#( thank you so much i love lesbians ) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

skrunksthatwunk · 1 year ago

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you go to a lesbian blog and find it says women only!! no men allowed!!! and go oh! excuse me, um, what about other lesbians? plenty of lesbians are genderqueer... and they go well, okay, go fuck yourself tim chop off your sweaty dick and stop calling yourself a lesbian. you do not have a dick, actually. you think about that fact often, even though it does you no good. you do not tell this person that.

you go to another lesbian blog and it says women only and you try again, and this time they change it to wlw + nblw only (non-men who love non-men :D). and you'll say hey i appreciate that but gender's not really that cut and dry for a lot of people. someone could be both a man and nonbinary, for instance. i just worry that you're looking at nonbinary as a generic third gender, or an extension of womanhood. i mean yeah you include nblw in your tags but all your posts are about pussy-havers exclusively. what's with that? and they say go fuck yourself you pervy man pretending to be a lesbian. you tried to sneak in but i won't let you.

so you go to a lesbian blog with a dozen or so posts about queer people needing to be more weird about it and you sigh in relief. but you still see the men dni. that's odd. hoping for the best, you say hey! i know you mean well but please maybe don't put men dni at the end of the lovely posts on your lesbian blog bc some lesbians are men. and they'll be like ok!! well you're allowed ;) and you say no that's not. no. some men are lesbians not just me. you think about your own dicklessness and wonder if that's why you were given entry. and you add that even if male lesbians are allowed, there's no indication of that. how would anyone know without asking? and they're like ohh gotcha gotcha well men dni + this is for sapphics only!! and you'll be like ok well that treats the concepts of men and sapphics as mutually exclusive identities and i just told you that's not true and you agreed with me so.. i don't think that solves our problem. and they're like. ok. fine. men dni but genderfluid and multigender people are allowed! and you're like no see that's. that's still the same thing.. you're saying the same thing just with different words. if you don't want men to interact but you're fine with multigender/genderfluid/etc ppl interacting then you either don't see them as Real Men (because they don't reach a standard of Full Manhood) or Complete Men (because they're only Part-Time Men), both of which suggest that they are, in some way, not men or less-than men, which is invalidating and defeats the point of the exception in the first place (accommodation) OR that you don't really mean the dni which is confusing and inconsistent and makes guydykes feel weird and uncomfortable and excluded from the lesbian space you're trying to cultivate. and they're like um. ok. so. cishet men dni? and you're like well i think that makes more sense, but what if someone identifies as both a cishet man and a sapphic? again, if we're trying to accommodate the genderfucky populace then that has to be a possibility that is considered. and they say god you people are never happy. what do you want me to do? what am i supposed to say to keep the right men out? and you pause. you empathize with the need for a space free from dudes trying to fuck you straight and feminine. dudes who watch lesbian porn and joke about what they'd do if they were allowed into girls locker rooms. who look at you like a piece of meat, and like someone who looks at women like pieces of meat in the same way he does. you get it. you know. you want a space where you can be sapphic, too. that's why you came to these blogs in the first place. you brace yourself and you say well i don't know that there are "right men" to keep out. i don't know that there's any single label that would accomplish whatever it is you're trying to accomplish. you could go for "sapphics only" or "queers only" and i think that might be the closest thing to what you want, but it's never going to be perfect. creating any exclusive space is going to shut out people you didn't account for, and the broader the label, the more people will be shut out that you didn't want to shut out. and what about people who don't know if they're allowed? what of questioning transbians, where are they supposed to go? and, frankly, i think i might rather my dykey posts get read and appreciated by a gay guy who sees me as a man than a woman who only sees me as a sacred womb, pure from male perversions or violence or whatever. i think community might just be more complex than a dni can handle. and they look at you and say i don't want to not have a dni. i think you're too permissive. you can't just "what about" or microlabel your way into everything. go fuck yourself, i bet you're not even a lesbian anyway. go find a real problem to get mad about.

you go to a lesbian blog. you ignore the men dni because you know you probably don't even count to them. or maybe you do count and, out of respect for your manhood, they'd shun you accordingly. you try to feel okay about that. you scroll past dozens of posts about mediocre men and gagging at straight friends' boyfriends and how gross and undeserving men are of the beautiful women they couple up with and how all women should be gay so they can get treated right and and and and and. you finally find a post about curling into someone you love and feeling at peace and try to lose yourself in it. you know that feeling is what unites you, what makes you belong. you try to focus on it. you think about carding your hands through a butch's hair or lacing fingers with a femme and feeling warm and loved and more yourself than you ever have before. like this is who you're meant to be. you read about lesboys and butch boytoys and genderfucky dykes and big hairy deep-voiced wonderful women (like you want to be someday, like you wish you could make yourself) and you try to ignore the men dni underneath each and every post. and you daydream about meeting someone kind and earnest at a lesbian bar even though you don't think any such bars exist within three states of you and you can't drink and don't want to drink because you need to be in control of yourself at all times so you don't fuck up like you're always about to and here in the nonexistent lesbian bar you feel wanted and safe and in good company. you picture your ideal, happiest self. it is a mistake. ideal-you has a goatee. not the mascara one you smear on and call drag even though you know it's not drag, not really, the beard you call drag because you think everyone would look at you sadly if you told them it was just to pretend you had something out of your reach. a beard that's soft and that you grew and that cannot be smudged away if you get too comfortable with it. the dream shatters. your people pull away from you, their scoffs mixing with the mind-numbing gay girl bedroom pop you learned to settle for just to have something that almost resembled you, they all pull away and turn their backs and do not look at you. you're too close to being a man now, even though you're the same amount of man as before. and they know you're not supposed to interact with men, not as you would with dykes, at least. and it sours. it's all your imagination, all in your head, but it sours.

you sigh. you think about how small you are. how short, how narrow, how feeble. how your voice pitches up when you talk to strangers because it's easier to speak quietly when it carries more, and because you're nervous. because it's a chore to talk, like everything is. you think about testosterone. you think about how your family would look at you, the questions they would ask, your answers they would only pretend to accept. the uncomfortable glances and whispered questions they'd try to hide from you. you think about how small you are, and how small you will always be. how you don't know of a way to fix it, but even if there was one, no one would want you anymore. you'd be the only one thinking it made you a cooler dyke. you think about how you don't even want a T-voice all the time, how you'll never be able to switch it at will, because you don't know how and can't bring yourself to figure it out. you think about how your throat closes around every hint of your own attraction. how wanting is perverse, how wanting is invasive, how wanting is embarrassing and too vulnerable so it must stay anonymous, as an online witness, and how you can barely manage to form or maintain friendships because your brain makes you pull away, always spinning out and struggling to recover from the simplest of interactions. how they'll all leave you and you won't chase after them at all and how that will hurt them. how stuck you get. how it looks like nothing's holding you back, how that frustrates everyone who thought you were going to be more than you were. the people you love who understand except when it comes to being ghosted, being shut out. how you don't want to hurt them. how you can't tell them that because you're stuck. how you turn to stone when touched, how you never reach out, how you lose your speech and can't look at people, how your autism is fun and sexy until it becomes real and you never see them anymore, how much you longed for someone who knew everything without you having to explain, and who loved you anyway. how unreasonable you know that is to expect of anyone. you think about that not-even-real lesbian bar. you think about how you still can't drive. how you can't leave your home on your own, without dragging somebody into helping you. how you can't leave your body. how you can't leave your manhood behind.

you think about finding another lesbian blog and ignoring everything. about skimming it for the parts you can juice some meaning from. the parts men ignore and don't understand, and how typical of you it is to do so. or the parts where you're not welcome and you should accept that, because it's for lesbians only. how you are a lesbian anyway. how you're meant to choose lesbian or man, how each is a betrayal of some kind to yourself or your people, your family, your lovely strangers, your rare friendly acquaintances. about the parts that tell you you're not wanted, that you're ugly and lazy and gross and insert yourself everywhere without even asking. about the parts that tell you you are hated, and how lesbians are above it all by rejecting men. how lesbians are each blessed miracles. about the parts that say you should be ashamed of being whatever twisted confused freak you are, of everything, of looking and wanting or not looking or not wanting, of picking and choosing instead of taking it all in with a smile. after all, shouldn't you take it? or is your ego too fragile, as men's so often are? aren't you tired? good. we're not here for your consumption. and we sure as hell don't want your company or "community" or whatever. didn't you read the sign? no boys allowed. and if you want to come in you have to make up your mind. as if you haven't told them the only answer you have. you're both. you're both.

you know you broke the rule by interacting.

but it gets lonely sometimes. you wonder if they know.

#before i maybe get yelled at:#1) no i do not think ppl are evil for having men dnis no i do not think these are all equal transgressions even #though there is an overlap that should be examined that i think is based in a degree of lesbian separatism + exclusionism #2) yes there are lesbian blogs and people that are cool about genderfucky people. i'm not talking about them #3) this is a stylized vent post about trying to find lesbian content on tumblr that isn't like this. all these dnis/rules are ones i have #encountered. no i do not literally tell these people to change their dnis to suit me. the conversations are symbolic and ideological in #nature. if i find a blog with men dni i generally go somewhere else. it's about emotions. it's about my feelings on that it's not literally #about dming someone demanding they change things. it's not about demanding that You change things or else you're a bad person.#4) it is about the conflicts and hypocrisy and inconsistency of strict and exclusive sexuality labels persisting in gender-diverse spaces #and how it affects me as a lesbian who is a man who is a woman who is fucking whatever else. and yes it is about transphobia too.#5) it's about how lesbians feel the need to exclude men and how i think efforts to do so fail and hurt ppl and are often misguided #tht i think also comes up in like. bi lesbian/mspec lesbian/gaybian discourse. i'm not any of those myself but it seems like there's overla #6) if this post seems whiny and sad and insecure that's because it probably is. i have a right to be all of those things.#7) no i do not think all lesbians are man-hating assholes. i am a lesbian. i love lesbians. i love dykes and most of them are fantastic ppl #i just think the general bullshit of the world leads to this defensive thing that ends up hurting others in our community y'know?#8) i get that my perspective/experience is a bit unusual and many lovely ppl haven't considered it. that's part of why i'm sharing this #nyarla dni #<- sorry man it's too vulnerable. gonna keep this one to the internet-only folks #adding this wayy later but a crucial part of the experience i Almost talked about it this but never explicitly did was that like #the measures ppl take to 'defend against men' are often deeply transmisogynistic as well. obviously #and when i see that it hurts me too. not that it hits me the same way when strangers assume im a trans woman and hate me for it #but it doesn't feel good to see transphobia at all. i focused on how that relates to other kinds of transphobia #namely transandrophobia here but like. it's all connected. lesbain separatism + exclusionism relies on both and they aren't always #distinct experiences. ime. anyway trans ppl i love all of you forever #i just thought me writing “*turns to the camera* and trans women exp this too.' wouldve been too much even for this post #i figured the audience would like. know that. and so far it hasn't been an issue. i have not been yelled at thanks guys 🫶

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bears-ao3-blog · 2 months ago

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I loved to befriend a dove so much, I saw that the final chapter got posted while I was at work and just had to read the whole thing at my desk! Since you're taking requests I am also a huge lesbian, with a love for femfortress butch lesbian Sniper. A genderswapped sniperscout drabble with a butch Sniper who has the same well crafted personality as your guy Sniper in befriend a dove would be amazing. <3

Secretly Simple (AU: Fem Fortress) - Requested by Anon

It was a quiet evening, with most of the crew already tucking in for bed. As for Scout and Sniper, they were enjoying the crisp late-day air as they attended to their hobbies. Sniper was fixing up a rather dull kukri, and Scout was babbling on about whatever matters may cross her mind, the assassin beside her idly listening as she applied honing oil to her stone and resumed the quiet scraping of metal on grit. Scout suddenly stopped rambling for a moment before she spoke once more in a musing manner.

"'Ey, Mickie? We should, like, go on a date or somethin'."

Sniper pulled away from sharpening the blade to eye Scout with a cocked brow, obviously confused. She tilted her slightly as she replied.

"Aren't we datin' already?"

Scout threw her hands up, clearly exasperated at not being fully understood.

"Yes, we are, and yet we haven’t gone on a single date."

Sniper picked up where she left off with a soft hum, the shrill scrape of metal sounding behind her words as she spoke in a murmur.

"We've gone 'n plenty dates. We wen' stargazin' that one time, an' before then we had that late-night bonfire."

Scout gave her an unamused glare, her own brow raising.

"We weren't together den, but nice try. C'moonnnn! It'll be fun! I can plan it an' everythin'! You don’t gotta worry about nothin', doll, trust me."

Sniper paused, shifting to face the other in her chair, brows furrowed, scepticalness lacing her eyes as she argued back.

"'Ey now, shouldn't I be plannin' it?"

Scout pondered it for a moment. Sniper seemed to always take the reins in the relationship, using her affinity for dressing and acting more masculine as an excuse and explanation.

"No, no, let me 'andle it."

"You don't have to do nothin', 'roo, I've got it."

"Just sit there an' look pretty, luv."

Waves of frustration and stubbornness washed over Scout the more she thought about it. She could step up, too! Did Sniper think she wouldn’t be any good at it or something? Screw that! She totally could be! Scout suddenly turned back with a determination in her eyes.

"Nope. Dis time I gots it all under control, an' you get to sit an' look pretty."

She emphasized her last sentence with an eyebrow wiggle, and Sniper's eyes widened for a moment before she scowled, turning away with red cheeks. The markswoman seemed to think about it herself for a moment before sighing.

"Fine. When ya thinkin'?"

The speedster shifted in position so her knee held her head, and she tapped the bottom of her chin lightly as she hummed contemplatively. Sniper looked at her expectantly with a tilted head. Scout glanced over to see her boring eyes and quickly looked away. When she snuck another glance and Sniper's gaze was still there, her face pinched in slight irritation at being rushed.

"I'll let ya freakin' know, alright? I still gotta actually plan da thing, jeez."

Sniper let a small smile slip, making Scout frown deeper, feeling patronized. Her sour mood was quickly lifted, though, as Sniper leaned over the side-by-side arm rests of their chairs to plant a gentle kiss to her forehead. Sniper pulled back, the smile remaining, looking lovingly into Scout's wide eyes, the runner's cheeks burning and chest squeezing at the sight.

"Lookin' forward to it, luv."

Ok. It's official. This date's gotta be awesome. No room for error.

...how the hell do you plan a date? Scout's little experience she had with them were with guys, and they usually did all the planning. She just had to show up when and where they told her to. Scout felt a twinge of nervousness firmly tug at her.

Aw, jeez. She needed help. Bad.

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

Engineer was her first choice for advice, simply because that's who she always went to for advice. She was right outside the base the next day, banging away at her newest teleporter prototype with her wrench with loud, grating clanks. Scout scurried up to her with a bright, almost excited smile. Engineer smiled back.

"Well hey there, pumpkin! How are ya?"

"Good, real good, Engie. Hey, uhh...I wanna plan a date for Snipes, but I don't gotta clue how I'm s'pposta go about it. An' I mean, you know everythin' about everythin'! Sooo...do ya maybe have any ideas?"

Any hope for help on the inventor's part was swiftly squashed when Engineer's face scrunched in mild discomfort at the mention of "date". Scout's bright-eyed expression quickly fell as Engineer cringed. The older woman spoke gingerly, obviously feeling guilty about it.

"Ah, I'm sorry Scout, but I've got no experience in that department. Gimme a gadget ta fix and I'll get it done in two shakes, but romance? Ehh...not my strong suit."

Scout slumped in her posture and Engineer gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"There's plenty other gals who'll help ya out 'round here! Just gotta ask around."

Scout sighed, obviously disappointed, but her determination quickly won over and she perked back up, nodding.

"You're right. I'm gonna go, see ya later, Engie!"

"Cya, sugar!"

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

Duh, of course Heavy and Medic were the right ones to go to! They were the only other gay couple – that she was aware of – on the team. So, when she waltzed into the Medical Bay, expecting all of her problems to be solved by the end of their conversation, it was quite the disappointment when it, in fact, did not play out as she was expecting.

"Guys, I need help takin' Snipes out on a date, what- Oh sweet Jesus-."

The couple was knee-deep in a conversation while Medic was elbows-deep in Heavy's torso, rummaging through her organs, the doctor's red gloves shining with the much darker red of blood, and Scout swiftly turned around as nausea stirred within her. Scout heard an annoyed huff from the medical practitioner.

"Fräulein, it is qvite rude to barge into someone's quarters vithout making yourself known first."

Scout waved back dismissively with one hand, the other covering her mouth to stave off the bile that had risen up her throat as she made a uncomfortable noise. She cringed, swallowing, before taking a moment to pull herself together and turn around, much more prepared for the sight, though it didn't make her gut churn any less. Her eyes landed on a very unamused looking Medic and a slightly sheepish looking Heavy. Medic's face suddenly fell as if she made a realization, before it lit up brightly.

"Vait, vhat was that about you und Frau Sniper? A date? Oh, how exciting!"

Heavy also seemed to brighten at the mention and she perked up a little bit, the shift in her position making a small stream of blood spurt out of her abdominal cavity.

"A date, you say?"

Scout turned her head away at the sight in disgust, and Medic scolded Heavy in a hushed voice for moving.

"Ach, do not viggle, Süße!"

"Ой! My apologies, Doktor."

"Qvite alright, just...try to be more still, ja?"

Scout gingerly turned back, desperately averting her gaze from Heavy's open stomach and chest.

"So, uh...date? Advice? It's gotta be good."

Medic hummed contemplatively as she continued rummaging through Heavy's innards with an awful squelch of gloves and organs.

"Vell, me und Heavy do not go on dates very often. Zis is our idea of dates, now zat I sink about it. Isn't that right, Heavy?"

"Is true. Nice for us, но...perhaps not for you and Sniper."

Scout eyed them with a mix of disbelief and frustration.

"Uh, yeah not for me an' Snipes! Damnit...what do I do?"

Heavy spoke up this time, her voice straining after a particularly painful tug from Medic.

"I vould not recommend the Soldier for advice, I feel I do not need to explain why. ...Or Demowoman, she would not be much help either. Perhaps Spy?"

Scout's face scrunched at the idea, scoffing in disbelief.

"Uh. Yeah, not happenin'. I don't wanna talk ta dat old hag, ya kiddin'?"

Both Medic and Heavy side-eyed each other and Scout slightly dipped her head in confusion.

"...what?"

Medic ignored the question, resuming her exploration of the gorefest below her.

"Vell, she is your last option. It iz up to you if you vish to give her a chance."

Scout's scowl faltered slightly. Medic did have a point. She would be shit at planning the date on her own...maybe she really did need to talk to Spy... Man, this was gonna suck. Scout groaned, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation, before dropping her head to pout at the two older women.

"Lotta help you two were...I guess I'm gonna go. Have fun..., uhh, wit that, I guess."

"Goodbye, leetle lady."

"Auf Wiedersehen!"

Scout offered a lazy throw of her hand as a wave goodbye as she pushed through the Medical Bay doors, feeling disheartened. She could already feel her pride shriveling into a sad raisin at the thought of asking Spy for help. God, what was she becoming? She trudged through the hallways begrudgingly before she finally found herself standing in front of Spy's stupid fancy door, the scent of cigarette smoke wafting through the crack and making the runner scowl in disgust. She lifted her hand, every part of her yelling at her not to, but pushed past it as she gingerly knocked. She could hear the clacking of Spy's obnoxiously tall stiletto boots before the door opened to reveal the older woman herself, glaring down at Scout with a cocked brow.

"You? What do you want?"

The immediate sass made Scout burn with anger and it took every ounce of her willpower, plus a slow, steamy breath through the nose, to withhold herself from yelling in the lady's face and storming off. She took another deep breath in before murmuring.

"...I need help."

Spy eyed her skeptically, her lip curling in distaste of the other woman's presence.

"And zat would be because...?"

Scout huffed, crossing her arms in a defensive manner.

"I wanna take Snipes out, but I...don'reallyknowhat'mdoin'."

Spy's brow raised further at the sheepish mumble and, despite making perfect sense of it, leaned in slightly, a smirk raising a corner of her mouth.

"I'm sorry?"

Scout gritted her teeth, shoulders rising as she fought the urge to deck this hag, and she took another composing breath.

"I don’t. Know. What. I'm doin'."

Spy's smug smile grew before she put on a neutral, prim expression, her head tilting slightly up as she readjusted her shades.

"But of course! Why didn’t you say so sooner?"

She then turned and walked back into her smoking room, leaving Scout to watch with an open mouth, completely baffled at how quickly she agreed. What the hell? She was half expecting the woman to tell her to fuck off.

"Uhh...ok?"

Scout was left to awkwardly stand as Spy sat down in her lounge chair, grabbing the cigarette she had left on her ashtray and taking a slow drag. Scout looked around, unsure what to do as a slow plume of smoke left the sleuth's mouth before she spoke.

"Uhh...ya gonna help me or what?"

Spy hummed, like she was considering it or something, and then opened her mouth with a small click of her tongue.

"Perhaps. But I do not know much about ze bushwoman. I am going to need some information on your part before I can offer any advice."

She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, obviously awaiting Scout's response. The runner puffed out her cheeks and rocked on her heels in an attempt to stave off any churning feelings of awkwardness as she thought about it real hard. The return of Spy's cocked brow did not do her any good on the matter.

"Uhhh...she likes shootin', but dat's obvious. She's real outdoorsy, so like campin' or huntin' or goin' on hikes n' stuff. She's also into cookin, 'specially 'round a campfire. She likes peace n' quiet, so she's real into stargazin' or just sittin' around an' enjoyin' the view around her...so maybe a hike up to a nice spot? And we can have a little bonfire picnic!"

The more Scout spoke, the more confidence flowed into her as all the knowledge of her girlfriend spun through her brain and out of her mouth. Her eyes shone brightly and a smile slowly made its way onto her face by the time she was done speaking. It quickly fell into quiet shock when she looked back up to see Spy looking at her with her own smile.

"...I sink my work here iz done."

Scout gawked at her, sputtering a few noises of disbelief before finally getting her words out.

"You- you- you didn't even do anythin'!"

Spy sighed, grabbing her glass of wine that had been awaiting patiently for her on her side table and swirled it around before taking a slow sip. She pulled the glass away from her lips and lightly smacked them, savoring the flavor before she finally decided to reply in a cold, neutral manner.

"Exactly. Your self-doubt cripples you, Scout. You just needed to realize so. You can plan a date for her own your own just fine."

"...oh."

"Indeed. Well, off you go, I have important business to attend to."

Spy waved her off, and Scout's face fell, an unamused expression replacing her shock.

"What, ya mean drinking wine and looking atcha fashion magazines?"

Spy scowled at her, any softness she would have felt towards the runner disappearing as swiftly as she herself does for a living.

"Insolent brat. Goodbye."

Scout sighed, approaching the door with a petulant gait.

"Yeah, yeah, whateva."

The speedster stopped at the doorway though, making Spy raise her head to look over at her questioningly. Scout suddenly looked much more sheepish than she had just a second ago. The Bostonian spoke quietly before quickly shutting the door and speed-walking off.

"...thanks."

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

It was only days later that Scout popped by the camper looking oddly cheery, decked out in hiking gear and a big grin on her face. Sniper tilted her head, eyes looking up and down Scout's figure.

"What's with the getup?"

"Cmon, Mickie. We're goin on our date!"

Sniper perked up a bit, excitement shining in her eyes and a small smile tracing her lips.

"Are we hikin'?"

"We sure are, toots. An' grab your grill! I'll wait outside while ya get ready."

Sniper chuckled, leaning out of the door and down while reaching out to grab Scout's shirt, tugging her into a kiss. Their lips parted with a smack and Sniper mumbled a:

"Just a tick, luv."

and Scout watched with a red face as the door shut in front of her. She let out a slow breath that turned into an ill-stifled squeal. She was pumped. She got this in the bag! This was gonna be the best freaking date Sniper had ever gone on in her life!

It was only a few short minutes before Sniper came out in her own hiking gear, slipping her rucksack on and hopping to the ground, shutting the door behind her. Scout jumped up from the relaxed leaning she had been doing, waiting for her girlfriend, and immediately grabbed Sniper by the hand, dragging her to the passenger side of the campervan. Sniper's smile fell into a skeptical look as she eyed the door.

"You're drivin'?"

Scout cocked her head, putting a hand on her hip and shifting her weight into one leg.

"Uhh, yeah? An' what of it?"

Sniper looked at the campervan and back at Scout before shrugging and hopping into the passenger's side.

"Nothin'. Key's in the ignition."

"I know it is!"

Scout quickly jogged around to open the driver's door and slide in. She grabbed the wheel and looked over at Sniper with an elated grin.

"Ya ready?"

Sniper matched her grin, making Scout's pulse quicken and cheeks warm. She didn’t get to see her smile like that often but damn did it make her happy when she did. This was off to a good, good start. Scout's chest squeezed in excitement as she turned the key, shifted to drive, and off they were.

It was about 5 minutes into their drive before Scout looked over at a very relaxed-looking Sniper, a content smile on her face as they were jostled slightly by the bumps of the road.

"Ya not gonna ask me where we're headed?"

Sniper looked over with a questioning look before humming.

"You're jus' gonna tell me it's a surprise, aren't ya?"

Scout pouted at her, her puppy dog eyes making Sniper sigh, acquiescing to the silent plead.

"Where are we headed?"

"Can't tell ya, it's a surprise."

Sniper sighed, rolling her eyes with a small smile. Scout giggled, returning her attention to the road.

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

They drove a couple hours over, the nearest, albeit short, mountain slowly coming into view. They made their way over to it, trailing up a few miles of winding road before Scout pulled over near a sign on the side that simply read "hiking trail". It was a mildly chilly day, which Scout knew Sniper enjoyed the most for weather on a hike. Scout hopped out, eagerly running around to open Sniper's door for her. Sniper chuckled quietly as Scout stuck out a hand in a gentlewomanly manner, bending slightly with an arm resting against her back.

"My lady."

Sniper took the hand offered and stepped out, nodding her head politely.

"Why thank you."

They both giggled together as Sniper shut the door behind her, and Scout quickly used the hand she had taken to drag Sniper excitedly towards the trail.

"C'mon, c'mon! Ya gonna love dis!"

Sniper let herself be dragged, smiling at the other softly. She honestly wasn't expecting much out of Scout – not necessarily in a bad way, of course – she just didn't think Scout would have put all this effort into something like planning a date for her. It made the markswoman's diaphragm tighten and head buzz at the implication that Scout would work so hard to please her.

The trail was beautiful. Scenic but quiet, as it seems no one else was occupying it at the time. Scout kept looking around and nudging Sniper to look at things that caught her attention. There were two squirrels playing, darting between and up and around trees, chittering to each other. There was a nest of birds, the soft chirping of chicks making Scout coo and aww over them as they passed by. There was a quiet moment between the two and an elk a distance away, the animal lifting its head to gaze at the couple before walking off calmly. That made Sniper's breath catch in her throat, letting it out once the elk had disappeared amongst the brush. It made Scout grin like an idiot.

When they finally reached the peak of the hike, there was a clearing to overlook all the terrain required to travel through to get to the peak, and as Sniper admired the view with wide, seeking eyes, Scout laid out a thick blanket and pulled out strips of meat, vegetables, and ingredients for smores, along with various cooking supplies. When Sniper was satisfied with the beautiful sight before her, she was surprised to see the set-up waiting behind her. Scout smirked at the look of mild shock.

"Ya brotcha grill like I asked?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, bring it 'ere, toots!"

Sniper smiled sweetly, walking over and plopping next to the other woman, tugging her rucksack off to rummage through it, pulling out the small grill she had packed. She was about to get up to set up and light the fire, but Scout placed a firm hand on her shoulder to prevent her from doing so, mumbling a:

"Nah, nah, I gots it-"

and getting up to do it herself.

Soon, they were cooking up some foil dinners, laughing and joking, and before they knew it the sun was dipping below the horizon and making way for billions of tiny, sparkling pinpricks in the sky. Scout whipped them up some smores with an impressive proficiency. They snacked on the sweet treats as they leaned back to gaze at the sky. Sniper sighed, her heart feeling feather-weight but swollen as she looked over at her partner, the runner smiling as bright as the fire flickering across her face. Scout turned as well, the intense, loving expression on Sniper's face making her breath hitch.

"Um, Snipes? What's up?"

Sniper smiled.

"Bloody hell, I don' know what I did ta deserve this. Deserve you."

Scout smiled wider, leaning over to kiss Sniper slow and sweet. She pulled away only a short distance to mutter.

"Y'deserve this an' more, silly. All for you."

They knocked their foreheads together, giggling quietly.

Safe to say, the date was awesome. And Scout couldn’t wait for the next one. She had a feeling Sniper couldn't either.

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