scowled at his sibling. Sitting down in the wooden chair across from him, he hunched his shoulders and leaned forward, hissing, "Thank you, dear brother, for defending my honor."

"You are most welcome," Thunder replied with a tight smile, choosing to ignore his sarcasm. He pushed the box of Cheerios and jug of milk towards Lightning. "Now, please, eat real food. You will find the Cheerios most enjoyable."

"But the crayon tasted-" The tired look in Thunder's eyes brought out a chuckle from the back of Lightning's throat. Deciding to keep his true thoughts to himself, Lightning made and ate his cereal with little fanfare other than accepting Thunder's words as true.