#he just came over and crawled into my arma

[narakussy]

him snuggly tonight

[fangirlprincess-writes]

Puppy Love

fandom: The Spanish Love Deception (TSLD) by Elena Armas

content warnings: none

word count: 586

read on AO3

prompt requested by my friend @ brightorangelove on Instagram:

"Lina and Aaron finally have their date at the dog shelter"

A/N: this has no plot, it's just almost 600 words of Aaron's very fluffy inner monologue.

---

As Aaron Blackford stood and watched the love of his life play with approximately fifteen puppies, he knew that he was well and truly fucked. Not because he’d had some belated realization about how much he loved said woman, or how he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her. He’s known that for quite a while now. 

No, today he realized that he and Catalina would not be leaving the shelter alone. Because from the look on his fiancées face (okay, not quite fiancée since he actually still needed to ask her, but that was just semantics), he was pretty sure that she would not be able to leave without a puppy in her arms.

Lina was sitting, surrounded by lots of lively puppies who were all chasing each other and chewing on her shoes and trying to crawl onto her lap. 

Her head was thrown back in laughter, the beautiful curve of her neck exposed, and Aaron couldn’t help but follow the line of her chin down her throat to where he could make out the edges of her collarbones with his eyes. Her brown curls were pulled together in a bun and he wished he could walk over and take her hair down, rake his fingers through the silky strands and bury his nose in the hollow of that throat. 

He had never known himself to be like this, like a lovesick teenager, especially not over a year into a relationship, but he had long ago learned that with Lina, things weren’t usual in any way. 

He loved that about them. Loved how he still couldn’t get enough of her, how he was never close enough, always feeling restless unless there was a physical connection between them. A hand, resting on a leg; hands held together, fingers intertwined; a comforting or protective hand on the small of a back or resting on shoulders. 

He didn’t mind though. The control his fellings has over him. The intensity with which he felt. So long as he had this beautiful woman in his life, he would deal with all the things that came with that and not complain for a second. 

Even if that meant adopting a dog on a whim. She hadn’t asked him to yet. Or begged him more, since he would put on a stern face at first. 

Lina, you know I love you, but we can’t just adopt a puppy. Our apartment is not prepared for that, he’d say. He was the reasonable one in their relationship after all, the responsible one. But they both knew it was only a matter of time before he acquiesced. Her pleading eyes and little pouty mouth always won her over. How he loved that mouth. The funny, sometimes random things that came out of it. The things she could do with this mouth. Sometimes he felt like a loose thread, unraveled by just a single glance, a smile, a laugh, a simple I love you. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

He already mentally calculated the steps they’d need to take to make their apartment puppy-save. Where the closest pet supply store was, so they could buy the basics for their new family member. Family. That’s what they were. And starting today they would be three. Hopefully with other non-animal-babies too at some point. If he was lucky. He would take everything Lina decided to give him. He couldn’t wait for their future, for the rest of their lives, spent together.

---

Thank you so much for reading!

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Requests and asks are open!

[razorblade180]

OC test: Survive pt1

Each character has been split off from one another by hard light fields to form a circular ring divided evenly; with a safe zone in the very center. They can all see and hear each other, but that’s it. All characters will face grimm at the same time. The type of grimm is dependent on what will give that individual trouble. Once a character defeats their grimm, it is their choice to what zone they want to go to next to help. The test is over when a winner in every zone has been decided.

Aero:Anybody getting Saw vibes from this, or at least something sinister?

Kovu:It did say “a winner” meaning the grimm might own us.

Summer:Remember the good old days where a test was make breakfast? I do...

Veronica:Just don’t fuck up and you’ll be fine. I’m ready for everything!

Sienna:Aren’t you technically a civilian?

Veronica:Pfft, I can still kick butt. I’m a Xiao Long!

Jacquelyn:I think the test is beginning.

Yujin stretches out her wrists and grabs her sword. It was soon after that ten pools of grimm opened up with Ursa Majors clawing out, fully armored and foaming at the mouth. One final pool had a King TaijituYujin wasn’t expected anything less, yet she was still upset. “I am sick and tired of these stupid things! Why all at once!?”

“Because it’s called survival...” Tenzen said, witnessing dozens of baby deathstalkers marching towards his as hives of lancers swarmed above. “Guess I’m playing exterminator...” he syched himself up, before a Beringel came stampeding in. It beat on it’s chests and let out a roar. “And....fighting baby King Kong...”

Jael hadn’t wasted any time making headway on her test. She knew herself pretty well and what she could handle. That still did not entirely prepare herself to fend of eight fully grown manticore in aerial combat. “So this is a manticore? Yeah, about what I expect .” She said , dodging their fireballs. “Air or land, they seem pretty dangerous. Guess I got no real advantage, yet.”

Sparrow was on the ball. Military training served him well. Armed only with an Atlesian pistol and a fishing rod, he controlled the battle ground. His mother had taught him long ago what his limits were and how to make up for them. A single Sphinx flew down to swipe at him. The young man back stepped and shot a high powered round at its foot. The beast roared before trying to fly.

“Oh no you don’t!” He casted the line right in the Sphinx’s mouth and yanked back down on the injure foot. “You’re gonna move the way I want you to!” Another round hit its front paw, making the creatures spin around, using its snake tail. Sparrow had already dropped the line and cought the second beast. He didn’t hesitate to press his gun right to its eye and blow up the head of the...tail. “Whoo! Still got it!”

While several of the kids quickly understood their enemies, others were left a little perplexed. Sienna was one of these people. “Uhhh I know Remnant is a big place, but since when do grimm look like roaches?” She stuttered.

The question got many to take a glance. Yep, roaches, but not the small kind. These roaches looked on par with the size of house cats. The black insects with bone white wings scattered around the floor. Several stood on two legs while grinding their human-like teeth together that made a shrill noise Sienna found personally irritating. The only Kovu alone seemed to grasp that situation.

“Don’t run! Walk in big circle! They’ll be huddled up that way!” He shouted. Sienna followed his instructions without question. The heard of roaches began following her on two legs while the others reached outward.

“Ohhh don’t like that!” Sienna looked at Kovu with a look that said, “what I’m the actual hell” very apparently. “Kovu-”

“They’re called Feasters. Do not let them swarm you and do not run! They will get on all of their legs and be much faster. Also don’t jump! They fly; just whack them with your chain.”

Sienna did just that. “I hate this I hate this I hate this, they’re so many! And that stupid noise!!!! Agh, my ears!” She winced. A second of stopping prompted the infestation to lunge at her like a wave. Sienna quickly tumbled backwards and kept walking. The last thing she wanted was for those things to take a bite of her. All things considered though, this was manageable. The benefit of no semblance she supposed. “How we looking everyone?”

“Peachy!” Veronica yelled, rider kicking a Tar Maw, a voracious gator like grimm that had a bond white back with black carvings. It’s red eyes glared and the tar black underside dripped like a leaky faucet. The sixteen foot beast opened its gaping mouth, hurling up grimm fluid before diving into it and through the ground subsequently; as it the dirt itself has become as flowing as water. Veronica phased through the ground to try and hit it from underneath but was shocked to see the beast diving down for her. Along with two more smaller but equally dangerous Tar Maws. Quickly, Veronica shot upward through the ground and into the air to barely avoid the the creatures that burst through the ground almost as forceful as her.

“As if one wasn’t enough.” Veronica snarled. Her body rolled forward midair to deliver a swift axe kick to one of the grimm’s hid, knocking it into the others. “I think Summer and I finally agree on something! I miss breakfast tests!”

“Glad you see it my way...” Summer groaned, watching a Arma Gigas rise. She looked over to her brother’s section to see the same exact expression of annoyance. Of course he had one as well. Nick looked at her as if she could do anything about it. “I know, it sucks.”

“Royally.” He added. Nick armed himself with Mort Froide and placed 15 upright ice glyphs around it in a diamond formation. His next move was summoning a gigas blade in his left hand before running towards the emerging knight that has yet to form from the shins down. With limited options it swung its blade which Nick proceeded to jump onto an continuing his charge towards its face. “I’ve killed one before. I can do it again!” Nick jumps at the face to slash it but is knocked back by a headbutt. Fully formed, the gigas bends its knees to prepare a jumping slash. However, blades of ice rockets out of the glyphs, wedging themselves between the knees and ankle armor space to stall movement long enough for Nick to recover. He runs his head and grunts, “Gah, okay. This one has a bet more heft. Noted...”

Valerie watched her two closest friends head off to fight their grueling challenge. “Always setting the pace.” She faced forward towards a fresh Nucklevee, free of any armor but still big enough to be a problem. “What, is this some kind of generational test? Too bad dad isn’t here. He’d love this!” Valerie leaped forward, twirling her battle axe before smashing it into the ground to break up the floor. “Can’t let move easily.” She leaped again.

The Nucklevee shot it’s arms out into the crushed floor and then upwards, it’s hands full of rocks. They flew up and over Valerie before crushing the rubble. A cloud of dirt and debris rain down and struck her back, throwing her balance off. Both arms came plummeting downwards to wrap her up and slammed them into the earth.

“It’s thinking!? But it’s new!” Valerie struggled trying to break free of the elastic grasp. “Huh?” She looked up to see the horse mouth exhale a plume of black smoke along the floor and headed right to her. “That’s not good...” through pure strength and will, Valerie got to her feet and started pulling with all her might. The arms wiggled and where dragged up from the ground but would not break. The fog crawled closer and closer until the edges of it began stinging her skin on her ankles like fire. “Gah! Aw screw it!” She yelled, taking a deep breath and releasing the tension of her struggling. Her entire body slingshotted forward through the smoke and to the best, striking it with a double kick to the skeleton like face. It’s arms finally loosened enough for her to escape. She went to sever an arm until the beast turned around and struck her with it’s massive hind hooves. Val tumbled back and onto her legs. A strange numbness and pain resided in her ankles. Moving felt...odd. Valerie looked up to see the fog continue to spread and the beast beginning to charge. “Tsk..” Maybe it was best her father wasn’t here after all?.

In a other section, a much better circumstance was taking place for Lucas. The man effortlessly weaved around the onslaught of razor sharp feathers, bouncing some back to clip the Nevermore wings that sent them. It helped, but only a little considering he was dealing with an entire flock. Multiple enemies that used a wind ranging attack with multiple projectiles. Quite the headache for one who sees the future. So he did what he always did, not even try.

“One thing at a time Lucas. This moment, right now.” He said to himself as more feathers rained. He transformed his blade into a whip and began flailing it to deflect only what he could see and hear coming his way. The moment he found an opening he would swimg the whip around the bird’s neck and yank it down for him to cleave it. A simple strategy, effective. However, it was time consuming. Not a problem for him specifically, but his mind could only think about the people around him. He hadn’t been paying close attention to all of them, but the screaming grimm he could hear outside his zone let him know they weren’t all getting lucky in this test. “EVERYONE OKAY!?”

“NO!” Aero cried as he crashed to the ground, his wings covered in webs. The flexed it off the best he could while avoiding Soul Suckers, enormous spider grimm that had a real bad habit of draining aura and turning people into soulless husks that were robbed of will. Seven of the bastards shot dense web at him in an attempt to do just that. Aero spread his wings and slammed them towards the ground, rocketing himself upward with one powerful flap. “I AM NOT EQUIPPED FOR THESE!”

“They have spider grimm!?” Lucas said with concern. “That’s just sadistic...”

“You’re telling me!?” Aero looked over to Mona’s section, who was dealing with a single Goliath. Her spry nature allowed her to maneuver around its legs, quickly attacking. Unfortunately she was up against a Goliath. Simple daggers might as well be paper cuts. “You hanging in there Mona!?” He asked before having to dodge more webs.

“Worry about yourself Bird Boy!” She yelled sprinting. Mona went into a one armed hand spring onto its trunk and rolled onto its back, sliding down it with her dagger running through it shallowly before hitting armored bone; killing her momentum and hurting her shoulders. “Shit!” She winced. She yanked her blade out and jumped off as the Goliath’s trunk tried grabbing her. “Uuuggh this big bitch might as well be made of clay!” She pulled out her second dagger and took one giant lunge that sent her flying like a bullet. Mona began spinning like a sideways buzz saw as she went by the grimm’s left and right leg, making an average size gash. Not enough to cripple it but enough to piss it off.

The thief couldn’t stop her speed correctly and ended up tumbling along the ground and barely missing a tree. Her head buzzed loudly and her vision blurred enough to not realize the two ton monster charging until it was severely feet away. “Oh f-” she tried blocking. The tusks were aimed right for her blades but suddenly, her entire body was shot up in the air and away from the attack. “Aaah! What the heck!?”

“Stop screaming!”

Mona was spun around to see Eliza hovering with the power of wind. “How the- you finished!?”

“Yeah I had those gross centipedes and a couple annoying alphas with majors as well.” Eliza said. She causally pointed behind her to a zone charred beyond belief. “My semblance was useless so I had to go all out from the start. Guess you’re in a similar situation? Let’s waste this thing.”

“Hmm you’re lucky I like the way you look. I’ll take you up on that, not that needed help.”

“Whatever you say. Maybe I should’ve checked in with Kovu!” She looked his way. “But considering with Carmine said I’m sure his challenge-”

“oPeN UuuP...” gurgled a cold, torn voice. One that reached all ears, freezing grimm and human alike. It came from Kovu’s section. There the young man sat pinned and shaken up. Nothing but the dust barrier against his back and his own bubble-like barrier in front of it, constructed from his golden aura. The thing gnawing it, a very big and very aggressive Hound. It’s teeth grated against the aura, barely cracking it but cracking it nonetheless. “oPeN UuuP...”

Kovu’s face dripped sweat. His arms were completely stiff from trying to maintain his gaurd. “Guys, I don’t want to sound needy, but...” he grunted.

Several of his friends began working harder on their matches. Yujin and Veronica in particular had a fire lit inside them to make sure Kovu would be okay.

“Hang on Kovu!” Yujin yelled. “Just give me a bet of time and-”

“I thought you wanted to be a huntsman?” Carmine interjected, gaining Kovu’s attention. “I thought you wanted to try and catch up to me, but you’re asking for help this quickly? Not only that, but now you’ve caused others to worry more about you which could make them rush and make a mistake that’ll be disastrous. Hmm, I thought better of you than that.” She said bluntly.

He said nothing. Veronica on the other hand. “Hey!” She had a few words. “Isn’t that your cousin!? You of all people should be-”

“Worried?” Carmine finished. “I’m not saying I’m not, but I’m more worried about the thing behind me, I’m case none of you payed attention.” Carmine looked over her shoulder to the massive grimm pool that all but filled the entire area and continued to flow.

Of course nobody else noticed. It wasn’t big enough to caste a shadow over them all until this moment. Once again eyes looked to see the danger but it was their ears that heard it before anything else. A deafening roar that shook the ground like a disaster. Carmine fully turned around to look at her opponent. It was cruel. Downright evil to the letter. What could she have possibly done to earn-

“Leviathan!?” Tenzen yelled.

“I know right? It’s ridiculous.” Carmine said, a bead of sweat running down her head. “I rather switch with Jacquelyn.”

“Hehe, is that a fact?” She laughed nervously, witnessing the creation of a fully realized dragon staring her down as the shook off excess fluid. Yet another huge thing that nobody but Carmine was aware of apparently because they were once again floored. Not necessarily at the beasts even though they were scary, but because that was two people’s test!”

Yujin looked briefly at Carmine in awe. “You can take down Leviathan!?”

“What? Hell no! Are you crazy!?” Carmine said, unapologetically. “That thing is a kingdom killer! Look it’s flattering that you all seem to think I’m super badass but you do know I’m one person right?”

“Well when you say it like that I sound stupid. Didn’t Ruby beat one of those?” Yujin said, dodging.

“My mother flashed her eyes while a giant robot sucker punched it with a drill. Her eyes didn’t even do much but make it stuck for three seconds. Nobody just beats a Leviathan!” Carmine brandished her sword to face it. Her eyes looked back towards to see her cousin still struggling. “....Did you all know Kovu has never beaten me in a fight? He’s always been a pretty average fighter. That being said, I could never knock him out or keep him down for long. He’s resilient as hell. Almost like surviving is his special talent.”

“Carmine...” Kovu uttered.

“Surviving doesn’t mean winning. I’m definitely not about to win this and I doubt Jacquelyn over there is coming up with a grand slam plan to solo a dragon. Buying time though, I can do that all day.” The leviathan shot out a breath of immense flames. Carmine dove out of the way immediately. “Do not make me do this all day. I’m tired. Twenty minutes at best. More than enough time for anyone to lend a hand and then some, right?” Without another word, she got to work.

Carmine was an odd ball. If she had said anything like that to a stranger, it may have come off as rambling. But those around her in this test, they got the girl’s message. Kovu most of all, while Jacquelyn understood from the start given her enemy. Twenty minutes. Nobody was to aid her for that long or to worry. Carmine had temporarily removed herself the equation. One less thing for other’s to worry about.

“Twenty one.” Kovu said. “I got this mutt right where I want him for twenty one minutes.” Sure he was being optimistic, but this barrier bursting wasn’t game over right away. Like Carmine said, he was resilient.

Jacquelyn couldn’t help but smile. Part of it was the touching pep talk. The other was nervousness because no way was she about to put herself before kids. “Ah what the hell. I’m the winter maiden. A badass one at that. Thirty.” Her eyes glowed.

“Of course they want to out do me” Carmine chuckled. Alright everyone, nothing fancy! Those who know they can win, will. All others, do this test, survive!

Finally the stage was set. Everyone was on track. “Right!!!”

[your-highnessmarvel]

OMG Ellen You Didn’t!

Requested by Anonymous: Absolutely, so Chris x reader met at an industry party, she’s a newbie, he’s smitten when he first lays eyes on her dark chocolate skin.She a fan but she’s hesitant, she doesn’t know if he’s as cool as he seems. He approaches her, they hang out, she opens up about her past struggle with anxiety &he’s there for her &helps her navigate the craziness of the industry. Their friendship develops into a relationship, Chris falls hard for the one person he thought he’d never find...her, his future wife.

AN: THIS IS THE TYPE OF SPECIFIC I ABSOLUTELY LOVE UGH YAS. I made this comedic because i’ve been writing fluff and angst all day and my pretty poor heart hurts lol. i’ve struggled with anxiety my whole life without knowing, and when i finally put a word on it, it’s like i finally came to terms with who i was. to whoever suffers anxiety, past or present, my blog is a safe zone and so are my messages.

Warnings: angst, mentions of anxiety

*gif not mine

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MASTERLIST

Ellen gives a hug to Chris and they share a knowing laugh. She shakes your hand because she sees how nervous you are; what with the applauding audience and the screaming women. 

Wow, you think, this is what it’s like being famous. Or more, being married to a famous guy.

Ellen encourages you both to sit. “Chris, so good to have you back,” she says. 

Chris smiles, devilishly handsome as always. “Always good to be here, Ellen.”

“And Y/N, welcome to the show.”

You smile nervously, thankful for your sleeveless top for airing out your armpits. “Thank you for having me.”

Ellen smiles, crosses her leg over her knee, settles in. You take it as a cue to lean back into the couch, and Chris puts his arm comfortably behind you. From afar, it looks like regular couple stuff. But you know Chris is doing it for you; to make you feel safe with him, to let you know he is there. It is your first TV interview after all. 

“So, it’s my understanding that Chris was the one running after you, Y/N?” Ellen asks. The audience laughs, and Chris gives you that puppy dog stare that makes your tummy fill with hot butterflies.

“Yeah he was like... head over heels for me.” You laugh when Ellen gives Chris a look. 

“I mean,” Chris says, “look at her. How could I not?”

“What did he even do?” Ellen asks with a devilish smirk.

~~~ 

You wade your way through the crowd of faces, nervously biting the inside of your cheek. This party - this party with Hollywood figures - was filled with faces you’d seen on the Oscars stage as well as on the big screen. Your mind was going half a mile an hour and every time someone addressed a word to you, you’d stammer. 

So you opted for staying on your own to avoid any more social suicide. You took a half full bottle of tequila and all but ran into a corner where there was a love seat and a perfect view of downtown New York. You sat with a relieved sigh, readjusting your top. 

One more thing about Hollywood; everyone dressing fucking fancy for hella casual evenings. Like, this was a lowkey chilling that you were at, which you’d been invited by your staff team leader on the movie you were working on. Chilling means casual, right? Boy oh boy. Leonardo DiCaprio was wearing a full tux over there, hanging with his girl in a hot red dress. 

You scratched the inside of your elbow nervously. You had opted for an over-sized sweater and leggings with fuzzy socks. Even the butler was dressed better than you were. 

Ugh, you thought, I should have stayed home, but no, I wanted to get to know some celebs. Idiot. 

You could feel the judgment from some people, but most of them treated you as if you were a fly on the wall. 

You took a swing of the bottle, wincing because who the fuck can drink straight up tequila and remain stoic? Psychopaths. 

A shadow glided over the floor in front of you, catching your attention, and you looked up midway through your grimace.

And almost spat the tequila right back up. 

It was motherfucking Chris Evans. Of all the dorks that could have stood before you, holding his Stella Artoise and staring out the window like a Dad, it was good old Chris E.

“Wow.”

You hadn’t meant for that to come out. It was more an interior dialogue. Had you drank that much already?

Chris turned to you with a smirk, showing off broad shoulders under a nice crimson suit. “Tequila don’t go down easy, huh?”

“It’s more like my pride.”

He snorted. “Don’t mind the people judging you for your sweater,” he said, giving you a wink. “I find it rather cute. And rather refreshing. I get invited to these things, and I always think someone’s gonna wake up and realize we could be in our pijamas. But pictures for instagram and whatnot get taken here. We have to look our best.”

You looked up, mystified by the man. He was staring back unabashedly, and maybe because he was a little tipsy and that’s why his inhibitions flew right out the fucking window. But his cheeks were pink. His eyes were so blue, and he dragged them along any inch of exposed skin he could find. All while remaining the most respectable man. 

“You look - uh - good,” you said. Then you frowned, shook your head. What the hell kinda thing is that to say?

He chuckled. “Thank you.” Then he plopped right down next to you. “I find you look absolutely ravishing.”

Your cheeks became so hot you thought they’d peel right off. “Okay.”

His eyes went wide just as you all but slapped your forehead. “Man, I’m so dumb,” you groaned, feeling the heat crawl down your neck and chest. “I meant thank you, obviously. It’s just... like wow, you’re Chris Evans and you’re wearing a blood red suit and your hair looks so soft!”

He threw his head back and laughed, exposing pale flesh at the neck. “Can I say something too?”

“Yeah.”

“Your skin is breathtaking.” Then his eyes went serious, looking at you as if he was trying to open the doors to your mind. “May I?” he asked, pointer finger hovering over the chocolate flesh of your wrist. 

Oh my God! Chris was going to touch you!

“Y-yeah.”

He pressed two fingers along your wrist, caressing the skin. “I saw you walk in,” he admitted. “And I just - when I saw you with your sweater and skin the color of coffee and hair in braids and eyes so bright. I thought... I’m sorry, am I being too much?” His serious tone quickly turned concerned. 

You hadn’t noticed you were staring, mouth agape, heart beating like dad’s when they hammer a stubborn nail. “No, it’s fine,” you stammered. 

He licked his lips before continuing. “I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.”

Wow, okay, he was drunk. Surely he’d seen Margot Robbie and Ana de Armas and every single other Hollywood actress. 

“If you say okay, I’m going to cry.”

You laughed, his fingers still skimming the skin of your wrist. “Thank you, Chris.”

He smiled, eyes crinkling. “I want to be your friend,” he stated, fishing out his phone. “Is it alright if I ask for your number, and we can go grab coffee or walk my dog together sometime?”

His dog. It was an automatic, “Yes.”

~~~

“So, if I understand correctly, Chris was totally smitten by you?”

“Oh, Ellen,” you answer with an exaggerated tone, “he was already planning the wedding.”

“Oh!” Chris left-boob-grabs and throws his head back in laughter. “She was the one staring at me with googly eyes!”

“Yeah, right!”

“And, what?” Ellen continues to pry. “Right away, you both fell in love?”

“Well,” Chris says, smoothing his beard in thought. “We started by trying to be friends, as these things go, you know. Make sure we’re compatible. But it was clear, like, oh, right away that she was meant for me.”

You rolled your eyes. “Wow, Chris, so poetic.”

~~~

You stuffed your mouth with the doughnut, giving Dodger smiles and pats on the head as you walked beside him. You looked up at Chris, giving him also a cute smile.

“Never met anyone who actively eats strawberry-stuffed white-powdered doughnuts,” he said. It was cold outside and grey, what with is raining all weekend, so Chris wore a big blue hoodie and trousers, looking warm and cozy.

“That’s because you’ve never met anyone like me,” you answered. You tightened the scarf around your neck. 

“That’s damn right.”

This was your third date with Chris, and you still had trouble making thoughts into proper phrases. First date had gone swimmingly because Chris was a sweetheart who knew exactly how to make someone comfortable. He’d brought you to the aquarium, and he’d displayed subtle but intricate knowledge on puffer fish. Second date, he’d brought you to watch a local baseball game and then he bought you ice cream, which sealed the deal because a man who buys you ice cream is a man you want to keep. 

And now, walking with Dodger after you’d made the drive all the way to Chris’s house. You’d waited outside, feeling like an impostor standing before Chris Evans’s front fucking door with your wool sweater and scarf and mittens. 

“What say you to a tour of my grand home afterwards?” he asked now, giving you a side glance. 

You were holding Dodger’s leash, and you were watching him waddle beside you like a good boy. When Chris proposed that, your cheeks went white hot. “Um, yeah, that sounds good,” you said, swallowing thickly. 

“You don’t have to come in,” he said. “I just got a new deck of cards I want to try out.”

Chris’s house was huge. Inside, there was a lot of sunlight from the immense windows. A lot of airy spaces for lounging, eating, exercising. He was careful in avoiding his bedroom, giving you a tour with his hands inside his trouser pockets. He showed you where Dodger likes to sleep; the head of the couch, by the backdoor window where the sun cooks him, and on his doggy bed that is settled in Chris’s office. 

“He snores,” Chris said as he directed you to the kitchen. “And he dreams all the time.”

“Like father like son, huh.” 

“I don’t think I snore.”

You winked, the first time you’d ever been cocky and confident in front of him. “We’ll see.”

He brushed a hand through his hair, laughing. He reached into a cupboard and took out a card game. “Ever played Brisc?” he asked. 

“No.”

“Then sit.” He sat at the table, encouraging you to sit directly in front of him. He explained the game to you very simply, and you tried your best to memorize all the rules. “How are you taking it in the industry,” he asked, seemingly absentminded. 

You looked up in surprise. Had he been asking about you? How did he know you were very new in the show business? “I’m doing... okay?”

“I used to have nightmares about it when I was younger?”

“Nightmares?” 

He won the first round. 

“Yeah, and panic attacks before going to auditions or premiers,” he continued, giving you shy half smiles. “I’ve been in this business quite a while to know that the demands are incredibly high. And especially for women.”

You bit your lip, holding your cards against your chest. Hesitantly, you put one down. Was it okay for you to unpack everything onto him? Was it okay to tell him how bad your anxiety had gotten to you in the past and how it still got to you? This was a big A-list celebrity with paparazzi waiting for him on every corner so much so that he had to wear sunglasses and caps wherever he went. 

“It’s just so demanding,” you sighed. “It’s just status, and higher ups, and big names, and they all feel like they have the right to tell me what to do and how to do my job correctly. The bar is set so high. There is no room for mistakes, and if you make just one false move, they look at you like you killed a puppy.”

Chris nodded understandingly. “It’s so hard to navigate this industry,” he answered. “And it’s because they call it business and not personal, but some things, they just... ah, they just feel real personal, don’t they?”

You huffed. “My anxiety used to be through the roof,” you went on. “It still is. Sometimes, I have no idea how to calm the wave that comes through my chest.”

Chris reaches across the vast expanse of wood, palm up, eyes blue and open. “I can help you,” he said. “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re drowning. I can help you find resources and people to put on your personal team, to build a support. There’s no shame in reaching out.”

He was being so sincere that your chest tightened with a new emotion once unbeknownst to you. “Thank you,” you whispered sincerely. 

After the card game, Chris walked you to your car, hands in his pockets. Shy. Timid. 

“I really like our friendship,” he said. Your heart contracted, as if lead had been poured down into your arteries, and you smiled tightly. 

Friendship?

“Yeah.”

He hesitated, eyes searching your face, but you were looking down. He scuffed the toe of his boot on the gravel. “I don’t wanna be friends, though,” he mumbled.

As soon as the hurt had entered your system, it flew right the fuck out and you looked up expectantly. Eyes wide. Cheeks on fire. Heart hammering. “Me n-neither.”

He took a step forward, and your chin went up, keeping up with his impressive height. He put each palm on the side of your burning face. When he kissed you, his lips were hesitant and soft, careful and warm. The tip of his tongue on your bottom lip. You leaned into him, grasping his waist, heart hammering, thoughts reeling. 

He smelled so good.

His lips were so perfect, chapped yet warm and delicate. 

He pulled back slowly, resting his forehead on yours, laughing a little. “I feel like this is the start of something good,” he whispered. 

You smiled shyly, and he picked you up into his arms, pinning you to his chest, feet dangling off the ground

~~~

“That’s so sweet,” Ellen said. “You two are so sweet on twitter. The first picture you ever posted of Y/N was this.”

“Oh no,” you mumbled, quite to the audience’s laughter. 

A photo of you, one that Chris had taken from a film-type camera, appeared on the monitor. It was in the dead of night, at a park you and Chris had sneaked off to during a party. You were brightly illuminated by the flash of the camera. You wore a bright red hoodie, low jeans, and white shoes. Your left leg was brought up, showing the curve of your ass. Your tongue was sticking out, grimacing, and your hands were up in two peace signs. 

“He could have easily picked pictures of us on red carpet events when I actually look good, but no, he posted this absolute gem,” you laughed, feeling Chris squeezing your shoulder tenderly. 

“But she’s so gorgeous in this!” Chris defended. “She looks like herself, the girl I’m with every day.”

“Okay yes, but Y/N posted something much better,” Ellen said, pointing to the monitor.

Another picture of you, sitting behind Dodger, smiling all your pearly whites. Your skin was glowing, and you remembered feeling good about yourself that day. Dodger was being crazy, licking under your chin, and in the far, far corner of the picture, one could see half of Chris’s body. 

“And you posted that,” Ellen continued, “with the caption reading, “Love my Valentine so much. Chris, you are a wonder.”.” 

You burst out laughing with the audience, watching as Chris made a sarcastic face and shook his head. 

When the audience died down, Chris said, “No no, we joke a lot, but I love this woman so much. I mean, I married her for a reason. She’s my best friend, my lover, my confidant. I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anybody else.” 

You patted his knee, aware that if you full on kissed him, it would be all over social media. 

Ellen said something about what would happen after the break, but you were looking Chris in the eyes. Leaning into his shoulder, the world around you fell away, stripped, and it was just you and him. You and him against the world.

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Rumor Has It {6}

Chris Evans x Famous Reader Uriah “Riah” Tyler

Warning: Cursing, Mentions/talk about miscarriage, HEAVY Angst, Pain, Heartbreak

Word Count: 1.9K

Summary: You and Chris have been married for four years after a whirlwind romance. You are both happy and trying to navigate marriage in the public eye while balancing your successful careers. In the entertainment industry, not everything is as it seems, the flash of a camera lens impairs vision. As scandal and flashing lights put a strain on your once fairytale marriage is it possible your Hollywood marriage can stand the test of the rumor mill?

**Inspired by a video seen of Chris and his co-star Ana De Armas on their press tour for Knives Out at TIFF where she kept touching his chest and face standing about five inches apart.

Thank you guys for reading!!!! If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. 😊 ❤️  ❤️

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

“Answer me!” You flinched at the unexpected shout. Quickly you went through the possible outcomes in your head. After almost a minute, you knew none of them were good. Every single possibility ended with him being furious at you. You cursed yourself out for your slick mouth. If you hadn’t muttered the words, he would be none the wiser.

  “Uriah!”

   “It’s not what you think.” It was the only thing you could think of to buy yourself more time.

“It’s not what I think?” Chris scoffed and looked at you incredulously. “Okay, let’s say it’s not. Explain it to me.” He was patronizing you, but could you really be angry? You deserved it. Chris sat there, his leg was shaking up and down rapidly, and his mouth was in a tight scowl, now his eyes were dark like a brooding storm.

   “I swear to God Uriah if you don’t open your mouth and explain I’m going to lose my shit! Why do you have birth control pills?” You didn’t answer, and you saw his rage flare. He slammed his fist onto the island. You flinched sure he’d broken something. “Have you been taking these?”

   “Yes.”

   Chris put his hands on his head and balled his fists before he sprang to his feet. “What the fuck, Uriah! Are you fucking kidding me? So, four months ago when I brought up kids, you agreed and said we should try but the entire time you’ve been lying and what sabotaging it?”

   “No, no, it’s not like that,” you rushed out.

   “Then what the fuck is it like? You have yet to explain it. I am trying my best right now to not--.” Chris turned his back to you and paced. You’d only seen him this angry one other time, the night he and Christiano got into a fight.  You began to panic and slowly approached him. As if sensing your actions, he turned and gave you the deadliest look you stopped in your tracks. Your tears fell down your face, but his expression didn’t soften this time.

   “Four months ago, when you brought it up, I agreed, the time felt right. I knew how badly you wanted kids; I’ve always known. We talked about it for the entire four months we were traveling together. I thought it was time I meant it.” He didn’t look like he believed you one bit and it broke your heart.

   “A little over a month after we first started trying, I felt off and not like myself. I went to my doctor, and she did blood work and rushed it. She said the results came back positive that I was pregnant.” You braced for his anger, and you were glad you did. The fire behind his blue eyes was evident. He slid closer to you; you didn’t move. You knew he would never physically hurt you. “What!” Unable to hold his stare you looked away and wiped your tears.

   “I was shocked; we hadn’t been trying for long. I called you that night remember? I made a plan to come out to see you while you were filming scenes for Defending Jacob?” The confusion in his eyes faded, but your nerve was quickly fading. You pulled the robe tighter and sat on one of the bar stools and tried to find the right way to tell him this. That was the reason you’d kept it to yourself; you didn’t want to break his heart. Chris leaned on the wall across from you, and you knew it was taking damn near everything in him not to blow up.

   “The morning I was going to get on the plane I felt sick, cramps, cold sweats, back pain, so I went back to my doctor, and she performed an ultrasound and turns out I was in the middle of a spontaneous miscarriage.” You couldn’t look at him as you said the words. You didn’t need to; you knew what his reaction was, knew he was crushed and probably on the verge of tears. Chris slid down the wall to the floor, and you closed your eyes, trying to fight the urge to go to him.

   The two of you sat there in silence for almost a full ten minutes. “Why didn’t you tell me? How could you not tell me this Uriah?”

   “I didn’t want to break your heart, Chris. I knew how bad you wanted it. I knew it would kill you. I couldn’t bear to hurt you like that.” Chris looked to you again for the first time since you began your confession.

   “If you remember I didn’t come out that day, I wasn’t there for--,” Chris interrupted you. “Another week. You said something had come up.” You nodded. “I was bleeding and passing the--.” You couldn’t say the word. You heard a gutted sound from him, and you wrapped your arms around your midsection.

   “So, you dealt with that—alone?” Nodding, you wiped again at the steady flow of tears streaming down your face. More silence filled the room as Chris processed the massive amount of information you were unloading. Information you should have told him as soon as you knew but couldn’t.

   “When did you start taking them again? why?” The million-dollar question. You didn’t know if you could tell him though, didn’t know if you could bear him knowing he possibly made the wrong decision marrying you.

   “Jesus Christ Uriah.” You could hear the emotion in his voice; you knew he was crying, crying because of you. You’d promised you’d never break his heart and here you were, breaking it.

   “When she told me I was pregnant, I was scared, I was freaked out, but some part of me was excited and happy. I couldn’t wait to tell you, then in the span of twelve hours I had the miscarriage, and it hurt, it felt like something was being taken from me, something that was rightfully mine and something I wanted, it hurt a lot but somehow through the hurt I also felt some form of relief. It made me think maybe I wasn’t as ready as I thought, maybe I wasn’t supposed to have kids, maybe it wasn’t time. So I got back on birth control, I didn’t want to feel that way again, I didn’t want to feel that helpless, and broken that--heartbroken. I didn’t want to go through another one. I know I should have told you all of this and I’m sorry I didn’t. I didn’t want this to break you, and I didn’t want you to look at me like I’d done something wrong or I was this monster or even not the right person for you. I was scared, and I’m sorry.” You looked at him, and his face broke your heart all over again. His cheeks were wet with tears and eyes red, but his face was pale.

   “So you thought just to let me think for the last four months that we just hadn’t been successful yet, but we were still trying? God Uriah, how in the fuck--.” He breathed out and looked as if he were thinking about what he would say. It was a lot to take in; you knew that. He’d just learned he’d lost a child, a child he wanted more than anything. He’d also found out that you knew and lied about it and then purposely prevented any other pregnancies. You fucked up, you knew it.

   “Baby, I’m sorry.” You got off the stool and stood down to the floor and crawled to him. He didn’t move; even when you touched him he remained where he was. “I’m so sorry.” You hugged his head to your chest, and you felt his body shake before you heard his sobs. Chris wrapped his arms around your waist, and the two of you cried, holding each other on the kitchen floor. You allowed yourself to feel the loss all over again and tried to be strong for him.

   After almost twenty minutes, Chris roughly pulled away from you and stood before he crossed to the other side of the room. “I can’t believe you. This is not okay Uriah, none of this is okay! You had no right to keep this from me, no right to do any of this. You lied to me for months on so many levels and so many things. You promised you’d never lie to me and look. Almost every one of your promises you’ve broken.”

   “I know, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Chris.” You tried to cross to him, but he held his hands out to stop you.

   “No, I don’t care Uriah. You always say sorry and expect that it erases what you’ve done. Guess what Uriah it doesn’t! You lied to me; this was something you should never have lied about. How can I trust you ever again? How can I believe anything out your mouth? Why would I? My god this was our baby Riah, my—my—my baby.” He gripped his head again, and you could see the panic in him. Slowly you inched to him, but he moved back every time you made any move to him.

   “Stay away from me right now. I can’t even—I can’t—look at you right now!” With that he spun and hurried upstairs. You turned to the island and dropped your head on it and wept. After a few minutes Chris barreled down again this time dressed. You turned in time to see him scurry to the front door.

   “Where are you going?” He didn’t stop or respond; instead he pulled the door open and ran down the steps into the dark of the early morning. “Chris!” Without turning around or answering he climbed in his car and sped off down the street. You stood on the doorstep and bawled, fearing not only for the end of your marriage but his safety.

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

***If you want to be tagged please SEND AN ASK SO IT WILL BE EASIER FOR ME TO KEEP TRACK OF. Thank you for reading!!!

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TagList:

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[lunanight2012]

A Tale as Old as Time? Pt 3

Hope you all enjoy! I lied, this has some craziness to it. Enjoy!!!

It had been three weeks. Three weeks since I had to wrap my chest to heal the brand. Three weeks since I learned how to control my fire. Three weeks since I started dating Harry Hook.

Well more like he's living with me in my dorm room, so is Gil. But I couldn't bear leaving Gil in a room by himself. So my room now has two beds at either side of the room and yes me and Harry share a bed. It's been great. I have my Harry Hook plush.

This just happened to be the week me and Chad had to head home for mom's birthday. I managed to get Harry to come with us. But hey Chad warmed up to Harry pretty quickly. Hopefully mom and dad will too.

Chad drove his motorbike, I followed on mine with Harry seated right behind me.

"Love I'm nervous." Harry stated as we pulled into the large garage oh Charmington Palace.

"About?" I asked, taking off my helmet, shaking my hair free, I now had light blue tips to my hair.

"What if your parents don't like me?" He asked, nervous.

"They will. Mom might be a bit shocked but they'll grow to love ya!" I exclaimed, kissing his cheek.

The three of us headed into the castle. 

"Momma! Papa! We're home!" I called out.

Soon enough big old doggo, Leonardo, came hopping down the hall. I held out my gloved arma.

"Leo!! There's my big boy!" I giggle petting the slobbering dog.

"Well, so happy to have you two back home!" Cinderella exclaimed, smiling.

"Momma!" I exclaimed running to my mother and hugging her.

"Cindy! Oh my what happened to your hair? And why are you wearing leather gloves?" Momma asked me. I backed away, becoming nervous.

Harry grabbed my hand gently.

"Momma, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Harry Hook." I introduced.

"A VK? How can you be so sure he's not going to turn on you?" Momma questioned.

That's when Chad spoke up. "Actually he saved Lu from his father."

"What?? When did this happen??" Momma became worried.

"Mrs. Charming, I would never hurt your daughter. I love her with all my soul. But there's some new things to Luna." Harry explained.

"Like the hair and gloves?" Momma quirked an eyebrow.

"His father injected me with Hades blood and um I have fire." I explained creating a small ball of fire in my palm. "And my hair flames up sometimes. And um…." I made the flame go out before grabbing Harry with both hands.

"I have a scar on my back from his father branding me." I said looking at me and Harry hands intertwined together.

"What? Come with me missy! I am going to take a look at the." Cinderella exclaimed dragging me to my room.

Chad smiled at Harry, who was playing with his hook nervously.

"Come on dude, time to meet my dad!" Chad exclaimed.

~~~~~~~In my bedroom~~~~~~~~~~

"Momma! Let me unwrap it!" I insisted, taking my top off, i began to unwrap my binding.

The moment my scar was free, Momma was grabbing every type of cream we had. Smearing them on my scar as I sat on my bed, holding my Harry Hook doll. Giggling as I made him wave his hook.

"What are you giggling about?" Momma asked me.

"Harry made me a plush of himself. So that way, even when we're apart he's still with me." I explained, hugging the doll.

"Sounds sweet. Well if we could use magic I'm sure we could get rid of that scar." Momma sighed. "You should wrap it back up sweetie, we have dinner with your father. And you may want to wear one of your dresses as well." Momma stated, kissing my forehead before leaving.

I sighed as I wrapped up my scar and got changed into my favorite light blue dress, it was similar to my mom's dress that Fair Godmother made for her, but not as elegant. My hair was up in a bun on top of my head.

I was finishing up my makeup when a familiar knock sounded on my door. I smirked.

"Come in Hooky!" I called out, standing up from my chair as Harry entered my room.

"Your parents are nice….." Harry froze as he saw me in my dress. Setting his bag down he walked over to me.

"My princess!" He cooed, kneeling down to kiss my hand, causing me to giggle.

"Harry! Quit that! You know how much I hate it when you call me princess!" I giggle.

"I feel bad. I only brought my pirate outfit." Harry frowned.

"Wear that. I want you comfortable!" I exclaimed, rushing over to grab my Harry Hook plush. "Be like you!" I exclaimed holding up the plush. My light blue leather gloves rubbing circles on the plush.

"Heheheh alright love. But can I use your bathroom to change?" Harry asked.

"Of course!" I smiled, heading over to my Queen sized bed.

Harry smiled and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I smiled as I slipped on my fake glass slipper heels. As much as I hated wearing heels, I had to with this dress. My small stature made the dress touch the floor.

These past three weeks I've learned a lot about Harry. His father was abusive, not just to me, but when Harry was younger his father would cut him on his chest. Even injected him with a lower ranked villain's blood. I winced at the memory of that happening to me. The burning feeling of Hades blood mixing with mine was not a pleasant experience, or memory.

"Love, how do I look?" Harry asked nervously.

I stood up and looked at him, smirking a bit. My favorite outfit of his was definitely that one. Loads of buckles going down the front of the black vest. I knew all too well that on the back was a hook. I smiled, walking over to him. Within these past three weeks I've gained confidence, and a bit of risky behavior, mostly towards Harry.

"I love it. Wait.." I lift my gloved hand up and fix his hair, just enough so he looked like the man I fell in love with.

"Perfect. Now come on my pirate, we have a family dinner to attend." I exclaimed, grabbing his hand.

We headed towards the dining room. Smirking at him we entered the large dining hall. I curtsied to my parents, brother, and grandfather.

"Cindy, come and join us. And...oh my! Why did you bring a pirate??" Grandfather questioned.

I grabbed Harry's hand and lead him to my seat. Harry pulled my seat out for me, which earned him a kiss on the cheek. We both sat at the table.

"Answer me girl! Why did you bring a pirate to my castle!!?? And why are you wearing those horrendous gloves???? And what on earth did you do to your hair???" Grandfather all but shouted.

Chad looked over at Mama, her nodding as Chad called over a servant and whispered something in his ear. The servant nodded and rushed off.

"Grandfather, this is my boyfriend, Harry Hook. Harry meet the Duke of Charmington, my grandfather." I finally introduced.

Harry carefully sat his hook down before standing up and bowing.

"Pleasure to meet you!" Harry stated, his accent thick.

"You are not allowed to be with HIM!" Grandfather shouted.

"You really have no say in who I date grandfather." I said calmly, holding my hands together.

"Take those disgusting things off right now! And after dinner you will remove that dye from your hair!" Grandfather shouted, his face turning red.

"I can't do that." I stated, Harry could tell I was having trouble with my composure.

"Guards take that pirate out of here!" Grandfather ordered.

That was it. The last straw.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" I shouted, my hair flaming up and my hands flaming up.

The servant returned and handed Harry some oven mitts. He quickly put them on and grabbed my hands. Leaning his forehead against mine he began to whisper to me.

"Calm down love. This is your family. I love you very much. You need to breathe and calm down." 

I slowly started to calm down, my hair fizzing out, the fires disappearing.

"What did that monster do to you???" Grandfather questioned, in shock.

"It wasn't him Grandfather. It was his father. Harry's father spelled me, with the help of Ursula, and kidnapped me. I was then branded and inject with Hades blood." I explained. 

Harry removed the mitts and held my hand. I knew he was trying to keep me calm. I love him for that.

"That man should be locked up!" Father exclaimed.

"No need papa, Harry saved me. He killed his own father to free me of the spell. Well him and Uma, Uma killed Ursula." I explained.

"How do we know he won't do that to us?" Grandfather questioned.

"Because Grandfather. I love him and he loves me. You know what. I'm not hungry. Come on Harry, let's go back to my room." I exclaimed, standing up and leaving the room, Harry following close behind. 

He stopped at the doorway. "Just so ye all know, I love Luna. With all my heart. I have vowed to protect her. At all costs." Harry explained, saluting with his hook before following after me.

Once in my room and break down crying. Harry hugs me close, letting me cry it out.

"It's ok love let it all out." Harry soothed.

After 10 minutes of crying a knock sounded on my door. Wiping my eyes I sit up.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal Chad, with two plates in his hands.

"Hey. Thought you both might be hungry." Chad offered, handing me and Harry each a plate.

"By the way, I'm sorry how the old man treated you Harry. He's got a stick up his rear." Chad explained, sitting in a nearby chair.

"I think we'll be heading back tomorrow. I don't think it's safe for me to stay any longer. Plus I have lessons with Hades tomorrow." I stated, grabbing my Harry Hook plush as I leaned into my boyfriend.

"I totally understand, I might head back tomorrow too. I was hoping I could convince Hook here to join Fencing." Chad smirked.

Harry smirked back. "Sword fighting? Oh, I am so in!" His accent dripping through.

I giggled and began to eat.

~~~~~~~~later that night~~~~~~~~~

Putting on my fireproof nightcap, and my hook themed pjs (thank you Evie), I crawled into bed next to Harry. Curling up against his chest I smiled.

"Good night my Pirate~!" I exclaimed, burying my face in his chest.

"Good night my Cindy." Harry whispered, causing me to blush and my hair to flame a little from embarrassment.

"Calm down love." Harry whispered. 

I smiled, my hair fizzing out as I fell asleep.

This dream was no dream. It's the same nightmare I've had every night for three weeks. 

I was back on the Jolly Roger. Smee was trying to get me to go, but a badly injured Captain Hook stepped out of the shadows.

"You will return." He spoke in a gravelly tone.

All I could do was nod. I never told anyone, but the branding was a spell. I only learned that after the first week of having this nightmare. I woke up in a cold sweat.

Harry was fast asleep. I smiled at him. He was so innocent looking when he was asleep. I carefully got out of his arms. Once I was sure he was still asleep, I walked over to where his hook was and picked it up. 

This was the one thing I loved to play with. I held it up, using my free hand i touch the tip to my finger. Pricking it. I winced at the pain and set the hook down.

"Dang it!" I whispered, sucking on my finger. I headed to my bathroom, and grabbed a bandaid, wrapping it around my finger. Walking back into my room, I felt a strange aura nearby. 

I walked over to my bed and nudged Harry. "Harry, please wake up." I exclaimed.

Harry groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "What's wrong love?" He asked, sitting up. 

"Something isn't right." I whispered, my hands starting to flame up.

Harry jumped out of bed and grabbed his hook.

"Let's go figure out what's going on." Harry stated, the both of us leaving my room.

We walked side by side down the hall. Harry took a protective stance as we both felt something stir in the air.

"H-Harry. I feel like I should tell you som-" I passed out.

"Luna!" Harry exclaimed rushing to me. 

He noticed I was barely breathing. Picking me up bridal style he carried me down the hall, running.

"Chad!!! Where the bloody hell are you??" Harry shouted, his accent thick.

Servants started wondering what the commotion was. Seeing Harry running through the halls with my unconscious body. They told him where Chad's room was and he bolted down the hall, holding me close.

"Stay with me Luna!" Harry all but cried, running to Chad's room.

Banging on his door Harry shouted. "Open up Chad! Right fucking now!!!" Harry cursed, his accent incredibly thick.

Chad opened his door, groaning. "What the fuck mab! Why are you carrying Luna?" Chad asked concerned as Harry laid me on Chad's bed.

"She passed out and now she's slipping away. I need you to call Mal, and Ben. Tell them what's going on. Tell them to get here as soon as possible. Hurry!" Harry exclaimed as He kneeled down next to me.

Chad pulled out his phone and called Mal, talking with her as Harry talked to me.

"You better not leave me. I need ya love. You're my anchor in this world. Without you I wouldn't be where I'm at." Harry stated, kissing my hand.

"Chad! Tell Mal to bring Uma and Gil!" Harry shouted, causing Chad to nod.

[glitterandrocketfuel]

The Feral (part 4)

For @laudanumcafe on this, the occasion of National Birb Day! Our intrepid alpha, curious about the tantalizing hints of mystery-omega scent, has traced it to an alley, where he found himself ambushed and trapped in the saddest omega nest he’d ever seen, at the mercy of an omega with a vendetta against alphas...

Another part of the ongoing A/B/O drama of...The Feral lies behind the cut! A little NSFW

If he weren't tied up, he'd be pacing and making lists in his battered music notebook. I'm an alpha, in an omega's nest. In the saddest damn omega nest I've ever seen. Even the Christmas commercials begging donations for alpha detention centers and omega shelters for society's castoffs didn't feel this sad. And the owner of that sad-sack nest was hours, maybe minutes, from heat. To put the cherry on the insanity sundae, Patrick was fucking purring as if he'd claimed the omega himself.

The omega peered down at him, his eyes the only glimmering points of reflected light in the darkness. "Why?" he ground out, making a broken noise. "Why would you come here?"

Patrick inhaled and wished he hadn't--the omega scent was leaching brain cells from him--and tried to formulate an answer that would satisfy the omega and maybe get him untied and out of here without becoming the subject of an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. "The--the hoodie," he mumbled. "My friend Keith wasn't sure who'd left it--hey, do you know Keith?" Patrick followed the line on a hunch when the omega cocked his head at the guitarist's name. "Maybe you take lessons from him?"

The omega snorted and it almost sounded sarcastic, but onset wasn't really a time where people--whether they were alphas in rut-onset or omegas in heat-onset--really did sarcasm. Still…If he's this close to actual heat and slinging out sarcasm, he's got incredible control.

Nevermind the fact that he'd managed to ambush an alpha--okay, Patrick--and tie him up. Clearly, this omega wasn't your typical Omega channel made-for-TV movie, "helpless omega in the throes of heat" lead. Or even on par with Joe, whose wit and sense of humor took a backseat to baldly-voiced propositions like, "Coming up on heat, which one of you fuckers thinks they can take me?" Until Andy slung an arm around Joe's neck and gave him a playful noogie and a pointed scenting and a muttered. "You mean thinks they can take me." And that only counted if they survived Marie.

Patrick tried again. Sarcasm meant higher thinking, and higher thinking meant the omega could maybe be reasoned with. "You know Keith, that means you like music, yeah? I'm--I'm in a-a band." It wasn't exactly a lie. It was a prediction. "I play around here sometimes. I--I subbed for Arma Angelus once."

At that, the omega barked out a sharp laugh. "Fuck me."

It wasn't a plea. Not even Patrick's increasingly addling brain could take it as anything but an incredulous response to bullshit. He huffed. "Did so! I'm a drummer. I can play guitar, too."

The omega had been creeping closer and Patrick only now noticed his presence. He jumped when the omega's fingers curled into the hoodie and he jerked it up over Patrick's shoulders. His shirt rode up, exposing a stripe of pale, tender stomach just above his belt. Patrick kept talking, faster now, hoping to ground the omega, help him keep his head, keep him calm. "So you do like music. You know I bet we know all the same people. The scene's not that big. We could--"

"Shut up," the omega growled. "Just because you know...the scene doesn't mean--nothing makes you trust--" The omega gave a few more frustrated tugs but ran into the inevitable dead-end because, short of cutting the sleeves lengthwise, there was no way he was getting the hoodie off unless he untied Patrick's hands. During all this awkward wrestling with fleece outerwear, Patrick couldn't escape the omega's proximity--his lean hips in skinny jeans, or the heat radiating off him in waves.

Patrick cleared his throat. The omega's scent crawled into his mouth, slithered down his throat, into his lungs, seeping into his system like thick syrup. "It's yours, isn't it? The hoodie?" He twisted in the blanket nest and struggled to move--sit up, move away--move closer.

"Mine," the omega growled. "But it smells like you. Like an us that isn't real." The omega scuttled away again. "There is no us. Never--never another alpha--no more--no claiming--"

"Hey, hey, easy, shh--shhh--I didn't come here to claim you--"

Instead of comforting the omega, Patrick's words just made him more agitated and the omega let out an anguished cry. He shuffled back against the wall, into the corner, but still close enough to the pathetic little nest--and to Patrick--to tangle his hands in the hoodie, sleeves now around the fabric securing Patrick's wrists to the pipe.

Patrick angled his head up to see the omega bury his face in the hoodie's bunched-up bottom hem and breathe deeply. A muffled, "Alpha," came through, the fabric not enough to stifle the plaintive note that cut right through to the center of Patrick's soul.

"No, wait--hey, I'm here." The chill of the dirt floor seeped up through the blankets and prickled along Patrick's exposed skin. "What is it you need, omega?"

The answer only came in the form of labored breathing, as if the other man only had the strength to drag air into his lungs, and the sighs that expelled it carried anguish and defeat in the form of long, low groans that sounded as tortured as they sounded needy in a way that Patrick's groin really wanted to respond to.

Patrick swallowed and it echoed in the dank basement. His arms were growing stiff, but he could feel the material that tied him to the pipe giving a little. The omega edged closer. "Need…oh, fuck you!" The last was an epithet, not an invitation.

Patrick bit his lip. You know what the omega needs. He needs a knot. He needs a fucking alpha. He needs someone to take care of him through his heat and a goddamn nest that isn't a sad little pile of castoffs. He sucked in a breath (and more of the omega's scent). "You…do you want, um, help with your heat?"

Patrick, what the fuck are you doing? You don't even know this guy! He could be a psycho. You aren't even into guys. Well, not much, anyway. But pheromones aside, this was another person, in pain, and he was in a position--relatively speaking--to do something about it. "Hey, I don't--what's your name?" Asking the guy who tied him to a pipe in a basement to put him at ease, these are Patrick Stump things, he thought.

The omega's breathing became more labored. "Help,” he sneered. “With my heat. What a fucking joke."

Patrick struggled to turn, to see if he could catch a glimpse of the omega in the dank darkness. "Really. I don't mean sex, but like, there are things you could do--I could help. You don't--you shouldn't have to suffer like this."

"The fuck do you care?"

At this, Patrick shrugged. "I dunno." He tried honesty. "Look, my body's making me want things I shouldn't, too. But it's not just sex. You--you shouldn't have to lock yourself in a crummy basement with--whatever this is--just to be safe." On impulse, he added, "And you damn well shouldn't have to be claimed like a fucking object by some jackass just because they have the right blend of pheromones. You shouldn't have to be coerced just because of what your body does."

"No--yeah--yeah, you're--you're actually right?"

Patrick heard a scuffle as the omega sidled closer. "It's been known to happen," he said wryly.

"It's just--you smell so good to me right now."

Patrick laughed outright at that. "Dude, I get that. But, like--I don't know you and you don't know me and just because we smell good doesn't mean we should--I mean, I won't, like--No alpha should ever--"

"I wish I could believe you," the omega said, and the sadness in his voice shattered Patrick's heart.

"I'm going to untie you now." The omega let out a sigh. "Just--get it over with."

Hands scrabbled at the rags holding Patrick's wrists. The omega shifted his body around Patrick's and some of those brushes had a very deliberate feel to them. Patrick felt the fabric around his wrists give at the same time he felt the omega tense above him, as if the other man braced himself for something unpleasant and inevitable.

Patrick was not unpleasant, nor would he be inevitable. But the omega had to straddle him to get the last knot loose and he could feel the dampness in the omega's sweatpants, couldn't help but smell the sweet slick leaking from the omega's body. His hands came free and settled on the omega's hips and, to his everlasting shame, he held the omega above him and ground his hips up as a sudden, powerful urge to rut took over.

Above him, the omega moaned, and it was a sound that held as much anguish as it did desire, and Patrick was not about that at all. He rolled to the side. "No," he said firmly. "We are not going down like this." He scrambled to his feet, trying to keep the purr from thrumming out of his throat as he shrugged off the hoodie that smelled like his and the omega's scents mixed--God, I was stupid, stupid for wearing it!

The omega huddled to the side and growled, fit to intimidate as much as any alpha growl they played in the background of heavy-duty truck commercials on TV. "The fuck are you doing?"

Patrick peeled the hoodie all the way off and approached the omega. "I'm leaving," he said. "Before I--meet your expectations of an alpha." He spread the hoodie out over the omega, almost wishing he could see in the dark. To see the person hurting so much and so close, but who would be hurt more if Patrick tried to help. Instead, he twitched the last corner of the hoodie over the other boy's body.

"The fuck is this for?" It was too dark to see, but the scorn coming off the omega hit Patrick like a wave from the lake.

"That should have enough of my scent on it to drive away anybody else who might come sniffing around."

"I thought you said you'd help me with my heat." The omega's tone held challenge and scorn that was as much self-loathing as it was disgust for the process. "Aren't you gonna--tell me--" The omega started to pant. "How bad I'm--supposed to--to want your--knot?"

"This is helping," Patrick retorted, determinedly ignoring the swell and pull low in his abdomen that said knotknotknot yesyesyes nownownow before other alphas find him. "I'd be a shit alpha if I didn't protect first. And that's all I'm doing. Good bye for now. I--I hope you feel better soon." He strangled out the last of his words against mounting pressure in his jeans and the desperate need to get out before he lost his last two brain cells.

Patrick bolted from the basement with one hand down his pants, pressing against the base of his cock. He made it to the darkest corner behind the dumpster and tore his fly open just in time to thrust into his hand twice before coming all over the brick and the rusted edge of the dumpster. He stood, shivering and hoodie-less, as his dick pulsed in fingers that couldn't tighten hard enough to counter the crotch-cramping pain that came from knotting into nothing.

Patrick sagged against the side of the building, breathing in the scent of the omega that was just enough to keep his knot pulsing, but not enough to ease the ache in his jaw or the catch in his chest when he thought of the nameless omega, curled in on himself just behind the basement door. So close, yet so scared and disgusted by Patrick's alphaness that he'd rather suffer alone than risk losing himself.

Fifteen minutes later, hand numb from cold and balls throbbing, Patrick staggered away from the cooling, musk-scented mess on the ground (and the wall and the dumpster). Hips aching, he cleaned up as best as he could and tucked himself back into his jeans.

He didn't blame the omega one bit. He was just as disgusted with himself.

To be continued...

[withabackpackandcamera]

March 28th, 2017

Day 9: The Wonder That Is Machu Picchu

Today was the big day. The last day of the hike and the day we finally get to see Machu Picchu! As was mentioned, last night we decided that we would all wake up REALLY early and get to the administrative gate so that we could position ourselves to be the very first group to the Sun Gate in the morning. And get up early we did. We all woke up around 2:50am and were off and running, arriving at the administrative gate at 3:15am. Yeah, it was pretty dark and early.

Once we were at the gate, we all took our seats at the very first bench at the administrative gate and sat there, waiting for 5:30am to roll around. Funny enough, while we were waiting, we all noticed some keys that were lying on the floor next to the administrative office and waiting benches and told our guide Michael Kenedy. And of course, being the person he is, he picked them up and messed with them and the locks and confirmed that the keys we found were the keys that opened the gate to let us through and the same keys that let us into the administrative office! It was hilarious as Michael stooped around the office and eventually took a nap in there! Oh, how he entertains.

We didn’t do much to try to pass the time by as we didn’t have anything with us that would really allow us to do so. So we sat in the darkness, fiddling with our phones and stuff and chatting until the trail admins finally arrived at work. And once they were there and finished stamping our go-aheads to walk through the gate, we were off and running!

Since I had a bright torch and it was still dark outside, I was pushed to the front to lead the group even though I still had my heavy bag on me. But that was fine because once we got started, the stiff legs started to warm up a little and things were fine. And oh, because I was at the front, of course I started the group on a blistering hiking pace to the Sun Gate. I led for quite some time, really pushing the pace to the max, until, at one point, Daniel took the reins and led at his blistering pace. And of course, there were uphills and stuff that I wasn’t expecting and those really slowed me down. So good thing Daniel took over.

And because of the crazy pace at which we were hiking/running, our group had the privilege of being the very first group to arrive at the Sun Gate on this morning! WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT! And from the Sun Gate, low and behold: MACHU PICCHU! Small and distant as can be! We were super lucky we were the first ones there because once we got there and the sky was starting to light up, we noticed how quickly the fog and clouds were coming in and shrouding Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains. So by the time we all had our chances to take photos and enjoy our first glimpses of Machu Picchu (something like 7-10 minutes), the whole area was covered in dense fog and there was nothing left to see. Extremely bad luck for those who were stuck behind us on the morning trek. But definitely lucky for us.

Once the clouds were so dense we couldn’t see anything, my group started our way down from the Sun Gate and slowly made our way over to Machu Picchu. As we neared the end of the trail and the entrance of Machu Picchu, we stopped to try our luck at a group photo at a viewpoint of Machu Picchu but everything was just white. No Machu Picchu. Just a white background of dense clouds and fog. So we ended up not staying long and finally hiked our way through the last section and to the end of the Inca Trail!!!!

WOW! Can’t believe we all finished that! And that I finished it with my heavy heavy pack! Crazy!

With tired legs and sore shoulders, we hung out at the entrance to Peru’s contribution to the Seven Wonders of the World and waited until it was time to see Machu Picchu in all its grand glory (during which time i stamped my passport with a Machu Picchu stamp!). Once the tour guides were ready, we headed inside for our tour of the ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu. We walked around to see the ruins and hear the different stories and tales behind them (told by our guide Marco) and as we did so, the weather started to clear up nicely. And with the clear skies came down hot sun, something we hadn’t really had much of the last couple of days. And it was warm. And muggy. With these conditions, we continued on and finally finished our tour around 10am, at which time we broke off into two groups, one for hiking Huayna Picchu (which included seven of us: Me, Noel, Daniel, Danielle, Tim, Sarah, and Karina) and the other for exploring Machu Picchu.

After waiting to get through to the trail, I finally started our final hike and it was great! The skies were clear and we were shaded by the trees. The stone staircases weren’t TOO wet. The path was simple enough: straight up. And there were some rail coils that we could use to work out our arm muscles and give our legs a much-needed break. Some parts were extremely steep and others were just fine. But definitely a steep hike that was much easier without a heavy pack and with just shoes on your feet. At first, the hike was difficult because of my sore legs but after my muscles warmed up a little, I was off and running. There were some steep parts that were tricky to maneuver through because we had to crawl, but we all figured it out. Our group made it to the top in about 45 minutes with hiking traffic because of the people making their way down from the top. Another trail conquered in about 75% of the time estimated! Once at the top, the view of the surrounding mountains and Machu PIcchu were gorgeous. So pretty! With such beautiful weather! And what a view of Machu Picchu!

We stayed at the top for a bit to take photos and all that jazz before making our descent back down to Machu Picchu. Once we were down there again, the weather started to take a turn for the worse and it started to steadily rain. With so much hiking the last four days and so many days of rain and so many tired muscles, we decided that we’d just glance at Machu Picchu as we walked out and take the bus to the restaurant in Aguas Caliente as soon as we could. So that we did that (except for the Germans who wanted to see more of the ruins) and before long we were down at the restaurant called Apu Salkantay, one that was picked for us for lunch by our tour company. There, we caught up with the rest of the group and had lunch. A lot of people got non-Peruvian food, as would be expected after 4 days of it, and I ended up getting a burger that had strange beef in it… Very questionable. But I ate it because I was tired and hungry. We hung out for a bit before all saying adios to Marco and Michael and Benedict and Beatrice and heading to the train station for our long, tiring trip back to Cusco.  

The first part of our trip back was taking the Perurail train to Ollantaytambo station. That took around 1.5-2 hours for some strange reason (probably because of slow speeds and stops).  Otherwise, the train was pretty nice, comfortable and with complimentary drinks and snacks. On the ride, I sat with Sarah, Noel, and Karina and chatted with them the entire way about everything, from plants to space and physics to gymnastics, etc, and it was great! Also chatted with Patricia and Fraser about their time at Machu Picchu while we were hiking up Huayna Picchu. And I shouldn’t have done that because looking through their pictures, I realized that I missed the classic Machu Picchu photo spot because of the fog this morning and because I did the hike and got the nice weather during the hike and not afterward. In retrospect, it would've been great to get that shot but I guess the resulting shot would've been like everyone else's. So overall, hiking Huayna Picchu was well worth it.

Once we were back in Ollantaytambo, we got off the train and headed to the Llama Path bus that would take us the rest of the way to Cusco. The ride was very tiring and took more than two additionally hours due to traffic and the inability of the bus to squeeze past small cars and into small spaces, especially at the beginning and end of the trip. So once we were back in Cusco, we had to switch to a smaller van/bus and were eventually dropped off at Plaza de Armas, at which time we decided that McDonald’s would be the fitting way to end our journey together. A few people left but most people stayed back and chatted. And that unhealthy, American meal was such a great way to be reintroduced back into society. Before long, it was time to leave and bid our farewells to each other and head in our separate directions.

I went back to my old hostel to check-in again and was sad to get a different room and not recognize many people there. After checking in, I took some time to find postcards and it took longer than expected to find stores that sold them.  But once I had the postcards, I went back to the hostel to sort through my stuff and consolidate and repack my bags for my trip in the morning to La Paz. Then, I finally took my much-needed shower that made me all clean after days of not washing and it felt so good! And the night ended shortly after catching the rest of the Peru-Uruguay World Cup Qualifier (Peru beat Uruguay!) at the bar downstairs with the locals. What a tiring, tiring day after an epic trek. Thanks Peru for all the fun times but I’ll see you later at the end of the trip as I’ve got to get ready for the next adventure! In Bolivia!

Oh, and just a random note here because I was too lazy to find where to put this aside in the actual summary: My nickname on the Inca Trail was “The Mosquito.” And you might ask why Michael Kenedy gave me that nickname…. Well, it’s because the term is a hilarious representation of Americans on the Inca Trail, as viewed by Michael! Because there are so many Americans coming to Peru and doing the Inca Trail… so many that they are like mosquitoes:i.e. Annoying, pestering, haha. Thanks, Michael.

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. The Spaniards never found, therefore never reached, Machu Picchu. And so that is probably the reason why Machu Picchu has been preserved all this time and is still standing today.

2. Machu Picchu was a site for the learners and intellects of Incan society. Incan Kings-To-Be would come to Machu Picchu for education in preparation to become king. And every year or couple of years, the kings from different areas around or within the Incan Empire would make a pilgrimage to Machu Picchu during the period of time around the winter solstice (June 21st in Peru).

3. Earthquakes didn't affect Machu Picchu as much as it could have because of the way the ruins were built. Instead of having stones lie directly on top of other and pasted together, stones were cut and placed on top of each other in a way that, when the ground shook, the stones would just slide or roll past one another and dissipate or counteract the force that would’ve otherwise destroyed the stones and ruins. Man, these Incans were smart!

4. The Incas believed that barbers were gods because they could make men “forever young.” Meaning that each time a barber would cut someone’s hair or shave his mustache or beard, that person would look younger. Thus, barbers being gods in the eyes of the misinformed Incas.

5. Peruvian drivers have balls or guts of steel when they drive down narrow, cramped, jam-packed, car-to-car streets. They can maneuver giant buses through narrow streets so very packed together that cars and buses are literally side mirror-to-side mirror apart with no room for error. It’s absolutely insane!

[johnnypovolny]

Iquitos

-Day 1

Abby came down to Lima to join me for the jungle!! We flew into into Iquitos and got picked up by our tour company. Our guide is Kevin, a somewhat quiet guy who told us a ton about his experience doing ayahuasca and other hallucinogens. We went in a car to a smaller town (looking at the map, maybe Nauta?) where we got a tuk tuk to this riverside market to meet our boat. Iquitos and the smaller town both remind me a lot of asia: tuk tuks everywhere, lots of bright colors and a vibe of sweaty chaos (in particular the riverside market reminded me of India- lots of little wood tiendas selling fruit and a guy announcing specials for a restaurant over a loudspeaker for literally hours). Turns out we had the boat and the weekend’s tour to ourselves, just us, Kevin, the boat driver Miguel (and later Jhon Marcos, the local guide we picked up).

The beginning of the boat ride was down a brown muddy river past the suburbs of the town- the tin roofed colorful huts and the brown water made me feel a lot like i was in a pirate town in the caribbean or something. For lunch we ate juane, which is a bijao leaf wrapped around a yellowish chicken and rice stew and steamed. Pretty cool jungly way to cook a meal. 

I was resting with my head in Abby’s lap when suddenly we got a huge shock- the boat ran aground on a sandbar! We slowly worked back and forth in reverse to get unstuck and then promptly ran into it again in another spot which made me laugh, but eventually we got it right. 

WE GOT OUR FIRST VIEW OF RIVER DOLPHINS! These were the grey variety (the smaller of the two freshwater types). But so beautiful to see that animal and so weird in the context of a river- they were all around the boat and we followed one particular group of them along the edge of the river (Miguel got us super close) and watched them in the golden evening light. There was one individual in particular that seemed to almost be showing off- jumping high out of the water as they swam away from us. We came to a bend in the river and left the dolphins just as we changed to the black water that Pacaya Samiria is famous for!

Got to the TINY town of Buenos Aires where we’re staying the night in a lodge (which is wood and mosquito screens so its basically open to the air). The town is basically a cluster of houses next to the river around a soccer field- the people there climb trees to harvest aguaye fruit and sell it to be taken upriver, act as jungle guides, make crafts, etc. They also told us that a lot of times its normal that girls there have babies as early as 12 which was a crazy “we’re not in Kansas moment”. This is where we picked up Jhon Marcos (I like his vibe, friendly and with the air total confidence that comes with being extremely competent in whatever situation) I went canoeing in a hollowed out canoe and watch the sunset light on the trees. I found a little side river and went a few meters into it- not too much because I didn’t want to accidentally get lost but it was so cool to imagine it just snaking away into the jungle and the middle of nowhere. A sudden warm jungle rainstorm started as I was sitting there in the mouth of the river. It was a super tranquil, solo, wild moment- I really like the no-frills no-rules approach of this tour where they just let me take a canoe out to wherever I felt like. 

We got up to our room around sunset and had a pink toed tarantula IN THE ROOM. It’s a huge jet-black spider close about the size of my palm (and the old man who runs the hotel told me that there are much bigger ones). Did some david attenborough impression videos watched it walk around our room and eventually under the edge of the wall and away. 

We went on a night jungle walk through the muddy trails- not a ton of wildlife, but we saw one big brown tarantula and a scorpion spider and had fun walking under huge-leafed plants feeling like Alice in wonderland. Kevin also showed me a way to keep mosquitos away that the local hunters us- poke a hole in a termite nest, let them crawl up on your arms (because they’re too small to bite) and then wipe your arms, crushing the termites which leaves a sticky residue on your arms that actually smells amazing to me (kind of sweet and herbal like pine) but apparently mosquitos hate.

Day 2

Kevin, Jhon and I did an early canoe ride through the flooded forest. Saw 4 sloths, including one up close at the edge of a little jungle-bound lake. The fur and face looks fake like a star wars ewok - rubbery pink lips, dark eyes, patches of greenish grey and brown fur which exactly matches the two colors of the tree it was staying in. Saw a rare jungle bird called juatsin (“shangsho” by locals). It has a big crest on its head and two stomachs where it ferments and then digests food, learns to swim when young and eats fish then grows up and changes to leaves. Also saw “mama vieja” which is a hawk with a white head that makes a scratchy cry. Wended our way through the little gaps between trees growing out of/reflected in the black water- cool to watch Jhon expertly turn and move the canoe effortlessly through small spaces. He told me about local medicines (gave some leaf-infused alcohol and water mixture to Abby that actually really helped her stomach an impressive amount- cool to see it really work!) and local alcohols made from roots (called 7 raíces), maracuya, and other fruits.

Went 2 hours further down the river to set up our tents! 

In the afternoon we went to look for monkeys in the jungle around this lake that’s inaccessible because its grown over by plant life (normally managed by turtles and manatees but their populations are too low right now). We didn’t see any monkeys but in the trees while we searched we saw the head of a large snake sitting in a hole in a tree (Jhon said it’s probably about 6ft long). Tried some jungle berries that we cut right off a tree with the machete- you strip them off the spiney branches with your fingers or teeth and then crack them, suck the juice, and spit them out- sweet and tasty. But the really cool thing was on the way there:  PINK DOLPHINS! They’re much bigger than the grey ones (more like 6-7 feet instead of 3-4) and vary between greyish pink and really bright pink depending on gender and age. I managed to catch one as it jumped all the way out of the water! Such a neat bucket list animal to spot in the wild, I was excited. 

In the nighttime we went out looking for caiman (a crocodile-like animal). Jhon was calling to them with a deep throaty grunt and sometimes a squeaking noise that the young ones do. He taught me how to do it and sometimes they would answer us from miles away which was cool. They used the flashlight to search for reflecting eyes from the boat and then we took the canoe to go catch them! I sort of envisioned them being bigger (the larger ones apparently live deeper in the jungle so its easier to see them if its dry season and you can hike- they get up to like 15 feet). The ones we saw were only a few feet long, BUT we got to hold them! Jhon literally paddled the canoe silently up next to them and would wait poised and then suddenly pounce and grab one out of the water with his bare hands! Crazy to watch that. 

Camped in the jungle under a tree with lots of fruit falling on our tent in the night. 

Day 3

Monkeys were in the trees around us in the morning- some of them were far away so it was tough to see them, but there were a few small black ones in a tree right near the boat. We also saw spider monkeys and black capuchins in the trees later in the day from the boat as we were traveling. 

Went to go get “hubo” for Abby, which is a tree medicine that’s good for stomach issues. This was a hike, but parts of it were in the flooded jungle trails where the water was chest deep and apparently there are extremely dangerous electric eels! Kind of a wild adventure to be walking through the murky water of a dark flooded jungle stepping over submerged roots and wending our way through the dappled shadows and sunlight and among the trees. At the end of the walk/wade/swim was the mother of all trees- normally this stands but it fell recently because a storm eroded its roots. This thing was INSANELY massive. One section we were standing on was a sort of spur (because the trunk isn’t round) was like 10 feet long- a top section where we were standing, and then a sweeping curve of trunk downward (because the tree was fallen) to another spur like 8 feet long. It’s hard to describe in writing but it was just massive. We stood on this big tree and scraped bark from the hubo tree with the machete, then I used my hands to squeeze the blood-red moisture out of the bark and into a cup so Abby could drink it. She said it didn’t work as well as the leaf infusion but it was still cool to learn about and the water hiking journey there and back was certainly a new experience.    

We went piranha fishing (Abby caught more than anyone, more quickly, so see her if you need fishing tips) and on our way there for a second we saw two giant river otters! One of them popped his head out of the water and stared right at us from like 20 feet away, showing us his big doglike teeth. This is kind of a rare animal to spot so it was fun to see (I have really good wildlife juju for some reason, knock on wood).

Day 4

Jhon taught me how to use the two rope system the locals use for climbing aguaje trees- super physically difficult and technical. I couldn’t go all the way up the tree like I’d envisioned because it was kinda dangerous and difficult, which was disappointing but still cool to learn. Our boat ride back was some of the best weather we’ve had- just spectacular sun and a warm breeze. We basked 

We got back to Iquitos and the guides dropped us at the airport. We realized it was too long to wait till our flight, so we took a super smoggy tuk tuk ride to the city center. Sat in the plaza de armas with our backs against a statue and ate cake we bought from a lady on the corner. Then we walked around a bit and saw a restaurant on a balcony- sat up there watching the sun set and the traffic whizz around the plaza as the fluorescent street lights came on and had drinks. I got a cocktail made from rum, “7 raices” (the root liquor), and coconut cream- it turned out to be frozen, pink, extremely girly, and the best thing I think I’ve ever had in my life, I had two. I’m going to dream about that drink forever. Relaxing on a terrace was such a chill, nice way to finish off the weekend together. 

Overall the weekend was a little more challenging than we expected based on both our health issues, but still really fun memories!