#GP JOBS NEAR THE BEACH | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kenzicraw · 3 years

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Back in the Saddle

Midvale, a few weeks post-Phantom Zone. In an attempt to remaster the powers Kara spent months without, she and her two most important people make a road trip home to test her flight.

Or, I just want Kara to be able to fly for the joy of it the way Clark did in Man of Steel.

Read with “Flight” by Hans Zimmer playing. You won’t regret it.

/////

Lena knows the moment Kara emerges from the house up on the ridge. Alex’s eyes flick up, back down, then up again in quick succession. An entirely smug grin alights her face before she pointedly looks back down at her tablet.

“We’re going to have to have a talk about your affinity for making my sister new suits at some point, Luthor,” she says.

Lena feels her face heat up. “No idea what you mean.”

“Sure you don’t.”

Lena scoffs. “She needed a new one,” she hisses at the smirking elder Danvers. “The one she had was wrecked and there was no fixing it.”

“Agreed,” Alex allows, smile growing. “But this is what? The fourth one you’ve made for her?”

“One other! With upgrades!”

“Mmhmm.” Alex types a few more things into the tablet. Pulls out a USB and plugs it into the side. “Sure.”

Lena feels her face go hot. “What are you insinuating, Alex?”

Alex shrugs. “Not insinuating anything,” she says. She glances back up and smiles some more. “Just thinking you’re making a habit of making suits for Kara and I kind of appreciate it.”

At Lena’s questioning look, Alex elaborates. “Winn made her first one,” she says. “And yeah, it did the job, but it was-“ she waves her hand in a so-so gesture, wincing- “not the best. Prone to wardrobe malfunctions.”

Lena snorts. “Patriarchy.”

“Fuck ‘em,” Alex agrees with a playful two finger salute.

After a shared grin with Lena, her eyes travel back to where Kara must have made it down to the beach. “They’ve all protected her, the suits you’ve made,” Alex says. Her voice has gone quiet. Gone is the light teasing. She holds Lena’s eyes for a moment. “And I... can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

Lena’s eyes suddenly mist over, and her throat works against the lump that forms there.

Alex looks pointedly back down at her tablet, where she pulls up a video feed from one of the comm pieces resting on the boulder she’s made her impromptu HQ desk. She clears her throat. “I’ve never made sure you knew that. So. Now I’m telling you.”

Lena absolutely refuses to cry, but fuck if it doesn’t take a Herculean effort. She wrestles with the hot gratitude and affection boiling in her chest as Alex fiddles with the settings on the camera feed.

Alex glances up again, and her smile turns warm in a way Lena knows is reserved only for her sister. “Looking good, sis,” she calls. “Little weird without the cape, though.”

“Thanks! Lena made it!” Kara chirps from behind Lena. “Even has pockets! And yeah, I was going to ask you about that. Is there no cape, Lena?”

She barely dares to turn, but Alex is giving her one hell of a challenging look, and she’s still a Luthor.

And Luthors never back down from a challenge.

She turns her face just enough to look over her shoulder and immediately curses that particular Luthor trait.

Sure, she made the suit. But that in no way prepares her for what it looks like when it’s wrapped around Kara. The dark blue, almost black throws her golden hair, shimmering in the late sun, in sharp relief. The smooth material sweeps over the dips and curves of her shoulders and biceps, the dip in the high collar exposing slightly below the hollow of her throat. She approaches silently on the sand, the soft and supple deep maroon boots smooth and soundless. Lena had left the pants a little loose, a little more comfortable, but that did nothing to hide the muscle that bunches and releases rhythmically as Kara walks across the sand.

And she’s looking quizzically at Lena. Head slightly titled, blue eyes somehow even bluer against the darkness of her suit, the blue and red accents, and the reddish tint of the setting sun.

Lena rips her eyes away from the subtle dips in Kara’s abs and desperately wracks her brain to remember what question was asked of her.

“Cape, Lena?” Alex prompts with a shit eating grin.

“Right,” Lena coughs. She turns fully to meet Kara, hand already pointing to the belt slung diagonally across Kara’s chest. “I figured, since you’re not wanting to be in the limelight just yet, I should make it a bit more understated,” Lena explains. “Did you see the crest on your left shoulder?”

“Yeah,” Kara nods. “I like that it’s so small.”

“Press it.”

Kara’s eyes dance with curiosity, not leaving Lena’s, as she reaches up to press on the tiny S affixed to the dark brown leather.

At the press of Kara’s fingers, the nanites immediately begin to crawl across the suit, gathering and extending down her back and around her chest in a long, deep maroon cloak. Kara lets out a startled sound of delight, swishing the thick material and stroking at it with near reverence.

“More nanites?” Alex smirks.

Lena shrugs, tossing the elder Danvers a smirk of her own. “I mean, I do have an MO at this point. No sense in ditching it.”

“It’s great!” Kara exclaims. She swishes the cloak again, grinning happily. “I can put it away if I want! This would have saved me so many headaches years ago!”

She bounces over to Lena and wraps her up in a warm hug. “Thank you,” she says quietly. Only for Lena. “I love it.”

Lena squeezes her around the back, hands fisting in the material of the cloak, feeling herself flush with happiness. “I’m glad,” she whispers.

“That’s actually a pretty good idea, Lena,” Alex says as they break apart. She’s back at the tablet, tapping and looking over some sort of read out. “She was always complaining how the cape got in the way.”

Lena arches an eyebrow at Kara. “What about your cape tricks?”

Kara grimaces. “Much less useful than I was led to believe.”

Alex snorts. “Understatement of the century,” she mutters. “Okay,” she strides over to a Kara and gently fits a comm around her ear. “That has a GPS and camera built in. We’ll be able to see what you see, know where you are, monitor vitals-“

Kara makes a face. “Wait, if you can track me, couldn’t someone else?”

Lena shakes her head. “The crest has signals built in to interfere with radar. Any signal that’s not Alex’s will get scrambled to cloak you.”

Kara surges forward for another hug, and over her shoulder Lena sees Alex smile with an exasperated shake of her head.

“Always protecting,” she mutters.

“What, Alex?” Kara asks as she lets Lena go and takes a step back.

“Nothing,” Alex says. She inputs a few more commands on the tablet, then looks up at Kara. “So. You ready?”

Lena glances over to Kara for what she thinks will be a quick confirmation.

But in those brief seconds, Kara’s easy smile and eager brightness had darkened.

In the red glow of the sun, she stands with her face tilted upward. She gazes at the sky with unfiltered longing, but her hands are trembling. Her whole being quivers, wound tight like a spring, as if she wants nothing more than to hurl herself up to the clouds. But there’s a tightness in her eyes, something there that just... won’t let her. She just stands there, shaking, looking up with haunted eyes.

Alex reaches out, rests a hand on Kara’s forearm. “Hey,” she murmurs. “You don’t have to do anything crazy. Whatever you’re ready for is all you have to do. The rest will follow.”

Kara nods, but still she hesitates. “But what if- what happens if I can’t- I mean-“

“I caught you floating in your sleep two nights ago,” Lena says gently and Kara’s eyes - desperate, scared eyes - whip to hers. “You can do this. But only if you’re ready to. Okay?”

The near manic desperation in Kara’s eyes cools as they hold each other’s gaze. She squeezes Alex’s hand, takes a breath, and nods resolutely.

“Yeah, yeah,” she mutters, giving her shoulders a shake. “I’m good. I’m okay.”

Alex squeezes her arm, then lets go. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Kara has her eyes on the sky again, gives her shoulders one more fortifying shake. She flexes her hands, rubs them on her pants once. She glances over at Lena and seems to brighten at the reassuring smile Lena gives her.

“Okay,” she breathes. “Here goes nothing.”

She stills, closes her eyes. Breathes in deep, then lets it out slow.

She breathes once more, the tense lines of her face relaxing.

Silently, her feet leave the sand.

Alex reaches over for Lena’s arm and grasps it tightly.

Eyes still closed, Kara rises higher in the air, straight up. She turns in gentle circles as she ascends, up and above the ridge.

Alex is looking over the read-outs on the tablet, eyes darting back and forth with near frantic energy. “Looking good so far, Kara,” she says distractedly. “Vitals are good. You’re at a hundred feet now.”

“Feels good,” comes Kara’s voice through the comms. “I’m not even trying.”

Alex’s smile is so proud Lena wants to cry. “That’s good, kid. That’s so good. Two hundred feet now.”

Alex is still gripping Lena’s arm painfully tight, but she’s rocking up on her toes happily, shooting Lena fervent looks of pure joy.

“Knew you could do it, Kara,” Lena says into her own comms, taking Alex’s hand away from her arm but keeping ahold of it. She squeezes as tight as her own bubbling pride allows.

Kara’s finally in the air. She’s flying. It’s one more step closer to conquering the giant mountain they’ve been climbing since she got back.

“How high now, Alex? I’m not looking.”

Alex glances at the screen, then up towards where Kara is becoming a dark dot among the clouds. “A thousand feet. Still feeling good?”

“Yeah. Really good, actually.”

“Have you opened your eyes yet?” Alex’s voice is teasing.

“No. What if I’m suddenly afraid of heights?” Her voice is childishly whiny, drawing a chuckle out of Alex and Lena.

Lena glances down at the video feed from Kara’s earpiece and has to stop herself from gasping.

“Kara, I think you should open your eyes,” she says slightly breathlessly.

“I’m gonna fall if I do,” comes Kara’s tight reply.

Alex is also staring at the camera feed, watching as the view of the water recedes farther toward the bottom of the screen as Kara rises higher and higher. “Kara, you want to see it,” she says. “Trust us.”

Lena knows the exact moment Kara opens her eyes. There’s a tiny gasp through the comms, and the camera arrests in place. Locked on to the brilliance of the shimmering water, the watercolor of the clouds in the light of the setting sun.

For a moment, Kara hangs motionless in the air.

Alex is anxiously tightening and loosening her grip on Lena’s hand. Looking up to where Kara is barely a speck in the sky, back to the camera, then back up again.

“Kara?” she says, a small break in her voice. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” comes Kara’s breathless voice. “Yeah, no, I’m good.”

There’s another moment of silence, then “It’s breathtaking. I... I’d almost forgotten-“ her voice cracks, and she clears her throat -“How beautiful this planet is.”

Alex squeezes Lena’s hand so tight it hurts, and Lena brings her free hand to grip at Alex’s forearm.

Alex sniffles, swipes her eyes against her shoulder. “It has its moments,” she rasps.

For a few long moments, they three stay silent. Lena and Alex on the ground, clutching at hands and arms in barely restrained joy with the waves lapping nearby.

And Kara, so high they can’t even see her, hanging in midair. Silent save for her gentle, easy breathing and the wind whistling around her.

And then, so suddenly both Lena and Alex flinch, she huffs a breath.

“Wanna see how fast I can get around the world?”

Alex barks a laugh, exchanging a fond and relieved look with Lena. “Your record is what? Thirty four seconds?”

“I can beat that,” comes the cocky reply.

And god, she sounds so happy.

Alex scoffs. “If you say so.”

Lena pulls out her phone and sets up a stopwatch. “On my mark, then?” she says.

“Don’t break anything, Kara,” Alex warns, though there’s no bite in her voice.

“And don’t break that suit,” Lena chimes in.

Kara’s voice has a tiny edge of Supergirl - the first since the Phantom Zone - when she replies. “Nothing’s getting broken here except the sound barrier.”

A shiver shoots down Lena’s spine. She does her best to ignore why.

“In three, two, one-“ she taps her phone- “Go.”

BOOM!

The noise vibrates through Lena’s chest. High above, the sky seems to part for Kara as she rockets towards the sun, leaving a trail in her wake.

Lena and Alex crowd the screen, watching wide-eyed as the ocean zips by far below, clouds whipping past, the camera quivering with the breakneck speed.

“Oh my god,” Lena murmurs almost by accident.

On the screen, a dark line of land rapidly approaches on the horizon as Kara hurtles toward it.

“That’ll be Japan,” Alex mumbles. She checks the read-outs and nods to herself. “Vitals are still good. Heart rate’s a little elevated, but considering-“ she gestures to the screen with a wry smile.

Lena nods, barely holding back happy tears.

On screen, Kara slows just enough for the sound to come back. Air whistles through the comms, her breathing slightly labored, and she ducks her head to watch the cities blink far below.

She won’t break her record by slowing like this, but Lena doesn’t mention that. And neither does Alex. They just watch as Kara picks up speed again, camera angling strangely as she dives.

She shoots west, weaving in huge slalom turns. The camera angles and tilts as she looks across the water, across the trees and grasslands and mountains as she passes them. Cities and towns flash past like street lights on a highway.

On the screen, her GPS tracks her through the rest of Asia, across India and into Africa. It’s a far cry from the speed she’d shot off at, but she doesn’t seem to mind as she dips and rolls through the clouds, hand outstretched as if to catch the swirling vapors.

Once she reaches the distant coast, Kara dips so low her hand reaches out to skim the water. She sails over the waves, fingers dragging, until she finds a pod of dolphins playing in the white water. For a moment, she flies just above the waves with them as they leap and dance.

The camera jerks toward the sky, and Kara gives a loud, delighted whoop as she shoots upwards. Spinning and spinning so fast the camera is blurring with the speed.

And through it all, Kara is laughing. Huge, joyous belly laughs, arms outstretched and head thrown back as she sails back into the clouds.

At 40,000 feet, she slows her ascent. Like a ball tossed in the air, she hovers at a stop for a split second before she starts to plummet. She turns, belly down and arms outstretched as the ocean rushes to meet her.

Still laughing with outrageous joy.

“God I missed that,” Alex murmurs. Her voice quivers and breaks.

Lena doesn’t take her eyes away from the screen. She doesn’t want to miss a single moment of this. But she does give Alex’s hand a squeeze in agreement.

Because hearing that laugh, being here and watching as Kara rolls and dives through the air, is healing pieces of Lena’s heart that she didn’t think would ever even scab over.

Kara’s joy is infectious, like it had always been. And Lena finds that she’s soaking it in like a woman parched.

On screen, Kara shoots off with another mighty BOOM. Her GPS shows her hurtling across the US at breakneck speed.

“Not even close to her record,” Alex laughs wetly. “Guess we’ll have to try again later.”

Lena swipes her hand under her eyes with a chuckle, catching tears that neither of them really acknowledge.

And seconds later, Kara lands with a muffled thump. Sand flies under her feet, and the ground trembles.

But her face is flushed, smile radiant, eyes glistening with tears.

Alex takes a step toward her, but pauses. “You okay?”

Kara gives a sobbing laugh, gestures helplessly with her hands. But her smile is wondrous.

Alex surges forward and wraps her in a tight hug. Kara clutches back, hands buried in her sister’s jacket and face pressed against her shoulder.

After a moment, one hand reaches out, fingers wiggling invitingly.

Lena takes that hand in both of hers and holds on tight. Over Alex’s shoulder, Kara’s eyes crinkle with her smile, sparkling and overwhelmed. She squeezes Lena’s hand, then tucks her eyes against her sister’s shoulder with a huge breath.

In a way, Lena feels as if they’re all breathing that same breath of relief.

“I wanna go again.” Kara’s voice is muffled adorably against Alex’s jacket.

Alex chuckles and rocks Kara back and forth happily. “We can stay out here as long as you want.”

Kara nods. “’Kay,” she says. But she holds on to Alex tighter, fingers digging into her jacket. “But in a minute, okay?”

Alex nods. Presses a kiss to the side of Kara’s head. “In a minute.”

And that seems to suit all three of them just fine. No one’s quite ready to let go yet.

/////

I'm a sucker for the angst just as much as the next nerd but I needed them to just... be happy and together. Just for a moment.

#let them be happy for a minute #let kara fly for the joy of it for once #lena's thirsty #and alex is smug about it #everyone gets a hug #I wrote dis #supergirl #danvers sisters #kara danvers #alex danvers #lena luthor

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watchmegetobsessed · 3 years

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ANOTHER TITLE

a/n: personally i’ve been waiting for this part to come since the beginning lmao, so here is the proposal finally!! it’s like so fluffy, almost disgustingly, but i just couldn’t help myself

pairing: Sebastian Stan X Reader

word count: 1.8k

This fic is part of the LITTLE ONE series, but can be read as a simple oneshot as well! Find the masterpost of the series HERE!

masterlist

(gif is not mine)

You’ve been eating like a hormonal teenage boy these past weeks and you know it needs to stop and held under control, but you just can’t help yourself. It’s like your stomach has become a black hole that needs to absorb any and every food that’s home, you’re constantly snacking beside the large portions you eat three times a day, there’s always something you’re craving, the shopping list on the fridge is changing every hour because you think of something else to eat.

Luckily, you haven’t gained that much weight besides the noticeable bump that’s your baby in your belly, seems like your little girl does need all the food and she uses it instead of letting it all get stuck on other parts of your body, so you’re fine for just now.

Sitting on the couch, watching some kind of soap opera, you’re snacking on an entire jar of Nutella this time, shamelessly stuffing your mouth with the sweet, thick stuff, pretty sure that nothing will be left of it by the end of the day. Sebastian is away again for his second filming that was scheduled even before you found out you were pregnant and he messed around with it a little, shortening it once again and you just visited him last weekend. Now that you are pushing the end of your second trimester, your bump is quite evident, not something you can hide easily, so when you showed up on set with your boyfriend, you didn’t even try to cover it up, knowing well someone would spot it sooner or later. However everyone on the team has been so respectful, keeping the news to themselves, because no headlines have been made about your pregnancy just yet, keeping the secret even longer. To be honest, you’re surprised it hasn’t been discovered sooner, you thoughr someone would catch you out and about and see right through your baggy clothes and sell the news to the tabloids, but now you are in the sixth month and no one knows a thing.

Your phone chimes next to you, a text from Seb and you hum to yourself happily, putting the jar aside to grab the phone and see what he wrote.

“How are my two favorite girls doing? Miss you a lot!”

He even attached a silly selfie of himself in hair and makeup, he looks adorable with the clips in his hair and some kind of patches under his eyes. Like a real beauty guru.

Grabbing the Nutella, you place it on top of your bump as you move the phone to a lower angle and take a selfie that makes your bump look even bigger, the jar on top and you grinning widely at the camera as you snap a picture and send it to him with your reply.

“Enjoying our third snack of the day at 11 am! Miss you too, can’t wait to see you next week!”

He reads the message right away, his reply coming just seconds later.

“Look at that bump! You look gorgeous, baby! Can’t wait to see you too, have fun with your sister today, love you lots Xx”

Since he has left you’ve been trying to keep yourself busy so you don’t miss him too much and you’re also using these weeks to spend as much time with your friends and family as possible, knowing well once the baby arrives you won’t be going out that much for a while, nestled up in your home, learning the ropes of being a mother. Today you are meeting up with your sister, she is taking you out to this alleged new, quite fancy restaurant you haven’t heard about before. She claimed that it’s really exclusive, so you don’t have to worry about being photographed or bothered, but she also told you to glam yourself up for the occasion. It’s gonna be some nice sister time, something you haven’t been able to do in a long time.

You take the assignment seriously, doing your hair and makeup the best you can and you decide to put on a flowy maxi dress with a soft, knitted cardigan, very much going for a kind of cottage core vibe. Leaving just in time you text your sister that you’re on your way, putting the address into the GPS and heading out of town, because the place is near the beach. She texts you back that she’ll meet you there and so your short little road trip begins. Sitting in the car you’re listening to one of the many playlists Sebastian has made for you and the baby, he likes to play them at home, humming the songs under his breath, hoping to start educating your little girl in the field of music as early as possible. You have to admit he has a good taste, so you don’t mind it at all.

As you follow the instructions of the GPS you find the place that’s supposed to be your destination, but it doesn’t seem like a restaurant at all, more like a mansion of some kind, a very expensive looking if you are being honest. There are no other cars, no sign of other people so as you park at the front you call your sister.

“Hey, I’m right outside, but I have a feeling I’m at the wrong place? It doesn’t look like a restaurant.”

“Oh, don’t worry! You’re at the right place! I’m a little late, but I’ll be there soon, just go inside, they are expecting us!” she assures you, but you’re still not convinced.

Ending the call you approach the entrance and for your surprise the heavy doors open before you could even knock or find the bell. A man in a tuxedo appears in front of you, smiling warmly at you.

“Miss Y/L/N?”

“Uh, yeah,” you nod, a little shy and confused.

“Please, follow me,” prompts as you walk inside and the two of you start crossing the grandiose hall of the building.

At this point you are sure it’s not a restaurant, but you have no idea why your sister wanted you to come here. You want to ask the man if you’re even at the right place, but he called you by your name so he was expecting you, this has to be the place where you’re supposed to be. More and more questions pile up in your head as you follow him out to the backyard, a gigantic, flower-filled garden that’s straight out of a fairytale, a path leading down to the beach where there’s a dreamy little pergola with even more flowers and fairy lights and as your eyes fall on the figure standing in the middle of the pergola, you immediately gasp.

Because surrounded with all the flowers and lights, there is Sebastian standing in an elegant suit, smiling widely at you as the man next to you helps you down the stairs before you start walking down the path to him.

Tears are flooding your eyes, because you already know what it is, but you can’t believe it’s really happening. He was so sneaky, he got home from filming earlier and even made your sister play along to surprise you, he is such a romantic soul, no one can change your mind about that!

“You’re not in Atlanta!” you tell him when he is finally close enough to hear you. He chuckles sweetly, taking a few steps forward to meet you sooner, his hands finding your waist as you cup his face in your hands, pulling him down to kiss you right away.

“No, I’m not, baby,” he smirks, his hands sliding to your belly, gently stroking the sides as you wipe your tears away, but there’s no use, because the next moment, he steps back a little, just enough so that he can get down on one knee and you’re crying again when you see him pull out a little velvety box from his pocket.

You were expecting it. You knew he would propose before the baby arrives, but you just didn’t know when and how, but he surely outdone himself with his little surprise.

“My Love, Y/N,” he starts after a deep breath, his hands finding yours and you can feel the shaking, but you’re not sure if it’s coming from yours or his. Probably both. “I’ve spent the best years of my life with you and I haven’t been the same man since the day I met you, but in the best way possible. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met and I’m so lucky that you did not only choose to be with me, but you are now carrying our baby under your heart as well, out little one who is equal parts of you and me, though you’re doing ninety percent of the job here,” he adds with a chuckle, making you laugh through your tears. “I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you the moment you were so badass on your first date, kissing me when I didn’t have the balls to do the first step, but I’m glad you did. I fell in love with you right then and there and the same thing has been happening every day, over and over again since then. I know we went a little out of order with everything we had planned,” he smirks, glancing down at your bump before his blue eyes find yours again, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so I have a question for you.”

He pops the lid of the box open, a gorgeous, brilliant diamond ring coming to your vision, sparkling in the warm afternoon Sun so perfectly, it takes your breath away.

“Y/N Y/L/N, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” he asks, clearly nervous, even though there’s no doubt about your answer, you’ve told him plenty of times before that you want to marry him, but still, it’s a huge moment in both your lives.

“Yes, yes, yes!” you nod eagerly as you both start laughing in relief, his shaky fingers tagging the ring out of the box and sliding it to your finger gently, before he brings your hand to his mouth and kisses the ring.

Then he finally stands up and you basically throw yourself into his arms, kissing him like your life depends on it as he kisses you back with just as much force.

“I love you and I can’t wait to call you my wife,” he sighs pleased against your lips.

“Mm, another title in the line? Girlfriend, baby mama, fiancé and then wife,” you giggle giddily.

“You missed one,” he cocks an eyebrow at you slyly.

“Which one?”

“Love of my life.”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan blurb #sebastian stan oneshot #sebastian stan one shot #sebastian stan fiction #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x reader

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oftenderweapons · 3 years

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hi anna dear, i'd like to place an order for a white wine + charcuterie board + french onion soup + monte cristo? thank you <3

Pairing: Seokjin x reader

Wordcount: 1.4K

Genre: Fluff, Romance, strangers to lovers

Rating: GP (general public)

This is for my sweet Beezy, and Beezy only. I’m sorry this came super late but I’ve been keeping it in my drafts for a while, I was so unsure about it!

Happy very late birthday!!! May you be safe and happy and loved 🥰💜✨You’re the most special aunt I could ever wish for. This world would be a better place if all kids on the Internet could have an aunt half as special and magical as you.

(before I leave you to your gift let me thank @hobiandsprite and @joheunsaram for their moral support and helpful advice, as always. I love you.)

Enjoy 💜✨

>This drabble was a request for Bangtan Bistro. Requests for this drabble game are now closed<

TRIGGER WARNINGS: mention of stress due to work; briefest mention of family loss (grandparent).

————— The Order —————

White Wine: Kim Seokjin

Charcuterie Board: Romance

French Onion Soup: “After getting caught in the rain you decide to spend some time inside a rather empty café, making good conversation with the attractive owner.”

Monte Cristo: cafe owner

————————————————

The late October day looked perfect for a walk along the beach, collecting seashells and watching seagulls soar the sky in the distance. Solitary boats broke the horizon, far far away, the lighthouse culminating the long walk and protecting the bay a few kilometres ahead of you. The sun was coming through the clouds here and there, creating amusing patterns on the sand just barely slightly moved by the wind. A man was playing fetch with a golden retriever and along the seashore you could see more people making good use of one of the last good days before autumn finally started giving way to winter.

The scenery was relaxing, liberating your mind from all the stress your job continuously put you through. Some days you even dared ask yourself if the slightly fatter paycheck was really worth your mental health.

Spending your health on earning money sounded stupid most of the days. Nevertheless, you somehow managed to keep loving your job, even when the cons heavily outweigh the pros.

A chill song was playing through your earbuds, and with a cloud momentarily hiding the sun, the lightest raindrops began to fall. You didn’t let the thin drizzle scare you and decided to keep walking, the lighthouse too tempting in its romantic solitude.

Stubborn and maybe ignorant, you persevered, though most people had already run to the middle of the bay, where most people had parked their cars or had found refuge in one of the local pubs and cafés. Only a couple people walked ahead of you, going all the way to the end of the walk, where the pier led to your destination.

You followed it like a compass, like the North Star, even when the drizzle turned in rain, even when you had to hold your coat over your head for the last two hundred metres, running desperately once the rain turned in an autumn shower.

You thanked all the gods once you reached the small awning protecting the entrance to the lighthouse, a lovely bell announcing the opening of the door.

“Hold on, wait there!” A man called from the counter. “Lemme grab something for you!” he mumbled, disappearing behind the dark wood countertop and reemerging with a plaid blanket. “Wait there,” he said, walking towards you quickly and taking your raincoat with a kind smile, hanging it out of harm’s way, where it could drip on the floor without causing anyone to slip and fall.

“Welcome to The Bow, you brave traveller!” the barman greeted you, immediately warming up your soul before offering you the blanket and letting you warm your body. “Please, sit where you prefer, I’ll let you take a look at the menu and then I’ll come collect your order.”

He bowed his head slightly, your eyes suddenly focusing on how low the wooden ceiling was, and how lean his physique was, heavily contrasted by his large shoulders, emphasised by the white and blue stripes of his sweater.

You walked to a table beside the counter, near the window that ran all around the circular room. The sky was clear in the distance, the boats still navigating peacefully while the coast had become hostage to the sudden storm, which had crept in slowly and then swiftly attacked.

You stared in the distance for a while longer, the man at the counter waiting patiently and cheerfully for you to get comfortable, leaf through the menu and close it before turning to him with a kind smile — which you eventually did, causing an unexpected effect, an entire flock of butterflies taking flight in his stomach.

He was drawn to you immediately.

“So what can I bring you?” he asked with the most courteous of smiles.

You giggled. The man was very handsome, but something in the air that surrounded him made him even warmer and more fascinating, as if compelling you to be kind and keep your eyes on him. “First, let me thank you for the blanket,” you said, holding it tighter around you.

“Oh, it’s okay. We keep those for old couples who come here for fall and winter walks. They tend to get cold on their legs. And some ladies want to wear pretty clothes on dates but then get cold once the sun goes down. Don’t worry, I wash them after use!” he clarified before you could get uncomfortable.

“That’s so considerate!” you exclaimed, honestly touched at such a kind thought.

“What can I say, I care about customer care,” he chuckled embarrassed, his laugh so unique and funny that you couldn’t help but join.

“I’m ____, by the way.”

“I’m Seokjin,” he introduced himself politely.

“Happy to meet you,” you replied with an interested smile. “May I order an Orange Spiced Hot Chocolate?”

“Yes, sure. Would you like some cinnamon on it?” he asked, twice as interested in pleasing his special customer.

“Uhm… No, just a plain one, thanks,” you confirmed, watching him leave with a quick step.

“Do you have many people coming all the way here?” you asked, your table close enough to the counter that you could chat with the man without having to disturb the other customers.

“Normally we do. There’s always a big rush in summer. Some people go to the beach and come all the way here to have lunch or grab a cold drink before going back. It’s mostly couples, or families with kids. On a summer day you’d have to wait for a table and book one for lunch or dinner. When it gets colder, some people still come here, but it’s slower. I prefer it. Winter weekends are the ideal match of calm and good money.”

You nodded. “I think it’s my first time here. I visited the town four or five years ago but I don’t remember this place.”

Seokjin nodded, the cocoa maker making a bit of a ruckus as it warmed up the milk. It lasted around two or three minutes before the café went quiet again “Yes, that’s because I opened the café two years ago, almost three.”

“This is your place?” You asked, quite amused.

“Indeed. My grandpa loved it here. He always came here with my grandma for walks. He didn’t have the money to buy the place but he wanted to open a restaurant here. My grandmother loved cooking.” Seokjin gave a gentle but sad smile. “When she left us, he gave up. He always says it was their dreams, together, and he would never do it by himself. So I made it my dream.”

The blue vibe faded and a radiant expression sparked up his features. “I must say that for now it’s been going pretty well.”

He walked to your table, your drink, sugar and a couple smaller bottles all balanced on a tray on his hand.

As he stood beside you, his head slightly lowered to avoid the lamp above, he placed down a cup coaster with a vintage lifebuoy ring drawn on it, protecting the beautiful wooden table below.

On the small placemat running across the table, he placed three tiny bottles. “Sugar, cinnamon and cocoa. To your liking.” He offered you a soft grin.

Hesitantly, you looked around again. He had only four or five people around and your table was close to the counter.

You licked your lips as you gathered all your courage and spoke. “Would you like to sit down and chat? I’d like to get to know you, you seem a very interesting person.” You felt heat radiate from your cheeks in stark contrast with the cold crawling through your bones.

Seokjin’s reaction was lovely.

His mouth curled up in a lovely pout, a small surprised ‘o’. His eyes went impossibly wide and so, so round and adorable before his suddenly pale face exploded in a technicoloured blush that expanded all the way to his ears.

And then he smiled the tiniest, most innocent smile. He didn’t show his teeth, just his rosy, plush lips curving up in an expression that was half hamster, half alpaca.

And the apples of his cheeks became impossibly round and squishable.

You felt your heart shot across your chest like a crazy bouncy ball, playing pinball inside your rib cage.

Joy filled your every blood vessel.

“Sure, I’d love to sit down and chat for a bit.”

#Happy birthday Beezy!!!!!!#I love you!#seokjin fluff #seokjin x reader #seokjin drabble #kim seokjin oneshot

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4retrtr · 3 years

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jaysworlds · 3 years

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i wrote a mermay fic :)

i wrote a fic! for mermay! because i love mermaids!

it’s freddie/alexei, who are my ocs who i adore but you don’t actually need to know anything about them to read it (course if you read it and then WANT to know more my ask box is always open :)

Word count: 6365

Content Warnings:

-hallucinations

-near death experience

-a lot of ocean shenanigans

-like one mention of a dead body

Alexei loves the sea, always has. It’s always been a refuge when everything gets too much. He knows it could kill him, but he’s never felt safer than when he’s sitting underwater, getting washed back and forth by the waves.

It kind of makes sense that he goes into diving. He doesn’t think he’d survive a job in an office for hours every day, unable to get outside. He hates being trapped.

He loves diving. It suits him perfectly, really, getting to spend every spare moment in the water.

He doesn’t spend a lot of time with his co-workers outside of work, though he should. It’s always safer to have a diving buddy, he just … like diving alone, if he has the option.

It’s not the safest, but he accepted long ago that it probably wouldn’t be old age that killed him, and drowning is better than the alternatives.

They say it’s rather pleasant.

He’s good at it, anyway. All the money he can spare goes into keeping his gear in good condition, and he’s not in the habit of being reckless.

But it’s not skill that saves you, down there. It’s luck, and everyone’s luck runs out eventually.

Alexei’s runs out on a cold weekend at the beginning of October. The diving season is over, and so he’s not working, just diving for fun, and he’s alone.

There’s a ship (or what’s left of it) about a hundred and eighty-five feet below the surface. He’s been there before, and he loves it, just drifting through the empty corridors. It’s a little deeper than the recommended dive limit of a hundred and thirty feet, but he’s done much deeper dives, and he doesn’t worry too much.

It’s cold as he’s driving down the beach, sky overcast, but the sea is perfectly calm. It’s a good day for diving.

The beach is almost empty. It’s not surprising, on a day this cold, but it’s nice not to have to manoeuvre his car past a thousand people who’ve parked on the ramp clearly marked access required at all hours – do not obstruct.

There are only a couple of other people on the pier, and they wave to him as he parks and starts unloading his things. He knows everyone who works here, and everyone who dives regularly, and they know him.

He’s got a boat, a tiny thing that just about fits him and his gear, and he loads it up, humming to himself. The wind picks up a little, blowing his hair into his eyes, and he pauses for a moment to tie it back, looking out at the grey sea. He likes days like this.

There aren’t many other ships about. Not many people still dive at this time of year, and those that do mostly stick to shallower waters.

He leaves a slip of paper with where he’s going scribbled on it, just as good practice, and then heads out onto the sea, the wind playing with the strands of hair too short to make it into his ponytail.

The wreck isn’t far, but it’s too deep to see and so he has to rely on his instruments to tell him when he’s made it.

His instruments aren’t the best, but they do the job, and his life doesn’t depend on them working.

It’s about forty minutes from the docks, he knows that, and the time is about right when the GPS tells him he’s arrived. The boat bobs gently as he cuts the engine and starts collecting together his gear.

The sea is grey and opaque, and he stares down into it for a moment. Some days it’s almost clear enough to see down to the wreck, but not today. Today he can see barely ten feet.

It’s alright, though. He doesn’t need to see.

It starts raining as he’s pulling on his gear, and he shoves the bag with his dry clothes under a seat. The rain isn’t heavy, just pattering quietly on the surface of the sea, and for a moment he stops to listen. It’s comforting.

He didn’t come all the way out here to listen to the rain, though. He checks his gear twice, just to be sure, and then tips back off the edge of the boat.

The first few seconds of being underwater are always his favourite. The cool water pressing in around him makes him feel safe.

His weights start pulling him down immediately, towards the wreck nearly two hundred feet below him, and it’s not long before the surface is completely out of sight and he’s surrounded by dark water on all sides.

He has a flashlight, but it’s not much use here. He could see a few more fish, maybe, but the fish come up to him anyway, curious. They’re only small, nothing big around here, and they scatter when he reaches towards them. He laughs softly, waving his hand back and forth and watching them flee.

He pauses to check his equipment at fifty feet and a hundred feet, but everything’s fine. Better than fine, really, though he fumbles with pressure gauge and nearly drops it. It’s fine, though, everything’s attached to him, so he couldn’t lose it anyway.

He doesn’t bother at a hundred and fifty feet. He’s nearly there and everything’s going so well that he doesn’t think he even needs to.

It’s not long before the wreck is in sight, a huge, hulking shadow looming out of the darkness. He watches it get bigger until he’s standing on the deck, looking around at the rusted metal jutting out of the dark. He’s been here before, several times, but looking around at the ship he can’t remember the route he used to get in. The first door he tries is rusted shut and won’t budge, as is the second, so he drifts over the edge of the ship, looking for a hole big enough to get in.

There is one, the edges sharp and ragged, and he drifts through it and into the belly of the ship.

It’s a big place, the metal walls covered in algae, and small fish dart out of his way if he disturbs anything.

It’s still too murky to see far, and after a few minutes of wandering aimlessly, squinting to see, he remembers his torch and fumbles with it, trying to switch it on. He’s struggling with the switch, though he never usually struggles, but his gloves seem to be getting in the way and he drops the torch to take them off, forgetting that the strap isn’t around his wrist. The torch sinks slowly, disappearing into a tear in the metal of the ship’s floor. Alexei watches it disappear, almost confused, and then realises he needs that.

The hole isn’t big enough to fit him, so he reaches into it, hoping his torch hasn’t fallen far. The metal is sharper than he expects, and after a moment of trying to find it he feels a rush of cold water against his bare skin and tears his arm out of the hole, confused.

His wetsuit’s torn all down the arm, blood oozing from a shallow cut and being carried away by the water, but he can’t feel it, so it can’t be that bad.

It’s cold, though, without the protection of his wetsuit. The water drifts in and out of the tear, cold against his skin, and he shivers, trying to hold the rip closed. It doesn’t work, of course, and he can’t swim like that anyway, so he lets it go and resigns himself to being cold.

The cut on his arm is still bleeding, but he isn’t worried about it. It doesn’t hurt, and there are no sharks around here anyway. He’s unlikely to get eaten.

His torch is probably a lost cause, but it’s fine. He should probably start heading up soon, as soon as he’s found his way out of the ship.

He has time, though. It’s not a pressing matter.

The ship creaks as he moves through it, swaying a little in the currents around it. It’s at an odd angle, and it’s a little disorientating to manoeuvre through. More than once Alexei manages to swim into the walls of the ship, or a doorframe he’s trying to get through. He’s not moving fast enough for it to really hurt, though, just drifting aimlessly through the dark water.

He’s just started looking for a way out in earnest when he hears someone call his name and hesitates, looking around. No one came down here with him, and he didn’t think anyone had planned to dive here today.

The sound comes again, but he shouldn’t be able to hear anything, not underwater like this. Even if there is someone down here, how would they be speaking?

He checks his radio, but it’s silent, the light off. It wouldn’t work this far down anyway and he drops it, forgetting the strap isn’t around his wrist.

Whoever it is calls again and he forgets about the radio drifting towards the ground, trying to head towards them. Sound carries strangely underwater, but it sounds clear enough.

It sounds like his father.

“Hello?” he calls, or tries to, but his voice is lost in a rush of bubbles.

They call out again, more urgently this time, and he kicks his feet, trying to move faster through the wreck. He doesn’t know why, but he needs to find them.

And find them he does.

He’s seen bodies underwater before. The way they drift back and forth, buffeted by the currents and staring unnaturally.

That doesn’t make it any easier though, not this time.

It’s his father. He doesn’t know how; his father has been dead for years, but somehow…

“Alexei.”

Alexei sobs. It’s lost in a rush of bubbles past his head.

His father smiles, and it looks so wrong.

“It’s okay,” he says, and reaches out, towards Alexei. It should be comforting, but it’s not. “Come here.”

Alexei hesitates, not sure what to do. He wants to reach out, misses his father so badly it hurts, but this … this isn’t right.

“I don’t…” he starts, and then stops. He can barely speak through the regulator, and he reaches up to pull at it. It’s tight, and his fingers faulter with the straps.

“Alexei,” his father says, with more urgency, and Alexei gives up trying to take it of carefully, tearing it away from his face hard enough that the tube snaps. His remaining air disappears in seconds, and without the added buoyancy he sinks towards the floor of the ship.

“Alexei,” his father says again, and Alexei finally reaches towards him, not caring about much else.

His father smiles once more, and Alexei just manages to brush his fingers before he disappears, melting into water.

“No!” Alexei cries, and suddenly he’s choking, lungs filling with water.

It’s at this point, of course, a little too late, that his mind catches up to what’s going on.

He’s fucked up. He’s fucked up, and he’s going to die.

He’s not as upset about it as he should be. Lux will miss him, he knows that, but there are worse ways to die.

Maybe if he’s lucky they’ll even find his body.

His lungs are already burning, and his vision is beginning to blur and fade.

It’s going to be over soon. It’s going to be over soon.

Except … it isn’t.

It’s dark, when he wakes up, and he aches all over, but he’s alive. He feels alive, at least. Not that he really knows what that should feel like.

He feels around for his torch, but he dropped it back in the ship, and so he has no chance of looking around. The floor is damp, though, cold stone, and it feels like an underwater cave.

How did he get here? He doesn’t remember any cave systems around the ship, and it would have taken a miracle for him to somehow make it here himself, but who else could have dragged him into a cave like this, especially as they would have had hardly any time before he drowned.

Things are starting to come back to him, and he’s starting to realise how stupid he was. He can recognise the symptoms of nitrogen narcosis, though he’s never had to actually experience it before.

He kind of understands why you’re not supposed to dive alone, now. He hadn’t done anything wrong, it had just been … bad luck.

He should be dead, really. He doesn’t understand why he’s not.

He’s been sitting there for a few minutes, anxious, when he hears something moving about in the darkness. He reaches for his knife this time again, which he doesn’t remember dropping, but that’s gone too.

It goes silent again as soon as he moves, and he exhales slowly, nervous.

Nothing happens for a moment, and then the sound comes again, slower this time.

“Hello?” he calls, squinting into the darkness as if he has any chance of seeing what’s going on.

There’s a long silence, and then…

“You’re awake.”

Alexei exhales slowly. So it’s a person. That’s good, at least.

“Seems that way.”

“Good,” the person says, after a pause. “I thought maybe you were dead.”

Alexei huffs a faint laugh. “I nearly was. I guess I have you to thank for that?”

“I guess so,” they say. They sound kind of nervous. “I’m glad I could help.”

Alexei nods, though he knows they can’t see him. “Where … am I? Did you take my knife?”

“A cave,” the person tells him. “And … yeah.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want you hurting yourself. Or me.”

That’s fair, Alexei supposes. He was somewhat manic earlier, and he could have lashed out.

“Fine. How deep are we?”

“How deep?”

“Yeah. How many feet?”

“How many…” the person laughs softly. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Sorry.”

Alexei sighs, feeling around for his gauge. It’s still attached to him, thank goodness, but he can’t see it in the darkness. He should’ve gotten one of the ones with the light-up faces.

“I can check my gauge,” he says. “But I don’t have a torch.”

“Oh,” the person says. “You can’t see.”

“No,” Alexei says, a little confused. “Can you?”

The person doesn’t answer. “I’ll get you a light,” they tell him, and he hears a quiet splash.

“Okay,” he says, although he thinks they’re gone.

They’re back a few minutes later, and he hears the faint clink of metal on stone.

“There,” they say, and something touches his leg.

He picks it up, cautious, and finds that it’s a torch. Not his, it’s heavier than his, an older model, he thinks, but when he pushes the switch it still lights up, though it’s dim.

He checks his depth gauge before anything else, and finds that he’s nearly two hundred and fifty feet down. Nearly sixty feet lower than he’d been in the ship.

How did he get here? He’s sure he didn’t sink that far in his narcosis induced haze. He’d still been in the wreck when he lost his oxygen.

He sighs, turning the torch towards the person on the other side of the cave.

It’s hard to make them out properly in the dim light, but they’re not quite what he expected. They’re still half in the water, just their head and shoulders visible above the dark water, but they’re definitely no one he knows, no one he even recognises from the dive school.

They’re not wearing any kind of gear, as far as he can tell, not even a wetsuit, and that … that’s stupider than what he was doing. It’s not safe to free-dive around here, especially not at this time of year, and especially not if you’re going to be exploring.

“How did you get down here?” he asks, kind of amazed.

They shrug, as though it doesn’t matter. “I live not far from here.”

“I mean … how did you get this far down with no equipment?”

He’d hoped they’d have something, perhaps a spare regulator, because he’s no free-diver and he won’t make it to the surface from here without something.

They laugh a little, surprised. “Why would I need equipment?”

“So you don’t drown?”

They laugh again. “I won’t.”

Alexei shakes his head, rubbing his hand over his face. “It’s your funeral, I suppose.”

“You’re the one who nearly died.”

“I guess,” Alexei says, though he’s not convinced. “Thanks, by the way.”

They smile. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m Alexei.”

They smile again, a little brighter. “I’m Freddie. Hi.”

“Hi,” Alexei echoes. “You planning on getting out of the water?”

Freddie shrugs. “Not really. It’s comfortable.”

“It’s freezing.”

“To you, maybe.”

Alexei sighs, looking up for a moment at the roof of the cave. “I don’t understand you.”

“I don’t understand you either. Why did you pull the mask off your suit?”

“Nitrogen narcosis,” Alexei admits. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“What’s that?”

“What’s…” Alexei trails off, confused. It would take an incredibly skilled diver to free-dive this deep, but this guy doesn’t even know what nitrogen narcosis is? “Drunkenness of the deep, you know.”

“I know what drunkenness is.”

Alexei shines the light back at him, watching him squint, and studies him for a moment. He’s got dark skin, hair pulled into a messy bun, and he’s resting his head on his arms, looking sideways at Alexei. Something about him seems … off, but Alexei can’t tell what it is, and he’s starting to suspect that maybe the nitrogen narcosis hasn’t worn off as much as he’d thought it had.

“Can you get out of the water?” he asks, cautious.

Freddie eyes him for a moment and then sits up a little. “Alright. If it’ll make you feel better.”

He pulls himself out of the water with apparent ease, and Alexei shines the torch down his body, not really caring if it’s kind of weird.

The light glints off scales, deep red as far as Alexei can tell, and he switches the torch off, angry with himself.

There’s a silence.

“Are you okay?”

“Go away,” Alexei says, a little petulantly. Telling what’s almost certainly a figment of his imagination to go away probably won’t do any good, but maybe it will make him feel a little better.

“Did I do something wrong?”

That throws him off a little. Freddie sounds … anxious, a little concerned, and real or not Alexei feels a little guilty for snapping at him.

“No, it’s just … I’d rather be alone right now.”

“Oh.”

There’s a long, drawn-out silence. Alexei would like to believe Freddie’s left, but he can still hear breathing, soft and low.

Maybe that’s his own.

He picks the torch up again, cautious, and flicks it on. Freddie’s still sitting in the cave, tail wrapped around his body, and he jumps when the beam hits him.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I just … can I help?”

Alexei sighs and turns the torch off again. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

Alexei puts the torch down, though he’s careful not to let it roll away, and pulls his knees up to his chest. “Yes.”

“What are you upset about?”

“I’m going to die down here.”

“No,” Freddie says, and he sounds very sure about it. “You’ll be okay.”

Alexei just snorts, not bothering to respond, and hears Freddie sigh.

“You’ll be okay,” he says, again. “I can bring you food, if you need, and…”

“You’re not even real.”

There’s a long silence. Alexei kind of hopes saying it out loud snaps the hallucination, though maybe a hallucination is better than being alone.

“I’m real,” Freddie says. He sounds a little confused.

“Sure,” Alexei says. He’s pretty sure arguing won’t help, and he doesn’t really have the energy.

“I am,” Freddie insists, and Alexei feels him shuffling around in the dark. “I promise.”

“Sure,” Alexei says, again, and hears Freddie sigh.

“Really,” he says, and something cool brushes Alexei’s wrist.

It takes him a moment to realise that Freddie’s touching him, and he snatches his arm away, shuffling away and picking the torch up, shining it in Freddie’s eyes.

He seems almost frozen, hand hovering in mid-air.

“Don’t touch me,” Alexei says, a little too harshly. Real or not, Freddie’s a stranger, and he didn’t ask.

“I’m sorry,” Freddie says, withdrawing his hand.

Alexei shrugs, leaning against the cave wall and leaving the torch on. He doesn’t want to be taken off guard again.

He doesn’t really know what to think, honestly. He doesn’t know if it’s normal to be able to feel a hallucination, but if Freddie’s not a hallucination then…

Well.

“Maybe I should go,” Freddie says, after a few minutes of silence. “I … I can bring you some food, if you want?”

“Alright,” Alexei says, and he thinks he’s kind of relieved.

“Okay,” Freddie says, nodding to himself. “I just, um… what do you eat?”

Alexei thinks about that for a moment. “I don’t suppose you cook your food?”

Freddie shrugs. “I … don’t know?”

“Fine,” Alexei says. “I can eat most fish, just … bring my knife back, please.”

“Okay,” Freddie says, though he sounds a little nervous. “Please don’t use it on me.”

“I won’t,” Alexei tells him, and leans against the wall.

Freddie nods and wriggles over to the entrance to the cave, dropping himself through the hole and disappearing into the dark water.

Alexei keeps the torch trained on the hole for a moment, to make sure he’s actually gone, and then switches it off. He doubts there are any spare batteries around here.

If Freddie comes back, he tells himself, then he’ll have to seriously consider the possibility that he’s actually real, somehow, and not a symptom of the nitrogen narcosis that hasn’t completely worn off.

He’s not sure which outcome he hopes for. If he is real then at least Alexei isn’t alone down here, at least he has a chance of survival, but mermaids being real is kind of a lot to process, really.

Maybe they’re just very good at hiding.

He doesn’t mean to fall asleep, but it’s very dark, and the only sounds are his own breathing and the soft back and forth of the ocean lapping at the mouth of the cave, and they lull him to sleep after a few minutes.

When he wakes it’s to someone calling his name gently, and he sits up. Sleeping on the floor of a cave hasn’t done wonders for his back, and he aches, but he fumbles around for the torch.

Freddie’s back, still half in the water, and he waves when the beam of the torch hits him.

Maybe he is real.

“Hi,” he says, and pulls himself out of the water, offering Alexei his diving knife and a dead fish.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, taking them both. The fish is a large salmon, and he spends a minute trying to set up the torch so he can gut it.

Freddie’s watching him, but he tries to ignore him, carefully descaling and gutting the fish, leaving the offcuts in a small pile.

The knife isn’t ideal for the job, and he makes a bit of a mess, but food is food, even if he has to eat it raw in a cave in the dark. At least he won’t starve.

Water is probably going to be more of an issue, but he doesn’t ask about that right now.

“Can I have those bits?” Freddie asks, pointing at the pile of offcuts, and Alexei nods, curious.

He drops the scales and bones out of the cave and eats the guts, humming to himself, and Alexei huffs a faint laugh, chopping his part up into neat slices, or as neat as he can manage with the knife he has.

“Why don’t you eat those bits?” Freddie asks, when he’s finished and watching Alexei eat.

“Taste bad,” Alexei tells him.

Freddie wrinkles his nose. “That’s not true. They’re good.”

“If you say so,” Alexei says, a little amused. “I don’t like them, though.”

“Weird,” Freddie says, thoughtful. “There were a lot of people in the ship, just now.”

Alexei frowns. “The ship you found me in?”

Freddie nods. “They were collecting your stuff, I think.”

“Right,” Alexei says. They must be friends of his, who’ve realised he never went home and come looking.

He must have been here longer than he’d thought.

“Yeah,” Freddie says. “They were upset, I think.”

“They must think I’m dead,” Alexei says, and buries his head in his hands.

Poor Lux. He wants to find her, tell her he’s okay, but he would never survive leaving the cave without equipment.

“Are you okay?” Freddie asks, quiet, and Alexei glances up at him. He reaches out and then pulls his hand back, apparently remembering how Alexei reacted last time.

“I need to get home,” Alexei says, although he has no idea how. “My friends will miss me.”

“Oh,” Freddie says, and he sounds almost disappointed.

“Was Lux there?” he asks. “She’s … tall, white hair?”

Freddie considers for a moment. “I think so.”

Alexei nods. She doesn’t dive very often, but she would’ve come down if they thought he was in trouble.

He’s glad he didn’t die there. He would hate for her to find his body.

“How will you get back?” Freddie asks.

“I don’t know,” Alexei admits.

Freddie considers for a moment, opening his mouth as though to say something, and then apparently changes his mind. “Oh,” he says, finally. “Okay.”

Alexei closes his eyes, painfully close to tears, though it’s stupid. He’s lucky to be alive.

“Do you know if there’s fresh water around here?” he asks, just kind of hoping that Freddie will leave.

“Yeah,” Freddie says. “Why?”

“To drink?”

“I can probably get you some,” Freddie says, although Alexei can tell he doesn’t get it.

“Please,” Alexei says, and he nods, slipping back into the water.

Alexei turns the torch off and puts a hand over his mouth, trying to silence himself, though there’s not one to hear him.

He can’t help crying, really. He misses the triplets and his friends from the dive school, and he just wants to go home. He can’t live down here.

He doesn’t know how long Freddie will be gone, and he stifles the tears as soon as he can, taking deep, shaky breaths. He’s going to be okay. He has to be.

Freddie comes back a while later with what looks like a bucket, though an odd one, full of water.

“Here,” he says, and offers it to Alexei.

It’s fresh, despite being carried through the salt water, and that’s kind of impressive, honestly.

Alexei drinks a little of it and then puts it aside, careful not to spill it.

“Why do you need fresh water?” Freddie asks, curious, and Alexei shrugs.

“Humans need water to survive.”

“But there’s salt water everywhere. Is that not good enough?”

Alexei shakes his head. “If I drank too much of that I’d go crazy and then die.”

“Weird,” Freddie says, thoughtfully. “Humans seem kind of fragile. No offence.”

Alexei shrugs. “I guess so,” he says. “We’re pretty hardy in some situations, though.”

“Like what?”

Alexei doesn’t really want to sit here talking, but it’s not like he has much else to do, and Freddie’s so curious. It’s kind of sweet.

“Sometimes people survive huge falls,” he says, humouring him. “And there’s this thing called hysterical strength, that helps people do crazy stuff like lift cars in emergencies.”

Freddie considers that. He looks a little sceptical, and honestly Alexei doesn’t blame him. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Alexei says. “It’s pretty cool.”

“Can you do that?”

“I assume I would, in the right situation. Never happened, though.”

“Huh,” Freddie says. His tail is twitching, just a little, where it’s laying on the stone, and Alexei wonders if it’s just a nervous tic. “That is pretty cool.”

“Have you talked to humans before?” Alexei asks, and Freddie shakes his head.

“No. We’re not … really allowed. Kind of dangerous, you know?”

Alexei nods, a faint smile pulling at his lips. “Makes sense. Humans can be kind of … shoot first, ask questions later.”

“Yeah,” Freddie says. “I probably shouldn’t have rescued you, honestly, but it felt unfair to let you die.”

“Thanks,” Alexei says, kind of touched. “I appreciate it.”

Freddie’s really nice, honestly. It takes a few days for it to really sink in that he is real, but Alexei knows well enough that the nitrogen narcosis has worn off by now, and anyway, he thinks he actually likes Freddie.

He’s very chatty, full of questions, and Alexei tells him about his life, about Cas and Lux and Gem and his friends from the dive school, about life on land. Freddie tells him things in return, about his friends and the city he grew up in, and it’s honestly fascinating.

It’s nice enough, living in the little cave, but Alexei’s still pining to go home. He likes Freddie, really he does, but he misses the sun, and he misses his friends, and he just wants to go home.

Freddie doesn’t want him to leave. He never says it outright, but Alexei can tell from the way he reacts when he talks about.

He kind of gets it, that Freddie likes him around, but he can’t help it, and he just wants to see Lux again.

Freddie must realise eventually that he’s unhappy, because he asks one day.

“Do you really want to go home?”

Alexei glances up at him. “Yeah.”

Freddie sighs, tail flicking back and forth in the water. “Is it … because of me?”

“No,” Alexei says, rolling the torch back and forth across the ground. “You’ve been really kind to me, but I just … miss it.”

“I’m sorry,” Freddie says. “I could … I could take you home?”

Alexei stares at him for a minute. “You could?”

Freddie nods, biting at his bottom lip.

“Could you have done that this whole time?”

“I … kind of,” Freddie says, not looking directly at him. “But I … didn’t think you’d like it.”

Alexei exhales slowly. “Why not?”

“It’s kind of … invasive?”

“What do you mean?” Alexei asks, cautious. He wants to get out of here, but he’s not sure how far he’d go.

Freddie glances up at him for a moment. He looks almost shy. “I … breathe out the kind of air you need, you see? I could get you back to shore.”

Alexei thinks about that for a moment, letting it sink in. He thinks he could deal with that. He trusts Freddie.

“Is that what you did to get me here?” he asks, and Freddie nods.

It’s like … CPR, kind of. He’s done a couple of first aid courses, he’s fine with CPR.

“Okay,” he says, and exhales. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Freddie echoes. “You’d, um. You’d have to let me touch you.”

Because they haven’t. Not since Alexei pushed him off and said don’t touch me, because Freddie’s good like that. He hasn’t pressed.

“That’s fine,” Alexei says. “I don’t … mind being touched, exactly. I just don’t like it when it’s without warning.”

“Okay,” Freddie says, nodding, and Alexei can see him thinking about asking, but he doesn’t. Not now.

“When can we go?” Alexei asks, after a moment’s silence, and Freddie shrugs.

“We should go at night.”

“Okay,” Alexei says. “When is that?”

“Soon,” Freddie tells him, and he nods.

“Just … tell me when, I guess. I can’t really go anywhere.”

“Yeah,” Freddie says. “I should … go tell someone where I’m going. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay,” Alexei says, and watches him disappear out of the cave.

It’s a while before he comes back, and Alexei is half asleep when he hears the familiar splash and feels around for the torch.

“Hi,” Freddie says, waving a little when he switches it on.

“Hi,” Alexei tells him. “Are we going?”

“Yeah,” Freddie says, a little sadly. “It probably won’t take too long.”

Alexei nods, casting around for his mask and pulling it on, then standing up and walking over to sit by the edge of the cave. Freddie hesitates for a moment and then offers him a hand, cautious.

Alexei gives him a tiny smile and takes his hand. His skin is cool, kind of damp, and he smiles back, squeezing Alexei’s hand gently.

“Come on,” he says, and pulls Alexei out of the cave and into the ocean.

It’s just a good as ever, and Alexei closes his eyes for a moment as Freddie starts towing him. He’s surprisingly strong, stronger than he looks, and Alexei opens his eyes again just to watch him moving, fascinated.

They swim for a few minutes and then Freddie stops, waving his tail lazily back and forth to keep them in place. Alexei thinks he says something, inaudible through the water, and then he cautiously leans in to press their lips together.

It is kind of like a kiss, no matter what Alexei tries to tell himself, though it’s not like he’s ever kissed anyone but Lux. Still, it means he can breathe.

He thinks he probably wouldn’t mind kissing Freddie even if not for the oxygen.

They can only move for a few minutes at a time before Alexei’s lungs start to burn, but they cover a surprising amount of distance in that time. Alexei barely has to do any work at all.

It’s only about half an hour before the ground beneath them starts sloping upwards towards the surface, and maybe five minutes from there before they break the surface and Alexei gets his first breath of fresh air in weeks. It’s dark, the moon casting a little light over the waves, and the beach is abandoned.

He can see the dock from here, easily close enough to swim to.

“I guess this is it,” Freddie says, and Alexei turns to face him. He hasn’t let go of Alexei yet, but he doesn’t mind so much.

“Yeah,” he says. “Thank you for looking after me.”

“It’s okay,” Freddie says, earnest. “I’d do it again.”

“I hope you don’t have to.”

Freddie smiles a little. “Yeah. Me too. Still, I’d like to see you again?”

“I’ll visit,” Alexei offers, and Freddie smiles.

“I can come up to the dock, if you’d like.”

Alexei nods. “I work there,” he says, “I’ll be there most days.”

“Okay,” Freddie says, pulling him a little closer to press their foreheads together. “I’ll see you then.”

“See you,” Alexei says, and Freddie finally lets him go, letting him find his own feet.

It’s only a short swim back to the beach, and he stumbles out onto the sand, looking out at the sea one last time. Freddie is still floating there, and he waves when he sees Alexei looking.

Alexei waves back and then turns towards the road, pulling his mask off and letting it hang around his neck.

It’ll be a miracle if his car is still on the dock and even if it were he left the keys in his boat, so no chance of getting home that way. He’s not sure what the time is, but hopefully the buses are still running, because walking all the way home isn’t an appealing prospect.

It’s not until he’s actually getting on the bus that he realises he has no money, and the driver raises an eyebrow at him.

“I’m sorry,” he says, running a hand over his face. “I’ve had … one hell of a week.”

The driver laughs. “I can see that. Just get on, I’m not making you walk.”

“Thank you,” Alexei says, genuine. “I’ll make it up to you.”

The man just waves a hand and lets Alexei walk into the back.

He doesn’t sit down, not wanting to get salt water on the seats, just stands and clings to the pole as the bus bumps along the country roads.

He’s so tired, and he can’t wait to see Lux again.

It’s about a ten-minute walk from his stope, and he feels dead on his feet when he gets to the peeling yellow front door. The bell’s been broken for years, and he knocks harshly. Someone will still be up, he’s sure.

It’s Gem who opens the door, in their pyjamas, and for a moment they just stare at him.

“Surprise,” he says, and does half-hearted jazz hands at them. “Not dead.”

“Holy shit,” they say, and beckon him in. “Cas!”

“What!” Cas yells, down the stairs. “I’m busy!”

Gem rolls their eyes. “Tell Lux to come down!”

Alexei can imagine the expression Cas is making, but a couple of minutes later Lux jogs down the stairs and Alexei gives her a little wave.

She just stares at him in the same way Gem did, as though she can’t believe he’s here. Not that he blames her, really.

What she signs, finally, and then fuck.

Surprise! Alexei signs, and gives her a tired half-smile. Not dead.

She narrows her eyes and runs over to stand in front of him. Idiot. Hug?

He nods and she wraps her arms around him, soft and familiar. He buries his nose in her shoulder and hugs her back.

What happened? she asks, when she pulls away, and he just shrugs.

Explain later, he offers. Sleep now, please.

She sighs and shakes her head. Shower first. Then bed.

That’s reasonable enough, and he lets her push him into the shower before she disappears, presumably to tell Cas what’s going on.

A shower does him a world of good, washing the salt from his hair after days, but he’s even sleepier by the time he stumbles out and dries himself off.

Cas is waiting for him when he gets out, but he doesn’t ask questions.

“Good to have you back,” is all he says, and then he lets Alexei wander down the hallway to his room and collapse into bed.

He has no idea how he’s going to explain in the morning, but he’ll find a way. For now he just falls asleep, so glad to be home.

#mermaids #mermay #gay #my writing #diving #oc:freddie #oc:alexei #oc:lux #oc:cas #oc:gem #i love these bastards so much #anyway im proud of this one #i hope people enjoy

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itsuki-minamy · 4 years

Text

“SIX IDOLS” – “SPRINT DREAM” (Part 4)

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

* Chapter 1 01 / 02 / 03

That day, Yojiro Sato (51) was driving his own high-speed boat and racing in Tokyo Bay.

His main business was fisherman, but he also works as a fishing boat captain as a side job. In any case, the main job is to chase the school of fish, current high-speed boats are used for that purpose.

But today's work was different than usual.

The client was a fishing cooperative and the content of the request was mysterious: "Anyway, I want you to go to Chiba city using a high speed boat." He goes through it several times, but it seems the reason he couldn't get the point was because the fishing cooperative was asked to go further.

Sato accepted it simply because the reward was great. Otherwise, it would not accept suspicious requests.

However, when he passed by the Tokyo Bay Aqualine, he began to regret it.

He doesn't think it's a dangerous story.

It goes without saying that Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world and Tokyo Bay is a large adjacent port. Many are trying to carry out illegal transactions by sea. Unfortunately, he has heard stories of people involved in such problems at the level of rumors.

He's been through the fishing cooperative, so he doesn't think it's something to worry about.

Even so, a bit of anxiety washed over Sato's mind.

At that moment the radio sounded. When he reached out his hand and responded by reflex, he heard an unfamiliar voice on the back of the radio.

"Hello. Is this Mr. Yojiro Sato?"

It was a feminine and intelligent voice. Sato responds while confused.

"Oh, yeah. That's right."

"Nice to meet you, my name is Seri Awashima. I was the one who made the request."

"Oh, I see."

The confusion disappeared, but Sato pressed his face into place. Listen to Awashima's words, eager to decline the request in the event of an emergency.

"First of all, I apologize for reporting uncertain content to you in the application. I was in a hurry, so I thought about explaining after taking the first step."

"Okay, but what kind of job is this after all? It doesn't appear to be a fishing request."

"Yes. I want you to pick up a certain person."

When suspicion and vigilance increase, he raises his eyebrow. Sato asked in a low voice.

"Who is that? He is not a criminal, right?"

"What, criminal?"

From the other side of the meeting, he could feel the sign that Awashima was completely disappointed. The voice that echoed next seemed to lack a bit of calm, unlike before.

"Incorrect! The president is not involved in such things!"

"Oh, yeah."

At the angry response, Awashima coughed a little.

"No, sorry. It may be inevitable that it looks like this. I would like you to pick up Reisi Munakata, the representative idol of "Promotion Scepter 4"."

While driving, Sato is confused.

"Why do idols want to get on our ship?"

“As I said before, it is an urgent matter. He didn't seem to be in time for a regular water taxi, so I contacted you."

"Hmm... Well, it's okay."

Sato is not familiar with idols. He is simply not interested. From time to time he sees them on television, but to him they all have similar faces and clothes, so he cannot tell them apart.

That sect image is probably one of those idols. No wonder that is used instead of a taxi, but, work is work.

"So where should I pick him up?"

"Please wait a moment. I'll link the information on the president's location to that PDA."

"Eh?"

A second after the stupid voice leaked out, a spot of light lit up on the GPS map attached to the ship. Sato opens his mouth and looks at it moving at high speed on the map.

“Did you get the location? The point that lights up in blue is the current position of the president."

"Yes, I got it."

"Good. Get closer to the point of light. It also shows the next meeting points."

The GPS map reacts again and projects an orange spot of light. It shows a jetty near the beach park, that made Sato panic even more.

"Wait a minute! How did you do that? This is my PDA, right? Why can you operate it on that side?"

"There is no time to lose! I took emergency measures! Rest assured that we have formal permission to use the system!"

"What is that system?"

To Sato's confusion, Awashima doesn't reply. "More than that!" When he started yelling, the blue point of light on the map continued to flash.

“He is approaching the meeting point. Thanks for your cooperation. Awashima, over and out."

And the radio was unilaterally cut off, leaving only Sato who was confused.

The ship curves and begins to move parallel to the shore. Sato alternately compared the map and the coast. If this location is correct, Munakata will soon be in sight.

"Ah."

With that said, he opened his mouth. Someone was there. That's probably definitely Munakata.

From a distance, he can only tell that he is a man. It would have been indistinguishable on its own, but the appearance of a human who could ride a bicycle at a speed comparable to that of a high-speed boat fits this unusual situation perfectly.

"What should I do?"

Sato is a man of the sea. He is confident that he can handle most things that happen at sea. However, he had never imagined such a situation. Sato looked towards the beach while maintaining his speed.

At that moment, Munakata pointed forward.

Sato looks ahead so he can catch it. A jetty leading off the shore blocked the ship's path as it gently curved.

Reflecting a sailor, Sato curves the speedboat along the jetty.

Munakata's bike has picked up speed.

"Hey, it can't be!"

Unknowingly, Sato was screaming. Because he understood the man's thoughts. Because he understood the meaning of "meeting point" that Awashima said on the radio.

The bicycle races down the jetty at a speed that exceeds that of high-speed boats. Sato made the boat's engine run at full speed. It was not because he understood their speculations, but because he thought that, as a man of the sea, he would not be able to stand upright if he was driving a boat and losing to a bicycle.

The bicycle and the speed boat run next to each other for a very short distance.

For the first time, Sato saw Munakata's face.

Munakata was smiling with a clean face in front of him. It was not the expression of a human reaching such high speed on a bicycle. He was horrified. Perhaps this is a monster that seemed to drag him to the bottom of the sea. Even such an imagination took over his head.

Munakata's bicycle leaned over. At the end of the jetty, Sato's high-speed boat drew closer and Munakata jumped with the bicycle with only the spring from his body.

Sato opened his eyes and looked at the figure of Munakata leaping against the sun.

After a short break, Munakata's bicycle landed on the back of the high-speed boat, made a sharp turn, and came to a stop.

"Fu..."

With a sigh, Munakata wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"......"

Sato was just looking at Munakata, who was behaving like a human, with his mouth open.

When he got out and parked at the bicycle rack, Munakata looked at Sato and said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. Sato Yojiro-san. My name is Reisi Munakata. Thank you for your transportation to the planned location."

Swallowing hard, Sato asks suspiciously.

"You are a human?"

After opening his eyes somewhat surprisingly, he replied with a bitter smile.

"I'm just an idol."

++++++++++

At the Suzugaya sorting yard, Domyoji Andy (19) turned his pale face down and swallowed nausea.

He, who is scheduled to appear on "Sprint Dream Live Tour", is at that location because the Suzugaya courtyard is a helicopter landing site owned by "Scepter 4."

The event titled "Extreme Solo Part, Idol from Above 6500~", is Domyoji's assigned role this time. The event of strumming a guitar solo while skydiving from 2000 meters above the sky is sure to be a great thrill if it succeeds, but it can only be said that it is insane.

For today, Domyoji was repeating a special training every day. In total, it would have fallen enough to reach the surface from the stratosphere. Domyoji said that if he ran for Guinness, he would not pass, and gave a tired smile.

At that moment the door to the waiting room was opened and the staff entered.

"Domyoji-san, please prepare for take-off!"

"Eh?"

His eyes are round. Domyoji looks at the watch as it is. There is still some time left before the live begins. The turn of "Shoumutai", including Domyoji, was supposed to be in the second half of the opening ceremony.

"Is it still early? Was there an accident?"

Anyway, when he got up and left the room with the staff, Domyoji was so quiet. He doesn’t know what kind of problems are waiting in the live presentation. Not only staff but also idols need to take this into account and respond flexibly.

"There is no change to Domyoji-san's appearance time! We are going to pick up the president from now on!"

Domyoji opened his mouth. The staff didn't look back and pushed the door in front of them while walking quickly.

At the landing site, the helicopter was already preparing for takeoff. The high-speed rotating main rotor disperses a roar like a gunshot. Defeating the sound, Domyoji yelled at the back of the staff.

"What happened to the president? That person is surely the interpreter for the opening ceremony!"

“Currently, the president is crossing Tokyo Bay! We'll pick him up at sea and head straight to the Tsubakimon Dome!"

Domyoji is confused. He is crossing Tokyo Bay? He has no idea what the hell is going on. What he knows is that he is about to fly high again.

After sitting on the seat and fixing his body with a harness, Domyoji finally noticed.

"Hey! Don't I need it if I pick up the president?!"

"It's the president's judgment that it's a waste of time to go back every time! After leaving the president in the dome, Domyoji-san will wait in the sky until the time of the "Extreme solo part, Idol from above 6500~”!"

That was brilliant. Wait a minute, he try to tell if he would be flying all the time, but then his body was fixed. Jumping out the rear hatch, the staff gave Domyoji a big thumb up.

"Thank you good luck!"

The hatch closes as he continues. The sound of the rotor increases the pitch. Domyoji's stunned face disappeared into the darkness of the plane.

++++++++++

"The President has arrived at meeting point E! The pickup helicopter that was already waiting has started to approach!"

"Let go of the rope, the helicopter must be very careful!"

"Got it! Let go of the rope! Try to drive safely!"

Brilliant laughter erupted in the monitor room as the pilot made a joke. Private language during the operation should be strictly prohibited, but Awashima felt a slight smile on her lips. This would indicate their high morale. She doesn’t have to worry.

"President, I secured a rope! Start climbing."

"Domyoji, can't you point the CCD camera at the president?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll try."

Domyoji hastily responded to Awashima's voice. After a while, a rough image appears on one of the monitors.

Munakata was about to board the helicopter. Standing in the open hatch, he turns and pays him homage. A high speed boat floating ahead, probably Yojiro Sato, a man who appeared to be the captain took off his hat and waved it.

The expression of the image has been softened.

"President. Thank you for being safe."

On the CCD camera, he sees Munakata smiling.

“Thank you for your hard work, Awashima-kun. Did you worry?"

Awashima shakes her head slowly.

"I wasn't worried."

It was a lie. During these 30 minutes, Awashima has looked at the clock no less than 50 times. It's not because she doesn’t trust Munakata. It is probably due to the weakness of Awashima's heart.

Munakata's deep eyes can even see Awashima's inner heart. Still, she looked directly at her boss and reported on the situation.

"We are on time. If you move at full speed from the current location of the president, it will be enough to reach the inauguration. The president's suit has been brought to the room of the occupant of the helicopter."

"Okay. Let's finish all the preparations on the fly. Has the final landing point I submitted changed?"

"No, there are no changes. The helipad is already in control."

At that moment, one of the monitors lit up red and emitted a warning sound.

"What?"

"I will confirm it!"

Staff operate the console quickly. Awashima holds her breath and stares at the movement.

Finally, the staff raised a strained voice.

“There was a fire at the Tsubakimon Dome Hotel! Looks like an evacuation notice has been issued at the hotel!"

"No!"

“No recommendations have been issued for this place! Deputy Chief, what do we do?"

Impatience melts in her hand. Various thoughts come to mind instantly. How big is the fire? How to accept evacuees? Should the concert be canceled, even if no recommendations have been made? The enthusiasm of the people involved and the fans for this live show is extraordinary. But if something happens to the fans, it is irreparable.

An intelligent voice broke those thoughts.

"Awashima-kun. Confirm the evacuation of the hotel guests."

Raise her face. Beyond the CCD camera, Munakata's rough expression was as calm as if he were sitting at his usual office desk.

Awashima looks at the staff. The personnel turned to the front and quickly returned to operating the console.

Finally, he told the staff in a shocked voice.

"We share the confirmation of the status of the place, but the evacuation of the three guests has not been completed! It seems that we are reconfirming the people who have been in the air and have been evacuated!"

"Three people. That means they are…"

The CCD camera points in the other direction. Seeing that, Awashima took a breath.

Near the window on the smokeless floor. A man and a woman are crouched in a narrow space. The woman appeared to be holding a child.

"The number of people matches. Apparently, the evacuation was delayed."

Awashima looks at the image from the CCD camera. Imagine a tragic future for a family left behind at the scene of the fire and blood gushes from their faces.

And Munakata said of course.

"I am heading to the rescue."

Awashima knew that Munakata would say so. Knowing that, she still screams...

"President! Don't do it!"

Domyoji's camera captures Munakata's face. Munakata wasn't looking there. He murmured, looking serious at the scene of the fire, perhaps putting together another thought.

"Awashima-kun. About us?"

"Ah..."

The answer to that was fixed. Awashima squeezed her hand so tightly that her nails dug into her palm.

"We are... idols...!"

"What kind of person is an idol in "Promotion Scepter 4"?"

"Our goal is to be the ideal human who should be a role model for people."

Munakata looked at Awashima with a teacher's gaze, watching over the poor students who gave the correct answer.

"So that's it."

"Huh!"

Munakata goes to the scene of the fire. Although he is an idol, he is only a human. There is no guarantee that he will be able to return safely, so the worst consequences may await him in the future.

And, while looking at the worst, taking steps to prevent it from happening is also a condition of being an ideal human.

Awashima said that decisively when she took a little breath, exhaled and was ready to do it.

“We will contact the various parties involved in the handling of this incident and request assistance in rescue activities. I pray for your safety, President."

Behind the camera, Munakata nodded slightly.

Fushimi Saruhiko clicked his tongue as he leaned his back against the wall.

If Munakata's decision was stupid, Awashima, who followed him, could only be seen as a fool. He are an ideal person and he are trying to ruin his job by getting caught up in an additional idea. Fushimi's frank opinion is that, it is the role of rescuers to help the victims, and that is why they have to get rid of that work.

But he will never reveal it. At least not yet.

It only deals with possible situations.

Makes a call from his PDA. The other party came out with a ringing sound. Before they say something to him there, speak up.

“Akiyama, I got a job. Call the members of the 'Shoumutai'."

While saying that, Fushimi turned away from the wall and quickly headed to the end of the hall.

++++++++++

To be continue…

#k #k project #k six idols #reisi munakata

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doctoru-au · 1 month

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Adelaide GP Job –Mixed Billing

Seaton, Adelaide SA | Job ID #2289

OVERVIEW

Exciting GP Opportunity in a Bustling Location

A fantastic opportunity awaits for a General Practitioner to join a vibrant and well-established medical center situated just a short 20-minute drive from Adelaide's CBD. This mixed billing clinic offers a supportive team environment in a prime location close to the beach, golf clubs, and the airport, providing both work convenience and lifestyle perks for medical professionals.

The medical center boasts a modern and purpose-built facility, flooded with natural light from expansive windows that create a serene and welcoming atmosphere. GPs here have the potential to earn up to $350 per hour, reflecting the high billing nature of the practice. With a recent surge in patient demand, incoming GPs can anticipate a steady stream of patients and ample opportunities to develop their practice within a bustling healthcare setting. Joining this team promises a fulfilling role in a sought-after location, ideal for GPs seeking a rewarding professional journey.

ABOUT THE PRACTICE

A medium-sized practice located near Seaton with 8 GPs, experiences high patient demand. The clinic boasts state-of-the-art facilities, including a dedicated skin clinic and allied health services on-site. Ample natural light from large beautiful windows enhances the space, with the convenience of an X-ray and ultrasound facility located next door.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Amid immediate high patient demand, this practice offers clinical autonomy within a collaborative team, mixed billing, and top-notch nursing support round the clock. With minimal administrative tasks, the focus remains on patient care. The full appointment books and high demand for more GPs present an opportunity for career advancement in a empowering practice setting.

REQUIREMENTS

Required: FRACGP, Specialist Reg. with AHPRA. Not for Limited, Provisional, or General Reg.

WHY WORK WITH ME?

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WANT TO KNOW MORE?

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LOCATION

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#NO EXEMPTION REQUIRED

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universe-n-3276 · 4 years

Text

Carrying the Moon

Chapter 16

It had been almost a year since Charlotte had left, and life had gone on for everyone.

Time is something ethereal, ineffable, theoretical, and relative. Usually, when someone disappears as Charlotte did, after some time, no one can perceive how many days have passed. One closes his eyes and suddenly, it's been ten days. Ten months. Ten years.

But, of course, Charlotte didn't like conforming herself to the regular conventions of life. She vanished, but she had left Hero behind her. On his face, everyone could almost count the days one by one. The passage of time was so clear, it was scary.

It was mid-July.

In a month, Hero would be one year old.

He could walk and talk, or at least he tried. He often made very long speeches with words that were mostly made up, or that only his dads were able to understand the meaning of.

Their life was tiring, but beautiful and happy.

Everyone had survived, even without Charlotte, and Sander would never expect it.

They had graduated, and although the future was still uncertain, they allowed themselves to relax and have fun without thinking about anything, during the last months of summer.

Jens and Lucas, who had returned home from the hospital, were thrilled at the prospect of finding a full-time job so that they could finally afford a larger apartment, in which they could welcome all their new and old friends.

That morning, Sander and Robbe were driving north to the beach house Sander had rented for a well-deserved weekend of relax. Hero had been left in the loving care of his grandmother, with the promise of two FaceTime calls a day. His parents wanted to take him with them to see him play in the sand and have his very first experience on the beach, but after so much effort to graduate on time, the two of them needed to spend time alone.

Sander was driving because Robbe had always flatly refused to take a driver's license.

He had one hand on the wheel and with the other, he was holding his fiance’s. The car was being filled by Bowie's warm voice, which was entertaining them towards their destination.

Sander momentarily took his eyes off the road, hearing Robbe laugh. He was looking at his phone with a happy expression painted on his face.

“Hey, only I can make you smile like that!”

Robbe rolled his eyes and shook his head, trying to hold back a smile.

“First of all, watch the road. Second, it’s your mother. She sent me pictures of Hero taking a bath. He's so cute.”

“I want to see them too!”

Sander pouted and pushed his lower lip out, looking at his fiance who promptly made him turn his face back to the street.

After a while, the music was again the only sound filling the car. Robbe was staring blankly out the window as he listened to Sander humming along with Bowie.

Just a few months earlier, their everyday reality would have seemed only a pipe dream. Robbe touched the ring on his finger and smiled. The thrill of being officially engaged to the love of his life hadn't left him yet, and he wished, he could go back to when as a teenager, he had felt lost, alone, and scared, to whisper in his ear that everything would have been fine in the end.

When the car's GPS showed them that their destination was nearing, both boys looked up to the dark sky above their heads and sighed. It would have probably rain soon. It was certainly not the weather they expected to find, especially Sander who had planned everything.

The beach house was beautiful. It looked like it came straight out of a movie, with the terrace overlooking the sea, and despite the bad weather, the view was still breathtaking.

They brought their bags inside the cabin, just before it started raining, and decided to explore the house they had rented, knowingly looking at each other, as soon as they saw how inviting the bed was.

They kept exploring the remaining rooms as the storm raged outside. They could hear the rain hitting the windows and the sound of the waves that almost drowned out the thunder. There was something strangely relaxing in it, despite the anger of nature manifesting itself, in all its power, before their eyes.

Abandoned on a piece of furniture they found a deck of UNO cards and decided to play a few rounds to spend some time. Sander and Robbe weren't used to having anything to do, but they swore to themselves, they wouldn't spend the whole weekend in bed.

They had been playing for about an hour and Sander kept losing each round. By that time, all his competitiveness had vanished due to the humor of the situation, and his fiance too had begun to cheer for him, despite being playing against each other.

When Robbe laid another +4 on top of the discard pile, they both screamed in amusement and Sander threw his cards on the table in a dramatic way.

“Nooo! Robbe! I thought you loved me!”

“Sorry!”

“Why are you keeping doing this to me?”

“Because you suck at this game, babe.”

“It's because when there are only two players, it's only a matter of luck.”

Sander suddenly looked down at his phone, frowning. He had behaved like this for days, but when they sat face to face, it became very evident.

“Why are you so jumpy every time you get a text lately?”

“I'm not jumpy.”

“Sander, I know you.”

Robbe was looking at him skeptically, with a raised eyebrow. Sander could often read him as if he had his thoughts written on his forehead, but the other way around was also true. Robbe knew his fiance’s every gesture and knew when he was acting weird.

“I'm not! I swear!”

“And now you are hiding your phone! Who are you texting, Sander?”

“It's just my mom.”

“Let me see it, then.”

In seven years of relationship, neither of them had asked the other to read his texts, and neither of them had ever hidden anything. Sometimes Sander or Robbe got a text and the other read it, just because they never had this kind of boundaries. That situation seemed very unusual, and it was a symptom of something.

“No! Why?”

“Are you texting Noor?”

“Noor?”

Sander's mouth dropped open, looking at his fiance as if he just grew another head. He couldn't believe Robbe thought he was cheating on him. Especially after less than a month since they were officially engaged. He felt offended by that thought and that sudden insecurity on Robbe’s part. Sander wanted to say something about it, but he couldn’t because he was actually texting someone without telling Robbe.

He had texted Charlotte about their engagement, and she had replayed immediately, but the conversation died there, although Sander still hoped that his sister would start a conversation sooner or later, so every time he got a text, he was afraid it was her and that Robbe would find out.

He hadn't told him about it yet, because somehow if Charlotte got closer to them and eventually wanted to take Hero away, it would be his fault, and he didn't want to give Robbe any worries.

“We just got engaged!”

“Robbe, I'm not texting Noor, or anybody else. Just trust me, okay?”

“I'm tired of playing. This game is boring if it’s just the two of us. I'm gonna go to bed.”

Robbe got up, leaving his cards on the table, and disappeared into the bedroom. Sander buried his face in the palms of his hands and sighed. He hated hiding things from his fiance, making him feel insecure, and worried but at the same time, he didn't want to talk about Charlotte, especially at that moment, when they should have simply been happy, enjoying some freedom.

He stood up to join Robbe, finding him curled up against a pillow, lying on his side with his eyes closed. Sander lay down behind, spooning him.

“Baby.”

Robbe said nothing, and Sander sighed, starting to rub his nose on the back of his fiance’s head, as he held him tighter against his chest.

“I know you're not sleeping.”

“Have you already regretted it?”

Those raw words left Sander breathless for a few seconds. He really couldn't believe Robbe was asking him such a thing.

“I hope you're not talking about our engagement because you can't possibly be serious.”

Robbe turned slightly, to look his fiance in the eyes, and at that moment Sander wished he didn't know how to read the other so well because his face was painted with mordant emotions that had the power to hurt both of them.

“Why are you being this weird? It's because I wanna adopt Hero?”

“What? No! Absolutely not!”

“I just don't understand.”

“Because there’s nothing to understand.”

Sander felt guilty. He was making the love of his life believe that he was seeing things that weren't there. He was making him question his instincts, deceiving him. He felt terrible, but he had to do what was best for both of them, so when Robbe pushed him away, he pulled back, trying to make his most convincing puppy eyes.

“Robin.”

“Don't call me that when I'm mad.”

“Robin, please.”

He begged, pouting this time because Sander knew very well that no one had ever been able to resist that combination, and he also felt that Robbe was letting himself go in his arms.

“I hate you.”

“We came here to celebrate, don't be mad.”

“You and your puppy eyes. Fuck.”

He said, burying his face completely against the Sanders' chest. Then he smiled, intertwining their legs together. Their love getaway could officially start.

***

Jens woke from his nap at the sound of a broomstick falling to the floor. He frowned and stood up, still sleepy, walking towards the source of that noise. Standing in the kitchen, with a mop in his hand and a bucket full of water and detergent at his feet, there was Lucas who was trying to wash the floor with just one hand.

“What the hell are you doing, Lucas Van der Heijden?”

“I'm just trying to help!”

Lucas's voice was frustrated, just like the expression on his face. Since they got back home from the hospital, Jens had prevented him from doing anything but staying in bed, watching tv, or going to the kitchen to eat. He was afraid that Lucas would get hurt again, and that his complete recovery would be further prolonged.

Also with a broken wrist, there was very little he could do. But as usual, he had underestimated his boyfriend's stubbornness.

“Put that mop down!”

“No! I wanna help!”

He said, pouting. Jens had never thought they would argue for who should not do the cleaning, and instead there he was, trying to take the mop away from Lucas's hand, while he spun around with the agility of a ballerina.

“You have a fucking cast!”

“Right! But I have two hands. The last time I broke my wrist, I kept skating. Besides, chores are not dangerous!”

“When you broke your wrist at 14, I wasn’t your boyfriend.”

“Jens, please. I'm almost done.”

Lucas knew perfectly well that Jens couldn’t resist him at all, so after a little bit more of pouting and begging, Jens just sighed, going to lean on the door-frame.

“Fine. But I'll stay here to check on you.”

Lucas smiled and resumed fumbling with the mop, in a strangely effective way for a single-handed person. He finished cleaning the kitchen in five minutes.

Jens let him put away the bucket and mop without saying a word, and when he was done, Lucas walked over to his boyfriend, looping his arms around his neck.

“See? It wasn't that hard.”

“You could have slipped on the wet floor.”

“But I didn't. Now, kiss me.”

Jens smiled, happy to please his boyfriend, and pressed his lips against the other’s. Lucas slipped his fingers through Jens' hair, pulling them slightly, and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, moaning when his tongue met Jens’.

They hadn't had sex in a while, so it was very easy for both of them, to heath up at the bare minimum.

Jens stroked the back of Lucas' thighs and lifted him off the ground, while the other tied his legs behind his waist. They kept going like that until both had to break the kiss to catch their breath.

Lucas rubbed his nose against his boyfriend's, smiling softly at him.

“You're so handsome.”

“So are you.”

“Sure, must be that purple bruise under my eye, or the greasy hair.”

“It's just a few more days, Luc, then we can shower together.”

“So hot.”

“Yeah, so hot.”

They both laughed, and Jens carried Lucas into their bedroom, making him sit on the bed. They continued to cuddle for a while, while a comforting silence reigned throughout their apartment. It was nice to be alone, slowly rediscovering each other. Taking their time to admire every detail on the other's face, since other areas were still off-limits. It felt like they were teenagers again, when they spent hours kissing and laughing, hidden in their bedrooms, without the world disturbing them.

Lucas leaned on Jens' shoulder, playing with the neck of his boyfriend's shirt, suddenly becoming more serious. It happened often since the accident and what worried him ended up being always the same matter, Jens knew it.

“Lucas, stop thinking about what happened. You said sorry a million times.”

“I know, but I realized that pushing you away, being angry and mean, is my coping mechanism. I saw my parents do this so many times during my childhood, especially my mom, and I don’t know. Maybe I was just trying to protect myself.”

“Protect yourself from what?”

“From the idea that eventually I’d get hurt. I always saw Sander and Robbe as an ideal couple and when they broke up I thought they didn’t make it, so why Jens and I should? I kind of convinced myself that we were about to end things up too.”

Jens was confused. No matter how many times they talked about that, there was still something new coming up to the surface. It was good because it meant they were working things up, and their relationship was starting to heal.

“Why haven't you mentioned this before?”

“It wasn’t something I did on purpose. But you know what? we survived Jens, thanks to you.”

“Next time something bothers you, even if you don’t know what it is, please tell me, and we’ll try to figure it out together.”

“I promised.”

Lucas smiled, pressing little kisses to Jens' jaw, who closed his eyes and sighed, completely touch-starved. He wanted to feel Lucas everywhere again, but he needed to be responsible for both of them, so he gently squeezed his boyfriend's hand to make him stop.

“Jens, please. I want to make you feel good.”

“But you are already making me feel good by saying all of these things. Besides, I'm super hungry, we should start cooking something!”

Jens freed himself from his boyfriend's arms and quickly got up before the other could reach him again. It was painful but necessary. Lucas rolled his eyes and grunted crossing his arms on his chest, and that was it. There was no way he couldn’t kiss away that adorable pout from his face, so taking Lucas by surprise he crushed his mouth against his boyfriend’s, because maybe if they were really careful, there was something they still could do to make each other feel good.

[previous] / [next]

#wtfock #sander driesen #robbe ijzermans #robbe x sander #rosander #drijzermans #lucas van der heijden #jens stoffels #vds #van der stoffels #carrying the moon #chapter 16

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childoftimeandmagic · 4 years

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Got Our Whole Lives

I really should be working on my Practical Magic!Klaroline fic, but this was tumbling, rumbling and rolling around in my brain instead.

Merthur fic for @kickassfu because she’s amazing and I love her.

You can also read it here AO3.

“Are you sure that Merlin’s working till seven tonight?” Arthur asked, for the twelfth time that afternoon as he sat in Gwen’s living room as Morgana walked back in with two mugs of tea one for her and one for Gwen.

Gwen took the mug from Morgana and shifted on the loveseat so that Morgana could sit with her before focusing on Arthur who was frantically typing into his laptop as he organized a surprise trip for him and Merlin’s second anniversary. “Yes Arthur, your boyfriend who you talk to everyday at least 12 of the 24 hours will be off work at seven alright?”

Arthur flipped her off and focused on reserving the caravan from the company he’d found online as well as the tram tickets to Normandy. He had asked Merlin to request the 17th to the 25th of June off so that they could finally take a proper holiday together. Merlin had stared at him eyeing him suspiciously as he called his boss to put in for the requested dates. Thankfully, his boyfriend hadn’t asked him what they were doing. Proclaiming that if they were going on a holiday then Arthur was planning it as Merlin was going to be finishing his Masters thesis in early June and honestly couldn’t be arsed to also plan a posh vacation up to Arthur’s aristocratic standards.

“We’re going to be caravanning?” Merlin’s voice broke through his concentration as he was going through the plan one more time. Slamming his laptop closed he looked up at Merlin who was standing just inside the living room looking down at him like he’d lost his marbles.

“What are you doing here you aren’t supposed to be here till half past seven,” he hissed, his face flushing as Merlin sat down on the floor next to him and gently handed him his phone which had two missed calls and five unanswered texts. It was also telling him that it was ten to eight – oh.

“You didn’t answer what you wanted to get for dinner and then Gwen sent me a text saying that she couldn’t ravage your sister with you in the flat,” Merlin said softly, his eyes looking at Arthur with that love and adoration that sometimes made Arthur feel stunted.

“Right we should head off,” he said standing up stiffly and pulling his laptop bag over to his side shoving the offending instrument into the finished leather.

“Arthur are you okay?” Merlin asked, they were halfway back to the flat that they shared close enough to the university and Merlin’s café job, that Arthur didn’t mind taking the extra underground line to his job in City Centre.

“Huh, oh yea,” he said, squeezing Merlin’s hand in his and pulling him in for a chaste kiss. “Better now though.”

“Right but you know me joking that you had to plan our first holiday wasn’t an effort for you to keep it a secret,” he said, cupping Arthur’s cheek with his free hand.

“I know but I want it to be a surprise,” Arthur said, as they passed the Indian take-away place a block before the apartment. “We’re eating Indian for dinner.”

Merlin laughed as his boyfriend changed the subject from what their holiday plans were to what their most pressing plans were, frankly if they had Indian take-away for dinner every night, Merlin thought Arthur would be happiest. Following him into the shop he smiled as Arthur ordered one of every appetizer before ordering Merlin’s Lamb Saagwala and his own Chicken Biryani both moderately spicy for two white boys from the countryside and wrapping the order up with an obscene number of naan.

“You know I don’t get paid till Friday right,” Merlin whispered, into Arthur’s ear when Arthur had paid and walked over to stand next to where Merlin was sitting on a stool by the window.

“I know it’s my treat,” Arthur said, wrapping his arms around Merlin’s waist pressing a kiss to his cheek and hiding his face against Merlin’s neck.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Merlin asked, rubbing his hands across Arthur’s back.

“I’m fine just want you to have the best holiday ever,” Arthur whispered, placing a kiss to Merlin’s pulse point.

“Okay, but we could hide in the flat and not go anywhere for a week and it would be the best vacation ever,” Merlin said, leaning into Arthur’s rare showing of public affection.

“Right, but you’ve never gone on a holiday outside the country, and I want your first one to be with me,” Arthur said, squeezing Merlin tighter in his arms.

“Alright, but can you at least tell me if we’re doing a roadtrip or a resort,” Merlin teased, running his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair it was growing longer than he normally let it get. Merlin was selfishly happy that Arthur had let his hair grow out slightly.

“Fine you twat, we’re gonna roadtrip for a week,” Arthur relented, pulling back to look at Merlin eyes searching for any sign of disappointment or reluctance to the plan. All he saw was admiration and love.

“Sounds amazing, I’m not sure I could have handled a posh resort where you and your cronies hang around when not at Parliament to talk about defrauding the everyday people of more social services,” Merlin said, completely straight faced while Arthur winced and pulled away.

“I can not believe that you just tried to tie me to my late father’s political party,” Arthur gasped, hand on chest.

“I know you’re the good party who only does marginally better for the people,” Merlin said, pulling Arthur back into his arms grinning like a loon.

“You are a twat,” Arthur said, trying not to give into Merlin’s teasing.

“Well it’s better than being a Clotpole,” Merlin said, kissing Arthur’s cheek before pushing him back towards the counter as they called out his name.

Arthur laughed as he walked back to his boyfriend who had unfolded himself from the stool to stand by the door. Waving to the employees and wishing them a good night Arthur and Merlin walked out into the night towards home.

Finished, it was done and he didn’t need to be back in the Politics and International Relation Hall until the first week of July to defend his thesis to the faculty panel. Rolling over he frowned, it was Saturday and Arthur didn’t work on Saturdays. So why was he missing from their bed? Merlin got up grabbing one of Arthur’s rugby shirts from the top of the wardrobe and walked out of the bedroom to find Arthur sitting at his laptop frowning in the kitchen.

“Who died?” he asked, walking closer to rub Arthurs shoulders.

“Huh – oh we got upgraded,” Arthur said, reaching up to tangle his fingers with Merlin’s against his left shoulder.

“Why does that have you looking like you just got a call about someone dying,” Merlin pressed, his thumb rubbing against Arthur’s hand.

“It’s just uh bigger than I was expecting,” he said, showing Merlin the large caravan.

“That’s like a proper lorry,” Merlin commented looking at the specs before looking at Arthur.

“Well can we go back to the original mini camper?” Merlin asked, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

“Yea, but it won’t be ready till tomorrow,” Arthur said, sighing as he turned and buried his face in Merlin’s middle wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.

“Okay so we leave on the train first thing in the morning tomorrow for Calais,” Merlin reasoned out, rubbing circles on Arthur’s shoulders.

“You don’t mind not starting your freedom from the city right away?” Arthur repeated after Merlin nudged him for mumbling into his torso.

“Nope, because I think that we can find plenty to distract us right here,” Merlin said, raising his eyebrow and nodding back towards the bedroom he’d just left. “I’m not sure I feel properly loved.”

Arthur barked out a laugh before standing up his hands gripping Merlin’s thin hips as he hoisted him up into his arms as Merlin laughed. While roughly the same height Merlin was definitely an inch taller, but he lacked the muscular physique of years of rugby and footie that Arthur had, and loved it when Arthur picked him up in his arms.

“I can’t believe we’re going on a roadtrip across the north coast of France and you didn’t even plan one battleground or museum visit,” Merlin teased, he sat in the seat his legs across Arthur’s lap since it wasn’t a manual vehicle.

“You just spent the last two months writing a thesis on the battles of the Normandy conquest. I made the executive decision that this would be nature parks, cafes, beach walks, and ocean spray not academics.” Arthur snapped, huffing as he passed a lorry on the left.

“I love it, and appreciate that you put so much effort into this trip for me,” Merlin said, pulling his feet out of Arthur’s lap to lean over and kiss his cheek.

“Uh huh, how long is my plan going to last?” Arthur asked, eyebrows raised shaking his head.

“Probably till the first time we stop and I see a sign for a stuffy local museum,” Merlin admitted laughing when Arthur groaned.

“Next time we go to a nice resort that has nude beaches and no museums near it,” Arthur grumbled, turning up the music playing through the sound system.

“Fine I’ll stop teasing you with my obsession with wasting days away in stuffy museums,” Merlin said, carding his fingers through Arthur’s hair.

“Twat.”

“Dollop head.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what that means?”

“Nope.”

Soon they devolved into Arthur driving and Merlin fiddling with the playlist on his phone until he found one he wanted, and leaned against the seat arm to kiss Arthur quickly before pulling away. Arthur laughed as Merlin folded his long limbs into a pretzel sit and leaned his head against the window eyes dropping already. Merlin always fell asleep if he wasn’t the one driving.

Arthur smiled and relaxed as he followed the GPS directions to Camping des Dunes, a beach campground. It was rustic and relaxing.

Pulling in he followed the directions to the beach front parking. It was crowded but not the levels that Gwaine and Percival had warned him about. Parking and pulling up the emergency brake he pressed a kiss to Merlin’s temple and turned his seat around to set up the bedding and open the back door so that they could sleep to the sounds of the ocean behind them. Once he’d done that he grabbed the small grill and bag of charcoal so that they could cook up the chicken kababs that they’d made up yesterday afternoon.

“Are we there?” Merlin asked, turning to look out the side door at Arthur who was stoking the coals to get them hot. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around and smiled at Arthur who grinned back.

“Go take a look around, I’m just heating up the coals and then I’ll find you okay?” Arthur asked, rubbing the small little box in his jean pocket.

“I’m going to see what the amenities are like and then the beach I’ll be back in like ten minutes,” Merlin said, pulling Arthur close for a quick kiss which turned into a longer moment than he planned. “I can’t leave here if you don’t let me go.”

“I don’t want to let you go,” Arthur mumbled, tightening his grip around Merlin’s middle before releasing him.

“I’ll be back soon,” Merlin said, walking off to explore.

Once the coals were adequately hot, he covered the grill and started off to look for Merlin. As Arthur walked over to the beach which was just around the hedge he’d parked next too. Walking on the sand his sandals in his hand. Looking for his boyfriend, he admired the sun glinting off the waves and the sand. Merlin was sitting on the top of the dune staring out at the waves.

“Hey Emrys, you get lost in your head,” he asked, sitting next to his partner.

“Sorry I was sitting in the sun and it felt so good. Can we have dinner after the sun sets?” Merlin said, leaning against Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur shifted so that his chest was against Merlin’s back. Arthur chuckled and settled back into the dune, pulling Merlin into his arms holding him tight.

“It’s beautiful here,” Merlin murmured, trailing his fingers up and down Arthur’s legs as he relaxed into Arthur’s hold.

“I’m glad you find it so beautiful,” Arthur said, shifting so that he could rest his chin on Merlin’s shoulder. “I have a question for you dearheart.”

“What’s going on darling,” Merlin asked, shifting so he could look at Arthur. Pulling away and looking at his boyfriend Merlin searched his face for a hint at what was on Arthur’s mind.

“So we’ve been dating for the last three years and living together for two, and you’ve been with me for some of the hardest moments in my life,” Arthur started taking a deep breath and reaching out to hold Merlin’s hand in his. “You helped me come out to my Father, you helped me reconcile my grief with my anger after he died. When I think about the future and where I want to be in it, Merlin you’re right by my side. I don’t – no I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

Merlin took the pause that Arthur inadvertently took a breath to hold up his hand. “I need you to hold that thought because if you’re doing what I think you’re doing I need to grab something from my pack.”

Arthur was sitting in the sand watching the love of his life run across the beach back to their caravan and then running back only tripping twice, thankfully not biting it and falling. When Merlin fell to his feet in front of him Arthur eyed the small green box in his hands before Arthur pulled out a small black box from his jeans. They looked at each other and promptly devolved into laughs holding onto each other.

“Can I finish please?” Arthur asked, looking at Merlin eyes wide as he cupped his cheeks, rubbing his thumb across the stubble.

“By all means you aristocratic poof,” Merlin teased, sneaking a kiss before pulling away to hold Arthur’s hands in his.

“As I was saying – I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of making me the happiest lord in England and man on earth by marrying me?” Arthur asked, opening the box in his left hand to reveal a dark band with flecks of blues, golds, reds in the center of the band shifting in the sunlight.

“I first would like to point out that I was hoping to ask you while you stargazed tonight, but I – I don’t want to wait. I’ll marry you if you’ll marry me?” Merlin said, grinning looking at his boyfriend as he opened the green box in his hand revealing an elegant and smooth gold band with a gentle engraving on the inside in sloping interconnected lines.

“Nothing would make me happier,” Arthur said, taking Merlin’s left hand in his right while Merlin took Arthur’s left hand in his. Once they interchanged the rings, Arthur pulled Merlin into a gentle kiss. Resting his forehead against Merlin’s, Arthur smiled and stood up slowly.

“We gotta go cook dinner, otherwise we won’t have any coals left to use,” Arthur said, taking Merlin back to the caravan. This road trip was going to be more amazing than they’d originally thought.

“After dinner we have to call mum and tell her the good news,” Merlin said, intertwining their fingers. Arthur laughed and nodded as they separated to complete the required tasks.

#writing corner #my fics #k wrote a thing #for maf #because she makes my world brighter #kickassfu #merthur #merlin #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon

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gorgxoxus · 4 years

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Pandemic Mental Health Check-In

thanks for the tag @snarkyhag and @teddyshoney.

Hey peeps, In Australia we have been out of full lockdown since July. We have to wear masks when out in crowed public places (public transport, shops) and social distance but things are pretty much back to normal. In my state we haven’t had a proper second wave (we’ve had 10 cases a week since end of July in a city of 7million).

How is everyone holding up?

My mum’s finally back in the office. She has been going most days of the week for about 3 weeks. I don’t know whether she prefers it or not after working from home for 7 months. My sister is back having friends over going to friends houses and getting takeout from fast food chains. She’s not enjoying online Uni, but she is doing it. She’s finally got a job after not working for months, so that’s good.

I’m enjoying continuing being a homebody, but spending more time home alone. Online uni is tough, but I’m not doing terribly mental health wise.

What are you doing to keep healthy?

During lockdown I was going on walks around my suburb, so I’ve continued doing that post lockdown. I’m back at work and that is physically demanding so I get exercise from that.

I eat a healthily majority of the time so I’ve continued that this year. I also haven’t messed with my sleep cycle, even during the months I was doing nothing, so I appreciate past me.

Are you working, not working, working from home?

I work in a supermarket so I’ve been working during the pandemic. I actually came back from overseas in March and then got bronchitis (which was very bad timing cause of the covid pandemic). So I didn’t work at the grocery store during the frenzy in March (which was a relief).

Anyone caring for kids or elders?

I guess my mum is caring for my sister and I but we are 18 and 20, so it’s more like having food in the house and having the occasional family dinner.

What was you best/worst day?

My Dad lives on the other side of the country. He came over to my city for about 3 months this year (June-September). He was staying at the beach. It was so nice to get out of suburbia and to the beach this year. The best days were just taking walks along the beach, going to markets and feeling the healing powers of the ocean. I grew up on the beach, so I feel like I’m home when I’m near the ocean.

The best day was seeing a good friend and hanging out with her at the beach after not seeing her since Dec 2019.

The worst days was when I was sick with bronchitis. I was in full isolation because I had just come back from overseas, so i couldn’t go to the GP to get checked out/ i really thought I had covid. It was not a great time.

What inspires you?

Klaine and these amazing people on my dash. I can appreciate the pandemic for one thing, which is bringing all these new and wonderful Glee blogs on tumblr. Love you all.

Are you taking up hobbies?

I was getting through so many fics between finishing my Uni semester in April and starting Uni again in July. I am in a reading slump right now.

Recently I have been writing, but don’t hold your breath.

What kind of content helps keep the joy on your dash?

Klaine/ Glee. Silly antics of my mutuals.

Has life gone back to “normal” where you are?

Yes. Normal in pandemic times. Still wearing masks and social distancing but people are back in offices and we haven’t entered a true second wave *fingers crossed we don’t*.

What are you doing for fun?

Walking, sleeping, studying (i really enjoy it lol) and hanging out on tumblr.

Tagging: @esperantoauthor @steph-luvs-klaine @kuiinncedes @kurtanaaa @justgleekout @mytrashunicorn and @i-tripandstumble.

#my opinions #this was good to do

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flowerfan2 · 4 years

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Affinity - Ch. 22 (10.22) - Complete

Well folks, here it is - the coda for Ep. 10.22, and the final chapter in Affinity. Read from the beginning here.

McDanno, 40k total. A03.

Chapter 22 (10.22)

Steve clears his throat and withdraws his hand from Catherine’s.

“I appreciate this, I do,” he says softly. “But I’m with Danny.”

His phone pings with another text. He glances quickly at it, then shows it to Catherine. It’s a photo of Danny stretched out on Steve’s bed, one arm folded up behind his head. Despite the fact that Danny is clothed, wearing his t-shirt and shorts, it’s incredibly sexy, and it fills Steve with a wave of longing.

Catherine just stares for a moment. “If you’re with Danny, why are you leaving?”

“It’s not forever.”

*****

Steve texts Danny often, keeping in touch as he promised. But it’s a few days before he sends this one.

Catherine was on the plane.

Danny’s response comes quickly, and in retrospect, he should have known what he’d say.

I know, dumbass.

Steve snorts a little smile, and then types back. Care to fill me in? He realizes his mistake just after he hits send – he didn’t exactly fill Danny in right away – but Danny doesn’t press him on it.

Lincoln put her in touch with me, to get your flight info. She wanted to surprise you.

Well, she definitely did.

Steve thinks back to that last morning with Danny, sitting on the beach behind his house. Danny knew Steve was about to fly off into the sunset with Catherine, and didn’t say a word.

Danny, I’m sorry.

Why? Are you with her right now?

No. Catherine had pushed pretty hard, before they landed in L.A., for them to spend at least a few days together. She showed him photos of a house in Tahoe she could borrow from a friend, suggested a drive along the California coast. But after six hours on the plane, they had done enough catching up as far as Steve was concerned. He wasn’t on this trip to hang out with old friends, or old flames.

He breathes a sigh of relief when Danny replies.

I’m good if you’re good. Text me when you get to Joe’s.

*****

Steve does text Danny when he gets to Joe’s ranch in Montana. Joe had left the place to him, and he figured he’d sell it sooner or later, but hadn’t quite gotten around to it yet. He’d had a pretty busy year, he could be forgiven for not having time to consider real estate transactions.

Joe’s ranch had seemed to Steve to be the perfect place to stay for a while and clear his head, and try to find the peace that he was looking for.

He was wrong, wrong, wrong. Danny, on the other hand, was completely right – Joe’s place held far too many unhappy memories to be a place of refuge for him, even if it had been for Joe. Danny had the good grace not to say “I told you so,” however, probably because Steve was on the edge of a panic attack by the time Danny gave up trying to interpret Steve’s increasingly vague texts and called him.

“Babe, where are you, right now?”

“Joe’s ranch,” Steve says.

“I got that, but where, exactly? Describe it.”

“Uh…” Steve draws in a tight breath and looks around. “Kitchen.”

“Can you go outside?”

“Sure…”

“Go outside, and walk away from the house. Find a tree.”

“A tree?”

“Yeah, just walk away from the house. Are you walking?”

“Yeah, I’m walking.”

“Tell me what you see.”

Their conversation continues on like this, Steve wandering around the property, Danny directing him to places where he didn’t see anyone die. Danny prompts Steve to describe his surroundings - the mountains he can see, the breeze he can feel, the scent of pine trees he can smell. There’s no blood, no fighting, no gunshots, not anymore.

After a while Steve sags down to the ground and sighs out a long breath. He closes his eyes and thinks back to how he felt here at the ranch after Joe died, how his anger consumed him. He remembers, then, seeing Danny appear at the ranch unannounced, striding up to meet him, his strong arms coming around Steve and holding him tight. He’s got at least one good memory in this place.

“Danny?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

*****

Steve’s next destination was going to be a remote cabin on a lake in British Columbia, accessible only by seaplane. But his reservation isn’t for two more weeks, and he no longer wants to stay at Joe’s until then. Besides, he’s not sure that he’s up for something quite that remote.

He contacts the rental car company to tell them of his change in plans and starts driving. He’s got a GPS, but he calls Danny so many times to ask him to check on cheap hotels, and restaurants, and sights to see, that Danny teases him about starting a side job as a travel agent.

Steve spends some time driving near Yellowstone, the scenery taking his breath away. Hawaii has mountains, but it doesn’t have glaciers or grizzly bears. Not that he sees any bears, but he could. It’s probably for the best.

He makes a point of not just stopping and taking in his surroundings, but of trying to still his mind. Steve’s never really gotten into meditation before, but he thinks that here in the empty wilderness, with this vast beauty all around him, he’s getting close. He feels like he’s just going through the motions at first, making himself comfortable sitting on a rock, breathing deeply, closing his eyes and trying to experience what he’s feeling without resisting or trying to change it. He opens his eyes and lets himself become aware of the flowers swaying in the breeze, the feel of the sun on his skin, the noise of the insects and the wind in the trees. He tries to hone in on a particular detail - the temperature of the air, cool even when the sun is out. When his thoughts stray (to pain, to loss, to home, to Danny) he pulls them back to the sounds and sensations around him, or at least he tries.

Steve camps out several nights in a row, forgetting that even with the spare battery his phone will eventually die. He hikes to an alpine lake and messes around trying to catch a fish, surprising himself when he succeeds. The urge to call Danny and brag about it nearly overwhelms him, but he can’t even take a picture.

The next day he hikes back to his car, drives to the nearest motel, and charges his phone while he showers. He’s four hours ahead of Hawaii, and he waits until almost eleven to call Danny, hoping to catch him at home, maybe even done with dinner, settling down with a beer down by the beach. Steve can imagine Danny so perfectly, sitting in his chair in his cut-off jean shorts and worn out t-shirt, the setting sun turning his skin golden, a half-drunk Longboard hanging from his fingertips. For a minute the longing to be there next to Danny hits Steve so hard it’s like a punch to the gut, but Steve takes a few deep breaths and reminds himself that he’s away for a reason, even if he can’t quite remember what it is at the moment. Gathering his thoughts, Steve presses the button to call Danny. He nearly cheers with glee when Danny picks up and Steve discovers that he’s timed it perfectly, and they shoot the shit until Steve falls asleep to the sound of Danny’s voice in his ear.

*****

It occurs to Steve, in between stops at greasy roadside diners, nights alone on scratchy sheets, and more hiking than he’s done in years, that he’s supposed to be doing something besides touring national parks. Or at least, that touring national parks is supposed to be a means to an end.

Steve doesn’t like to question his plan (and he sure isn’t going to question why he doesn’t want to question his plan). He figures he just needs to keep moving. He doesn’t know what else to do. Or at least that’s what he keeps telling himself.

*****

Steve turns in his rental car in Denver, and springs for a decent hotel with excellent internet. He surfs the web for far too long, reading up on what’s been happening in the world. Nothing good. He finds himself checking sites on news closer to home, too. He reads about a new Hawaiian style farm–to-table restaurant opening in downtown Honolulu that Danny would love and finds himself clicking on the reservation button before he realizes that he probably can’t make it for this Friday at seven. Someone else is going to enjoy that table for two, but it won’t be him.

He considers making the reservation anyway, sending the information to Danny and suggesting that he go check out the place, on Steve. But he can’t decide how exactly to word it, or what he even would mean by it – he obviously doesn’t want to Danny to bring a date, and although he’s not proud of the thought, he doesn’t really want to risk Danny asking someone as a friend but it turning into something romantic. Steve could ask Tani to take him, or Junior, but that’s kind of weird, too. Is Steve ridiculous enough to want Danny to go by himself and sit alone with his drink, like a damsel waiting for her sailor to return from the sea? Steve closes the website and moves on to looking at the hours for Denver’s natural history museum. Presumably he can’t get himself into any trouble there.

After a few days in Denver, more to amuse Danny than anything else, Steve books a flight to Newark. Danny emails him an annotated list of restaurants and can’t miss tourist attractions, including a link to a Sopranos sites tour that makes Steve laugh. At the bottom of the list is an address and phone number for Eddie and Clara Williams.

Steve surprises himself with how much he wants to see Danny’s parents. It wakes him up in the middle of the night, the pull he feels. He imagines sitting down in their kitchen, eating Clara’s lasagna, shooting the shit with Eddie over a beer. He’s half asleep, picturing the scene, how he’d tease Danny about eating too much garlic bread, how they’d argue about the last piece of tiramisu, when he realizes with a wave of physical pain that even if he goes to the Williams’ place in Jersey, Danny won’t be there.

Steve texts Danny from the airport in Denver, but it’s barely four a.m. in Hawaii. He doesn’t expect a response right away. But just before his plane takes off, he gets one, and he smiles as he closes his eyes and leans against the window.

*****

Danny’s in the break room at headquarters, fighting with the new coffee machine Lou swears will change his life, trying not to feel sorry for himself. Steve has been away for almost two months, and Danny has missed the crap out of him. He knows Steve misses him too – it’s obvious in his constant texting, how he carefully times phone calls for when he knows Danny will be home, how he consults Danny on ideas for each step of his trip.

The team has rallied around Danny, bringing over food and staying to hang out so often that Danny has to remind himself to make extra beer runs on his way home from work. Junior’s spending about half his time at Steve’s house and half at Tani’s – Danny is sure he’d be at Tani’s full time, if not for some unnecessary but no less appreciated belief that Danny needs the company.

They’ve been rotating partners at work, no one wanting to presume to take Steve’s place as Danny’s partner. Danny’s most comfortable with Tani, and sometimes Adam, although for vastly different reasons (Tani prods at him until he talks about what’s bothering him; Adam doesn’t). Lou tends to stay back at base, and Junior and Quinn go where they’re needed. Danny finds himself missing Chin and Kono, wondering to himself how the hell he turned out to be the last man standing from their original squad. It doesn’t help the strangeness to know that Danny is now in charge; although Danny insisted in his obligatory meeting with the governor that it was only temporary, he’s not sure anyone believes him.

When Danny inevitably wakes up in the dark in Steve’s bed, heart beating fast with the echo of a nightmare, it always takes him a minute to remember why Steve’s not there. Sometimes he thinks Steve is in Mexico looking for Doris. Back then Danny had spent every day trying not to imagine Steve dying, trying to understand why Steve felt that his life was worth so little that he would put it at risk over and over for a woman that didn’t want his help.

Steve’s absence is different now, and Danny respects that. This time Steve’s not in any unusual danger, and he’s on this mission for his own benefit, not anyone else’s. It still sucks sleeping alone, but Danny can handle it. Especially with Steve sending him daily pictures of every squirrel in the northwestern United States.

“Danny – there you are.” Tani bursts into the break room, startling Danny out of his thoughts. “You’ve got a call.”

Danny’s hand goes to his pocket, and he realizes Tani is holding his phone, which he had left charging in his office. “What’s up?” he asks, feeling a shiver run down his spine as he takes in the expression on her face.

“They called me too.” Lou joins them, his voice low as he puts a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “It’s Steve. He’s been in an accident.”

A blank calm washes over him and then Danny’s sprinting down the hall, his mind quickly providing the quickest route to the airport to avoid afternoon traffic. “Tani, get me on the next flight to Jersey. Then call my dad, have him go straight to the hospital. Lou, you’re in charge, bring in Lincoln if you need to-”

“Danny, wait,” Tani grabs his arm. “You’re not flying anywhere.”

Danny jerks away from Tani. “What, are you crazy?” Danny has to be with Steve, he’s hurt, oh god oh god he’s hurt, please don’t let him be --

“No, listen,” Lou says. “Steve’s not in Newark.”

“He didn’t get on the flight?” Then he’s still in Denver, Denver is a few hours closer, that’s okay, that’s good.

“Danny, he’s here, on Oahu. He’s at Queen’s Medical. He’s here.”

*****

Steve sits on the hospital bed, gingerly touching the bandage covering the cut on his forehead. He glances at his watch, frowning to see that another half hour has gone by while he waits to be discharged. This is not how he planned his return to Hawaii, but at least Danny doesn’t know yet. If he gets out of here soon, Steve still has time to get home and shower before Danny finds out.

“Where’s Steve, McGarrett, they said he was back here – I’m his partner-”

Or maybe not.

“Steve.” Danny skids to a stop in the doorway. His eyes look wild, and his hair is mussed. He’s breathing hard, his chest heaving. Danny is the best thing Steve has seen in months.

He jumps up, quick to reassure him. “Danny, it’s okay, I’m fine-”

“Steve.” Danny takes a few steps closer, his eyes flickering up and down Steve’s body. He reaches out, his hands trembling.

Steve steps towards him. “Really, I’m okay. Cab driver got rear-ended, no big deal, just bumps and bruises. I didn’t want them to call you. I wanted to surprise you.”

Danny blinks. “Surprise me?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d get some beers, hang out down on the beach until you got home.”

Danny just stares at him for a long moment, then rocks back, the tension draining out of his body as a smile teases at his lips. “You kind of blew it.”

Steve shrugs mock apologetically. “Honolulu drivers. What can you do.” Steve steps forward, closing the space between them. Then Danny’s shaking hands take hold of Steve’s waist, and Steve’s palms are on Danny’s face. “I missed you,” Steve breathes out. “Every goddamn day. So much.”

Danny presses a soft kiss to Steve’s lips, then another, and pulls back until Steve can see his eyes. “I missed you too.” Danny bites his lip, and Steve can feel him steel himself as he looks up at Steve. “How long are you here for?”

“No, that’s not – I’m not just here for a visit. I’m done.”

“Done?”

Steve hands fall to Danny’s shoulders, run up and down his arms, muscles still tense under his dress shirt. “Done traveling. I’m back.”

“But…” Danny looks up at him, hope in his eyes. “You said you needed to get space. To find peace.”

Steve snorts a little, grin tugging at his cheeks. “Apparently I’m a cliché.”

Danny cocks his head, a matching grin spreading slowly across his face. “Oh? In what way, exactly, are you a cliché?”

Steve grabs Danny and kisses him soundly, hampered only by the fact that they’re each on the edge of slightly hysterical laughter. He wraps his arms around Danny’s shoulders and digs his face into his neck. “I didn’t need to go anywhere. Whatever I’ve got to do, whatever I’ve got to think through, it’s not gonna work if I’m away. What I need is right here.” He squeezes Danny harder. “Right here.”

“You came back for the pineapples?” Danny teases.

“Yeah, for the pineapples,” Steve says, kissing Danny again full on the lips, then pulling back to look him in the eyes. “And, you know, you. The love of my life.”

Danny beams up at him, his cheeks pink with happiness. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Steve knows what he wants now. More importantly, he’s going to let himself have it. “Come on, Danny. It’s time to go home.”

#mcdanno #H50 #Hawaii Five-O #10.22 #Affinity

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lowkeyaesthvtic · 4 years

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On The Road

Pairing: poly!Sea Three (Uma x Harry x Gil)

Summary: A modern!AU entailing a sneak peek of what a road trip with the Sea Three would be like

Word Count: 1,819

Warnings: Like one swear word and that’s it

It was an item on their bucket list since they were little kids: take a road trip across America. None of them knew at the time that they’d be crossing that item off the list together, but they were incredibly glad they were. Uma longed to see all of the beaches. She frequently visited the tiny shore on the outskirts of her hometown, but she hadn’t seen anything near the palm trees and white sands and crashing waves she dreamed of. There’s so much to do at a beach. She could lay in a chair and relax, falling asleep with the warm rays beaming down on her bronzed skin. In the more popular cities, she could take a quick stroll across a boardwalk for an ice cream cone or a local outworldly fair snack of some kind. If she was feeling extremely playful, she could wade around in the ocean with her two favorite boys because she knew there was no way they’d stay still with such a large, wet and blue playground out in front of them.

Harry was pumped to see the big cities. They didn’t necessarily live in the middle of nowhere, but you’d have to drive hours to see any kind of skyscraper clump. He’s always been so enamored with the idea of something being big. He had heard of beautiful brick buildings with modernized furniture and movie theaters larger than a football field. Harry especially longed to visit the largest mall in America, located in Bloomington, Minnesota. Does he need an entirely new wardrobe? Not necessarily. But is he going to get one anyway? Absolutely. Thoughts of the night life zoomed through his brain. All three of them were 18, there were likely multiple night clubs that they could get into. A booming, music filled environment with colorful lights and a crowd more accepting of their relationship and his extravagant personality than many of the people in their grassy suburbia.

Gil was excited about many parts of the trip, but it would be the little things that would make him the happiest. From the wacky tourist attractions they would visit along the way to the local family owned restaurants they would stop at for the occasional meal, Gil realized that the smallest parts of the trip would make the biggest memories for him. Not to mention that there was something interesting to him about sleeping on and comparing multiple hotel beds.

As Harry placed the last of their things into Gil’s hand-me-down SUV, he felt Uma’s small arms hug around his waist in excitement. “I can’t believe we’re finally doing this. Gil and I have been working doubles at the Wingstop for at least two years.” Harry closed the trunk and quietly chuckled as he turned to face his girlfriend. They had been working quite a bit for this. They knew it would be expensive, and they definitely knew that their parents weren’t going to help much. So, for the past two and a half years, the three of them had been doing everything they could to earn some money for their trip. Harry was not only playing more gigs with his ‘band of pirates,’ but he finally persuaded his boss at the local boxing gym to make some extra cash teaching self defense. Gil had a hard time keeping a job, his lack of awareness usually making him late. But after Uma put in a good word for him at her mom’s burger and wing joint, he did everything he could to look like a good employee. Uma started working so many doubles that she rarely had time for anything other than school and work. It put a bit of a damper on their relationship, especially since Harry didn’t see Gil and Uma outside of school and his occasional visits to the Wingstop. But at the end of the day, they knew that all of this hard work would pay off in two months worth of time with each other.

“Well, it’s happening. All of our work is finally paying off, duckling,” Harry replied, gently pushing one of Uma’s ombred braids away from her face and behind her ear. Harry went to kiss Uma’s lips when the two of them were interrupted by a boyish, excited shout coming from Gil as he ran towards Harry and Uma with open arms and a lion plushie in his hand.

“Road trip! Road trip!” Gil chanted, beaming with joy as he held Harry and Uma in a warm hug. “We gotta get this thing started! If we don’t leave now, we’ll be getting into Dallas really late and then Uma over here will be a sleepy, grumpy mess.” Gil chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Uma and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on her head.

“The only reason you’re not as sleepy as the rest of us is because you’re knocked out in the backseat before we even leave town.” This was the longest trip the three had ever taken, but it definitely wasn’t their first. One specific trip was when the three of them were in their freshman year of high school and they had to travel 6 hours by school bus for a state theatre competition. Despite the rockiness of the bus and the screaming high schoolers, Gil was knocked out before thirty minutes could pass. Not only that, but he stayed asleep the whole ride. “Speaking of which,” Uma spoke as she went to open the door to the driver’s seat. “You’re driving first.”

Gil groaned childishly and gave Uma his signature ‘puppy-eyed’ look. “Why?”

Harry walked to Gil and wrapped an arm around him. “Uma’s made a little bet. You drive two straight hours with no caffeine and no pulling over for a nap, and Uma and I each owe you $5.”

“And if I don’t?” Gil cocked his head to the side in subtle confusion.

“You owe each of us $5. Either way, someone’s getting money out of this. What do you say?” Uma quickly shifted her glance to Harry. The two had made a little bet themselves. Uma believed that Gil would never give up the chance to sleep for something as small as $5. Harry knew that Gil had a strong competitive streak in him from sports and other activities they shared with each other. Whoever was wrong had to sit in the back seat all by themselves for as long as Gil was able to drive.

“You know what? I’ll do it. You guys are gonna be so broke by the time this trip is over.” Gil chuckled, confident that he would win this tiny little bet. Harry smirked and looked to Uma as if to say ‘I told you so,’ and watched as she slowly opened the door to the backseat.

“Alright, boys, let’s get this show on the road.” She mumbled, partially disappointed that she had lost her little game. But truthfully, she was more excited than anything to spend two months alone with the best boyfriends in the world.

The trip started off as right as rain. Traffic in their town was relatively light, and they crossed the state line within 45 minutes. Harry, being in the passenger seat, had the privilege of picking the music. Hard electric guitar and strong lyrics about being ‘original losers’ and ‘underrated youth’ blared through the car, making it easy for Gil to stay awake. But, just as quickly as Uma was able to find a comfortable spot to rest her eyes amongst the luggage she shared the backseat with, Harry’s hardcore modern punk died down to slow Nirvana grunge that was easy for him to chill to. As suburbian highways turned to blank, near stranded roads, Gil needed something to keep him awake and aware. “Hey...Harry, are you awake?” Gil asked, his eyes darting from left to right in an effort to prevent zoning out on the road.

“Uh, yeah?” Harry looked up from his phone and over to Gil. Harry could tell that his boyfriend was doing anything to keep himself awake. A part of him was conflicted. He could either pretend to nod off and leave Gil to lose the bet, or he could keep Gil company out of fear of what would happen if he were to fall asleep at the wheel. Thankfully for the three, he chose the latter. “How long do you think you’ve been driving?” Harry asked, using his words to keep Gil awake.

“Honestly, I don’t know. The GPS said the drive was going to take 6 and a half hours. So I told myself that once it hit 4 and a half hours, I could start looking for a gas station to pull over and switch spots, you know?” Harry nodded his head, but he became nearly bug-eyed when he saw the GPS said they would arrive in 7 hours. No...no this couldn’t have been right. They’ve been in the car for at least an hour and a half.

“Gil, sunshine, can I see your phone for a moment?” When Gil nods his head, Harry grabs the phone from the magnet nearly plugged into the AC vent in Gil’s car. He rolled his eyes as he realized what was wrong: Gil had either missed an exit or taken a wrong turn, extending their already long road trip. “Jesus fucking Christ…Gil, take the next exit and find a gas station.”

“Wait, why? We’re perfectly fine on gas.”

“Because you clearly don’t know how to follow a GPS. I’ll wake Uma.” Harry turned his body and slightly climbed over his passenger seat to lightly tap Uma on her leg, causing her to slowly stir awake and sit up.

“Are we here?”

“Hate to wake you, darling, but you’re riding shotgun. I’m gonna drive.” When Uma responded with a confused expression, Harry grabbed Gil’s phone from the magnet and showed it to Uma. She was just a confused and similarly shocked as he had been when he first saw that Gil had gone the wrong way.

“Jesus, Gil, tell me you didn’t do this to get out of your bet.” Uma flatly asked as Gil pulled into a nearby gas station and began to unbuckle his seatbelt.

“I didn’t even realize that I had done something wrong until Harry said I did.” Gil innocently shrugged his shoulders and switched to the back seat, an area that had been warmed from Uma’s sleeping body. Harry got into the driver’s seat and began to drive.

Gil smiled as he snuggled into a nearby pillow tucked into the backseat. Did he fake getting lost to get some shut-eye? Maybe. Was he going to end up owing Uma and Harry money for this? Possibly. But the only thing that mattered was that he was getting to spend two straight months travelling the country with his sleepy girlfriend and his flourishing, overdramatically Scottish boyfriend.

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