veramckinncn - Tumblr blog

[veramckinncn]

"I completely get that," she nodded, feeling similarly in most situations. She probably took more photos out of the two of them, but even then she often got caught up in everything going on. She certainly didn't mind it– the real memories were always more valuable after all, even if not always captured. "Sounds like the opposite of a problem to me," Vera chuckled when she mentioned having plenty of dog snoots show up as her background. "I feel like those photos are something I'd set my phone's background to on purpose," she added with amusement.

"I probably should. I suppose I don't think about it too much in the moment unless we are doing something that is too much of a good photo opportunity to miss, you know?" As much as she loved the photos, she had, her first instinct just wasn't to go snapping them here there and everywhere. "And you do indeed. They always make me smile when they pop up. I have ended up with one too many dog snoots where the photo has possibly been too large though." She admitted with a laugh as she thought about it.

[veramckinncn]

Vera reached for his hand when they were ready to go, giving it an affectionate squeeze before leaning to kiss him on the cheek. "I'd say every part of this trip would fall under 'the good bits' category," she insisted with some humor to her tone. "Have you got everything?" she made sure to ask before they headed out and began to walk down one of the clearly marked paths. "I wonder if there's any nice vantage points along here where we can get a nice view," Vera mused aloud as they walked together.

"Indeed you do. And I have a lifetime of being able to enjoy you." Of course, he was definitely more specifically thinking about how gorgeous she was but they already knew that he very much appreciated her mind as much as her body. There was something very pleasant about the fact he felt like he was always going to have Vera by his side. "Alright, well we'll take a couple of minutes then and maybe grab a drink." He'd had one whilst they were driving but he figured he'd grab some water before they set out. "You know we can skip to the good bits if you really want but I thought you'd appreciate the walk." Fred answered with a little laugh.

[veramckinncn]

Vera bursted out into laughter at the reaction that had gotten from Aaron. "I know, I know. Merlin, I didn't realize how entertaining it'd be to see you react to that though," she clutched at her sides as she continued to laugh, taking a moment before calming herself down. "That was literally one time and you'll never let me live it down, will you?" she shook her head at him, clearly still amused by the situation.

"Kisses? Vera, I like you a lot or I wouldn't put up with you the way you do and I'm fairly certain that is reciprocated but there is no way I would kiss you. I don't think about you like that so your relationship is safe." Aaron spoke with a roll of his eyes and a smirk. "I'd rather the return be you not jumping on me next time I come through the gym doors because you have excess energy. That is something you should be working out with your boyfriend."

[veramckinncn]

"I mean, it's a free drink. I've never been good at turning those down," Vera shrugged back with a laugh of her own. "I'll just have a beer, thank you."

"Would it now? I wouldn't have been upset." He said with a little laugh before nodding his head and calling over the bartender. "What is it I can get for you exactly? Pick your poison."

[veramckinncn]

"Looks like I've got a lifetime of being spoiled to look forward to then," she chimed in brightly with a delighted flash of her teeth. Of course Vera could be considered as someone who was getting ahead of herself there, but she certainly saw herself with Frederick on a longterm. She didn't even stop to consider the risk of it not being mutual feeling, given their connection and how openly they both showed their affections for one another. "I'm fine to go as I am," Vera replied with a smile. "I'm also just going to change my shoes," she added, moving to pull some more comfortable walking footwear from one of her bags and switching them with the ones she had been wearing. "That sounds like an incredible plan by the way. I'm jealous of future us already," she said as they made their way to the door to head out.

"If you weren't so grateful for things like this, I probably wouldn't do it as much." But Vera never acted entitled to such experiences, she just appreciated them for what they were, cost or no cost. He'd seen her be just as enthusiastic for something he'd put together at the apartment as going away like this. He did it because he loved seeing her reaction to it and how happy it appeared to make her. He did laugh at the mention of the bed though, giving a hum as he cast his gaze to it and smiled. "I am sure we will get the chance to really wear it in but for now I agree we should explore. Do you want to freshen up at all or are you fine to go as you are? I think I'll just change my shoes and then later on we can get dinner and jump in the hot tub after. Maybe grab some strawberries for dessert?"

[veramckinncn]

"Maybe you really do spoil me too much," Vera considered with a laugh when he'd said that this was one of many little getaways to come. She felt incredibly lucky that she'd ended up with someone as thoughtful and generous as him. "Absolutely. I mean it'd be a crime not to make the most of such a beautifully made bed," she shot back playfully in return as she let her hand run over the smoothly tucked sheets. "Should we go and explore for a bit then? Or would you rather we jump into that hot tub I saw when we brought up our bags?"

"I suppose there is that." He agreed with a smile because the dog did enjoy his food and maybe they did spoil him a bit because any time there was food being cooked the dog seemed to end up being fed a little of it too. He had to chuckle though when Vera essentially asked him to slow down. "Oh, trust me, I intend to make the most of it but there is no harm in letting you know I intend on this being one of many little getaways." Fred didn't want Vera to feel like it was going to just be a one off. He wanted her to know he would give her every experience he could manage. "Well if you don't have the words, I'm fairly certain we're both versed in other ways of showing our thanks." He teased playfully, a grin on his features.

[veramckinncn]

"Okay now," she rolled her eyes with a laugh at the ridiculousness of his reply, knowing he know what she had meant. "You're so right. It'd be near impossible to herd him back into the house but I'm sure with the right treats he could be convinced," Vera considered with a laugh. She was sure that eventually the pup would tire out and make his way back inside all the same. "Let's make the most of this one first, yeah? Not that I don't love the idea of making future plans already– but we might as well enjoy where we are right now," she said, leaning to press a kiss to his cheek before looking back out at the view. "Thank you for putting all of this together, my love. I don't have enough words to thank you for it."

"Last time I checked my brain wasn't in my ass, so no, not the word people use to describe it." He playfully commented, knowing it was stupid but also knowing sometimes silly behaviour was acceptable. "But too smart for my own good hm? I kind of like that." Fred admitted, though Vera had made no secret of just how intelligent she perceived him to be. Fred was always made to feel as though he was one of the smartest people she knew even though he wasn't certain he quite deserved such accolades. "We can definitely bring River along in the future though to something like this. You're right in the fact that I feel he'd probably be right at home. The problem would be getting him in. A bit like having a child who doesn't want to go to bed, he'd just want to keep playing out." Fred spoke, amused at the thought. "If you enjoy it enough though, I'd always be more than happy to book us another break here."

[veramckinncn]

"You sure about that? Because something I like even more than your ass is that brain of yours. You're too smart for your own good," she insisted with a laugh. Vera had always been in awe of his smarts. She'd never met anyone who had read that many books and she felt like she was constantly learning more about that world since dating him. She certainly made the effort, even if sitting down and finishing a book took more out of her than playing a Quidditch game seemed to. This trip however was exactly the type of slowing down she needed. Plus she never complained about having more one-on-one time with Fred. "I'd love to bring River to something like this some time. Actually... I think he'd have a ball out here. We can't show him any pictures, he'll be jealous," Vera mentioned with humor, finding it sweet that Fred wanted to include her dog in future trips if he could. "No, you really don't," she agreed, looking back out at the views fondly. "It's so beautiful out here. I might not want to go back home after spending time here with you."

"Not the word that normally gets associated with my ass but I'll take it." Fred responded with a smile, glad to see just how receptive Vera was to their situation. Some might not have liked the isolation of it, being out in nature and without a lot of their normal luxuries but he felt taking a step away was needed sometimes to really be able to appreciate the simpler things. "Maybe next time we'll book one where you can bring your dog." He suggested, knowing that Freya was always happy to keep the pair together but that Vera might want that option too sometimes. "We will enjoy looking for them at the very least. You don't really get these kinds of trails in London."

[veramckinncn]

"Alright smart ass," she rolled her eyes at Fred playfully at the teasing answer from him. Vera's smile only grew however when he began explaining his thought process behind selecting this place in particular for their getaway. "This is so thoughtful, Fred. But then again I'd expect nothing less from you," she squeezed his bicep, not hesitating to keeping their proximity. He'd always been this way. He noticed everything and remember details she thought wouldn't be considered significant. She always tried to reciprocate that because he deserved it, but it really came so naturally to him. "That sounds nice. This place is so beautiful– I'm sure we'll stumble on some gorgeous views while hiking," Vera mentioned, helping with the bags as they made their way up into the treehouse. "There's a hot tub? Oh man, that whole thing about you saying we'll probably spend a lot of time just enjoying the view here and relaxing is certainly not far off," she exclaimed with a laugh.

"Well there's this really handy invention called the internet..." Fred teased before laughing and holding the woman against his side gently. "But in all seriousness, I thought it might be something you hadn't done before and getting away for a few nights would be good for you. Your training schedule is hectic so I just wanted to give you the opportunity to really relax." He explained as they got given the keys. "Let's get up there. We can do some walks if you like or see what's in the nearby area but I foresaw a lot of our time being spent enjoying the view and just relaxing."

[veramckinncn]

The woman was convinced the whole planned outing could've been their little road trip and she would've been happy with that. It almost felt like they hadn't been there long enough, enjoying the freeing feeling of just singing along and chatting with him on the car ride like nothing else in the world existed or mattered. When they'd finally arrived to their destination, she looked with awe when the house appeared amongst the treetops. "This is– wow, Fred– this is stunning," she exclaimed, turning to him with a grin. "This is amazing. Thank you," Vera kissed him affectionately before letting the owner guide them into the treehouse and they dropped their things off. "How do you even think of these things and find these places? This is unreal."

Fred knew there were probably quicker ways of them getting there, but he quite enjoyed a car journey and spending the time talking to Vera was something he also appreciated. There was singing along with whatever music she put on, broken up with chat and then even a few little car games. Honestly, the journey went by in what felt like a flash for Fred. They pulled up to a scenic area surrounded by trees. If you didn't know what you were looking for, you probably wouldn't have known where they had stopped but the owner led them up the path to their accommodation for the weekend that became visible as the trees parted to leave them in a little grove. "What do you think?"

[veramckinncn]

"I certainly hope not. I'd have to reevaluate what I'm doing wrong," she replied with a little smirk. Vera wasn't actually threatened by the man and also liked that they could joke about this sort of stuff because of how secure they were in their relationship. She knew how Fred felt about her and vice versa. "I promise not to have my expectations too high," she smiled, kissing him again before they headed out with their bags and onto the several hour journey Fred had told her about.

"You worried he's going to take over your position in my affections?" Fred joked though they both knew that would never happen. Given how long he'd chased after her, it was safe to say that his emotions were not so easily swayed. "Let's hope you don't build it up too much in your head now." He spoke with a laugh when Vera commented on how he always seemed to go big. Alright. Let's get on the road."

[veramckinncn]

"And you're mine," she replied without hesitating for a moment. Freya would always be her number one– there was no contest at all. "Some might say you should take more pictures with your boyfriend," Vera laughed. "I think that I make a lovely background, so I see nothing wrong with that," she then added playfully. "And the dogs of course. I mean they're too cute to not feature as much as possible. Especially those pictures when they fall asleep cuddling each other– to die for."

"Hey ouch!" Freya yelped out with a laugh when she was pinched by the woman and rubbed at the area she'd abused. "I wasn't saying that at all and you know it. You're my ride or die after all." Freya spoke affectionately about the woman. "But yes, I may add it to my wall of photos but I can also put it as one of my photo backgrounds too. Do you know, far too many of my rotating background photos are you. You and the dogs. Damien features in there a few times too." It was funny just how overwhelming their photos together were though.

[veramckinncn]

"I knew it. We should've kept the two of you separated from the start," Vera teased. She reached to rub his shoulders affectionately before letting her hands slide down his arms to grab his own. "You're right, that's not your style. You've always been the type to go big anyways," she smiled. "Whatever it is, it's going to be amazing. Now let's get going– I'm itching to know."

"I didn't think so but now I am reconsidering." Fred responded with a laugh at the way she was batting her eyelashes at him. Though, he couldn't help but watch her and think how much he bloody loved the woman for all her silly behaviours. "Oh, you should definitely be worried about that. We would have a grand old time." He assured his girlfriend though they both knew there were activities he would miss out on if she were not with him. "Did you really think I was going to drive you down the road to a hotel? That seems like a bit of a waste."

[veramckinncn]

"You don't have to tell me twice," she grinned in response. "You're picking our poison this time though, yeah?"

"Glad we're in line on this," Ben replied, laughing, "With that said, let's get a different drink."

[veramckinncn]

"It'd be rude of me to turn down a such an offer," Vera replied, a smile on her lips. "And my parents certainly raised me well," she added playfully. "All that to say, yes please. Thank you."

"Something like that." Leo answered with a light shrug, not seeming as though he was going to delve into that much further, at least not now. "Can I get you a drink though?" He asked after a moment, feeling like their shared understanding required a shared drink.

[veramckinncn]

"I'm sure," she grinned back, happy to get a laugh out of the other. "Of course I am. It's why I could sniff it out immediately," Vera pointed out with a chuckle of her own. "I'm no stranger to those tactics. We don't just train physically for the sport."

Lysander did laugh loudly at that. "I suppose that's one gift I have, yes. It makes my job significantly easier." The blonde admitted, though he supposed it was something he'd gained growing up. A lot of himself he'd kept quite private and he'd learned to mute down his reaction to things. Observing others often definitely had its upsides. "Surely you should be used to that tactic though, being a professional quidditch player."

[veramckinncn]

meghann fahy photographed by greg williams at the variety makeup artistry dinner (2023)