#[They pick the spot furthest from the water and sunshine]

[caeca-iustitia]

Vincent is such a mood...

They're just dozing in the shade whilst their kids + husband splash around like a bunch of morons...

This is literally how they act when forced to go to the beach or pool so it's quite accurate...

[dilemmaontwolegs]

For the Love of God(dess) || CL16 {2}

Summary: Greek God/dess AU. You show Charles a part of your world and he shows you a part of his. Warnings: angst, fluff WC: 2.6k Part One || Two

The old stone path should have been worn for all the centuries that it had been used as the entrance to Olympus but it was still as perfect as it was the first time you walked it. Nothing ever changed, not since the war ended and a new hierarchy settled among the gods. For two thousand years nothing had changed in the Eternal City.

“Love, what have you done?” The imposing form of Ares filled the road to your temple, his arms the size of your waist. His molten red eyes barely glanced at the man at your side before snapping back with a double take. “Kàrolos?”

“Uh, so everyone keeps saying,” he answered quietly, his eyes sizing up the God of War as he spoke for the first time since arriving through the portal. “And you are?”

“Intrigued,” Ares said with a smirk. “Good luck.”

The god vanished and Charles rubbed at his head, murmuring, “Fucking weird dream.”

“You’ll wake up soon,” you sighed. It might not be the wake up he expected, but it was coming - you just had to find Athena. “I know someone who can help make sense of this, we just need to get you back to my place first. It’s right over h-” your words froze as turned towards your temple. 

Where grey stone walls had stood, great white pillars of marble rose. Where empty garden beds lay, hundreds of white roses bloomed. 

Your temple had been restored.

“This is your home?” Charles asked, a little awestruck by the sounds of it. It was quite amusing that he walked among the gods but he found beauty in a building of all things.

“Our home.”

“I have a home - in Monaco.”

You opened your mouth to argue but saw the quiet desperation in his features. He was clinging to his humanity and it forced you to remember that this wasn’t the Kàrolos you knew, this was a stranger. The only resemblance they held were their eyes, but they were the window to the soul and they still had the same soul. 

“Let’s just go inside.”

The doors beyond the marble arch swung open on your approach and the interior had changed just as much. The vast room was open to the sunlight and a fountain filled the centre, the sound of bubbling water a calming feature. Open arches led to more rooms but you made your way to the furthest one. 

Charles followed sedately into the bedroom and out onto the balcony that overlooked the city. Above rose the peak which Zeus had claimed, his golden palace glittering beneath Apollo’s sunshine. Below, the forests of Artemis spread far and wide with lush green canopies and the Orlias river winding through it. 

Your palms warmed on the stone railing as you watched a herd of deer pick their way to the river for a drink. “I know you have a million questions and I’m sorry for…everything.”

Charles’ shoulder leaned into yours as he drank in the scenery but he jumped back when an owl swooped in, the spotted wings brushing his cheek. A flash of light burst from the owl and bare feet touched down on the balcony. 

“Hmmm, you have had quite the night, Love,” she said with an appreciative look over Charles. She reached out to his face with a smile and wiggled her fingers. “May I?”

“Why? What are you going to do? Who are you?”

“So many questions,” she laughed. “I am Athena, I am knowledge, and if you want the answers then you will let me touch you.”

He looked to you for help and gods damned if it didn’t make something in your chest hurt before you nodded. He swallowed the fear of the unknown and trusted you as he stepped into her waiting hands. Lightning shattered his brain, blinding him with flashes of images that moved too fast to see. But he knew. Knowledge expanded and exploded in his mind at an exponential rate until he knew everything. Thousands of years of history burned into his retina in less than a second. The history of the gods and goddesses that called this place home. The history of the wars and the destruction it brought. The history of you and everything you lost.

He knew it all. And it hurt more than the pain that splintered his head.

He didn’t even realise he collapsed until he felt the softest mattress dip beneath his weight as you laid him down. Your concerned face appeared above him, the sun catching your hair and weaving a golden halo around the strands. A thought crossed his mind and he laughed, shaking his head.

“What?” you asked curiously as his fingers twitched like he had to fight the urge to reach out to you.

“When we met I thought you looked like a goddess, but of course you do. You are.” He looked to the balcony but the owl had already taken flight back to her palace on the hill. “I’m not him, you know.”

“I know.” The man you loved had died a long time ago. You had your time together, no matter how short, and you had mourned for him. It was time to move on. “I don’t want you to be Kàrolos. I want to learn who you are, Charles.”

“And what if you don’t like who I am?”

“I am the Goddess of Love,” you teased, climbing onto the bed to sit beside him. “My arrows don’t work unless there is compatibility between the souls. Psyche is probably better off explaining that but my power only amplifies what attraction is already there. Can’t say I have been on the receiving end of it before. This will take some getting used to.”

“What will?”

“The want, the need to touch you,” you confessed as you looked down at your hands that gripped the bedspread tightly. “It is difficult to be this close and not reach out.”

Charles frowned. “You loved Kàrolos but you didn’t use an arrow?”

“Not everyone needs an arrow to fall in love. Like I said, it only amplifies. People find love on their own everyday, only some need a little poke in the right direction. Those friends who have been dancing around each other for years, the abused who don’t think they are worthy of being loved, the colleagues who only flirt at work. The fates weave their tapestry with a trillion threads of life and when there is a snag, like two lovers who failed to meet, then I repair it so the loom can continue its creation.”

Charles blinked as he began to understand how complex the roles of the gods were. “Fuck.” 

You laughed and his lips tugged up at the sound. 

“I don’t mind, if you want to touch me,” he admitted quietly, reaching for your hand and unfurling it from the bedding. His hand was larger than yours but your fingers settled between his comfortably and your body sagged with relief. “So what do we do now?”

You shrugged, not exactly knowing the answer yourself. Time was plentiful so there was no rush, but you were eager to find out who it was your heart had been given to. “What do you enjoy?”

Charles’ smile dropped as he suddenly remembered the world he had left behind. “Shit, we need to go back. I have a race this week.”

–

“Breaking News: Peace had been brokered between nations all over the globe in a dramatic turn of events. For more information we will be heading to our correspondent at the United Nations HQ…”

Charles turned off the TV in the hotel but he didn’t miss the way your eyes remained fixed on the screen, or the way your lip wobbled. Crossing the room, he grabbed your hands and bent his knees so you were eye to eye. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s my fault,” you whispered through the lump in your throat. “I failed my duties.”

He looked back at the TV where you could still see the breaking news. Peace had come after two thousand years of skirmishes and wars on the mortal plane. There should have never been wars to begin with. 

“That isn’t your fault,” he argued, but he had the knowledge of the gods, he understood how your power worked. The gods were a fragile ecosystem that required balance. You were the balance to Ares’ power and his effect on the world.

“I was weakened when Kàrolos died, I lost half of myself, half of my strength. It left Ares unchecked - of course it is my fault.”

Charles wrapped his arms around you, tucking your head into the crook of his neck so you couldn’t stare at the TV. “You’re making things right now, that’s what matters.”

“It’s not even me,” you laughed bitterly. “It’s you. I couldn’t do this on my own.”

“Come on,” he said as he started to drag you towards the door.

“Where are we going?”

“You need a distraction, and I know just the thing.” 

Charles drove to the circuit he would be practising on in the morning and it was relatively quiet as he led you through the paddock. A few teenagers excitedly asked for photos with him and you smiled as he stopped to talk with each one. He was so different to Kàrolos. Kàrolos was a warrior, proud and unmoving. Most children gave him a wide berth when they saw the scars that littered his body. It wasn’t in him to idly chatter or placate others, the only soft spot he had was for you. 

“You’re very patient,” you commented as he waved goodbye and continued to the edge of the track. 

He smiled shyly and looked at his shoes as he shrugged. “I try my best to talk to fans, especially when I have the time. Take a few laps with me?”

You followed his gaze to a Ferrari that was parked in the pit lane. “I’ve never been in a car.”

“No, really?” His eyes were wide with disbelief and you laughed at the innocence in those eyes. 

“I go where I want, I’ve never needed to drive.”

He grabbed your hand and excitement flowed through you as he set a quick pace to the car. “Trust me?” he asked as he opened the passenger door.

You were immortal so it didn’t matter if he crashed. Sure, it would hurt but you would eventually heal. But the question felt heavier than just asking if you trusted him not to crash, more that you could trust him to keep you safe. “Yes, I trust you, Charles.”

You slipped into the seat that was moulded to cradle you before he bent down and buckled the clips in for you. His cologne reached your nose at the close proximity and you inhaled deeper as you committed the rich scent to your memory. 

“Is this comfortable?” he asked as he tugged the harness.

“It is…managable.” Restrictive, confined, and claustrophobic came to mind but you didn’t want to worry him as he went around to his side. There was energy in his step that had been missing in Olympus, an ambience that brightened the moment he arrived at the racing track, and you wanted to keep that light in his aura. 

“We’ll take the first one slow,” he promised as he started the engine and gripped the wheel. 

You had flown into battle on the back of a pegasus, you had held onto the fins of charybdis as they raced through Posiden’s domain. Nothing came close to the thrill and the speed of Charles’ car. 

Your heart jumped up your throat as you were thrown back into the seat and then the world around you blurred. Everything faded away except for the window ahead and you didn’t dare blink in case you missed a moment. There were no thoughts on the what ifs of the future, or the regrets of your past. There was only the car, and Charles grinning at you.

“Are you sure this is slow?” you asked with a giddy laugh as the adrenaline reached your head and the initial surprise was erased.

“Hold on, cherie.” The engine roared louder and like a beast it leapt forward. A scream of exhilaration filled the car as Charles lassoed the metal beast and wrangled it through each corner until he finally slowed to return to the pit lane. 

“I finally understand the obsession,” you admitted as he parked back where he had left. Your fingers were almost stiff where they had gripped the harness over your chest and you flexed the feeling back into them before unbuckling it. “I can’t even describe it, but I feel alive - if that makes sense? I can’t think quite clearly now.”

“I understand.” Charles smiled softly and wiped away the stray tear that ran down your cheek from having your eyes wide open for so long. “It’s getting late.”

You climbed out of the car and looked up to see stars dotting the desert night sky. It felt like time stopped while you were in the car but nothing could stop time and it all came rushing back. “Can we do this again?” you asked, a little sheepish at how needy you sounded.

“Of course,” Charles promised, taking your hand as naturally as breathing. “After this race it’s winter break and I am all yours.” He stumbled and caught himself. “I mean, if you want to hang out and, uh, stuff. I don’t have any plans, but if you do we can figure something ou-”

You rose onto your toes and kissed his cheek that was turning pink in the moonlight and he fell silent. “I don’t have any plans either.”

Charles stared at your lips, still feeling the warmth on his cheek and he touched the skin as a smile tugged at his lips and he nodded to himself. “Okay. Okay.” 

“You’re cute,” you said as you felt the urge to kiss his lips next.

His nose wrinkled at the compliment. “Cute?”

“Amongst other things,” you added, biting your lip to keep your other thoughts to yourself. 

He grew confident and curled his finger under your chin, his thumb brushing over your bottom lip and pulling it free from your teeth. “You’re beautiful.”

Your lungs refused to work as his head dipped down slowly, giving you time to change your mind. You could still feel the remnants of that thrill in your veins and the charge was electric as you gave into your desire and threw your arms around his neck. The kiss started slowly, hesitation holding you both back as you tasted the chemistry, but it grew deeper as his arms curled around your waist, pulling your bodies flush. 

The track faded away as you spared one last critical thought to teleport back to the hotel room. Charles blinked as he looked around the bedroom, but the surprise turned to a smirk. “That is handy.”

“You can do it too,” you said as your fingers traced the hem of his shirt. “You can just have to picture the image in your mind.”

Cold kissed your skin and you looked down to see your own shirt had disappeared. 

“Holy shit, it worked,” he gasped. “Oh, shit, sorry.”

Your shirt returned in an instant but it was now the same shade of red as his team colours. 

“I wasn’t complaining,” you smirked but the humour dimmed as his hands came to rest on your waist that was still wrapped in red cotton. “We can take it slow, Charles.”

“Is that what you want?”

“I want you, not your regrets. I want you to be ready.” Ready for an eternity together.

Charles sat at the edge of the bed and pulled you onto his lap. “The first thing you should know about me is I have never been good at going slow,” he admitted as he cupped your cheek and crushed his lips to yours.

[gravehags]

ghoul bicycle pack x reader with a tummy ache

because i'm nauseous and not being brave about it!

~~~

Sathanas you fucking hate feeling like this.

The den is empty and quiet, which for once you are thankful for. Large tumbler filled with water in hand, you shuffle out of your room and down the hall to the living area. Your stomach seizes ominously again and your free hand clutches at it. Groaning, you clamber onto the ridiculously deep couch and scoot into the furthest corner, tucking your legs to the side. With a sigh you realize the remote is all the way on the other end but the way another wave of nausea rolls over you, you can't be fucked to go get it. Instead you pick up your phone and open your messages - selecting the group titled "Virginity Annihilator Squad".

Hey, you guys gonna be done with Papa soon?

Rain is the first to text back.

What's wrong?

Followed by Cumulus--

What's going on, baby?

Followed by Aether--

Is everything alright, love?

Followed by Dewdrop--

You need me to kill someone or something?

You smile and shake your head, even as you curl in on yourself from the ache in your abdomen. They always - always - know when something isn't right with you, whether it's physically or emotionally. Part of why you adored all of them so.

I'm okay. Really nauseous. Don't worry about me though!

Sunshine messages you back with alarming speed.

Babe! No! What do you need, we'll bring you anything

Followed by Swiss--

I think we have some meds for that somewhere in the den - Mountain do you know where they are?

Followed by Dewdrop, again--

Don't puke on anything I own

You snort and roll your eyes.

Just for that Dew I'm puking on EVERYTHING you own xoxo

The phone is silent for a moment and another wave of nausea comes over you, alarming you enough that you sit up on your knees and prepare to run for the bathroom. You're taking deep breaths and your phone vibrates in your hand. It's Mountain.

We're on our way back

As nice as it was to have the den all to yourself, when you're feeling miserable the last thing you want is to be alone. You fall back onto your ass and reach for the blanket on the back of the couch, wrapping it around you. For the next few minutes you do your best to concentrate on your breathing and the rise and fall of your belly instead of the lingering desire to projectile vomit. When you hear the door to the den hallway open you sigh in relief. Within moments your loves begin filing in - Phantom practically running towards you and flinging himself onto the couch to scooch over to you. When he nestles in between your arm and your body, you grin.

"Are you okay?" he asks, brows furrowed in worry. "Sorry Dew was a dick earlier - you're sorry aren't you Dew?"

The fire ghoul is already shuffling onto the deep cushion on his knees toward you.

"No," he says with a sharp little grin, before taking the space on your opposite side. He leans up and places a soft kiss on your cheek, resting a hand on your abdomen.

"Cirrus read that warmth is supposed to help," he murmurs and you feel gentle heat radiating from his touch.

The others all clamber onto the cushions and settle in various spots around you. When Aurora bossily nudges her way in between your legs to rest her head in your lap you laugh.

"We brought you these from the infirmary, by the way," Aether says, passing a small box of medicine to you. You give him an air kiss and he grins before cozying up next to Sunshine. You look at the pile of ghouls surrounding you and sigh.

"I don't mean to alarm anyone but..."

All ten of them whip their heads around to you as if synchronized and you laugh.

"...but I love you all. Like, a lot. More than I'm even capable of putting into words."

Cumulus coos at you, her hand wrapped around your calf and head resting on your knee. Rain gives you a soft smile and takes your hand, kissing your fingers. They all are giving you very gooey looks but the moment is ultimately ruined when Mountain stretches big and dramatically tosses himself into the middle of the pile.

"Mount! You're crushing my lungs!"

"Sorry, Cir," the towering ghoul says archly, lazy grin on his face, "hazards of being part of this pack. Right, my love?"

He's looking at you and you smile back at him, giving him a wink.

"A hazard just like potentially getting puked on," you say, looking at Dewdrop who gives you a panicked stare, "I told you I was going to throw up on everything you own, didn't I?"

There's a concerned silence before you burst out laughing and snuggle yourself deeper into the corner, hands playing with Phantom and Dew's hair.

"It was a joke, guys. I mean, I think. I am still nauseated so..."

Someone grabs the remote and turns on the TV, putting on a home renovation show. Dewdrop doesn't stop warily looking at you out of the corner of his eye for the rest of the night.

[lupizora]

No One Left Behind

This was my super late gift fic to WhatIsMagic over on the Boku no Ship Academia discord server for their Secret Santa 2019. Admittedly, lots of RL issues popped up to make the process more difficult than it already was. But procrastination is a bitch too... ^^” I’m happy with the end result though! It was my first time writing from Kirishima’s POV and the sunshine OT3, which turned out to be more fun than I expected~ Hope you enjoy!! ^w^ 

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Romance

Pairing: Kirikacchako

Rating: T

Word Count: 5,235

Summary: Kirishima's life was simple. Along with Bakugou, his partner-in-crime, they roamed the land in search of a place to call home. They even had a solid plan in his opinion. But life doesn't get any easier because you're a fire-breathing dragon. Especially not after meeting a charming yet tougher-than-she-looks witch that's asking for a fight.

Fight us? She’s so tiny! Kirishima had thought upon landing his gaze on Uraraka for the first time.

From barely reaching the knee of his dragon foot to the deteriorating state of her clothes, the Mage hadn’t appeared to be a threat. Not until she managed to knock down Kirishima with a single attack.

This infuriated his partner-in-crime and the land’s most dangerous bandit, Bakugou Katsuki. No amount of foes had been able to do that before, neither this fast. So he attacked Uraraka without holding back while Kirishima tried to stand again, pain traveling on his long skull like ripples on a lake.

Their fight seemed endless. Through his dragon vision, Kirishima could follow it easily despite the dust cloud they raised while dueling. It had been forever since he had last seen Bakugou being equally matched by anyone. Yet, this girl made him struggle with her wind magic, forcing him at some point to use his explosive fire magic. It resulted in leveling the first line of trees surrounding the glade Uraraka had found them.

As the aftershocks of that clash resided, Kirishima decided this had run long enough. Someone from the nearby village would come to chase them out; bringing more trouble than this dispute was worth. He could admit the Mage had guts though. Holding her ground against Bakugou with ferocity akin to a mother bear was an admirable feat. But they had to stop. Kirishima sprained his mind, trying to figure out how to resolve this fight without hurting their pride. All he came up with was sitting in between them during a pause for breath. This effectively blocked their path of attack, redirecting their general frustration at him.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bakugou shouted, striking his blades against the dragon’s scales.

Kirishima couldn’t feel anything so he left him to rage and addressed the Mage. ”We aren’t going to hurt anyone. We’re simply passing by on our way to the Elderworm Forest.”

She stared at him with wide eyes as if it was her first time seeing a dragon talk. The attention felt different though. Sure, she stared but it wasn’t the unsettling glare most peasants gave Kirishima like they pondered whether he would eat them or not. Her smell was flowery sweet like awe and wonder, instead of the sharp tang of fear. Flames danced in his stomach like fleeting butterflies.

“I see,” said the Mage. “If that’s the case, uh… Mr. Dragon.”

“Kirishima,” he said with a snicker. “Just call me Kirishima.”

“Alright…You seem kind, Kirishima, so I believe you.” She grabbed her staff tighter and tried to glance over at Bakugou. “But he—”

“I’m what, Round Face?” Bakugou sneered. “Not worth your time?”

“I’d say rude and tactless but you know that already,” she mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

“You got some nerve! Third-class Mages like you should know their place.”

“Oh? I wonder what your bandit brothers will say when they find I swiped the floor with you!”

Kirishima placed a paw on Bakugou’s head to prevent him from attacking her again. “How about we all calm down and eat something? It’s getting late and dinner tastes better with a company, don’t you think?”

Both adversaries huffed in annoyance. Their growling stomachs betrayed them though and they reluctantly agreed to the idea with blushing faces. Leaving them at opposite sides of the clearing, Kirishima set up camp. He had plenty of fallen tree trunks at his disposal to create a small pure in the middle. After lighting it up with his dragon breath, he forced Bakugou to quit his sulking and unpack their things from Kirishima’s back. They were running low on vegetables and other spices the bandit used in their meals but had enough meat to last them until the next big town. So Kirishima wasn’t too worried. After all, Bakugou could make everything taste good even with the bare minimum of materials. It was one of the reasons the dragon enjoyed traveling together. Things used to taste very bland before.

Soon, the smell of a freshly cooked meal spread in the clearing. Kirishima’s mouth watered, saliva dripping on the ground and sizzling whenever it hit the burning embers of the fire.

“Watch it,” Bakugou scolded him. “You’d get drool all over the food!”

He whined in return and dropped his head between his front legs, wagging his tail like a puppy dog. Of course, this motion raised quite the racket coming from an overgrown lizard. Annoyed from this distraction, his friend eventually threw him a half-cooked rib. Kirishima gobbled it whole in one go.

As he was licking his snout in delight, his gaze fell on the Mage. She was sitting on a log at the furthest point the fire could reach. They had introduced each other properly while setting camp earlier. Her name was Uraraka Ochako, a wandering Mage currently in her thesis quest. She had to complete the quest to graduate from her Master Wizard school. It sounded like a lot of trouble for a seal of approval to Kirishima, but humans always had to make things more complicated than they should.

Picking another freshly cooked piece of meat from Bakugou’s makeshift pan, Kirishima approached Uraraka and placed it on a smooth rock in front of her.

“Is that for me?” Uraraka asked, surprised.

“Yup!” He took a seat next to her. “And it’s not poisoned if that’s worrying you.”

She cooed and picked it up bare-handed. “That’s so sweet of you. I’ve been starving actually!” Ignoring the look of hatred Bakugou directed at her from the other side of the fire, she inhaled the food in a matter of moments.

No lie. She must have been really hungry, Kirishima thought.

He hadn’t seen a human woman eat so carelessly and messy before. It was different in a good way; like everything about her seemed to be.

They spent the better of the night talking about this and that until both Mages fell asleep. Kirishima stayed awake a little longer, self-conscious of Uraraka’s back leaning against his side. Her body heat was nothing compared to the raging inferno in his gut. But it made his thoughts travel far and wide.

Maybe those exact thoughts were the reason when—come morning—he asked Uraraka to join along in their journey to the Elderworm Woods—much to Bakugou’s loud and very vocal objections.

“No.”

“We’re all headed in the same direction.”

“I refuse!”

Kirishima dropped his shoulders with a sigh. “Technically, I’m the one carrying the bags so it’s my shot to make.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Bakugou said. “I’m the one in charge.”

“Please don’t make me say things I’ll regret, man.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”

“That you just don’t want me along because I kicked your butt,” Uraraka said. She had perched on a tree branch, observing the scene at a safe distance from Bakugou’s fire-like powers.

He turned around, pointing his finger at her. “You stay out of it! This is between me and my partner.”

Seeing this was going to turn into another fight, Kirishima donned his human form and stood in between them again. “She’s coming or we’re walking there and that’s final.” He said to Bakugou.

He appeared firm and serious, but his insides were coiling with anxiety. It was rare for the dragon to directly challenge Bakugou’s ‘authority’ like this. More often than not, Kirishima let Bakugou take the initiative because their goals aligned, not out of fear. Kirishima could withstand most magic attacks with ease after all. Except when it came to Uraraka’s magic. He couldn’t understand what had come over him regarding the Mage. It worried him not that she beat him. There was a first time for everything and Kirishima wasn’t the strongest dragon in the land at the end of the day. He told himself that her coming along wasn’t just to keep a close watch on her. He wanted Uraraka to come, simple as that.

Bakugou crossed his arms, still scowling. “Fine. But she’s cooking her meals.”

Kirishima grinned. “Aye, sir!” He turned around but his words were cut short.

Once she got a glimpse of his face, Uraraka fell from the branch into the bushes underneath the tree.

“Gods!” Kirishima rushed to her and parted the vegetation. “Are you alright?”

Uraraka straightened her hooded hat. “Yes! I...lost my balance is all!” she said with a cheerful high-pitched squeak, taking his offered hand. After standing up, Uraraka continued holding onto it. Her fingers trailed the larger scales along his forearm before stopping on the underside of his human arm. She seemed mesmerized from the smaller pebble-like scales he had there instead of smooth skin.

Bakugou’s curt cough snapped her out of whatever trance she had entered.

“Ah! I’m so sorry, Kirishima!” Uraraka said, blushing and waving her hands in front of her. “That was rude of me. I should have asked you if it was okay. I’m very sorry!”

The dragon returned his gaze on his arm. Warmth, unlike any he’d felt before, spread from the spots she had touched him. “You don’t have to apologize,” Kirishima stammered, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t remember the last time anyone grabbed my hand so carelessly.”

“I see.” Her rosy cheeks turned, if possible, redder. “If that’s settled then...I should get my things ready! Bye!” She bolted in the direction of the camp.

Her reaction puzzled Kirishima but he didn’t press the matter any further. They had an entire trip ahead to figure out things if they had to.

Bakugou remained uncharacteristically silent for the rest of that day.

***

Uraraka turned out to be a pleasant company indeed. With a spring in her step, she filled the following weeks with joy and excitement. Everything amazed her. From flowers growing on top of ancient columns, to the way Kirishima’s scales glistened when the sun hit them just right. It was contagious.

Even Bakugou started warming up to her. Especially after discovering how terrible were her actual cooking skills.

“No one can burn boiling water,” he said while throwing away the remains of Uraraka’s shoddy kettle, “or turn perfectly solid meat into slime. How you made it this far is beyond me!”

The Mage joined her hands together with an awkward smile. “People’s generosity?”

Bakugou shot his meanest stinky eye and begrudgingly accepted to involve her in their meal plans. He didn’t change his overall attitude towards Uraraka though; always keeping his distance as if uncertain of what to think of her. In Kirishima’s eyes, it was a tentative first step forward at least.

They eventually fell into a peaceful routine in their traveling. Guards stopped chasing Kirishima and Bakugou the moment they spotted them in town, allowing them a couple of hours to browse for supplies before sounding the alarm. As the group traveled mostly through the air, they had already covered a great distance by the time kingdom forces were alerted.

Kirishima had been worried Uraraka might come to the wrong conclusions. The duo weren’t criminals. Bakugou had simply ridiculed the current ruler once, and the King hadn’t taken it lightly. But Uraraka laughed her heart out when the dragon tried to explain the situation, calling it silly and dropping the subject. Relief washed over Kirishima. He let her ride on his head for the rest of that flight, smiling all the way. His partner, surprisingly, didn’t complain about the sitting arrangement for once.

This serenity was a fragile and fleeting state to remain for long though.

***

Things started going downhill when they reached the Great Mountains. Those massive blocks of earth, rising white and blue from the mist, were the last barrier before the Elderworm Woods. Plenty had attempted to cross them in the past; most giving up from the harsh cold and lack of proper passages. However, Kirishima had been confident about making it across when he had first suggested it to Bakugou. He could keep the Barbarian warm even if his winter garments and furs failed him. But the dragon hadn’t planned for a third person in their group, more so how it would distract him from his duties. The Gods had their way to jog his memory though.

On the third day of their crossing, while they were scaling a steep slope, Bakugou slipped. Kirishima could only stare in shock as his partner fell, his cape billowing behind him. Something passed next to Kirishima in a blur. It was Uraraka free-falling. The action startled him enough to snap out of his trance. Kirishima jumped after them, his wings unfolding from behind his back as he regained his dragon form. Passing through the clouds that had settled around the cliff, he found them suspended in midair. A pink aura was covering both their bodies like a shimmering cloak, but it flickered around Uraraka. She continued chanting; hands shaking around her magic staff. Her levitation spell wouldn’t last long.

With Bakugou too dumbfounded to reason, Kirishima just hovered below him and called for Uraraka to drop him. She did with a relieved sigh. Feeling Bakugou’s weight settle on his saddle, Kirishima flew upwards and picked the Mage midair. They reached the top and landed smoothly on the plateau there.

As Uraraka stroke Kirishima’s snout, Bakugou approached them with heavy steps and turned her around to face him.

“What did you do?” He yelled.

Uraraka stared back, the sharp scent of fear emanating from her body. “I saved… you.”

“Get one thing straight, Round Face. I didn’t need your help! Not now, not ever.”

“But you’d have died!” She released her arm from his grip. “I couldn’t just stand there and let you perish!”

“Spare me this shit,” he snapped back. “I have a motherfucking dragon on my side. Kirishima would have caught me before I hit the ground.”

“I wouldn’t.”

Both turned their questionable gaze at him. 

Kirishima stared at his feet, his two hearts beating erratically. “I froze for a moment back there. Yeah, I might have had reached you but I can’t say that for sure. If Uraraka hadn’t intervened…”

Bakugou huffed and withdrew to the furthest corner of the plateau.

The Mage and the dragon set camp by themselves, occupying their thoughts with small talk and jokes.

Later on, when night had spread her silky midnight veil over the horizon and Uraraka had fallen asleep against Kirishima’s side, he heard the shuffling of clothes and steps approaching. The faint aroma of caramel Bakugou gave off was the only reason Kirishima wasn’t alarmed and continued to pretend to be asleep. The steps seized when they reached the dragon’s right side.

“You didn’t have to side with her,” Bakugou said.

Kirishima finally opened one eye to look at him. “I was being honest.”

“Bullshit.”

“It was the truth and you know it. You’d have been injured or worse, dead.”

“I’m not afraid of death,” Bakugou said. “It comes for everyone in the end.” Stepping on Kirishima’s snout, he scaled the dragon’s head to sit between his horns. “Your tongue has been getting ahead of itself lately.”

“Is that a problem?” Kirishima didn’t need to study his partner’s face to understand this was troubling him.

“It’s a bother, that’s what it is.” Bakugou flopped backward. “Where is this audacity coming from?”

“I’m not saying anything different than I did before.” Kirishima snorted. “You react to it more now.”

“I do not!”

“If you say so, man.”

Bakugou huffed. “She was being reckless,” he said, returning to their previous argument. “The idiot could have killed us both with that risky plan.”

“I thought it was brave,” Kirishima said wistfully. “And Uraraka did save your life, dude. You gotta thank her!”

“Whatever.” His cape slipped over the dragon’s right ear as Bakugou laid on his side. “Just go to sleep.”

Typical, Kirishima thought with a fond eye-roll. 

His partner would prefer to set himself on fire before he acknowledged anyone’s help, even if that assistance had saved him from plummeting to his certain death. But if there was one thing bothering Kirishima was his own reaction back then. He prided himself in his quick reflexes. And yet, Uraraka’s smile had distracted him.

Could this be dangerous? he wondered while drifting asleep.

***

After the fiasco with the cliff, Bakugou decided he had his fill with scaling the mountains. If they could fly to reach them, they could fly across them too. No one objected to this plan at first, but it quickly turned into an extremely awkward ride. Bakugou hadn’t exchanged a single word with Uraraka since the incident and neither did she. Having to sit close, due to the harsh cold, didn’t prompt them to mend their differences either.

This negativity tired Kirishima. He was doing all the hard work. Couldn’t these two clear the tension between them? If only until they reached their destination at least.

The Gods granted his wish in the form of a snowstorm. Strong winds were bending his wings in the wrong directions. His second eyelid protected his eyes from the snow, but Kirishima couldn’t see clearly from the fogginess it accumulated.

“Hold on!” He shouted as dark shapes sprouted in front of him. The last thing he heard before colliding with something solid where his party’s screams.

 When Kirishima opened his eyes again, everything was white. Ice and snow slid from his belly as he turned around to stand on all fours. His ears were ringing and his front was sore from his fall. Still, he craned his neck to find his saddle empty.

Panic flared in his chest as Kirishima scanned the horizon. 

Oh, no… How long has it been?

There was nothing but plan hills made of snow as far as his eyes could reach. 

No. I didn’t ask for this.

He dashed ahead, the ground parting beneath him in waves. 

No! That’s not what I wanted.

Sure, things would be better if they got along. Bakugou was his friend, his partner, the closest thing he had to family anymore. The world could be against him and his personality had seen better days, but Kirishima had sworn to be there for him, in thick and thin. Compared to that, his relationship with Uraraka was still fresh; an uncharted, delicate bond Kirishima was only starting to make sense off. But if anything happened to her, none of his hearts wouldn’t take it.

Something shimmered on his left. The air was different around that terrain as if there was a boiling pot buried underneath. Kirishima bolted in that direction, not paying any attention at how the snow got deep enough to reach his shoulder. It was getting warmer. 

After a long final jump, he landed on something soft and squishy. Releasing his fire, Kirishima melted the ice around it to reveal a pink force-field. Two forms were huddled together in its center, under Bakugou’s fur-lined cape.

“Guys!” Kirishima shouted.

Uraraka’s eyes fluttered open and she offered him a weak smile. The field started dissipating, allowing him to enter. Kirishima didn’t waste time and curled around them, offering his body’s heat. Relief washed over him, filling his eyes with water. Just as Kirishima settled his head on his tail, his gaze crossed with Bakugou’s red.

“Why are you crying, idiot?” The Barbarian murmured, exhausted.

He sniffed. “I almost lost you again.”

Bakugou scoffed and rapped his knuckles against the dragon’s scales. “You’re here now and that’s what fucking matters.”

***

When they resumed their traveling, the tension was gone. Uraraka even settled in Bakugou’s lap and he had to hug her to hold the reins. At first, Kirishima didn't pay much attention to it. They had been in mortal peril before, almost freezing to death. Of course, they would cuddle for warmth. Kirishima went as far as to congratulate Uraraka for convincing his stubborn partner to go with the original plan. Her flustered reaction tipped him off that something was amiss though. Ignoring the sour taste it left in his mouth, Kirishima focused on getting them away from these cursed mountains instead.

The rest of the trip was uneventful and after a particular steep peak, the Elderworm Woods unfolded before their eyes; a vast green sea, full of creatures with every size and color under the sun. Giant trees—taller than the High Castle itself—spread over the terrain. Magic rode on the wind like sparkly ribbons made of stars. Kirishima could sense it, filtering through his wings and bouncing on his scales. 

It felt like home. 

His excitement carried over to the others. Uraraka was tracing her fingers through the air with glee. A small smile spread across Bakugou’s face as he tried to see everything at once. 

They were happy and it should have been enough. Kirishima didn’t want to think about the consequences of reaching their destination. But as they settled for the night, he was unable to sleep. Scenario upon scenario bounced around his head like excited fox-squirrels. What all of them had in common was Uraraka or Bakugou or, Gods forbid, both leaving him behind. He could stay in this forest forever but could they?. 

The blooming romance between the two only increased Kirishima’s worry. Bakugou wasn’t the type of guy to sit in a field of flowers with anyone before; more so with someone, he had been on the fence for a while. Whenever Kirishima asked him about it, the Barbarian claimed he was helping Uraraka with her thesis. The sooner she finished, the better for everyone. Uraraka would return to her Academy, he and Kirishima would return on their adventuring. Yet, by observing them, it seemed more like Bakugou stalled on purpose. Chasing Uraraka around while she was gathering herbs. Climbing with her on trees to stargaze or exploring the forest together.

Kirishima couldn’t ignore the truth anymore. He didn’t want to get in the way of their happiness either. 

So one day, while Uraraka went on her regular herb-hunting, Kirishima grabbed Bakugou and flew to the nearest hill. Despite his protests, the Barbarian remained quiet after their landing. Transforming into his human form, Kirishima took a seat on a boulder. He had gone over his words several times. Still, he didn’t know where to begin.

“If you have something to say, just get this over with.” Bakugou crossed his arms. “She’s gonna get worried and whine about it.”

Kirishima took the crumb, like a drowning man looking for a lifeline. “That’s what I wanna talk about.”

“Uraraka’s whining?”

“No! Uraraka in general.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And she’s kind-hearted enough to worry about us. You should give her more credit about that.”

“Fine. What about her?”

“I’ve noticed she acts differently around you lately. I mean you still have your arguments and rivalry going on, but it’s more mellow than before. Almost like teasing,” Kirishima said, pulling at some weeds. “I don’t think you notice it but you have this look on your face whenever Uraraka is around like spring has come early.” Saying his observations aloud wasn’t supposed to hurt. But Kirishima’s insides were twisting; as if the fire in his lungs had escaped to the rest of his body. “All I’m trying to say is that it’s pretty obvious that you like her and she does too. So I—“

“Huh?!” Birds flew away from the foliage nearby, Bakugou’s yell scaring them off. His eyes were so wide, they might as well had popped up from their sockets at any moment. “You serious?” He said, calmer but still in a tone of disbelief. “Are you blind? She likes you!”

“What?” It was Kirishima’s turn to stare as if madness had contaminated his partner.

Bakugou started passing. His cape swiped the ground, raising dust behind him. “She never shuts up about you. Always has a nice word and a smile for you. Haven’t you learned anything about human courtship all these years?” He turned around to point dramatically at him. “You obviously like her back too. Giving her the best part of the meat. Offering rides. Looking at her as if you worship the ground she walks on. So don’t joke around!”

“I’m not! I’m not human, man. I may look like the part from time to time. Deep down though, I’m too different to completely understand her,” he said. Clenching his scale-covered fists, Kirishima stood up to reason with his partner. “I’m a monster. That’s why she’s better off with you anyway.”

“Bullshit!” Bakugou bonked him on the head. “You’re soft-hearted to a fault! People see someone big that breathes fire and they think he’s dangerous. We both know that you’d be better off at some secluded cave in the mountains than go around burning villages,” he said with a wave. “So what if I am human? They are scared of me! Who, in their right mind, would want to be around someone who half the kingdom is asking for his head?”

“You’re not that scary, man,” Kirishima said. “I’ve stayed by your side for so long, didn’t I?”

“You don’t classify as ‘someone in his right mind’ for exactly that reason.” Bakugou took a deep breath. “Never. Not once, I got that reaction from you. As if you aren’t fazed by anything and everything in the world is your friend. So don’t give me this crap of being a monster. If there is one, that’s me. And Uraraka is better off with someone that can treat her right.”

“But she’s so head-over-heels for you, dude!” Kirishima shook him by the shoulders. “You just don’t want to admit it.”

Bakugou grabbed him by the horns and pressed their foreheads together. “You are the one in denial and projecting your feelings on me.”

“Just admit it!”

“You admit it!”

“Don’t I have a say in all this?” Uraraka’s voice, albeit sweet with a tinge of a hidden laugh in her tone, dropped like lighting right then and there.

The boys untangled themselves and stared back at her. Uraraka held her wand on one hand and a patch of herbs under the other. Her hair and clothes were a mess. She probably flew to this hill too since their camp was at least a mile away. Her body language wasn’t showing any angry signs. But Kirishima could smell the anxiety oozing from her in waves.

“I thought something happened,” Uraraka said with a sigh. “And here you are, arguing over something so stupid!”

It stunk. Was there a possibility she wasn’t romantically interested in either of them and they had made a fool of themselves, treating her as an object and not a person with her own will?

“What do you mean?” Bakugou demanded to know.

“I have two hands!” Uraraka exclaimed frustrated.

Kirishima didn’t understand the statement and by Bakugou’s blank expression, neither did he.

“Of course you have two hands,” the dragon offered. “You’re a human. That’s normal.”

Uraraka huffed. Leaving her staff and the herbs on the ground, she approached them with a confident stance. Both boys took an involuntary step back, not sure what to expect of her. When Uraraka finally stood in front of them, she took ahold of one hand from each.

“See?” she asked with a blinding smile. “We can all stay together this way.”

Bakugou figured it out first. His whole face turned the same shade of red as Kirishima’s scales. Heat emanated from his body, small wisps of smoke trailing from his free fist.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the Barbarian muttered, not looking any of them in the eye.

Kirishima scratched his cheek, still staring at their joint hands as if it was a puzzle he couldn’t solve. “I don’t get it,” he said.

"It means I like you both, silly!" Uraraka said as if it was the simplest concept in the world. 

"Oh."

"Oh?" Bakugou grabbed Kirishima by his jacket. "That's all you have to say?" 

The dragon allowed his body to be rocked sideways. "Why are you angry, man? This great! I haven't heard of a three people's mating but it could work, right?"

Bakugou's face turned, if possible, redder than before. "Like hell it is!" He turned to Uraraka. "And you. I don't know what possessed you, Round Face. This idiot here isn't some pet you keep in your backyard and throw away when it's too big to fit there. He is someone with feelings you can hurt with statements like that. Last week, he cried because he thought he destroyed a badgers nest!"

"I know! That's why I like him!" Uraraka said. "For his heart is his biggest strength and his smile is...” She blushed. “Adorable.”

“Really?” Kirishima pointed at his razor-sharp teeth. “Don’t you think it’s scary?”

“Says who?” Bakugou scoffed. “It’s badass, that’s all.”

Uraraka cooed—to the Barbarian’s embarrassment—before her grin turned into a frown. “I still can’t believe both of you like me. I thought I was getting between you two.”

“What?!” The boys cried.

“Hear me out!” she said. “You called each other ‘partner’ all the time.”

“Yeah,” Bakugou said. “Because we are comrades-in-arms.”

“I was watching you two from the day I met you. It always looked like something more.”

At that moment, a particularly challenging battle flashed before Kirishima’s eyes. Bakugou and he had been separated. Soldiers were surrounding the dragon to stop him. Kirishima did feel a bit sorry for them when he resumed his human form and broke through their blockade. It hadn’t lasted for long though, as the mindset of battle overcame him. With half a mind, he continued searching for his partner. Deep down, Kirishima knew it was unnecessary. Bakugou was a powerful wizard and a merciless warrior; he didn’t need assistance. But he was also human and not having him in his sight, made Kirishima worry.

During a lull in the battle, he finally spotted ash-blond spiky hair in the distance. The Barbarian had lost his cape, fighting bare-chested with his trusty curved blades on both hands. Bloodstains littered his body but they weren’t from his wounds. Kirishima dropped the soldier he had just defeated, watching mesmerized while Bakugou fought simultaneously against three enemies with a wicked grin on his face. It was a memory the dragon held dear in his two hearts because it was what real freedom looked like to him.

“I guess that’s true,” Kirishima said with a shy smile.

Pulling his hand away, Bakugou turned around with arms crossed. His scent was resembling more of burnt caramel and smoke escaped his clenched fists in bulk.

“Said something wrong?” Uraraka asked.

Although his expression wasn’t visible, Kirishima knew they didn’t have to worry. If anything, the Barbarian’s ears still had a touch of red to them.

“No,” Bakugou grumbled. “You’re just disgustingly corny.”

The dragon and the Mage exchanged a knowing look before both tackled him from behind.

“Get off me!”

“We love you, too!” Uraraka chimed.

Kirishima’s hearts were hammering so loud in his chest. Joy, unlike any he felt before, filled him to the brim like a magic boost. Without Kirishima realizing, his wings unfolded and he shot to the sky above them with an excited roar. He didn’t have to choose between them nor would he be left behind. They could stay together for as long as they lived.

“Put us down, you idiot!” Bakugou shouted over the wind. “You can be happy on the ground too!”

[seagreen-meets-grey]

When Lightning Strikes Ch. 11

When your life is nothing but a cloudless sky, lightning can come and strike you so unexpectedly, you won’t even know what hit you.

Or: When Hiccup and Astrid meet, it is as if lightning strikes.

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] [Chapter 16] [Chapter 17] [Chapter 18] [Chapter 19] [Chapter 20]

Crossposted on ao3 and ff.net

_______________

Astrid’s energy level was on an invincible high. Even after riding her mom’s bike home at full speed, she felt like she could climb a mountain, run to the South Pole and back and swim through the Pacific Ocean, with a cherry on top. She even skipped a few steps on the way from the garage to the front door.

In the entryway, she tripped over a pair of shoes and bumped her knee on the coatrack. But even the sharp pain and brief frustration couldn’t dampen her mood. Whatever restlessness she might have felt in the past year and a half, it suddenly seemed insignificant, dumb even. Because everything was right with the world today, the spark of energy still pumping through her veins, even though all she’d done was bike to the park and meet a friend.

Him. Hiccup. Her biggest what-if. The only person who’d been able to distract her from everything that’d been weighing her down lately. She wanted to turn around and run back, just for the thrill of the feeling. She felt like she was an addict and he was her energy source, loading her cells with electricity.

Humming contentedly, she slipped out of her sneakers and walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Her mother was just packing her prepared late lunch into her bag, ready to leave for work. She looked up when her daughter entered the room.

“Hello, sunshine, what are you so happy about?”

“Oh, nothing specific,” Astrid told the cupboard when she reached for a clean glass. “It’s just a good day.”

“Where have you been? During all the hurrying and yelling for a tire pump I didn’t get a chance to ask.”

“Met with a friend in the park.” A new wave of energy made her hop onto the counter and ignore the chiding look from her mother. It wasn’t like she was getting dirt on anything; all she did was spill some water on her pants.

“I’m glad to see your mood has improved so much lately.” She pulled her daughter off the counter, overlooking the eyeroll she received.

“One can’t always be a gloomy Gus, right?”

“Speaking of – are you finally telling me what’s been going on with you?”

Astrid crossed her arms. “Just some female stuff. Aren’t you late for work?”

A quick glance at the clock on the wall made her mom’s eyes bug out of her head. “Oh, dear!”

As her mother was grabbing her keys, Astrid pointedly sat back on the counter, waving goodbye as Wilma rushed to the door, put on her shoes in record speed and bumped her knee on the coatrack. Then she was gone, the sound of her car’s engine fading in the distance.

Astrid took her time drinking her glass of water, swinging her legs back and forth, feet bumping into the counter like the beat to her own song. Humming various melodies, basking in the sunlight shining through the kitchen window, she found herself drifting off into a daydream. A very self-indulgent one. One where she could just rearrange her life so she had nothing to worry about anymore.

The chime of her phone shook her out of her little perfect fantasy and she almost rolled her eyes at herself for how silly her thoughts were. Dreaming too much about unrealistic notions was only a waste of time, especially if one could somehow achieve their dreams by actions instead.

She hopped off the counter and, while texting her colleague back that she could take over his shift the next day, made her way into her bedroom to grab her swimming bag. A short drive and change of clothes later, she dove into the pool and cut through the water like she was part of it.

On her way back home, right as she was singing along to Guns N’ Roses, her phone interrupted the song with a call. Glancing at the radio display, her lips curled into a smile when she saw who was calling and she tapped a button on her steering wheel.

“Hey there,” she greeted.

“Hi,” it came out of her speakers a little unclearly, static in the background that sounded familiar.

“Are you driving?”

There was a small pause. “What? Sorry, I didn’t get that.”

“Are you driving?” she repeated a little louder.

“Yes, sorry. My car’s a piece of shit.” He was almost screaming.

“Are your windows down? It sounds like-“

“What?”

She groaned. They were getting nowhere like this. “Hiccup, can you hear me?” she shouted.

“Yes.” The background noise faded a little bit. “I’m in front of a red light, the engine’s quiet, now’s your chance.”

“Mine? You’re the one who called.”

“Right… Oops, yellow light.” The noise was back immediately.

Halting in front of a traffic light herself, Astrid grabbed her phone and quickly typed a message before an impatient honk behind her notified her that the line of cars in front of her was moving.

“Geez, calm down, jackass,” she mumbled and accelerated.

“WHAT?” It almost made her laugh this time. This was terrible.

“NOT TALKING TO YOU!”

That exact moment, the noise faded again. “You don’t have to scream, you know,” Hiccup joked.

“Just be glad I can’t hit you right now.” Before he had a chance to answer and be cut off by his car again, she kept talking. “You know what? I just texted you my address. If you want, you can come by and we can talk in a normal volume like normal people.”

“Define normal.” He chuckled and the noise picked up again. “But um… Yeah, yes, I can do that, I can… Yes. Um… See you in a few then, I guess?”

“Okay, great!” she shouted one last time before the call ended and Axl Rose continued singing about rain in November.

She made sure to be home first. She had just enough time to hang her swimsuit and towel in the garden to dry, kick her dad’s smelly old slippers far underneath the couch and check if there was toilet paper and soap in the guest bathroom, before the doorbell rang.

She made iced tea and they sat on the couch.

“So why did you call me earlier?” she asked, catching the straw between her teeth and taking a sip.

“Oh, ah…” Hiccup fidgeted around a bit, settling on sitting with one leg crossed under him, the other dangling off the couch. “I just… I was wondering… What your favorite color is?”

“That’s why you called me?”

He shrugged, leaning one elbow next to him on the back of the couch. His smile was a tad awkward, as if he didn’t quite know how to explain himself. “Yeah, see, I was on my way home and there was nothing good on the radio and I didn’t have my CDs and I was thinking and you know how I draw for a living? And I can’t exactly recall my train of thought but it ended at favorite color station and then I realized I never asked you what it was, your favorite color, I mean–”

“It’s blue,” she interrupted his rambling with a fond smile.

The hand holding his iced tea stopped midway through gesticulating. “Just blue?”

“I also like gold, but more the soft gold tones, not the flashy ones. But mostly blue.”

He nodded, thoughtful, as if this information was some kind of clue for a puzzle.

“What do you think mine is?” he then asked, brows still furrowed in thought, waiting for the last puzzle piece to click, or something.

“You want me to guess your favorite color?”

“Yeah, I… I’m curious about something.”

She took a few long sips of her iced tea, studying him intently. How should she guess what his favorite color was? Was he wearing it right now? His shirt was black with print in several colors. His jeans were blue, his shoes dark brown with olive green accents. She didn’t have a clue.

When she met his eyes again, which were observing her as if they were trying to read her thoughts or maybe steer them in the right direction, a sudden feeling overcame her. It was strangely familiar, accentuated by a certain smell pulling at the edges of her mind for the fraction of a second. She was still trying to make sense of that when he opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.

“The forest. All the colors you find in the forest. Dark green, rich natural green, dark and light brown, maroon, autumn colors.”

He was silent for a moment before a wide smile lit up his eyes.

“Wait, was that correct?”

He nodded. “All of it.”

“No way! You’re bullshitting me.”

“I swear that I’m not!” He held up his hands.

“Seriously?! How the hell did I guess that right?” She unconsciously leaned closer, as if an invisible rope was drawing her in. “You must have told me that once before!”

“I didn’t! Just as you never told me yours before now, but I immediately guessed it right when someone asked me about it recently.”

Astrid was still having a hard time coming to terms with her one in a million guess. What was this, some kind of uncanny connection? An elaborate prank of sorts? A lottery win? It took her a second to register that the gears she heard creaking in her head were, in fact, a key turning in the front door’s lock. A quick glance at the clock made her hopes that it was her dad returning from work early evaporate into thin air. Because her mother was the one who knew certain things. And certain faces.

Not blind to the sudden twist of panic on her face, Hiccup laid a not-helping hand on her knee. “Are you okay?”

Shuffling in her seat until she reached the spot on the couch furthest away from him, she nodded as casually as possible. “Sure.”

He’s just a friend, she told her rapidly beating heart, feeling almost twenty years younger, caught with her fingers in the chocolate pudding in the middle of the night. Just a friend, just a friend, just a friend, just a friend, just–

“Oh, hello!”

–a friend…

“Hey… Mom.”

Hiccup turned around, meeting her mother’s eyes. Astrid watched her reaction closely. At first, a curious intake of the face before her. Then, the slight narrowing of her eyes, a slowly raising eyebrow, culminating in the most harrowing anxiety-inducing kind of recognition Astrid could imagine.

“Mom, you remember Hiccup?” She sent her mother silent warning thoughts that didn’t seem able to penetrate the awkwardness she could practically see settling around her friend.

“I do,” Wilma said, gaze flitting between her daughter and the young man she remembered thoroughly confounding said daughter’s emotional state not quite so long ago.

“Nice to, er, nice to see you again, Mrs. Hofferson,” Hiccup greeted, shooting Astrid a wide-eyed panicked look.

“HICCUP, LET ME SHOW YOU THE HAMMOCK,” she all but shouted and grabbed his wrist, only to draw back immediately as the skin contact shot an electrical shock up her arm. Not letting that derail her escape attempt, she reached for his elbow and pulled him from the couch, making a bee-line for the garden door.

He gave a last awkward wave towards her mother before most willingly following her away from this encounter.

In a corner of the garden, a comfy hammock hung between an apple tree and a plum tree. She let herself fall into it backwards, sprawling her limbs for a second before making herself comfortable and patting the space next to her. Hiccup gingerly sat down, trying to leave some space between them, but the hammock wasn’t big enough. Slowly, gravity pulled him back towards the middle of the cloth, until their shoulders and hips were touching. Astrid didn’t complain.

“So… That was…” he started, but before he could say the word ‘awkward’, she interrupted him.

“How’s Toothless? How does he deal with having to wait for his dinner a little longer today?”

“Oh, he’ll live. Besides, I’m pretty sure he knows how to open the bag of dry food I’ve stored on the highest shelf.”

When he continued to talk about his cat, she mentally heaved a sigh of relief. She really wanted to avoid talking about why him meeting her mother again had been awkward, because then she’d have to acknowledge that there’d been something to talk about, and she’d rather not open that can of worms. Ever. So she just started idly rocking the hammock back and forth, pretending the motion was the reason for the pleasant fluttering in her stomach.

_______________

Wilma Hofferson liked to spend the end of a workday on the couch, newspaper or a magazine in hand and a pot of tea on the table. Sometimes, when her husband came home early, he’d join her, and they’d chat about their day or sit in comfortable silence, passing over parts of the newspaper every once in a while. It was her favorite way to relax and wind down after a stressful day.

Today, however, she was having trouble concentrating on the latest news from the sports industry and the discourse surrounding politics. The tea on the couch table was already cold and the muscles in her back wouldn’t quite react to the pillows.

One of the windows stood ajar and she could hear occasional bouts of laughter and exclamations waft over from the other side of the garden. For the past week or two, she’d been worried about her daughter. It was obvious that there was something bothering her, something serious she refused to talk about, or even acknowledge. And Wilma hated it, hated not knowing what was going on, what was causing her child such inner turmoil.

Now, however, it seemed the most important piece of the puzzle had appeared on the very couch she was sitting on right now. The urgent looks Astrid had thrown her and her escape into the garden only magnified Wilma’s suspicion that her daughter was, in fact, not exactly done with the topic of Hiccup Haddock. And even if the two ultimately were just friends, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the situation than Astrid was letting on.

Her thoughts were interrupted by sudden loud voices approaching the door to the garden, a discussion playing out between the two entering the living room. If she hadn’t had her daughter’s entire life worth of time to learn to distinguish between her girl’s angry and her daring, competitive facial expressions and body language, her initial assessment of the scene before her would have been a tantalizing fight between lovers. The grin tugging on the boy’s lips, however, only amplified the rays of playful banter shining off the pair.

Astrid caught Wilma’s look. “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just curious what this is about.”

“He thinks I’m being a coward.” Astrid jutted a finger in Hiccup’s direction.

“What?!” he immediately exclaimed. “I never said that, when- when have I said that? Didn’t you hear me? I said you’re crazy and you shouldn’t do it. I didn’t say that you wouldn’t.”

“That’s right, because I would. And I will.” She crossed her arms, nothing but daring determination written across her features. Then she walked away towards the kitchen with the same energy, Hiccup hurrying after her.

“No, Astrid, don’t actually do it!”

Now that the two were out of sight, Wilma strained her ears to further hear their conversation, trying to understand what was going on without going after them like a parent making sure their child didn’t do anything stupid. Although, in this particular case, that didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

She could hear the sounds of body parts colliding with furniture or the occasional other body part, as apparently a scuffle broke out, accompanied by the occasional giggle or huff. Something clattered to the ground.

“Ha!” Astrid seemed to have won the scuffle.

“Astrid, no, put that away!” There seemed to be more wrestling, followed by a groan of pain from Hiccup and a stifled, “Bad Astrid!” According to the lack of more jostling, he had given up taking away whatever she was crinkling in her hand.

“I’m gonna do it.”

“Astrid, no, I was joking earlier! Don’t actually do it! Don’t- No- Astrid- I will tell your mother-“

“Cheers!”

There was a beat of silence.

“Oh my god, she actually did it.”

Cries of disgust rose over his muttered expression of awe and disbelief alike, then spluttering.

Muffled by something in her mouth, Astrid’s words were barely discernible. “Fuck, tha’sh dishgushting! An’ sho dwy!”

Someone turned on the sink and presumably filled a glass with water.

“Don’t swallow it, spit it out. I’m sure eating it wouldn’t be good for you.” The amusement in his voice was unmistakable.

Sounds of spitting and gurgling filled the pause before a triumphant Astrid spoke again. “Told you I’d do it.”

“Were you like that during High School?”

“Oh yeah. Sometimes even worse.”

He chuckled, somewhat softly. “High School me would have been crushing on you so hard.”

Silence. Wilma caught herself holding her breath, almost rooting for something to happen. But after a minute of quiet, there was only a loud sneeze and more exclamations of disgust.

“EW! That stuff is so sticky and dry at the same time!” More water ran through the sink.

“You don’t say! What did you expect?”

Wilma couldn’t hold still anymore. She made her way over to the kitchen, where she found one of them spluttering into the sink and the other leaning against the counter right beside her, arms crossed, shaking his head with a grin.

“What on earth are you doing in here?”

Slightly startled by her sudden appearance, the pair looked up. There were traces of a white powder on Astrid’s chin and shirt.

Hiccup’s voice sounded deadpan, but his eyes shone with amusement. “She bet me she’d eat a whole sachet of baking powder.”

Wilma’s eyebrows climbed up to her hairline. “Do I need to know why?”

“No, mom. You really don’t.” Astrid rolled her eyes the same way she used to when she was a kid and her parents interrupted her mid-playdate. Or when she was an ambitious teenager and someone brought up the topic of boys. Or when she was in college and tried to vehemently deny that she was not sleeping with that gorgeous new ‘study buddy’ of hers. “We’re just messing around, don’t worry, I’m old enough not to break the kitchen.”

Astrid threw her a look and Wilma could only decipher the message it carried through mother-child-telepathy.

Don’t even start, it said, we’re just friends doing stupid friends stuff.

Wilma wasn’t convinced, judging by the pair’s body language, even if unintended. They seemed to gravitate towards each other. If one moved a shoulder, the other changed the angle of a foot. If one ever so slightly leaned in another direction, the other followed. There was always a part of them angled toward the other. Two magnets. She wanted to think it had been the same with Eret, but she had to admit she’d never paid enough attention to notice.

After one more gulp of water and a last disgusted shudder, they left the room, leaving a trail of electricity in the air, akin to the remnants of a summer storm.

She was extraordinarily stubborn, that girl. If only she were less tenacious with herself.

_______________

Astrid watched his car disappear down the street before she turned and headed back into the house, feeling content and giddy at the same time. The cheerful smile on her face, however, disappeared as soon as she entered the kitchen and found her mother waiting for her.

Preparing herself for the imminent interrogation, she took a wet cloth and cleaned the rest of the baking powder off the counter and threw the empty paper sachet in the trash. She didn’t have to wait long.

“So we’re eating baking soda now to impress boys?”

“It wasn’t baking soda; it was baking powder.”

“And?”

“And I didn’t do it to impress anyone, it was just a stupid dare!”

Her mother sighed. “Astrid-“

“No, don’t start with that tone. I told you, everything’s fine, and I met Hiccup by chance a few days ago. We’re just friends!”

Wilma crossed her arms. “That’s not what I saw.”

With a huff and a little too much force, Astrid put the empty water glass into the dishwasher, and it dangerously clinked against a mug and a saucer. “Whatever you saw, it’s not what you think. We didn’t do anything.”

“I am not trying to chastise you.” Her mother came closer and stretched a hand out to her, but Astrid turned away, leaning against the kitchen table. “I just want you to talk to me about what’s going on with you, and don’t you say that there is nothing, because I can sense that there is!”

Astrid huffed again. “If there was something for me to talk to you about, then I would tell you.”

“Okay, then don’t.” Astrid winced. She could tell her mother was losing her patience. “Keep bottling everything up until it breaks you from the inside. Keep pushing away the people that want to help you be happy. And please, Astrid Hofferson, keep denying everything to yourself and stay miserable!”

“Like I said,” Astrid whispered, suddenly feeling queasy, “there is nothing.” Her phone chimed in her pocket with a familiar tune. “And now excuse me, I have an online date with Ruffnut.”

Ignoring her mother’s disappointed expression, she turned and ran up the stairs to her room, closing the door and leaning against it for a few minutes. Her stomach clenched itself together and she concentrated on breathing until it calmed down.

She banished the conversation with her mother from her mind, changed into her sweatpants and deliberately put on one of Eret’s old hoodies. Then she crawled into bed with her laptop, opened Ruff’s chat and checked her phone while she waited for her friend to come online.

There was one new message and it sent another jolt threw her stomach. It was Hiccup, asking her if she wanted to come to Raven Point forest on Saturday, just for a little nature quality time. With a fluttering in her chest and a still queasy stomach, she texted him yes.

Just when she sent the text, a chat window popped open on her laptop’s screen, followed by an incoming voice call.

Twenty minutes later, after Ruff told her every single detail about her family vacation in Spain so far, including an in-depth analysis off all the butts and abs she’d seen at the pool of her hotel until now, they switched from shooting enemies online to sharing a screen and playing The Sims.

“…so he offers her the rose and she takes it, sniffs it good, and winks at him. Poor Tuff is in waaaay too deep at this point.” Ruffnut cackled, finishing her story about her twin brother’s affair with a lady who stayed in their hotel as well and was almost ten years older than him. It was kind of hilarious how he hadn’t really planned on going through with anything, but then he’d found himself in the situation and hadn’t backed out. And now he was in way over his head. But knowing the twins, Astrid could only imagine this ending in absolute chaos, and couldn’t wait for the full story once they came home.

“I’m almost done with the Sim, how far along are you with the house?” Once they were both done with their creations, Astrid would upload her character for Ruff so she could share her screen and they’d reign over it together in her built house. It was how they’d been doing it since middle school.

“Almost. Still deciding between a garden of cow plants and a dungeon.”

“Choose the cow plants and we’ll have the Sim feed only every second one,” Astrid suggested while clicking through her Sim’s wardrobe options for formal wear. On a whim, she had made her character small and chubby, with very short and spiky platinum blonde hair, gray eyes and the most ugly nose and ears she could create.

Ruffnut burst out laughing once she saw it. “Hot. Almost like Eret.”

Astrid snorted at that. “Uncanny resemblance.” And yet it wasn’t even Eret she’d tried to steer away from while designing the Sim. But Ruff was right, in her effort to do just that, she’d also created a non-Eret. All the better.

Two hours later, the guy was still alive and kicking, despite the hungry carnivorous plants in his garden and the plenty fire hazards Ruff had installed in his house. He had even found love in one of his neighbors, after spending comparatively little time with her.

“Sims logic,” Ruff sneered. “As if you can fall in love after one ten-second conversation about light bulbs. And get married right after.”

Astrid chose not to comment on that. She shifted in her bed, sitting up straight again so that her laptop didn’t sit on her stomach so much, suddenly feeling queasy again. She’d probably accidentally swallowed some of the baking powder.

Her thoughts drifted to Saturday. She hoped the weather would be good, but after these weeks of sunshine and temperatures almost too high for May, she wasn’t worried. She could already smell the beginning of summer in the woods, see the sunlight catching in–

“Yo, jackpot!” Ruff’s voice tore her from her daydreams.

“What? What happened?”

“Weird neighbor girl got knocked up!”

The warm feeling in Astrid’s chest shrunk into a tight little ball, rising into her throat. She tried to swallow it, but it stayed where it was.

“Ruff?”

“Huh?”

“Can you imagine me with a child?”

“Sure, you already act like my mom sometimes.”

“No, I don’t!” Astrid protested. She did, though. She realized that herself.

“Yeah, you definitely do. Why are you asking?”

Astrid took a moment to answer. “Just thinking about it. Because of the game.” She grimaced.

“Cool. Tell me when you’re seriously thinking of trying, my friend Kelsey did that last year so I can give you all the deets. You know I’m good at advice.” She cackled.

“Hmm. Will do. Hey, go back to the first floor, I think the toilet just exploded!”

Long after midnight, when she and Ruff had ended the call, she slowly opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and took out the pregnancy test she’d bought and hadn’t had the nerve to use yet.

With the lump in her throat growing and the queasiness in her stomach uncomfortably increasing, she tiptoed into the bathroom and unwrapped the stick with shaking hands.

When she was done with it, she sunk onto the floor, leaning against the tub, the test lying next to her. With a pounding heart, she refused to look at it, staring at the underside of the sink until her tailbone started to hurt from sitting in this position for so long. There was really no use in waiting any longer; whatever the result was, it was real, no matter how long she put off finding out. Still, it took her several more minutes before she took a deep breath and reached for the stick.

She released the air from her lungs when she looked at it, the result staring her in the face, unmistakable and clear.

Hands still shaking, she took out her phone and dialed a number before she could change her mind. He picked up after the fourth ring.

“Hello? Astrid?”

“He-“ She cleared her throat. “Hey.” She didn’t know what to say. Their last exchange had been nearly two weeks ago and it had been less than friendly.

“How… How are you doing?” Eret didn’t know what to say, either. It went unspoken between them that they left things too messy to have a casual conversation right now, or an even remotely serious one over the phone. But she didn’t want to fight anymore, and neither did he. She knew that she needed to apologize for some of the things she’d said. All of them if she were honest. But the words died on her tongue when she made out voices in the background.

She heard a woman call for him, and the old fire flared back up in her chest, hungry and destructive. A male voice joined her.

“Um…” Eret paused, unsure how to continue.

With bated breath, she waited for him to say something. Anything. Feed the raging flame.

“We were just about to go out for drinks, me and a few colleagues, Timothy… Timothy’s waiting for me, I’m sorry. I gotta go. We’ll talk when I’m home, okay?”

Who the hell was Timothy? “I… Yeah. Okay.”

“See you on Sunday.”

He ended the call and left her in the eerie silence of the bathroom. She just sat there, slumped against the tub, tailbone complaining, swallowing the rocks in her lungs.

With a frustrated huff, she threw the stick at the wall, a lonely tear rolling down her cheek.

[alexisluthor]

It was unintentional, the result of digging on a construction site. Wind whipped around the stripped land and dust particles flitted through the air. The site was on the other side of Smallville and there was no reason Clark should have been there at all. 

He was on the farm, doing chores, which, since Jonathan died, held no fun whatsoever. Every turn, every patch of land, every practiced movement of his hands reminded him of the father he’d never see again and he didi those chores as fast as alien-ly possible to avoid those thoughts and feelings.

It was the late afternoon when he heard it - a cry. He dropped the bag of feed and peeled off his gloves, head craning to hear better. It happened again, a cry for help. It sounded like an adult and because of it’s clarity and Clark’s non-existent attempts to hear beyond Smallville’s limits, he knew it was coming from town.

Following a sound isn’t as easy as one might think. Clark sped around town, only stopping in abandoned alleyways behind buildings without cameras to avoid detection. He would come to a shattering halt and listen, re-orient himself. 

It took all of two whole minutes to find the construction site and the worker trapped beneath a beam. The trapped man was on the site on an off day. He’d gone to retrieve a report he’d left the day before and on his way back to the truck, something red and glinting caught his eye. They were digging deep into the ground to create a cellar or basement for whatever building was going up. 

The man paused at the lip of the trench to get a better look when the ground beneath his feet gave way. He, along with three steel beams that had been at rest on the unsteady earth all tumbled into the trench. No one was on the site to help him and his cell phone was in his truck.

Luckily for him, Clark heard his cries for help. Two and a half minutes after the fall, after the crushing beam landed on his legs and snapped the bones like twigs, a young man in a plaid shirt was jumping into the pit. 

The college kid with a body builder body had to pretend that it was difficult to move the beam, but luckily, he’d had years to perfect his bullshitting skills. The guy was barely holding on to consciousness anyway, so whatever he’d remember of this, Clark was sure no one would believe him anyway. 

Kent’s strong hands lifted the beam off with ease and he dropped it nearby, not paying close enough attention to where he was setting it. The end of the metal beam landed with a crack and Clark looked just in time to see that the steel had crushed a piece of red kryptonite. It was the furthest end of the beam away from Clark and it had landed with more weight than the end he had his hands on. The resulting hit to the kryptonite left the red rock in dust. It had become a fine red mist that mingled with the dirt in the air and wafted towards him in a glittery wave of sparkling rouge. 

Clark coughed and tried not to breathe in at first - until the first wave of euphoria smacked into him - then, suddenly, holding his breath seemed to be an incredibly stupid thing. He took a deep breath, then another, and a third. He talked to the guy and carried him out of the trench but disappeared before the ambulance got there. 

He ran. Not for the practical purpose, but for fun. He ran and ran, passing the farm right up. He zipped through traffic, cars going 80 miles an hour appeared to be standing still as he weaved around them. Sometimes he ran in the grass instead, but it was easier to orient himself by following roads. 

He ran until the cornstalks disappeared and turned into the rocky mountains. And rather than traverse 70 through them, he would take massive leaps and bounds. He jumped, and ran and sometimes even appeared to fly until the rocky mountains were behind him and the desert lay ahead. But just as soon as it appeared, it was gone. 

He ran until his feet were off the ground and on the water. He’d passed up Leggett and ran right out into the Pacific Ocean. He was only a few miles from shore. If he’d stop, drop out of super speed and return to normal time, he’d sink like lead right into the water. So he ran back to shore. 

Clark picked a spot out of eyesight and collapsed on the beach - not out of exhaustion - but gratitude. His worries, his troubles had melted away and all that existed was the sand between his fingers and the California sunshine caressing his skin. 

For the first time in two years, he felt peace. Here, there was no concern over his mother’s political career or her gaining relationship with Lionel Luthor. Here there was no worry for the farm or heartbreak over Pete’s absence in his life. Here there was no fear of the father who had etched that wretched symbol into his chest. Here, his father’s grave didn’t hang in his memory like a lead weight. Here, it didn’t matter that he was single handedly keeping an entire farm afloat while simultaneously trying to survive college. 

One thing did still bother him though - even in this place. 

Lana and Lex’s faces floated to the surface of his wind-blown thoughts and remained burned there behind his eyelids. Lana and Lex were engaged. Lex had been responsible for the fires at the factory and had, yet again, avoided any sort of repercussions for his actions. 

The further apart Lex floated from him, the worse things he seemed to do. He had been experimenting with a dangerous chemical, even after the government had given him warning and shut him down. He continued on with it anyway, and the resulting explosion had cost three men their lives. 

Did he even care?

There was a cold edge to his stare now that had never been there before and it scared Clark. The old Clark. Now though, he was Kal-El, and he would dole out justice, even if the law failed to do it. 

He sat up on the sand and felt the wind card through his curling brown hair. Soaking up the moment for just a little longer, he decided that his next stop would be the Luthor mansion. 

Lex could wait though - Clark deserved to watch the brilliant sun dip below the ocean waves and sink to the other side of the world. It was a breathtaking sunset filled with sherbet oranges and salmon pinks with puffs of purpling clouds passing overhead. 

He made a mental note to watch more sunsets around the world as he stood and brushed the sand from his clothes. A new outfit would be in order for what he was about to do with Lex, but he didn’t want the older man to grow suspicious. So he whizzed like a bullet back to Kansas and bought a new flannel shirt and denim jeans. 

He may be Kal now, high as hell on red kryptonite, but he was older now than he’d been on his first ride with Red K - he knew better how to behave - how not to alert people to this monumental change in personality. 

At sixteen, when he was high and spent the summer in Metropolis, he had been as predatory as a shark, wearing a grin to match. He was all black Armani and sunshine yellow Ferrari’s. Perhaps, he thought, he could find a happy medium between Kal and Clark. Not turn into Lionel Luthor but also not revert back to the bumbling farmboy. There was an in between and he was going to find it. 

His inhibitions were gone. Left back at the farmhouse that he refused to return to, instead zipping straight to the mansion where he was no longer welcome. The world seemed clearer, brighter, more black and white and less gray. He knew what he had to do. What he wanted to do. 

He wanted to punish Lex.

-Read More-

[timtamtalestakestwo]

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong....

After dropping the Chrises at Sydney Departures to catch their flight back to the UK (see previous blog post for part 1!), I headed onwards to the Domestic terminal to catch a flight up to Darwin. Arriving at 1am, I had a rather sleepless few hours on the floor of Darwin airport before greeting my parents through arrivals at 5am! We had 3 weeks of Outback adventures ahead to catch up on all we’d missed from a year apart!

We picked up our Britz campervan for the first part of the trip and headed straight in the direction of Kakadu National Park on the red dirt roads in the very hot sunshine to get straight into holiday mode! The evening was spent at an old aboriginal site called Ubirr; here there were ancient ochre paintings, beautiful rock formations and stunning vistas, perfect for a sunset viewing!

We’d heard there might be a possibility of seeing crocs in Kakadu although none of us were convinced we actually would. However, a stroll to Cahill’s Crossing proved us all wrong; on arrival we could see the ominous backs of about 12 crocodiles swimming around in the inaccurately named ‘East Alligator River’. There were locals fishing in the river standing scarily close to the edge, given that behind them were multiple collections of flowers and crosses commemorating people who had been killed in recent years by getting just that bit too close! It was incredible to see the crocodiles climbing out of the water and watching their size triple from what it had appeared in the water!

All those black dots in the water? Crocodiles!

A stunning walk around Bardedjilidgi sandstone outcrops and a steep hike up to Nawlandja lookout overlooking the Nourlangie escarpment provided some of our first exposures to the incredible Kakadu landscape! Given how much land was burning all the time (at one point there were embers right up to the road we were driving along), we were surprised at how green the landscape was.

We braved another close croc encounter on a walk around Anbangbang billabong and also spotted our first Jabiru! It looked absolutely enormous – especially in comparison to all the other birds on the billabong!

Spent the night at an unexpectedly beautiful campsite on the Mary River where we were surrounded by wallabies and kangaroos!

It was time to head across to Litchfield National Park – a smaller area and surprisingly quite different landscape to Kakadu given its relative proximity. We stopped off en route at the ‘magnetic termite mounds’ – so called as they are aligned with their main axis running north to south and orientated such to minimise midday sun exposure and warmth inside the mound. There were also some enormous mounds- up to 5 metres high!

We did a walk to Buley rockholes (which themselves were full of people swimming) but we found our own private one just a few minutes downstream to have a much-needed refreshing dip! Our walk took us down to the popular Florence Falls, and then onwards to the stunning Wangi Falls where we were staying the night! Wangi falls had been closed until the week prior due to crocodile sightings so it was safe to say my mum did not look one bit relaxed for the beautiful sunset swim in there!

Buley Rockholes

Wangi Falls

We squeezed as many hikes as we could in our short time in Litchfield so our last full day there was spent hiking along the Upper and Lower Cascades (literally clambering down a waterfall). It was so hot and we found an inviting rockhole mid-hike but had left our swimmers in the van– my dad and I are not ones to miss out on a plunge pool swimming opportunity so we just jumped in in our clothes! Lunch was at the top of yet another waterfall amid the Tjaetaba walk through a sharp contrast of monsoon forest and savanna landscapes! We finished the day with a walk around the Tolmer falls which were worth our close shave with heat stroke in the high temperatures of the afternoon!

We briefly explored Darwin town centre and harbour before driving to the airport for our flight to Alice Springs for our Red Centre adventure!

 Flying in we could see no evidence of any human life anywhere close until we got off the plane and saw there was in fact an airport there! It had just been expanses of red dirt as far as the eye could see, with no town in sight! We were staying in an amazing ‘glamping hut’ I found on Airbnb called Under The Hump. Sitting outside by the firepit having our kanga steaks with a beautiful view of the stars will certainly be one of me lasting memories of Alice! We weren’t quite prepared for the cold weather we would be faced with though – going from 32 degree mornings to 3 degrees was a bit of a shock to the system!

We explored the town and rather fell in love with its character! A small sleepy town surrounded thousands of miles of desert! Having lived by the coast all our life we realised it was the furthest any of us had ever been from the sea!

We explored the famous Todd Mall markets, and went to the Todd River (I was hugely disappointed by this as was expecting an actual river and was met by an expanse of sand. Apparently I was the only one to not be aware that this would be the case. My Tripadvisor review would be a generous 1star as far as rivers go. Same goes for the actual Alice Spring which I didn’t realise we had even seen until I was told later – because it was again just sand.) We spent a fascinating few hours at the National Women’s Pioneer Museum at the old gaol and a visit to the Telegraph station which allowed telegraphs to be sent between Adelaide and Darwin and was the site of the first European settlement in Central Australia (I imagine the Spring actually had water in it at that time….) – although should be acknowledged that the Arrernte people have inhabited what is now Alice Springs for thousands of years prior!

One of my favourite days of the trip was exploring the absolutely breath-takingly beautiful West MacDonnell ranges along the Larapinta trail. We started about 2 hours from Alice at our furthest point, Glen Helen Gorge. It was a deceivingly cold day despite the basking sunshine so we passed on taking the ‘refreshing dip’ here and felt for the many people we saw running who were doing a 4 day Larapinta trail run!

Mum trying to protect herself from the cold wind!

The next stop was the stunning Ormiston Gorge with hike around the top and through the middle of the gorge (which again had no water because dry season!). The other stops along the way are probably best described with photos rather than words. They included the Ochre pits where indigenous people collected ochre to use for rock and body paintings, which they used to tell Dreamtime stories and in ceremony; Serpentine Gorge with a steep hike up to a lookout over the West MacDonnells; Ellery Creek Hole and Simpsons Gap. We had hoped to see a few rock wallabies along the way but unfortunately they may have been hiding away from the cold!

It was a long 5 hour drive down to Yulara (the small resort town for Uluru). 5 hours along a straight road with fairly barren red dirt desert either side; even just this relatively short distance made us appreciate how enormous and sparse this country is. We caught our first glimpse of Uluru and Kata Tjuta from afar as we approached and what a beautiful sight it was! We found a viewing area next to our accommodation where we watched our first of many Uluru sunsets!

We spent the next 3 days exploring the National Park, learning about the significance of Uluru to the Anangu people and all about the local culture and traditions. Seeing Uluru up close was much more impressive than I'd imagined; what looks like a fairly uniform rock from far away is made of up so many caves and gorges and rock formations which all have cultural significance and stories behind them!

Mutitjulu Waterhole

The other place of significance in the National Park is Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) which is a contrasting collection of rocks (the formation of both Uluru and Kata Tjuta seems to be still very much undecided so I’m struggling to know what to call them!). We did an absolutely stunning hike there called the Valley of the Winds with some breathtaking viewpoints.

After lots of beautiful sunset viewings, we braved a very early start, armed with a thermos of hot tea, to drive into the Park to watch the sunrise. It was certainly a popular event but we could see why – watching the colours change over Uluru with Kata Tjuta in the distance was just spectacular! 

Our legs were exhausted from a lot of hiking so we spent our last day going to workshops and talks put on by the resort, learning about bush tucker, aboriginal hunting tools and even a didgeridoo lesson!

It was time to fly back to Newcastle but what a trip of a lifetime we’d been lucky to experience! It was great to finally show my mum around the place I’ve talked so much about over the past 5 years and to take her back to Sydney to see where they both lived 31 years ago, and meet up with some of their old friends!

Sadly, their life back in England called, so it was another goodbye but we parted ways with so many incredible memories to last a lifetime! 

It was back to hospital life and the revision grind for me....

[horrorpostergirl]

Build it back up...or tear it down

A/N: A part two to my first BNHA OC drabble, When your foundation crumbles. It introduces yet another OC of mine. Well, two more technically. I may make this a full on story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If she was being completely honest, Nora could very well see why people would not like her. Especially when she opened her mouth about her feelings towards heroes.

All the college student wanted was to buy some some yakisoba noodles, maybe a few vegetables, and more coffee. The true essentials of a student trying to survive. Yet a pro hero’s presence in public, mainly just walking down the sidewalk on patrol, was enough for everyone to make going to the store difficult. Her brow twitched and her stomach growled. 

I just want noodles. Delicious, instant noodles.

She forced a smile and politely wiggled her way through the crowd of fans.

“Excuse me- Pardon, sorry- Just trying to get through-”

“It’s Mount Lady!”

A ugly groan escaped from her throat. “Oh who cares?!” Then she became painfully aware of the horrified and disgusted looks she received but she was too tired to really care. Coffee. Noodles. That was all on her mind, not some hero that took more care to pose for the camera than care in actually capturing the villain. Yeah yeah, you beat up the bad guy but at what cost? Oh wait, as long as you get a paycheck and some publicity you don’t care.

It had been a little while since the appearance of the infamous Hero Killer, and his so called defeat. Nora had always held distaste for heroes, and Stain’s words did more to further her disgust for them. These days, heroism felt more like a way to get fame and money. Whenever she saw a hero posing for the cameras, she wanted to gag. It didn’t really help that the exam for the top hero school was extremely biased. Flashy, physical quirks were almost guaranteed to get you a spot.

It was obvious that this world had a gold standard over who would be a shining hero or not, and cared nothing for conviction or dedication. Nora simply didn’t want to be a part of that.

She finally made it into the store, huffing as she stocked up and got what she needed. A sympathetic clerk gave her a smile seeing the telltale eyebags that screamed she was up all night studying and writing out a 8000 word essay. Mentioned eyebags made her light grey eyes look slightly manic. Her plum colored hair was curly mess as usual, lazily pulled back in a half up half down style though several unruly strands fell out. She got in and out quickly, aiming to head quickly back to her studio apartment.

Countless times she had been offered by her cousin’s family to live with them. It would be the smarter thing to do, and less lonelier but Nora found herself used to being isolated, and didn’t mind living on her own. She called her uncle twice a week to let him know she was okay considering the area she lived in, and her cousin always spammed her messages of either memes to make her laugh, or rambling about her latest metalwork.

She wouldn't mind living with them, but then again Seiren and her father had so much sunshine and energy in them despite the punk biker aesthetic they held that it should be illegal. 

As she climbed the stairs to her studio, she narrowed her eyes spotting someone waiting outside the door. Upon getting closer, and see the person spin around to face her, she sighed recognizing who it was.

A few inches taller than her, with long dark brown hair and doe sky blue eyes. It was her little cousin, Seiren. 

“Ren, whatcha doing?” Nora had only glanced at her as she started to unlock her door. “I wish you would have told me you were coming over, I would have picked up-” A barely audible sniffle caught her attention and she looked at Seiren again. The fifteen year old had her head down, and it finally clicked to her that the girl wasn’t as cheerful as she usually was. She bit her lip, and opened the door. “Come in, I’ll get you some cocoa.” The girl nodded at that, and Nora ushered her in before following after and locking the door.

She set her groceries down, putting the refrigerated items away, and started the kettle while Seiren sat on the couch. She heard more sniffling and Seiren kept rubbing at her eyes. Nora bit her lip once again, and moved to sit next to her. “What’s going on Seiren?”

She stayed quiet, starting to wring her hands, and Nora had half a mind to call her uncle to see if there was anything she needed to know. Though if Seiren had gone out of her way to talk to her like this, it had to be something serious. 

“...you were right about heroes.” Seiren weakly said. 

Nora blinked. The day Seiren got her acceptance letter into UA, the girl was beyond happy and energetic. She felt tired just watching her run around the place in excitement. Though Nora herself didn’t care for heroes, she begrudgingly supported her cousin, since she knew Seiren genuinely cared about people, and would be a hero for all the right reasons. Hearing her admit to what she denied for so long was a bit haunting.

“What brought this on?” 

Seiren didn’t verbally respond. She reached into her messenger bag, and pulled out a folded news article. Nora took a hold of it and saw it was on Stain. Before she could comment, Seiren looked up and she saw her watery eyes. “I recently had my internship. One of the offers I received after the festival...and it really opened my eyes.” She wiped her eyes. “Lionskin. You know him, right?”

Nora vaguely recalled that name. Lionskin, a pro hero whose quirk was Nemean Lion. He could turn into a monstrous lion with impenetrable fur, and when not walking around like that, he was a very handsome man with golden locks and dark amber eyes. He was certainly a favorite among hormonal fans due to said looks and aesthetic. Now that she thought about it, she remembered her uncle telling her about it.

“Seiren caught Lionskin’s attention at the sports festival. He sent her an offer, and you know how he works in the rougher district. Seiren wants to work in a tough area when she makes it as a pro hero, so she accepted! I’m so proud of her.”

“You interned with him, right? What happened?” Nora asked assuming something went wrong at the internship. Maybe she saw something that upset her while patrolling with him...but with the Stain article she was starting to put together it was something more.

Seiren looked miserably at her. “He isn’t a real hero...all he cared about was- He didn’t- He doesn’t care about people. Just fame and reputation. And with everything that happened with the Hero Killer…it just- it just opened my eyes.” Her eyes started watering again. “I hate the system. It makes me sick, it’s not fair that people who don’t care about anyone but themselves get to be heroes, they can call themselves that when they’re the furthest things from being a hero! B-But I still want to be a hero, I still want to be a good one, but how can I when- when-” 

Nora’s hands shot out and grabbed her shoulders. “Breathe.” Seiren sniffed and took a deep breath. The older woman sighed and pulled the girl in for a hug, feeling her heart going out to the young girl. 

“He called me naive...said that with heroes around, that should be plenty of inspiration for people to not mess up. He didn’t care for people who struggle, I asked about the prevention of the creation of criminals and he didn’t care...I don’t want to be a hero if that is what it means to be one now...All Might is just distracting everyone from things because he’s number one and a good hero.”

Well, you’re not wrong. People say we live peacefully because of All Might, so heroes don’t see the need to really care. Nora thought to herself. Seiren squeezed her arm.

“I thought about leaving UA.” Nora froze and looked down at the girl. “B-But deep down, I still want to be a hero, I don’t want to disappoint my classmates, dad, mom...you.” Seiren looked up at her. 

Nora ruffled her hair. "Seiren, you could never disappoint me. You've always been more like a baby sister to me. Do you drive me nuts sometimes? Yes, but I could never be disappointed. Your feelings are valid. And if you want to not be a hero, I will support you. But I know you. You want to be...well a real hero. You would be more upset if you left that path. If you gave up without giving it a real shot." 

"But what if I turn into someone like Lionskin?"

Nora snorted. "You won't. You're too cheerful, I mean who walks to school, or to the grocery store, singing Mr. Blue Sky and dancing all the way?" Seiren blushed in embarrassment. "And you know how ugly hero society is. You can do everything in your power to avoid contributing to it by being the hero you want to be.”

The kettle went off, so Nora went to go fix them two cups of cocoa. By the time she came back, Seiren was rubbing at her eyes, which were still puffy and red, but smiling a little. "You know, for someone who hates heroes...you've always been one to me. You always know what to say."

Nora set the mugs down and ruffled her hair again. "Its called I'm your family.”

"I've always looked up to you though. You always seem so cool…"

Nora definitely wouldn't mention she bumped her hip on the edge of the table last night, and sprawled out on the floor for a good five minutes. “Well, glad to know someone thinks I’m cool” She said with humored tone. 

They chatted a bit more, this time focusing on lighthearted topics. Seiren talked about her classmates, and the other students at UA. She also went on to say that she was making great progress with her quirk, and that maybe in the future the weight limit she had won’t be a problem. Nora of course jokingly asked if there was a boy she liked, and Seiren immediately tried smothering her with a pillow. 

When the cocoa was all but gone, and Seiren’s tears were dried and there was a real, genuine smile in her eyes and lips, it was getting late. 

“Alright, get your butt home. Gimme a hug first.” Nora squeezed Seiren into a hug, and watched as Seiren left with a promise to text her she was home safe. As she closed and locked the door, something began twisting uncomfortably in Nora.

The video that had been lingering in the back of her mind for a while started to make itself more prominent. 

“He enrolled in a private hero high school but was disappointed in the fundamentally depraved view of heroes taught by the educational system.”

“Someone must be dyed in blood...I must take back what it means to be a hero!”

She shook her head at herself. She already knew Stain was right about many things on hero society, but to hear about it firsthand from her cousin. To see Seiren’s spirit broken like this...her grip on the doorknob tightened until her knuckles turned bright white. I wonder why I encouraged Seiren to stay a hero…

Because she can be a real hero. You know it, and you want her to succeed in her dream. You on the other hand…you were never destined to be a hero. Ever since that accident in elementary school...that sense of being shunned by your parents, your peers. This society let you down from the start, and now it hurt the one person you love more than anything. So what are you going to do Nora? Continue your studies, pretend to be an average citizen and ignore your quirk...or do something about it?

She thought about it, and let go of the door knob. Clear the false heroes out of here, and make room for the real ones...tear down the society that has a  biased view of what heroes were…

Huh…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nora found her thoughts continuing in her head. It was like a broken record, and the more it repeated, the more she started to nitpick internally at everything she saw daily. Her quirk, despite the control she managed to gain over it throughout the years, started to act up. As if reacting to how she felt, and she found herself glancing at her hands quite often, voluntarily letting the wisps of violet energy trail around her fingers.

She had to start doing her breathing exercises again, not wanting to draw attention if people figured out what her quirk was doing in response to her emotions. However things really began to unravel when she made a turn into an alley.

A luscious golden mane of hair, amber eyes, and a tall muscular figure. Hands with sharpened fingernails. A cocky smirk.

The Pro Hero Lionskin.

He was surrounded by beaten down thugs, and he was stretching his arms out. It was probably little effort for him to dispatch the thugs. When your quirk gave you the ultimate defense in the shape of a monstrous lion, fighting probably came easy. Nora found her feet starting to move towards him. He glanced her way.

“Heya there miss. Normally I would say it’s dangerous to be here, but I already took care of these guys. So you’re perfectly safe with me.” He winked but seemed a bit taken aback seeing the glare on her face. “Uh...anyways. I’m going to say it’s safe you’re not a fan.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a fake?” She blurted out.

His eyes widened but then he got an annoyed expression. “Oh, great. Please don’t tell me you’re one of Stain’s followers. The dude was working both sides of crazy street and now he practically has a cult.” He shrugged and turned to face her fully. “The whole real hero thing comes from people who read too many comics as a kid. A job is a job. People become heroes for the pay and fame, because who wouldn’t want to be seen as amazing? That’s reality. People who work their asses off for little to no compensation are just stupid.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “So yeah. I enjoy being a so called fake hero if it means I get what I want out of life. I don’t know why people like you are so uptight over it. I mean, criminals are getting thrown behind bars either way.”

He made a move to walk past her but she stepped in his way. “What about when a young hero student asked how to make things better? What happens when you want to discover why people become...well that?” She pointed to the knocked out thugs. “Do you just not do anything, because you work for a paycheck?”

Lionskin really looked irritated now, his amber eyes flashing and  his lips pulled back in a snarl, showing sharpened canines. “Listen lady, you’re pissing me off. I got to let the cops know where I’m at so they can haul these low-lives to jail. If you don’t shut up, you can go with them.”

“I can, can I?” Nora asked. Her eyes narrowed. “Threatening a civilian because they made you angry? Well that isn’t very heroic is it?” She couldn’t help the sarcastic comment that flew out of her mouth.

His temper reached his limit, and he got in her face. “Listen here. I’m a pro hero, what exactly are you? Nothing. I don’t care who you are because you’re a nobody. You can sit back and judge me all you want, but by the end of the day I’m somebody in the public’s eye. You’re just another face in the crowd looking up at heroes like me.”

For some reason, the only thing that flashed through Nora’s mind was her aunt. Seiren’s mother. The kind woman who loved her niece despite her quirk, the one who used her iron quirk to fix things. The one who died because of a hero’s grave mistake. Another face in the crowd...another innocent who was lost in an accident that never should have happened.

The only thing Nora knew next was her fist colliding right into his face. He stumbled backwards, her hands sparking with violet energy, and she heard a loud roar. Her eyes widened. I just assaulted a pro. Oh shit, bad idea. Bad idea. She literally threw herself to the side when a lion the size of a fucking tank launched at her.

She spun around and got a good look at Lionskin’s form. He was...well definitely more terrifying in person than he was on the news. His claws and teeth looked way more lethal a lion’s ought to be.  He growled at her and jumped at her again, and she rolled out of the way again and continued backing up. Violet energy sparked around her hands again, and when he lunged at her again he slipped and ended up skidding on his stomach. She looked at the building behind her and moved away from it, her fingertips flicking out energy before the structure gave out and the wall crashed right on top of the lion.

Nora Nakano

Quirk: Chaos. She emits energy that causes bad luck and disrupts her surroundings to her favor.

She didn’t bother celebrating yet, knowing that the hero’s defense was too good to be taken down like that. Lionskin came through the rubble, looking roughed up but not injured at all. He started to stalk around in a circle, and Nora didn’t take her eyes off him. He then roared and lunged at her. This time he moved much, much faster and she  barely managed to get out of the way, and this time one of his claws grazed her leg. She screamed, feeling fresh blood trickle out. 

She threw out another hex of bad energy, and it barely stunned him for a moment. Her eyes landed on a discarded iron chain not too far from a knocked out thug. Quickly forming a plan, she threw out a hex to a nearby fire escape, the ladder undoing and slammed right into Lionskin’s face. He roared out in discomfort and annoyance, shaking his head which gave her a few precious seconds to cartwheel to the chain, grab it, and then hide it behind her back as she whistled mockingly.

LIonskin whirled around, charging at her. What surprised her was his quick shift to human form, and he tackled her to the ground. “That’s it you little freak! I’ve had it with you.” He raised his fist, presumably to knock her out, but he made the mistake of not pinning her arms down. Whether that was his own mistake or the luck of her quirk, she took advantage of it by jerking her head to the side, wrapping the chain around his wrist, and sliding her leg free so she could kick him in the chest.

He shifted again, causing her grip on the chain to loosen due to the size change but that was fine. He tried to jump on top of her but she rolled out of the way and he slammed his own muzzle into the hard ground. She tried not to laugh at the corny chaos her quirk was causing as she flung the chain out, it wrapping around his neck. She then pulled as hard as she could, the lion slipping again as he tried to get to all four paws. His air was starting to cut off, and it wouldn’t take long for him to pass out.

Lionskin shifted back to his human form, giving the chain enough slack for him to slip out and grab onto Nora, slamming her into the ground. His hand grabbed her throat and her eyes widened.

“You little Stain wannabe, you really thought you could take me out?!” His eyes were filled with rage. “Don’t fuck with me, lowlife!” HIs body started to shift again, jaws stretching out to roar at her face. Nora vaguely remembered one of his special moves was using his incredibly loud roar to stun people, to make it easier to apprehend them. Lions already had loud roars, so she could only imagine how loud he would be. Her free hand blindly reached out, and a metal pipe grazed her fingers, rolling into her grasp. Just as he was about to come down on her, she moved.

And the pipe went straight into his mouth, through the roof and right into the brain.

Invincible on the outside...not so much on the inside.

Nora felt hot blood drip onto her arm so she did her best to shove him off her, his lion form switching to his human form as the light left his eyes. She scooted backwards and stared...realizing fully what just happened.

She had murdered a pro hero. Sirens started to sound, and the only thing she could do was climb to her feet and quickly run.

[idolimagines]

The Pool Boy (M)

Full Fic

Jungkook x Reader (female)

Genre: Romance/Smut

Warning: Contains sexual content (fingering, thigh riding)

Summary: Meet Jeon Jungkook, your new pool boy

Length: 8.1k

  You stared out the window, watching in a daze as numerous buildings passed by – each one seeming taller than the next as they were built no less than 10 stories high in the heart of the city.

“Beautiful day we’re having aren’t we?” Your driver commented from behind the steering wheel, taking a moment to glance at you through the rearview mirror.

“Yeah,” you muttered with a blank face. “It’s nice.”

Before you knew it you had arrived at the front gate of your extravagant home – with your driver stopping just perfectly near your front door as you stepped out with your handbag in tow. 

Your heels clacked against the beautifully paved walkway towards the entrance and you had merely made it up two steps to the front door before your phone began to ring.

With a slight huff you fished through your bag, finding it quick enough before reading the caller I.D

“This is the fourth time you’ve called me within the last hour. What is it now?” You automatically hissed through the line, not giving the person on the other end time to greet.

“I don’t mean to bother you Miss, but I’m just calling to tell you that the papers have been signed and submitted by your husband.” Jesse, one of the lawyers informed.

“Ex-husband,” you corrected and there was a pause on the other end.

“Yes. Sorry, ex-husband.” He stammered and you rolled your eyes as you unlocked your door and entered your home.

“Alright, is that it?” You further asked, setting your purse and keys on a coffee table nearby before strolling through the large living room. You were welcomed by the pale blue walls and white accents of your home, tying in with the custom made French furniture you had a designer personally order last year.

“Y-yes – well there is also one more thing.” Jesse cringed through the other end, sounding as if he was going to be killed for speaking another word. 

“Which is…?” You added with a long pause.

There was a hint of hesitation once more, “Well, I – uh, I don’t know any easy way to put this…”

“Jesse, spit it out!”

“Your ex-husband…h-he wants custody of Pumpkin.”

Your annoyed demeanor suddenly went into full on rage as your eyes blared wide and your jaw nearly dropped to the floor in shock. “NO! Absolutely not!” You yelled. “That’s my baby, he can’t just take him away-”

“Frankly he can as the cat is registered under both of your names,” Jesse further sighed and you knew he was probably rubbing his headache away from his fancy office downtown.

You looked down as soon as you heard a faint bell noise chime near you and a sorrowful frown appeared while you looked at the fat, fluffy orange cat that purred around your ankle.

Holding the phone to your ear with a crimp of your shoulder, you quickly bent down and picked the cat up, holding him like a big baby in one arm while gripping the phone with your other once more. “Well tell him to buy himself another cat or something because I’m not letting him take Pumpkin.” You huffed while stalking towards the large windows of your kitchen.

With a grim look, you glanced at how dark the area looked and began to casually open the blinds, allowing some daylight to let in and brighten up the place. “Ma’am, I’m afraid my client said the cat was non-negotiable.” Jesse informed and you let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Tell him that he should have thought of that before he cheated on me then,” you countered with lightning speed and you could hear Jesse nearly choking on his cold glass of water from the other side.

For a moment you stayed silent, remembering the face of the man you used to call husband and all the pain that came with his infidelity towards you and your marriage.

Just like you, your ex was a very successful business executive – one that was by your side, starting from the bottom up together and eventually falling in love at an early age. With young love came nativity and trust – trust that only became shattered the second you found out that he was cheating on you with at least two other women. Both who were money hungry and knew about his success before sleeping with him.

But that was a few months ago and now the pain seemed to be virtually non-existent, leaving you numb on the inside and allowing you to put all your time and energy into your business. You were known as a workaholic, or as some of your employees liked to call you a, “She-devil”.

And frankly you didn’t seem to give a damn.

“Maybe I can convince him that you’re not willing to budge about Pumpkin…” Jesse’s voice rang you out of your thoughts and you swallowed the lump in your throat before continuing to twist open the blinds.

And as soon as you did the bright sunshine temporarily blinded you, causing your eyes to squint from the harsh light while they adjusted.

However as soon as they did, you quickly spotted an unusual sight.

It was a perfect view of your lagoon-like pool. Coming in at just over 9 feet deep at the furthest end and shallowing out to a mere 3 feet at the other. The water was clear and blue and exotic plants from all over the world bloomed beautifully around it, giving it that oasis look you always loved.

But that wasn’t what kept your attention this time – no. This time it was something or should you say someone much different as there, floating gracefully in the middle was an unfamiliar man.

He was relaxing near the deeper end of the large pool, with his long body floating on a sprinkled donut printed cushion. His hair was a dark brown color, resembling the hue of honey roasted chestnuts and casually stood at a middle part while his dampened skin radiated under the hot sun.

His simple white t-shirt stood out against the blue water and he looked completely at ease as he gazed at the man-made waterfall through his chic, round sunglasses.

Your brows furrowed in bewilderment and you found yourself pausing longer than you realized as you stared at the peculiar man.

“Y/N,” Jesse continued to say. “Y/N are you still there?”

“Yeah…” you awkwardly answered, still keeping your attention on the stranger outside while peeping through the blinds. “Hey, um. Let me call you right back.” You stammered before abruptly hanging up and throwing the phone on the kitchen table.

With one last look through the window you raced for the back door with Pumpkin still tucked against you, tagging him along to confront the intruder as you braced for a fight.

At first you sneakily made your way outside, quietly opening the door and keeping your eye on the random man in your backyard as you did so. Within the silence, you could see from afar that he wasn’t aware of your presence as he continued to sing along to a tune.

So you continued to stalk closer, spying on him as if your life depended on it while coming near with your cat in your hand. As you came closer you began to brace yourself for his reaction. What if he was a murderer? Or a thief? Or even worse…

What if he tried to hurt Pumpkin?

These were the ideas that ran through your head and you began to freak yourself out more by the second before the back door you had come through suddenly shut closed and a loud bang was heard.

The noise instantly interrupted the man from his relaxed state and he snapped up from the donut cushion he laid on – looking around to see what caused the noise before coincidentally catching you from behind.

In that moment you stopped all actions, wide-eyed and instantly regretting your decision to spy on the intruder instead of calling the police like a normal person.

But upon catching you, he jolted a little more – being caught off guard to say the least before eliciting an “Oh shit,” while losing balance and falling into the water.

You flinched from the big splash and turned Pumpkin away as some pool water sprinkled your way. With a curious look you came forward, gawking at the dark shadow beneath the water before the man suddenly popped up right in front of you.

You found yourself screeching and backing away from him, unaware of what his motives were before he finally spoke.

“Who are you!” He demanded, shouting with a water filled cough as he swam towards the edge.

With a surprised scoff you ran a hand through Pumpkin’s soft fur, flabbergasted by the man’s first words. “Who am I?” You repeated. “I should be asking who you are!”

Ignoring your remark, the younger man rubbed his hand against his face, throwing off any excess water that laid between his eyes before taking a look back at the floating cushion. “Fuck!” He cursed with a groan.

“What?” You pestered, taking a glance at the pool while his eyes darted towards the deep end.

“My phone,” he quickly answered. “It fell in and sunk to the bottom.”

Your eyes went wide, taking another second to look before finally spotting a tiny black shadow located towards the filter at the very bottom just as he said.

”Oh…” was all you could say, standing there awkwardly as he sighed and made his way up the ladder.

Upon first instincts, you should have ran away from the stranger and called the police – as any sane person would do.

But instead you simply just stood there, staying in his presence as your curiosity began to get the better of you.

As he came out of the pool his white t-shirt clung to his body, soaking wet and sticking to every inch of his upper half as he finally got out. His dark hair was now messy and hanging over his forehead while his silver earring sparkled against the sun’s rays.

You diverted your gaze from the man, merely holding your cat against you and instead attempting to ask him who he was again before he suddenly came forward.

And it was at that moment that you were finally able to see him up-close.

During this time you had now realized he was no longer wearing his sunglasses, as they too, just like his phone became lost within the depths of your pool. Needless to say you were taken back at first, surprised to find how handsome he was – especially up close.

From the close distance you could now clearly see his eyes – dark brown just like his hair and filled with a fresh and kind look that held your attention from the moment you saw. His nose was sharp and prominent and his delicate lips were naturally a deep cherry color.

Upon seeing you he too focused all his attention on you – even halting a breath as his lips slightly parted.

His eyes bore into yours and the way he looked at you caused your mind to turn into mush – suddenly forgetting that this man was indeed a stranger.

And feeling the tension, your sight faltered from his and you let out an inward groan before he began to lift his wet shirt up and peel it from his body.

“What are you doing?” You asked as you began to set back into reality and covered Pumpkin’s eyes.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” The man casually huffed. “My shirt is wet so I’m taking it off.” He added in a duh tone and you immediately frowned.

“No, I meant what are you doing here? Who are you?” You clarified while catching a glimpse of his very much toned and defined body.

With no phone, sunglasses, or shirt – the man was now left in only a pair simple black swim trunks hanging loose from his hips.

“I’ll tell you who I am as soon as you tell me who you are first,” the man stated in a teasing manner and you scoffed at his offer while rolling your eyes.

“You’re kidding,” you hissed.

“I’m not,” he simply replied while running his hands through his locks and shaking them free of any water.

With a scowl of disbelief, you glanced at Pumpkin before looking back to the ridiculous man. “I’m Y/N, the owner of this house.” You clearly announced before taking a few steps and grabbing one of the guest towels from an outdoor cabinet nearby.

“You said you’re the owner?” He repeated, sounding a bit surprised as he then looked up at you. “But I heard the owner was an old cat lady.”

“I am the old cat lady,” you huffed and his mouth dropped. “Now tell me who you are before I call the cops.” You added with a toss of the towel.

Within lightning speed, the man seamlessly caught the towel with one hand before using it to dry his hair. You waited for a few seconds, watching him before he looked at you again.

And it was at that moment you caught a small smile peek out from his lips, showing a glimpse of his pearly whites as he couldn’t help but take humor in the situation.

“Jeon Jungkook,” he answered. “I’m your new pool boy.”

Your brows instantly knitted together and you took a step back in confusion as you eyed the man suspiciously. “That doesn’t make any sense,” you spat. “I have a pool boy and his name is Tae-”

“Taehyung, I know.” Jungkook interrupted and you crinkled your nose. “He’s back in jail so my boss told me to cover his houses while he’s gone.”

You winced at the word “jail” – finding out for the first time that your previous pool boy had even gone to such a place. “What’s he locked up for?” You dared to ask, finding it hard to believe as Taehyung was one of the nicest guys you knew.  

“Vandalism,” Jungkook merely responded without an ounce of hesitation. “Apparently he likes to write bad words on public places and this is his third time getting caught.”

While saying this he could see you slightly nod your head, taking in the new information while still keeping a distance away from him. “Wait…” you squeaked. “Have you been to prison too?”

“Yeah for murder.” He commented and your eyes went wide.

Taking a look at your reaction, a small chuckle left the depths of his throat. “Relax, I’m just kidding. I don’t have a record – I’m just a broke college student trying to make ends meet.” He informed and you could see the honesty in his eyes.

“…Okay,” you added. “But that still doesn’t explain why you were lounging in my pool instead of cleaning it.”

“The guy at the front gate said the owner wouldn’t be home till late,” he stated with a sly smile. “I couldn’t help myself.”

With a look of distain your lips formed into a thin line and Pumpkin suddenly meowed out of the blue, averting both yours and Jungkook’s attention to the fluffy cat.

“And who’s this cutie?” Jungkook cooed while bringing his hand forward and attempting to pet him. “His name is Pumpkin,” you informed just as his hand grazed Pumpkin’s fur. However, the cat quickly snapped his head up and nipped at the pool boy. “Ow!” Jungkook cried out and snapped his hand back with a pained look.

“Pumpkin isn’t very fond of strangers,” you explained and Jungkook shot you a knowing look.

“I can see that,” he sarcastically mumbled with a flick of his hand and you caught a glimpse of the bloody little nip your cat had indented onto his finger.

You put Pumpkin down and rushed back towards the outdoor bar, grabbing a bandage out of the first aid kit and making your way towards Jungkook.

“Here,” you offered while unwrapping the small item.

Jungkook kept his eyes fixed on you as you took his hand and wrapped the bandage around his finger.

Within that brief moment the two of you were silent – but little did you know he was examining your features. Staying perfectly still and admiring every detail of your delicate face while you were carefully concentrating on the task at hand.

As soon as you were done you stepped back and Jungkook stopped to finally view the new accessory.

“Thanks,” he said while you picked up your cat.

“There’s more in the cabinet if that one gets soiled,” you informed and he nodded in response, watching as you started to make your way back inside before you felt him staring.

“As for earlier,” you clarified while suddenly turning around. “I hope you don’t expect to get paid for lounging in my pool...”

The mischievous Jungkook cocked an eyebrow at your remark and embarrassingly ran a hand through his damp hair. “No, sorry. It won’t happen again.” He stated. “I’ll start cleaning the filters now.”

Taking note of the way he looked when he was embarrassed, you cracked a smile. “Sounds good,” you finally stated before leaving the new pool boy – not being able to catch the cheeky grin that crawled upon his face soon afterwards.

~*~

For the next couple of weeks you saw Jungkook every Friday. It was almost like a routine – coming home from a long day of work to find your pool boy already settled in your backyard and diligently cleaning while blasting music from the radio you had stationed outside.

And as accustomed, today was no different.

Walking into your home, you were swift to kick off your heels and throw off your blazer – feeling immediate comfort while being greeted by a lazy fat cat.

A warm smile adorned your face and you cooed to Pumpkin while running a hand over his soft fur in affection. “Sleep well?” You chimed at the sight of Pumpkin’s content face before gazing up to the open window nearby.

From there, you had a view of a busy Jungkook. He was working hard, concentrating on spraying out the pool filters one by one as if he held all the patience in the world. He was dressed casual in a loose muscle tank with gaping holes for the arms and showing a generous side view of his torso on each side. You noticed his brown hair was carelessly tucked beneath his backwards cap completed with a pair of his usual loose shorts hanging onto to his hips.

His expression was focused and held a sense of peace before a large bee suddenly flew near his face – startling the man within seconds and attempting to spray the insect away with the water hose. You found yourself giggling in the moment, watching the entertaining Jungkook vs. Bee fight going on before he looked your way.

And as soon as he caught your stare, he ceased all action.

He stood there like a still-life, staring at you through his new black rimmed sunglasses before throwing a simple wave your way.

You hadn’t realized how long you had been watching him or how many seconds it had been since he had caught you, but you felt your eyes pop out when it finally dawned on you that you had been caught.

With an immediate gasp you tore your eyes away, pretending to look somewhere – anywhere else besides him as a wash of embarrassment stained your cheeks.

However, Jungkook was chuckling to himself outside – amused by your interest as he simply tilted his shades down the bridge of his nose to get a better look at your flustered state from inside.

“Shit,” you scolded yourself with a nail biting grimace. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Great, he probably thinks I’m a creep.

Looking away still, you wondered if he had already diverted his attention back to the pool before the doorbell suddenly startled you.

Glancing at the time you quirked a brow and questioned who would be at your home at this time before cautiously making your way for the door. “Who is it?” You shouted to the stranger on the other side before taking the extra step to glance through the peep hole.

As soon as you looked, a surprised smile immediately tugged at your lips and within seconds you pulled open the door to reveal none other than your best friend in the entrance.

“Surprise!” She beamed and you instantly pulled her in for a hug. 

“Erin! What are you doing here? I thought you left to London already?” You asked as you opened the door further, motioning for her to come in and make herself at home.

“I thought I’d pay my best friend a little visit before I catch my flight.” Erin answered with a steady plop on the couch. “How have you been?” She added.

“Good,” you quickly muttered – it was an instant robotic response to a question you’ve gotten countless times after you filed for divorce.

Once news broke out about your husband’s infidelity, you suddenly became the “poor soul” to the matter. It was as if everything had changed from one day to the next as friends, family and colleagues who all held you to the highest esteem, suddenly treated you like a naïve victim to it all.

People would often say things like: “Y/N should forgive him and take him back,” or “She must be really dumb to not have noticed he was cheating earlier.” Or “Poor Y/N, she must have been so distraught.”

And while all but that last one may have been false, you couldn’t help but feel somewhat annoyed when people would assume that you’re the one still suffering in the end.

So there was a brief moment of silence after your answer, leaving you in an uncomfortable position as your friend stared at you from the living room. She gave you a look – as if she was waiting for further explanation before you felt the need to speak up again.

“Seriously Erin, I’m fine.” You explained. “Don’t be like everyone else and think that I spend my days crying over my ex-husband for god’s sake.”

“Oh no, I know you better than that.” She said with a smirk. “I knew you wouldn’t waste your time on him once you found out the truth.”

“Damn right I wouldn’t,” you laughed before bringing over two glasses and a bottle of wine.

“Besides…” Erin suddenly added, her eyes widening as her gaze caught a view of the backyard. “I see you have something much more interesting right outside your backdoor anyways…” She purred with a devious smile.

As soon as you finished pouring the wine, you looked up to meet the same line of vision as hers – mouth nearly dropping as you spotted Jungkook in the distance.

“That’s Jungkook, he’s just the pool boy.” You subtly informed while bringing your full attention back to the wine in front of you.

“Just the pool boy?” She suggestively enticed with a wiggle of her brows and you gasped.

“Yes Erin. Just the pool boy – nothing else.” You playfully scolded and she giggled.

“Oh c’mon, what a waste. I bet he can do way better things than scrub cement and clean pool filters all day.”

“No, he’s just a college kid. I’m older than him-”

“So? That would just make you a cougar,” she grinned and with a burst of laughter you nearly choked on your drink, cautiously swallowing the strong liquid before letting out an exasperated breath. “You’re crazy.”

“-And he’s hot.” Erin snapped back before getting an alert on her phone. “Ah – it’s my boss. I have to catch my flight.” She groaned before downing the remainder of her wine and jolting off the couch.

“But you just got here,” you whined.

“Duty calls,” Erin commented and you followed her out towards the front door. “I’ll see you when I come back,” she added. “But while I’m gone, go out for once.”

“And why would I do that?” You snorted before she arched a brow.

“Because I know you too well.” She answered. “You’re like a queen stuck in her palace all day long. Go out and explore – you never know what you might encounter right outside the palace walls.” She added with a mischievous grin and took a quick glance at Jungkook before abruptly closing the door behind her.

…And before you knew it she was gone, leaving you with only her ending words as you stood there in the living room.

“Stuck in the palace, hmph.” You mocked with a frown before walking away.

You paced around the kitchen, filling your wine glass once more and taking generous sips every now and then before averting your attention back to the large window.

The sun’s harsh rays were beating down Jungkook’s skin as sweat droplets fell down the sides of his face. Judging by his perplexed state you knew it had to be at least 80 degrees (F) outside.

But despite the heat, he worked diligently – ignoring the uncomfortable condition and focusing on his work.

So you grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge and stepped outside, eyes wincing from the bright sunlight and making your way to the pool boy.

“Hey,” you called. “It’s too hot, you can finish another day.”

Jungkook watched as you came from the other side of the pool, holding a water bottle in one hand and a half filled wine glass in the other. “Nah, I’m fine” the man replied. “A little heat never hurt me.” He teased before taking the water and uttering a thanks.

“Confident aren’t you?” You replied as he swiftly twisted the cap and took a long swig of the drink.

You noticed a few drops of water spilled out from the corner of his mouth, proceeding to drip down the surface of his jaw and along his neck as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down from drinking.

Before you knew it, Jungkook had finished the bottle and let out a satisfying “Ah,” in response.

“What happened to the heat being nothing?” You smirked while taking the empty bottle from him.

The pool boy grinned as he looked at you through his sunglasses, “Just thirsty that’s all.”

“I see,” you hummed. “Well I’ll leave you to it then…”

“Wait-” Jungkook urged – causing you to temporarily halt.

In that moment he felt like he had lost the ability to speak – catching your attention so suddenly had put him in a position of nervousness and for a moment he mentally scolded himself for acting on his thoughts and speaking up so abruptly.

“I-I could use another water,” he informed hastily.

You looked at him for a second longer, noting the urgency in his tone before glancing back to your home. “Why don’t you come inside…you know, to cool off for a minute.” You offered and failed to see the way his eyes lit up behind his dark frames.

With a small nod, Jungkook followed you inside your house, throwing off his sunglasses and taking the time to fully gawk at the beauty of it all.

“Nice place,” he stated while plopping down on the couch.

“Thanks,” you answered while grabbing another water and making your way back to the living room. You spotted Jungkook with his arms spread out along the pillows and letting out a sigh in relief as the cool air revived him.

However, while gazing at the elegant curtains and custom decor, he was quick to spot the lack of pictures in your home – merely noticing a few of just you and your friends.

After giving him the drink you at on the couch opposite of him, watching in silence as he downed his second bottle.

“Is it just you that lives here?” Jungkook couldn’t help but ask.

You looked at him quizzically “Yeah, how did you guess?”

“…Your pictures – I don’t see a husband or kids.” He responded in a calm manner and you shifted in your seat uncomfortably.

“I don’t have kids…but I did have a husband.”

“What happened?” He further asked and you looked up to see him leaning forward, paying close attention.

Your lips parted and you diverted your gaze downwards as a heavy sigh escaped your throat. Jungkook noticed your uncomfortable stance and snapped out of his curious state as he spoke up. “I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No,” you countered. “It’s okay really. I’m just surprised because I thought you knew.”

“Knew?” He raised a brow and you nodded your head. “Yeah, it was all over the paper. Millionaire devil woman gets cheated on by husband. You clarified with a sarcastic laugh.

Jungkook’s expression turned sympathetic as his eyes went wide, watching as you removed a strand of hair out of your face. “-Y/N, I had no idea.”

“You’re the first person to say that to me,” you answered with a small huff and he leaned forward once more, crossing his arms over his chest as he teasingly said, “I don’t read the paper.”

With that you elicited a small laugh, causing him to do the same as he admired the way your face lit up when you did.

“Maybe I shouldn’t either,” you replied and downed the last bit of your wine. “He cheated with a bunch of women to hurt me, no point in still writing about it months later.”

“It’s like people want a reaction or something out of me.” You clarified in defeat. “Everyone has a motive – everyone always wants something.”

Jungkook intently listened to every word. His handsome face studying your own as you spoke with such regret and heartache. “Did you ever think he did out of jealousy?” He suddenly asked and you swallowed hard.

“Jealous? He’s successful-”

“As successful as you?” He corrected and you cocked a brow – stopping mid-sentence to evaluate the thought.

“Well n-no.” You muttered and Jungkook nodded his head. “That would have to be the only explanation.” He added. “I mean why else? You’re smart and not to mention fucking beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

You smiled and patted his hand. “You’re sweet, but I don’t think he saw it that way,” you commented. “Relationships are overrated.” You then added with a sarcastic laughed. “I think I’ll stay single for a while.”

“Or be with someone better,” Jungkook immediately responded and your eyes locked with his – instantly getting lost within the depths of warm hues of brown that made up his iris. He was closer to you now, looking at you intently and meaning every word he said as you were at a loss for words.

And that’s when you looked down, finally realizing that your fingers were intertwined with his…

Your breath quickened and your heart pounded against your chest before quickly standing up and grabbing your wine glass. Taking cues from you Jungkook stood up as well, letting out an inward groan. “I should get back to the pool.” He announced while throwing his shades on.

“Okay,” you merely nodded before you heard the backdoor shut, signaling he was gone.

But even though he was gone, you could still feel the pounding of your heart against your chest, knowing all too well that it was racing because of him.

~*~ “Jesse, this is getting ridiculous. Stop calling me at work.” You scolded while bringing the phone to your ear for what felt like the thousandth time today.

“I’m know I’m really sorry, but your ex-husband is still insisting the cat go to him. He’s given you two weeks’ notice and he’s threatening to go to court if you still refuse-” he continued his tangent before you abruptly hung up.

“I really can’t deal with this right now,” you sighed while tossing your phone and putting your head on your desk.

It had been a long, tiring day at work with constant meetings and your ex-husband and his lawyers weren’t making it any easier for you.

“Um, Miss.” One of your secretaries gently spoke up from the doorway, “You don’t look so good, maybe you should go home early and rest.”

Your raised your eyebrows as the thought of going home seemed like the best remedy for the impact of stress you were feeling all day. Slowly peeping your head up, you took a glance at the secretary in front of you. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.” You muttered before grabbing your bag and heading out the door.

~*~

The sun’s rays heated your skin as you laid there lazily in your floral bikini, letting a deep breath out in relief as sweet sounds of Lana Del Rey’s voice filled your ears. The music was loud, drowning out any thought of your messy divorce and stress from work. You had her music on repeat for the last hour, listening non-stop while sun bathing and plopping a few grapes in your mouth every so often.

You grabbed the sunscreen nearby and began to reapply the soothing cream over your shoulders, placing it over the heated patches of skin.

…That was until one of your earphones was suddenly pulled out.

The sudden action startled your relaxed state, sending you into a frenzy as you quickly sat up in your recliner and looked up at the cause of your anger.

And yet standing there…was none other than your pool boy, Jungkook.

He was casually standing beside you, looking down with an amused gaze and arms crossed over each other.

“Jungkook,” you scolded. “What are you doing here?”

“Its 4 pm I’m here to clean.” He responded with ease and your mouth gaped before checking the time on your phone for confirmation.

“Oh,” you muttered while getting up. “Didn’t realize it was that late already.”

And it was at this moment that you caught Jungkook’s eyes on you. If you weren’t so close, you wouldn’t have been able to notice, but you were able to see his gaze lingering, dragging those dark eyes from your face and down your body in admiration.

“You’re leaving?” He simply asked, attempting to keep his gaze discreet as possible.

He stayed put until you came back outside with an envelope in hand. “Before I forget, this is for you.” You said while handing it to Jungkook.

“What’s this?” He asked.

“This week’s pay – along with some extra cash for a new phone.” You added and he laughed, motioning to the pool as his was ruined from the day he dropped it.

“That’s nice of you but the phone was my fault. I shouldn’t have been in the pool.” He stated and you scoffed. “Wow such a change of mind since you started. Just think of it as a gift for putting up with me.” You said with a laugh while laying back down and he smiled.

“Yeah you’re a pain.” He confessed and your mouth went agape, feigning a fake gasp and earning a chuckle from him.

“You know I’m just playing,” Jungkook gushed and got closer, laying the envelope on the table beside him. “I like being here with you.”

“No need to lie Jungkook,” you huffed. “I know the only thing on young guy’s minds is beer, parties and pretty young girls.”

The pool boy then cocked his head, grabbing the sunscreen and leaning closer to you as he then said, “Not quite.”

“Oh, excuse me.” You baffled jokingly. “Pretty college girls.

Jungkook simply smiled, squirting some of the cream into his hands before gently rubbing it onto your back. “Nah, they don’t do it for me – too immature.”

You felt goosebumps raise on your skin upon his sudden touch, feeling a rush of excitement as your heart pounded shortly afterwards but not wanting him to stop either.

“Is that so?” You casually asked, provoking him to continue.

He kept his eyes on you, even feigning his signature smirk as he rubbed his clean thumb just beneath the curve of his plump bottom lip. “…I guess you could say I have a newfound attraction to older women.”

You let out a light hum as his hands grazed through the surface of your back, caressing every inch with sunscreen as it slowly turned into a massage. He worked his thumbs into your shoulder blades, pressing firmly and loosening the muscles beneath. “That feel good?” He asked and you nodded your head in content.

Jungkook continued his strokes, proceeding to drag his hands back down your spine until they reached the rim of your bikini. Silently his eyes wandered over the curve of your ass, perfectly round with the floral bikini strings tightened around the sides of your hips.

In that moment he began mentally scolding himself. Having an inner battle with his mind and his lower half as he tore his eyes away from your body.

But soon enough he found himself looking once more – this time gazing up towards the single string that held your top together. It was fastened ever so slightly, with a simple bow laying against your glistening back he found it hard to take his eyes off.

After moments of feeling the loss of his touch, you spoke up. “Jungkook,” you mumbled. “You still there?”

When there was no response you decided to turn around, thinking the man had left before you realized he was still beside you.

You locked eyes with him, a brief second of confusion coming over your features as he eyed you with a half lidded gaze. You noticed his jaw was clenched while he bit hard on his bottom lip.

“Jungkook, what is it?” You curiously asked.

Heavy breaths heaved beneath his chest and for a mere second he almost lost the confidence to ask but ensued anyways.

“…Can I kiss you?”

Your eyes blared wide, looking at him as a slight blush crept upon your cheeks. This was your pool boy you were looking at – a mere college guy who had no business asking an esteemed older woman such a thing. Both of you were at two very different points in your lives and with your messy divorce and stressful life you were at no such position to be messing around with him.

But that still didn’t stop you from saying, “Please.”

And just like that the threat of rejection dissipated from Jungkook’s mind as he leaned in, cracking a smile just as his mouth captured yours. His lips were soft and plump against your own, moving in sync as he positioned his hand just below your jaw for support.

The kiss lingered for a moment longer as Jungkook had only asked for such – wanting more but not wanting to step over any boundaries you weren’t comfortable with.

So he looked at you as your lips slightly parted, watching with a close gaze as if asking for permission to go further.

Gazing at the handsome man in front of you, you admired his sincerity – simply smiling while running your fingers through his dark locks. “Jungkook,” you whispered against his lips. “Don’t hold back with me.”

His orbs were dark and filled with lust, taking that as all the confirmation he needed as he didn’t waste a single second in closing the space between you and gently guiding you against the recliner. The back of your head rested against the cushion and Jungkook’s body hovered over yours as he leaned in to connect your lips once more.

“I won’t,” he promised in between a slew of sloppy kisses. “Not anymore.”

Your eyes fluttered close as you wrapped your arms around the back of his neck, keeping him close and pressed against you as his tongue explored the depths of your mouth. Just like you wanted, Jungkook didn’t hold back. His kissed you good and hard, bruising your lips with his own just as your tongues entangled with one another.

He proceeded to lift you with ease, sliding one of his hands against your back and untying the pink bow to your top within a single try.

Expert you thought and he shot you a teasing smirk while allowing your top to fall to the ground beneath you. “I’d been waiting to do that,” he slyly confessed and kissed you once more – groping your breasts with a single hand while the other held your face close to his.

Jungkook couldn’t believe this moment, this very moment he had imagined for weeks had finally come. The woman he adorned since the beginning was lying there just for him. He made sure to make the most of it, pleasuring you in the best ways possible as he showered you with hot, sensual kisses and sucking at all your sweet spots – knowing damn well you would have to wear a turtleneck for work in the morning.

Exasperated sighs left the two of you while your lips smacked against one another, both nearly catching a breath every now and then as you were inseparable.

You hissed through your teeth as his hand gripped your thigh, bringing his full attention to it as he then pressed his lips to the skin and began sucking down a trail of kisses towards your heat.

“Your ex,” he simply stated. “I may never get why he did what he did – but that was his damn loss.”

“Glad you think so,” you laughed and he moved his lips up to kiss you once more. “I know so,” Jungkook admitted. “You don’t need him to make you feel special.”

“-You don’t need him to make you feel good,” he continued with another kiss to your neck, gently biting the delicate skin while his tongue swirled around, tasting every inch of you.

“And why is that?” You managed to mutter out in a cohesive whimper.

Strands of his dark hair fell upon the rim of his brows as he brought his eyes back up to meet yours, taking the extra time to see the feigned look of doubt in your eyes until he said: “Because I’m here now.”

You stared at him, admiring the way his eyes lit up when he looked at you. His lips were swollen to a deep red hue and glistening wet from contact with your own while his hair was in a rugged mess. Bringing your fingers up to his hair once more, you carefully ran them through it while inching in closer – bringing his lips back to your own in a soft yet oh-so tantalizing kiss.

He let out a deep groan from within as you sucked on his lower lip, even biting the soft flesh while you then hands ran against the wide expanse of his back – allowing your fingers to feel up every indentation of muscle along the smooth surface.

But that wasn’t enough for Jungkook – no. He craved your touch like the desert craved water and before you knew it, he was removing the simple white tee from his body and begging you to continue as he took one of your nipples into his mouth.

A slew of “oh’s” and muffled whines escaped your lips, holding onto him while he continued to pleasure you. Seeing you like this beneath him only caused the tent in his pants to grow harder as he could feel how wet you were for him even over your bathing suit bottom.

“Come here baby,” he huskily ordered while sitting on a chair nearby and pulling you up to him – fixating you on his lap and pushing your hair to one side.

You sighed as he pressed his lips to the bare side of your neck, licking and puckering his way from the crevice and to your collarbone.

“Jungkook,” you whispered against him, rolling your neck as his lips continued their teasing – keeping you occupied until one of his fingers traced along the rim of your thinly clothed bottom.

Don’t hold back. Your words echoed through his ears over and over. As if in a carnal trance, Jungkook proceeded to pull at the strings alongside your hips, untying them simultaneously and cupping your soaked heat.

You let out a shuddered sigh, eyeing him closely just as you pushed his shorts higher up and began to grind against his bare thigh. He let out a deep groan and his large hands squeezed your ass, positioning you perfectly against him while sweet moans stemmed from your lips.

“Fuck,” he cursed with a shaky breath, watching in awe as you pleasured yourself against him. You gripped onto his back when you felt one of his hands rub against you from behind – teasing your sex ever so slightly.

“I’m going to make you feel so fucking good,” he moaned against your neck just as he moved a finger between your bodies and inserted it into the depths of your warmth. You whimpered just as he stretched you out, proceeding with a few pumps just as he inserted another finger.

A few more curses spilled out of your mouth and you were clawing onto Jungkook’s shoulders as your hips rolled along his rhythmic thrusts. His own breath was raised and he watched with half lidded eyes as his slippery fingers drove in and out of you – curling them both up and aimed at your g-spot while you cried out his name through a mix of sinful sounds.

Your moans were driving him insane, to hear you crying out his name in such a way had every vein running and every muscle contracting within him. He was hard beyond matters and would be lying if he said he didn’t look back at the recliner behind you every now and then just to flip you back on it and fuck you till the next day.

But despite his own erotic desire to have you – he knew that this moment was all about you, wanting to please you and you only as your pleasure mattered more to him than his own as maybe – just maybe if he was lucky enough there would be a next time.

So there you were, being pleasured to the point of what felt like absolute heaven. He pumped continuously, even inserting a third finger until you screamed out his name in one last stance of your orgasm as your juices dripped down his leg.

You fell against Jungkook in a sweaty mess, cheek pressed against his chest as the two of you attempted to regain your staggered breathing. You could hear his heart pounding from within as he still felt a range of nerves and excitement just from being around you.

“How are you even real?” Jungkook exclaimed to you as he caressed your naked body.

“I could say the same to you,” you cooed. “You sure know how to make a girl feel good.”

“Mmm, I get that a lot,” he teased and you picked your head up in response.

“Damn college kid,” you huffed and he laughed before you checked the time upon his request.

“It’s almost 6,” you answered.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath.

“Got somewhere to be?” You curiously asked.

“I have another pool cleaning at 6,” the man replied and you gasped.  

“You need to go then,” you urged and Jungkook cocked a brow at you. “Why? I rather stay here with you,” he simply replied and you rolled your eyes.

“As much as I like the idea of that, you’ll get yourself fired.” You replied as you got up and grabbed a towel from the cabana.

While you were gone, Jungkook eyed the check beside him – glaring at the paper envelope before you came back.

“Still worth it,” he cooed with a cocky smile before cupping your cheeks and pressing his lips to your own. You kissed him back with as much urgency, allowing it to linger more than it should have before breaking away with a loud smack of your lips. “Go,” you laughed.

“You’re something else,” Jungkook commented with a smile, finally letting go of your pretty face and running his fingers through his hair in amazement.

You tossed him his t-shirt and watched as he threw it on swiftly.

“I’ll be back on Sunday” he announced with a wave as he began to make his way towards the back gate.

Your eyes widened in surprise and you flashed him a smile from afar, “To see me?” You asked.

“No, to finish cleaning the pool.” He replied with a devious smile just before shooting you a wink.

You laughed and turned around to go back inside just before noticing the envelope that you had given him still sitting on the small table. “Jungkook! You forgot your check-” You began to shout until something caught your eye mid-sentence.

It was a message.

Little did you know the pool boy had purposefully left the money there with you – only leaving a simple written message behind as there, in his signature messy handwriting was a four small words that read…

“I only need you.”

[bighandslittlefeet]

Hello Everyone!

So we left Sydney in Val the Van and have been on the road for six days now! It's been marvellous. We’re not sad to see the back of Sydney, serving coffees and running escape rooms can only hold your interest for so long, and I think we packed in all of the good touristy stuff in the first two weeks, so by the end of two months we were definitely hankering for something new! We’re sad to say goodbye to our friends and new work colleagues of course, but the open road beckoned, and on Sunday we set off in a freshly packed Val. We made a short stop for coffee at Four Brothers for Espresso and had a cheeky egg and bacon sarnie and then began the journey properly.

We headed south to go north, hitting up Jervis bay as we had been told by numerous folk that it was truly unmissable. It took us a good five hours to get down, owing to bad traffic on the main highway, it looked to us in passing that a lorry driver had had a serious near miss and was on the side of the road shedding tears to a police officer, meanwhile, we were all diverted down into the valley and onto the b roads. A lot of traffic wound its way through two very picturesque, but very small, seaside towns. Eventually though we made our way out of Sydney and further and further south.

Jervis bay is a nature reserve park with stunning beaches known for their high silica content which keeps them cool and makes them brilliantly white to look at. As we arrived at the park boundary we decided to buy a two day pass, after talking with a really nice park keeper who was sure that the campsites inside the park were a rip off and we’d do much better commuting in and out. So we drove in, the road becoming less and less sealed, further and further, the bush growing more and more tangled and dense. We came to the end of the road. The far end of the peninsula. The furthest beach. We did the obligatory suncreaming and made for the nearest beach. The view was stunning. A sweeping bay with white sands as far as could be seen interspersed with pockets of green and rocky outcroppings encroaching on the shore. We soon realised that this particular edge had quite a lot of rocks and weeds in the amazingly clear water and made our way back to Val, and proceeded to the other side of the headland. This beach, similar in beauty, was replete with a smattering of folks, swimming, eating, sunbathing, and so we felt more comfortable getting out togs off and jumping in. Val came with a full face mask snorkelling kit and two other normal snorkel masks and mouthpieces, so we took the opportunity, as recommended gain by friends, to do a bit of snorkelling. It was chilly water, but gloriously clear. We could see small silvery fish about a handspan in length, and a few jellies here and there. The sand quickly dropped away into the bay and we stuck to the shallows. Later, reading a pamphlet on the beach we would find that we were meant to always face the sea, as sharks were regular guests of the bays! Luckily we were spared any sightings that day!

After a short nap on the sand and a dry off in the early afternoon sunshine we made our way back out of the park. We drove to Hyams beach, another stunner, but the sun was beginning to get low on the horizon and we were starting to get peckish. We made our way to a shop to pick up foodie stuff, the plan was to make a bit of a mexican feast, poached chicken, smoky pepper mole, quac, salsa, blackened corn, and warmed mini tacos. We then made our way over to another site we had identified at bream beach. We couldn’t have done any better, well priced, on the edge of a lake and the people who greeted us were so super friendly. And the kangaroos. They lived on the site. 15 of them, just out of season, so there were some very small young ones! Very cute and very friendly. We watched the sunset with a glass of wine and had leftovers as it was too late to cook.

The next day we headed back into the park. We headed to steamer’s bay, a secluded beach a bit of a hike from the nearest parking spot. It was recommended no swimming, and as we crested the hill we could see why, the beach ran long and shallow and must have had quite a significant drop off as the swell was immense, waves taller than our heads relentlessly crashed onto the beach. We descended the steep staircase into the bay and walked the beaches length and breadth before turning back to the staircase and the walk back to Val. That night we made the feast and ate very well indeed. The next morning we set our sights on hunter valley, a location renowned for its wine and more importantly north of Sydney. We set off and broke the journey for a coffee and a bite in Wollongong, a small seaside town just south of Sydney. A lovely cafe playing Paolo Nutini, served great coffee and a bacon and egg roll - scrambled this time, not fried, and with a nice tomato relish. The BNE as they are called here, seems to the staple of cafes rather than the BLT, as in the UK. I think it is rather excellent. The time in Wollongong was rounded off with a walk up to a lighthouse and along the coast for a little stretch before once again we headed back towards Val. Some of you may know that Becca and I have a collaborative Google map on which we have been bookmarking places to see and go on this trip and we actually had one marked for this town. As we walked back through town to the car park, we passed Chicko’s a fried chicken hut - we couldn’t remember for the life of us why we had tagged it but it looked like it was doing roaring trade. We would have had some had it not been for the lovely food we had just had! And also, fried chicken mid morning seemed a little odd!

Back on the road we blasted the tunes until we climbed the foothills, into the mountains, and finally the valley. An uncanny sense of deja vu took over as it seemed we were transported into the South of France, vineyards and gateways with no fences, lined the route sporadically. Until we hit the towns which were a strange american cultural mix, I could have been in France, although driving on the wrong side of the road! We pulled into the campsite we had booked and set up camp, the temperature was cooler here, and so we shrugged on some jackets and walked across the way to a brewery. We got a tasting platter of local brewed beers, reasoning that tomorrow we could do the wines. We sat and chatted as the sun gto lower and lower in the sky and decided to have a bite to eat at the brewery. A very satisfactory fish and chips and chicken parmo later, and we were contentedly strolling back to camp for a deep sleep.

The next day we did our first campsite wash. The temperature was up so the clothes hung in the sun and were dry in no time. We were soon picked up by our tour which we had booked in Sydney a few weeks ago as a sort of early Christmas treat to ourselves. When in Rome… The tour had been recommended by a friend and was run by a winery/restaurant known as Two Fat Blokes. Julie, our van driver came picked us up at the gates of our site and warned us that today we would be drinking around a bottle and a half of wine each and so had plenty of water on hand - we rubbed our hands with glee. The other couples on the bus were Swiss and American and we picked up a trio of Irish women before making our first wine stop at Leogate. The nine of us sat at a long table outside under a shaded canopy and we were served a flight of 10 or so wines of varying styles and ages. They were all young and fruity and really quite nice. My old world sensibilities have definitely been eroded by this experience. We barreled back into the van, after a few obligatory photos of the vines with the mountains in the background, and began the drive to the next cellar door. Conversation was much more lubricated, thanks I am sure in no small part to the copious quantities of wine just imbibed on near empty stomachs, and we began to chat with the Americans, who turned out to be an Australian and an American who had been dating long distance and were here during their week together. I was asked who my team was, which I had no reply to, until Becca told me he was enquiring about football - at which point I was at even more of a loss. Grasping at straws I related how many people in the UK seemed to be interested in the NFL now, and I myself had picked up a t-shirt at a charity shop which I had been reliably informed was to do with an american sports team, but which I had bought because of its florid tie-dyed aesthetic.

The bus rounded the corner and we were suddenly in a spanish villa. An uncanny sense of deja vu washed over me again, as were were ushered through large oak doors into a high vaulted room. The dude who lead our tasting this time had a very nice pair of DMs on and was a pretty chilled and nice guy. Another flight of wines and we were soon in the van on our way to the two fat blokes pop up restaurant where we had been promised not only nine more wines to taste but also a flight of tasty cheeses to accompany them. The cheese was phenomenal. I’m proud to say the best of the cheese was imported from good ole europe! It was stunning. A real range, and all of them worked very well together on the palate. A new cheese, which I had not had before - a labna, was incredibly creamy and flavoured with a light floral tang. The smoky, the creamy, all went together with the light, the fruity, the well bodied, the red, the white, the rose, and the liqueurs that were placed before us. Placed by, frankly, our alcoholic guide, who admitted to always having at least ten of such and such a bottle on standby, and could happy put away a bottle or two of x and y wines by herself! Much respect. The tasting was made all the more hilarious by the bunch of Irish lasses who had the most amazingly over the top reactions to every cheese we had, it was either ‘the best fucking cheese I have ever tasted, oh my god, Sairosie, have you actually tried this cheese, it's incredible’ to ‘it literally tastes like, and you’ll forgive me for saying this - bird shite’. It was a hoot.

We were the first to be dropped off by the van and we settled into the van quite merrily, making our pre-planned ham and cheese toasties as our designated drunk food. But! These were no ordinary ham and cheese toasties!! As I set about making the roux to form the basis of the cheese sauce, Becca sliced the sourdough breads and began buttering every side. Soon we could begin construction. A doorstop slice of bread, a smear of the cheese sauce, a slice of edam, a few slices of chunky deli ham, a slice of edam, another smear of the mustardy cheese sauce, and finally another double buttered sourdough slice to complete the architectural marvel. Straight to a hot pan, toasted to a golden crisp on both sides, the innards, steaming and goopy. A triumph if we don’t mind saying so ourselves.

The next day we took to the road, bidding goodbye to our strange little campsite in the rolling vines of Hunter Valley. We made a stop at the two wineries we had visited prior to the two fat blokes stop and bought a couple of bottles for Christmas. We then made our way over to Nelson Bay. We spent some time durdling around on a very lovely beach and then made our way up to the headland lighthouse which had stunning views of the bay. We had a spider - an australian coke float, and shared some scones and cream. A questionable variant on the British Cream tea, to be sure. That night we found ourselves in a lovely beachside campsite next to the beach. We tried for another walk but the wind was so strong that it was like being sandblasted. We quickly gave up and turned in as the sun set. That night we found the joys of staying in a powered site, the next day all of our gear was fully charged and the fridge was lovely and cold, now flashing error signs for us as the second battery contended with watery first morning light falling on the solar panel. We set off towards Seal rocks, our next stop, having been recommended a campsite there known as Treachery Camp, by a colleague of Becca’s in Sydney. En route we decided to have lunch at the Rick stein signature restaurant. We hadn’t had any fresh fish yet and we had been looking forward to it down here. So we opted for a fancy meal to treat ourselves. We drank sparkling water on the balcony and ate spiced crab and wonderfully fried fresh fish, and bbq’d king prawns. It was fab!

Soon again we were on the road, barreling along the edge of lakes, and through winding twilight forests. Before we knew what hit us we hit the unsealed road and poor Valerie began to bounce and scream like no-ones business! We slowed to a five km/h crawl and still felt like we were sat on a giant washing machine. After a three kilometre stretch we hit the campsite and found ourselves in the midst of the remains of a festival type hangover. To top it off we were told that they didn’t assign sites we just had to find a spot ourselves. We were a little stressed and found ourselves between some trees - which we soon found out dappled our solar panel! We set out for the beach which was desolate, windy and beautiful. But alas we had no signal and had not expected being without it so couldn’t contact family to let them know we’d be off grid for two days. We didn’t feel like decamping either - only wanting to put Val through that dirt track once more when we left. We made some cracking food though, a very tasty cassoulet, and soon the rabble rousing crowd left and it became a much more young family beach vibe place. We grew more comfortable and relaxed.

We rattled our way back down the unsealed road two mornings later and were soon back on the road towards Port Macquarie. And I’ll leave you with this little tidbit of the next installment - koalas, friends and drinking - oh my.

With Love, Hugs, Spotty Signal and Low Battery Level Power Packs,

Sam and Becca

X

[jjongasarus]

until then

the fourth shinobi war left everlasting scars in the will of fire. the idle, halcyon days of konoha continued, sunshine filled restless streets and sunsets brought about night-lights and fireflies. the peace in konoha had been paved with the blood of fallen comrades, friends, families, and lovers. tranquility was no cure for the nightmares that haunted the veterans who’d cut their nails and gritted their teeth through the grueling months of war. their blood and sweat fertilized the soil that supported the carefree footsteps of the new generation.

other shinobi were able to assimilate well. their footsteps fell in tune with those of the locals, their stories were light and censored in conversation, and their smiles and laughter blended seamlessly into the threshold of new beginnings. other shinobi had successfully crossed the white line into their new lives, leaving behind the memories of the fallen, leaving behind their shades of black and gray for brazenly stitched patches of white. she, however, wasn’t like the other shinobi.

her feet were rooted at the brink of her future tomorrows, at the sunset of her dreams, and every centimeter forward felt like a lifetime of goodbyes and heartache. crossing that line meant abandoning the memories of the fallen, abandoning the shinobi life she’d worked so hard to be a part of. it had engrained itself in her, it was a part of her now; all the limbs she’d severed, all the blood she’d mopped, all the pieces she was able to put back together, and those that fell apart.

her heart ached, her mind was fuzzy, and her eyes were misty with tears stuck between lashes of pink. one heavy sigh and she was out of bed, two more and she was standing beneath a hot stream of water that woke her from her thoughts and prepared her for her day. even if she was standing still, the illusion that she was running forward with an open heart had to be maintained.

she thought of naruto as she walked through the lively streets of konoha. her feet dragged slightly, making lazy stripes in the dirt, but her vision of him was bold and alive. regarded as the hero of the war, the one who’d burdened all the poisons of their cruel shinobi world, consumed them, and made butterflies out of every drop, he mutst’ve been the furthest from the white line. but his smile was brighter than it had ever been, and his hands were steady, and his stride confident and spirited. he breathed new life into their shattered world, and every step he took forward everyone followed in his brilliance. it was blinding for her, she couldn’t keep up, and whenever he glanced back over his shoulder, she’d pretend that her footsteps were in line with his light.

she’d feel guilty sometimes. naruto had endured worlds more than she had, and yet she was the one dragging her feet every morning to the medical ward. she spent the entirety of her days looking after injured civilians and sometimes her hand trembled when administering medication, other times even the smell of blood would churn something unpleasant in her stomach, and sometimes when it was late and silence welcomed the dim halls of the ward, she’d cry for those already months lost.

it was a never-ending cycle that she walked alone. the tail end of the cycle was the most draining; she’d once again drag her feet back down the road, following the pools of light on the ground from the street-lamps like a map, or better yet, like a night light illuminating a peace in the darkness. four more and she’d be at the corner, six more and she’d be at ino’s flower shop, ten more and—

she was abruptly flung out of her thoughts when her downcast head bumped into something hard, but warm. a tiny gasp and clumsy step back later she was lifting her head to apologize to whomever she’d inconvenienced.

“i’m so— oh, sasuke.”

sakura felt a breeze of relief massage away the worry-lines marking her forehead upon realizing it was her teammate that she’d bumped into.

“you should watch where you’re going.”

sakura’s lips picked up into a weary but understanding smile. she sifted a couple fingers back through the strands of pink filtering into her sight of him and laughed out of embarrassment at the situation. her laugh was just as tired as her smile but her embarrassment was genuine, it was an emotion that was practically her twin when dealing with this particular teammate of hers.

“sorry about that. what are you doing out so late anyways?” sakura’s question ended with her eyes flickering up to the sky. thick clouds covered the stars and only through the cracks between them did moonlight manage to peek through. it was certainly late, and she knew sasuke was the type to enjoy the silence of dusk, especially these days when just the mention of the uchiha made people want to shut their windows and lock their doors. it was a filler question, a complete dud at a real conversation, but sakura felt that it was customary.

“i’m taking a walk. do you usually leave the ward so late?”

she shifted most of her weight onto her left foot, leaning into her hip as her hand brushed by the nape of her neck and her eyes distanced themselves from him to the ground. her teeth caught the right corner of her lip and she fiddled with the rosy skin as she pondered her answer. seconds turned to moments and moments turned to memories as she mulled over her response. her body suddenly felt heavy, exhausted, and goosebumps rose on her skin as the feeling of his gaze resting upon her easily unraveled her neatly tied secrets. it felt like the mask she’d been wearing for months, the one that tried so pathetically hard to emulate the happiness of those whose feet moved forward, the one that she’d so shamelessly pitched to naruto as her reality, was crumbling helplessly. she didn’t want to be vulnerable, but she always so predictably and frustratingly fell victim to his presence.

a simple question and yet it had moved her. she didn’t notice when her shoulders slumped or when the silky tresses of her hair fell into her face, strands haphazardly sticking to the wet spots on her cheeks.

“….sakura? you’re—“

“ah, what’s wrong with me these days?” she lifted her head, misty tears marking her face with long stripes that glistened under the warm light of the street lamp. her smile was forced, her teeth were gritted and she was sinking into the nightmares of her past with every second that her eyes remained in contact with his. there was something about that deep eye of his, something that reached into her and like a magnet, attracted everything she’d been trying so desperately hide. it made her sick, disgusted that she was so easily exposed by a simple glance of an eye.

she could feel the stickiness of the blood of strangers connecting her fingers together, making spider-legs of red when pulled apart. she could hear the distant sounds of final breaths, and the staccato of labored ones fizzling out. she could feel the tightness of her muscles, the pounding against her skull as her chakra depleted with everyone she rescued. there was so much blood on her hands; it caked beneath her nails and stained her fingerprints, and she was certain that even the people she’d managed to save could see it too. she envisioned the battlefield; she could smell soot and decay, she could see impressions of battle worn soles and splintering branches promised to the earth with blood, hollow cracks twisting and contorting between debris from broken homes and broken bodies, mapping the earth like veins. she could hear the righteous battle cries of her companions, and the eerie silence when those cries dissipated into the wind and their bodies laid mangled in the dirt. it was all so colorful and so true and every moment she re-stained her consciousness with the memories of old, that white line got further and further away.

sakura rose a hand to her face and brought a knuckle beneath her eye to wipe away her tears. it felt like hours had passed but in reality, only seconds had. he’d remained quiet, watching her with the one eye she’d so helplessly succumbed to. she took a step back and her skin brushed against the cold metal of the street lamp. she glanced up, noticing a triplet of fireflies dancing in the bright of the bulb.

“you feel it too, don’t you?”

her eyes widened a bit at his words. six simple words but they somehow soothed the wound that her memories had recently reopened. he’d always been able to pull something raw from her ever since they were kids. in the past, it was because all her adolescent fantasies and desires were so easily provoked with just a glance in her direction. now, however, there was something about the abyss in his eye, something about that deep, dark shade of nothingness that sent a shiver down her spine, made beads of sweat gather on the back of her neck, and made her fall in deeper. because yes, of course, he was just as pained as she was, if not more.

sasuke knew pain.

no.

he lived it.

every second of every waking moment, he walked within the shadows of his nightmares. the fabric of his reality had been torn apart at the seams in a single, quiet night. he’d walked among slaughtered memories that day, his dreams of forever stained red, laying strewn apart in the dirt and within those pools of glistening blood he’d seen himself; soft skin, healthy cheeks, his breathing making clouds in the crisp, midnight air. he’d seen himself so clearly that night, his reflection bright and full in the crimson sea of everything he’d ever loved. no one could understand his suffering and he’d suffocated in an abyss of loneliness; his lips taut, hands empty, eyes gazing at his peers playing in the threshold of his dreams, past a white line that he’d yet to approach. and even now as the dull light of the streetlamp circled her, its curve neatly avoided him, and there within shades of black and white they stood, so close yet infinities apart.

“y-yeah..” sakura’s lips dipped into a frown and her eyebrows pulled at the middle, as if she was struggling with something difficult. her pains, her anxieties, and her doubts muddled together in her stomach as if it was reacting to him. it was as if the wavelengths of their despair were talking, no, screaming, and everything she was trying to hide was abruptly, violently boiling to the surface. she wanted to cradle her stomach, wince in agony, anything to help soothe herself but she remained still and so did he.

silence.

her vision became blurred with the sea of her tears, pooling in her eyes almost as quickly as they spilled out over her cheeks. she thought of everything the war had taken from her; her innocence, her spirit, her light, and at that very moment it was as if the clouds had parted through her haze of pain and confusion and something clicked. it was subtle, but it was there, a connection she hadn’t noticed before.

it was silent because no words were needed between them, because standing there beneath the flickering light above her head, her green melting into his black, her scars resonating with his, spoke volumes. then suddenly, as if their darkness was too much for the little bulb to handle, the streetlight flickered off and they were left alone with their demons.

“i’m leaving konoha tomorrow.”

their demons danced with each other, hand in hand, twirling and tumbling through the shadows between them. she stepped towards him, her eyes wide and tears flowing freely, caressing the curve of her cheek and puddling into the corner of her mouth. she understood now, she understood why his eye had evoked such a reaction from her.

“at noon i’ll be gone.”

their demons were parading around obnoxiously now, jumping, twirling, dipping and diving between them. she took another step, and then a third, her lips parting just slightly enough for her tongue to peek through and taste the salt on her lower lip. yes, it was all so clear to her now. her stomach stopped churning, her tears stopped flowing, and her wounds were bared raw and naked.

“i don’t know when i’ll be back.”

the demons made way for her, fading into the background tangled in each other’s arms, watching, waiting.

another step and she stood within his own, personal night. it was thick and unbearable, it suffocated her, made her old bruises ache like new and her wounds bleed, but she understood now. her hand rose, fingers trembling and curling inwards slightly before flattening when she pressed her palm against his chest. her head tilted back, tufts of pink hair rolling over her ears, sticking to the cold sweat on her neck as her eyes peered into his. her lips hesitated, her breath hitched, and her lashes fanned over her eyes for a moment. she finally understood that their pain connected them, it connected them on a level she didn’t know existed. it was true, and it was theirs.

“sakura.”

she felt his heart move, like a rock sinking to the bottom of a lake, slow and heavy. she knew he felt it too, that was why when he said her name it was almost strained, fraying at the end into nothing more than a whisper. he was hurt, he’d been hurting, and maybe sakura’s pain could be the company that would medicate his loneliness. perhaps this was the only way for them to connect, through mutual agony, and even if it was bitter at the core, it was a space that only they knew. it was special.

her fingers curled into the stitches of his shirt when she heard her name. his head lowered slightly, the movement briefly exposing the bright purple of his other eye before it was curtained by his hair again. he looked at her, his stare straight and solid while his hand rose to his chest and grasped hers only to lower back to her side. her hand gave in easily, fingers uncurling the moment his hand touched hers, and it rested limply at her side.

“don’t be late.”

sakura felt her pulse quicken a beat and before she could speak, he’d already turned on his heel and disappeared into the darkness of the night. he didn’t say goodnight or even goodbye, but that was how they communicated best. silence.

it was just then that the streetlight behind her flickered back on, the fireflies resuming their tapping against the bulb. she looked back over her shoulder and no— they were moths now, crowding around the light hungrily, as if feasting on the only thing that would keep them alive.

it was an invitation that he’d extended to her and she’d agreed without words. she was running away, running away from that white line that marked new beginnings, she was running backwards, backwards towards the pain she’d been trying so hard to forget, away from the exact thing she’d scarred her body trying to achieve, backwards into the shadows of her nightmares.

their grief would dance together again at noon tomorrow, and it would continue to dance through the rivers they’d cross, over mountains they’d climb, and through fields of weeds they’d walk. they would even dance between the shadows of pain and doubt, the very place in which they were born. their screams would be loud, horse, penetrating, but eventually feather out into melodies so soft that even a breeze would drown it out. and it would be then and only then that they’d be able to cross that white line together.

but until then.

[kowalskishish]

when people ask me who I think the best songwriter is I say I think it’s in the ear of the beholder but when somebody asks me who my favorite songwriter is, I say, Mick without hesitation. did I mean to say Mick and Keith? no. don’t get me wrong. Keith is number three for me behind Bob to give you an example of how deeply we have been affected by the work of these men let me point out that I have said none of their last names and you know who I am talking about anything I ever saw or heard that had anything to do with any of them free or for sale I saw it heard it and love it for making my life better after 30 years of doing regular business with them I have zero point zero customer complaints and that includes solo albums and collaborations but Mick is my favorite lyricist, songwriter, producer, singer, front man the front man bit you seldom get any arguments about he seduces women and angers men. he scares everybody and fears nothing. if that ain’t rock and roll fuck you. vocal tone isn’t really a talent I guess after a guy hits notes you either dig the sound or you don’t you can’t switch amps like a guitar player vocally for me Mick is the sweet spot between Petty, Dylan, Lennon types and Van Morrison, McCartney, Prince types he can take his voice almost anywhere the producer part his sometimes grateful partner gets a lot of credit for but go listen to Soul Survivor before Mick got it you can hear that song before Mick and after or watch any studio video Mick Jagger is the leader of the Rolling Stones my god. the thought of it would make a president sweat. as a songwriter and by that I mean melodic composition writer or say which notes to sing and where I would use the word greatness. for an example of this greatness buy a Mick Jagger solo album or more easily I could refer you to all the songs that he sings with his band the Rolling Stones you may have heard a few of them already hell I bet you could think of one to hum to yourself before I finish this sentence. so now we come to the two things about him that set him apart the furthest for me and that’s the lyrics I think he is the most fearless public person of my lifetime and when I hear the words he writes I have to wonder if that fearlessness is the heart or core of why the poetry seems to so easily pour filterlessly from the heart without pomp or circumstance or mythology into a song wide open to be what it wants (i.e. Sympathy For The Devil) and I think had Mick Jagger not been so envied, attractive to women, androgynously handsome, willing to dance. willing to frighten. his words would be poured over by stoners. in short. if he wasn’t the best stripper he would get credit for being the best poet but as it stands the second best poet can’t dance, sing or strip for shit. so he gets to be first best in our history books but even he knows whats up Bob Dylan told Keith Richards “see Keith I could write a “Satisfaction” but you could never write a “Like A Rolling Stone” and I agree that Keith Richards probably isn’t going to sit down and pen anything that moves people like “Like A Rolling Stone” does I am not sure I agree that Bob Dylan has a riff in his catalogue that could stand up next to “Satisfaction” at least not to my taste but one thing for sure he didn’t say that to Mick Jagger who wrote “the sunshine bores the daylights out of me” and “you can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need” and “what can a poor boy do ‘cept for sing for a rock and roll band” and “people say I’m a loser, but I still get lucky on the side” and “laugh. I nearly died” and “I’m free to do what I want any old time” and “my best friend he shoots water rats and feeds them to his geese and “can’t I have my ups and downs? can’t you see I’m human?” and “she drove her pick up truck painted green and blue” and “god gave me everything I want. come on I’ll give it to you” and “I was born in a cross fire hurricane” and “there she was sitting in the corner. a little bleary. worse for the wear and tear” and “Our love is like our music / It’s here and then it’s gone” and “I see the girls go by, dressed in their summer clothes / I have to turn my head until my darkness goes” and “Like a newborn baby, it just happens every day” and “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste” and “Onstage the band has got problems / They’re a bag of nerves on first nights” and “now I’m just one of your cocks” I COULD DO THIS ALL DAY THAT’S OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD YOU COULD DO THIS ALL DAY for fifty years this guy has been ready to open his heart and write it down for his band and he doesn’t have to create a bunch of mythology around himself to get steeled up enough to do it. he just does it. his mystery is fuck you. and if that ain’t rock and roll fuck you Jagger will let you watch him put on this make up and when he’s done you will think he is gone Jagger deliberately dresses to anger boys who are uptight about their own sexuality he wants bullies to want to kill him and if he has to he’ll lick a guy’s face to get that going that didn’t happen cuz he was all fucked up that night on SNL that happened cuz he’s Mick Jagger all the time. no bullshit. he doesn’t have to pretend he didn’t help plan the party to be the shaman at it he doesn’t have to pretend he is reluctant to even be at the party in order to read his poetry at it. he says he is not going to write a book to me this says a lot about Mick as a fan watching from way up at the top of the stadium who is unbelievably and overwhelming grateful to be entertained by the whole mess it seems to me that while Bob Dylan and Keith Richards go way out of their way to make sure everybody knows how little they care what everybody thinks about them Jagger just doesn’t if I could pick only one person to ever get another songwriting lesson from it would be Mick Jagger I think he is so good all around at everything a person could bring to the job that it sometimes gets lost in the shuffle that as a songwriter he is arguably one of the best to ever do it. and in closing, I would like to add, that if you went back and took all the music in the world that came out before 1985 and threw it away as if it had never been heard I would still say this and furthermore if nobody had ever heard of or seen the Rolling Stones and they were only playing songs off their Bigger Bang album and it was in a bar that was kinda empty tonight as in this very evening and I walked in and saw it and heard it I would believe I was witnessing the future of rock and roll which ain’t much really I mean it can’t change the world per say so to speak and what have you say no more right? I mean we all know it’s only rock and roll but I have personally grown quite fond of it. when Mick Jagger sticks his pin in his heart and suicides right on stage man oh man oh man does it satisfy my bleeding heart TS

Todd Snider on Mick Jagger.

Happy 75th Mick.

[bernardhiking]

Harding Icefield Trail

Date of hike: August 20, 2020

Country: USA

Region: Alaska

Trailhead: Exit Glacier Nature Center, near Seward, AK

Hike Destination: Harding Icefield Overlook

Distance: 9 miles (13.5 km), out and back trail

Overall elevation gain: 3,400 ft. (ca. 1,100 m.)

Difficulty: Intermediate

Seward, which is situated on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, gets 40% more days without sunshine per year (232) than does Boston (where we currently reside). Thus, while sunny days cannot be taken for granted anywhere in the US, except maybe in Las Vegas, they can even be less taken for granted on the Kenai Peninsula (or anywhere else in Alaska, for that matter). That’s why we were truly grateful and highly excited when we woke up to a bright sunny day for what was planned to be the highlight, hiking-wise, of our 12-day tour of Alaska. 

We stayed at the Seward Windsong Lodge, located next to Resurrection River, and from there it is just a 15 minutes drive to reach the Exit Glacier Nature Center, inside Kenai Fjords National Park. To approach the visitor center is to get an object lesson in the intricacies of climate change. Roadside signs with years on them show how far the glacier used to reach in former times. 

Based on analysis of vegetation age and various geographic markers, scientists determined that the glacier reached its furthest expansion at the end of the “Mini Ice Age,” around 1815. Since then, Exit Glacier has retreated a staggering 2 kilometers up the valley, living up to its name as a glacier on the way out. When we passed the first placard with the oldest date on it, I took it for a joke because we were surrounded by lush forest; but 200 years ago, we’d have been faced with a mass of shimmering, compressed ice at this very spot. Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the Glacier has retreated at a rate of 13 meters per year on average. This is a good indication that glacial retreat is not only a function of man-made greenhouse gas emission (which were minimal in 1815), but that human activity compounds large-scale climactic factors and that both work together to fuel the melting of glaciers. As far as I know, the question of what proportion of climate change is due to natural cycles and what is due to human activity remains a point of contention.

The trail up to the Harding Icefield is very popular, and for good reasons: Starting at a short distance from Seward, it is a hike of moderate difficulty and reasonable length (9 miles), offering huge rewards of grand sub-arctic mountainscapes. It is a good idea to arrive at the trailhead early, especially on a splendid day like we experienced it, although due to Covid-19, far fewer tourists than usual were in Alaska at the time. No cruise ships were docking in Seward all season, and the complicated travel restrictions and testing requirements have generally raised the bar on travelers arriving from far away places. Somebody told us that because of Covid-19, 1 million fewer people were in Alaska right now than a year ago. To put this figure in perspective, the entire resident population of the state is only 740,000. The tourism industry and all depending on it are clearly smarting from this situation, although Alaskans are picking up some of the slack by coming out in greater numbers than usual to see their own land. But it is one of the ironies of an otherwise baneful global pandemic that pristine natural attractions are rendered more pristine by the absence of hordes of tourists. 

We started out on the trail at 8:45 am, full of vigor and anticipation. We must have been among the very early birds since we didn't encounter anybody until close to noon, when some hikers who had overnighted somewhere in the backcountry were heading back our way. The trail is very well maintained and ascends at a pleasant rate, although some tall steps are encountered in the steepest sections. The first hour was spent mainly in alder, cottonwood, and spruce forest, which then gave way to shorter, stunted vegetation higher up, allowing a first glimpses of Exit Glacier, a gigantic river of ice lumbering down the mountainside, literally frozen in time. 

Exit Glacier is one of 38 glaciers spilling out from the Harding Icefield which entirely covers central Kenai Peninsula at a surface area of over 700 square miles (or roughly the size of the island of Maui). 

One of the great advantages of heading out early on this hike, besides enjoying an uncrowded trail, is that the light is much more favorable to bringing out the sculpted features of the landscape, exposing the blue ice shimmering from deep clefts in the glacier, while photogenic tendrils of vapor slide over the mountaintops in the background enhancing the dramatic effect. Once the sun moves further south and then swings west in the later afternoon, the light turns flat and blinding, as the viewer looks more or less directly into the glare over the glacier, and this takes a toll on the color spectrum and dimensional nuances of the scenery. 

After one hour of steady climbing, we reached the first overlook where we got a close look at the plunging Exit Glacier. We had a brief sit-down here and drank some water. Then, we tackled the steepest portion of the trail, as it switch-backs up and around a bluff, while the vegetation goes from brush to tundra. Looking back down to that first lookout, we realized that it had meanwhile been populated by fellow hikers who had come in our wake. 

After taking this photo with a tele lens, we deftly continued upward, calling out “oyeee! oyeee!” as a warning to potential bears. Telling the beasts that you are in their neighborhood is the best defense against unpleasant encounters with them, as they are usually shy and eager to avoid contact with humans. But when they are surprised or crowded, they can quickly and viciously turn on people. Like most hikers in Alaska, we also carried bear spray, but on a test of this device--discharging the can before we flew home--we found it to be of dubious efficacy, as the cloud of pepper gas was easily dissipated, with a reach of only about 5 meters. It seemed a puny way of defending oneself against an outraged 600 pound animal. Carrying the bear spray does more to calm the hiker’s nerves than it offers real protection in case of an emergency... hence the noise-making as the first and most important line of defense.

As it turned out, on this hike we did not encounter any bear (though another party following after us did, at fairly close range). We also did not spot other large wildlife and had to make do with a couple of marmots and grasshoppers. We did not mind, of course, since the scenery offered all the visual gratification that we could hope for. I'll never forget the moment when we crested a bluff and stepped out unto the ridge that looks down upon the majestic glacier, as it swings around in a broad curve, exposing a dramatic backdrop of icy expanse and serrated mountain tops. 

It was as good an instance of the sublime feeling of awe in nature as can be had. The vastness of the scene was overpowering, and we were glad to sample it in solitude. Because the glacier is so enormously thick--measuring up to one mile in depth--the peaks are almost entirely submerged, which creates a unique landscape type, only available in the far north (as well as the Antarctic, of course). It is hard to imagine that all of this splendor could one day be melted away, but in the far future, we might be looking into a valley instead of a plain brimming with endless amounts of ice and snow. 

The next portion of the trail, up to the ultimate turn-around point, goes from tundra to rocky terrain to black scree that resembles the surface of an uninhabited planet. This was my favorite stretch of the trail, with the huge expanse of the Harding Icefield gradually coming more clearly into view, as the trail climbs higher and higher above the glacier, while the vegetation becomes more and more sparse yet luminous. The dwarf fireweed were lovely to behold, and in some places they formed bright patches that attracted the eye in this austere landscape. 

Even the mosses were extraordinary here, eking out a living in forbidding conditions, brightly lining the border of small ponds along the way. 

The trail passes a small emergency shelter shortly before it reaches the end. When we peeked inside the shelter, there was nothing but four windowless walls and a bare floor. Not a stick of furniture or a stove to be seen. “Spartan” is probably an overstatement for this establishment. But for mountaineers in distress, the shelter can make the difference between life and death. 

It is hard to imagine the violent storms that tear through this region in the winter, or the bone-chilling cold and relentless darkness that will hold sway here in a few months' time. But right now, we were basking in gorgeous summer sunshine, with temperatures in the mid-60s, and with excellent visibility—better conditions cannot be imagined for a hike in this mountain wilderness. The contrast with what it could be like here in other circumstances is almost unreal. 

Soon after the emergency shelter, the path, which follows an old moraine, emerges on a small bluff, all rock and stone with no vegetation.

Here, we sought a nice secluded spot to the side of the trail and sat down for a leisurely lunch picnic, pondering the vastness of the vista and feeling comparatively small. In the bluish distance of the Harding Icefield, a row of grey conical mountain tops pierced the mile-thick ice pack like newspaper hats bobbing on a milky ocean.

On the way down, we met increasing numbers of hikers going up, including a gaggle of teenagers equipped only with water bottles who were asking how far it was to the end of the trail. It was 3 pm, and they did not give the impression of having the grit to sprint all the way up to the end of the trail, although coming this far without going to the final overlook seems a bit like a letdown. This really is a popular hike, and I can only imagine how busy it would be without Covid. At 9 miles round-trip (13.5 km), with 3,400 feet (roughly 1,100 meters) elevation gain, it is a substantial hike, but nowhere exposed, technical, or uninteresting. There is no better way, in my mind, to spend a sunny day in Alaska than going up to the viewpoint at the end of the Harding Icefield track. 

We returned to the visitor center at around 4:30 pm, quite tired but not worn out and certainly in very high spirits. There was not much room for our spirits to go higher, even after popping a couple cans of cold Alaskan beer in celebration of a perfect day.  

[marksleepy]

golden bloom

genre: fluff, songfic (nct dream - walk you home) word count: 1k+ audio: here (HAHAHAH but that’s the only thing i’ve been listening to) a/n: this is a one-shot so i apologise if it isn’t good. walk you home is such a great song tears. if you read this (and what’s below) thank you! i really appreciate it

Mark has been acting weird. Not the friendship-kind of weird where you discuss poop problems with each other, but the kind of weird where he gets really jittery about everything. You have noticed this about him about a week ago when he offered to walk you to the bus stop where you usually waited at alone. You thought it was such a convivial gesture, so you agreed casually without much cogitation.

Which leads to where you are now, walking beside Mark, whose uniform is stuck to his back due to sweat produced from the warm summer heat. His hand grazes yours as the two of you walk down the semi-deserted pathway and towards the familiar grey-roofed bus stop. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and shifts a little away from you. A smile plays at your mouth. It slowly fades when you realise how uncannily quiet he is. It's fortunate that you know him too well to know that he's deep in thought.

"Mark?" you say, giving him a poke in the ribs. He flinches, then hums in response.

"You okay?" you ask. You wipe the back of your hand on the beads of perspiration accumulating on your forehead. He hums again. It takes seconds for you to register the fact that he has stopped a foot behind you. He's eyeing on the wooden bench resting under a stretch of marigolds.

"Mark?" you call out again. He turns his attention to you and jogs towards you. You fill in the silence by talking about something humorous that happened in homeroom today. Mark doesn't hold back when he laughs, and that makes you laugh even harder. The cars on the street speed past you and Mark in a blur. You gesture wildly, aware of everything but the look of admiration plastered on his face as he gazes at you.

The roof of the bus stop provides ample shelter from the ruthless rays of sunshine. You sit, and Mark stands. He fans himself with his hand, tugging at the collar of his uniform lightly.

"This weather is killing me," he says.

You glance at the bus as it gets larger and closer. "Quit complaining. The bus is here," you jest.

The bus isn't too crowded and you smile when you spot the seats at the back of the vehicle. You throw yourself down on one of them and drop your bag on your lap, Mark following suit. His shoulder touches yours every time the bus switches lanes. The world outside is nothing but obscure images. As the bus comes to a stop at the fifth stop, the pair of you hops off. You recognise the same routine from the past days. Mark would walk you to your house, a building which stands in a quiet cul-de-sac.

"Thanks for, um,"—you itch at your nose awkwardly—"walking me home." He shakes his head, a toothy grin spreading across his face. "You don't have to thank me every day, you know?"

You stand at the entrance and grin back at him.

"Now go," he prods. You turn your back to him and step into the dingy house. You push the door close gently and lean against it for a moment. Once you're sure he's gone, you walk to the rectangular window beside the door and look out. You watch as his figure becomes smaller.

You can't stop smiling.

As the weather gets hotter, the days seem to get longer. You close your eyes in peace and embrace everything summer—the heat, the sweating glasses of beverages, the dripping Popsicles, the fruits that are like saccharine love songs. You look at the digital clock resting on your bedside table. 1:45 pm. Just 15 more minutes before you have to be at Donghyuck's house for a pool party. His house is only a five minutes walk away from yours. You continue lying on your bed, sweat already forming everywhere.

Your phone buzzes. You sit up and pull it off the charger.

Mark hey :) you coming? [1:51 PM]

You of course. wouldn't miss it for the world [1:52 PM]

Mark great! can't wait [1:52 PM]

Your fingers curl around your phone. What can't he wait for? The pool party? Seeing you? A flush of heat sweeps your cheeks when you realise you'll much prefer the latter.

Donghyuck's house is bustling with frenetic energy by the time you arrive. You specifically see Renjun pushing Jeno into the pool, cackling at the edge of it. Jisung sneaks up behind him and bumps his hips against Renjun's, sending him plunging into the water. You shoot a thumbs up in his direction when he waves at you. The inflatable beach ball is thrown around in the glistening pool. It flies out of it suddenly, rolls towards you and stops at your feet.

"Hey, Y/N! Over here!"

You turn your head at the familiar voice, picking up the ball and hurling it back into the pool. Mark shouts thanks and beckons you over. "Put your things down and join us!"

Putting your towel and other personal belongings down on an empty plastic beach chair, you scream, "Make way!" before jumping into the pool. The cool water washes the heat away. Your shirt and shorts cling onto you tightly. You tug at them. Everyone in the pool cheers as you wipe at your face. You bounce up and down, trying to get used to the cold water despite how hot the weather is.

"Guys, let's play Marco Polo!" Jaemin suggests. He throws his watermelon rind away and swims to the centre of the pool. Chenle, who's enjoying his watermelon slice with Mark and Jisung on steps of the pool where it's shallowest, yells, "Can we switch it up a bit? Instead of saying Marco and Polo, let's say 'dolphin' and players have to reply with dolphin sounds." Jisung puffs out his cheeks and laughs, slapping Chenle on the back playfully.

"That's actually an ingenious idea," Mark chortles. He leaves his watermelon rind next to Chenle and Jisung's and swims to the centre as well.

After a game of rock-paper-scissors, Mark is chosen to shout Marco (how coincidental), or in this case, dolphin. Donghyuck tosses him a blindfold and soon the game starts. You swim to the furthest end of the pool, holding on to the edge as it gets deeper. Mark rests his arms on the surface of the water and shouts 'dolphin'. Ear-splitting screams are elicited from you and the rest, Chenle especially. You close your eyes and rest your head on your forearms when Mark moves in Chenle's direction—somewhere that isn't near you at all. Mark manages to get ahold of Chenle's foot, with peals of laughter bubbling out of the latter's mouth. The game continues when he returns to his previous position on the steps.

"Dolphin," Mark sings.

Everyone including Chenle answers with dolphin impressions again, and your eyes widen in shock when Mark starts moving towards you, all the while saying, "Shut up, Chenle, unless you want to be the new dolphin."

"I already am," he effuses. He then lets a penetrating laugh escape his mouth. Mark has his arms out in front of him as he creeps ever so slowly to you.

Please don't say dolphin.

"Dolphin!"

A shriek tumbles from your lips before Mark smiles with satisfaction and wraps his arms around you tightly. Your heart thrums in your ear and you blink rapidly at the blinding light. You can feel the rising and falling of his chest, with the faint beating of his heart. Through Mark's hair in your face, you can make out Donghyuck smirking and giving Jeno a fist bump. Mark pulls the blindfold off and gawks at you, temporarily frozen in place. His arms stop circling around you and he heaves himself out of the pool, taking faltering steps into Donghyuck's house.

"What's up with him?" Jisung puzzles, hopping onto a flamingo inflatable.

"Yeah, what's up with him?" Donghyuck echoes. You catch a glimpse of him looking at you knowingly.

It is exceptionally hot today. You sit in front of your fan, which is already on full speed, but it isn't helping much. At least the sun is setting. Your phone buzzes on your desktop. Reading the sender's name sends butterflies through your chest.

Mark it's so hot [6:45 PM] wanna go get ice cream? [6:45 PM] or are you having dinner? [6:45 PM]

Your mouth quirks up in a half smile.

You i've already had dinner [6:47 PM] where do we meet? [6:47 PM]

Mark i'm near your house [6:48 PM] i was running some errands [6:48 PM]

You cock your head to the side and you type your reply.

You what errands? [6:49 PM] you don't live nearby [6:49 PM]

He doesn't reply, but you hear the ringing of the doorbell. He's probably the only person who still does that. You rush downstairs and open the door. Mark is dressed in a white tee, ripped jeans hugging his legs. He's wearing a white cap, his hair short but visible underneath it.

"We're just getting ice cream, right?" you ask, looking down at your plain tee paired with an old pair of shorts. How attractive.

"Yeah. We can even walk along the river pathway," he proposes. And with that, you walk alongside Mark down the trail.

Mark attempts to lick the drop of ice cream running down the side of his cone. Your eyes flick to a gazebo in the park. It's the perfect place to sit at to watch the glorious sunset. You point at it and Mark nods eagerly.

You pop the last bit of the ice cream cone into your mouth as the sun disappears below the horizon. A flock of birds flies across the sky. You can feel the cool summer night breeze glide itself over your arms.

"Are you okay?" you begin, still looking out at the now dusky sky. "I mean, the other day at Donghyuck's pool."

He observes you for a second. "Oh, that. I really had to pee."

You scowl at him. "Seriously, Mark? I thought it was something I did."

After a few minutes of tranquillity, he intones, "Maybe it was."

You are briefly dumbstruck. "What did I do?"

He's silent.

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry for stealing one of your gift cards. I'll return it," you confess, wiping your sweaty palms on your shorts.

His jaw tenses and he studies you incredulously. "Wait, what? I didn't know about that."

You turn to stare at him but he's focused on the silver speckles in the sky. "Then what is it?"

His fingers brush yours. You look down but do not move away. "Do I really have to say more? Or have you gotten the hint?"

-

Mark slows his pace after some time. You match his steps. "I wish it was still early." He smiles wistfully.

"We can meet up tomorrow," you offer quietly. It sounded better in your head. "There's this movie I'm very keen to watch," you add meekly.

Mark doesn’t seem to mind. A smile flicker across his face. As you and Mark stroll under the starry sky, the all too familiar house at the end of the road comes into view. Mark chews on the insides of his cheeks.

"Go in. I'll watch you," he breathes. Dim light comes from the small window upstairs, a signal that your mother is already home. You've lost track of time.

"Goodnight, Mark."

"Goodnight, Y/N."

You wake up the next morning, clearly sleep-deprived. Your hands tremble as you reach for your phone.

Mark let's meet again later at 2 pm :) [9:17 AM]

You spend the next four hours screaming at Donghyuck over text and rummaging through your closet for something decent to wear. Noon rolls by, and then it's only seconds to two. Your ears pick up the sound of the doorbell ringing. You run down the steps two at a time. Taking a few deep breaths, you pull the door open.

He stands before you, ears pink and you know for a fact has nothing to do with the heat. Ecstasy tugs at your lips.

[sussex-nature-lover]

Tuesday 2nd June 2020

Reprising the 1st June the start of Meteorological Summer

According to the TV weather report t’s been the driest Spring since records began, so I looked it up.

UK, England and Wales recorded their sunniest May on record (in a series from 1929) May 2020 has been the sunniest calendar month on record with 266 hours of sunshine, beating the previous record of 265 hours in June 1957. It has been the driest May in England and second driest in Wales with 9.6mm and 14.3mm respectively, which are both just 17% of the average rainfall for May.                                                                              info from the Met Office

DAY1 30 Days Wild Challenge 1st June photo - Glaucous Dog Rose in our garden hedge

Some of the local verges are lush but in places you can see just how dry it’s been and why a hosepipe ban is in the offing. Our nearest reservoir level is currently running at 94% which is good going for now, but we did have a Winter of severe flooding.

I’m supposed to be resting my legs but to be honest am afraid they’ll seize up if I don’t do a bit each day, so we wandered down the lane. I had planned a different route across a field but when we got there the cattle had been moved and I’m not a fan of walking through fields where the cows have calves, so we gave that a swerve and carried on down the lane instead.

There’s still a road closed sign, but that doesn’t seem to be deterring many and although the cyclists were missing today we must’ve encountered about 30 vehicles in 45 minutes. There were two, tops three, who were considerate.

We did have a lovely view of one of my favourite spots in the sunshine. I so enjoy this little window of borrowed view from the lane that if the hedge ever closes it up, I’ll be sorely tempted to take my clippers to it...at the right time of year of course. At the moment those hedgerows sound absolutely full of young Blue Tits. I reckon they’re having a bumper year around here.

Something else that seems strong is the Song Thrush, despite Tracey’s nest failure the singing in our garden is very healthy. They were present in the woodland walk and we’ve seen evidence again that they count the nearest bridge as a haunt. The bridge is another favourite stop of mine, not because it’s pretty, or the view’s especially anything much, but the sound of the water is a pleasure.

I think I’ll use this broken snail shell as my 30 Days Wild photo of the day today. The Thrush obviously use the bridge as a ‘tool’ to smash the shells as they’re littered all across the top and on the ground below like nature’s art installation...which brings the story right back around to why Tracy (of the failed porch nestbox) was called Tracey in the first place. If that makes no sense then you need to go back through the blog archive. 

A highlight of the day was managing to capture Goldfinch - not clear and in focus but given that they hardly stay still, something of a small triumph. 

I love the colours against the clear blue sky, but was particularly happy to track one deep into the apple tree - not so easy to pick out amongst the leaf cover.

They seem to have three spots in the lane, The furthest is where I got some photos on the barbed wire fence at the bend. I know they like it there as the verge is covered in dandelions and there’s a particular tree I’ve seen them in. They’re also hiding in hedges not far from the bridge and then by the farmhouse, where I got the above pics, which is also where the best Swallow viewing is.

It was the last pass of the International Space Station for a month. I did look out to look for it, but didn’t spot it.

What I am getting better at spotting is 

NEST WATCH:

Daisy Waldron, like one of those magic eye photos. View from below in the porch. Look for the white neck stripes.

♦ sorry for any errors

[benlawrence9]

Day 2 - Penguins at The Worlds End

The failure to get some gluten free bread from the shop we visited yesterday meant Ants and I had to get up and walk round the corner to a Woolworths, which much to my inner childs disgust is not the pick and mix haven that it was in the UK, it’s more of a carbon copy of M&S.

As planned we picked up Steve and headed South to Cape Point, the southern most point of the continent, which is over a 2 hour drive from Cape Town.

The route as expected was scenic and beautiful, and only half an hour in we were stopping to look back at Hout Bay, which we had spent the day on the beach in yesterday. The glorious sunshine and clear blue water gave for some pretty special viewing. This was a good sign for the day with plenty of scenic viewing spots ahead.

Next along the road was Noordhoek beach, or long beach, due to the length and width of the sand. Again we stopped on the hill side to soak it in.

A small stoppage for a tortoise crossing, and then shortly after for a baboon gave me a reminder that we were constantly surrounded by that kind of wildlife.

We arrived at Cape Point, as the whole of the area was engulfed in cloud, in an eerie Game of Thrones location sort of way. The ascent to the top wasn’t any cooler because of the clouds, so a sweaty and panting arrival to only get the odd glimpse of what was around us threatened to disappoint. We carried on to the furthest point south you can reach, with the oldest track too unsafe to explore. It was an awesome place to be, knowing you are at the end of a continent with nothing but water surrounding you.

Over the course of the first two days, Ants had made some statements that Javi and I had believed to be true, only for Steve to inform us that he wasn’t that clued up. This became an NTA comment, “Never Trust Ants”, and provided us with plenty more laughs and reasons to dig him out.

We then headed the other route back north via Boulder Beach, famous for being home to lots of penguins. We parked up and had a swim and sunbathe with them and that was probably where we acquired our slight sun burns.

After Boulders we stopped at a nice place called Brass Bell in Kalk Bay. Jutting out into the sea with the waves crashing close to us was an interesting venue for a below average gluten free burger.

A quick change and stock up on alcohol before heading to Steve and Cath’s for a pizza and chilled drink. 12:00 I was out for the count, so onto day 3.