#I’ll dig around for something affordable because I’m determined to crack down extra hard on recall training over winter

[treewithabark]

At what point do you say, fuck it. I need to buy a waterproof longline.

This point. This is when you say, fuck it. I need a waterproof longline.

[bigcat-hanson]

Long Way From Home [Part One] | Arin Hanson X Reader

You and your best (and only) high school friend, Arin, spend a day together at the new mall in your hometown. Your parents give you earth shattering news that turns your world upside down

Word count: 1670

     The tires of your bike propelled you forward, the occasional rock crunching below its weight. Your legs pedaled as fast as they could, fueled by your determination to beat him to your destination. There was no way he could catch up to you in time.

     “Slow down! You’re already winning!”

     “No chance, Hanson!”

     Two sets of tires skidded to a stop in front of the mall in your hometown of Wellington, Florida. It hadn’t even been a year since the mall was built, and it was already riddled with tourist trap crap. There were machines at every turn for little trinkets and souvenirs. Pressed pennies, cheesy keychains, and dad hats. You thought it was a bit cringy, but for whatever reason, Arin loved it.

     “Alright, (Y/N), lunch or Pokemon card hunt first?” Arin looked at you as he asked the question, waiting for your answer before entering the building. You adjusted the strap of your backpack to prevent it from further slipping off of your shoulder.

     “Cards. That way you can open them and brag about it while we eat. You did remember to bring your sleeves, right?”

     “In my pocket. I didn’t bring that many, though. I probably won’t get any rares.”

     “Fingers crossed. Alright, let’s go.”

     The mall was busy, as it was practically every weekend since it opened. The two of you swerved through crowds, around slow walkers and even managed to dodge the few seemingly unattended children that ran a million miles an hour in your direction. As you approached the game store, you crossed your fingers, hoping you could find what you were looking for. 

     Arin bolted directly inside and to the card display before you even had a chance to set foot inside. It wasn’t hard to find him when you finally did. The large sign advertising the new Pokemon: Neo Destiny release was practically a beacon for finding your friend. He already had at least seven packs in his hands by the time you found him.

     “Dear christ, Arin. You know you can’t buy out the whole store, right?” you laughed, gesturing to the packs of cards in his hands. 

     “It’s only ten packs!” he said defensively, grabbing one last pack. You shook your head, unable to help the smile that crept onto your face. 

     With pockets full of new Pokemon cards, Arin followed you to the food court. Both of you had agreed that it would be best if you took your food to one of the tables outside, and after receiving your orders, did just that. As Arin placed the food onto the table, you removed a small box from your backpack and slid it across the table to him, the Pokeball design slightly scratched from it. 

     “Ok, fingers crossed. Crack ‘em open, Hanson,” you prompted, taking the hot fries out of their container and cautiously biting into them. The look of excitement on his face was one that you wouldn’t trade for the world. 

     The first half was nothing to brag about. Almost every card was a common, with some neat looking holofoils mixed in. The next four packs after that revealed a number of low-level rares, all of which ended up getting sleeved just in case. Then there was the last pack. 

     “Holy shit! Oh my god, are you fucking kidding me?! Yo!!” Arin practically screamed, a look of amazement plastered on his face as he stared at the card in his hand. His free hand ran through his hair as he let out an excited laugh.

     “Wanna share with the class there, bud?” Your voice held a tinge of amusement. Seeing him that excited never ceased to be one of your favorite things in the world. 

     “I got a foil Dark fucking Espeon! Holy fucking Christ!” He scrambled wildly to find a sleeve to put the card in, his frantic movements turning into careful, precise ones as he slipped the card into one. 

     “Good pull, Hanson! God damn, nice work.”

     “That’s fucking awesome. Oh my god, I can’t believe I pulled that. That’s amazing.” You did have to admit, the shine of the foil did make it look super cool.

     “Alright, mission accomplished, fantastic pull made. You gonna eat or what?” you asked, placing the now full box of Pokemon cards back in the backpack. You gathered up the empty card packs and threw them away as Arin finally started eating his lunch. 

     You were finally about to head out after he had finished eating, but before you could even see your bikes, Arin grabbed your arm to prevent you from walking any further.

     “Look! They have one of those machines where you can make your own dog tags!” You looked in the direction that he was now pointing and, sure enough, he was right. You sighed, knowing exactly where this was going.

     “Arin, no. It’s cheesy tourist crap. I’m not doing that.” You tried to take a step forward, but he just pulled you back. 

     “Come on, please? Perfect ending to a perfect day. Think of how cool it would be to have dog tags with our names on them! Please, (Y/N), I promise I’ll never ask for anything like this again. Just this once, I promise,” he pleaded. You so desperately wanted to say no, that it was most likely cheap metal that would rust or break within a week, but as he always did in moments like these, he was boring a hole into your soul with those damn eyes of his, and you couldn’t resist.

     “Damn it. Fine, but just this once, and only because of the Espeon,” you relented, still trying to hold even a shred of sternness. Still keeping a hold on your arm, he bolted over to the machine and began digging around for coins in his pockets. You took the handful of quarters you always kept in a small pocket of your backpack and handed them to him.

     “Ok, uh, what should I put on it?”

     “Didn’t you just say you wanted your name on it like, three seconds ago?”

     “I mean, yea, but I want this to be perfect. I don’t know if just my name and a little picture of a palm tree would be cool enough.”

     “Here, let me do mine first,” you offered, moving in front of the machine. The quarters clinked as they disappeared inside, and the machine whirred to life. You typed out what you wanted to be on the tag, making sure to hide the display from Arin until you were finished. The machine went to work carving the letters and image into the metal, and dropping it into the dispenser once it was done.

     Arin got to it before you did, reaching into the slot and bringing it closer to himself to read it.

AJH (Y/I) ESPEON 2002

     He laughed as he read it, rubbing his thumb over the little carved palm tree under the lettering.

     “Well?” you asked, smiling at his apparent amusement with your inscription choice. He nodded and handed the small piece of metal to you.

     “That’s perfect. I’m doing that, too.” Taking a step back, you dramatically gestured to the machine, allowing him to make his own. Once the tag clattered out of the machine, he picked it up and inspected it before proudly turning it towards you, revealing an exact replica of the design you had used. “Now we match.”

     “Yes we do. Alright, I really need to head home. Let’s go.”

~~~~~

     The front door to your house closed quietly behind you. Something was up. Usually, your parents would still be at work at this point in the day, but for whatever reason, both of them were home. You walked into the kitchen to get yourself some water, when your mom called you into her bedroom.

     “Hi,” you said cautiously, not sure what to expect. The two of them both sitting on the edge of the bed, seemingly waiting for you set your nerves on edge.

     “Come sit down. We have something to tell you.” Your dad gestured to a chair sitting across from them as he spoke. You sat down, expecting the worst. 

     “What’s going on?”

     “I know this is going to be hard for you, but your mother and I agree that it would be the best thing for you.”

     “What? What are you talking about?”

     “You’re going to move to Arizona with your au-”

     “Arizona?! What? Mom, what is he talking about?”

     “Your aunt has an extra room in her house, and there’s a really good high school there for you. I promise you’ll like it there.”

     “I don’t know anyone there! It’s hard enough for me to make friends here, let alone in a completely new place!”

     “We understand that, but a good education is worth it.”

     “But Arin-”

     “Arin will be fine without you. Now, we need this to happen as soon as possible, so you’ll fly out first thing tomorrow with your essentials, and we’ll send the rest of your things as soon as…”

     Your mom’s words suddenly sounded like you were hearing them from the inside of a glass jar as you tried to process this. You knew things were bad for the three of you, but not bad enough to send you across the country. How the hell could they afford to move you away like this when they could hardly put food on the table on a consistent basis? How could they send you away from the only friend you had without giving you a chance to say goodbye?

     “You’ll tell him, right? That I say goodbye, and I’ll miss him, and that I’m sorry. You’ll tell him?” Your words were strained, every ounce of energy being spent on trying not to break down then and there. Your parents exchanged a look, but through your foggy eyes, you couldn’t tell what it was about.

     “We will. If I were you, I’d pack for tomorrow so you don’t have to worry about it when you wake up.”