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oh-gh0st · 10 months

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OKKKK since peoplez wanted to read it.... here it is :3 SHINUSHI FIC YEAAAHHH (its under the cut lawl)

A cool breeze drifted about in the summer air as small speckles and cloudy blobs of white were littered across the blue sky. It was neither too hot nor humid to do any activities, resulting in many people out and about today. Families at the parks, couples on afternoon dates… it was a perfect day outside! “1136! 1137! I can still keep going!!” Loud counting sounded throughout the area, followed by the swishing of a baseball bat being swung repeatedly. Jyushimatsu was outside today, adoring his baseball uniform and practicing his batting with his baseball bat at the park in Akatsuka. He had gone out for exercise initially, but as he progressed further, he decided today was nice enough to enjoy it as is. And so, with his 1148th swing, he dropped his bat and leaned back, stretching his body out. He could feel the adrenaline and excitement pumping in him, riling him up with so much energy. “Haaa!! Hustle Hustle! Muscle Muscle!!” He chanted as he stretched, pumping his arms up and down. After finishing stretching and grabbing his bat from off the ground, he strutted back over to the metal bleachers and to his bag, taking a seat on the empty bench. He popped open a water bottle and proceeded to chug it, albeit slowly so as to not make himself throw up. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Jyushimatsu felt prideful in how much he worked today. Well, at least so far. There were still plenty of hours left in the day, and so much left to do… As he stared up into the sky and watched the clouds drift along, he was pulled from his thoughts as he heard a distant sound. Blinking himself out of his mind, he whipped his head back and forth to find the source of the sound. It sounded like… meowing? He stood up and began to take a step until he felt something brush up against his leg. He finally realized where the sound was coming from… Below him! “Ahh, didn’t see you down there! I almost stepped on you, hehe!” As he looked down to his feet, a black and white longhaired cat had padded up to him. It sniffed his legs and the general area around him before gently rubbing against his calf, purring loudly. Jyushimatsu bent down and let the cat sniff his fingers before allowing him to pet itself. He scratched and stroked the cat’s back, giving it, particularly much attention at the back of its ears. As he squatted and took in the appearance of the cat, he realized it reminded him a lot of someone he knew. It reminded him of his friend, Shinrei. It only dawned upon him further as he looked at the cat’s eyes, identical to Shinrei’s. Blue and black. When Jyushi stood up and went to sit on the bleachers, the cat jumped up and sat next to him, waiting as he fully sat down before climbing into his lap. He smiled down at the kitty in his lap, petting it as it purred loudly in his lap. Mom is going to have a lot of fun with the cat hair later when washing his uniform…

“You remind me of my friend, Shin-chan! You look just like her, as if she was a cat!” He pointed out loud, talking to the cat as if it was a real person. It mewed back in reply. “She likes cats a lot. She has one, too! Her name is Eve… she’s a really nice kitty!!” As he began to ramble on about Shinrei and all things related to her, he could feel himself getting lost in his rambles, the time passing much quicker than he had anticipated. When he realized it, it was almost sunset. “Ah… it’s almost time.” He noted as he looked up to the sky, the sky blue now replaced with gradients of violet, red, magenta, orange, and yellow as the sun began to set. More clouds started to roll in, possibly for a light shower tonight. He took in the atmosphere while the cat from his lap sat up and stretched, yawning as it was stirred from its relaxation in Jyushi’s lap. Padding off of him and down onto the ground, the cat mewled back at him, likely as thanks, and trotted off. “See you later, Mrs. Kitty!” He waved lightly, smiling and bubbly with happiness. Oddly enough, it felt nice to ramble to someone, even if it was a cat. Ichimatsu always told him that cats are smarter than people think, though. So maybe it did want to listen to him… Shinrei did like listening to him talk about his day, too. That’s another thing the cat and Shinrei had in common. Huh… As he got up from the bleachers and stretched, he took mental notes of what else might need to be done. “Hmm… I did baseball, running, exercise… Now onto Shinrei-chan’s place!!” Jyushi clapped his hands together, smiling as he decided his next plans for the day, or rather night. He dusted himself off, removing any cat hair that might be a nuisance, grabbed his bag, and walked to his next destination.

“Aaahhh, Jyushimatsu! You’re covered in cat hair!” Shinrei shouted as she opened her door, seeing Jyushi standing outside of her house. His shirt and pants were littered with little strands of black and white cat hair. She told him to take off his uniform as soon as he got inside, throwing it into the wash to save his mother the trouble of dealing with cat hair all over their place. Throwing on a fresh pair of clothes that he had accidentally left at Shinrei’s before, he relaxed onto her couch with her cat Eve at his side, scratching her head and ears gently. Shinrei was seated next to him, working on an instrumental track for her music. Humming out loud in surprise, Jyushi almost whacked Shinrei in the face with his hands as he remembered the events of today. “Ah! Shinrei-chan! Guess what I saw today!” “Hmm? What'd you see?” “A kitty!! A cat! A cat that looked just like you! It was black and white, had long hair, and even the same colored eyes as you! On the same eyes, too!”

She paused her typing and mouse clicking, looking up at him with a surprised smile. “Really? That’s surprising… are you sure it wasn’t me checking in on you?” Jyushi chuckled to himself at the joke, feeling his cheeks flood with waves of heat as he blushed. “I don’t think so! Was it you, Shin-chan?” She hummed, “No… I was busy with my music today.” “Ah…” Jyushi sighed, looking back at the TV in front of them for a few moments. “Mrs. Kitty was really nice.” “…was she?”

“Yeah! She listened as I talked for hours and hours… she stayed in my lap the whole time!” Jyushimatsu glanced over to Shinrei, locking eyes with her as she looked up from her sewing. “She must’ve been a really nice kitty, then. I’m sure she loved listening to you talk.” As she said this, Jyushi wrapped an arm around Shinrei, pressing them close together, shoulder to shoulder as he rubbed his cheek against hers affectionately. He paused, pressing a light kiss to Shinrei’s cheek before looking at her again, smiling wide. “Yes… she was.”

#ghosts rambles #ghost's fics #oso san posting #shinushi #yeaaahh idk how in character jyushi is.... i wrote this at like 2 am. chokes #i hope u people like it to whoever reads its ^-^ hehe #its something small. and i guess cliché???? idk #person shrugging emoji

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asteriskheart · 2 years

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@litoredeem asked; ❝ Uh... Sorry. ❞ His hesitation lasts for all of a three seconds ( three seconds too long, that is, curse his awkwardness ) before his fingers inch forth. rustling strands of cherry before withdrawing to reveal to her what had stolen its way into her hair -- a firefly. Glowing in a steady pulse as crawls along his index finger.

Before he can offer to let her hold her little stowaway, they'd find its own friends had joined this impromptu meeting; lighting up their surroundings like little flickering stars.

[ magical ask for kairi 😌 ]

► ❪ UNPROMPTED // always accepting ❫

Summer cast its warm breath over the archipelago, humid air sticking to skin as shades of sunset painted over the island's occupants. The evening sun slowly dissolved, a descent into the ocean as the surface of the waves caught and reflected its distant flare.

Diligent fingers plucked away at thin strands, careful strokes steadily weaving together an image, a near silent hum under the breath. An old wordless tune derived from hazy recollections but it's as familiar as breathing. Legs dangled over the edge of the tree's walkway, rhythmic motions lulling the islander into a comfortable pace as she worked. If she happened to listen a bit harder she could hear the barks of laughter and good-natured bantering of friends as a ball blitzed back and forth between them on the beach below.

One had instead chosen to keep her company as he seated himself beside her. Riku. Casual conversation was exchanged but now an easy, content silence fell into place. It felt nostalgic. It brought back those days when Riku would similarly join her and they'd talk until Sora arrived or home called.

Her heart gave way to an unspoken sigh, one filled with relief and known only to her. That year / absence / void between, she tried to never linger too long on it. The sheer sense of wrong hounding every step taken. Ever since the slow realization crept up on her — the ability to remember Sora losing shape, twisting into formless shadows as the world around her forgot — sometimes Kairi found herself overwhelmed with the worry that one day she'd wake up and there'd be nothing of Riku too. That the spot he occupied in her memories would be empty and he'd slip away as well, grains of sand through her fingers.

A fear of being haunted by another ghost of a boy she couldn't quite fully recall.

The apology startled Kairi out of musings, a questioning gaze turning to her friend. What's he saying sorry for ? Did she miss something ? He hadn't done anything but sit down and that's not exactly a dastardly, criminal offense.

Movements instantly stilled as his hand drew closer. A simple gesture, a faint shock hitting her system and freezing her in place as a breath's instinctively held. More often than not, it's her reaching out first, initiating contact, but power to him if...

This wasn't a head pat at all.

Setting aside the handheld loom, widened eyes raptly followed the little bug move, wings fluttering, emitting a mesmerizing glow. Pretty sneaky of this little guy to park itself among her messy hair without any notice at all on her end. Then again, with thoughts wandering and hands busy, maybe it wasn't so difficult a task to accomplish.

It took no time at all for more fireflies to flit in, shining trails meandering in the air. They're like a multitude of tiny fairies dancing on the breeze, illuminating the area. Glimmering flecks among the shroud of fading light. It’s... wonderful.

The unseen coil of old insecurities melted away, shoulders smoothing out as slight tension she didn't realize she carried thawed. Slowly but surely, corners of a smile hitched higher and higher. Bright, yet soft, as her eyes traced over them.

❝ You know what ? ❞ A murmur, near silent but growing with each word. She looked at Riku then, at the firefly still perched upon his finger. At someone she's always known, but at the same time was relearning about. And she laughed, ❝ They remind me of you. ❞

#litoredeem #➥ options. ┊ answered.#➥ job class sel. ┊ kairi.#➥ story quest. ┊ ic [kairi].#➥ game mode. ┊ reach for the stars.#( s...soft #sorry i just tripped and all the feels just spilled out of my pocket )

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matthewdavidcarroll · 5 months

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Red Flags

Almost soothing as I caress the oil out my forehead, the steam rising from my forearm in my phones pale light, the shadows thrown from the bright hibiscus candle, the eerie melody from some 40s movie coming through the door crack.

Scrolling through others memories thinking of the days when they were not captured so easy. Those I’ve not forgotten, romanticized remnants of a sequence left to fill our imagination, idealized whatever strikes the mood.

The view was only ever meant for you.

Drinking beers with friends on the patio above our apartment complex entrance watching shooting stars above the hills. I didn’t want to leave, but knew where I was headed if I stayed.

Was the first to see the shower start.

Told me I was making the right choice.

On the way home, the desert sunset radiant in my rearview as I faced what I’d run away from. The shadows above the thin layer of clouds where its hue balanced toward the skyline like an ending in a western.

If I could see it again would it look the same after two decades?

When I was young the restrictions I set as motivations were more a show for others our aspiration and an excuse for tragedy when its promises inevitably didn’t pan out. Naively thinking we dictated what we’ve no hold.

Sacrificed on missing measures, stubborn convictions, and forged epiphanies. Left unfulfilled and disconnected in what seemed so sure before falling for the false narrative of whatever sold as reality at the time. Skipping along in that shallow calm till the ripples filled the spaces in-between to an awakening.

Too late

By then I was in a completely different place, out of reach, left with only the familiarity.

Can’t sleep, heat soaked, stomach tight, breath strained, mind racing, doubts invade, pasts cloud, I need undone from this unfocused wondering. Fuck this phone. I grip my pillow, my love radiating, draw you in somehow. Needing your words whispered like the taste of Christmas morning. Those soft tingles, quiet reminders what I crush for, keeping me in line.

What is it about you that captures me?

Those things I longed for when I was young?

Its reminder in the air around you, a modern touch fills those spaces where I thought I’d only see, before our laughs and feats came with a tear of what is missing, surrendering to their hidden meanings.

Let myself drift further back when my heart was still full of adventure, before my lusts set me into indifference. Was never one to say, ‘one day, if only,’ Ever ready and persistent knowing nothing good came without a risk with no experience of its remorse. Wisdom wasted on a daring mislead youth whose only confidence found in…

Don’t.

It’s the ties that bind across from you.

Nothing else you ever say will matter.

This means more than it did ever.

I can’t recall the conversation with that retired professor and his wife on 16th street in Denver, but remember clearly when he told that blonde not to let this one get away.

It was me who left it there for this faded reminiscence. She was too good, sophisticated and ambitious. It’s been longer than I was then and I’m still here forming fictions. Quenching for that sweet effect that fueled her interest, fighting for a sense, any remnant, an edge over what’s now an unrequited longing.

So much still ahead with a wonder to be built.

No hint of what will tumble down.

The lessons lost on hindsight, thought I still had time

And I did

But time isn’t an excuse.

For you it won’t be the same, but no one passes unscathed. Life has a way of showing all what we thought could never be.

An ever-changing conundrum.

In the last days of September with the white wine on her lips, two thousand seven or eight vintage not sure which, a humid night downtown Winter Park.

A temporary comfort in the scattered mess I was.

Let it last as long as ever as our invisible lines intertwine. Reshape this yearning, find that place where our energies sparkle, slow grinds controlled these untamed moans, make me breath clean, holding back as our pulses dance, our clocks froth ripe fruits of cotton implosions till we hum the same.

How long can we maintain these selfish impulses wanting in our lion eyes, passion senses, what comes next is instincts choice, letting go, show us we are made of more than these beings, complimenting souls coursing through where words can’t interfere, ride it out till nothing but euphoria.

Satisfied, yet unfulfilled.

Only regret is it has to end.

But it does.

No reason to stop chasing.

I should get up. Walk another mile. Clear this tension. Ease where the roots dug in. Fears of commitment, success, remnants of my toxic mindsets, unrectified transgressions, the lies on all sides

‘No one owns you, but if you don’t own up to.’

The layers of this onion’s healed and I’ve come a long way, but the conditioning, still bracing for the weight knowing I should’ve been more than this.

We did it to ourselves, but someone handed us a knife and another poisoned the seed. We’re all Traitors to something walking blindfold through this den with silent eyes always watching.

Is the worst really over?

Eleven years gone since that low summer. I was sober, but most days the only Florida sun I’d see was laying on my side through closed blinds watching dust dance with an oscillating fan.

Across the parking lot young veterans of some sort still nursing the effects of the night before from their second floor balcony a few hours before it set.

Simmering sharp contrasts through the clouds

Powerful and ominous

Glorious, yet calming

The tree line obscured the view from my window, but from their vantage it relished.

What it meant for them I can only wonder

But for me, a reminder

I’d like to say I felt the same optimism as before

But it wasn’t.

No better ending on the side I landed, intentions are meaningless, no need to reminisce too much on what came next.

In a way, now, I can’t help but show some gratitude.

Doesn’t change what it meant then.

Doesn’t change what I’d become again.

Nothing to numb these misplaced angers, the conflicts struggling within me, what occurred and what I’d believed reflecting back all I lacked, incoherent and ill conceived, an ambivalence twisting, constricting my descent. My body inflamed in gross detest, fatally obstinate, the enemies against my nature swirling in the air around me.

No sign of a bottom

…Until I heard that voice, a blessed resonance, in awe of what good this world could bestow. Easing these betrayals, mending these false tares, cannot express what she let bare, my spirits resurrection.

…And all I had to offer was overwhelming, careless in my urges.

Resting her head, tired eyes staring into candle light, the look that crossed her face

The words she said.

It really was never meant for me.

They have a word that makes it meaningless, a guise of careful concern, but not for those who’ve had the experience. Its worth is lost on the outside where certain truths challenge rewards. Just like me in the worst ways refusing to accept they’re not all wrong.

Knowing how it works but not why it’s made searching for anything to quell, ‘what it is and what it isn’t,’ till all the secrets were in our hands. Why’s it still so hard to accept what we sought was never there, but in here.

It was meaningless before.

I said goodbye so many times and still I couldn’t leave, so what’s one more?

…Sweet dreams

…I hope you find all you’re looking for in your world.

Sorry I didn’t do better, I had to find mine the hard way.

What does it matter?

Did all this really happen or just dreams that I imagined, moments of clarity, hopeful actions, and genuine laughs spread among these self-inflictions I can’t erase, abuse, and erratic tantrums.

Life is both as much what is as what you think or how it appears. Tastes change, standards rearrange, there is nothing that stays the same. So keep opinions in your mind but don’t let their support dictate what speaks to you, strings break. Practice carefully till its second nature and you can feel the rhythm in each rep.

On another level of awareness not so easily articulated our senses fear what they’re not ready. We all see what we need to so I won’t tempt anymore. Take what fits. It’s given freely and unattached, what you don’t need will escape to where it’s valued.

I’m now closer to the end than the beginning and I’ve walked longer than I thought I would.

I’m awake, but my body’s tired and I’m all wet...

I’ll take a cold shower and then go back to bed…

Tomorrow will be a better day regardless.

~…~

#motivation #poetry #word salad #self reflection

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nakedmossy · 4 years

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Depth Over Distance - Part One [Rudy x Reader]

[A/N: I haven’t found a hometown Rudy fic yet soooo I wrote one. I have no idea where this story is going to go and I’m honestly finding it hard to get out of writing JJ and get into writing Rudy, but here we go anyways. I wanted to write something where the reader and Rudy were hometown friends before he moved to LA, and to explore the idea of how that would change/what it would look like when he comes back. Get ready for a S L O W. B U R N. my dudes. Peace and love, Mossy x]

The sky was grey and the air was wet - it had been raining for 4 days straight. You sat in your car with the heat cranked, your window down slightly so that the humidity didn’t fog up your mirrors. Living on the Alaskan coast was beautiful most of the time but horrible some of the time, especially when you had to waste gas just keeping warm and dry at 6pm in the beginning of ‘Summer’.

You had never lived anywhere else aside from the summer you spent in Vancouver with your cousin when you were 19. Now, at 23, you were working full time at the local bookshop that was an 8 minute drive from your house in the winter and a 20 minute walk/skate in the summer. Your car was parked street side, waiting for your friend Lizzy to finish her shift at the cafe. The smell of the rain and the Ben Howard song on the radio made you nostalgic about the times you and your friends from high school had spent hours skating down these streets, beers in your backpacks, no helmets, dirty shoes and clothes, no pressure, no responsibilities, no cell service...no worries.

Since graduation a lot of your friends had moved out of town, either to Anchorage or down to Washington, or further south. Your best friend Lizzy had stayed close to home, helping run her families business and working part time at the cafe. You had stayed local too...your dad owned a fishing guide business and your mom was an admin assistant for the MD in town, but neither made enough to cover all the medical bills you had racked up over the last few years. You figured once the debt was paid off you might leave...but you had no idea where you would go.

You missed all of your friends, but you missed the boys the most, aside from Lizzy you didn't have a lot of female friends, and your boys had been like brothers to you. You spoke to most of them every few weeks on FaceTime, except Rudy. He had gone to LA for awhile and had kept in touch loosely, but after the first few months he started to drift.

You felt the loss the hardest for Rudy. He had been your closest friend the longest, you had spent nearly every day of every summer together since you were 9, and every school year you worked the same part time job at the seafood restaurant on the water. Now, the last you heard, he was coming back for the summer to ‘reconnect’. You had low expectations and tried not to let yourself get excited, but truthfully, you wanted him to spend some time at home and be around his own kind again - he had always been a homebody and you were worried that being gone for 4 years would go to his head or change him.

Lizzy tapped on the glass, causing you to blink out of your reverie and smile at her. You rolled the window down and let her reach in and open the door from the inside (the handle had been broken since high school). She threw her backpack and skateboard in the back seat, climbing in and closing her door.

“Ugh.” She grunted as her teeth chattered and she rubbed her bare legs.

“You know its only May, you shouldn’t even be wearing shorts yet. The snow just melted.”

Lizzy glared at you playfully and put her hand out to do your handshake. You did it, then put the car in drive and started slowly down the street, windshield wipers moving rhythmically.

“How was the shift?” You asked as you checked your mirrors and wiped some humidity off the rear view.

“Same old” Lizzy leaned back in her seat and pulled the visor mirror down to fix her hair. “That old man Collins from the cannery keeps coming in and harassing me.”

“Jack? The one with the eye patch?”

Lizzy nodded dramatically as she held the bobby pins in her mouth and started to twist her straight black hair off her face.

“That guy-“ She finished placing the final pin and slammed the visor closed “-Is an absolute creep.”

You snorted a sarcastic laugh and rolled your eyes.

“He’s like...70. And widowed. Don’t be rude.”

“I’m not being rude. Im just...asserting my boundaries.”

“You literally have a 3 foot counter between you at minimum, at all times.” You looked over at her and raised your eyebrows.

“Whatever. All I’m saying is we need hotter men in this town. Like...soon.”

You nodded in agreement and felt your eyes wander all over the road, remembering the time you and Rudy had taken your longboards down it after a torrential downpour and you had crashed and gotten such bad road burn that he had to call his dad to come pick you both up because you couldn’t walk.

“Hey, Y/N, are you listening?” Lizzy cut back in, staring at you.

“No, what?”

“I said, speaking of hot guys, I heard Rudy is coming back for a few months.”

You pinched your face and looked at her then at the road, then back at her.

“Rudy is not hot. Rudy is....Rudy. What are you talking about?”

Lizzy looked at you disbelieving and closed her mouth, trying not to smile.

“What!” You repeated, smacking her arm.

“Hey!” She laughed, then shook her head and looked out the window. “Whatever you say man, I just think....” She grabbed her water bottle and began to screw off the lid “I just think...he’s not gonna be the same Rudy that left 4 years ago. He’s like...a movie star now.”

You couldn’t even begin to touch that one. You knew what she was doing...she was always harping on you about going on dates or taking trips with her to the mainland to hook up with the pilots during their layovers. You never went, and always insisted that you were just fine and were not interested. She never listened. Part of that was true...you were fine, and usually not interested. But sometimes, when the water was calm and the sunset was colourful and the fish were jumping and your beer was cold...you wished you had someone to share it with.

“I’m going up to Skagway this weekend with my dad” You said, changing subjects. “He’s short a guide and needs someone to drive the boat.”

“Lucky you” She said sarcastically, screwing the lid back on her bottle. “Another weekend spent with men twice your age who have zero ability to catch a fish and even less ability to smell nice.”

“It’s good money.” You said flatly, annoyed that everything seemed to revolve around men with her. “And in case you forgot I’m kinda in need of that at the moment.”

Lizzy licked her lips and put her hands up, dipping her head.

“Alright...noted. Chill out Kemosabe.” She giggled under her breath and looked out her window, drawing a small penis in the moisture on the window.

“Babe, seriously. You need to get laid.” You said, shaking your head.

“I know” She replied, working on the veins. “Trust me. Im in a state of national emergency by this time of year.”

Lizzy was absolutely one of the girliest girls (and most beautiful girls) in the south of Alaska, which was ironic considering the house she grew up in. Her dad was an overweight German restaurant entrepreneur who had opened a world class seafood restaurant in Juneau back in the 90s and had shacked up with her mother who was this drop dead gorgeous Haida warrior woman who you had literally seen kill and skin a bear with her own hands.

They had forged this chain of restaurants local to Alaska that people flew hundreds of miles to eat at, but still lived in an off-grid cabin that hadn’t been insulated since 1960 and used wood heating. Not really the type of family that screamed southern belle femininity - yet somehow Lizzy came out of that union with a pink bed set, refusing to ever wear camo or sweatpants, and still had never shot a gun - which her mother reminded her of weekly.

Lizzy had hit puberty at 10 and had used her breast advantage over every girl in your class for the next 3 years like some sort of distinction of better genetics, as if she needed boobs to prove that. Unlike you, she was naturally thin and tall (6ft to be precise), had long, thick straight black hair and olive skin, and perfect hips. You felt like a prepubescent boy standing next to her, with your uneven complexion and your frizz and your awkward thigh fat distribution. You were envious of her genetics - her mother graced her with the body of an athlete and the thick black hair, and her father had given her height and cheekbones that could slice through glass. You looked down at your arms, covered in freckles, pasty white from lack of sun, and cringed, looking back at the road.

You turned the corner leaving the main road and starting on the dirt road that led to your favourite part of beach access. Lizzy pulled her hoodie out of her backpack and took off her seatbelt, leaning forward to pull it down over her head. You leaned forward and looked up, this was your favourite part of the drive. The dirt road which was lined with moss and ferns and other foliage wound along the base of the snow capped mountain that was at least 1000ft in elevation. The mist and fog from the coast was thick and creeped through the tall cedar trees, black ravens and falcons flying overhead stark against the white mist. This was the most idyllic picture of northwest coastal living you could find.

When you parked at the trail head Lizzy slipped off her work flats and into her Teva’s, you grabbed your yellow Vans out of your trunk and slipped them on. You usually drove bare foot, a habit you had started in high school after Rudy had thrown your shoes off the dock at the restaurant and you had to drive home without any. You grabbed your sweater and your backpack which had the beer in it. As you were both gathering the rest of your things...beach blanket, hats, and rain cover, you heard a car pull up behind you. You stood up out of the trunk and squinted to see the car through the fog. It was a black ford pickup you had never seen before.

“Who’s that?” Lizzy chimed in from behind you.

“No clue” You said as you lifted your hand to wave once.

The truck had tinted windows and looked brand new. When it pulled up beside you, the drivers side window began to unroll, revealing Junior - your high school (ex) sweetheart.

“Holy” You said, eyebrows up, nodding. “Nice truck - where’d you steal it from?” He rolled his eyes at you dramatically.

“Whatever kid - its a rental. Got it to drive to the airport in.” His chest puffed out and his expression read so proud.

“Airport?” You said inquisitively. “Since when does Alan pay you to drive new trucks to the airport?”

“Since Rudy hired him for the pick up service and apparently is incapable of driving his own ass around anymore” Junior snorted and waved at Lizzy.

“Or he doesn’t have a car here anymore” You noted, rolling your eyes at him.

“Either way, I get this bad boy for the next 24 hours and I intend to give her the royal grand tour of our humble town.” He ran his hand up and down the steering wheel, stroking the new leather. “Wanna go for a rip?” He said, winking. You shook your head and crossed your arms over your chest.

“Well I do” Lizzy piped up from beside you, walking closer to the window. She smiled at Junior and began to put her hair in a pony tail. She nudged your arm as she began to walk to the passenger side door. “Come on, granny. Let’s go!”

She laughed as she climbed up into the truck, but you shook your head again.

“I’m good...you kids have fun. Say hi to Rudy for me” You said to Junior, who shrugged his head and muttered ‘definitely wont do that’ under his breath.

Lizzy blew a kiss at you and waved once before Junior put it in drive and started to go up the dirt road north of you.

Junior and you had ended on okay terms, but he had concocted a theory that you had broken up with him because of another guy, and the unspoken suggestion was that that guy had been Rudy. Small town guys had a heck of a time with the idea of girls and guys just being friends.

You sighed and watched as the truck disappeared around the corner, and turned back to your own car. You grabbed your backpack and slammed the trunk closed, walking down the path alone. You weren’t mad at Lizzy for going with him - she was flighty and bailed on you at the bar all the time - but you were mad the beer was going to go warm before you could drink it all. Not that you should even be drinking 6 beers alone by the water when you had to drive yourself home. Doubtful the 2 cops in this town would even be awake to see you though. Whatever.

You reached the end of the path and rounded the corner, revealing the coast line and the rocky beach. It was your favourite place to sit and think, sit and smoke, sit and be yourself. The beach curled in a U shape, giving you a private spot where the rest of the shoreline was blocked from view and all you could see was the ominous cedar forest that stretched up the mountain, the snow caps at the top, and the horizon over the cold pacific.

You had intended to share the joint you had in your pocket with Lizzie, but...well, her loss. You spread the blanket out on the softest patch of sand and rocks you could find (which still meant you were guaranteed to get at least 2 rocks in the ass) and placed your bag down, kicking off your sneakers. You took a deep breath for the first time in a few days and lit the joint, taking one long, deep inhale. You felt it tingle through your chest and your arms and legs almost immediately, relaxing you. Being here alone always sent you into a spiral of memories and thoughts that you worked hard during the day to suppress. Most insistent lately had been thoughts about your health problems. You called them ‘health problems’ but in reality it was just an eating disorder. You could go 2, sometimes 3 days without eating anything, and never felt hungry. It started after graduation.

You had lost weight, dramatically, going from a stable 120-125 to 95 at most and 90 at worst, in the span of a month. And for the next three years you had never gained it back, you had stayed at a relatively stable 95, which still left you looking sickly and too thin at 5’3”. Your frame wasn’t built for that kind of weight drop, you were Scottish and Cree, sprinkled with a little bit of German and Irish. A classic northwest cracker mix. You weren’t naturally small, you always had a bit of something to grab onto, but it was normal to your body, healthy.

Some part of your brain knew that it had something to do with leaving school...and the pretence that came with that. The expectation...the responsibility. You were never that kind of person, and it never really bothered you, but suddenly it had. You never planned to go to University right away, but you had no back up plan. It wasn't something you and your friends really talked about. But suddenly Jacob had gotten into U of Washington, Dan had left to backpack Europe, and Rudy had not so graciously announced he was deferring his acceptance and scholarship to culinary school because he wanted to be an actor, and flew to LA the next month. You had been left behind, with Lizzy of all people, and it had hit you hard.

You looked around the beach, dragging on your joint quicker than normal, trying to knock the thoughts out of your head. An Eagle screeched above - scaring you - and you laid back on the blanket, closing your eyes. You needed to chill the hell out. This was the first time in a few weeks that you had gotten a night off from helping your dad with his guide business and you didn’t plan on wasting it riddling your brain with anxiety and worrying about your body.

You looked up at the sky and watched the mist and fog kiss the clouds, the sunset colours dancing across them. As it usually did, the rain had stopped just as the sun was going down, the clouds parting briefly and letting the smallest sliver of sunlight through, just enough to burn the grey light out of the sky and allow the pink and orange hues to fade along the horizon. You sat up and cracked a beer, enjoying the fresh smelling air and the rhythmic sound of the waves licking the shore line.

Two beers in you had put on your jacket and placed your Bluetooth speaker next to you on the blanket, blasting a playlist that Rudy had made you for your graduation party.

Three beers in you took the jacket off, standing up and dancing by yourself on the beach to the music.

Four beers in you laid down on the blanket, balled your jacket up and used it as a pillow, and started looking for shapes in the stars.

Five beers in you fell sleep.

———

Many hours later, as the sun rose and was bright on the water and the early morning bird feed was in full swing overhead, you were drifting in and out of sleep to the squawking when a shadow came across your face, alerting you to groggily open your eyes.

“What’s up, Little Fern?” His voice had gotten deeper. Wait, what?

You opened your eyes and blinked, raising a hand to block the sun. There, in your very awake and very not dreaming state, was the unmistakable silhouette that you had spent the last 18 years dreaming about and 18 years being a friend to.

Rudy.

#rudy pankow #reader x rudy #depth over distance #nakedmossywrites #jj maybank #outer banks #obx

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yongiefilms · 4 years

Text

JUST ALWAYS.

STARRING: zhong chenle and reader

GENRE: fluff; best friend!au

WARNINGS: lawbreaking; excessive mentions of teasing; though the rest is complete friendship goals

PLOT: trust your best friend to know every detail of your life, even that one embarrassing time when you blabbered about your idea of a perfect date. but also trust him to be the one to fulfill every wish you ever had, even ones you thought would never come true.

RUNNING TIME: 2.7k

DIRECTOR’S NOTE: putting out fluff before every fic i drop is just pure angst because it is coming and very soon...but enjoy this cute scenario as my parting gift for you all (even if there will be possibly be a few more fluff fics after this, though don’t take my word for it). also shoutout to @dvrlingrenjun for always reading through my fics at ungodly hours of the day.

zhong chenle was your best friend since birth. you did everything together. there wasn’t a time when he wasn’t with you. you were the inseparable duo, the partners in crime, and one half of a whole. that was you and chenle. the best of friends, but not lovers like many assumed you to be. though that was never a problem, for it a topic of discussion that was never addressed, yet fully comprehensible to you both. it was a pure and friendly relationship, something that would sustain for years to come. he was there every step of the way and who says he wouldn't continue to be?

when you both were learning to ride bicycles, who was there? chenle. when you got your first tooth pulled, who was there? chenle. when you scraped your knee on the asphalt after running around the playground, who was there? chenle. for each and every memory.

he was always present, simply growing to be your best friend. sure you had others, consider the boys he befriended at the start of high school, but they didn’t mean nearly as much to you as he did.

you could tell him anything. do anything. there was no judgment, just absolute enjoyment. that’s the way it always went and it was why you knew whenever vacation rolled around for the two of you, it would always be the best time as long as you were with him. he planned new things every day, always making an effort and this time he said it was a surprise. nothing new, but you couldn’t help but be anxious at what he had planned.

so when he had picked you up from your house, several doors down from his own and drove to the outskirts of town, you knew something was up. he had parked at the entrance of a restricted zone and told you to follow him through the clearly broken metal fence. you had no choice but to do as he said, especially when you were losing the day fast. yet it wasn't as bad as you presumed it to be, for he led you to an expanse of a field littered with various types of flowers and plants and a very tall hill that could be seen clearer as you walked forward.

he ran straight towards the hill without glancing back to see where you were, too excited for his own good.

“come on!” he exclaimed, calling your name in the process. he was in a hurry for who knows what reason, but that didn’t stop him from making sure you were doing just fine on your own.

when he turned his body around he saw you were struggling to make your way up the steep hill after running to catch up to him. you were huffing and puffing every so often. your legs felt like jelly and you were not even halfway to your destination. it just proved how out of shape you were, well partially at least. why he decided it was a good idea to come here at nearly seven at night when the heat felt worse than it did during the day was beyond you, but it was one of the things you admire about him—your best friend since day one. he was always filled with unpredictable and undeniable fun, making your days brighter with just a grin along with his contagious laughter. you were grateful for him and his sense of adventure, but not right now when you felt you were going to collapse any second.

he rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath some phrase in mandarin before carefully going down the hill to where you suddenly stopped. one wrong move and he would tumble down the dewy grass so he had to be cautious. one of you had to make it out of this alive and you were hoping it was him considering you needed the most help.

he finally reached you after some delicate movements, where you stood relatively close to the start of the hill.

he chortled at you and your exasperated expression, one with your lips pursed together and your eyebrows furrowed. your skin was flushed from the heat and he could see some beads of sweat glistening on the top of your forehead as well as on your temples, just waiting to fall.

you weren’t kidding from being out of shape but it was mostly the humid heat emitting from the sun that was the cause.

he clicked his tongue and shook his head then proceeded to latch his hand onto your wrist to tug you up the hill since you clearly couldn’t do it yourself.

“you can never do anything without me huh?” he questioned with a quirk of his brow.

you sheepishly smiled at him and mumbled in reply, “possibly but don’t let it get to your head.”

his piercing laughter rang in your ears a second time and he trotted forward without responding, though you knew your statement added to his ever-inflating ego.

after several long minutes and repetitive stops because let us be real he had more energy than you, more strength in his legs, you had made it to the top of the hill that overlooked the cityscape of your small town nestled in between the mountains. the scenery was beyond beautiful leaving you starstruck for you never quite saw it in this light, literally. the sun was beginning to set beyond the horizon, the warm colors starting to fade into the darkness of the night. some lights of the homes in the distance were sparkling and the usual sound of cars was drowned out by nature’s bliss. a breeze could be felt that cools you down in moments, brushing against your face and his own, his hair ruffling ever so slightly.

but it wasn’t only the scenery, it was also him and what laid before you. you had guessed he had come upon the flowery hill before he had come to your house to pick you up. for the picture mimicked one you would only see in movies. a red and white checked blanket was laid on top of the dark green grass without any wrinkles in sight and was held down by a huge brown wicker picnic basket. additionally, juxtaposition to the basket, was one of your favorite novels of all time, little women by louisa may alcott, with a bouquet laying on top. you could make out some small white daisies in the bouquet, your favorite flowers something only he would know.

everything just appeared to be perfect.

his hand had dropped from your wrist as he took steps forward to sit on the blanket, leaving you to admire everything in front of you.

your eyes were wide and filled with shock, but you managed to let a soft smile slip onto your face as you focused on him.

zhong chenle amazed you. he always did.

he tilted his head, waiting to see your next move, and then patted the spot next to him, silently asking you to join him.

you shook your head to get out of your trance and strode forward, sitting down criss-cross applesauce right next to the boy in question.

“chenle...” you spoke. “what is all this?” you let out a little guffaw, a teasing tone dripping from your words. “did you do this all for me?”

he gave you a deadpan look and you had to hold back the giggles from escaping your mouth. “don’t think too highly of yourself now.” he reached over to lightly push you to the side, the laughter bubbling up from your throat.

“but in all due seriousness, it’s a picnic can’t you see?” he put his arms in front of him and made a grand gesture towards everything before you.

your cackles halted to a stop and you huffed in response, rolling your eyes at his remark. trust him to be smart with his retorts, always trying to be one step ahead while ruining the zest in the process. silence encompassed you both as you just stared at each other, but then a beam broke out on his face, his eyes transforming into little crescents. he let out a small cough to clear the air as it was now your turn to give him a deadpan stare, but it was hard when his next words warmed your heart.

“anyways...while we are having a picnic that i obviously did for you, it isn’t for no reason. do you remember that time we were just absentmindedly discussing our crushes or something like that? it was a while ago, so i am not sure if you remember, but i do.” his hand was twiddling with a piece of grass as he had twisted away from you, refusing to make eye contact. “you told me this idea you had for a perfect date. one where your partner would prepare a picnic for the two of you, specifically with a home-cooked meal and the two of you would watch the sunset while having a view of the town. you said it was basically the dream date and the person that would do this for you would have your heart.” he let out a taunting snicker and finally raised his head to gaze at you again. “imagine that, but since you clearly haven’t had a date in forever, i thought why not?”

you were about to punch his shoulder from his not so kind jab at your love life, but he jerked away just in time before continuing. “might as well put my clearly romantic side to good use. as you can see i clearly did a fantastic job if i do say so myself. i think i got the whole lovey-dovey thing down.”

you hummed in acknowledgment though you weren’t going to give him the benefit of the doubt, well not entirely at least. “sure you do,” you let out a scoff. “but lovey-dovey? buddy, need i remind you we are friends?” you furrowed your eyebrows and glanced at him weirdly, though you were being lighthearted rather than serious.

he nervously chuckled and cleared his throat, afraid you caught onto something, but he knew it was all in good mirth. however, that didn’t calm his beating heart.

his nerves were still haywire, yet he managed to place his right palm over his chest, near his heart. “did you…” he took a sharp inhale of breath. “just friend zone me?”

you hit his chest playfully. “shut up. you’re so annoying sometimes, lele.”

he gave you a toothy grin, bumping his shoulder with your own. “it is my job after all.”

another roll of the eyes. “unfortunately, but i really can’t believe you remember what i told you about my idea for a perfect date. it seems so long ago…” you trailed off, lifting your eyes to admire your town, the faint glow of the sunlight reflecting across your face.

“i always remember things involving you.”

your heart stopped in your chest at his bluntness, the evident embarrassment coursing through your veins. sometimes it astonished you how chenle never had a filter, always speaking his mind, yet with it came the fact that he sometimes did not know what he truly said. right now was one of those countless times, albeit you knew he meant declaration, especially when it came to one of his closest friends.

you could hear the shuffling besides you. chenle was obviously trying to set everything up by opening up the basket and taking out all the goodies he had prepared for this “romantic date.”

you whipped your head around to see what he was doing with making so much noise. at that moment he had managed to take out two perfectly plastic wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, placing them on two paper plates he had taken out seconds before. his hand reached in the basket once more and he took out two apple juice boxes, putting them right near the sandwiches.

your titters rang loud, startling chenle in the process as his head abruptly jerked up.

you brought your hands up to your mouth to try to stop the chuckles from coming out, the sound becoming muffled. he raised his eyebrows at you, trying to figure out what was so funny. instances went by before you had finally become quiet and dropped your hands in your lap.

“chenle you can’t be serious. what is this? an elementary school meal?” you threw your head back, placing your hands flat on the checkered blanket to keep your composure.

“hey! elementary meals were good. don’t slander them.”

you brought your head forward, raising your hands up in the air for defense. “okay, okay.” your beam was wide viewing his clearly offended expression. “though i know you can cook so it came as a surprise. i am just a bit confused is all.”

he sighed loudly, leaning back on his arms. “yes i can, but i was on a time constraint so i couldn’t hone in on my cooking skills today, okay? sorry to disappoint. though if you think about it this is technically home-made.”

“you’re not wrong, but hey i will take what i can get.”

“thank you for your generosity.” he let out a scoff then reached to the side of the basket and picked up your favorite book, thrusting it into your hands. “now here, i couldn’t forget to bring it.”

you ran your fingertips across the cover, turning it over in your hands to admire every inch of the novel even if you had seen it a thousands times before.

he poked your shoulder blade to capture your attention amongst your state of admiration. he held out the bouquet of flowers you speculated he had picked from the flowery field surrounding the hill and you put the novel to the side, taking the flowers from him.

“wow i guess i can’t deny you are a little bit romantic,” you jeered at him.

he whirled his head away, the tips of his ears growing slightly red. “now shut up and let’s watch the sunset...please.”

you let out a long breath. “fine, but don’t forget we have to eat too.”

he rolled his eyes, handing you the plate with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich along with the apple juice, which you gladly took from him after placing the bouquet down. “obviously.”

so that is how you spent the rest of the evening, like the perfect date you had in mind years ago―watching the sunset and eating a homemade meal even if it was something straight out of the elementary school cafeteria, while sitting atop a hill that encompassed the whole town.

when the light of day finally faded away, you cuddled close to your best friend, seeking some sort of contact even if the coolness of the night was rarely felt.

he didn’t even think twice before putting his arm around you, tugging you a little bit closer to him. when he did so you placed your head on his shoulder, rotating away from the now dark sky to peer up at him with puppy dog eyes.

you spoke so gently that if anyone managed to pass by the two of you right then, they wouldn’t be able to hear you from the barely evident sound.

“hey lele?” you question.

he hums in return, still observing the twinkling lights of the town and stars.

“thank you for today. i enjoyed our little friend date, definitely was like i imagined it to be.” you released a small giggle. “a perfect date indeed so thank you for doing this for me.”

he turns his head down to glimpse at you once you finish talking, his gaze filled with fondness. he then shifted slightly and placed a kiss on the top of your head, murmuring his next words.

“you’re welcome.” you could hear the smile in his voice.

you looked straight forward, no longer locking eyes with him and whispered into the night,“i love you.”

his melodic laughter filled your ears. “yes i know.” he paused, murmuring right back. “but i love you too.”

you held out your pinky finger, raising it slightly so he could clearly see it among the increasing blackness.

“always and forever?” you asked.

he hooked his pinky with yours.

“always and forever.”

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evabellasworld · 3 years

Text

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 15

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

——————————————————————————————

Summary: When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

————————————————————————————

With the crickets humming in the background, Boil, Faven, and Hyewon continued to carry the boxes underneath the wet rainforest, their armours and inner soaked. Hyewon is no stranger to rain, but she felt her legs were wobbly and her arms and shoulders aching since she had been trekking since late afternoon.

She has never been on a scouting mission before, and being in a strange environment, Hyewon will have to get used to the purple rainforest for a few days. On one hand, she was entranced with the natural beauty around her, which could only be seen in a priceless painting in a senator’s office. But she also hated the humidity surrounding her.

Despite the dark clouds above her, Hyewon felt her skin underneath her armour was sticky and itchy. She was tempted to scratch her back, but not when she was wearing her Corrie Guard armour. Besides, she felt her bladder was full, waiting to be emptied.

“Are we there yet?” she panted.

“We’re almost there,” Boil said in a stretchy voice. “Just hang in there.”

“You got it.”

“This is taking too long,” Faven complained. “We should just sit down or something.”

“I second with Faven. I really need to use the bathroom right now.”

Boil nodded in agreement, letting them drop the box on the muddy ground. Faven breathed in relief as Hyewon gave a thumb up to Boil, leaning against a tree bark.

“Shouldn’t you be going right now?” he raised one of his eyebrows.

“I need to rest my legs first,” answered Hyewon, removing her helmet. “Then I’ll answer nature’s call.”

“Well, that sounds fancy,” Faven smirked. “Where did you learn that from?”

“The prisoner I used to guard was excellent in poetry. His poems were romantic, if you ask me. You will feel swooned after reading one of his works.”

“So why was the poet in jail in the first place?” Boil asked, taking a sip from his canteen. “What did he do?”

“He murdered his girlfriend in anger,” Hyewon told them, much to their horror. “He said that his emotions were out of control, but honestly, I don’t buy it.”

“In that case, I will never date a poet in the future, no matter how romantic he seems,” Faven reminded herself, keeping her two fingers intact. “For all I know, he could plan to kill me in my sleep. But if it’s a woman poet, then I would put on my wedding dress after the first date.”

“Okay then, I respect your taste in your future spouse,” the purple-haired clone stood up. “I’ll be peeing in that tree over there, so just don’t look at me while I’m doing it, okay?”

“You have our words, vod,” Boil showed his pinky finger to his sister, as he watched her walk past them, leaving them alone together. “I like her. Can we keep her on the 212th?”

“If Cody is okay with it,” Faven lifted her shoulders. “But I think she’s a cool person to hang out with. Plus, she had gorgeous hair. Like, what is her secret to having her hairstyle?”

“I wonder if I could get a hair dye like Hyewon. I always wanted to colour my hair blond, or maybe even blue.”

The frizzy-haired let out a bellow, slapping her thighs. “No offence, Boil, but you would look terrible in dyed hair.”

“Oh, come on,” he throws his arms in the air. “Crys had blond hair, and he looked good.”

“It matches his personality. For you, well, it’s best to stick with your natural colours.”

“Whatever, you dyed your hair orange.”

“It’s sunset orange, Boil,” Faven raised her tone. “There’s a difference between orange and sunset orange.”

Boil could only blink, trying to differentiate between orange and sunset orange. To him, orange is orange. It doesn’t matter what kind of shade it was, as long as it’s in the same colour family. I honestly can’t tell the difference between those two colours.

He does envy Faven’s orange hair, since it matched her style. She could pull off other hair colours, but she sticks with the same colour, since it matched with their official colour, yellow. Yellow and orange go well with each other.

Maybe she has a point, Boil stroked his fancy moustache. I would be better off with my natural hair colour.

After a few minutes of waiting, Hyewon returned from her personal business, grabbing her helmet. “We should go now,” she gestured towards the box they had to carry. “We don’t want to keep Commander Thire and Cody waiting.”

“You got it, Hye,” Boil gave a small salute, as the three of them continued to carry the box of weapons and rations with their combined strength. Nothing will stop them from carrying out their duties for the three of them.

Their surroundings were peaceful, with the larks singing in the trees and the rainbow-coloured flowers blooming among the leaves and shrubs. This differed from the scenery Hyewon had seen on Coruscant, which barely had any flora or fauna, except for the Grand Park. She couldn’t complain, though. She would kill to live in a place like this.

Faven is indifferent. She had been to many planets, and no matter what colour the sky was, or what animals that lived on the planet, it’s all the same for her. Either her comrades survived or they died in the battle in the end. There’s no in-between for her. That’s what she was made for by the Kaminoans. An expendable soldier that outlived its usefulness.

I wish I would have gotten killed, instead of Amala, she thought about her best friend, looking at the flowers. She would have loved this planet, since it matched her hair and her aesthetics.

Amala always loved anything related to the colour pink. Faven felt sorry that she could never experience life ahead of her. Her friend always dreamed of living in a candy store after the war ended. Faven used to have a similar dream like that until it died in Quill. She dreamed about resting on a hammock on a tropical island, but it will never come true.

“Do you think the rest of them made it on time?” Hyewon wondered, glancing at the treetop. “I don’t hear guns being fired anymore.”

“Hopefully they do,” Boil yearned. “I’m sure they succeeded with the first waves of battle droids.”

“Wait, those were only the first batch?” exclaimed Hyewon. “How many more do we have to fight?”

“A lot,” Faven spoke. “We have to fight hundreds and thousands of droids in every battle we face. It’s a lot, but you’ll get used to it.”

“Oh my goodness, I can’t imagine fighting that many droids. How do you guys still live, anyway?”

“We were lucky, though I never asked to survive every battle. Trust me, it’s much worse than death.”

Boil slowed down on his steps as he took a quick glimpse of his sister. Faven used to be cheerful, but the war hardened her, just like Commander Cody. It would be nice if he could see her smile for one last time.

As they arrived at the midpoint, the trio placed the box down and scanned their area, which was unoccupied by their troops. There were only similar-looking trees and shrubs, nothing else. Boil looked at the sky, which was darkening. “Where is everyone?”

“I’m not so sure,” Faven doubted. “General Kenobi and Commander Cody are never late.”

“I could say the same for Commander Thire and Stone,” Hyewon acknowledged their concern, turning to her brother. “Are you sure we’re in the right place? I feel we may be further away from our rendezvous point.”

“According to the map, this is the exact coordinates the commander gave,” he showed through his holographic device.

“Something is not right.”

And unfortunately, the Coruscant Guard was right. Before they could speculate among themselves, the Imperial battle droids popped out from the bushes with their weapons pointed towards them. “Freeze, Republic dogs.”

“Oh, fuck me,” Faven cussed, loading her blaster.

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robo-writes-haikyuu · 4 years

Text

Meeting Oikawa in Rio

Summary: Reader is a travelling photographer who encounters Tooru Oikawa in Brazil.

Words: 2.6k ( i went a little overboard I’m so sorry)

Warnings: none; strangers to friends to lovers kind of idea, slow burn, beach vibes, idk that’s mostly it

a/n: This is a request for the lovely @trash-revel!! 💖 I’m so sorry this took forever it’s probably filled with typos and grammatical errors! That said, I loved writing this 💗 Also, sorry if it’s a little too long, I felt a little too inspired! I tried to sprinkle a little bit of Portugese in it with the help of google translate (if anyone here speaks portugese I hope I didn’t butcher it and hopefully did it some justice).

As a travelling photographer, you were living like a nomad, always on the move without a home base to call your own. Instead of renting a house or an apartment, you usually stayed in hotels or airbnbs. Your goal was to travel the world and capture all of the beauty you could find in it… and little did you know that the most beautiful thing you were going to find was on your travels in Brazil.

You woke up early that day, unsure if you were actually on a healthy sleeping schedule or if it was the jet lag talking. You were enjoying your morning coffee out on the balcony of your airbnb in Rio as you watched the sunrise over the beach. The water of the ocean gently tumbled into waves onto the shore as it reflected the vibrant gradients of the morning sky. If you squinted hard enough, you could faintly see Christ the Redeemer in the distance on the mountain. After a yawn and a deep stretch, you decided that it was time for you to get ready for your daily adventure.

You prepared yourself for the unforgiving heat by slathering sunscreen all over your body and wearing loose-fitting clothes. As you got dressed, you could immediately feel the fabric cling to you from the humidity. You made a note to bring deodorant with you because you knew way too well that chafing was only inevitable on hot, humid days. You packed your bag with your camera lenses, a couple of water bottles, some snacks, an ice pack, sunscreen, and other things that will help you navigate your new temporary home. You finished off your look with a hat and your camera slung around your neck so you could have easy access if you see anything interesting to shoot.

After reading up on some of the attractions in Rio, you decided to visit Tijuca national park. You’ve been wanting to get out on your feet after an incredibly taxing, twenty-one-hour flight from Australia, plus there was no way you could pass up getting shots of all of the diverse flora and wildlife. Your plan was to hike as deeply into the forest as you could and then stop at the botanical garden to relax and do some sightseeing.

You sat at the bus stop, just minding your own business and intermittently reference the bus schedule on your phone, when a voice pulled you from your thoughts.

“Erm… perdão,” said a voice that was very much not from around here.

You peeked over to see a Japanese man, probably in his mid-twenties, trying to talk to an elderly man sitting on the bench at the bus stop.

“Este carro... uh... é para o lugar da árvore?” the Japanese man said tentatively, clearly struggling with the language barrier.

The elderly man blinked a few times, and responded with “Que?”

You were equally as confused. Based on the little bit of Portuguese that you knew, you were pretty sure he was asking for a car to drive him to a tree.

The Japanese man grew a bit frustrated and scratched the back of his neck. You could tell the poor guy was embarrassed, so you tried to see if you could help him out.

“Do you speak English?” You ask the Japanese man.

He locks eyes with you, and it hits you how handsome he is. His smile is disarming and his eyes are gentle. His physique is well-built like a professional athlete, and he was dressed like one too.

"I do," he responds. "Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for the bus that goes to Tijuca national park."

"You're in luck," you say, gesturing to the map on your phone. "That's where I'm headed."

You both boarded the bus, which was packed like sardines, and made some small talk along the way.

“Tooru Oikawa,” he says with an outstretched hand. “I’m a volleyball player.”

“(Y/n) (l/n),” you reply with your hand in his and give it a shake. “I’ve never met a professional athlete before.”

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” he smiles and proudly runs his fingers through his tousled hair. “Are you a photographer? I just noticed your fancy camera.”

“Yeah,” you cradled your camera in your hand and fiddled around with the lens. “I wanted to check out the wildlife here and maybe try out some new techniques. I figured the national park would be a good place to start.”

“You know, shutterbug,” he says, striking a pose. “ I have some experience in front of cameras. Not to brag or anything, but I’ve been in a few local magazines back at home.”

You roll your eyes and chuckle; this man really is something else. He’s definitely charismatic and charming -- not to mention very handsome -- although there’s something else to him that you can’t put your finger on. There was something about his smile that just didn’t sit right with you. It reminds of you of how you were at family dinners; despite how much was on your mind, you just kept smiling to avoid rocking the boat. But, maybe it was just your imagination.

You arrive at your destination, depart the bus and find an uphill path that leads deeper into the forest. The two of you decide to walk together and continue to get to know each other. You tell him about how you were a travelling photographer and you had a lot of your works published in different magazines. You also tell him about your travels and all of the places you’ve visited.

“What’s one place you haven’t gone to yet?” He asks as he kicks a stray pebble. “Where do you plan on going once you’re done here?”

“Definitely Japan,” you say. “That’s up there on my list, especially the countryside. I just think the scenery there would be amazing to see in person.”

“I’m from the country, you know” he said with a wink. “Maybe we’ll have another fateful encounter there and I’ll show you around sometime~”

You can’t help but hide a blush from hinting at your cheeks.

Despite how flirtatious he is, he seems genuinely interested in you. And you’re equally impressed by him; the way he talks about his history with volleyball demonstrates his deep passion for the sport. He talks about volleyball as if he was knight preparing for battle; he goes into detail about strategies, formations, techniques, everything that makes a good volleyball player. He also goes into detail about his past rivals, although there was an edge to his voice when he talked about them. You decide to not pry too much on the subject.

“So what you’re saying is that you’re kind of a big deal,” you say.

“I mean,” he responds with a wink. “If you think so, then I won’t argue.”

That’s when a toucan flutters out from the bushes and nests into his hair. Oikawa panics and flails his arms, trying to shoo away the bird, but it seemed to have no intention of leaving his locks.

“Wait,” you say, steadying your camera in front of your eye. “Don’t move.”

The look on Oikawa’s face jumps from surprised, to angry, to embarrassed. He crosses his arms and pouts with red cheeks; it seems he was trying to make a good impression on you and the toucan sabotaged his plan. His pout slowly relaxes when he sees the look on your face; you were so mindful about the angle, the lens, and the lighting; it reminded him about how he is with volleyball. He also had to admit, you had a really cute smile; he simply smiles and accepts his defeat.

“Sorry,” you say, snapping a few more. “I’m almost done.”

“No no,” he says. “Take your time.”

That’s when you notice something different about him; this smile seemed totally different from how he was smiling when the two of you were on the bus. The way he smiled then seemed routine or rehearsed. This smile, however, was enough to make your chest flutter. You swear if more people saw a smile like this from him, the world would be a much better place.

“You better send me a copy of those,” he teases, sticking his tongue out at you. “Someday, people might pay good money for them.

“You know it,” you say with a giggle. Although, you couldn’t tell if he was complimenting your work or if he was just that full of himself.

You walk up to him and gently lift the toucan off his head and toss it into the air for it to fly away.

“Well, I hate to leave you like this,” he said, pulling out his earbuds from his pocket. “But I need to get my afternoon run in. I look forward to bumping into you again soon, shutterbug~”

With that, he jogged away, leaving you in a small cloud of dust. The nickname sticks with you and endears you more to him. You stand there with a smile on your face, as you hoped that this wouldn’t be your last encounter with him.

And it wasn’t. As a matter of fact, bumping into Oikawa became a near-daily occurrence for the two of you. You always took the same bus to the national park where he went for jogs and you went for photo ops. Although, the two of you eventually exchanged numbers and made plans to hang out somewhere else.

Every time you talk to Oikawa you always learn something new about him; you learn that his favourite food is milk bread, that his best friend, Iwaizumi, is taking sports science in college, and that he was captain of the volleyball team in his third year of high school. You tell him about your home country and what it was like growing up there, and how you’ve been pursuing photography since you got your first DSLR camera. You tell him about your favourite foods, your favourite music, and your favourite movies.

One evening, after Oikawa was done practice, the two of you decided to make plans to grab dinner and go for a walk on the beach. At dinner, the sun was still high enough in the sky that it wasn’t quite sunset, but it was low enough in the sky that the temperature started to cool off.

The more you think about it, the more it starts to feel more like a date.

“What kind of photos do you take?” he asks. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think you’ve shown me any of your work.”

You take out your phone to open up your digital portfolio and you hand it over to him. He scrolled through your gallery and saw various shots from nature, urban settings, and studios. He came across a folder in your gallery labelled ‘100 Strangers.’

“What’s this all about?” he asked, flipping through the images.

“Oh, that’s just a long-term project I’m working on,” you said. “My goal is to take portraits of 100 strangers that I meet in my travels and post little blurbs about them.”

“I’d offer to pose for a picture for you,” he says, leaning in as he rests his elbows on the table. “But it seems like we’re not really strangers to each other anymore.”

You can tell he’s flirting, but you don’t let him get away with it that easily. “I still have those shots of you and the toucan, you know.”

He flinches and hunches over in embarrassment. “You’re a meanie, shutterbug~”

“What?” you say as you take one last bite of your food. “I love that picture. It’s cute.”

He suppresses a grin as he digs his fork into his food. He tries to act nonchalant, but the blush on his cheeks betray him.

“So,” he says, bringing his food to his mouth. “You think I’m cute?”

A blush sneaks onto your cheeks and you avert your eyes from him. From the corner of your eye, you see him grin to himself in satisfaction. You avoid answering him entirely and just ask the waiter for the bill.

It’s now sunset and the two of you were walking on the beach. You decide to take off your sandals and just enjoy the feeling of the warm sand in between your toes. The breeze was perfect, and it was enough to take the edge off the humidity. You then take out your camera and start adjusting the settings on it. It was golden hour, after all.

You glance over at Oikawa, who ‘s just at the edge of the water and dipping his toes in. He looks out onto the horizon, where you could barely make out the silhouettes of the mountains, and takes in the balmy breeze. The wind swished through his hair elegantly, sweeping it just the right way that made it look effortlessly styled. You steadied your camera and snuck in a couple of shots.

He looks over his shoulder at you upon hearing the shutters and grinned. “Couldn’t resist a photoshoot of me, shutterbug?” He held up a peace sign and placed a hand on his hip, awaiting more shots from you.

After getting a few more shots in, you join him at the shore and dip your toes in, jumping at how surprisingly cold the water was.

“You didn’t answer my question, you know,” Oikawa says, turning to face you.

“Huh?” you chuckle nervously and tuck a few strands of hair behind your ear. “What question?”

“Do you think I’m cute?”

You hesitated and wiped your clammy palms on your shorts. You definitely developed feelings for Oikawa, and you were sure he felt the same way about you. The problem, though, is that you were hesitant to jump into a serious relationship, given all of the travelling that you do.

“I...” you murmur, nervously wiggling your toes into the sand. “Listen, I don’t want to get your hopes up. I travel a lot and I get so busy with work that I--”

“Hey,” he chuckles while scratching the back of his neck, trying to mask his disappointment. “It’s totally alright if you don’t think so, I just thought--”

“N-no it’s not that,” you blurt out. “I don’t want to jump into anything serious only to have it ruined when I eventually start travelling again. I really do like you, Tooru, but I don’t think that would be very fair to you.”

Suddenly, you found yourself merely inches away from him. He softly chuckles and places his hand underneath your chin to tilt your face up to meet his. You look up at him, your face hot from both nervousness and excitement.

“You put a lot of pressure on yourself, don’t you?” he says, as if he wasn’t one to talk. “Don’t worry about all of that stuff. How do you feel right now?”

You feel his fingers gently combing through the ends of your hair, sending tingling sensations all through your body. Your pulse quickens as he places a hand on the small of your back; he doesn’t go any further though.

“I…” you murmur, leaning in and placing your hands on his chest. “I think you’re really cute.”

He lets out a hearty chuckle and wraps both of his arms around you to pull you in closer to him.

“Well, that’s a relief,” he says, inching closer to you. “Because I think you’re very cute, shutterbug.”

You close your eyes and meet your lips with his. From that day forward, the two of you spent everyday together until you left for your next destination. You always kept in touch with one another through text, video chats, and voice calls. Even through the challenging times, the two of you wouldn’t have wanted to be with anyone else.

#oikawa x reader #oikawa #robos requests #tooru oikawa #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader #hq #hq!!#haikyu

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Text

Three Days ~ 36

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~*~Sebastian~*~

I can’t believe I popped off like that and embarrassed the hell out of Emma. Her laughing it off was good, but I still felt bad. After I said thank you, I took her hand from my chest and kissed it before dropping our hands between us and heading toward the restaurant.

The manager was waiting at the hostess stand when we arrived. He led us to our table and said our server would be right with us. We were at the same table, by my request, only I couldn't bear to sit across from her tonight. I took the chair with my back to everyone, diagonal to her, where I could touch her.

My leg rested against hers while we flipped through the menus. A minute later our server showed up, "Hey, you're back."

I'd requested her too. "I promise we won't stay until close tonight."

She swiped her hand down, "Don't worry about it. What can I get you guys to drink?"

Emma pulled her lips to the side, "I'd like a margarita on the rocks with salt."

"Do you have a preferred Tequila?"

"Patron Silver."

I looked from Emma to our server, "That sounds good."

"I'll be right back."

Emma smiled, "Thank you, Cindy."

I was struck, again, by her kindness to everyone. Especially me. I took her hand to bring her attention to me, "I like opening doors." I also like to say awkward shit when I'm trying to explain myself to this woman. She makes me stumble over words like an idiot. Let's try again. “Your compliment caught me off guard. I went for self-depreciation. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I have no idea why I got embarrassed."

I noticed her cheeks turning red again, "You're blushing again."

"I can feel it." She used the hand I wasn't holding to feel her cheeks.

Whatever was going on was cute as hell. She certainly wasn't embarrassed while I was fucking her into the wall. I digress. I need to finish my explanation. "I like to open doors, carry things, and take your hand because I want to make sure you know I think you're special, because you are. Special to me."

"I want to kiss you."

The look on her face and softness of her voice did things to me. My stomach felt funny and I wanted to press in the middle of my chest. "You can kiss me." I leaned closer and waited for the touch of her lips. It was too short. "You can always kiss me."

"Ok, two patron margaritas on the rocks with salt."

Boy, was this feeling familiar. I looked at Cindy, trying not to laugh. "Thanks, Cindy."

"No problem. Do you know what you want? Ready to order?"

"I do know what I want." I looked at Emma. "Do you know what you want, sweetheart?"

She wasn't blushing now. "I do." She took her eyes from mine, "I'd like the seafood pasta."

"I’ll take the salmon." I handed our menus to Cindy. She walked away and we started laughing. I think this is going to be an interesting night.

Emma's eyes went wide, "Oh! It turns out we have friends in common."

"We do?"

"I called Angie to do the girl thing where we dish about the new guy. After I'd told her about you, I sent her the bear picture."

I snorted a laugh, "I like the fish one. Our relationship is defined by you kissing a fish in a bag before me."

She threw out, "We're making up the time” then went on with the story. "Ang remembered Eli had met you and went to find him.” She did this thing with her hands like she jumping from point to point. “Eli is in band with Boone. Boone is now married to Kirk. You know Kirk from Gossip Girl and were at the bachelor party with Eli. He remembers you from other parties too, but that was the connection.” Emma put her hand on her chest, “I was at the wedding."

"Well, that was a bad decision on my part." Fuck me. Wait, I think I had a date for the wedding before I had to cancel.

"No, you weren’t supposed to meet me then."

I scratched my head, "I was filming. I saw pictures. Beautiful wedding." I made grabby hands for her phone, "Pictures of Eli."

"You‘ll recognize Eli. He has the best hair." She dug her phone out of her purse and clicked through a couple of screens before handing it to me. “Look around.”

I flipped through the pictures trying to find one that sparked a memory. Maybe a dozen in there was a video of Boone and Eli's band. I turned on the sound. That did it. "Oh yeah, I remember him. Good musician. I think I got stoned with them."

Emma snickered, "That sounds typical.”

"Did you get anything interesting on me?" I was curious.

She shook her head vehemently, "We laughed about him being a character reference, but no. He said you’d been to gigs and a couple of parties, but we probably wouldn’t have noticed because no one really paid any attention to you. You were just another guy hanging out with friends. Said you were funny drunk with your friends.”

I nodded, "That is me in a nutshell." I was making a mental list of my traitorous friends who might know her. “The drunk with friends part can be pretty loud and borderline obnoxious.” Only really good friends.

“Aren’t we all.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes, “Angie and I put on quite the show. Eli either stands back pretending not to know us or tries to reign us in. We dance and sing then get to the you’re my best friend and I love you stage. We can have complete conversations saying single words. Eli can usually figure out what’s going on.”

“Best kind of friends. I like when one of us will text the other to come rescue or comment on something.” I remembered the other night, “Could have used that the other night.” She cocked her head to the side. “That dinner and cocktail party. So many conversations I wanted out of. Ended up hanging out with the husband of one of the execs.”

“Everything go ok otherwise?”

I nodded, “Yeah, everything’s good.” I hadn’t had a chance to tell her about it yet. “It’s a Japanese watch ad.”

Emma ran a finger over my wrist next to the band of my watch. That shouldn’t have felt as good as it did. “You going to get a new watch out of this?”

“Oh yeah, already got my eye on one.” Two actually. “Dinner was with company executives, then the party was spouses and lower executives. We went to this amazing sushi place. So good.”

We talked and laughed through dinner, switching off telling stories. It was easy conversation. We were recognizing names and asking questions to put things together. I was excited for the next part where we got to know each other’s friends. I had an idea, but I’d wait until later to talk to her. Of course, there were a few of my friends who already knew her. Kirk and I were going to be having a talk. I didn’t give a shit about information on her. I want to know why he never set us up? He throws other women in front of me, why not her? My friends are, well, they're my friends for a reason. There's a group of college friends I get together with every so often. They're fun and remind me of where I came from. Gym friends, who make that time fun. Work friends are other actors or people in the business. Then there's the guys. A group I’ve known for years and I count as my best friends. I take vacations with them and they travel with me sometimes. This is the core I count on to call me on my shit and keep me grounded. They're the most important and who I talked about most tonight.

I paid the check and we headed out. The sun was close to setting and the sky was already turning the colors she loved. Perfect for a romantic walk by the river. "Wanna take a walk?

"Love too."

We veered out of the parking lot right past the CRV. I'd been holding her hand, but once we were close to the river, I put my arm around her shoulder so she wouldn't get cold. Not really. I just wanted her close. I'd told her I'd be happy being quiet with her and I was. There was noise all around and we walked in comfortable silence. I liked how she fit against me under my arm. The way her hand felt on my waist. How when the breeze blew I could catch the faint scent of her perfume. Her hair was silky over my arm. A lot of times she feels like sensory overload. Right now, she feels calming. Very calming, which doesn't make a lot sense to me given the amount of contact.

Once the people thinned out, I led her to an empty bench. I kept my around her and Emma laid her hand on my leg, her head on my shoulder, and I pressed my lips to her hair before laying my cheek there. I reached for her hand and twined our fingers. The sun was sinking fast. I’ve always been underwhelmed by sunsets. Sure they’re pretty, but I was looking for excitement and was disappointed. Now, I get it. There’s not an explosion or some big event marking the end of the day. It’s simply the outcome of a complex situation. Interaction of light, cloud, humidity, and temperature. They don’t plan or rehearse, they just come together to see what they make. I had a very new and satisfying view of sunsets now. Something tangible she’s taught me. I broke the silence with a kiss on her forehead and decided to tell her. "I have a deeper understanding of sunsets now. You taught me. Sunset isn’t the end. The fifteen twenty minutes after are just as beautiful."

"Does that make sense with anything else?"

The teacher in her was coming out and I nodded, "Anything really. We came out for dinner, but the walk after has been as just as good. And there’s a lot to be said for after sex where you’re basically internalizing the physical and emotional parts."

Emma smiled, "A lot of life happens after the high."

Her words hit me in the chest. I leaned forward to look at her, "Keep talking."

"I think people miss a lot of really good stuff because they're focused on some big payoff. And people-miss the good that comes from something bad."

I squinted my eyes, "You're an optimist."

"No, no." She shook her head with a frown. "I’m very good at finding a silver lining and over time I’ve learned to trust in that. I really do believe I'II be alright no matter what happens."

"You're strong." I never wanted to leave this bench, this conversation.

"And you’re not?" Her tone gave away her disbelief.

I smiled, "I am. I'm not in a good business for weakness. I used to send out these homemade audition tapes. A friend would shoot them and I’d send them to anyone, just to keep me showing up on their desk. Must have sent out hundreds. Lots of no responses and rejection. I kept pushing forward. I try to be true to me, to do what's right for me. Sometimes that means making a shitty choice for a long-term gain. There's strength there. It takes strength in maneuvering through all the bullshit. My overthinking and bouts with lack of confidence make me human. One of the many things I love about acting is slipping into a character. I’ve studied, and researched, and built the character, but once I step into him it's not about me anymore. It's about doing justice to the script, the director, the other actors, the project. When it all comes together it’s the greatest feeling. I'm good at that."

And here we were again in the middle of some intense conversation that started from nothing. From her smile she either had the same experience or she was connecting with me. Assume the first, hope for the second.

"I think that's when I’m the best teacher and enjoy it the most. When I get lost in what I'm doing. Because teaching first grade is a lot of embarrassing moments strung together. Forget the singing and dancing in class. I was at a gas station at seven am in a fairy costume." The roll of her eyes emphasized how ridiculous she thought the situation.

I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Both our jobs are a little ridiculous."

"I think you win." We both snickered. “I read or saw something about Evans and Hemsworth between takes cracking up because they were two men dressed up as superheroes. Just looking at each other and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. I love blooper and gag reels for those moments."

"It's a lot of fun." I was still playing with the strand of hair I’d tucked behind her ear. "Do you usually straighten out your waves?" The question stung. I hadn’t known her long enough to know the answer.

"I shower when I get home from the gym. It's a mess in the morning and easier to do this than fix the mess. The shorter it is the curlier it is. I like the waves, but I like how soft it is like this. I like running my fingers through."

"Yeah? Me too."

I didn't even try to resist the urge to kiss her. I wouldn't have succeeded anyway. I caught her smile as I got closer and smiled too. I tangled my fingers in her hair with the first brush of lips. I was neither surprised by nor displeased with the touch of her tongue against my lips. I let her control and deepen the kiss, letting her take what she wanted. When she moved away, I drug my hand from her hair to her cheek, my thumb caressing her soft skin. I stayed close and kissed her softly before settling back with her tucked against me again.

We sat in silence for several minutes. I wasn't thinking of anything. I was staying completely in the moment. There was so much soak in. A gentle tug of her fingers brought my attention to her, "You ready to go?"

I nodded and stood up. A few feet onto the path she bumped my hip with hers, "Race ya'."

I was all in, but looked at her feet, "You're not wearing the shoes for this."

She didn't break eye contact as she took off her shoes, letting them dangle from her fingers. "Ready?" she squatted down. "Set." She took off and yelled over her shoulder, "Go!"

"You cheat!" I took off after her laughing.

Shit, she's fast. Not so fast I can't catch her, but she's fast. I waited until we were about halfway back to the CRV before I crept up on her, "I'm coming for you.” She put on a little more speed, but I went past her. I yelled, "You cheat!" again when she grabbed onto my shirt. I started laughing so hard it slowed me down and Emma went past me. I got close enough to wrap my arm around her waist and haul her back against my hip, "Gotcha."

Emma kicked her feet, trying to get away, "Who's cheating now?"

I brought her in front of me, wrapping both arms around her middle, and lifting her off her feet, "Never said I didn't cheat." She waved her arms and legs in front of us. I laughed and held her tighter. "Stop or I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you."

A very indignant voice said, "You will not."

I put her down, took her by the shoulders to turn her around, and looked at her with a quirked eyebrow.

Emma put her hands on her hips defiantly. So intimidating. Covering her hands with mine I beat over and stood back up with her folded over my shoulder. Her hands went to my hips and I could tell she was holding herself up. "Sebastian."

I started walking, "Emiliana"

"People can see."

"No, they can't. It's dark." I glanced to the side. Not sure if they can see, but a few are looking. I kept walking.

"I’m going to grab your ass."

"I'll spank you."

"Tease." She dropped down, relaxing against my back.

"You started it." I punched in the code and walked to the other side, putting her down the same way I'd picked her up.

Emma's hands went to the back of my neck, stopping me from completely standing up. She gave me a smacking kiss tinged with a laugh, "You're fun." Her arms tightened around my neck in a hug.

I learned from her previous next-to-the-car compliment and just said, "Thank you" and hugged her close.

Inside Emma's place she let go of my hand and pointed toward the ground. "I'm going to go wash my feet." She held one up and it was filthy.

"I'll be right up." I gave her a quick kiss and headed to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. I could hear the water running in the tub when I got upstairs. I busied myself shoving clothes back in my bag, plugging in my phone charger, and turning down the bed.

Emma came out of the bathroom and walked to her side of the bed. We stood there looking at each other. I reached over my head to grab my shirt and pull it over my head. Emma's eyes ran over my chest before she lifted her shirt. I returned the favor and checked her out while undoing the button and zipper on pants. I dropped them to floor, leaving me in only my boxer briefs.

Emma swallowed hard and pointed in the direction of my hips, "Nice thighs."

"Thanks." Her skirt fell to the ground leaving her in matching pink, what looked to be silk or satin, bra and panties. "Ooof." I pointed all over, "Nice... everything."

"Thanks."

I reached for my briefs at the same time she went for her bra. I crawled into bed while she removed her last bit of clothing. I stretched out, waiting for her. She scooted up right next to me and I ran my hand from her naked hip to side of her breast, my eyes taking in all of her. "You're fucking amazing."

My statement wasn’t aggressive. I was in quiet awe and I barely recognized my own voice. I meant more than her body. Everything about her. The more I learn the more I want her.

Before she could respond my mouth was on hers, covering her lips with soft kisses. She moaned with the first touch of my tongue and pulled me closer. The feel of her hands on my back, her nails tickling my skin, had me craving more. I scooted down her body, teasing her nipple with my tongue. Hard to know if it was my hands or mouth she liked more. She arched her back into the contact and drug her fingers over my scalp.

"You made me feel so good." Her body shuddered with the tugging of my teeth. "How do I ask for more in Romanian?"

I kissed lower on her belly, "Mai mult." I braced for what she was about to do to me.

"Mai mult, Sebasti-an."

Lightning bolt straight down my spine that branched out to my chest and cock. "Orice vrei, iubito." I placed a wet kiss on her hip before translating what I'd said. "Anything you want, baby." I wiggled into the space between her legs that she'd made for me. Tonight's discovery was that a sucking kiss on her inner thigh, mere inches from goal made her squirm and gasp. I spent a good bit of time testing how far up and away from her cut line the reaction went. The length was sensual and got me jerks and shivers, but it was inner thigh even with her vagina, barely a finger width away from the cut line that really worked. It was the perfect place where I could kiss and touch at the same time. I wanted to leave a mark there, mark her as mine. I wouldn't without her permission, put I wanted to. Very cave man of me, but tonight wasn't cave man. I lifted her leg over my shoulder, sliding my hand under her. I squeezed her ass, pulling her up while my other hand made soft strokes down her inner thigh to ease it to the side. I liked working to get her legs apart. I used soft touches and firm strokes. I wasn't going to grope her like a teenager in heat, unless we were playing that game.

She liked the foreplay and stimulation. I was happy to give. I liked watching her respond to me. I get off on it too. It’s not always this way, but Emma's pleasure is a primary goal for me. I want to be a good lover so she'll crave me the way I do her. I know she does by the way she comes done under my touch.

Tonight, was for slow. I went down on her, leaving wet kisses on pink skin and using my fingers to pulse inside her. Every so often I replaced my fingers with my tongue and got a deep taste of her. It took a few minutes to get her clit into the game. It needed some coaxing to come out of hiding, but then Emma liked firm contact there. I alternated between open mouthed teasing licks and gentle sucking and vibrating. Sometimes a mix of all three. I slid my thumb inside her, her slickness easing the way. I rubbed along her as I licked her, my thumb repeatedly entering her and my middle finger skating over her other entrance. After one or two passes I looked up to her, "Tell me to stop."

Her response, "Mai mult, Sebasti-an."

More.

I kept up the movement until I could tell she was getting close. No surprises. I ran my finger over her a few times before gentle pushing inside her. Emma slammed her hands on the bed, her head canting back, and she absolutely screamed my name. Not said, not yelled... screamed. She arched off the bed then collapsed. I could see her thighs shaking.

I felt like a god.

Giving her time to come down, I slowly kissed my way up her body. I wanted her with me for the next part, not comatose. By the time I got to her neck her arms were around me with her hands on my ass.

Emma hooked her leg around my calf, “Condoms. Nightstand.”

I looked beside the bed, there were two. “Which one?”

“Both.” She stretched up to kiss me.

I pressed my body against hers, trapping my cock between us, and reaching for the nearest nightstand. When I went to my knees, she followed me. Her hands caressed my stomach and side while she kissed my chest. I worked around her to roll on the condom. I leaned forward and eased her back on the bed. Before her head hit the pillow, I was pushing inside her. She felt so warm and good wrapped around me. I stopped when I was deep in her to savor the feeling.

A smile crept slowly over Emma’s face and she put her hands on my face, stroking down to my shoulders. I returned the smile and started moving. Her hips met mine stroke for long slow stroke. I dropped my head to her shoulder, “I want this to last.”

I don’t think I was talking just about the sex.

And last it did. We went from a slow steady missionary to a crazy sexy her on top. The way she moved, danced, with me inside her was something I wanted to memorize. I loved watching her stomach tighten with each stroke and way she went from smiling to biting her lip to her breath catching. Her fingers rested on my stomach and moved with her rhythm. I kept my hands on her thighs and watched for as long as I could. When I knew I couldn’t take much more I sat up and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight to me. My hands were splayed high and low on her back to make sure she stayed close. She moved her legs where her feet were on the bed by my hips. Her legs squeezed my sides as tight as her arm around my shoulders held me, her other arm draped over my shoulder and her hand was in my hair. Movement was small and slow as we kissed. It was all I needed. I could feel her wrapped all around me. I buried my face in the crook of her neck and held her down on me, fighting for breath as the orgasm took me.

I fell back on the bed taking her with me. Emma kissed my neck making me shiver. “Good god.”

She huffed out a breath, “Umm, yeah.”

We stayed wrapped around each other until I started to go soft and slip out of her. She pushed onto hands and knees, climbing out of the bed. “Condom.”

I pulled it off and handed it off to her. I rolled to my side to watch her walk to the bathroom. I fussed with the bed and lifted the covers when she came back. A few seconds later we were cuddled up on our sides, arms and legs tangled together. We kissed lazily, enjoying the “fifteen minutes” after the high. Exactly like I’d said earlier, there was something good about letting the physical and emotional sink in.

This was heavy on the emotional. I can’t tell you why it was different, or even really how, but it was. At the end when I could feel her wrapped all around me, it wasn’t just physical. I could FEEL her wrapped all around me. Yet, another part of this day I didn’t want to leave behind. I know it’s been a fucking week and I know it’s new and exciting. I know, I know, I know. But it’s good and I like it. We talked about it being crazy to think we were falling for each other so fast. It is crazy! A really good kind of crazy. And what am I supposed to do pretend I don’t know or push away the feelings? That seems really, really stupid. I’d be missing some incredible stuff. Really stupid. So, there’s the choice. I either just enjoy this and feel all of what I know is happening and let it do its thing, or I don’t. Guess which I’m picking?

I stopped the endless kissing that had been going on and ran my fingers over her cheek, “Just so you know. The matching bra and panties was getting closer to my Fantasy Friday.”

Her smile would have busted through any lies I was trying to tell myself. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me.”

I gave her a side eye like I was considering not. “I have a thing for strings.”

“Strings?”

I pursed my lips and nodded, “Like corsets. Garters. Things I can play with and have to figure how to get you out of.”

She made a noncommittal, “Hmph”.

“You into fantasy fulfillment?”

“I’m into whatever’s going to make you smile.”

I felt that all the ways to my toes. “Emma . . .” I sighed and shook my head, smiling. “You make me smile.”

#Sebastian Stan #sebastian stan fanfiction #fanfiction

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selfindulgentpoorlywritten · 5 years

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Only You (Sidney Crosby Imagine)

The text got deleted for some godforsaken reason, so I’m hoping this fixes it.

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Sidney Crosby/Fem!Reader

Words: 3462

Warnings: NSFW

Requested: yes / no

Summary/Request: hi! are you still taking requests? bc i wanted to know if i could get some sidney smut but like with a girl that's like way shorter than him

(AKA established relationship Sid smut with a super short reader)

No one would say you’re particularly good at dancing, but damn if you didn’t love it. You were always dancing by the end of every party, to whatever was playing over the speakers, whether it was intended to be a soundtrack or not. Today is no exception. At clubs you tended to get lost in the crowd, but since it was only yourself and a few of the other WAGs, you’re still visible from the outside. Visible to Sidney from his seat on the patio, where he’s stopped bothering to pretend to be invested in the conversation taking place around him.

He loves to dance as well-- especially when he’s got a few drinks in him-- but he’s always loved your dancing. He can’t help but watch every time you take the floor, mesmerized by the way you move. By the way you sway just a tad awkwardly, the way you don’t even care. The freedom of it. But more than that, he’s captivated by how stunning you are. His favorite thing to do is remind you of how gorgeous he thinks you are, with quick comments and long nights, depending on how much he gets to see you.

Before you ever met him, you’d already felt short enough. Dating a professional hockey player and spending time with his friends only made you more acutely aware of your height. Considering the entire team is at least as tall as Sidney, who has more height on you than you’d like to acknowledge, you felt like you were Jack after climbing the beanstalk, surrounded by giants. That’s bad enough, though you’d expected the guys to make you feel small and were prepared for it; what you weren’t prepared for was the WAGs. They were all tall and long-legged and blonde and graceful and dazzling. You were the shortest by far, not even reaching Sidney’s chin, and most of them had half a foot or more on you. It rarely bothered you, but when you’re surrounded by literal models all the time, it’s difficult not to feel self-conscious on occasion.

The party is winding down alongside the sunset, and the small group of you retire from dancing to help Tanger and Catherine start cleaning up. You gather some used plates and cups that had been abandoned on tables around the yard, depositing them in the trash bag Kelsey is walking around with. The serving dishes for the food need to be brought inside, but you notice that-- aside from Tanger-- the guys are still sitting around shooting the shit while the girls do the work. On your way inside with a casserole dish, you smack Sidney on the arm and scold the lot of them. They hang their heads and stand to join in with the tidying-up effort, adequately chastised.

Sid keeps shooting you looks, the kind of looks that make your face heat and your heart skip beats. Anticipation coils in your gut. You’d been having a great time dancing and talking with everyone, but you’re suddenly eager for this to be over.

The downside of Sid being Captain is that he can’t beg off team events early unless it’s a legitimate emergency, so you’re stuck cleaning and talking for what feels like an eternity. The party was a “team bonding” event to welcome the newcomers to Pittsburgh, and Tanev, Galchenyuk, and Kahun seemed to appreciate it, at least. You would appreciate if everyone would leave, so you can go home and fully enjoy the promise of the heated once-overs Sidney has been so generously giving you all evening.

You try to appreciate the time with everyone and be present in the conversations going on, but Sid has taken every free moment to shoot you glance after glance, like he can’t keep his eyes off of you. It’s not as if you haven’t been zoning out of various discussions to look at him too, though, so glass houses and all that. The guys slowly trickle out with their better halves over time, until Geno and Anna are the only ones left. It takes you a moment to notice, since you’ve been a bit transfixed by Sidney’s hands for a few minutes, because he’s definitely showing them off, knowing your weakness for them.

Momentarily, you meet eyes with Geno, who looks knowing and smug, before he turns his gaze to Sid. That’s probably going to be embarrassing later, but right now you don’t really care if anyone knows your plans. Despite being an asshole, Geno is actually a good guy, so he excuses himself and Anna not long after. They say their goodbyes, giving out hugs and cheek-kisses and back-slaps before leaving, both giving you a wink on the way out. They really are perfect for each other, huh?

More importantly, you’re now free to go. You make some polite conversation with Catherine quickly, just thanking her for hosting and wishing her luck with the children, offering to babysit if she ever needs a break. Sid switches with you, giving Catherine a hug and thanking her succinctly. It takes a handful of minutes for you to say goodbye to Kris, and you swear you can feel Sid’s frustration at having to wait. Typically, he wouldn’t care about waiting for you, but he’s been clearly turned on for at least an hour and probably desperate to get you alone. You’re definitely on the same page. Unfortunately: societal niceties.

The instant you’ve finished with Kris, Sidney has a hand on your lower back, guiding you toward the door and out with a final farewell thrown over your shoulder. Kris and Catherine stand in the doorway to see you out, making sure you get into the car and start up safely. Luckily, you can justify Sid’s potentially-inappropriate handle on you as coincidence, considering the fact that his hand naturally rests at the same level as your lower back, more or less. It’s just incidental, or a happy accident, or whatever. When he has to remove his hand so you can both load into his car, you immediately miss the contact.

You return the Letangs’ friendly wave as Sid backs out of the driveway. Even if he didn’t have the C, you’d never be able to leave events early because he always parks in the driveway and gets blocked in. Or maybe he lets himself get blocked in because the C means he’s trapped anyway? Not important. What is important is the big hand he lays heavily on your thigh, too high up for polite company and so, so warm. He keeps his eyes solely on the road as he drives, despite clearly holding onto the last of his composure by threads.

“The worst part is that you don’t even mean to do it,” he says, voice far deeper than when he spoke to Tanger. It sends a shiver down your spine, your entire body tensing in a barely-visible wave at the familiar sound. You have no idea what he means, and your confusion definitely shows on your face. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to want a response, because he just takes a beat and continues.

“You just dance, like there’s no one watching, like you wouldn’t even care if there were,” he says, voice conveying a thousand things; arousal, possession, awe, “And everybody watches you, but you only look at me.” His hands squeeze the steering wheel and your thigh in equal measure. You’re not proud of the sharp inhale you take in response, but you’re also not really thinking of your pride right now, or anything other than the heat and pressure just close enough to tease. Your brain is stuck on a loop of only you only you only you, but you don’t say it, not willing to give him the satisfaction of your devotion yet. Also, if you did give in and say it now, the two of you would probably end up with a ticket for public indecency. You can talk your way out of it once, but twice would probably be pushing it.

You don’t say a word the entire ride home, and his grip on you and the wheel eventually loosens. Though he does periodically tighten his fingers back around you, just sporadically enough to keep you on edge, keep you wanting. And god, did you want. Sid was the most beautiful man in the world on a normal day, so when he’s all focused and deliberate, almost ready to succumb to lust? Truly Athena herself couldn’t keep chaste in his presence.

Pulling up the driveway with his hand tight on the skin bared by your now bunched up skirt-- easily pushed out of the way by Sid’s searching fingers-- has your heart rate skyrocketing. He doesn’t spare you a peep before he cuts the ignition and exits the car, not needing to say a word for you to scramble to follow him, grabbing your bag and climbing out of the car so quickly you almost end up tumbling face-first onto the concrete. By time you get to the mud room, he’s already removed one shoe and is working on the other. He hadn’t worn a jacket, since it’s one of those rare September days where the world forgets it’s supposed to be transitioning into fall, so it’s 91° and 8-fuck-thousand percent humidity, so he doesn’t have to bother taking it off. Good. Less time wasted. As for you, you kick off your shoes and place them in their usual place a little less carefully than usual. Sid definitely has some level of OCD, but that won’t bother him. Probably. Maybe.

Clearly it doesn’t bother him right now, because he walks through the second door into the living room, still without a word. You follow behind, but staunchly refuse to compare yourself to an eager puppy despite the similarity. He leads the way to the bedroom, which seems way too far right now, in your opinion, but that’s not your brain talking. At least you get a nice view of Sid’s ass in his black swim trunks, close-fitting enough to accentuate his figure rather than hide it.

What you expect to happen once you reach the bedroom, is for him to immediately push you up against the door and kiss you senseless. What you do not expect, is for him to slowly crowd into your space, cupping your jaw with one hand and stroking your cheek gently with his thumb. The other hand comes to rest on the side of your ribcage, squeezing gently once as he looks down into your eyes. There’s so much adoration in his gaze that you feel like the swelling affection inside you is going to make you burst.

“I love you,” he says. His expression turns a bit bittersweet, like he knows he doesn’t say it enough, but appreciates you understanding it anyway. You cradle his face in both hands and kiss him once, almost chaste. A far cry from what you anticipated.

“I love you too,” you reply. You know you maybe say it too much, often enough that he gets flustered sometimes, or thinks it’s said out of habit and not sincerity. But you mean it every time, with all your heart. Again his expression changes, this time from bittersweet certainty to overt devotion. He looks at you as if you’re the most extraordinary person in the world, like he can’t believe he gets to have you, like you’re the exceptional one in this relationship. All you can do is kiss him again, longer this time, harder.

This is where the passion you’d expected comes in, where he starts kissing you like he can’t bear to part from you even for the necessity of breath. Where his hands run down your sides to sneak under your shirt, so they can skim back up your stomach to cup your breasts. Your bathing suit suddenly feels like far too much material between his hands and your skin, and you itch to take it off. To take all of it off, to bare yourself to him in a way that never felt so right with anyone before.

With your diminutive stature, he has to bend at the waist to kiss you while standing, and you know it sometimes gives him a crick in his neck. Which is totally the reason you’re eager to get to the bed, obviously. Not because his hands are warm even through your top and his lips are soft and damp against yours and the small needy sounds he makes into your mouth drive you wild. You’re just being considerate. Yup.

Whatever ulterior motives you may or may not have, you nudge him backward, guiding him toward the bed even as he continues to dip down to kiss you between looking back to make sure he doesn’t trip. When the backs of his knees hit the mattress, he doesn’t fall, just stops. He strips off his shirt with an unrestricted urgency he never shows anyone but you, throwing it toward the hamper. You follow suit, shucking off both tops, and pushing down your coverup skirt for good measure. He pauses, brushing his big hands over your shoulders and down your chest, admiring your figure so brazenly you feel yourself blush.

“You just gonna look?” you ask rhetorically, still a tad breathless, but feeling a bit bold yourself. In return, you’re graced with that beautiful crooked smile and a look far too dark to match-- under normal circumstances, at least. He squats down to grab you around the waist, tossing you onto the bed in a feat of strength that’s more than a little sexy. The noise you make is decidedly less sexy, but he just smiles wider, shoving off his trunks like an afterthought before joining you on the bed. You wriggle out of your suit bottoms, not getting a chance to throw them off the bed before he’s on top of you.

Sid is so intense this way, laser focus directed solely on you, fixated on the best way to take you apart. For the most part, you go with the flow. You’re more than willing to follow his lead, knowing from experience that he’ll make this more than exceptional.

With your body bared to him, he looms over you, eyes roaming your upper body. His thick thighs are solid and warm against your own legs, closer to your knees than you might expect of a more proportional couple; though all you can think of is how the scratch of his wiry body hair drives you a bit crazy. He kisses you again, only momentarily, before moving to your jaw, your neck, your shoulders. There will definitely be some dark spots that Malin and Kelsey will tease you about next time they see you, but the pressure and tinge of pain feel so good that you don’t much care.

Before Sid, you had assumed that your breasts simply weren’t that sensitive. Since the first time you’d slept together, however, you’d learned that maybe you just hadn’t had competent partners before. He sucks more hickeys into the thin skin of your breasts, mouthing and teasing at your nipples until you’re arching into his lips as you make sounds a bit too desperate for your liking. It’s just so good.

Occasionally, he’ll ask you to sit on his face. He knows it’s not easy for you, because your height means you have to rest a bit higher on your knees, which stresses your thighs. But he loves it so dearly that you do it from time to time. This evening, however, he seems far too frantic to eat you out as per usual. Instead, he abandons your chest to recapture your mouth. After so long, he knows exactly how to move, to lick, to press, to drive you crazy. Crazy enough that his fingers dipping into your folds make you gasp into his mouth in surprise.

Your focus shuttles between his fingers stretching you meticulously and the way he’s kissing the soul out of you. Your brain simply refuses to focus on one thing, jumping from his lips to his fingers to his thighs on your knees to his dick occasionally brushing your thigh. It’s all so much, his body the perfect complement to yours, no matter how counterintuitive that may seem.. He’s so big and warm, enveloping you in smooth skin and pounding pulse, completely encompassing you.

Once he deems you adequately stretched, he kisses you once again, slow and wet and deep. He asks you for the umpeenth time if you’re ready, if you’re okay with this, and you’re too much of a goner for him to do much more than kiss him and shimmy your hips closer to his own.

You’ll never get used to the first push inward. Sid’s not particularly long, but he’s thick, stretching you wide and hitting all the right spots you never even knew existed before him. His back is curled in a deep arch so he can bury his face in your chest for the initial stretch, like if he looks at you, he’ll lose it. Not that you would know, really, with how you throw your head back into the bottom edge of the pillow. All you can do is make a small “ah” sound, rocking your hips back and forth in an attempt to adjust to his size. Once bottomed out, Sid stays still as long as you need, no matter how the involuntary rolling of your pelvis makes him dig blunt nails into your hips.

“Come on,” you say, finally, hips reduced to tiny twitches, “Fuck me, Sid.” The phrasing draws a broken moan from his throat. He doesn’t bother wasting time with slow, dragging thrusts; just goes straight to fucking you into the mattress with as much speed and force as he can manage. Your ankles barely meet behind his back with how broad his torso is, so you dig fingertips into his shoulders to avoid being driven up the mattress.

No matter how single-minded he may seem as he shoves in and drags out, he still kisses you so sweetly. Whispering endearments and reassurances against your lips (though he still has to crane his head to do so, so maybe avoiding neck pain wasn’t your only motive for getting him into bed), he steadily fucks you into oblivion. By time he sucks a mark just under your jaw that’s sure to last, you’re gone, floating somewhere above yourself. When he comes, he bites into your collar bone, groaning out his pleasure as he fills you. You reply with a groan of your own, acutely aware of the warmth filling you, his cock still spreading you wide.

“Maybe I should dance more often,” you quip, once your breathing settles to something manageable. Sid huffs a laugh into the pillow, rolling to the side to avoid crushing you any more than he already has.

“As long as you’re not looking at any other guys,” he replies, letting his head flop to the side to smile at you.

“You know it’s only ever you, Sid,” you can feel your smile grow into something halfway between giddy and sentimental, “Only you.” He groans dramatically and throws an arm over his face, in a gesture you know means that he wishes he was 18 again so he could go twice in a row. All you can do is laugh and turn toward him, peeling his arm away and giving him a soft, lingering kiss.

“Just make sure you stay on the edge of the crowd so I can actually see you,” he says against your lips, grinning even as you gasp and smack his shoulder.

Over time, you’ve learned that aftercare is important to Sid. He likes to pamper you, to guide you into the shower so he can soap you up and wash you down. He loves to carefully towel you off, pressing gentle kisses to the places he bruised with his mouth and fingers. To cover you with his clothing, a t-shirt that reaches past the mid-point of your thighs and shorts that may as well be capris. To settle you into the bed once the duvet has been tossed toward the hamper, wrapping you in the sheets and comforter, tight against himself. Taking care of you has always been his favorite thing, the way you look up at him with drooping eyes and sleepy voice to thank him for everything. For the reassurance, for helping clean you, for your vaguely sore lower body and the way it makes you feel such deep satisfaction, for loving you, for making you feel loved, for making you believe you are loved. Believe you are loved, are cared for, are worth his love and care. Only you.

#sidney crosby imagine #nhl imagines #RI #andis coping mechanism #nws #scrosby

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withabackpackandcamera · 4 years

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February 15th, 2020

Day 1: The Minimally Productive First Day in Singapore

The last 24+ hours of flights were very long. And restless. It all started with a last minute flight change to Asia because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) that has the whole world in an uproar and panicking. Because of the situation in Wuhan, China and nearby areas, EVA Air couldn’t fly me through Taipei to get to the Philippines due to travel bans and restrictions. I didn’t get the notice until right before boarding my flight since I didn’t recognize the way they were calling out my name on the intercom… and because of that, I missed my chance for a direct flight to the Philippines via Philippines Airlines. After the desk people figured some things out, I ended up getting added on to the boarding list for Asiana Airlines, a Korean airline, that would fly me into Seoul, where I would transfer to a flight to Manila.

The airlines and flight weren’t too bad. But it wasn’t perfect. On EVA Airlines, I had picked a window seat and there were very few people flying out as well, which would’ve given me plenty of space for sleeping. Instead, I was in a middle seat in the middle aisle. Luckily, I had one empty seat next to me which gave me a little more space for stretching out. But because I couldn’t get a window seat, I found it hard to fall asleep on the flight. I ended up passing many, many hours watching three movies (the new Charlie’s Angels remake, Ad Astra (a really bad movie), and Angel Has Fallen), playing games on my phone, doing MKSAP questions, and trying to sleep.

After a long flight across the Pacific, a quick layover in Incheon Airport in Seoul (with signs everywhere regarding COVID-19), and another 5-6 hr flight to Manila, I was finally in the Philippines. Getting through immigrations took forever, but I eventually made it through to the exit, where I took a shuttle to one of the other terminals for the very last leg of the trip to Singapore, the first real destination on my vacation. But I still had several hours to wait at the Manila Airport. Fortunately enough, I was able to find a Priority Pass lounge that was open 24/7 and hung out there, where I tried to nap and ate some good food before boarding my Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore.

I finally made it to Singapore after my 4 hour flight! And surprisingly, I had more energy than I thought I’d have when I arrived. Once through immigration, I sat at the airport for a bit to figure out where I needed to go and what I needed to do to get to my hostel appropriately. After searching for a bit, I finally decided to buy a three-day unlimited rail pass to use in my three days in Singapore. Like all other major metropolitan train systems around the world, Singapore’s MRT was pretty easy to navigate. After taking the Green East-West Line out to Outram Park, I walked about 1km to get to my hostel, Thad’s Boutique Hostel. I was pretty early for my check-in time but was hoping they’d let me in early so I could take a much-needed nap before beginning the day’s explorations. But unfortunately, they did not. As a result, I ended up having to kill some time around the area before coming back to check in.

At this point, the energy I obtained from all of the food I had consumed on my many flights to get to Singapore started to wear off. I took this opportunity to find some lunch for the day. It didn’t take long for me to decide on and walk to Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice, a hole-in-the-wall-type, local food stall that was recommended to me by some ex-pats who lived or were living in Singapore. And luckily for me, the food stall was a short walking distance from my hostel.

Because it was lunch hour, I ended up getting to Loo’s and waiting in line for about 30-40 minutes before I could order and receive my Pork Cutlet with Curry over Rice with Cabbage/Veggies (chap chye). For only 3.50 Singapore Dollars (which is about $2.50)! What a steal! And it was delicious! The curry was so flavorful with just a hint of spiciness to it. The pork cutlet was not too thick and not too thin with just the right crispness. And it was nice to have some veggies on the side to complement everything. The dish itself reminded me a little of Japanese katsu curry but with just a tad more flavor and kick to it and just a little heartier and homey-er. But man, what a cheap meal to start my trip with!

With some more time to kill, I sat and digested my food for a short bit in the shade of the sidewalk before making moves. I walked through the Tiong Bahru neighborhood on my way to Robertson Quay, an area next to the river where Julia Namgoong, one of my old friends from GHP, used to live with her partner. I walked through the area and walked along the walkway that ran right next to the river as I explored the area in the heat and humidity. I made some turns here and there and slowly started to trek back to the hostel to check in. My last stop on my time-killing stroll was the Alkaff Bridge, a colorful little bridge that crossed the same river I was walking along earlier.

After enduring the heat and humidity for what felt like way too long (especially given my sleep deprivation), I finally made my way back to my hostel where I checked in and showered off all of the grossness that I had accumulated over the last 1.5 days of travel. The plan after showering and cleaning up was to do some research to plan my 3-day Singapore trip and take a short nap to recuperate before going out to catch the sunset at Marina Bay. I did a little planning but once I closed my eyes for a short bit, it was game over. I didn’t wake up afterward and ended up sleeping through the evening and night (with my little personal light still on and my backpack on my bed) until the wee hours of the morning. Well... that was productive...

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. People drive on the left side of the road in Singapore. I totally forgot that it was one of the countries that did that.

2. Hainanese Curry Rice is a Chinese-Singaporean dish, not a Hainanese/Chinese dish. It was started by Hainanese immigrants who had moved to Singapore. And Loo’s is a locally famous food corner that has specialized in Hainanese curry rice since 1946. Supposedly, the curry here is unique and unbeatable because of the unique way it is cooked (as in, it usually takes around three days to prepare this delicious curry).

3. The roads here in Singapore Proper are very flowy and turny with few stoppable intersections and traffic lights (compared to typical street situations in other cities). This type of design actually makes it quite difficult to cross the road in a convenient and straightforward manner (i.e. you can’t just cross the road with lights and yield signs but sometimes have to use crossing bridges and walk down inconvenient paths to get to your destination across the street).

4. A hawker center is an open air complex housing lots of vendors and stalls that sell cheap foods, i.e. street foods. These types of establishments are often seen in Southeast Asia. The term hawker center is primarily used in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Essentially, it’s like a food court.

5. Because it is so small, Singapore has very limited space to grow and expand. However, there seems to be lots of construction going on around the center of Singapore. And buildings here are primarily built upwards instead of outwards because of space limitations. There are tons and tons of high-rise buildings here, with many of those buildings probably used for housing.

#huyphan8990 #withabackpackandcamera #travelblog #travel #blog #Asia #Singapore #Vacation #February #coronavirus #COVID-19 #Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice #RobertsonQuay #TiongBahru #backpacking #2020

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aoibaratraveler · 5 years

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UK Road Trip Week 3

Ahhh late post was initially meaning to post every Monday but what can you do when you're on the road with limited signal sometimes and always wanting to look out the window and the pretty sights.

Day 15:

Woke up early and was finally able to put in our big bag of laundry into the wash. We weren't really able to do the things we thought about doing like going for a hike or a bike ride because we wanted to wait for our laundry so instead we took it easy and watched the last episode of izombie and once V was done with her skype interview we went grocery shopping for dinner supplies since we were going to cook ratatouille. We got back to the house and prepped all the vegetables and V made vegan chocolate pudding for dessert. Once everything was prepped and ready we decided to go kayaking for a little while before everyone would be back for dinner. Since there were 3 of us and only 2 kayaks, the bf and I decided to share one but boy was that a mistake because the bf sat in front with me in the back (so he was sitting in between my legs) and I'm not sure how but all his weight was on me and when I tried to position myself to paddle, it put so much strain on my abs and was the most painful thing so it was a struggle but at least we had a laugh and got to see a cool cave and some beautiful waves; got pretty drenched though. On the way back the bf and V switched and she and I sat together which made the paddle back much easier because she's lighter and I sat in front this time for good measure. When we got back, we quickly whipped up the rest of dinner (which was delicious) and chowed down. We then drove V's parents to an evening event and then the bf had a go at driving "Marvin", a classic 70's Volkswagen beetle that was gifted to V and her sister by their parents when they were 17. We got back and played games until midnight and V's parents returned just before we were to call it a night. V's dad decided out of the blue though that he wanted to show us the strangest card trick which involved being able to manipulate two rows of cards to be completely black and completely red even though we were the ones dealing it. Afterward, V showed us a curious card trick as well before we finally hit the hay.

Day 16:

Had a nice long catch up with V this morning before saying goodbye so much so that we didn't leave her house until 12:30...when we were expecting a 7 hour drive ahead of us...on the plus side when I mentioned to her parents that lately it's been cold while camping, her mom went and got us a duvet to take with us that she was planning to donate anyway. The drive was lovely and scenic but I was feeling a bit ill because of my indigestion so couldn't fully take it in. We were short on time since we didn't want to set up the tent when it was too dark and we only made one stop on the drive in a place just outside of Land's End called St. Just. It was a cliffside surrounded by lush green rolling hills and fields that was just gorgeous and gave such an atmosphere with the overcast. The rocky cliffs partially covered in grass and flowers were wonderful as they overlooked the clear blue-green ocean water. We sat there for a while and just took it in but I was sure that I could just sit there all day and still want more. It was most definitely my favourite stop by far. Afterward, we continued our drive from Cornwall to St. Clears which is just outside of Carmarthen in Wales and arrived at about 9:30 and were able to set up the tent even though it was already quite dark and managed to finish before the rain really poured down.

Day 17:

Today we experienced a downpour for most of the morning and day with the sun really only coming out at 5. We decided to leave early so we could drive through Swansea and then Cardiff. The clouds and rain didn't help the run-down atmosphere that Swansea was giving off with numerous shops that we drove by being closed down. When we got to Cardiff we decided to head straight for Tim Hortons which was nice since I was feeling a bit homesick although it obviously wasn't as good as what I've had in Canada. Afterward, we walked to the Millennium center which was the location for many Doctor Who episodes. After that, we watched the Liverpool game at an Australian sports bar and then headed to Caerphilly Castle which is the largest castle in Wales and had a nice little stroll before heading back for the night since we were still pretty tired from the previous day's drive.

Day 18:

As soon as we woke up today we attempted to put away our tent but struggled because of the periodic downpour that seemed to come down very hard every 10 minutes or so. We felt a bit bad though because the tent next to us was huge and the guy who was taking it down was on his own and seemed completely unfazed by the rain. We set off as soon as we could and drove along the Welsh coast/Pembrokeshire coast and again saw some gorgeous coastal views from St. David's to Trefin to Fishguard. It was especially lovely because the rain had cleared up. The cove in Trefin beach that is part of the Pembrokeshire coast national park was my favourite part of the drive and just beautiful. When we arrived in Aberystwyth we walked around the beach for a while and the bf showed me where he used to live. We even got pizza for dinner from a place called Hollywood pizza where he used to go most nights after drinking. Super cheesy with a buttery and crispy crust. We then continued our stroll and hiked up Constitution hill for some gorgeous views of the city. After a few minutes at the top, the bf was too cold so we walked down and caught a bit of the sunset on the before heading back.

Day 19:

The bf disagrees but I found the bed at this Airbnb that we booked for our stay in Aberystwyth super comfy and the pillows super fluffy and to be completely honest, it made me dread the thought of camping again but only a little bit. We got up and went to eat at "Sophie's", a breakfast cafe that the bf was a regular at during his uni days. It was super yummy there and the veggie sausages were on point. It was a rather humid day but again the weather couldn't decide whether it wanted to be Sunny or have a downpour. After breakfast, we headed to a place called "Devil's Bridge". It had loads of beautiful waterfalls and cool bridges. We stupidly parked in a spot that required us to pay even though the car park for the Devil's Bridge was free. The walk around the bridge and waterfall area took about 45 mins. There was a steep staircase there that, not gonna lie, terrified me at first. My fear of heights picks and chooses its moments and it had a pretty big one then. I'm totally fine with hiking up steep areas but hiking down is different so needed the bf's help then. The hike/walk back up the stairs of the place was certainly steep so my legs were shaking by the end of it. From the Devil's Bridge, we headed to Morrisons for some supplies and then back to the Airbnb to chill for a bit and watch Doctor Who. The bf and I both agree that the Matt Smith portion of the show is our favourite and that he's our favourite Doctor because he's wise but also daft and loveable. We concluded the night by having another stroll along the beach and grabbing some McDonald's...oh and since this Airbnb is working like a legitimate BnB, the room next to us was also taken so the night was really ended by us trying to drown out the sound of the couple in the next room having sex...lovely. 🙃

Day 20:

Today was the day that we were meant to hike Snowden so I got up at 8 packed my stuff, finished my chapter of HP that I was on and uploaded week 2 of my blog! By the time we got to the car though we realized it would be foolish to try and get to Snowden this late in the morning and hike it. Instead, we dawdled for a bit and then had lunch at a fusion place in Aberystwyth that I'd been wanting to try; really yummy fried chicken there. We then drove to the university that the bf used to attend and he showed me around the campus and the student housing in which he lived in during first year and recalled stories from that time. We then headed to Snowdonia National park since the bf's friend, T, lives and works there. She works in this quaint little book shop in a small town that had a such a laid back feel to it called Porth Madog. It was my first time meeting her but she was really nice and informative about what we could do in the area, she also reminded me immensely of another friend that the bf and I both know because of their mannerisms and colour of hair that they have both dyed the same colour. After chatting with her for a bit, we headed to the bay area near the town which was so lovely and serene and we sat there and read for a bit. When it became a bit cold we decided to head to Aldi for some snacks. All throughout the day I was feeling really sluggish and sleepy and no amount of coffee or energy drink seemed to help (only had one of each lol). The bf felt the same but he more so was just dreading our impending plans of wild camping but I was as well since we both had never done it before and didn't really want to deal with waiting for dusk to put up the tent and then to wake up at the crack of dawn to take it down. We agreed we didn't want to bother with the hassle, at least not that night since we were both tired and so we drove near the base of Snowden, parked in a lay by, reorganized the car and then slept.

Day 21:

Woke up at roughly 7 am and so did the bf and we both had the resolve to quickly get ready and start the hike up Snowden as soon as we could. Luckily there was a washroom at the base car park so we could freshen up. We then began the walk from where we parked the car (15 mins walk from the base) at about 8:45 am. I have already seen some quite spectacular coastal views in the UK but this was by far the best inland views I'd seen yet and my first time seeing proper mountainous views here. Such beauty, I'd never done this kind of hike before in my life.

I know I'm from Vancouver and I'm sure there are gorgeous hikes there but I never had my own car to get to them. I've hiked up Grouse Mountain and even though the views from the chalet are beautiful, it's just not as scenic a hike. My photos can't even begin to bring it justice. I was also surprised that it really didn't feel that difficult so I suppose I'm in better shape than I thought, I even seemed to be having an easier time at it than the bf. We walked along beautiful streams and what seemed like endless ridges and countless sheep just minding their own business. I might be a bit bias, but the bf is really just the best hiking buddy. He's always calm, reassuring, and well prepared and I felt the hike was that much more fun because I could share the experience with him. I honestly wish I could have filmed the whole hike to really capture what an amazing experience it was but I didn't have the equipment. Near the summit, there is a portion of the hike that is truly a scramble. I felt like a monkey as I crawled up the edge of the mountain; what an adrenaline rush but also thoroughly exhausting. It took us just under 4 hours to reach the summit. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the hike up, especially so with the lovely weather, the summit was appalling. It was absolutely crowded with tourists, many of whom were inappropriately dressed for such a strenuous hike AND who were also drinking and smoking! At the top of a mountain!? Ugh. The summit was really small and there was nothing to do but maybe go to the unnecessary pub that is there and look at the gorgeous view. So after about 30 minutes, we decided to head back down a different way. The walk down was much harder on my feet and at times very painful but I persevered because if I were to stop and rest for too long then we would have gotten caught up in an obnoxious camp group that was on our tail. It took us 2 and a half hours to get back down to the base of the mountain although it felt shorter (so did the hike up) and the total time was about 7 and a half hours from the car and back. We walked about 31 000 steps and I just felt so proud of myself to have been able to accomplish that hike at all, I was happy for the rest of the day but that also could have been because of the endorphins. We had a snack at a nearby cafe after leaving Snowden and then drove to Betws y Coed and set up in a nearby lay by again feeling fully destroyed and ready for sleep.

#ukroadtrip2019 #ukexploring #ukroadtrip #uk #wales #welshnature #snowden #snowdonia #travel blog #blog post #blog #roadtrip #mountains #naturelovers #camping #hiking #travel #travellover

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thejewitchelf · 6 years

Text

Random things that each of the signs remind me of

Aries:

The desert, gun powder, getting into a hot car, pewter, red hair, winged eyeliner, a hand raised in class, skater skirts and knee highs, stuttering, barbed wire, contact sports, flushed cheeks, a stomach dropping, heart palpitations, scrapes, amusement parks, fireworks and a jump scare

Taurus:

Round sunglasses, acoustic guitars, morning dew on Beltane, crocheted blankets, flower crowns, a warm bed, curly hair, white lace, endless meadows, a nap in the sun, outdoor concerts, old trees, ripped jeans and sheer dresses, fresh potting soil and dynamite

Gemini:

Neon lights, stars on a clear night, 2 am talks, giggles, big eyes, sour candy, wind chimes, shopping malls, space buns, getting lost, mathematical equations, mismatched socks, chewing gum stuck to the bottom of your shoes, spilled tea and shattered glass

Cancer:

The dark, 3 am burgers, humid caves, bioluminescence, seashells, pink and purple fairy lights, undiscovered oceanic terrains, a word of advice from a best friend, omens, family heirlooms, maximalism, the smell of marijuana, large sweaters and secrets

Leo:

Wearing sunglasses indoors, leather jackets, birthday cake, a word of encouragement, night clubs, visible heat waves, blue jeans, wide grins, new tennis shoes, bubble baths, an applause, the 80′s, vintage bicycles, children’s laughter, silk pajamas and a warm hug

Virgo:

Fresh coffee, bandaids, taxidermy, medical tools, bookshelves, a magnifying glass, many half-full notebooks, jean jackets and sweatpants, pebbles in your shoes, late nights, mint, typewriters, lace bralettes, squirrels, messy hair, lost thoughts, dust bunnies, cold showers and lip gloss

Libra:

Shaggy pastel rugs, minimalism, ankle boots, the smell of roses, chokers, museums, sterling silver, achieved goals, architecture, diamonds, air plants and succulents, fresh sheets, crop tops, daily planners, aventurine, large windows and a one night stand

Scorpio:

Red wine and dark chocolate, conspiracies, black fingernails, a heart of gold, the underworld, undisclosed information, signing a contract, a shield, an under the table deal, sacrifices, black holes, hidden treasure, moments of intimacy in any form, introspection, bones, witchcraft, a look from across the room

Sagittarius:

Fringe, the smell of burning wood, tattoos, unexplained bruises and broken bones, motorcycles, sleeping outside, asphalt, the beach, maps worn thin, tanned shoulders, tangled hair, hiking boots, animal companions, eclectic jewelry, gnats appearing in the light of a summer sunset, emeralds, tie dye and memories

Capricorn:

Firm handshakes, a deal, fancy watches, messy handwriting, questionable facial expressions, junk drawers, flannels, leather armchairs, whiskey, ancient artifacts, fountain pens, filled notebooks, abandoned buildings, a book slammed shut, monuments and an echo

Aquarius:

The feeling of ice water running down your throat, marble statues, crystals, crisp air on an overcast day, spacecrafts, acrylic paint swirled together, electric blue eyeliner, lightning, holographic raincoats, a deep conversation in the center of a shopping mall, colored hair and a serious expression

Pisces:

A lucid dream, one way mirrors, glaciers, iridescent glitter, periwinkle cashmere sweaters, jellyfish, astral travel, distant stares, a pat on the back, hot cocoa, the sound of rain, fantasy novels, fandoms, dream journals, sketchbooks and plans falling through

*primarily inspired from things that remind me of the people in my life that I associate with their sun signs

#astrology #astrology aesthetic #mine #sun sign

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inktae · 6 years

Text

without the stars

◇ pairing: yoongi | reader ◇ genre: angst ◇ word count: 3.896 ◇ warnings: very brief mentions of death ◇ author’s note: I really encourage you guys to listen to this playlist. I wrote this entire story with it on a loop. it is short, but I feel like the songs catch the atmosphere quite perfectly :)

Careless.

That is the word Namjoon refers to you as — utterly careless, at least for the past six months. It makes you wonder if it is that bad to lose a bit of that inner fear every human carries around, fed by the pure instinct of survival. It was especially ingrained in you, always looking behind your back at night while holding tight onto your phone. Not particularly crippling, but it did bring up an anxiousness that was simply unavoidable.

But you do not look back anymore. It is almost midnight, the streets are lonely and you thrive on the eerie silence as you reach the coast of the city, almost smiling towards the crashing waves as the winds pick up, impulsed by the stinging cold. You burrow inside your jacket, looking around with the help of dim streetlights that struggle to stay alive, and it does not take you too long to spot him.

Well, his car. He did not lie when he said it would be impossible to miss — large pickup truck from the nineties, its color a rough burgundy that is starting to fade out. Traces of nervousness suddenly crawl up the nape of your neck, a feeling you almost forgot but certainly did not miss; it has been a while since you felt anything at all, and disappointment washes over you as you realize that your body did not forget what plain nerves feel like. Bothersome, and completely unnecessary.

There is no reason to feel nervous around this guy, you remind yourself. This might be your first time in each other’s company and no one else’s, but you know him and what he is like, and you are certain he feels the same.

At first he was the typical acquaintance, a friend of a friend. Hellos and goodbyes were the only words interchanged. Always polite to each other, a smile here and there, and small talk, though boring, made it clear that you at least tolerated each other. After came the brief texting — two months, tops — which revealed that you are somewhat in tune with each other, or at least nearing the same wavelength. And even if you had nothing much to say, it was that mutual understanding — that silent reassurance of I’m here and I get it that no one could provide — what made you both feel somewhat closer to each other. Not as friends, not really. But you were not acquaintances anymore, and you both acknowledged it.

It felt… fine. It felt comforting, and at the time that was more than enough.

It is not as if this meeting was planned or that you were looking forward to this for weeks, so the nerves are simply pointless. You expect nothing out of this, and he probably does not expect anything either. You know it will be fine, even if your body decides to worry about it.

You finally get a glimpse of him when you’re close enough. He is parked right in front of the beach, and it makes you wonder if he has been here since the sunset. Opening the door as soon as he notices your presence, he barely shows any hint of warmth through his expression — he has always been stoic, but there’s a sort of emptiness in his eyes that makes his usual coldness even more prominent. He hands you a beer and you cannot help but smile, tipping it at him before taking a long gulp. It is still cold, making you gasp in relief as it smoothly slides down your throat.

“Do you mind if I sit on the hood of the car?” you ask, pointing at the front of the vehicle. He leans inside to grab his half emptied beer, nodding.

“I’ll join you.”

“Play some music,” you say, not really asking. You have a feeling that he will not mind the demand, even if you are practically strangers.

“Good idea.”

You take a seat on the hood while he fiddles inside the car, blinking at the darkness that drapes over the beach. The approaching winter is numbing and so is the beer, and you welcome the way it freezes your fingertips and prickles at your skin.

Gentle music starts drifting from the speakers, so smoothly you almost miss it. You feel surprised at the slow rhythm that blends perfectly with the steady rumble of the shore, almost certain that he was about to blast something strong and fast-paced, loud and distracting enough to keep you both silent without making it awkward.

He closes the door and leaves the windows lowered, walking around the truck to join you with his own drink. You both share a quick glance at each other before averting your eyes, feeling mildly embarrassed as you take another gulp.

“Thanks for coming at such short notice,” he utters, voice completely natural. He does not seem to notice your nerves at all; or maybe he does but does not mind. “Didn’t think you’d actually say yes.”

“Well, I am also skipping the same party,” you reply, half smiling. “You gave me a chance to bail out and I took it. I gotta thank you for that as well.”

“My pleasure. We can be terrible friends together.”

His pale hand holding his beer shows up in your peripheral vision, making you realize that he is offering to clink bottles. You accept the offer absentmindedly, faintly remembering the promise you made to Seokjin merely three days ago. Of course I am coming, it’s your engagement. I know how important this is for you.

“Ah, Min Yoongi, I didn’t know you were as bitter as me.”

“I did. That’s why you’re here with me.”

You look at him again, snorting. You notice he has lifted the hood of his black sweater, hiding his bleached hair as the streetlights cast stark shadows over his face. You allow yourself to stare a little longer, also spotting chapped lips and dark circles under his eyes. If you are completely honest with yourself, you barely see a difference in his appearance from six months ago. To you he always looked a little forlorn, a little absent, like he was always thinking of a million other things he would rather be doing. Then again, someone else would probably be able to spot countless incongruities — someone like Namjoon, or Seokjin. Someone Min Yoongi could truly call a friend.

“What are you trying to see?” you jolt the moment he slides his gaze towards yours, locking them with confidence. It is the first time he really looks at you, directly in the eyes without glancing away, and you are sure you would lose your balance had you been standing up.

“I don’t know,” you reply honestly, looking down at your beer. “It’s been a while since we last saw each other.”

“Yep. Five months and two weeks.”

You wince at that, straightening up and touching your left shoulder. The pain is slowly vanishing away, but it comes back sometimes, like the waves that crawl over and leave cold and humid prints in their wake. You can feel Yoongi’s stare, silent and unwavering, and you’re thankful that he does not say anything about it.

“Small talk is painful,” you joke suddenly, not sure where the hell that came from. You look at him briefly, apologetic smile brushing your lips. “Sorry. Wasn’t even funny.”

“You don’t need to try, you know,” he says before taking a sip of the beer, and you envy the way he speaks so… naturally, like he has nothing to hold back. “I thought you were aware of that already. If you don’t want to talk, then don’t talk.”

You nod, falling into a quick silence, so welcome it feels like you can breathe again. It turns strangely warm as you keep drinking together, finishing up the beers before switching over to sugary sodas and a pack of cookies he stole from Hoseok, his roommate.

It feels good. In fact, you have not felt this good in a while, loose and free and away from expectations, phone in your pocket turned off and zero interest in looking through the burst of notifications you’re most likely getting from Seokjin and the others. It takes you a while to realize you’re smiling, and when you do, you push it back almost immediately.

“I want to talk now,” you say after a few minutes of static silence, turning to him. “Can I?”

He leans back, giving you a disinterested look. “I don’t, but you go ahead. I’ll listen.”

“That’s more than enough,” you nod, turning towards the beach again. “I feel okay right now. But that makes me feel terrible. Does that make sense?”

You do not get an answer, and it takes you a while to realize he said he did not want to chat. Even better, you think.

“I know I’m being a shitty friend. It’s Seokjin’s engagement party, for fuck’s sake. It sounds stupid— but it was important to him, right? He really cares about this kind of stuff. And that should be enough for me to care as well. But I don’t. And I don’t want to care. I’m happy I didn’t go and I want him to see that I don’t want to care and that it’s too fucking—”

You take a deep breath, tilting your head towards the sky. It is cloudless, and you wish you could see the stars, but the pollution of the city has never allowed you to look past the thick veil of nothingness. You wish you could get a glimpse of their glow, find comfort in the way they twinkle like they do in the movies. You wish they could ease the knot in your throat, which never lets loose, no matter how much time passes.

“It’s too soon.”

Yoongi’s words send a cold shiver up your spine, and something under your skin pulses in pain.

“And the thing is— it will always be too soon,” you continue, unable to stop yourself. Now, this — this is where the nerves came from, you realize. You thought you had it under tight control, so locked up inside something as mundane as a beer and a kindly silence would never be able to pull it out.

But here you are, talking about it. Your heart rate is already making its presence known, like it always does every time you feel a surge of anxiety coming through. It makes your hands tremble and turns the air colder around you, losing its previous warmth as you become painfully aware of the blood rushing through your veins, of the cutting winds and Yoongi’s heavy presence by your side.

“Hey.”

His voice makes you turn towards him. He sounds surprisingly softer, milder, like he knows he is threading carefully now. But his eyes look as cold as ever, and it somehow makes you come back to your senses — his gaze may not be warm and easy ,but it is familiar, at least.

“Like I said earlier, you don’t need to try,” he shrugs. “Do you get what I mean?”

You have to prepare your voice before speaking. “I don’t think so.”

“There is this way you behave in front of everyone… now, I’m not judging, but it’s what I see. And I don’t know what’s going on inside there,” he signals at your chest area, gaze still detached. “But I can tell you control it too much. And I understand that. So all I’m saying is that you don’t need to be like that tonight. If you wanna go batshit crazy, then that’s fine, too. Just do whatever. Who knows, you might even need it.”

“I can’t do that,” you laugh humorlessly, fists clenching on your lap. “I’ve been keeping it together for six months, Yoongi. I can’t just let it all crumble. I don’t think I even know how.”

“But you were, just a few moments ago.”

“Didn’t you say you were not talking?” you snap, quickly regretting it. Yoongi may be a bit of an asshole, but he does not deserve a broken person biting back at him. “Sorry.”

He waves his hand dismissively. “Don’t sweat it.”

“I wish I could be as detached as you are,” you sigh after a few seconds, stirring on the spot. The silence has lost its safe atmosphere, and now there is a buzzing electricity you cannot let go of, one that keeps your mind reeling and words clumping together. If time felt stilled before, now it feels like it is rushing to keep up. You cannot keep quiet now. “I wish you could teach me. I... I need to learn how to let it all go.”

He gets up, then. You feel a dreadful sensation climbing up your legs when he faces you, the hint of a smile ghosting over his mouth.

“You can’t let it go.”

“Huh?”

“We’ve been texting for a bit over a month,” he continues, ignoring your confused stare. “And it’s always the same mindless conversation, isn’t it? everything we say is just… empty, nothing has substance. But we share that thing. That stupid thing we never acknowledge but it is always there. And a few days ago, when I started wondering why are we even talking, I realized that there is a reason. There is a why. And we have to face it, because we can’t keep talking about the fucking weather or Seokjin’s bad jokes. Not if we want to stop boring each other with the same damn questions we don’t really care about.”

You cannot say anything. Your mind is blank and your heart is barely stuttering — as if it is slowly assimilating Yoongi’s words. But he continues, with a growing intensity you have never seen in him.

“I’m pretty sure we both thought being around each other or just chatting would be enough to alleviate it. To ignore it. But it isn’t. If it was enough, we would both be at Seokjin’s party right now, smiling at the happy couple. We wouldn’t ignore our friends like we’ve been doing. Because, Y/N, I’m the same as you are—” he takes a deep breath, and for the first time, his eyes glisten. “I’ve been hiding it, too. And we need to stop.”

That is all it takes.

The tears flow and you’re laughing — and the onslaught of emotions is so potent you cannot pinpoint where it comes from, or what it is or what it’s doing to your body. All you know is that you cannot stop laughing and that the music is still thrumming in the background and Yoongi’s looking at you, unmoving, with a stare you cannot decipher through your blurry gaze.

“Did you know what my therapist said? That I should distract myself— as if that would be enough!” you choke out, voice unrecognizable — it is angry, oh so angry, but also broken in a way you have never heard before. It is raw, thin with a vulnerability that almost makes you feel ashamed. “Did you hate everyone, too? It took me three months to realize the world wasn’t against me—”

“I did. I hated everyone,” Yoongi says, voice rough. The tears are still falling, but you can see clearly now, enough to notice a redness around his eyes. He is not crying, but he looks wrecked. “I still do, sometimes. I hate Seokjin today, fuck, I really do.”

“Me too,” you laugh again, voice trembling. “This fucking sucks.”

You take a deep breath, feeling another rush of words crawling up, but Yoongi beats you to it.

“If Hyelin were here she would slap the shit out of me,” he slumps against the hood again, looking defeated. “She would tell me to stop being a crybaby and to do what friends do— to be happy for him. She would…”

He lets his words fade, but they remain within the silence. And even though you know it is your turn, you are not ready to say it.

But then again, you will never be.

“Kim Taehyung,” you say his name, finally, after six months. Six months of avoiding the thought of those two words, out in the open, and they cut through the air like a honed knife. They hurt and taste like venom on your tongue, but you push through, allowing the pain to ooze out. “He wasn’t as direct as Hyelin. He… he had a way of reassuring you while also shaking you awake. Like a very strong hug that pulled the air out of your lungs. Yeah… that’s how he was. He would give me one right now, probably. Yeah.”

You’re starting to shake a little — and for a second you believe it is the pain, but then you realize it is just the night growing colder. You turn towards Yoongi, just in time to see him cleaning up his face with his sleeve. There are no traces of tears on his cheeks, but his eyes are swollen and strikingly angry, lips pursed and gaze hooded.

But then he looks at you, and it comes as a surprise for you both when you give him a smile. A small one, but the biggest one you have shown the world in a while.

“You were right,” you say, voice weak. “We kinda needed this.”

“Oh, I’m not done yet,” he huffs out, and you understand. You truly do.

You do not know how much time passes. Maybe one hour, maybe two or three. Time is meaningless when there is so much pain in the way, drenching out like a wound that was just starting to heal but is ripped open again, and neither of you care about the freezing blows of air that come from the beach as you both push it all out.

You faintly remember Yoongi screaming, and maybe you joined him as well — but you only come to your senses when you let yourself fall onto the sand, right next to a tired-looking Yoongi that has his eyes fixed on the dull sky.

“Yoongi?” you ask after a while, voice small and hoarse. Time has stilled again, like a strange and invisible bubble around you, keeping you both fixed in the moment.

“Hmm?”

“I don’t remember much of what just happened, but if I said that I wanted to die, I take it back. I don’t want to.”

“I know. I said it, too. And I also take it back.”

You smile gently at that. You feel somewhat empty — but in a good way, like you have nothing to hide anymore.

“I’m glad.”

“They shouldn’t have taken that plane. What were they thinking?” Yoongi asks quietly, sounding almost emotionless. “Hyelin, she’s— she’s afraid of them. I am sure she checked the weather and read about the storm. She probably wanted to come another day, one that was sunnier.”

“But there were probably no more planes available for a while,” you continue, blinking up at the round moon. It is exceptionally bright tonight. “And they were so, so excited about surprising us. Stupid Taehyung.”

“They were so dumb.”

“Yeah, they were. Stupid plane. Stupid crash,” you close your eyes, allowing the pain to float between you both. “Yoongi. Do you think you will ever love someone the same way ever again?”

“Of course not.”

“I know. Same here. Those two were one of a kind,” you bite your trembling lip before letting out a breath. “Taehyung was so kind, it was actually hard to believe sometimes. And what was even harder to believe was that he chose me. He truly wanted to spend his life with me.”

It takes him a while to reply. “Maybe we can look at it that way. How lucky we were to have experienced that.” “Maybe it would have been easier not to have experienced it at all. That weird kind of love.”

“Yeah… maybe.”

The bubble pops, and time starts flying again.

You open your eyes when you notice something shift in your surroundings, gaze widening when you become aware of the slow rise of dawn, slowly creeping up the horizon. You wince when you notice you’re completely covered in sand — it clings to your clothes from head to toe, fingers humid with remnants of tears and cheeks uncomfortably sticky with traces of heavy crying.

You groan as you get up, quickly realizing you fell asleep next to Yoongi on the beach. He is wide awake, looking at you with a strangely peaceful expression as he slowly sits up.

“You’re shaking,” he points out, breaking through any weirdness that could have arisen after last night.

“Yeah, well. It’s really cold,” you smile. It is surprisingly easier to do so. Not completely easy, but it is a huge step nonetheless.

You offer him a hand and he takes it, swiftly getting up, and there is something about his stance that makes him seem weightless. It helps you pinpoint something that did change after the plane crash of six months ago — he may have looked detached, but he was clearly carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“I’ll drive you home,” he says, stretching his arms as he walks back to the truck. You follow him, silently climbing inside as you observe him with your lips pursed. You stop him before he has a chance to turn on the ignition, hand on his as he gives you a questioning look.

“Let’s not forget last night,” you say, voice so frail it almost turns into nothing. “Let’s not forget our pain. Or them.”

He nods, expression solemn. For the first time, he smiles.

“We won’t.”

A long time goes by.

Enough time for you to say I love you again without feeling like the words could rip you into tiny pieces, enough time to stop feeling like every glance you receive is full of pity, and enough time to be able to proudly say that you are not choking on guilt anymore.

That you can now channel your pain into better ways, to accept it and acknowledge it, to live with it and tend to it like a deep, deep gash that requires a dash of healing every now and then. Healing that comes in the form of another hand guiding your own, so as not to stray away from the path you have carefully made for yourself.

And some mornings it hurts — but just like the warm sunlight announcing a new day, Min Yoongi is there too, reminding you of how far you’ve come with just a silent gaze. A look you used to think of as aloof and glacial, when in reality he just observes — he observes and cares, more than anyone you have ever known. He stares and you smile, and your hands hold each other in a tight grip that might be too painful for anybody else. It is during times like these that you come to accept that no — the love you shared with Taehyung cannot repeat itself, but that does not mean something entirely different and equally as wonderful can still be brought to life.

It took a long time to see in him someone you could love instead of someone who shared your pain. But time works in funny ways; it stills and rushes, and sometimes it is more merciless to some than others, but it ultimately takes you were you are meant to be.

A place where there are not enough stars to see, but you know they’re there, lost under that thick veil of darkness — and that is more than enough.

#networkbangtan #bangtan bookclub #armiesnet #yoongi angst #bts angst #yoongi fanfic #bts fanfic #bts scenario #yoongi scenario #angst scenario #bangtan angst #writing

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sachaci · 7 years

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Darwin

OK I admit it, after our last visit to Darwin I thought it was a bit of a dive, OK a shithole. We were here in transit to and from Kakadu National Park and neither interaction left us wanting more. The first was a average hotel near the airport, where as we were going for breakfast, the night shifters were rolling into the casino. On the return leg, a raucous night out with a very insistent stranger who clearly didn't get the words 'husband' and 'honeymoon'!

We were in fact going to bypass it, given we had already sampled its wares but as friends from the road had made their home here, the chance to catch up and enjoy their company wasn't to be missed.

So, with some what of a surprise, I can admit that we are actually rather enjoying it. Of course, the company is top notch but Darwin actually isn't quite what I remembered.

We started off at the Mindil Sunset Market. Busy, humid, with smells of Asian food, aboroginal wares and even a fireworks display it reminded me of being in Asia with the hustle and bustle.

The next day we headed on down to Aquascene to feed the resident fish who (along with Louis) appreciated the bread on offer. There were hundreds, some in schools, some all out for themselves and even a collection of stingrays lurking on the seabed. We hand fed slithery mullets with schools of eager butterfly fish and the ruddy faced Mangrove Jack making the odd appearance looking for pilchards.

Then what was meant to be a quick mooch in the visitors centre, saw us wandering around town with lovely shops and even a playpark and fountain for the kids to enjoy.

The evening saw a catch up with our friends and their Darwin clan, who were so warm and welcoming.

Today was spent at the Waterfront for lunch and a swim. The lagoon is OK for a dip but the water is tepid and so disappointingly unrefreshing!

Apart from my body feeling like a liquid mush in the heat, Darwin so far has been fab. So much so, looks like we may stay a little longer.

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sentrava · 5 years

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Spring Vacation in the Florida Panhandle: A Long Weekend Guide to PCB

For as long as I have memories, my family has gone down to Panama City Beach for vacation. We’d always pack up the station wagon—then later, the Cadillac—and make the seven-hour drive from Tennessee to the Florida Panhandle. While there, we’d run into dozens of people we know because, well, everyone from our area vacations in Bay County. But until the last few years, I’d never done a whole lot of long weekends in PCB—it was always a full week and change due to the drive time—yet now, we have a lovely little direct flight on Southwest that is just 45 minutes wheels up to wheels down, so it’s easier than ever to jet on down when I see a good deal.

Where to Stay in Panama City Beach

Panama City Beach stretches a lengthy 27 miles across the Gulf Coast, and there’s no shortage of beachfront properties from which to choose for a vacation. I’ve stayed all over the Panhandle, and many of the condo high-rises offer the same amenities and layouts, so it really depends on what end of the beach you want to use as your base.

ResortQuest by Wyndham dominates Northwest Florida’s rental market and offers every kind of rental house configuration imaginable; I stayed in a very large one-bedroom property of theirs with an additional bunk-bed nook down along Gulf Lagoon Beach while on this trip, and I’ve already booked one of their condo complexes at the complete opposite end of PCB for my long weekend there with SVV next month.

Personally, if you’re traveling with a girls’ group or significant other sans kids, I love Carillon Beach for its upscale homes and relative seclusion. If you’re traveling with children and/or a large group, you might prefer one of the Wyndham complexes near Laguna Beach, conveniently close to Pier Park and other family attractions like Gulf World Marine Park.

Thursday

If you’re like me, you take the first available flight out, meaning you’ll touch down in plenty of time for a full day on the beach. It also means you’ll require a major caffeine boost mid-morning—a 4am wake-up call is no joke, at least not for this sleepyhead—and that your first stop after leaving the airport is Finns Island Style Grub for a smoothie bowl, kombucha and the famed black salt pepper mocha made with cold brew. (Dairy-free or vegan? Ask for the “venocha,” and they’ll hook you up with house-made cashew milk instead.)

If you arrive closer to lunchtime, Finns is still a great bet as this food truck with a brick-and-mortar location (and a full build-out to come very soon) got its start cooking up the meanest fish tacos around. Note: Finns typically closes at 3pm on weekdays and 8pm on weekends, so check the hours before you make the pilgrimage.

If you’re traveling with a group, also take note that Finns has a catering arm and will come to your rental house to set up a full-on taco bar, which is often more convenient—and more economical—than going out to eat.

Once you’re nice and full, head to check into your accommodation. Even if you can’t get into your condo just yet, you can go ahead and park and stake your plot of sand on the beach. My condo happened to be right next to Schooners, so I nabbed a parking spot, slurped down a craft beer, chased it with a margarita, then headed for the beach.

Even traveling to PCB during mid-spring, the beaches weren’t crowded, probably because I was staying all the way at the eastern end of PCB toward St. Andrews, a little bit outside of the fray. And need I remind you there’s 27 miles of beachfront property?! It was a perfect 75 degrees every day we were there with very little humidity. Spring is absolutely my favorite time to visit the Panhandle for these balmy days and temperate nights with a bit of a nip in the air.

That night, I met the Travel Mindset crew at my favorite local spot for dinner: Craft Bar. Craft Bar has upward of 30 craft brews available in flights or full pints, and I never miss an opportunity to taste my way through some of Florida’s best beers. In typical fashion, Jade ordered a bunch of different plates—from hot chicken to fried green tomatoes—for all of us to snack on. Then, we hit the hay hard to rest up for a long weekend ahead in the sun.

Note: PCB now has both Lyft and Uber service, so you can leave your car at your rental and have fun out with your friends.

Friday

I love to hit the big hotspots on weekdays when crowds are slimmer, and there’s no more iconic spot than Shell Island, a 700-acre barrier island less than 30 minutes by boat from PCB. On this particular trip, our group chartered a boat with Lagoon Pontoons for a half-day, so we grabbed breakfast to go; packed coolers full of drinks, snacks and lunch; and set off for a morning on Shell Island’s white-sand beach.

If you don’t have a full day to set aside for this uninhabited paradise, alternatively, you can take the Shell Island Shuttle—which departs daily every half hour between 10am and 4pm—for a shorter stay.

We walked the perimeter of the island, we went swimming, we combed the shallow waters for starfish, and we pulled up our lounge chairs to where the ocean meets the sea and got properly sunburned (wear stronger SPF than we did!).

When we got back to land just after 2pm, we had a few hours to go back to our condos, grab food, change then meet back for a full night on the beach. New to the area since my last stay in Panama City Beach is Endless Beach Rentals, a company that sets up charming beach rigs so that you don’t have to worry about hauling your own gear through the sand. There are plenty of options from which to choose, but we opted for the ultimate night under the stars in PCB: a beach bonfire.

With a bit of a chill in the air after the sun sank, the bonfire felt like a dream. We lounged in hammocks and the cozy beach chairs Endless Beach Rentals provided us as we toasted s’mores and got our hands gooey, while several members of our group played cornhole and others grooved to 80’s tunes the DJ was spinning. (The DJ was me, guys. Give me a Bluetooth speaker, and I will blast some monster ballads from my favorite hair bands all night long.)

You can also bring your own cooler of beers now that the month of March has passed. (PCB bans alcohol consumption on the beach for the month of March during prime Spring Break season to keep things tame, but the rest of the year you’re welcome to BYOB and drink responsibly.)

After your bonfire has been quenched, head west to Saltwater Grill, one of the best fine-dining experiences in PCB, for a feast of scallops, lobster, crab and juicy cuts of steak.

Saturday

Breakfast in PCB, for me, is almost always Andy’s Flour Power, which recently located to an even bigger location just a half-mile from its original spot on Thomas Drive, and now can accommodate even more diners who flock there for the Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy, omelets and French toast. I didn’t want to waste any beach time on lunch, so my breakfast at Andy’s doubled as two meals (that totally justifies my extra order of bacon, right?).

My favorite beach in PCB is nearby at St. Andrews State Park. Because there’s a small fee ($8 per car) to get in, it’s never overwhelmingly packed. But it’s got space galore including two great stretches of beach—one lining the Gulf, the other flanking the lagoon—from which to choose.

It’s also rife in wildlife, so keep your eyes peeled for herons, gators and other species that call the Florida Panhandle home. Those traveling with kayaks or SUPs should definitely consider St. Andrews; the protected lagoon makes it an easier spot to paddle than most.

Since I was already in the St. Andrews area, I lingered until mid-afternoon, stopping by the Grand Marlin for oysters and happy hour with friends before we boarded our dolphin cruise with Island Time Sailing.

This two-hour tour sunset dolphin cruise takes passengers out through the lagoon, around Shell Island and back near the shore of St. Andrews, where you can see the sun set over PCB as the dolphins frolic on the horizon.

As always, we saw SO many, it was hard to keep track of which direction they were coming from!

If you get seasick, take a little something before the trip out, as it can be a bit rocky on the sailboat. Once you’re back on land, you have a few dinner options nearby: Patches Pub for a more traditional PCB beach bar experience or Shore Shack Pizza, a two-year-old restaurant that serves up a nice mix of specialty pies on a pleasant outdoor patio.

Sunday

Be one of the first in line for Thomas’ Donuts after it opens. You won’t regret setting your alarm early for a stack of that sugary-sweet perfection. It opens at 6am, but if you’re there by 8 (or even 9) on a Sunday morning, you shouldn’t run into too long of lines.

Spend your final day beachfront, or if you’re all beached out, head to Panama City Beach’s Pier Park, a colorful wonderland, particularly well-suited for kids with its Ferris wheel, ice cream parlor, IMAX theater, laser tag and more. It also boasts 124 stores, so if you need a new bathing suit or are looking for a souvenir before you fly back home, this is your place.

Sticking around through sunset? Grab an early dinner beachside at Hook’d Pier Bar & Grille, then drive out to Camp Helen State Park to watch the colors in the sky light up on fire as only the Gulf knows how to do.

Looking for more PCB travel tips? Start here:

Secret Florida: Where the Dolphins Play

The Best Places for Your Killer PCB Instagram Shots

Chowing Down: Where to Eat in Panama City Beach

A Helicopter Ride Over PCB

Fitness in Panama City Beach: Learning Aerial Yoga

Carillon Beach: The Gulf Coast’s Best-Kept Secret

Wreck Diving in Panama City Beach

This post was in partnership with Travel Mindset and Visit Panama City Beach. All opinions are my own.

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Spring Vacation in the Florida Panhandle: A Long Weekend Guide to PCB published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

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