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Legs lifted the lid to the pot sitting in the Greenhouse, taking a moment to stir the vegetable noodles inside before covering it again. They weren't quite done yet, but hopefully they would be soon. He, Juniper, and Amber were going to take a trip out to the Capital, since it'd finally been declared 'safe' by Osteon and a few other guards, and he wanted food just in case.
Juniper pruned a few dry leaves from one of the tomato plants with gardening shears a few feet away, while Amber perched on the edge of one of the garden beds. A bird chirped overhead before flying through the rafters of the greenhouse, its ice blue wings almost blending in with the oxidized copper as it landed on another one of the beams.
"I finished up the basement of the safehouse yesterday," Juniper said after a moment. "After we go to the market, I could show you guys.
"Is that wolf still down there?" Amber asked, cocking her head to the side.
"I managed to lure him out with a steak, thankfully." She tucked the gardening shears into their belt, glancing over at Legs. "How's the food coming?"
Legs lifted the lid of the pot again, peeking at the noodles before closing it once more. "Almost there. I don't want them to be too al dente."
"Look at you and your fancy cooking words," Amber laughed.
"Okay-"
"We having a party in here?" a new voice interrupted from the doorway of the Greenhouse.
Lukey.
Legs turned to look at him, making eye contact almost immediately, his carbon-colored eyes lighter in the bright sun.
"Heya Lukey," Amber waved. "Whacha up to?"
He shrugged, stepping further into the greenhouse. "Just walking around. Megii's sleeping, so I'm looking for someone else to bother."
"Well, you might want to keep looking, because we're about to head out," Juniper said. "We're going to— uh…" she paused, forcibly cutting themself off.
Legs glanced at Juniper briefly before looking back at Lukey, picking up from where she had stopped. "We're going to the Capital before heading to Iron's Keep, I have some things I need to work on, and they wanted to help," he lied. "Just making some food for the road first."
"Aw, and you didn't invite me?" Lukey joked, poking at Legs' nose playfully. Legs ducked back slightly, shoving at his shoulder lightly and biting back a laugh.
"Maybe next time. You can take some food, though." he offered.
Lukey glanced at the cooking pot. "Is it ready?"
"Almost."
"Wow."
Both Legs and Lukey turned to look at Juniper, and Legs arched an eyebrow at her. "What?"
Juniper cleared her throat slightly. "Nothing, I just didn't know you liked men, Legs."
What?
"…Yes? I don't see how that's relevent?" He never actually shared that detail with anyone, but…
Was anyone at the Academy actually straight?
"I mean, I figured you'd tell us that you and Lukey were dating sooner."
Oh.
Oh no.
Legs gave Lukey a panicked look before looking back at Juniper. "Oh, uh– we're not-"
Juniper smacked their forehead. "Right. Right, you're dating Amber."
…WHAT?
He looked at Amber, who seemed almost offended. "No? Also can we circle back to the fact you didn't think I liked men—Juniper did you think I was straight?"
Now it was Juniper's turn to look panicked. "I thought you were a lesbian!" they blurted out.
Legs didn't think he'd participated in a more confusing conversation in his entire nineteen (twenty?) years of living.
He looked back at Lukey, who put his hands up in surrender. "Don't look at me, I have no idea what the hell is going on."
"Juniper," Amber started. "Why did you think Legs and I were dating? That's- ew." she looked at him. "No offense."
"Uh, none taken."
"Also, thank gods you're not dating Lukey, because, to quote what you've said back to you: Pick anyone else."
"I- Hey!" Lukey objected. "I'm not that bad."
"Especially compared to who that was about. Please stop sleeping with AJ." Legs sighed.
"Amber's sleeping with AJ?" Juniper's eyebrows shot up."
"Legs!"
He looked at Juniper. "You didn't know that?"
"No?" They looked at Amber. "Why?!"
"What is going on?" Osteon's voice interrupted from behind Legs and Lukey, and Legs spun around, facing the wither mage.
"Nothing! Food's done, I'm going on a walk, bye Osteon!" He moved past her and out the greenhouse, hearing Lukey's voice call after him.
"Do you not want your food?"
"I'll get some later!" he shouted back.
He couldn't look any of them in the eye ever again. Maybe he'd bury himself in a hole for two hundred years.
That would solve the problem, surely.