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Ian walked down the stairs and saw his mom doing a work out on the TV.
"Alright. We're gonna get Warrior Z90 fit. Let me hear you say, "I am a mighty warrior!""
The TV spoke.
"I am a mighty warrior." His mom replied.
"Morning mom!" Ian called out.
At that moment, the door bell rang. Ian walked over and pulled it open revealing a beautiful elf girl with (h/l), (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes. This was Ian's childhood best friend (and secret crush), (Y/n).
"Happy Birthday Ian!" She yelled blowing a party horn and throwing confetti in his face.
"Heh, thanks (Y/n)." Ian said.
He invited her in and she pulled out a present from her book bag and handed it to him.
He opened it up to find a drawing of a portrait (Y/n) had drawn of her and Ian as little kids. Ian was giving (Y/n) a piggy back ride.
"Wow! Thanks (Y/n). I love it." He said. She gave him a hug and whispered 'Happy Birthday!' In his ear, making him blush.
"Morning Miss Laurel!" (Y/n) called out to Ian's mom. Upon hearing her voice, a dragon ran from the kitchen and jumped on the two teens.
"Oh! Blazey, down!" Laurel said, turning off the TV and grabbing a spray bottle. She sprayed the dragon with water trying to get him off of Ian.
"Bad dragon! Back to your lair." She said, finally Blazey got off of Ian and scurried away. "Sorry sweetie." Laurel apologized.
"Oh, that's ok." She replied.
Ian stood up and held his hand out for (Y/n) to help her up. She grabbed it and pulled her to her feet.
"Happy birthday Mr. Adult Man." Laurel said, walking over to Ian, grabbing his face and attacking him with kisses.
"No, mom." Ian whined, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of (Y/n). He wiped his sleeve across his face getting rid of the kisses.
"Hey, buddy. Don't wipe of my kisses." She playfully scolded before gasping.
"What?" Ian asked.
"You're wearing your dad's sweatshirt." She noticed.
"Oh. You know. Finally fits." Ian said, nonchalantly.
"Aw, my little chubby cheeks is all grown up!" His mom cooed, reaching for his face.
"Okay, okay. Mom, I gotta eat something before school." Ian quickly said, jumping my out of his mom's reach. "Have you eaten yet?" He asked his best friend.
"No, I was in a rush to wish you a happy birthday, chubby cheeks." She teased.
"Shut up!" He said, lightly pushing her.
"You shut up!" She replied, punching him in the arm.
The two elves laughed as they entered the kitchen.
"Ah, we don't have much food. I still have to go to the grocery store." Laurel told the two teenage elves.
Ian opened the fridge and reached for the snacks in the fridge, before his mom whacked his hand.
"Ah, hands off, mister. Those are for your party tonight." She scolded.
"It's not a party mom. It's just us and (Y/n)." Ian reminded her. "You want some cereal?" Ian asked his friend.
"Sure, thanks." She said.
"You could invite those kids from your science class. You said they seem pretty rockin'." Laurel suggested.
"I'm, uh, pretty sure I didn't say it like that." Ian told his mom. "And besides. I don't even know them." He poured cereal and milk into a bowl and handed it to (Y/n) before making himself a bowl.
"Well, your birthday's a day to try new things. Be the new you." Laurel reminded him before turning on the blender. "Speaking of trying new things, did you sign up for driving practice?!" She shouted over the blender.
"No!" He yelled as the blender turned off.
"I know you're a little scared to drive, sweetie pie, but..." she began before Ian cut her off.
"I'm not scared, mom. I'm gonna move Barley's game." Ian insisted.
(Y/n) was leaning against the stove, eating her cereal. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You know how he gets when someone touches that board." She warned.
Ian gasped as he tripped over a mace that was on the floor. "Well, he's gotta learn to clean up his toys." Ian replied, annoyed.
Suddenly, an arm reached out and grabbed Ian by the sweatshirt, pulling him into a choke hold. It was Ian's older brother Barley.
"Halt! Doth my brother dare disrupt an active campaign?" Barley tighten his hold on Ian causing him to drop his cereal.
"Oh, come on." Ian complained.
"I told you so." (Y/n) shrugged, leaning against the kitchen table while drawing in her sketchbook.
"You know, Ian, in the days of old, a boy of 16 would have his strength tested in the Swamps of Despair and win the hand of a beautiful maiden." Barley said, turning Ian to face (Y/n) who was still drawing, not paying attention to what Barley was saying. Ian stared at her and a small smile appeared on his face before remembering that he was still being choked by his brother.
"I'm not testing anything. Just let me go." Ian demanded.
"Let him go." His mom said from the kitchen.
"Okay." Barley said, releasing Ian. "But I know you're stronger than that. There's a mighty warrior inside of you. You just have to let him out." Barley commented.
"Right, (Y/n)?" Barley asked her as she was walking by, looking at her phone. He grabbed her in a choke hold too.
"Ack! Barley! You stink! When was the last time you had a shower?" The girl complained.
"Hey, let her go." Ian demanded.
"If you tried a little harder, you actually could probably wiggle out of this." Barley told her as they wrestled into the kitchen.
"Barley, stop torturing the poor girl!" Laurel scolded.
(Y/n) eventually grabbed Barleys arm and flipped him over her shoulder. He landed on the ground with a thud.
"See? (Y/n) knows how to let out her inner warrior." Barley groaned, reaching his hand out for help.
"Thank you." (Y/n) said, high fiving his out stretched hand.
"Now, take out the trash." His mom told him.
Barley grabbed the trash bags and walked out the door, while Ian grabbed a piece of bread and started to make toast.
....
Barley lifted the lid and put the trash in the trash can, when he looked up and saw someone he really didn't want to see.
"Ah, Officer Bronco." Barley groaned.
A serious looking centaur walked up to him.
"Barley, Barley, Barley. Every time the city tries to tear down an old piece of rubble, I gotta drag my rear end out here and deal with you." Bronco complained.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Barley denied.
At this point, Laurel, Ian, and (Y/n) had come outside to see what was going on.
"Oh, really?" Officer Bronco said, pulling out his phone. He showed them a video of Barley chained up to an old fountain trying to stop construction workers from tearing it down.
"Barley." His mother scolded.
"They're destroying the towns past!" Barley defended.
"Well, come on in. Rest your haunches for a minute." Laurel told Bronco.
"Thank you hon." Bronco said, giving her a kiss, causing all three elf kids to cringe in disgust and go back in the house.
Officer Bronco kept bumping into things on his way in. He spotted Ian making some toast and said hello.
"Hey there, birthday boy. So, ya working hard or hardly working?" He asked before letting out a weird and cringy laugh.
"I'm just, you know, making toast." Ian said awkwardly.
"I'm serious Barley, you need to start thinking less about the past and more about your future." Laurel scolded Barley.
"She's right." Bronco agreed, his tail swishing and knocking Ian's toast onto the ground causing Blazey to swoop in and eat it.
"You can't spend all day playing your board game." Officer Bronco told him, sitting down in the dining room, causing the table to tip.
"Quests of Yore isn't just a board game. It's a historically based role playing scenario. Did you know, in the old days, centaurs could run 70 miles an hour." Barley informed him.
"I own a vehicle. Don't need to run." Bronco deadpanned.
"Well, Ian, (Y/n), you could definitely learn a lot from Quests of Yore. You wanna play?" He asked.
"I don't." Ian called from the kitchen, making another slice of toast.
"(Y/n), you could be a fair princess, or a knight, or an alchemist. And Ian, you could be a crafty rogue or...ooh! I know! You can be a wizard." Barley said excitedly, showing the figurine to Ian. He then wrapped his arm around Ian. "I shall cast a spell on thee!"
"Hey, careful of Dad's sweatshirt!" Ian warned.
"I don't even remember Dad wearing that sweatshirt." Barley commented.
"Didn't you say you only had like, two memories of him?" (Y/n) asked.
"No, I've got three. I remember his beard was scratchy, he had a goofy laugh and I used to play..."
"Drums on his feet." Ian finished.
"Drums on his feet. Right." Barley confirmed. "I used to go pa pa ra rum pa...pfft pfft." Barley played the drums on Ian's foot, hitting a little too hard causing Ian's other piece of toast to go flying.
"Five second rule. Hah!" Barley yelled grabbing the piece of toast. When he came back up, his spikey bracelet got caught on the sweatshirt and ripped a hole in the shoulder.
"It's ok, you just gotta pull." Barley panicked and yanked his wrist, causing the hole to become bigger.
"Barley." Laurel said, cutting Barley loose.
"Uh, you know...I'm just gonna get some food on the way to school. Come on (Y/n)." Ian said.
"I'll see that later tonight, okay?" Laurel promised.
Just before Ian and (Y/n) reached the door, Barley came running after them.
"Wait, wait, wait. By the laws of yore, I must dub thee a man today. Kneel before me." Barley commanded in a deep voice, holding up a sword.
"Uh...sorry Barley, we gotta get going." (Y/n) said, seeing Ian was still a little upset.
"Alright, we'll, I'll pick you up later. We'll perform the ceremony at school." Barley told them, putting a viking helmet on.
"Oh! No, no, no, no. Don't do that. Don't do that. Okay, bye!" Ian said, grabbing (Y/n)'s hand and dragging her out the door.
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