[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/SR52k84p/54b4e63d635603b22d80f72a4ba2be54.png[/img][hr][img]https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/she-hulk-wong-madisynn.jpeg?w=620&h=420&crop=1[/img][hr][@Achronum][@Blizz][@Forsythe][@Kirah][@PatientBean][@Trainerblue192][hr][h3][color=AC3EFF][b]11:00 PM - Sun. December 12th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr]	The day had already been more eventful than it ever had been intended to be - and unfortunately, the same could be said for the night. Reunions decades in the making had competed for emotional space with sudden loss and confusion, with a number of disqualifications from the contest that threatened to fracture what small bonds had been formed, and strangers turning deep, fundamental trauma into a childish prank. For most, any number of these factors would have warranted an early bedtime, particularly with the Contest of Champions - the culmination of everything they had worked for - coming with morning's light. 

	But these teens were built different. 

	And definitely addicted to caffeine. 

	The Kingston-Gray parents had announced lights out roughly an hour ago, bidding their charges a good night's sleep - including some additions to their numbers who the Vision had been all too happy to entrust to their care. Of course, our heroes weren't the only ones having issues the night before the contest. The Young Avengers had somehow stumbled across a 100 year old cold case and appointed themselves in charge of finally laying a spirit to rest. Meanwhile, Tommy was MIA, Billy and Teddy had gotten into an argument, and Kate had gotten the archer's version of the bends from stress. They too desperately needed sleep. 

	Perhaps the students from the other schools were having a similarly hectic night. That was all the Vision dared hope. 

	In the attic of the Kingston-Gray house, used partially for storage but also as a designated 'teen zone,' the new-[i]new[/i] Excelsior team sat in a circle, soft blankets around them like capes, pillows on the floor for cushioning, soft lighting from up above, and a multitude of snacks for everyone to partake in. Even Gideon was present, having finally decided she'd had her fill of scrolling through GrindHer. It was all she ever wanted to do, but for some reason, her heart just wasn't in it tonight. And while she'd somehow failed her classes (despite Coulson auto-passing them all), she had trained for the contest with her fellow students for the past few months. She didn't know them super well and they didn't know her, but she cared about them. Kinda. Some more than others. 

	The light reflected off the tinted shades of her sunglasses, as her finger twitched for a joint, but instead just found the bowl of popcorn. "Sooo... What's next on the docket then, huh? We gonna play Spin the Bottle or something?" Her gaze focused briefly on Andy, before she leaned back slightly, clad in a wife beater and boxer shorts. 

	April turned bright red at the suggestion. Of the people in the circle, two of them were her ex-girlfriends and as much as she had been the one to initiate the break-up, it still fucking [i]hurt[/i]. She still missed the way that things had been. There were still moments where she wished she could take it all back, and just be a little bit unhappy instead - just feel a little bit like a third wheel in her own relationship. And then, of course, there was her cousin (?) Andy, and Danni and Dorian were basically her brothers, and Percy was Dorian's boyfriend and also a boy, Gideon was hot but too old (she was like 19!) and then Vicky... Vicky was the last person in the world April would ever want to kiss. 

	[color=42A9FF]"N-no way!"[/color] she blurted. [color=42A9FF]"Umm, what if we played something else like... Frogger, maybe? Or Never Have I Ever? Or we could go pick out a board game, Dori, Danni, what do you guys have besides Uno? Or we could do Hide and Seek but... Maybe that's a bad idea, since we're supposed to be asleep, and I don't want your parents to kick us out - well not that they'd kick all of us out but Leah, Sabine, Gideon, and I technically are supposed to be at the hotel so... Two Truths and a Lie?"[/color]

	None of those options sounded particularly appealing to Percy. Of course, everything sounded a little strange to him. It was hard to describe. It was like the difference in sound quality between a preciously maintained vinyl record and a bootleg recording taken on a phone, only applied to language rather than sound. He could understand everything everyone was saying, but the quality had dropped - as if the words themselves had acquired a haze to them, a fog that would not dispel. It was coupled with a slight gnawing ache, a soft emptiness, as the world shifted slightly out of perspective - everything a bit to the left, not quite as it should have been. 

	Or maybe it was all in his imagination. 

	[color=ed1c24]"I'd rather mafia."[/color] He liked deduction games. Particularly ones that involved murder. It was a bit macabre, sure, but it was visceral and exciting. And it was hardly the only children's game to deal with death - so many rhymes and songs showcased it, too. There were games about the plague. What was wrong with a bit of healthy murder between friends? He fought the urge to yawn. On top of the mild discomfort, he was also just incredibly tired. It'd been a long day. And he knew the next day was only going to prove even longer. 

	Sabine, meanwhile, had taken all this into account. It occurred to her that each person had varying levels of sleepover experience. Leah, more than likely, had never done it. April probably did with Danni and Dorian. Vicky didn’t. Percy likely didn’t. Andy maybe, but she doubted. The games were cute suggestions even if it was [i]painfully[/i] obvious why Gideon suggested Spin the Bottle. There had to be a game they could play that was your typical sleepover fare while also being mindful of people’s comfort levels. After all, she didn’t want to make people more uncomfortable given….recent events. And then it hit her. It was perfect.

	[color=A2797E]”Girls, Gays, and Theys, those are cute suggestions, but I have something better in mind. We can even set up some ground rules to make things more comfy for everyone, but you can’t beat a classic. I am talking Fuck, Marry, Kill,”[/color] Sabine said, with a devilish grin.

	She had played this game before back in school in France, but she knew from endless high school romance movies that it was a classic for a reason. [color=A2797E]”We can start it off simple. Or, as simple as it can be. So let’s do…..Doctor Strange, Vision, and Captain Marvel. I’ll go first since I got the ball rolling. I would Fuck Captain Marvel because, obviously. Marry Doctor Strange, it wouldn’t be boring, and kill Vision because…well that’s the only option I have and he sort of freaks me out a bit. Who’s next?”[/color]