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trinity-mia · 4 months

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a story as endless as the ocean

the lightning thief

2.1 the beginning of the end

warnings : betrayal, monster attack... more or less, allie gets a little angry, probs some cussing

word count : 4.8k

2.1 The Completed Prophecy Brings Forth a New Set of Challenges and Stress

We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke's own quest, so of course, everybody treated us as if we'd won some reality-TV contest. According to camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.

Luke's shroud was metallic white and emerald green, with a pair of winged sneakers on the front. It gave off a weird reptilian scent while it burned.

Being the daughter of Poseidon, I didn't have any cabin mates, so my friends had all volunteered to work together to make my shroud. It was absolutely beautiful, made of long sea green silk and embroidered with a golden trident. Silena cried in dismay when we burned it, though for the rest of us it was fun to burn them, in a very morbid kind of way. Like I was sticking up my finger at everyone who thought I would fail in quest, including myself.

As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores, I was surrounded by all of my friends and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand-new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."

Even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen my spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get herself killed and now she'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday..."

I moved all of my stuff from home into cabin three, but it didn't feel so lonely anymore. My car was parked right on the road near Camp Half-Blood. At first, Chiron didn't want it out there, just in case a monster or something got to it, but I convinced him I didn't care if it got damaged and if it was inside camp borders the Stoll Brothers would probably do much more damage than a monster.

I had my friends to hang with during the day, and Luke regularly snuck into my room to sleep in my bed with me. Though, I would be shocked if Chiron didn't know he'd been doing it since we got back. At first, it wasn't every night, but every so often one of us would get a nightmare and he'd be knocking at my door. When he realized that he couldn't always just guess whenever I'd have a nightmare and also couldn't just sneak into the Hermes cabin, we'd silently decided to make it an every night thing. We'd gotten used to being together during our quest, so being apart was weird. I got up at five every morning, anyway, so it's not like anyone ever caught us.

I spoke with Chiron, and agreed to stay year-round, but I would have permission to go on little trips outside. Apparently, it was an allowance given to children of Poseidon, as otherwise, we tended to go stir-crazy and run away after destroying something. So, while I would live mostly at camp, I would be able to leave and go to Columbia on the days I had to and I'd get to visit my East Hampton beach house whenever I wanted since it was only half an hour away.

As much as I loved Camp, it was still a huge relief to have that safety net available. I don't think I could cope with being in one place constantly, even this place.

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles.

According to Luke, who'd seen the show several times before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.

As Luke and I were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell us good-bye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks, he'd started to look older, almost collage age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his Rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said, shifting slightly. "I just came to say... well, you know."

I tried to feel happy for him. After all, it wasn't every day a satyr got permission to go look for the great god Pan. But it was hard saying good-bye. I'd only known Grover a year, yet he was one of my oldest real friends.

I gave him a tight hug and reminded him to keep his fake feet on, thinking of how they had fallen off on the train while Luke asked him where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan..."

"We understand," I assured him. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?" I pressed.

"Jeez, Allie," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat."

But he didn't really sound annoyed.

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway— nothing like the little runty boy I used to defend from bullies at Yancy Academy.

"Well," he said with a small smile. "Wish me luck."

I gave him a tight hug. He and Luke clapped each other on the shoulders, then headed back through the dunes. I watched him go through misty eyes.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," I called.

He turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going, I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Luke told me, pulling me into a side hug.

I tried to believe it. The fact that no searcher had ever come back in two thousand years... Well, I decided not to think about that. Grover would be the first. He had to be.

The summer passed.

I spent my days in camp devising new strategies for capture-the-flag and making alliances with the other cabins to keep the banner out of Ares' hands. Clarisse and I started a friendly, but vicious, rivalry over it. I got to the top of the climbing wall for the first time without getting scorched by lava.

From time to time, I'd walk past the Big House, glance up at the attic windows, and think about the Oracle. I tried to convince myself that its prophecy had come to completion.

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, even though the traitor god had turned out to be Ares rather than Hades.

You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.

Check. One master bolt delivered. One helm of darkness back on Hades' dark head.

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you friend.

That line still bothered me. Ares had pretended to be our friend, then betrayed me. That must have been what the Oracle meant even though it didn't quite fit...

And the last one.

And it shall begin, in the end.

Surely, it meant my fight with Ares? I wasn't arrogant enough to claim it was anything close to a war or anything of the sort, but I couldn't think of another option. The quest was over, so the prophecy should be complete. And Chiron had said that the Oracle's words often didn't make sense, anyway.

The last night of the summer session came all too quickly.

The campers had one last meal together. We burned part of our dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.

I got my own leather necklace, and when I saw the bead for my first summer, I was glad the firelight covered my blushing. The design was a simple pitch black bead, with a sea-green trident shimmering in the center.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced, grinning at me cheekily. "This bead commemorates the first Daughter of the Sea God, and the quest that she undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. I'm not sure I'd ever felt as happy or sad as I did at that moment. I'd finally found a family, people who cared about me and thought I'd done something right. And in the morning, most of them would be leaving for the year.

The next morning, I went to do some training and get myself out of the way while everyone was packing themselves into the camp shuttle. Of my friends, Luke, Silena, Beckendorf and the Stolls were all staying. Beckendorf's mother was dead, Silena only visited her father rarely for a reason she didn't share and I didn't push for, though she obviously adored him, and the Stolls' mother was a heavily devout Christian who kicked them out for 'converting to paganism.'

I had said goodbye to the others last night, and I didn't want to do so again and get upset at them leaving. Especially as my mind had continuously wandered to the fact that if Mom were still alive, I'd be leaving as well.

Instead, I lost myself in the rhythm of practice. Sword-fighting seemed as natural as breathing to me, and by the time a throat clearing interrupted me, I had decimated the training dummies completely. At least they'd be replaced in a few days anyway.

The person standing at the entrance to the arena shocked me.

"Annabeth," I stated in surprise, sweeping some loose hair out of my face and behind my ear again. "What— uh, did you want to do some training or something? I can go."

"No," she shook her head, stepping closer to me. "I actually wanted to talk to you. Bury the hatchet, you know? For Luke's sake."

That completely shocked me, but I was willing to go along with it if she was serious. I'd seen the unhappiness Luke felt at how Annabeth and I seemed to be constantly at odds with each other. Though, I had nothing to do with it, and everyone knew I just defended myself in whatever way was necessary.

"Sure," I agreed slowly. "Here, or—?"

She shook her head, gold curls bouncing. "No, here's not really the place for heart-to-hearts, you know? Follow me, I know a good place to talk."

I turned Riptide back into its necklace form and Shaker into bracelet form and trailed after her as we made our way to the creek and sat down near where I was almost mauled by that hellhound.

"You okay?" Annabeth asked with a look of innocence that was definitely fake on her face. Her eyes were too wide, and I suddenly wished that I could get my sword out more subtly. My instincts were screaming at me, and suddenly it just clicked.

The thief hadn't been found, only Ares and the Crooked Lord. And now I knew why the prophecy had been bothering me so much despite the quest being officially over. It wouldn't really be over until the thief was caught.

"You're the one who took the Bolt," I accused quietly. "Aren't you?"

She laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "Well, well, maybe you're not such a seaweed brain after all. Yes, I took the stupid Bolt." Her expression twisted bitterly as she spoke. She didn't look at all like a twelve-year-old girl, and from the look in her eyes, I had no doubt that she wanted to kill me. "I saw a lot out there in the world, Allie," she said. "I ran away from my idiotic father and his wife and kids when I was seven and I saw the reality of the world. Didn't you feel it, the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics, being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods."

"You're psychotic," I scoffed back. "In case you haven't realized, without gods, there would be no demigods. It's in the damn word! We need each other!"

She glared, and I could tell that hadn't occurred to her before. Stupid, especially of a supposed child of the wisdom goddess, but I guess that wisdom and common sense don't necessarily go hand-in-hand.

She clicked her fingers instead of answering. A small fire burned a hole in the ground at my feet. Out crawled something glistening black, about the size of my hand. A scorpion.

I started to go for my necklace.

"I wouldn't," Annabeth warned me with a cruel smile. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds."

"You're as crazy as Ares."

Her eyes flared violently. "Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, Allie, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long."

The scorpion crawled onto my leg.

There had to be a way out of this. I needed time to think.

"Kronos," I stated. "That's who you serve."

The air got colder.

"You should be more careful with names," Annabeth warned me.

"Kronos," I put a lot of emphasis on his name, "got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams."

Annabeth's eye twitched. "He spoke to you, too, Allie. You should have listened to him. You might have survived."

"He's brainwashing you, Annabeth. You'd think a child of the wisdom goddess would be able to see that."

"You're wrong!" Annabeth shrieked. "He showed me that my talents are being wasted. I've been here for years, since I was seven! I'm better at fighting and thinking than anyone else in this worthless camp, and yet I've never been allowed to leave except to visit my useless mortal father! It's not fair! I should've been given a quest! I'm better than all of them!"

"You're a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum," I spat back, furious. "And you're going to break Luke's heart!"

"Don't talk to me about Luke!" she snarled. "Do you know how he got that scar on his face? Hermes sent him to steal apples from the Garden of Hesperides, a quest that's been done already! Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. His heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden nearly killed him, and I knew I had to get justice for him and Thalia. They deserved better than what the gods gave them, the only truly good people in this world. Even Chiron is so blinded by the gods that there's no hope for him. He'd let us all die if they ordered it. He doesn't really care, he just pretends that he does. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to strike– a worthwhile strike– against the gods, to take something that no hero had ever had the courage to take."

I shook my head and tried to interrupt, but she was on a roll, too in her own mind to listen to me.

"When we went on that winter-solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I put on my cap and I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus' master bolt right from his chair. Hades' helm of darkness, too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was, and I'm not even one of Hermes' children. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft."

The scorpion was sitting on my knee now, staring at me with its glittering eyes. I tried to keep my voice level, and to keep my worry hidden. "So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?"

Annabeth's smile wavered. "I... I got overconfident. Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the stolen bolt, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes. But it was Ares who caught me. I could have out-witted him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus and burn me alive. Then Kronos' voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares's head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence."

Then she got such a haunted look on her face that I would've felt bad for her if she hadn't put me in the tough spot I was in— it was the same way I looked after a particularly bad confrontation with Gabe.

"Afterward, the Lord of the Titans... h-he punished me with nightmares. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-Blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way, from Ares down to Tartarus."

"You summoned the hellhound, that night in the forest."

"We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for you, so he would start you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked."

"The backpack was cursed," I said. "It was supposed to drag me and the bolt into Tartarus."

"And it would have, if you'd been wearing it. But you gave it to Luke, which screwed everything up. Luke was never supposed to get hurt." Annabeth looked down at the scorpion, which was now sitting on my thigh. "You should have died in Tartarus, Allie. But don't worry, I'll leave you with my little friend to set things right."

"Thalia gave her life to save you," I said, gritting my teeth. "And this is how you repay her?"

"Don't talk about Thalia!" she shrieked. "The gods let her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for."

"You're being used, Annabeth. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos."

"I've been used?" Annabeth's voice turned shrill. "Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest, the ones who serve him."

"Call off the bug," I demanded. "If you're so strong, fight me yourself."

Annabeth smiled, a light of insanity in her gray eyes. "Nice try, Allie. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord is waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to undertake."

"Annabeth—"

"Good-bye, Allie. There's a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it."

She turned and strode away, and I saw the silhouette of someone join her.

For one horrifying second, I thought it was Luke. My heart dropped.

It wasn't Luke. It was Cody.

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you friend.

The words echoed around my head like an alarm, bouncing around every part of my brain until I couldn't deny it anymore. I opened my mouth to say something to him, but he simply strode away after Annabeth.

And there was nothing I could do to stop them, because the minute he turned, the scorpion lunged.

I swatted it away with my hand and summoned Riptide. The thing jumped at me and I cut it in half in mid-air.

I was about to go racing after the two traitors until I looked down at my hand. My palm had a huge red welt, oozing and smoking with yellow guck. The damn thing had gotten me after all. I always hated bugs.

My ears pounded. My vision went foggy. The water, I thought dizzily, hearing the noise of the creek nearby. It healed me before.

I stumbled to the creek and submerged my hand. It was working, but not fast enough. I'd be dead long before the water fully healed me. The poison was too strong. My vision was getting dark. I could barely stand up.

Sixty seconds, Annabeth had told me.

I had to get back to camp. If I collapsed out here, my body would be dinner for a monster. Nobody would ever know what had happened, they wouldn't know about Annabeth and Cody's treachery. They would be completely vulnerable to the two.

My legs felt like lead. My years of athletics kept my stamina going, just enough to keep me alive. My forehead was burning. I stumbled toward the camp, and the nymphs stirred from their trees.

"Help," I croaked. "Please..."

Two of them took my arms, pulling me along. I dimly remember making it to the clearing, a counselor shouting for help, Chiron blowing a conch horn urgently. Then everything went black.

I woke with a drinking straw in my mouth. I was sipping something that tasted like liquid chocolate-chip cookies. Nectar.

I opened my eyes and looked around weakly. I was propped up in bed in the sickroom of the Big House, my right hand bandaged like a club. Argus stood guard in the corner. Luke sat next to me, holding my nectar glass and dabbing a washcloth on my forehead.

"Anyone else got deja vu?" I asked with a weak smile at him.

"That's not funny," Luke answered, looking shaky, the vein in his forehead popping. "You were bleeding from your eyes and turning gray when we found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing..."

"Now, now," Chiron's voice chided. "Allie's constitution deserves some of the credit for her survival. She ran through most of the forest with no help, while dying of poison."

He was sitting near the foot of my bed in human form, which was why I hadn't noticed him yet. His lower half was magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half was dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale, the way it did when he'd been up all night grading Latin papers.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."

Between sips of nectar, I told them the story.

The room was quiet for a long time.

"We have to hunt them down," Luke said tightly. "I knew something was up when everyone was accounted for except for the two of them."

He was pushing his pain aside to focus on the problem at hand, but I could see the anguish in his eyes at his surrogate little sister's betrayal. Annabeth had been a mix of sister, daughter, and friend to him. I couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling right then.

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured in reply. "I will go at once."

"Zeus has declared the matter of Kronos closed," I pointed out tightly. "We need to do this ourselves, preferably before the Titans are walking the earth again!"

"Allie, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready."

I didn't like it, but I knew that Chiron was right. One look at my hand, and I knew I wasn't going to be sword fighting with both swords for at least a few days.

"Chiron... the prophecy, the one about the child of one of the Big Three... is it, I mean—"

Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Allie, it isn't my place—"

My eyes narrowed. "You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"

His eyes were sympathetic, but sad. "You will be a great heroine, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you..."

Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.

"All right!" Chiron shouted. "Fine!" He sighed in frustration. "The gods have their reasons, Allie. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."

"We can't just sit back and do nothing," I protested.

"We will not sit back," Chiron promised me. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

"Assuming I live that long, you mean?" I spat scornfully.

"You will," Luke promised darkly. "You're staying, aren't you? I'll make sure of it, Angel, I swear on the River Styx that I'll—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," I said threateningly.

His expression didn't change and even though he didn't say it out loud, he finished it in his head. It wasn't a complete binding, but he didn't need that.

"That would have been foolish," Chiron sighed tiredly. "Don't go around making promises like that, Luke, you know better. Rest now, both of you. I must go and speak to the gods."

I wanted to protest. I wanted to ask him more questions. But his expression told me there would be no more discussion; he had said as much as he could.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron promised. "Argus will watch over you."

I watched him leave, then turned to Luke. "Help me up. I want to go outside."

"Angel, that isn't a good idea."

I ignored him and slid my legs out of bed. Luke caught me before I could crumple to the floor. A wave of nausea rolled over me.

"I told you so," Luke grumbled, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and grasping my waist to support me.

"I'm fine," I insisted. I didn't want to lie in bed like an invalid while Annabeth and Cody were out there planning to destroy the Western world.

I managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Luke. Argus followed us outside, but he kept his distance.

By the time we reached the porch, my face was beaded with sweat. My stomach had twisted into knots and I felt like I was going to faint. But I had managed to make it all the way to the railing.

It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit silent. No canoes cut the surface of the lake. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the waters of Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.

"What are you going to do?" Luke asked me.

I shrugged helplessly at that. "I don't know." Without looking at him, I reached out to clasp his hand gently. "I'm sorry about Annabeth."

He swallowed loudly. "I am too," he muttered gruffly.

We were quiet after that, and I pretended I didn't see the tears trickling down his face as he stared wistfully at Thalia's pine tree. I pulled him into a hug and though he was still very much so holding me up, in that moment, I was his lifeline.

We stayed like that until we went to bed at curfew. As we entered my cabin that night, I felt the pressure settle itself around my shoulders like I was suddenly carrying the weight of the world on them. A child of the Big Three would save or destroy the world. And I was the only open candidate for the position.

* * *

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#asaeato #a story as endless as the ocean #alliejackson #female percy jackson #lukecastellan #lullie #trinitymia

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hplovecraftmuseum · 1 year

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Lovecraft considered Algernon Blackwood's tale, THE WILLOWS, to be the finest supernatural story ever written in the English Language. It is my contention that he modeled the single most ambitious of his own stories after Blackwood's masterpiece. AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS would probably have been Lovecraft's proudest moment. Unfortunately, though the story appeared serialized in three issues of the science-fiction magazine, ASTOUNDING STORIES, it was abridged and filled with typos. As far as the similar themes in THE WILLOWS and 'MTS': Both tales feature explorers discovering vast and desolate regions. THE WILLOWS takes place on a broad region of the Danube River. For mile after mile there are only small islands covered in stunted willow trees. Both tales depict terrific winds. In THE WILLOWS the islands that dot the landscape are constantly being eaten away by the waters of the Danube as they rush forward. Lovecraft's tale on the other hand occurs in an unexplored region of Antarctica. In that story a mighty glacier (a frozen river) moves at an infinitely slow pace through the ancient city of the 'old ones' and likewise will one day grind it to dust - Lovecraft here plays with his favorite dimension-time. Another theme shared by each story is that of a mirage acting as a premonition. In THE WILLOWS the pair of lone travelers sees what they at first believe is a human body spinning in the current. The pair look again and realize the thing is really an otter playing near the shore. In 'ATMOM' the adventurers - in this case exploring Antarctica - see a mirage in the distance of the very ruined city they will soon discover. In this mirage, however, the city appears to be in pristine condition and crawling with movement as it may have looked a million years previously. Both stories feature tents and odd footprints or tracks. In the case of THE WILLOWS it is suggested that the stunted willow trees are actually able to move about - though the explorer-friends never actually see this happen. In Lovecraft's tale, reports come to the protagonists that alien creatures, not unlike trees in some respects and definitely as much plant as animal are discovered frozen in a cave. In their frozen state the lobes of their starfish-like heads droop down around their barrel-shaped bodies - reminiscent of the branches and trunk of a willow tree. As in THE WILLOWS our Antarctic explorers never actually see one of the creatures alive and moving. In THE WILLOWS the narrator and his friend, 'The Swede', have shared several outdoor adventures previously. The narrator appreciates that his pal is dependable and somewhat lacking in imagination. Now, however, The Swede, suddenly developes the ability to 'channel' the minds of the terrible 'spirits' of the mysterious region. When Lovecraft's Antarctic adventurers finally enter the ruined city of the alien beings - they refer to them by a variety of nebulous terms - they seem to be able to 'read' the history of the beings in the bas-relief carving they left behind with preternatural detail and precision. In both tales there is a hint of some even greater and more powerful menace beyond even the haunted willow landscape in one case, or the alien-built ruins of Antarctica in the other. In THE WILLOWS the pair of explorers - traveling through the haunted region in a canoe - are able to escape because another victim has been claimed by the spirits there. This time they see the illusion of a creature spinning in the waves again. Here it is not an otter, but a human corpse! In Lovecraft's tale a perusing monster- heard more than seen- is slowed as it stops to feed upon huge, grotesque white penguins in its path. There are other thematic and structural similarities between the two men's stories, but it is almost certain that Lovecraft was making an effort to build the same kind of atmosphere of sustained dread and cosmic fear that he appeciated so profoundly in Blackwood's greatest masterpiece. (Exhibit 287)

#lovecraft #at the mountains of madness #the Willows #algernon blackwood

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munchmemes · 2 years

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don’t hug me i’m scared sentence starters

❛ what’s your favourite idea? ❜ ❛ now when you look at this orange, tell me, please, what do you see? ❜ ❛ take a look at my hair, i use my hair to express myself. ❜ ❛ that sounds really boring. ❜ ❛ i might paint a picture of a clown. ❜ ❛ woah there, friend! you might need to slow down. ❜ ❛ green is not a creative colour. ❜ ❛ listen to your heart. listen to the rain. listen to the voices in your brain. ❜ ❛ now let’s all agree to never be creative again. ❜ ❛ that’s not enough time! ❜ ❛ there’s always time for a song. ❜ ❛ the past is far behind us. the future doesn’t exist. ❜ ❛ it’s quarter to nine. time to have a bath. ❜ ❛ let’s go on a journey! a journey throughout time! ❜ ❛ don’t be stupid, friends! come on, it’s time to go. ❜ ❛ time flies fast when you’re having fun. ❜ ❛ there’s a time and a place for mocking around. like birthdays. and camping. ❜ ❛ i’m friends with my dad. ❜ ❛ look, a computer! ❜ ❛ look at the time! ❜ ❛ there’s fish everywhere. ❜ ❛ if we run out of time, then where does it go? ❜ ❛ is time even real? does anyone know? ❜ ❛ maybe time’s just a construct of human perception. ❜ ❛ don’t worry. i’m sure you’ll be fine. but eventually everyone runs out of time. ❜ ❛ isn’t it nice to finally be outside on such a beautiful day? ❜ ❛ pesky bee! ❜ ❛ i wonder what will happen. ❜ ❛ you know it doesn’t have to be. that i hate you and you hate me. ❜ ❛ you don’t know who i am but maybe i could hold your hand. ❜ ❛ that’s love, my friend. and it’s time for you to learn all about it. ❜ ❛ no, you’re lonely. i can see it in your eyes. ❜ ❛ maybe we should follow them or we’ll get left behind. ❜ ❛ i’d like to eat the chicken. ❜ ❛ harder! ❜ ❛ to love each other is to care. to be kind and to share. ❜ ❛ everyone has a special one. ❜ ❛ his name is malcolm. he is the king of love. ❜ ❛ all we’re asking you to do is change your name and clean your brain and forget about anything you ever knew. ❜ ❛ look! we’ve brought you the last boiled egg. to cheer you up. ❜ ❛ what is the biggest thing in the world? ❜ ❛ i’m a computer-y guy! ❜ ❛ i’m a very clever-y guy! ❜ ❛ great! great news! ❜ ❛ now, before we begin our journey, i just need to get some information from you. what is your name? where do you live? what do you like to eat? ❜ ❛ do you like cows’ or goats’ milk? ❜ ❛ don’t touch meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! ❜ ❛ welcome to my digital home. ❜ ❛ wow, look, nothing! ❜ ❛ something’s different. something’s missing. ❜ ❛ are you hungry? you look to be a bit hungry. ❜ ❛ get off me! ❜ ❛ you see, the body is like a special house. ❜ ❛ something’s wrong. ❜ ❛ doesn’t matter, just throw it away! ❜ ❛ oh, somebody’s sleepy! ❜ ❛ i don’t want to know! ❜ ❛ no! no more songs! ❜ ❛ can you file these files, please? ❜ ❛ i am a file and you put documents in me. ❜ ❛ i don’t like it. really not good. it’s not very good at all. ❜ ❛ you?! you made me die! ❜ ❛ i’ll teach you how to buy a canoe. ❜

#because they're making us wait for the new episodes.#rp meme #rp starters #sentence starters #tag meme

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reading-riordan · 2 years

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PJO: "The Lightning Thief," Chapter Six

"I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom"

or, "Percy Finally Learns the Premise of This Series"

Percy follows Chiron into camp, though he's afraid that Chiron is just going to randomly poop on the ground as they're walking. Rick Riordan decided to foist that detail on me, and I'm making it your problem, too.

Everyone seems to be staring at Percy, and also there's some kind of zombie living in the main house. Man, reminds me of my days at camp.

The discussion turns to Grover. Chiron keeps the details vague, so that they can be annoyingly sprinkled over the rest of the book, but Grover has some sort of impossible dream that he'll only be allowed to pursue if he proves himself as a keeper. His first assignment went badly five years ago. Percy was his second chance, and, well...

"I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate... ah...fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line."

Percy obviously feels bad, realizing that, if he had let Grover accompany him home from the bus station, he wouldn't have gotten in trouble.

Oh, and your mom's apparent death! If Grover had gone home with you, she could have gotten you to safety before the Minotaur even showed up. Just throwing that out there.

Speaking of which, Percy begins to wonder, given the existence of gods and magic and stuff, if bringing his mom back from the Underworld is possible. Chiron neatly sidesteps the issue and continues the tour, including "the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables, [...] the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights." Wow, this really is taking me back!

Finally we see the cabins, all of which look very different, reflecting which god they represent. They're surrounding a firepit where "a girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick." I mention this only because I already know she's going to be important at like, the very end of the series.

Some of the cabins are unused. Included is Cabin Three, which is made from "stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor" and has a "salty scent[...]like the wind on the shore at Montauk." Percy seems drawn to it, but thinks that it looks "sad and lonely."

Instead, Percy is directed to Cabin Eleven.

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it...? A caduceus.

Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.

Annabeth has taken over the tour at this point, and explains that Percy is "Undetermined." This annoys most of the Hermes Cabin kids, except for their head counselor, Luke.

He was tall and muscular, with shortcropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing.

Luke explains that since Hermes is the god of travelers, newcomers are housed there until they get "determined" for another cabin. It's also made clear that Percy shouldn't count on that happening, which is why Hermes Cabin is so crowded.

At this point, Percy has done something to tick off Annabeth and gets dragged away.

Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

"What's your problem?" I was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy—"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

She also explains that monsters regenerate after a while, much like in video games, which is why the Minotaur showed up despite having been killed by Theseus. I'm still a little confused about Mrs. Dodds, though. She was a Fury, and aren't those more like gods than monsters? They're scary, but the Greeks did worship them. The Eumenides ends with them becoming patrons of Athens in exchange for leaving Orestes alone. Heck, if they could be temporarily killed, why didn't Orestes just try stabbing them?

Percy asks, reasonably, why everyone is jammed in Hermes Cabin instead of using the empty ones. And that's when Annabeth explains that everyone at the camp is a demigod, and that your cabin is based on who your divine parent is.

youtube

Okay, but you could still put the Undetermined girls into Artemis' cabin, since it's not being used. She's the protector of girls, so it fits as well as Hermes cabin. I'd say put the boys in Apollo's cabin, but I imagine it's crowded enough as it is.

"[Percy's dyslexia is] because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD—you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

Okay, let's break all that down.

First of all, I know that these books were originally created because Riordan's own son struggled with ADHD and dyslexia. I've also seen that gifset of the adorable little girl thanking him for writing a character whom she can relate to. All that being said...I dunno. "People with certain medical conditions are magic" seems kinda iffy to me. And "anyone who wants to medicate you is inhuman and wants you dead" seems really iffy, even as someone who leans toward medical skepticism.

(Also, this seems like a weird message for Riordan's son. Are you accusing Mrs. Riordan of something, Rick?)

Finally, "your brain is hardwired for ancient Greek" just seems silly. I'm half-Acadian, that doesn't make my brain hardwired to instantly read French. Though I suppose it makes some sense if you imagine the gods as like, physical personifications of mythology itself, in which case they would be embodiments of human thought—specifically, thoughts that were originally in an ancient Greek language. (Though probably Mycenaean Greek instead of the Classical version that the Greek myths were mostly written in.)

I'm definitely thinking about this more than Riordan did.

Anyway, then some kids from Ares' Cabin show up. They'll be our Slytherins for this book.

I don't mean in the sense of being clever and ambitious like Slytherins are supposed to be; more in the sense of being designated jerks, like literally every Slytherin character in Harry Potter. Actually, I've seen some people argue that Percy would be a Slytherin, which is an interesting lens to view the rest of the story through.

Our Malfoy analogue is named Clarisse, with three of her half-sisters filling in for Crabbe and Goyle.

Hmm. Along with Nancy Bobofit, it's odd that this book has so many female bullies in contrast to its male protagonist.

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

I blinked. "Like...the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," I said, recovering my wits. "It explains the bad smell."

They decide to give Percy a swirly, and honestly? I'm kind of on their side. He started it.

So Clarisse drags Percy to the toilet and tries to force his head in. Obviously, he is opposed to this idea, and:

I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach. I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind me.

[...]

She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away.

This is made even weirder because all the water avoided Percy; he's standing in the one dry spot of the bathroom. Annabeth is also soaked, but seems surprisingly okay with this. If anything, this seems to have unlocked Friendship Level 2.

That's the end of chapter six. Hopefully I'll get to seven before the year is out.

#Percy Jackson and the Olympians #Percy Jackson #Riordanverse #Chiron #Annabeth Chase #Luke Castellan #Grover Underwood #The Lightning Thief #Xkcd #Star Wars #Youtube #Lupin III #The Castle of Cagliostro #Overly Sarcastic Productions

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brain-tagliatelle · 1 year

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So I came across a post earlier about the stereotypical movie cliches with a hetero cis white guy as the mc, and I started thinking it would be sooo much more interesting if he actually had a crush on the popular girls boyfriend instead, and everyone just thought he liked popular girl. Then I was like, omg everyone should have terrible gaydar, except for one observant side character, think Angela the herbalist from Eragon vibes, who is finding the whole thing hilarious because they know that popular girl and popular guy are both gay as flip and use each other as a cover.

Since they’re from a small town, they’ve just assumed that they would get a bad reaction if they came out so, to avoid the possible homophobia, they just ‘dated’ each other. Then I started thinking about gaydar, and how unfair it is that everyone else has top notch gaydar, meanwhile I’m sitting here, sad and alone, since I cannot for the life of me identify the gays, so I’m probably gonna be single forever since, for some reason, it is soooo much more intimidating to accidentally hit on a straight person than a gay person. Like, if I ask someone out and they turn out to be gay? We can just laugh about the misunderstanding, I can bemoan the state of my gaydar, but if I ask out a straight? I will immediately have the fear of god put into me and I will have to never meet this person again. This could be solved by just dating someone I already know, since I’d probably know their preference, but at that point I would have adopted them into my found family, and killed any romantic feelings I could have had towards them.

To add to this already difficult problem, I am very much a stereotypical ace and, for some godforsaken reason, every time I meet someone ace they find out “oh turns out I’m not ace, soz lol” and I’m left there to stew in my loneliness, like a sad lonely beef stew. At least I’m pan, so I got slightly more options, but it doesn’t help when I’m a sad lonely introverted hermit. I just need a good cook to fall out of the sky and be ace and attracted to me. I’m not asking for much here, I just need a good cook. Although actually, now that I think about it, they have to have a good personality as well. I refuse to date a douche canoe. Packaging and extra features don’t make up for a rotten inside. But still it’s not that much to ask for. I can even forgo the good cook part, just so long as they’re nice.

#random thoughts #gaydar #ace pride #panromantic

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a-tale-of-2-sloths · 1 year

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Day 5 - Tortuguero National Park

It seems the common way of life in Costa Rica is early to bed, early to rise and today was no different as the alarm went off just before 5.30am. That said there was already someone scuffling around in the communal kitchen, possibly Emma in the room across from ours or maybe a band of raccoons. We were due to meet our tour guide Roberto from the night before. He really has hooked us up with everything on this part of the trip! But before we arrived at the meeting point, we stopped off at the Dorling’s Bakery as recommend by the Lonely Planet Guide aka our holy bible! A couple of cinnamon buns and a coffee later we arrived at the agreed meeting spot, as per usual the last ones there, but still with 2 minutes to spare (which is very good for us!) Our party were made up for a german couple, 2 Finnish ladies, Georgie and I and our guide, Roberto. We stuck on a couple of life jackets, grabbed a couple of oars and pushed off in to the river.

Our first stop was Tortuguero National Park water check in point. Even if you’ve booked on a tour, that only grants you access to the guide and their facilities aka a canoe and all the trimmings. You still need a ticket for the park as a whole, be it via water or foot. Once the necessary paperwork had been completed we headed toward the jungle via the river that stretch over 250m across at it’s widest point, where lots of ‘traffic’ comes through from locals going about their day to day business to boats bringing in tourists from other areas. As we headed towards the jungle Roberto said it was time to help paddle. There were only 5 of us with oars and ironically the Finns (the people on the boat closest to the Vikings) didn’t fancy it! And after 3 hours (not that we paddled the whole time) I can’t say I blame them! If we had another day here I’d definitely be booking myself in to the spa for a massage!

Now according to Roberto, there is method in the madness of opting for the old fashion way. Firstly, the lack of engine is quieter and less likely to scare off the wildlife meaning we could get closer. Secondly, there reaches a point in the river where engines aren’t allowed to go, so we were able to venture deeper in to the jungle. Of course it might be that Roberto’s a skinflint and getting his clientele to do the work is a lot cheaper than buying an engine and keeping it topped up with fuel! But hey, we had a good time and you can’t beat a bit of camaraderie… unless you’re Finnish!

I’m not sure the power of words or even photos will capture how beautiful our surroundings were and I’m sure will continue to be, as the sun rose over the jungle and bounced off the water. Once again Roberto’s keen sense of vision and ability to communicate with fellow tour guides, meant we saw a variety of wildlife. Including lots of different birds, some monkeys, a couple of turtles, a sloth, caimans and a basilisk (which is a lizard not some giant Harry Potter biting snake!) It was a fantastic way to see some of what Tortuguero has to offer and gave me a new found respect for anyone still travelling by canoe!

At around the 1.5 hour mark we hit Pocahontas point (in my words). Do we choose the steady course? Yes we do - no restrictions here as our transportation was all man (and women!) powered with no engines. As we followed the meandering river, it started to narrow and required a bit more steering from mon capitan. It made a huge difference getting away from all the bigger boats as the water was so still, even as we made our way through it. Our surroundings seemed much quieter and our whole party reduced conversations to a whisper in case our bellowing voices scared any suspecting creatures away. In these parts we saw the caimans (little crocodiles) and a Meso-American Slider turtle, which sounds more impressive than blackhead turtle which is what I’d have called it!

After 2 and a bit hours or so (I’d lost all sense of time, but the arms were starting to get a wee bit tired) it was time to about turn and head back to the harbour. As we reached open water, we were battling the ripples and waves created by the larger, faster boats. We pulled in, hopped off and gave Roberto a final bit of business as he sorted our transfers out for the next day. What a man! Our cinnamon buns had gone down to our flip flops by this point so it was off to El Niños for some lunch. The menu was extensive and had many an option that looked very tasty. In fact, it must be a hot spot as it’s branched out and has two restaurants on the same 500m strip! I went for a Caribbean classic of chicken, rice and plantain whilst Georgie chose the ever popular ‘special’ burrito, which she confirms was indeed special - 5*s! The portions were bloody ginormous too, which set us up nicely for a walk around Tortuguero’s National Park (Cal would be proud that we’re putting the ticket to good use and getting our money’s worth!)

But before we could embark on our afternoon trek we had to make a stop at the cashpoint, aka some bloke sat with a chip and pin machine and a box of money, all totally legit! The local supermarket for some snacks for the following day and arguably our most important stop, a shop that sells sunglasses as my cheapy pair from ASOS have finally bit the dust! I tried on a variety of styles and opted for the pair that made G grimace the least! With food in our bellies and some super cool fresh sunnies it was time to hit the ‘Jaguar trail’. So named as the jungle does have jaguars in it and there are instructions telling you what to do should you encounter the potentially dangerous kitty. Raise your arms, back away, if you have small children use them as a distraction and run. Admittedly I didn’t read the whole thing as I’m quicker than Georgie so would have been fine. Also, you’ve got more chance of seeing me eat a fruit salad than a Jaguar so onward we went on the hunt for more of Costa Rica’s wildlife.

This was to be our first walk where guides weren’t showing parties of enthusiastic tourists around, so it was up to us to spot the animals. On the plus side it was a linear trail with simple signage so even we couldn’t lost as if you took a wrong turn you’d end up on the beach. Which had lovely views and you could see where the turtles make their nest during the egg laying season. As we ventured through jungle, our necks were craned skyward to try and spot something of interest in the treetops. We saw the odd monkey in the distance but nothing to really get the blood going, although watching the leaf cutter ants at work is always a treat. The jungle is dense with different trees and plants, some of which we have at home in little pots (or so I’m told!) I didn’t appreciate how big they could get if grown in the wild, although if Stacey has been overwatering them perhaps I’ll return to a Little Shop of Horrors type scene!

With no real sense of how far we’d been walking it felt like it might not be an afternoon for seeing anything of great interest, but for a little rustling amongst some palm trees! A sloth! A very active sloth, practically on steroids! It was making its way from up high in the leaves to further down to rest. We did wonder if it needed a wee as sloths come to ground once a week to relieve themselves before heading back up to the safety of the trees. It was truly a spectacle and most probably the closest we’ll ever get and we didn’t even have a guide to point it out! We made it to the end of the trail before turning around and heading back, where we saw what we think was the same sloth ambling about. Our feet (and on my part some other areas!) were a wee bit sore from all the walking, so we headed to Coco Loco for some well earned alcoholic beverages and watched the world go by. Where it’s such a small town you often see many of the same faces around, especially as everyone comes in the same few boats and does the same activities!

After freshening up, it was time for dinner at El Patio which looks over the river, where we both had the recommended dish of Caribbean chicken and pasta and once again our meals were delicious followed by an equally scrumptious brownie and ice cream. The Costa Ricans are a curvaceous people and with all this good eating I can see why! To round off the day we played some cards and mid shuffle Georgie managed to shoot one of them straight in to the water. Un Burro! Thankfully health and safety round here is fairly lax so I was able to jump in the boat floating next to it and scoop up the bloody Baron! (A character in a card game I’ve become quite fond of playing!)

We’ve packed our bags and made plans to get to El Niños again for breakfast at 7.30am before setting sail at 8.30am. More boats, buses and burritos here we come!

G’s highlight of the day - Getting really close the sloth, followed by the burrito followed by the first hot shower since we’ve got here! Might have to change this segment to ‘highlights’ of the day!

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nonbinarycharmybee · 1 year

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I posted 2,418 times in 2022

That's 2,418 more posts than 2021!

385 posts created (16%)

2,033 posts reblogged (84%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ stillafanofsonic

@ niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian

@ autisticshadowthehedgehog

@ birdsareblooming

@ ankle-beez

I tagged 2,376 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#sonic the hedgehog - 472 posts

#catch me if queue can - 392 posts

#miles tails prower - 362 posts

#undescribed - 287 posts

#mine - 285 posts

#sonic movie - 280 posts

#charmy bee - 253 posts

#shadow the hedgehog - 240 posts

#art - 229 posts

#espio the chameleon - 175 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#sucks ass but had a tiny modicum of potential and that's enough for me to believe i could rewrite the whole thing and make it actually good

My Top Posts in 2022:

the amount of faith i have in the sonic movie creators is incredible but also SO deserved. like oh, sonic's a free spirit so the first movie's probably going to end with him and the humans parting ways and "being better for having known each other"? nah bitch, they're gonna adopt him. okay tails getting adopted in the sequel is a given but knuckles is kind of a lone wolf so- NO WE'RE ADOPTING HIM TOO. these people understand my heart's desire even when i don't. at this point i could go for shadow either getting adopted or not but i have complete faith in his grief and trauma being heartbreakingly addressed. what would it be like if every movie respected their audience like this.

1,236 notes - Posted October 2, 2022

[ID: A meme comparing two sides. The left side is titled "People who like Team Dark" and has large blocks of unreadable text along with a picture of Rouge the Bat, E-123 Omega, and Shadow the Hedgehog. The right side is titled "People who like Team Chaotix" and has a picture of Espio the Chameleon, Charmy Bee, and Vector the Crocodile with text that simply says "I just think they're neat :)" with the word "neat" partially obscured by more words that say "commit tax fraud". End ID.]

1,373 notes - Posted April 15, 2022

I love sonic music it's like

FOLLOW 💪 YOUR🫵 DREAMS📈🏃

you can 🥰 do anything 💖

sometimes i wish 🙁 i was never born at all 🪦💔

please hire us 🙏💸

im gay

1,478 notes - Posted October 11, 2022

[ID: A picture of an edited tweet that says "if i had a (little brother) i would hype him so much i would make him wait out side so i could go in first and be like get ready here comes the most specialest boy ever if you don't cheer and clap for him i'll fucking blow this whole building up". The bottom right corner has a picture of Sonic the Hedgehog from the live-action movies smirking and pointing at the viewer and Tails the Fox smiling and waving from slightly behind him. End ID.]

1,589 notes - Posted March 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

tom: i like dropping hints that i see sonic as my own son

tom: *to sonic* this is a WACHOWSKI FAMILY SAYING, passed down the WACHOWSKI FAMILY for GENERATIONS, said by MY FATHER to ME, his SON, in THIS VERY CANOE

sonic: okay, bestie :)

6,087 notes - Posted April 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #long post

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williamson28shoemaker · 2 years

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Ooty journey Guide - Explore The Wonders Of Nature

The primary reason to consider this trip on a gondola is not just to get to the top for the see, the main reason is to ride the luge. Huge enjoyable, as long as you don't drop off. They have a little chairlift operating so that you can ride the luge for as lengthy as your budget can pay for. If you are planning a large dimension trip for canoeing, then just log on to various web sites accessible on the web. They can provide you a lot of information on the sports activities of canoeing. Numerous web sites are there that can guide you for your journey locations. They can arrive up with suitable provides of going to amazing places of drinking water cascades. You can also attain information on the travels manual catalog for your canoeing trip. Kecak dance uluwatu tour arrive from different locations of the globe to enjoy canoeing. There are professionals that provide individuals with appropriate traveling to indonesia and make them uncover new places which they have not listened to about. It also produces a sense of excitement for the new vacationers. Anjuna Flea Marketplace : Among the many vacationer locations in Goa, the Anjuna Flea Market has become something of an icon. Held every Wednesday, this marketplace has more than 500 stalls promoting trinkets, colourful sarongs, artefacts, nearby handicrafts and beachwear. It has come a extremely long way since the nineteen sixties and 70s when hippies began the place as a indicates of exchanging their items by way of barter. This goes for Europe journey publications as nicely as particular vacation publications, like the guide publications for Lanzarote. The Lonely Earth books are good, but I favor the DK journey books in the sequence. The maps are simple to read and the write ups are easy and factual. They are loaded with pictures and ideas about what to see and where to eat. The DK guide at my bedside correct now is for the entire of the Canary Islands, not just for Lanzarote vacations. I like that, too simply because although I've hopped to the other islands, I have not spent much time on the others. Knowing about the special handcrafts on the other islands or about this or that fantastic restaurant or bodega is truly awesome. Often I get extremely fundamental with individuals and have them compare just two components - who am I and What is the Very best Setting for Me in the World of Work? We location Who Am I in the circle on the still left and World of Function on the right hand circle. The overlapping region we call Best Match. The area on the still left appears at values, abilities, interests, passions and skills. The circle on the right is reserved to explore profession possibilities in the market - the context in which they would be operating. The primary geothermal parks in Rotorua and its surrounds include Whakarewarewa thermal area, Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Waitapu Thermal wonderland, Orakei Korako Geyserland and Hell's Gate. All these required payment. A good park with trout fish as its centerpiece, stunning clear running water and a top bushland. Beautiful walking tracks and you can feed the fish. Also has a farm display connected. You can book your self on-line so as not to experience the trouble of being turned out as soon as you arrived in Aspen. If you are on a cruise or expecting to spend a considerable time in the city on your own, it is very best that you have a ready checklist of the places you can go and be entertained. There are different actions going on about the city. If you are not acquainted of the events, you can study about it, or call up hotels to inquire.

#bali indonesia #Bali ATV ride #bali cycling tour #Ubud Kintamani tour #mount batur sunrise trek

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solarisposting · 4 years

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my brain is very melted today and I have not been able to focus on ANYTHING for work. need to find some way to feel alive and vibrant when I get off in 1 hour 12 minutes and 38 seconds

#it's in the lpw forties outside so like. fuck that #but I feel STIFLED and i don't want to speak to other people #i have had my fill of talking to other people for like.....a lifetime. truly #feels like i can't escape conversations anymore because everyone is bored and lonely and isolated and wanting connection and interaction #and so yknow everyone understandably is reaching oht and i am at my LIMIT i just. wamt to take a silence retreat inside my #own mind for a week and stop checking in with people and having zoom meetings google hangouts phone meetings texting etc etc etc #yes it is very selfish no i cannot bring myself to care right now because i'm burnt tf out and want my #world to be small again for a little while #i feel like an uncleaned grease trap in an abandoned kitchen #i think if i got to go canoeing down a river i would feel much better

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dreamerstreamer · 3 years

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Ocean Blue

Pairing: GeorgeNotFound / George x mermaid!gn!reader

Summary: [Mermaid!AU] George loves the ocean and spending his summers at his grandfather’s seaside home. That is until one day, he meets you, and he finds himself falling in love all over again.

Warnings: one scene with a tw// depiction of drowning

Word Count: 11.6k

A/N: i could not get this idea out of my head and just knew that i had to write it. it was somewhat inspired by the little mermaid, but a lot of it also came from my own imagination. i took a bit of a different approach while writing it, but i hope you all like it! <3

George loved the ocean.

He loved the spray of sea salt on his face as he sat on the pier. He loved the crashing of the waves as the rolled up along the shore. He loved the cry of seagulls as they soared overhead, their ivory white wings dotting the sky like tiny clouds.

There wasn’t anywhere else on the planet where the world looked so vibrant, so vivid and bright. Maybe he was biased, as a colourblind man whose favourite colour was blue, but he didn’t care. He loved the ocean, and he loved being surrounded by the great, deep blue.

Every year, he couldn’t wait for summer to roll around so that he could travel down to his grandfather’s house by the seaside. Without fail, George would come running up the steps into his grandfather’s warm, familiar arms as spring turned to summer and the sun’s rays beat down on his back. He didn’t mind that he couldn’t swim—he was more than happy to simply sit on the beach and rock along in his grandfather’s boats, pulled along by the sea’s gentle waves.

Truly, George was positive that there was nothing more perfect than the summers he spent at his grandfather’s.

The seashore town was quaint and friendly, a stark contrast to the bustling city life he typically led. His friends Clay and Sapnap lived nearby too, so he never got lonely, even if he was so far away from home. He would go fishing and boating by his grandfather’s side, a smile plastered to his face as the wind nipped at his skin. Together, the two of them ate every meal on the back porch, gazing out at the vast sea as they quietly ate.

Yet, every time he looked out at the ocean, something in his grandfather’s eyes shifted. Something sorrowful and heavy swam in his eyes as he watched the tide rise and fall along the shore, his mouth set into the smallest of frowns. George remembered asking him about it, once.

“Grandpa, do you love the ocean?”

He blinked, turning to face his grandson with a wide smile. “Of course, I do.” He patted the wall behind him. “Why, I even put my home beside it!”

George furrowed his brows. “Then why do you always seem so sad when you look at it?”

His grandfather paused, his smile slowly waning before disappearing entirely. George blinked, looking at him expectantly for a few moments before he finally sighed. “Love,” he said, “is a dangerous thing, George.”

His gaze turned to the ocean, something familiar and empty flashing in it. “It’s so, so beautiful, but it can also break your heart.”

George didn’t ask him what he meant by that—it didn’t seem right—but he trusted his grandfather. He would have no reason to lie to him, even if he still looked so sad. No matter, every summer, George returned to his grandfather’s home by the seashore, eagerly awaiting the moment he would lay eyes on the sea once more.

George loved the ocean.

But he never knew just how much.

“Clay, you’re rowing too fast.”

Clay scowled, shooting Sapnap a sour look. “You’re the one who’s rowing too slow!”

Sapnap waved an arm over the water on his side on the boat. “Are you seeing how hard the boat is turning in my direction?” He narrowed his eyes as he gritted out, “That’s because you’re speeding up.”

Clay’s glower only intensified. “No, it’s because you’re slowing down, oh my go—”

George let out a long, drawn-out groan, rubbing at his temples. “What are you guys—toddlers? I’ve seen elementary school kids resolve arguments with more rationale than you two.”

Clay sighed, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration as he curled his fingers tighter around the paddle handle. “Can you blame me? Sapnap’s dumb as a rock.”

“Clay, I’m going to kill yo—”

“Next time,” George said loudly, quickly shutting Sapnap up, “we’re taking the rowboat instead of the canoe. I cannot deal with you two.”

Sapnap leaned back, wriggling his eyebrows at George. “Don’t act like you don’t spend the rest of the year wishing you were hanging out with us.”

George scoffed. “I’m not—don’t flatter yourselves.”

“Well,” Clay said, his lips quirking into a teasing yet honest smile, “I wish you didn’t only show up in the summertime. The rest of the year is such a drag without you.”

There was a slight pause, then Sapnap nodded, tucking a hand under his chin. “For once, I agree with Clay. You really should come down more often.”

George hummed, shrugging his shoulders. “Maybe you guys should come visit me in the city, instead. It might be a nice change of scenery.”

“Maybe,” Clay mused. He gestured to the space around him. “But you’d be missing out on all this.”

George blinked, then turned slightly, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings. Greg, fluffy clouds streaked across the cerulean sky, and a seagull cried out overhead. The sea stretched across the horizon as far as the eye could see, and were it not for the compass sitting in Sapnap’s satchel, he would be certain they were lost.

As the rolling waves rocked the boat from side to side, George couldn’t help but smile, resting his arm against the boat’s ledge. “Yeah,” he muttered, a fond look flitting through his eyes. “You’re right.”

Sapnap opened his mouth, surely to make a snarky remark, when a gust of wind suddenly whipped his hair into his eyes. Clay let out a cackle at the sight, but was cut off when another strong breeze rushed past him. George rubbed at his bare arms, a shiver running down his spine.

Suddenly, he grew very still.

It had been warm just a few minutes ago.

Just then, something cold and wet fell onto his arm. George tilted his head back, squinting up at the sky. The grey clouds from earlier had grown dark and thick, and it had begun to rain. If there was one thing he had learned over the summer, it was how to recognize an incoming storm.

As the rain started to fall quicker and quicker, George turned to his friends, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Guys,” he said, “we need to head back.”

It was at that moment that a burst of crackling thunder rolled across the sky. George gritted his teeth, feeling his shirt start to soak through. “Now.”

Neither of them asked for him to elaborate, far too distracted by the crashing waves that grew tougher and rockier with each passing second. “Clay,” Sapnap said, reaching for his paddle with one hand and pushing his wet hair back with the other, “start rowing.”

Clay didn’t look up from where he was focused on paddling, his gaze set into a serious look as water ran down his cheek. “Already on it, slowpoke.”

Ignoring the urge to snap back at him, Sapnap turned to George, worry soaking into his words. “Life jacket. On. Hurry.”

George nodded, reaching out from under the seat to grab the familiar orange pouch. “Yeah, yeah, I’m—”

A rough wave suddenly crashed into the side of the boat, and George found himself shooting forward, the slippery plastic flying out of his grip and out into the choppy waves. He gasped, lunging for the boat’s ledge, desperately reaching, only to come face to face with the ocean, the life jacket having floated too far for him to reach, now.

The once kind and quiet sea now stared back at him unforgivingly, its murky depths threatening to suck him in and never let him go. He swallowed. He knew without a doubt that he’d never make it out if he fell in without a life jacket—regardless of whether or not he could swim.

“It’s fine!” Clay called out over the howling wind, his golden locks flipping into his face. “We still have three more. Here, let me just...”

He dropped the paddle onto the canoe floor with a clatter, slipping his arm under the bench. Panic suddenly shot through George’s system, and a horrible, sinking feeling settled into the pit of his stomach.

Something awful was about to happen—he just knew it.

The moment the notion registered in his gut, he saw it. Well, he felt it more than saw it. The wave crashing into the boat rocked him so hard that in one moment, he was sitting with his back against the boat ledge, his hand gripping the painted wood. In the next, he was tumbling out of the boat, his lips parted in a silent scream.

I’m too close to the edge, was his only thought.

In an instant, Clay was sitting upright again, his viridian eyes frozen wide with nothing but sheer fear, and the wooden ledge suddenly felt like it was leagues away from him. George felt the cold waves lap at his sopping shirt, and Sapnap let out a bloodcurdling scream.

“George!”

For a split second, time seemed to slow. George could clearly make out the sight of Clay’s wide eyes and Sapnap’s open mouth, could see the waves lapping at his back with a clarity he didn’t know was even possible.

Then he went under with a splash.

The moment his head was submerged, he gasped, feeling his lungs fill with seawater, the salt burning his throat. He felt the raging current wrap around his middle like a noose and yank him back, further and further from the boat. Desperation slammed into him like a truck, and he futilely kicked his legs, his hand reaching for the unforgiving surface.

No! Please!

Clay let out a desperate scream, lunging across to the other side of the boat, but it was already too late. George was already so far from them, sinking faster than an anchor. He could feel his eyes sting—whether it was from the seawater or tears, he didn’t know, and he didn’t think he cared. All he wanted was to get out, but he could already feel his muscles start to grow tired.

I don’t want to die. Not like this.

He thrashed at the waves that only seemed to pull him further and further under. With each second that ticked by and each desperate kick of his arms, he felt fatigue sink its claws in deeper. The blue he had once loved so dearly now held him hostage, like a mouse in a cage. No matter how hard he grasped at the waves, they would not allow him to move upward. It was almost like he was chained to the bottom of the ocean, destined only to fall lower and lower. His chest felt like it was burning, despite being surrounded by a world of water.

This wasn’t happening—this couldn’t be happening. What would his grandfather think? His mother? His father?

His arms fell limp at his side, his legs finally growing still as the freezing water dug into his skin.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

He was vaguely aware of Sapnap’s muffled shouts and could barely make out the shape of Clay’s arms reaching for him, but they all felt so distant, now—their faces looking like nothing more than distorted silhouettes. He could have even sworn he felt something wrap around his wrist, but by then, he was far too gone.

I’m tired, he thought, his eyelids falling shut.

And the cold, murky depths dragged him into darkness.

George awoke to something warm and wet brushing over his cheek.

Slowly, he shifted, inhaling deeply only to feel an incessant itch digging into the back of his throat. Almost immediately, he began to cough, the warmth suddenly leaving his cheek. Above him, a voice gasped.

“You’re alive!”

George froze at that. I am?

He heard something shift beside him. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought that I was almost too late. That would have been really bad.”

His fingers twitched at his sides, and he curled them downward only to pause when his palm met sand. I’m... on the beach?

The last thing he remembered was being pulled under the water, waves cresting over his head and saltwater binding around him like a trap. He could recall the icy chill that ran down his spine like an eel as he kicked fervently, trying to reach the surface only to be tugged deeper and deeper downward.

Just how in the world was he even alive?

With a soft groan, George blinked, raising an arm to shield his eyes from the glaring sun. The sky was clear now, he noticed as the cloudiness of his vision quickly lifted. Carefully pushing forward, he sat upright, wincing at the slight ache in his muscles. How long has it been since, well... everything? He didn’t know.

“How are you feeling?”

He jumped at the sound of a new, unfamiliar voice coming directly beside him. Gulping, his turned, his gaze landing on you. The moment your eyes met, he felt his breath hitch in his throat.

You were the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

He felt his heart skip a beat in his chest, rattling against his rib cage as his eyes traced over your face. Your eyes almost seemed to glow in the sunlight, dappled with a shimmer he had never seen before. He took in the sight of your dewy skin, dripping with saltwater, and your torso, shimmering in the sunlight.

Your bare torso.

His cheeks flushed bright pink as he swallowed, trying to calm down his racing heart. Were you naked? Where in the world were your clothes? He could feel the wheels in his head turning at breakneck speed, with only one thing in mind. He gulped.

Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down—

He glanced down.

But instead of, well, you know, what he found was a tail. A fish tail.

His jaw dropped, the dots finally connecting in his head. There was no way—

“A mermaid?” he blurted.

You furrowed your brows at him. “Mer-maid?” you repeated, slowly forming the unfamiliar words with your lips. You pointed to yourself. “Are you talking about me?”

George nodded, too dumbfounded to speak.

You blinked at him, tilting your head. “My name isn’t mermaid—it’s [Y/N].” You squinted at him for a moment, then your eyes lit up, your tail flapping against the sand. “Could you possibly be referring to my people? Those of us blessed by the ocean with tails?”

His gaze darted down to your tail, following its movement before returning to your face, nodding once more.

You hummed, your gaze thoughtful as you tapped at your chin. “Well, we call each other friends. And family.” You grinned at him, and something warm burst in his chest. “But I guess you could call us seafolk. We belong to the sea, after all. She is our caretaker. Our mother, if you will.”

He could only gape at you in stunned silence. “I-I don’t understand,” he finally sputtered after a long moment. “How did I get here? Did you—?”

You shyly tucked a stray lock of hair behind your ear, your cheeks growing hot as you lowered your gaze to the damp sand. “Ah, I, um—yes.” Your tail curled a little closer toward you. “I saw you fall in and dragged you out to shore.”

He blinked at you, his lips parted in awe. “You saved my life,” he whispered, suddenly feeling breathless.

You shot your head up, your face growing even warmer. Waving your hands in front of you, you stammered, “W-Well, I wouldn’t call it that—a”

He shook his head, and you fell silent, only able to watch in wonder as he grinned at you. “No, no. You did. You saved me. I would have drowned if you didn’t.”

You blinked at him once, then a sheepish smile slowly spread across your lips. “Oh, um.”

He felt something in his chest melt a little at how soft your voice was. “Thank you, [Y/N],” he murmured, hoping you could hear his sincerity.

For a moment, you only stared at one another, your eyes scanning each other’s faces. He couldn’t think of a better word to describe you than stunning. Suddenly, you raised your hand, slowly reaching up toward his cheek. George swallowed, feeling his heart flip. Your fingers were only an inch away from his skin when a distant voice called out from behind him.

“Oh my god, Clay. I think I see him.”

George froze, and your arm darted back to your side, your shoulders growing tense as your gaze darted behind him. Turning his head, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes only widening at the sight of a small speck atop the cliff a few yards away. He was embarrassed to admit that he had been so entranced by you that he had almost forgotten about his friends.

“Are you for real? You’re crazy, let me see—”

A second silhouette joined the first, and in a flash, you were shuffling down the beach, the tide lapping at your tail as your hands pushed against the dark sand. “I have to go,” you mumbled in a hurry, your words coming out frenzied. “They can’t see me.”

Your eyes darted back to his for a split second, and you bit your lip, a pang of guilt shooting across your face. “You weren’t even supposed to see me.”

He leaned forward, the words flying from his mouth before he could stop them. “Wait, um, please!” He hesitated for a second—just one—then he opened his mouth once more. “Will I ever see you, again?”

You paused, your body fully submerged under the water now. Something like fear and curiosity swam in your eyes. “I, um, I don’t even know your na—”

“George,” he said quickly, his gaze trained on yours. “My name is George.”

Your eyes grew wide, and he thought you were going to say something when there came another shout—closer, this time.

“It’s him! It’s really him! Sapnap, go tell gramps!”

Your lips curled into a small smile, sad and longing. “Goodbye, George. I’m glad you’re alive.”

He opened his mouth, desperate to say something to you—anything. But you were gone before he could even make a sound, disappearing into the waves with a splash. He stared at the spot where you had vanished into ocean, entranced by the rippling water.

That was real, right? He hadn’t just had some beautiful daydream, had he?

All of a sudden, something barrelled into his shoulder, and he yelped as he was knocked onto the sand. Coughing, he blinked wildly up at the sight of Clay’s faces hovering over him. His eyes were glossy as they raked over his face, a giddy smile tugging at his lips.

“George?” he breathed, half-laughing as he spoke. “Oh my god, you’re alive.” Leaning back, he grabbed George’s hand and pulled him upright, his grip nearly crushing his hand with how tight he was squeezing. “How? How did you make it? We thought you were a goner, especially with those waves.” His chest shook as he took in a trembling breath, sighing with aching relief. “It must have been a miracle.”

George nodded, but he was only half paying attention. His head was still spinning with dizzying thoughts of your hand brushing against his cheek and the sight of your dazzling smile. He could have sworn he could hear your voice in the crashing waves and the sweet sea breeze.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “A miracle.”

George grunted as he tugged back at the paddles once more, feeling the boat push further back beneath his feet. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he could feel his shoulders start to ache, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

There was no way he was going home without seeing you, again.

It had been a little over a week since he had been rescued from the seashore, tumbling back into his grandfather’s shaky arms with a sob. He knew they tried to hide it, but he was pretty sure Sapnap and Clay both cried that day after apologizing profusely to his grandfather. Just that once, he kept quiet, but only that one time.

He remembered his grandfather’s trembling hands as he gripped his shoulders, his old, weary eyes searching his face. “Just... how did you come back?”

At the time, George had swallowed, lowering his gaze to the ground. He had an answer—a beautiful, mesmerizing one at that. But as wondrous as it was, it was also one that no one would ever believe.

“I must have been swept back to the shore, or something,” he had said instead, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “I guess I just l got lucky.”

His grandfather had stared at him for a long moment, and his eyes had glinted almost knowingly, but he had only smiled and hugged him a little tighter. “Lucky, indeed.”

For the next few days, George wasn’t allowed out of his grandfather’s sight. While he understood his grandfather’s fears, he quickly grew sick of it. It wasn’t his fault that there was a freak storm, and his grandfather knew it. Storms that appeared that quickly were rare, and George swore up and down that he wouldn’t go out to sea on a bad day ever again. It took hours of begging, but his grandfather finally agreed with a clap to his back and a stern look that George didn’t even have to ask about to know what it meant.

Be careful.

And of course, George wasn’t about to be anything less than careful, if not also the tiniest bit reckless.

After all, he wouldn’t exactly call rowing out to the middle of the sea in search of a mermai—er, seaperson—the most careful thing in the world.

Well, it doesn’t matter much now, does it? he thought, feeling his muscles strain beneath his arm as he pulled back. Letting out another small groan, he lowered his arms and set the paddles down in their holders, rolling his neck with a determined huff. I have to see them, again. I just have to.

He couldn’t explain it, really. On one hand, he thought it just had to be the mystical factor that drew him back in—what other person could say they had met someone like you? But on the other, he knew it was more than just what you were, but also who you were.

You were kind, and selfless, and humble, and curious. You had saved him from what otherwise would have been most certain death, and you did it all while knowing he couldn’t offer you anything in return. He could still see your bashful smile and your cheeks stretched in glee in his head as clear as day, and he didn’t think he would ever be able to forget the way you made his heart flip.

There was no doubt about it—he was smitten.

Just then, he was pulled out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.

“George?”

He froze, his fingers going slack against the paddle handles as he turned.

George would recognize your voice even if it came from a mile away.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he turned, his chest suddenly feeling a million times tighter than it had a few moments ago. You tilted your head at him from where you were treading in the water.

“[Y/N],” he breathed, your name rolling off his tongue like a secret plea.

He could barely make out the silhouette of your tail beneath the gentle waves, the scales reflecting shards of scattered light across the surface. You swam a bit closer, your eyebrows knitting together as a bright, curious look swirled in your gaze. “You... you came back?”

He nodded without even an inkling of hesitation. “Of course.” He paused, something warm and prickly climbing up in his chest, then hastily added, “I had to.”

Your eyes widened in surprise. “Why?”

He sucked in a deep breath as he set down the paddles, facing you head-on. He could have said anything, really—it wasn’t like you’d know if he was lying. But there was something about the way you looked at him, something about the earnestness of your tone that made him want to tell you the truth.

“I wanted to see you, again,” he said honestly.

You swam even closer, so close that you were touching the boat, now. “Aren’t you afraid of me?” you whispered, your voice coming out almost as if it were a simple breeze on the wind.

His eyes never left yours. “No.”

Your eyes flashed, your cheeks burning ever so slightly. Something like hope danced in his veins, and he found himself speaking once more.

“And—” He gulped. “And what about you? Aren’t you afraid of me?”

You stared at him for a moment longer. Then, your lips curled into a brilliant grin, and he suddenly felt as though you had sucked the air from his lungs with a single look.

“No.”

It was only a matter of time before George found himself drawn to you like the planets to the sun, returning day after day to the ocean just to see you, again. The two of you would meet at your favourite rock, one that just barely stuck out of the water enough for you to sit on and watch the clouds. Clay and Sapnap would whine about it, of course, claiming that he was abandoning them, but he always took the time to hang out with them—he made sure of that.

With each passing day he spent chatting with you atop the rocking waves, the more and more he captivated he became by you. You told him of your love of seeing the sunset above the water, and how much you loved to hear the passing birds sing. He shared with you his passion for games and explained to you what a computer was.

(“It’s like a... metal box?” he had said, gesturing vaguely. “But it lights up and has moving pictures.”

He was almost positive he was already half-in love with the way your eyes swam with curiosity. “I’ve never heard of anything like that! Could I try using one? I would love to bring one home.”

“That, um, won’t exactly work.”)

Not a single day went by where George wasn’t drowning in thoughts of you, always thinking of new things to tell you and ask you about and share with you and—really, he felt like he could talk to you for years, if he wanted to, and he didn’t think he would particularly mind it if that ended up being the case. Despite how much time he with you, George never brought anything home with him. That was, until today.

“I got you a present!”

He blinked at you, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. “You did?”

You nodded eagerly, your eyes glimmering with stars. “Yeah!” Slowly, you lifted your arms up from behind your back, raising your palms up until they rested on the edge of the boat. “Here.”

A quiet gasp escaped his thang as he stared down at your hands with a wondrous look, fascination bubbling up between his lungs. “A conch shell?” he murmured.

Reaching over, you took one of his hands in yours. He felt a spark run up his arm at your touch, your fingers gently wrapping around his wrist. Despite how cold the ocean was, your hand was warm against his skin. With a soft hum, you flipped his hand over and slid the shell into his palm before letting go. He found himself missing your touch in an instant, his fingers itching to search for yours once more.

“I picked it out myself,” you said proudly, a triumphant smile gracing your lips. “It’s the prettiest one from my collection.” Your eyes darted to his face, and you bit the inside of your cheek, your grin faltering slightly. “Do you—do you like it?”

He watched as you lowered your gaze to the gentle, lapping waves and the sunlight danced on your tail. Your thumb nervously tapped against the edge of the boat, and he felt something warm and wet slink down and around his rib cage. Smiling, he curled his fingers around the shell, clutching it close to his chest.

“I love it. Really.”

The brightness of your smile was absolutely blinding, but he didn’t think he would mind losing the rest of his sight to you.

That day, George‘s grandfather asked him about the conch shell he had placed on his bedroom windowsill, eyeing it with a coy gleam in his eye. “Who gave that to you?”

George paused at the question, mulling it over for a moment before an image of your laughing face shot through his mind. His lips quirked into a warm smile.

“Someone special.”

A few days later, George found him rowing back out to your rock once more, but this time, his heart was hammering away in his chest. With each row of the paddle, the blood rushing through his ears grew louder. He could only hope you would like it, and only pray that you felt the same way.

“George! You’re back!”

He startled, glancing over his shoulder to see you hauling yourself up onto the rock. The sun framed your head in a glowing halo as you pushed your wet hair away from your face, smiling welcomingly. Chuckling, he ignored the nerves sparking up his backside at the sight.

“Of course I am,” he said, sending you a cheeky look. He set down his paddles, smiling. “Did you miss me?”

Your smile was earnest as you said, “Always.”

He coughed, lifting a fist to cover his mouth and the burning heat shooting you his neck. “T-Thanks,” he managed to choke out with a grateful smile. He glanced down at his fingers, trying to pretend they were shaking as he opened his mouth, again. “Um, [Y/N]?”

Your tail curled a little tighter into itself, and you smiled at him. “Yes?”

His toes curled in his shoes as he willed himself to keep his eyes on yours. “Remember, uh, how you gave me that conch a little while back?”

You nodded, tilting your head at him. “Well,” he continued, flashing you a shaky grin as he under the boat seat, “I also got you something.”

In an instant, you were leaning forward eagerly, your eyes glimmering with curiosity. “You did?” You clasped your hands together, practically shaking with excitement. “Oh, what is it, what is it?”

George swallowed, feeling the gnawing feeling in his gut creep up to squeeze his heart. He sucked in a quiet breath before pushing it down once more, finally lifting up his arm to reveal his gift.

It was a bouquet.

George pretended his face wasn’t on fire as your jaw dropped, half-looking like you were about to throw yourself into the boat. Surely you knew just what he meant by giving you flowers, right...?

“Oh my gosh, George,” you whispered, shuffling a little closer toward him. Your eyes were the size of saucers as you peered over the edge and at the bouquet in his hands, and he nearly melted at the sight. The awestruck look on your face was worth all of his nerves and more.

Suddenly, you raised your head, your eyes locking onto his. “What are they?”

He froze. You... don’t know what flowers are? How can you possibly not know what flowers ar—?

His train of thought came to a screeching halt, and he resisted the urge to slam his forehead straight into his paddle. Right. You lived underwater.

How foolish of him to think you would know.

Trying not to let his shoulders slump too much, his offered you a grin. “They’re called flowers,” he explained. “There are different kinds of flowers, but these ones are called daisies.” He reached his arm out over the ledge to where you sat, angling the bottom of the bouquet toward you. “Here. You hold them here—around the stems.”

You slowly wrapped your fingers around the delicate ends, careful not to crush them under your grip. Once you were holding the bouquet securely, George sat back, watching with a fond look as you turned it over in your hands.

“Flow-ers,” you sounded out slowly. “Flowers. And day... zees?” You wrinkled your nose, shooting George a questioning look. When he nodded, your face brightened. “Daisies! Daisies. Flowers and daisies.”

George could only smile as you examined the flowers this way and that. The disappointment he felt a few minutes ago had completely vanished, now—he was far more enraptured by your fascinated expression and the small sounds of awe you were making.

“They’re so pretty!” you squealed, your tail happily flopping against the rock. Lifting the centers up to your nose, you inhaled, exhaling with a sweet sigh. “And they smell so nice.”

You traced a finger over the flower edge, humming to yourself with a thoughtful look. “We don’t have these below the sea. The closest thing we have is coral, but they’re not nearly as soft as this.”

He leaned his arm on the wooden edge, murmuring, “Yeah, petals are really soft, aren’t they?”

Your gaze flitted to his and you raised an eyebrow at him. “Petals?” you parroted.

He blinked, lifting his head as recognition flickered through his mind. “Oh,” he said, reaching over to gesture to the soft, white parts, “I’m talking about these here.”

You brushed your fingers over the daisy petals, something tender settling across your features. “They’re so... delicate,” you whispered. “They’re not like anything that grows on the ocean floor.”

George stared at you as you leaned back against the wet slab of stone, wistfully gazing out at the horizon. A cool gust of air ruffled your hair, and a whirlwind of thoughts rushed through his head.

I want to to touch you. I want to hold you. I want to understand you. I want to know you. I...

Just like that, the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“I want to see your world.”

You turned to face him, blinked wildly. “Huh?”

He jumped, his eyes going wide. Oh, he said that out loud. Oh, no. His fingers tightened into a clenched fist at his side, and he felt his nails dig into the palm of his hand. As you cocked your head, inching down the rock toward him, he felt a tide of acceptance wash over him.

Well, there was no going back now, was there?

“I want to see the world you live in,” he admitted. “I want to see what the sun looks like from the bottom of the ocean. I want to see the rest of your conch shell collection, but down where you keep them all. I want to meet your friends, your family.”

His chest suddenly felt tight, something warm and sweet coiling around his heart. “I want to know what seafolk things make you happy.”

Your lips curled into a smile, but it was sad. “But you can’t,” you said softly.

He sighed, mirroring your expression. “But I can’t.”

A melancholic silence fell over the two of you, and you dipped your head, looking down at the creamy white petals in your hands. For a few moments, all he could hear was the sound of the waves and your soft breathing. All of a sudden, your raised your chin, your fingers squeezing a fraction tighter around the daisy stems.

“I... I want to see your world, too,” you said ardently, making him blink at you in surprise. “I want to walk down a street, and see a dog. Maybe even a cat! I want to meet your friends and your family.”

You smiled again, but this time, it wasn’t nearly as sad. “I want to know what human things make you happy.”

He couldn’t help but return your smile, and another quiet fell over the two of you, but this one was more comfortable—more warm. As you looked at each other, your eyes boring into one another as the sea breeze sang in your ears, George felt something soft and fuzzy wrap around his heart, making his head spin with dizzying thoughts of you.

For once, the two of you weren’t a seaperson and human, destined to be kept apart no matter what.

For once, and even if only for a little while, you were just two hearts connected by the sea.

“Let me teach you how to swim.”

George shot you a bewildered look, his eyebrows knitting together. “What? No.”

You pouted at him, your tail slapping eagerly against the rock. “Please?” you whined. You were practically draping yourself over the boat edge now, and he tried to ignore the way his heart flipped in his chest. “It’ll be so much fun!”

He grimaced, pressing his lips into a thin line. “You don’t have legs like I do,” he reasoned, “and you’ve been swimming all your life. I’m the complete opposite. The learning curve is going to be ridiculously steep.”

Your eyes were full of determination as you lifted your head to meet his gaze, not backing down. “That doesn’t mean you can’t do it and that I can’t teach it! It’ll be super helpful, too!” You squinted at him. “Don’t even try to deny it.”

He swallowed at your closeness, focusing all his energy into keeping the heat from shooting up onto his cheeks. “Well... I mean...”

You inched even closer to him as you begged, your gaze shimmering like the ocean surface. “Please, George? Pretty please?”

He stared down at you for a moment longer, screwing his eyes shut. He was... scared, that was for sure. He may love the sea, but he also knew just how ruthless and unkind it could be. But here you were, looking at him with those pretty, pleading eyes, and he trusted you—he did.

Sucking in a deep breath, he raised his arms in surrender, offering you a sheepish smile. “Okay, okay, you win.”

You dropped back into the water a gleeful look, clapping your hands together in delight. You opened your mouth to speak, but he quickly added on, “But start off slow, okay? I’m nervous.”

You nodded, your gaze growing stern despite your grin. “I will, I swear.”

Feeling his chest unwind the slightest bit at your firmness, his arms trailed down to the hem of his shirt. Grabbing on, he quickly pulled the fabric up and around his head, dropping it onto the damp bench beside him. Turning back to you, he tilted his head, glancing down at the waves anxiously. “Where do we start?”

Your lips were parted, and for a moment you were simply silent, staring at his bare chest. Then, you quickly whipped your head up, blinking as your cheeks grew warm. “Huh? R-Right, um, here!” You shoved your arms out before him, your fingers splayed out as you averted your gaze from his. “Take my hands.”

Lips twitching with amusement, George crouched slightly as he slipped his hands between yours. “Okay,” you said quietly, “now you have to jump in.”

George froze, anxiety pumping through his veins. “Jump... in?” He inhaled a weary breath, his arms shaking. “I...”

You slotted your fingers between his, your expression serious yet earnest. “Yes,” you murmured, just for him to hear. Your eyes bore into his with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine, and he felt his heart skip a beat, but not out of fear. “I’ll be right here, though. I won’t let go. I promise.”

For a few seconds, he simply breathed, staring down at the calm water lying just inches below him. With a shaky breath, he pushed himself to his feet, one hand lifting up to grab his nose and the other still wrapped in yours. Taking one last peek at your reassuring smile, he screwed his eyes shut.

Then he jumped.

The water came rushing up around him with a splash, cold and invigorating. His grip tightened around his nose as his head went under, and he pursed his lips tighter. The last time he had been in the water taught him to hold his breath underwater, and to hold it well. He felt your tail brush against his legs, and in an instant, your arms were wrapped around his, hoisting up him upward. The moment his face broke the surface, he gasped, his hand dropping to his side as you tread water to keep him afloat.

“Hey, hey,” you said quickly, your tone reassuring and smooth as you brushed the wet hair away from his face, “I’m here. I’ve got you.” Your eyebrows furrowed in concern as you scanned his face, chewing on your lip. “Are you okay?”

He blinked, his chest heaving with a mixture of adrenaline and excitement. Glancing down, he watched as the water parted around your tail as it pushed back and forth, and he quickly found his legs mimicking the motion. A surprised smile tugged at his lips as he felt the bulk ones of his body lift a little. He didn’t realize the water could feel so... refreshing.

“Actually,” he said, turning back to look at you again, “I’m—I’m doing a lot better than I thought.”

An ivory white grin split your lips, and your hold around him tightened the tiniest bit. “That’s amazing. You’re amazing, George.”

His breath hitched in his throat, and he felt warmth shoot across his chest. That was totally just because you were holding him, right?

His heart stumbled.

Oh god—you were holding him.

Your arm was pressed against his and he could smell the salt in your hair and you were so warm and—

George swallowed thickly and offered you a lopsided grin. “Thanks.”

You returned his expression and waded a little further out into the watery depths, your grip around him as secure as ever. “Well,” you began, “now that you’re actually in the water, how about we start with just floating? Everyone should learn how to float.”

When he nodded, you hummed with a determined look. “Just lean back until you’re facing straight up to start...” you instructed, pushing gently on his shoulder.

George sucked in a breath and let himself shift farther and farther into his back. Little by little, he felt his legs float up until his toes stuck out of the water while the back of his head remained submerged. “...and then,” you continued, still holding onto his head, “spread your arms and legs like a starfish.”

A wave of panic shot through him as his eyes met yours. Were you going to let go? Was he going to—?

As if you had read his mind, you smiled and shook your head. “Don’t worry about sinking—I’ll be here to make sure nothing happens to you.”

A loose breath escaped him as the tide of panic pulled back, but it still lapped at the edge of his mind. Pursing his lips, he shut his eyes and slowly unpeeled his arms from his side, stretching them out alongside his legs. He held his breath, his heart feeling more like a trembling leaf than anything as he waited for something horrible to happen...

...and then nothing.

Peeking an eye open, he grinned, turns his head to face you with an excited shout, “I-I think I’m doing it!”

From his sideways view of you, you cheered, lifting your free arm in victory. “You are, you really are!”

All of a sudden, you suddenly flipped onto your back, stretching your own arms out until the two of you were only connected by your intertwined hands. His heart felt like it was about to take flight as he watched the sun ripple across your smiling face. “See?” you said with a cheeky glint in your gaze. “Now we’re floating together.”

Turning your head back to stare up at the sky, a sigh escaped your rosy lips as they curled up into a wistful smile. “You can’t see the sky so clearly like this under the sea,” you murmured. “It’s so much... brighter up here. And then with the sound of the waves...”

You paused, your eyes fluttering shut as you drank in the sound of the seagulls’ cries and the sea’s gentle lullaby. “Gosh,” you said breathlessly, squeezing his hand in yours. “it’s just perfect, isn’t it?”

George nodded, focused on the feeling of your palm pressed against his and his heart swelling in his chest.

“It is.”

He wasn’t looking at the sky.

To say the least, George was more than surprised when he found himself swimming as though he had been doing it his whole life just a little under a week later. He had heard that even grown people could learn to swim quickly, but he never thought that he would be one of them.

Perhaps it had something to do with the joy he felt whenever you praised him, or perhaps he was just always meant to do this. After all, he loved the sea—it was only a matter of time before he learned, right?

Either way, now that he could swim, he knew exactly what he wanted to do, now.

“You are so going to regret this.”

He grinned at you. “Maybe. But I’ll regret it even more if I never do it.”

Crossing your arms over your chest, you sent him an amused look, mischief tugging at your lips. “And to think you couldn’t even hold your head underwater a few days ago.”

He feigned a glower at you, but he could tell by the gleam in your eyes that you weren’t buying it. “Hey! I’m just a fast learner.

You rolled your eyes at him, but the way your grin widened showed that you didn’t mean it. “Sure, sure. You act like I’m not the best swimming teacher you’ve ever had.”

He cocked a brow at you. “You’re the only swimming teacher I’ve ever had.”

You suddenly clapped your hands in front of his face, making him jump. “Anyways,” you began as you pulled your arms back with a smile, clearly trying to divert his attention, “are you ready?”

He nodded, returning your smile as excitement flowed through him. You lifted three fingers in the air and began to count down. “Three, two, one...”

George sucked in a deep breath, his lungs filling to the brim with as much air as he could manage before he squeezed his eyes and ducked his head under the waves. The world suddenly went quiet and muffled around him, the faint sound of bubbles rising filling his ears. After a second, he peeked open a single eye, then two.

He wanted to gasp at the sight.

A world of vibrant blue surrounded him, streaks of cerulean engulfing him entirely from every direction. Below him, he could barely make out the shape of a school of fish dart past, colourful branches of coral poking out from the depths. Just above, the fractured and scattered rays of sunlight swirled across the surface like a light show of its own. And just in front of him, there you were, smiling so prettily with your hands in his.

The saltwater stung his eyes, but he didn’t care. The world you lived in was beautiful—you were beautiful.

Just then, something true and warm struck him to the very core of his being, and his eyes grew wide.

Oh, he loved you, didn’t he?

He didn’t think it was even possible to fall so hard for someone so quickly, but you were special. He hadn’t been able to put a name to the sweet, lovely feeling you had stirred in him before. But looking at you now, with your eyes sparkling with mirth and surrounded by the very thing he loved most, he knew.

Love—oh, he loved you.

If only he knew how to tell you.

His chest wound tighter and tighter like a spring that was about to pop, and he quickly signalled to swim back up to you as he fervently kicked his legs. As he surfaced once more, he gasped for breath, feeling the spring deflate as his eyes burned without mercy. You surfaced a split second after him, your mouth already open as your eyes darted to his.

“That,” George gasped in between breaths, “was amazing.” He pressed a hand to his eyes, feeling the saltwater nip at the back of his eyelids like sandpaper. He winced as he did so, and in a flash, you were swimming in front of him, your hand reaching for his cheek.

“Oh gosh, your eyes,” you murmured, concern flooding your face. “Are you okay?” When your fingers brushed against his skin, he shivered, and you immediately pulled your hand back, clutching it to your chest. He didn’t know how to tell you that that shiver was a good thing.

He shook his head, waving his other hand at you. “No, no, I’m good. Just a little—“ He winced, again. “—ow.”

George caught a glimpse of you pursing your lips before his eyes fluttered shut once more, trying to dull the sting. “I told you this was a bad idea,” you said softly, regret singeing your voice. ”I shouldn’t have let you do it.”

He turned toward the direction of your voice, rubbing the base of his palm into his eyelids. “I said I wanted to see your world,” he said, determination soaking into his words, “and I was right—it’s more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”

He lowered his arms, his eyes opening once more to see you staring back at him. There was a certain awestruck look on your face that made him smile, a certain glimmer in your eyes that made him want to cry. “I don’t regret it one bit.”

You swam an inch closer to him, tilting your head at him as as you simpered. “Even though your eyes look like they got stung by a jellyfish?”

He nodded. “Even then—wait.” He furrowed his brows at you, his hand shooting up to brush against the rim of his eyes as he gaped. “They look like what?”

You snorted at his hanging jaw, laughter bursting from your lips and bubbling out of your throat. “They’re all red and puffy!” you managed between chuckled. He gawked at you as you flipped around, your tail splashing against the water as you giggled.

George slowly felt a smile stretch across his face as you laughed at him, your scales reflecting like tiny mirrors in the sun as your skin shone with tiny droplets of water. Your world may be beautiful, but it paled so much in comparison to you.

He felt his throat tighten as a single, dark claw scratched at the corner of his mind, dragging across the edge of his skull. You know this can’t last forever, right? it whispered into the crevices of his heart.

He chewed on his lip, his smile wavering for just a moment. I know.

He didn’t want to think about how late it was in the season, now. He didn’t want to think about how much he was going to miss your face and the spray of the ocean breeze. He didn’t want to think about how high his heart soared whenever your eyes met his. He couldn’t bring himself to.

Because he knew that once summer ended, so would everything else.

“Hey, dude, what day are you going back home?”

George fiddled with the hem of his shorts, picking at a loose thread. He thought for a moment as he stared out at the sun’s fading light as it finished sinking into the sea. “Um, on... Tuesday?” He nodded to himself. “Yeah, Tuesday.”

There was a beat of silence. Then, Sapnap asked, “Isn’t that, like, literally tomorrow?”

George glanced over to his side, Sapnap peering over at him curiously from where he sat beside him. “Yeah.”

Sapnap sent him a sad smile, reaching over to pat his back. “We’ll miss you, buddy.”

“Yeah,” Clay said from his other side. George looked up, green eyes curved into small crescents meeting his. “Things aren’t quite the same without you here.”

He laughed at that, a quiet fondness trailing over him. “I’ll miss you losers, too.”

A comfortable quiet settled over the trio for a few moments. Then, Sapnap spoke up once more. “By the way,” he said, “aren’t you gonna say something to—” He gestured vaguely, his lips twitching. “—you know who?”

George’s blood ran cold. There was no way Sapnap was talking about who he thought he was talking about.

Lowering his hand to his side, he tried not to pick at his thumb. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said slowly, suddenly taking great interest in the soles of his shoes.

He heard Clay sigh above him, nudging him with his foot. The porch banister creaked from where he leaned against it. “George, c’mon, you don’t need to lie to us. We know you’ve been seeing someone.”

Sheer panic shot through George’s system as he whirled, his eyes darting back and forth between the two. Sapnap snorted, leaning a little closer beside him. “Seriously—it’s so obvious. You are a terrible liar.”

Suddenly, George’s hand shot out, his fingers curling around Sapnap’s wrist. “You can’t tell anyone,” he said in a panicked blur, the wheels in his head spinning out of control. “Seriously, guys, you can’t, I’m not kiddin—”

“Woah,” Sapnap cried, raising his hands in front of his chest defensively, “calm down! We have no idea what this person even looks like, okay? You can chill.” He zipped his lips, sending George a cheeky wink. “Your parents won’t hear a word from us.”

George’s heart came to a screeching halt in his chest as he processed his best friend’s. “Wait,” he said, disbelief clouding his features as his grip on Sapnap’s shirt grew loose, “you haven’t seen them?”

Clay cocked a brow at him. “No? You’re the one who literally rows out to the middle of wherever to see them.” His lips curled up into a crooked smile. “Of course we haven’t.”

George’s hand went limp and it fell to his side, “Oh. Oh.” He nearly slumped over in relief. “That’s good.”

Sapnap shifted beside him, bending over to rest his chin on his hand. “Well?” he continued, prodding once more. “Have you said anything about leaving or...?”

George’s heart dropped again, but for a different reason this time. “N-No,” he admitted quietly.

Clay sent him a quizzical look, his eyebrows knitting together. “Did you never even bring it up?” When George shook his head, he stepped away from the railing, bending down to be at eye level with him. “What? Why not? You should.”

George paused for a second, then let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I know, it’s just...”

Before he could stop himself, he started talking, and talking, and talking. The words just came pouring from his lips, like a free-flowing stream with no end in sight.

He spoke of how your smile would always make his day, how infectious your laugh was. He spoke of your curiosity, and just how he would give anything to see you gaze up at him in awe. He talked about how warm your hands were when you took his into your own and how he wished he could hold them all the time. He spoke of your determination to teach him how to swim, and how you actually did it. He talked about just about anything he could possibly think of when it came to you, you, you.

He spoke of just how much he was going to miss you, and how much it was going to hurt.

By the time he finished rambling, the sun had long disappeared, his face only illuminated by the lamp on his grandfather’s porch and the moon’s pale glow. His heart felt both full and empty all at once, and at his sides, Sapnap and George stared at him in silence, only the sound of chirping crickets filling the air.

“Wow,” Clay finally said after a long moment, his eyes trained on George. “That’s...”

Sapnap nodded beside him, his own eyes wide with awe. “...woah.”

George shifted uncomfortably, clenching his jaw as he tilted his head at then. “Aren’t you guys going to say anything else?”

A voice came from behind him. “I will.”

When Sapnap and Clay glanced up above his head, George whirled, his mouth opening at the figure standing before him. “Grandpa?”

His grandfather leaned against the wall of the house, smiling in that wise, worldly way that all old people always seemed to. “You, George,” he said lowly and surely, “are in love.”

George’s eyes widened, but his expression grew firm, a sense of acceptance settling deep into his bones. “I know.”

His grandfather leaned down until he was face to face with his grandson, his dark eyes meeting George’s. “You must tell them,” he murmured. “Do not just leave without saying goodbye—without being honest with yourself.” Something sad flickered across his face, but it disappeared as soon as it arrived. “That’s the worst thing you could possibly do.”

George swallowed, his hands curling into fists at his side. “Okay,” he murmured, honest and true. “I will.”

His grandfather smiled and stood up straight once more before turning to Clay and Sapnap. “Now, you boys should get going. It’s late, and lord knows just how much packing George hasn’t done yet.”

Clay wheezed as George whipped his head around, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. “Grandpa!” he hissed.

While his friends stood, his grandfather simply sent him a brazen look and pulled the porch door open with a chuckle. George sighed as he turned back to Sapnap and Clay. “You’re so slow, George,” Sapnap teased as George got onto his feet.

“Shut up,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like you’re not a last minute packer, either.”

Clay waved his hand at them, instead opening his arms up with a fond grin. “Okay, enough with that—give us your goodbye hug, now.”

George chuckled, sinking into Clay’s arms as Sapnap wrapped around from the other side. They separated just a few moments later, Sapnap and Clay already heading down the steps back to their own homes. “See you around,” George called out after them with a wave.

He could barely make out the shape of Clay’s smile in the darkness as he shouted back. “See you around. Text us when you get home.”

Sapnap’s shout quickly followed. “And stop blocking my number!”

George laughed quietly, still waving away until he was positive they were long gone. Dropping his arm to his side, he cast his gaze up at the twinkling night sky. The moon stared back at him with pale, pleading eyes, its light reflecting off the dark ocean surface just a few yards away. Something heavy sank in his chest.

He wondered if you were looking at the stars, too.

It was barely the crack of dawn when George desperately tugged at the paddles, rowing harder than he ever had in his entire life. The sky had just begun to paint itself with splashes of orange and amethyst, but he could only focus on the knowledge that somewhere out there, you were waiting for him.

He was leaving in just a few hours, now. This was his only chance—his last chance. You needed to know, and he was going to tell you even if every fibre of his being screamed not to.

At that moment, a voice soared over the rolling waves.

“George!”

He whipped his head up, his gaze immediately finding your face in the pale, morning light. Under any other circumstances, he would never even think to leave the boat like this. But in that moment, he simply couldn’t bring himself to think of anything else but you. In a whirlwind, he dropped the paddles with a clang and found himself leaping over the boat into the water with a shout of your name.

“[Y/N]!”

The morning waves were warmer than he thought they were, and he swam through them with ease, watching as your tail flapped behind you as you met him halfway. The moment your hands met, his fingers intertwined with yours, your fitting perfectly in the spaces between his.

“George,” you murmured when you finally looked at him properly. “I missed you.” Your eyebrows knit together in worry as you scanned his face. “Is everything alright? You look... stressed.”

A pang of pure pain and anguish shot through his chest, and he felt the back of his eyes sting as he lowered his gaze. “I... I have to tell you something.”

You nodded without even an inkling of hesitation. “You can tell me anything. I’m here to listen.”

The tight coil in the pit of his stomach only grew at your words. He opened his mouth, then closed it. “It’s—I, um—”

He could feel your eyes on his, concerned and heavy as he struggled to find the right words. His throat felt tight and dry, but you were the last person he wanted to be dishonest with. He had to tell you. With that, he finally let the four words he never wanted to say slip from his lips.

“I have to leave.”

Your brows furrowed, hurt and confusion shooting through your lovely gaze. “Leave?” you repeated. “Why?”

He swallowed, his heart cracking further with each passing second he spent looking at your broken expression. “I only stay here at my grandfather’s for the summer, and today, I have to go back home. I won’t be able to come back until next year.”

Your eyes slowly filled with understanding, but he could still see the layer of sadness lying just beneath. His gut churned with something hot and wet. “God, [Y/N],” he said, his voice cracking as he dipped his head in shame. He felt his eyes grow glossy. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Your hands tightened around his, and you shook your head, offering him a small smile. “No, no, George, don’t say that. It’s okay. I understand.”

The words were suddenly pouring out of his mouth uncontrollably, the regret rising in his chest until he was completely submerged. “I don’t want to leave you—I never want to leave you, [Y/N]. I should have told you sooner, oh, I—”

He stopped. He didn’t think he was ever going to say it, but he let his voice drop to a tiny whisper. If not now, then when?

“I love you. I love you so, so much.”

Your eyes widened, your lips parting while you took in his words. Realization flashed across your face, and almost immediately, anxiety rolled through him as he began to ramble. “I was scared to say it out loud, scared to know what you would say, and you don’t have to feel the same way, but I just wanted you to kno—”

Suddenly, you pressed a finger to his lips, and the words died in his mouth. “George,” you crooned, your warm gaze melting the ball of nerves in his chest, “oh, George.”

You lowered your hand as you smiled at him, looking like everything he could have ever dreamed of and more. “I love you, too.”

His jaw dropped, his mind going blank. You giggled at his expression, swimming even closer to him and the space between you disappearing. “Thank you for telling me. Really.” You glanced down at the waves lapping at his chest as you continued softly. “Even if you have to go, I am so grateful for the time I’ve spent with you.”

Slowly, he slipped his hand out of yours, lifting it up to hold your face. Leaning forward, he asked just for you to hear, “Can I...?”

He didn’t have to finish the sentence for you to nod with a shy smile, your eyelids fluttering shut. Letting out one last small breath, he surged forward, your mouth meeting his in a kiss.

You tasted like sunshine, freedom, and a little bit like salt, he thought. He wasn’t sure if that last one was you or the ocean, but he found himself not caring. He was far too enraptured by the feeling of your lips on his, sweet and soft. It wasn’t like it mattered, anyway. After all, the ocean was a part of you, and he loved you and the ocean.

You parted with a gasp, your lips puffy and rosy. You looked ethereal in the sunrise, your eyes alight with streaks of pink and lavender. His thumb brushed against your cheek, and he leaned down to rest his forehead against yours.

“I know this is selfish of me to ask,” he said quietly, his eyes searching yours, “but, could you... can you—” He gulped. “Will you wait for me?”

You didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes,” you breathed, wrapping your arms tightly around his neck. “Oh, yes, yes, yes, George.” Your eyes crinkled at the corners, and a surge of affection ran through him. “I promised you I wouldn’t let go, didn’t I?”

His heart swelled to the size of the ocean and back while his thumb rubbed small circles where your waist met your tail. “I’ll come back as soon as I can,” he said firmly. “You have my word, my heart, my everything—all of it is yours.”

You only smiled brilliantly in return. His arms snaked around your back as he pulled you close, your own arms wrapping tightly around waist as he rested his head in the crook of your neck. For a few long moments, the two of you simply stayed like that, silent but content with the feeling of your arms around each other. The waves rolled around you soothingly, your tail brushing against his legs as you simply tread in tandem with one another.

“I’ll miss you,” you suddenly whispered, breaking the silence as you tightened your embrace.

He pulled back slightly, his eyes locking onto yours. “I will miss you far, far more.”

Your gaze softened, and you pressed your palm to his cheek. He leaned into your touch, his eyes squeezing shut as you spoke. “Will you, now?” you murmured.

He lowered his head, his hot breath tickling your cheek as his gaze dropped to your lips. “Yes,” he whispered. “More than you’d know.”

And as the sun rose above the horizon, his lips met yours once more, his heart dissolving into seafoam among the waves.

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, my love.

George slammed the trunk of the car, his shoulders slumping as he let out a sigh. It really was over, wasn’t it?

“You all packed to go?”

He turned at the sound of his grandfather’s voice, his lips curling upwards as he walked up to him with his eyes crinkling at the corners. Patting the back of the car, he bobbed his head. “Yeah,” he said, “I think I’m ready.”

His grandfather stopped just a foot away from him, scanning him up and down. “And,” he added, “did you say all your goodbyes?”

George‘s grin widened. While he had indeed already said goodbye to Sapnap, Clay, and you...

“Almost,” he said, his eyes flashing. “I’m just missing one.”

His grandfather’s eyes furrowed in confusion, and he opened his mouth to ask when George suddenly threw his arms around his neck, pulling him close in a tight embrace. He froze for a moment before wrapping his arms back, chuckling into the hug.

“Thank you, grandpa,” George whispered into his ear, hoping he could hear the sincerity in his voice. Pulling away, a warm, sad look flitted across his face. “I’ll see you next year.”

His grandfather reached over to pat his shoulder, giving him a quick, reassuring squeeze. “Oh, George. You have a safe trip, now.” He cast a knowing glance at the seaside. “You know I’m not the only one waiting for you to come back.”

He blinked, squinting just the tiniest bit before shaking his head, smiling to himself. His grandfather always seemed to know more than he let on, but who was he to question it?

Pulled the driver’s door open and sliding in with a grunt, his grandfather pushed it closed as he buckled the seatbelt. As he turned the key in the ignition, he sent his grandfather one last wave. Goodbye, he thought wistfully before backing up in reverse and pulling out of the driveway. In just a few moments, he was speeding down the long, winding path away from his favourite place in the whole world.

He rolled down the window with one hand as the other gripped the wheel, the ocean lying to the side. The wind whipped at his hair, the familiar sea breeze tickling his nostrils as a seagull cried out above him. Along the horizon, he could have sworn that maybe—just maybe—he caught a glimpse of a tail’s silhouette against the cerulean blue sky. He smiled to himself, his chest growing warm as he pressed down a little harder on the pedal.

George loved the ocean.

He loved the feeling of the sand squishing beneath his toes on the beach. He loved the cold tides wrapping around him like a familiar blanket as he dove into its murky depths. He loved the rocking of the boat where he sat, feeling at peace in the middle of the water.

There wasn’t anywhere else in the world where he felt so loved, so known, so understood. It would be a while until he could return to his beloved beachside. He would have to wait days, weeks, months until he could come back, but he knew he would—he had to. After all, he had given you his word.

George loved the ocean.

But most of all, he loved you.

643 notes · View notes

hansols-yoda-boxers · 3 years

Text

Camp North Star - June 15th

Lee Siyeon x AFAB!Reader x Lee Yoobin

Word Count: 5834

Contents: recording studio sex, marking, slight voyeurism, teasing, dom Siyeon, sub Yoobin, nipple play, fingering, recording nsfw audio, eating ass, slight hair pulling, oral

Notes: hehe if you remember seeing a poll months ago with all the members of the groups in this au perhaps you know what that was for now

“Okay riddle me this, why do I have to do a swim test?” Siyeon questioned, sipping on her water.

“Because there is a beach and a pool,” you said. “You might fall in.”

“How do you accidentally fall in at the beach?” She asked.

“If you’re in a canoe.”

“Is this all a ploy to get me in a canoe with you?” She smirked.

“I mean I already know you’re coming on the canoe trip so it might happen,” you snickered. “We also may be planning to teach canoe over canoe rescues in one of out teaching sessions”

“Remind me not to sign up for yours then,” she grumbled. “So still, I’m not gonna be swimming.”

“Hey, maybe someone will throw you in,” you said.

“Who would wanna throw me in the lake?” She laughed.

“Probably Jihoon when he sees what a mess you’re leaving in the studio,” you snickered. Siyeon threw you a look while she wiped up the crumbs she had left on the table.

“He’ll never know if you don’t tell him.”

“I make no promises,” you said, sitting back in your chair. “Gossip is the main trade commodity around these parts.”

“You’re gonna be rich then,” she chuckled.

“If people keep their secrets, which Nayeon didn’t.”

“Of course Nayeon didn’t,” she snorted. “Would she be Nayeon if she didn’t brag about rocking your world?”

“I knew things would seep out sooner or later,” you said. “At least there’s the fun in finding out who knows what.”

“There is a rumor that something happened with someone else,” she gave you a look. “Care to elaborate?”

“Well so far he’s kept his lips sealed,” you said, sipping back your drink.

“So the rumors are true, no one is safe.”

You shoved Siyeon as she laughed.

“Don’t say it like that! I’m not on the prowl. I am simply taking opportunities when they present themselves.”

“And so far you’ve had two then?”

“See I can’t tell if you think it should be more or less?” You chuckled.

“I’m not judging,” she said as she sipped. “I need more data to judge.”

“Shut up,” you laughed. “Leave me and my slutty ways alone. You know, I think it would be good for you.”

“Your slutty ways?” She chuckled.

“Being a bit more slutty in general. I mean unless you’re going to make a move…” You grinned as Siyeon’s cheeks flushed pink.

“I would make a move if there was a point,” she hissed. “I’m fine as it is.”

“Sure,” you said. “Of course you are. Chastising Jihoon for pining but doing nothing yourself.”

“Maybe your slutty ways are getting to your head,” she said.

“Says the girl who is desperately trying to pretend she’s okay with just flirting.”

Her face grew redder. “Well I’m not going to just walk into the dance studio and ask her to have sex now am I?”

“You could if you weren’t a coward.” You ducked away from her, slipping out of your seat and to the floor as she swung a pillow at your head.

“I am not a coward!” she cried.

You stood behind your chair, still snickering at her. “Prove it then.”

Siyeon stood from her chair and for a split second you thought she really was going to head to the dance studio before she kneeled on the seat of your chair and grabbed the front of your shirt, pulling you towards her. Her lips crashed against yours in a kiss that made you squeal in surprise. Her grip kept you close and as you relaxed into her kiss she pulled back just a little.

“Okay you know that wasn’t what I meant,” you chuckled.

“Maybe I need to have some fun too, take my mind off of her,” she murmured, giving you another quick kiss. Her hold on your shirt urged you to move around the chair towards her.

“You’ve got it too bad to have anything take your mind off her,” you chuckled.

She moved you until she had you pressed against the table. “Then think of it as practice. Let me gain some courage won’t you?”

“So I’m your guinea pig,” you giggled, jumping up and sitting on the table, grinning at her face, still flushed and close to yours.

“Oh shut up and kiss me properly.”

You were still laughing as you kissed her again. You let your arms wrap around her neck, letting your legs fall apart and pulling her closer. Siyeon’s hands found your hips as she pressed close against your chest, letting your tongue slip past her lips with a sigh.

You felt her fingers pressing into your skin, travelling along your thighs and back to your ass as you kissed her. Your fingers twirled into her hair, keeping her close to you and enjoying her lips on yours.

“So,” you hummed as she broke away for breath. “What are you planning for this little distraction?”

“You know I haven’t thought that far yet,” she murmured. “We’ll wing it. Tilt your head back for me.”

You did as she said, letting out a sigh as she started to kiss down your neck. You let your hands fall away from her, resting back on them and trying not to lean on the recording equipment. Siyeon’s lips travelled down your neck slowly, her hands gripping at your ass.

You let out a small moan as she pulled your strap off your shoulder and started to suck at a spot along your collarbone.

“That feels good,” you moaned, letting your head fall back.

“I know,” she hummed, pulling off your other strap. Her lips kissed lower, coming to the top of your chest and sucking the soft, sensitive skin with her lips. You let another moan slip past your lips, fingers slipping into her hair to hold her close to you and relaxing into the feeling.

“Anytime you need a distraction just let me know,” you murmured.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you could hear the grin in her voice. Her lips moved across your chest, slowly pushing more of your bra aside and leaving marks on your skin. You spared only a passing glance at the door. No one had any reason to be in the building at this time. And the only other one with access to the studio was Jihoon, and he was gone back to the cabin for the evening.

“Mmm that feels good,” you moaned. Siyeon’s hands kept moving, gripping at your ass and thighs before one came up to move the cup of your bra. She pulled it down ever slowly, lips trailing after her fingers. You sunk back, more of your weight on your arms as she sucked one of your nipples between her lips. A moan left yours and your gaze shifted down to meet hers, catching the grin that made the corner of her lips twitch.

Your eyes snapped open when you heard a sound on the other side of the door.

Siyeon pulled back quickly, both of you looking at each other, and then to the door.

“Did you hear that?” you whispered.

Siyeon nodded, looking between you and the door again before pressing a finger to her lips, signaling to you to be quiet before she stalked across the studio. Whoever was eavesdropping didn’t know you knew yet. You pulled the cup of your bra and your shirt back up to cover your chest, sitting up a little taller and crossing your legs while Siyeon threw open the door.

“Well hello there, Yoobin,” you could hear the smirk in her voice and couldn’t help the way it spread to your own lips.

“U-Uh H-Hi,” Yoobin mumbled. You held in your laugh as Siyeon reached out and grabbed her, dragging her into the studio. She shut the door behind the two of them, clicking the lock before she put herself between Yoobin and the door and slowly walked her back towards you.

“What were you doing out there?” Siyeon asked.

“I-I- was, I n-needed to talk to you- I h-had a question?” She sounded as if she was saying it like a question, shrinking into herself and cheeks growing rosier.

“What was the question?”

“I-I it u-uh it slipped my mind,” she stuttered.

“Did you hear that?” Siyeon said to you, still walking Yoobin towards you slowly. “She forgot her question.”

“What a shame,” you sighed. “Yoobin, you should just hang out here until you remember.”

“I-I can go,” she said. “I-I don’t want to be a bother.”

Siyeon cocked her head to the side. “You don’t? Are you sure?”

You let your legs fall open again and Yoobin ended up between them, jolting a bit when she backed into the edge of the table, now caught between you and Siyeon.

“O-Of course n-not!”

Your gaze trailed along her arms and down to your hand and a smirk tugged at your lips.

“Then why were you eavesdropping?” Siyeon questioned, a grin drawing across her face.

“I-I- didn’t- I was going- I would have-”

Siyeon leaned in closer to Yoobin and murmured. “You missed one of the buttons on your shorts.”

You grabbed Yoobin’s wrist, holding up her hand, fingers glistening.

“And your fingers are wet, cutie.”

Yoobin stammered but no words came out as her face flushed red. She sunk more in on herself, seeming a little shaky as you let your hand fall to her hips, giving her a soothing squeeze. Siyeon brought a finger to her chin and tilted her head back up.

“Did you think we were giving a free show?” Siyeon asked, a teasing tone to her voice.

Yoobin shook her head quickly. “N-No I-I- n-n- I wo-”

“How long were you going to be out there?” You teased. “Did you think we wouldn’t hear you moaning?”

“I-I thought I was qu-quiet,” she mumbled.

“Not quiet enough,” you murmured in her ear.

“You got started out there all on your own,” Siyeon gave her a fake pout. “It’s too lonely being by yourself.”

Yoobin glanced back at you quickly before looking at Siyeon again. She gave a little nod, her back pressing back against your chest now.

“What do you say we have a little fun with you?” Siyeon’s voice dipped lower and even with the words directed at Yoobin they had arousal shooting through your body. Yoobin’s breath caught as Siyeon drew her finger down the soft skin of her neck, waiting on her answer. “I promise we’ll be gentle with you.”

“Very gentle,” you murmured to her.

“Okay,” she sounded breathless as she answered, nodding quickly.

You caught Siyeon’s smirk at you before she leaned in to capture Yoobin in a soft kiss. You brought your lips to the side of her neck, starting to leave slow, gentle kisses on her warm skin. A grin graced your lips as Yoobin let out little sighs and whines against Siyeon’s lips.

You watched with a lazy gaze as Siyeon’s hands found Yoobin’s hips, slipping them between where your legs pressed against the sides of Yoobin’s body. She curled her fingers around the hem of Yoobin’s shirt before slowly lifting it up. You noticed the colour in Yoobin’s cheeks rising even more. Her face dropped and Siyeon pressed her lips to Yoobin’s forehead in a soft kiss. You brought your hands to squeeze her waist reassuringly and brought your lips to her ear.

“Can we see you, pretty girl?”

You caught the shy smile that tugged at her lips as she nodded and let Siyeon pull the shirt over her head. Siyeon brought Yoobin’s head back up, capturing her in another kiss as her hands started to roam over Yoobin’s shoulders and down to her chest. Yoobin’s arms fully wound around Siyeon’s neck.

You let your hands trail down her body slowly, from her waist around to her lower stomach. Then playing with the waist of her soft shorts. You let your fingers dip past the hem just a little, drawing soothing circles into her skin and bringing your lips to her ears.

“Are you getting needy yet, pretty girl?”

“Mhm,” her whine was muffled by Siyeon’s lips but she pressed her legs open further for you. You chuckled at her eagerness, letting a hand slip down lower, teasing her. You brought your fingertips to the tops of her thighs and so close to her core without touching it, feeling her hips start to push towards your fingers.

You trailed your lips down to her neck, sucking lightly at her skin while your fingers danced around the edges of her core, not quite giving her what she wanted. You noticed Siyeon’s hands slipping up her body and around her back until they reached her bra. Her lips finally broke away from Yoobin’s, tipping her head back and kissing down her neck as she gently pulled her bra off.

A whine escaped from Yoobin’s lips, now unmuffled, which made both you and Siyeon chuckle. You dragged your nails lightly over her inner thigh.

“What do you need, pretty girl?”

“Please touch me properly,” her voice was quiet and whiny. She threw you a needy glance before a moan escaped her mouth as Siyeon grabbed her waist and began sucking one of her nipples between her lips.

“Anything you want,” you purred, slipping your fingers between her legs and dragging them through her folds.

You felt Yoobin shudder against you, letting out a shaky moan as she leaned back into you even more. You brought you free hand up to her chest, playing with her nipple between your fingers while Siyeon grabbed at her ass, Yoobin’s other nipple still between her lips.

Yoobin’s head fell back against your shoulder, letting out quiet moans. You gathered her slick on your fingertips before moving your fingers in circles over her clit. You felt her weight on you more heavily and the tremors that ran through her body as you both brought her more and more pleasure.

“You got yourself pretty wet out there,” You hummed to her.

“Can you blame her?” Siyeon chuckled. “Imagine hearing us but not seeing anything, coming up with it in your head.”

“There’s so many possibilities, but none of them are quite as good as the real thing,” you purred. “Isn’t that right, Yoobin?”

“Mhm,” her voice was whiny and sweet.

Siyeon stood up properly, grabbing Yoobin’s chin and gently shifting it to look at her. She let her other hand trail up Yoobin’s chest, teasing her already sensitive nipples as she went. “I just had a very fun idea.”

You lifted your head from where your lips had been kissing along Yoobin’s neck to meet Siyeon’s gaze, fingers between Yoobin’s legs slowing. “What did you have in mind?”

She leaned past both of you and you watched her movements as she woke the computer and plugged in her usb. A grin started to tug at your lips while confusion still coloured Yoobin’s expression, looking between the two of you and trying to subtly move her hips against your finger that had now stopped moving. Only when Siyeon hit the on button and the light turned red in the recording studio did her eyes go wide.

“O-Oh,” blush crept up Yoobin’s cheeks.

“What do you say we make a little memento,” Siyeon purred. “Something fun for all of us.”

The smirk was already pulling across your lips as you pulled your fingers from Yoobin’s shorts. You moved her away from the desk and slid off of it. “I’d love to.”

“I-I- would anyone f-find it?”

Siyeon kissed the end of her nose before stepping towards the studio. “Only if you share it with them. Don’t worry I won’t leave it on the computer for Jihoon to find.”

Yoobin blushed even harder and you took her hand on yours giving it a squeeze. She gave both of you a shy smile. “Th-This sounds pretty hot.”

“Exactly,” you hummed, giving her neck a quick kiss. Siyeon opened the door as you led Yoobin into the booth. The space was small for three but cozy. You let your arms wrap around Yoobin’s waist, pulling her in for a few kisses while Siyeon moved a few things back and set stools in the middle of the room, then gently pulling Yoobin away from you.

“Right over here, pretty girl,” she cooed, pulling Yoobin towards the stools. “Now bend over for me.” She placed a hand gently on Yoobin’s back and helped her bend over the stool. Yoobin grabbed the legs of the stool to brace herself as Siyeon took her shorts and panties in her fingers and slowly pulled them over her ass and down her legs.

“You are so cute,” you purred, sinking to your knees behind her. Your hands came up her legs gently and you spread them a little more, hearing her cute, slightly nervous giggle. Siyeon’s hands slid over her back before grabbing at her ass. Yoobin let out a cute moan and Siyeon shot you a smirk before grabbing one of Yoobin’s legs, bringing it up to rest her thigh on the other stool.

“Can you keep your legs open like this for us, pretty girl?” she purred.

“Mhm,” Yoobin nodded quickly, looking back through the legs of the stool at you as you ran your fingertips along her inner thighs and then through her folds. She let out a shaky breath, giving you a sweet, needy look.

You smirked at her as you let a finger start to tease her entrance, Siyeon leaning down to pressing kisses along her spine. Yoobin pressed her hips back towards you, letting out a whine.

“What do you think, Siyeon,” you said, teasing laced into your tone. “Do you think she’s ready for a finger?”

“I think she’s ready for more than one,” she replied, both of you smirking at the way Yoobin whimpered and pressed her hips back even more.

“Please,” she whined. “P-Please, I need it.”

You pressed a kiss to the back of her thigh. “Of course, since you’re asking so nicely.”

You brought two fingers to her entrance and slowly eased them into her core. Yoobin let out a moan, eyes fluttering shut and walls clenching around your fingers. You curled and turned them slowly, watching her grip on the legs of the stool tighten as moans started to leave her lips.

“You sound so good, pretty girl,” Siyeon cooed, her own voice growing a little breathy as she kissed down Yoobin’s back.

You caught your own bottom lip between your teeth as you listened to Yoobin’s moans. Each sound was sending a rush of arousal through your body, down your spine and to your core. You shifted, pressing your thighs together more and you kept your eyes on her face, watching it contort in pleasure.

You fingers found a steady pace in her core, searching for the angle she liked the most and feeling every tremor and shake that rocked through her body. Moans and whines were leaving her lips as you brought her more and more pleasure and Siyeon kneaded her ass, finally spreading her cheeks with her hands and kissing near the bottom of her tail bone.

Siyeon met your eyes for a moment in a heated gaze that sent arousal rushing through your body before her tongue came out, licking over Yoobin’s ass, then circling her hole with a moan.

Yoobin’s moans grew higher in her voice, more whines punctuating them at the new sensation. “P-Please d-don’t stop.” Her voice was shaky and so was her body and you could only imagine how the pleasure was building in her now. Thinking about it was only serving to make you wetter and wetter.

Siyeon’s moans mixed with Yoobin’s in the warm air of the studio, hands grabbing at Yoobin and eating her ass with more and more vigor as Yoobin’s moans grew louder. Your own fingers moved faster in her core and you felt her clenching more and more strongly around them.

You brought your other hand up her thigh until it was between her legs and rubbing her clit. A gasp fell from her lips as she shook, clinging to the stool as her face contorted and scrunched in pleasure, unable to form any full words but desperately rocking her hips back against the two of you the best she could.

Yoobin let out a high, pretty cry as she clenched hard around your fingers. Her whole body shook as she came, you and Siyeon holding her on the stool and holding her legs open to ride her through her high until she was pushing away from both of you and whimpering.

You sat back on your heels, pulling your drenched fingers from her core. Siyeon helped her off the stool and to her knees on the ground before leaning down, grabbing your wet hand, and taking your fingers into her mouth.

You couldn’t stop the moan that left your own lips at the sight, at Siyeon’s heat-filled gaze trained on you. Getting Yoobin off had turned you on immensely and the need between your legs was all but searing.

“You look pretty desperate,” Siyeon teased, letting your fingers fall from her mouth.

“You have no idea,” you breathed, shifting your hips a little, praying for any little bit of friction.

Siyeon grinned at you. “Get up here.” She grabbed your arms and pulled you to your feet, chuckling at the way you wobbled on them, already so worked up. She was quick to turn you around to face where Yoobin was on the floor, still catching her breath, and start to pull off your top from behind. Yoobin looked up at you with her hazy, blissful stare, bottom lip catching between her teeth as Siyeon undid your bra and let it fall aside. She pressed against your back, bringing her hands up you your chest and drawing a moan from you as she started to play with your breasts. Yoobin leaned forward, a little closer.

“Do you want to play too?” Siyeon asked her. Yoobin nodded quickly, a whine escaping her lips as she scrambled closer. Still on her knees she nestled between your legs and held your hips as she brought her lips up to your chest. You let a small moan past your lips as she took one of your nipples between her lip. Siyeon’s fingers played with the other, starting to roll your nipple between her fingers quickly.

Yoobin’s gaze grew glassy as she looked up at you. Her fingers kneaded into the skin of your hips rhythmically as she ran her tongue over your nipple and sucked at you, muffled moans leaving her own lips.

“Mmmm fuck,” you sighed, letting your head fall back against Siyeon’s shoulder. You knew you had to be dripping by this point. Your fingers curled around the edges of the stool as they both played with your nipples, legs spreading wider.

You started to angle your hips down, legs spread as wide as you could before rocking your hips. The tiny bit of friction you managed from subtly grinding down on the stool was worth it, even as you felt Siyeon’s free hand grip your hair before pulling your head back roughly, drawing a gasp from you.

“Are you that needy?” She teased, her voice a low murmur in your ear. “Do you need it that badly?”

“Yes,” you breathed. “Fuck, please.”

“Yoobin,” Siyeon said sweetly. “They need your mouth somewhere else.”

You felt Siyeon release your hair and you tipped your head forwards again. A flush had rushed up Yoobin’s cheeks as she shifted back from your body and did as she was told. Her fingers found the buttons on your shorts, undoing them before pulling them down slowly. You lifted your hips from the stool to help her, letting your legs fall open once they were off.

Yoobin shifted closer again. Her movements were slow and cautious as she pressed a few kisses to your inner thighs, sweet doe-like eyes looking up at you and then Siyeon.

“Good girl,” Siyeon cooed. “Don’t worry. They’re so sensitive, anything you do will feel good.”

“Hey-” You felt heat rush up your face as you started to protest. But Siyeon tugged both your nipples between her fingers, interrupting your words with moans instead.

Yoobin moved her face between your legs and let her tongue run though your folds and over your clit. She let out a moan at your taste but it was nothing compared to the one that fell from your lips at the sensation.

A rush of arousal shot through your needy body, Siyeon’s fingers still moving on your nipples and working you up more. Even with Yoobin’s slow, slightly clumsy movements you still had a hand threading into her hair, still felt your high starting to build from the first few movements.

“O-Oh, fuck just like that,” your own voice was breathy and there was no hiding the desperation in it. “Keep doing that.”

Yoobin did just as she was told, repeating the movement with her tongue that was starting to send tremors through your body as your eyes fluttered and you focused on the pleasure building in you.

“You’re not even going to look at her when she’s pleasing you,” Siyeon teased. “Tsk tsk.”

“Feels too good,” you hummed. “Can’t open my eye- Oh fuck!” you cried as Siyeon tugged at your nipples again and Yoobin sucked your clit between her lips.

“Remind me if we do this again that you’re terrible at taking instructions,” Siyeon purred. “I’ll be sure to prepare some punishments.”

Any abashment had gone out the window as you moaned at her words, letting them sink into your mind and wrapping around all the ways she could punish you for not listening, all the ways you wanted to test her patience.

“Oh?” You could hear the smirk in her tone as she leaned in close to your ear, murmuring to you. “Am I learning something new about you? Is that what you want, to be punished when you don’t do what I tell you? Maybe next time I should tie you and see how long you last while I edge you, hm?”

“Fuck, please,” the coil was curling tighter and tighter in your core now, thighs trembling around Yoobin’s head as she ate you out faithfully, moaning against your core with each involuntary tug of her hair or rock or jolt of your hips. Siyeon’s fingers hadn’t stopped their ministrations on your sensitive nipples which only had the build towards release that much stronger.

“Maybe I’ll make you ride my fingers until you get off, and only if you’re good and loud and you cum for me will I give you my strap. Or maybe I’ll see just how many times you can cum until you just can’t take it anymore.” She purred.

“Fuck, yes,” each word she uttered whirred through your mind, drawing up pretty pictures in your imagination. The coil in your core curled tightly and tremors rocked through your body as they toyed with you, drawing you right to your edge.

“Maybe I’ll just have to turn you into a good little sub.”

Curses and moans cascaded from your lips as you came. The coil snapped, body releasing and pleasure rushing through you as you thighs crash in around Yoobin’s head, hand still in her hair, holding her close as your hips ground against her face and Siyeon’s fingers played with your nipples roughly. A wave of utter bliss washed over you until you were slumped back against Siyeon’s chest, shaking and panting.

She helped you down to the floor and you leaned against Yoobin as you caught your breath. Through heavily lidded eyes you looked up at Siyeon as she gazed down at both of you. Slowly, she pulled her shirt over her head, shaking out her hair before throwing her shirt to the side. Her fingers came to the zipper on her shorts and she undid them, swaying her hips before turning to give both of you a view of her ass as she pulled them down.

A smirk curled her lips at the way both of you leaned towards her, wrapped up in her little show. She took her time reaching behind herself to take off her bra and letting it fall away before slipping her panties down her legs.

An air of smugness came over her as she sat on the stool, spreading her legs and drawing a moan from each of you. You both shifted closer but Siyeon held up her hand.

“No touching yet,” she purred. You both watched intently as she drew two fingers through her folds before pressing them into her heat, a sigh falling from her lips. She pulled them out slowly and you felt your jaw falling open, nearly drooling at her glistening fingers, her own slick coating them and dripping from both her fingers and her core.

“Look what you’ve both done to me,” she said. You both shifted as close as she’d allow you before Yoobin let her tongue hang out of her mouth needily.

“Do you want a taste, pretty girl?” she cooed, pressing her fingers back into her heat and pumping them slowly.

“Please,” Yoobin whined, nodding quickly.

A pout formed on your lips and you let your lips fall to Siyeon’s thigh, starting to suck marks into her skin as Siyeon stuck her fingers into Yoobin’s mouth.

“You’re needy again already?” She teased you. You let out a small moan against her skin and Siyeon threaded her fingers into your hair, gently massaging your scalp. You let your eyes fall closed, feeling comforted in your post orgasm state.

You felt Yoobin shifting closer, no doubt drawn in by Siyeon’s fingers. A whine hit your ears as her mouth was left empty. Siyeon hushed her before her hand disappeared from your head. You looked up at her just as Yoobin’s lips made their way between her legs. A low moan fell from Siyeon’s lips and as you opened your mouth to speak she shoved her fingers into your mouth, wet again with her arousal.

“I know you wanted a taste too,” she teased. You nodded at her, humming as you ran your tongue around her fingers, sucking them clean. Her other hand had found its way into Yoobin’s hair now, holding her close as she shifted her attention back to the girl between her legs.

“Just like that, pretty girl,” she cooed, praising her. Slowly, she pulled her fingers from your mouth and you felt the corner of your lips twitch as an idea came to mind. You pressed up against Yoobin’s back, a hand sliding between her legs.

She let out a gasping moan as your fingers came to her clit, rubbing it quickly. She moaned against Siyeon’s core which drew louder moans from Siyeon’s lips. You kissed along Yoobin’s neck as your fingers worked her up quickly, her own hands gripping Siyeon as she ate her out more shakily.

“Mmm that’s good,” Siyeon moaned, letting her head fall back. Yoobin only ate her out more needily as you brought her closer to another release, finding the sensitive spots on her neck to kiss and nip at.

Both of their moans only had your fingers moving faster, finding just the right movements of your fingers to draw gasps and whines from Yoobin’s lips, her thighs started to shake around you hand as you kissed along her jaw until she pulled back from Siyeon, crying out and clamping her thighs around your hand as she came.

She had a sweet, hazy look on her face as you helped her sit back before you took her place between Siyeon’s legs. She opened her mouth to speak to you but only managed a moan as you ran your tongue over her clit, eyes locked on her face and watching her every reaction to the movements of your tongue.

You greedily brought yourself lower, letting your tongue dip inside of her and tasting more of her arousal on your tongue as she moaned, grabbing at your hair again. You pressed in closer, starting to fuck her with your tongue, a hand coming up to play with her clit.

“Holy fuck, keep doing that,” she moaned, finally letting her own eyes fall closed.

You curled your tongue inside her, trying to make her hips buck and grind against your face and feeling each and every one of her tremors. Moans cascaded off her lips, louder than either yours or Yoobin’s. One hand gripping at the stool and the other holding your hair.

You moved your fingers quickly, rubbing her clit in quick circles as you ran your tongue as deeply into her core as you could, feeling her clench around it, her arousal running into your mouth and down your chin as she got closer and closer.

“Yes, fuck, just like that, oh fuck don’t stop,” the words and curses tumbled from her lips as she ground against your face as much as you would let her, trying to get even more. Her grip in your hair tightened as she got closer and closer to her release. Each tug on your hair drew a moan from your own lips that you knew was vibrating through her body.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” her voice was climbing higher and growing louder. She leaned back as much as she could on the stool without falling while she gave in to pleasure.

A cry left her lips as she came, clenching around your tongue and releasing her sweet juices onto it which you lapped up eagerly. Her thighs pressed in around your head and her hand pulled from your hair, shakily grabbing your wrist to stop your fingers.

With shaky breaths she slipped from the stool to join you both on the floor, messily kissing both of you and smiling against your lips.

“That was so good,” Yoobin murmured.

“Agreed,” you hummed.

“And we have a memento,” Siyeon said breathily, reminding you that the recording equipment was still running.

“Perfect for a lonely night,” Yoobin mumbled.

Siyeon looked between the two of you. “If either of you are ever lonely, just let me know.” She smirked. “I’ll warm you up.”

You both giggled as you relaxed back against the wall, Siyeon shifting to join you. “Just make sure you don’t leave that on the computer,” you warned. “I don’t think I could ever look Jihoon in the eye again.”

“I don’t think I could look at anyone else who hears it ever again,” Yoobin said, blushing.

“Don’t you worry,” Siyeon hummed. “Some people are dumb enough to do that, but I’m not.”

You sat up suddenly. “Wait who?”

“Yeah, I wanna know,” Yoobin chimed in.

“It’s a secret,” she grinned. The two of you protested but she just chuckled. “Maybe I’ll tell you one day, but you’re really gonna have to work to earn that gossip.”

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