#why do those sunglasses look like swimming goggles??

[nanoa1foryou]

random jere pic for you

Omg why have I not seen this before? Peak silly pic!

[phantom-ellie]

The Art of (Smashing) Crockery Chapter 21: Elegy

Summary: Ed and Stede make bold choices. See how it works out for them.

Click here for CWs/Full Chapter List

The only cure for a raging hangover is further rage.

At least, that’s what Stede said after Ed had dropped him off at his hotel to get what he needed for his mother’s funeral. It was a quick ride back to the room for Ed to open up (though if Ed doesn’t actually open it up to the public for the day and plans for them to have the place to themselves, no one will know).

And thus, the fifteenth time Stede enters Blackbeard’s Breakery it is with a dress bag containing an expensive suit, sunglasses covering his eyes, and a plea to leave the lights off.

Ed has all the safety gear at the ready, but when Stede sees it he shakes his head.

“Have to wear the gear to rage, Stede.”

Stede sighs. “Can I just sit? In the room, instead?”

Ed scoops the goggles and other gear back into the bin. “You can do that, too. Music?”

“Something quiet. I just want to think.”

Stede makes his way in and sits down. After a few seconds he looks expectantly at the camera.

“Did you want me to join you, mate?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty awkward otherwise, isn’t it?” Ed chuckles and heads in. He hopes Stede has been thinking about things. He hopes they’re on the same page. Ed has never been more ready to take his life in any direction as he is now. His days of aimless existing are drawing to a close.

They find themselves sitting quietly on the ground in an empty room. It’s quiet, dark. Soft music plays through the speakers. Alive by Kisnou begins. Ed had fallen asleep to that song on repeat the previous night. It feels… right.

I will dive into you I’ll sail in this love that’s true

Ed smiles. “You know, I never expected my life to take a turn like this.”

Stede looks at him and smiles. “Has it? Taken a turn?”

Translucent waves Cover me oh beautiful In the waters of your grace

“Well, yeah. New friends, new future. Feelin’ new things, tryin’ new experiences. Feels good.”

“I know that… well, it feels good for me, too. Despite everything else. The new people part.” Stede’s ears turn red as they always do.”

I will dive into you I’ll swim in your ocean blue

“You know, you’ve got everything ahead of you, man. Your whole life. You don’t have to be afraid of change.”

“Yeah, well… these changes are maybe bigger than I hoped.” Stede stands up and stretches a bit. “But if I can weather this… maybe. You know?”

I’m alive in you Let your waters Dance over me

Ed smiles. “I know.”

Stede turns to him. “Ed, there’s… it’s hard being vulnerable… I’m worried I’m going to mess this up…”

This is where you set me free

Ed feels like a sledge, but instead of tiny, invisible huskies leading him, it’s those angels and demons both pulling him towards the man he loves. He isn’t sure what they want him to do, but he rises and stands close enough to smell Stede’s cologne, hints of orange and bergamot from the shampoo he’d used in the last hour, to see the flecks of green in Stede’s hazel eyes. Not just that, but the wanting. The yearning. Ed can almost see his own reflected back at him.

“I want to thank you for everything, Ed,” Stede says softly, almost at a whisper. “You’ve been by my side as everything has fallen apart… you’re the only reason I’ve held on at all. I’m so grateful for you.”

Stede’s smile is tired. His hand accidentally brushes Ed’s. The demons bring out little flamethrowers and incinerate the angels into hot ash and-

Fuck angels. Fuck Judeo-Christian metaphors.

Ed moves in for a kiss, as gentle of one as his libido will allow, and he feels like a wave crashing upon Stede’s shores at first. Stede gasps a little, for but a moment, but Ed feels the fluttering in his chest as the kiss is returned, as his faith in Stede is realized, as his trust in love is validated, as…

As Stede steps back with another gasp, panting. No, not panting.

Hyperventilating.

“Are you- was that okay?” Ed asks with worry.

“Ed… I’m sorry… I thought… why?” Stede isn’t meeting Ed’s eyes. The warmth from the moment goes cold.

“I’m so sorry Stede, I thought you wanted… you were just…” Ed is confused at Stede’s confusion, upset that Stede is upset, devastated that Stede is devastated.

“No… it’s… it’s okay Ed… it’s just…” Stede bursts into tears.

Ed hovers his hands around Stede’s shoulders, afraid to touch him. Can he comfort him? Will Stede comfort him back?

“It’s just… I trusted… I thought you accepted me for who I was.” Stede wipes his eyes.

“What? Stede, of course I do.”

“Ed, youkissedme, I told you I was straight and…” Stede sighs in frustration. His voice is quiet. “No one believes me. No one.”

“Stede… this is my fault. I’m sorry. I’ve had a crush on you and… I read the room wrong. Don’t…” Ed reaches out and Stede steps back.

“No… it isn’t you Ed… it’s me.” Stede takes another step towards the door. “I just can’t be who people need me to be.” Another step. “I can’t… I can’t be who you need me to be, Ed. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.” Ed’s heart has dropped to the bottom of his feet. He feels everything crashing around him, the breaking of ceramic, smashing of glass, the splintering of wood, and the room is empty. Stede is at the door.

“I think I need to go now,” Stede practically whispers, backing out quietly, with fragility, as one does in the room of a dying relative.

“It’s going to…” Ed’s voice trails off. Stede is gone.

---

“Mary. You didn’t have to come.” Stede helps her out of her car, and Mary notices that he doesn’t bother to avoid the splash of water from the gutter on his suit pants.

“You can’t do this alone, Stede. She was your mother. And she was our children’s grandmother.” Alma and Louis spring out of the car and run onto the cemetery grass, laughing. Mary sighs and holds up her hands at them before turning to her husband.

“The children… did they want to come?”

“It doesn’t matter. This is something families do together.” Stede looks exhausted. Mary can’t imagine what losing his mother has done to him. They weren’t close to her, none of them were. But in a way, that can make things worse, she suspects.

“I didn’t think…”

“That we were still a family? Stede, I expect you at Thanksgiving, you know that? You still have children. We need to learn to co-parent.”

Stede nods and looks contrite. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I’m being bad at this again.”

His bowtie is crooked. Mary adjusts it.

“This is the last family funeral you have to go to, hmm? You won’t need to bother for your father. He doesn’t deserve a funeral.”

Stede gives a weak half-smile at that. “Mary… I intend to give a eulogy. For mom. Of course, I mean who else?”

“I thought you would. Your father okay with that?”

“He will not be okay with it. And you should make yourself and the kids scarce when I give it.” Stede sighs.

“You think he’ll get violent?”

Stede winces. “Probably not in front of this lot. But… it’s going to be a proper eulogy. An honest one.”

Mary nods. She is proud of Stede. He’s a terrible husband and father, sure. Annoying, definitely a coward. But he’s done a lot of brave things lately. He deserves to find happiness. Mary would like to think she wished he could be happy with her… but that would be a lie. She deserves better, too.

The funeral is dull, somber and sad, but not in the way a funeral should be. The sadness comes from the distinct lack of tears or real mourning from the attendees. It’s a group of old, soulless associates of the Bonnets, each of whom probably put more thought into the expensive outfits they would wear today than they have ever thought of Sarah Bonnet her whole life. People whispered about her, mocked her behind her back. She’d never defended herself, not even once. Meek and mild to the end. And while her obituaries would pin her cause of death on liver cancer, Mary knew that Sarah’s inability to stand up for herself or her son was the biggest cancer in her life.

Mary would be damned if she allowed the same to take her almost-ex-husband.

Even if he is a terrible husband and father.

Edward Bonnet’s eulogy for his late wife is short, perfunctory, a cold summation of their years of marriage. There is no show of emotion from him. That would be a weakness. Mary shudders imagining such an end to her own life. If this was all those who knew her could muster on her behalf. Stede wouldn’t… he won’t, anyway. He’ll be her ex-husband for a long time before she passes. And Doug? Doug will make Mary’s funeral light, beautiful, happy.

Mary hopes that when the time comes, there will be someone to give Stede the same. And it had better be a man this time.

When Edward Bonnet finishes his eulogy, Stede stands and approaches the microphone. He gets a scowl in return.

“What is it, Stede? We’re moving on.”

“I am her son. I would like to say a few words on her behalf.”

“I didn’t plan for-”

“Of course you didn’t. You won’t deny me to share something nice about my mother here, will you?” Stede gestures to the crowd, almost every member a person who Edward Bonnet respects or wants to respect him.

Mary takes the opportunity to tell Louis and Alma to go play in the grass.

“Fine. Make it quick.” He stalks away and Stede takes his place at the microphone.

“I would like to thank you all for coming. My mother would likely be surprised to see so many faces here, today.” Stede shuffles his notes. “So very little ever surprised Sarah Bonnet. She kept her feelings inside, where it was appropriate to hide them. She hid away from the world, believing it to be a cruel place.” He looks up at the crowd. “My mother was a victim of abuse. Physical abuse, emotional abuse, both at the hands of the people who should have loved her most.”

Edward uncrosses his arms from where he has been standing at the back of the tent. “That is a lie! How dare you besmirch your mother’s name like that!”

“Her parents, her husband. Men were not kind to her. Women were not kind to her. She had so much to offer, but the world was never ready to accept it. So she kept it hidden away. She kept herself hidden away, and taught her son to do the same.”

Edward stalks forward, “Of course you’re making this about you and your failures-”

“Father, if you are going to hit me again, I ask that you wait until we’re behind closed doors, like you used to.” Stede’s face is expressionless. He shuffles his speech cards. “No one stood up for her. That was your way. To stand by and allow it, because you respected my father, or were afraid of him. And your children learned from you. An army of soulless husks, draining the earth of joy with no love to replenish it.”

The crowd grumbles and people begin to leave. It is clear from Edward’s disapproval that they don’t need to pretend to listen to this speech, anyway.

Edward grabs the microphone. “Get out of here,now. I disown you. You are a disgrace. I wil lnever see you again.”

Stede doesn’t acknowledge him. He just continues without the microphone. Seats around Mary begin to clear.

“My mother and father taught me many things. The most important of which are what not to do.” Stede looks at Mary. “I wish I had learned those lessons sooner. I wish I had figured out how to live my life without harming others. I’m sorry. I’m sorry on behalf of myself, my mom, and my father, who will never be.”

Stede tosses the speech cards on the ground at his father’s feet and steps down from the stage. Edward reaches out for Stede’s collar and Stede bats his arm away and grabs his wrist.

“Don’t touch me. You don’t get to touch me anymore.”

Stede releases his father’s arm and approaches Mary. She smiles.

“I’m so proud of you, Stede.”

Stede nods, but doesn’t smile. His face is expressionless.

“Tell the kids I’ll be there for Thanksgiving, Mary.”

He puts his hands in his pockets and walks away.

---

Ed: Stede, I’m so sorry about yesterday. You had boundaries and I crossed them.

Ed: Talk to me?

Stede: It isn’t your fault. You are ok.

Stede: There’s a lot going on.

Stede: I just need to be alone.

Ed: Ok. Call me when you’re ready?

---

Post from the blog Hear Something Weird:

Toxic masculinity is bullshit. Elegy for bad rubbish.

Comments: TheRealWande: Everything okay man? Call me.

Chapter 22

[macias47gentry]

Want Information About Eye Care? Look For Good Tips Here!

No one wants to have bad eyes, and so it is important that you now read the following information so you can maintain proper eye health. Your eyesight is vital to your daily life, and you know this. So, why aren't you doing everything you can to help maintain your eye health? Get your eyes checked every year. Your eyecare professional can examine your eyes to make sure that there are no underlying problems that are developing. Even if you have good vision, it is important to get your eyes examined once a year. Doing this regularly will ensure that you will have healthy eyes as you get older. Eat a healthy diet to help take care of your eyes. Certain foods, particularly those high in vitamins C and E, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids can help protect your eyes as you age. Aim for green leafy vegetables, "oily" fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and citrus foods for best results. What you eat is very important to the health of your eyes. A diet that is rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids are helpful to good eyesight. Many vegetables like carrots and broccoli are rich in vitamin A. Fish and nuts can provide you with the omega-3 that you need. Drink plenty of water to keep your eyes hydrated. Your eyes are made mostly of water, and they need to stay moist at all times to remain healthy. Dry eyes are more prone to eye problems and diseases. Keeping your body fully hydrated will ensure that your eyes stay moisturized. If you wear contacts, you must follow your eye doctor's instruction carefully. If polarized test sunglasses feel irritated when you put them on, that can mean that your contact lenses are damaged. Another reason could be an eye problem that is beginning to form. See your eyecare professional right away to prevent a more serious problem. If you spend a lot of time on the computer, take regular breaks. For a minute or two each hour, focus on a distant object. This will allow your eyes to readjust. You will experience less eye strain and reduce the number of headaches that you experience throughout the week. As you probably already know, smoking is bad for your overall health. What you may not have known is that it is actually bad for your eye health, too. It can lead to a number of eye conditions, such as optic nerve damage, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Do your best to quit smoking to avoid these conditions. Remember to replace your contact lenses at least once every three months. Two months is actually a much better target, or even one month. Many people forget to replace their contacts as frequently as they should, which later leads to more serious problems in the eyes, such as irritation, ulcers, or infections. When doing any type of work, avoid injuring your eyes by always wearing protective glasses. This is especially important if you job entails handling airborne or hazardous materials. You should also wear protective eye wear when playing sports since certain sports such as racquetball, lacrosse or hockey can cause eye injuries. Use protective eyewear when working with strong chemicals or you are in an area where airborne particles may pose a danger to your eyes. Many people have sustained eye injuries while doing woodworking projects or being outdoors during very windy weather. You should also wear goggles when swimming in chlorinated water. When reading or using a computer, incorporate occasional eye exercises. This is as simple as looking away from your target and blinking rapidly. Then, close your eyes and roll them in both a counter-clockwise and clockwise direction. Make sure to breathe deeply while doing so to help bring more oxygen to the capillaries of the eyes. Sunglasses are good looking and beneficial to your eye health. Sunglasses block the UVA and UVB rays from the sun. Prescriptions may also be useful for you. With the tips that have been provided, you can work towards maintaining your eyes as you age. There is no excuse for allowing yourself to just let your eyes go it alone. Instead, these steps have been given to you so that you can work hard towards having the best sight you can.

[sawsister8]

Want Information About Eye Care? Look For Good Tips Here!

No one wants to have bad eyes, and so it is important that you now read the following information so you can maintain proper eye health. Your eyesight is vital to your daily life, and you know this. So, why aren't you doing everything you can to help maintain your eye health? Get your eyes checked every year. Your eyecare professional can examine your eyes to make sure that there are no underlying problems that are developing. Even if you have good vision, it is important to get your eyes examined once a year. Doing this regularly will ensure that you will have healthy eyes as you get older. Eat a healthy diet to help take care of your eyes. Certain foods, particularly those high in vitamins C and E, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids can help protect your eyes as you age. Aim for green leafy vegetables, "oily" fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and citrus foods for best results. What you eat is very important to the health of your eyes. A diet that is rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids are helpful to good eyesight. Many vegetables like carrots and broccoli are rich in vitamin A. Fish and nuts can provide you with the omega-3 that you need. Drink plenty of water to keep your eyes hydrated. Your eyes are made mostly of water, and they need to stay moist at all times to remain healthy. Dry eyes are more prone to eye problems and diseases. Keeping your body fully hydrated will ensure that your eyes stay moisturized. If you wear contacts, you must follow your eye doctor's instruction carefully. If your eyes feel irritated when you put them on, that can mean that your contact lenses are damaged. Another reason could be an eye problem that is beginning to form. See your eyecare professional right away to prevent a more serious problem. If you spend a lot of time on the computer, take regular breaks. For a minute or two each hour, focus on a distant object. This will allow your eyes to readjust. You will experience less eye strain and reduce the number of headaches that you experience throughout the week. As you probably already know, smoking is bad for your overall health. What you may not have known is that it is actually bad for your eye health, too. It can lead to a number of eye conditions, such as optic nerve damage, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Do your best to quit smoking to avoid these conditions. Remember to replace your contact lenses at least once every three months. Two months is actually a much better target, or even one month. Many people forget to replace their contacts as frequently as they should, which later leads to more serious problems in the eyes, such as irritation, ulcers, or infections. When doing any type of work, avoid injuring your eyes by always wearing protective glasses. This is especially important if you job entails handling airborne or hazardous materials. You should also wear protective eye wear when playing sports since certain sports such as racquetball, lacrosse or hockey can cause eye injuries. Use protective eyewear when working with strong chemicals or you are in an area where airborne particles may pose a danger to your eyes. Many people have sustained eye injuries while doing woodworking projects or being outdoors during very windy weather. wholesale eyelashes should also wear goggles when swimming in chlorinated water. When reading or using a computer, incorporate occasional eye exercises. This is as simple as looking away from your target and blinking rapidly. Then, close your eyes and roll them in both a counter-clockwise and clockwise direction. Make sure to breathe deeply while doing so to help bring more oxygen to the capillaries of the eyes. Sunglasses are good looking and beneficial to your eye health. Sunglasses block the UVA and UVB rays from the sun. Prescriptions may also be useful for you. With the tips that have been provided, you can work towards maintaining your eyes as you age. There is no excuse for allowing yourself to just let your eyes go it alone. Instead, these steps have been given to you so that you can work hard towards having the best sight you can.

[nevillehein3]

Want Information About Eye Care? Look For Good Tips Here!

No one wants to have bad eyes, and so it is important that you now read the following information so you can maintain proper eye health. Your eyesight is vital to your daily life, and you know this. So, why aren't you doing everything you can to help maintain your eye health? Get your eyes checked every year. Your eyecare professional can examine your eyes to make sure that there are no underlying problems that are developing. Even if you have good vision, it is important to get your eyes examined once a year. Doing this regularly will ensure that you will have healthy eyes as you get older. Eat a healthy diet to help take care of your eyes. Certain foods, particularly those high in vitamins C and E, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids can help protect your eyes as you age. Aim for green leafy vegetables, "oily" fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and citrus foods for best results. What you eat is very important to the health of your eyes. A diet that is rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids are helpful to good eyesight. Many vegetables like carrots and broccoli are rich in vitamin A. Fish and nuts can provide you with the omega-3 that you need. Drink plenty of water to keep your eyes hydrated. Your eyes are made mostly of water, and they need to stay moist at all times to remain healthy. Dry eyes are more prone to eye problems and diseases. Keeping your body fully hydrated will ensure that your eyes stay moisturized. If you wear contacts, you must follow your eye doctor's instruction carefully. If your eyes feel irritated when you put them on, that can mean that your contact lenses are damaged. Another reason could be an eye problem that is beginning to form. See your eyecare professional right away to prevent a more serious problem. If you spend a lot of time on the computer, take regular breaks. For a minute or two each hour, focus on a distant object. This will allow your eyes to readjust. You will experience less eye strain and reduce the number of headaches that you experience throughout the week. As you probably already know, smoking is bad for your overall health. What you may not have known is that it is actually bad for your eye health, too. It can lead to a number of eye conditions, such as optic nerve damage, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Do your best to quit smoking to avoid these conditions. Remember to replace your contact lenses at least once every three months. Two months is actually a much better target, or even one month. Many people forget to replace their contacts as frequently as they should, which later leads to more serious problems in the eyes, such as irritation, ulcers, or infections. When doing any type of work, avoid injuring your eyes by always wearing protective glasses. This is especially important if you job entails handling airborne or hazardous materials. avrupa yakası should also wear protective eye wear when playing sports since certain sports such as racquetball, lacrosse or hockey can cause eye injuries. Use protective eyewear when working with strong chemicals or you are in an area where airborne particles may pose a danger to your eyes. Many people have sustained eye injuries while doing woodworking projects or being outdoors during very windy weather. You should also wear goggles when swimming in chlorinated water. When reading or using a computer, incorporate occasional eye exercises. This is as simple as looking away from your target and blinking rapidly. Then, close your eyes and roll them in both a counter-clockwise and clockwise direction. Make sure to breathe deeply while doing so to help bring more oxygen to the capillaries of the eyes. Sunglasses are good looking and beneficial to your eye health. Sunglasses block the UVA and UVB rays from the sun. Prescriptions may also be useful for you. With the tips that have been provided, you can work towards maintaining your eyes as you age. There is no excuse for allowing yourself to just let your eyes go it alone. Instead, these steps have been given to you so that you can work hard towards having the best sight you can.

[celeste-clearwater-06]

Imagine Teaching the hobbits how to swim...

Little swimming headcanons for out little hobbit boys! Let's just assume they dropped in from Middle Earth at some point for an AU!

Frodo

Unsurprisingly, Frodo was very nervous

Because DUH hobbits can't swim!

It's how he lost his parents after all

However, with some gentle coaxing, you had finally managed to get him in the water

Frodo insisted that he wore floaties like a little toddler

Which was absolutely adorable-

He stayed relatively calm whenever he had his wittle hands around your arm

And finally when he got to the point where his feet didn't touch the bottom of the pool

He

Completely

LOST

IT

Frodo was flailing his arms around and splashing like crazy

He got so stressed and started crying

You were trying to help hold him still and finally pulled him above the water, and he saw that it was just a little above your waist

You had to hold him up by his hips while he practiced strokes and fought against the water

And thankfully after a while of trying

And failing

The ringing bearer soon became a decent swimmer!

It wasn't really his favorite activity in the world

But he would probably agree if you asked him

And frodo would get exhausted so fast

He would probably take a nap on the way home

Frodo could never say no to you :>

Samwise

Oh Sam

Poor Sam

He tried to seem happy and calm when he was walking down the steps of the pool, but his little hobbit legs were shaking with terror

And why wouldn't he be?

HE had almost drowned after chasing Frodo halfway through the lake back on their journey

However, you were undeniably patient with him

Sam was a lot less panicky than Frodo when he got to the "deep end" (which was actually only 4 feet tall)

Although he was still struggling for breath above the water

You held out an arm for him to grab onto and moved it along the surface of the water as he kicked his hairy feet

Sam had never been used to much physical activity

Maybe this is just me, but I think sam would prefer wearing a swim shirt and trunks because he's afraid he'll get sunburned very easily

And swimming drained him so fast, so you rewarded him with a nice big lunch afterwards

Overall, Sam was a very good swimmer, although it took him a bit longer than the others to learn how

11/10

Very sweet hobbit boi

Merry

Ah yes

Meriadoc Brandybuck

A troublemaker

He was used to running through the creek and catching frogs or wading past Brandywine River with Pippin, so water wasn't foreign to him

Merry seemed a lot more proud and brave than the others

He wouldn't admit that he was a pretty awful swimmer, and every time he sunk beneath the water, he would bob back up without a hitch, spluttering the chlorine water from his mouth

He also found it quite enjoyable to splash you in the face

And then you would threaten to let go of him and he'd quickly apologize and knock it off

Also, I'd like to think that Merry is up for just relaxing in a floaty or something if he's in a good mood

YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER TAUGHT HIM HOW TO PLAY CHICKEN

Every time you taken the hobbits to the beach or a place to swim

"WHO WANTS TO PLAY CHICKEN?!"

Only because he's ROWDY and being below the water hardly phases him

And everyone immediately yells

"NO"

Though I can't really say the same for the others...

Surprisingly, when it comes to swimming, Merry is much crazier than Pippin

Which is saying A LOT

And it's also scary how well he can use a water gun-

like...

Very well...

Pippin

Pippin was all talk

That is until he jumped in

You tried to tell him he would probably need help

"Are you sure Pip?"

"Aye, I'll be fine! I am a Took after all!"

His little chest was all puffed out and then he cannonballed into the 5 foot (1 and 1/2 meter) end

And that's when he freaked out

Poor Pip was shrieking and doggy paddling and you had to lift him above the water just like Frodo

He was embarrassed to say the least

But still, you had helped him every step swim of the way

And for some reason, he has this... fascination with goggles

I think it's because he likes to see the bottom of the pool and what's going on underneath him for some reassurance

But all the time

"Have you seen my goggles?"

"Where are my goggles?"

"Sorry Merry, these are my goggles."

He also likes to use them to go under the water and scare the others by grabbing their feet and legs

And if you ever went to the beach, Pippin would be a GOD at making sandcastles

He would try and recreate Gondor-

He loves when you give him piggyback rides in the water 🥺

Way too many splashes fights, but you always end up winning because of your comparably sizeable arms.

Pip would be just fine with wearing swim trunks/ swim shorts

And also, like Merry, he is terrifyingly good at using water guns

swimming is his favorite thing to do besides eat, and it keeps him distracted for a while

In the long run, Pippin still has a lot to learn, but you know he'll turn out to be an excellent swimmer

Bilbo

Bilbo HATES swimming

He just hates getting wet

If he ever went with you, he'd hardly get his ankles past the water

Usually, you'd have to carry him in while he protests

And he'd never go in past his neck

Bilbo would always freak out if something other than sand or the bottom of a pool touched his feet

One time he swore there was a fish in the pool after your foot brushed past his own

And like Sam, he definitely likes wearing a swimming shirt unless he's tanning/sunbathing

He is SUCH a drama queen, and would much rather sit in a floaty than swim around

*cue sunglasses and cocktail*

However, he doesn't hate all of the beach

He always wants to collect cool shells and rocks with you 🥺👉👈

And once he discovers something called a metal detector, he HAS to get one so he can find treasures!

He also likes holding your hand and walking down the shoreline wif you or watching the sunset

And he HATES seagulls as well

He just wants to enjoy his quiet dinner by the ocean/lake/pond etc.

And those "silly birds" come down and harass him

Being at the pool has also particularly bothered him if there were little kids there

"Too much splashing for me. I'd rather sit in peace and enjoy my drink thankyouverymuch 😡"

And on occasion, Bilbo will swim, though he's not the best at it

He'll wrap his hands around your shoulders and let you swim around while he kicks his feet

Also, I feel like he would HATE the smell of sunscreen??

I don't know, maybe it would make him gag or something 😂

Also terrified of getting water in his very sensitive ears

Also likes to sunbathe, but would have to use a lot of sunscreen

Sassy Baggins

6/10 when swimming, but is usually very enjoyable company

Overall Headcanons For Hobbits (Bonus)

I have a feeling that the hobbits would burn in the sun pretty easily, especially in a sun that's not as gentle as the one in the shire

So lots of sunscreen for sure

Their big feet would definitely be beneficial when swimming

And they would all have a problem with brushing out their curly hair after swimming at a pool with chlorine

Which you would happily help them with

I think it's safe to say each of them are equally amazed to see how long you can hold your breath and touch the bottom of the pool and open your eyes underwater if the conditions seem fit

They all look like little toddlers when they swim around but that's okay because you're like a proud hobbit mother and it's the cutest thing ever

Their ears are also extremely sensitive, so it's important to try and keep their heads above the water as much as possible (though Merry and Pippin have many protests against it)

And they would all get tired very quick since swimming is a tiring activity for anyone

Okay...

Just imagine seeing a little group of Hobbits trailing behind you, or one or tel holding your hand and wearing sunglasses and bucket hats as you walk to the pool or beach

Or seeing all of the little hobbit bois wrapped up in towels and yawning while you walk home 😖🥺

Or their thick curly hair sticking to their faces and over their eye because of the water

And taking nice long naps after eating a filling lunch 🥺

I think swimming with them would just be an absolute blast and blessing

[squarefriend]

Mermay ended yesterday, but I’m sitting on the beach at this very moment so let’s fucking do this:

🌴🐬BEACH HEAD CANNONS!!!🐬🌴

Chara

❤️ They are actually rather neutral over the ocean. Far more of a skipping stones and playing in the lake kind of kid. Though, they do have a respect for the water’s raw power and changing tides. (Also seeing how much Undyne loves it made them want to appreciate the ocean more)

❤️ Thanks to being attached to Frisk’s soul, they kinda have to go to the beach all the time now. They like to go out as far as they can and walk along to the bottom, or float above Frisk and try to freak them out.

❤️ All that being said, they ADORE sharks. They nerd out every time they get to go to the aquarium. (Then get kinda embarrassed about it).

❤️ They have (on more than one occasion) convinced Frisk that because they’re a ghost they can see all the ghosts of everyone who’s drowned, and that yes, pirates ARE coming to get them...... It backfired at the notion that now Frisk WANTED to go meet the ghost pirates.

❤️ Had a brief period of wanting to be a mermaid, purely because A) Not a human and B) Typically man eaters. It suited their style

Frisk

❤️ They LOVE the ocean.... or rather, they love the beach. There’s one right at the edge of Ebbott City, so in the summer, they get to go up every weekend or so. And you can bet on that weekend, they have an absolute ball with whomever family/friend took them this time.

❤️ Their favorite part is exploring. They love to run around on the beach, looking for shells or any critters, as well as going out into as deep as the can in the ocean (usually only to be called back by their mom). Speak of the devil, Toriel bought them a snorkeling kit for their gotcha day and that thing has been used religiously ever since!

❤️ Every time they go the the car to go home, Frisk has to be checked by an adult (not either of the skelebros, they are WAY to lenient on this one) to make sure that they don’t have any stow away sea critters. One too many times of Frisk trying to keep a pet crab.

❤️ They take swimming lessons from Undyne! There were only a couple of misunderstandings over wether or not a humans could breathe underwater, but its all been sorted out! They’re doing really well!

❤️ They refuse to learn how to dive. Undyne has been trying to teach them for MONTHS now. It’s cannon ball or nothing, and they’re determined to keep it that way.

Flowey

❤️ Back when he was Asriel, he’d wanted to see the ocean. They don’t exactly have HUGE bodies of water in the underground like that, basically only the river. And no one swims in the river. Add in Chara’s talk of mermaids and their stories about lakes and skipping stones and all that.... It had been a big goal of his. Now that he’s there, and without the capabilities to swim or get in the water, and without the person who said they’d show him the surf.... it’s uh, it’s lost its appeal.

❤️ Frisk and Papyrus tried to get him to go out in one of those dog floaties. It looked pretty ridiculous and nearly tipped over a couple of times. Inevitably it was decided that it was just best to just keep him on the shore or in the shallows strapped to someone’s chest.

❤️ Usually he just sits on the shore with Paps, Frisk, or Toriel. He (begrudgingly) likes to make sand castles. He’s actually gotten quite good at them. Either that or eat nice cream.

❤️ Papyrus made him tiny sunglasses. He wears them every time they go to the beach.

❤️ When he does go into the water, he likes to stick his head under the serf and try to find fish. He actually managed to catch one in his mouth once, both impressive and terrifying.

Toriel

❤️ She is fond of the beach. Not so much the water, but she does enjoy the occasional swim with Frisk. Would probably like going out on a boat, though she has never tried it.

❤️ Usually while the rest of the family swims, she’s on the shore in her beach chair, reading a good book and keeping a watchful eye on her kids. She can usually get through half of the thing before its time to go home.

❤️ That being said, when she does go out in the water (usually to cool off or check on Frisk and/or Flowey) she is remarkably good at floating along. That, and she’s abit of a beast when it comes to X-treme monkey in the middle. That lady is huge and can use that height when she needs to. Also she has to shake off when she gets out of the water.

❤️ She ALWAYS has a beach bag on her, and in that beach bag is pretty much anything you’d ever hope to need. Pool toys, goggles, fresh water, extra sunscreen, at least three books, money, Your scocial security number, you name it.

❤️ Toriel’s usually the go to ‘hold tired swimmer gently’ person. And has done so for everyone in the main cast but Mettaton and Undyne. You could just fall asleep in those big ole’ arms.

Sans

❤️ He’s, as with most things, pretty nuetral about the ocean. Though, he adores the fact that it’s a day he can just slack off and relax in the sun (and sometimes water). He’s usually on the beach in a beach chair or sitting in a pool floaty, just drifting along. Sometimes he’s just latched onto Paps or Toriel, it’s kinda a wild card where he is at any given time.

❤️ He has never been sober ONCE while at the beach with the family. Mostly thanks to the fact that he somehow always has a martini in hand. No one knows where he gets it, let alone how it is almost always at least half way full. Needless to say, he’s at least buzzed by the end of the day.

❤️ Every time they go to the beach, he wears the most insane sunglasses. I’m talking Elton John style, but if they came from dollar tree. Normally it’s a pineapple pair, but they change on a whim. Once again, no ones entirely sure where they come from.

❤️ He briefly moved the illegal hotdog stand to beach, before the threat of getting fined was close enough to scadattle. This, the limited addition ‘Colddogs’ (now for 5g, wait he meant 50g, actually its 500-) became a thing. They were followed shortly by ‘Frozendogs’ (available in 50 flavors!)

❤️ The two never breathe a word of it, but every once in awhile Papyrus will rent a canoe and the two of them will go out on the water. They only do this at the dead of night, when the water is still and clear. Way out past the buoys, where it’s hard to see the shore, the moon and the stars bounce off the water in a shifting, funhouse esc reflection. Being out there, together, in practically silence..... It brings a lot of comfort to the two of them. It reminds Sans that yeah, this is real, and some things are worth remembering.

Papyrus

❤️ Paps is very fond of the shallows, but not a huge fan off big, open water. Unless he’s in the comfort of a canoe or boat. It’s just too big of a space. One can feel so... alone out there. But!! If he’s in chest or higher or with a group of close friends, he’s good!!

❤️ He bought special spandex gloves to wear in the water, ones that cover his fingers and palms without being skin (bone???) tight. They help him tread the water better, since he’s the opposite of buoyant. Which is definitely the only reason he bought them! No other reason in sight! Why would you even ask that?!

❤️ He, Undyne, and Frisk play ALOT of beach games, all far more extreme than their originals. The current turnomemt is over X-Treme volleyball, this time featuring antigravity magic and spears. Frisk is, somehow, winning.

❤️ A good portion of the time, he eats nice cream and makes sand castles with Flowey. Their creations are startlingly structurally sound and flourished. Though, they are also usually next to a life sized sand-Papyrus. No one knows where the sand came from.

❤️ He tried catch and realease shark fishing with Undyne once. It um, got interesting to say the least. Especially when they tried to use Papyrus as live bait. They only had to go to the ER twice!

Undyne (Aka my entire reason for writing this)

❤️ Undyne doesn’t love the ocean. She doesn’t even like the ocean. She ADORES the ocean. You can find her there almost every day after work, sun or storm. She never realized how much she would thrive in salt water until she was there, and now she can’t believe she lived without it. Its so raw and passionate and buetiful, and she’s just at home in the waves.

❤️ Her favorite time to be out is during a good storm, when the ocean is at her roughest. Undyne has learned how to boogie board and body surf since she got on the surface, and uses those huge waves to catch some air. She WANTS to learn how to surf, but has yet to find someone to teach her. Storms are also the best for letting the water roll over her and letting herself drift in the tides, both are pretty damn amazing feelings.

❤️ Because she can breathe and see under the water, she also likes to swim out really deep into the open ocean. No one in the family can follow, but it gives her a lot of time to think. Also, there are sometimes HUGE fish out there, which she greatly enjoys seeing and interacting with. She’s. she’s fought a tiger shark before. And probably other, larger and more dangerous things. (Also when she gets home, Alphys always talks about how her kisses taste like salt. Undyne loves it).

❤️ Before she became Asgore’s body gaurd, Undyne was pretty much out of work. Not a whole lot of people wanted a massive, sharp toothed, she-shark selling retail in their stores. But, being a fish and all, she got managed to get a job as a life gaurd over the summer! This ended in her actually giving swim lessons to a couple of kids (starting with Frisk)!! She is actually a pretty good trainer and still teaches a few kids every once in awhile over summer breaks.

❤️ Her and Asgore went on a fishing trip once! The boat nearly capsized, Undyne ended up going in to fish instead of using the pole, there were life lessons taught about patience, and Asgore got horrendously away sick. Needless to say, it was a good trip. They still have pictures on Asgore’s fridge!

Alphys

❤️ As much as her girlfriend loves it, she’s not actually a huge fan of the water. It’s overwhelming and dries out her scales, and when she’s in super deep it makes her really uncomfortable. She’s stared into oblivion before and, well, it’s not a good feeling. The deep sea reminds her of that.

❤️ That being said, she LOVES the beach itself. She could sun bathe for hours while Undyne is swimming. Just pop on her head phones, lay on the sand, and embrace her lizard heratage! Also, she likes to watch her hot girlfriend do hot things like catch fish in her teeth and throw skeletons, so it’s a win win.

❤️ Naturally, this means a lot of her and Undyne’s date end up at the beach one way or anouther. Every time they go now, Alphy makes a point of collecting a seashell. They all hang on a string over her bed, it’s her favorite part of the room.

❤️ More times than not, if the sand is particularly nice and warm, Alphys falls asleep on it. Like, hard core passed out asleep. She just loves the fluffy parts of the sand so much??? And it’s so comfortable??? And she’s gotten more than afew overheating from sleeping ALL day, but she can’t help herself. It’s just too cozy!

❤️ Her favorite thing about the ocean is always going to be seeing Undyne’s smile though. She loves it. She loves the way her girlfriend’s kisses taste after she’s been in the sea. She loves how content the girl is after a good swim, and how cuddly they get in the living room. She loves smelling the air and holding her hand and seeing the sun on the water. She wants to spend forever in her arms, on the sand, eating nice cream and watching the sun set.

Mettaton

❤️ So. He’s a robot. Alphys is currently working on waterproofing his body, but until then he’s shore bound. That doesn’t mean he won’t done his best sun hat and glasses, steal a life gaurd’s chair, and pose dramatically on the beach though!

❤️ Truth be told, he actually quite enjoys long walks on the beach. His boots are well protected enough to go a way into the water as well, so he takes them sometimes with Alphys. Also, night time on the beach holds SPECTACULAR song writing material! There’s something so inspirational about the atmosphere.

❤️ That being said, summer concerts are the bomb. Litterally. There’s pyrotechnics. He’s not as big a star as he was in the underground, but some local beach performances are well within his pay grade. The thrill of the stage! The cries of the people! The personality and connection to his adoring fans! The one time he crowd surfed! The fashion! It’s all just perfect!

❤️ He also frequents beach side shops, thanks to the atmosphere and outfit selection. One can NEVER go wrong with a floppy hat and a sheer coverup. It’s just impossible.

❤️ He relates WAY too hard to the little mermaid, both in the original story and Disney. There’s just something that hits too close to home about longing for humanity and a new, more comfortable body... He gets Ariel man, he gets her.

Asgore

❤️ He likes to go on long morning walks on the beach alone. There’s something comforting about the sun rise and the sound of the waves rolling around him. There’s something even more sweet about the rare conversations, only lasting a hello and small talk, all few and far between. Sometimes he finds himself wishing he had a dog to walk with him, but in the end decides against it. He’s been alone a long time, he can last one more day.

❤️ He really enjoys going shelling. Sometimes, he even likes to paint his finds and put them up in his windows. Frisk helps him, he likes that.

❤️ He’s become a vollenteer to help find and aid sea turtles’ hatch sites. He loves watching them hatch and get to the sea safely. Though he’s not supposed to, he’ll protect them from the gulls.

❤️ Thanks to being in so close to the sea, he had a brief phase of being rather in love with verities of seaweed and kelps. He tried to keep afew using water tanks, but could never quite get them right. Ah well, at least the petunias and roses are doing nicely.

❤️ He has a hard time reading or watching things about mermaids. They make him sad.

[goldenslumbersfanfiction]

i’m not sure if you want to keep going back to the little green verse but would you consider doing a one shot of dani, jamie, and luna visiting karen? i absolutely adore their dynamic in that verse and always go back to that fic :)

Read it here on AO3

It’s the summer after Luna turns five years old, and your mother invites you to Iowa. She had moved to a new house in an over 55 community at the beginning of the year, and she just finished redecorating. She has a guest room and a pull out couch, and she tells you that she’d love to have you visit. 

You delay as much as you can, because even though your relationship with her had honestly become something unrecognizable in it’s goodness over the last several years, you have not been back to Iowa since you returned to sell your house and all your things as quickly as you could. You delay until you can’t anymore, until Karen gets Luna on the phone one day and is chatting away with her and your daughter comes running into your room to tell you that grandma invited you all to visit, and that she has a swimming pool, and Luna will not shut up about it for weeks, and now you’re a bad mother if you hold her hostage from the promised fun it.

So you book your tickets, and you push down that feeling of unease about it, because Luna keeps zooming around your living room with her arms stretched wide like an airplane, and you'll probably have a good time. It’s only five days, but it’ll still be the longest stretch of time you’ll have spent with your mother in years, and Jamie will be there beside you the whole time, and she’s always been steady for you. And, you always did love to swim.

Jamie has strangely won Karen’s affection over time, and you only really know this because your mother had stopped making those high pitched humming noises like she’s judging you for your relationship when you would give updates on her over the phone, and more and more over the last five years whenever she calls and Jamie answers, she keeps her on the line for a while before asking for you. 

But even though you have Jamie’s hand in yours now, or maybe precisely because you have Jamie’s hand in yours, it’s strange to be back. 

Your mom picks you up from the airport, and on the car ride to her house Luna will not stop asking you questions about everything she’s seeing outside the window in the back with Jamie, and it’s so lovely, to hear the low hum of Jamie’s laugh mingled with yours when Luna shouts when she’s horses in a field that you pass and tries to count them as best as she can (accidentally skipping eleven, which you correct) before the car zooms away.

You pass your high school that still looks exactly the same, you drive along the road where you failed your drivers test on the first try, you pass the church you used to go to when you were little before your mom decided it wasn’t for you guys anymore, and there isn’t a single ounce of nostalgia in you for any of this. If anything, there’s just a vague resentment, a small creeping under your skin like the very atoms of you recognize that you do not belong. 

But Jamie is here with you, and your little girl is rattling off colors she sees and is telling your mother about how she met the pilot of the airplane, and honestly, you don’t care that you don’t belong here, because you belong with them, and that’s what matters.

//

Your mother’s house is wonderful. 

You don’t realize, until you’re unpacked and the stress of travel has left your system, until you see how much more relaxed in this place your mother is, that maybe you and her really did understand each other more than you ever even knew. 

You never really thought about her being unhappy in a space she forced herself to be in, in a life she thought she should have wanted, until she flicks the radio on and you see her walking around her kitchen and cutting up some apple slices for Luna, who she’s lifted up to sit on the counter beside her.

You never thought of it this way, that maybe your mother was just stuck, too. Maybe when you left, she only tried to drag you back as much as she could because she never considered what unhappiness actually felt like, couldn’t understand how you were able to identify it and refuse it, never considered she was living with it laced in everything she did all this time.

You don’t see it at all, here. You just see her tapping hand along to a tune, her jewelry clinking against the granite countertop, and you think of the joy and the freedom you felt when you finally settled into your first apartment with Jamie. How you finally felt like four walls with a lock and a key were created to keep you safe, not keep you trapped. 

You never considered this about your mother, but now, as she sings along in her terrible voice to the radio, and puts the cutting board into the sink, you think that everyone deserves to feel like they are the beating heart of a home.

//

It’s not that you aren’t having a good time, because you are. You are enjoying yourself, and you aren’t trying to convince yourself of that, it’s actually the truth. You are happy, you are so in love with Jamie, and Luna has never swam so much in her life. Your mother has been great, and you haven’t argued over a single thing since you arrived, haven’t even felt any hostile energy from her. Only openness. Only love.

She’s in the pool with Luna right now, and you’re sitting on a towel you have stretched out on the edge of the water, your feet dipping in just a bit, and you were surprised how readily and enthusiastically your mother said yes earlier when Luna asked if she could go in the pool with her. 

You’re kind of in a trance, as you watch this simple scene before you. Your daughter, swimming with all of the effort and coordination of a little girl with one year of YMCA swim lessons under her belt, kicking her feet absolutely everywhere, her eyes bugged out and foggy behind her little goggles that look like fish. Your mother, laughing and encouraging, telling her she’s doing such a great job, as she keeps walking farther back in the pool to test just how much more Luna can swim to her on her own, her arms outstretched and open for her. Luna, eventually grabbing hold of her as she flails and splashes in the water.

Luna screams over to you, pure elation and pride in her voice as she’s held on your mothers hip in the water, her goggles now hanging around her neck, and asks if you saw how far she swam, and you tell her you did, you saw it all, that she’s such a good swimmer, and your mother is pushing wet strands of hair from her face, is holding her close.

“Come in the pool, mommy!”

“Yeah, come in the pool, mommy.” 

You turn your head when you hear Jamie’s voice, and she’s gotten her bathing suit on and she’s smiling at you so big, she tosses her sunglasses onto your lap, but she pauses a bit.

“You alright?”

You hadn’t considered you weren’t actually, but you suppose you are, because you’re having a good time, so you smile and nod, and it seems to be good enough for Jamie, because she grins and then without warning, runs and cannonballs into the water and it splashes you and Luna is cheering and swimming over to her. Jamie lifts her up high and throws her back into the water, and it’s so fun, and it’s so good, and so pure, and there is so much simple love here, right now. You can see it all in front of you, so why do you feel like you are apart from it?

You thought you were alright, you wanted to be, but until Jamie asked you, you hadn't considered that you aren’t. And you see your mother swimming under water and grabbing at Luna’s feet. You see the pile of pool toys she took Luna to buy at Toys R Us yesterday, you see her putting Luna on her shoulders, and teaching her how to float on her back in the water, and suddenly, you can not get a full breath into your lungs.

You feel like there is static crawling up your neck, and you feel lightheaded, and you’re standing up and going back into the house because maybe if it’s quieter, maybe if you get out of the sun, maybe if you just have a glass of ice water or lock yourself in your room, the darkness and stillness will calm you down.

But the more you take in shaking breaths, the farther you feel from sanity, the farther you feel from stability, and you close the door to the guest room behind you and prop your back up against the hard, cold wood, and you will yourself to calm down. You close your stinging eyes, breathe, in and out, and you try to get your body under control, but all you can hear is buzzing in your ears and you gasping for breath because it’s never enough air, you can’t get nearly enough inside of you, all you can feel is pressure building under your skin, and when you exhale, you are sobbing. 

You clasp your hand over your mouth, close your eyes, because you feel so loud, you feel too much, like you are screaming, like you are an earthquake, but you can still hear your mother, and Luna and her delightful laugh just outside, so you must just be invisible. 

There’s a gentle knock on the door, a shake of the handle, and you hear Jamie say it’s her, so you unlock it and step away as she opens it. She comes inside, a towel pulled around her shoulders, her hair still a bit drippy, her brows pulled together as she shuts the door behind her.

You hear her say, “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” over your shaking sobs and desperate breaths, and her hand is wiping away tears from your cheeks you hadn’t even known were falling. “What’s going on? What happened?”

You cross your arms, like if you just hold your muscles tight enough, everything will stop feeling like it’s caving in on you, and you don’t know what’s going on, you don’t know, you don’t know…

“I don't know. I was just...I was just sitting there and I…I don’t know why I’m like this, god, why am I like this?” You still can’t stop crying, you still feel like you can not breathe.

“Okay, come here.” Jamie pulls you in so tight, and you wrap your arms around her back and hold on to her, because she is the only thing that is real, she is the only thing that is solid and steady and her skin is cool from the water and salty with your tears and she’s telling you to breathe in time with her while she holds you, so you try as best as you can. You focus on her, on the press of her against you, on the chlorine scent on her skin, on her hands on your back keeping you tethered while the rest of your reality swirls and thrashes around in your skull. 

It takes a few minutes, but you get a few deep breaths in and your head feels less like it’s a hurricane of static electricity, more heavy and cloudy and tired, but Jamie is still holding you.

She pulls back slightly, wipes the tears from your cheeks again, even though you haven’t really stopped crying. “You alright?” 

You nod, even though you aren’t really, but you feel like you’re through the worst of it. 

“You want to tell me what happened?”

You don’t reply right away, you’re still sort of in a daze, but you step back from her and go to sit on the edge of your bed, and you shrug, because you still really aren’t sure what happened, all you know is...

“She’s just...she’s so good with her, you know?” Fresh tears tumble down your face and you wipe them away. Jamie just nods. You let out another sob, a wet, sad thing, and your voice is so small when you ask, “Why didn’t I get that?”

“Oh, love.” She’s beside you now, her towel safely under her as she sits down on the comforter, and she pulls you in again, and when you sink into her this time it’s less about a swirling storm around you, it’s more about leaning on her because you feel heavy and worn down and Jamie has always been a safe place to land. Jamie has always kept you afloat. 

You cry into the crook of her neck, and her hands are gentle against your back. She whispers things into your hair that you don’t quite catch, but you don’t really think it matters so much, the exact words that she’s saying. You feel it all the same. It’s soothing, and it calms you, and you aren’t crying anymore, but you still feel wrung.

“Look, I know it’s...corny, or whatever. But...people change. Christ, if you met me even two years before you did, I’d have been the last person you’d volunteer to raise a kid with, let alone hitch your life to, I can promise you that.”

A burst of laughter escapes you, and you press a kiss into the patch of skin closest to your lips, because Jamie has always been this for you, and every time you think you can’t love her more for it, she gives you another reason to.

“And I’m not saying that takes away the bad things, you know? Not saying you shouldn’t demand peace from it. But...the woman she is now wouldn’t do that to you, if she could make those choices again. Problem with time, really, what’s done is done. For better or worse.”

You nod. And Jamie tells you that you should talk to Karen about it, if you want to. Not on this trip maybe, but at some point. 

You think you won’t, you think that’s a bad idea, that she would be reactive and make you second guess everything. That all may be true, but after you take a nap, after you spend the rest of the day in the pool, and go grocery shopping with her, after you cook dinner together and she passes you a bowl of popcorn when you all settle down to watch a movie together, you think it might not be such a bad idea. And you aren’t really worried she will stop speaking to you anymore. You aren't worried she will be cruel to you in the way that she was when you were a teenager. You think, maybe, she might actually try to help you get the answers you don’t have. You think if you ever did tell her, she might feel upset by it all, but not from defensiveness, but because you are in pain, and she didn’t know.

It’s not a conversation for now, and that’s okay. You learn that even though you are still, always, healing, that you can still enjoy her, that you can still love her fully, that you can sit beside her and watch the VHS tape of Matilda that Luna snuck into her suitcase that you found when you unpacked her clothes, and it can still all be good.

//

You and Jamie have taken the guest room, and Luna has been sleeping on the pullout couch. She’s still so small that she doesn’t even really need to use the pullout, could just sleep right on the couch cushions, but she has a lot of fun setting up the bed every night, so you don’t mind. Jamie lets her think that she’s so strong that she pulls it out all on her own, but really Jamie’s got her hand along the side of it helping her along, and the way Jamie’s muscles strain and pop when she does this as you watch from off to the side definitely doesn’t hurt.

You help get the blankets and pillows set up for her, and usually she’s out pretty quickly. It’s the same tonight. A full day of fun in the pool and dinner in town means she’ll be sleeping soundly through the night.

But it’s around midnight when you hear her start crying. You are still up, Jamie slipping into sleep beside you, and you still have the TV on a low hum in the background, but you hear her, you always can. 

Before you can even make your way out of bed, though, she’s knocking on your door, and you open it to find her, holding her stuffed whale and her blanket, tears streaming down her face, her little lip trembling, and absolutely distraught. 

You get on your knees so you’re level with her, and you pull her in and she fits right there in you. Between hiccuping sobs, you manage to get that she had a nightmare, and she’s scared, and she wants to sleep with you tonight. Jamie is awake now and sitting up in bed behind you now, pulling down the covers so Luna can settle in between you.

You keep the TV on, because you know when Luna is like this it doesn’t help her to plunge her back into complete darkness, even if you are beside her.

She woke your mother up, though. You can tell because the crack under your door brightens when the hall light turns on and you can see her footsteps shuffling past your door, and you don’t expect her to knock, thought maybe she was just taking the awoken opportunity to use the bathroom, but a few minutes later, she does. 

The door creaks open, and she sticks her head in, and asks if everything is okay in a whisper. You nod, tell her she can go back to sleep, but she pushes the door open just a little bit further, and you see she’s carrying a small mug in her hand.

“Wasn’t sure if you did this with her, but...always worked for you.”

You sit up and take the warm cup into your hands, it’s light and soothing aroma sending you back into a collection of memories of your mother you had completely forgotten about. 

“What’s this?” Jamie’s voice grumbles beside you.

“Whenever Dani had a nightmare or couldn’t sleep, this always helped. Warm milk with some honey.”

“I forgot about this.”

“You were always such a nervous kid. Had me going through an extra gallon of milk a week just to get you to sleep through the night.”

“Yeah, I...thank you.”

She nods, her hand brushing your shoulder and she presses a light kiss to your head, wishes you goodnight, and then she’s gone, closing the door softly behind her and switching off the hall light.

Luna drinks the milk, and you can feel her nerves smoothing over, the heavy limbed lull of sleep creeping back into her little body.

She settles in between you and Jamie, and you turn off the TV, and she asks you if you can tickle her back, and that always helps to soothe her. You run your hand along the sun-warmed skin under her favorite Princess Jasmine nightgown and you feel her breath even and deep under your palm as she drifts into a peaceful sleep, safe and snug between the two of you.

Jamie’s hand reaches for yours after you pull Luna’s nightgown back down over her body, and she holds it close to her. Your eyes are adjusted to the dark just enough to see her sleepy expression, to see how beautiful she looks when she’s looking at you in moments like this. These soft, quiet, in-between moments that you love so much. 

You fall asleep like this, with your arm draped over Luna, with your hand safely threaded through Jamie’s and pressed against her chest, the three of you the beating heart of your own little home.

[dweetwise]

300 followers gift fic: beach episode

instead of taking a writing break i finally finished the crackfic i promised for 300 followers! it’s a little weird and i,, kind of make fun of frank a little too much but i hope you enjoy the silliness nonetheless!

characters: david, dwight, steve, ace, quentin, frank, julie, susie, joey ship: david x dwight warnings: mild violence, mention of blood word count: 6950 (hELP)

David feels his feet hit the ground as he’s teleported into a trial, the fog of the Entity slowly clearing from his mind. He opens his eyes—

—and promptly has to close them right after because bloody hell it's bright!

“Woah! Look at this!” an awestruck voice exclaims from somewhere nearby, and David thinks it's Steve, finally managing to squint his eyes open enough to try to make out their surroundings.

As soon as he does so, he immediately decides he's hallucinating.

He's on a sunny beach. There's waves slowly rolling onto the fine white sand and the sun is shining bright, high up in the clear blue sky.

The only thing that stops David from being sure that he's dreaming is Steve smacking him on the shoulder and uttering an excited “Dude, are you seeing this?” because if he was dreaming he sure as hell wouldn't be here with Steve.

“Where are we?" a voice that sounds much more fitting for his dream pipes up from behind him, and David turns to find Dwight making his way over. "Did—did we escape…?” their leader's tired eyes are wide with hope, and he rubs his arms nervously and—

Holy shit, he's shirtless.

Steve is shrugging and replying something to Dwight, but David's brain can't comprehend anything that isn't Dwight and his surprisingly well-defined, freckled shoulders and the adorable chub around his waist and fuck, David bets his skin feels so soft—

“What do you think, David?” Dwight asks, and David forces himself to tear his gaze away from Dwight’s torso to his face. But then he has those big, brown eyes looking up at him and searching for guidance, like David is even half of the leader Dwight is.

“Don’t seem like a trial,” David manages to get out through the mess of thoughts that is his feelings for the man. “Should look around—you stay close to me, eh?” he urges their leader, despite knowing full well Dwight is more than enough capable of looking after himself.

He takes some comfort in the fact that despite Dwight being aware of that too, the man responds with a nod and a small, if a little shaky, smile.

“Come on guys, hurry up!” Steve calls from a short distance away, reminding David that they’re not, in fact, alone. They follow the excited teen, walking along the shoreline.

As Steve prattles on about how warm it is and pesters them about whether or not they know how to swim, David tries and fails to focus on their predicament and not let his eyes wander.

He notices Dwight is wearing red board shorts with a pizza slice pattern, and tries not to smile. He wonders if it’s something he owned in the real world, or that the Entity made up just for this occasion. Either way, they’re way cuter than they have any right of being.

“Dude, I like the shorts!” Steve’s voice finally gets through to David, probably because he’s looking a little too intently at Dwight’s neither regions, but then he thankfully turns to give David the same treatment. “Yours are… uh, kinda neat too!”

And for the first time David actually takes a look at his own outfit. He hadn’t even realized he was also in swimwear, so used to going shirtless trial after trial. But sure enough, the Entity has put him in dark blue swim shorts, and he snorts upon spotting the cartoony beer pint pattern. He sure as hell has never owned a pair that looks like this, so apparently the Entity is enjoying playing dress-up with them.

“I think yours are cool too,” Dwight returns the compliment and David goes back to glaring at Steve, who grins and shows off his (really fucking ugly, in David’s opinion) striped shorts with pictures of ice cream cones.

Steve, thankfully, doesn’t have time for what would no doubt be an obnoxious reply, the sounds of an argument drifting over to the trio.

“—you should let me do it! I have Plunderers!” David recognizes Ace’s annoying voice before he spots the man, standing over what looks to be someone searching a chest.

“And I have Pharmacy, so shut it,” Quentin’s messy mop of hair appears over the chest when he offers a half-hearted glare at the gambler.

“Nobody wants a dusty old med-kit!” Ace huffs, hands on his hips. “Who knows what else we could find?”

“Too late,” Quentin snarks and finally rips the lock off, Ace sighing in defeat as he opens the chest. “What the… what’s all this?”

“Oi, what’s going on?” David walks up to the duo. “Did’ya find somethin’?”

“Hey, buddy—” Ace greets before David shoves his way past the man, peering into the chest that has Quentin so confused, coming face to face with…

“Beach equipment?” Quentin summarizes, lifting a water gun and a towel from the chest.

“Cool!” Steve has joined them and, predictably, gets excited, grabbing the toy immediately.

“Have you two seen anyone else?” Dwight asks Quentin and Ace, trailing after Steve to join them.

“Nope!” Ace chirps, grabbing a pair of sunglasses and a beach towel from the box. “Looks like it’s just us, unless the rest are… I don’t know, out at sea?”

“Half expected to run into a killer,” Quentin muses. “Guess we got lucky it’s just the five of us instead.”

“Shame it's just dudes. I bet the girls would've—uh,” Steve says, before seeming to realize how desperate he sounds. “Really enjoyed it too…?” he finishes with a sheepish smile.

“Uh-huh,” Quentin deadpans. “I'm sure that's the reason.”

“It's a tragedy the new guy isn't here," Ace sighs wistfully. “I’d pay good money to see him shirtless.”

David rolls his eyes while Dwight, embarrassed, chokes on nothing.

“Y-you shouldn't talk about Felix like that,” their leader stammers, completely oblivious to how David was ogling him earlier.

“Just saying what half of the camp is thinking,” Ace shrugs.

“I wonder if Jane's coming?” Steve seems to realize, glancing around as if expecting more people to pop up out of thin air.

“You're both disgusting,” Quentin snorts, starting to walk away from the group. “I'm going for a swim."

“But we don't know if it's safe!” Dwight calls after him.

"I mean… if I drown in Entity goo, don't come after me," Quentin merely responds, putting on some swimming goggles and making his way to the shoreline.

“I wonder why Quentin’s in a speedo and the rest of us have trunks?” Steve thinks out loud, and sure enough, David realizes he’s right, noticing Quentin’s swimwear when he swan dives into the ocean.

“Didn’t he use to do competitive swimming?” Dwight points out, because of course he would, because nobody knows any of them quite as well as Dwight, because he’s an amazing leader and friend and—

David’s train of thought comes to a halt when he glances around and notices what has to be a crime against fashion.

“I’d rather a speedo than whatever the fock tha’ is,” David snorts, gesturing to where Ace is laying his beach towel, wearing a pair of hot pink swimming trunks with a banana pattern, along with a trashy, bright yellow aloha shirt. Apparently he’s gotten so used to the man’s questionable style that he didn’t even notice the travesty until now.

“Aww, come on David!” Ace grins, taking his jab in stride. “I know you really wanted some pink shorts too.”

“It’s kinda funny that the Entity gave us shorts with our favorite food!” Steve grins while rummaging through the supplies in the chest. “I love ice cream, Dwight obviously likes pizza, and David beer, and Ace—”

“Cock,” David finishes the sentence, eyeing the banana shorts suspiciously, while Ace bursts out laughing, Steve’s eyes fly wide open and Dwight sputters something unintelligible.

“David!” Dwight finally manages to scold him, face red from embarrassment. “You can’t just say stuff like that—”

“Yeah yeah, sorry luv,” David grins apologetically, immediately cursing himself for letting the pet name slip. “’M goin’ for a swim too,” he decides, making his way to the water to try to get his thoughts in order.

David’s never been much of a beach person, not having enough patience to sunbathe and not a huge fan of swimming, either. But he can’t deny the warmth from the sun, even if fake, feels nice, and the soft sand under his feet is pleasant. When was the last time he even walked barefoot?

His toes touch the water and that’s where the pleasantness ends because goddamn, it’s cold! David can’t remember the last time he felt an actual chill, as the Entity seems determined to make sure they’re never too hot or too cold, even the snowy grounds of Ormond feeling room temperature.

But now, David has to grit his teeth as cold shoots through his system just from dipping his toes in. He glances at Quentin, still swimming around without a care in the world, and can’t imagine how the hell the teen managed to dive right in without going into shock.

David glances over his shoulder, wanting to see if someone’s looking at him freaking out over the water like a scared kitten. Steve is still engrossed in pulling out all the contents of the crate, before he hands a bottle of something to Dwight, who squirts some into his hand and starts—lord have mercy—lathering himself up with the sunscreen.

And David is helpless to do anything but stare, seeing Dwight work the creamy substance into his equally creamy skin, starting with his arms and then working it into his chest. He runs his hands down his torso, covering himself self-consciously when the softness around his belly jiggles slightly with the movement, and god what David wouldn’t give to be able to do that for him. He’d work the lotion into the skin nice and slow, taking his time and making sure to murmur how perfect Dwight looks and how good his body feels—

David’s brain does the equivalent of a record screech when his perfect, half-naked angel walks up to Ace, of all people.

“Ace, can you… uh, give me a hand with my back…?” Dwight asks nervously, holding out the bottle of sunscreen, and David thinks he's going to burst a vein from how much his blood pressure rises upon hearing the request.

Ace sits up on his elbows, before looking over his sunglasses with a smirk like the disgusting pervert he is, and David swears that if he lays a finger on Dwight's bare skin he's fucking throwing fists—

But then Ace's eyes meet his and a trimmed eyebrow raises in acknowledgement, still with that infuriating smirk on his face, and David's anger gives way to mortification because shit, what if Ace knows about his little crush?

To his relief, Ace just ends up sighing.

“Can you ask someone else? I'm kind of busy,” the gambler says, flopping back down to lay on his towel.

“Oh, okay…” Dwight says, looking so disappointed, and David’s breath catches in his throat because this is his chance!

“What the fuck, Ace?” Quentin emerges from the waves beside him before he can do anything. “Not everyone has your complexion. Some of us burn really easily,” Quentin scolds, walking up to the duo and no doubt glaring at the gambler. “Come on, I’ll help you,” he offers to Dwight, who returns a grateful smile.

Quentin starts rubbing the cream onto Dwight’s back, and then has the nerve to ask if Dwight can return the favor, so David grits his teeth and marches into the ocean to cool off so he doesn’t end up pile driving the teen into the sand.

He only manages to get deep enough for the water to reach his junk before he instantly regrets the decision, the cold making things shrivel up unpleasantly. He ends up just ducking his head into the water and wading back to shore, hoping that Dwight the others didn’t see him chickening out for the second time in a row.

The others are still engrossed in their own activities, Steve filling up the water gun in the shallows and Ace looking to doze off in the sun, Quentin and Dwight chatting nearby.

And nobody sees the strange group approaching from the treeline behind them.

“Oi!” David calls, getting the attention of his friends and picking up the pace to get to Dwight in case the strangers mean bad news. “Hope yer not lookin’ fer trouble,” he addresses the new group, causing the others to finally take notice of their company.

“Who’s that?” Quentin asks with a frown, taking in the sight of four people, two girls and two guys, dressed in swimwear and one of the boys even carrying a large swim ring on his shoulder. The group’s animated chatter dies down as they seem to notice their company.

“Oh my god, this is fucking typical!” one of the group, a young woman with blonde hair and a plaid bikini, scoffs in offense.

“What the fuck are you guys doing here!?” a skinny man with very questionable choice of swimwear, pastel purple board shorts with rubber ducks, demands.

“Fuck me, is the Entity pranking us?” the other man sighs, dressed in much more bland swimwear with black and white skulls.

“Aww,” the final member pouts, twiddling with her bright pink braid over her pink and black bikini. “Frank, you didn’t tell us there’d be others!”

David’s brow furrows upon hearing the name; it sounds familiar, but he can’t quite place it. Luckily, Dwight is much more of a quick thinker than he is.

“L-legion?” Dwight squeaks, his eyes going wide in fear, and David is now back to full alert because he’s right, they group is definitely the killers, David just didn’t connect the dots because of how normal the kids look.

“What, you gonna scream? Cry?” the leader, Frank, taunts obnoxiously, strutting to the front of his posse. “How about you guys go fuck yourselves and leave the beach to us, before someone gets hurt?”

Dwight takes a step back while David takes one forward, anger bubbling up because who the fuck does this prick think he is—

“Nice swimmies, Franky,” Quentin suddenly pipes up, making David stop in his tracks. “Did your mommy pick them out for you?”

“Tch—” Frank balks, his face scrunching up in anger even as redness rises up on his cheeks.

“He might have lost a small bet,” the pink-haired girl, David doesn’t recall her name, quips cheerfully in response.

“Shut up, Susie!” Frank hisses at his friend, before turning back to point at Quentin accusingly. “Of course you had to bring this waste of space, too!” he seems to direct the complaint at Dwight.

“S-sorry—” Dwight starts.

“Don’t,” David orders, placing a large hand on Dwight’s shoulder and stepping between their leader and the Legion’s. “This arsehole don’t deserve yer apology."

“Oh yeah?” the bigger guy, David thinks he remembers hearing his name is Joey, steps forward to back up his friend. Unfortunately, he doesn’t intimidate David in the slightest, especially not with only an inflatable beach toy as his weapon. “Maybe you should think twice about picking a fight.”

“Guys…” the blonde girl starts, sounding exasperated.

“Come on Jules, knives or not, we can take them. Easily,” Frank tells her, and David notices both Dwight and Quentin tense next to him, preparing himself to dodge a swing any second now—

“Ahoy, ladies!” Steve suddenly shoves his way to the front of the group, offering the two girls a cheeky grin and cocking his water gun against a hat he doesn’t have. “Would you like to set sail on an ocean of—” he falters, looking around the beach in thought. “…Water?”

There’s a moment of silence following Steve’s interruption, the tension in the air effectively disappearing as everyone stares at Steve with varying levels of amusement and disbelief.

“Um,” the pink-haired girl—Susie—comments, regarding the teen skeptically.

“Aww, he’s even more of a dork outside of trials,” the one named Jules—for Julie, right?—coos patronizingly. “Look at him with his little toy!”

“Thanks! You wanna have a watergun fight?” Steve is either completely oblivious to the jab or takes it in stride.

“I’ll shove that fucking gun so far down your throat—” Frank threatens.

“Kinky!” Quentin comments cheerily.

“Oh you’ll regret that—” Frank snarls.

“Children!” Ace’s yell snaps them out of the ensuing argument, everyone turning to face the man who has apparently finally decided to grace them with his presence.

“Ugh, it just keeps getting better,” Julie snarks sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“While apparently you guys had a negotiation with the Entity, we have no idea why it decided to put us here,” Ace explains with a friendly smile, ignoring the snide comment. “So why not try to make the most of it? There’s more than enough room for all of us. We’ll stay out of your hair if you do the same,” he says, giving a pointed stare at David and Quentin.

“Okay!” Susie beams.

“What? No it’s not!” Frank argues.

“Why not?” the girl whines. “I don’t wanna waste time fighting. This was supposed to be our day off.”

“So we gonna beat them up or what?” Joey seems to be getting impatient. “If not, I wanna go swimming.”

“Yeah, same,” Julie agrees. “Let’s just leave them be.”

“Fine,” Frank spits, glaring at each of the survivors in turn. “You’d better stay the fuck outta my sight.”

David wants to argue and he can sense Quentin does too, the teen biting his lip to suppress what would no doubt be a snarky comment. The only thing stopping David from picking a fight is Dwight’s hesitant hand on his arm, a wordless plea to not make the situation worse, and Frank would have to push a whole lot harder for David to ever deny Dwight.

“Looks like we have a deal,” Ace smiles, his shoulders sagging just the tiniest bit from relief.

There’s a silent understanding when the killers start making their way to one side of the beach while Ace motions for them to head back to theirs, and the situation looks to be peacefully resolved.

“Hey, you guys should check out the stuff the Entity gave us!” Steve suggests, inviting them right back over, most likely unintentionally, but it still makes Dwight sigh and David can even hear Ace groan in exasperation.

“I give up,” Ace sighs with a wave of his hand, leaving them to fend for themselves for when another fight inevitably breaks out.

David doesn’t really care if the killers grab some of the items meant for them, but it’s the principle of the thing, and his hands ball into fists while the teens rummage through the chest.

Susie eventually pulls out an inflatable pool toy with a unicorn that says ‘princess’.

“Oh my god, look how cute!” she squeals, holding up the toy.

“I bet it's Dweeb's,” Frank smirks smugly.

That's it, he's going down—

“You take that back!” David snarls, stepping forward aggressively.

“David, please!” Dwight protests.

“Yeah, can you guys not?” Julie sighs, rolling her eyes while procuring a pair of sunglasses from the chest.

“No one's impressed by this alpha male bullshit,” Quentin agrees.

“Not my fault this cocksucker can't take a joke—” Franks starts.

“Yer the one who's too much of a pussy to fight!” David accuses. “Let's go, right now!”

“Guys!” Joey yells. “If you really wanna butt heads, how about we play for it instead?” he asks, grabbing a volley ball from the trunk. “Our team versus yours. Winner gets bragging rights.”

“Oh, we're totally in! Right guys?” Steve, predictably, is all over the game.

David frowns. It's been years since he's played beach volley, but how hard can it be? Especially compared to his scrawny opponent; Frank probably hasn't done a day of sports in his life.

“Fine,” he spits.

“Fine,” Frank smirks.

“I'm in,” Quentin offers.

“Come on, Suz," Julie offers.

“You know I suck at sports!” the girl whines, but obediently goes to stand with the group.

Still missing one member for their teams to be even, everyone looks at Dwight.

“M-m-me!?” he squeaks.

Frank looks like he's about to say something, but is interrupted by Joey shoving the net into his arms.

“Come help me set this shit up,” Joey says with a pointed look and Frank rolls his eyes and complies.

Huh. Maybe that Joey guy isn't so terrible.

“Yeah, who else? Ace?” Steve is doing his best to encourage Dwight. “He’d probably throw his back out or something.”

“I heard that!” the gambler calls from his lazing around spot.

“And I'm sure you're better than you realize!” Steve continues, ignoring the comment.

“But I've never played,” Dwight says, still hesitant.

“You'll pick it up in no time,” Quentin encourages. “You don't even have to do much, we'll cover for you.”

“I don't know…”

“Pleeeaaase?” Steve whines and even pouts, clearly pulling out all the stops. “We really wanna play and if you don't we won't have enough players."

Dwight looks at David, and David does his best to give an encouraging smile.

“Come on, mate,” he says. “You’ll have fun, promise.”

That’s a lie, but David just really wants Dwight to be there to witness him kicking Frank's ass.

“Okay,” Dwight finally relents, looking away from David with a sigh.

Steve cheers loudly and soon enough, they’ve joined the Legion who have finished setting up the net and the game can begin.

It turns out the teams are surprisingly even. Steve and Joey are the best players by far, managing difficult serves, covering for the others and even extending to get shots David didn't even think possible.

Quentin and Julie aren't far behind in skill, not having the precision of their respective team captains but still succeeding in keeping the ball in play.

David likes to think he's better than Frank, but neither of them are doing too well, missing shots that should have hit and even causing the ball to fly out of bounds.

Dwight and Susie are the worst by far, with Dwight landing wet noodle passes at best and mostly just trying to stay out of the way. Susie is nearly actively sabotaging her team, squealing and covering her head if it looks like Steve or Quentin are going for a particularly rough hit.

Steve looks to be enjoying himself thoroughly, and David thinks he tones down some of his shots to prolong the game and give the others a chance. Quentin on the other hand is surprisingly competitive, often aiming for Susie's corner which is their opponent's weak link.

David mostly focuses his efforts on aiming at Frank's face, and from the way the teen keeps snarling and glaring at him, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

The Legion eventually turning against each other is kind of funny.

“Jesus, Frank, you suck ass,” Julie complains, watching the ball fly over the line when Frank hits it at a weird angle.

“I mean I’m not surprised that you guys know how to handle balls,” Frank snarks. “Personally, it’s not something I’d be proud of.”

“Then why did you spend three years practicing basketball?” Susie jokes, making her leader fume.

The survivors' camaraderie on the other hand is high, even as the scores are neck-to neck and adrenaline is running high. Steve takes every opportunity to encourage Dwight when he fails, and Quentin commends him when he makes a good play.

It should maybe make David jealous, but he's just happy to see Dwight smile and enjoy himself. He wishes he had the tact of the two to praise him too, feeling way more comfortable with showing off his athletic skill than actually talking to Dwight.

“Shit—” Steve dives into the sand and barely manages to save the ball after a particularly nasty serve from Julie. He doesn't get a clean hit, and the ball swerves a curve to the left instead of to the right where David was prepared to set it up, narrowly missing Quentin's head.

And then Dwight comes out of nowhere, managing to redirect the ball back into play, and David is so fucking excited he nearly misses the hit, but thankfully manages to get it over the net and Susie doesn't even seem to try to stop it.

“Go Dwight!” she cheers.

“Nice work, dude!" Steve whoops, spitting some sand from his mouth.

“I, uh,” Dwight is clearly flustered.

“That's what I'm talkin' about!” David encourages, smacking Dwight on the back and causing him to stumble forward.

"T-thanks,” Dwight smiles nervously.

“You done kissing ass?” Frank snarks, glaring at Susie.

“Yup, now we're gonna kick yours,” Quentin shoots back.

“Come on guys, 18 to 20! We can do this!” Steve encourages, and everyone gets back into position.

Julie serves again, and Quentin catches it. They get the ball over easily, and Joey raises it. Julie is in position to set it up it, and Frank jumps into the air, and David just hopes he misses the shot—

The ball whizzes past Steve and Quentin in front, and it's going way too hard to land within bounds, so that’s a free point for them—

But then David realizes the trajectory it's on, and time seems to slow down to a crawl as it hits Dwight square in the face with a sickening smack.

And David sees red.

When he comes to, he's on top of a struggling Frank and there are arms trying to restrain him from behind. The voices sound faraway and muddled because of the overwhelming sound of blood rushing in his ears. His arms are held back, so he headbutts Frank instead, and feels a sick sense of glee when he hears the crunch and Frank yelping out a curse.

“That’s enough, man! Cut it out!” a voice he doesn't recognize cuts through the haze, and David snarls, elbowing whoever it is in the gut. The restraint against his left hand gives way, and he's about to shrug out of the hold, ready to beat the living shit out of Frank—

And then he takes a bucketful of sea water to the face and it's fucking cold bloody hell—

“Merda—would you behave for two fucking seconds!?” Ace is yelling at them, angry for being disturbed again, a telling empty bucket in his hands.

The shock from the cold is the only thing that makes David resist the urge to redirect his anger in the form of his fist meeting the gambler's face.

“Steve, take David to cool off and punch a palm tree of something,” Ace commands like a frustrated mother. “And you three, make sure Frank doesn't do something stupid… well, stupider. Quentin, you’re helping me clean Dwight’s face.”

At the mention of Dwight, David snaps out of it and anxiously starts looking around to search for the man in question, soon noticing Quentin crouched by him and Susie anxiously fluttering nearby.

Seeing Dwight's bloody face breaks his heart, but luckily their leader seems to only have a nosebleed, even if the blood running down his face looks kind of gruesome. David hopes he didn't break his nose.

His anger threatens to bubble up again; if Frank ruined that pretty face—

“Okay big guy, let's go!” Steve apparently notices his shift in mood and is quick to drag him off.

David half-heartedly tries to protest but Steve isn’t letting up, and David follows him to the treeline just to get him to shut up.

Steve finds some coconuts and David takes the opportunity to punch one as hard as he can, pretending it’s Frank’s face. His knuckles sting and will probably bruise but it’s worth it, the loud crunch as the shell splits open making him smirk smugly.

When they get back to the others, Steve carrying a lapful of coconuts and David flexing his sprained hand but otherwise successfully calmed down, the others seem to be faring better too. Dwight’s face is a lot less bloody and he’s smiling shakily to something Ace says while holding what has to be a cold towel to his nose. The Legion are huddled near their leader, who’s slowly bruising cheek seems to be making him pout. Even if Joey is holding back snickers, Susie is trying to encourage Frank and Julie is patting him on the back in solidarity, proving that despite their bickering, the group does seem to care for each other.

“Hey, Frank,” David suddenly catches Quentin’s voice and sees a smug smile on the teen’s lips from where he’s approaching the killers. “I bet you can't swim.”

“Can too!” the gang’s leader says, predictably taking the bait and his pout immediately replaced by a defiant smirk. “Wanna race?”

When Quentin just clicks his tongue, pretending to be in thought, David knows Frank is in for a humiliation.

“Sure,” Quentin says, not giving anything away.

David eagerly waits for the two to get in position, a little jealous of how readily they get into the cold ocean water with barely a shiver. Steve gives a countdown, and then they’re off, Quentin effortlessly taking the lead and Frank falling further and further behind.

David doesn't feel the slightest bit bad for laughing, eager for the bastard to get any form of payback. Sadly, it doesn't really have the same impact when the rest of the Legion join in to make fun of their leader.

“You go, Franky!” Julie fake cheers between wheezes.

“Nice doggy paddle!” Joey laughs.

“You can still beat him! …If he drowns?” Susie tries to encourage.

After the race, Steve asks David for his help with cracking the coconuts, and even though David really just wants to talk to Dwight he can’t help but puff up his chest and flex a little from the teen obviously seeing him as the strongest of the group.

Later, the sun is already starting to set and David’s knuckles are even more bruised than before. The pain doesn’t bother him and the physical strain of the day has made him mellow out more than usual. When he notices Dwight sitting by himself by the shoreline, he finally gathers the courage to go talk to the man alone.

It looks like a day in the sun has done wonders for the group, lazy chatter and quiet laughter coming from friend and foe alike, scattered around the beach.

The girls have apparently ended up hanging out with Ace, Susie even wearing the gambler’s ugly shirt to protect herself from the now chilly ocean breeze.

“—and the Oktoberfest outfit, with the undercut? Swoon,” Julie says, doing a fake fainting motion into Susie’s lap, and Ace laughs and Susie giggles and bloody hell, are they still talking about Felix?

A bit further away, Steve and Joey are passing the volley ball in good camaraderie. David catches the end of a silly joke from Steve followed by snorting laughter from Joey, and it does kind of make sense that they’d befriend each other.

In the water, Quentin is still swimming while Frank lounges in the swim ring, taunting him. That is, until Quentin flips the ring and laughs, and Frank splutters and flails and hangs onto it like a lifeline.

David finally reaches Dwight, who doesn’t seem to notice him arriving, staring out over the horizon and looking to be deep in thought.

“Hey,” David makes his presence known, and as soon as those gorgeous brown eyes turn to look at him in surprise, the stupid nerves at the pit of David’s stomach resurface.

“Hi,” Dwight says with a small, tired smile. “Has everyone finally calmed down?”

A pang of guilt shoots through David’s chest at the words, recognizing his own part in creating most of the drama of the day. If he’d behaved himself, maybe Dwight wouldn’t have ended up hurt.

“Yeah,” David says, offering an apologetic grin. “Everyone seems ta be gettin’ along. Never thought I’d see the day we’d be hangin’ out with killers.”

“Hmm,” Dwight hums in though, turning back to watch the sunset. “Some of them are not that different from us.”

Seeing Dwight so calm and rational, David feels even worse for his numerous temper tantrums. He just wanted to protect Dwight.

“’M sorry ‘bout yer nose,” David sighs as he sits down next to the man.

“You didn’t do anything,” Dwight reassures. “I was just… wrong place, wrong time.”

“If I didn’t egg the wank—Frank on, it wouldn’t ‘a happened,” David argues, doing his best to swallow his resentment for the teen in question.

“It’s okay,” Dwight says, offering him a genuine smile. “I know you were just trying to stick up for us.”

David wants to come clean, to say everything he did was for Dwight, even if it only made things worse in the end. But no matter how much of a bravado he usually puts on, David knows he’s a real fucking pussy when it comes to emotions.

“Yeah,” he agrees like an utter coward.

“Thank you,” Dwight says anyway, smiling serenely like the absolute angel that he is, ready to forgive all of David’s dumb mistakes.

It suddenly hits him that Dwight always seems way more calm when they’re alone together, a stark contrast to him fidgeting and tripping over his words when they’re in a group and he’s put on the spot. Conversely, David’s confidence seems to fly out of the window as soon as he’s left alone with Dwight, desperately trying to appear casual while his heart does its best to beat out of his chest.

For some reason, Dwight enjoys and maybe even thrives in his company, and David in turn has never met anyone so understanding of his anger issues. He knows they’d be so good for each other—

Fuck it.

“Actually,” David starts, swallowing a lump in his throat but forcing himself to push through the embarrassment. “I didn’t do it fer them. I wanted to protect you.”

Dwight’s cute face twists in confusion, and David tries his best to keep unwavering eye contact despite wanting nothing more than to run away from the situation and his feelings.

“Oh,” Dwight finally says, and David thinks he catches the beginning of a blush before he averts his eyes. “I guess I am kinda weak, haha.”

“The hell ya are,” David argues. Damn, that’s not what he was going for at all, why is he so fucking bad at this— “Yer smart and determined an’ I really admire that about ya. Yer the best leader we could’a asked for, an’ even though ya don’t need protectin’, I just…”

David falters. He was doing so well, even managing to not put his foot in his mouth, but this is it. If he confesses his feelings, there’s no going back.

He looks up and meets Dwight’s eyes, and as soon as he sees the man who stole his heart look up at him with such blatant hope, he knows he has to try.

“I just care about ya,” he settles on.

Dwight swallows and his eyes search David’s face, and David doesn’t even dare breathe—

“Like… like a friend…?” Dwight croaks out, his voice now unsure and shaky, but he’s not looking away.

“Nah,” David says, shaking his head for emphasis. “Never saw ya as just a mate.”

Dwight’s cheeks flare red and he ducks his head, but David catches the dopey little grin before it disappears from his view.

“I—um, wow,” Dwight chuckles, fidgeting with his hands and not quite seeming to know how to react.

“Whaddaya say, luv?” David pushes, resisting the urge to pull the adorable geek into his arms and snog him silly. “Wanna do this?”

Fuck, hopefully he’s not being too forward. Dwight doesn’t seem like the type to have had plenty of relationship experience, but then again neither has David. Usually, he only had to flex a bit after one of his fights and wait for a bird or bloke to stroll up and make it clear they fancied him.

But those were easier times, and now he’s in a strange world within another dimension with a ragtag group of friends and confessing to a man he’s fallen for harder than he ever thought possible.

“Of course I want to do this,” Dwight mutters, sounding almost offended as he finally looks up at him with a smile. “I just never thought you’d go for someone like me.”

“Wha’, someone as perfect as you?” David smirks, nudging Dwight in the ribs with his elbow and causing a cute chuckle to escape the other’s lips. “Don’t sell yourself short, luv; I got high standards.”

“If you say so,” Dwight relents.

Despite Dwight self-consciously covering the cute rolls on his tummy with his arms, his smile is the brightest David has ever seen. They stare into each other’s eyes in silence, David with a dumb grin and Dwight with a bashful smile, and David feels so stupid that he didn’t see it before.

“Gonna give me a kiss?” David’s mouth says without his permission, the filter between his mouth and brain even more flimsy than usual because of the fluttering in his gut.

“I m-mean, my face is pretty busted up," Dwight stutters and turns his face away. “You probably don’t want to—I look even worse than usual, haha.”

“Bollocks,” David scoffs, leaning to nudge his forehead against Dwight’s temple. “Yer the cutest thing I ever seen.”

Dwight glances at him but still looks unsure, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth in a nervous habit.

“We don’t gotta if ya don’t wanna,” David reassures. “But don’t hold back on my behalf—”

And that’s all he has time to say before a surprisingly eager mouth crashes against his own, the rest of his sentence muffled against Dwight’s lips.

Wholeheartedly on board with the sudden turn of events, David’s arms wrap around Dwight as of their own accord while he hurries to reciprocate. Dwight’s lips are chapped but so incredibly warm, and the enthusiasm with which he goes at it is making David’s heart swell—

“Shit,” there’s a pained hiss against his lips when Dwight tilts his head and bumps their noses together.

“Easy, luv,” David murmurs, tilting his head at more of an angle to avoid Dwight’s injury. He gently coaxes the inviting lips right back in and Dwight makes a sound of approval low in his throat.

Every fantasy David has had about this moment can’t compare to the real deal. Granted, his imagination has always been kind of shit, and there was no way he could have pictured just how amazing it is to kiss Dwight and how perfect he feels in David’s arms. He tastes a tinge of blood when he licks into Dwight’s mouth, but it doesn’t bother him in the slightest, if anything it just eggs him on—

A loud wolf whistle carrying over the beach suddenly reminds him that they’re not alone.

Dwight pulls away much faster than David, turning to face their companions with a sheepish grin and a deep flush, while David lazily turns around to glower at the group.

Steve is still whistling from where he’s joined Ace and the girls, not threatened by David in the slightest. Then, to his annoyance, Julie starts clapping sarcastically and Susie hides her giggles into her friend’s shoulder.

“Ugh, finally!” Ace comments, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation, making David redirect his glare to the gambler.

“What,” David barely hears Quentin’s incredulous voice mutter nearby, still swimming with Frank and with Joey now having joined them.

“Uh. Congrats,” Joey offers, giving them an awkward thumbs up.

Frank, predictably, says nothing, only scoffing in disgust. Which, to be honest, is much more polite than David would have reacted if the roles were reversed.

“What are you—when did you—?” Quentin keeps going, looking so confused it makes even David snort out a half-laugh.

“Well, at least someone didn’t figure it out before these two idiots,” Ace sighs melodramatically.

“Seriously, doesn’t take a genius to notice them eye fucking each other all the time,” Steve grins, and holy hell, David really has been living under a rock if even Steve had figured out Dwight’s feelings before him.

He tunes out the others’ teasing as soon as a warm hand gently grabs his.

“Come on,” Dwight encourages with a playful smile. “Let’s go get it over with.”

His mood instantly elevating, David pulls them to their feet and rejoins their friends with his hand still clasped in Dwight’s. There’s some good-natured banter on their expense but that’s to be expected, and even though David half-heartedly threatens to clock Ace in the face for a questionable joke, he feels calmer than he has in years.

Dwight doesn’t leave his side for the entirety of their remaining time on the beach or when they’re teleported back to the campfire. And even if they have to go through the playful teasing and looks of disbelief a second time, David takes it in stride because he has the person he always wanted right by his side.

It takes way too long to get a moment alone from their nosy friends, but eventually, David manages to pull Dwight away from the camp to pick up where they left off at the beach, this time uninterrupted.

When Dwight breaks the kiss only to look up at David, with his bruised nose and some wetness in his eyes, murmuring that this is the best day of his life, David can’t help but agree.

[wastelandcth]

not only am i feeling mighty ✨blessed✨ w/ the cal content we received yesterday, but i've got another thought to share 👀 to kinda build off of the one i sent yesterday, it's a cal & charlie day while the girls go out and do their thing (with dovey & elly that could honestly mean anything). charlie wants to swim because "it's fun & it makes me feel like mr. tortilla's cousin!! crush!!" so cal busts out charlie's floaties & goggles and their matching swim trunks that HE bought & not dovey 😌 (1)

(2) the boys are having a grand 'ole time splishin'-and-a-splashin' when charlie is like "papa, i want to send mama a picture of us having fun!! so her & elly can come home sooner & have fun too!!" cal, who's never one to disappoint his boy, is like "alright little dude, let's do it!!" so with their swim gear on & pouty faces, the boys send off their lil selfie & go back to swimming. when dovey sees it, she's torn between 🥺😭 & 🥵 because 1) her boys!! are!! so!! cute!! & 2) cal's lips are 🥴🥵

(3) so she looks down at miss elly wearing her lewis capaldi sunglasses & tiara in the middle of target and is like "hey sweet pea, what do you think about cutting our day date short and going swimming at home 👀👀👀" so after elly's enthusiastic yes, dovey calmly scrambles to the checkout line to buy what they already have in their cart before rushing home to her boys to give them a kiss kiss & to swim (cal gets a different kind of kiss kiss when the kids are watching tv later 👀👀👀)

pool days with the hoods seem like a great idea anytime 🥺 but oh my god, imagine dovey’s face as she’s in the snack aisle at target when she gets those pictures? no hesitation in her trying to convince elly to go back home so she can she her boys again. also, elly’s outfit is iconic and she will wear those glasses anyway even if she’s just hanging out all day at home 🤷🏻‍♀️ AND THE MATCHING SWIM TRUNKS!! oh my god how cute would that be 🥺 calum’s super proud of himself for that financial decision for sure

also, i’m not sure why but the first joke that came to mind with calum’s kiss kiss was that australian kiss joke rebel wilson told on that one award show? oof.

[darkhymns-fic]

In a Sea of Promises

In all of the promises Lloyd had made to Colette, one of them had been how he would teach Colette how to swim. And he always made sure to keep his promises.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairings: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3  Notes: For @colloydweek​ Day 1: Promises! Expect fluff.

In Iselia, the summers were usually dry, everything so enclosed within thick forests, but the earth would smell rich after a sudden shower from the skies. It was after these rainy days that Lloyd would go rushing downstream, following the winding river that snaked past his house and into glades that reflected brighter green underneath the sun’s rays.

Colette was not supposed to go past the town’s perimeters unless accompanied by priests, but summer days made everyone lax, including those who would guard the gates. So she and Lloyd had easily passed, soon finding his favorite wading spot among the leaves, where flying insects that would sometimes skid across the water.

“You wanna come in?” Lloyd asked her. He was already waist deep in the water, his jacket and shirt laying on the grass, his pants now soaked. He was trying to catch some fish that slipped by his legs with his bare hands, all his attempts turning out unsuccessful. But he knew he’d get it eventually!

Colette was seated on the edge of the river, boots off to let her feet splash in the water. Her hair was slightly damp with sweat from the heat, her overcoat taken off to get her some relief, leaving her in her dress. But she shook her head. “It looks kinda deep in there…”

“Just a little! Only when you go over here-” He demonstrated by stepping a few feet to his right, then slipped underwater suddenly. His head broke through the surface again after a moment, shaking his now soaked hair. “Guh! Uh, yeah! Just a little bit.”

Colette giggled, her hands clasped neatly over her knees, moving her legs back and forth. “Hm, I can’t really swim though. And.. I might get in trouble if they knew I was trying to swim.” Her whole dress would take too long to dry off if she tried diving with it.

“Aw, okay.” Lloyd and Genis would go swimming all the time, and though he knew Colette couldn’t really join him, it hadn’t stopped him from asking. Even still…

“Maybe I can teach you next time though?”

Colette raised her head. The sun shone brightly on her hair.

“Yeah! I can teach you! That’d be okay, right? I can bring some of my clothes so you don’t have to use your dress when swimming.” He didn’t notice the blush on her cheeks as he tried devising this plan.

“Is that really okay?” she asked, her voice low, enough that he needed to swim a bit closer to her to hear.

“Sure! If you don’t believe me then… I promise to teach you how to swim! Okay?”

Colette smiled, her feet splashing the water happily. “Y-yeah! Next time, for sure!”

“Hey, you’re splashing on me!”

They both laughed, all while the sun was beginning to set, coloring the sky numerous shades of red and orange. “It’s getting late… but next time then?” Colette asked hopefully.

Lloyd nodded. “Yeah, I told you! It’s a promise!”

But that had been just a few weeks before Colette’s journey, and in a bunch of other promises he made, that particular one had slipped his mind…

The heat underneath Tethe’alla’s sun was much like Sylvarant’s, but the salt spray from the ocean made it different, especially when combined with the humidity. Not like the dry heat of Iselia’s forests, where instead of salt, it was the scent of pine that invaded your senses. But it didn’t make Lloyd not want to go into the waters any less!

“Colette! Come on!” Lloyd was already dashing on the sands, the giant diving flippers he wore nearly making him trip. Some people stared at the boy who not only wore the giant flippers but also diving goggles complete with a snorkel, some of those people including a sighing Zelos.

“He’s such a kid. Never going to get anywhere with anyone dressed like that, right, hunny?” He leaned near a certain voluptuous lady, grinning wide in his speedo and donned sunglasses.

Sheena narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you talking to me?”

“Lloyd! Too fast!” a voice called out across the beach. Colette was rushing after Lloyd, her bare feet gently padding along the shore, her braided hair bouncing across her back as she moved. Once she reached the water, she flinched, even as the water pulled back, damping the sand beneath her. “It’s cold!”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to be!” The rivers near his home were not at all like the waves that kept crashing on Altamira’s shore. Lloyd was already diving through them (forgetting to lower the goggles over his eyes), before coming back to the surface. He accidentally swallowed some of the water which was really salty, but he was okay after coughing for a little while. “Come in already! (Cough!) We can play water tag!”

Colette, however, remained at the shore. Though she smiled as the water rushed around her ankles, she made no move towards Lloyd. “Umm.. I think I’m okay here!”

Well, that wasn't any fun though. Unless she wanted to make some sandcastles, but he and Genis had already started making some earlier that day… until Genis got mad that Lloyd was making a better sand castle than he was.

He was getting distracted, so Lloyd swam back onto the shore, half of a flipper getting caught inside the densely packed sand until he freed it loose. “Is something wrong?”

Colette scratched the side of her cheek nervously. The sun beat down on her hair, burnishing it an even brighter shade of gold. “Ah, sorry! I'm just a little… it's very different from the rivers and…”

The answer soon came to him before she could say it. “Oh man, I forgot already!” That’s right, Colette didn't know how to swim!

“I'm sorry,” she apologized again, knowing what he meant. “It looks like fun though! Maybe Zelos will join you.”

“I don't think he's going to really...” Lloyd mused. At one end of the beach, he could see Zelos being yanked by his hair. Sheena had curled his locks around her fingers, dragging him down as a high-pitched yell erupted from Zelos’ throat. “He looks busy.”

Oddly, Zelos’ screaming jogged an old memory of Lloyd’s.

“Hey, didn't I promise you something?” Okay, well he promised a lot of things but this one was particularly important!

“Oh? What is it?” she asked.

“I said one day I'd teach you how to swim, right?” He remembered the river, Colette seated on the bank, her smile much wider than it usually was, always wider when they sneaked away from the town. “How about it?” He grinned. “We can have those swimming lessons finally!”

“Ah, really?” She looked suddenly so excited, before tempering that away. Just like back then, she pulled back to nervousness, hands fiddling with the tied-up sash that circled her waist, covering part of her bathing suit. “Oh, but… I don't want to get in the way. It'll probably be boring to teach me and we don't get to relax often…”

“No way, how would it be boring?” That didn't make sense to him. The beach was nice and there were no weird worries about the town getting mad. He reached for her hand, noting how wet and clammy his own palm was against her own. “It’ll be fun!”

Still, Colette hesitated, looking at the ground. The water lapped around their ankles before leaving them in the surf. “The water does feel nice…” she murmured. Maybe she still had all those fears from back then, even if right now they didn't matter. He had to come up with a way to convince her...

“If you learn to swim today, um… I’ll give you something!”

Okay, wait, what actually?

Colette turned back to him with wide eyes. “Oh?”

“Yeah!” he said, already going full on ahead with this choice. “Think of it as like… a reward! For doing stuff!”

“That sounds really fun! What reward do I get?”

Lloyd had no idea. “It’s a surprise!” He really had no idea. “That makes it more fun!” Yeah, he had no clue.

“Oh, it does!” Colette readily agreed. “Then… I guess should try to learn today! And I’ll try to do good too! I hope I don't slow you down.”

“Nah, you won’t,” he said, pulling her along. Maybe he had a spare necklace in his pack somewhere. “And… I’ll promise it’ll be a good reward too!” Now he was just digging himself deeper…

But he could keep his promises to her, and he was sure he could keep this one too.

It was a bit different out here than in the river. The water moved constantly around them, the currents of the waves stronger than either were used to. But Lloyd kept ahold of Colette’s hand until they were just waist deep in the ocean, where the waves didn’t build up as much.

“When we go in a little further, our feet won’t reach the ground anymore. But I got you, okay?”

Colette had her other hand outstretched in the water, her eyes focused around them. “Okay! Do we go out further now or…?”

Lloyd was thinking on how exactly to do this. He had never taught anyone to swim really… and he just sort of learned how to by himself. (Dirk had always talked about how dwarves just sank in deep water.) Then he remembered something that Noishe would do when he swam.

Lloyd reached out for Colette’s other hand, gripping it tight. “Here, first let’s try the doggy paddle! That one’s easy enough.”

He knew immediately that would get Colette’s full attention. “A doggy paddle?” Her eyes widened with glee. “Does that mean doggies swim this way?”

“Yeah, basically!” He didn’t see any dogs on the beach though, and Noishe was stabled somewhere, too afraid of the people again. “But you can also swim with dogs like this!” He pulled at her arms slightly, getting her body to stretch out in the water. The end of her twin braided hair was soaked now, falling beneath the surface. “Just kick up your legs from behind and you’ll start moving.”

Colette looked a bit reluctant to just have her feet leave the seafloor. He could see her hopping a little, fingers entwining with his. “Mm, but what if I trip?”

“I don’t think you can trip in the water… well, maybe!” With Colette, anything was possible. Then another idea took over. “It’s like flying, isn’t it? When you just float in the air? It’s the same thing here! But you’re floating in the water instead.”

With that explanation, he felt some of the tension in Colette’s fingers loosen. “Oh! I guess so…”

“Yeah! Go on, try it!”

Colette had always trusted Lloyd, especially when he was encouraging. She soon moved her body, letting the water buoy her as got she into a horizontal position. “Is, um, this okay?”

Lloyd made sure to keep his grip on her, smiling wide. “Yep. Now try kicking your feet.”

There was something incredibly adorable in the way Colette had to follow his next suggestion. It was like she worried that her feet would still find some way to betray her, but he heard the splashing from behind Colette, the slow way she moved towards him.

Lloyd started to float backwards, helping her along through their clasped hands. “See? It’s easy!”

She was smiling so wide, the sea spray damping her hair, the water hugging her, reflecting flashes of the sun all around her. “Hehe, it is kinda easy… and fun!”

Colette didn’t kick as fast as Noishe did, but she was still doing it! Lloyd figured that was the important thing. After a few minutes of them going across the ocean’s surface this way, Colette kicking as happily as can be, Lloyd decided to try the next step.

“Okay, so I’m going to start letting go a bit more, but you keep on kicking like that, okay?”

Colette blinked, her cheerful expression soon marred with worry. “Ah, are you sure?”

“Yeah! I’ll go slow, so it’s like…” Carefully, Lloyd let slide his fingers over her own, so that their once clasped hands now loosened. The water made the action happen a bit faster than intended. “Just keep swimming, Colette! Use your hands to paddle when I let go!”

“O… okay! Just, um..” He felt her fingers reflexively curl around his, but still he kept trying to go through their lesson. Both their arms straightened out as the space between them widened. The water, with its ever-shifting currents, helped with their separation. Maybe too much though, as Lloyd noted Colette’s kicking had turned from an even rhythm into small flailing.

Before he could say anything, Colette’s upper body then began to sink a little – she had gone overboard in her paddling! As if she was desperately trying to swim over to him but lost her balance while doing so. Her chin went in the water, eyes widening in surprise.

“Ah!” she yelled, or tried to, as her voice was muffled by the water.

“Whoa, it’s okay, I got you!” Maybe they had done this part of the lesson too quick. Lloyd tried to pull her up, reaffirming his grip on her hands. Soon, Colette was already rising to the surface.

And then above the surface, and then – wait, now she was pulling him instead! And upwards! “C-Colette! Wait a second!”

“Oh, whoops!” Colette giggled as she hovered in the air, her wings spread out behind her. “I got nervous… sorry.”

She wasn’t carrying him up too far just yet, but Lloyd could feel himself stretching, his lower half still in the water, as he more or less hung onto Colette. “Did you just panic summon your wings?”

“I didn’t mean to!”

Laughter bubbled in his throat. Part of him wondered if he should just let her carry him like this, flying them both across the ocean. But then, they wouldn’t exactly be swimming anymore if they did that. Lloyd shifted his hands so that they traveled up her forearms for a better hold, urging her to come back. “You dork. You won’t get your reward if you just fly!”

“Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry!” Gently, Colette fluttered back to the water’s surface. She let herself submerge, just up to her torso. Her own hands held onto Lloyd’s arms now. “I won’t mess up this time!”

“And no more apologizing,” he reprimanded. Still, this had been even more fun than expected. He saw a flush of excitement on Colette’s cheeks, whether from the swimming or the sunshine, he wasn’t sure. But she looked really happy – it was always really strange that she was never allowed to do something as simple as swimming. But there were a lot of things she hadn’t been able to do, and Lloyd wanted to help change that for her.

Also, he still needed to figure out a prize for her… Maybe he could win something at the casinos! Oh wait, Regal said he wasn’t allowed to play there. Well, last minute gifts were his specialty anyway, one he was aware of as he saw Colette’s necklace hang down her neck, the sunshine reflecting off its metal surface. The salt spray wouldn’t ruin the finish or rust the chain, forged of special materials known only to dwarves. But he could probably make something better…

“Am I being too much trouble though?” she suddenly asked.

He smiled. “Hey, I promised I’d teach you and that’s what I’m doing! Unless you wanna stop.”

“Mm, no, I want you to teach me.” She nodded. “I want that a lot!”

“Alright!” He tightened his grip on her arms. “Let’s go!”

Lloyd and Colette might have let time get away from them, and they may have forgotten their friends back on land, who started to leave for the comfort of the hotel one by one.

“Hey! We’re going now!” But Genis’ voice couldn’t seem to reach them. He could still hear them splashing, Lloyd’s own loud and encouraging voice traveling over the water, but only aimed at one person. “Ugh, they’re too far out.”

“They’ll be alright,” his sister commented, already heading up towards the beach exit, gesturing for him to follow. “Now let’s go. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“You just don’t want to be near the water…” he grumbled, but went after her. His two friends apparently had more important things to be busy with today.

Colette had been doing a few swimming techniques Lloyd had taught her – the doggy paddle, a few ways to dive, and even how to float on her back. But Lloyd still tried to get her to actually swim, and once remembering how she tried to get to him when he moved away, it gave him another idea.

“You’re balancing okay?”

Colette’s hands were sifting in the water, but she was afloat, standing within the water despite her feet not touching the ground. “Y-yeah, I think.”

“Okay, now try to catch up to me!”

“Wh-”

Lloyd was soon swimming further out, feet kicking through the water until he was quite a bit aways. But he turned back to her, hands waving. “Over here! You can do it!”

Colette hesitated, but not for too long. “R-right!” Cheeks puffed out and eyes bright, Colette employed everything Lloyd taught her, letting her body get held up by the water, using her arms to paddle through it. She nearly upended herself a few times, somehow, but got back into position, slowly cutting through the water to reach Lloyd.

“No wings!” he called out. “Well, unless you really need them!” If Colette found herself overwhelmed by the currents, her wings could help her out with that.

“I’m… okay!” she gasped out, and soon enough, she was just a few feet towards Lloyd, limbs a little shaky, but still there. To help her out, he reached out to grab her arms, and then swung her around, the water droplets falling off Colette and onto him during the momentum.

“Lloyd!” she said with a laugh, and soon she was lowered back to the water, half-falling against him, her hands placed against his shoulders. “I would have tripped!”

“Nah, I had you!” He squeezed her arms in reassurance.

Colette was raising her head to him, her eyes soon seeing past him towards the sky. “Oh, it’s getting dark.”

Lloyd blinked, then raised his head as well. The sky was painted with hues of red and orange, the sun leaving trails of its light within the expanse. The air felt a little colder too. How long have they been out here?

“Ah man, my hands are probably all wrinkly and stuff,” Lloyd complained. Then remembered something even more important! “Agh, we probably missed dinner too!”

Colette lifted her head at that, then looked towards the beach. “Oh! I guess so. Genis isn’t here.”

Well, Lloyd supposed he could munch on some gels instead… “Still though, I can’t believe I didn’t notice the time. I was really into those lessons!”

“Yeah!” Colette readily agreed. Her braided hair was unraveled a bit now, Lloyd noticed. The sea breeze picked it up, lifting it to the air. “Me too… Did I do good, you think?”

Lloyd gave her a thumbs up. “Yep! I’d say you passed the lessons. You can swim for sure now!”

With a cheerful laugh, she bounced a bit in his hold, the water current unconsciously bringing her closer. “Thank you, Lloyd! So, um…” She fiddled with her hands. “You said I’d get a prize if I learned, right?”

“Hm?” A low, passing wave shifted them again, and somehow making him remember. “Oh! Right, that was… yeah!” Maybe he could say it was in his room. And then, quickly make her a bracelet or something in 10 minutes? He might have some spare ones…

“Lloyd?” she asked curiously, seeing him hesitate. “It’s okay if I don’t get anything though. Swimming was really fun.”

“No, no, just uh…” He could come up with something, couldn’t he? And then it did, and then it wouldn’t leave his head.

It was really the only thing he had left on his mind. He couldn’t make her a figure out here, or win her a prize at the amusement park, or anything that sounded at least somewhat cool. But he still wasn’t entirely sure where the idea came from.

When he kissed her, he felt Colette shiver, but not pull away. The water held them both, all throughout his clumsy kiss, tasting the salt on her lips. There was a small sound from her, very soft, and her hands then moved against his chest as her mouth pressed against his.

So, uh, he had to keep kissing her. For the reward, and, yeah.

“U-um, Lloyd,” she whispered, lifting her lips away slightly. How come…? “Your goggles…”

Oh. Oh! “Oh, sorry!” He pulled back, seeing the slight indentation of his goggles against her forehead. Ah man, he had been too stupid. “Sorry, didn’t mean to uh…” Maybe Zelos was right about this dumb thing. He never actually wore it!

Also, he had just kissed her with no warning at all. It just seemed… like a thing to do? He started to let go, but Colette hadn’t moved from him at all, although she rubbed at her forehead a bit. Man, he was an idiot.

“Um, should probably go back, I guess,” he said. Also, he should probably make her an actual prize instead of just whatever that had been…

Then he heard her say, “Thank you, Lloyd. For keeping your promises to me like always.”

That had surprised him to hear. He looked at her, at the way she smiled up at him, the line in her forehead finally fading. The waves shifted around them again, paralleling the hues of red and orange from above.

“And for the prize, too! I’ll… try to earn some more!” Her smiled morphed to a grin, hands still on him, the water so comfortable between them.

“Huh, well… I think you’ve earned plenty more?” Lloyd said, again wondering where all this was coming from. “And I still probably need to give them to you.” Wow, he really didn’t understand but here he was, talking about it.

Colette seemed very okay with that. “Without the goggles though?”

Lloyd laughed, pulling at the strap around his head. “Y-yeah, without the goggles.”

He gave her a few more prizes for her hard work then, the waters calm despite the darkening sky. He’d made a lot of promises to Colette over the years, but he was really glad he kept this one to her.

[magicallygrimmwiccan]

It’s Just A Little White Lie

Summary: Everything had been going so well for Lodec lately. It only made logical sense that everything went horribly, horribly wrong at once.

Notes: Written for @fangirltothefullest with permission. This was supposed to be less than 2K words, what happened Note the trigger warnings, here, guys: Blood, broken bones, torture, choking, restraints, electrocution, panic attacks, mentions of child murder Please enjoy! 

Everything had been going so well for me lately. It only made logical sense that everything went horribly, horribly wrong at once. The day started like normal— well, my new normal, at least— with me being woken up by a loud crash from downstairs. Most likely Vercei or Virgil had knocked something over. With sleep a lost cause at this point, I climbed out of my bed and tried to get started on my morning routine. I spent my normal allotted time of fifteen minutes ensuring that my hair was presentable and that my clothes were perfectly neat. As the final touch, I slid my sea-foam-tinted glasses onto my face and exited my room, bracing myself for the chaos that I knew would await me.

I was correct in my assumptions. Virgil and Vercei were once again wrestling around on the floor, and the remnants of one of someone’s mugs littered the floor nearby, a testament to their ongoing battle. I carefully sidestepped the mess; neither of them noticed me as I silently made my way into the kitchen. I found a pot of tea still warm on the stove, and discovered it was Earl Grey upon inspection. Satisfied, I grabbed my pine-cone-themed mug and poured myself some tea before contemplating what I should do next. Should I sit at the kitchen table and wait for the others, inevitably ending up socializing? Should I go and ensure that Virgil and Vercei did not cause more destruction in the midst of their tousle? Should I go find another person and just spend time with only them? Or should I retreat to my room and spend the day reading in solitude?

My dilemma was answered for me, however, when Progic swept into the kitchen. The second his eyes landed on me and a wildfire began to burn even deeper in their depths, I knew I was in trouble.

“Ah! Lodec! Just the person I wanted to find!” Progic sang, clapping one of his hands on my shoulder. I flinched a bit, still not used to friendly contact after years of torment or shunning.

What do you need me for? I signed. Progic sighed and removed his hand from my shoulder, a flicker of something I couldn’t identify swimming in the depths of his blue-red eyes.

“Moric, Viran, and I were going to head out for a fun day, and we were wondering if you’d like to join us,” Progic offered, a small smile gracing his face. I bit my lip and pondered the offer. On the one hand, I didn’t have any issues with any of those Progic had mentioned. On the other, I hadn’t left the house, out of both fear of judgement and fear of harming others. Would this little excursion be worth it?

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to!” Progic quickly added on, noticing my slight… hesitancy. “We all just thought… you know, the fusions containing Logic… could all hang out for a bit, you know?” I bit my lip and contemplated it for another few seconds before lifting my hands.

I will join you. It sounds interesting. Progic breathed out a sigh of relief at my answer before grinning.

“Great! We’re leaving in half an hour. Make yourself presentable. We’re all wearing different clothes.” With that, Progic ruffled my hair and left, humming to himself under his breath. I just stood there like an idiot, trying to process what had just happened and figure out what exactly I had just agreed to. I wandered back up to my room after finishing my tea, lost in a fog. I had willingly agreed to go out in public. Without Patteit. Where I could be judged by normal people. I locked the door behind me and inhaled deeply through my nose before slowly letting the coolish air out. I couldn’t focus on that right now. Right now, I could focus on getting ready. I glanced down at my usual attire and cringed as I thought of the reactions I’d get. The cloak was… a bit too morbid. And I looked entirely too much like an undertaker with the rest of the outfit. Perhaps… a change for today’s excursion? I went to my closet and riffled through my clothing, trying to choose what to wear. Everything I owned was either too formal or too disturbing. I finally found acceptable clothing, though, and I let out a shaky smile. I would look like a fool, but at least I probably wouldn’t scare anyone.

A knock at my door half an hour later roused me from my preparations. I fixed my glasses one more time before opening the door, squeezing my eyes shut as I braced myself for judgement.

“Aw, Lodec! Is that the sweater I made you for Christmas?” Moric’s soft voice asked. I opened my eyes a sliver to see Moric beaming at me, obviously pleased to see that I actually wore his Christmas sweater. The large yet soft sweater in shades of heather greys and blues offered me a comfort that I hadn’t expected, and when paired with a pair of worn jean shorts, I felt more at peace than I had in awhile. I had somehow found a set of blue and grey striped knee-high socks to pair with the sweater, and had managed to dig out a set of black high top Converse to complete the outfit. Overall, I looked ridiculous, but my nerves had been soothed a bit. Honestly, I don’t remember how most of this made its way into my closet. Magic, probably, or Patteit attempting to make sure I had non-formal things in my closet.

Yes it is, I signed in response to Moric. Then, hesitantly: Is this outfit… acceptable?

“Acceptable? No, not yet,” Moric answered. My heart hammered in my chest, but Moric held up a finger for me to wait before vanishing back into his room. He came back a few seconds later, a pair of black suspenders in his hand. He shoved them in my direction, beaming. “Put these on, then it’s perfect.” I did, confused and a little touched. Moric was lending me his suspenders. He never let people touch his clothing. When I was done, Moric cocked his head to the side, grin wider than I’d ever seen it. “Do you have everything? Phone, keys in case you want to come back early, wallet, all that stuff?” I nodded, and Moric beamed before grabbing my hand. “Great! Let’s go then!” With that, he dragged me out of my room and down the stairs, leaving me confused and slightly terrified of the others’ judgement. Moric was known for his… questionable… fashion sense, and what would the others say?

“Oh! He’s actually coming! Hi Lodec! Love the outfit! It looks really comfy,” Viran called as soon as Moric and I came into view of he and Progic. Viran was wearing his usual outfit, not surprising, but Progic surprised me. Gone were the lab coat and goggles and heeled boots; instead, Progic had opted for something that looked closer to normal. He wore a collared button-up rolled up to his elbows, black skinny jeans, and combat boots. Instead of his usual goggles, sunglasses rested atop his head, and I wasn’t sure if he was wearing makeup or if I was imagining it, but his top two eyes seemed to pop even more than usual.

Thank you, Viran, I signed, hoping that Viran actually knew sign. I was in the process of teaching Patteit, but I knew that Moric, Vercei, Progic, Moxie, and Creaity knew it. Could Viran understand me?

“No prob, L,” Viran shrugged, adjusting his tie nervously. I noticed that he was wearing a bow tie instead of a normal tie, and my heart swelled with… something. If Viran was willing to step outside his comfort zone, even a little, why shouldn’t I?

“Well, then, shall we get this show on the road? There’s this great open-air market that I think we all may enjoy checking out. What do you all say?” Progic loudly asked, clapping two of his hands together. Viran and I both jumped at the sudden loud noise, and Progic winced. “Sorry Viran, sorry Lodec.” We managed to get out the door without any other mishaps, and that is when I realized that we would be driving. In a car. I hadn’t ever seen or been in any of the cars in Moric’s world, and I was eager to experience it for myself.

“Excited, you dork?” Viran asked, noticing my relaxed posture. I nodded, two of my hands squeezing together to try and still the tremors. Moric and Progic wouldn’t want to hear all of my questions (well, hear wasn’t perhaps the right word here) and honestly? It wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things. Something flashed through Viran’s violet-blue eyes and he squeezed my shoulder. “Hey, Moric and Progic will listen to whatever you want to ask or say. Don’t worry about it so much.” I nodded, not quite believing Viran’s words, and his lips pursed before he called “Hey, Progic? Wanna explain the combustion engine to Lodec?” Progic spun around, his eyes lit up, and proceeded to rattle off facts about how cars on Moric’s world worked at 100 kilometers per hour. The ride into town was much more enjoyable, and I actually got to learn quite a bit about how transportation in this world worked. We arrived in town fairly quickly, and Progic only stopped his excited babbling when we entered the market, instead letting Moric take over showing me all the fruits, vegetables, and food that I didn’t have back on my homeworld. Moric finally managed to convince me to buy something small, a thin gold chain with a dark blue sapphire and gold pendant, and we had to practically drag Progic away from the market before he bought everything in sight.

Lunch was the biggest test of my nerves and ability to pretend to not be terrified of people. I wished I hadn’t agreed to this. Plants were so much easier to deal with when compared to people. Viran seemed to agree, and gently offered a hand for me to hold, which I took gratefully. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one struggling, and offering Viran support while he gave me the support I silently needed was… comforting. Progic and Moric chose this nice diner and managed to get the four of us a corner booth, something that I greatly appreciated. Unsurprisingly, Progic and Viran ordered coffee, while I ordered Darjeeling tea and Moric ordered green tea while we waited for our food. The waiter gave me a long look filled with… something… when he handed me my tea, but I judged it as ultimately nothing.

That was my first mistake. The glance should have been my first warning sign. The second mistake I made, the second warning sign I ignored, was the surprisingly bitter undercurrent in my tea. I waved it off, however, and dumped more sugar into it. Perhaps the tea had just been steeped for too long. The third warning sign I ignored was the lack of other people in our area of the restaurant. Not only were we seated alone in a back room, the door to the rest of the restaurant seemed to be closed as well. I must have been losing my touch.

Throughout our conversation as we waited for our food to arrive, I found myself growing groggier and groggier. This confused me. I knew I had gotten the optimal amount of sleep the night before, so why was I on the verge of passing out?

“Hey, Lodec. Lodec, buddy, can you open your eyes for me?” I managed to make out before fading out again. Scuffling, shouting, the thump of bodies hitting the floor. All faded in and out. Should I care? I thought I should care.

“-do to him-” “-n’t touch him! I’ll ki-” “-f you lay a hand on him-” I recognized the voices, but I couldn’t find the energy to sit up or see who it was. I surrendered to the cool inky blackness of sleep, wondering if I should actually be concerned but not having any energy left to care.

I woke up slowly, my mind still foggy. My tongue lay heavy in my mouth, and I could barely feel my limbs.

Well, correction. I could barely feel my limbs until one of my arms was snapped like a twig. That immediately woke me up the rest of the way, and if I had had functioning vocal chords, I would have been screaming. My teeth ground together as I tried to stifle the pain, and I felt tears leaking out of my eye.

“Ah, good. You’re awake. Now, we can really get started,” an unfamiliar voice drawled above me. I lifted my hands to sign, maybe to ask about what was going on, maybe to start trying to get help, but my hands were immediately yanked back down to my sides by something cold, heavy, and tight. A low, sinister chuckle twisted its way into my ears, a shiver racing down my spine at the sound. A rustle of cloth came from right above my head, and a warm, calloused hand rested itself on my forehead. I flinched. The hand slammed my head back into the table, and I choked slightly on something cold and tight and heavy constricting my neck. I stared up into a set of cold, hard emeralds, and my stomach sank even further. I knew the look in those orbs. I could figure out what was coming next.

“You killed my daughter, you monster. Now, I’m going to do to you what you did to her.” I opened my mouth (useless, why is that still an instinct in my stupid, useless, worthless body), maybe to ask why, maybe to beg for forgiveness, maybe to ask about their daughter, when my limbs seized up and pain became my whole being. Fire raced through my veins, my spine, my muscles, my nerves. White filled my vision, spots of black dancing and weaving in hypnotic swirls. My broken arm shrieked with every thrash of my body, and I dimly registered warm, thick, viscous fluids running across my skin to drip off the edge of my fingers. Ice and fire battled for dominance in my body, and I was quickly becoming the loser in this scenario. It would have been so easy for me to slip away, to surrender to the alluring siren song of inky darkness, but something, some small flicker of fire in my soul, kept me from giving in. I was still losing, though. Losing the fight between the ice and fire, losing the fight to stay awake, losing the fight to stay out of the dark, losing the fight to still have hope. A distant part of me giggled in vindictive glee. This is what you get, it whispers, for tormenting all those people. Soon, though, even that voice was wiped away and the only thing left was an endless litany of thoughts:

Make it stop, I’m sorry, it hurts, I’m sorry, make it stop, I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…

A loud crash, the sound of glass shattering, yelling, screaming, a wet thwack, a cool, soothing hand on my face. Voices, all jumbled together, two frantic sets of hands working on my wrists and ankles while another hand smooths itself through my hair. The touch burns and I contemplated asking the person to stop, but at the same time it felt so good and I was tired. I felt my arms fall limply towards the floor as they were freed, and my whole body almost followed before I was roughly stopped by the cold heavy thing around my neck. The jumbled voices all picked up in tempo and pitch (panic, a little voice whispered, they’re worried about you) and the set of hands that had been in my hair moved to my face, softly wiping away warm liquid. More scuffles and yelling came from somewhere far away, and after a few moments of that, the pressure around my neck was released and I felt myself being carefully lifted into the air before the person carrying me began to walk. I managed to last for one step before the burning pain in my arm won and I succumbed to the sweet release of unconsciousness.  

“What exactly happened to him– them– her– whatever?”

“We don’t need to think about that right now, guys. What matters is being here for… him… when he wakes up.”

“I’m going to track down the people who did this to him and murder them all in their sleep.”

“Violence is not the answer here, Roxas…”

“Of course it is! I don’t care how justified they thought they were! He was forced to do that shit, he didn’t want to! Plus, that’s no excuse to do… to do… that!”

I cracked my eyes open, having been awoken by the whispers that had quickly morphed into yelling. I couldn’t quite place who the voices belonged to, but I cared more about figuring out my surroundings at the moment. I tried to sit up to get a better assessment; my torso and three of my arms protested heavily, and I let out an involuntary air-whimper at the scorching heat racing through my midsection. The voices immediately stopped talking, and I felt a rush of displaced air as multiple people came to stand by my side. I opened my eyes the rest of the way, taking a few moments to allow them to adjust to the light. The blood rushed out of my cheeks the second my brain began to register what my eyes were seeing, and my breathing became a fast staccato, causing my ribs to squeal in pain.

My family. My family was here, in my room (I’d managed to register that this was my room through the growing panic… somehow), in another world, staring at me. My family was here, waiting for me to wake up. My family was here, and now they could find out exactly how much of a monster I’d become.

“Hey… Lodec, right? How you doing, buddy?” T asked, smiling down at me. My throat clenched tighter and I began to shake, my legs curling up in front of my chest in an effort to appear smaller and defend my torso. My heart hammered in my chest and warm, wet tracks of liquid began to stream down my face as my tremors increased in frequency and violence.  

“Lodec? Buddy? I need you to look at me, okay?” T firmly requested, hands reaching out to rest on my shoulders. I flinched back, overwhelmed. They were all secretly judging me, they all hated me, they couldn’t be here I couldn’t deal with them being here they needed to know that I was sorry and that I didn’t want them to hurt me so please just leave me alone make it stop I’m sorry everything is too much I’m sorry please give me space I can’t breathe I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…

Someone quickly, gently, firmly grabbed my only non-injured hand and wrapped it between their two large, warm hands. I flinched, warm salty tracks racing even faster down my face.

“Lodec. Sweetie. I need you to calm down and speak up,” P murmured, releasing one of his hands from mine to wipe the tears off of my face. “What’s going on?” This tender statement just made me cry harder. I couldn’t fulfill his request. I was a failure. This was just another hint of the monster that I’d become. P tried to soothe me, but I just shook my head and kept crying, the hand held in Patton’s grip twitching into half-hearted signs of my thought process. I felt someone leave the room and my sobs renewed themselves as I buried as far under my blankets as I could. They’d abandoned me. They’d realized how awful and truly despicable I’d become and had left me.

I sensed two bodies slip into the room, and one of them came to sit right next to me. I buried my head deeper into my knees against my chest, and I felt a light tapping on my head.

Lodec, it’s Moric, the person tapped out in Morse code. I shakily pulled my hand out of P’s grip and weakly signed, I’m sorry I lost your suspenders. And the sweater you made me. Moric made a choking noise and managed to croak out, “It’s just a pair of suspenders, Lodec. I can always get new ones. Plus, I was meaning to make you a new sweater anyway.” I glanced up to meet Moric’s eyes through my watery gaze to find him smiling kindly down at me.

If you’re sure… I signed. Moric huffed and signed back, Of course. You’re much more important than a few pieces of clothing. I let out a shaky, watery grin at that, and Moric beamed before opening his arms slightly as an invitation for a hug. I slowly sank into it and allowed Moric to calm me down in that magic way of his, with his soothing words and terrible jokes and warmth. I felt my family watching, but I tried to ignore them, far more focussed on Moric at this point.

Finally, he pulled away and turned to face my family. “Let’s get started, shall we? Anything you have to say to Lodec?” R, ever the bold one, figuratively stepped forward first.

“Lolo. Dorian. None of us have any idea what happened to you two after you were taken away. None of us ever expected to see you two again. But we’d just like you two to know that we care, and we’re here for you, and that I will hunt down the people who just fucking tortured you because that was not okay.”

“Roxas,” V groaned, rolling their eyes, before they fixed me with their piercing glare. It had somehow become more intimidating than I remember it being. “Lolo. Dorian. Or Lodec. Whichever you prefer to be addressed as. I’m with Roxas on this one in that we care, we’re here for you, and that those people had no right to kidnap and torture you. However, I would like to hear the full story from you.” I flinched but nodded slightly, and V nodded in acknowledgement before turning the conversation over to P.

He (they? She?!) leaned forward and grabbed my hand again. Moric looked about ready to jump in and help me out, but I shook my head to make him back off. “Lodec,” P began. “I’m worried for you. I want the best for you. And honestly? I want you to come home. But if that is going to be bad for you, then I want you to stay here. We were all just worried about you, sweetie.” I felt more tears welling up in my eyes, and Moric reached over to brush them away before I turned to look at T, who was giving me a look full of love and warmth and acceptance.

“Lodec. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve been through. The others have basically summed everything up perfectly, but all I have to say is this: You will always, and I mean always, have a place in this family. In almost any case, we’d embrace you, and I promise you, no one here hates you or will ever hate you. Got it?” I nodded, and Moric smiled softly at my family before turning to me.

“You have anything to say?” he asked quietly, eyes soft behind his heart-shaped glasses. I took a deep breath and nodded, lifting my one working hand, and began to sign.

“I don’t think I’m ready to tell you about what happened to me when I was taken,” Moric translated, “and I’m not sure if I ever will be. Thank you for caring about me, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back with you. You wouldn’t like the person you’d find after a while.” I lowered my hand, convinced that that was the end of the conversation, when V stood up and glared at me.

“Yeah, no,” they hissed. “That’s not gonna cut it. I want to know exactly what caused you to end up strapped to a madman’s torture table with him accusing you of killing his daughter.” They started to stalk towards me, and I shrunk back against the headboard, feeling extremely cornered and panicked. Moric stood up and placed himself between V and I, arms crossed and a frown adorning his face. “What happened, Lolo? What happened to you?”

Memories flashed through my brain and across my eyes as I tried desperately to put as much space between V and I as possible. The guards, the soldiers, marching into the camp, the shocks, the burns, the pain, the people, all those people and the children dear stars the children were the worst and he just wanted it all to stop stoP STOP STOP S T O P…

Ripping, tearing, burning, a scream, and then everything just… stopped.

Dorian groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. He felt like he'd been run over by a tank. It took him a moment to realize that he was Dorian and not Lodec, and that sent him into a panic. Where was Lolo?

That question was answered extremely quickly when Dorian’s ears started to work. The sound of panicked breathing came from his left, and he looked over to find Lolo curled up into a little ball rocking back and forth. Dorian quickly scrambled over, hissing as he accidentally put pressure on his broken arm. He ignored the pain; Lolo was more important. He reached his… person… and gently placed his unbroken arm on one of Lolo’s shoulders.

“Hey, Lolo, could you please look at me?” Dorian murmured, gently rubbing Lolo’s shoulder. Lolo finally looked up, sniffing, tears streaming down his face. A rustle of fabric came from behind Dorian, accompanied by an opening and closing of the door. Someone must have left, but Dorian couldn’t bring himself to care; Lolo was infinitely more important. Dorian began to softly hum, some old, nameless tune that he heard somewhere and had remembered. Lolo slowly relaxed a bit, his tears slowing but not stopping, and Dorian almost spiraled back into a panic. How was he supposed to help?!

That question was answered for him with the appearance of Viran and the reappearance of Moric, the latter of which went to shepherd their family out of the room. Viran, meanwhile, crouched down next to Lolo and smiled softly.

“Hey, buddy. Heard it’s been a rough day,” Viran murmured. Lolo nodded, and Viran pulled his hoodie from around his waist and handed it to Lolo. In response to his confused look, Viran explains: “For if you don’t think you can fuse back right now, it’s something to comfort you at least.” Lolo sniffed and pushed it back at Viran, standing up on wobbly legs and walking towards Dorian.

“I… shall we try?” Lolo mumbled, his voice still clogged with tears. Dorian nodded and gently took Lolo’s hand, allowing the sensation of fusion to wash over him as…

I woke with a start to find Viran giving me a concerned, caring look while he tied his hoodie around his waist. “You good now, Lodec?” Viran asked softly. I nodded and, after a moment of contemplation, lifted my one unbroken arm to sign Thank you. “No problem,” Viran replied, shrugging. “You wanna go down and talk to your family or no?” My breath caught in my throat at the mention of them, and Viran tensed up again, probably thinking that he’d done something horribly, horribly wrong.

You’re fine, Viran, I’m just… let’s get this over with, I signed, frantic to soothe Viran’s anxieties. Viran relaxed a bit, but instead of being anxious, he was now clearly in protection mode.

“Lodec. Are you sure?” I nodded, and he sighed heavily before walking over to the door and opening it, gesturing for me to go downstairs. I followed the cryptid-hunter down the stairs to find Patteit and Anvity glaring down my family.

“I’m sorry, but why would you think that demanding he tell you every little detail about his trauma is okay?!” Anvity was yelling, his voice edging on a roar. I trembled a bit, but Viran squeezed my shoulder in support. I took a deep breath and entered the room. Anvity stopped yelling the second he saw me and almost seemed to deflate a bit, his hands twitching in an aborted movement towards me. V noticed and turned around, guilt swirling in their violet eyes.

“You doing better, Lo?” they whispered, causing the rest of my family to spin around. I nodded, and V nodded, and both of us seemed to instantly come to some form of understanding. My one functioning arm lifted to sign, maybe to explain, maybe to apologize, when Patteit also noticed me and practically vaulted over the couch to tackle me into a hug.

“You’re awake and alive and I’m so happy I’m sorry I wasn’t there to get you are you okay,” they rushed out with one head (obviously Truther), as the other head was too preoccupied with sobbing their eyes out. I hugged back and gave both heads a short kiss before wriggling my one good arm free and signing You’re fine, I’m okay, I love you too. They giggled and pulled away from the hug after one last squeeze, obviously mindful of my ribcage.

“Erm… what did he just say?” R broke in, confusion colouring his voice. My blood chilled a bit. Of course. Of course my family didn’t understand sign, I would have to unfuse to communicate, oh stars…

“Need a translator?” Viran offered, leaning against the couch. Tears of love and joy leaked from my eye and I nodded, beginning to slowly sign what had happened after I had been cruelly taken away. They all listened to Viran’s translation, and when he and I both began to falter as I began to explain Gancei, Anvity took over, his smooth British lilt taking some of the edge off of the horrifying things I described. Eventually, I finished, and silence descended upon the room. P, R, and T all stood up, but V beat them to my position. I barely even had time to blink before the anxious side pulled me into a tight hug. I let out a surprised huff, and then my family all rushed in to join the hug, leaving me hopelessly confused and crying in the centre of this pile of love and affection. I felt my hand signing the same thing over and over and over again, and Viran leaned over to whisper what it meant into T’s ear. He let out a watery grin and simply said, “We love you too, Lo.”

Somehow we ended up on the ground, still hugging, and my tears were finally starting to slow. The rest of my fam-friends had been giving us space, something I much appreciated. Finally, I started to try and wriggle out of the pile, and my family released me, understanding that I wanted out.

“So… we’re going to need some time to process, sweetie…” P murmured. My heart climbed its way into my throat, but V jumped in to soothe my worries.

“We’ll be back in like, two weeks, okay? Just giving you some space and time, and then we can have a proper chat about where to go from here, okay?” I nodded, and my family all stood up to give some tearful goodbyes before leaving me alone. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, and I glanced back to see Patteit, smiling sadly.

“Hey, sweetie, how you doing?” Truther whispered. I quickly signed back Okay, and their arms wrapped a little tighter around me. “We’ve got something for you in your room, when you feel ready to come up.” I pushed myself to my feet and gave Patteit a shaky smile, curious as to what could possibly be waiting for me. Most likely nothing too bad; I couldn’t see anyone in this house being purposefully cruel to me. I followed Patteit up to my room and braced myself before opening my door.

Progic was the first to look up when I entered, a small smile dimpling his cheeks when he saw me. “Hey, Lo, how you feeling?” he asked, his normal boisterous tone missing from his voice. I shrugged, and he nodded in understanding. Moric gave me a soft smile and two thumbs up as I walked in, while Viran fidgeted with a lump of black fluff in his lap. Probably one of his guinea pigs.

“Erm… Lodec… we have… someone we’d like you to meet,” Viran mumbled before standing up and presenting me with the ball of black fluff. My breath hitched as I stared into the wide green eyes of the small kitten. My good arm twitched out, some instinct whispering that I should pet the kitten, and Viran’s face broke into a tiny grin.

“Her name is Sasha,” Viran whispered. I nodded, and Viran walked closer. “She’s yours.” I paused, blinking. I… had a cat? I couldn’t have a cat. Living things were not for me to take care of. All I knew was how to destroy life, not cultivate it. Well, unless it was plants. But I couldn’t be trusted with a cat!

“You’ll do fine, Lodec. If you need help, we’re here. She just reminded all of us of you, and you’re always talking about how much you love cats, so we all figured… sorry, it’s a stupid idea, don’t think anything of it,” Viran rambled, starting to retract the set of arms holding the kitten. I shot my hand out and wrapped it around his wrist, already signing No, wait, it’s okay, I love her, thank you. Viran paused and giggled a little before gently settling Sasha into my arms. I panicked, scared I would drop her or break her or harm her in some way, but Moric murmured “You’re not going to break her, Lodec, it’s okay” from behind me, in that Soothing Dad Voice that worked wonders whenever he chose to use it. I settled down a little, still tense, and allowed Sasha’s purring to soothe the rest of my nerves.

“We’re here, Lodec. We’ll figure all of this out,” Progic stated firmly, a fire shining deep in his eyes. I nodded, tears clogging my throat, feeling the love and support of my second family surrounding me. I knew I couldn’t escape my past. I knew I couldn’t even begin to make up for the horrible things that I’d done. But here, in this moment, at least for a little bit, everything was perfect.

Notes: Thank you for reading! A special thank you again to Tashi for letting me torture her wonderful fusions :) Please go show her some love, and I’ll see you next time! 

@ask-the-fusions I seriously hope you liked this, Star and Tashi~

[asexualzoro]

list of reasons I find zoro ridiculous

after my similarly titled mihawk post took off I decided to make a zoro post, since he’s my second favorite character and also arguably the most ridiculous character in all of One Piece. here we go

- I know what you’re all thinking. i’m gonna open this list with how he wields three swords, right? no. no, Zoro has done so much ridiculous bullshit, this doesn’t even seem weird anymore. i don’t even bat my eye at this. this is nothing. now that i’ve got that out of the way, let’s begin

- this dude has like, an obsession with cutting off his own limbs? and MAYBE i can understand trying to cut his feet off when they were stuck in wax—you’re trying to save your friends, i get it—but what about when he was sword shopping in loguetown? who’s first response when buying a cursed sword and testing if it’s really cursed is “i’ll toss it in the air n see if I get amputated lol.” plus there’s that old filler where luffy gets his finger stuck in a bottle and, when he asks zoro for help getting it out, zoro tries to CUT IT OFF. im convinced he lost that left eye of his bc he got dust or something in it and then tried to stab it out

- there’s like, several occasions where Zoro has been directed to head up a staircase and gone some other direction. it happened in enies lobby and in dressrosa? like, what’s the dude got against stai—... oh, wait

- his reintroduction post timeskip. get on the wrong boat? just cut it in half! who even cares! how’d you even end up on the wrong boat? you had to walk towards that boat, which means looking at the boat. that boat looked nothing like the sunny, wouldn’t zoro have noticed that? he also has to make an effort to climb on, which means, you guessed it, looking at the boat! he probably sees the crew members, maybe even gets helped up by one or a few. how did he not at any point in time notice that wasn’t his boat?

- also when they landed on sabaody the first time and zoro was like “i’m gonna go take a walk!” and both Sanji and Usopp tried to stop him, talking to him like concerned parents of a troublemaking toddler, like “Zoro you can’t go out there you’ll get lost!” to which Zoro replies “yeah but the grottos are numbered, I can find my way back if I just remember the number!” and Sanji and Usopp are like “okay, solid logic, even YOURE not dumb enough to mess that up” and what does Zoro do? what does he fucking do?

- I want to emphasize he messes it up because a bubble covers the 4 in “Grotto 41” so he thinks it’s grotto 1. BUBBLES. ARE. TRANSPARENT

- “sorry, I don’t pray to god” fuckin edgelord

- Zoro’s epithet is “Pirate Hunter” and it’s super lame. he could’ve been “Demon of the East Blue” but they went with pirate hunter, even though he became a pirate. even Chopper’s is better than his lbr

- THERES A SCENE WHERE SANJI THREATENS TO PUT RAZOR BLADES IN ZOROS FOOD N ZOROS LIKE “do it u won’t” SO SANJI DOES AND ZORO JUST EATS THEM? ODA EVEN GOT ASKED ABOUT IT IN AN SBS AND CONFIRMED YES, ZORO DID IN FACT EAT RAZOR BLADES. THIS 2EDGY4U BITCH JUST. STRAIGHT UP. ATE RAZOR BLADES

- in film gold he wears that black jacket under the white one. mind you he had no way of knowing he would be trapped in gold by tesoro or that they’d all have a dramatic coordinated outfit change once he was free so what the fuck was he doing? why did he wear that? who wears two jackets for no reason?

- “if i’m gonna be a statue I want it to be in this pose” “i’m glad I struck a pose”

- remember when zoro fought mr. 1 in alabasta and mr. 1 dropped a stone building on him and he was just like “this is a rocky day” or smth equally awful? i hate him

- the tarzan yell in skypiea

- actually, the goggles too.

- didn’t he try to convince someone he was fighting they were sunglasses bc they had some blinding light-based attack? I feel like he did but I don’t remember skypiea well enough to be sure

- Zoro vs the bird in skypiea. spent a fair amount of the damn arc running around skypiea getting messed w by a bird (which, according to Luffy, was more evolved than Zoro bc it had developed a sense of direction. burned by ur own captain)

- when asked why Zoro was able to speak with a sword in his mouth, oda said “IT’S HIS HEART SPEAKING”

- that colorspread Zoro where he reads a book about weightlifting while balancing a weight on top

- when Zoro fights that masochist guy in film gold (I think his name was dice?) and said some cocky ass one liner after the guy fell unconscious that went something like “What's wrong? Didn't it feel good? Aren't you gonna scream in pleasure?" awful

- Zoro almost gets murdered by Mihawk and then, later that day, tries to take on fishmen underwater. others r like “you cannot handle this, you will literally die” and Zoro doesn’t even care bc Luffy is in trouble

- he was sailing bc he left home to find mihawk and then couldn’t figure out how to get back

- remember that filler where Zoro taught Luffy how to skate but then forgot to teach him how to turn. I love both that this happened and the implication that Zoro is a person who knows how to roller skate and therefore has spent time roller skating. Zoro roller skating backstory when?

- when Zoro was fighting oz, a 500 year old corpse, he licked his sword. now, on top of licking his sword being ridiculous as hell because, listen, there’s NOTHING cool about licking your sword. you just look like a loser. but a sword that just came out of a 500 year old corpse? really? i know it was preserved by the cold and all but there’s no way it didn’t rot at all. that’s a rotted, frozen corpse. Zoro what in the HELL were you thinking. I hope you get sick

- i’m sure it probably wasn’t even the first time he licked his sword in a fight but I will say with absolute confidence he looked like a loser every single time

- I feel like he licked his sword while facing mr 1 but I can’t remember. if he did, that’s honestly iconic. stare down a dude that’s made of swords while licking yours? power move. only decent time to kick your sword

- Zoro, joining Luffy: “if you stand in the way of my dream i’ll kill you!” Zoro, a day later: “of course i’ll carry my captain in this heavy cage on my back to safety. oh this gaping wound in my side? nothing. who cares about bleeding to death, my captain needs me!”

- all those big weights he’s got. all of them.

- especially that time he was lifting weights post thriller bark after barely surviving kuma, still heavily injuries, complaining about how weak he is. buddy...

- that time in drum island where he decided to train by going swimming in the freezing ice-country water, then when he got out he got lost in the snowy mountains until he wandered into a random battle and took out some guy just to steal his coat

- this isn’t the only time he steals some random dude’s coat

- the chimney.

- that filler in smiles lobby where he gets, like, abducted by a bunch of children for a day and integrated into their family?

- Roronoa Zoro went fursuiting in dressrosa and that’s a canon fact you all must acknowledge

- speaking of being a furry anyone remember mugiwara theater?

- THE FUCKING MUGIWARA THEATER NAMES. mugiwara theater is a gift, alright? here’s some: nakamura hanzorou. zobear. ZOROMILK

- I FORGOT TO MENTION. THAT TIME ZORO N USOPP WERE HANDCUFFED TOGETHER AND ZORO TRIED TO CONVINCE USOPP TO PLAY ROCK PAPER SCISSORS WITH HIM TO SEE WHICH ONE OF THEM WOULD HAVE TO CUT THEIR HAND OFF

- also the fact that his logic was “it’ll be fine cuz chopper can just sew it back on”

- can we also talk abt how later that fight he uses Usopp as a sword because holy shit Zoro

- this isn’t technically zoro’s fault but the guy who sold him his sword to him in loguetown has a giant version of bounty image up above his bath, which........

- barto asked for zoro’s autograph and Zoro just wrote “sword”

- the grave of the rumbar pirates was finished right around when Zoro woke up from his coma post thriller bark and Zoro decided to walk over while Brook is sitting there mourning almost everyone he ever loved and just. plops his sword—an inanimate object—in the dirt by the grave of BROOKS ENTIRE CREW like “hey i’m gonna bury this here u don’t mind tho right? cool”

- he’s lucky Brook is such a cool dude cuz if I was mourning the death of MY crew and some fuck decided to plant a rusty sword there i’d just fuckin kill em

- in Zou they were talking abt whatever and Luffy mentioned how Sanji was as strong as one thousand men and Zoro, clearly jealous that Sanji got praised by Luffy, butt in with a stuttery objection on how HE was stronger than Sanji and worth TWO THOUSAND men, which luffy ignored, and Nami had to reassure him that yes, Zoro, we know you’re strong. toddler

- this is also not technically zoro’s fault but one time someone asked oda in an sbs which strawhats would eat ice in their drink and oda answered who would n wouldn’t (Luffy, Chopper, Brook, Usopp, and Robin would, if ur wondering). Zoro was on the wouldn’t list, and some fan sent oda a letter informing him of a panel where Zoro was shown eating ice to disprove this. someone pulled zoro ice eating receipts on oda and that’s a fact we all have to live with

- the first time Zoro meets mihawk—the strongest man in the world, the man he wants to defeat someday, and incredibly powerful and impressive dude—he cries like a baby

- zoro’s been crucified like 4 times now. once in his introduction than in three movies (6, gold, nebulandia). idk why this keeps happening but honestly? keep it up

- when Brook joined the crew, Zoro said he was sorry for Brooks bad luck as if one of the first things Brook ever saw Zoro do wasn’t to try and die for the crew via Giant Paw Ball of Pain

- speaking of, i’m pretty sure half the reason zoro DIDNT die in thriller bark is because if he died via smth as silly as a giant paw ball his injured pride would kill him again

- I was going to make fun of Zoro for wearing only a suit and a fake mustache in dressrosa as a disguise but then I realized, like, given how absolutely shredded Zoro was in Punk Hazard and how that suit somehow managed to squish it all down without zoro ripping the sleeves off? solid disguise

- when merry was burning and everyone’s bawling and remembering great memories on the ship and Zoro was standing there, 100% stoic, remembering a nap

- Zoro saw marines (Garp) coming to Water 7 while Luffy was still unconscious and ran off to warn the others but couldn’t find his way back to the hotel

- that G8 filler where he falls off a cliff in pursuit of his swords

- speaking of fillers, remember that amnesia one? (ha). highlights include Zoro trying to physically fight a small sea horse (plus Usopp doing a bad lip-syncing) and Zoro swimming through the Grand Line with his swords tied to his head by his bandana

- meets a dragon, eats the dragon

- it got mentioned once that Sanji and Nami canonly help Zoro and the other guys get dressed. so every time Zoro wears something absolutely ridiculous (which is often), it’s probably Sanjis doing

- “I can’t believe I cut a freaking booger!!”

- speaking of, remember that time Luffy flicked a booger into Zoro’s drink at the Baratie and Zoro tried to force him to drink it?? remember that?? I hate them both

- that time Zoro was trying to find the Right Eye in Skypiea, said that (though the path to get there was STRAIGHT AHEAD) all he had to do to find the right eye was just keep going right (even though that would just lead him in circles!). and then after that do you know what direction he went?? do you know?? he fucking went left

- the time Zoro got lost walking on a straight path in a filler.

- Zoro lost to a guy in a fight and just fucking let the dude cut him in half. like, yes, the baratie scene was all cool as all hell and I love it but Zoro did in fact basically invite a dude to cut him in half

- when they were hit by negative hollows and everyone else said stuff that was kinda funny but Zoro went straight up “I don’t deserve to exist” please honey talk to someone

- he was fighting Kaku and kept engaging in Kaku’s devil fruit bs and then berating himself for being uncool as if he wasn’t already fighting a giant giraffe

- to end this list, I want to get to Zoro’s absolute worst offense. remember when Zoro fought Kaku and he did that asura form thing? where he straight up grew four extra arms and two extra heads, all wielding swords? what the FUCK was that? and don’t tell me “fighting spirit” alright. that’s bull. people don’t just GROW EXTRA SWORD-WIELDING BODY PARTS because they’re just REALLY INTO a FIGHT. like I know this is One Piece and shit’s ridiculous all this time but this? this is too much. even for One Piece this is too much. this is so ridiculous. there has to be a line, even in One Piece, with what these guys are allowed to get away with. I can accept haki so good you can see the future. I can accept spinning so fast you set your leg on fire. I can accept being made of springs. I can accept booger bombs. I can accept all that and more, but this? this is where i take my stand. Roronoa Zoro cannot keep getting away with this! fighting spirit is just not an explanation. and the worst part? the absolute worst part?

- Zoro makes four extra limbs and two extra heads, all armed with swords, MATERIALIZE out of THIN AIR with absolutely NO REAL EXPLANATION and then pretty much NEVER DOES IT AGAIN! he did it once in sabaody (and once in strong world) and then hasn’t done it since! everyone else uses the power ups they got in enies lobby all the time but Zoro, somewhere out there, knows how fuckin sick this attack is (bc yeah it’s ridiculous as hell but like I still enjoy it) and he just won’t do it again. not once post timeskip has he used it at all. Roronoa Zoro knows what he’s doing and he is out there, right now, laughing

- roronoa zoro is one of my top three favorite one piece characters and I make this list entirely out of love. (feel free to add on more moments I may have missed and i’ll add them)

[vaughan75padgett]

Want Information About Eye Care? Look For Good Tips Here!

No one wants to have bad eyes, and so it is important that you now read the following information so you can maintain proper eye health. Your eyesight is vital to your daily life, and you know this. So, why aren't you doing everything you can to help maintain your eye health? Get your eyes checked every year. Your eyecare professional can examine your eyes to make sure that there are no underlying problems that are developing. Even if you have good vision, it is important to get your eyes examined once a year. Doing toopla will ensure that you will have healthy eyes as you get older. Eat a healthy diet to help take care of your eyes. Certain foods, particularly those high in vitamins C and E, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids can help protect your eyes as you age. Aim for green leafy vegetables, "oily" fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and citrus foods for best results. What you eat is very important to the health of your eyes. A diet that is rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids are helpful to good eyesight. Many vegetables like carrots and broccoli are rich in vitamin A. Fish and nuts can provide you with the omega-3 that you need. Drink plenty of water to keep your eyes hydrated. Your eyes are made mostly of water, and they need to stay moist at all times to remain healthy. Dry eyes are more prone to eye problems and diseases. Keeping your body fully hydrated will ensure that your eyes stay moisturized. If you wear contacts, you must follow your eye doctor's instruction carefully. If your eyes feel irritated when you put them on, that can mean that your contact lenses are damaged. Another reason could be an eye problem that is beginning to form. See your eyecare professional right away to prevent a more serious problem. If you spend a lot of time on the computer, take regular breaks. For a minute or two each hour, focus on a distant object. This will allow your eyes to readjust. You will experience less eye strain and reduce the number of headaches that you experience throughout the week. As you probably already know, smoking is bad for your overall health. What you may not have known is that it is actually bad for your eye health, too. It can lead to a number of eye conditions, such as optic nerve damage, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Do your best to quit smoking to avoid these conditions. Remember to replace your contact lenses at least once every three months. Two months is actually a much better target, or even one month. Many people forget to replace their contacts as frequently as they should, which later leads to more serious problems in the eyes, such as irritation, ulcers, or infections. When doing any type of work, avoid injuring your eyes by always wearing protective glasses. This is especially important if you job entails handling airborne or hazardous materials. You should also wear protective eye wear when playing sports since certain sports such as racquetball, lacrosse or hockey can cause eye injuries. Use protective eyewear when working with strong chemicals or you are in an area where airborne particles may pose a danger to your eyes. Many people have sustained eye injuries while doing woodworking projects or being outdoors during very windy weather. You should also wear goggles when swimming in chlorinated water. When reading or using a computer, incorporate occasional eye exercises. This is as simple as looking away from your target and blinking rapidly. Then, close your eyes and roll them in both a counter-clockwise and clockwise direction. Make sure to breathe deeply while doing so to help bring more oxygen to the capillaries of the eyes. Sunglasses are good looking and beneficial to your eye health. Sunglasses block the UVA and UVB rays from the sun. Prescriptions may also be useful for you. With the tips that have been provided, you can work towards maintaining your eyes as you age. There is no excuse for allowing yourself to just let your eyes go it alone. Instead, these steps have been given to you so that you can work hard towards having the best sight you can.

[ourlittleorganiclife]

There’s no better way to get excited about your upcoming summer holiday than by going shopping for all your beach essentials.  Even the most eco-conscious of us aren’t immune to this pleasure, but some of us – quite rightly – temper that excitement with our concern for the environment and the health of ourselves and our children. So here’s some greener and healthier ways to join in with the summer joy of planning for your beach holiday.

Sun Protection

Sun protection of one kind or another is so important, especially for children.  Getting just 5 blistering sunburns can increase your risk of skin cancer by up to 80%. So make sure you have a variety of ways to protect your skin.  Many drugstore sunscreens are full of parabens, oxybenzone and other chemicals linked to various types of hormone-disrupting cancers. But there’s no need to worry – there are plenty of options open to you. You can wear a beach cover up which covers the arms and chest well – and there are plenty of good second hand ones about, like this one which I’ve featured from the Oxfam online shop (click here to check out their full range of colours and options).

You should also invest in a good ocean-safe, reef-safe SPF sun cream each summer.  Some people make their own suncreams with coconut oil and essential oils, and if that’s your thing, go for it, but be aware there’s always the risk that you end up making a basting oil for your skin rather than a sun protectant.  While many oils and essential oils do have a natural SPF quality to them, there is no way you can guarantee that level of protection is still in the base ingredient product you’ve purchased without expensive testing. Instead, buy a non-nano, paraben-free, oxybenzone-free sun protection product which is as natural as possible. Suncreams like this new one from Weleda which I purchased at my local health food store last week are a great option.

If Weleda is difficult to find in your area, consider the Thinkbaby and Thinksport sunscreens which I tried out on two separate occasions earlier this summer when visiting friends and I had to borrow some sun protection.  Thinksport do SPF 50 creams, but also a great SPF 30 face and body stick which is easy to apply to your face – kind of like a mini deodorant stick.  It’s a clean range of products which is easy to find in Canada, the US and the UK, and it’s been designed for serious athletes – so it will definitely be able to withstand your beach holiday demands! Plan ahead and make sure you have enough for your trip – you don’t want to end up like I did on my trip to Italy, having to buy horrible overpriced chemical-filled sunscreen at the pharmacy (you don’t want to know how much sun protection costs in Europe).

For kids I also recommend getting UPF 50 sun protection suits for the beach. When paired with a good wide-brimmed hat, it means you don’t have to worry about when they spend a bit too long in the sunshine – as they inevitably will.  I do buy these suits and shirts second hand for my daughter but do keep in mind that the sun protection factor in second hand suits might not be as high as it will be in a new suit.

Swimwear

You can get some great bathing suits and bikinis second hand like these ones at the Oxfam online shop (just give them a good boil wash after buying them). I’m a bit busty, however, so have never had luck finding second hand bikini tops that fit me.  In fact, finding any gorgeous bikini tops that will fit over a D cup is actually quite difficult. I was gifted this beautiful black Boho Chic bikini from Hunkemoeller (I saw their gorgeous lingerie and swimwear boutiques all over Germany last month). It fits me so well – in fact this model ran a bit on the generous size, so I had return my first bikini top (thank you free returns!) and go a cup size smaller than my usual Panache bra cup size which looks amazing on me.  It ties at the top and the back , so you don’t need to worry about whether the band will be too tight or too loose, and the metal U bar in the front, allows the front of the bra to open easily for topless sunbathing (or easy breastfeeding, if you’re still nursing your child). They also had a variety of styles of bikini bottoms, so I was able to find the right cut to suit my derrière. (That’s not me below, btw!)

After Sun

Don’t overthink this one.  Buy some pure organic aloe gel (like this one from Amazon which comes in a handy 200ml size).  Avoid those livid green and totally transparent Aloe-based concoctions you see at the supermarket and pharmacy – they have a lot of other stuff in them other than healing aloe. You can mix the aloe gel with a few drops of a good quality lavender essential oil (I use Young Living – see why here) to boost the skin soothing quality of the aloe. If you do get a bit too much sun, just rub in some of this into your skin and it will help cool you off and start to nourish your sun-damaged skin. Just keep reapplying as your skin sucks it in (and it will, depending on the severity of the burn).

Beach Bag

Don’t forget a beach bag to schlep around all your stuff. You don’t need to invest in something really expensive – if you’re travelling on your own or with your partner, a small canvas shopping tote will work. If you’re travelling with kids the best thing are those big tacky re-usable supermarket bags which are fantastic for this purpose because they’re waterproof and hold tons of stuff like flippers, goggles, snorkels, sand-encrusted swim shoes, gazillions of towels, etc.

But I know that if you’re going back and forth to the beach club, you might want something a bit more chic than a massive orange Sainsbury’s bag proudly branding it’s elephant design emblazoned on the side. I’ve decided to splurge and treat myself to this black & white one from Hunkemoller UK to match my new bikini. It reminded me of some of the gorgeous bags I’ve seen in Anthropologie.  (I remember the days of disposable income. They’re long gone, but I do remember them!)

Sunglasses

For Pete’s sake, don’t forget a pair of sunglasses or you’ll be squinting in agony for the next two weeks. On my way back from Canada in June, I treated myself to a new pair of Oakley matte tortoiseshell Latch sunglasses. (Yeah, I’ve given myself a few treats lately – what’s up with that?) I had been planning to get the folding Ray Ban Wayfarers, but discovered that they come in a leather case, which kind of didn’t flow with the whole vegan vibe.

edf

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Water Bottle

It’s pretty easy most places to access clean drinking water, so unless you’re travelling somewhere at particular risk for waterborne pathogens, just take your water bottle with you and for each member of your family so you can stay hydrated throughout the day.  Even if you go to a resort, its great having your own reusable cup bottle with you, so you can have the bar staff refill it with water for you from their filtered water systems.  I love my Yeti bottle because I can attach it to my bag with a carabiner – and yes, I bought it second hand.

It’s also a great idea to take a reusable coffee cup (like a Keep Cup) or an insulated wine tumbler (yes, there is such a thing) so you don’t have to use plastic cups for your wine or cocktails, and they’ll stay cooler for longer in the sun. (Amazon have a wide range of insulated wine tumblers at various price points, and Yeti do a cool one too).

Sun Hat

Sun hats are such a personal thing, I’m not even going to show you an example here.  I have a great soft brushed cotton baseball cap I love from ethical clothing company Absolutely Bear which I wear for day trips and hiking all the time, but I probably won’t wear it on the beach on my trip to Spain, as I might want something which channels a bit more of a Sophia Loren vibe.  But whatever suits your style.

One thing I will say is, just take a sun hat.  Something foldable might be wise, so you can pack it in your luggage.  I have a gorgeous Panama style hat which I love, but it isn’t the easiest to travel with because I have to wear it for the whole flight, or make sure it doesn’t get crunched up in the overhead luggage compartment.

Sun hats are such a great and easy way to keep the sun off your face without worrying about whether your SPF cream has worn off and panda eyes are developing.  And as the (not so) proud wearer of many, many panda eyes in the past, may I say I have expert knowledge that it is worth avoiding.   (No make up will really cover those puppies up.) Just wear the hat.

Reading Material

It’s really important to have enough reading material on your trip.  On shorter trips I’ll usually just take a library book, but I also have started to enjoy borrowing my husband’s Kindle and I absolutely love Amazon Audible, so I can listen to audio books on my phone while on the plane and so I can keep an eye on my daughter on the beach. (Getting lost in a book isn’t really possible when you’re looking after children near the sea, lakes or the pool.) Here’s the link I used to get a free 90 day trial of Audible so you can see if it’s the kind of thing you would enjoy too – at the very least it will last you your holiday! They’re often read by the author or by someone with a delicious reading voice, like Mariella Frostrup. I recently listened to Swing Time by Zadie Smith and can highly recommend it.

And have a great holiday!  For more tips, check out my posts on eco travel, how to pack light and travelling with kids. Have I forgotten anything?  Let me know in the comments below.

Resources/References:

Sun Protection – https://www.nhs.uk/news/cancer/just-five-sunburns-increase-your-cancer-risk/, https://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/16/health/sunscreen-report/index.html

Photo Credit: Hunkemoeller bikini shot – from https://www.hunkemoller.co.uk/uk_en/47-boho-chic-bikini-bottoms-black-123295.html, Hunkemoeller beach bag shot – from https://www.hunkemoller.co.uk/uk_en/47-doutzen-beach-bag-black-134253.html

      Beach holiday essentials for the green, eco-conscious traveller. There's no better way to get excited about your upcoming summer holiday than by going shopping for all your beach essentials.  

[baxtonme]

Optometrist Eye Clinic in Mosman Sydney Macular Degeneration Cataract Prevention

Summertime and the Eyes Need Protection

Eye doctors are increasingly concerned about the negative impact on the eyes of ultraviolet light. It’s been linked to higher risks of flash burn (eye sunburn) as well as developing cataracts and/or macular degeneration, serious eye conditions which can lead to blindness. Summer is when the eyes are most exposed to UV light, as well as other seasonal threats, particularly in countries like Australia where it’s the season for outdoor adventures and beach sand between the toes, according to Sydney-based behavioural optometrist, fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (FIAOMC), and founder of the Smart Vision Optometry (SVO) system, Gary Rodney.

Rodney says it’s very important for everyone to take care of their eyes in summer, but even more so for children’s eyes to be protected at all times as the impact of seasonal threats can be far stronger on their young eyes, which are still developing.

Avoiding UV Exposure and Eye Sunburn

Eye sunburn, caused by overexposure to UV rays, can lead to inflammation of the cornea which covers the front of the eyes. This can result in sore, red, and teary eyes, along with some itchiness, increased sensitivity to light, and slightly blurred vision, and could last for a day or two.

Children are the most at risk, and the most vulnerable, as not only are a child’s ocular lenses not able to filter out UV light as well as their parents’ eyes do, but they are more likely to be excused to the light as, according to the WHO, 80% of people’s exposure to UV light occurs before they turn 18.

While this doesn’t lower the importance of parents being careful about their own UV exposure, Rodney says it does stress the need for them to ensure their children and teens get into the habit of wearing hats with a wide rim, as well as sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection, when outdoors in summer even on cloudy days. They should also be taught to avoid exposure to the sun when it’s rays are strongest, like in the hours around midday, and when the sun is rising or setting. And they should never look directly at the sun to avoid permanent damage to the eyes.

Protecting Eyes from Other Summer Threats

Don’t Forget the Water: Dry eyes, usually caused by the eyes’ inability to create enough tears to lubricate them, lead to eye strain, headaches, blurred vision and difficulties focusing. Often associated with too much screentime, an in-door lifestyle, and too little blinking, it can also be caused by dehydration. Making sure that water is available, and consumed, when outdoors under the summer sun is another must, according to Rodney.

Seasonal allergies: These can cause similar symptoms to the ones experienced by those with dry eye. However, the allergies are often more easily recognised because of the swelling and tearing that develops along with the redness, itching, irritation, and blurring. Rodney recommends that those who know they have allergies, make sure they have the correct treatments available at all times.

Wearing Goggles in a Pool: There are a number of reasons why Rodney suggests that those who don’t consider it’s summer if they don’t take a plunge in the pool every now and then, should Wear Goggles when swimming. Firstly, it’s to stop the eyes from being irritated by chemicals like chlorine and others found in pool water, but also from bacteria that swims alongside those cooling off in the water, and which can easily affect the eyes

Eye Protection When Doing Summer Chores: When doing a touch or two of DIY renovating, or pushing the lawnmower around the garden, it’s important to wear protective eyewear, and preferably wrap around ones that shield the sides of the eyes, in order to prevent accidents that could lead to eye damage, or wood chips, twigs and other objects which might fly or get blown into the eyes.

For more information about the myopia epidemic, its treatment and management, and more importantly what you can do to prevent it, or to make an appointment, visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

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Optometrist Eye Clinic in Mosman Sydney Macular Degeneration Cataract Prevention was originally published on Baxton