orphic (adj.) - beyond ordinary understanding

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥  all alone by hogland

FREDDY BARELY REGISTERED
THE INSULT FOR A MOMENT

What.

Freddie blinked hard, turning to find the frame of a woman looking at them from only a few feet away. Shame slowly began flickering up his cheeks, and that deep sensation of embarrassment flooded his chest. He held the shirt to his chest, fear stretching his stomach out, as the woman's eyes narrowed at him.

"Pardon?" He heard Amir respond, almost sharply, and the sound made Freddie tense up all over again. For a moment, he'd forgotten he wasn't alone here. Amir had side-stepped him, standing almost entirely in front of him now.

"That shirt. It's for girls." She crossed her arms over her chest, sharp features wrinkling in distaste.

"Yeah, um, last I checked, clothes don't have a gender." Joon shot back, tiara still adorning his head proudly as he leaned against the outside wall of the shop. "Unless of course, I missed some kind of memo."

The woman scoffed again, clearly trying to look at Freddie, but Amir again shifted slightly on his feet, blocking her view, and some sickly sweet emotion rushed up his throat at the realization that his friends were protecting him, defending him. "Well, apparently nothing has a gender nowadays."

"Okay, that's enough." Bryce stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest. "No one asked for yer opinion, so no one is goin' ta value it."

"I'm just saying." She shot back, "I'm allowed to speak freely."

Cassian raised his eyebrow then, "Oh? Yeah? Than so am I." He just evenly looked at her. "Bastard."

"Excuse me??"

"I think you heard him just fine." Asia half-snapped then, looking her over disapprovingly. "What, freedom of speech matters so much to you, why does it bother you how we're talking?"

"There are children here." She scoffed again, "Yet another reason why you shouldn't be pushing whatever agenda you're trying to get at here."

"Agenda??" Echo spoke in half disbelief, "what agenda? If our friend wants to buy something he likes, he should be able to, regardless of what he identifies as."

She wrinkled her nose again, snorting as if she couldn't possibly fathom what she was hearing. The sound made Freddie's lungs hurt, squeezing inside his chest. "Unless he's one of those people who don't want to accept their gender."

Bryce blinked rapidly, "Excuse me? Ya mean someone who's trans?"

"Whatever they call themselves, I want no part of it."

"I'm trans." Bryce snapped back to her, stepping forward. "And ya know what, if ya have children, I feel bad for them that they have you as a mother." Her words were sharp, venom-laced, "My mother was jus' like ya. She made me feel horrible for who I was, and guess what? I don't fuckin' speak to her anymore. So hope ya enjoy that lifestyle 'n your future."

The woman's eyes were hard, dark with her own fury. "Don't speak to me like that- and don't come near me you-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Echo stepped forward again, this time beside Bryce, her own tone something he hadn't really heard from her before.

Anger.

Freddie felt his eyes wander the shop, searching for Cue to stop this, because Cue could diffuse the situation, he had too. He didn't want it to get any worse.

"It's fine." He felt himself speak softly, holding the shirt as he watched as the other's turned to him. "It's fine." he said it again, shaking his head, "I don't have to get it-"

"Thank the Lord that one of you has some common sense." She scowled, "How would he ever get a girlfriend if he can't ever be a man?"

Stop it.

It hurts in more ways than one, and that deep stinging sensation finally begins to reach his eyes. Freddie tries to blink away the oncoming tears that are beginning to blur his vision when a different voice sounds out beside where Cassian is.

"Cassian." It's Cue, and Freddie finally looks up, momentarily shocked when he realizes Cue is now wearing a bright pink, thick sleeved-halter top. It meets about mid-ab, and is a tight fit over his chest. He's also adorned with matching sparkly bracelets, some of them cheap looking, but all of them overtly colorful. There's a few friendship bracelets in there too, the braided kind. Everyone around him looks momentarily shocked, but Cue's face is expressionless as it always is. "Could you help me with this last bracelet, I can't get it." Cue just hands a clearly shocked Cassian another braided bracelet. This one was in the mermaid colors, with little text charms that read exactly that.

Fortunately, Cassian quickly recovered, and slow realization lit up his face as he took the bracelet, tying it on for him. Cue nodded his thanks, then swiftly approached the woman, who now looks just about as shell-shocked as you can get without having a heart-attack.

"Sorry, you were saying something about me being less of a man?"

Tears again began pricking Freddie's eyes, but this time for an entirely different reason. Cue was pretending that he was the one who'd been insulted, taking the attention away from Freddie. Cue had bought that stupid neon pink halter top instantly because of what she'd said to him. Freddie raised his hand over his mouth, determined to stifle any kind of outburst as threaded emotion wormed over and over through his heart.

"Or that I can't get a girlfriend because I dress like this?" Cue towered over the woman, who had quite clearly paled pretty quickly.

She still looked at him, opening her mouth, then shutting it again before choking out her response. "I- do you have a girlfriend."

"I have a wife." Cue shot back without so much as a breath of hesitation, rising back to his full height from leaning over her, broad shoulders and arms accented by the halter cut. Somehow, he looked even bigger than he usually did. "She's right there." He turned his head slightly, nodding to Cordelia, who looked every bit unphased as he did.

Instead, Delia smiled. A lethal, I'll bite your head off, kind of smile. "Hi there."

The woman took a slow, unsteady step back, obviously scrambling for any sort of argument she might have left in her. "Well- where is her ring then?? Huh??"

Cue raised his eyebrow, and for a moment, clear disapproval shot across his face. "She doesn't wear it out-"

Cordelia stepped in, setting a light hand on his chest as she pushed in front of him, smiling that same deadly smile again. "I wouldn't want to make people feel insignificant around me or my husband." Freddie looked to Cue, who clearly had his eyes trained fervently on Cordelia now, with every breath she spoke. "Although, now I wish I had worn it, if only to prove to you how disgusting your attitude is." She turned then, staring back up at Cue as if the woman behind her was nothing more than some irritating fly. "Cue, darling," her hand trailed across his abdomen, and for a moment Freddie thought he saw Cue breathe a sharp inhale. "Don't bother arguing with stupidity, that seems to be this woman's only trait."

A sharp, unnecessary, gasp came from her, but she scowled, "How dare you talk to me like that you whor-"

"Don't." Cue's voice was low, but it was pretty clear what the tone of his voice portrayed. "You lost. That's it. Now leave before I loose my fucking patience."

Evidently, she didn't need to be told twice, even if she muttered something as she quickly turned on her heel, spinning away from them in a rather dramatic display. Freddie could still feel his heart hammering in his chest, the tension thick as Cordelia's hand slowly retracted from Cue, her eyes finding something else to look at relatively quickly.

"Are you alright?" Amir's voice was soft as he turned to him almost immediately, and suddenly Freddie felt the rejuvenation of thick emotion clog his throat. Desperately, he tried to hold onto the tears, but he felt them begin to slip from his face. Amir's features shifted, and in an instant he was in his warm, strong embrace.

Freddie let his head fall into his shoulder, and the first quiet sob bubbled over, curling into his friend. He could feel the other's staring at him, and he hated it. He wanted to shrink into existence at the thought of them staring at him with some kind of pity. Amir's arms tightened suddenly around him, and that soft sense of protection rose up in his throat, joining the tears already streaming down his face where it remained buried into Amir's neck and shoulder.

"So Cue, that's a look." It was Joon's voice, and Freddie had never been more grateful for the moment of clear normalness that ran through the tension that surrounded them. He didn't have to look up to know Cue was scowling back at him.

"Can it Joon, I don't want to hear it."

"You know Cue, you'd look good with an earring, are you planning on getting one today?" Cassian's laugh was easy-going, and the normalcy soothed Freddie a little bit more, still curled into Amir's capable frame.

"Oh, you know, I think you deserve this tiara, actually Cue, it'll match your outfit." Freddie lifted his head a little at Joon's words again, placing his chin on Amir's shoulder instead. Just in time to see Joon take the crown off his head, putting it on Cue's instead. Cue rolled his eyes then, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You know, I actually don't hate it. It's a little bright." Cue looked down at the shirt. "I think it washes me out a little bit."

Amir was rubbing Freddie's back now, in those slow, soothing circles, but responded anyway. "Not as much as you might think, Cue, but admittedly, neon pink doesn't really look good on anyone. You kinda pull it off though"

Asia hummed then, picking at the bracelets on Cue's arms, "I like your little bracelets though Cue, very on brand."

"Don't patronize me."

"Oh, it's way too late for that." Cordelia almost smiled, her lips twitching upwards as she flipped through the clothes again.

"I don't really think you can talk Delia." Echo's giggle was bright, sending sparks of copper-coated arcana onto the cobblestone. "Cue, darling. "

Cordelia scoffed, playfully swatting at Echo. "Cue called me his wife first, besides, isn't Joon your boyfriend?"

"Well of course he is." Echo paused suddenly, as if remembering something. "And Cue is your husband, isn't he?" Cordelia looked confused for a moment, but Echo's glance towards the side seemed to spark recognition.

"That's cool, I didn't know ya were married." Bryce spoke suddenly, and for a moment Freddie realized that, right, Bryce wasn't an immortal. She was Echo's friend.

Cue blinked then, sharing a glance with Cordelia before briefly nodding. Yes, they could just say they weren't married, but it might lead to further, more convoluted questions, so they might as well just stick to it. Cue's gaze again turned to Bryce, nodding slightly. "It's not really something that comes up often I suppose."

Cordelia rolled her eyes, "Although Cue, I think you should get me a ring to wear here now, since we're married and all, and clearly that was a problem." Her smile was innocent, that same deadly grin that she'd had a moment ago.

Cue's eyes flattened at her, eyes locking, and Freddie felt the hair raise on his arms. That deep sense of swirling magic stirring in his stomach. Cue finally shook his head, sighing. "Alright. I'll get you a fucking ring."

Bryce seemed to brighten impossibly, "Oh! There's this really lovely shop right next door! They sell jewelry. Here Cue, ya can come with me so the ring s' a surprise."

Cue sighed again, but nodded slightly, side-stepping Cordelia as he followed Bryce into the shop next door, disappearing entirely after a moment. 

There was silence again for a moment, and sudden exhaustion half-flooded Freddie, letting his head again drop entirely into Amir's shoulder. God, he felt so tired suddenly. He didn't really want to be here anymore. He'd been hesitant about coming anyway, but the other's had looked excited, so he hadn't really minded. It's not like Freddie exactly regretted coming, after all, this was pretty nice. Amir had nice arms, and they hadn't shifted from around him really. Freddie could hear the others talking quietly. Cordelia seemed to be talking to Bryce about something with Asia and Echo, while Joon and Cassian seemed to be entertaining themselves just fine by flipping through the clothes still available on the outside racks.

"You okay?" Amir's voice was gentle again, and Freddie managed a half-hearted shrug. For a moment, he didn't say anything at all, then the circles resumed, and that gentle, fluid voice again filled his ears. "You wanna go home?"

"Yeah." The response was instantaneous, despite the emotion that still felt choked up in his lungs. He did feel a little better now, with Amir holding him. He really wasn't afraid of admitting he wanted to go home either, at least not to him.

"We can go home. We'll go when Cue gets back, okay?"

"Okay." Freddie really hoped Amir didn't move yet, he didn't feel all that ready to stand on his own. But Amir didn't move much, still rubbing those soft, soothing circles against his back.

"I meant it by the way Freddie, that shirt would look good on you." Amir kept his voice light-hearted and warm, as it often was. "If you still want it you should get it, and it's okay if you don't."

"...you think it would look good on me?" Freddie knew he was speaking quietly, but he really didn't have it in him to talk any louder.

"Yeah, I do."

Well, Freddie did trust Amir. He was really fashionable, and really handsome, and well- the thought that Amir might find it cute on him made him feel a lot better about buying it. "I want it." The words feel hard to say for a moment, but it feels good to have said them. Even if it is something silly like a shirt, it does feel nice to express that he might actually want something that doesn't exactly fit into society's norm. It made him feel a little more honest, a little more real.

"I'll get it for you-"

"Delia! Cue picked the best ring!" Bryce laughed brightly as she skipped over to them, skidding to a stop as Cue followed behind her, shaking his head.

Cordelia raised her head from her conversation, raising her eyebrow, "Oh did he? I'll be the judge of that."

Cue half scowled at her, "Fine. Here." He just held out one ring, dropping it in her palm. It was a simple gold band, with a sparkling stone crowned at the top. Other glittering jewels circling in an arc around it.

Cordelia blinked, "Cue, is this real?"

"Well, I wasn't going to buy you a fake one."

Bryce giggled, "That's so romantic Cue, I hope I find a boyfriend like you someday."

Cordelia's eyes remained trained on Cue, and again, Freddie felt the hair on his arms raise. "How much was it?"

"That's tacky." Cue held her gaze for a moment, before he shook his head slightly. "It doesn't matter. I already bought it."

Silence rimmed the group suddenly, and Freddie pulled back, anxious to say something. "Can we go home?" Fortunately, the words turned his friends from between Cordelia and Cue, back to him. Unfortunately, it again meant he was suddenly the center of attention once again

Echo blinked, smiling as she stepped forward. "Actually, we were hoping that we could have a girls night, so we could stay while you guys go home, if that's okay?" She turned to Bryce, lacing their arms, "All four of us wanna go have a girls night."

Bryce stared at her for a moment, then seemed to beam. "Me too?"

"Well yeah, you too." Asia snorted, "It's a girls night."

Bryce looked like she was going to cry suddenly, but Echo just squeezed her hand, looking back to Cue who finally tore his eyes from Cordelia's before nodding slowly.

"That sounds fine. We'll go home, and we'll see you later tonight, or in the morning Echo."

Echo brightened, and Freddie just watched Cue and Cordelia look at each other again, then quickly turn away to travel with their separate parties.

Before Freddie could properly think of that particular situation, he felt a hand grab his, interlacing their fingers, and looked back up at Amir as he smiled warmly. "Let's go home."

Freddie doesn't really remember the exact moment when he started thinking of the Island as home, but it doesn't really matter. Because it was his home, and no one could ever take that from him.

They waved goodbye to the girls, trudging back to Echo's house here to go back and Freddie, and for a moment, Freddie glanced at Amir's hand, still interlaced in his own.

Maybe this trip wasn't so bad after all.

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

wyn !!

fifteenth chapter done !

my apologies, i love freddie
i promise I do-

also, the romantic TENSION in
this chapter was peak, right?

love you all !