runningracingdancingchasing

[runningracingdancingchasing]

Fluffy bunny living his best life

(via)

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A once-in-a-lifetime shot of the moon perfectly framed by a rainbow. (Via ShiningScience on X/Twitter)

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She'd been knocked down by a few waves before. It wasn't loads of fun, but for some reason, with Rai here, she didn't think so unkindly towards them.

Slowly exhaling, she let her feet sink lower until she found the ground, and was reminded that it had never been that far below her. standing, she shook her sopping hair so that it stuck out in all directions. "Successful first lesson, professor." She made sure to say the last with a Portuguese accent. "You know... I'm not sure id I'd have preferred to learn to swim when I was a kid, or if I like you teaching me better."

“Good job!” He took a further step back so she could be more independent, but watched her carefully all the while. “See, now if you get stuck in water, you can just do this.”

She could also swim on her back, of course, but now didn’t seem the time to try and teach her that. Better not push their luck - it was only the third date, after all. “Ai, watch the waves, linda,” he added, watching them roll in, a little larger now, the kind that were fun to jump with. “They’re kinda picking up.”

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every time someone tells me they love me, however casual it may be, it feels like the world comes to a halt for a second . someone Loves me . me ! how wonderful

[runningracingdancingchasing]

Embroidered chiffon evening dress for Queen Alexandra of Denmark

c.1910

Doeuillet, Paris, Fashion Museum of Bath

[runningracingdancingchasing]

How did a kiss so soft, so simple, take her breath away? She gazed at him as he stood up and shifted, smiling all the while. He was a wonder.

She took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It's good! Kind of exciting, but I don't want to wiggle and ruin it." She grinned brightly. "It's funny how aware I am of my body."

She was doing well. Yeah, it was a pretty simple thing, but she’d obviously never been exposed to it before. Very carefully - but smiling all the while - he leaned down, cautious not to dislodge her positioning at all, and kissed her softly, briefly. How could he not when she was looking at him like that?

After, he ensured she seemed steady and confident, then drew his fingertips away. Still close, just in case, but no longer touching her. “How’s that, querida?”

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Carefully, slowly, she allowed herself to take deep breaths, gradually realizing that, so long as her nose was above water, she could still breath. That realization made everything easier, and she smiled.

"It's like my face is a little island," she mused. She like the sensation of his fingertips, supportive, but not babying her, and not assuming she couldn't do it without him. "Hey, this isn't so hard!"

And just like that, her trust in him grew stronger. It never ceased to amaze her how much more she could trust him, day by day. He just kept proving more and more that she had nothing to fear with him.

Opening her eyes, she looked up at him and found his head haloed in sunlight, the droplets sparkling in his strands, and she was left breathless. He was even shading her face for her, so she'd have less to think about. Did he even realize it?

He was careful, attentive, noticing that she wasn’t entirely comfortable and maybe even stressed or scared. But hell if anything was gonna happen to her on his watch.

“Yeah, just like that,” he told her, raising his voice since her ears were submerged. He eased his hand away from her head ever so slightly, still maintaining contact but only with his fingertips. He was alert, ready to support her properly again if need be, but she seemed fairly steady. As long as she didn’t panic, she should be fine.

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"Right. Just like a bathtub."

She could do this. She'd done so many things in the past few years; she'd gotten on a plane for the first time and gone to a new country with no support net, she'd organized the building of buildings and the donating of time, goods, and money to various charities, she'd traveled to several countries and helped hundreds of people, she'd learned to drive, asked the best person she knew out when she wasn't at all sure that he liked her that way... What was floating on her back in the ocean?

So, she eased herself back into the water, feeling her heart race as a good 80% of her became submerged at once. As water filled her ears, she could hear her breath coming fast and forced herself to slow it down. It wouldn't do to start hyperventilating.

She could feel Rai's hand, big and warm and protective, supporting her head, and she carefully eased her limbs out into a splayed starfish position. She had no idea if she was actually floating, or if Rai was simply holding her up.

“No way,” he laughed, shaking his head. “You’re not full of evil. And you’ve got these sexy legs instead of creepy tentacles.” So saying, he reached beneath the water to give her legs a playful squeeze, then drew back again.

What was the best way to do this? He’d helped teach his siblings, but they’d been small kids. She was a full adult. Still, it was the same principle, right?

“Yeah, lie back. I’ll hold your head until you’re comfortable. I can hold you more properly if you want, but this is a better way to learn. Then sort of… estrela, you know? Most people float just like that.”

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There was something about the way he'd mentioned his dad more than once today. His initials tattooed on Rai's wrist, his somber attitude when talking about him. Rapunzel wondered if he... wasn't still around. But she didn't want to make assumptions, and she didn't want to ask. Just because she'd told him what she could about her past didn't mean he owed her the same. He'd tell her when he wanted to.

So, instead, she reacted with enthusiasm to his request. "Yeah, I wanna try! I bet I'm so good at floating that you start to think I'm a jellyfish," she teased.

She stood to her full, minuscule height and put her hands on her hips. "So, what, I just... lie down? Like in the tub? I'm gonna have to hold onto you, since there's a conspicuous absence of edges."

He righted himself again, still mostly submerged but upright. “You wanna try? It’s just…” He flushed a little, glancing away with a shrug. “I had it drilled into me so much as a kid, and with my younger brothers and sisters. ‘Learn to float before anything else, it can save your life’, Paí would say.”

This was a bit too serious, but… well, he wanted her safe. He wanted to ensure she’d be okay out here, whether he was around or not. And knowing she could safely float if need be would only improve her water confidence, right? Couldn’t be a bad thing.

“I can hold you if you want.”

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"The hottest," she assured him with absolute sincerity, topped with a flirty smile.

Rai was still brash and stubborn, but she was seeing more and more of a softer side of him. The way he looked at her, for example. Was she crazy, or was there absolute fondness in his eyes in a lot of those photos from the club?

"... Probably?" she guessed. "I've never really tried it, but I stretch out in the tub sometimes. I know it's not the same thing, but I've never felt in danger in there. I guess if you're here to pull me up if I sink, I wouldn't mind giving it a try. Besides, I like doing things because I'm scared to do them, or because I don't know how. It's the best way to challenge myself. Not that I'm scared," she added hurriedly. Maybe just a little nervous, though.

He'd said they'd work on swimming later, but floating wasn't swimming, was it?

A wuss?! He snorted, surprised at her ribbing, and pleased that she was comfortable enough to do it. Being friends first definitely helped. “Aight. You still think I’m hot though, right?” he asked with a challenging smirk up at her.

She was so sweet, talking about how it was a confidence boost, and his expression settled into something softer and fonder as she spoke. How was she so… soft? Of course, she could be tough, he knew, but there was this softness about her that was rare, especially for someone who had been through a rough childhood.

“I’m a Carioca,” he told her and would’ve shrugged if he weren’t lying in water. “… can you float like this?” The addition was thoughtful. She ought to learn that, if she didn’t know already, just for basic safety reasons.

[runningracingdancingchasing]

ʀᴀᴘᴜɴᴢᴇʟ ɪᴄᴏɴs

ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ

[runningracingdancingchasing]

She laughed at the jellyfish comment. "Pretty sure you're just a wuss," she teased right back, beaming all the while.

"Exactly!" she enthused, giving him a light splash as she watched him float. She was entranced by the way his loose curls spread out around his head in the water. The sun glistening off his wet skin was so hot, and her ears felt a little warm. "You already know how petty and weird I can be. You know what I'm like when I'm stressed out. But you decided my good was worth my bad. It's a real confidence booster, you know?"

Of course he knew. Because it was the same for him.

She kept her body low in the water, feeling the buoyancy while she watched him float, looking so peaceful. "You always did know how to relax."

“‘course you’re not. Pretty sure you’re not scared of most things,” he mused. She had, after all, been the one to take the first steps - asking him out, admitting her past, kissing him - and what had he done? Been delighted about it all and met her energy. But she was the brave one. “Hell, you’re not even scared of jellyfish, the scariest fucking thing in the world.”

He grinned at her, giving her a half-hearted splash, then eased himself to float on his back. His eyes closed, blissfully soaking up the contrast between the cool water on his back and the sun heating the skin of his front.

Her next comment had him peeking an eye open at her. “Yeah? Me too, girl. Makes this whole thing so much easier, huh?” He didn’t have to worry too much about her finding out about the worse parts of him - she already knew. She’d seen it, and she liked him anyway.

[runningracingdancingchasing]

Diva Hemerophila Moth (Hemerophila diva), family Choreutidae, found in Florida and Cuba

photograph by Chris Rorabaugh

[runningracingdancingchasing]

So, he did want to teach her! That just enamored her to him all the more!

"I mean, it's not like I'm scared of the water," she assured him. "Otherwise I wouldn't be in here at all." So saying, she took a deep breath and ducked under, surfacing again a moment later with a gasp as though she'd been under for ages, and pushed the water out of her face. "Plus, people are more buoyant in salt water than fresh water, so the ocean will be a great place for me to learn!"

It occurred to her that this was the first date they'd gone on where she hadn't worn makeup or done her hair. And then it occurred to her that it wasn't as if he hadn't seen her without makeup or styled hair before. She actually rarely bothered, only doing so when she wanted to look particularly good.

Tilting her head, she grinned at him. "You know, I'm really glad we've been friends so long. We already know each other so much better than just casual people who decide to go on a date."

Man, she’d really messed with his head, but in only the best way. His thoughts were now forever full of her, and all his self control went into not kissing her or touching her or inviting her home with him. It was ridiculous. And hell, the most unfamiliar part of all this was that he knew he’d still have an amazing time with her even if there was nothing physical about it at all.

As she lowered herself into the water too, he resisted the urge to reach for her, but moved a little further out. Not so far that she’d have any trouble standing up, but far enough that he didn’t have to crouch quite so much to stay mostly submerged.

“We’ll get you there. Not today. But we will.” It was only their third date - he didn’t wanna get caught up in teaching her to swim and risk them getting frustrated with each other. No, save that for later. The first few dates were all about fun, right?

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She'd never get enough of him. Never, ever, ever. Nothing in her life had compared to this before, and despite forgetting her entire childhood, she knew this for a fact. She wouldn't have wanted to forget something like this, and would have found a way not to.

The way he kissed her now had her head spinning, even though it wasn't the most passionate of kisses. It wasn't the intense kissing from last night. But it spoke volumes, and she heard it loud and clear, especially in conjunction with the way he was touching her. And he had the sense of humor to fake-insult her in the midst of it.

And then, he was gone, a small wave of water splashing her as he fell backward. She grinned right back at him, and though she wasn't nearly so dramatic, she lowered herself in the water, comfortable that she could stand up if she needed to.

"That looked like fun. I definitely need to learn to swim."

It hit him, then, how wonderful she was. They’d started off so poorly, but had each given each other another chance, become friends, and she’d had the nerve to ask him out. She was playful and kind and had been brave enough to share her unknown past with him last night. She’d said sexy, amazing things to him, kissed him like he was the best thing in the world, and now here she was at the beach, splashing him and teasing him and…

Wow.

He drew her closer, kissing her soundly once more, hands stroking over her face, then hips, humming his appreciation against her lips. “Okay, dumbass. My surf,” he murmured without drawing back.

Mostly to try and distract himself from wanting to kiss her far too inappropriately for a public beach, he released his grip on her and let himself fall backwards into the water with a splash. He emerged, grinning, sweeping his wet hair out of his face and laughing at the face that he’d managed to splash water all over her with the fall.

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I have never seen anything like this

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"Has it only been four days?" she mused. But he was absolutely right. She'd been in tears over the idea of never seeing him again, and if she hadn't screwed together the courage to finally just ask him out, she might already have her next project and be packing her house up.

She wondered how long they could get away with seeing each other every day like this. He was bound to get sick of her soon, she was pretty sure. Not as in 'stop dating her altogether' sick of her, just... needing his space. And she respected that, because she'd need it, too.

But for now, she was basking in his company, soaking up every touch, every smile, every kiss, every bit of attention she got from him. And god, she wanted him, and she knew the feeling was mutual. She wondered when that 'soon' would be. Sooner, rather than later, if she had any say about it.

"Wait, did you say I'm on your turf? I figured I was on your surf," she grinned at her horrible pun.

Her laughter made his grin widen. She was so fun. He loved that she’d wanted to see him again today, that they couldn’t seem to stop dating every single day, and that they kept having so much fun together each time.

The way she was looking at him was amazing and he swallowed hard, gazing right back at her. She was stunning. The sunlight brightened up her eyes and the green of her bikini brought out the colour all the more. He kissed her back, stroking her cheek, tongue brushing lightly against her lower lip.

When he drew back, he brushed his thumb over her lips and simply gazed at her for a few moments. “… can’t believe four days ago was so different than now…” Four days ago, they’d both thought that she was on the verge of leaving, and neither of them knew for sure whether the other was into them. And now here they were on date number three, kissing in the ocean.