#//I have no internet and it's cold at the rest area haha

[yoongisleftearring]

part twelve (written): different

Try-hard

pairing: tutor!namjoon x student!reader

warnings: slightly spicy

word count: 1378

->in which you are a college student, struggling to graduate. Namjoon comes at just the right time, you attempt to woo him but, he can’t think you’re a try-hard.

a/n: haha it's finally here and slightly longer than anything I've written before I think, because I have the concentration of a toddler even this was hard for me so I really have to take this time to appreciate the writers who do 10k+ words... anyway I hope you enjoy

====================================

When had the sun gone down? You didn't know, the last few hours had passed by quickly. The hours were filled with laughter and a rather sloppy twerking competition with your friends, Jimin coming out victorious in the end, much to the surprise of his friends. Everything was feeling a bit too warm, too sticky for your liking. You had been eyeing up the balcony the whole night, waiting for the perfect moment to slip away from your friends. With Yoongi busy trailing his hands down the body of a cute girl in a Catwoman costume and Jimin and Tae busy dancing with each other and their new friends-- who happened to be Namjoon's friends. Strangely enough, you hadn't seen the man in question all night, not that you had looked very hard, you wanted to, you really did, but you knew if he caught you he would think you're way too clingy. The only reason you were pretty confident the tall man was here was because you had stalked his friend's twitters.

You placed your hand on the metal of the handle, the cold metal already soothing you, before pushing the door open. You step out into the night and almost miss the presence of another person because your eyes are trained on the night sky and how bright the stars looked tonight. When you noticed the silhouette of the other person, you instantly recognized his figure. Slightly worrying that you recognize the man from his silhouette alone, no doubt a product of your internet stalking, you approach nonetheless, the man only noticing your presence when you lean against the railing beside him.

When he turns to face you, you almost gasp. The moonlight casts a light glow over his face and creates soft shadows along his features. No doubt in your mind that he looked absolutely beautiful at this moment. You can't help the soft smile that finds its way onto your lips at the sight of him. His eyes widen slightly in recognition of the familiar face in front of him.

"Oh, sorry. I'll go back in, leave you to yourself." He spoke quickly before moving to walk back inside. You grab his arm lightly and shake your head.

"There's no need to leave just because I'm here." You chuckle softly and he hesitates. He can't deny that there's something different about you today, the feeling that he got when he saw the reflection of the stars twinkle in your eyes is one that scared him. It was the costume that was making him feel weird, definitely the costume, a natural reaction to an attractive woman. If you noticed that internal battle of his, you didn't mention it. Just slipping into silence as he rested back against the railing. It surprised him, the comfortable silence. The silence was something he assumed would be too uncomfortable for your loud personality to bear. Maybe loud was too harsh of a word, maybe you were just different than him. As much as he tried to deny any enjoyment when it came to you, it was now beginning to get hard to lie to himself that what he found annoying and obnoxious in the beginning had slowly grown on him. He didn't even know how or when it happened,  he guessed it was too gradual to notice. It was only now, for some reason that he could accept it, he could accept that he had grown to accept their differences, he actually began to appreciate them. He had never met anyone like you before, and in a way, he was thankful for that.

In reality, the silence was eating away at you, your resolve was slowly crumbling but you needed to seem detached in front of Namjoon before you further destroyed any chance of the man seeing you in any sort of positive light. You knew he probably enjoyed the silence between you two, he's just that type of person, but you couldn't.

"I'm sorry that I made you uncomfortable that day by asking you out," You began, snapping him from his thoughts to focus on you. "I know you were just helping me, I don't know what I thought." The man blinked in surprise, he definitely was not expecting to get an apology from you tonight.

"I already said it was fine. Definitely surprising," He said with a small chuckle, his reaction surprised you, you really thought he would still have held this against you. "-but brave." His words caused a groan to sound from you.

"Brave? Look where being brave got me. It was so embarrassing," You pouted and Namjoon laughed in response, his dimples appearing deeper in the faint light. "Did you know Jin saw the whole thing? So that's basically your whole friend group that witnessed the most embarrassing moment of my life."

"He never mentioned it to me," Namjoon shook his head, a wide smile still visible on his face. "You're so dramatic." You gasped in offense at the man's words, vehemently denying his claim when you both knew how true it was. You had spent a lot of time with Namjoon but this felt completely different, it felt as though you were talking to a different person. He seemed a lot more carefree now, he wasn't constantly thinking about what he does and what he says, that's probably how he didn't even realize how close he had gotten to you over the course of your time on the balcony. Now he was close enough he could smell your perfume, and because he was taller than you he found his eyes easily slipping down to look at how the red silk dress you were wearing hugged your chest, how with your hair that short, he could see the whole area of your neck and shoulders. His eyes lingered on the fluffy red straps of your dress and how easily he could pull them down to explore you further.

You noticed his staring now, how could you not? It's like he wasn't even trying to conceal the look of lust that overtook his features as he looked at you. Part of you thought that it was too good to be true, no way the man of your dreams was looking at you the way a wild animal stalking its prey would. The other part of you though, couldn't let the opportunity pass, so you didn't.

You leaned closer to him, your bodies almost touching now and you lifted your hand to rest on his bicep. He visibly shivered at the action and moved his gaze to your lips, coated in a glossy red. He couldn't help himself, and you definitely weren't objecting when he slowly moved forward, eyes focused on their target. You were getting impatient and decided to take the lead instead, your lips met and the moment they did, you became intoxicated by the taste of his lips. The man held your face with one hand as he moved to press you against the railing of the balcony, his other hand slipping down to explore the curve of your waist. You couldn't help but let out a moan at the feeling of his body pressed tightly against yours as he kneaded the soft flesh of your ass, and he couldn't help but think of how adorable the sound was and he craved to hear it again. The sound of your name being called and a quiet gasp awoke you from your daze, your lips broke away from Namjoon's as you peered over his shoulder to see what the source of the noise was. Or rather, who. You couldn't help but feel like a teenager who had gotten caught by their parents as you looked into the shocked eyes of Min Yoongi. You immediately let go of Namjoon as if that would make Yoongi forget what he had just seen. You stared wide-eyed at the pale man before he finally spoke. "Tae threw up, we're bringing him home." You were confused by the underlying feeling of guilt you felt as your best friend walked away, as well as confusion as to why he was acting so pissed off, probably because of the sickly Taehyung that would probably end up throwing up in his freshly valeted car.

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Evan’s 6✩ Inspiration: Umbrae Secrets [繁荫秘语] Date Translation (Prologue)

“I saw Mr. Lu in the elevator just now! He was acting different from his usual self and the look on his face was absolutely frigid…”

*Light and Night Master-list | Evan’s Personal Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *This 6✩ Inspiration has 8 Endings!! *Evan’s tag will be #For Night, For Revolution

It was an ordinary day of work. I’d just gotten to the office when Li Man’man opened the door and entered the room.

Li Man'man: No way, no way! You’ll never believe it! I’m doing all of you a favour by reminding you to behave today.

Brother Mao: Huh? What’s gotten you into such a tizzy?

Li Man’man rubbed the goosebumps that had arisen on her arms, shivering as she recalled what she’d seen.

Li Man'man: I saw Mr. Lu in the elevator just now! He was acting different from his usual self and the look on his face was absolutely frigid…

Li Man'man: I thought I’d turn into a block of ice in no time flat the moment our gazes met!

MC: What?

Hearing her recollection, I couldn’t help but to suddenly think back to what happened yesterday during lunch hour.

❖☆———————————★❖

At noon, I’d compiled a set of documents related to jewellery designs, just as Evan had requested and brought it up to his office.

A voice sounded from within when I knocked on the door of his office. It sounded unusually indifferent.

Evan: Come in.

❖☆———————————★❖

Pushing the door open, I saw Evan leaning against his chair, his brows were furrowed, hanging low, and there seemed to be thick storm clouds brewing in his eyes.

He was still staring blankly out the window in a daze when I went up to his desk.

Evan: Just leave it there.

MC: Okay.

Hearing me, he turned. The dark look on his face instantly lightened up.

Evan: Hm? Oh, it's you.

Evan: Sorry, I was just thinking about something.

Recalling the unusual look he had on his face when I entered, I couldn’t help but step on eggshells around him.

MC: Don't worry about it. Here are the documents you requested. Are you… okay?

Before he could reply, however, the landline on his desk suddenly rang, interrupting our conversation.

MC: I'll leave you to it!

Evan nodded apologetically at me and I took my leave from his office.

❖☆———————————★❖

Did something happen to make him unhappy…?

With his personality, he wouldn’t tell anyone about his troubles even if something WAS troubling him, no doubt.

❖☆———————————★❖

When I got home at night, I switched on the TV. It was coincidentally broadcasting a camping-related program.

The lush green forest, the joyous chirruping of birds and their songs… Everything there was powered by Mother Nature’s power of healing, capable of washing away all exhaustion in one’s body and mind.

I didn't know why I thought of Evan again, but I did.

MC: There’s a gigantic forest at the outskirts of Guangqi City and it’s clear weather out all the time now.

MC: Maybe he might feel better if I can somehow get him out to the forest for a walk...

An idea popped into my head and I scrambled to fetch my phone, searching for the familiar name in my contacts.

I was just about to hit the call button when I suddenly thought of a plausible issue.

MC: I don’t think he’ll reject me regardless if he wants to go or not if I invite him directly like that.

MC: Maybe I should feel around for his thoughts about it so that I don’t unknowingly coerce him into anything.

After pondering it for a while, I hit the dial button.

❖☆———————————★❖

Evan: (Y/n)? What's the matter?

MC: … Evan, I… err, have gotten interested in coffee lately.

Evan: Really? What flavour of coffee do you like? I'll be glad to recommend you things.

MC: Oh… I haven't decided yet.

MC: Ahem, have you ever seen a coffee tree? I've never seen it myself with my own two eyes! I really want to go see one~

Evan: About that…

He sounded hesitant, there was no doubt about it. I awkwardly scratched my head. 

Did I come off too strange by bringing up that question out of the blue!?

Evan: Coffee trees have strict requirements when it comes to the environment they’re grown in. And as far as I’m aware, the PH levels of the soil and the amount of rainfall here in Guangqi City do not fit their criteria.

Evan: So, I'm afraid it'll be hard for you to spot one in Guangqi City.

Evan: But we can go see one together in Africa during your next vacation if you'd like.

MC: Eh? Africa? No need then.

MC: Ahaha… then, how about...

When there’s a will, there’s a way. I saw a glimmer of light at the end of the dark path in my mind.

MC: Then, what about a bamboo pith?

MC: I had some bamboo piths while eating hotpot a couple of days ago! I find that it’s a very amazing fungus! I really want to see one growing for myself!

Evan: It is. Although information is now widely accessible, it still hits different when you see it with your own eyes.

Evan: When are you free? We can go check it out together.

MC: Brilliant!

That's what I've been waiting for you to say!

MC: Are you free next weekend?

Evan: Yes, my weekends are open.

Evan: You… Are you this happy just to go to the forest for a walk?

MC: Hahaha, yeah! Super happy!

Evan: I'll come fetch you in my car next Saturday at 10 AM. Will that be alright?

MC: Sure! We're all set then!

Evan: Then, have you ever hiked or camped out before?

MC: No… but don't worry!

MC: I’ve watched lots of videos about camping on the internet! I’ll prepare all the equipment we’ll need this time!

Evan: Alright. I'll be leaving it all to you then.

❖☆———————————★❖

Soon, the appointed day arrived.

When I came downstairs lugging along a rucksack that towered about half a person tall, Evan, who was waiting by his car, looked slightly taken aback.

Evan: You…

I found myself blanking out as I stared at Evan, standing not too far away,

This was my first time seeing Evan dressed in such a casual manner.  The soft and form-fitting material of his clothes made his shoulders appear wider and him, much more reliable. It was reassuring, to say so in the least.

MC: Haha, did I bring one too many things? Actually, I think so too.

MC: In case we don't find a bamboo pith today, we can still camp overnight in the forest with this.

MC: Don't you think?

He smiled as he approached, taking the heavy bag off my shoulders.

Evan: Sounds good.

Evan: You must have fun and enjoy your first camping trip, if anything.

The tenderness in his countenance was the same as always. Where was that coldness to him that a certain someone had mentioned?

I secretly felt a wave of relief wash over me.

MC: Let's head out then!

❖☆———————————★❖

After driving on the suburban roads for nearly an hour, we finally reached an area near the forest on the outskirts of the City.

Evan gently took my bag out of the trunk, slinging it over his shoulder.

MC: That's pretty heavy. How about you let me carry it myself?

Evan: Since we're going to be travelling together anyway, how about we both give it our best?

MC: Alright then. Thanks!

❖☆———————————★❖

Stepping into the forest, lush green foliage surrounded us all around.

The ubiquitous noise and lights were all isolated from here, creating a secluded and serene atmosphere.

The air was warm, humid, and carried the sweet refreshing scent of vegetation. Relaxation was literally oozing out of my pores.

I turned around to look back at Evan. He was standing ramrod straight as usual with a blank expression on his face.

MC: Evan, we're here to relax!

Evan: Thank you. I am very relaxed.

MC: You can afford to be more relaxed. Here, follow me. Open your arms like this, take a deep breath, and go "Ahh…"

He smiled helplessly at me. Just when I thought he was going to refuse, he mimicked my stance, opening his arms wide.

Evan: Ahh…

MC: Hahaha. Yup, just like that.

I took out a map and a compass from the bag.

MC: I will be the leader for today! I’ve already marked all the routes we can take. Let’s see… let’s go this way first!

Evan: Alright. As you say, leader.

We proceeded through the forest according to the directions shown on the map.

We chatted about the animals and plants that we saw as we walked. Or more accurately, Evan was the one introducing them all to me.

Evan: Sorry. It must be boring hearing me talk about all these.

MC: Nope. I’m actually even more interested after hearing you talk about them.

MC: Also, your expression changes into something a little different from what I’m used to whenever you talk about something you like.

Evan: Something that I like? I’m not really sure if it constitutes as me liking it, but I think I’ll like it if you do.

He smiled in a manner as if he didn’t mind it at all, stopping as he took out some tissues and a bottle of water from his bag.

Evan: Here. Wipe your sweat and hydrate yourself.

MC: Thanks.

The soft bubbling of running water entered our ears as we stopped to rest.

MC: Looks like there's a small rover up ahead, just like how it's drawn in the map!

Evan: Looks like the leader's leading well.

❖☆———————————★❖

Following the sound of running water, we soon found the river.

The clear stream rushed across the pebbles, the crystalline liquid glittering under the golden light of the sun. The wind that blew past the waters was very cool and very refreshing. It felt great on my slightly worn-out body.

MC: The cool breeze here by the river’s really nice! And the sound of dripping water’s also very calming.

Evan: Looks like there’s a flat rock over there where we can sit.

Evan: Do you want to rest for a bit?

I want to…

After pondering for a while, I finally decided to…

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

✥ Choose your Ending:

END 1 | Choice: Do Nothing [都不做]

END 2 +3 + 4 | Choice: Call Out [呼唤] ⊹Speak⊹

END 4 + 6 | Choice: Approach [亲近] ⊹Touch⊹

END 7 + 8 | Choice: Heart-throb [心动] ☆Light & Night★

❖☆————— ⊹ For Night, For Revolution⊹ —————★❖

[shintorikhazumi]

“Dance For Me.”

A/N: Here’s your pole-dancing AU you bunch of thirsty… people on discord. Idk, I’m bad at… trashtalk if it’s not for self-defense. I also don’t cuss unless it’s in fics. Because I’m technically not cussing, the characters are *wink wink*.

Batting second after Lary! Khazumi~ Coming in! Unless someone already finished before I did and I didn’t notice, haha.

I’m not one to write NSFW. At least not for public… consumption. Borderline, yes. But like… I suck at NSFW, not gonna lie. I’ll try my very best?

I'm also sorry that I can't write pole dancing very well. Hope you can... picture out what's going on. haha.

Weirdest thing I searched for confirmation while writing this was ‘during intercourse are your pupils constricted or dilated’ Because my mind is so lost rn hahha.

My timeline here is before Christmas. I’m sorry. I need it.

Basically, I'm sorry for this trashy fic.

ayt.

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi 

This… is not quite what Diana expected when she left Akko this morning for work at the estate.

The past few months, Akko had been busy with teaching her classes at Luna Nova, on top of performing her scheduled weekend shows in town that the woman just wouldn’t give up the chance to do. Always for the smiles, always for the people’s happiness.

And Diana loves her for that, she really does. Dear Beatrix, she loves her wife- of three years now- to death.

But while she had been excitedly looking forward to the holidays, winter rolling around, expecting that she’d finally have her wife-mind you- all to herself, said wife had other plans, it seems.

Akko had agreed to be booked almost daily this season, and despite being home in Diana’s arms each night, she had absolutely zero energy to do anything but snuggle up to the former heiress and fall asleep in the blink of an eye.

Diana had pouted for days on end, telling Akko to give her one day, to spend just one day with her.

Akko, despite all her regrets of leaving her wife like this, couldn’t just cancel. But she had promised to dedicate the two days before the twenty-fifth, right up ‘til the end of vacation to her lovely spouse.

And Diana has to reluctantly agree. She knows in her heart that this is Akko’s passion, it’s what makes her the amazing woman known for her beautiful believing heart.

Diana just needs patience. So much patience.

But then, on the day of Christmas Eve, she gets a call from the manor. It’s related to the estate. About a sudden accident with one of her people. She couldn’t not go. At least she’d try to finish up early so she could offer her remaining time to-

Akko’s phone rings.

It’s a special request. A little girl’s birthday. And she just had to see the amazing Kagari (-Cavendish) Atsuko perform her special magic. Now this wouldn’t have been that much of a problem had the party been in the morning or early afternoon, however it appeared as though it would take place around five pm. Diana knows it will run overtime. It always does. Everyone loves to bask in the presence and utter warmth of ‘Atsuko’ after all.

So, Begrudgingly, they both prepare for their respective agendas, Diana feeling absolutely depressed over the fact that she would be coming home for Christmas eve to an empty house, cold halls, devoid of the calming scent and lovely voice of her wife singing her favorite Shiny Chariot showtune from the kitchen as she cooked all of Diana’s favorites.

Akko notices. She always does.

She walks up to the sulking blonde, cupping her face in her hands, chuckling at those pouty lips, those teary eyes. “I’m really sorry, my Diana.” She whispers. “Really, I am.”

Diana sighs in defeat, pulling her wife into one last bearhug before work.

“Can I at least have my own Magical Atsuko show?” She uncharacteristically turns her puppy eyes to her wife, only ever showing Akko this spoiled child within.

“I’ll only give you the very best.”

“With a little song?”

“Whatever you’d like

“Mm…” Diana nodded, looking down at her feet before raising her head, one last question on her mind. “Dance for me?”

“Sure, sweetheart.” Akko laughed, nuzzling her nose on Diana’s. “But for now,” She pinches the taller witch’s nose playfully before planting a kiss. “This is for the kids.”

…

This is DEFINITELY NOT “for the kids”. For any kids. For anyone for that matter. Diana would never show this to anyone. Over her dead. Lifeless. Fucking. Body.

Nonononono. Diana shakes her head a thousand times internally.

No.

Just no.

Diana gasps as she drops her suitcase on the floor, the contents spilling out at the impact. She had not expected this of all things. She imagined coming home to an empty house, no Akko, and miserable reheated food.

She hadn’t expected unlocking her door to the smells of a rotisserie chicken, some wine, and Akko’s homely scent.

She wasn’t expecting the low thrum of music in the background. She didn’t think that her wife would stand in front of her, in her usual show outfit- no. Wait. This isn’t her show outfit.

Like hell she’d wear that to a children’s party!!

No, this. THIS… This is a knock-off Shiny Chariot costume that is far too skimpy to be sold to the young and pure fans of Chariot. This is one of those costumes you’d see them sell adults for dumb pranks on Halloween, or see it at those kinds of shops.

How did Akko even get that?

Online?

The internet is truly fearsome. Shameless. So Shameless.

And so is Diana as she gawks at her pretty wife, donning a very short white skirt, a top that very much exposes her midriff- technically, only holding together those perky mounds-, a cape that is probably the only thing covering her wife that can be counted as decent, thigh-high- gosh- those thigh-high boots, hair free of that small side pony-tail; and that signature white witch hat tops off the ensemble.

“Welcome home~” Akko greets with her usual cheer, expression innocent and beaming, before it shifts a sultry color, tone dropping into a hushed invitation. “Diana.”

Said woman is quiet, she struggles to form a response.

Akko.

‘Let’s try saying your wife’s name now, Diana Cavendish.’

“A-A-A-A… aaahhhh…”

Oh, Great Beatrix, give me strength.

A lot of it. A trolley’s worth, if you must.

…-and stamina. Please. Strength and stamina to endure.

And Clearly Diana isn’t wishing to hold her ground against temptation.

She might just have a long night ahead.

“Diana.”

“Y-yes! I’m l-listening. Very clearly… most…. Definitely…” She says whilst staring at the gracious amounts of cleavage-

“Of course you are, babe.” Akko chuckles in that sickeningly sweet tone, taking a step forward as Diana takes one back. “Where are you going?” She takes another, as does Diana in the opposite direction, her back meeting the hard wood of their front door.

“N-nowhere, I’m… I’m Home.” Diana feels her hands become clammy, shaking, as she wonders where to put them.

“Heh~… I thought you were running away or something.” Akko smiles kindly, actions not as kind. She traps Diana with her body, arms on either side of her head. “And I wouldn’t like that. Would you?” Her eyes flutter innocently, lashes long, eyes wide.

There was clearly only one correct answer.

“N-no.”

“Good.” Akko laughs like gentle chimes, pleasant to the ear.

Diana smiles, feeling a little more relaxed.

-Before one hand comes off the wall and now climbs up her torso, Akko’s index and middle fingers walking up to Diana’s tie before her hand takes it, pulling it out of the vest.

“I always liked it when you wore ties.” She murmured, eyes blank and scrutinizing the tie. Before Diana could respond, Akko was already resting her head on Diana’s chest, hand absent-mindedly twirling the thin red tie. “I also like that you wear my colors on you.” Akko raised her head, pulling on Diana’s tie so that their faces came so incredibly close to one another, lips a hair’s breadth apart. “Tells people that you're mine.”

That effectively steals the air out of Diana’s lungs as Akko steps back, still holding fast to the tie, pulling Diana along, as if on a leash. Her Japanese wife leads her to the living room and sits her down on their amazingly comfortable couch.

But not even that could ease Diana’s tense nerves.

“H-Hi.”

“Hi, Diana.” Akko greets back, leaning over her wife, a finger gliding from the base of Diana’s throat to her jaw, tipping it up to guide blue eyes up to meet the most intoxicating wine. “What was your last little request for me this morning, again?”

“I- I… uh… um…”

“Yes?” The brunette lowers her body onto Diana’s head tucked between the poor heiress’ shoulder and neck, peppering kisses along her jaw. “Please remember, darling. I really want to do it for you, you know?” She chuckles, biting on a certain spot near Diana’s throat making her yelp, then licking the area to ease the pain. “I prepared really well for it. I tried so hard for you.”

Definitely not the only thing that was hard, Diana thinks.

An uncontrolled whine tears its way out of the blonde’s mouth, mind desperately trying to remember what the hell she last asked.

Then it clicks.

“D-dance…”

“Hmm?”

“Dance for me…?”

Akko seems elated with her answer, nuzzling her neck once before pulling away, Diana missing her warmth… or heat. Or both.

“With pleasure.”

Diana is sure there will be a lot of pleasure involved.

With a flick of her wand (where had Akko hidden that?), a pole rises from the floor in the open space of the room. Akko stalks hypnotizingly towards it, grasping the hard metal with one hand before smoothly pulling herself into her first twirl.

‘Oh Great Nine. This is one of those dances, isn’t it?’

Diana swallows so painfully, finding her throat constricted, the opposite to her dilating pupils as she watches her wife with the focus of a predator waiting on its prey.

Off goes the cape, and Diana only now realizes just how little of her wife’s ass is actually covered by that skirt.

She loves Akko’s ass- She loves Akko. Period.

-along with her thighs and bottom.

She admires her better half’s toned body, muscles flexing and simply wonderful as Akko spins herself around the pole gracefully, hanging onto it with only one hand. The elegance of the movements allows Diana to forget her barely restrained arousal, leaving her in awe for a few moments.

Then a toned leg wraps itself around the pole, Akko rolling her body up against it, turning her gaze to Diana, eyes half-lidded and so sinful. All that talk about grace- screw it, right now.

Another twirl, and another, and another.

Akko climbs her way up the pole so sensually, Diana wishes she were the one being climbed like that. Then Akko stops near the top, almost as though she was frozen. Diana waits with bated breath, before Akko’s hands suddenly release the pole, falling backwards; and Diana panics, thinking something happened and her wife was about to hit the ground hard- but only the hat does so. Akko’s body hangs smoothly in the air, legs squeezing tight, flexing those amazing thighs.

Oh, to be between them instead.

The spinning restarts. Repeats over and over, legs stretching out, then pulling in. At times, an arm would reach out, almost as if it were inviting the audience in, to come closer; to come touch this performer. Then Akko lowers herself to the ground, movements sophisticated, nimble, body poised, and oh so sensual. It’s an interpretative dance, and there must be story behind it.

Diana just doesn’t have enough brain power to process it.

She gasps as her wife stands up; the skirt is forgone, leaving Akko in racy black panties that matches her top that might as well not exist. And again, she’s on that pole, embracing it, caressing it with one hand, down to her body, allowing her palm to slide down her chest to a taut stomach, abs glistening in sweat, before reaching down her legs, and between her thighs, then out, back to latching onto the pole.

The loss of garment shouldn’t distract her. She’s sure this action was to give her wife better grip on the pole. Definitely the reason. Yes. Not because this was… was a… that.

Of course.

Breaking the unspoken rule of silence, a voice suddenly begs for her attention.

“Diana…”

…

Fuck.

“Nnmm!”

Diana throws her head back for a second, needing to relieve her burdened senses at the sight that had just greeted her mere moments ago.

Akko had basically rubbed herself against the pole, her most intimate place surely touching it as she slid up then down, dropping into an air-split, barely hovering over the ground, still twirling, yet painfully slow this time, basically presenting herself to the very red mess breathing heavily on the couch.

Diana’s not sure she can stay seated anymore. She’s been holding back. She’s certain she can’t keep holding back.

“But why are you holding back?”

The question throws her for a loop, eyes so wide, as she stares at Akko’s tantalizing figure, draped over her pole, breathing as difficultly as Diana is.

She releases her show equipment, leaving the pole to disappear as she strides forward provocatively, halting in front of Diana, placing her hands down on the blonde’s open lap, freeing them from their squeezed-together position just moments ago. They massage at Diana’s thighs, and the heiress moans, unsuppressed.

Her dancer takes a seat on her lap, hands busying themselves with loosening Diana’s tie a bit more, removing it from her before Akko slings it around her own neck.

“You are so mean, Diana… even after I called for you so many times…” Akko whispers against her lips, eyes fiery and slightly angered. Diana’s hands are guided to rest on Akko’s hips as she grinds against her wife needily. “Utterly horrible.”

It should be the winter season as it was Christmas. Diana knows that the outside world was harshly cold and chilly, but that temperature did not seem to apply to her. Most definitely not within Diana, and most definitely not between her leee-heeeeg- ‘damn you, Akko’.

“Why would you not come for me?”

‘Which ‘come’ might we be discussing here’, Diana wonders.

“I… I didn’t know… my apologies.” Diana stutters out, distracted by the hand touching the inside of her thigh.

“Even when I made it so obvious?” Akko pouts, biting Diana’s shoulder angrily as her hands make quick work of the taller witch’s buttoned shirt. Those same hands splay against her collarbone and shoulders, caressing and teasing, moving to the back of her head to massage her scalp. The Head of Cavendish gets pulled into a long kiss, her significant other’s tongue pleading entrance as it licks along Diana’s full lips, thighs squeezing Diana’s legs.

Diana permits, giving the appendage access to explore her mouth completely, sometimes brushing against her gums, and gliding along her teeth, entangling with her own tongue. Akko pulls away with a rough nip on Diana’s lower lip.

The latter’s hand is held captive, guided somewhere along her lover’s body.

The heiress fails at hindering any sounds from escaping her as she feels hot liquid drip onto her fingers, before pooling into her open palm. So that’s where Akko had brought it.

“Diana.”

Her eyes are bewitching. Fitting of her occupation. They hold Diana’s gaze a prisoner, not against her will. They compel her to do something. Akko rubs against her once more, and Diana whimpers aloud.

“Diana.”

Arms tighten their loop against Diana’s neck. Akko’s voice still sounds calm and controlled, but her actions tell Diana that she is anything but. She’s basically riding her at this point.

“Diana.”

“Y-yesh?!” Hooded, dark, tempting. Akko’s eyes were all those things. And maybe Diana’s were too.

“Diana.”

“Yes…?” Diana feels a switch flip as her finger slips into that wet, heated space and makes Akko cry a lovely tone. She goes deaf to the world, all her focus on the woman shivering delightfully in her arms.

  “Diana…”

  “Yes…”

  “Dance with me.”

A/N: So… sequel?

~Shintori Khazumi

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #368

“whatever doesn’t kill you, is gonna leave a scar”

Have you ever bought a YouTuber’s merch? My favorite shirt is the Day of the Dead design by Cloak, which is Markiplier's and jacksepticeye's clothing brand. Mom's friend/former co-worker also got me a Ninja Sex Party shirt because she knew I liked them. There are SO MANY YouTubers I wanna support by buying shirts. Do you think oatmeal tastes better when made with water or milk? Milk, 110%. Have you ever left a note in a library book? No. What time of day do you prefer to wash your hair? Morning. Has anyone ever spread lies about you? Yes. Have you ever taken a photograph with a celebrity? If so, did it turn out the way you wanted, or do you wish you could retake it? No. If you could move out of your home country permanently, would you? If so, where would you go? If it didn't mean being so very far from my family, I would love to move to Canada. Is there a celebrity that everyone else seems to love, but you find totally overrated? Why is it that you don’t like them? I legit don't know who's considered currently popular, and I especially don't know who they are as people. If you could volunteer for any charity, which one would you choose? Do you think it’s more important to help humans, or are animal and environmental charities equally important? Something relating to animals, and I think they're both equally important. Do you prefer holidays where you relax, or actually do things? I like a mix. Something chill, but you still do some stuff as a family. Do you think that after we die our spirit is still alive? Yes. Has anybody ever told you that you could be a model? Someone has mistaken me for a model in a picture I once took. It was one of the most flattering things I've ever heard, haha. Do you use different kinds of moisturizer for different body parts? ie. hand lotion for your hands, face cream for your face. Or do you just use one moisturizer for all body parts? Yes. Have you ever felt like you were someone’s rebound? No. Has anybody ever broken up with you over something really pathetic? What was it? Have you ever been dumped in a disrespectful way? (eg. through text, through a friend..) I have 100% been dumped in a very cowardly and disrespectful way; after dating Jason for nearly four years and being very serious, he broke up with me very abruptly over Facebook Messenger. His reason was valid, but at the same time, he NEVER talked to me about it. Apparently my depression was dragging him down. If he'd fucking communicated it, I would have explored new treatment options so goddamn fast. But no, he decided to snap his fingers and disappear. That's exactly WHY it was so traumatic, I think: it was so unexpected and sudden. Did you have a lot of role models as a kid? Animal enthusiasts like Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin for sure. Do you feel like anyone looks up to you? Why or why not? God no. I'm just... not someone to aspire to be like. What was the last thing you found offensive? I'm not sure. Who is the nicest person you know? My mom. Do you feel safe in your country? I feel safe in NC, rather. Like I don't expect an atom bomb or terrorist attack or something in this obscure area. In the U.S.A. itself, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. America is definitely not loved by every other country. Do you feel safe where you live? Not in this city, no. Have you been falsely diagnosed with something by a bad doctor? Yup. Did y'all know I apparently have ADHD? I know, shocking. Have you ever had a doctor refuse to treat you? No. Name the strangest game you’ve ever played (video game or real game): The first Silent Hill, probably. It took a lot of reading to get it. Do you know anyone who has been struck by lightning before? No. Which cartoon character would you want to keep as a pet? Does Stitch count? Or a Pokemon. Do you like marshmallows? Yes. What is your favorite flavor of candy cane? I really like the Jolly Rancher candy canes, I think they are? Have you ever fostered an animal? No. Do you still take hot showers when it’s hot out? Not as hot, but not cold except on very extreme occasions. When writing $ sign, do you draw one line through the S or two? Two. What animal have you always wanted as a pet but couldn’t have? I'm thankful that my parents were pretty open-minded to what pets I really wanted, but one I was never allowed to have was a ferret because of how messy and smelly they are. List three people you’ve had crushes on: Jason, Sara, and Sebastian were probably my biggest crushes. Have you ever thrown up from cramps? No, but god have I felt close. List three people you had a hard time forgiving. Jason, Colleen, and my dad. Who is the most spiritual person you know? Probably my sister's mother-in-law. Would you ever start a vlog? God no, I'd bore people to tears. Are your dreams coming true yet? I mean, I guess in some ways with my mental health. In my deepest depression, what I have now was a dream, even though current me is very discontent with it. Most of my dreams, though? No. Do you struggle with depression? I've been diagnosed with severe depression since 7th grade. Are you haunted by your past? A few things won't leave me alone. What medical conditions do you have? Just a lot. There are even more that are up for debate. I've talked about my diagnosed conditions enough. Do you use a Magic Bullet? No. What does your apron look like? I don’t have one. What are your favorite spicy foods? Hot Cheetos, Takis, hot wings, jalapeno pizza... Man, I love spicy food. Which do you like better: being an adult or being a kid? Being a kid. Were you excited to be a teenager on your thirteenth birthday? I had very mixed feelings. Did you feel insecure in high school? Shit, I still do. Would you ever be friends with someone who was suicidal? What the FUCK is this question? No fucking shit I would be. Someone being suicidal in no way affects who they are as a person. Who was the biggest bully in high school? I don't think there really was one. What was your favorite class in high school? Art. Would you rather have a daughter or a son? If I wanted kids, a daughter. Have you ever written to an advice columnist? No. Have you ever had a doctor not believe what you told him? Maybe? I did however have an employee at the ER the first time I went try to pry out of me that my self-mutilation was for attention, and it wasn't until I insisted about a dozen times that it wasn't that he believed me. It's odd looking back that I got REALLY attached to him during that stay, knowing now that it was absolutely horrible and extremely unhelpful for him to do that. If you’re female, would you feel uncomfortable having a male gynecologist? I would absolutely refuse to have a male one. Do you like Lisa Frank? Yeah, like can you talk about aesthetic. What gives you nightmares? Boy, I wish I could tell you, given how much I have them. Were you ever hospitalized as a child? No. Did you get senior pictures taken? No. What color is your bicycle? I don’t have one. Did you ever have to take home a fake baby in health class? No, thank fuck. Would you rather wear ivory or white on your wedding day? What color will your bridesmaids wear? I'd rather wear black. I think red will be the bridesmaids' color. Would you rather have a swimming pool or trampoline? I want a swimming pool so damn badly so I could exercise my legs without worrying about sweating, and I can stop and rest whenever I want, unlike going walking or something. I don't think my knees could handle a trampoline. Do you think babies are cute? Some, sure. But a lot, not really. Do you dream about the future a lot? Yeah. Do you think about your past a lot? Way too frequently. How good are you at living in the moment? I'm trying to get better at it. Have you ever questioned God’s existence? Yeah. Vanilla frosting or chocolate? Chocolate. What’s your favorite foreign cuisine? I've actually been exploring Italian pasta lately. I'm not a big fan of foreign food that I've tried, though. Have you ever moved to another state? No. Did you do anything productive today? No. .-. Can you say the alphabet backwards? No, actually. Do you like flowers? Of course; does anyone not? Have you ever thought you were gonna die? I didn't care if I did or didn't. What kind of mood are you in today? I was honestly really depressed through most of it. Just health stuff was really getting to me. I just woke up from what was honestly like a four-hour nap and I feel all right, I guess. What are you craving right now? I REALLY want Domino's jalapeno pizza. Is there anyone you would seriously punch right now if you had the chance? No. What is worse, physical or emotional pain? Definitely emotional. Have you ever walked in on somebody doing something… questionable? When Dad still lived with us, I think he might have been watching... you know... on TV when I came into my parents' room for something. Idk for sure though. I didn't ask, and I don't want to know. If you were to make videos on YouTube, what would they be of? Oh god, idk. I don't want to make any. What I'd have most fun with would be reptile education, but I 1.) have literally one snake, 2.) am not extremely educated on a good number of them and don't want to be misleading, and 3.) I would run outta content fast. So, leave it to Snake Discovery, haha. Posting pictures of yourself in a bathing suit on the internet - ok or not? Yes, it's okay????? If you're talking about me personally though, you won't see me dead in a bathing suit picture. Do you typically laugh when somebody falls down? No, I gasp and see if they're okay. What is the most disturbing movie you’ve ever watched? Paranormal Entity. The ending is... a lot. Your opinion of Katy Perry, please? I like a couple of her songs. If you could say anything to your Mom right now… what would it be? "Thank you for absolutely everything."

[northcarolinanative]

𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗  / 𝙲𝚑 𝟷𝟺

Chapter 14: On Your Side 

A/N: Hi guys, it’s me, I know it’s been ages but I’m back, I have finally started to feel a little revived about this series so we’ll see how it goes. I feel low-key like a Riverdale writer because there are so many of my season 2 predictions that I want to put into this, but I don't really know how to. Anyway as always my requests/ask/messages are always open. I hope you enjoy:) 

Description: John B’s Sister comes home from staying with their mom, only to find out that her brother is missing and her dad was murdered. JJ may have just lost his best friend. Her and JJ have to figure out what to do and how to pick up the pieces.

Need to Catch Up? Previous Parts

I woke up to the sound of thunder cracking through the house. I turned to the other side of the bed to see JJ’s back. I saw the movement of his shoulders, rising and falling with his breathing. I got up making my way to the kitchen and fixing a glass of water. I leaned my back against the cool counter looking over the papers that sat there. The clock on the microwave read 4:45am I had a lot to figure out moving forward. I sat down, flicking on a dim lamp for some subtle light. My early bedtime making it impossible for me to go back to sleep. I reached over to the counter for my phone. The light was bright enough to make me squint before looking at the messages on the screen. 

The top message from my mother, asking how I had settled in with John B. I lied, of course, telling her that things were fine and that we were getting along great. I knew that she could say that she kept up with John B all these years, saying that she cared, but I knew the truth. This even further proves that evidence. She wasn’t meant to be a mother, she tried her best but being tied down and in the same place just wasn’t for her. I can’t help but think that if my father had won custody of me if she would have turned away from me too. 

I shook my head, trying not to fall down that rabbit hole in my brain. JJ was turning over in the bed. He rolled over, bunching the blanket up in his arms and holding it into his chest. I smiled to myself as I turned back to my phone. I have no idea what is going on between the two of us right now but I know that I am thankful for him. During my sleep, I missed a text from Kie. She told me to be at the Wreck around 7:30 to help open the breakfast shift. I texted her a quick I’ll be there before, beginning to pull out the papers and maps of John B’s possible whereabouts. 

I shuffled through the papers, trying to find as much information about the ship that I could with the info on the ship maps, as well as a binder that I pulled from my dad’s office. It detailed the kind of ships and had basics for each one. I was not sure how this could help, but I was doing something to move forward. The lack of internet at the Chateau was proving to be an issue as I needed more information. I thought about the few things that I need to look up and jotted them down in my notebook. I folded the maps and the lists into the book before pushing into a bag with my old laptop. The Wreck had the internet, so I was hopeful that Kie wouldn’t mind me using it after my shift. 

My research seemed to do the trick as it killed enough time for me to begin getting ready for my first shift at The Wreck. I quickly showered and got ready, wearing the light blue shirt that read “The Wreck” in obnoxiously large letters across the back. I was slipping on my shoes at the edge of the pull out when a voice started me. 

“Why are you ready?” It was JJ’s rough voice, obviously just waking up. “The sun is barely out.” 

I laughed at him before pointing to the logo on the back of my shirt. “Work calls my friend,” I said with a laugh, but JJ just rolled his eyes falling onto his back. “Feel free to stop by and entertain us?” I questioned. 

“Haha Y/N, I have to get at least 9 hours of beauty sleep, but we’ll see.” He said rolling on his side to face me. His face and tone shifted before his next sentence. “Be careful, okay? That place may be for the tourists, but the Kooks love to stir up trouble over there alright?” I just nodded and smiled slightly before turning to head for my car. 

-- 

My shift at The Wreck was nothing special. All the same as the country club, serve with a smile, a pretty self-explanatory menu, but the only difference was the overwhelming amount of tourists. Not that I minded, as they had no idea who I was, which I liked.  I wasn’t worried about the work, more so the people. I knew JJ was overprotective of the rest of us and meant well, but his words were in the back of my head the whole shift. The last thing I need is a kook making trouble and Mr. Carrera letting me go. 

Kie had me rolling silverware and working in the bar area. She said it was a good intro place before being put out on the floor. It also meant that we could chat and catch up. I liked Kie a lot, she was the closest thing I had to a best friend, even when I was back home. I was still hurt by her words, and hesitant to tell her anything, but I still love her. We were chatting while she went about her side task when I decided to ask about staying around. “Hey, is the Wifi back up here?” I asked, but kept my eyes trained on the task in front of me. 

“I think so?” She answered. 

“Do you think I could use it after my shift? I mean I brought my own computer and I’ll stay outta the way?” I bargained. I just got the job and didn’t want her father to think I was taking advantage of his offer, even if I was. 

“Sure!” She smiled. “We can sit outside at one of those tables when we get off. Pope is coming by and I’m sure JJ will be here before you leave.” I didn’t miss her wink at me after her last statement, the blush more than obvious on my face. Kie was super observant, of course, she noticed something going on between the two of us. 

“Okay yeah,” I said, sighing as she left to carry out an order. While I wanted to spend time with her and Pope, I don’t want to tell them what we’re doing. She’s made her feelings about John B’s accident completely known, and I didn’t want to give them false hope. 

“You look really familiar.” a voice spoke. I looked up from the silverware that I was rolling to be met with blue eyes and frosted tips. 

I’m sure he could see the confused look on my face as I just responded with an “interesting” and a soft smile. I could totally tell that he was a kook by the way that he was dressed. He was dressed in a pastel polo that was only halfway buttoned up and the styling of his hair that no doubt had too many products in it. 

He picked up a menu flipping through it before trying our conversation again. This time being more upfront. “Maybe a name would help you remember me, Y/N?” He said looking directly at me. I felt my skin go cold as he spoke my name. My only run-in with the kook being Rafe and his friends when Kie went full kook. I studied his face as he seemed to laugh a little. He seemed familiar. “Relax, I am on your side here. I figure you heard about your brother and my girl-” He coughed quickly before correcting himself, “my ex-girlfriend.” 

Then it all clicked. “Topper” I breathed out. I hadn’t known him well enough to meet him but had seen him with a few of the other kooks hanging around the boneyard in the past. I remember JJ telling me about the way that he was led out of the church disguised as John B. “What exactly are you doing here?” I asked.

“I figured that you know what happened by now. I’m sure the pogues told you, but I need to talk to you if anyone knows anything it has to be you.” He spoke. I looked up to see Kie trying to get away from her table to come help. Topper seemed to notice. “Meet me outside after your shift? I really need to talk to you.” He said before getting up. “Oh and a stack of pancakes to go please.” He flashed a smile before walking to the side. I quickly wrote up his ticket and pinned it to the wheel as Kie came up beside me. “Don’t worry about Topper, he’s been pretty harmless lately. He keeps asking a lot of weird questions and showing up here. He’s like so obsessed with Sarah it’s crazy.” She paused rolling her eyes. I was hoping that you could get out without an awkward kook visit.” She laughed and nudged my shoulder. 

I let out a sigh. “Yea and to think in the last 5 minutes of my shift. Are the boys on their way?” I questioned. If I was going to go meet with Topper and JJ saw, he would without a doubt start a fight. Something about the way that Topper spoke seemed serious. Also, he helped John B getaway, took whatever the consequences are, so I had to at least give him that. 

“Yea. Pope has to finish up some work with his dad, then they’ll be here.” She said with a smile. “You can go ahead and clock out, I’ll finish up here.” 

I nodded and said a quick “thank you” before making my way to the backroom to put everything away and clock out. My hands shook as I punched in the numbers, turning and putting tips away in my front pocket. I ran my hands over my head, letting out a shaky breath. Just gotta go get it over with. What's the worst that could happen? 

I walked out the back door to see Topper leaned against the front of his Jeep. I looked around for any sign of JJ, Pope, or Heyward’s old beat-up truck. “Okay Topper, this is weird. What the hell is going on?” I said walking to stand in front of him, crossing my arm over my chest. I could feel the way that my glare was harsh on him. 

“Look, Rafe’s losing his shit. I know he’s lost it before but he has really lost it.” He spoke, his tone heavy, almost panicked. 

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “You're kidding right?” He just shook his head obviously. “Why the fuck do you think I’d care?” I started to get angry, turning to walk away. 

“Y/n! Wait, please!” He said, stepping forward to follow me. I turned to look at him with my eyebrows raised. “Look I believe y’all, that’s why I helped John B.” He admitted. “The way that Rafe has been acting I believe it too, he’s lost it. I think he’s dangerous.” 

I scoffed again. “Really?” I pointed to the now healing split on my cheek and motion to my neck. “I had no idea, Topper.” My voice was laced with sarcasm and anger. “Get to the point please.” I sighed. 

“He’s literally going crazy. I mean he says that he’s seeing Peterkin like he’s hallucinating her. He is dead set on pinning this on John B, saying that’s the only way that she’ll leave him alone. Ward tries to keep him locked up as much as possible, but you and the pogues” He sighed running a hand through his hair, messing it up, “need to watch out for him. You don’t know what he might do.”  

“Well, he is a murder.” I retorted coldly. 

“I know the pogues, they haven’t given up on John B or Sarah. You probably haven't given up on your brother either. I think that they are the last chance at putting this to rest. I wanna help you find Sarah, and your brother” He finished with a heavy breath. 

I tried to keep a poker face and the best way to go about this situation. “Topper, there is nothing we can do,” I spoke slowly trying to think of exactly what to say. I didn’t want to push him away in case we ended up needing his help later, but like the others, no need to involve him in something so uncertain. Not to mention that I had zero intentions of trusting him. “The police have given us nothing to work with, we’re just as in the dark as you.” 

Topper dropped his head to look at the ground. “Right.” He nodded. ”I guess I was just hoping that it wasn’t real, ya know?” His voice was quieter than before. His tone was soft and sounded broken. “Hoping that she wasn’t really gone.” 

I felt bad for him, even if he was pining after my brother’s girlfriend. He lost his girlfriend, to a pogue, then she might have died and his best friend, Rafe turns up to be a murder in a matter of a week. “Trust me, I know Topper,” I said, causing him to look back up and nodded before turning back to his car. “I’ll let you know if we find something though?” 

He smiled as he pulled himself into his Jeep as I headed to my car to get my bag before going back to the restaurant to meet with the pogues. 

Taglist: @nikki082489 @lovelymaybankk @dolanfivsosxox @alexa-playafricabytoto @downbytheouterbanks @heyhargrove @heywards​ @kayln021 @readysteadygo23​ @im-a-stranger-thing​ @thatsonobx​ @dumbxgurl​ @ameeraaa21@zehnuhrfunf​ @imagines-and-preferences1216​ @mileven-reddie​ @sw-eat-ing​ @tangledinsparkles @shawnssongs @karleeluv @rockyyc77​ @omigodyall @whoreforouterbanks @bqbyl0n @hmsjiara​ @kaelyn-lobrutto24 @softstarkey​ 

Masterlist 

[abrakophile]

I was looking through a bunch of junk and found some letters from my dad when he was in the army. I’m afraid I'll accidently toss them, so maybe I’ll put them here?

OPs Name JUNE 02 03

I LOVE YOU

THIS IS MY NAME IN KURDISH

*my dad wrote his first and last name, and under it, in Kurdish*

ILL TRY AND FIND OUT HOW TO WRITE YOUR NAME AND MOMS TOO.

ITS STILL HOT. I WORK AND READ BOOKS TO PASS THE TIME AWAY.

HOW ARE YOU DOING? GOOD I HOPE. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? DO YOU EVER HANG OUT WITH YOUR FRIENDS? TELL THEM I SAID “WASSUP?” NAH, DONT TELL THEM. TELL ME WHAT YOUR THINKING. I’M TRYING TO SEND YOU SOME MORE OF MY DRAWINGS. WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DRAW YOU? DID YOU LIKE THE DRAWING I SENT YOU OF YOU NAME? ITS ALRIGHT IF YOU DIDNY. JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU DO WANT ME TO DRAW YOU.

(Flip Page)

THIS IS WEIRD! (The page does not have lines on the left side of it) i WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PIECE OF PAPER. HaHa

I MISS YOU ALOT. PLEASE SOND ME SOME MORE OF YOUR DRAWINGS, YOU CAN DRAW ME ANYTHING YOU WANT TO.

ARE YOU BEING GOOD FOR YOUR MOM? ITS NICE IF YOU HELP HER OUT WHILE I’M AWAY.

HAVE YOU BEEN ANYPLACE NEW? HOW IS SCHOOL GOING FOR YOU? IS MOMMY GOING TO SCHOOL? I KNOW I WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL WHEN I GET BACK. HOPEFULLY I GET THE CHANCE TO LEARN EVERYTHING THAT THERE IS TO KNOW. THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

ALSO, ID LIKE TO DO SOME FISHING? HOW ABOUT YOU? I GUESS ILL END HERE. BE GOOD AND STAY IN SCHOOL. AND JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS.

THEYRE BAD.

I LIVE YOU OP

*hearts and x’s* DADDY

---

(I don’t know if all these pages are in order or if it’s missing any, but this was the letter in the same stack as the last but this one was for my mom. In some places his indents indicate passage of time.)

I HAVENT HAD ANY TIME TO WRITE SINCE WEVE BEEN ON THE ROAD, NOT TO MENTION THAT WE CAN’T SEND MAIL WHEN WE’RE MOVING ALL THE TIME.

WEVE BEEN ON THE ROAD FOR ABOUT FIVE OR SIX DAYS, I HAVENT REALLY BEEN COUNTING. I KNOW I TOLD YOU THAT WE’D BE IN KUWAIT FOR A WHILE, BUT THAT WAS SO YOU WOULDNT BE WORRIED. I’M GOING TO KEEP THIS LETTER THOUGH, TILL I GET HOME.

ABOUT TWO NIGHTS AGO, WE DROVE THROUGH BAGDHAD, SOMEBODY SAID THAT THERE WERE PILED BODIES, I DONT KNOW IF IT WAS TRUE.

AND I GUESS YESTERDAY, A COUPLE OF PEOPLE SAID THEY SAW A MISSILE OR SOEMTHING SHOT AT US. I WAS TRYING TO FIX A TRUCK SO I DIDNT SEE IT.

ITS NOT AS DUSTY HERE IN IRAQ. IT REMINDS ME OF THE CONVOYS IN KOREA.

MOST OF THE PEOPLE WILL WAVE “HI”. SOME OTHERS DONT.

I SAW A KID OPEN HIS HAND ONCE WHILE MOVING, AND IT SAID “BUSH” THAT WAS KIND OF COOL.

OH YEAH. HERES A STORY. WHILE OUT DOING A MISSION, ONE OF OUR “BRADLEY” TANKS FIRED ON AN ENEMY AMMO TRUCK AND CLIPPED A KID. THE ROUNDS BLEW ONE OF HIS LEGS OFF AND SOME OF THE OTHER, FROM THE KNEE DOWN. SO THE MEDICS PICKED HIM UP AND BROUGHT HIM TO OUR RECONCOLIDATING POINT FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT. I GUESS HE EVENTUALLY DIED FROM LOSS OF BLOOD THE NEXT NIGHT AND YESTERDAY THEY TOOK HIM OUT AND BURIED HIM.

ALSO WE PICKED UP ABOUT 25-30 P.O.W.s AND SENT THEM SOUTH.

IT GETS PRETTY COLD AT NIGHT. AND THE DAY’S ARE VERY HOT.

SINCE WE LEFT KUWAIT ITS BEEN ME AND MENDOZA IN THE FIVE TON WRECKER AND I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT ITS BEEN EXCITING. WE KEPT GETTING SEPERATED FROM THE CONVOY AND BREAKING DOWN. BUT I THINK THAT WERE BETTER NOW. HOPEFULLY.

IM STILL WAITING TO BE AMBUSHED TO MAKE ALL THIS SEEM REAL TO ME. A PART OF ME WANTS IT AND ANOTHER DOESNT.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY OUR UNIT HAS TO STAY IN UNIFORM, EVERYONE ELSE WEARS T-SHIRTS AND BANDENA’S AND RAGS ON THEIR HEAD

WERE STILL GOING NORTH. NOBODY KNOWS HOW LONG WE’LL STAY. ITS NOT THAT BAD HERE. MEANING, IT COULD BE WORSE. 

I USED A “SHIT-CHAIR”. ITS JUST A METAL CHAIR WITH A HOLE CUT IN THE MIDDLE AND THE SEAT FROM A TOILET BOLTED TO IT, GROSS.

HELICOPTERS CAN BE HEARD ALL DAY AND NIGHT. I GOT TO SEE THEM DROP BOMBS ALL DAY ABOUT 3 DAYS AGO, FROM A DISTANCE OF COURSE.

ILL BE DRIVING AGAIN, IN A MINUTE. PROBABLY RE-FUEL AND BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN. IM ENJOYING IT.

I HAVE 8 MAGAZINES FULL OF ROUNDS. NO GRENADES, BUT I LIKE IT LIKE THAT.

SOMETIMES IT SMELLS LIKE SHIT.

I GUESS ILL END IT HERE FOR NOW

I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU TWO TWICE IF NOT THRICE AS MUCH AS YOU MIGHT MISS ME TOO.

HELLO AGAIN. WERE SOMEWHERE NEAR TIKRI + MOSUL. YESTERDAY, ME + MENDOZA WENT LOOKING FOR MOMENTO’S. WE BROKE A LOCK TO A NEAR BY BUNKER AND FOUND 6 A.K.47s! BUT ON OUR WAY BACK TO TURN THEM IN, MAJOR TATU GOT THEM FROM US. I WAS SO PISSED. BUT I GOT A GAS MASK w/ FILTER, A FULL MAGAZINE CLIP FROM ONE OF THE A.K.s AND A BERET WITH IRAQ 1 RANK ON IT.

I MADE A STENCIL FOR THE TRUCK WERE RIDING IN. ITS CALLED THE “GAMBLER.” YESTERDAY MENDOZA DROVE, SO TODAY ILL BE DRIVING.

IM NOT POSITIVE, BUT, I THINK WERE GOING TO TURKEY. NIETO SAYS THAT HE OVERHEARD SOMEBODY FROM S1 (or SI, I’m not sure) SAYING WE MIGHT GET PAID EXTRA FOR GOING THROUGH BAGHDAD.

I THINK NIETO’S MAD AT ME. CANT EXPLAIN WHY. MAYBE ITS BECAUSE IM RIDING WITH MENDOZA AND HE DOESNT LIKE MENDOZA TOO MUCH. OH WELL, WHATEVER REASON, HOPE THINGS GET NORMAL AGAIN. HAVE TO GO,

*hearts and xs*

TODAY IS THE 25th OF APRIL, I RECEIVED FIVE OR SIX (OR SEVEN) LETTERS YESTERDAY. THE LATEST WAS DATED 07 OF APRIL. THAT TELLS ME THAT ITS GOING TO TAKE A WHILE TO COMMUNICATE.

WE HAVENT RECEIVED MAIL BECAUSE WEVE BEEN MOVING NEVER STAYING IN ONE PLACE MORE THAN A DAY, OR TWO, UNTIL NOW. WE’VE BEEN IN THIS SPOT GOING ON FOUR DAYS TOMORROW?!

GIVE ME A MINUTE...

FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS IVE BEEN HELPING MENDOZA PULL THE ENGINE OUT OF A 5 TON TRUCK AND SWITCH IT w/ ANOTHER ONE. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY BUT THE FLY WHEEL SEIZED UP INSIDE THE BELL HOUSING. ITS FINISHED NOW AND THE RUMOR IS WE’RE LEAVING  (OR MOVING) AGAIN TOMORROW.

ITS 10:33 THURSDAY MORNING. YOUR TIME IS 12:32 JUST TURNING THURSDAY.

I ALMOST CRYED WHEN I SAW ELIS PICTURE. I REALLY MISS BOTH OF YOU. LET ME BACK TO BEFORE I GOT DISTRACTED. I HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO SEND MAIL BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN MOVING. BUT I GUESS THAT WHATEVER THREAT THERE WAS (IF ANY), ISNT SO THREATFUL ANYMORE, WE CAN START RECEIVING AND SENDING MAIL. NO PHONE TO CALL FROM, AND NO INTERNET TO E-MAIL FROM.

THE WHOLE UNIT IS SCATTERED, SO EVEN IF I GET WHAT YOU NEED IT’LL TAKE FOREVER TO GET IT TO YOU. LET ME PULL THOSE LETTERS BACK OUT. OH WAIT. I DID LAUNDRY AND SOME UNDERWEAR THATS DRY, FELT HARD, OH WELL, WAIT A SECOND, K

I HAD TO FOLD SOME T-SHIRTS. ALL MY SOCKS ARE STILL DAMP. 

YOU CAN USE MY CONTRACT TO SHOW THAT I ENLISTED IN TEXAS AND HOWS THIS

*On a separate sheet my dad wrote a detailed note for my mom to give to someone to confirm that he did want to buy a house. He writes “I AM ALIVE AND WELL.” and “PLEASE ACCEPT THIS PAPER”, then he signed it with his scribble signature, and underneath it wrote his name in print and added “1st SQUADRON 10th CAVALRY HEADQUARTERS TROOP (I have no clue what this means)*

HOW’S THAT? HOPE I SPELLED EVERYTHING CORRECTLY. IM ALMOST READY WITH A DESIGN TO COVER THE OTHER TATTOOS ON MY LEFT FOREARM.

I JUST FINISHED LOOKING OVER ALL THOSE LETTERS YOU SENT FOR ME

IM BACK! I GOT SLEEPY SO I TRYED TO LAY DOWN FOR A LITTLE BIT. NO SLEEP. I DONT THINK. I DIDNT HAVE ENOUGH WATER TO WASH MY DCV’S AND A PAIR OF BDV’S. BESIDES FOR DRINKING WATER, BUT WE HAVE TO CONSERVE IT.

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE RUMORS. TOMORROW WE’LL BE LEAVING FOR THE IRAN/IRAQ BORDER TO DO “PEACE KEEPING” FOR 3 TO 6 mths. OTHERS SAY THAT THE 4ID (i think is what this says) GENERAL WANTS TO KEEP US HERE TILL NOV., THATS WHEN 1 CAV WILL COME TO REPLACE US. WHILE OTHERS SAY WE MIGHT LEAVE BY JUNE. NOTHINGS FOR SURE.

SMALLER RUMORS FLOATING AROUND THE SITE ARE; RAMSEY AND SFC BACON ARE SLEEPING TOGETHER. SGT SIREK HAS PLANS TO TAKE NIETO AS HIS APPRENTICE AND PADIWAN LEARNER OF THE DARK SIDE. LITTLE BLACK ARNOLD IS MILITARY INTELLIGENCE FOR SPECIAL FORCES OPERATING UNDER COVER A SURVEILLENCE AS PART OF

*the rest of the page is blank*

IM BACK. TODAY IS THE 27th. I GOT BACK TO THE LITTLE CAMP AREA ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO. I LEFT YESTERDAY MORNING TO, WELL, AS PART OF DE-CON (DE-CONTAMINATION) MISSION. HERES THE INFORMATION THAT I GATHERED.

A SITE HAD BEEN FOUND THAT WAS THOUGHT TO HAVE CHEMICAL WEAPONS AND 1-10 WAS APPOINTED TO GO TO THE SITE AND DE-CON THE CIVILIANS THAT WERE GOING TO OPEN THEM. AS IT TURNS OUT THE CIVILIANS HAVE BEEN DE-LAYED AND WOULD BE SET BACK 1 DAY.

THE NBC TEAM THAT I WAS WITH WERENT PREPARED TO STAY OVER NIGHT AND AS FORCASTED BY SSG MINOR WE MIGHT HAVE HAD TO STAY 3 TO 4 DAYS. EVERYBODY WAS PISSED.

LATELY ITS BEEN GETTING REALLY COLD AT NIGHT AND WE JUST HAPPENED TO BE NEAR A RUNNING RIVER. SO THE, ITS ABOUT 9 O’CLOCK AND IM BEAT, NO SLEEPING BAG OR ANYTHING TO COVER UP WITH AND I DECIDE TO TRY AND SLEEP. I GET AS COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE AND I GET ATTACKED BY MOSQUITOS. NOW IM PISSED SO I DECIDED TO JUST TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT. ABOUT 10PM ONE OF THE HEMTT (this might just say “hemi”, I don’t know) FUELERS SHOWS UP AND SGT TORRES SAYS HE HAS EVERYBODYS SLEEPING BAG! THE SITES ABOUT 45 MINS AWAY AND THEY LEFT SOMETIME MID AFTERNOON TO GET OUR SHIT, I HATE THESE PEOPLE.

RIGHT NOW ITS 9:01 PM AND ITS 11:02 AM YOUR TIME. I MISS YOU.

RIGHT NOW IM GOING TO ADDRESS AN ENVELOPE AND HAVE IT READY TO SEND TOMMOROW THE 28th. IM SORRY IF IT SEEMS THAT IM NOT WRITING VERY OFTEN. FOR A WHILE WE COULDN’T. AND NOW THAT IT SEEMS WE MIGHT BE HERE A LITTLE WHILE, THEYVE KEPT ME REALLY BUSY. LET ME ADDRESS THE ENVELOPES (he drew a star here)

ALL DONE. I THOUGHT ABOUT THE HOUSE A LOT TODAY AND YESTERDAY. IM SURE BY THE TIME THIS LETTER REACHES YOU, YOU’LL HAVE EITHER GOTTEN IT OR GAVE IT UP. IM O.K. WITH EITHER DECISION YOUVE MADE.

YOUVE KEPT THIS FAMILY TOGETHER, AND THAT MAKES ME PROUD. YOUR SMART, ATTRACTIVE AND FUNNY. AND YOU DONT TAKE ANY SHIT FROM ANYBODY. I LOVE YOU.

I HOPE THAT OUR DAUGHTER TURNS OUT TO BE LIKE YOU.

I GUESS ILL MAIL THIS TOMORROW, FIRST THING, SO

EVER YOURS

EVER MINE

*my dad signed it with his scribble, and wrote his name under it. under that are hearts and x’s with my mom’s name and then my name under hers.*

[purplesurveys]

962

Do you have a pair of Beat headphones? I used to have a pair. I mean it’s still around in my closet, but it’s completely broken now with the cable all given out and the cushion for the left ear has been missing for a while. I just don’t have the heart to throw it out because it was my absolute favorite pair of headphones that gave me good memories during a particularly shitty time in high school.

How was your week? A little better. I’ve gotten into the groove at work so I’m no longer shy when it comes to asking questions and giving inputs, and I’ve gained a better grasp of the workplace’s dynamic so it’s also been easier to communicate with people. Heavy life stuff is still around and it won’t be leaving for a while, but they were easier to ignore this week.

Are any of your electronics not working properly at the moment? Not really, but my phone’s charger cable recently stopped working. I have a backup that I’m using at the moment and while it’s able to charge my phone, it’s starting to fray and I’m not feeling too good about the wires that I’m starting to see hahaha. I just don’t know how to take care of my cables, guys. Anyway, this question made me paranoid so I took a few minutes to wrap a shit ton of electrical tape on the frayed area so I think it’s all good for now.

Are you excited to pick out your wedding dress one day? I like thinking about my wedding but I truthfully dread the wedding gown part. I’ve never been able to decide what look and style suits me best and I’ve just never been good at determining things like that. I like to imagine that I’d leave that bit to whoever my maid of honor will be, because I’d definitely prize a second opinion more than my own.

When was the last time you felt relieved? Yesterday, 6 PM when I exited the last Google Meet for the day. It was a Friday night and it meant my work week was over :)) I mean I love what I do, but Friday nights will always hit differently.

Does it bother you when an artist remakes a song that one has previously done? I wouldn’t say it bothers me but covers are definitely a hit or miss for me, with way more misses than hits. Nothing wrong with acts putting their own spin on an already existing song, but I’m personally the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” type when it comes to music.

What brand of chapstick do you use? I don’t use any mainly because I’m bound to lose them within a week. Same goes for other care products.

Do you really think someone could be perfect? No. Everyone has their flaws and that should be okay to acknowledge.

When was the last time you cried? Wednesday, I think. It’s been three days! I’d count that as an achievement. But idk, my sadness comes in waves so I shouldn’t be celebrating too early. I’m sure I’ll feel a pang soon and be crying again over the weekend.

What’s a food that you like every once in awhile but not often? Cake. Too sweet and rich; I wouldn’t enjoy eating it every day. What letter is the song you’re listening to under? Not listening to music, but I have a YouTube video on.

Would you rather visit the 60s or 70s? 60s would be the lesser evil, I guess. I would NOT want to live through Martial Law in the 70s...I originally wasn’t even going to go with 60s because I think the world was a bit chaotic at the time, but I think my country was mostly unaffected by the political/cultural things happening then so it’s whatever.

Are you the type of person that enjoys getting hugs? I don’t actively seek them out but it feels nice when someone likes me enough to extend their arms out to me for a hug. I haven’t been hugged for a while and I feel kinda empty.

Do your socks say anything on them? I think some of my socks have the brand name on them but that’s it.

Name a TV channel that only has three letters in it. AMC.

Have you found out who your true friends are? For now, yes.

Gray or Grey? I use both spellings for no particular context. I simply like changing it up lol.

Will you be buying concert tickets any time soon? LOL of course not. And I’m very picky when it comes to concerts that I choose to attend anyway, so I doubt I would’ve bought any tickets in the last six months even without Covid unless it was for Paramore or Beyoncé.

Have you seen the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower? Did you like it? Nope, but everyone was hyping that movie up when it came out. It never really looked like my thing < Yeah pretty much. I feel like it’s such a teenage-y movie so I was never drawn to it. I also think it would be too triggering for my depression, so I’ve felt wary about checking both book and movie out.

Is there something you’d fall apart if you didn’t have? One of my biggest fears is to end up alone, so I always have to have some form of a support system to fall back into. I would be very lost if I didn’t have at least one person to rely on.

How many weddings have you been to? I can think of four off the top of my head. I was either a flower girl or a junior bridesmaid for all of those.

When you smile, are you confident? Most times I am; I like to smile. But sometimes I smile just to fake it and avoid any questions.

Have you ever not done something because you were afraid of getting in trouble? Yesss, all the time. I’ve always been all about following the rules and I’ve never seen the appeal in breaking them. That makes me sound boring but at least I’ve never gotten in serious trouble lol.

Was the weather beautiful today? For me it is, but only because I like the rain and cloudy weather. Others might find it bleak and sad, but I feel right at home.

Do you have to have a fan on when you sleep? Yeah, all year long.

Would you rather have an orange, red or gray bedroom? If I had my dream modern/brutalist home, grey would be soooo fucking perfect for the bedroom. 

Would you ever dye part of your hair blue? I’m open to it, but I don’t think it’ll be a good match for my black hair as both are darker shades as it is. If I could dye my hair I’d pick lighter colors like green or even go all the way to blonde.

Have you ever gone to a private school? Yeah, from kindergarten all the way to high school. Private schools here typically give a better quality of education and they don’t give off the for-lazy-spoiled-kids vibe that I always hear from private schools in other countries, which makes them the norm for middle and upper-middle class families.

Is Finding Nemo a favorite movie of yours? I have other favorite animated movies, but that doesn’t stop me from loving Finding Nemo. :) I would always tune in for the whole thing if it were on.

Does/Did your school have a uniform? I had to wear one in my first school, but I didn’t need one for college.

Turn on the TV. What channel are you on? No TV where I am. I think my parents are watching a movie on their TV, but it’s on Netflix rather than a channel.

Does your house have security cameras? It does not.

Does a popsicle sound good right now? Eh, I guess it sounds fine but I’d rather have a pint of ice cream. I think that fits better with the weather and the mood that I’m in today.

What’s your favorite exercise workout? My weight training class last year was a lot of fun. I always felt dead after every session haha but I definitely felt healthier. I wish the semester had gone on longer just for that one class.

What’s your favorite thing to do? Lol I love doing many different things < Same lmao this question is so vague??? My favorite thing to do these days is binge-watch Rhett and Link content, but I like doing so many other things too.

What did you do for your 17th birthday? I was with Gabie that day and we went to a local art museum, as well as to a restaurant that she had wanted to take me to.

Does your local Walmart have benches in them to rest? We don’t have Walmarts.

Was your favorite stuffed animal really a teddy bear growing up? I never had stuffed animals. Well I was given a few of them as gifts, but I was never into them and they always ended up being owned by my sister.

If your house was haunted, what would you do? Not even think about it. Just show them that I couldn’t care less, lol.

Are you good at swimming? I can do a few strokes and am pretty good at treading, but I'm prone to panic-kicking when I can tell that the water is too deep.

What’s worse: Slow internet or slow walkers? Slow internet is such a pain in the ass. Shouldn’t even have to be an issue in 2020 anymore.

What is the rudest thing a guy has ever done to you? Cat-called, whistled at, winked at, lunged at. One good thing about this lockdown is that I haven’t had to deal with men as much as I used to. Do you sleep with the sheets tucked in or out? Well I only have one layer of bedsheet and it’s the one that covers up the mattress, so it’s tucked in by default. I have a blanket to cover me up when I’m cold.

What do you do to fall asleep faster? I find a few videos to watch as that tends to make me feel sleepy the quickest.

Do you carry a bottle of water wherever you go? I used to have a tumbler/water bottle in college but I forgot it at the gym one day and when I came back for it, somebody already stole it :( It was such a handy water bottle because it kept my water cold all day, so it sucks that I lost it. I’m planning to buy the same model again soon.

Are you afraid that one day you might get cancer? It doesn’t really run in my family save for one grand-aunt who had cancer, so I’m not too worried. But I’ve accepted the fact that it is at least a possibility.

Are you a fast or slow walker? I like being in the middle. Slow walkers are annoying so I try not to be one, and walking fast just reminds me of my mom and how quickly she walks at malls when she’s supposed to be spending time with her family lol.

Do you usually have to wear a belt with your pants? No. They all fit me just fine.

Does it bother you when people’s underwear hangs out? Eghhh, it really does. I know it shouldn’t but it really does. I just feel like it’s so invasive and it gives me a lot of secondhand embarassment.

Are you usually the person to try new things with your hair? Not really. I like staying safe with my hair. The most daring thing I’ve done with it is get bangs tbh, and I don’t plan on going any further than that.

When’s your birthday? April 21st.

What age do you look forward to reaching? I don’t feel that way about any age. Whenever I reach ultimate satisfaction and security will be a good enough age for me.

Name a state that begins with the letter M. Minnesota.

What’s the first thing you do after a car accident? Think about how to tell my parents. D:

What do you use to get rid of bad breath? Brush my teeth, drink water.

What exercise do you hate the most? Pull-ups.

What do you do at a party? Drink, socialize, tell stories, eat allllllll the food ha.

[writemywaytoyourheart]

First Date | Park Jimin

a/n: this was requested by @bangtan-sonyeonddaeng thank you love, I hope you like it 💕 I'm sorry this took so long but it was so cute and fun to write! I also made a mood board for you^^

BTS Masterlist ← find all my works here~

Pairing: Jimin x reader

Genre: Fluffy fluff uwu

Warnings: none ^_^

Word count: 2.6k oh sit, I went a bit crazy...I hope y'all like this.

Summary: Jimin finally worked up the courage to ask you out, and now? He just hopes everything goes according to plan.

Park Jimin...

The Park Jimin, asked you to go out on a date with him...?

Um...what?

-

You weren't sure exactly what happened at the time. You were at the boys' dorm, having been their friend for almost a year now. You were playing board games with Namjoon, Hoseok, Yoongi and Jimin, while Seokjin, Tae, and Jungkook settled for video games instead. Now, you weren't gonna lie, you'd had the biggest crush on Jimin since the very first time you met him when Namjoon introduced you to the rest of the boys.

His sweet smile and caring personality won you over and you knew it was all over for you then. Then that one night, as you all talked and cheered and fought over the paper money that Yoongi was trying to claim as his 'fair and square'. Seokjin and Jungkook were shoving each other playfully trying to distract the other one while playing Mario Kart, while Tae quietly got ahead of the other two; having pretended to be uninterested in winning, and scored first place, pumping his fists in the air and saying over and over again, "yes yes yes!!" As the two other boys groaned in disappointment. You laugh at the three of them and turn back to see Hobi and Yoongi each clutching a side of the fake money, neither one willing to let go first, and Namjoon sitting there with his head in his hands as the two bickered back and forth. You look at Jimin who's sitting across the game from you and he smiles and shakes his head, silently agreeing with you that they were all fools. Lovable fools. But fools just the same.

You smiled back, willing yourself not to blush, and mouthed to him that you were gonna go get a drink. He nodded and smiled again and you stood up, gesturing at him, wondering if he wanted something as well. He shook his head and mouthed 'no thank you' back. Picking your way carefully over everyone you finally made it into the kitchen for some water.

-

"Jimin, what are you doing? Have you asked her yet?" Namjoon whispered to him in his ear once you disappeared into the other room. Jimin turned positively crimson then shook his head slightly. He looked up and saw Jin gesturing toward the kitchen like a mad man with his head, eyes wide, telling Jimin to do it now. Jimin stood up quickly and tried not to stumble going through the crowded room, and trying to ignore the giggles coming from the other excited members. He'd liked you since the day he met you, you were super sweet, friendly, and funny too. They knew that he liked you and it was maddening for them to watch him try again and again to get the courage to ask you out. His heart pounded as he rounded the corner and saw you leaning on the counter, drinking a glass of water.

He was finally doing it.

-

You saw Jimin come around the corner suddenly and you choked on your water, sputtering and wiping your mouth, cursing yourself for being so jumpy all of a sudden.

He walked over to you, concern written all over his cute face, "you ok y/n? Sorry if I scared you. I-I, I decided I d-did need a drink." You shook your head and smiled at him then brushed it off quickly, "I'm fine, a little water never hurt anyone haha." He smiled again and his eyes crinkled up, his cheeks all bunching up and oh gosh you wanted to squish them.

What. No. You did not just think that.

He grabbed a glass and filled it up then took a sip before he turned to you. He gulped, it wasn't the water he was swallowing, he was so nervous. Just blurt it out Jimin, he thought to himself, just do it, it's now or never.

"Uh, y/n?"

"Yeah?" You tried to sound nonchalant, why were you so nervous? Jimin was your friend.

"Um, uh, I just, I was wondering, that is, I mean, can I, do you, maybe, could, uh..." The poor boy couldn't get a single sentence out, stuttering and blushing profusely. You reached out before you could even think, and touched his arm lightly, "hey, it's okay Jimin, what is it?" He seemed to relax with your soft tone and touch and he straightened up a bit, then said in a rush, "I was wondering if you'd like to go out–with me–on, on a date...maybe...?"

Well that was unexpected.

-

Of course you had said yes, probably a bit faster than you should have, but Jimin was all smiles and the tension between you two that night disappeared quickly. The rest of the boys were over the moon with relief that night after Jimin related what had happened to them, after you had left of course, and they were all super excited for the both of you.

-

A few days later and you're sitting on your couch, fiddling with your hands that are starting to sweat a little. You have no idea why you're so nervous, Jimin was your friend and this wouldn't change anything between the two of you. Except, maybe it would. You aren't sure but now was not the time to be dwelling on such things. The doorbell suddenly rings and you jump up, from excitement and partly surprise.

You hurry over, grabbing your purse and opening the door to see Jimin standing there smiling–he looked very handsome in a long sleeved black shirt and pants, that contrasted with his blonde hair.

You smile back and step outside to walk with him to his car.

"You look beautiful, y/n." He says it shyly but you can hear the smile in his voice. Seeing as you spent a lot of time getting ready, you're so grateful that he said that. You turn and look at him, trying to keep your blush under control, "thank you Jimin, you look very nice as well." He really did, and you can tell he's trying his very best not to blush too as he says a quiet 'thank you'. It wasn't awkward at all, just new for you. You two get to the car and he opens your door, waits for you to be seated comfortably and then shuts it before trotting over to his own side. You smile at him through the windows when he isn't looking, he is just too cute.

He sighs happily when he opens the door, sits down, and starts putting his buckle on. Then he turns to smile at you again, "it's really nice out today, thank goodness. We're in luck y/n!" You laugh at his excitement and clap your hands, it really was lucky that today wasn't too hot or too cold, it was perfect and you couldn't be happier.

The two of you start talking about what you'd done the past few days and fall into talking about the most random stuff; things you found on the internet or a stupid project you had at work, his new dances and what song he wanted to cover next with Jungkook. It was just like it was whenever you two hung out with the other boys, nothing was weird, just familiar and comfortable; which you were extremely grateful for.

Eventually he pulls the car up to the side of the road and unbuckles. You look out the window and see that you're at a little park with a big open green field, not many people were walking around and there was a little trail looping around it, surrounded by cherry blossom trees–it's the most beautiful park you've ever seen.

Jimin sees the look on your face and giggles, he hops out of the car and opens your door. He parked so that you were by the sidewalk, so you step out and follow him around to the trunk of the car. He opens it and you see a blanket, a little umbrella, and a big picnic basket. You look at him in question about the little umbrella and he shrugs, "just in case, for sun or rain, wanted to be prepared." You try so hard not to uwu right then and there, of course Jimin would do this; a peaceful picnic in this park sounded just like something this boy would do, and you loved picnics–did he know that? You wonder and look over at him. He was smiling down at the stuff and starts pulling it all out. You offer to carry the blanket and he hands it to you then takes out the basket and umbrella. Jimin shuts the trunk and hangs the basket on his arm, umbrella in hand–then he turns to you and smiles again, earning a smile back from you. You both make your way through the grass, it was so green and beautiful today. Jimin finds a nice spot under the shade of a tree, and sets the basket down, "this looks like a good place, what do you think y/n?" You turn around, scanning the area, it really was a nice place, not too much sun and just enough away from the few people that were walking the trails.

"It's perfect Jimin. Have you been here before?" You ask as you lay the blanket down, Jimin walks over and helps you spread the blanket out, then when that's finished he starts pulling food out of the basket. "Yeah, me and the boys came here once, I haven't been here since though. I want to come more often." He looks sideways at you and you pretend not to notice as you nod and help pull the food out. There was a lot, and it all looked so good. Jimin giggles when he sees your face, "Jin hyung made most of it, but he let me help with some stuff that he thought I wouldn't mess up." You laugh and shake your head, "well, I'm sure you did an amazing job Jiminie, make sure to send Jin my thanks as well." He nods happily and pulls out the last of the food.

Jimin hands you a sandwich and you both start to eat, you close your eyes and feel the slight breeze on your face. The sandwhich was delicious and when you open your eyes to tell him that, you see Jimin look away from you, blushing madly and taking a bite of his own sandwich. You try to change the subject so he doesn't get too embarrassed that you caught him looking at you.

"Hey Jimin."

He looks at you sheepishly and swallows almost choking, "y-yeah?" You hold up the sandwich and smile, "it's really good, did you help make this?" He nods and his eyes crinkle up–you try not to freak out again, but your heart can't stop fluttering at how adorable he is. You two spend the time eating all the food you can handle, and talking about the most random things, as usual. Eventually you're both lying on the blanket and looking up at the tree your picnic is under. A squirrel is running along a branch and you watch it as you sigh happily, you aren't sure how this day could get any better, the sun was just warm enough and the sky was so blue, when you reach over the blanket and touch the grass it's super soft under your fingers. Jimin can't stop smiling as you two relax on the blanket and even close your eyes for a bit.

-

The sun is starting to set and you have no idea how the time flew by so fast. You start feeling sad, knowing that Jimin will probably start packing everything up soon, and the date will be over. So you're surprised when he stands up and reaches out for your hand, not making any move to clean anything up yet. You take his hand and he pulls you to stand up, intertwining your fingers with his, "come on," he says softly. Then he grabs another small blanket from the basket and starts walking over a little to where there are no trees around. Once he finds a spot he likes, he spreads the blanket and sits on it patting next to him, signalling for you to do the same. You sit down and laugh, "what are we doing Jimin?" He just lies down and pulls you down next to him, "you'll see in a minute." You two are on your sides, propped up on your elbows, facing each other. The sun is down now and only a few little lamps are on, over by the trails. There is a soft glow from the lamps and from the moon, and you can see him smiling at you happily. You grin back and look at him quizzically, "well, what are we doing?" You giggle a little nervously. He doesn't say anything but turns onto his back and scoots closer to you, then points up at the sky. You move to lie on your back as well, your arm touching his, your heart pounding at the close proximity. Your gaze follows his arm, "oh," you let out a surprised breath at what you see; Jimin's arm is lifted and he's pointing up at the sky that's completely full of stars, the brightest you've ever seen. Without the lights from the city you can see the night sky in all its beautiful wonder. Jimin whispers softly, "Look, y/n... It's the Big Dipper over there, and right there that's the Archer. Do you see it?" You follow the line of his arm and hand as he moves and points out the constellations. You've never seen them this clearly before and you nod in awe, "I see them, they're so big, and bright, a-and beautiful." You feel warmth in your left hand and turn your head to see Jimin has put his right arm down from pointing out the stars and has taken your hand in his slowly, almost like asking permission. You wrap your fingers around his and look at him, his eyes have squinted up again from the smile that's broken out on his face, cheeks all squished up. You smile at him, not knowing how you could've gotten so lucky. Little did you know he's thinking the same thing as he gazes at you in the soft light. Then suddenly you both look away shyly and look back up at the sky again. For a few minutes you both point out different shapes you see and laugh at a few of them.

After a while you feel tears spring into your eyes at how absolutely gorgeous it all is, the millions of stars, the bright moon, how happy you are to be sitting here and sharing this with him. You hear his voice softly from next to you then,

"Y/n, do you want to come here with me again? O-or somewhere else if you'd like, but I mean- that is..."

You try not to laugh, he honestly had your heart beating like a conga drum and he was the one feeling nervous? You weren't sure how you could make him nervous like this, but you squeeze his hand and look at him, "Jimin," he turns and looks at you a bit anxiously, "y-yeah?" His cheeks are burning again and he prays that you can't see it in this light.

"I'd love to go out with you again, and thank you for today." He lets out a breath he was holding and almost cries in relief. Today couldn't have gone better for the both of you, and it was way past overdue, but the outcome made it all worth it.

Park Jimin.

The Park Jimin....asked you out on a date?

Yes, yes he did.

[ask-bluesman]

This question is for Bluesman! What are your favourite (and least favourite!) things to draw?

This blog got awfully neglected again, but I finally found some time to scribble an answer for you! Thank you so much for the question!

Some of my most favourite things to draw include:

1) Simple portraits. Drawing them is a fast and easy method of studying facial characteristics without having to worry about the whole body (and pose, proportions, and such). I usually scribble a couple of those when I’m about to draw someone for the first time. I also do these for a quick warm-up. This means that boatswain’s grumpy face appears often among my sketches, haha.

2) Little creatures. I think they are more enjoyable to draw than the big ones, I also believe they don’t get the representation they deserve. Canines are absolutely everywhere, while small critters such as rodents or mustelids are difficult to find. Guinea pigs are my personal favourites because I have a lot of good experience with them as pets. Skunks are very fun too, their fur pattern is so elegant!

3) Trees. I grew up in a woody area and always considered trees my allies. I admired them ever since I was a child and this hasn’t changed at all; if anything, my appreciation for them only grew stronger over time. Each individual tree is a work of art! I have to say that I like greenery in general - I have 11 potted plants in my room and I don’t think I will stop there. They are all natural air filters and they make a big difference.

4) Sweets and pastries. It’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth, haha. I don’t draw this stuff nearly enough these days, but when I was in school, I did it constantly. I remember that one time my classmate begged me to stop because he was hungry, but that only reinforced my habit. I don’t like drawing dishes (ironically!), though I enjoy the rest. Not gonna lie, I’d go for a nice, cold chocolate shake right now ;__;

5) Small objects. While I usually struggle with large props (like furniture), I find smaller ones relatively fun for practice. They can be quite challenging as well, but it’s an enjoyable kind of challenge. I have a soft spot for vintage things: old phones, alarm clocks, toys, you name it. Besides, adding just a few of them can make a scene a lot more interesting. I may be not particularly good at drawing them, but I’m eager to change that!

Here are some other things I like to draw:

- characters with visible imperfections,

- felines (big and small),

- old fashioned clothing,

- grumpy, angry and surprised expressions,

- cartoony violence and slapstick.

My least favourite things to draw include:

1) Anything NSFW. My interest in that kind of content is minimal and I steer clear of it. Drawing it makes me extremely uncomfortable, it also collides with my religious beliefs. On top of that, I think the Internet has enough NSFW imagery to last for at least a hundred of generations… across several galaxies! The only exception I might consider is gore. It’s nothing sexual for me by any means, I just enjoy gore in video games (when it fits the context properly, think The Last of Us!), so it could appear in some of my future doodles.

2) Most backgrounds. ESPECIALLY urban ones. How do you draw a city without making it look ugly, bleak and dull? I know it’s possible because I’ve seen those, but I have no clue how to achieve that on my own. But to be perfectly honest, all backgrounds give me a hard time. Colours and perspective are my arch-enemies. I wish I could get better and I’m working on it. Slowly but surely!

3) Vehicles and any complicated machinery. As far as vehicles go, modern cars are my least favourite because of their… smoothness. I prefer sharper, rougher edges, so I’m actually somewhat okay with certain retro cars. But in general, vehicles and machines require a lot of symmetry, which is one of my weak points. They often come with tens or hundreds of little details and I either don’t have the patience to draw them all or flat out don’t know how to simplify them.

4) Reflective surfaces. Water and mirrors in particular. I avoid them whenever I can. The fact I don’t like drawing water is very unfortunate because all of my main characters are sailors, so I’m hoping to improve on that in the future. Still, water is somewhat easier to draw than mirrors. I find transparent glass a bit troublesome too.

5) Romantic scenarios. This one comes with some exceptions: I don’t mind drawing characters that are expressing their mutual affection in a mild way. Holding hands or dining together are alright! It’s not necessarily something I’m interested in, but I don’t have a problem with those things. Stuff like kissing or cuddling can make me uncomfortable since I don’t like physical contact.

And here are some other things I dislike to draw:

- bare human feet (yuck!!),

- unnaturally big muscles and breasts,

- eyes and their placement on the head,

- rooms and other types of interiors,

- political / cultural symbols (there are many I don’t want to be associated with).

These are my main likes and dislikes! If you have additional questions or would like to see me elaborate on something in particular, don’t hesitate to send me more asks :) My answers are going to be slow because my other work obliges me to meet certain deadlines (and they are approaching!), but I’m always happy to find more questions in my mailbox. Thank you so much for your interest and your patience

(Tumblr isn’t letting me paste a link this time, what the heck)

[somethingaboutklance]

Hey! This is my secret santa gift for @painttheworldmad! Merry Chrissmas here you go:

It’s called The Best Nap Ever and here’s the summary: 

Fighting a war is exhausting. Trying to save four planets at once is exhausting. Agreeing to cuddle with a boy who you might have a crush on is exhausting.

Lance is exhausted, but how are you supposed to rest when you don't have any time?

Bad weeks happened. Sometimes life hits you day after day of bad, no good, rotten, awful situations. You push and pull through every hour. You don’t realize how long and difficult the day was until you lay in your bed at night and stare at the ceiling and think:

“Damn.” Lance muttered, spread out in his bed. It was late into the night-or whatever counted as night on the floating giant castle ship he called home.

At the thought of, he pressed the palm of his hands against his eyes. Over the last few days, everything had begun tumbling down, in Lance and all around him.

It seemed like it was solo mission after solo mission for Lance. Everyone was in a mad rush to get supplies for a cluster of planets that were dying. It was a section of four sister planets, all in line, and had experienced trouble when the Galra raided them for their riches. Now Pidge, Hunk, and Matt were stationed on the largest planet setting them up with tech to help their day to day and to keep in contact with one another. Keith and the Blades worked to set up a defense for the next time they were hit. Allura, Shiro, Coran doubled helping the leaders ban together and call in the outside forces to help deliver much needed supplies.

And who was the one to go get those supplies? Well, it had to be someone with a big lion, of course. Had to be someone that was friendly with people. Oh, and of course, had to be someone completely separable and unuseful enough to be on the grounds.

Tada, it was Lance.

So while everyone else got to chat and relax, Lance was going back and forth across galaxies to their allies, lugging large amounts of food, clothing, and other resources onto Blue, then flying all the way back to unload it. Over and over. Hours on end.

Not to mention that he got attacked by random Galra fleets TWICE and had to fend for himself until the rest of the team arrived.

All of that was normal day-to-day paladin stress though. The worst part about it was that he kept messing up . Whether it was taking too long, grabbing the wrong supplies, or, like today, unloading the supplies at the wrong planet and having to pack it all up and do it all over again, wasting ‘precious time’.

“We do not have that much time left, Lance. We can’t afford mistakes like this.” Shiro mentioned at dinner towards the end of the day.

“Hey, all four of those planets look really similar! How am I supposed to know which one is which.”

Pidge rolled her eyes, “They are all different colors.”

“Well...it’s been a long week!” Lance shouted.

“Everyone is having a hard time, Lance.” Allura glared, “You know the direness of the situation. If one of the planets is off balance, the other three with perish as well, and with Planet K3 in ruins…”

“I get that, and I’m doing my best here! I’m not a trucker, I’m not fit to drive back and forth all day and night!”

“A what?” Allura asked.

“We all have to do what we can.” Shiro said, “As long as we work together, and work hard, we can save these people. Now, go get some rest while you can. You have an early day tomorrow.”

Lance gestured to his watch, “I only have three hours to sleep, you know. I need my beauty rest.”

“I know it’s hard, but it’s only for a bit longer. We are making real progress on K3.” Shiro assured.

As Lance walked out, he mumbled, “I wouldn’t know.”

So staring up at his ceiling, Lance breathed deeply. Back home, he knew stress, sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Although each time, he could either cuddle up with something soft, go take a walk outside, or distract himself on the internet. In the middle of space where a war waged around you, none of those things were available.

A quick rapping appeared at his door. He didn’t bother to ask who it was before calling to let them in.

Lance looked up to see Keith taking a hesitant step into his room.

Quickly, Lance propped himself onto his elbows, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Silence hushed until Lance said, “Whatcha doing?”

Lance didn’t know Keith could look so bashful as the other boy looked to the ground and said, “Uh, remember when we had that sleepover in the lounge area a few weeks back?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you...remember how we woke up?”

Oh. Yeah, Lance definitely did. He remembered how he awoke to Keith nestled into his chest, his arms wrapped around his waist. He remembered how Keith’s hair tickled underneath his chin and remembered the warmth of the other body beside his.

He also remembered the panic of trying to pry them away from each other before everyone else noticed.

“Yeah, yeah.” Lance coughed, “Uh, I remember.”

“Oh.” Furrowing his brow and biting his lip, Keith said, “I was wondering if you wanted to…”

“Cuddle?” Lance raised his eyebrow.

“I mean, if you don’t want to it’s totally fine,” Keith panicked, “I just heard Shiro and Allura getting at you, and we don’t have that much time to sleep so it wouldn’t be-”

“Sure.” Lance said.

“Sure?”

“It’s been cold around here lately, and we don’t get to hang out as much, so yeah.” Lance explained to himself and Keith, “Sure.”

“Okay,” Keith shuffled across the floor to Lance’s bunk.

Lance lifted up the blanket and allowed Keith to make his way underneath the covers.

At first, they simply faced each other and stared.

Things between the two were different lately. Now that they didn’t see each other as often, they didn’t fight as much when Keith did come back. There wasn’t any time for petty bickering or insulting. They...missed each other too much for that.

Now when they had the luxury to hang out, they used their time wisely. They told each other stories of their time apart, played video games if they could sneak away from the group, and simply relaxed. The two didn’t realize how much they cherished time with each other until it was gone.

To anyone, it was obvious that Keith and Lance’s relationship had shifted towards the better. Although, to them, it had gradually changed to something more...powerful.

They couldn’t place what made it so strong, so different than what they had with everyone else, but there weren’t any teen magazines to figure out your feelings in space. So they let it be what it was.

Lance arched an eyebrow as he slowly brought his arm around Keith’s waist, posing a question. In answer, Keith scooted himself closer to Lance, tucking his head into the paladin’s chest.

Lance allowed his other hand to run through Keith’s hair, in a form of unforgiving intimacy. He blamed it on their human need for contact, on the cold, or on the nightmares. Not once did he blame it on weakness. As the two of them held each other, there was no weakness.

“Lance...wake up,”

Warm hands slapped his cheeks, getting him to open his eyes. He blinked and groaned, stretching his arms over his head. He yawned loudly.

“Your breath stinks.” Keith said, cheek resting on his arms, which sat upon Lance’s chest.

“Why’d you wake me up?” Lance stared at the boy on top of him, “What time is it?”

“Early.” Keith said, “We have to get up.”

Lance groaned, and pulled Keith closer to him.

Keith instantly nuzzled into Lance’s chest before they both paused.

Lance let go while Keith sat up so quick his vision wobbled.

“I’ll just-uh-”

“Yeah you should probably-”

They stared at each other for a moment before Lance sat up. He fiddled with the blanket and right before Keith went to get up, Lance blurted, “It doesn’t have to...mean anything. You know.”

“What?”

“The cuddling. I don’t know-it’s comforting to me. But it doesn’t have to mean anything. If you don’t want it too. I know we haven’t talked about. And we don’t have to. If you want it to just be casual, bro-cuddling, that’s fine. With me, that is.”

Keith raised his eyebrow, “I...I thought that was what it was? You hug Hunk all the time, and so I just assumed. Wait, has it-has this been something more for you?”

Lance yelped, “Well! I gotta go to the bathroom, and you better not leave those Blades of Marmora guys waiting. Forget everything I’ve said, I’m just. Exhausted, you know? Haha. Cool, see you later.”

Lance proceeded to lock himself into the bathroom until he heard a faint knocking and a mumble, “Bye, Lance.”

Then, he put his face in his hands, and groaned. Another long day, followed by an awful morning.

“There was supposed to be 155 rods of priopritonin. These boxes only have 152.” One of the council members of planet K1 explain after going through the load of boxes.

The people of K1 similar to the rest of their sister planets. All of them were incredibly tall creatures, thin, and looked almost like centaurs if the horse half had six legs and a tiny, chicken-like tail. And if the human part had four arms and a face similar to the aliens you see presented on Earth. Large, black eyes, no nose and tiny mouth.

In fact, with all those limbs, Lance wondered why they didn’t help him, a sad, four legged human, move these boxes.

Lance suppressed a yawn, leaning against Blue’s leg, “I’m sorry, that’s just what the Balmera up north gave me. They gave you a few boxes of rock candy for your trouble, though.”

The member glared, which was incredibly impressive with their giant eyes, “Rock candy will not save my planet.”

Lance could only turn away and mutter, “You never know.”

With the help of only a few people, he unloaded the rest of the supplies. Afterwards, he stretched and got back in his pilot’s seat. He had about one varga to spare until he was to report on K3. Apparently, after today, they were done with their assistance with the planets. They were well enough to stand on their own, and the people were going to throw them a small party for their efforts. If there was anything Lance loved about being a paladin, was the praise.

That’s if he was awake enough to take his place as life of the party.

So, with the equivalent of an earth hour to spare, Lance tucked himself into his pilot’s chair. A quick little nap couldn’t hurt anyone.

Lance asked Blue too dim the lights as he gathered a blanket from the crate off to the side. He curled in on himself and drifted off easily.

“LANCE! Lance, come in!”

Lance woke up in a shock and proceeded to fall off his chair, whacking his head on the control board.

“Owww…” Lance moaned before he managed to pick himself up to answer the call.

“Hello?” He asked, seeing the rest of the paladins on the display screens.

“Where are you?” Pidge asked, scowling.

Lance blinked, “Uh, I’m on K1?”

“No, you’re not, we’ve been looking everywhere for you, dude. You aren’t on any of the planets. You look like a mess, though.”

“I just woke up from a-” Lance widened his eyes, “What time is it?”

“You are late.” Allura called in. Only then Lance noticed that everyone was in their sophisticated dress-wear. Which were basically a fancier version of their paladin armor and included a colored cape on one side of their outfit.

“I’m so sorry, I just-I fell asleep, I’ll be there in a-” Lance got into his seat. When the screen in front of him came into view, he looked out. He was...already flying?

“Uh, guys?” Lance questioned, “I don’t know where I am.”

“What do you mean? Send me your coordinates,” Allura demanded, which Lance promptly did

The group waited for Allura’s response, but it came slow and confused, “You are in...a galaxy I’ve never heard of.”

“He’s in a different galaxy ?” Pidge asked, “How did you get there? It’s only been an hour since we’ve last touched bases.”

“Look,” Lance said, “I have no idea.”

“Let me ask Coran and the Marmore if they know of this galaxy.” Allura commented.

Lance look to Blue, silently asking her what she got him into.

Soon, Kolivan came into focus, “Blue paladin, how did you reach your current location?”

“I don’t know! I was just taking a quick nap in Blue and then I woke up all the way out here! And Blue isn’t telling me squat so can anyone let me where I am?”

“According to the information database that is kept at the Marmora base, you are in the Brand Galaxy, near a black hole.” Kolivan explained.

“Holy crow!” Lance shouted.

“Cool!” Hunk and Pidge yelled.

“No, NOT COOL!” Lance combated, “Am I gonna die? Did Blue take me out here to kill me?! Blue is a traitor to the Galra!”

Blue did not appreciate that sentiment and did a flip which threw Lance out of his seat.

“I don’t believe so, Blue Paladin, you spoke that you recently have awoken from sleep?” Kolivan asked.

“Yeah, right when they started screaming at me.” Lance said, climbing back to his seat while rubbing his head.

“Do you feel well-rested?”

Lance nodded, “Yeah, actually, super well-rested. I feel a whole lot better. Probably one of the best power naps I’ve had in awhile.”

“That would make sense,” Kolivan nodded, “I suppose this has to do with your bond with your lion. As if your lion in looking out for your health in the best way it can. You’ve been gone for twelve hours.”

“Wait, what-”

“OH!” Pidge hollered, “Oh my GOD that’s so cool!”

Hunk caught on too, “Oh, oh! I can’t believe I didn’t catch it before, gosh, I love space!”

“How can I-what is-” Lance sputtered.

Pidge leaned forward, her face almost hitting her camera, “Lance! So you are next to a black hole, right? So, like, Blue must’ve landed you at a planet at the right about of distance in order to reach that amount of time dilation. It must be a really small black hole to if it only put you forward half a day, in fact, you actually might be quite a bit away-”

Hunk chimed in, “Basically, being next a black hole warps time. So one hour for us is twelve hours where you are.”

Shiro chuckled, “You are in the future.”

“Whoooa.” Lance said.

Allura shook her head, “Although I’m glad your bond with the Blue Lion is strong, you simply must return. We are awaiting you. And where’s Keith? He said he would be here”

“He’s with me.” Kolivan announced, “He is dressed and prepared to go.”

“Then why isn’t he here?” Pidge asked, “These people are giving us looks.”

“He will be.” Kolivan smirked as he looked to the side, “He explained to me that he was...waiting for someone.”

Allura rubbed her head, “Just...everyone be here as soon as possible.”

“Wait, aren’t I gonna miss the whole thing?” Lance said. “Because I’m 12 hours in the future?”

Allura groaned, “Ugh. Keith, get over here.”

“How you getting this message then?” Pidge pondered.

“Shouldn’t he come back during this time? Since time is moving slower there.” Hunk asked.

“I’m starting my watch for the exact time Lance arrives. This isn’t science you get everyday. Lance, can you track your time on the way back? And distance.”

Lance sighed, and started up his tracker, “Nerds.”

Lance ended going through a wormhole created by Blue herself, and making it in time for the party. In fact, he got there only a few minutes after they finished the conversation.

“Ha! I beat Keith!” Lance said, quickly dawning his cape.

“That. Was. So. Cool!” Pidge jumped excitedly. “After all this time in space, I can’t believe I didn’t think about the possibility of time dilation!”

“You only like me when I’m forcibly submitted to be a science experiment.” Lance huffed.

Pidge shrugged, “Yeah, pretty much.”

“I still wonder why Blue took you there,” Allura hummed, “It’s not like a lion to do things without the paladin’s knowing.”

Shiro scoffed and mumbled, “Obviously you’ve never flown Black,” and headed off to talk to the leaders.

After Hunk and Pidge realized Lance had no idea how to answer their science questions, they left to talk to each other.

Lance realized he was hungry, and technically, hadn’t eaten for the last twelve hours, so he helped himself to the buffet line.

“Did you get a good rest?” Keith asked, appearing on the other side of the table, gathering his own plate.

Lance raised his eyebrow, “I did, actually.”

Keith nodded, “Want to sit down somewhere?”

“Apparently us paladins get a fancy table to ourselves” Lance grinned.

Keith looked down at his outfit, he had the formal paladin wear, the over-dramatic armor and the red cape, but he also was given a purple circlet to represent Marmora. It was golden with a purple diamond-shaped stone one it’s center. With the small crown resting on his forehead, he looked like some kind of prince.

Lance thought it was very regal look unnecessarily good on him.

As they were walking to their seats, Lance asked, “So did you tell Blue to take me to the Brand galaxy?”

Keith bit his lip, “I didn’t tell her to do anything. But I gave Red the information and Red...passed it along.”

“Why?” Lance asked, setting his plate down but demanding answers before he sat.

Keith shrugged, “You looked tired and with everything you said I thought that maybe me sleeping in your room was affecting your sleeping-”

“Whoa, whoa,” Lance put his hands up, “If anything, you being there, it actually helps me sleep. It’s the running back and forth and lugging crates around that’s been exhausting. And even though you indirectly sent me to a different galaxy that was...really nice. In a way.”

Keith shrugged, “It was nothing.”

“Oh, it was something .” Lance laughed. He shook his head and went to sit.

Quickly, reaching under the table, Keith slid into his seat and grabbed Lance’s wrist, “What you said before...I’m okay with that. With it meaning something.”

“What, uh, kind of something?” Lance asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

“We can figure that out more eventually, but a...more than friend? Kind of something?” Keith gave Lance the cutest, most sheepish smile that he’s ever seen.

“Is this your way of asking me out?” Lance smirked.

Keith pulled away to cross his arms, “I’m trying here,”

Lance laughed and grabbed for Keith’s arm, pulling him away enough so that he could hold his hand.

Keith took his turn to smirk, “Is this your way of saying yes?”

Lance nodded, and Keith tightened his grip on his hand.

Suddenly, Pidge and Hunk came to the table. If they noticed the other two paladins holding hands, they didn’t care because they began ranting about how they figured out the time dilation. Shiro and Allura came soon enough, and their only response was a small smile and a wink.

Keith and Lance continued to hold hands for the rest of the night, and after staying up far, far too late, they went back to their rooms. There was no question on where they would be sleeping as the two boys curled up together.

Not even a 12-hour time warped nap could compare to how well Lance slept that night.

[jokertrap-ran]

(未定事件簿) EVENT!「消失的黄金」 [Tears of Themis] EVENT: The Lost Gold Translations (Zuo Ran Chapter 3-01: Cave Entrance)

“I swear on my honor as an Elite Lawyer that if there really are injustices in this case, I will make it so that the law gives you the justice you deserve.”

*Tears of Themis Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *(y/n) is your name when in direct referral; otherwise referred to as MC. *Last route here we go-

Location: Outside of Cave 

MC: (AHH——!!)

Zuo Ran: Don't be afraid. Here, let me.

He gently held my shoulder in place, using a stick to flick the bug back onto the ground.

Zuo Ran: Alright, you can rest easy now. The bug's gone.

MC: My savior…

I had clasped my hand tightly over my mouth to prevent alerting Lin Dahai, who was not too far ahead of us, of our presence. I could finally breathe easy now.

MC: That was the first time I've ever seen a black bug as big as my palm that even flies to boot...and it's a species that I don't think I've ever seen before either.

The image of the bug flying towards me still sent my heart racing. Who'd have thought that it'd land on my back after we'd spent half the day running around.

MC: (I must have looked real stupid just now; is Lawyer Zuo sick of me yet?)

Zuo Ran: Nosta Island has a complex and diverse ecological environment, so it's very normal to be seeing bugs that we've never seen before.

Zuo Ran: I was also a little afraid when I first set my eyes on it, but when I think about how you're with me…

Zuo Ran: It’s not that scary anymore.

Zuo Ran: Plus, we've already gotten rid of it. It's not scary anymore when you think about it like that, right?

I felt much better and more at ease after listening to his words. But the thing about him being afraid of the bug… that must have been something he made up to reassure me...

MC: Thank God for you being here. Come here, let's give ourselves another douse of bug repellent. 

I was just about to take the spray out of the bag when he held my hand down.

Zuo Ran: Don't move, Lin Dahai's making a move now.

MC: ……!

I carefully held up the binoculars with light movements to observe Lin Dahai, who was up ahead of us.

MC: Is he...heading into the Cave?

After tracking him for some time, Lin Dahai had finally made it to the Mountainous Area of this Island.

Zuo Ran and I found that he had stopped in front of the mouth of a Cave, so we hid under a bush near the hillside to continue observing him.

Just now, when we were busy trying to shoo the bug away, Lin Dahai had been sitting atop a Now, it looks like he had gotten enough rest, for he returned his Pad back to his back and stood back up.

MC: What was he using the Pad for earlier? I can’t see the screen even from my binoculars.

Zuo Ran: To ensure the fairness of this Event, all wireless signals have been blocked.

Zuo Ran: He doesn’t have a special encrypted communication channel like us, so his Pad should be unable to connect to the internet.

MC: If we eliminate the possibility of him trying to use it to communicate...then, he can only be using it to look through the local files he has inside it.

Just as we were discussing, I saw Lin Dahai withdraw something from his bag from the binoculars’ field of vision; it was long and wrapped in cloth. He carefully removed the cloth. It gleamed coldly under the sunlight.

MC: A knife!!

Zuo Ran: Stay here and don’t move. Be on stand-by to report to the Main Station. 

Having said that, he rushed out

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: Cave Entrance

Zuo Ran: Lin Dahai.

Lin Dahai turned and was a little surprised to see Zuo Ran there.

Lin Dahai: You…

He keenly observed Zuo Ran, tightening the grip he had on the long knife in his hand.

Lin Dahai: And here I thought that no one would be able to find me once I smashed the Terminal.

Lin Dahai: When we met by coincidence earlier, you said that you and that girl were both here to investigate the Case.

Lin Dahai: Looking at it now, it seems like you're Investigating me. Are you?

Zuo Ran: We mean you no harm.

Zuo Ran: But we can guess what your purpose is, on this trip here.

Zuo Ran: There are many ways to go about settling a matter, you don’t have to choose to take the one that’s most unfavorable for you.

Lin Dahai: Haha, why do all these pretty words you’re spouting now sound all so familiar?

Lin Dahai: Don’t tell me Yan Wei sent you here?

Zuo Ran: He did. He thinks of you as a close brother of his own and doesn’t want to see the day where you become a suspect in his Interrogation Room.

Zuo Ran: I can help you investigate the suspicions and doubts you have of the Case back then during that year.

Zuo Ran: I swear on my honor as an Elite Lawyer that if there really are injustices in this case, I will make it so that the law gives you the justice you deserve.

Lin Dahai: …...

He smiled bitterly with the long knife in hand.

Lin Dahai: That year, my father had just taken a loan and bought a new boat. He vowed to me that he’d catch much more fish than ever before, before he left.

Lin Dahai: But he never once came back after setting off for the sea.

Lin Dahai: My mother has always been ill. She passed away a year after that.

Zuo Ran: …...

Lin Dahai: In order to find out the truth behind this Case, I used the excuse of interviewing Dong Hechuan as a guise to enter the Prison, keeping in contact with him for 3 years.

Lin Dahai: I pretended to be a fan of his, that murderer. I flattered him, gained favour with him…

Lin Dahai: Until the time when he was just about to get out of Prison soon. That was when I had finally gained enough of his trust to hear the truth of my Father’s murder, from his own mouth.

Lin Dahai: Tell me, Lawyer. Did you know that him killing my father was only one of his lesser achievements among his many numerous accomplishments worth flaunting about?

Lin Dahai: If it weren’t for the fact that his death had been related to the gold that had been nagging at his mind and heart, he wouldn’t even have bothered to remember about my father!

Zuo Ran: ……

Lin Dahai: Do you understand how I felt back then when I found out about this? Haha, probably not.

Lin Dahai: Anyone can say the right words to persuade someone to forgive and forget. You and Officer Yan are one and the same.

Zuo Ran: Lin Dahai, I wasn’t lying when I’d told you that I was here to Investigate the Case earlier.

Zuo Ran: Officer Yan isn’t asking you to care less about your father’s death either. Since Dong Hechuan himself has admitted it...

Lin Dahai: ...It’s no use.

He lifted the long knife and braced it on his shoulder, cutting Zuo Ran off with a cold laugh.

Lin Dahai: Do you think he’ll admit that he’d killed someone again?

Lin Dahai: He won’t. And he also said that there wasn’t any evidence left on this Island that’d point to him as the killer.

Lin Dahai: This is one of his reasons to flaunt about.

Zuo Ran: ……

Lin Dahai: That’s why I can only carry out my revenge on him with my own hands. Whatever the consequences, I’m willing to accept them.

He looked to the depths of the tunnel, a dark end without any light to be seen.

Lin Dahai: After I gained his trust, he told me where the Gold from back then was buried, asking me to help him retrieve it in his stead.

Lin Dahai: I will be meeting him there, at the end of this tunnel.

Zuo Ran: Gold!? Why are you so sure that the Gold’s here?

Zuo Ran: He didn’t tell the Police of its whereabouts back then; why would he tell you where it was so easily like that?

Lin Dahai: Are you worried about him tricking me? You’re overthinking it.

Lin Dahai: I’m confident that the Gold is here, and that Dong Hechuan will be sure to come here.

Saying so, he carefully sized up Zuo Ran, smiling in contempt.

Lin Dahai: You look like someone who sits around working in an office all-year-round; there’s no way you can compete with me in terms of physical strength.

Lin Dahai: But I won’t hurt you, even if you’re adamant about trying to stop me. There’s someone responsible for every grievance after all; a debtor for every debt. And for me, my only target here is Dong Hechuan.

Lin Dahai: He’s a ruthless and vicious Criminal. Truthfully speaking, even I have no confidence that I’ll win in a fight against him.

Lin Dahai: But if you’re still adamant on stopping me again, then I might just be the next one to die.

Lin Dahai: What you’re going to do about this is yours to decide, Lawyer.

With that, Lin Dahai turned and headed down into the depth of darkness without once looking back, leaving Zuo Ran with a difficult question to think about. His footsteps were fast and light, as if he were heading to a much-awaited Grand Event.

Zuo Ran raised his hand, touching the gun holster secured under his left arm before following Lin Dahai’s footsteps, into the depths of the Cave.

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Previous Part: (Zuo Ran 2-04: Deep in the Woods) | Next Part: (Zuo Ran 3-02: Deep inside the Cave)

[shintorikhazumi]

A Real Girl Chapter 2: Feelings 2.0

A/N: Just like my other story in LWA (that I can’t focus on huhuhu), I’m composing this update while in the hospital, watching over my dad. There isn’t any internet so I guess I can focus quite a bit haha. I feel like the pacing of this chapter is off, or awkward somehow? I should’ve extended the first chapter more. Welp, too late for that. I guess I’m trying to expand the background information on how this universe works? It’s quite close to canon-verse where Sayo used to not really get along with everyone, and slowly improving lately, but tailored to the Sayo of this story??? I’m braindead, I’m sorry hahaha.

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

  A Real Girl Chapter 2: Feelings 2.0

  Sayo did not like having feelings.

It wasn’t that she hated all the mushy drama that came alongside it. It wasn’t that she particularly disliked the anxiety of having negative- and even positive- feelings. No, it wasn’t that at all.

She simply didn’t fancy the complications it brought to her practical lifestyle. She had yet to fathom such things, and more often than not, her system could not process the actions and reactions brought about by emotions. Moments when she did try only ended up in the usual overheating, and sometimes confusion and jumble of information running through her head, always rendering her unable to organize the sensory data she was receiving from her body.

She just couldn’t seem to handle all that. It was a system overload.  Something she couldn’t hope to control. And control was what she understood she needed; control over this life of hers. If she could not contain the wild horses that were feelings, she could not live her life to its realest, most authentic capacity. That was what she believed. And she believed that Sayo Hikawa was incapable of having feelings.

-//-//-//-//-

  The dinner that followed her regular meeting with her parents had been… fine, Sayo supposed. It wasn’t all that awkward. To her it wasn’t, at the very least. She tried to scan her other family members for any signs indicative of discomfort, and upon finding nothing unusual, she had released a small sigh of relief that did not go past her surprisingly perceptive sister.

Hina then asked her if anything was wrong, to which she would reply her usual assurances; that she was fine and there was nothing to worry about, offering a calm smile before proceeding to eat her food to hopefully signal to the younger twin that this particular conversation was over.

Hina understood and seemed willing to relent, dropping any plans of further interrogation. She instead turned to her parents, continuing one of her many ridiculous tales. This one happened to be of how she may or may not have tried to convince the school principal to go bungee jumping with her off the school’s highest building, which was probably what had been the cause of this week’s call to the office for her parents.

Sayo felt her facial muscles work to form a small smile outside her manual prompting. Something deep down inside told her it was because she was amused with her younger sister’s antics. Quite an uncommon occurrence as Hina’s antics were usually nothing short of headache-inducing.

“Feeling quite cheery, aren’t we Sayo?” Her father piped up, noticing the smile on his eldest daughter’s face. Albeit miniscule to some, to her family and friends, it was a clear indicator that Sayo was in a pleasant mood, and that made them happy as well.

For some reason, having her whole family’s attention on her made her feel warm. Warmer than “normal”. Oh, this was troublesome. Sayo had been having these heat flushes far too often lately, it truly was messing with her system.

“N-no? I… or, yes, I… I suppose I am not in a foul mood, Father.” She responded, rigid as ever, but with a stutter she inwardly cursed at. Was she experiencing lag?

Despite her words, her family had gotten used to her responses and translated it as a positive ‘yes’. That was good enough in their books.

The rest of dinner remained clear of any suspense, and each Hikawa was grateful for that.

Hina had volunteered to tidy up the kitchen afterwards as their parents were preparing to take their leave, so Sayo was left with the task of seeing the pair off by the door.

…

There were a few moments of tense silence as Sayo watched her parents. Her father avoided her gaze by leaning down to tie his shoelaces, the action taking a little too long compared to the average time; while her mother was the complete opposite, staring a little too intently back at her. She didn’t know what to make of this situation. Her sensors picked up body language cues that translated to them having something they still wanted to say before leaving, but the longer they took to make even a squeak, the more Sayo wondered if they were all just burning away the precious seconds that could have been spent on safe travel for her parents, and dedicated guitar practice for Sayo. She would have preferred spending her time wisely, even if it was a Saturday night. She had band practice tomorrow, after all.

“Sayo-“ Her father had finally began, reaching a hand up above the said girl’s head. Sayo felt her heartrate pick up, eyes glued to the motion, waiting, before her father retracted it back to his side. The action brought about a physical weight increase in Sayo’s chest area, and she almost asked her father about it; but the question died before even leaving her mouth, a different hand catching her off-guard.

Her mother had cupped her cold cheek with her warm hand, eyes glistening somewhat, searching for something Sayo could not figure out.

“Mother?”

A beat of silence.

“We really do love you.” The older woman whispered, still looking into Sayo’s eyes, still searching, not knowing if she’d find what she sought. “We really do.”

Sayo had no idea how to respond to the sudden affection, and simply nodded her head silently. What she did know was that what had previously weighed in her chest seemed lighter, though not completely gone-

That familiar large, calloused hand that belonged to her father- it now lay on her head, patting a few times before his thumb stroked the top of her head, then swept across her forehead, moving her fringe aside for a moment to clearly display her surprised face. The weight had completely dissipated, and Sayo would admit that she was slightly in awe, and curious as to if this was part of whatever update had taken place, and if her parents had a new manual for her to read so that she could better understand and control all these odd mishaps with her body as of late. They hadn’t really made those in recent developments, only verbally instructing and vaguely explaining to Sayo functions she could and could not perform.

Her musings were cut short by the words she was still getting used to.

“We love you and…” The man she labelled as her father started, “We’re sorry we’re late”. She felt her brows furrow, a wrinkle forming between her eyes.

“What do you-“ Before Sayo could even ask what those words had meant, Hina’s familiar singsong voice had interrupted the exchange.

“Huh? Why are you guys still here?” Seeing as she was now here, Sayo inferred that the Kitchen and dining room had been cleaned up, and that they had lingered by the doorway for far longer than she thought.

The ribboned girl looked between her parents and sister, confused at the atmosphere shrouding them.

“S-sorry, sweetheart. Just had a lot of things to remind your sister.” Mr. Hikawa smiled, moving forward to wrap his younger daughter in a hug. “You know, reminding her to take care of you, and not overwork herself.”

“Oh yeah, Onee-chan does that a lot.” Hina agreed, seemingly buying it. “I do try to tell her to have fun and stuff, but she never listens!”

“You never listen to the voice of common sense, either.” Sayo quipped. “And your idea of fun is fairly life-threatening.” She whispered the last part to herself.

“Anyway! We also had to talk the usual budget for you guys, and just… stuff.” Their father finished the little white lie fabulously.

“Right!” Hina nodded, believing every word… probably.

With a cough from their mother, Hina escaped her father’s hold and gave the eldest woman a gentle, but enthusiastic embrace.

Once over and done with Hina’s affectionate goodbye’s, the Hikawa couple bid their daughters a farewell, leaving hand in hand until their figures escaped Sayo’s line of sight.

Breaking out into a sigh, Sayo locked the door behind her as the twins headed for their respective rooms to retire for the night.

Sayo felt dissatisfaction stir within her. She had so many questions she wanted answered when she found that it was time for her parents’ regular visit, but now that they had left, she had even more than what she started with instead of less as she had planned.

Mumbling her goodnight to her sister, she closed the door to her room with a silent click.

Unlike her usual graceful manner of carefully sitting or laying down on her bed, Sayo had unceremoniously plopped face-first into the soft mattress, once more unknowing of the reasons as to why she performed this action.

Something was off with her lately. Even more-so after these last few updates. She seemed to be dancing to subconscious promptings, acting with less thought and calculation than she usually would- should, according to everything that was initially written in her learning manual.

She had thought her parents would spot these errors without her having to mention it, but somehow it seems things had only gotten worse.

The way the two were acting towards her lately only further supplemented her confusion. All these ‘we love you’s were not something she was used to, at all. She had only begun to get comfortable with Hina’s overbearing affection the past few months, and now her parents were being… odd.

Burrowing her face into a pillow, Sayo found herself thinking back to her past as a child. She had always known that there was a difference between her and Hina. There was a difference between how her parents addressed her, and how they fawned over her younger sister.

She recalled the stiff interactions, the formal instructions, the commands, the rare, but still awkward praises when she accomplished tasks she was supposed to better than expected, and the… times she would look on from afar as her sister received what she later on learned to be “hugs” from their parents.

Something she never had the pleasure of receiving as a small child. At least from them. Hina- bless her soul, Sayo would now say- was the only one willing to ‘teach’ her these things. Other kids at school never bothered to interact with her either. She was too expressionless, too scary, too serious, too-

Too Unhuman.

She would’ve laughed had it not been such a hurtfully accurate notion.

In comparison to her experiences, through clear lens, Sayo observed that Hina and their parents communicated with warmth; how the girl was guided with affection and encouragement, and lifted up due to her sheer genius.

In all honesty, Sayo had to admit she envied Hina then, that genius she had. She sometimes pondered the thought of being programmed to perfection, without flaw, weakness, or struggle. Would that have made her a genius too, at least in the eyes of normal men? Would that have earned her praise even if it wouldn’t matter to a freedom-less girl like her? -Was she even a girl at this point?

She might not be.

Still, she envied it quite a bit. Yes, the fact that Hina was a genius was what she was jealous of, nothing more.

She had read on it in an article once; how children could often feel jealous if attention and care were not distributed fairly by parents, leading to feelings of neglect and lack of relational connections. Had Sayo been a normal girl, maybe this would’ve been so; however, she believed that it would not apply to someone like her… someone like her… something like her…?

After all, there… was no reason for her to desire anything like love, adoration, or care, was there? Being able to perform as she was designed to, being able to do what she had to- those were what mattered in this “familial” relationship between her and her parents.

Right?

…

Rolling onto her belly, she stared up at her ceiling, body not up to the usual task of devoted guitar playing for tonight, it seemed.

She sighed.

Blinking once, twice, she noticed and remembered that up on her ceiling were glow-in-the-dark stars that Hina had insisted to put up in Sayo’s room, along with a lone crescent moon that paired with Hina’s sun in her own quarters. For some reason, she couldn’t help but compare that to their own social situations at the moment.

If people were stars, Hina belonged with the stars as the sun was still a star. It might be more prominent and more known to most inhabitants of the earth, just as Hina was someone popular to many, even to strangers; but still, she was one of them. Even if she had to shine alone in the morning sky, people still knew she was- and still grouped her as- one of the stars. She was most definitely a star too.

Sayo, however, could not relate. Hina had told her she was the moon, and even if it tries to shine alongside the stars, it will not- and never be- a star. And in the moon’s moments, where the city lights drown out all the stars, even the moon’s shine is dulled and it is truly alone; and though it is seen on the same stage, in the same night sky, no matter how much it would try to blend in with the crowd… it would never be a star.

Sayo would never be a star.

Another sigh. A toss. A turn.

Again, her line of thinking drifted to the changes she and her family seemed to be going through. Somehow, she found life somewhat easier back when everything had been so professional. It may have seemed like she was neglected and alone, but such negativities could be adapted to, could be grown out of. Sayo could simply get used to it, suck it up like the mature person she was, and move on. Or at least that’s how it was to the outside onlooker. To Sayo, it was just normal for there to be distance. She wasn’t really a part of their family.

She wouldn’t be able to understand it anyway.

So why did everything have to take a turn?

Actually… When did everything suddenly take a turn?

Was it when she had first met Yukina? Was it as Roselia progressed into a proper band? Or was it when they became friends, bound by music, never to be broken apart?

Was it when Lisa stepped up to help her with Hina after Sayo had gone too far with her distancing? The gentle hand on her back, drawing circles as the brunette listened intently to her confusion and woes, and taught her a little bit more about what relationships were? Was it that?

Sayo had no clue.

One day, everything just seemed to morph; her reality was changing. The improvement of her relationship with Hina may have marked the most significant wave of change. Sayo found herself able to decipher her constant home companion bit by bit. She could guess what the girl was up to, she could figure out her moods, and keep up with her whims (she hoped).

Then suddenly, her parents showed up more often than the usual check-ups. They listened intently during Sayo’s parent-teacher conferences, they no longer constantly reminded her of their expectations for her, they would actually send her messages outside the usual appointment updates, or information briefing, or requests. They would tell her how they saw a guitar model that Sayo might like; texted her that if she wanted anything for Christmas, she could tell them.

She would catch her mother’s stare many times, before the woman offered her a nervous, or kind smile. Her father would constantly ask her about her preferences for updates.

And what unnerved her most of all, was the fact that they had been offering her physical affection (sure they were limited to pats, touches, or handholds, but it was odd enough) and constant “we love you”s. Something they used to only do in public setting to show that the family was on good terms with one another.

-not saying that they weren’t, because Sayo deemed that her being alive was enough proof that they were on good terms.

…such a scary thought, she now realizes.

Anyhow, it just so happened that even in private, her parents were now actively performing those aforementioned acts towards Sayo. Were they trying to build rapport with her? Trying to get on her good side? She had no complaints about their relationship in the past, so why did they have to try to change it up now?

And of course, the thing that bothered her the most… feelings.

Suddenly, the “feelings” prompts in her mind were no longer just emptily flashed words of alert with instructions on how she should act. They now did all these odd reactions to her body, made her lose her control, put errors in her usual calculations.

She didn’t know whether she liked it or not.

There was something within her whispering that this was what she wanted. Because it made her real, or at least pretend to be…

But her practical mind told her it would only serve to continue to burden her. This, she truly believed.

If that were so, why couldn’t she have it removed? Whatever program in her that involved these dreaded feelings? Her parents had told her she could always express her desires when it came to her recent upgrading. She was told she could ask for anything. So why wouldn’t she ask for one simple removal? One that would solve all her current distress, and quite possibly benefit her by giving her the efficient life she wanted?

She didn’t know.

She didn’t know why she was trying to cling to fragments of a false reality, a world where she wasn’t what she was. A lie in which… she was a real girl.

She just didn’t know.

And to these thoughts, her world shut down.

  -//-//-//-//-//-//-

  It was the weekend; what most students considered their free time- time to waste, time to slack off. They simply had so much time, away from the usual school day. And simply having this much time was all the more reason for Roselia to spend it on practice instead.

Sayo arrived early. She always did. It was part of her internalized time-table. She had one for almost all occasions. For school, for weekends with student council work, and without. Today, her schedule consisted of waking up, preparing breakfast, washing up and getting dressed. Then she would eat, get on the seven-forty-five train, arrive at circle and ask for the reserved room, grab a sweetened coffee by the vending machine, down it in ten, and enter the practice area to tune her guitar and do warm-ups until everyone else arrived. Everything she did was performed on the dot, down to the very last second.

There were days where tiny deviations from her predicted happenings occurred, but nothing that would throw her off completely. They sometimes came in the form of any other member arriving earlier than her. In the case of Minato Yukina, she guessed it wouldn’t be all that odd. At the beginning, they would simply regard one another with a small nod before continuing onto their individual warm-ups. As Roselia’s relationship improved however, they often exchanged small talk, or opinions on the band and each other’s personal progress, seeking advice. If it were Ako who got there before Sayo, she would only pray that nothing was out of place, and that there were no soda spills on the carpets. She’d rather not have a repeat of one certain incident.

Rinko and Lisa were rarely the first people in the studio. Sayo dealt with is as it came. They would offer greetings and pleasantries, and focus on warm-ups, and that was it.

Or well, that was then.

It came little by little, but things were certainly different now. There were days when Sayo would come in just a few seconds before an Ako barreled right into her, apologizing, but not letting go without a quick hug around Sayo’s waist, and irresistible puppy eyes that almost always asked Sayo to pat her head before the younger girl would break out into a grin, satisfied, and ready to warm up. She really did remind Sayo of all the videos of dogs she’d watch out of some form of habit, possibly; filling up a personal database file all on their own.

Rinko, she-…

Well, she wasn’t as scared of Sayo anymore. That could be noted as some sort of improvement. It wasn’t as if they never got along before, but work in the student council felt just a tad bit more relaxing, and quite enjoyable lately, if Sayo were to be honest. Rinko was like a breath of fresh air amongst everyone else’s eccentricities- including those other band girls outside their own.

Then… there was a pair that had suddenly been throwing her for a loop.

Minato Yukina and Imai Lisa. One so cold and aloof, avoided like a harsh winter day; and the other heated and sociable, passionate in dance and music like the summer… At least, that was how Sayo saw them at the beginning.

It came as sudden as all the other surprises in Sayo’s present life. Sayo spotted a silver songstress on her knees in a hidden corner of the park, leaning down towards a tiny kitten in what she saw was a shared eskimo kiss. She felt a stall between the beats of her heart. And it became a memory she’d never forget, sometimes replaying itself in her moments of slumber. Sayo realized that Yukina wasn’t just the snow, she was also the spring that came in turn right after.

The bassist, on the other hand, proved to also be the fall. A beauty to behold, making you forget the coldness it actually had. Lisa had days where she would doubt herself; days where her silence would issue warning sirens in Sayo’s poor confused system, prompting her to offer gauche comfort- the only kind she could manage in her uncertainty.

It didn’t help that the girl wore the scent of cinnamon and pumpkin spice pie, and all the sweet little guilty pleasures hardwired into Sayo’s poor mind (It was a weakness she would never admit to- she wondered if her parents added such a detail in the blueprint for personal amusement); and the fact that she’d casually offer an embrace that caused those fragrances to overwhelm the stiff guitarist was an additional trigger, along with a Yukina who smelled of vanilla and cookies- though the latter was probably just due to the crumbs from Lisa’s treats that the unexpectedly clumsy leader of Roselia got all over herself.

She often tried to ignore the way Lisa would cling to her and Yukina’s arms as they walked to or from the studio, or to a gig; she would try to ignore the warmth that suddenly spread from the point of contact between them to her entire body. She would also ignore the jitters and “flutters” she would feel when her eyes would meet Yukina’s mid-song, and the tiniest of smiles would play on the singer’s lips and- was that a wink, Minato Yukina?!

It irked Sayo that almost everything she had gotten used to and inputted into her data bank of memories over the course of her seventeen- eighteen years of existence were slowly changing; herself and Hina, their parents, and now, even Roselia and the rest of their girls’ band peers. Heck- even the students at school had begun to greet Sayo as she monitored the halls (which was already quite the feat, as they usually screeched or shuffled their merry way out of hers), even when she wore her usual- as Lisa and Hina so fondly called- “resting bitch face”; stoic and devoid of emotion.

How could everything just be so confusing-

“..yo? Sayo! Sayo?”

Ah. This voice sounded plenty confused as well.

“Sayo, is something the matter?”

A hand on her shoulder, and another in a worried clasp around her bicep, pulling her to spin around, face-to-face with furrowed green eyes almost matching her own.

Had she been lost in thought?

“Imai…san.” Sayo regarded with a slow nod, each syllable carefully spoken.

A hand shot out to touch her forehead, accompanied by the concerned question of, “Are you sick?”.

Well, good morning to you as well, Imai-san.

Despite the lack of proper greetings from everyone, the guitarist decided to simply answer the question before things went for worse. Sayo shook her head no, the action allowing her eyes to notice that the room was complete with all of Roselia’s members staring at her, perplexed at the bizarre, unusual Sayo they had just stumbled upon, guitar slung over her shoulders, but staring at a blank wall for who-knows-how-long before the rest arrived.

“Are you sure?” Lisa pressed, though that wasn’t the only thing she was pressing apparently, as one of Sayo’s hands was clasped between both of Lisa’s and was currently held against her fairly mature che-

“Sayo, I believe we’ve had a talk about this before, but if you are sick, one must not overexert themselves as this would trouble our band in the long run.”

“Yes, thank you, Minato-san.” –‘for taking my mind away from somewhere I’d rather it not be in.’. Sayo completed the sentence silently, hoping no one suddenly developed the powers of mindreading. “But still, I am fine and most certainly healthy.”

“You are most welcome.” Yukina gave in reply. “But I also don’t believe you all that much, Sayo. Not with your history of overwork.” Stepping in closer, the shorter girl took Sayo’s other hand in her own, giving it a squeeze. “So do tell us if you need a break today, and you shall have it.”

Oh, it had started again. Those thumps and irregular skips in Sayo’s pulse, the desire to run to the comfort room with her coolant for just a bit, the shaky breaths.

“I- I truly appreciate your kindness, but I am certainly fine and I would love to never burden you with something like a missing member due to negligence with my health.” Sayo once more tried to convince them of the truth. It was difficult.

“Really?” Gold and green interrogated, moving the slightest bit too close into Sayo’s personal space and mental safety barrier. Did they really not trust her to regulate and discipline herself with her health, much more after her first blunder?

The answer seemed to be yes.

Even Rinko’s tiny whispers of, “Hikawa-san” relayed her sincere worry for Sayo’s well-being, along with Ako’s less-than-subtle fidgeting. And while she was grateful for their sincerity, it felt a bit overbearing.

Sayo sighed for… some numbered time now. She’d done that a lot lately.

“Really.”

That seemed to have worked as everyone visibly relaxed, Ako and Rinko continuing on with their set-up and warm-ups. Sayo would have hoped that this would influence the other two in front of her to do the same; and they did. They did get to that…

But not without a gentle squeeze on her hands, a pat from Yukina, and a blown kiss from Lisa that only made it feel much hotter.

And why this was?

She still could not fathom.

And she hated that fact.

-//-//-//-

  She would definitely have to apologize later.

Practice had gone nowhere. Sayo’s perfect, calculated playing, everything done with precision and a charm solely hers… it just wasn’t there. And all because of her damned updated mind that kept bringing up two pairs of warm hands, and faces that seemed to be glowing in her eyes. Then there was the matter of Lisa’s… upper… half…

“We stop here for today.” Yukina’s usual stoic voice commanded, though Sayo could hear the frustration oozing out. She clearly was not pleased, and that was all because of Sayo’s lackluster performance.

Everyone nodded in reluctant agreement, each moving to fix up their instruments, securing them in their cases.

As they were ready to leave, lights turned off and door open in wait for the guitarist to be the last member to step out, Sayo spoke, stopping under the shadow of the darkened room in a bow. “I apologize. I’ll do better next time. Today’s subpar performance was clearly due to my lack of concentration and I shall do my utmost in correcting my-“

“Sayo.”

Said girl looked up from her perfectly ninety-degree bow.

“It’s okay.”

Scanning each of her bandmates’ faces, their expressions all responded with the same thing.

It’s okay.

“Really, Sayo-san, you should tell us if you feel a little sick! You work so hard, taking a break shouldn’t be a problem for you!” Ako laughed, but it had this little nervous color to it that expressed her care for Sayo.

“Ako…chan… is right. Hikawa-san… you already… play so well. You’d never…fall behind even if… you missed one session.” Rinko gave one of her most comforting smiles, and Sayo felt the desire to smile back. And she did.

“Even if I held you all back?” Sayo asked.

“What nonsense. A member of Roselia would do no such thing!” Yukina stated with conviction. “And in the impossible case that you did,” She grabbed Sayo, pulling her out of the dark room, and into the light, in the bright hallway with everyone else. “-then we’d pull you right along. We’d do that for each other, for any comrade.”

“She’s right. We’d do it in a heartbeat.” Lisa latched on to her arm, resting her head slightly on Sayo’s shoulder, almost nuzzling the spot, which would have been bad for Sayo’s processors. “I’m sure we all feel that way.” The brunette added good-naturedly. But those words held a not-too-pleasant weight for Sayo.

‘We all feel that way.’

All.

Feel.

“Right. Of course.” Sayo nodded, covering up the sudden shakiness in her legs by taking a firm step forward, still attached to the two same-year best friends.

Like wild horses being held back that suddenly broke their fence, her thoughts ran. Roselia trusted her. As a teammate, a bandmate, a comrade… a friend. So how was she to tell them she wasn’t like all of them. That she didn’t know how to feel?  How was she to explain that their warm, heartfelt sentiments were things she could not return genuinely?

How could she explain that the so-called emotions she portrayed were automatic, programmed responses? How could she possibly tell them that even she did not know her own sincerity towards the band, how she no longer knew if what she was doing was out of necessity and a must for self-preservation- a “professional” type of relationship; or if it was because she harbored what they had in their own souls. A love for other people.

No. It couldn’t be that.

She knew what it was. But that was textbook knowledge. She could never apply that to her own understanding and utilization.

She wasn’t meant to be able to do that. It wasn’t in her manual. Feelings never were. No matter how many years had passed. She’d never get to understand it.

Humans smile because they are happy. They cry when they are sad, they get angry because of unpleasant things. These little facts were what she was introduced to as the basis for telling emotions.

But then Hina smiled even though Sayo hurt her; Lisa cried when they got her flowers she loved for her birthday, and celebrated with her. Yukina got angry when another presumptuous producer offered to take them to a world stage.

It didn’t make any sense. Their reactions brought about by feelings were nothing like the manual. They were nothing so simple. They were so complex.

Too complex for a non-genius… nonhuman, non-girl like Sayo to understand.

But how could she say that to people who trusted her? That she wanted to offer a genuine trust in return to, but couldn’t possibly do so.

Again, she was far too deep inside the caves of her mind, peripheral sensors crippled to the world causing her to misstep, lunging forward for a faceplant-

…that never came.

Two bright smiles, warm eyes, and soulful emotions.

They teased and taunted, made Sayo heat up, heart threatening to explode at the sheer speed it pumped, but the notions also enough reason for her blood to run cold with unjustified envy- one that should not be able to exist within the teal-haired girl either. Because why should they be able to feel the way they do and bask in the enlightenment feelings brought. Why couldn’t Sayo? But then again, why did she care when it shouldn’t have mattered to her in the first place?

Confusing. Vexing. Frustrating.

And as Yukina held one of her hands, and Lisa clung to the other just as they did hours earlier, Sayo only felt more disdain for the concept she labelled as “feelings”. They made her bitter deep down, not because of their good intent, but that she knew not what these meant. They just weren’t for her. Feelings would never be hers to attain, they would never let Sayo own them; understanding of them constantly slipping from her grasp.

So she ended up hating them. Hating having feelings. Hating feelings.

Feelings that could never be felt by Sayo’s cold Mechanical heart.

    A/N: And that’s a… wrap?? I honestly… was stuck. I guess I’d rather treat this as chap 1 and the other as the prologue haha. My brain is so dried out tbh. Um… reactions? Comments?

~Shintori Khazumi

[syncogon]

[QZGS Prequel TL] Ch 1: The Summer We Were Fifteen

QZGS author Butterfly Blue also wrote several prequel chapters to QZGS in a collection called “The Summit of Glory” (巅峰荣耀). 

I wanted to try translating all of it, but it’s a hefty 92k words long... However, this first chapter, featuring a fateful encounter between two siblings and a runaway, was short enough for me to manage. I hope you guys like it! 

(I’ll make a separate post with links to the rest of the chapters, and if there’s interest, I’ll do detailed recaps of them.)

(link to original ch1: https://justpaste.it/1ajhr)

Translated by: Syncogon

It was a sweltering summer afternoon, the sun scorching, the air thick with heat. Su Mucheng walked to the small cold drinks stall at the side of the road, wanting to buy a popsicle to ward off the summer, but even the popsicle vendor apparently didn’t care that this summer day was the perfect time for selling cold drinks, and had hidden somewhere to avoid the heat.

After waiting around for a while, there was still no one around, so Su Mucheng could only helplessly depart. She walked along the empty streets for a while before arriving at an internet café. Pushing open the door, the blast of cool air caused her to let out a sigh of relief. Then, she heard a noisy racket coming from within.

What was going on?

The curious Su Mucheng looked toward the source of the noice. The manager of the internet café already saw this young girl walk in, but instead of treating her like just another customer, he cheerfully gave her a wave. “Little Mucheng is here?”

“Yup, Brother Cui,” she replied.

“You’re bringing your brother food again!” Brother Cui saw the insulated lunch box in her hand; he was quite familiar with this sight.

“Yeah, where is he?” Mucheng asked.

“Over there.” Brother Cui pointed toward the area where the noise was coming from. “However, today he might not have much of an appetite.”

“Huh?”

“He’s met an opponent,” Brother Cui said with a smile.

An opponent?

Su Mucheng frowned. Even though she didn’t entirely understand the video games that her older brother played every day, she understood one thing clearly: her brother was very good. Playing these sort of competitive games with other people, he rarely lost.

An opponent? That was to say, someone who was just as good as her brother?

Su Mucheng headed over toward the source of the noise. Two back-to-back computers had been surrounded by a crowd three layers thick, and with Su Mucheng’s short stature, even on her tiptoes she couldn’t see a thing of what was going on. She could only hear the crowd’s reactions – a gasp here, a shout there.

“Su Muqiu, you’re not doing too well today!” someone suddenly yelled.

Not doing well?!

Su Mucheng was stunned. Not just someone who was as good as her brother, but someone whom her brother couldn’t defeat?

She desperately wanted to watch, and so she plunged into the crowd of people. Su Muqiu was a regular at this internet café, thus Su Mucheng appeared often as well, and was quite familiar with the manager. A few people, after recognizing her, shifted aside to let her pass – everyone quite liked this pretty young girl.

Finally made it through!

Su Mucheng let out a breath. Lifting her eyes, she could see her brother on the far computer, face wearing an uncommonly intense expression.

And his opponent?

His opponent was on the computer closer to her. She could only see his back, but he seemed to be a teenager around the same age as her brother. Her eyes fell upon his hands – they were quite pretty, dancing expertly upon the keyboard and mouse. The crisp percussion of his movements was accompanied by the gasps of the surrounding people.

This person really was quite good!

Even though Su Mucheng didn’t entirely understand these video games, she still unconsciously arrived at this conclusion. Just then, the spectators once again erupted with shouts, a mixture of shock and sympathy. Like that, the match was decided.

Who won?

Su Mucheng didn’t need to look at the computer screens. Just by looking at her brother’s face, she could figure out who had won.

Sounds of mockery began to fill the air. In this crowd of spectators, quite a few had lost to Su Muqiu. Now, upon seeing his defeat, they were quite gleeful.

Su Muqiu rolled his eyes, and though he felt a little awkward, he wasn’t angry. A lot of these people were his friends, after all, and the teasing was all in good fun. Normally, everyone here would win some and lose some, but Su Muqiu, with his high win streak, always had the upper hand. With his defeat today, could they let this rare opportunity to mock him go to waste?

“Su Muqiu, your little sister brought you food, better eat your fill and get your energy back before trying again!” someone yelled, causing the spectators to laugh. Su Muqiu looked around, finally seeing Su Mucheng standing just across from him.

“Alright, I’m stopping,” he said, pushing back the keyboard and standing up.

“Eating your fill before trying again?” his opponent said with a laugh.

The spectators were delighted. This kid knew what was up, even playing along with everyone’s mockery!

Su Muqiu glared at the other boy. “Come, come, have some food too, so that when you lose later you don’t have an excuse.

“I don’t think I need to worry about that,” the opponent said, even as he, too, stood up.

The crowd laughed uproariously – not only was this kid skilled, he had quite the sharp tongue!

“Come on, eat with us!” Su Mucheng said at this moment. She’d been standing behind him this whole time, so now she scurried forward to where the opponent could see her.

“You’re his sister?” the boy asked, looking over at Su Mucheng.

“Yup!”

“Do you play these games too?”

“Not really.”

“You should learn, it’s fun,” he said.

“Mucheng, come over here, don’t talk so much with strangers,” Su Muqiu said, interrupting them.

Su Mucheng smiled and skipped over to her brother’s side. The internet café had a lounge where customers could wait for an open computer, and Su Muqiu would often eat lunch here. The other boy wasn’t shy and followed the two siblings over here.

Su Muqiu took the lunch box from his sister and deftly split the food into three equal portions. After looking at it for a bit, he scraped some more food from one portion to another. He gave the larger portion to Su Mucheng, took the smaller one for himself, and gestured for the other boy to take the remainder.

“Brother, you should eat this bigger portion!” Su Mucheng said immediately. The meal was meant for two people, barely. Splitting it three ways was already stretching it, and now that her brother had given even more to her, he probably wouldn’t even be half full with his portion.

“Nah, I couldn’t finish that,” Su Muqiu said easily.

“Haha, because you’re mad? You shouldn’t be, losing and winning is all a normal part of the game.” The other boy took the portion he was given, but his hands were fast – in the blink of an eye, he had dumped some of his food to Su Muqiu’s plate.

“I’m in a good mood, I don’t need to eat this much,” he explained.

“You…” Su Muqiu grumbled, but accepted it.

“I’ve never seen you around before,” Su Mucheng took this opportunity to say. This time, her brother didn’t stop her with any warning of “don’t talk to strangers.”

“Oh, I was just passing by, just wanted to casually play a bit. Then I heard there was a skilled player here, and then…”

“And then?” Su Mucheng prompted.

“And then I went to see if I could learn anything from him. He really is a skilled player. Only a little worse than me,” he said.

“Hey, don’t speak too soon!” Su Muqiu protested. “We’re going again after eating!”

“Haha, I can’t,” the other boy said.

“What, scared?”

“I don’t have any money left,” the boy said, patting his pockets.

This reason was a solid one. Of course, without money there was no way to use the computers in the internet café.

“It’s on me!” Su Muqiu refused to let this go so easily.

“I eat your food, I use your money for the internet, and I defeat you? Isn’t that kinda mean?”

“Oi, who said you were going to win for sure?”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll lose once in a while, too,” the boy conceded.

“…I’m done eating.” Now Su Muqiu really was too annoyed to eat.

“Why don’t you guys go home and play?” Su Mucheng suggested.

“Oh?”

“At home… at home the computers aren’t the same, so you can’t really play games like this on them,” Su Muqiu said to his sister.

The computer configurations would affect the battle, and one of their computers was much worse than the other, making some PvP games unfair. Su Mucheng didn’t understand all this, and thought that as long as you had two computers then you could battle on them.

“But there should be other games where that doesn’t matter too much, right?” the other boy asked.

“Are you saying that you’re confident you could beat me in any game?” Su Muqiu said.

“Of course not, there are too many games out there! Only in the games I know how to play.”

Su Muqiu wanted to flip the table. “Stand up, we’re battling this out!”

“I’m done eating,” the other boy answered, putting down his bowl and chopsticks.

“Let’s go! Mucheng, come join us once you’re done.” Without wasting a moment, Su Muqiu dragged the other boy away.

“See you in a bit!” The other boy managed to turn back and give her a wave as the two of them left.

“See you,” Su Mucheng answered with a smile.

She never would have imagined that this random stranger, crashing into her and her brother’s life, would end up walking alongside her for ten years and beyond.

[withabackpackandcamera]

November 29th, 2019

Day 8: In London on a Tragic Day 

Today, after a relatively short sleep, we woke up to a clear, sunny day! What a relief, given all the rain we encountered last night. And good thing it was sunny because the temperatures were pretty cold, almost freezing, with pretty low lows in London projected for today and tomorrow. 

After gearing ourselves up for the cold, Cynthia led us through Shoreditch to our brunch location for the morning at The Bowl Club (which is actually The Book Club), a nice lounge-y restaurant/bar/lounge that serves multiple purposes. We were supposed to go here for brunch on a weekend day, where the menu is a lot more exciting, but given our tight schedule, it was more convenient to go today. After perusing the menu and ordering, Cynthia and I went at it with a few games of ping-pong while waiting for our food. Cynthia supposedly chose this place to eat knowing that it had a ping-pong table. Clutch!

We had a blast playing some close competitive games of ping-pong. By the time our food was out, Cynthia had won 3 games to 1. Kudos to her for some good games (and cheating serves, haha)! We sat down and chowed through our heavy breakfast. I ordered The Brick Lane Bowl on french fries and Cynthia ordered a different bowl that was equally heavy in carbs and meat. 

With our stomachs heavy from brunch, we left and strolled back to the Boxpark, a cool, trendy collection of shipping container-turned pop-up stores and restaurants in Shoreditch, to take a look. We stopped at some shops and took a walk through the food area before turning out to continue exploring Shoreditch. The next stop was The Old Spitalfields Markets, which was a shopping area with stores and a courtyard area where there were stalls and booths selling random things. We looked around for a tad and left. 

As we left, we wandered through some streets as we made our way back toward our original AirBnB location. We walked through some heavily-graffitied areas and took a moment to appreciate the art that was on the street walls and the art that was actively being painted on the walls. Pretty cool to watch graffiti artists at work in broad daylight! 

We eventually made our way back to our AirBnB, where we picked up our stuff and lugged it all the way down the road to our next AirBnB, which was a room in a really nice condo in Shoreditch. The walk was long since we were carrying all of our stuff but we made it. We met our host and dropped off our stuff and took a short break before leaving again. As we were about to leave to check out Tower Bridge at sunset, we saw BREAKING NEWS on TV and saw that there were stabbings (we later found out it was deemed a possible terrorist attack) that had JUST happened on London Bridge, a location not too far from where we were. Wow. That’s crazy! Of all times for something dangerous like this to happen. 

Luckily, we weren’t planning on going to London Bridge and instead were going to Tower Bridge. So we slowly walked over to Tower Bridge from our location, realizing how bad an Uber ride would be during rush hour traffic and knowing that the Tube wouldn’t take us directly to where we wanted to be. We eventually made it there for some photos around the time sunset hit. Unfortunately, due to some construction in the area, it was impossible to get good photos of Tower Bridge at sunset. So I didn’t try too hard to take good landscape photos and instead took photos of us at Tower Bridge before making our way onto the actual bridge. When we got to Tower Bridge, we slowly walked across the bridge over the Thames River as helicopters and police sirens echoed in all directions, especially from London Bridge located in the distance. From where we were on Tower Bridge, we could see some activity over on London Bridge. Again, crazy that we were so close to, yet so far from, something crazy that had just happened. 

After walking across the bridge, our plan was to go to some illustrator’s fair but ultimately we decided against going because of the distance, the admission fee, and because we were hungry. Instead, we decided to walk towards Shakespeare’s Globe Theater before getting Asian food somewhere. We made a couple of turns and ended up walking along The Thames through some Christmas market stalls before we ran into a dead end. Unfortunately, there was no passing this point as the London Bridge incident had essentially quarantined the area off. 

By this point, we were cold and hungry, so we sat down in the lobby of some random high-rise and tried to figure out where to get dinner. After some searches here and there (and realizing we were limited in where we could go because of train and road closures due to the London Bridge incident), we ultimately decided on Thai food at a close-by restaurant called Suchard. And we were so happy to find a warm restaurant to eat in without walking too far away. And the food we ordered was pretty good! For dinner, we had tom yum soup with prawns, spicy chicken wings with chili sauce, and chicken pad thai. Delicious for our starving tummies! 

While we were eating dinner, I got a random Instagram message from an old college friend, Melissa Luu, about meeting up for drinks. What a coincidence! That she was in London at the same time we were! At first, it was really hard to coordinate meeting up since we were on opposite sides of town with extensive road and train closures and shutdowns. But ultimately, we decided to meet up at Gordon’s Wine Bar, supposedly the oldest wine bar in London. 

As Cynthia and I made our way over, we noticed some activity at the closed London Bridge Station. The police officers were opening the gates to the station again. Sweet! By taking the train, we saved so much time and so much walking! We eventually got to the wine bar and met up and caught up with Melissa for about an hour or so. It was nice to hear what she was up to and what she was doing in London. 

Before long, it was time to say goodbye, and we bid Melissa farewell before making some moves to see the area that we were already in. We took a look at the map and first walked through Leicester Square in search of dessert because Cynthia was really craving dessert this evening. We walked through some poppin’ nightlife (as it was a Friday night and everyone was out and about enjoying the evening festivities) and eventually made it to our destination, Maitre Choux, where Cynthia bought us a hazelnut and milk chocolate treasure eclair. It was quite pricey but delicious as well! After that, we made another quick stop for a Portuguese custard tart at Cafe de Nata, located just down the street. We ordered the apple and cinnamon custard tart and quickly devoured it as we made our dessert tour through SoHo (the name of the area we were in). After walking in the cold for awhile, we were craving something warm to drink and stopped by Yi Fang Tea for some warm black milk tea with pearls. Yum! A great thing to have on a cold night. What an epic dessert run! 

At this point in the evening, the filling effects of our earlier dinner had dissipated and we were hungry again. Even after eating all of that dessert. As we strolled around, we happened to stumble upon London’s Chinatown. We looked around a bit and slowly got more and more hungry. We looked through some windows and ended up deciding to take a quick second dinner break at Dumplings’ Legend, a restaurant in Chinatown that is known for its unique xiao long baos. For dinner, we ordered the xiao long baos and some warm beef noodle soup. And we gobbled it all up while resting our cold, tired bodies. 

Finally, we were reenergized for the final stretch of exploring the area. We again walked through Leicester Square on our way to Trafalgar Square before making it to The Thames, where we saw The London Eye, The County Hall, as well as (disappointingly) under construction-ed Big Ben. SO SAD! I didn’t realize that Big Ben was going to be under construction this trip and that there was no way of taking picturesque photos of this iconic structure and location! SO SAD! 

As I took in this disappointing view, we wandered a bit more to look at the tons of scaffolds around Big Ben and to see Westminster Abbey and The Parliament from the distance before making our way back to Shoreditch via The Tube. 

So disappointed. So sad. Oh well. Gotta get some rest before getting up early tomorrow for our last day in London… 

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. In London, even the sun can pop out in the cold, overly dark days of December. 

2. Brick Lane is a well-known street in the suburbs of London and is highly influenced by its Brown (South Asian) and Muslim inhabitants (after some digging on the internet, its inhabitants are mostly Bangladeshi and it is also known as Banglatown). And because of its inhabitants, there exists many curry houses in this area. 

3. After my first day strolling through London, I can’t help but think that, in many ways, London reminds me of New York City. And Tower Bridge reminds me of Brooklyn Bridge! They feel so similar to each other, it’s crazy! Even their populations are similar in size, with London coming in at around 8.9 million and NYC at 8.6 million people. 

4. The Leicester area in London is an area poppin’ with musicals, music, and entertainment of all sorts! It reminds me of Times Square or Broadway in NYC! 

5. Elizabeth Tower is actually the name of the tower that houses Big Ben, the name of the bell inside the tower. Interestingly enough, Elizabeth Tower has been scaffolded and under construction since 2017 with plans to continue into 2020. It’s been like this for so long! I can’t believe I didn’t even know!

[chriscoleman]

Philippines Trip Report

Pangulasian Island and Manila Spirits

November 9th, 2017 - November 20th, 2017

Chris Coleman & Julia Donald

Julia and I took a trip to the Philippines for beach vacation and Ultimate frisbee tournament. The first half was spent at a eco-luxury resort in Bacuit Bay, El Nido, Palawan. Then we flew to the capital city for Manila Spirits tournament with a group of players from Seattle.

Vacation for our family starts with laying out a big pile of food for the cats and taking Skye to the doggy hotel. This trip was the same, although our longest time away from the buggers. I ate sushi dinner as Julia attended her Project Management Professional course at University of Washington. Flight at 11pm on November 9th after Julia bought face lotion at duty free (from two Filipino ladies).

13 hours later we landed in Taipei, Taiwan at 5am on November 11th. We lost a full day to the time zone change. Meals served on the plane was a new experience for me, which weren’t half bad. Dumplings, soup, and cold oolong tea in Taiwan airport were way better. Plus we got to see the Hello Kitty terminal early in the morning.

9am flight to Manila, Philippines was an easy 3 hours. Once we landed we took a taxi to Terminal 3 since walking between terminals at Ninoy Aquino International Airport is not possible. The buildings are not connected and the shuttle system is horrendous. Everyone leaves the buildings to try to take yellow taxis, but we struggled to find anything but white taxis (even though signs and the internet warned us that the white taxis were not recommended). Wings is a hostel/hotel that we reserved in T3, to rest during our layover. We decided to explore the city a bit before our nap/flight. After dropping our bags we went to the Mall of Asia in downtown Manila. Unfortunately we got swindled by our taxi driver and were forced to pay 1800 Philippine Pesos ($35 USD) for the ride which should have cost 250 ($5). The first lesson we learned in negotiations while riding white cabs. However the conversation with the taxi driver was almost worth the $30 upcharge… He was stoked to talk about American mass shootings, holding up two hands while driving and going Bang Bang Bang. Telling us about their own recent mass shooting at a casino. Plus some political talks comparing their president Duterte and Trump - both “strong” men. Julia realized this might be one country we don’t have to apologize for Trump.

Cultural shock hit when we entered the mall. They had armed security at each entrance, metal detectors and bag checks and pat-downs. Each individual shop also had their own white shirt armed security, continuing the strong show of force.

There were many American chains and your basic department store offerings. It was impressive because of the size. We almost stopped for an ice skate, but didn’t want to risk an injury at the very beginning of our trip. Ensaymada pastry at Starbucks was a treat, a delicious Filipino bread flavored with grated cheese and sprinkled with sugar. The best part of the mall trip was seeing the Christmas decorations and hearing the Christmas music. They are already in full holiday swing and it was fabulous. We later learned that Christmas starts on Sept1 in the Philippines. A common saying is “Christmas is coming”. Dinner at Manam restaurant initiated us to Filipino cuisine - Crispy Sisig and Watermelon Sinigang. We finished the trip with a walk outside along the boardwalk. They were preparing for fireworks later in the evening and we sat on the wall overlooking Manila Bay on the far side of the Pacific Ocean.

The ASEAN Summit was happening in Manila during our trip. World leaders came together to talk about Southeast Asian nations regional issues. The security throughout the city was tight, we even saw hundreds of police officers doing a ‘dry-run’ of the parade route as we went between the mall and airport. We missed them shutting down the streets for their test by a couple hours and returned to the hostel. Trump was in attendance for the summit, although we were lucky to be away from the capitol when he was in town.

Nap at Wings until our 6am flight out of Terminal 4. The showers were a treat and we felt refreshed as we entered our last leg of travel to reach our first destination. Taxi driver talked about Duterte/Trump again - telling us that his life is much better with Duterte in power. The 10pm curfew allows him to sleep at night, keeping the drunks out of the street. We kept our political opinions out of the conversation, it was good to hear local perspective on a radical president.

Flight to El Nido, Palawan was 1 hour. A small turboprop plane out of a cramped waiting area. Once we landed - resort staff took care of us right away. They handled our baggage and shuttled us to a lounge with drinks/snacks. We waited maybe 20 minutes next to Lio beach as they loaded our luggage onto the boat via wooden bridge. This was our first introduction to outriggers with their bamboo pole arms stretched out at their sides for stability. Raul called the boat a big turtle. Regardless it was fast while we departed the small El Nido airport. The transfer took about 30 minutes to get us onto Pangulasian Island. We talked to Raul, our favorite guide, about excursion options before arrival.

42 villas on the island, otherwise no houses or people outside the resort. The crew on the island stayed in a house behind the main restaurant and lobby. We learned later that the main building had been built on top of a cave where the water monitor lizards lived, including a big one called Godzilla who was probably 5 feet big. We never saw Godzilla but we kept an eye out for him. Our home for the next 4 nights was Villa #22. On the way to the villa on our “buggy” we saw our first and only macaque monkeys at the resort during the trip. We were instructed not to look directly at them or smile at them because they can get aggressive,. However they are so cute that is all you want to do. The room was luxurious with a huge bathroom, strong air conditioning, private balcony, and ocean views. As we were introduced to our room, we were also introduced to several Filipino english peculiarities, including the ever present honorific "M'amSir". Having grown up in the South, Julia was not sure how this concatenation had never occurred to any of the southerners she knew as it would have undoubtedly saved them much time in their daily salutations. Endless coconut cookies in the mini-bar was one of the best amenities.

We planned out our trip on a piece of scrap paper. No real itinerary before this, but once in the room and aware of our options we wanted to optimize our time in paradise. We went to the activity director with this plan:

     Day 1 - sunset hike

     Day 2 -  7am snorkel, 3pm Island tour

     Day 3 - 8am Lagoon tour

     Day 4 - ???

     Day 5 - 2pm boat, 5pm flight

Lunch at the pool after seeing our first small/baby Monitor Lizard. Julia had Rellenong - squid stuffed with pork, which introduced us to the Filipino comfort fusion of Asian, seafood, and Spanish food, plus foamy fruit drinks. Then into the water for our first snorkel of the trip. We saw a blue spotted stingray the size of a dinner plate as we were entering the water. Lots of coral right away and tons of fish all around. We were amazed at the amount of life right off the shore of our villa, the reef was alive! Huge blue clams and blue starfish were highlights, then we saw ‘Nemo’ (clownfish) in a home of sea anemone. We quickly learned that the overprotective dad fish are not just a thing of movies as the clownfish tried to chase us away from their anemone homes. Once they started trying to attack you, it was best to swim away so they didn’t leave any eggs defenseless and ready for another fish’s dinner.

Sunset hike was a serious physical task. Hiking up about 500 feet, counted in 1800 steps, to a lookout tower in the center of the island. The steps were counted out with signs every 200 steps. Raul bounded up the mountain with the speed of a mountain goat and the ease of a man who has only worn flip flops (aka “slippers”) while traversing the jungle his whole life. Took us 30 minutes. We were rewarded with 360 degree views and a breathtaking sunset surrounded by islands of all sizes. We hiked with 2 guys - Nunu and Brunu from Portugal and our guide Raul. Early dinner at 6:30, where we were asked by the entire staff how our sunset hike was. We quickly learned that everyone on the island always knew what activities we were up to at all times. Bed by 9pm, which became a regular thing for all of vacation.

7am snorkel tour at our ‘home reef’ on Sunday morning. A resort boat took us to the west end of the island, about a 3 minute ride. Shallow coral as our guide directed us towards the best spots for seeing baby blacktip reef sharks, as they apparently like to stay in 2-3 foot deep sections of the reef. Almost immediately we saw blacktip reef sharks. About 2-3 feet long, nothing scary but still swimming with sharks. Brunu spotted a BIG shark - quickly alerting us, but it turned out to be the second group of snorkelers from our resort.. HaHa  

Breakfast buffet at the main restaurant was massive. Options for all nations… American (pancakes, and bacon), European (fruit and pastries), Asian (rice and grilled meat), plus local Filipino dishes like fish, longganisa, and jackfruit.

A kayak tour around the island was settled upon after much debate. The wind was blowing and I was nervous the adventure would not be easy. It ended up being a wonderful decision all around. The boats were easy to launch from the beach next to our villa. We immediately tested upwind and downwind paddling - discovering we could easily handle the conditions. Paddling clockwise around the .2 square mile island took us 1 hour. The side opposite the villa is completely deserted, with multiple beautiful beaches. A small black monkey was relaxing on one, scurrying back into the woods as we floated by. There were also tons of crabs on the rocks, that also scurried away as we got close.

Back in the room Julia read on the balcony while I soaked up the AC + WiFi until our 3pm tour. Island Hopping is a 3 hour tour via outrigger style boat - called pump boat or paraw boat. There were about 10 other couples on the trip although the boat didn’t feel cramped at all. The crew of the boat frequently navigated the length of the boat by walking on the bamboo outrigger support structures, leaving the middle of the boat where we were sitting wide open. Luckily we weren’t required to wear the big red life vests, so I ditched mine immediately.

The first stop on the tour was called Cathedral Caves, about 25 minutes away. Pictures only as our boat was too big to enter the cave. The second stop was Cudugnon Cave another 25 minute ride. We were greeted by two dogs when we landed on shore. Then we walked along the water to a small entrance which we crawled through. It opened up to a huge room which legend says is a Neolithic burial place. We squeezed our way into the cave and marveled at how it opened up to 40 foot ceilings once we were through the entry. The light shone in a way that was impossible for us to capture on film. It was beautiful. Our 3rd stop was Snake Island, named for the S shaped sandbar that connected the island to mainland Palawan. After securing the anchor we walked the sandbar to a shack in the water. A bar on the sandbar, wonderful! No cash, and no bartenders today,  so we just looked around and shuffled back and forth on the 2-3 foot deep sandbar, hoping our feet were alerting any stingrays to swim away and not sting us out of self defense.. Another 10 minute boat ride and we were back at Pangulasian Island resort -  home.

We stopped at the pool for a sunset swim. Ordered coconut’s and Julia drank them both. After cleaning up I called for a buggy to take us to dinner. At 6:30pm no one was there, it wasn’t until later in the trip that we learned that the restaurant didn’t open until 7pm - they were just too nice to tell us to leave. Again puzzled where everyone else was, we dove into the exquisite menu, amazed at the quality and selection for being on a remote island where everything is ferried in by outrigger. Two orders of bread, shrimp gyro, and a huge seafood paella was a killer meal. Then a stomach settling beach walk home and we were in bed by 9pm.

Monday sunrise at 5:30am was beautiful from bed. It was raining as Julia scanned for wildlife from the balcony. She spotted 3 big Monitor Lizards coming out of the water, plus a baby blacktip reef shark maybe about 1 foot long trolling the shallows in front of our villa.

Breakfast was another big buffet in preparation for our Lagoon Tour at 8am.

The tour was filled with 22 people including our guides, driver, and security. Gold was the main guide - who I found out is also an ultimate player and planning to attend Manila Spirits tournament. Small world in the ultimate community! The group was: 2 Hawaiian couples Alan/Jira and Russell/Joy, dad from Manila and his 3 daughters, an old French couple, family of 4 with a 10 year old boy and 5 year old girl, and a young Asian couple on their phones the whole time. At this time we were beginning to get to know all the other fellow occupants of the island.

1st stop was Big Lagoon, 20 minutes from home. Pictures only as our boat drifted into the lagoon while the guides gave a history / science lesson. We learned about the limestone cliffs and how they were eroded over time by the salt. This was one region in the Philippines that was not part of the ring of Fire and was safe from earthquakes and volcanoes by its place in the middle of a tectonic plate.

2nd stop was Small Lagoon, 5 minutes away. The rain picked up again but it was warm and it didn’t bother us. There were already 5 or so outrigger boats in the ‘parking area’ leading into the lagoon. Some of the outriggers were from other resorts (including other El Nido properties at Maniloc or Lagen islands) and the others were from “town” a El Nido proper, and were part of the tor packages A, B, C, etc. all looked good, but the tour options had little grills on the back that were cooking excellent looking if slightly fire safety concerning food. We dropped anchor in the tight quarters and waited for our kayaks to arrive. Another group was using them and 1 by 1 they finished so our crew could jump in. Julia and I took the last boat, quickly catching up to the group with fast strokes. Through a hole not much bigger than our kayak we entered the lagoon. Walls were dripping with rain into the clear blue brackish water. A quick swim finished our adventure - then into the boat for a final stop.

3rd stop was Miniloc Resort - also owned by El Nido and on the same island as the lagoons. It was set in a cove in the middle of limestone cliffs. The resort was beautiful but it seemed to lack the beautiful beach that we had at Pangulasian. We were affirmed we made the correct resort choice by a couple of the other travelers on the boat, although that is comparing two especially Fantasia options. The reef just off their shore is home to a school of Jackfish, about 4 feet long - big things! They feed them daily so they zoom around near the dock - one nearly jumping over me as I snorkeled by. A Sergeant Major fish with yellow and black stripes bit Julia’s elbow as we explored the reef. I didn't believe Julia and went in to follow up - it bit my hand. Nothing more than a tiny scrape - but that bugger was really defending his territory well, good for him. Sweet tea on the boat home was a perfect ending. We were back before noon.

Ice cream  and fruity drinks for lunch told us we were truly on vacation. Any time more than 3 drinks are in front of 1 person - it’s vacation!

Julia took an afternoon snorkel while I rested in the air conditioning. She saw another stingray and more Nemo fish. Then we relaxed in bath robes until dinner time. Julia even won the daily debate of buggy vs. walk - this time only because the buggy service was busy. We spotlighted crabs using the headlamps I brought from home as we walked on the beach to dinner. Large hand sized white crabs dove into their well dug holes in the sand, while hermit crabs just collapsed inside their mobile homes. Our Hawaiian friends came over during dinner to extend an invitation on their private boat tour tomorrow with their lady friends. We quickly deliberated and decided to say yes.

Tuesday the 14th began with thunder and lightning. We ate breakfast as it stormed all around us. Extra banana jam on my pancakes to make up for the nasty weather.

The tour started at 10am with Gold as our guide. Alan/Jira and Russell/Joy were a bit late, but excited to get going. Secret Beach was the first destination. A hole in the side of a steep wall. At high tide you have to dive and hold your breath 5 seconds to get in. We all practiced holding our breath and confirming what kind of 5 seconds were we talking about? One mississippi, two mississippi, three mississippi, or 1, 2, 3. In retrospect, the "mississippi" might have added to the confusion in our clarification attempts. It was low tide so Julia swam straight in, but I still dove. A sandy beach inside was magical, completely closed off from the outside. Unfortunately this is where Julia’s camera decided to die - however we later discovered it was simply a dead battery. 

Hidden Beach was the second destination. First we stopped for a quick snorkel just around the corner. A reef on the edge of a 100 foot dropoff. Colorful coral and tons of fish - so amazing to see with our butts in the air. The beach was hidden behind a shallow entrance. We waded through ankle deep water to find another sandy shore tucked away on Matinloc Island. The other 2 boats of tourists were just leaving so we got the whole place to ourselves. Only other person there was a local in a canoe selling coconuts and ice cold beer - how perfect!! Julia ate the soft meat out of the coconut after drinking the water. The salesman even cut a ‘spoon’ out of the coconut shell for her to scoop it out with - genius. My San Miguel beer hit the spot in the midday sun. All of us got coconuts or beer for 400 PHP (8 USD). A good deal.

Lunch at Entalula Island was welcomed at 1pm. El Nido owns/manages a section of beach here with the softest sand of the entire trip. They served us lunch of rice, shrimp, sashimi, fruit, and cold drinks. We only had to sign our room numbers and the bill was taken care of. I could get used to this. When checking out later, we saw all of the receipts where we had signed our room number earlier in the vacation. The stamps for our postcards. The lunch at Entalula. The magnet for our fridge. Imagining them gathering all of these receipts for calculation via outrigger or buggy was humorous.

2 more quick stops at the Cudugnon Cave and Snake Island we had been to previously. We skipped going inside the cave this time. Walked the beach trying to pet the dog and talk to the little girl - neither were successful. Then we waieded in the water and chatted with Russell, learning about his insurance business and life on Maui. Snake Island bar was open this time and we didn’t forget the cash. Bought more beers and coconuts (we learned here our first Tagalog word - Buko - which means coconut) before heading back home.

The private boat tour with the Hawaiians was our favorite adventure during our time on Pangulasian Island resort. We were out almost 7 hours, explored 5 islands, and saw hundreds of fish with new friends. I sure hope we run into these guys again on another vacation!

Black butterflies greeted us at sunset daily. We watched a dark blue / almost black Great-Billed heron hunt on the ocean shore as the mosquitoes began to bite. We also learned about alpha monkeys. Once they became aggressive (stealing clothes off balconies or food from the buffet) an Ecologist would fly out from Manila, the monkey would be darted and wake up on a secluded island. 1 alpha per island, no mates. This has happened 5 times in the past 20 years - meaning that there are 5 islands out there with mad/lonely monkeys on them. The guides told us 1 adopted a cat from a nearby village as his friend, petting it and guarding it. This was the monkey banished to the Sandbar island. We had been warned during our visit not to pet the cat, and it made more sense knowing about it's monkey protector. Hilarious / Sad.

Manila plans were discussed over a dinner of Kare-Kare (oxtail and tripe in peanut sauce) and butter chicken. Super sleepy after this heavy meal. Bed by 8pm, but not before committing to our buggy driver for a 5am sunrise hike.

Wednesday the 15th Julia actually made the 5am sunrise hike. I slept. The guide asked where "Sir Donald" was and she replied, in bed. They discussed ecology on the way up and politics on the way down - a well balanced agenda. This was the first, but not last, person Julia met that was critical of Duterte and the drug war. The guide was especially concerned with the corruption of the cops and the extrajudicial killings. When they discussed the drug wars in both countries, quickly Julia grasped that although the US drug war incarcerates the most people in the world - our drug war isn't killing political opponents in their houses and planting drugs to cover it up. Neither is good, but there is always worse. The guide was worried about the future as all of the political opponents to Duterte were being silenced, and no one knew what would happen at the end of his remaining five years of term.

6:30am I began to pack, reluctantly. Paused at 7am to take the guided snorkel of the home reef again. We saw no sharks but did traverse the entire length of the resort reef - West to East. Almost an hour snorkel with 2 other guys (Australia and UK). We got to see 2 smallish green sea turtles and another stingray. Rinsed off at the dive shop and turned in my fins.

All our new friends were at breakfast. After 5 days it felt like we knew everyone. Catching up with what each other did the previous day and our plans going forward. Many of us were leaving together today so we’d have one last chance to shake hands before island time was over. I stopped at the pool after breakfast while Julia took 1 last snorkel. In true to vacation form, the last snorkel continued a trend we had started on other vacations where halfway through it started raining. When Julia came out, she and Brunu and Nunu (Portuguese guys) all finished at the same time and had a good laugh about "Snorkeling in the rain".

Lunch by the pool, then to the reception desk for checkout at 2pm. Signed the bill for 30,000 Philippines pesos and bought final momentos. Loaded the boat and we were off to the airport. Waiting room for El Nido resort guests was a treat - with drinks, sweets (red bean cakes and cassava cake), and air conditioning.

**Note - Sleep No More is an immersive play based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Hitchcock's movie “Rebecca" that Brunu/Nunu told us about. Look into this next time we visit NYC.

Landed in Manila, fetched baggage, and hailed a yellow cab (metered). Only problem is that the driver took us to the wrong hotel. Hotel Manila is WAY nicer than we booked. Felt wrong from the moment we pulled up. German Shepherds working security, ladies in long ballroom dresses, chandeliers, over-the-top Christmas decorations, the whole package... Thankfully the six bell boys on duty were nice (or bored) enough to carry our baggage and arrange our cab. Driver was way more experienced - getting us to Luneta Hotel on the other side of Rizal Park. This is the first time we were explained it was probably not a good idea for us to try walking in the city at night.

Luneta Hotel is 99 years old. Lovingly restored in a beautiful combination of art deco and French renaissance architecture, we felt at home in our room for 1 night. We ate Crispy Pata for dinner at the hotel restaurant. The waiter explained all the ways we could tear into the beautifully twice cooked & deep fried pig legs / pig knuckles. "The tendons are the best". We noted how much easier it was in the Philippines to eat the peripheral / organ meats, and how much we had been enjoying it. In house made ice cream was a treat - especially the Jasmine flavor which was the national flower.

Thursday the 16th was a walking tour. Out the front door of our hotel was Rizal Park. Named after Jose Rizal - a Filipino nationalist who advocated political reform for the colony under Spanish rule. We visited the monument for his execution along with other historical sites in the area. Rizal is the national hero, a true renaissance man who wrote books and poetry, made paintings and carvings, and explored the sciences as a Polymath. His execution jump-started the successful Philippine revolution. Unfortunately, right after the success of the revolution and the creation of an independent Philippine government, the Spanish promptly lost the Spanish/American war. During the peace negotiation between Spain and America, Spain sold Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the US for $20 million. The Philippines sent their best minds to the US to advocate for their self-rule, but the US failed to grant them their own sovereignty they had fought so hard for. Another war- the Philippine/American war - ended 2 million Filipino lives and settled the question for another 40 years of American rule. It was only after the atrocities of WW2 that the US granted the Philippines their independence on July 4, 1946. Families laid on space blankets in the shade as we walked the park, visiting the Chinese Garden.

Intramuros, a historic walled city inside Manila, was the next walking destination. First we stopped at Starbucks to download maps and assemble a plan. Once Julia made the map her phone background we were on the move again. San Agustin Church was our first major stop. A massive Spanish monastery built in 1607. Now a museum detailing the complete religious, economic, and legal colonization of the Philippines, detailing trade routes and gold mining along with the life of monks in the 1600’s. The Spanish were completely successful in their religious conquest, having converted everyone we met or saw into a devout Catholic. Then more churches and old buildings. Fort Santiago was our last stop inside the walled city. Built by Spanish conquistadors in 1571, then upgraded repeatedly until 1730’s. The American flag was raised here in 1898, who drained the moat to make a golf course. During World War II the fort was captured by the Japanese army and use as a killing ground for hundreds of prisoners - especially during the Japanese massacre of civilians during the liberation of Manila. 200k civilians (including lots of religious leaders) died in mass shootings during this last month of urban fighting. Intramuros and the rest of the city was gutted.

Back in 2017 - an Uber driver picked us up and took us to lunch. Dong Bei Dumpling house in Manila’s Chinatown district. A hole in the wall, that was recommended on every corner of the internet, was kinda scary getting to as our taxi driver took us directly through a slum on the edge of the river and the intramodal shipyard. It all paid off when we were served. One of the best meals of our entire vacation - stuffed pancakes, pork dumplings, and xiao long bao. Then we met our 9 year old friend Jarred outside. His dad runs a shop next to the restaurant and he wanted to talk as we waited for our ride. A very nice boy who had to run back to his dad to get English answers for our questions. Then we became Facebook friends - it was official.

Quiapo Market was our last tourist spot of the day. An open-air market selling everything from fruits to pirated CDs. We walked the hundreds of small booths looking for a fitbit replacement for the one I accidentally swam with in Palawan. We were able to find speakers, phone cases, watches, ‘nike’ shoes, bike parts, herbal “birth control” (it is a very Catholic country), 10 min massage, day-old chicks … but no fitbit. After an hour we escaped without spending a dollar.

Jasmine tea back at Luneta Hotel per the waiter's recommendations as we picked up our bags and then an hour Uber ride, with a sleepy driver, to our AirBnB in Alabang. This house was rented by our ultimate team for the long weekend. Just 2 kilometers from the fields in a secured neighborhood. We actually had to fight through the security gate our first time through, trying to prove we actually belonged there.

The house was huge, as were all the ones around us. 10+ beds upstairs, 2 on the main floor, and ours downstairs. There were also 2 house staff and 1 driver staying with us full time. The owners moved to California last year and use the house rarely. The staff are their personal helpers of the family for the entire lifetime of their children - Julia was lucky to get some time to discuss this further with one of their helpers and learn more about this aspect of the culture.

Team dinner was a ‘Boodle Fight’ - a traditional meal served on banana leaves and eaten with hands. Ours was packed with pork, shrimp, octopus, corn, and rice. I sat next to Summer who was allergic to shellfish - but she was able to avoid death with Epi-Pen on standby.

Friday the 17th began at 6:30am with Shawn cooking eggs, bacon, and sausage. The first van to the fields left at 7:45am, with Alan our driver. Ange and Steph were already there with a spot reserved for us under a canopy on the edge of the fields. Each team had their own section blocked off - which proved critical during rain and sun all weekend.

Manila Spirits ultimate tournament is in it’s 14th year. 40 teams from around the world come together for a fun weekend of competition. It’s a co-ed tournament, playing with 4 men + 3 women or 4 women + 3 men. 60 minute games played to 13 points. Our team - Just Saiyan - was 19 boys and girls, the only team from the United States. Ranked 29th out of 40 teams. I looked for Gold and was able to find 5:30 Palawan team, but he was not with them.

Right off the bat ‘For Old Times Sake’ beat us 6-10 first game. They had the Tournament Director on their squad and were all around highly spirited. An excellent introduction to Manila ultimate. It was a tight match all the way to the end, then near a questionably timed soft/hard cap they ran away with it. Finished with a Spirit Circle and hip hip hooray X 3.

The rain started as we walked back to the canopy. HARD rain that flooded our shelter. Everyone hung their bags on the canopy poles and embraced the storm. The fields were soggy but it slowed by the time our second match began.   

‘Love Parade’ beat us 3-13 in the second game. Clearly a dominate team, having won the previous year. We didn’t even make it to the 50 minute soft cap. Ouch!

We beat USO third game 13-8 on a sloppy muddy field. They were young, one player only 17 years old. After our victory we taught them the street fighter spirit game, which ended up being a long 30 minute game, happily played in the sideline shade.

Back at the house we washed clothes and hung everything to dry. Ice bath for the feet was sweet, I almost made it a full minute. The team cooked hot dogs for dinner - which were found to be individually wrapped after grilling for 10 minutes. Why?!?

Julia and I chose to go out for dinner to catch up with each other since we spent the day separated.

Julia went to Pagsanjan Falls (a whitewater gorge once used as a set in "Apocalypse Now" movie), about 3 hours southeast of Alabang. Alan, our driver, helped her find the proper bus after he dropped us off at the fields. Then a motorcycle driver picked her up from the bus station and took her the rest of the way to the falls. 2 guides navigated her up and down the river and underneath a waterfall in a dugout canoe and bamboo raft.  “Shooting the rapids” is the tourist activity in the area and there is a rotation system for tour guides - nearly 3,000 villages have "canoeing numbers" assigned and about 1 every 10 days they are able to guide. It is one of the major methods of income in the town and I was reminded "Christmas is coming".  The guides paddled and jumped in and out of the canoe to drag it over and between rocks, and pushed off of the gorge walls when necessary for upstream momentum.  Julia's concept of whitewater canoeing was greatly expanded from her Outward Bound expedition days, as she never considered anything other than paddling as a method for propulsion.  Apparently feet is another acceptable and common option.  Good to know.  Things put into perspective, Julia enjoyed the trip thoroughly.  Then the moto driver, Romeo, picked her back up and took her to 2 other random spots in the area with waterfalls, local boys swimming, and a lake at the top of the mountain overlooking Laguna Bay. Beautiful rural areas with farmers, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and subsistence gardening. she would have never found without his local knowledge. Aware that things could be risky, everything paid off wonderfully with Julia feeling very welcomed by the friendly people in the provinces.

Buko (coconut) pie for dessert. Julia got it during the bus ride home. As the bus rides were long and direct, they never stopped for food but rather let vendors come onto the bus for short rides. Roasted/steamed corn was a common treat, in addition to Balut, Empanadas, and nuts - all usually for 20 PHP.

Saturday the 18th was day 2 of the Spirits tournament. First game at 8am vs. ‘Sentinels’. We beat them 13-6 after Shawn’s hucks warmed up. Ange and Steph, our Filipino teammates who encouraged/organized this trip from the start, forgot their cleats at home. During our long 4 hour break they ran home and brought back Halo-Halo icy desserts that were sugary delicious. We relaxed in chairs from another team (which oddly they were mad about - come on team Vicious be reasonable) bought swag, drank smoothies, and watch games. 1pm was our second and last game of the day - which we ended up losing. ‘Breakfast Club’ was an old school team from Manila. They looked easy to beat but we just couldn’t shake our problems. They also called a bunch of questionable catches/fouls that really took the steam out of our high spirited squad. 6-10 was the final score, bummer.

Reviewed the day with Julia over dinner at Neil's Kitchen - a hip Filipino-fusion restaurant in Westgate Filinvest. We had three amazing plates of food, but the one I remember most was their concept of Dinuguan - a black liver and blood pudding dish complete with pork belly and rice. So rich and the best liver dish Julia has ever eaten. She went back to Manila city and visited 2 museums. National Museum of Fine Arts and National Museum of Anthropology. The art museum was beautiful and intense - the long history of the Philippines being colonized by Spain and America showed through in their religious art featuring Jesus and their modernist art featuring the journey from WW2 through the post-colonial years of independence. The Anthropology museum showed a sunken Spanish galleon which had just been excavated and explained a large part of that period of history. Lunch at Seaside Dampa - a seafood market where you buy anything from crab to lobster to shark to clams to tiger prawns and more - then across the street a restaurant will cook it for you. She had tiger prawns and a crab next to a family singing Videoke, a popular pastime in Asia.

Tournament part was Saturday night, which I decided to skip. It didn’t start until 9pm. I’m an old man. Asleep by 9:30.

Sunday was the final day of the tournament. We changed canopy locations to a central spot next to the first aid station (team Vicious ‘kindly’ asked us to move). Half the team was hungover, which gave confidence to the young and spry Sentinel opponent. They underestimated our experience playing hungover. We dominated from the first throw. I think they scored 3 points total, keeping spirit high the whole time. They did our ‘charge up’ cheer with us after the game - it was loud and awesome. The shitty part of this strong start was our teammate got injured. I threw a terrible pass over Amanda’s head, Ryan attempted to clean up the garbage. Feet got tangled as they approached the sideline - sending Ryan hard onto his elbow. Medics on the field said it was sprained (or torn ligament), he was out for the rest of the day. Felt terrible because it happened on my bad throw. Hopefully now that we are back in the US he can see a doctor and get healed quickly.

Game 2 was vs. White Propaganda. It was extremely hot with no sideline shade. Saiyan players were dropping out left and right. I was playing double points by the end of the game. Normally we were in pods of 3, rotating every point so that each person would play 1 of 3 points. Needless to say - we lost. Lots of simple drops added to the frustration, we totally could have beat this team. They were a fast squad, ready to move the disc quickly against any zone we tried to put on. The final score was 6-10.

Steph came back after the game with all our box lunches (so we didn’t have to stand in line with tickets waiting in the sun). Thanks Steph! Rice, pork, fish, and cookies were necessary to keep the engine rolling. I couldn’t seem to drink enough water all weekend - but the shade brakes helped encourage hydration.

Final game was vs. Stacked Stats, a team of players representing 15 countries. Fun group from the very start. We were never in the lead - they easily won 6-13. I was just happy to have survived a hot/humid tournament in Manila, my first international competition.

Finished the tournament with a box full of beers from the vendors. 24 San Mig Light’s while the team sat on the sideline watching the championship match - Boracay Bandits vs. Mulatto. Bandits were #1 and Just Saiyan ended up #32. Not too shabby.

Julia returned from Taal Heritage Town about 7pm. Alan was just asking about her status since it was getting dark, he had helped her get to the bus again and was worried she made it back easily. Taal is a popular tourist destination because it has a volcano in the middle of a big lake. Most people visit and hike to the top of the mountain volcano in the middle of Taal lake. Julia chose a different route - to visit the town and see their history. A wedding at the largest basilica in Asia, restored houses of Filipino Revolutionaries, market with dresses, halo halo, bikers, and a trike ride filled her day.

Ice cream passed around the dinner table on a Lazy Susan was the perfect capstone to a exhausting 3 days of ultimate. Our team was fun and already talking about what exotic tournament to try next year…Hopu Ka Lewa in Hawaii???

Monday the 20th was travel day. Alan began taking people to the airport at 9am. We relaxed and talked to the house staff, Delaney and Daisy, until 11am. They told us about Tagalog bananas and the backstory for the home owners. Alan stopped at the South Supermarket so we could pick up final ube treats for Julia’s coworkers. Then dropped our bags at EVA airline counter. We still had 5 hours until our flight so we got a taxi to the Mall of Asia to waste time again. Ryan was with us too. Lunch at Manam restaurant again, where we talked to a girl heading to New Zealand for a friends wedding. A quick walk along Manila Bay and we headed back to the airport (only to wait in line for an hour to check-in + customs).

16 hours of flying later, we landed 30 minutes before we took off. Monday was a weird day for us. Tuesday it’s back to work while fighting jet lag. The good news is that Thursday is Thanksgiving!

**Tagalog is a hard language to pick up for me. I learned zero words the almost 2 weeks we were in the Philippines. This is all I semi-learned after repeated instruction by various Filipino’s.

     hindi = no

     oo = yes

     mahal kita = I love you

     Buko = coconut

Overall the Philippines were a beautiful and adventurous string of islands. We look forward to going back to visit many more beaches (and tournaments) plus more off the beaten path international travel!  We picked up a cookbook for one of our few souvenirs so more Filipino food in our future.

Now it’s time to throw the ball for this dog… she needs love!

Cheers,

-Chris Coleman

[squishysvt]

Get Away

Member: Johnny (NCT) Word Count: 2,427  A/N New admin here! I got inspired to write this while on my June teenth camping trip and I loosely based it on a few events that happened while on it. Despite whatever vibe the title gives, this isn’t angst (saving that for another day hehe). I’d like to thank the other admins for giving me plenty of support with my writing, especially Admin Sierra and Madi! Okay, I’ll shut up before I start rambling (more than I already have), hope you enjoy! -Admin Ay

*quick warning that there’s a tiny bit of cursing here*

 “Yo, pack your bags, loser! We’re going camping!”

 Your previously planned luxurious night of sipping on apple juice and scrolling through Instagram was ruined with the loud bang of your door being opened. You barely had time to flinch as your best friend towered in front of your sprawled figure on your living room couch.

 “Johnny, why the hell are you in my house?” You swung your legs out of the way to make space for the intruder to sit next to you.

 “Well, you left the door unlocked for starters. Which is a habit you need to fix by the way. What if I was a murderer?”

 You rolled your eyes. “Yes, mom.”

 “Anyway, hurry and go pack we’re camping for the next few days.”

 “I don’t remember agreeing to this.”

Before you could say anything else Johnny quickly picked you up off of the couch, throwing you over his shoulder and carrying you to your room. Strings of curses turned into giggles as he tossed you onto your bed and tickled you.  When you finally calmed down Johnny leaned down to your ear, a different kind of fluttering sensation in your chest than what was caused by your laughing.

 He whispered, “Pack your bags.”

 Knowing Johnny could be pretty stubborn if he wanted to be, you sighed as you rolled out of your soft mattress to pick out stuff you might need. After a good five minutes staring at your empty rucksack you remembered that you haven’t actually camped before. The closest experience to it being that one time when you were little and your dad pitched a small tent in the backyard that you never actually slept in. The sounds of little creatures scurrying around outside scared you far too much to stay in it.

 “Johnny, what am I even supposed to bring?!” You yelled once you realized he was not still in the room with you.

 “Look it up! You have internet!” Johnny’s response came back muffled, most likely from stuffing his face with food from your kitchen.

 When you had finally pulled up a few things on Pintrest, you sighed.

 “I’m gonna need a bigger bag.”

 The car ride to whatever campsite Johnny had planned to go to was mostly you going through different scenarios in your head, each ending in either you or Johnny dying, or maybe even both.

 Noticing the nervousness practically radiating off of you, Johnny rested one of his hands on your knee. “Chill, it’s all good in the hood.”

 “I’m not all that experienced with nature, okay? What if a water moccasin gets into our tent? Or–”

 “What the hell is a water moccasin?”

 “It’s those fucking snakes that swim in water!”

 “Well, I mean, I don’t even think those things live at the place we’re going to?”

 “What about other snakes?! What about possums? Those things are vicious. Did you know armadillos carry leprosy? I could get skin disease!”

 “You know an awful lot about animals you don’t like.”

 “I need to have the upper hand if I ever see one. Know all their weaknesses and all that. Have you even camped before?”

 Johnny winced. “Technically…no”

 Your face darkened in horror. You were being lead into a death trap. Neither of you had experience in surviving in the outdoors. If the animals didn’t get you, the insects would, if it wasn’t the insects, it would be the weather, if it wasn’t the weather…

 “(Y/N), stop over thinking things, okay? Have a little faith in me.”

 You decided not to respond. The last time you trusted Johnny, you got a 50 on one of your tests. The horrendous grade made you swear that you would never let him help you study your class material ever again. However, his hand that still hadn’t moved from it’s position on your leg grounded you a little. Maybe everything would turn out alright.

  A small jolt and the sound of the car’s gear shift causes you to slowly open your eyes. It takes a few seconds to realize where you were, you notice Johnny is already out of the car. When you finally decide to come out and help, you’re met with his lanky self attempting to carry all of the bags at once. The sight of Johnny swaying back and forth with the items caused you to chuckle.

 “Do you need any help, you dumb giant?” The sentence coming out feathery, Johnny’s struggling still managing to tickle you.

 “What does it look like?”

 You smiled as you took your rucksack and another unfamiliar bag, probably filled with a whole bunch of Johnny’s unnecessary gadgets, from his hands. Spotting a picnic table nearby, you set the bags on it and turned back to Johnny. He was also making his way to the table. Normally with his uselessly long body Johnny would have probably taken half the time you did to get where you currently were, but the large amount of bags he carried slowed him down immensely. Rolling your eyes every time he dropped something, you decided to meet him halfway and take some of the load off his hands before something broke.

 “So what are we supposed to set up the tent or something now?” You asked once everything was put down.

 “Assuming you don’t want to sleep outside in the dirt, I would think so.”

 You scowled at the tone he used. The two of you normally went back and forth but it was normally more light hearted than anything. “Dang, what’s with the attitude?”

 Johnny sighed, “Sorry I just…it’s just been a bad week. I barely got any sleep last night and I got fired from my dumb summer job–”

 “Is that why you wanted to go on this sudden camping trip? To get away or something?” Your words had come out a bit muffled as you hugged Johnny, your face buried in his chest.

 “Something like that”

 The both of you stayed in that position for a while, enjoying each other’s presence in the quiet nature around you. The nervousness the thought of staying in the outdoors gave you was long gone. You sighed as you reluctantly pushed away from Johnny.

 “Let’s get that tent put up now.”

 The tent materials were surprisingly heavy, causing you to groan as you picked them up. Johnny automatically moved to take the bag out of your hands when he heard you struggling.

 “Jeez, let me help you with that before you hurt yourself, princess.” He winked as you pouted at him.

 “Do you even know how to put up that thing?”

 “Uh, no. That’s why I have instructions.”

 To your surprise, Johnny had managed to set up the tent in around 10 minutes. You gave him a very impressed nod, Johnny giving a very smug smirk in response. The stroking of his ego may have been a bit of a mistake, but you were too happy that his mood seemed a little lighter than before to care. While he had been setting up the tent you put up your two chairs. You had also taken out sandwiches for you to eat and to feed Johnny every time he took a small break. This left you with nothing much to do since it was not dark enough to start a campfire yet.

 “Now what?”

 Johnny looked around the area to find something to do, soon gaining a rather mischievous look on his face. “Why don’t we skinny dip in that creek over there?”

 You felt your face heat up at the suggestion and slapped his shoulder in annoyance.

 “Okay, maybe not skinny dip but we can still swim in it.” He started towards the body of water and you followed him.

 “But I don’t have a swim suit,” you stated.

 “Neither do I.” Johnny smirked at you. Seriously, he smirked way to much and you were starting to wonder when he started the annoying (and sort of heart fluttering) habit of his.

 Once again your face had darkened in horror as he began to take off his shirt and jump into the creek.

 “Johnny, what the hell you could get hurt?! How do expect your clothes to get dry?! You could get sick!”  

 Despite your panic Johnny only laughed. “Come on, (Y/N)! I can dry off by the fire. Stop being such a square and have a little fun!”

 When you had managed to convince yourself that everything was fine you (hesitantly) stepped into the water as well. The water was cold, contrasting to the summer heat. It took you a second to get used to with Johnny splashing you with water constantly, but once you did you began to loosen up. Soon you and Johnny were enjoying yourselves in the water. Both of you had lost track of time until Johnny had pointed out the sun starting to set and decided to head back to the campsite and start a campfire.

 You had decided to pull out your speaker and play music from your phone as Johnny started the fire. Initially you had planned to sit down and rest as Johnny got the flames going, but in the end he had been struggling way too much and you had to eventually step in and do it yourself.

 “Uh, looks like you got it so I’ll go ahead and take out the stuff for the s’mores.”

 You only nodded and hummed in response, trying to remember your dad’s random survival tips on how to start a fire.

 “Did you by chance bring any skewers to roast the marshmallows with, (Y/N)?”

 You took your attention away from the fire towards the parked car where Johnny was rummaging through the car’s trunk. You shook your head until you realized he wasn’t look at you and spoke up.

 “No, I didn’t even know we were gonna do s’mores tonight.”

 “Haha, well shit I forgot to bring them. I’ll go snap some twigs from trees to use.”

 Bringing your attention back to the sparks you were creating you only nodded.

 “Don’t get bit by a snake,” you sighed distractedly.

 Once you had finally gotten the fire started you had noticed that Johnny had been gone quite a while. Getting worried you got up to call him when a high shriek interrupted you. Alarmed you ran into the direction of the noise and was met with Johnny doubled over in pain and holding his hand.

 You started to panic.

 “Johnny are you okay? What happened?”

 You moved Johnny to stand up straight and grabbed his hand to get a good look at it. His face scrunched up in pain while he groaned.

 “I got stung by a bee.”

 At his words your head snapped up.

 “Are you kidding me? Ugh, I hate you so much sometimes.”

 You grabbed Johnny’s hand and led him to the picnic table to sit down. You then marched to the cooler holding your drinks and grabbed a handful of ice.

 “What are you,” you put the ice in the hand where Johnny was stung, “Fuck, that’s cold!”

 Before he could drop the cubes of ice you stopped him. “Shut up and stop being a wuss. The ice will reduce the swelling so make sure it’s on the sting.”

 Johnny looked at you surprised. “How’d you know to do that?”

 “Didn’t I tell you I like to keep the upper hand with these type of things?”

 Both of you laughed and made your way to sit next to the burning campfire. Johnny took a bundle of sticks from his pocket.

 “S’mores?”

 You smiled, “Yeah, when you finish roasting your marshmallows I’ll make yours for you. Being one handed and all.” You pointed at his hand holding the ice.

 “Thanks.”

 After eating more s’mores than probably healthy and drying up, you and Johnny decided to head to bed. As Johnny made his way to the picnic table that his sleeping bag laid on top of, you felt a sinking feeling in your stomach.

 “I forgot my sleeping bag.”

 Your small voice caused him to look up to hear you better.

 “My sleeping bag. I forgot it.”

 Johnny coughed at your statement. “Um…I guess you’ll have to sleep with me…?”

 The suggestion caused you to blush and look away. Sure the both of you were friends and you didn’t mind skinship, but sleeping together? That was unexplored territory. Before your mind could wander towards the unknown scenarios of the night you shuffled towards the tent.

 “Yeah, okay. Let’s go. I’m tired from all that swimming.” The sound of your voice leaving your mouth caused you to cringe. It coming out in a higher pitch than intended.

 Once both of you were in the tent and settled the sleeping bag in the right position, you both didn’t really know what to do. You soon got tired of the awkward atmosphere surrounding Johnny and you and decided to take the lead in the situation.

 You huffed, “So are you going to lay down first or am I?”

 Johnny seemed to have snapped from his original state of mind after you spoke. “You first, princess. Make yourself comfortable.” To put more emphases on his use of the word “princess,” he bowed and pointed in the direction of the sleeping area.

 You rolled your eyes at the gesture. “Gee, thanks.”

 You crawled into the somewhat large sleeping bag and wriggled around to get yourself comfortable and stared at Johnny as he slid into the bag as well. He was about to zip it up until you nudged him.

 “Don’t. It’s hot and you’re so huge half of you might have to stick out anyway.”

 Johnny giggled and threw an arm and a leg over you.

 “Stop being annoying.”

 Rather than pushing him away however, you turned so that you were facing each other and threw an arm and leg over his body as well. With the eventful day slowly weighing on you, you slowly began to fall asleep. The rise and fall of Johnny’s chest and his steady heartbeat gave you comfort.

 It was then when you heard a soft “I love you,” from the male. If you had been a more awake condition, you probably would have been in shock.

 But you weren’t.

 So you allowed yourself to be entranced by Johnny’s warm embrace and the quiet of the nature around you, and slept.

 The two of you both would have to save the conversation about your future relationship for in the morning, when you both woke up sweaty from the heat.