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crystalstar8 · 3 years

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Knights of the Night (chapter 1)

Chapter 1

Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491

pairing: Jungkook x oc

genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance

word count: 2,426

warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France

notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character

summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing...

Catalina gazed out of the window as the city flew by. Full Moon, by the Black Ghosts was playing on the radio. She wondered what her apartment was going to look like. She should have listened to her mom when she told Catalina to take a trip out here to set it up before school started, but she never found the time. She had been too busy saying her goodbyes to friends who didn’t care about her leaving.

The taxi finally entered the small town of St. Briggs. The sky was dark and bleak; when Catalina pictured California, she didn’t imagine this. She was hoping to see a different environment, but it kind of looked just like Michigan. It would still be a change though. Hopefully a good change. This was one of the most highly recommended performing arts schools in the country and Catalina was looking forward to a fresh new chapter of her life.

She was dropped off at her apartment building and the taxi driver asked if she wanted him to help her carry her bags up the stairs. She said no and hurried to pay him. Catalina somehow managed to drag her bags up the stairs on her own, breaking out in a sweat and making her twenty-year-old back hurt. The apartment was lightly furnished already, the bare furniture from the last student still there. So Catalina started unpacking her clothes, toiletries, and bedding. Once everything was unpacked, she looked around at her new living space. It was small, only three rooms: the bedroom, a tiny bathroom, and a kitchen connected to an empty living room. She’d have to get a couch, and maybe a TV. Or she could just save her money. Yeah, that sounded better. She would usually just watch Netflix on her laptop anyway.

Speaking of her laptop, she pulled it out of her backpack and flopped onto her bare mattress, opening it up. Classes started in a week and she needed to review her schedule and figure out what materials she needed. Her dance class stared back at her from her schedule on the computer screen. She was most excited for that one.

Catalina sent the schedule to her phone and then closed her laptop. She decided now was a good time to explore the campus, if only to check out the dance studio.

It was chilly here, the wind coming off the water brisk and wet. Her hair frizzed up and she mourned the fact that she only packed light clothes, expecting the typical California weather. She should have realized that Northern California would be pretty much the same as where she lived before in Michigan.

Despite the gloomy weather, the campus was beautiful. It was bustling with students and their families, taking tours and lots of pictures in front of the old buildings. She glanced at the wrinkled campus map in her hands, which she had printed out back at home. The dance studio was closer to the back of the campus, so she trekked through all the freshman and found herself in an emptier part of campus. The buildings here were very old. Big willow trees grew between the buildings, their leafy curtains giving those spots a sense of privacy on the lawn. The dance studio was in a building that looked like it was a refurbished, converted old house. Catalina walked up to the porch and tried the door. It was unlocked.

Inside the house, it was a bit more modern. There was a tiny lobby and then a hall where there were bathrooms. Then past that was the studio. The door was closed. Catalina reached for the doorknob but paused when she heard music coming from inside. The music stopped, then started again from a previous spot. It continued like this for several minutes, Catalina standing there listening to the same part of the song over and over. Finally, she decided to put whoever was inside out of their misery and she opened the door.

The guy inside stumbled on the move he was practicing, startling and spinning around towards the door. His chest was heaving and he was sweating, staring at Catalina with wide eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said. The guy seemed to snap out of it and he went over to his phone, which was hooked up the speakers, to pause the song.

“No, it’s okay,” he said. “I just wasn’t expecting anyone to come in here. Usually it’s pretty quiet in the dance hall when there aren’t classes.”

“Well, I wouldn’t count on that today,” said Catalina. “There’s a million freshman and their entire families out there. It’s only a matter of time before they find you.”

He giggled and said, “I forgot it was orientation day. My name is Jimin, by the way.”

“I’m Catalina. This is a really pretty campus.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Jimin. He went over to his dance bag and pulled a towel out, wiping his face.

“I guess?” asked Catalina.

“I mean, I grew up here. Everything in this town is old,” he said.

“Oh,” Catalina then realized that she had interrupted him in his practice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I know how it is when you’re in the zone. I’ll get going-“

“No, it’s okay! Honestly, I was about to pass out or something if I kept going,” said Jimin. “I just couldn’t get this one move, and it was driving me crazy…”

“What was the move?” asked Catalina, stepping further into the studio. “Can you teach me?”

“I mean… I don’t know if you can…”

“Try me,” said Catalina. Jimin led her to the center of the floor, facing the mirror. He walked her through a complicated move, which led into a jump turn. He broke it down and Catalina followed, nailing it on the second try. Jimin then did it at full speed, perfectly.

He turned to her with wide eyes.

“That was the first time I did it right!” he cheered. Catalina clapped along with him.

“Sometimes all it takes is breaking it down again,” said Catalina. Jimin narrowed his eyes.

“So, you tricked me?” he asked in a playful tone.

“Into getting the move right, sure,” Catalina grinned.

“Well, thank you. You’re pretty good,” he said.

“I’m majoring in dance, so I should hope so,” said Catalina. “I’ve only been doing it since I was four.”

“You’re majoring in dance? Me too!” he said. “I’ve never seen you here though. Are you a freshman?”

“Yeah, this is my first year here,” said Catalina. “I heard the dance program is really good.”

“It is. It has a good variety too. I’m taking a hip hop class this semester. You should take it with me, if you have room in your schedule.”

“I’ve been dancing ballet all my life, I don’t think I’d be very good at hip hop…” Catalina scratched the back of her head. Jimin shook his head.

“No, that’s a myth! Teachers only say that about ballerinas who don’t care about learning other things. I’ve also been doing ballet my whole life but I’m learning a lot of new things here, and I really love it,” said Jimin.

Catalina laughed and said, “I guess you’re right. I should…broaden my horizons, as my mother would say.”

Catalina left the studio that day with a new number in her phone and a more hopeful outlook on her upcoming journey through college.

The next week passed in a haze as Catalina readied herself for classes and thought about furnishing her apartment some more. She never did furnish it, but at least she made the bed and filled the fridge. She also got into the hip hop class with Jimin, which she was excited about. She was ready.

Finally, the first day of classes came and Catalina woke up bright and early. She got dressed; she knew these first few days were going to be the only days she would bother with anything other than pajamas, so she actually made an effort to look cute. Her first class was French, which, honestly, was going to be torture. She needed to learn French to reach her ultimate goal, so it was a necessary evil. It sounded pretty, so maybe it wasn’t the worst language to learn.

When she got to her French classroom, it was already pretty full. She found a few vacant seats in the back of the room, which she took. There was still one behind her, so she wasn’t actually all the way in the back. That was something her academic advisor had told her – don’t sit in the back. It was supposed to be a subconscious thing where the closer you sit to the front, the better you do in the class. Catalina didn’t know if that was actually true, but the front seats were all taken and she was used to sitting in the back, so here she was. Second to last row. It was a start.

Catalina pulled out her notebook, a pen, and her phone. She had a text from her mom.

Mom: Are you settled down okay at the apartment? How is campus? Did you make it to class okay this morning?

Cat: The apartment is good. Campus is pretty. I’m in class right now. Everything is going great. I even made a friend.

Mom: a friend?

Cat: yeah, he’s in the dance program too. We’re taking a hip hop class together.

Mom: This is great news! Is he cute?

Just then, the professor walked in and introduced herself. Catalina let out the breath she was holding, glad she didn’t have to answer that. That was one of many reasons she was so excited to move across the country. Ever since she came out as bisexual, her mother had been trying her hardest to get Catalina a boyfriend. Sure, Jimin was plenty cute, but that’s not what Catalina was here for. She’d just really rather not talk about her love life, or lack thereof, with her mother.

The professor mostly just went over introductions and the syllabus, which she passed out copies of to the class. Then she took attendance. A few names in and the door opened. A boy walked in, his eyes wide as he scanned the room for empty seats. He spotted the one behind Catalina and sped towards it. The professor eyed him.

“I guess you came just in time, since I just started attendance. I do not take absences lightly in this class young man,” she said.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. The professor grumbled and handed another syllabus to the person in the front row before continuing with roll call. When Catalina handed the packet back to him, she caught a glimpse of the new guy. He looked only half awake, his hair a mess, bags under his eyes and rumpled sweats. He didn’t have a backpack, only a notebook. Catalina winced in sympathy. He was going to have a hard time in this class. He reminded Catalina of herself in high school. She was a new woman now though. Things were going to be different in college.

“Catalina Cruz” was called and she raised her hand in acknowledgement. The guy behind her answered to “Jeon Jungkook”. After class, Catalina turned around in her seat and smiled at Jungkook, who still looked frazzled.

“First impressions are important,” she said.

“Ugh, I know,” he moaned, sliding down in his seat. “I slept in…”

“Yeah, she probably hates you,” said Catalina. “You’re doomed.”

Jungkook covered his face. “Don’t say that!”

Catalina laughed and said, “Dude, I’m kidding. You’ll be fine.”

Jungkook let his hands fall. “I just think it’s stupid that I need a language class for my major.”

“Everyone needs a language class. What are you majoring in?” asked Catalina.

“Film. What about you?” he asked.

“Dance,” she said. The two of them got up and made their way out of the classroom. “I came on a scholarship too, so I can’t really afford to fail any classes.”

“Yeah, no scholarship for me, but my parents will have my head if I fail anything,” said Jungkook. “They’re paying out of pocket for me and my brother.”

Catalina giggled. The two of them walked over to an empty patch of grass under a tree, where they sat. “Do you live on campus?” she asked.

“Nah, my parent’s house is right around the block, I’m just gonna live with them until I graduate,” said Jungkook.

Catalina hummed and nodded. “You’re lucky. I have an apartment that’s going to drain me. I can’t even afford furniture,” said Catalina. “Actually, I should probably try to find a job…”

“Oh! My aunt owns a tourist shop up in the mountains and she needs weekend employees for tourist season,” said Jungkook.

“Tourist season? Summer is almost over,” said Catalina.

“There’s a big ski resort up there. It gets pretty busy once the snow comes,” said Jungkook. “You should take the job with me! It’ll be so fun, we can explore the mountains.”

“Ehh, I don’t know how much mountain climbing I’ll be doing, but the job is kind of perfect,” said Catalina. “How far away is it? I don’t have a car.”

“I mean, I have a car, but there’s also a hiking trail that gets you there, which I’ll probably be doing, cause’ it’s more fun,” he said. “It’s not that far, like, a few miles?”

“A few miles? That’s far! That’s a long walk!” said Catalina.

“Oh, come on! I backpacked for five days once, that’s about fifty miles. And I’ve heard stories about people who backpack for weeks,” said Jungkook.

“Okay well, you may be super fit and sporty, but I’m not-“

“What were you majoring in again? Dance?”

Catalina shoved him. He fell over, laughing hard. Catalina scrunched her nose to contain her laughter. “Oh shut up! Okay, I get it. Hiking might be fun, but not every time,” she said.

“No, I’ll totally drive us to work every now and then,” he said. “I’ll call my aunt tonight about the job. Here, give me your number so I can tell you what she says.”

Catalina typed her number into Jungkook’s phone and then handed it back.

“Anyway, I’d better get going. I don’t want to be late for another class,” said Jungkook. “I’ll text you.”

He got up and walked away, waving. Catalina waved back. Two new friends. And they were both so much nicer and more genuine than her friends back in Michigan.

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purplesurveys · 3 years

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1245

Serious question, peanut butter or nutella? Oh you are just mean. Nutella is amazing as a filling or icing, but when it comes down to it I guess I look for peanut butter more often. I love both though.

Do you prefer baked potatoes or mashed potatoes? Mashed. But baked potatoes are pretty good too; the only reason I didn’t pick it is that I don’t get to have it as often as I do mashed.

What is your oldest sibling’s middle name? I’m the eldest sibling, but my sister, who comes after me, has Beatrice as her second name if that’s what you mean by middle name.

Do you like breadsticks? Yes. The more cheesy-garlicky, the better.

What are your favorite things to spend money on? Merch or food.

Which would you rather have a new puppy or kitten? Puppy. Not the biggest fan of cats.

How old will you be on your next birthday? 24.

Do you ever feel self-conscious when you eat around other people? If it’s the combination of having to be around people I’m not too close with, like workmates, and I’m eating something that tends to be messy, like jjajangmyeon, then yeah I can definitely feel conscious.

When you opened your eyes this morning, what were your first thoughts? I fell asleep from 11 PM to around 3 AM and when I woke up then I thought “ugh, I fell asleep early again?”

What is one thing in the room you’re in that reminds you of somebody? My vape pen constantly reminds me of Andi because they were the one who gave it to me.

Could you ever be friends with somebody who was homophobic? No.

Would you ever want to be a supermodel, or date one? I did want to be one, at one point. It was all a matter of being stuck with the wrong crowd at the time lol.

Honestly, have you ever made fun of somebody so bad they cried? Probably with my sister when we were very young.

Honestly, would you rather be complimented on your looks or intelligence? Intelligence.

Have you ever purchased a pregnancy test, for yourself or otherwise? I never have.

You can get one thing, anything, for free right now. What do you pick? Why? A 1 or 2 TB hard drive. My phone has reached the stage where I’m starting to have to constantly delete shit so I don’t reach the maximum storage, so I need someplace to dump all my photos and videos in to free up my phone.

Honestly, have you ever danced naked? Nope.

What was the first illegal thing that you did? Did you get caught? I dunno...buy pirated movies? I didn’t get ‘caught’ since pirated movie stalls are widespread here anyway, so for the most part I’ve always been more concerned for them than I am for myself.

What is the home page on the computer you’re on? Technically it’s supposed to be the Google home screen, but I have an extension that shows me my to-do list for the day.

Do you like to write poetry? Nah, that’s always been my Achilles’ heel when it comes to writing.

Are your ears pierced? Yup. Surprisingly enough they’ve never closed up despite never having worn earrings (clip-ons notwithstanding) in the last 13 years.

If so, were they pierced with a piercing gun, or with a sterile needle? I’m not sure, since my mom had them pierced when I was a baby. I would guess piercing gun, though.

Do you wear makeup regularly? I never wear makeup.

Did you eat cereal for breakfast today? I never have cereal unless I’m staying at hotels. It’s just never been something I look for.

When was the last time you tripped over something? A box that was lying around in my room.

Any obsessive-compulsive tendencies? I’ll sometimes get concerned with how many times I have to flick the switch of our hot water dispenser or open and close the refrigerator door before I feel completely satisfied...but I dunno if that counts.

Who was the last person you yelled at? Technically...Angela? I was filming an unboxing video for a gift she randomly got me and I loved the gift so much I was yelling my excitement through the screen.

Why did you yell at them? ^ That.

Favorite type of apple? I don’t like fruits.

Ever seen live horse racing? No, it’s not something that interests me.

How about live greyhound racing? I don’t even know what that looks like.

What’s one thing, besides the obvious, that you couldn’t live without? The arts, I guess. I need something to listen to, to watch, etc on a regular basis.

Have you ever touched a giraffe? I don’t think so.

What does your mom call you? Robyn, or the Filipino term parents use for their kids.

What stresses you out the most in life? A particular client at work. We have a million campaigns going on for them at any given point so my life virtually revolves around that brand these days.

Do you play any PC games? What is your favorite? Nope.

If you were pregnant, how would you tell the father? Well, that would depend on the circumstances. Did we want a baby? Was it a bad surprise, a happy surprise? I can't answer this with just one idea. < Yeah.

What’s the hardest level you can play on Guitar Hero? If I’m using a Playstation controller, I can go Hard or Expert. But my finger coordination with the actual guitar controller is terrible and I fail most songs even at Easy.

What ever happened with you and your first boyfriend? There was never any ‘boyfriend,’ but my first girlfriend and I have basically had a falling out and I haven’t talked to her in months, and I expect it to continue being that way.

What’s your favorite country song? I don’t have any.

What is the worst thing a former boyfriend/girlfriend has done to you? Putting her pride and anger first even when I’m obviously in a state of disstress or breakdown in front of her. That’s some emotional rollercoaster I’m glad I don’t have to deal with anymore.

What were you for Halloween last year? Just Dora the Explorer again, which was a repeat from the year before that.

Are you feeling guilty for something? I don’t think so; at least there isn’t anything I’m actively feeling guilty about at the moment.

Are you usually quiet or loud? I think I’m in between? I’m pretty loud but I can space out at the most random moments hahaha.

How many hours do you spend on the computer a day? This question always makes me wince at myself...I guess anywhere between 16-18 hours? The only time I put my laptop down is when I’m off to bed, but otherwise it’s constantly open.

What is the show that you watched when you were little, and you still do? I don’t think there is such a show.

Do your siblings text you? Nope. We live under the same roof 24/7 so there’s been little need to text.

Do you want a small or big wedding? Big.

Have you ever searched for your own house on Google Earth? Yes, but that was when Google Earth was still super bare so I wasn’t able to see the actual house anyway, but just the general area where we’re located. I haven’t used Google Earth in years.

Who is your ex dating/talking to? I don’t know and I hoooonestly could not care less.

Ever kissed someone who smokes? Yep.

Does it take a lot for someone to annoy you? Depends on my mood. I have my moments where it’s very easy for me to get irritated.

Do you own your own computer? I mean it was bought for me, but I didn’t get it with money I earned.

Did you ever have to share a room with one of your siblings? When my brother was starting to mature, my sister and I very very briefly experimented sharing a room, but it lasted like all of two weeks. My parents ultimately just transferred our balcony to a bedroom so that all three of us had our own rooms.

What noises in the room you’re in, do you hear at the moment? An airplane is flying above me at the moment so I can hear its engine. I can also hear some crickets chirping and the faint barking of dogs.

Have you ever dated someone with longer hair than yours? Yup.

What’s the biggest upcoming event for you? I guess my second vaccine dose is kinda big? It’s happening this Friday.

What do you typically order from Wendy’s? I rarely get Wendy’s tbh, but when I do I usually go for their Baconator.

Have you ever been given a lapdance by an actual stripper? No, it’s not something I would be into.

What do you love most about yourself? Continued the next day because I am terrible at taking a survey in one go. I like that I don’t hesitate to do or buy things for my loved ones, not even inwardly. I guess it’s because my family has always lived very practically, so I want to make up for that by spoiling my friends.

Have you ever received a hickey from the last person you kissed? Yes.

What are you doing right now? I am supposed to be at work but it’s a relatively quiet day, so I’m here. I do have my screen split between Tumblr and my emails though, so that I’d be able to see if new work will come in hahaha.

What’s bothering you right now? Quiet work days always make me anxious because it makes me think if I’m forgetting about something crucial.

What was the last thing you drank? I literally just took a sip of my coffee before moving on to this question.

Be honest, do you like people in general? Depends on the situation, I think. Like when I go to concerts, I know I’m around people I share the same interests with, so there’s a sense of solidarity that goes with that. But when I’m like...I dunno, lining up to get my license renewed at a government office, I know people there are in a rush and tend to get rude, and that makes me feel a little bit overwhelmed. I don’t think this is something I can generalize.

Do you want your tongue pierced? No. Lip I can consider, but I have to pass on tongue.

Do you change your phone background a lot? I do these days, yeah.

Have you ever made someone so mad that they broke something? Possibly.

Have you ever been strip searched? I’ve been searched, but was never asked to strip.

Do you have a funny last name? Does anyone make fun of it? No, it’s an ordinary surname.

Ever have a drug overdose? What did you OD on exactly? Never.

Do you get sick of people who call themselves bipolar all the time? I get sick of people who call themselves bipolar, and of people who use ‘bipolar’ to describe someone else who just has your typical mood swings.

Describe your day so far in three words: Business as usual.

What was the most stressful project you had so far/while in school? I was once designated as a leader for a science investigative project, which didn’t make sense because science was definitely not my strongest point. Needless to say it didn’t go well and I ended up being a terrible leader. Choose one- Butterfinger, Milky Way, Snickers: Butterfinger, even though they’re a bitch to eat and chew.

Have you ever stepped in dog poop? Maybe once or twice. It fortunately doesn’t happen a lot.

What was the last thing you spent money on? I got Angela and Reena cheese tarts. The reason behind it was Jin held a VLIve last Monday and he had been eating egg tarts during the stream; and because I was happy to have watched my first Jin live, I got my friends cheese tarts hahaha. I don’t know a lot of places that sells good egg tarts so I settled for cheese tarts instead, which I think are better anyway.

Have you ever slept in the same bed with the last person you kissed? Yeah.

Is there a guy that knows a lot about you? I guess Hans? We personally don’t get to have a lot of heart-to-heart exchanges, but considering how Angela’s my greatest confidante I’m sure she has shared bits of my life to him, which I don’t mind.

Is there someone you just can’t imagine your life without? I don’t really like answering this question anymore because the people that I’ve declared ‘for keeps’ have faded out of my life at some point. I’m a lot more guarded and self-preservation-y when it comes to this now.

Do you prefer Starbucks coffee or small cafe coffee? Ooooh, both. I love coffee.

Would you ever consider getting a piercing in your septum? No.

Do you enjoy being outdoors? If the weather is nice, yes.

Do people tell you that you have an accent? I mean I’ve been told my English is strong, but my accent in particular doesn’t really get noted.

Do you enjoy watching fireworks on the 4th of July? I don’t celebrate that.

What’re some unspeakable subjects for you? I don’t like talking about my brother. Otherwise I am pretty open about everything.

Is there anyone you would take a bullet for? Several people come to mind.

Do you enjoy tanning? If I’m at the beach, sure. It’s honestly not something I have to constantly keep up with, though, since I’m already naturally tan enough. Are you a virgin? No.

Who’s your celebrity crush? Taehyung :(

Did or do you get good grades in English class? I always got pretty good grades in English.

What part of your body are you self-conscious about? Teeth, and my legs sometimes.

Are you expected to help fix Thanksgiving dinner? I don’t celebrate that.

Have you ever lost anyone close to cancer? Yes.

Do you personally know anyone who is transgender? Yes.

When was the last time you got a shot? Last month, then I’m getting my second dose tomorrow.

#survey #surveys

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jmariko-blog1 · 4 years

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you live the life you settle with

1. emotional obstacle

During my time in high school, I have only dealt with two major emotional obstacles. The first occurred during my freshman year, when I got into a huge fight with my former best friend, [A], and she no longer wanted to be friends with me. Although I knew the transition from middle school to high school would be difficult, I never expected to lose my best friend in the process. We had been inseparable throughout middle school and I had always considered her my closest friend. However, upon entering high school, I joined cross country and became friends with [L] who she did not like. After growing closer to [L], [A] started cutting me off and stopped talking to me. Although I was hurt, I refused to apologize to her when I felt I had done nothing wrong. I missed talking to her, but I thought our friendship was stronger and we could move past this. However, she never came around. She began talking badly about me to my friends and blocked me on all social media. I was extremely hurt and decided to talk to her. I sent her a long message explaining my side of the story and admitting the things I did wrong. However, she ignored the text, which hurt a lot. I could not understand how we went from being best friends to this. Although we are still on bad terms, looking back, I am thankful she is no longer in my life. She was a very negative person and I have grown a lot from that experience. It helped me find my group of friends who I love and I know care deeply about me.

Secondly, a couple years later, I experienced my second emotional obstacle. My grandfather had passed away. He was my only grandparent who was alive during my lifetime, and the most positive, easy-going person I have ever known. He was ninety-five years old and got sick the summer before my junior year. A couple days after feeling unwell, he was sent to the hospital and later passed away. It was the first death of a family member I experienced, and I had found out from looking at my mom’s phone. I was getting ready to go to my SAT class and I was pulling up the directions on my mom’s phone. I saw a notification from one of her close friends saying, “I’m so sorry. How are you going to tell Jenna?” and I instantly knew. I broke down and started to think of all of the fond memories I had of him and everything he would not be able to experience with me. However, with time I realized how lucky he was to have lived such a long, happy life. He had experienced so much during his time on Earth and he could finally reunite with his wife. In addition, I appreciate all he had done for my family and I. Although he hated traveling, he would always try to come down from San Jose to stay with us for a couple weeks over the summer. We would go on walks, watch Judge Judy and eat lots of Japanese food. He had a big impact on who I am today. From the things we like to our happy-go-lucky personality, we got along very well.

2. past actions

Throughout my two years in cross country, I grew very close to four of my teammates: [L], [O], [E] and [M]. They quickly became my best friends and we did everything together. From waking up at four in the morning for races to dying on eight mile runs, we found ways to make the most miserable experiences fun. However, during our sophomore year, [M] started dating a boy who [L] was close to. After seeing the two together, [L] started getting jealous and ended up kissing [M]’s boyfriend. [M] felt betrayed by [L] and no longer wanted to associate with her at all. She avoided her at all costs and purposely left her out of the rest of the group. [O], [E] and I did not know what to do. We felt bad for [M] and knew what [L] did was wrong, but none of us wanted to abandon [L] when everyone else started turning on her. I did not know how to be there both of them, especially when we were all together during practices and meets. I continued to hang out with both of them separately, letting [M] rant when she needed to and offering [L] advice and support. Although it was rough and tense for a couple weeks, [M] eventually moved on and realized that their friendship was more important than a boy. Our group dynamic slowly began to return to the way it was and [M] ended up being thankful for [L] for helping her realize who he truly was.

It was extremely difficult for me to figure out how to treat this situation at first because I wanted to be able to be there for both of them but did not know how. However, a couple years later, I now know I treated the situation appropriately and the importance of nurturing both friendships during a dispute.

3. current inactions

Being a senior in high school, I feel pressed for time. In a matter of months, my childhood friends and I will be going our separate ways. From going to different colleges and moving to different states to exploring new interests and meeting new people, I do not know where we all will be in the upcoming year. I want to make the most of the time we have left, but with school, work and my horrible procrastination habits, I feel like I never have time. I want to go on spontaneous adventures with my friends and meet new people, but with homework and no car, it is hard to get out of the house. In addition, I feel dependent and trapped without a car. I do not want to have to rely on my parents and friends to drive me everywhere, which often leads to me spending my weekends at home on youtube and tiktok. However, I plan to be more spontaneous and social during second semester. Instead of focusing all of my energy on school, like I have been for the past three years, I understand that I need to balance my school and social life. One bad grade is not going to kill me and it is okay to have fun, even if it is on a weekday.

4. legacy (best friend)

My best friend is [E]. We met in fifth grade in Mrs. [K]’s class and instantly became friends. From middle school orchestra to high school cross country and track, we have spent countless hours together, and surprisingly, are not sick of each other yet.

If I were to pass away tomorrow, [E] would probably remember me for my sense of humor, work ethic and our relationship. We had the ability to make light of any situation, and we could always make each other laugh - which wasn’t always ideal. From getting kicked out of eighth grade english class for laughing too much and too loud to doing the same in ninth grade history, we probably should have paid a little more attention to the class’ lesson. In addition, [E] would probably commend me on my work ethic. From persevering through difficult, steep cross country races to countless hours of studying and working on homework, I have always been very motivated to do well. Lastly, she would probably describe my legacy through our relationship. We have grown so close in the past seven years and our friendship is irreplaceable. We are so comfortable around each other and we are the only people we can completely open up to.

5. legacy (family)

To be honest, I am not sure what my parents or brother would say about me if I were to pass away tomorrow. Growing up in an Asian household, praise was very rare. Excelling in academics and extracurriculars were expected and hardly acknowledged. However, I think my mom would commend me for my strong, independent nature, which she often complimented me on. Being a girl in our current society, she thought it was very important for me to be able to take care of myself and instilled these values in me growing up. In addition, my mom would probably mention my Gold Award as part of my legacy. She had always wanted me to complete it, and being the only girl in my troop to do so, she was extremely proud.

Similarly, my dad would commend me on my work ethic and good grades. Although he was usually pushing me to enroll in harder classes and explore more activities at our school, he was proud of me for always excelling in school. He said he had never had to worry about me or my grades, which was a stressful burden with my brother.

6. epitaph + reflection

“in” - Jack Lemmon

I like Lemmon’s epitaph because it is short, simple and comedical. After passing away, your family is mourning for you and remembering everything you accomplished, and I think it was kind of him to make his friends and family laugh during this difficult time. In addition, I think it is important and unique to be remembered solely by one’s words and sense of humor instead of the time when you were alive.

“Damn, it’s dark down here.” - Thatcher

Similarly, I like Thatcher’s epitaph because he chose a way to spread happiness and smiles even after his death. Instead of having a serious, standard epitaph, he chose to make light of the situation. He made a little, light joke to bring his loved ones some happiness while they mourned his death.

7. epitaph creation

“[J M]. [Month Day, Year]. Mother, Wife, Occupational Therapist. ‘She saw the world and worked to changed it too.’”Ever since I was young, I have always wanted the stereotypical happily ever after story I grew up watching. I want to find happiness through experiences, people, food and music. I want to get married to someone I love and can spend my life with. I want to have a family with a couple of kids and a dog. I enjoy taking care of children and cannot wait to have some of my own. I want a fulfilling job as a school-based occupational therapist, where I can help kids with special needs and learning disabilities. I want to travel the world and make a difference in it. Instead of wasting my potential like many of the characters we learned about, I want to help those around me, along with making sure I maintain my happiness.

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aoibaratraveler · 5 years

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UK Road Trip Week 1

Hello! My name is Danielle and I’m finally using my page to talk about traveling, it’s certainly been a long time coming that’s for sure! I’ve said it in my bio but I am a horrible procrastinator and even though I love traveling and I try to make a habit of going to as many places as I can every year, but I hardly ever document it other than in the form of instagram or facebook really which I am ashamed to say...even though I have three journals that my friends have bought for me specifically for this purpose. Well no more! I’m going to slowly try and make a habit of documenting my travels in the form of tumblr or in my journals and eventually start a youtube channel since I am so inspired by youtubers like Sharmander or Sharla in Japan, Tokidoki Traveler or Abroad in Japan and even lovelyzkelly and I want to be able to share my story and my travels like them!

Eventually I’ll also post about about my past trips and how they have shaped me as a person because I have tons to say on the matter but for now let’s start with the present!

It has officially been a little over a week since I started traveling around the UK with my boyfriend. i’m so happy to finally being able to do this, ever since I moved to Cambridgeshire last September I have been itching to travel again and now I can see all that this country has to offer! We started the trip on July 19th and I decided that I would log each day in my small notebook since I don’t always have access to wifi and then just relay it all here so without further ado! ...By the way follow me on instagram at Danielle.bay to see all the photos from each destination of our trip! (I also have twitter @daniellebay24)

Day 1:

Today started off full with jitters and excitement because we had only just moved into our new place and were now headed off onto a road trip/camping adventure--which would be my very first time doing both and I did not know what to expect. After two hours on the road and eating a delicious chicken mayo sandwich prepared by the bf we arrived at our first campsite. Hilariously our camping neighbours who were in a camper van had set up a washing machine and were hooked up to the communal water area and it was just rather ridiculous and excessive; they were full on glamping. We had a fun albeit confused time setting up our tent then decided to grab dinner at the pub that was on the campsite. My first time sleeping in the tent was rather rough especially with the heavy rain all night, but it was still a fun experience and besides I’m no stranger to sleeping uncomfortably after my experience with couch-surfing.

Day 2:

Woke up surprisingly early on Day 2 without an alarm or anything at about 6:30, i was pleasantly surprised. I hope that camping will fix my internal clock so that I can go back to being an early bird. We quickly packed up after having a coffee and experiencing weather mood swings and then hit the road for the Isle of Sheppey. During the drive I was finally able to finish six more chapters of Harry Potter (don’t judge me, I’m reading the series for the first time and loving it) and we also experienced a very cool, local thunder shower. Once we arrived at the campsite, the bf took the liberty of setting up the tent. It was lovely and warm so he insisted on having a bbq, I objected at first because it was getting late in the day but we ultimately did it only to have it not turn out so great in that it took over an hour for our meat to properly cook and by that time it was dark and cold and the bf was looking a bit sheepish.

Day 3:

Slept slept in a bit to about to 8:45 because I had a very uncomfortable sleep on the hard foam sleeping mat. Eventually we had breakfast which consisted of just strawberries for me, the bf really wanted to make eggs but I told him it was no use unless he had oil to fry with and salt/pepper, he did it anyway and then saw the error in his ways. Later, we decided to go buy some supplies (stuff to fry with) and then charge up. An unfortunate amount of our days have been taken up by going to shops and charging our electronics; each time we’ve spent about three hours...so we’re going to try and remedy that by buying a car gizmo thing that allows us both to charge our phones in the car. After charging up we finally explored the island a bit and went to the edge which was super cool. We saw a horse that looked like a cow, a donkey, two very happy dogs, a snail hanging out on a leaf, and a B&B called “Hogwarts”--all in all a pretty chill day. Oh and we got Chinese takeaway, yum.

Day 4:

My sinuses were really bad when I woke up, I think because of the older couple that decided to pitch up right next to us and smoke until late last night and early in the morning. I woke up at 5:30 because it was just a very uncomfortable sleep and I honestly can’t wait to get a sleeping mat. Anyway I didn’t actually get up until 6:30 and so did the bf. We slowly packed up everything and had our coffees and then were off by 9. Today’s drive was wonderfully scenic and we hugged the coast the whole day. I just regret not transferring my photos on my phone’s storage or deleting some things earlier so that I could have taken more photos and shot more videos...luckily the bf took some for me on his phone. Southern England’s coast is beautiful and I don’t know why it isn’t advertised more. It felt like we were in a different country or somewhere in Italy, Spain or even Southern France. Many coastal cities are much like Santa Monica but cleaner in that each of them have a lovely view of a ferris wheel on the pier and everything seems more chill. From the beautiful coast of Herne Bay to the stunning white cliffs of Dover and all the way through the South Downs AONB to Portsmouth it was a fantastic drive. Unfortunately once we arrived in Portsmouth our Airbnb was less than ideal. The couple in the room next to us were loud through the night and the walls are just too thin. The place is filthy, the shower is covered in mold and it just isn’t the best place to get refreshed and have a good sleep after camping.

Day 5:

Woke up to the obnoxious couple playing rap music at 6:30 and with the guy literally exclaiming that he doesn’t car if he wakes up the rest of the house because he is too “hyped”. We ended up having a chill morning since we had to wait for the bf's radio mp3 transmitter to arrive from Amazon, it’s great because it doubles as a charging station for our phones. We left at around 1:30 and began a lovely stroll in the warm sunshine exploring Portsmouth and it’s coast while also catching Pokemon. We unfortunately had a disappointing lunch that seemed deceivingly good from the menu which was also more expensive than it should have been but after getting the bf’s obligatory Starbucks of the day and reading for a bit we had a delicious beefy poutine and Mr. Whippy and then continued our stroll all the way along the coast and then back to the Airbnb.

Day 6:

Slept in a tad today, suppose I’ve gotten too used to the bed but then again we did walk a lot the day before so we were both really tired. We were out of the place by 11 and then set off to Exbury but not before making a stop at Aldi for a cheap and healthy lunch. The gardens of Exbury ended up being too expensive for what it was worth so we explored the Bealieu village before heading to Hurst Castle near Milford beach. It was so beautiful there on the beach and the walk to the castle was nice albeit tiring, about a 45 min trip each way on a sandspit that was very rocky. After arriving back at the place, we settled in with some iZombie and Dr. Who before bed.

Day 7:

Yay seventh day! I can’t believe that I have actually written everyday, proud of myself. We left the Airbnb earlier today and headed backwards towards the South Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) to a beautiful valley called “Devil’s Dyke”--well, not exactly there, we parked about 3 miles away next to a water tower and then ate our deliciously cheap lunch from Aldi. We set off walking among gorgeous rolling hills and fields. I had always wanted to do this but because it was so humid and because we had foolishly neglected to bring our water, the hour long walk to Devil’s Dyke was harder than I anticipated. We got there in the end after stopping a few times for photos and to catch my breath and only really by cheering myself on internally. The valley was beautiful and vast but because it is considered a tourist attraction, there were more people than I would have liked. We got some water at the pub there, relaxed for a bit and absorbed the views before heading back. The journey back was much easier and faster partly because it was downhill and partly because it was cooler now. Unfortunately it was still equally as painful for my feet. It’s a shame I hadn’t realized sooner but my new sandals have a thing sticking out that irritates the arch of my feet and gives me blisters; still working on how I’ll remedy this. Once back at the car, we set off to Arundel to see the pretty castle and pretty it was, very Hogwartsesque. The town of Arundel was very cute and old timey and I felt it was a nice end to our day. The bf on the other hand regretted not just spending the day in Arundel instead since by the time we got there (18:30) everything was closed. We played Pokemon go for a bit and then headed back to the Airbnb. Once back, we opened our books and read for a couple of hours and then at about 23:30 got ready for bed but that’s when new guests started checking until late into the night, I don’t think they stopped until about 03:00 and were so loud, would turn on all the lights, leave them on, and then head to their rooms. One guest in particular would go in and out of his room constantly leaving all the lights on and talking loudly on the phone in the room next to us. It was really hard to fall asleep, especially because I had hunger pangs but I got there in the end. As for the bf, he’s such a light sleeper that he sadly barely got any sleep...

Alright! That’s all for my captain’s log of week 1! Next week I’ll be back with week 2! See you then!

#englishcoast #ukroadtrip #travel #uk #road trip #camping #expatliving #expattravel #englishnature #britishnature #british sightseeing #canadianintheuk #wanderlust #explore #ukexploring #blog post #firsttimeblogging

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hardeepcox · 6 years

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The Chronicles of Hardeep Cox - Bangkok pt 1

Intro

Hi my name is Hardeep Cox, I may or may not be a guy born to an Indian mom and a white guy from Boston in the DMV area. Then again I may or may not be just an extremely immature adult with a ridiculous sense of humor. Quick warning: if you are easily offended then I suggest you just exit this shit right now and idk go watch cable tv or something.

I am writing this as we prepare for our first legit night out in Bangkok, as I and a dude named Paper awkwardly wait for my dad to finish showering so we can head out. Tonight’s destination is Above Eleven, but I’ll explain more later on. Let’s begin with our arrival.

Flight and Night 1

After about 20 hours of flying we met up with Paper, our guide/family friend (on my dad’s side). Paper picked us up from the airport and helped us hail a cab. My first impression of Bangkok when I stepped outside of the airport was that it seemed so similar to Los Angeles, I guess because of the weather and vegetation. Anyways, the cab dropped us off at the Doubletree where an enormous wooden figure of a football (soccer) sat in the lobby. To my unbelievable surprise, it turned out that Paper was actually going to be staying in the hotel room with us because he lives outside of the city (my dad of course manages to leave out important details like this when planning trips). Because of the timezone change we were hungry upon arrival, at 3 in the damn morning. So we did what any idiot American tourist would do, we went to 7 Eleven. I had to accept the fact that chili and cheese quarter pounders would no longer be an option, so I went with the spicy basil rice and fish sauce. I gotta say that it was pretty good, even though it was spicy as hell. After crushing my first meal in Thailand, we did our best to sleep for the next couple of hours.

Day 1

Sleep deprived but feeling ready to roll, we got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast. The buffet included the usual American stuff, sushi, dim sum, and some freshly made Thai dishes.The dim sum was by far my favorite, and today it was Chinese egg tarts.

We went to some Buddhist temples, hundreds of years old. There were so many Chinese tourists, and so many lame pictures being taken by them (sitting down in lotus position next to a statue of the Buddha, a chick looking dramatically and diagonally down at the floor while her boyfriend takes a picture for her instagram and you KNOW she’s gonna add some kind of bullshit philosophical caption to it). It was hard to get into the spiritual groove with all these tourists, and the only places where I could feel peace was in the praying rooms where I wish that I could have stayed longer. The best part was the Wat Phra Ram, literally the place where they filmed one of my favorite childhood movies Mortal Kombat. It was totally unexpected and spontaneous, the most interesting part about it was the dog that had managed to sneak up into the actual ruins and seemed to be searching for something at a calm pace. My pathetic attempts to whistle loud enough for the dog to hear me led me to run around the ruins hoping to catch a glimpse of it. I heard it howl a couple of times after that and I’ll always wonder why, maybe its spirit led it to the ruins to discover a link to a past life. Who knew I would have accidentally stepped into the Netherealm, but too bad I couldn't meet Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Liu Kang's dead brother (if you don't get this reference please find a time machine and go back in time to 1995, break into a Hollywood video, steal a copy of Mortal Kombat, watch it, go back into the time machine, return to the present time, and punch yourself in the fucking face).

Tired as hell we walked around markets near the Chao Phra Ya river, they were pretty generic developing country markets and I was extremely tired so I just wanted to go back to the hotel and pass out. We tried some sticky rice dessert that was pretty good so we bought some, and my dumbass ate my entire portion in the cab and felt even more like a piece of shit after. We made a stop for some roadside Pad Thai, it was delicious but again I was exhausted. Back in the cab again I pretty much passed out from exhaustion.

Night 2

I woke maybe 45 minutes later still in the cab but the sun was setting and the nocturnal city was coming alive. Suddenly it dawned on me that we had to be in Chinatown and my street-mode immediately turned on. After driving us through some beautifully sketchy streets, our cab driver dropped us off at a main road. All the lights made it look like it was an attempt at giving it a times square feel. I was now totally awake and ready for more exploring, and after walking for a bit we walked by a Chinese restaurant (Chinatown in Bangkok is an extremely fast-paced environment full of beautiful chaos, if you can’t keep up you might as well stay in your comfy apartment and drink lattes or something). The menu had so many choices, but no combination fried rice, general tso’s chicken, or lo mein (at this point I realized that I should just forget about these options because I’m not gonna find this delicious diabetes-maximus anymore). I got the egg noodles with roasted duck for $2, and the portion was just right for me since I was still full from that sticky rice and exhausted from the jetlag. Before the food coma took over, we took a tuk tuk to the nearest metro train station and made our way back to the hotel. The metro was actually very organized and technologically advanced, the DC metro could learn a thing or two from it. Because of the timezone change, the beers, sticky rice, and random stuff that I had eaten, I hadn’t really used the bathroom all day. Walking from the metro to the hotel at some point became truly difficult and I had tell myself just breathe man don’t shit yourself on your first night in Bangkok goddammit.

Now back at the hotel and totally relieved, our night actually began.

Nocturnal Adventure

We started out at the Queen Bee, a little bar across the street with shitty mojitos but a damn good blues band. From there we went to a place that my dad would not stop mentioning, Above Eleven, a local Peruvian restaurant. Probably one of the coolest restaurants that I’ve honestly ever been to. This was some upper class bougie shit as the kids say, but the view of the city was breathtaking and the food was absolutely delicious (and I am a picky fuck when it comes to flavors). The Peruvian food was authentic, the Pisco Sour was legit, and we got to meet Chef Omar Frank Maruy. Chef Maruy is the Japanese-Peruvian chef in charge of keeping the food quality at Above Eleven at its exquisite level. After downing a few Pisco sours, and devouring a few dishes (ceviche, jalea, and anticucho) we made our way to Havana Social. I could tell this place was throwing a good party as we walked to the entrance which was a random door in an alley with working girls in the corner. Too bad some of us were wearing shorts so we were ultimately denied entrance. Bummed out we walked to the nearest bar, Oskar, and had Lavender Pisco Sours. Seriously so creative and surprisingly delicious!

After downing these drinks we basically gave up and made our way back to the hotel. Maybe like 5 minutes away from the hotel we walked past a really sketchy alley and I shit you not, my dad says “let’s go into a small street shithole bar!” He’s already walking towards it so Paper and I say fuck it and we join him, plus I mean come on I gotta watch my dad’s back since hookers have been flirting with him for the past 25 minutes. We walk in and of course all these chicks are so psyched to see us, a very pretty hostess welcomes us so we sit at the bar and get some Tiger beers. With Youtube as our DJ, we start sipping on beers and my dad is just having a blast with these two chicks. They try to flirt with me but I’m like meh, I’ve honestly seen hotter escorts in Lima. Then one of them says, “I’m gonna bring my sister for you.” I’m like ok cool whatever, totally unimpressed as I watch my dad party at this little bar. This chick brings the pretty hostess over and introduces her as her “sister”, and I notice dude this girl is actually super cute and obviously not an actual escort. Me and her are both like uhh… hi? She’s not sure how to interact with idiot foreigners, but I can tell and I am just my usual super chill self with her. She gets a jack and coke, and I continue sipping on my Tiger. Her name is May, I was like “is it pronounced like the month May, or is it Mai like my?” She looked at me like if I was a dumbass but she was playful about it, and I start crushing on this chick because I mean duh I am a fucking idiot and I do shit like this. This all ended with a bill of almost $200 USD, an escort angry at us for not taking her back to our hotel, and me DJ’ing some old school reggaeton on their Youtube. As we made our way back to the hotel we ran into into girls selling booze on the sidewalk in what seemed like the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo but cut in half the long way, and the girls turned the bottom half of the car into a mini-bar. As I took a whiz on a street corner, Paper points out that dude there is a toilet at this mini-bar on the sidewalk! I look behind a little curtain next to the mini-bar and there is in fact a toilet there, I mean not connected to any plumbing or anything, just literally a tiny toilet placed on the sidewalk. Did I whiz into this tiny toilet like 20 minutes later? Yes. Did I drink a few too many rum and cokes at this sidewalk mini-bar? Yes. Did I have any idea of what the hell to expect the next day? Hell no.

Night 3 - Let’s try not to die tonight shall we?

I’m skipping to Night 3 because the highlight of Day 2 is just me holding a lemur (by the way lemurs are freakin adorable and they have actual fingers and thumbs!), and realizing that my dad should move to the Thai countryside cuz he is actually genuinely happy there (he greeted random people from a canoe, including a naked fat guy who was in the middle of a soapy bath in the river).

On Night 3 we make another attempt at Havana Social (if there ever is a place with reggaeton and Cuban rum then you’ll probably find me there). The entrance is the #1 coolest that I have seen in my life so far, some dude gives you a code and you punch it into an old phone-booth, this then unlocks an old door next to it which you push open and find a little piece of Havana hidden within Bangkok. So there I am doing my thing downing Cuba Libres, dancing, and laughing at tourists dancing like idiots when I notice three pretty cute chicks dancing near us. I am not the most extroverted dude, but when I hear Latin music the beast is then awakened and I just let it take me places. So I slither over to these girls and pull off some of my signature moves, including one borrowed from my grandpa which I call the Egyptian knife hands. One of the chicks starts dancing with me and my first thought is “wow my dad is watching me spit some legit game, now I AM THE MASTER!” But anyways yeah we dancin and shiet. Suddenly she asks if I wanna go with her and her friends to another club, I thought it was a bad idea but the rum and Daddy Yankee had me saying “yeah screw it let’s go.” The four of us leave the club and somehow fit into a tuk tuk that says VIP on the seat and one of the girls say it’s free! RED FLAG - free shit usually comes with a price later on, and these girls seemed way too excited to have me along. One of the girls pulls out a wrapper with a bunch of pills and puts one in my mouth, my first thought is oh fuck I’m about to get roofied, or flooried, dammit Zack Galifianakis! I pretend to swallow the pill, then I look over into the street and spit this shit out. The girl is like are you feeling okay? I’m like yeah I’m great (meanwhile internally trying to think of an escape plan without freaking out)! We get to this club called Mixx, and this party is poppin. Every tourist is dancing with a local, and I’m thinking wow is every girl at a club in Bangkok an escort… like every single damn one?! My phone only has internet if there is wifi, and I tell the girl that I wanna call my friends to come but I need the wifi password so she hooked me up with her hotspot. Instead of figuring out how to use the wifi to escape, I’m in the bathroom FB messaging my friends back in the states how I almost got roofied and that I’m probably gonna die cuz I mean that is a brilliant idea right? I go back out there and one of the girls goes “if you wanna hang out with me it’s gonna be 3000 baht (like almost $100 USD).” Since I don’t wanna die I go “okay sounds good, let’s hang out every day this week okay?” Her eyes brighten up and she has a huge smile on her face, she tells her friend who then makes a face like “we did it bitch!” I’m thinking okay thank god I’m not gonna wake up tomorrow in a tub full of ice with my internal organs missing because they wanna take all my money throughout the week. Suddenly the Thai DJ starts playing the cumbia song “Colegiala”, and it was at this exact moment that I knew that everything would be okay! I stopped freaking out and danced the night away, didn’t sleep that night, and somehow found a really nice cab driver to take me back to my hotel afterwards (he charged me 300 baht but had no change so I just gave him my 1000 baht bill, really nice guy and really grateful). Yep definitely not doing that again, from now on I will assume every chick at a club in Bangkok is an escort. If you are asking yourself if I hit up that girl again to hang out and continuously pay her $100 USD throughout the week, the answer is dude of course not wtf.

#bangkok #party #hangover #zack galifianikis

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chinxino5-blog · 7 years

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It’s A Package Deal - Three

Ohm had slept dreamlessly. He often did. Whenever he did dream it was always an empty hallucination. A lonely wander through an infinite maze of thoughts and emotions. Often they weren’t of the happy kind, but the assassin had had his fair share of bad dreams before. He had learnt his own methods of conquering his feelings – most of which included: 1) ignoring them, 2) distracting himself, and 3) pretending they didn’t exist.

No matter how childish, he didn’t have time for stupid angst. He wasn’t a teenager. He wasn’t a young adult. He was thirty-four. He was a man and he was a hitman, and he didn’t have time to wake up crying and wishing his mother was there to love him.

He didn’t get to make wishes anymore – he’d long since stopped blowing dandelions and eyelashes and staring up at the night sky in hopes for shooting stars. He wasn’t a person anymore, he wasn’t a citizen; he was a murderer, he was an expensive weapon to be used by rich assholes who don’t want to their hands dirty. There wasn’t anything left to him, there wasn’t anything left to his life.

When he woke, he chewed on a cereal bar and drank some water before pulling the car back onto the road. He didn’t blink in Bryce McQuaid’s direction. He didn’t spare him a glance. He pretended he didn’t exist and felt relief fill his yawn when the other ignored him too.

He hoped that meant the brat no longer would bother him with his stupid voice and would just shut up and watch his life drift further and further away until the other side of the country was around them and Ohm could return to his secluded apartment just out of town and put his cash into a good haircut, some comfortable clothes, and a little house far, far away from traffic lights and clothes stores. Maybe he’d even get himself a cat.

The morning light shone in through the windshield, much more of a stronger colour rather than the pale sunrise light that had woken Bryce hours earlier. Now that the first of the three numbers shown on the digital clock was eight, the world was waking up too. The trees seemed to shake themselves out, standing tall over their dark car and watching as they passed. Mother Nature roused from her rest and so did all she created.

It was quite mesmerising, despite the situation with a threatening gun only half a metre from Bryce’s beating heart. The blue-eyed man never did have the chance to road-trip as he was growing up. His family weren’t huge campers so he never did get to explore the wilderness such as the huge areas of forests and bushland that grew like algae over West Virginia.

It was depressing that now was the only time he’d get to do so.

He tried to convince himself that he should make the most of it. He should smile at the stretching branches, the greenery that he never got to see within the city. He should wind down a window and breathe in the purity of nature. He should drown himself in the peace and quiet, the lack of car horns and police sirens. He should be positive! Be happy!

So why did a tear roll down his cheek?

He let it leave a shiny trail, letting his eyes close, biting the inside of his bottom lip. He wanted to go home. He wanted his apartment and the car horns and police sirens. He wanted his boyfriend, he wanted the busy city back.

He wanted to go home.

He wasn’t mean to anyone, he didn’t steal or cheat or say nasty things. He wasn’t selfish, he wasn’t a bully. He was a good guy. A good friend, and a good boyfriend. He always went back to help people, he never put himself before others. He tried so hard to be the boy his mom raised him to be. Sweet, selfless and kind. So why was he the one caught up in such a situation? Why did he deserve to be punished when all he ever did was lend a hand?

He sat back in his seat, facing the driver. The moment his gaze settled on the man, grey eyes shot to the blonde with a nasty sneer. “What?” he spat. His mood went up in flames merely from Bryce looking at him and the blonde’s features twisted with concern and slight fear.

Bryce didn’t like his eyes, and although he was scared he was growing sick of being snarled at. “I didn’t do anything,” he said under his breath, dropping his eyes to the bag at his feet. The hitman continued to glare at him, furious and slightly surprised to be spoken back to. After a moment of gaining courage, Bryce looked back up and met his gaze with a glare of his own. “I don’t know why the Hell I’m here, can’t you spare me the briefest of reasons or at least where we’re going and why I’m being taken there!?” The words tumbled off his tongue and he squared his shoulders as much as possible with cuffed hands. He hadn’t bothered to ask for them to be removed when his kidnapper had woken up hours ago. Although they were stiff and starting to hurt, he hadn’t had the effort to deal with the nasty gunman.

Now he didn’t care.

To his surprise, the man turned back to the road, fixing his snarl to the bitumen instead. “If I tell you, you have to shut the fuck up at least until we stop again, got it?” he growled, voice thick and low. He was tired and grouchy, and Bryce was only getting on his nerves the longer he heard his voice. The blonde nodded, despite his shock and waited as Ohm sighed. “I’m taking you to LA, you’re little boyfriend owes some rich assholes 20k and they want to use you to get that money back.”

Bryce almost regretted asking, feeling his anger give way to worry and confusion. His boyfriend? Ralph? What the Hell would he even have used twenty thousand for!? That’s a lot of money, and he took it from some guys in LA? “What, like a gang?” he asked, voice no longer crackling with fire but instead growing heavier as he understood the situation.

“Yes,” the hitman said, his own anger cooling slightly as Bryce calmed. “A gang, and an important one.”

So he was going to be held hostage until Ralph paid off what he owed. What would they do to him? Bryce was sure they wouldn’t be very hospitable, an LA gang. And he’d sad they were rich assholes?

Bryce wasn’t rich.

Bryce definitely didn’t have 20k lying around either.

Either Ralph would have to come rescue him like some damsel, or he’d be done for. What if Ralph didn’t come? What if he didn’t have the money? Bryce would be useless!

He didn’t want to think about what a gang does to people who are useless to them.

“And if it’ll shut you up, you can call me ‘Ohm’,” the brunette said and Bryce took a good look at him for the first time. His bandana was resting loose around his neck, no longer blocking off half his face which was oddly calming to the blonde. It made him look more human – more real. Made him a guy with blood, bones, skin, and a beating heart. Made him a guy with thoughts and feelings, maybe not the same as other guys, but still thoughts and feelings.

It was something, if not much.

He had brown hair, dark and chocolatey. It didn’t look specifically styled or done, it didn’t seem like he had any time for stuff like that. It sat in a slightly messy quiff, a couple of strands sticking out in odd directions. He also had stubble over his jaw and chin, making him look quite a bit rougher and more tired. The way he looked straight forward with a set jaw and sharp features. His expression still looked soft, arched brows and cold eyes.

He was just a guy.

And now a guy with a name. Not a birth name, Bryce assumed, but a name – a title. Ohm. It was good enough.

The dark eyes glanced over at Bryce, flicking between him and the road three times before he eased the car to the side of the empty lane, letting the engine run as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of keys. Bryce watched as he flicked through the set, finding a long silver one and leaning across the console to him.

He froze up at the close proximity, not wanting to be anywhere close to the guy if he could help it. Although they had had a slight conversation, he still reeked of danger and unpredictability. Ohm paid no mind to the younger man’s discomfort. He didn’t even notice when Bryce softened his posture upon realising what the brunette was doing, jamming the key into the blonde’s hand cuffs and unlocking them. As soon as they were off, Ohm was locking them onto his door and shoving the keys back into his pocket, swerving the car back onto the road and settling into his seat comfortably as though they hadn’t even stopped in the first place.

Bryce watched him, rubbing his wrists with a soft expression. He let his gaze linger a second longer before stretching his arms out, touching the windshield, and twisting back to face the blurry bushland.

“Thank you Ohm.”

Ohm didn’t react, just focused on the long few days of driving ahead of the two.

The car cruised along the endless roads, splitting and meeting up all through the forest. They cut areas of trees into sections, mapping puzzle pieces out over the state like a child’s Christmas present.

The two passengers didn’t speak for hours, the driver resting in the peaceful silence with his window down. He breathed in the winter air as his mind rambled and wandered over endless topics, plans and ideas. His future, his present, his wishes, his needs. Everything and anything that would come to mind would do a few laps of his brain before tagging out for another thought. The serenity was beautiful.

The passenger sat with his chair rested back slightly, feet on the seat and notebook on his knees. His pencil marked lines and shapes and letters for hours as the sun did its dance over the sky. He drew pictures, and wrote words. He wrote his own thoughts and sketched little cats up the margins of the pages.

He drew without end goal or idea, and wrote without meaning or understanding. He never deemed himself artsy or particularly creative. Not a perfect artist, nor a poet with words that brought tears, but he liked to experiment. He liked to have a go at anything he could. Stories, poems, sketches, shading. Whatever his thoughts allowed, whatever his brain directed, he would draw.

Music played through his earphones, random songs and melodies that either allowed his thoughts to flourish, and pencil to dance faster and more eager, or tunes that threw him back to his apartment, dancing barefoot with a broomstick in his hands or singing to his lover while they swayed around the kitchen bench.

He didn’t bother to brush away stray tears that flowed from the harsher of thoughts. The darker of songs. Once or twice he had to skip past a favourite. Too strong a memory hanging from each note. Songs that had played from his speaker during picnic dates, songs that he’d rocked out to while cleaning one too many times.

Good memories that now only made his chest ache.

First: Prologue

Previous: Two

Next: Four

Thought I might as well post c.3 because c.2 wasn’t too exciting and this one actually has character interaction so your welcome - we easin into this shiz <3

#brohm #brohm fic #brohm fanfic #fic #fanfic #bbs #bbs fic #bbs fanfic #stockholm syndrome #three #hitman!ohmwrecker #it's a package deal #its a package deal

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the-letter-e · 7 years

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Missing You and You Only

“I’m glad you could make it,” Ethan rasped, his voice groggy from the morning and arising from the dead of sleep. Truthfully, he hadn’t had that peaceful of a sleep in a long time, more specifically, in a couple months -since the last time he was home with you.

Peering through the blinds was a harsh burn of the Los Angeles sun, which you’d woken up to way too early for how jet-lagged you were. Maybe it wasn’t the sting of light coming through the window and lighting the entire room that stirred you from sleep, maybe it was your boyfriend whose naked body clung to yours, legs intertwined, a heavy arm draped over your waist, sticky from a few rounds of love making a mere five hours earlier.

You weren’t sure how the time slipped away from each of you or how you’d gone so long without seeing him. Ethan and Grayson were spending more time in Los Angeles, the city of stars, and that was okay you thought, because they were stars. Two of the brightest.

Knowing Ethan had his hands full filming and exploring the many opportunities he had in store for himself, you begged and begged and begged your parents to let you fly out to LA. It was a challenge, however, and you had to use your best persuasion tactics, telling your mom that you’d incorporate the sight seeing into the environmental science paper you had to write for Monday and promising to call at least 3 times a day. You basically had an entire PowerPoint prepared in case things went south, ready to put on some teacher glasses and whip out a meter stick, but after awhile, they came around. Not easily, but they did.

Your parents didn’t really understand why Ethan and Grayson lived in New Jersey, but also lived in California. They didn’t understand social media or how it worked or what it was all about. They usually stared at you blankly with furrowed brows when you’d explain with excitement how they were basically the Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio of YouTube.

They didn’t get it.

What they did understand, was that you were young and in love. They could see it, clear as day, that you were head over heals for the boy who broke your blue crayon in the second grade and who once, in the fourth grade, tied the class bully’s shoelaces together for calling you ugly after a brutal haircut you endured when Cindy got bubblegum stuck in it. The boy who picked on you when you got braces, yet he had braces of his own. The boy who asked you to prom even when he no longer went to school himself by ordering the biggest pineapple pizza you’d ever seen with “I know this is cheesy, but will you go to prom with me,” written inside the box. You were low key mad that Ethan picked a night you weren’t wearing makeup, but it was a total Ethan move and you were glad it wasn’t pancakes.

You’d have to be blind, or at least somewhat of a horrible parent, to not notice the way you sang in the shower or danced through the halls of your home after a movie date with the boy with the weird, purple hair. Your mother was always there to put back the pieces when you and Ethan broke up, which happened more times than you’d like to admit, but she was also there to share in your happiness when you got back together, the way you always did.

All of this in consideration, they agreed to let you fly to see him, but only for the weekend. You nearly cried pulling them into bear hugs because one weekend was one weekend more than you thought you’d ever get. And if everything went smoothly, maybe they’d let you go more often.

Ethan answered your FaceTime that night with a shaky hand, not able to say hello before he saw the wide smile on his girlfriend’s face and the slight sparkle in her eyes. His heart was fluttering against the inside of his chest as you explained to him that your parents were all in, even offering to pay for the trip, which was a bonus because you were planning to use what little money you saved babysitting, working as a lifeguard in the summer, and dog walking, although Ethan insisted you not waste a dime.

As soon as the final bell rang on Friday afternoon at a school that felt a little more empty ever since your favorite pair of twins left it, you scattered to your locker quicker than usual, which is saying a lot considering you all but run out of the building on any average day. Stuffing books and notebooks into your backpack, slinging on a jacket, and slamming your locker shut was all it took before you raced home to your waiting suitcase and mother who was driving you to the airport.

Sitting in the passenger seat, with your legs crossed, you halfway listened to your mother speak into your ear, the other being occupied by headphones. The butterflies in your stomach were basically procreating until you were all but consumed by them. Leaning forward, you flicked the seat warmer on, hoping the heat would help calm your nerves.

“Remember to check in with your father and me.”

You started cracking your knuckles, a nervous habit. “I will, don’t worry.”

You wouldn’t dare do anything that could potentially jeopardize the chance of seeing Ethan again.

“No drugs, not booze, no gangs, okay?” Your mother spoke, keeping both hands at ten and two. “And please, please no sex. You are unsupervised in a big city, hunny, stay out of trouble.”

You quickly rolled your eyes while she continued to stare at the road. “None of that mom, I promise. I’ll be good.”

You had to lie a little, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, right?

“Okay, because I spoke with Lisa and she knows you’re staying at the apartment this weekend. She’s keeping Ethan under a watchful eye, okay? We moms have eyes everywhere, so no funny business.” She said, wagging a finger.

“Yes, mom! I get it,” you exclaimed, growing more and more annoyed. “It’ll all be fine. I promise.”

She threw her hands up in defense quickly before placing them back on the wheel. “Okay, I trust you guys, I just worry.” Then she turned to you with a small smile. “How you feeling? Do you have butterflies yet?”

You nod, a nervous smile playing back at her. “So many, mom.”

“Is that his sweatshirt you’ve got on?”

It was your favorite sweatshirt of his that you stole, but you weren’t too sure if he even noticed it was missing. That was something you did often, especially now that it was rare that you were home together. It started with a couple of his cuttoffs, hell you still had one of his from middle school from the first time you were official, then eventually your habit turned into an obsession -hats, watches, sweatshirts and sweatpants, but most of all, flannels. You took and took and took and sometimes you didn’t even realize you were doing it.

The best part was that Ethan didn’t really care, in fact, he loved that you kept little pieces of him with you. By now, he knows that if you leave his place wearing one of his shirts and tuck the one you were previously wearing into your purse, he wasn’t getting it back. He’d poke fun at you for it, but it made his heart happy.

“Yes,” you giggled, stuffing your hands into the front pocket. “It still smells like him a little.

She laughed with you, a little blush forming on her cheeks. “You sure do miss that boy, don’t you?”

You wanted to scream it at the tops of your lungs until it hurt, or cry for no reason until he was standing in front of you. Ethan was your favorite part of every day, whether he was laughing through a screen or kissing you in person.

“More than you know,” you breathed, every bone in your body aching for him.

She reached over and placed her delicate, loving hand on your leg, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Then I’m so happy you’re doing this. I know everything with you and Ethan hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but it’s so great to see you making an effort. I mean, how many other teenage girls do you know would fly across the country just to see their boyfriend for two days?”

You forced a laugh so you wouldn’t start crying. Your nerves were making you pretty emotional and it wasn’t every day your mom got real with you. Staring out the window, you realized she was right. You couldn’t name anyone else who would do that, but then again, you and Ethan were your own species of people.

“I hope he knows he’s very lucky to have you.”

“I’m pretty lucky, too, mom,” you blushed, tucking yourself deeper into his sweatshirt.

You tried to sleep on the plane, but you weren’t lucky enough to score a window seat and what little luck you need to get an aisle seat, you didn’t have either. Instead, you were crammed between a mother and her crying infant, and man who smelled like pork sausages. Not to mention, the plane went through turbulence what felt like every ten minutes.

You urgently put in headphones, blared some music, and flipped through pictures on your phone, pretending the sausage man’s head wasn’t slowly falling towards your shoulder as he snored away into a dreamland you should be in as well. Since it was about a five and a half hour flight and the clock was behind in California, it would be about 10:30pm when you landed.

10:30 turned into 11:13, but none the less, when you sluggishly wheeled your suitcase behind you through the airport, with tired eyes you searched for Ethan. There were a lot of people and it became almost impossible to spot him, although you were positive his whiskey colored eyes and purple strand of hair would always stand out in a crowd.

You sent him a quick text, but your phone was still adjusting from being set to airplane mode for so long. You yawned, approaching a vending machine before sticking a crinkled dollar bill into the slot. It shot back out at you, causing you to groan, and before you could grab it, two fingers plucked it out from under you.

Your eyes lit up when you looked up at the face next to you. The hairs on your arms stood up and goosebumps escalated throughout your skin, starting from head to toe. It seems you found him when you were no longer searching.

“Save your dollar,” he spoke, opening your palm and placing it in your hand. You noticed the stubble growing around his jaw. Damn, his jaw. “I have a shit load of candy in the car you can eat. You name it, I got it.”

“E,” you breathed, feeling the lump in your throat start to form, the burn behind your eyes causing them to glaze over.

He smiled back at you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear that had fallen out of the messy bun on top of your head. “Hey, Giggles.”

With the mention of his favorite nickname for you, you were putty in his hands. Ethan easily scooped you up, gripping you tightly to him as your arms clung around his neck. He sighed into you, taking a big whiff of you in to savor in his lungs, the smell of your watermelon shampoo and the familiar scent of his own cologne on your clothes.

“Nice sweatshirt,” he told you, setting you back on your feet and swiping a tear off your cheek. “Where’d you get it?”

You laughed, still sniffling back some tears. “Shut up.”

“I missed your laugh.” He leaned in, staring at your lips.

You cupped the space by his neck, your thumb grazing his cheek, before kissing him, your lips fitting together like honey to a bee.

“God, I missed this,” you spoke into his lips. Pecking his lips a few more times and then a few more times, and then a few more times after that.

The drive to Ethan’s apartment was peaceful. It was getting pretty cold in New Jersey, but California was perfect. It was warm but the the breeze you were touching outside the window was a nice mix between temperatures. A summer breeze in the dead of November.

You stared out the windshield in aw, leaning forward to stare up at the brightly lit skyscrapers that danced down every road Ethan turned onto. He’d had this apartment for a while now, yet this was the first time you’d ever been here. Your nerves turned into excitement. Excitement for Ethan who got to live in such a beautiful, fun place with his best friend. They had the world in their hands and now, even though just for the weekend, you got to be a part of that.

“This is so beautiful,” you spoke in admiration.

A smile pulled at the corner of Ethan’s lips while he slid his right hand off the wheel and into your lap, tangling your fingers together. The majority of the drive was silent while you admired your surroundings, loud music playing through the speakers, and every so often he’d draw your hand to his mouth, placing a kiss to each of your knuckles.

Ethan struggled to unlock the door with you sucking tender love bites to his neck with your arms wrapped under his arms to lightly scratch at his chest with your fingernails. And you chuckled. When he groaned, it only spurred you on more.

Finally, he managed to get you two inside, throwing his keys on the counter. You didn’t see him take his shoes off, but you stayed near the door while he turned the light on to slip out of yours, trying to be polite.

“Where’s Grayson?” You asked.

Ethan laughed, opening the fridge to grab two water bottles. You took it from him when he offered with an extended hand. “Sleeping. It’s half past midnight, babe.”

You forgot all about being tired, so your eyes bugged out when you checked the time glowing green on the stove. In your head, it was about three in the morning. Twisting the cap, you drank a few gulps of water. It felt nice.

“You must be exhausted,” he said, slinging an arm around your shoulders to guide you down the hall, wheeling your suitcase behind the two of you with his other hand. “My bathroom is right here if you need it or if you wanna shower. Or you know, we could have a shower maybe?” He offered, wiggling his eyebrows as he gestured towards the door.

You were too enthralled with the apartment to react to his comment. It was a total Ethan and Grayson apartment, and sure, it could totally use your special touch of decorating skills, but it was theirs and only theirs, and that was something really special.

“You each have your own bathrooms?” You gawked.

“Grayson’s has a bathtub.”

You both erupt into a sea of laughter as he opens the door to his bedroom. The first thing you notice is a framed picture of you and him on his desk. It was taken the time you went to the local carnival and a goat ate three dollars out of Ethan’s pocket at the petting zoo. The two of you were smiling into the camera, the sunset in front of you casting a tan glow to each of yours skin.

Sitting down on the bed to take his shoes off, Ethan mumbled, “That’s one of my favorite pictures of us.”

Your fingers trailed down the frame, ghosting down the sides and into the divot where a chip lies on the corner. “We don’t take enough.”

“We can while you’re here,” he took your arm, pulling you over to sit on his lap, your knees placed on either side of him. “I plan on giving you the grand tour tomorrow. Show you some of my favorite spots here.”

You leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss. “Can’t wait.”

He didn’t feel like any kiss was going to be enough, so he kissed you deep and slow and pulled you even closer to him. He knew he missed you with every fiber of his being, but he had a lot of distractions to settle him. He had his brother to make laugh and the fans and the videos, but he didn’t realize that spot in his heart that was solely reserved for you was hurting so much until you were straddling him on his bed, in an apartment he’d never shared with you quite yet.

It was odd, how long you could spend apart, yet you could both so effortlessly mend together again, like two sides of the same coin.

A tiny piece inside Ethan was driven off the edge when you bit down on his bottom lip, nails digging into the back of his neck. A low, almost inaudible growl erupted from the back of his throat, but you heard it, heat rising to your cheeks. You kissed along his jaw and you thought you could really get used to the scruff grazing against your lips.

His hands were exploring the area that was underneath your shirt, he had stripped you of his sweatshirt long ago by now, tossing it aside. Slowly but surely he began to lift the fabric upwards, pulling it through your arms and head, fully exposing your chest to him.

“No bra?” He questioned, not really caring for an answer before running his thumbs over the tips of your nipples, making you bear down on him a little harder. The soft grind of your hips left him sighing.

When his tongue glided along your chest, you took the opportunity to reach for the fabric on his back and pull it up towards his head. He helped to quicken the process, pulling himself out of it, reaching behind him. Your fingertips instinctively skimmed down his abs, tracing divot by divot by divot.

You moaned into his mouth when you felt how hard he was getting underneath you. You missed Ethan, his laugh, his smile, the way he ran a hand through his hair, the way he ran his hand through your hair, but god damn, you missed this, too.

He hooked a hand under your knee, shifting you towards the mattress. “Lay down,” he panted and you did as you were told while he stripped out of his own pants, dimming the lights to a much more comfortable setting. You giggled, skimming out of your leggings until you were completely bare, scooting up towards the headboard.

“Fuck,” Ethan groaned, stealing glances at you through hooded eyelids, fumbling to tear open a condom and slide it on. In seconds he was crawling over you, running a hand up your thigh until it was only moments away from where you wanted it most.

In between rough, sloppy kisses, you managed to squeak out a soft, “Ethan,” desperation evident in the sound of your voice.

“Hmm?” He teased, a smile tugging on his lips and you wanted to slap it off of him. It has been way too long for him to be teasing you, dangling his scent and his fingers and lips in your face just to take it away from you.

When he leaned down to kiss you again, you grabbed at his hand, pulling his finger to your mouth to glide down your tongue slowly, making eye contact with his hazy whisky orbs. He let you lead his hand back down to where it fit so perfectly between your thighs.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” he muttered lowly, finally touching you where you craved. You gasped as the tip of his finger lightly swirled over your clit. He sloppily laid kisses over you lips, neck, and down to your chest while you wrapped your legs around his waist. Breath heavy.

He kept a steady pace, circling and circling until the ripple of orgasm boiled in your stomach, approaching faster than you could say his name. A smile danced on his face when your toes curled, back arching off the mattress, nails digging into his skin. Your legs were shaking when you unhooked them from around Ethan and he massaged a hand over them, a proud look still on his face.

You hummed into his mouth, turning each of you over so you could crawl on top of him. Easily, your knees were straddling either side of his hips again and you could feel his hot breath on your shoulder when you planted kisses to the side of his neck. Ethan’s hands slipped around to your butt, guiding you down on him slowly. The tip went in and you pulled away, a sharp pain shooting straight through you.

“It’s been awhile,” you whispered. You placed your hands on his chest to angle yourself up a little bit better.

“Just go slow.”

You subconsciously nodded, inching down again, going at an unbearably slow pace. When you were completely sat down on top of him, you each sighed out at the familiar stretch and the way your walls clenched around him. You wished he could feel how wet you were for him.

Gradually, your pace picked up and you were bouncing up and down on him, knees sliding outward to grind closer and closer, creating friction. Every once in awhile you’d stop bouncing to slide forward and backwards and clockwise circles. The hair by his pubic bone lightly tangled with your clit, a cherry on top to this already delicious sundae cone.

“Shit, keep going,” Ethan hissed, biting his lip before sitting up so you were face to face with him. One of his hands found his way behind you again, edging you back and forth. He was so deep, you thought, and it only made you grind faster. Harder. “Come on.”

He knew you were close by the way your eyes glazed over with a light film of tears and your mouth fell open slightly. He loved to see you take charge and use him to get to where you wanted to be. It made him feel good when you felt good.

When your orgasm rippled through like ocean waves, you hugged your arms around Ethan’s neck, biting down at his shoulder. He thrust into you, letting you ride it out before turning you back on the mattress, hunger in his eyes when he stared down at you.

He wiped a tear that had fallen from you out of pleasure, then hooked one leg under his arm. It was easy for him to slide right back inside of you, and you jerked from how sensitive your last orgasm had made you. He started thrusting into you pretty slowly, knowing how tender you were.

“More, Ethan.” You begged, slapping a palm to his lower back repeatedly a few times.

He didn’t need to be told twice. If he was being honest, he could have come just by the sound of her voice. Soft, caught between a whisper. You locked your arms under his. With every thrust of his hips, you were surprised that you felt another orgasm bubbling inside of you. You usually never came without some sort of friction on the outside, like his finger or yours or the friction of you on top of him. So when you were anxiously clutching around him, Ethan’s eyes went dark with lust, lulling him to an orgasm of his own.

“Shit,” you clawed at Ethan, tears forming in your eyes again as you brought your hips to his, riding out the rest of this dizzy haze. “You feel so good,” you cried.

Ethan was so consumed by everything, the feeling of you wrapped around him, your breasts bouncing in time with his movements, the slight smell of sex in the air, and your climax leaving you breathless and shaking that he could only bring himself to kiss you while he spilled himself into the condom. You rocked your hips slowly to help get him along.

“I love you,”

You giggled, wiping sweat off his forehead. “I love you, too.”

Somehow you two managed to go at it a couple more rounds, lulling each other into sweet moments of bliss, satisfying one another’s needs and wishes. Ethan had to admit you were getting much better at communicating with him what you wanted. You’d come a long ways as lovers.

You hardly got any sleep, and wow, you hadn’t been this tired in a long time, but sleep didn’t seem as important as spending every waking minute you could with your magically delicious boyfriend. Sure he hogged all the blankets that night during the little sleep he did get, and the sound of his snoring could wake an entire neighborhood, but being alone with Ethan in his bed, in an apartment he had only just introduced to you, you felt more at home than you did in New Jersey without him.

“I’m glad too,” you said, tugging the sheet tighter to your body.

“You look really pretty this morning,” he said groggily, rolling onto his back with his arm out so you could easily find your place next to him.

“Love you, E.”

He planted a kiss to your temple, shutting his eyes once again. “Love you.”

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badcowboy69 · 7 years

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Unexpected part 3

Finished this in a more proper time frame and hopefully it’ll continue onwards this way. Third part of my ongoing story of Riley’s adventures in New Vegas with Travis. Part two can be found here Unexpected 2 Sweet and tender fluff this time around...new thoughts and emotions for both fellas. I actually quite like this one. It let me get into Riley’s head a bit more. @zoey-and-dakota hope I did well with that! Enjoy the lovely chapter under the cut for length. This one is sfw

Early mornings weren’t Riley’s thing...they never were...even before the war. However, this particular morning he was wide awake and quite anxious to get the day started. He was still in mild shock he actually attempted this journey and still couldn't believe he did it, but here he was. He doesn’t know fully what provoked him to take such an insane gamble by hiring a Vertibird pilot from the Brotherhood of Steel to fly him across the country to find Travis. It was a very risky move for many reasons. The unknown was a huge factor, but if Travis could pull it off by driving a motorcycle across the terrain then certainly a Vertibird could fly through the skies.

Although the travel was a big risk by itself, for Riley to actually find his cowboy lover was another chance with bad odds. If New Vegas was truly as huge and secure as Travis had described it, Riley might have a difficult, if not impossible, time locating him. For a stranger to roam around asking for the city’s co-owner might raise suspicions. There was also the issue that Travis might not even be here anymore. He did state that when his business with Mister House was over he’d be right back on his motorcycle zooming towards Boston to be with Riley.

However the biggest worry that had lurked in the back of Riley’s mind was what if Travis didn’t even want him back? What if the entire separation was a ploy to eliminate Riley from his life in the most painless way possible? When Travis left Boston over two weeks ago he was obviously devastated. Unfortunately, Riley knew all too well moments like that had high emotions and feelings could change quickly in separation. Travis could realize it wasn’t worth the bother coming back to Boston. Maybe in their separation he realized he didn’t even want to be with the redhead anymore. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, but it can also make it forgetful. Maybe Travis was so frazzled from his trip and business undertakings that he truly shoved Riley out of his thoughts. Seeing him again would be more of a burden than a blessing and it was best to let him go before things became too serious.

Three big risks were taken on this journey out west and all paid off nicely. Very nicely in fact. Not only did Riley get to the New Vegas outskirts unscathed, but it was Travis that greeted him at the gates. Even though the courier had no clue it was Riley in the unexpected craft it was still a relief to see him. Once Travis realized none of the happenings were a dream it was quite evident that he was thrilled to see him. From the exclamations of joy, to the tight embrace, to the kisses shoved all paranoid thoughts from Riley’s mind. Everything Travis did in their reunion proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was way more than overjoyed being reunited with Riley.

After a long night of catching up with amazing sex with his amazing boyfriend, Riley finally slept peacefully for the first time in weeks. He slept deeply and soundly for the most part, but yet his mind was still buzzing and going a million miles an hour. Of course he did his typical squirming and kicking, but this time his restlessness was for other reasons. This was all too exciting and he felt like a child at Christmas and was unable to stay asleep for very long.

Finally giving in, Riley now found himself lying awake and staring at the ceiling of the Presidential Suite with Travis dozing peacefully against his chest. Giving a contented sigh, Riley closed his eyes and snuggled down against the pillow. The black satin sheets on Travis’ queen sized bed felt glorious against his naked skin. Hell, Travis felt glorious against him for that matter! Reaching over to the nightstand, Riley blindly groped for his glasses and put them on bringing clarity back to his blurry world.

Blinking a few times allowing his eyes to focus, he gave an impulsive glance to his right in hopes to see the time, but this wasn’t his home back in Diamond City. For some reason Travis didn’t have a clock next to the bed and lifting his head to look around the room Riley saw he didn’t have one anywhere. No matter. Time was not important right now. Settling against the pillow again, Riley sighed and closed his eyes in contentment. As eager as he was to look around the large bedroom and take in all of the Mojave splendor Travis no doubt decorated it with, Riley wanted nothing more than to focus on his lover first.

Leaning forward to place a soft kiss on Travis’ head, Riley began to gently smooth Travis’ mussed up hair before sifting his fingers through the soft, black strands. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he fondly reminisced over their unusual first meeting so many months ago. Oddly enough it all started with Travis wishing to touch Riley’s hair.

Riley had seen the newcomer, who was always wearing a cowboy hat, drifting around Diamond City now and then, but never really paid him much mind. People always came and went through the small town and Riley didn’t have the time nor desire to befriend all of them, if any. However, the day came when he was approached by the lanky cowboy. He spoke in a low, shy drawl, but made his bold request quite clear. He wished to sift his fingers through Riley’s red hair. At first Riley was taken aback. Who in their right mind walks up to a complete stranger and asks something like that?

Still, the question intrigued Riley and he agreed and led Travis somewhere more private. The cowboy went ahead and fingered through Riley’s hair, but before Riley could make any moves himself, he instead got the man’s cowboy hat shoved down on his head. Looking up he watched in confusion as the man sprinted off. As he wondered what he might have said or done wrong, Travis returned shortly afterward and apologized. Apparently he simply wanted to play and be pursued.

Figuring it was worth a shot, Riley suggested they start over and invited him to his house for a drink. As both men drank and talked, it eventually became evident that Travis was interested in more than just that. It didn’t take long for more heavy flirting to happen which led to hot and almost desperate kissing. Eventually their urges could no longer be held back and they made passionate love on the couch. Come morning, Riley awoke hearing his front door close. To his surprise it was Travis returning as opposed to leaving like Riley has grown so used to happen with others. Travis simply had slipped out into the morning light to seek out breakfast for them. This was new and right then he realized that Travis was someone special and not a one time fuck. At least that’s what he dared to hope.

Through the weeks, which eventually turned into months, both men learned a lot about one another. They had long discussions that would literally last all night and into the wee hours of the morning. They also explored and tended to things together in the Commonwealth. Riley enjoyed sharing his world with the westerner and took delight in Travis’ enthusiasm for learning and seeing new things. Of course they also had the most amazing and mind-blowing sex. Travis could be quite shy at times, but Riley learned it didn’t take much to encourage, or even fire up the man from the Mojave. Once enticed, Travis proved to be just as spicy as the peppers he would eat with gusto.

It eventually happened where one was found the other generally wasn’t too far behind. They were almost inseparable. That was until the day came when Travis got a letter from his “boss” back home. He was being forced back immediately to New Vegas for some important business matters. It was unclear who was crushed more by the news, Travis or Riley. The remaining few days were dealt with best as possible, but both men were pained. When the day came for Travis to ride off towards the west on his motorcycle, he placed his coveted cowboy hat on Riley’s head before kissing him good-bye. The hat was Travis’ forever promise that he would always return to him. Regardless, a sickening knot formed in the redhead’s stomach as he watched Travis ride off in a trail of dust. He feared he saw the last of his courier.

Riley still doesn’t know what possessed him to track down Travis out in the uncharted Mojave wastes. Seeing Vertibirds flying through the Boston sky might have unwittingly sparked the idea. Having a few more drinks than usual while thoughts of Travis weighed heavily on his mind could have pushed it. No matter how it was conceived, the journey wasn’t something he thought up overnight. However, once the idea hit him it was all he could think about. Seeing Travis again was the main issue, but there was also the bonus of seeing if New Vegas was as fantastic as Travis made it out to be.

Even though Riley was friends with the Brotherhood of Steel, convincing a pilot to do this wasn’t going to be easy. It was no doubt forbidden and of course labeled as a suicide mission, but he had to try. It was with extreme luck Riley was able to find a pilot willing to do this and for a few hundred extra caps was able to keep the mission secret. It took much planning and cap saving and a few times Riley didn’t think it was going to succeed. Still, it happened and the outcome was more than what he was expecting. Travis was not only incredibly excited to see him, but the courier also rewarded the Vertibird pilot quite handsomely ensuring future flights back to New Vegas would certainly be guaranteed.

Now as he lay in content comfort in the Presidential Suite of the Lucky 38 with his dear Travis in his arms, Riley felt an unfamiliar serenity flowing through him. The feeling was foreign to him, but it was one he had felt centuries earlier at least a few times. Pushing thoughts about it away for now and letting out a long, blissful sigh, Riley began to once again sift his fingers through Travis’ hair. It was a true amazing turn of events that began with a random question about hair to where they are now. Chuckling, Riley shook his head still in mild disbelief that all of this was even possible. Had he read this kind of story in a book he would have thought the author had a high sense of creativity and imagination.

Opening his eyes, Riley looked down at the man still dozing on his chest. He looked so innocent and peaceful, but even Riley knew better than that. Travis could be a handful at times. He was extremely playful and full of energy and sometimes rather curious. Those traits, however, were mild compared to the wicked glee the courier has in setting things on fire or blowing them up. Riley could only hope that such a dangerous hobby wouldn’t literally blow up in his face.

Almost as if knowing disapproving images were being thought of him, Travis squirmed and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath while his hand glided absently over Riley’s chest. The courier flinched and mumbled again before snuggling against his partner. Once Travis settled down, Riley continued stroking the man’s hair. It would figure that the first time in ages for Riley to actually be awake before him, Travis was dead asleep.

Pushing the hair back on Travis’ brow, Riley took a moment to look at the barely visible scar over his right eyebrow. Had Travis never mentioned anything Riley might not have ever noticed it. Travis claimed it was much fainter than when he first got it over six years ago. Although it would eventually vanish from sight the scar would always be there. It would be a permanent reminder of Travis being shot in the head simply for doing his job. Riley frowned and tenderly rubbed his thumb over the fading mark. Why did people have to be so cruel? He sighed sadly and attempted to push the horrible thoughts of cruelty that was dealt to him in his own past out of his mind.

As Riley’s fingers absently traced over Travis’ ears, the courier slowly began to rejoin the waking world. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he twitched his moustache and inhaled deeply while tightening his hold on Riley. Furrowing his brow he lifted his head and turned to look up while feeling a pleasant warmth go through him as he stared fondly into his lover’s eyes. “Look who’s up early for a change,” he jested while pulling himself up to press his lips against Riley’s in a slow, tender kiss. “Are you hungry?”

Riley arched an eyebrow and laughed over the sudden and random question. “Somewhat. I take it you are?”

“Uh-huh,” he replied, but instead of leaping out of bed and scurrying off to the kitchen as Riley expected him to, Travis settled back down against him and nuzzled against Riley’s neck. “Last night was amazing,” he breathed against the freckled skin. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”

“I can’t either,” Riley replied sighing wistfully while gliding his fingertips lightly back and forth over Travis’ arm. “I’ve done a lot of impetuous things in my days, but this…” he trailed off with a soft chuckle.

While stroking Riley’s beard, Travis gave his cheek a delicate kiss and let out a sigh of contentment. “Glad you did. Now then...about breakfast!”

“Fine, fine!” Riley laughed, squeezing his man against him. “Go cook before you starve to death and before I get other ideas on how to start this morning.”

Travis gave a lascivious smile and brushed his moustache against Riley’s lips. “Sounds good to me, but I’ll hold you to sharing those iders later.” Giving Riley a kiss that slowly deepened, Travis suddenly pulled back right as he felt Riley’s arms tightening around him. “Go wash up. I got breakfast to make,” he smirked while squirming out of Riley’s hold and swung his legs over the edge of the bed to search for his boxers.

“You’re such a tease,” Riley whined and playfully gave Travis a nudge with his foot almost sending the courier off the bed. Sitting up to search for his own undergarments Riley asked, “So, what’s the plan for today?”

“Thought we’d get that tour of Mormon Fort. Maybe check out the Atomic Wrangler or stop by and see the Kings. Don’t matter none to me. I’ll take you wherever you wanna go. Tonight we can have a good dinner, go for a swim, see a show, gamble. Hell, Riles, there’s tons of stuff to do. I can even show you around all day here if you want. I know how much you liked the elevator. We can start there if you want.”

“Very funny,” Riley dryly replied while standing and stretching. He was stopped mid-yawn as he felt Travis suddenly embrace him and nuzzle against his neck. Wrapping his arms around him to return the hug, Riley rested his chin on top of Travis’ head and gave a blissful hum of approval. “It’s so intoxicating to be holding you again.”

Travis pulled back and looked up at him with half-closed eyes as the corners of his mouth lifted into a lazy grin. “You cain’t imagine how happy I am right now.” “I have a pretty good idea,” the redhead replied simply as he bowed his head down to place a tender kiss on his cowboy’s lips. Reaching up between them Riley began stroking the black hairs on Travis’ chin, smoothing them, before giving him another lingering kiss.

Gliding his hands over Riley’s bare back and into his hair, Travis smirked and purred, “Best be getting a move on, pard, or I might just be servin’ ya sausage in bed for breakfast.” “As tempting as that suggestion is, I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn it down at this moment,” Riley hesitantly replied while stifling the groan that was forming in his throat. “I’m sure getting water all the way up here isn’t going to be easy and is going to take me a while. Unless of course you have a spa or something downstairs.” Travis furrowed his brow and shook his head while pulling from Riley’s embrace. “Naw. Bathroom’s down the hall on the right. Go wash up, got plenty of time to do whatever you wanna do and then some. I’ll be in the kitchen fixing up some good belly-fillin’ grub.” Travis gave a wink then shuffled out of the room while yawning and scratching his head.

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Travis changed direction and went to the elevator instead and pushed the button on the intercom. There was a pause of static then Eli’s voice was heard. “Mornin’, mister! How’s things going with you and your man?”

Travis felt a wash of warmth surge through him and he looked shyly over his shoulder watching as Riley made his way down the hall towards the bathroom. “Right as rain, Eli, thanks. Listen, when you get the chance, send ED-E and Rex upstairs.” “Sure thing, pardner. Y’all have a great day, ya hear?”

Clicking off the intercom, Travis continued towards the kitchen and began to set up the coffee pot. A smile curled his lips as the strong, pleasant scent of the beverage began to fill the air while it brewed. Opening the refrigerator, Travis’ shoulders slumped at how barren it is compared to normal. He wasn’t expecting a guest after all. However, he was a cowboy and a survivalist and knew he’d be able to whip up a good and hearty meal for the two of them with what meager supplies he has. Grabbing a Brahmin steak, two gecko eggs, potatoes, onions, and a few other ingredients, Travis set up the counter in preparation to make one of his infamous omelettes.

Riley, on the other hand, was standing perplexed in the rather large bathroom of the Presidential Suite. To his left was a desk and a small table covered with neatly stacked papers and medical books. The large bookcase next to it was stocked with unbelievable amounts of medicines, stimpacks, braces, and other healing items on a few of its shelves. One shelf was dedicated to towels, shavers, and a little bowl filled with a variety of soaps. On the bottom few shelves were large metal pots, cleaning supplies and a clothes iron.

Grunting in approval, Riley continued further into the room. For some reason the two toilet and bathing areas were separated by a long curtain. It was an unusual set-up to say the least and possibly the designers cut corners by not installing a proper wall. Looking around, Riley smiled seeing the entire room was decorated nicely with old pre-war advertisements for Nuka Cola, Sunset Sarsaparilla, and Giddyup Buttercup. Random toys were on a small stand with a radio and more books were on the end tables next to the toilets. Empty beer bottles were also on the tables making Riley chuckle. Travis wasn’t as anal of a neat-freak as one might assume. Picking up one of the books, which was a science fiction novel, Riley flipped through it and was surprised seeing how perfect the pages were with no tears or creases. Setting the book down he made a mental note to definitely read it while he bathes.

Speaking of bathing, he thought and began looking around wondering where the bucket of water was he would need to wash up in. Not seeing one he was about to call out to Travis when he noticed a shaver and scissors sitting on one of the sinks. A fluffy cream colored hand towel was draped over the faucet and when Riley touched it he pulled his hand back in mild surprise that it was wet. Taking a chance he turned the knob and after a few hisses and spits of air, water came pouring out. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he gasped, not expecting running water. Shutting off the faucet he leaned over the bathtub and repeated the action. As like the sink, water rushed out with a good surge. Riley vaguely remembered Travis talking about baths and showers in New Vegas, but he never realized functioning indoor plumbing is what he meant.

Feeling rather giddy with these discoveries, Riley next pressed down on the handle of the toilet making it flush. He watched with child-like fascination as the water whirled down and refilled the bowl. Flushing it again, Riley moved on knowing he had to get washed before Travis began wondering what happened to him. He was already teased about his amazement with the elevator. The last thing he wanted was to be teased about the bathroom. He could just hear Travis saying, “Gosh, Riles, you got a kink for the bathroom now? Maybe we can start fucking in here! It’’ll make clean-up a whole lot easier.”

Smirking to himself, Riley returned to the sink and rinsed out the little towel while lathering it up with a bar of soap. Gritting his teeth from the combination of tepid water and cold air coming from the vent on the wall, Riley finally began to wash. Once he got used to the chill he wondered how Travis managed to enjoy taking a bath. There wasn’t anywhere for a fire or any sort of electrical element to warm the water. It was then a realization hit him and he wondered if there was still one more modest secret to be discovered here in Travis’ unbelievable bathroom. Daring to not even dream it might be possible, Riley shut the cold water off and twisted the knob for hot instead.

He remembered from the past one had to wait a few moments for hot water to come through. With the suite being so high up in the casino the hot water could take a bit longer to get there, that is if hot water even existed. After a moment Riley put his finger under the water, biting his lower lip in anticipation. However, it was no surprise to him that the water was still coming out just as tepid. Sighing in mild disappointment he reached for the knob when he noticed a small curl of steam rising from the basin. It vanished quickly, but he still spotted it. Gingerly putting his finger back under the water, Riley gasped loudly feeling the pleasantly hot water wash over his skin.

He cursed himself for not trying the knob sooner, but he never would have imagined it possible. Then again, if this place had air conditioning why wouldn’t it have hot running water? Squeezing the cloth out, Riley resoaked it and glided it over his face and neck, enjoying the comforting warmth it provided. His blue eyes glanced at the tub and he knew what he planned to enjoy later tonight when Travis got done showing him Mormon Fort. Grabbing a fresh towel off the shelf, he dried himself off and began to make his way towards the kitchen.

As Riley passed the elevator he was startled as the bell suddenly dinged indicating someone has arrived. The doors slid open and ED-E flew out beeping rapidly before zooming down the hall towards the guest room. Rex bounded out, spotted Riley and gave a happy bark as he jumped up on him demanding to be pet. “Well, good morning to you too, boy,” Riley laughed as he ruffled the fur on Rex’s neck. “Come on, let’s go see what Travis is cooking!”

Rex gave a few excited barks as he pushed away from him then bolted into the kitchen. Riley followed and casually leaned against the doorframe while crossing his arms in front of his chest. He watched in admiration as Travis scuttled back and forth tending to the sizzling pan of food, setting the table, fussing with the coffee pot, then back to the food again. He knew how much Travis loves to cook and seeing him at home in his element was a pleasure to behold. Pushing away from the door, Riley stepped into the vast kitchen and dining area.

As he was looking over the grand dining table with its seating for about twelve people, Travis caught his eye. The courier was grinning broadly holding a hot cup of coffee. “Hope you’re hungry,” he beamed, passing the cup to Riley. “Sugared it for you just how you like it.”

“Thank you and yes, I’m rather hungry,” Riley replied before taking a careful sip of the coffee. “By the way, yet again you held out on me, Travis. The running water was amazing enough, but hot water? All those months you were in Boston with me never once did you complain about the lack of such commodities.”

Travis shrugged as he motioned for Riley to take a seat. “Ain’t no use in squawking about something that can’t be helped. Y’all make due with what’s there. Who am I to come and complain? I was roughing it way before I got all this dropped in my lap. Hell, I still rough it just the same when I travel around so Boston wasn’t much different. Hell, ya don’t adapt, ya don’t survive is how I see it.”

“You’re something else, you know that?” Riley said with admiration as he took a seat at the table. Thinking back to the time spent in Boston it was true that never once did the courier complain about anything other than the occasional dirty or lack of sheets on beds. He took everything Boston threw at him with a smile and barely indicated how contrastingly different things were there compared to New Vegas. All of Travis’ vague ramblings about luxuries in New Vegas were always overshadowed by his talks about his adventures and life in general. When he did mention things it was never bragging nor said in ways to make anyone doing without feel bad or awkward.

“Dig in!” Travis exclaimed as he set a steaming plate of food down on the table bringing Riley out of his thoughts. “I’ll help get you set up with your unpacking after we eat then we’ll head out to the Fort if you wanna.”

“Sounds perfect to me,” he replied as he fixed his gaze on his partner who was happily playing with his cyberdog before getting himself a serving of food. Turning his attention to the dish in front of him, Riley began to poke at the fluffy yellow omelette with his fork. “So,” he began. “What’s all in this glorious concoction of yours?”

Sitting heavily on the chair next to him, Travis shrugged and said almost too casually, “Brahmin steak, potatoes and onions. Topped it all off with some shredded bighorner milk cheese, salt, pepper, and a wedge of tomato. Was gonna put jalapenos in ‘em, but I know you ain’t a fan.” Shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth, Travis turned to Riley with an arched eyebrow seeing he wasn’t eating. “Somefin wrong wiff it?”

“No, not at all. I’m simply amazed you have such a variety of fresh food,” Riley replied as he took a bite and suddenly found himself overwhelmed by the vast array of flavors. “Holy shit, Travis, this is fantastic!”

The courier chuckled and took a sip of his coffee. Grimacing, he poured more sugar into it and gave Riley a proud smile. “Glad you like it, but breakfast really ain’t my speciality. I’ll make grilled steaks with baked taters and a salad later tonight if you want. Hell, maybe I’ll even make a mutfruit pie for dessert!” “It’s a wonder why you’re not as big as a Super Mutant if this is how you normally eat,” Riley chuckled with a shake of his head. Travis gave Riley a playful nudge, scooped the last of the omelette in his mouth and stood to take the dish to the sink. “I see your insanely rapid eating habits aren’t just something you did in Boston,” Riley continued.

“Ain’t got time to waste eating slow now,” he replied eagerly as he refilled his coffee mug. “Got me a few morning tasks to take care of myself before we mosey outta here. Gotta get you unpacked too unless...you’re...plannin’ on leaving some time soon.” Travis said the last part almost in defeat and toed at the carpet. As much as he hoped Riley was here for more than a few days he knew not to get high expectations.

Fixing his gaze on the remainder of his food, Riley responded softly. “No. No, I’m not leaving anytime soon unless you need me to go. I know my coming here wasn’t exactly in your plans. I’m sure running this place probably has a lot of responsibility and I don’t want to get in your way. You already got in mild trouble once because of me. I don’t want to see you lose your status around here.”

Travis grunted in annoyance and in a few quick strides he was back at Riley’s side. Flipping a chair backwards, Travis straddled it like a horse and put his hand on Riley’s shoulder. “This place did just fine without me all those months I was with you in Boston. Ain’t nobody here gonna dictate how long you’re gonna stay other than you. Ain’t nothing gonna keep me from you ever again unless you will it. You can stay here as long as you wanna, but the deal is I gotta go back with you when you leave.” Riley looked up at him and held his gaze as if searching for some kind of jest with those words, but it was evident Travis was dead serious. “I mean it, Riley. These past two weeks was torture for me and I came to reckoning on a lot. Ain’t gonna happen no more. I ain’t gonna allow us to be apart unless that’s what you want. We probably got lots of shit to figure out eventually, but right now you’re here and you’re gonna be showed the time of your life.”

Riley continued to stare into Travis’ crystal blue eyes both surprised and flattered to hear the courier’s compliments. He knew how much Travis liked him and enjoyed his company, but this...he wasn’t expecting this. Riley then diverted his gaze to a spot on the floor and began to chew at his bottom lip. He was totally at a loss for words even though his mind was screaming at him to say something. Anything! Taking a slow breath Riley lifted his eyes and mustered up a nervous smile. “I’m...I’m really glad to hear you say that, Travis. I...I feel the same way.”

Travis returned the smile and did his best to contain his excitement hearing Riley’s demure response. During their two week separation Travis had come to realize that he not only loves, but is in love with Riley. His heart breaking from having to leave Riley justified those feelings he felt he might have. One wouldn’t be so miserable and heartbroken if love wasn’t involved. Travis wanted so badly to stand, gather Riley into a tight embrace and kiss his freckled neck and face all while declaring his love over and over. However, these wonderful feelings were still all technically new to Travis. Granted he had someone in his life before he had met Riley, but those feelings were nothing like this. The last thing Travis wanted now was to say something too soon and have it ruin things. Deep down he knew Riley had to feel the same way. He had to. One simply doesn’t randomly get into a Vertibird and fly thousands of miles to find someone on a whim. You did that either for love or revenge and Riley certainly wasn’t after the latter for any reason.

Still, as small and as insignificant as it might seem, their exchanged words spoke volumes and if nothing else reassured each man how they felt about each other. Travis knew he would tell Riley his full feelings one day soon and no doubt say those three small, but very powerful words to him as well, but for now he was content. After giving Riley’s shoulder a squeeze, Travis trailed his hand up into the man’s red hair. Leaning forward he gave him a tender kiss before standing. “I’m really looking forward to sharing my world with you.”

Feeling a flush of warmth go through him, Riley smiled to himself and finished the remainder of his breakfast. “I look forward to it, Travis. I can’t wait to see and do everything even if you truly want to take me for a ride up and down your elevator all day. I already have very good memories tied into that as it is. We can always...enhance them.”

Travis swallowed hard hearing that as he took Riley’s dish to the sink. “Y-yes we can. Got lots of other places we can make those kinda memories in though. Like you said we got two weeks of fucking to catch up on.” He turned to look at his partner and felt a shudder surge down his spine at the recollection of what they did in the elevator last night as well as everything else afterwards. “Ahhh...anyways, let’s get you unpacked. The faster we get things situated in here the faster we can head out. I’d like to get to the Fort before lunch and it gets too busy there. We won’t be able to socialize with a few of the people I want you to meet if that’s the case.”

“Sounds perfect to me, Travis.”

“Great!” Travis exclaimed, barely able to contain the excitement in his voice this time. “C’mon, Rex, let’s get ready to go bye-bye!” he called to his cyberdog and the pair bolted out of the room leaving Riley behind, amused at Travis’ sudden surge of energy.

As Riley slowly followed Travis to the bedroom he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He was still thinking about what Travis had exclaimed about not wanting to be apart from him ever again. He did wonder what shit needed figuring out that Travis mentioned, but for now Riley took things as they were. He had his own shit that needed figuring out as well. One thing for sure, taking the bold and very risky trip to New Vegas proved to be well worth all the fears and anxieties that came with it. Although he didn’t want to admit it just yet, the odds were certainly in his favor in regards to having someone in his life who would always be with him.

To be continued....

#travis blackfox #riley #i think i really like this one a lot #the boys can certainly have a lot of adventures in new vegas #lots more chapters ahead i'm sure #this is fun #long post #writings

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takenkarathat · 7 years

Text

That Tall Golfer Girl

I read a story about a girl from Missouri State University the other day and her piece of writing really hit home for me. I felt like I had to create a domino effect in sharing my story. I was that girl in school who no one really looked at as "popular." I was quiet in elementary school, had 1 best friend in middle school, and had almost no friends in high school. I grew up in happy home with a large community. Everyone knew each other despite how large it was. From what I can remember, play dates were arranged by our mothers and I was invited to all of the birthday parties. One party I remember in particular was the sixth birthday of a girl whom I still talk to today, but we'll revisit that in a little bit. I had the VERY best friend a girl could ask for in third grade. There was a new girl who moved into a house down the street from me and she was in my class. I guess you could say we were inseparable from the day we met. We had a sleepover in her empty house the first weekend she lived in my community. Her parents graciously opened their home to me and spent plenty of gas money taking my friend and I places. We even buried her blue fighting fish on the side of her house after giving it a wonderful funeral. One day in fifth grade, my best friend told me she was moving back to Charlotte. We were working on a paper mache canoe for the art history museum. To her, it was a casual conversation, but to me, it was heartbreaking. I remember leaving art class and crying with my head down on my desk for the hour that was left of school. I went home and cried in my mother's arms for hours. Why do I tell you this story in great detail? That was the last time I had a friend who I knew cared about me. She and I were as quirky cool as they get! To this day, I do not know where she is and wish there was a way to find her. I have searched Facebook and the White Pages. I only know her name and that she came from Charlotte, NC. If you read this, I am still searching for you bestie! Things began to change after my best friend moved. My life was turned upside down. I vividly remember the start of what I like to call "my other life." It started with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when I was ten. I could not swallow it. I thought everything would get stuck in my throat. Each day at lunch, I would sit down at the table assigned to my class and eat yogurt in silence. My best friend was gone and I did not know how to make friends with the other girls. No one ever asked me why I only at yogurt for lunch. A short time later, I was suddenly able to eat solid food again. But before I move on to middle school, I will tell you about a highlight of my life after my best friend moved. Travel basketball was my everything. I had a really good friend who was in my class at school and our parents were great friends as well. I once gave her a Wheel of Fortune game for her birthday, which I thought was genius! She was a great friend and we drifted apart when my other life started. Moving to a new school was not an easy transition for me. I developed severe anxiety and was eventually diagnosed with panic disorder around age eleven. I remember secretly visiting my counselor's office every morning to check in with her for comfort. I knew she was always there for me. I got comfortable in middle school as eighth grade rolled around. I was a skater kid with one best friend. I never had panic attacks when I was with her or when we exploring her neighborhood. I couldn't tell you why given every other moment of my life was full of fear. Middle school ended as quickly as it started and my panic became a full blown life crisis. I drifted away from my middle school best friend. The first day of high school I got sick on the bus because I was so nervous. My mom had to pick me up and return me to 5th period journalism class. I was shaking in my shoes, but got comfortable when it came to newspaper class because I had visited prior to going to high school. The editor in chief was REALLY nice and welcomed me as soon as I walked into class as well as Doc. He was the teacher whom everyone loved! I muddled through freshman year catching mono and pneumonia at the same time from the end of September to the beginning of November. Anxiety and panic became my life. I remember lying in bed everyday while I was sick slowly losing my mind and self esteem because everyone had found their groups of friends. There were cliques that I desperately wanted to be apart of at the time. Looking back, I should have never done that to myself. Scrolling through Facebook seeing everyone I knew going to homecoming and football games made me upset and I cried myself to sleep every night. My phone was useless and the enabler of a horrid depression. No one texted me. No one called me. I just had my mom, dad, and my dog. My sisters didn't understand what was going on. As time passed, I went to a special school for 2 weeks that was supposed to make me comfortable with leaving home without panic attacks. Everyone there had a drug problem or had attempted suicide. I was not supposed to be there. I just had really bad panic attacks. They locked the doors so no one could get out. I understand now that it was protocol. When I left that school, my newspaper class was still there. They stuck by me. The editor in chief was made aware what was going on and she was older than me so she understood a little bit. I ended freshman year with no friends and many acquaintances my life allowed me to encounter. Sophomore year started with visits to newspaper class every single morning before English and history. It was my safe haven. My counselor's office was my other home within my high school. Somehow, I managed to play on the golf team, which was the only thing that did not cause me panic. I cannot tell you why. I just can't. I went homebound for school sophomore year due to severe panic. My newspaper class stuck close by me through that too. They gave my older sister a card to bring home to me and I still have it today. At the beginning of junior year, I had a much needed break from my panic. Again, I cannot tell you why I was able to attend school with minimal panic attacks. I had my daily routine. Visit newspaper class, visit my counselor, and stop by freshman year english/history class before heading to my first class of the day. November 2009 (sophomore) was the beginning of a medical mystery that took almost ten years to crack. My stomach began to hurt. It was more like a severe cramp. I doubled over constantly and ended up bedridden. Just as my life seemed kind of "normal," it slammed me back into the ground. I spent LITERALLY the next year in bed with pain in my stomach that no one could understand. My depression returned and the scrolling through Facebook feeds became more frequent. I wanted to be part of that group of girls who had all the fun and went to country concerts during the summer. I wanted it so badly! Strangely enough, Taylor Swift was becoming popular in the music industry and her music was the only thread of real life I could relate to. I felt like it was the two of us wishing we could just be pretty and liked by all of the other girls. I was a songwriter as well and clung to her music like it was the oxygen in my blood. Everything that came out of her mouth was my life and what I was hoping and wishing for in friends, boyfriends, and high school life. But there's always something "wrong" with the girl who marches to the beat of her own drum right? My stomach pain, panic, and gasps of air for normalcy through Taylor Swift's music continued into senior year of high school. All the while, I was bullied to no end for liking Taylor Swift when it was her lyrics I was so obsessed about. You have to admit she is pretty cool too! Headaches began to accompany my stomach pain. The emergency room doctors became my friends. Well, doctors were my only friends for a while. People from newspaper class once shared with me what the topic of discussion had come to be regarding where I had gone. Apparently, I had cancer, committed suicide, and died from my illnesses. At the time, it bothered me, but now I wonder how on earth anyone even noticed I was gone in the first place since I was a fly on the wall while I was there. Without taking another hour of your time, I'll explain what happened in as simple terms as possible. Bullets might be better. -I got headaches and spent 2 or 3 nights in the hospital from November 2010-June 2011. -I had surgery in May 2011 to remove endometriosis, which was the source of my stomach pain. -I missed high school prom and graduation. -I still went to college and was on great anxiety medication that kept me okay. -My freshman year roommate was and still is an angel even though we could not have been more different in college. We still talk and I consider her to be one of the kindest people I have ever met. -I slept when I was not in class freshman year of college because fatigue and headaches kept me in bed sometimes. -I got endometriosis again sophomore year and had another surgery. -I tried college basketball and failed miserably due to my lack of strength. But I met a lifelong friend whom I am texting right now! -My headaches persisted and an ENT discovered something wrong with my sinuses in the process so I had the worst surgery one could imagine. The doctors didn't tell me that the recovery pain was similar to brain surgery because they knew I might reject a surgery I needed to breathe better. -I continued school and almost failed Drawing 101. I can't believe they grade you on your ability to draw! -I still couldn't get rid of my headaches. I was in the dining hall one morning sitting in the corner and my jaw locked from eating eggs. I had to drive 45 minutes home to my dentist who sent me to D.C. for EXTREME TMJ treatment that lasted...2 years. The morning after my 21st birthday, I woke up and felt the strangest I had ever felt in my whole life. I had no headache. My jaw wasn't tight or popping. I had no panic. I began life on March 25, 2013. I got 2 jobs and began talking to people at school. None of them became my best friends because I could never seal the deal with plans due to my illnesses. Treatment for my headaches turned into Botox injections every 3 months, which have lasted 8 years. I tried them previously with no luck. I tried out for and made men's golf team after a shoulder dislocation during basketball season that sent me to a specialist who diagnosed me with a rare disease called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The men's golf team was a little boring to me so I decided to create a women's team with 4 months left of my junior year. It worked! Since 2014, I have LIVED! Headaches have been rare, panic is gone, and I still don't have that clique of friends I wanted. That's OK. I still talk to the girl who invited me to her sixth birthday party. She made an appearance on that show, Two Broke Girls, the other night, which she deserved more than anyone because of how hard she worked! My freshman year roommate used to live in Northern VA, but moved back home. I wish we had more time to hangout when she was here because it turns out we are very similar in personality. She is a really down to earth person who marches to the beat of her own drum. She does not care if I'm as stylish as her and really just cares about me. Let's see...I call that good people! I worked 80 hours a week running myself into the ground multiple times while trying to take a "break" from school. My dog and best friend passed away 2 months after I graduated from college, which took 2 weeks of my life from me. However, he sent me the current fluff ball I own now! Life led me to golf instruction where I currently teach the best junior golfers in the world and am on my way to my LPGA Teaching Professional certification. I am also a foreign currency trader (Forex) with a huge group of fellow traders from all over the world! What have I learned in my other life and the few years since I started living? I just want the rest of my days on this earth to be simple. I want to make everyone around me happy and make sure they know I truly care about them and what they are doing in their lives. I want to spend everyday I can with my puppy and impact as many golfers/people as I can with my story. Being part of that clique was not all it was cracked up to be, but I still have my moments when people mention memories of something I should have been able to experience. Endometriosis surgeries are routine for me these days, but it's just like going to the dentist. My rare disease causes me a great deal of pain and fatigue, which I am trying to handle as best I can. The pain isn't really a thing since my other life was...hell...for lack of a better term. What I really want you to get out of this is an interesting story that inspires you to be a better person. Life doesn't always hand you silver platters and the world is certainly not a nice place sometimes. However, it can be if you make it. I have dreams and goals to accomplish because I still have plenty of time on this earth as far as I'm concerned. I just turned 24 and am jumping over mountains because I tell myself I can. The only mountain I have yet to get over is that random selection in the crowd of Taylor Swift fans at a concert. I just want to spend a little time telling my hero how much she saved my life years ago. Some people still don't understand how huge of a fan of Taylor I am. I don't know her personally, but from what she has vulnerably allowed the world to see about her, I would honestly like to just meet her as Taylor. Not the Grammy winner or girl with a bunch of boyfriends. Just that person who was with me saving my life years ago when she didn't even know it. I am that "tall golfer girl" and that's all I really ever want to be.

#real life #tall girls #high school #just me #my story #taylor swift #adversity #golfer #lpga #heart #soul #faith #ehlers danlos syndrome #panic disorder #panic attack #girlswholikegirls #lgbt

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justlookfrightened · 7 years

Text

Second part of Neighbors AU, Chapter 5

Read it on AO3

Read Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 or Chapter 4.

Eric rinsed their plates and put them in Jack’s dishwasher while Jack browsed through the offerings on Netflix.

“What about this one?” Jack asked, pulling up a documentary about FDR. It had good reviews, and was focused on domestic history as much as on the military history of World War II.

Eric wrinkled his nose.

“‘Cooked’?” Jack suggested. “‘Michael Pollan tries his hand at baking …. et cetera, et cetera … and explores how cooking transforms food and shapes our world.”

“That sounds really interesting,” Eric said. “I mean, I think I’ll like it, but is it something you’d be interested in? I can always watch it later if you want something lighter.”

Jack shrugged.

“It’ll be fine,” he said.

The first episode, on fire and what that meant for the human diet, was just queued up when Eric’s phone buzzed with a text alert.

“Tater?” Eric said. “Why do you suppose he’s texting me? Did he forget the bakery is closed on Sundays?”

“No,” Jack groaned. “He said he was gonna do this.”

“Do what?” Eric asked.

“Just read the text,” Jack said.

Hello, Eric! Some of the team are to meet up at the Red Fez for drinks and food. We owe you drinks for pies, and for making zimmboni lighten up. Meet us at 6? I pick you up if you want.

“They want me to go for drinks with them?”

“Tater said something after the game yesterday,” Jack said. “You can go if you want. I think it’s Tater, Snowy, Marty, Guy and maybe Thirdy?”

“Do you want to go?” Eric asked.

“I don’t usually …” Jack started as Eric texted Tater.

Is it OK if Jack comes too?

The answer came within seconds.

Of course, he already invited, but he not like to come out. :(

“Jack, he used a frown emoji. He’s sad you won’t come with,” Eric said. “Besides, I should go. They’re your friends, and I want them to like me. But if I go on my own, you know they’re going to try to get me to talk about you. Or tell their own embarrassing stories about you.”

“What makes you think they won’t do that if I’m there?” Jack said.

“If you really don’t want to, I’ll say no,” Eric said. “I wanted to spend the whole day with you.”

“Don’t do that,” Jack said. “Not if you want to go. They probably just want to get you out of my boring old man clutches.”

“But I won’t be in them if you come with,” Eric said.

“Fine,” Jack said. “I’ll go.”

“Good,” Eric said, and flashed Jack a grin. “That means we can probably leave earlier anyway, because they’ll be so surprised you turned up at all. Do you know this place, the Red Fez? What should I wear?”

“You’re fine with what you’re wearing,” Jack said. “It’s pretty casual. What time are they meeting?”

“Tater said 6,” Eric said, typing into his phone.

I’ll meet you there. Looking forward to it!

“There,” he said. “I didn’t say you were coming, just that I’d meet them there. Do want to get an Uber or drive?”

“I’ll drive,” Jack said. “I wouldn’t drink much anyway.”

“You’re sure you want to go?” Eric asked. “Tater said you usually don’t.”

“I usually just feel awkward,” Jack said. “I mean, I never have more than a beer or two, and I don’t pick up, and don’t want to just talk about hockey the whole time. But I don’t know what else to talk about with them.”

“But you don’t have a hard time talking to me,” Eric said, “and you’ve known these guys a lot longer.”

“But all they know about me is I’m a hockey robot,” Jack said.

“You’re not,” Eric insisted.

“So what should I talk about?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know,” Eric said. “Religion? Politics?”

“Now I know you’re chirping me,” Jack said.

“Well, do what you did with me,” Eric said. “Ask about what they’re interested in. People usually like to talk about themselves. And you must know some things about them.”

Jack still looked unsure.

“Anyway, I don’t really know them, so I can ask questions,” Eric said. “You can follow my lead.”

He settled back against Jack’s chest.

“Do we have time for one episode before we go?”

“I think so,” Jack said, wrapping an arm around Eric’s waist. “Look at this way: It’s history and food. So it's important.”

******************************

Jack made up his mind to have a good time.

He still wasn’t sure this was the best way to spend an evening with Eric. He was happy cooking at home, cuddling on the sofa, making it an early night and heading to bed.

He supposed going out for a meal would be fine, too, but he didn’t really want anyone -- anyone outside his team, anyway -- to notice he and Eric were together just yet. This was Providence, it would probably be fine, but. But why borrow trouble when you didn't have to?

He and Eric hadn’t discussed the situation too much. There was one conversation, a couple of days after Eric had first called Jack his boyfriend, when Jack told Eric he didn't want to come out in any sort of public way, but neither would he deny his relationship with Eric or go to any great length to hide it.

“I think my plan is just to live my life,” Jack had said. “In terms of what the tabloids care about, it's a pretty boring life. But if -- when -- they figure out that we’re dating, it will probably get rough for a while. To be honest, it will probably be tougher on you, because people can find you and approach you at the bakery.”

Eric had huffed at that. “It’s not like I try to hide the gay, Mr. Zimmermann. The only difference will be that I have a seriously gorgeous boyfriend now.”

“A boyfriend that some people think shouldn't have a boyfriend at all,” Jack had countered.

Eric had sat back on the couch, a grimace of distaste on his face. “I grew up figure skating in Georgia, Jack,” he said. “Maybe I never came out when I lived there, but I'm pretty sure lots of people made their own assumptions. It's not like I've never dealt with people who wanted to express their opinions on what I should do or be.”

“I know that,” Jack said, remembering the way Eric reacted when he realized he was being followed on a run. It had turned out fine when he recognized Jack, but he made sure Jack knew that it had been a bad idea. “But -- look, I don't want to come across like I'm a big celebrity or anything, but you're not used to having people who don't even know you harassing you. God knows I'm not trying to talk you out of this, Eric, but you need to know.”

Eric had looked serious, Jack thought, but not scared, when he straightened up and said, “I'm aware, at least in theory. I know that I don't know what I don't know” (Eric’s nose had wrinkled at his own sentence) “but I'm not going to give up because of that.”

They had avoided any public displays of affection since then -- or, well, ever, since they hadn't actually been dating before then. Now they were going out as a couple with people who knew they were a couple.

And he was going to have a good time.

The thing was, he realized a half-hour after they got there, he was having fun.

Seated at a table in the corner between Eric and Alexei, he didn't find himself called on to talk about much of anything. Instead, he listened to Eric share his own stories with the Falconers, about hockey, about baking, about growing up in the American south. For his part, Eric had Alexei and Marty talking about the foods they missed from their childhoods, which somehow turned into a more general conversation of the youth hockey systems in their respective countries.

Jack found himself contributing to that part of the talk, from the perspective of a child who was expected to be an exceptional player from the time he stepped on the ice as a minor mite.

“Didn't you ever want to be something else?” Marty asked. “I think when I was 6, I wanted to be a firefighter. Or Superman.”

Jack shrugged. “I don’t remember,” he said. “As far as I recall I just assumed I would play hockey like my dad.”

There was a moment of silence, then Marty raised his glass and said, “And look at you now. What about you, Eric? What did you want to be when you grew up?”

Eric thought for a moment.

“Well, I did have dreams of being an Olympic figure skater,” he said. “But that’s not a long-term career, and I think I knew that pretty early on. Probably always something involving food, though.”

“You skate so good?” Tater said.

Eric didn’t look like he took offense.

“Not now, of course,” he said. “It’s been, what, seven years since I competed? And to be honest, I think I was close, but maybe not close enough. Maybe I could have done it if we lived somewhere where I could have gotten more comprehensive training. Katya was a marvel, but she was just one coach, and there really weren’t the facilities or the programs I would have needed to be really world-class, and I didn’t want to move away from my family on a chance, especially since they probably would have had to take a second mortgage to pay for my training.”

Jack felt a twinge somewhere deep inside. Sure, he’d moved away from home as a teenager to pursue hockey, but there had never been any question -- not in his mind, or anyone else’s -- that he would make it. Not when he first left for the Q, anyway. Those questions came later. And he never worried about how pursuing his goal would affect his family financially.

Eric was continuing.

“But that’s when I started playing hockey, and that was great, too,” he said brightly. “I was never like y’all, but it got me a scholarship and brought me to the northeast, so it was a pretty good deal all around.”

“To play hockey so small, you must be good,” Tater said.

“He’s fast,” Jack chimed in. “I can’t beat him in a race on skates.”

That brought approving looks, and Guy said, “Maybe we should all play a little shinny, then.”

“That’d be great,” Eric said, smiling brightly. “No checking, though.”

*****************************

“Do you think they meant it?” Eric said, in the passenger seat.

“Meant what?” Jack asked.

“That they would play with me?” Eric said. “I mean, y’all are professionals.”

“I think they’d take it easy on you,” Jack said. “It’d just be for fun.”

Eric was quiet for a moment and then said, “Oh, my gosh. Do you think they’d mind if some of my Samwell teammates joined us?”

‘I doubt it,” Jack said. “But for something like that, we’d probably have to wait for the end of the season. If it’s just you, we could invite a couple of guys next time you skate at our facility.”

Eric nodded.

“Yeah, that way it’s not a big deal. But Shitty and Ransom and Holster would absolutely freak. And Dex and Nursey only came downstairs last night because they wanted to meet Tater.”

“Tater, eh?” Jack smirked at him.

“Well, they know you’re taken,” Eric said. Riding the elevator upstairs, Eric admired Jack, in the way he wanted to before they started dating.

He leaned against the wall, just looking at Jack: the deep blue eyes; the jaw line that could cut glass, with just a hint of stubble to draw the eye’ the breadth of his shoulders filling out the casual leather jacket; the way his T-shirt stretched over his muscular chest. His hockey butt -- yes, Eric had played enough hockey to know that was a thing -- was only made more obvious by his narrow waist and thick thighs.

Jack, he saw, was looking back just as frankly, and looked like he liked what he saw. Or maybe he just liked the way Eric was looking at him.

“You’re beautiful,” Eric said, then was instantly embarrassed. Good lord, couldn’t he think of anything better to say? But Jack was beautiful -- not just hot, although he was that, or even handsome, but really and truly beautiful -- and he should know that.

Jack’s cheeks pinked, only adding to the effect, and Jack smiled.

“Now look who’s talking,” he said. “Look who I get to take home.”

“Jack, I --”

“Please, Eric, stay with me tonight,” Jack said. “I know you have your own place and your own life, but one more night? You can bring your bunny if you want.”

Now Eric felt himself blush.

As the elevator doors opened, he said, “You know about Senor Bun?”

“I saw him when I went to get your clothes this morning.”

“Well, I think he can stay home for tonight,” Eric said. “Wouldn’t want to corrupt him. And yes, I’ll stay tonight if you want. But tomorrow I have to spend at least a few hours working, to get things ready for Tuesday.”

“That’s all right,” Jack said. “I have practice, and then a charity thing. But I’m not quite ready for our weekend together to end yet.”

This time, when they entered Jack’s apartment, Jack led Eric straight to the bedroom and started removing his clothes.

“Getting a bit forward, aren’t we, Mr. Zimmermann?” Eric giggled, then took advantage of Jack pausing to tug his T-shirt over his head.

“I see how it is,” Jack said, pulling Eric close so their bare torsos were pressed together and running his hands up and down Eric’s back while he kissed at his neck.

He straightened a bit to claim Eric’s mouth, then used his hands to push Eric’s trousers and underwear down at the same time. He kept kissing him while his hands cupped Eric’s bottom.

Eric groaned into Jack’s mouth while he tried to work his trousers down.

In the end, he was profoundly grateful that Senor Bun was not there to see what happened next.

************************

Jack was just slinging his jacket into his locker stall when the first chirp hit.

It was, unsurprisingly, from Tater.

“Sure, Mr. Captain Jack, go out with team once then start coming late for practice,” Tater said. “Two beers too much?”

Jack hastily checked the time on his phone, then looked around, spying a couple of empty locker stalls.

“We don’t hit the ice for another half-hour,” he said. “Guy and Marty aren’t even here yet.”

Tater ignored his protest.

“Maybe not the beer. Maybe you spend too much time tasting sweet baking -- or the baker,” Tater grinned.

“Crisse, Tater, that barely makes sense,” Jack said. “Besides being so far from from any of your business that you’d need a plane, a train and an automobile to get there.”

“Don’t think we didn’t notice you’re not saying no,” Thirdy chipped in.

“Cut it out,” Jack said. “You’re embarrassing Poots here.”

Poots, indeed, was looking at the inside of his stall like his life depended on it. Jack wasn’t sure what that was about -- did Poots have an issue with him having a boyfriend? Or did he find the sexual innuendo in general too much? Or just think the way Tater was using it was an embarrassment, which, to be fair, it was?

Well, this wasn’t the time or place to address it, Jack thought. As long as Poots didn’t make an issue of anything, Jack thought he could let it lie at least until they had a chance for a one-on-one conversation.

But the talk about Eric didn’t end when they got on the ice.

Marty took off in a sprint and said, “Is he this fast?”

Then Guy tried to beat him, and said, “No, I bet he’s this fast.”

Jack just shook his head and smiled. He’d been around hockey players to see the teasing for what it was -- really a form of affection -- and to know the best way to stop it was to ignore it until they got bored. Besides, they’d have to stop once practice really got going.

They did, but they started up again when they left the ice and Jack, Tater and Snowy got ready for their visit to Hasbro Children’s Hospital. This time it was Snowy who said to Tater, directly in front of Jack, “Do you think they’ll recognize him? I mean, it looks kind of like Jack Zimmermann, but this one is smiling.”

“Oh, come on,” Jack said. “I smile when I visit sick kids.”

“Not like that,” Snowy said. “You’ve had a dopey smile on your face all morning. Usually it looks more like you’re forcing face to do something that someone once told you was a smile for just as long as it takes for you to sign something for a kid and beat a hasty retreat.”

“Really?” Jack said. It was true that he didn’t like hospital visits -- sick kids always made him sad, and guilty for what he put his parents through -- but he hadn’t realized it was so obvious. “I’ll try to do better.”

Now Snowy looked concerned. “You do fine,” he said. “No one feels comfortable there. We’re just a distraction, eh? No worries. It’s just, happy looks good on you.”

Jack drove over on his own, meeting the other players and Jamie from PR in the office of the child life specialists.

“We’ll start with some time in a couple of playrooms,” the hospital person explained, “then visit a couple of the kids who are too sick to leave their rooms. In the play rooms, just follow the kids’ lead. Do a puzzle with them, or play a game, or draw.”

It wasn’t long before Jack found himself in a chair so small that it felt like his knees were up around his ears. Sarah, a little girl of about 5 with a big white bandage on the side of her face, was kneading pink Play-Doh in her hands.

“Wanna make something?” she said. “There’s more Play-Doh.”

So Jack opened a can of yellow dough and started rolling it out flat with a miniature rolling pin. Within minutes, they were joined by Hank, a boy a bit older than Sarah, Jack thought, and Julissa, a girl who was a bit younger.

Jack kept his hands moving as he asked about the car Hank was making and the pink cat (maybe?) that was taking shape in Sarah’s fingers.

“I making cookies,” Julissa announced.

“You can’t have cookies,” Sarah said. “Remember, you have diabetes.”

“I can so,” Julissa said.

“She can have all the Play-Doh cookies she wants,” Jack said. “And probably real ones sometimes.”

He looked down at what he was doing.

“I’m making a Play-Doh pie because I have a friend who makes the best pies, but I’m not allowed to eat very much of them.”

At the end, Jamie took a picture of the four of them, each holding up their creations. With signed releases from the kids’ parents, the picture would go on all the Falconers’ social media pages.

“Any progress starting a Twitter or Instagram account, Jack?” Jamie asked. “I can send you the pic if you want to post it.”

“Uh, not yet, but soon maybe?” Jack said. “I think Eric would help me.”

Jack wasn’t sure how to feel about the way Jamie just nodded in recognition at Eric’s name. He knew PR knew; he’d told George he had a boyfriend just in case it blew up. But it was still a little strange.

****************************

Eric took a break after checking the inventory and prepping dry ingredients for the first baking jobs of the next morning.

He was scrolling through his phone when the notification of a tweet from the Falconers popped up.

He tapped it to find an image of his boyfriend surrounded by three adorable children, all proudly holding up their Play-Doh creations. Jack’s was a pie -- cherry, going by the red filling and lattice top -- while the others were, well, something pink, a heart-shape and a car (maybe?).

He quickly responded.

OMGCheckPlease: .@PVDFalconers too cute!

That was generic enough. People would think he was talking about the kids. But he would remember to compliment Jack on his lattice later.

He had turned to work out a schedule for getting the catering orders done when his phone buzzed with a text alert.

Jamie wants to know if you’ll help me set up Twitter and Instagram accounts.

He frowned at the phone.

Jamie?

From PR, Jack explained. I told George -- the AGM -- about us, and Jamie knows about you. I hope that’s OK. if I didn’t say anything, they still would have found out

That’s fine, honey, Eric responded. It’s not my reputation that needs to be protected. i just didn’t know who Jamie was. And I understand why you had to tell mgmt. But maybe next time give me a heads up?

There was a slightly longer pause … filled with the three undulating dots meaning Jack was typing … before he got a response.

I know I should have told you, but I talked to George just before we left for the roadie and I just forgot to mention it. She recruited me years ago, and she’s more like a friend. She’s always had my back. And no one is worried that dating you will ruin my reputation -- at least, I’m not. Neither are George and Jamie. I think Jamie is hoping you’ll pull me into the 21st century. She may have stalked your social media.

Twitter was fine, Eric thought. Facebook wasn’t even interesting, and Pinterest was only for dedicated bakers.

My vlog? he typed.

Maybe, Jack responded. I liked it.

Eric groaned, then remembered he was an actual adult, with an actual job, that actually involved baking, and his parents knew he was gay, and more eyeballs on his vlog was actually a good thing.

I’m glad, he said.

An hour later, he was on the phone with Derek Nurse.

“I don’t have a lot of hours to give you, but we could use someone to help with the register and cleanup on the days I have to go to Boston, and when we have big catering orders,” he explained. “Chowder and Dex thought you might be interested, since you’ve helped out before and you kind of know how things work here.”

“You mean, ‘Bitty’s the boss and what he says goes’?” Derek asked, the smile in his voice coming through over the phone.

“Pretty much,” Eric admitted.

“Do I get free coffee?” Derek said.

“Absolutely,” Eric said. “At least, while you’re working. Otherwise at the discretion of the management.”

“Sure,” Derek said. “Sounds good.”

“You haven’t even asked about how much you’ll get paid,” Eric said.

“It’s all good,” Derek said. “When do I start?”

“I have to go to Boston Thursday, so maybe you could come in for a couple of hours on Wednesday, just to fill out paperwork and learn how to work the dishwasher? Around 10?”

“See you then,” Derek said.

“But I still haven’t told you --” Eric realized Derek had ended the call.

He was still shaking his head when he saw Jack outside the front door, about to knock.

Eric hurried to open it.

“Hi,” he said. “We’re closed today.”

“I didn’t come for baked goods,” Jack said. “I came for the baker.”

#my fic #omgcheckplease #omg check please #zimbits

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teeforsports · 3 years

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Bans Off Our Bodies Shirt

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Bans Off Our Bodies Protest at the Texas Capitol

Bans Off Our Bodies performance art participants protest Senate Bill 8 at the Texas Capitol on September 1, 2021.

AUSTIN, Texas - A Texas law prohibiting most early terminations in the state produced results Wednesday, with the Supreme Court quiet on a crisis appeal to require the law to be postponed.

Whenever permitted to stay in power, the law would be the most sweeping limitation on early termination rights in the United States since the high court's milestone Roe v. Swim choice authorized fetus removal the nation over in 1973.

The Texas law, endorsed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, restricts early terminations once a heartbeat can be recognized in a baby, typically around a month and a half and before most ladies know they're pregnant.

In an explanation after the law produced results, President Joe Biden said it "outrightly abuses the protected right settled under Roe v. Swim and maintained as point of reference for almost 50 years."

The president later added on Twitter, "Texas SB8 will hinder ladies' admittance to medical care and, absurdly, assigns private residents to sue those they accept assisted someone else with getting a restricted fetus removal ... We will ensure and safeguard that right."

In a call with journalists early Wednesday, Marc Hearron, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said that "at this point, most fetus removal is restricted in Texas." Hearron said the early termination suppliers his gathering addresses were all the while wanting to hear from the Supreme Court.

They have said the law would preclude 85% of early terminations in Texas and power numerous centers to close. Arranged Parenthood is among the early termination suppliers that have quit booking fetus removals past about a month and a half from origination.

Early termination rights advocates say the Texas law will compel numerous ladies to go out of state for fetus removals, in the event that they can stand to do as such and furthermore explore issues including childcare and getting some much needed rest work. It is likewise expected to expand the quantity of ladies trying to self-actuate fetus removals utilizing pills acquired via mail.

Without a doubt 12 different states have sanctioned restrictions on fetus removal right off the bat in pregnancy, yet all have been impeded from becoming real.

What makes the Texas law diverse is its strange implementation plot. Maybe than have authorities liable for implementing the law, private residents are approved to sue fetus removal suppliers and anybody associated with working with early terminations. Among different circumstances, that would incorporate any individual who drives a lady to a facility to get an early termination. Under the law, any individual who effectively sues someone else would be qualified for essentially $10,000.

Fetus removal rivals who composed the law likewise made it hard to challenge the law in court, to a limited extent since it's difficult to tell whom to sue.

Sometime later Tuesday before the boycott produced results centers were loaded up with patients, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Women's Health, which has four early termination facilities in Texas.

27 ladies were as yet in the sitting area after 10 p.m. at one facility, leaving specialists crying and scrambling about whether they would see every one of them on schedule, she said. The last fetus removal at one of her centers completed at 11:56 p.m. in Fort Worth, where Hagstrom Miller said against fetus removal activists outside radiated brilliantly lights in the parking area after dull searching for bad behavior, and twice called police.

"Today I woke up feeling profound trouble. I'm concerned. I'm numb," she said.

On the opposite side, Republican state Rep. Shelby Slawson composed on Facebook after the boycott produced results that it was "with incredible pity that I identify with you that sometime later, some in Texas were scrambling to end however many unborn lives as they could before the clock struck 12 PM." Her associate, Republican state Rep. Jeff Leach composed on Twitter after the boycott came full circle that "LIFE is winning in America ... furthermore, Texas is driving the way!"

The law is essential for a decisive right plan that Texas Republicans ripped through the statehouse this year in front of the 2022 midterm races, when Abbott is up for a third term as lead representative.

Another law producing results Wednesday finished required gun preparing and historical verifications to convey handguns out in the open in Texas, and GOP officials on Tuesday endorsed political race changes that will additionally fix what are as of now the absolute strictest democratic laws in the country.

Texas has since a long time ago had a portion of the country's hardest early termination limitations, including a broad law passed in 2013. The Supreme Court in the end struck down that law, however not before the greater part of the state's 40 or more facilities shut.

Officials additionally are pushing ahead in a continuous unique meeting in Texas with proposed new limitations taking drugs fetus removal, a strategy utilizing pills that records for generally 40% of early terminations in the U.S.

Indeed, even before the Texas case showed up at the high court the judges had wanted to handle the issue of early termination rights in a significant case that will be heard after the court starts hearing contentions again in the fall. That case includes the province of Mississippi, which is requesting to be permitted to authorize a fetus removal boycott following 15 weeks of pregnancy.

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captain-spookycandycollecti-blog · 6 years

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