75 Godiva Street, Sunday

[vdistinctive]

"I found more pillows and blankets upstairs," Eliot said, trying to carry a pile of linens taller than he was down the stairs without tripping over Val. "I bet with these we could make the whole living room into a fort!"

He tripped on the last stair, flinging the linens in front of him and tumbling into them with a big *fwoof*.

"An' I found a whole bunch of toy swords an' knives an' things," he said from the pile. "This place is so cool."

[ooc: for the tiny boyfriend in particular, but also open!]

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[geniuswithasmartphone]

"'M not allowed to play with fire. I could get hurt," Alec argued. "An' how'm I supposed to catch a bird anyway. They got wings."

Which was much better than admitting that most of what he'd read were religious books in his last foster family and what few books he could get his hands on while in care.

[vdistinctive]

"With a trap, duh. And you can get hurt doin' anything. You might as well get hurt doing something fun."

There were plenty of books scattered around this house that might be more fun. Except that trying to read them would probably just give Alec a headache.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Up close was okay for now. It was far away that made him squint and rub his eyes.

"Not if you're careful!" Alec said. "Besides, there are already lots of things that can hurt you. Ain't no reason to go out an' look for more. You'll just get yelled at anyway for not bein' more careful."

[vdistinctive]

"Yelled at by who?" Eliot asked. "There're no grownups around."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"True..." Alec was used to not having adults around, but they usually found out what you were up to and the consequences were generally impossible to ignore. "That's weird. Wonder where they are. If a kid gets really hurt, the grownups are all gonna get charged with 'dangerment."

[vdistinctive]

"That sounds like it should be a superhero name. Look out, bad guys! Here comes . . . Dangerment!"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"You like superheroes?" Alec asked, perking up. "I do, too. I draw a comic! Hardi-Man!" Hardison was going to hate himself for this come Monday. "You wanna play superheroes?"

[vdistinctive]

"Who doesn't like superheroes?" Eliot asked, then added in a hopeful voice: "Outside?"

Outside was way more interesting than inside, Alec. Plus, you were much less likely to accidentally break something you got yelled at for later if you played outside.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"You don't wanna play in the fort when we're done with it?" Alec asked, situating another cushion. "It could be our secret base!"

[vdistinctive]

"We could do outside and inside," Eliot suggested. "This place has a pretty good backyard. There's a door in the kitchen." He pointed.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"No, no, I got a better idea!" Alec suggested, bouncing a little on his toes. "What if we connected the fort to the big window? We could go back an' forth that way!"

Anyone could use doors! But windows--only superheroes would think to go through windows.

Well, superheroes and thieves. But details.

[vdistinctive]

"Yes!" Eliot flung his arms in the air. "You're a genius!"

Climbing through windows was definitely more adventurous than doors.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"I know," Alec said, ever-so-modestly. "That's what all my teachers say."

But not usually for going out of the window. "How high off the ground is it from the outside. Maybe we should make a ladder?"

[vdistinctive]

"Dude," Eliot said. "We're only on the first floor."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Alec rolled his eyes. "The windows are still up on the walls," he pointed out. "Like...five feet up, maybe? Still taller'n you." And also Alec, but not by as much.

[vdistinctive]

"Not that much taller," Eliot grumbled.

It was that much taller.

"That's just, like, a jungle gym or somethin'. Barely a jump."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Not to get out," Alec explained patiently. "To get back in."

[vdistinctive]

Yeah, Eliot hadn't thought of that at all.

"Maybe a rope ladder," he allowed. A regular ladder wouldn't be adventurous enough.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

This was why Alec's teachers all called him a genius!

"We could make it outta sheets," he suggested. "Knot 'em together."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot nodded seriously. "There's a fine tradition of adventurers gettin' in and outta places on sheets."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Eliot was gonna be even madder at him tomorrow after remembering what they'd done to his sheets.

"What's your superhero name?" Alec asked, industriously knotting sheets together. "Mine's Hardiman."

There was already a comic.

[vdistinctive]

"Because you're all hard?" Eliot kind of doubted that. "I dunno. Somethin' cool, like . . . The Red Revenger. Or Red Wolf!"

Definitely red. Red was his favorite color.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Uh, sure," Alec said, willing to go along with that explanation. Seemed easier, since he didn't have a real reason beyond it being his name. "What would you get revenge on?"

[vdistinctive]

"The bad guys. Duh."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"You know any?"

Alec did. Well, sorta. There were a bunch who hung around the neighborhood around the group home.