*Quick Author's Note: I am so sorry about not updating this in forever! And to all those who requested stuff, I am working on it. School was just destroying me for a while. 

Pairing: Strithian (Strife/Rythian)

TW: Teencast thing, based on the picture above from http://restartingserver.tumblr.com/

"They're taking way too long." I look over at the dark-haired, dark-skinned teen next to me, worry written all over his face. He has good reason though. Zoey and Parvis, two people who are easily distracted and tend to forget to tell their friends where they're going or randomly leave because they see something shiny that catches their eye, have been messing around in a store for quite a while. Rythian and I weren't allowed to go in with them because 'it's a surprise!' so we're sitting on a bench not too far from the store they went into.

Alternating between watching the storefront for Zoey and Parv and making awkward eye contact with random people as they walk by, Rythian and I talk about nothing in particular. "They probably just got distracted by something in their way out."

Rythian laughs. "I wouldn't be surprised."

Zoey and Parv walk out of the store a few seconds later, both of them sporting matching bags that they are careful to keep away from us for the duration of our time together.

We wander the mall window shopping, Zoey having been the one to suggest the shopping trip at lunch yesterday. We were sitting at our table of friends, everybody talking over each other as it usually is, when Zoey brought it up to Parv who remembered he needed to do some shopping as well. While Parv and I weren't planning on going with Rythian and Zoey, we ran into them and have been hanging out with them ever since. I don't really talk to Zoey but talk to Rythian fairly often. Parv talks to everyone but isn't really friends with either of them, but he and Zoey are getting along really well.

Wandering the mall in pairs of two because of how crowded it is, we alternate between the pairings. I'll walk with Rythian for a little bit and then Parv will come back to talk to him and I move to walk with Zoey, then Parv comes back up and Zoey moves back or vice versa, and it goes on and on until we decide to go to the food court and eat dinner.

We somehow manage to find a table that seats four among the nearly-full food court, Rythian hanging out at the table while the rest of us go to get food (Zoey getting Rythian's since he was nice enough to table-watch).

"Aww look at the horses Rythian!" Zoey says, a smile on her face after we sit down and start eating.

"Zoey you've seen the horses before. We went on them all the time as kids," Rythian, who is sitting across from me and facing the carousel, rolls his eyes.

Chuckling, I turn around to look at the carousel. Kids of various age and size sit on the horses, a small queue of children waiting eagerly to go on the ride. "Aw can we go on it Will? Please?"

"Aw yea that'd be cool," Zoey chimes in. Rythian and I sigh simultaneously, a smile tugging at my lips.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" I ask.

Rythian shakes his head in response. "Nope."

"Figured we didn't," I nod. "You have to finish your guy's food before you can go on though."

"Aw daaaad," Parv whines, an evil grin on his face. "Mom, do I have to?" He turns to Rythian.

Rythian chokes on the food in his mouth, coughing a few times before taking a drink. "Wh- what? Mom?"

"Yea c'mon. Strife is so the mom," Zoey giggles.

"What? No! I'm the dad! I wear the pants in this relationship."

"Oh, does Rythian not?"

"He only does when you're around," Parv tells Zoey.

"Oh. Uh," A few different things cross her face as she tries to figure out how to take this new information.

"Wha- no! I don't walk around without pants on. Just because Strife 'wears the pants-'"

"Ha! So I am the dad!" I grin triumphantly.

Rythian sighs, Parv laughs, and Zoey tries to hide the fact that she finds the situation funny as well. "I guess," Rythian gives in. "But I'm a damn good mom!" He emphasises it by banging his fist on the table, the people next to us glancing over before going back to their food.

This sets me off into a fit of giggles, nearly bringing me to tears. Zoey and Parv are laughing almost as hard as I am, Rythian sitting with his face in his hands muttering to himself. "Mom of the year," I tell him, trying to calm my breathing from laughing so hard.

"You got it in the bag, Ryth," Zoey nods. "I believe in you."

This sets me into another fit of giggles, Parv patting my back. "Aw Strife," The grin is evident in his voice.

>-!~..

"You've had two kids-"

"It was a joke, Parvis." Having said goodbye to Zoey and Rythian not long after we rode the carousel (Rythian and I going on as well after a bit of convincing from the other two), I drove Parv and myself back to my place where Parv's beat-up car has been sitting since this morning when he actually was on time for once. Despite the fact that the only reason he showed up just before I was about to leave without him (again) was to tell me he was spending the night (to which my parents gladly agreed, since they think Parv is 'a very sweet boy') and that we were going Christmas shopping after school.

"But you still like him."

Sighing and falling back onto the bed next to Parvis, who is laying on his stomach, I once again tell myself I don't like Rythian. "Not like that."

"Will-"

"Parvis," I say in a stern voice. "Drop it."

To my surprise, he does.

>~~.~>.

"Hey Strifey!"

I sigh. "What are you doing Parvis?" It's saturday, winter break officially starting in a few days. This is the first time he's showed up at my house before two on a weekend in months. "It's not even noon."

"We're going to SnoMountain!" SnoMountain, the place to go in the winter if you're into snow-tubing, skiing, or snowboarding, is where the school would take students to before winter break up until a few years ago when someone got seriously hurt getting off the lift after not going to the training class we were supposed to take despite how much skiing you have or haven't done - for school safety reasons.

"No Parvis."

"Pleeease Strife? Pretty please?"

I stare at Parv, the boy pouting and giving me his biggest puppy dog eyes. Folding my arms across my chest, I sigh. "Fine. But you're paying for the lift ticket."

"Yay!"