#I need to get sunscreen and bug spray and figure out what to take for breakfast and lunches

[girlscience]

EXTREMELY UNPREPARED FIELDWORK AAAAA

[penvisions]

coffee and candor {one shot}

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Reader

Summary: Frankie picks you up for date number three and he's got it all planned out. Unfortunately, you're a little out of your depth with what he has in mind...

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: insecurities, frankie being excited and adorable gets it's own warning, competence kink, kissing, matching clothing, this is so fluffy and soft, um i think that's it tbh

A/N: while i'm still taking a short break from regular fic updates, this was a commission by the lovely @whocaresstillthelouvre. the prompt was 'nervous frankie x not outdoorsy! reader go on a hike early in their relationship'. i rather like how this turned out! i am still taking commissions even if i'm not working on wips at the moment. anything helps, please check out this post and this post to know more about what's goin' on in my lil corner. no pressure all all lovelies, i know things are tough for everyone! love y'll and hope the day is good to you ♡♡

ao3 link || navigation || main masterlist || ko-fi

Body tingling with anticipation, you wait on for the rumble of a truck engine to round the corner. You were nervous, this is only your third date with the man you had met by chance at a coffee shop. A mix up of to go cups and you found yourself placating a very tired and embarrassed Frankie Morales.

He had picked up your drink by mistake. But if you were honest, it was totally okay that you had to wait an extra few moments to get it remade before you blipped off to work, because it gave you the chance to chat with him and scrawl your phone number onto the cup that was supposed to be yours. His kind smile motivating you to be a little bolder than you normally would.

The truck does indeed rumble around the corner and within minutes you’re sat in the passenger seat with the radio playing low and cruising down the highway.

“So what did you plan for us today? The truck looks suspiciously empty.” You eyed the cooler sitting in the extended cab, lid propped open and empty. Then the simplistic backpack beside it, it was always in the foot space between the two front seats. Frankie had admitted to you that it helped to ground him to know he had essentials within reach at all times, just in case. You hadn’t pushed for more of an explanation, knowing he had faced more than a few situations he felt less than prepared for.

But the rite in the rain notebook with the matching pen he had in his pocket along with his wallet at all times told you he was good at preparing for anything within reason. The situations he faced out of his control had not been shared with you quite yet but you would be content if they weren’t, only wanting for him to tell you if he was comfortable enough to do so.

With pink tinged ears he turns to you with a lopsided smile.

“The pack has everything we need, don’t you worry your pretty little head.”

“Not worried, just curious.” Your tongue peeks out from between your teeth and you see the way his adam’s apple bobs in response. His eyes snap back to the road and you feel a giddy sense of satisfaction at having flustered him a bit. He’d been the perfect gentlemen, his large hands only skimming around your body to lead you through doors, a tentative palm on your thigh as you sit beside him. No kissing, at least not yet. You were hoping today would be the day.

“I figured we would get out of the city a bit, go on a hike. It’s a really short one, only a few miles. Not too bad of an elevation gain, cleared out of poison oak, leads to a view I really think you’ll like. It’s an easy looped hike, so I figured we’d have a bite to eat at the midpoint. I packed up some snacks too, plenty of water. Even got some bugs spray and sunscreen.”

He rambled on, excitement obvious as he detailed the plan for the day, his face lighting up in the most endearing way. He was totally in his element and you….you were not. When you didn’t quip back immediately, he loosened a curled fist from around the steering wheel and reached for your thigh.

“That okay?” He jostled you slightly, worry seeping into his voice.

“Oh, um, y-yes.” You tried to muster up a smile, but it paled in comparison to the one he had only moments ago.

“I knew I should’ve run the idea by you. You don’t seem as excited now,” His bottom lip was taken between his teeth, worrying the skin of it as he regarded your profile. The slight furrow to your brow, the way your hands were wound around the flaps of your open overshirt. You had picked out a tank top and shorts outfit, tossing on casual button up over it, not sure what he had planned initially.

The first date had been coffee: to make up for him stealing yours. He had been nervous, his energy spiking and waning as he admitted he didn’t do this often. Date. Get random phone numbers. Have a lot of free time. He was a dad, to a bouncy and energetic seven-year-old. Nothing to worry about on the baby momma front, she wasn’t a part of the picture. A story you didn’t push on either, just making it as comfortable as possible between you two for him to want to tell you.

The second date had been dinner, with him in an ironed outfit and you in a slinky dress. It had been so much fun, the excitement obvious as you both hoped for another chance to see each other.

And now, the third: a hike.

You did not hike. You didn’t do anything considered outdoorsy if you were being completely honest. You were a lazy, take the day off to look through thrift shops kind of person. A curl up on the couch with a cup of steaming coffee or a cocktail and a book kind of person.

“Hey,” He breathed, soft brown eyes watching the way you had closed up. “It’s okay. We don’t have to, I promise I won’t be mad.”

“You’re so excited, though.” You move a hand to tangle your fingers with is, hand still on your thigh. Your stomach flutters, his skin is calloused and warm.

“I get excited about spending time with you, hermosa. It doesn’t matter what we do.”

“I want to do the hike.” You insist, wanting him to go back to the enthusiastic way he had talked about his plans.

“Please don’t feel like you have-“

“I don’t feel like I have to, Frankie, I want to. Because you want to. Simple.” You squeeze his hand in yours, placating him along with a soft smile.

“Simple.” With a lopsided grin and a press of his lips to your knuckles, the tension eases.

Gravel crunched underneath the tired of the truck as Frankie maneuvers off the secluded highway. Tall trees and various shades of green surround you. You both sat and listened to the clinking of the engine cooling down, taking a moment to breathe in the pine and cedar.

“I, uh, got you something.” He huffed a little as he reached for the back and hauled it into his lap.

“You didn’t have to- oh my gosh!” It was a hat, a baseball cap just like the one atop his head. Dark navy blue, emblazoned with a ‘standard heating oil’ patch. Your stomach fluttered at the implication.

“To help keep the sun off your head and outta your eyes.” He plopped it atop your head, the stiff thing just barely resting over your hair. “We’ll have a lot of tree coverage, but better safe than sorry.”

“We’re matching.” You can’t help the teasing smile that took over your lips, heat blooming in your cheeks as you realized you would look like an official couple to any onlookers. Something you had thought about more and more as Frankie filled your thoughts and messages.

“Yeah, would you look at that.” A dimple in his right cheek had you reaching out to caress it, silently thanking him for his thoughtfulness. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted one like mine, but I’m really glad you like it.”

“I do like it! I like matching with you, Frankie.”

His smile was dazzling as he looked back at you over his shoulder. You perked up a little, not wanting him to see the way it was hard to catch your breath or the falter to your steps as your legs began to ache from the incline. The slight brush of the long grass and reaching limbs full of leaves tickled but you tried your best to ignore it, opting to focus on the broad set of shoulders carrying a backpack.

Another bout of time passed, allowing for sweat to dampen your brow and the small of your back. You had removed your overshirt, tying the long sleeves around your waist. The stray pieces of your hair that had escaped from your hat floated around your face as you puffed out a deep breath.

Frankie seemed to pick up the moderate pace he had been keeping, his boots thudding the ground as he turned to pivot from the path as it began to curve.

“Uh, the trail goes that way.” You pointed over your shoulder, having followed the man’s lead regardless.

“I know, got a map in the pack if it makes you feel better.” He tossed you a reassuring smile, over his own shoulder. His eyes alight underneath his cap.

You were about to respond when he took another step and suddenly the trees fell away from around you, leaving you stood on an overlook. Valley open and wide in front of you, the view took your already short breath away. Frankie looked from the view to gauge your reaction. And he broke out into a wide smile as he saw how much you were taken off guard by the beautiful view.

Removing is pack, he set it down and reached to turn you toward him.

“This last month or so has been so amazing. Getting to know you has been some of the best parts of my life, hermosa. I was worried dating again after so long and not even looking for it would’ve been another lesson learned but everything with you is just so….”

“Simple.” You allowed him to caress his hands over the small of your back, your own reaching for his shoulders. The bills of your matching hats bumped, easy laughter bubbling up from you both.

“Simple.” He agreed, tongue swiping out to wet his plush lips. His eyes flicked down to yours briefly and your heart fluttered as warmth blossomed in your chest. Pressing more into his space, your chest bumped his, giving him the nudge he needed to close the gap even more.

Out on that ridge where you never would’ve trekked to on your own, you shared your first of many kisses with the man who had taken you completely by surprise. His lips soft and pliant against yours, his warmth seeping into you much like the sun on your skin underneath the open sky. You were the one to lick into the seam of his mouth, something he readily allowed you to do. The slid of his tongue on yours like heaven.

Breaking away, Frankie peppered kisses over your face. Lips tasting the salt from your sweat but he didn’t seem to mind one bit. Turning side by side, he kept his hand around your waist and you mimicked him.

Maybe hiking wasn’t so bad.

dividers by the lovely @/cafekitsune

taglist: @tuquoquebrute @sawymredfox @jessthebaker @littlemisspascal

[try-set-me-on-fire]

Tagged by @eddiebabygirldiaz for seven sentence Sunday! Here’s uhhhhh more than that from a buddietommy vacation threesome fic-

The day is hot enough that Buck is curled up like a bug on the dock between them. He’d stayed in the water longer than Tommy or Eddie had, and had swum out further than either of them, so when he’d crawled back up onto the old wood planks he’d chugged an entire water bottle and promptly passed out. Eddie glances down at his bare torso, just starting to get a little pink.

“Should probably get sunscreen on him again.”

Tommy snorts as he leans backwards, stretching out to grab the spray can. “And you’re worried you’ve forgotten how to be a dad.”

“Fuck off,” Eddie says as Buck, still asleep, makes a similar sound when Tommy mists him all over with cold sunscreen. “It’s been months, man, that’s so long for a kid, who knows what he’s even into now-”

“Minecraft, right?” Tommy says as he smooths his hand over a few places the sunscreen pooled on his boyfriend’s back. “Wasn’t he on a video call with you and Buck about it for like three hours on Friday? Something about- uh- command blocks?”

Eddie is mildly impressed Tommy remembers the word — maybe — because he certainly doesn’t. Buck had only been slightly better at following along than he had as they’d squinted at the probably impressive pixels on the laptop screen. “I don’t know, I just feel like…” Every morning, still, he wakes up and thinks he needs to get Chris’ breakfast started. Whole parts of his being are wired around taking care of his kid, but since he’s been gone Eddie has been trying — in fits and starts and most of the time guiltily — to figure out what the rest of him is for. It’s part of what got him into the whole mess in the first place, chasing after the dreams of a 19 year old who got those dreams from his parents. A nice wife (but they never liked her, did they) and a good job (but firefighting is too dangerous, isn’t it) and a picket fence (one closer to home, Eddie, you’ve gone too far away.) So he owed it to Chris, owed it to himself, to figure out what the fuck he actually wants, so he doesn’t keep twisting himself into knots and taking out everyone around him when the line breaks. He’s not sure he’s any closer to whatever that is — other than it’s unlikely to include a wife of any kind — but in the time he’s taken trying, what if other things got lost in the upheaval? “I keep thinking I’ll just- not remember to do something. Forget how field trip permissions slips work, or not know what shoe size he wears, or- I don’t know. Anything. I won’t pack his lunch and it won’t be the end of the world but he’ll be hungry that day.”

Tommy leans back on his palms and looks across at him, quiet and thoughtful for a few moments in that way he has, like he’s thinking through every possible response before he speaks. He is, maybe; he’d confessed to Eddie that he’d spoken too quickly when he was younger, is embarrassed about a lot of the dumb shit he’d said, so he tries to take his time with his words now. “Eddie. You took us up here this weekend to check and make sure this place is accessible to take your kid to this summer. And- I get that’s a big thing, a big gesture, and maybe you’re worried about messing up the small stuff, but… You’ve still got his favorite kind of jelly in the fridge that nobody else eats. You love him, and he knows that. You’re gonna do fine.” He shrugs. “And he’s almost fourteen, if you forget to hand him lunch he’s gonna let you know.”

Eddie huffs a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess he will.” He groans a little, shaking his head. “Fourteen years old, that’s fucking crazy. I don’t feel old enough for that to be true.”

Tommy rolls his neck so it audibly cracks. “Yeah, yeah, you whippersnapper.”

Eddie grins at him. “You feeling the exercise, old man? Need to go lay down?” He cackles and leans away as Tommy grabs the can and sprays a burst of sunscreen at him.

Between them Buck grunts at the commotion, and rolls towards Eddie. He presses his face into the meat of his bare side above his trunks, and wraps his long arms around his torso. Eddie glances up at Tommy, who just looks fondly amused. “Uh. Wrong guy, there, bud.”

Buck stills, and then pulls back a little to squint up at him. Eddie’s not particularly ticklish, but something like goosebump are shivering across the skin of his stomach where Buck’s forearm rests against him. He has to actively try not to shudder as Buck pulls back and rolls the other way, Eddie watching hypnotized as he gives Tommy the same treatment. Buck presses a little kiss onto Tommy’s hip, in the spot he had just been cuddled into on Eddie, and Eddie’s mouth goes dry.

Tommy lets out a little breath, and Eddie doesn’t think he’ll be able to use the sun as an excuse for how pink he’s gotten as his eyes snap up to the other man’s face. Except- he’d been expecting a raised eyebrow, a flat mouth, some visual indicator of disapproval, that this is one step Buckandeddie too far, that all the rest of their codependent lives have been fine, a platonic kind of care built over years of being there for each other through the worst of the worst, but now the uncomfortable answer to what Eddie wants, the uncomfortable answer he’s been trying to avoid because it's something he cannot have, has been found out and the messy insides of him will have once again ruined something good. But what he finds is a tiny little smile and heavy eyes that-

Well, they don’t look disapproving in the slightest.

“You guys hungry?” Buck mutters, words muffled by Tommy’s skin. “We should go start the grill.”

Tommy’s little smile gets wide and lazy, eyes still stuck on Eddie. “I could eat,” he says.

Tagging @iinryer @shitouttabuck @butchdiaz @chronicowboy @homerforsure @rewritetheending @bigfootsmom if you have anything you want to share!

[jackalopesao3]

MC teaching Luke a new hobby? How does it go for the little dove? It can be any of your hobbies

Okay I know I have a ton of requests to go through but I really like this one so I’m starting with this! Sorry bbs, I need to do something really lighthearted/wholesome with all the health issues (EDS, GP, POTS) I’ve been dealing with lately!

🦖Let’s Teach Luke Fossil Hunting!🦕

Jackalopes’ note: So I’ve never found dinosaur fossils, just more of like aquatic life. Sooo MC will be looking for those types of fossils. 😅

🦕 The duo set out for the day in the morning. MC shows Luke what to pack which includes snacks, flashlights, drinks, walking sticks, trowels, hammers, bug spray, sunscreen, and battery charges for their phones.

🦕 MC also dresses Luke in appropriate attire, making sure he is covered. Pants are tucked into boots so no buggies can crawl in. They also tie bands around the legs of their pants and sleeves of their tops.

🦕 MC shows Luke how to use the GPS to find prime fossil hunting locations. They also show Luke how to use a compass though both of them end up getting lost in a parking lot while trying to figure out/test the compass so they decide to just stick to the phone and stay in spots where reception is good. (Y’all I still cannot use a compass for the life of me!)

🦕 The duo then head out to a spot in nature to fossil hunt. This place happens to be out in the woods along some creeks and streams. MC of course goes at slow walking pace, taking time to show Luke various plants and animals, encouraging the young boy’s love for nature. They’ll even tell Luke some of their own experiences out in nature.

🦕 MC will teach Luke which rocks are most likely to have fossils in them and how to gently break the rocks to see if they’re fossils inside. After a few fruitless attempts, the duo eventually get lucky and find several different fossils.

🦕 MC explains the types of fossils to Luke and what this place of earth was like back then. The two find a good place to stop and have a picnic, making sure to clean up any trash.

🦕 If Luke gets tired at any point, MC gives him a piggyback ride on the way back to the car. (MC kinda based on me here as I’m ridiculously strong lol.)

🦕 Once back in Purgatory Hall, MC helps Luke wash the dirt off the fossils and then presents him with a little display case to put them in.

🦕 Luke proudly shows off his fossil collection in his room, making sure to set booby traps around it incase Mammon tries anything.

[cryptidcircuslife]

Hi unofficial compilation of Getting Away From A Place tips

this is tailored to a specific situation so please do your own research for stuff more specific to you

running away tips subreddit

Short Term Preparation:

These are the things you can prepare now if you have to get out fast and unexpectedly

Do not tell anyone about your plan other than those directly involved in helping you.

Make a plan for your cash. You don't want to access an account your family can access or freeze. Slowly withdraw money and hide it if it's at risk of being taken. Withdrawing it all the day you leave will raise a red flag and have you on camera (atm or bank), if you even have time. As a legal adult, you may be able to get away with this because you aren't doing anything against the law. Just make sure to do it before your family finds out about you leaving. When you leave, if you don’t want to be traced- don’t use cards.

For hiding paper cash- you know your house and its occupants best. Determine what objects you have that won't be thrown away or tampered with by someone, and if they have a hollow space, store it. I used to use opaque pill bottles, hidden pockets or bindings in notebooks, the linings of old dvd or game cases, water bottles, gum cases, (all of these put in clothing or backpack pockets), opening the lining of coats and backpacks and hiding it inside of that, inside of hygeine products like the hollow part of a deodorant stick. Inside old electronics. in the stuffing of a plushie. Underneath the insoles of shoes you dont wear often.

Even if your money isn't at risk of being taken, store some of it separately anyway for emergencies.

I heard the bare minimum for running away with no destination or job is $1k. Judge for yourself your needs.

Get a backpack. Waterproof/resistant is better, but any is good. Don't pack it yet, so you don't arouse suspicion. But test out packing it to see if everything fits, and unpack it. Modify some hidden compartments so that when you travel, you will have places to hide your IDs and Cash- it's necessary so no one steals it. You want to travel light, regardless of your situation, because packing and carrying a ton of stuff takes time and you don't always have time on the day you leave.

Get a secondary bag. I learned the hard way that a backpack doesn't fit everything you'll need. Especially with amenities, food, clothing, personal possessions.... A duffel bag, one of those canvas grocery bags. A tote. Something to hold by hand.

Packing lists for running away are surprisingly similar to emergency evacuation pack lists.

Clothes to pack: 1 short sleeve shirt. 1 long sleeve shirt. 1 pair of pants. 7 sock pairs. 7 underwear pairs. 1 jacket. Some winter gear if you can, because nights will always be cold especially if you are stuck outside.

Hygeine to pack: deodorant. toothpaste. toothbrush. floss. baking soda if you’ll be on the road for a long time. Special products you may need- cream for a skin condition, sunscreen. I recommend a small essential oil bottle as a bug repellent, and some have antibacterial properties to help you/your clothes not smell musty af, and they're safe on the skin.

Must-haves to pack: you should have your social security card and another form of ID, like a state ID or drivers license. Pass port if you have one, and birth certificate or a copy if you can. Your cash. A map of your state/region.

Valuables to pack: bring a few things to keep you entertained that are small. A small book, or a notebook and pen. Try not for anything too heavy or bulky. Any survival gear you may own (sewing kits, first aid, multitools, matches, lighters).

If you will be staying outside, get a sleeping bag. Thermal blanket for cold temps.

Food to pack: bring healthy nonperishable food. Junk food won't do much for you on the move. Go for granola/protein bars, dried fruit, meat bars, jars of nut butters, canned food. A water bottle. Bring all medication you need.

Stuff to wear on you: go for baggy and multi-pocketed stuff. Don't wear your favorite clothing if you don't want to be identified, and make sure they blend well into the environment. Grey is the most unnoticeable color, then black, then neutrals. If identification isn't a problem, only wear and pack your favorite things. Wear comfortable and travel safe shirt and pants. Wear a hoodie or tie it around your waist so it doesnt take up bag space. A hat. Keep some cash in a hidden pocket if you can. Wear comfortable sneakers you can move around in for a long time and is good for the weather of where you live. Keep your self defense on you - knives, pepper spray, etc. (and learn the laws for those in your area)

Note: Storing some of these supplies around or in hiding places won't be too weird. Keeping the 'valuables' in the backpack won't be too strange to anyone either. Keeping everything nearby so you can quickly dump everything in the bags and go is a good idea. But Do Not Pack the clothes until the day you leave. clothes are a warning signal for leaving. And you cannot let them find out about your plans, especially if you are in a dangerous place.

Last note: know these are flexible to you. You can add or change stuff, as long as you have the most important things.

Long Term:

These are the things you can prepare for better

Save as much money as possible. You can secretly sell things.

Research more about what you may experience, be that attaining financial independence or how to train hop and live on the streets temporarily. Look at other people's tips for running away, or their experiences. Research moving out tips. Research specific to your area or where you will be headed. Libraries, shelters, charities, support organizations, 24-hour restaurants and locations. Research ticket prices, gas prices, etc. Apartment search. Be sure to remove those from your history. Cleaning it entirely may be suspicious if someone monitors that.

Build a budget and a food plan for how you will use your savings on the road.

As an adult, if you manage to get hired secretly for a job in your target location, you can apply for housing there, too. You will get set move-in dates and can give dates you can start working that work with your runaway schedule.

If you're running away as a minor, you can't stay with friends. However, as an adult you can. If someone is trying to find you, you'll have to be careful still.

If you need to leave fake trails because someone might search for you, there are some excellent resources by people trying to hide from domestic violence. The main tips are leaving fake trails in cities far away from wherever you will be- job applications you have no intention of following through on, apartment applications, phone calls, internet searches, purchases, etc. These can go more in-depth.

If you will be tracked, figure out how to get a burner phone. These are pretty cheap, and so are their service plans. You may want to consider this anyway to pay for your own service if your phone is taken off the existing one. Write down phone numbers you want to keep.

Make sure you have the proper amounts of medications you will need.

Be careful with this one, but figure out if you have any smaller hard-to-replace valuables that you want to bring to your new life but can't pack for your method of travel or might get stolen. Only do this if you have a place you are going to, and are going to get a job and housing there. Make a plan with a trusted friend to hold on to a few things you cannot carry in your bags and arrange for them to be mailed or picked up later. Only do this with one or two things that are easy to carry, because you will need to get it to them somehow, right? dont do this if you don't have the methods or the time before your runaway day. A good example is that I don't want to replace my laptop but I can't tow it through town and across state lines on a train. my friend can take care of it until I am settled.

Tie off any loose ends that you need to. This can be waiting for a responsibility to be gone, waiting for a last paycheck, or attending something you wanted to go to one last time.

Delete old accounts, and eventually deleting your emails and social media associated with your identity.

Note: The best thing you can do with time is make your supplies as efficient as possible, and plan. plan plan plan.

Schedule your leave date. or a range of leaving dates. But know sometimes it can be unpredictable. Make it a day when no one is home- especially if it's a dangerous situation.

On Runaway Day:

Hopefully you have a small window of time where you are alone.

Make sure you’re wearing all your runaway clothes you have prepared.

Pack your backpack and duffel bag quickly.

Leave a note, even if you don't want to. This is important, because you don't want a search for you because someone thought you were kidnapped or murdered. This way, officials can pretty much ignore it since it was voluntary.

Don’t look nervous or afraid while you are out, since that’ll draw unwanted attention.

If you made a plan for someone to pick you up, or to meet someone, make sure they are punctual. Don't meet right in front of your house if possible. Go a few streets away or somewhere less noticeable. Again, make sure whatever you bring is easy to carry so you move fast and no one tries to steal it.

If unfortunately you have to leave very quickly and haphazardly, leave anything not immediately important to survival behind.

Buy your burner phone with cash. Add your written numbers to the contacts. Create your new email and social media from there. If you're hiding, don't take pictures of yourself. Don't use your real name or information. Keep private accounts, and don't interact with anyone who will give you away.

If you have other travel plans, make your way there. Head to your safe places, your shelter, wherever you have planned. You are in your new life.

Once You Are Out:

Take care of your immediate needs. Find resources for food, water, and shelter.

Start accessing any support resources, regardless of what your situation is. In a town I lived in, there was an LGBTQ+ resource center that had entertainment/food/clothing/education clubs/showering/laundry/other amenities and programs for both lgbtq+ and homeless youth. I also took part in a gift drive for a specific minority that I qualified as, which gave me a lot of food.

Start working towards your future goals. Start job searching, and from there being able to secure housing. Start making friends. build a support structure. i hope it goes well

Rebuild your supplies and closet when you have the location security to do so.

[yungidreamer]

Summer Camp

Prequel to Party Break

7.2k words

Sometimes you find the right people in unexpected places.

Content warnings: Not a lot, mostly fluff, a little angst, some kissing, brief discussion about sexuality and homophobia. Summer love can sometimes last a lifetime.

pairing (trio-ing really, lol): Yunho, Mingi, unnamed female character (but now nicknamed)

“Are you excited for camp, sweetheart?” Her mother asked from the front seat of the car.

“Yeah I guess,” She shrugged, tucking the bookmark she had been holding into her book and letting it close.

“You’ll have fun,” Her father said from behind the wheel of the car. “Enjoy this time, it’s going to be one of the last free summers you’ll probably have. Summer camps were one of the best parts of my childhood. You don’t have many years like this left.”

“Jeez, you make it sound like she is on a slow walk to death, honey,” her mother chuckled. “She’s 18 and going into her senior year, it’s not like she is walking up to the wall in front of a firing squad.”

“I just wish I had known to appreciate this sort of stuff when I was her age,” he shrugged and patted his wife’s leg.

“She’s smart honey,” she assured him. “Probably smarter than either of us were at her age. Just let her enjoy it how she wants.” Her father grunted, quietly admitting she was right.

“You are sure you have everything?” Yunho’s mother asked, hugging him for the fifth time since she had begun helping him move his things into the cabin he would be staying in for the next week.

“Yes, mama,” replied patiently, unpacking a few things from his bag as he did.

“But you’ll call me if you need something, promise?” She fretted, looking down at her only son. How had he grown up so fast, she wondered to herself.

“I’ll call you even if I don’t,” he promised, standing up and giving her a hug.

“Did you find your bug spray?” She asked as she pulled back.

“Yes,” he confirmed.

“And your sunscreen?” She followed up. “There is enough?”

“Yes, mama,” he laughed, she wouldn’t be herself if she wasn’t worrying about him.

“Okay, okay,” She looked around and gave a sigh. “Don’t forget to have fun, too.”

“I will,” he promised, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a reassuring smile.

“So this is where you’ll be staying?” Mingi’s father observed, coming into the wooden cabin where his son was busy messily pulling out his things into his designated drawers.

“Yeah, it seems alright,” he shrugged.

“Be sure to check your shoes before you put them on in the morning,” his mother warned from behind his father, poking her head into the space she could only call primitive. “Where is the bathroom anyway?”

“Uhh, a building or two over I think,” Mingi replied, not looking up from what he was doing. 

“You’ll be fine here?” She questioned, glancing at the other bunks in the room. “You will try to be careful; you won’t do something stupid just because someone asks you to, right?”

“Right, yeah, I’ll do my best not to do something really stupid at least,” He looked up at his mom with a wide grin. She knew him well.

“Have fun,” his father instructed, putting an arm around his wife. “This is supposed to be fun, after all.”

“Of course,” he promised, leaning in to give his mom a hug, then his father. “I’ll have fun and try not to be too stupid, at least.”

“Okay can I get the people in Arcadia cabin and Grand Teton cabin here with me!” A very cheery camp counselor who looked like he belonged on a beach catching waves. He was a blond, tan twenty something with blue eyes that sparkled with an undimmed joy in life. Yunho stepped forward, looking around to see five others move forward, coming to stand with him in front of the man.

“Okay so we need to break into pairs for this so let’s start with that,” he scanned the faces of the six boys who had gathered around him. “Let's start with names as I pick you out. So, uh, you?”

“Mingi,” the gangly, tall boy, dressed in jeans and an old looking black t-shirt answered.

“Great, and you?” He turned on Yunho.

“I’m Yunho,” he answered, slightly more timidly than the other boy had.

“Awesome, cool name,” the surfer man complimented with a grin. “You two can be a pair today. Why don’t you go ahead and go to the dock to grab a canoe and your life vests.” Yunho nodded and moved closer to the other boy, following him down the short path to the wooden dock that stretched out onto the lake.

“So Yunho, have you done this before?” Mingi asked, passing him a life vest.

“No,” Yunho admitted, slipping it on over his head.

“Me neither but it can’t be that hard.” Mingi declared, looking at the old canoe.

“I guess we’ll see,” Yunho gave him an amused smile. A group of girls joined them on the dock, chatting and giggling amongst themselves. Mingi straightened up and put a smile on his face, looking at all of them and watching as they milled around, preparing to canoe themselves. Yunho, on the other hand, took half a step back and crossed his arms, seemingly trying to shrink back into himself. The girls, for their part, mostly ignored them, being perfectly happy with the lighthearted conversation they had going between them.

“Okay guys, let’s get in.” Surfer dude said joining them with the last pair of boys from the cabins. “You guys can have the one there, I’ll just hold it while you step in.” He drew near and knelt on the deck, holding one end of the craft and gestured for them to step in. “Both at the same time, get low and put one leg in…then shift your weight over to the center…” Both boys knelt down and stuck out one foot into the center of the boat, reaching to the sides to try and steady themselves. “Good, yeah, hold onto the sides and sort of sliiiiiiide yourself in now.” The boys did, managing to plop themselves in with only a brief moment of seeming like they might capsize. “Good, okay, here, see if you can’t get to the dock you can see over there and back first.”

He handed them each an oar and walked over to the next group to help them in their own canoe. The two boys looked at the oars and at a pair of the girls who were already underway, rowing with each of them taking one side.

“Do you want the right or the left?” Yunho asked from the back.

“Uh, right I guess,” Mingi decided, sticking his oar out that side.

“Sure,” Yunho gladly put his out into the water on the opposite side. “On three?”

“Okay, I’ll count,” Mingi agreed. With only a few moments of complete chaos that threatened to have them veer off in the completely wrong direction or tip over, they did, in fact, manage to make it to the other dock and back before disaster struck. 

On the final leg of the journey, the counselor decided to take the group on a little trip around the edge of the lake for the practice and to get to the dining hall where they would be having lunch in half an hour. Everyone, having had at least some practice, was able to keep pace with the counselor as he led the way near the shore. Yunho and Mingi were somewhere near the middle, mostly focused on not hitting any of the other crafts with their oars as they moved. The shore was lined with waving patches of reeds that unfortunately happened to be home to a couple of skittish ducks who decided to flee just when Mingi and Yunho were passing. Mingi, for all his pretenses of confidence, immediately shrieked and flung himself in the opposite direction from the kerfuffle, which unfortunately resulted in him tipping over their canoe and the one nearest them. Splashes and screeches ensued, with the occupants of both canoes now being left bobbing in the water, sputtering and struggling to get themselves righted next to their overturned boats.

“Okay everyone, keep going, I’m gonna take care of our friends here who have had a little accident,” the surfer counselor said over the din. The rest of the campers headed off, leaving him and the four in the water to sort out the mess.

“You moron!” One of the girls yelled, trying to push her long dark hair out of her face as she bobbed up and down.

“Okay if you can swim I want you to head for that little clearing on the shore a few meters back,” the counselor said as he righted the first of the boats with miraculous skill that did it without letting it take on much water. “It might take me a bit to get these boats back but you guys need to get back to your cabins and get changed for lunch. Take a quick shower to get clean and bring your wet clothes with you so I can get them washed for you in the machines for the counselors.”

“I can get one to shore if that would be helpful,” the second girl in the water offered, floating calmly by the second, still overturned canoe.

“Yeah, yeah, thanks Chipmunk, you’re the best,” he said with a big grin, heading to her to turn over the second one. 

“No problem, Chase,” she rolled her eyes. “Just don’t forget to mention to dad that I was a ‘team player.’”

“For sure,” he laughed. “I’ll tell him you were awesome in person when he comes to pick you up at the end of the week.”

“Uh huh,” she shook her head and grabbed a rope attached to one end of the boat and started towing it back to the shore as she headed there herself. Both Yunho and Mingi headed towards her, feeling dumb for not having thought to offer themselves.

“Can I help or something?” Yunho offered, swimming up beside her as she slowly made her way towards the gap at the shore.

“I’m fine, it’ll just take a little longer,” she gave him a bland and reassuring smile without taking a break in her slow backwards crawl through the water.

“I’m sorry for, you know,” he apologized, despite not having been the one to cause the tip over.

“It’s fine,” She chuckled. “Just made the day a little more exciting. But, uh, I’d avoid talking to Luci for a day or two.”

“Luci, that’s the other girl in your boat?” He asked, vaguely looking at her figure as she continued to storm off to the girls cabins.

“Yeah,” she confirmed. “She’s staying in my cabin and she doesn’t seem like the most forgiving of people.”

“I guess,” Yunho said sheepishly.

“I’ll help you pull it ashore,” Mingi offered, now only knee deep in the water at the gap. The girl didn’t argue, changing position and pulling the boat as she walked in the water, now that it was shallow enough. They pulled it up onto the bank until it was almost completely out of the water.

“Thanks,” the girl said, taking a moment to pull off her drenched shoes and tossing her life vest into the canoe.

“I wasn’t scared, you know,” Mingi protested unprompted, tossing his own in after.

“Yeah, of course,” she gave him a grin and patted his arm before starting off barefoot through the grass.

“Hey, how do you know the counselor and why did he call you Chipmunk?” Yunho shouted after her.

“I used to have really chubby cheeks when he babysat me.” She shouted over her shoulder with a good natured laugh without interrupting her pace. Yunho’s mouth quirked into a half smile as he watched her walk away.

“I really wasn’t scared,” Mingi insisted, falling into pace alongside Yunho as he headed towards the area where their cabins were. When Yunho only responded with a sound of bland acknowledgement, he continued, “I was just a little surprised.”

“Well you certainly scared me,” Yunho chortled and shook his head. 

“Sorry,” Mingi gave him a chastened smile.

Mingi and Yunho were the only ones left in the cafeteria when she finally managed to get there. They were seated at one of the tables dressed in new dry clothes with messy damp hair. Chase was standing nearby chatting up one of the girls working in the kitchen. She made her way there first, handing him the damp sack that held both her and Laci’s dirty clothes.

“Laci decided she wanted to take a nap and had some snacks she had brought with her,” she informed him, handing it all over. “She’s in a shitty mood anyway, so it's probably for the best.”

“Do I need to send someone to check on her?” He asked half heartedly, only tearing his eyes away from the 20-something girl in the kitchen for a second.

“Maybe in an hour or like before dinner,” she shrugged.

“Okay, cool, thanks Chipmunk,” he flashed her a smile before turning back to chat with the other girl again. Rolling her eyes, she turned to get herself a plate and fill it with what was left of the lunch food. The food looked decent, if a little institutional, but it was at the very least plentiful. She piled a sandwich, some chips, and a bit of fruit salad on her plate, grabbed a can of soda, and went to sit with the two boys at the table. They both looked up as she sat down, straightening up in their seats as she did.

“Hi,” Yunho greeted, giving her a welcoming smile and nod.

“Is the food any good?” She asked, popping open the can of soda.

“It’s okay,” Mingi replied. “The ham sandwich was better than the tuna, though. That one was too soggy.”

“Good thing I got this one then,” she unwrapped her sandwich, flashing a little of the meat in between the pieces of bread.

“Good choice,” Yunho agreed with an approving grin.

“Uh, is Laci okay?” Mingi asked with a slight timidity, maybe with a tinge of regret.

“She’s not happy but she’ll be fine I think,” her tone was assuring and kind as she spoke between bites of her food. “Don’t worry though, I think she will get over it eventually.”

“I’m glad you are okay at least,” Mingi added, looking at his food as he spoke.

“Yeah,” Yunho agreed, offering her a soft smile. A shiver of happiness skated over her skin at the slight movement of his cupid bow lips. For the first time she actually bothered to look at both the boys at the table. They were both cute if a little awkward, like most guys her age. Yunho was tall and a little gangly, but had the promise of broad shoulders that would probably fill in over the next few years. His hair was a chocolate brown and a messy sort of cut that let the fringe in the front hang almost in his eyes. His dark eyes sparkled, set pleasantly into a heart shaped face. There was something intelligent and curious in his look, but it was well hidden behind his quiet façade. He was...interesting.

The boy across from him was stretched out and gangly, but in a way that would grow into a leanness in a few years. His hair was messy and a little too long, brushing the tops of his ears and past his eyebrows. Though he had behaved and spoken with a veneer of confidence, behind his dark eyes was a nervousness and perhaps a shade of confusion. His face was longer though his chin was just a little more blunt. As he sat looking back at her questioning face, his full, plush lips pressed into a line, obscuring their pleasant shape.

They were interesting individually but as a pair they were a perfect matching contrast. One with a quiet and shy confidence that was easy to miss and the other with a loud shell of confidence they used to hide a curious confusion with the world. 

“So are you two friends?” She asked, popping a chip into her mouth. 

“Uh not really,” Mingi replied, his eyes flicking over to the other boy to read his reaction as he spoke. “I mean, we just met when we were assigned to pair up.”

“Right, of course,” she bobbed her head. “Is this your first time here at the camp?”

“Yeah,” both boys replied simultaneously, smiling at each other in their synchronicity.

“What about you?” Yunho asked once the moment had passed.

“No, I’ve been coming for a while,” she shook her head. “My dad used to come to this camp when he was a kid so it's somehow like a family tradition to spend part of the summer here.”

“So that’s why you knew about how to canoe and stuff?” Mingi questioned further, shifting in his seat to face her more fully.

“I mean it’s one of the reasons,” she shrugged.

“Do you like doing outdoorsy sorts of stuff?” Yunho followed up, glad to have a direction for the conversation.

“I guess, maybe?” Her face scrunched up a little, testing the idea in her head.

“Well, I mean, what do you like doing?” Mingi asked, his eyes focused on her, though they flicked to the other boy as well, trying to read something in him.

“Reading,” her first reply came quickly, almost without thought. “I like playing games, watching movies...like the same thing as everyone else I think.”

“Yeah, me too,” Yunho agreed. “What are your favorite books?”

“I like a lot of different stuff,” she shrugged, trying to think of something she really liked. “Fantasy books can be fun, but I’ve been reading a lot of classics recently.”

“Did you bring any books with you?” Mingi asked curiously.

“My dad took a few he saw on the top of my bag,” She scoffed at the memory, a shimmer of satisfaction sparkling in her eyes. It was exactly why she had packed those books there on the top of her clothes and hidden the books she actually wanted to read near the bottom. “Luckily he didn’t look too closely and didn’t find my collection of Austen and Dahl which I have been wanting to reread for a while.”

“Sneaky,” Yunho gave her a conspiratorial smile. “I brought something to read at night. I’m reading through Harry Potter again.”

“Oh yeah, those are fun books,” she agreed.

“I brought some comics,” Mingi offered, wanting to join in the conversation. “I guess they are really manga…”

“Oh nice,” she gave him a sunny smile. “I’ve only read a few graphic novels, but they can be really cool.”

“You can read some of it too, if you want,” Mingi shifted forward in his seat.

“Sure,” she nodded, drinking the last of her soda and gathering up her trash. “There should be some free time after dinner tonight. Maybe you can bring some with you then.”

“Okay, I will,” Mingi was visibly relieved to have not been rebuffed.

“Alright, I’m going to go join everyone out doing archery for a little while,” she stood up and gathered her things. “See you guys later though.”

“Bye,” they both said, watching her go. After a moment of staring awkwardly at each other at the table, they too, gathered their things and left.

After dinner the campers were left with free and unstructured time to just hang out with old friends and get to know new friends. Everyone was spread around the grounds in groups, large and small, with most people gathered somewhere near the large bonfire being presided over by Chase and some other counselors. Yunho wandered down from his cabin in search of his new...friends? Maybe they were, or would be? He clutched the book he was carrying to his chest as he looked around the open space to see if he could spot either of them.

It took a few minutes of wandering before he finally laid eyes on her, feet curled under her as she sat on a towel laid out under one of the huge maples at the edge of the clearing. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she was dressed in an old graphic tee and yoga pants. She looked comfortable and almost like she was in her own world. For a moment, he considered not bothering her. Maybe he had read it wrong, maybe she was just being nice. Well you’ll never know unless you try, he could hear his mother’s voice say encouragingly.

“Hey,” he greeted, stepping closer and taking a seat on the grass beside her.

“Hello,” her warm and sunny smile instantly made him feel at ease. She tucked a bookmark in her book and let it close.  “How was the rest of your day?”

“It was okay,” He shrugged, smiling shyly. Honestly, it had been hard since he didn’t know anyone and sometimes he wasn’t that good at making new friends. As good as he could be at reading people, having confidence in his own judgement was as easy as it sounded.

“Not knowing anyone doesn’t make it easy does it?” She asked, almost like she could read his thoughts.

“No it doesn’t,” he admitted, feeling a blush bloom on his cheeks.

“Most of the people I know from previous years aren’t here anymore,” she shared. “And the couple that are...aren’t exactly friends of mine.”

“Well we can be friends,” he offered, quickly following up with, “If you want, I mean.”

“That would be nice,” she put a reassuring hand on his knee. Behind him she caught sight of a lost looking Mingi wandering around half a dozen meters away. She shouted his name and waved him over. A wave of relief flowed over his whole body, visibly, as he turned and started making his way over to them.

“I thought maybe you weren’t here,” Mingi admitted as he took a seat near both of them.

“Nah this place is just big and I think I sort of picked a corner,” she admitted. “You know, wanted to get away from the crowds and all.”

“It’s nice over here,” He agreed, giving them both a big gummy smile. “I brought cookies, you guys want some?” Mingi pulled a box of cookies out of the small bag he had been carrying with him.

“Yes, please,” Yunho nodded, smiling back.

“Sure,” she replied, extending a hand to him. Mingi passed cookies to both of them before taking one himself. He managed to finish the cookie in one bite, stuffing the whole thing in his face and using his cheeks as reserves to hold what he couldn’t swallow as he chewed. The sight made her laugh. It was cute and endearing in a childlike way. He literally did everything with full passion.

Yunho suppressed a laugh at the sight himself, imagining what his mother would have said if she saw him do that at the table one evening. The other boy was boastful and loud at times, but quite clearly kind and wanted more than anything to be included in a circle of friends that wanted him.

“So where are you both from?” She asked them, nibbling at her cookie.

“Rochester,” Yunho replied after swallowing the last bit of cookie he had in his mouth.

“Me, too.” She said happily. “Wait, where do you go to school then?”

“Schroeder,” Yunho answered.

“Hey, that is where I am supposed to go this fall,” Mingi jumped in, speaking past the last of his cookie.

“Really?” Yunho gave an excited laugh. “That is awesome. What about you though?”

“Oh Thomas,” she replied fluidly. “I think it is pretty close though.”

“Yeah, it is,” Yunho confirmed. “Did you just move here, Mingi?”

“Mmm,” he confirmed, handing out more cookies to everyone. “Yeah my family just moved there, like, a month ago.”

“Well, at least you’ll know someone when you start school,” she pointed out. They all fell into comfortable conversation about school and moving and just getting to know each other. They discovered that they had a lot in common, with similar tastes in movies, books, games, and music. They spent hours that night, chatting about nothing and everything until the counselors started to send everyone back to their cabins to go to sleep. She left them both with a hug, promising to see them tomorrow.

Yunho and Mingi walked back to their cabins together, parting with a hug before they headed to their own cabins to sleep. Yunho usually read for an hour before sleeping, but, he told himself as he tucked himself into his bunk, the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner tomorrow would come.

“So you’ve made friends with some of the new boys?” Laci noted casually, as she lay in her bunk across the room.

“Yeah, a couple of them. Why?” She asked, looking away from the pages of her book in the dim light reflected from the pages of her book from the clip on book light.

“Like, could you invite them to come play with us tomorrow?” Laci’s voice was tinted with excitement and conspiratorial camaraderie. “The girls from Placid cabin have agreed to sneak out to play some games, but we need some boys to play. So...can you get them to bring their cabins to meet us?”

“I can probably ask but what exactly do you mean ‘play?’” She let the book fall back onto herself as she looked at the other girl across the room.

“You know, fun stuff,” Laci evaded for a second. “Truth or dare, spin the bottle, that stuff. Who knows, like, just something fun that we can all do with boys.”

“I mean, I don’t know that they want to, but I can ask,” She picked up her book, turning her attention back to it.

“I hope they come,” Laci mused. “Yunho is pretty cute. And Mingi isn’t so bad but I still haven’t forgiven him for that shit on the lake.”

“Yeah they are and I am sure Mingi is sorry,” she said off-hand largely focusing on the words on the page in front of her.

“If he apologizes, I might think about forgiving him,” Laci said musing mostly to herself.

“Okay okay okay,” Laci raised her voice over the din of chat of people gathered in the dim arts and crafts cabin they had snuck into to meet. “Everyone get into a circle and make it boy girl boy girl.”

Everyone milled around, slowly managing to organize themselves into a circle with an appropriate mix of genders. Mingi squeezed himself in next to her, the only girl he knew and Yuhno tried to do the same, but Laci grabbed the ankle of his jeans as he passed then patted the space beside her, inviting him to sit beside her. After a seconds pause, he took the invitation, having seen the other spot to the side of her be filled with his cabin-mate San.

With everyone seated, Laci cleared her throat and took charge of the room again. “Okay so let’s start some truth or dare. Someone has to go first, so I can do it. Let’s see. The person to your right gets to give you your question or your dare, whatever you pick.” She straightened up and looked at Yunho beside her, giving him her best sparking smile. “So that means you and I pick truth.”

“Weak!” someone in the circle coughed, sparking a ripple of laughter among everyone in the circle.

“Okay truth,” Yunho said aloud, buying time as he tried to think of a good question. “Have you ever cheated on a test?”

“Once,” Laci admitted with a giggle. “But I only did it that once and it was totally justified because I had been sick for like a week before the test. I could not have learned everything in time and I was not going to let my GPA fall.”

A few laughs trickled around the circle and Laci grinned, feeling like she had adequately won over everyone there. “Okay your turn.” She turned on the person to her left asking truth or dare. The turns progressed until San went, having had to chug a soda for his dare.

“I pick dare I guess,” She shrugged, giving San a sideways look as she said it.

“Okay, pick someone in the circle to kiss,” he said flirtatiously, clearly hoping that she would take the easy answer and pick him.

“Someone, huh?” she scoffed, ended the sound with a sigh, looking around the circle as she did.

Mingi’s I can-- and Yunho’s If you want to-- both came out at the same time eliciting a couple of hoots and giggles from people in the circle. Both boys' ears went visibly pink in the dim light of the lantern that had been put in the center of the circle.

“You know, if both of you are so eager to kiss,” Laci teased. “Maybe you two should just kiss each other.”

“It’s not…” Mingi started, his protest tapering off after the couple of words he got out.

“I could do worse than kissing him,” Yunho defended, casting a look to Laci beside him.

“What, you think he’s cute?” Laci let out a scoff of disbelief.

“I mean he is,” She challenged from across the circle, giving her cabin-mate a blank look. “Just objectively. He’s cute.”

“Oh my god,” Laci gasped. “You both like him.”

She rolled her eyes and turned to Mingi beside her. “Is it okay if I, you know…” Mingi nodded, his eyes dropping to look at her lips in anticipation. She sat up on her knees and put a hand on his cheek to guide his face to hers until their lips met in a soft but sustained kiss. She pulled away and sat back in her place coolly and calmly with the faintest pink blush on her cheeks.

“Poor Yunho, getting left out,” Laci tutted, giving him an enticing look as she sat beside him. She was clearly hoping to step in, in the perceived gap that had been left between the trio. From across the circle, Mingi stood up, taking large and confident steps across the distance until he knelt down in front of the other boy.

“Do you want me to…” Mingi let the drop of his eyes to the other boy’s lips. Yunho nodded, leaning forward ever so slightly. Mingi’s large, gangly hands went up to cup the other boys face, angling it slightly so their noses brushed slightly as they passed on the way to their lips meeting. Neither of them had ever kissed another boy before. It hadn’t really been something Yunho had considered but it was...nice. He had to admit that Mingi’s plush lips were soft and warm as they pressed to his own. They sent a thrill through him.

Mingi’s heart had been in his throat as he had crossed the room. Fear of rejection had thrummed through his chest but his distaste at seeing his friend being teased had outweighed his fear. He was grateful Yunho had said yes and he really wasn’t sure why because it went beyond being happy he hadn’t been disgusted at the idea. His face in his hands was comfortable as he nuzzled against his lips. The soft puff of Yunho letting go of a breath he had been holding sent a shiver along Mingi’s spine.

“Hey, boys, do you want to come with me? I think there are more fun things we can do than hang out here.” Her voice was suddenly beside them and they pulled apart to find her standing beside them, hands outstretched. They nodded and shuffled to their feet, each taking one of her hands as they walked out together.

“Where are they going?” Laci sputtered.

“Somewhere they are all going to get lucky,” San snickered, craning to watch them through the doorway. Before they disappeared he yelled, “Can I come, too?” Yunho turned with a grin and shook his head, slipping an arm around her shoulder as they disappeared from their view.

She led them down towards the lake, silently sneaking past the counselor cabin which still was buzzing with activity. They ended up at the more distant dock where they found a large row boat tied to the dock.

“A-are you sure going out on the water is a good idea?” Mingi asked, squeezing his hands together in front of him.

“You afraid? Think you’ll get us all wet again?” Yunho teased, putting an arm around him, hugging him to his side.

“No, I’ve never been afraid in my life,” Mingi jutted his chin out with a great show of confidence. They looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Yunho gave him a playfully skeptical look which Mingi matched with one of false confidence. It only took a second for them to devolve into fits of laughter. Mingi’s face split into a grin of pure joy and Yunho brought his hand up to his mouth as he giggled gleefully.

“Don’t worry,” She told them, laughing herself. “This is much more stable. We’ll be fine. Come here.” She shepherded them into the boat, letting Yunho sit in the rowing seat with her at one end and Mingi at the other. It took a few minutes for Yunho to get a handle on the rowing, but soon enough he ended up being pretty competent at ferrying them all around with strong controlled strokes.

“Sorry I dragged you guys to that,” She told them as they bobbed up and down on the still waters. “I should have guessed it would end up with that.”

“It’s okay,” Yunho shook his head. “It wasn’t so bad and I probably would have been fine with staying, but both of you were the only reasons I was there.”

“I just,” she sighed. “I’m really sorry if you feel like you got pushed into something because people were being stupid.”

“Do you regret it?” Mingi asked, poking his head around from the other side of Yunho. A worried look was visible on his face even in the dim blue light of the half full moon.

“Do you mean do I regret going?” She quirked her head to the side.

“No I mean, do you regret kissing me?” Mingi let himself be vulnerable as he put the question out there.

“I don’t,” she assured him.

“Then…” Mingi paused again, his eyes touching on the other boy between them before continuing. “Were you grossed out by us...when we…”

“Oh no, nonononono,” she put up her hands, physically waving away the idea. “If you two like each other, that doesn’t change anything for me. I don’t mind becoming a third wheel or something.”

Yunho let go of the oars, letting them hang loosely from their rowlocks. He put his hands out, taking her wrists and pulling her into his lap. She sat stiff for a moment as the boat pitched slightly as the balance of the weight shifted. He waited for her to relax with one arm curled lightly around her waist and the other resting on her lap.

“What if I don’t want to have to pick?” Yunho asked quietly, resting his forehead against her shoulder.

“What do you mean?” She asked, leaning into his embrace.

“It’s weird,” Yunho admitted. “Until Mingi kissed me, I hadn’t really thought about it. I like girls right? They are the ones I’ve kissed before, the ones I’ve looked at that way. He’s a good friend, I feel happy when he is around, he brings a smile to my face. I want to share funny things that happen to me over the day with him because I think he’ll get it and he’ll smile too. But I always think of you, too. Maybe I sort of want both. Maybe we are just friends that have fun together, maybe we are more but we don’t have to figure that out now, do we?”

“Is that your way of saying you kinda want a kiss but let’s keep it casual or something?” Her laughter sparkled over the quiet stillness of the lake.

“More like I wanna see where this goes without putting it in a box,” his hand caressed her thigh and he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.

“I’m not saying no, but I think there is someone else you have to ask, too,” she poked his shoulder then pointed at the other boy behind them. Mingi was still in his seat watching them looking like he wasn’t quite sure what he was supposed to be doing. When her eyes landed on him, he straightened up, eyes widening with a hundred questions.

“What?” Mingi asked nervously.

Yunho turned them both in his seat so he could look at the other boy. “Our girl is just saying I shouldn’t assume that you want the same thing. If you want to just be friends, I understand.”

“I don’t know,” Mingi admitted. “You guys were the first friends I found since moving and at first I thought I just was really glad to have new friends, not just here but back home. But…”

“You liked the kisses too,” Yunho filled in. Mingi nodded. “From both of us?” Yunho added, getting another nod from the other boy. “Me too. Even though I didn’t get an actual kiss from our girl. I wouldn’t say no to one if she offered.”

“Smooth,” she joked from his lap, before obliging and pressing a soft chased kiss to his lips. He could feel the smile on her lips as he enjoyed their soft warmth. It was different from his kiss with Mingi but gave him that same warm satisfaction in his stomach. It just felt comfortable...right. 

When they pulled apart they both turned their eyes on Mingi, still seated in the back of the boat. His eyes went wide again when he realized they were looking at him and that he had been staring at them, enjoying the sight of them kissing. He blushed and shrank in a little on himself, not sure what he was supposed to be doing with himself at the moment.

“Mingi,” she said softly. “You can look, it's okay, but you can also come over here, too, if you want.”

“You don’t think I’m weird for watching,” he looked embarrassed, like he felt like he had been caught spying on them.

“Uh-uh,” she shook her head. “You two looked really pretty when you kissed, too. I could have been happy looking at that for a while but...maybe not with everyone else there, too.”

“You were really okay with that?” He looked a little pained as he asked it. “You don’t think it’s gross when two boys...you know?”

“No, not at all,” she sounded surprised at the question and she was, wondering to herself what she had said to make him think she might feel that way.

“My dad always says real men only like women,” he said softly. “‘Boys don’t like other boys, it’s not natural.’”

“Your dad is a dumbass,” she said aloud before she thought about the words coming out of her mouth. Immediately her hand slapped over her mouth as if she could catch the words and put them back in before he could hear them. “Sorry,” she added after a second. Mingi let out a small laugh, some of the tension melting from his shoulders.

“People like who they like,” Yunho shrugged.

“And you like me?” Mingi asked, almost childlike in his insecurity.

“I like you a lot,” Yunho replied with a big grin. “And our girl. I’ve been happier here at camp with you two than I remember being...in a long time.”

“We make you happy?” Mingi’s eyes sparkled at the complement.

“So happy,” Yunho confirmed, taking his hand as Mingi moved to kneel in the bottom of the boat closer to them. He wrapped his arms around both of them and laid his head in their laps. A little sniffle came from her as she looked down at his large head resting on her thighs.

“Awww, precious,” Yunho cooed, brushing a little tear that had escaped her eye. 

“Shut up,” she elbowed him playfully, feeling a little like an idiot for all this getting to her like it had.

“Don’t be sad,” Mingi looked up at her and gave her a sunny smile.

“I’m not sad, don’t worry,” she assured him before leaning into a little kiss with him again. Mingi took one of Yunho’s hands in his, playing with his fingers as he looked at them, his head once again resting on her lap.

“The moon looks really beautiful tonight,” she observed, her head leaning on Yunho’s shoulder as she ran the fingers of one hand through Mingi’s tousled hair.

“Yeah, tonight is just about perfect,” Yunho agreed.

The rest of the week passed too quickly. Even though they spent every free moment together, reading, talking, eating, the time seemed to pass in a flash. On the last day, with everything packed, the trio sat together in the yard, huddled together as she read aloud to them. They lounged side by side on a picnic blanket they had borrowed from the camp under that same large maple as they waited for their parents to arrive and take them home. As she read, Mingi and Yunho made faces at each other, periodically bursting into laughter. They were listening, but they were also just enjoying those last happy moments they would have here.

Thankfully school would start soon and Mingi and Yunho would have each other again. Her school, while not the same, was close. And there were always the weekends, they reminded her when she gave them a melancholic smile as they talked about going back.

“I have a car now,” Yunho pointed out. “I can pick you both up and we can hang out. I’ll tell my mom you are helping us study. And maybe we will actually do that sometimes.”

“Sometimes,” she leaned in and gave him a playful look. Both boys burst into peals of laughter at her implication. “I see how it is.”

“Hey Chipmunk, I think I saw your parents over near the main building,” Chase said drawing near them. “Time to head home. Can I grab that blanket too? Gotta throw it in the last of the laundry before we close down for the year.”

“Yeah sure,” She nodded. They all stood up and Yunho picked up the blanket, giving it a hard shake before passing it to the surfer counselor. They all pulled each other into a big group hug, taking one last moment together before heading to the hustle and bustle of the main building with parents and other campers. 

“Hey Chipmunk, quick question,” Chase said, calling her over for a moment as they all started to walk away.

“What’s up?” She asked, coming over to him as the boys waited a couple of meters away.

“Are you, like dating one of them or something,” he asked quietly, trying not to be heard by the waiting boys.

“Am I dating one of them?” she repeated, slightly evasively. “Nah, even if I wanted to I wouldn’t be able to choose between them.”

She spoke loud enough for both of them to hear, bringing enigmatic smiles to their faces. She bid the counselor goodbye, leaving him with the distinct impression he had missed something.

[let-it-raines]

your wonder under summer skies (14/18)

Summer in Storybrooke, Maine means one thing for its residents: tourist season. This year, for Emma Swan and Killian Jones, it means relationships ending and friendships changing all the while they attempt to figure out just what their relationship is. It’s somewhere straddling the line between friends and lovers, and there’s no guarantee of a soft landing if they fall into new territory.

Rating: Mature

ao3: beginning | current

tumblr:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 

-/-

This place is decidedly more cabin in the woods than Killian was expecting. Well, if the cabin in the woods was a bloody large cabin made for groups of people in Maine looking for a weekend away from their regular lives. When he looked at the link Anna sent him when they were planning this trip, he didn’t look past the specifics of price and how many bedrooms there were.

So when he pulled up and saw the two-story cabin with its wraparound porch and large, floor-to-ceiling windows nestled near a lake, he was a little taken aback. Mostly, though, he doesn’t understand how the owners of this place decided to make every wall wood paneling and for each damn piece of furniture to be made out of a log or pine or something that looks like it’ll put a splinter in his ass when he sits down.

Hell, he’s pretty sure that he’s going to turn the corner and there’s going to be animal heads hanging from the walls.

At least there’s sunshine and clear water and all of the food and alcohol that a man could ask for.

Or, well, that could be asked for by a joint bachelor and bachelorette party that Elsa and Liam wanted, the both of them insisting that they needed a weekend away and that it should be nothing like the beach…so naturally they’re spending it on a lake.

Anna seemed to think it was all a brilliant idea, and since she is so keen on planning things, he figured he’d let her do it instead of getting into arguments over it. Or, well, he might have been distracted when she called to talk about the trip because Emma was on her knees in front of him, and he wasn’t paying attention to anything other than the feel of her.

“Why do I feel like every time I turn a corner, a deer’s antlers or something are going to poke me in the eye?”

Killian chuckles and turns to Emma next to him. She’s got a large duffle bag hanging over her shoulder, and he doesn’t know what she packed, but it must be all of the contents of her closet.

“Because you probably will.”

“Okay,” Anna shouts as everyone keeps walking through the front door, chatting and dragging in suitcases and looking around, “I have had all of the bedrooms labeled. Elsa and Liam get the master, obviously. Mary Margaret and David have bedroom one on the first floor, and Kris and I will take bedroom two, which shares that bathroom. Will and Belle, bedroom three, which is at the end of the hall just down that way. Ariel and Eric, you have bedroom four, which is right at the top of the stairs and will share a bathroom with Ruby and Mulan’s room, which is bedroom five. The final room is, like, basically the attic. Emma and Killian, you guys get that one. It may or may not be the kids’ room, so don’t be surprised if there are bunk beds up there.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Killian mutters. “Bunk beds? We’re twenty-eight. We don’t get our own regular beds?”

“Do any of the couples here want to give up their private rooms with big beds to go sleep in the attic in bunk beds so that Killian can have a queen mattress?” “For fuck’s sake,” Killian laughs, rolling his eyes at Anna, “the beds are fine. I simply wasn’t aware Emma and I were going to be punished for not having significant others.”

“Yeah,” Emma joins in, “we should get compensated in, like, first choice of food tonight.” “I think Elsa and I get that,” Liam says. “You two will be fine. I’m sure the beds will be comfortable, but Emma, lass, as someone who lives with Killian, you might want earplugs. He snores.”

“Liar.”

Liam shrugs, bright smile on his face. “Have some mercy on the poor girl, Killian. Try not to be too loud.”

Killian opens his mouth to keep protesting, but then he snaps it shut. There’s no point. He doesn’t snore, and Emma knows that. Why should he care if everyone else thinks he snores? He’s sure that half of the people in this room do anyways.

This is Liam’s weekend.

If he reminds himself that enough, maybe he won’t try to pick at everything Liam says and does, and they can all have a good time like they’re supposed to.

Even if he does have to sleep in a damn bunk bed.

Emma elbows his side. “I have ear plugs, but that was mostly because I was scared I’d have to sleep next to David and Mary Margaret.”

“Please don’t put that image in my head.”

“We’re in a cabin full of couples, KJ. How is the image not in your head?”

Killian groans and tilts his head back, and Emma laughs, nudging him again before adjusting her bag on her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go put our stuff up. My legs are stiff from the drive, and I’m ready to go hiking.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Anna squeals, “I have sunscreen and bug spray for everyone who forgot it. I’ll leave it in the kitchen. Let’s all meet up in half an hour, okay?”

“Anna is…very organized,” Emma sighs as everyone begins walking in different directions looking for their bedrooms. “I feel like she’s a very intense version of Mary Margaret.” “That’s exactly who she is,” Elsa laughs, walking next to Emma up the stairs, which leads them to a hallway with more wood paneling and more large, paneled windows. There are no animal heads yet, though, so Killian would count that as a win. “I think she wants everything to be so perfect for me that she’s taking it overboard. Plus, she’s used to working with all of these extravagant people, so this is kind of out of her wheelhouse. You’re just lucky my cousins couldn’t come this weekend, because that would make it even worse.”

“She’s doing a great job. With this and the wedding. I mean, the wood paneling here is a little much, but this is beautiful.” “Hey, I could have helped plan this,” Killian protests.

Liam, Elsa, and Emma all laugh at him.

“What?”

“If I was a betting man, I’d say the only thing you planned was the food and the alcohol.”

“And to that,” Killian laughs, “I’d say you were right. If I had gotten my say, I would have found a place with one more bedroom so that Emma and I weren’t sleeping in bunk beds while everyone else got normal rooms.”

“I mean, technically,” Elsa says, “I think there’s another bed in David and Mary Margaret’s room, but I think you two might be safer upstairs.”

They get to the end of the hallway where the master bedroom is, and Elsa and Liam tell them that they’ll see them in a few minutes before walking inside while he and Emma turn to find the spiral staircase that leads up to the attic. It’s beautiful, but it’s not exactly convenient when carrying luggage, but he and Emma manage to get their stuff upstairs without any kind of disaster.

“Those stairs would be horrible if you’re drunk. I feel dizzy just getting up here.”

“Aye,” he sighs, dropping his bag and looking around the room.

It’s small, just a set of chairs, a dresser with a television, and then, indeed, a set of bunk beds covered in red plaid bedding. In the center of the room is a round window, and when Killian looks out it, he has a direct view of the lake and all of the surrounding hills and trees.

He imagines none of the other rooms have a view like that.

“Wow,” Emma whistles, “a view like that will almost make you think the lake is better than the beach.”

“Never,” he laughs, looking at her to his side. “I like my salt water and my sand too much to ever give it up, but it is stunning.”

“I can’t wait to get to explore it. It’s so damn nice not to be working this weekend. I haven’t had an actual, multiple-day break in months, and I’m taking full advantage of it.”

Killian nods as he keeps looking out the window. He sees two people walk out onto the deck, and he believes it’s Ruby and Mulan. It’s hard to tell from here, but then one of them walks a little further out and he recognizes Ruby’s red shirt. They must be ready to go already. He needs to change into a different pair of shoes.

Turning around, Killian moves to grab his bag only to see the last seconds of Emma pulling down a sports bra. She’s in nothing but a pair of black shorts and a white sports bra, and dammit if she doesn’t drive him mad like this.

He’s grown to know the curves of her body more intimately than he ever thought he would, and that’s how he knows that she’s been running more this summer and that places where she was once soft are the slightest bit more firm and how he knows the way her skin has changed from a creamy white to a shade or two darker, all of her freckles showing up more and more.

It’s how he knows that if that’s all she’s wearing today, he’s going to struggle holding it together in front of all of their friends.

He doesn’t know what to do when it comes to Emma any longer.

He wants her all the damn time, but his traitorous mind keeps telling him that he wants her in a way that he hasn’t had her: where there are no rules or implications or anything even closely relating to the friends with benefits situation they’ve got going on.

Where Killian can get it out of his mind that Emma kisses him in greeting now, how she intertwines their fingers, how she finds a way to touch him even when they’re not alone. It’s subconscious, he thinks. She’s not doing it on purpose, not seeking him out like she would a boyfriend, but it’s still happening.

(It matters not he is also guilty of doing the same things.)

It’s messing with his mind, with his heart, with everything.

And all he knows is that he feels like he’s betraying her because what Killian feels for Emma is far more than friendship, and he has no idea how to deal with that without mucking it up.

Especially because he can’t seem to stop being with her.

Their first rule was to keep the friendship at the center of everything, to make sure that neither of them messed it up, and the more time that passes, the more time that he thinks he’s barreling them toward disaster.

But he can’t stop.

“You gonna just keep staring at me like that?” Emma teases as she ties a jacket around her hips.

“I don’t believe I was staring.”

She chuckles and saunters toward him until she’s standing toe to toe with him. Killian glances away from her face, but that only leads his gaze toward the top of her breasts and the freckle that seems to be calling him.

Not now, not now, not now.

“Oh, you definitely were.” Emma presses up on her toes and runs her lips across his jaw. God, this is another one of the things about her that drives him mad, and he has to focus all of his attention on his breathing to keep himself from becoming too aroused. “Later,” she whispers. “I really do want to go on this hike, and I’m not going to let you distract me, Jones.” “I thought you were the one distracting me.”

“Eh, it goes both ways.”

And then she’s pulling away with this bright, kind smile on her face, and he has no idea how she can go from seductive to friendly all within the span of five minutes.

“See you downstairs. I need to get Ruby to braid my hair, so I’m going to go ahead and go.”

“She’s out on the deck with Mulan.”

Emma nods, grabs her phone, and then walks out the door.

This weekend is going to be bloody torturous.

-/-

If Killian had to guess, he would say that David and Liam have gotten them lost somewhere in the middle of the woods despite the fact that they’re all following a trail.

Or, well, supposed to be following a trail.

At one point, Anna and Elsa got distracted by this flower bush, and once they veered off the path to look at it, wondering if they could get Elsa’s florist to change her bouquet arrangement, they all started veering on and off the path, especially since there are twelve of them out here on a trail that really only allows two people to walk side by side.

If someone had brought alcohol on the hike, he imagines at least half the group would be lying dead in a ditch by now.

Honestly, Will usually has a flask on him, but as far as Killian knows, he hasn’t pulled it out yet.

Damn.

Killian ignores David and Liam arguing and keeps looking ahead. Emma and Mary Margaret are directly in front of him, now leading the group, and he tries to focus on the ground instead of the way Emma’s ass is nearly on display from the way her shorts are riding up. She hasn’t paid him much attention since they started the hike, and he’s never been so thankful to be left alone, if only for a little while.

He hasn’t been able to run all week, and this is exactly what he needed, even if the quietness of nature is cancelled out by everyone talking.

“I’m not kidding,” Ruby chuckles. “It’s awful. I mean, I get it, these are teenagers who are getting away from their parents for a little while, but do they have to make out in booths that I have to clean? There are so many places they could go, places where I don’t have to look at them while I’m trying to do my job.”

“We’ve made out in those booths.”

“That’s different, and you know it.” “Why? Because you’re the one who is getting a little action?”

“Exactly.”

“Granny’s is a fucking popular make out spot,” Will adds in. “There’s the hallway that connects to the B and B, which has seen more action than Killian has all summer.”

“Oi,” Killian scoffs, turning around to stare Will down, “mind your own bloody business.”

“Sorry, mate. I couldn’t resist.”

“You know who I keep seeing there?” Will continues. “Neal Cassidy. I know he’s dating Tamara, but damn, you’d think they could go to one of their places every once in awhile.”

Killian cringes, nearly faltering in his step, and he finally looks up to Emma, who is simply continuing to walk.

Good. That’s good.

She told him that she was over Neal, that she’s letting it go, but you don’t love someone for that long and have them break your heart and not be affected when someone is talking about them.

“Will, shut up,” Belle hisses.

“Why do I need to – oh fuck,” he mutters. “I’m sorry, Emma. Please ignore me and that bloody wanker.”

“It’s fine,” Emma shouts back, not turning around. “Neal has nothing to do with me anymore. He can do what he wants as long as I don’t have to look at him while I’m eating my onion rings.”

“I’d never make you do that,” Ruby tells her. “I’ll kick him out.”

“Can you even do that?”

“Eh, I can try.”

“Look,” David interrupts, and they all stop to stare where he’s pointing. “There’s that damn split tree. That’s where we were supposed to be going.”

“How do you even know that?” Liam grumbles.

“Because I noticed it on the way up. We’ve been here before, so it we turn that way, it should take us back to the house.”

“Can’t we use our phones to check where we are?” Killian asks only to have both Liam and David glare at him. “Okay, okay,” he backtracks, holding his hands up, “I guess we’re not using technology to make our lives easier.”

By the time they’re back at the house, Killian’s skin has been kissed by the sun, his feet ache, and his stomach is growling with hunger. He could really go for a nap, but Kris offers to cook burgers for everyone down by the lake, so everyone grabs their swimsuits and some drinks and heads down to where the grill is.

Killian settles into one of the lounge chairs that’s set up down there, a bottle of water in hand, and leans back, wondering if napping outside would be possible, but then Liam starts blaring music over some speakers and he knows the nap is never going to happen.

“Hey,” Emma says as she plops down in the chair next to him, “why do you look like you’re about to fall asleep?”

“Because I desperately want to.”

“How are you tired?”

“Because, unlike someone, I drove us up here and could not nap in the car.”

Emma shrugs and curls her legs up in the chair before taking a long sip of her water.  “You make a good point, KJ. Do you think I’d get my hand slapped away if I went and got the bag of barbecue chips off the table before all the other food was ready?”

“Depends on if the picnic table guardian is looking over it or not.” Emma laughs and leans forward, looking over at the table. “David seems to be occupied staring at the grill being all macho man with Kris. I’ll be right back.”

And then she’s jogging over to the table, slowing down right before she gets there, and then grabbing the big bag of barbecue crisps before springing back over to him and sitting back down in her seat, dropping the crisps between them. David looks over at them, and Killian swears that he sees his eyes narrow, like he knows Emma took the crisps off the table.

“Sneaky, love.”

“I try. I don’t know why he does that at any event. It’s like he gets some weird high off of making sure no one gets too food, but the worst part is definitely the fact that he watches to see if people throw any uneaten food away.”

“It is rather odd, isn’t it?”

“It’s the worst is what it is.”

She leans over between them and opens the bag, grabbing a crisp and taking what he swears is the loudest bite in existence. David is likely about to look over at them and give them hell for it. The man is going to make a great father one day.

If only because he can monitor food better than anyone else in existence.

Killian leans back in his chair and settles down into it, closing his eyes. He stretches out his arm, his hand laying against the arm of the chair, and after a few moments of relative silence, he feels Emma’s fingers tracing over his forearm in soothing patterns that have a shiver running down his spin and settling in his stomach.

It feels so natural for her to do this, for him to let her do this, and he should stop it.

But he can’t, not now.

Soon. He’ll figure it out.

Soon.

“I’ve always liked this tattoo the best.”

“Hmm?”

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” She traces the words inked into his skin as she says them out loud. “I don’t know. I just feel like it’s so fitting to have them mixed in with your scars.”

Killian fights with himself to keep his eyes closed, to keep himself from looking into Emma’s eyes. Not a lot of people get such unfiltered access to his scars, and yet here she is in the open tracing them and talking about them and yet again making him feel like maybe they’re not too bad.

“I mean,” she continues, “I like all of your tattoos. They always make me want to get more than my buttercup, but I really like this one.”

“Aye,” he sighs, deciding that just for today, he can let everything be. This is a good moment, and he’s not going to let his mind ruin it. Instead he’ll let Emma run her fingers over his hand and let her hold onto him for a few moments. “I am fond of that one as well. I am also fond of yours, though it is rather small.”

“What? Do you want me to get a giant one?”

“You should get one that covers your entire back.” “Shut up,” Emma laughs, digging her nails into him. “I am obviously not doing that. I don’t know what I’ll do, or if I ever will. I think I’ll just stick to liking yours.”

“I like that plan. Do you think if I eat a crisp that David will hear it?”

“He hasn’t noticed me yet.” “Ah, but you have better luck than me.” “Guess you’ll have to try your luck to see.”

Killian slowly opens one eye, then the next, before moving his arm away to reach into the bag. He takes one bite, eyeing David who still has his back turned, before eating a few more. He thinks that maybe he’ll get away with it until David turns around.

“Jones, put the damn chips back on the table before I burn your food.”

“Sorry,” Emma says to him, shrugging, but he can tell that she’s not sorry at all.

“I think I’ll survive, love.”

When the food is finished cooking, everyone settles around tables and in chairs, eating and drinking and laughing. And it’s nice, a nicer time than Killian has had in awhile if he’s honest with himself. But then the night falls, crickets finding their places in the surrounding trees and a breeze wafting through the campground, causing a chill to travel down his spine as his skin pebbles with goosebumps.

There is a fire going, though, and plenty of alcohol being passed around to warm him, but really, the alcohol might not be the best idea right now, especially since Mary Margaret and Ruby tend to like to play games when they’re halfway to drunk.

Mary Margaret said something about how they needed to play a shower game. It was tradition, but Elsa and Liam hadn’t wanted that. Then Ruby stood up from the bench she was sitting on and declared that they would play Truth or Dare like the grown adults they are. They love their games, though, and, well, Ruby does know how to turn the game into something that is rather more adult than what he played when he was a lad. This is nothing new. They tend to do this at every party they have, but he never knows if it’s going to be tame or not.

So far Elsa has had to share some intimate details about the first time she slept with Liam, which Killian truly did not need to hear about, Liam has chugged down half a bottle of ketchup, Will has jumped into the lake, Mary Margaret has had to answer what the one thing she’d change about David would be, which resulted in a hushed argument, and Ruby has run to the neighboring house and asked them for condoms.

She came back with an entire box.

So, now it’s Ruby scanning the semi-circle they’re sitting in looking for her next victim, because, really, of all the people here, the last person he’d want to have pick out whatever form of torture this is would be Ruby Lucas.

His one glass of rum has not numbed him enough for this.

“Emma,” Ruby finally says, and Killian swears he hears half the group let out sighs of relief.

“I hate you,” Emma mutters, flipping Ruby off.

“Oh, no you don’t. You love me, and I’m going to be really nice to you by telling you that if you pick ‘truth,’ I’m going to ask you about the guy who gave you that hickey last week.”

Killian’s cheeks immediately heat, and he swallows, pushing the thought down. He hadn’t meant to do that. It had been an accident because they are not teenagers and don’t usually leave marks, and he didn’t even know it happened until Emma had sent him a picture the next day.

Shit.

At least Emma’s a damn good liar since it’s not like anyone is actually forcing them to do this.

It’s the spirit of it all.

“Dare, you asshole.”

There are a few whistles from around the group, and Killian already knows there are going to be a few follow-up questions to Ruby’s words later.

“I dare you to…kiss Jones. Killian, not Liam. And none of that on the cheek shit. You two have so much chemistry, and I need to see it. I feel like everyone here needs to see it.”

“Oh my God,” he hears Emma murmur next to him at the same time that he has that exact thought. The whistles increase, some hollering too, and he swears that everyone here but he, Emma, and David are drunk off their asses. “Ruby, no. Pick something else. Like, something normal that non-tipsy you would pick.” “You chose ‘dare.’”

“Because you were going to ask me something I didn’t want to talk about. I don’t want to kiss Killian.” She turns back to him and winces. “No offense.”

“None taken,” he mumbles, knowing she’s trying to save face.

“Why not? He’s super hot. I mean, I know you think he’s hot. You’ve said it before, and you guys kind of have that ‘will they, won’t they’ thing going on, which I have been saying all summer. We actually have all talked about getting a betting pool as to when you’ll finally get together, especially since you and the dumbass are no longer a thing. So, come on, it won’t be that bad. You’ve got to uphold the integrity of truth or dare.”

Emma’s lips part, and Killian knows she has a retort on her tongue. She always does.

But then she’s turning and leaning over her chair until she’s grabbing the collar of his t-shirt and pulling his mouth to hers.

Fuck.

Her lips press into his, soft and warm as they always are, but it takes him a minute to fully close his eyes and appreciate how she feels against him. Eyes are on them, whistles ringing out around the group, and Killian swears he sees flashes of camera lights as Emma sucks on his bottom lip and his hands thread into her hair, pulling her closer.

And for one, miniscule second, he forgets about the people around him and the warring thoughts he’s been fighting for weeks now, and he lets himself revel in how damn good it feels to kiss Emma Swan.

But then it’s over.

They part, gasping for breath, and Killian’s grip tightens on the back of Emma’s head as her forehead rests warmly against his.

Strangely, all he can focus on is the fact that she smells like sunscreen.

“Well, hot damn,” Ruby sighs, and Killian finally drops his hand from Emma’s hair, “I feel like I need a glass of water now. Anyone else?”

There’s a murmur of voices, but Killian ignores them, focusing on the way Emma is blinking at him with a smirk painted on her lips. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?” “No, that wasn’t bad at all.”

“Emma, it’s your turn,” Ruby reminds her. “Feel free to do your worst to me.”

“Trust me, I plan to.”

In the blink of an eye, things go back to normal. The attention is back on the game, not on him, not on Emma, and no one says anything else about the kiss.

Apparently everyone cares about it a lot less than he thought they would.

But it was all part of a game. It wasn’t real.

None of it has been.

And he has no idea how much longer he’s going to be okay with that. He also has no idea how he could make any of it real, even if Emma wanted that, because he’s got no fucking clue how to do this.

His brain doesn’t seem to be conjuring up any ideas either.

Shit.

Eventually, the game dies down, everyone quieting and forming their own circles and conversations, and while Killian tries to stay for a little while, when the opportunity to sneak out and go to bed presents itself, he takes it.

-/-

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[sanderssidesfanfiction]

If There’s a Place I Could Be - Chapter Sixty Eight

If There’s a Place I Could Be Tag

June 23rd, 2000

Emile looked at the surprise on Faith’s face with glee. “Do you like it?” he asked her.

“Emile...you set up this entire thing for me?” Faith asked, looking over at him.

“Yeah, of course!” Emile said. “You said that you couldn’t have a party because you broke your wrist and you wouldn’t be able to set one up in time when you were holed up in the hospital, so consider this a double party! A welcome home and a birthday party!”

Faith shook her head, grinning and crushing Emile in a hug. “Oh, Emile, I love you so much,” she laughed. “I’m going to miss you after this summer.”

Emile grinned and hugged her just as tight. “I’m going to miss you too. Never stop writing.”

“Never,” Faith promised.

  July 28th, 2002

Emile turned as he heard snickering behind him, but he wasn’t quick enough to avoid the big wave of water that was aggressively shoved into his face before he was promptly tackled by a very excited Remy. Emile laughed, even as he sputtered and spat out salt water. “Was that really necessary, Rem?” Emile asked.

“No,” Remy said with a shameless grin. “But it was really funny.”

Emile laughed and shook his head, just as a wave rose up behind them, easily as tall as Emile was, and both of them were rather unceremoniously shoved onto the shoreline. Emile laughed hard enough that the wave retreating was starting to pull him back into the water before Remy grabbed his hands and kept him lying on the sand. “We should have come to the beach ages ago,” Emile laughed.

“Agreed,” Remy said with a grin, sitting down next to Emile. “Especially because I get to see you in boardshorts.”

“You’ve seen me in less,” Emile said, frowning.

“Yeah, but there’s something about the beach that makes everything and everyone look good,” Remy said. “Especially this one guy in particular...”

“I agree, the beach does make you look good,” Emile said.

Remy squeaked and whacked Emile. “I was talking about you, doofus!”

Emile laughed and offered Remy a wink. “Oh, come on, you know you look good in swim trunks, don’t deny it!”

Remy was blushing furiously and crossed his arms. “This conversation was not supposed to be about me, mister!”

“Well, it is now,” Emile said with a huge grin. “And you look positively stunning when you’re all happy and giggly at the beach.”

“No. Not allowed. Illegal,” Remy said, shaking his head. “You cannot compliment me like that.”

“I can, and I will,” Emile threatened. “If you don’t acknowledge your beauty yourself, someone else has to do it for you.”

Remy huffed and stood with a stretch, and Emile got to his feet as well. “I’m not that pretty, Emile,” he huffed. “Besides, I’d rather look handsome today.”

“Descriptors aside, you’re attractive,” Emile said simply. “I will fight you on this.”

“Then fight me, loverboy!” Remy said, shoving Emile before running into the water.

Emile stood there in shock a moment, just registering what Remy had said, before he laughed and ran after Remy, shoving water into his face with a laugh. Remy sputtered and shoved water back at Emile, but Emile blocked most of the spray. He grinned, jumping through the water and clinging to Remy like an octopus. “Emile!” Remy exclaimed with a laugh. “Let me go!”

“Nope!” Emile exclaimed, laughing.

“Come on, Emile, let go!” Remy laughed, pushing and tugging at Emile’s various limbs, but Emile would not be moved.

They continued like this for a while, Emile giggling as Remy tried to break free of Emile’s grip, before Remy got a light in his eyes and he walked out of the deeper water, causing Emile’s legs to drop. “Hey! No fair!” Emile exclaimed, still laughing.

Remy walked out of the waves to the shore, and undid Emile’s grip on him. Emile groaned. “You just sucked all the fun out of that!” he exclaimed.

“Well, I need to reapply sunscreen, and so do you,” Remy said, walking back to their towels.

Emile sighed but followed Remy and sat down on his towel, fishing in their bag for the sunscreen. He passed it to Remy, who immediately started to apply it. “I am not getting sunburned on our day trip to the beach,” Remy said. “I don’t mind a tan, but I refuse to get sunburnt.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Emile said. “Sunburn sucks, especially if you have it where you normally wear clothing.”

Remy hummed his agreement, before asking, “Can you get my back?”

“Sure,” Emile said.

Remy knelt down and Emile rubbed a coat of sunscreen onto Remy’s back, about as thin as the layer Remy put everywhere else. Emile spoke idly as he rubbed in the sunscreen. “We should do this again sometime.”

“Agreed,” Remy said. “It’s nice.”

“Where do you think we should grab lunch?” Emile asked.

Remy hummed as Emile finished applying sunscreen. “I’m always a sucker for pizza by the beach,” he said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Emile said.

“Put sunscreen on yourself, too,” Remy said, turning to look at Emile with a stern face.

Emile rolled his eyes. “Come on, Rem, I’m not going to burn!”

“You’re right, you’re not. Because you’re reapplying your sunscreen. I’ll do it myself if I have to,” Remy warned.

Sighing, Emile put on a thin cover of sunscreen himself. “You know, I’m pale, but I don’t burn easily.”

“Whatever you say,” Remy said. “You’re still reapplying it.”

“Because you threatened to treat me like a toddler and smear it on yourself,” Emile scoffed, passing the bottle back to Remy. “My back?”

Remy obliged and Emile looked around, noticing a family setting up nearby, with a little girl staring at them. Emile smiled and waved, and she waved back. She turned to the woman putting up an umbrella, asking something, and the woman glanced over to them before saying something Emile didn’t catch. The girl ran up to Emile and Remy and asked, “Are you two best friends?”

Emile and Remy looked at each other and laughed. “Something like that, yeah,” Emile said. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t usually see two men putting on sunscreen for each other,” the girl said with a shrug. “And I figured you must trust each other a lot.”

“You’re right that we trust each other a lot,” Remy spoke up. “We’ve known each other for almost two years now.”

“Has it really only been two years?” Emile asked. “It feels like it’s been forever.”

Remy laughed and kissed Emile’s temple. “It’s really only been two years,” he said.

The girl looked shocked. “You just kissed him!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Remy said. “I can do that. We’re dating.”

The girl’s mother walked over and grabbed her by the hand, glaring at Emile and Remy. “Don’t go putting ideas in my daughter’s head!” she hissed.

Emile and Remy glanced at each other when the mother was gone, and they started to giggle. “Oh, boy, is she in for a surprise,” Emile said. “The next town over is a college town. The gays are everywhere, and they’re open about it.”

Remy snickered. “Not only the ones who have summer semesters, but the ones who come back from their studies and work as lifeguards or have jobs on the boardwalk, too.”

They continued to laugh for a minute before Remy sighed and Emile yawned. “Man, we’ve only been here a few hours but I’m exhausted,” he said.

“Well, maybe lunch would help with that?” Remy offered. “I think it’s about noon.”

Emile grabbed his glasses and watch from the bag and checked the time. “It’s closer to one-thirty, actually.”

“Oh, we’re definitely getting lunch, then,” Remy said, standing up and shaking the sand out of his towel. “Come on, babe, we’ve gotta eat before we pass out.”

Emile stood and folded up his towel and grabbed their bag, and together they went back to the parking lot to put away their beach stuff. They both pulled on shirts and headed to the pizza parlor they had eyed on the way over here.

When they walked in they were directed to seats and Emile looked around. It was a nice place, over all. But here was the perfect chance to get some more ideas for the project. “Hey, Rem.”

Remy looked up from his menu and groaned. “Come on, Emile. This, again? Why are you so insistent about following through with this game?”

Emile shrugged. “I just want your opinion on a couple things,” he said innocently. “What do you think of the layout of the restaurant? Compared to the shop that you have visualized in your head?”

“Well, I probably wouldn’t have booths,” Remy said, looking around. “They’re usually difficult to move for cleaning, and so much dust and dirt and stuff gets stuck under them or really close to them because it’s hard to clean the nooks and crannies.”

“So, only tables with chairs?” Emile asked. “Would that be an accessibility issue?”

“I’d have different heights,” Remy said definitively. “Regular height tables around the edges, with some tables higher up for people who are able to stand and climb up onto seats. And this is gonna sound weird to you...”

Emile tilted his head to the side, silently asking Remy to continue.

“...But I would have rectangular tables at the edges and circular ones in the middle, if at all possible. Less space to take up, and more potential space for a line, which I doubt would go out the door, but it’s whatever, you know?”

“It’s forethought. I like it,” Emile said, nodding and making mental adjustments in his head.

Remy ran a hand down his face and sighed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Sorry for insisting we do this, like, every time we go out, but...you need a solid layout before you start a shop.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Remy said with a weak smile. “I’m just very tired, and I don’t want to talk or think shop right now, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it,” Emile said with a nod. “I’ll let it drop.”

A waitress came over and took their order, returning with their drinks and promising that their pizza would be out shortly. Remy was fiddling with the paper wrapper from his straw and he hummed. “Okay. I know I said I didn’t want to talk shop, but can I just...like, vent over something really quick?”

“Sure,” Emile said, faintly surprised. Remy never brought up this sort of stuff unless it was really bugging him, so it had to be important.

“I don’t get why so many people in so many coffee shops go out of their way to buy the expensive coffee grounds and advertise where from the world it came from. Like, ethically sourced? Yeah, of course, promote that. But a lot of the time they spring for expensive grounds and they just...don’t do anything different with them. And, sure, some grounds will taste better than others. But if you don’t do anything original with it to adjust the flavor, what’s the point? Most people won’t tell the difference between the different kinds of bitter, and you have to raise prices to boot because of the cost of the grounds going into the coffee.” Remy shook his head and took a long sip of his soda. “It...it doesn’t make sense to me.”

Emile nodded along. “That makes sense. So your shop, you’d use regular coffee grounds, whatever that means?”

“I’d use the basic stuff, probably, yeah. At least at first, because that’s what I’d be able to afford. And I’d want it to be ethically sourced, ideally. Which, I know is a bit more pricey, but not out of the price range entirely. But basic coffee grounds with other ingredients still make a mean mocha if you know what you’re doing,” Remy said.

“I don’t know the first thing about making coffee, so I’ll leave you to that part of the business,” Emile said with a laugh.

Remy offered a sly grin. “Yeah. I wouldn’t ask your opinion on that without doing extensive research first so I can simplify things for you. And because you don’t know the terminology.”

Emile laughed unapologetically. “Thank you for being aware of that,” he said with a grin. “Means a lot that you would at least try and get me to understand.”

“Well, of course. It’s nice to have someone to run your plans by,” Remy said simply. “And since Theo graduated and has started doing his own thing, my pool of options has gone down by one. And when you don’t have a lot of options to begin with, that’s a big hit.”

“Maybe so,” Emile allowed. “But I’m willing to bet that your network is bigger than you think it is.”

Remy shrugged. “Maybe,” he allowed. “Maybe.”

[samcedeswannabe]

Lost

The falling cold rain pricked his skin, leaving him a drenched crying mess in the tall grass. Why had he decided to go out on this tree planting trip? Why did that stupid shrine burn down? This trip had brought him nothing but bad luck the moment he had stepped off of the bus. He had received multiple mosquito bites because he had forgotten his bug spray back at the dorms and he didn’t even want to dwell on the sun burn on his face since his sunscreen was currently accompanying his bug spray. He groaned in frustration as the harsh water felt like it was penetrating his very soul. “Fuck!” Tine groaned out. A sudden crack of thunder overhead surrounded him. Startled, he jerked his body and winced as the pain in his right ankle reminded him of the tumble he had taken as he had attempted to run back to the cabins. Was this it? Was this how he was going to leave this world? Sunburnt, full of bites, and a crummy ankle? Great, just great.

No. His friends would find him. He just needed to stay positive. He needed to scream. “Help!” He yelled out to the sky. “I’m here help me please!” He pleaded as his words were swallowed by more thunder. His hand went to touch the bracelet on his wrist that his grandfather had given to him as a child. Normally it would comfort him in times of distress. A frown creased his wet features as he remembered that he had lost it while planting earlier that day. Knowing that he would never see it again was worse than the physical pain he felt. “Damn it!” He screamed as the tears streamed down his face, mixing with the incessant rain pouring down on his head. “Please God,” He muttered to himself unsure of what he was even asking, “Please.” He pulled his knee up to his chest and wrapped his arms around it. Holding it close to his body as he kept his leg with the bad ankle stretched out. “It’s me Tine.” He whispered, “If you help me get out of this, I promise I’ll be more focused. I’ll take my parents out for dinner. And I won’t bug Type...as much anymore.” He placed his forehead against his knee, closed his eyes, and simply waited.

“Tine?” He heard a voice yell out amidst the crashing in the sky. Tine looked up as best as he could to peer through the rain. He wiped the water from his eyes and put his hand above them as a shield.

“Yes! I’m here!” He yelled out as his eyes frantically searched for the person who had called out to him. “I’m hurt! Please help me!”  As the lightning lit up the sky he watched a tall figure approach him from out of the darkness. The hairs on his arms stood up as he watched as they got closer to him.

“Tine?” A teen boy stood in front of him. His hair was plastered to his forehead from the rain, slightly obscuring his handsome features. Tine froze as he watched the stranger reach his hand out. “Everyone’s looking for you.” The boy said. Who was this? Tine swallowed hard and glanced around. Where were his friends?

“Who, who are you?” He asked. His heart froze in fear. Through his squinted eyes he tried to gauge how old the other must have been and realised that they were probably around the same age.

“I’m Sarawat.” He answered as his hand remained outstretched. Another crack of thunder scared Tine. He winced again at the pain in his ankle. “Here.” The teen named Sarawat placed his hand around Tine’s bicep and tried to pull him up from the wet grass.

Tine grunted in pain, but was surprised at the other boy’s strength. Sarawat wrapped Tine’s arm around his shoulders and placed his own arm around Tine’s waist. “Thanks.” Tine said quietly as his clothes clung to his frame. The boy nodded and helped Tine to hobble towards the trees. “Do you work for the tree planting company?” He asked as they slowly made their way through the woods. The boy shook his head. “Are you from the law faculty? Or architecture?” He continued to try to figure who this boy was.

“No.” Sarawat answered as he helped Tine to navigate over the rugged terrain. Tine turned his head to look at the other. As if sensing he was being stared at, Sarawat turned his head to look back at him. Electricity shot through Tine’s body and caused him to stumble. Sarawat held on to his waist more tightly and pulled him against his side to stabilize him.

“Sorry.” Tine mumbled, unsure if the other had heard him amidst the loud rain.

“It’s fine. Pay attention.” Sarawat replied, “The woods show no mercy.” He ominously warned. Tine’s eyes widened as they continued to navigate between the tall trees. What in the hell did that mean?

“Uh, okay.” Tine said nervously, “Did Dim send you to find me?”

“No.” Sarawat answered slowly.

Tine pursed his lips and continued to allow the boy to help him. Despite the eerie feeling of it all, he didn’t feel uncomfortable or scared of the other boy. Mostly intrigued. He did his best to glance at him as the sheets of rain continued around them. He was right in thinking that Sarawat was handsome. Even with the water pouring over his features, he could see that the other was attractive. His eyes wandered down over his clothes. Sarawat wore a simple T-shirt, shorts, and sandals. Nothing out of the ordinary for a summer day. Who was he? How had he found Tine?

“Almost there.” Sarawat’s voice shook Tine out of his trance. He hadn’t realised they had walked so far and his ankle didn’t seem to hurt as much as it had before. Tine looked out and saw three moving lights in the distance. He could hear his name being called. Excitedly, he turned to the man who was helping him.

“Those are my friends!” He said happily. Sarawat nodded and moved his hand down the side of Tine’s shorts and into his pocket. “Hey!” Tine yelped and attempted to wiggle away, “What are you doing?”

Sarawat looked him directly in the eye and smirked as he pulled his hand back out. “Nothing.” Tine frowned. “I wouldn’t hurt you.” Sarawat’s said sincerely as the rain began to let up. Tine wasn’t sure why, but he believed the other boy.

“I know.” He said slowly and Sarawat nodded.

“I have to go.” Sarawat sighed as he lifted Tine’s arm off of his shoulders. “You can manage from here.”

Tine shook his head, “What? Where are you going?” Sarawat jerked his thumb back towards the way they had come from. “Why?” Tine glanced at the scary darkness beyond the trees.

“I have to.” Sarawat glanced away as he answered.  Tine saw the pain etched into the other teen’s features as the sounds of water drops trickled through the trees. “Bye Tine.” Sarawat’s gaze settled on him once more before he quietly turned and walked back into the blackness of the night.

“Uh, wait!” Tine yelled at the boy’s retreating back, “Thanks.” He said softly as the other disappeared. So weird, he thought to himself.

“Tine!” He heard his name called and the sounds of running feet. “Where the hell have you been?” Dim spun him around to look at him. Tine winced as the pain in his ankle returned. He looked over at his friend and saw how drenched he was too. He felt bad that is carelessness had dragged him out in the middle of the night. But he was thankful.

“I’m sorry.” Tine stuttered, “I came to apologise to the spirits.” He sighed, “I got lost and then I hurt my ankle.” Green and Mil ran up to them as well.

“We were so scared.” Green’s eyes were wide as he put Tine’s arm around his shoulders. “Let’s head back Dim. It’s so creepy out here.” Green’s eyes darted around them and Tine could feel that the boy holding him was shivering. Dim frowned at Tine and then nodded at his boyfriend.

“Okay let’s go.”

Tine refused to move, “Wait, what about Sarawat?” He asked the three others. They looked at him with confused stares.

“Who?” Mil asked.

Tine frowned, “Sarawat? The guy who helped me get here. Didn’t you ask him to help?”

Green shook his head, “It was just us three out here Tine. Everyone else is sleeping.”

Dim nodded, “There’s no one named Sarawat with us on this trip. I planned it all, so I would remember seeing that name.” He shrugged as he explained. The three men looked at each other and then at Tine who was now as white as a ghost. Wait? What? Tine quickly shoved his hand into his pocket and his blood ran cold as his fingers traced over the circular object. He pulled the item out of his pocket and stared at his grandfather’s bracelet.

“Oh good you found it.” Mil said as he looked at the bracelet in Tine’s hand.

“I-“ Tine started, “I didn’t find it. He did.” His lips parted as he turned his head to look over his shoulder, staring into the forest. The other men turned to look too. A chill ran down his spine as he continued to stare into the pitch black of the night.

[devilbat]

Camping, Check

Loki x reader with Peter Parker

Warning: maybe swearing, but just fluff, check

What should have been a quite camping trip. Well somewhat quite camping trip, you did have Peter with you, so chatting was going to happen. But when then the god of Mischief decided he wanted to tag along it went from somewhat quiet to dear God’s you might kill him and Peter.

Tents, check

Sleeping bags, check

Sleeping mats, check

Your pillow cause everyone else can worry about their own, check

Camping chairs, check

Cooler with food, check

Camp stove, check

Shit ton of water, check

Whole trees worth of firewood, check

Matches, check

Murder Axe to kill someone with possibly, check

My clothes cause they can deal with packing their own, your not their mother, check

Toiletries, check

“Hi y/n.” Peter squeaked out, from behind you. Make you jump a bit. Turning on your heels to look at the kid. “I’m ready for our adventure.” He smiled at you.

“One Peter Parker, check.” You breathed out, as you searched for his name to check him off the list. You went back to checking the rest of the the stuff off before you were on your way.

Lanterns, check

Sunscreen, check

Hammer, check

“So y/n whatcha doing?” Peter asked as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

Duck tape for spider-kid Mouth, check

“Making sure we have everything we need.” You stated not looking up from the paper.

“We could always ask Mr. Stark if we forget something.” Peter piped up, trying to peek over your shoulder.

Rope Incase I have to tie a child up to a tree, check

Stakes, check

“We are not calling Tony. This is going to be a no calling for Tony trip. So please reframe from getting yourself tangled in you webs.” You looked over you shoulder and smile.

Scissors to cut the kid out of his webs, because you telling him no will not stop him from doing so, wether or not he has help, Check

Plate & utensils, check and check

“Y/n?” Peter asked coyly. Jumping up and down around you. God who gave him sugar. Oh you know who. That was a dumb question. You really could kill Tony at times.

“Hmm?” You looked up at the kid eyebrow raised.

Mosquito spray cause this girl not getting eaten, Check

“Where’s Mr Loki? Isn’t he coming?” Peter asked. A bright smile on his face.

“Hello pet.” Loki purred into your ear from behind. Making you squeak out. Turning fast on your heels to smack the god. Who chuckled at your weak attempt.

“God damn it Loki. Don’t do that.” You hissed snaking him again.

Loki, check

Frying pan to beat Loki over the head with, double check.

“I do love it when you take my name in vain.” He smirked. Grabbing ahold of your hand, keeping it against his chest. All the while Peter got situated in the car.

The reasons why you decided to take Loki with you camping, unknown check

Your sanity went out the door, check

“Loki, will you please just get in the car.” You sighed pulling you hand away from him. “Remember keep you hands to yourself we don’t want to scare the kid.” Loki smug smile spread over Loki’s face. Oh this was going to be interesting.

Going on what should be an two drive but will most likely take five, cause someone needs to pee, check

Possibly going to be annoyed the whole drive there, check

It was a long drive most of it was Peter asking loki question about Asgard and what it was like there. You had to admit you love hearing Loki’s tails about his home lands. He was good at telling stories like his brother. There was about twenty minutes of silence before the kid decided to tell loki about some of his, neighborhood friend spider stories. And boy half the time you couldn’t understand him, he talked so fast.

Finally here without killing anyone, check

You pulled up to the camp grounds and checked in to you spot. It had been a very long drive and one you were happy to be done with. Stepping out of the car you stretched the cool mountain air filled your lungs. Now to unload the car. You turned around about to direct the two chatty Kathy’s. (This was the most You ever heard Loki talk. He would not shut up. Why did he never want to talk like this with you. Oh you know why, he like to keep his mouth busy, on you.) looking over to where you had left them last. Only to find a full SUV and two missing super idiots.

Unloading the car by myself, check

Nether one helping you put up the Tents, death, I mean check

Hours later, both Loki and Peter walked into the camping spot. Sweaty, stinky and covered in mud. Okay only one was sweaty, stinky and covered in mud. Loki looked untouched in whatever had happened to the poor kid. Which you most likely knew the reason why.

Loki causing chaos to poor Peter, check

“Loki, what did you do to Peter?” You you question the god.

“Lady y/n, I did nothing to the poor boy, he fell.” Loki smile sweetly a little to sweet. With a shrug.

“Yeah lady- I mean y/n I fell, it was pretty cool. I was swinging showing Loki a new web combo.” Peter eagerly a little to eagerly told you. You raised an eyebrow at the two specially.

“Mmhmm. Seems convenient like conveniently disappearing on me while unpacking.” You huffed crossing your arms.

“Is there anything we can help you with darling?” Loki purred. Oh that ass.

Loki possibly never getting lucky again, a strong check

“Nope did it ALL myself. Now please clean the boy up.” You hissed, glaring directly at Loki.

“Fine.” With a flick of Loki’s wrist, Peter looked like what he did before they disappeared.

“Now put this on!” You handed a bottle of big spray to the kid. Quickly he did as you asked while you did the same with the other bottle. Once you were done you handed it to Loki.

“I’m not putting that god awful smelling thing on my body.” Loki hissed at the bottle.

Loki being over dramatic, check

“Loki you’ll get bit! Please put this on.” You looked up at him. You know this is going to be an argument you won’t win.

“I am a god. Your Midgard bugs could do nothing to me.” Raising an eyebrow challenging you.

Loki thinking he is better at everything because he is a “God”, check

Later that night, you had the fire going. It was almost romantic if there wasn’t a kid presented. Peter had started making Smore’s. You had been trying to figure out how to tell loki he wasn’t sleeping in the tent with you. Let alone the fact he would have to sleep on the ground. As you watched the fire die down.

Possibly dying by the hands of a “king” for making him sleep on the floor, checkers

Peter had fallen asleep at some point, in his camp chair a half burnt marshmallows on a stick in his hand. You got up and stretched with a yawn.

“Loki could you.” You pointed at the kid. Loki stood looking over at the kid before he walked over towards you. Pulling you into him. Kissing you forehead. “That was not what I was asking.” You giggle. “Can you put Peter in the tent.”

“As you wish my love.” With ease you watched the god pick up Peter. He disappeared with him then before you could turn around was back beside you.

“Well good night loki.” You kissed his check as you walked over to your tent. Only for Loki to follow you. “Where do you think your going?” You turned around to look at loki.

“Do you really think I’m going to sleep on the floor? Let alone without my girlfriend?” Loki huffed.

“Yes, remember you wanted to come. And I told you there were going to be things you were not going to like. Well this would be one of them. And it’s called roughing it for a reason.”

Loki challenging you, check

“And beside he doesn’t know, I thought you wanted to keep this us hush, hush.” You pointed at the the kids tent.

Loki actually listening to you? Umm maybe check

The next morning you woke up. You stretched only to notice a few things. In your groggy state.

Large soft bed, check

Silky satin sheets, check

Soft breathing against your neck, check

Strong arms wrapped around your waist, check

“Morning my love.” Loki smooth voice purred into your ear. He moved around like he was trying to get comfortable

A god not listening to you. And apparently can’t sleep on the ground, why check

“Loki!” You sighed, turning around to look at him. Biting you lip when you saw his face. Little tiny red bumps scattered along his handsome face and neck.

Loki getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, oh yes that’s a check.

“Something wrong Loki?” You asked as he started to itch.

“No, nothing is wrong!” Trying hard not to itch.

“You feeling a little itchy there?”

“No!” He glared at you.

“So those red bumps are nothing?” You hummed in amusement. You hand moving along his bare torso, feeling more bites. Making him squirm under your touch.

“No just a trick love, see I’m fine.” Loki used his magic to glimmer himself with no bumps. But you could still feel them. So you started to scratch him lightly over his sides. “Stop your meddling women. It’s nothing.”

Torturing a god, triple check

How you manage to get Loki on his back was astonishing. But you showed no remorse as you felt around his check. Driving the god crazy, only wanting to scratch himself. He quickly removed you from him, jumping out of bed. Backing himself away from you. A mischievous glint in your eyes, the same one he would do to you. Pulling yourself off the bed as you stalked towards him.

“The God of mischief taken out by Midgardian bug.” You giggle as You lunged forward. Tackling Loki. You had him on the ground at your mercy.

“Infuriating woman, I am not going to yield.” Loki hissed.

“Umm hey guys?” You and Loki froze., looking up to see you were outside the tent. With Peter standing there rubbing his eyes.

Shit, check

The kid finding out we’re dating, check

“Oh hey, umm I’m just Umm trying to.” You rabbled Trying to think of something. “I’m trying to put calamine lotion on his mosquito bites. Someone is regretting Life choices right now.”

“Where is the bottle?” Peter raised an eyebrow.

The kid not buying it, check

“I lost it?” You shrugged.

“That is very convincing my love.” Loki chuckled from under you. “Now please put something on these infernal bites.”

Later that day and a whole bottle of pink lotion. Loki was covered in pink spots. And mopping in the camping chair.

Taking a Picture of Loki without him noticing, check

Definitely going to die when he finds out that said picture has been sent to everyone in the compound, check

Loki regrets not wearing mosquito repellent, check check

Now onto bribing the kid, to not tell tony, check

Permanent tags: @kitkatkl @lokilvrr @instantnoodlese @drakesfiance @meyoko10 @jackheart180, @miraclesoflove @wolfcore227, @mr-hiddlestons-Pet, @madleiine, @teageowen @scorpionchild81 @redlipsinkorea @mintzxi

Tom/Loki Tag’s: @theoneanna @graveyard-groupie @silverquartx @moonfaery @kcd15 @moonlightprime @youveseen--thebutcher @shockwavee @sabine-leo @screw-real-life-i-pick-fandoms @vethrvolnir, @darkprincessloki92 @archy3001 @chaoticwithpurpose @paanchu786 @metalheadspider @myownviperroom @arosewithdaisies @jilldsumner @witchbitch-stuff @too-cold-for-youhere @sterwild

[toledoendo]

Resetting the Bone -Part One

A/n: Trigger warnings: self harm, shame

Peter appeared in the doorframe like an apology that didn’t need to be spoken. His frame, swathed in Tony’s old MIT sweatshirt - the one with the cuffs so tattered it had holes for each of his fingers to get caught through - was as unassuming as he could make it. His skin was buzzing as he stepped in from the hallway and he hoped those in the kitchen couldn’t hear the broadcast of his nerves.

“Good morning, Peter.”

“Morning, kid.”

“Good morning.” Peter meekly responded to the greetings from Happy and Pepper. Each smiled in a way that Peter knew was meant to encourage his presence then they relaxed back into their tasks.

They had been great about giving him space, excusing his absence from family time, and not putting, really, any pressure on him to do anything when he’d stayed over. And, their greetings were always natural, normal, just like they’d been for years. He felt guilty, forcing them to watch over him like a child.

Morgan sped over to him breathlessly. She’d very obviously been waiting for him to appear, as she had been every morning he’d stayed with them the past two months. In her hand she had a little Band-Aid, just like she’d given him every morning. “I picked out a Hello Kitty one because I thought you’d like it.”

“Thanks, Mo.” Peter said. He glanced at Pepper who was clipping shut a plastic lunch box. He noticed her small smile thin slightly. Happy looked up from the road route he was studying on his phone. Peter swallowed. “I love it.”

“Can I put it on this time?”

An icy feeling ran down into his stomach. Morgan was being sweet, he knew that. She didn’t understand how Peter was sick. She had heard somewhere- how nobody could guess- that he was hurt on his left wrist. She knew he had done it. Not a bad guy.

It was a nightmare.

She’d come up with the idea that he needed a Band-Aid to keep on his wrist. Pride glowing on her face, she made sure he had one every morning. Peter wore it all day for her. The only time he hadn’t is when she handed him one with Spider-Man on it. That was trashed as soon as he could slink back to his room. If he wasn’t wearing the suit, not helping anybody, he figured he shouldn’t pretend he was still a hero.

Morgan kept giving him Band Aids every visit. She didn’t give up. She was being sweet. She was trying to take care of him. But he really wished she would stop!

“I—“ Peter didn’t want to say no again. But, how could he let her see?

He had new ones.

“Hey, Squirt,” Happy said. He was trying to give Peter an out. “Do I get to pick the music for the drive this time?”

Morgan didn’t even break her gaze with Peter. “No.” She said simply.

Peter said quietly, “Thanks, Mo, but I’ll put it on myself.” He shifted away from her falling face.

“Good call, Maguna,” Tony said, striding into the kitchen, “Happy can't be trusted with the radio.” Tony hoisted up his little girl and won a smile from her. “Too many buttons anyway.”

Relief eased through Peter’s chest as Tony and Happy began a familiar back and forth. Morgan’s giggles were sprinkled throughout. Tony had saved him again. Peter retreated to the countertop, away from the island where the others stood together.

“I’m picking the music for the drive.” Tony teased. He paused to send Peter a warm gaze from across the kitchen.

Peter gave him a smile back. Just like in the days when he was a teenager, he felt an urge to tell Tony… To tell Tony about the new cuts on his wrist — about his frustration that they were fading so fast, erased by the tide of his enhanced healing, when he wanted them to be something more —about the worry he felt about his special day planned with Morgan and how he didn’t want to go… But the guilt of withdrawing from her was too strong. Like always, the guilt decided. He would go.

Peter knew he couldn’t talk to him.

“No, Daddy!” Morgan laughed. “Pete gets to pick.” She looked over at him with an expression like she was giving him a present. Then she turned back to Tony. “Besides, you’re not going. Just me and Pete.”

“Ouch.” Tony laid a hand over his chest. He set Morgan down as he joked. “You may not remember, but you like having me around sometimes.”

Happy grumbled. “I don’t even get a mention. I’m going, too.”

Peter turned shyly away from the family. He pushed the left sleeve of the sweatshirt away from his wrist and stuck on the Hello Kitty Band-Aid, one side at a time. Yesterday’s Band-Aid was already removed. He did that as soon as he was closed off in his room every night. Yesterday’s had been a yellow one with a tiny rainbow on the center. It was crumpled in the wastebasket by his bed. Once the Hello Kitty one was affixed, he replaced the tattered sleeve.

Peter turned back. Pepper was watching him. She smiled gently. Then she gave him back his space.

Last night she had talked with him about today. They had worked together to plan a laid back outing for Morgan and Peter, something she would enjoy and would be easy on him. Pepper suggested the lemon grove nearby.

Morgan had become enamored by the idea of a lemonade stand. As much as Tony had spurned “capitalism for seven-year-olds”, Pepper thought the grove would be a quiet but open place where Peter could slip away if he needed. Peter thought about sunlight and the calm and nodded his approval.

“You can walk together and pick some lemons.” Pepper had said. “Happy can drive and take care of Morgan. After lunch, you can come back here and make the lemonade with me in the kitchen. You can take a break whenever you want. I can keep Morgan entertained.” She winked.

“I’m really sorry,” Peter said but Pepper shook her head. The way she looked at him was soft.

She wasn’t like May and never had been. Yet, in moments and certain movements - especially around their eyes, Peter could catch something. It must be specific to the way mothers look at their children. Peter blushed when he realized what he had thought. Even after so many adults had stepped in to love him like their own, May and Ben not the least, he was still so humbled and overjoyed to be treated as a son.

“I’m sure she’ll want to set up a stand in the yard.” Pepper chuckled, “Even though our closest neighbor is seven acres away.”

Peter smiled and looked down.

“The rest of the day we can spend in the yard. Tony and I will be around to take some of her attention. You can have some quiet before it’s time for your bus.” Pepper paused and her brow creased. “Don’t feel like you have to do this.”

“I really love being with her.” Peter assured her. “And I want Mo to have good memories with me. I’ve been…” ignoring her, he finished in his mind.

“You’re allowed to not be okay, Peter.”

He wondered, How long am I allowed to not be okay, though? But he didn’t say anything. They wordlessly cemented the plans and Pepper let him know that she would take care of everything. Then Tony came downstairs from putting Morgan to bed and asked if Peter wanted to take a walk down to the lake with him. Peter said he was tired; he went to his bedroom and removed the yellow Band Aid with the tiny rainbow.

In the kitchen, Tony said to Morgan, “Are you going to the lemon grove in a Buzz Lightyear gown?”

“Hmm.” Morgan smirked as if seriously considering it.

“How about you go get ready?” Tony said, sending her off. Morgan padded away at top speed. When she had left, he walked over to Peter.

Tony smiled at him and patted his shoulder. Then he reached for a mug from the cabinet and remarked playfully, “Who said you could wear my shirt?”

Peter snorted a little laugh. “You did.”

“Oh yeah,” Tony said, with no conviction, as he retrieved the coffee pot from the maker. Peter rolled his eyes. Tony became more of a dad by the day. “Whoever made coffee, bless your sainted soul!.”

“That,” said Pepper, “was Saint Harold.” She gestured to Happy.

“Of Audi,” Peter added, “Champion of Babysitters and Expired Firewalls.”

There was good-natured chuckling. It felt good. Peter felt something pull at the back of his mind. His smile was weighed down as a vague panic moved through his stomach. He wanted to cut. But why?

“The bugs won’t be bad during the morning, right?” Peter heard Tony ask. “There’s bug spray in trunk, I think.”

“I think they’ll be fine.” Pepper said. She stood and placed the three packed lunches in a backpack.

“But there’s sunscreen?” Tony asked. “I’m going to put some on Morgan before you go. Thirty minutes before sun exposure, you know. You need some, too, Pete.” He tapped Peter’s chest as he walked past.

Happy took the backpack from Pepper. “This ready?” He left to pack it in the car after she had nodded.

Peter shifted. “I guess I’ll get ready.”

Pepper looked at him in surprise. “You haven’t eaten.” She indicated the pot of oatmeal kept warm on the stovetop.

Peter backed away. “I had some protein bars in my room. The special kind that Tony made for my metabolism. I’m good.”

“Ok.” She said.

Peter left the kitchen and went upstairs to his bedroom.

[mackinmacki]

In My Neck of the Woods

Rating: K+

Word Count: 4886

Summary: Ruby thinks it's a good idea to take Weiss camping with herself, Yang, and Blake. She was mistaken.

Pairing: White Rose

Notes: This is day one of White Rose Week. First prompt: First.

Link: (FFN) | (AO3)

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"Aren't you excited?" Ruby bounced up and down in her seat, grinning from ear to ear. She was clearly excited. Weiss, who was sitting still with her arms crossed, didn't seem to be sharing her enthusiasm. "C'mon Weiss, it's your first time camping! You could at least be a little bit excited." Weiss sighed, slowly unfolding her arms. She loved Ruby to death, but sometimes she could really oversell the situation. This was a prime example.

"I've told you already that I've been camping before. My family took me several times when I was younger." Admittedly, it had been nearly a decade since she'd last gone camping, but that didn't mean she'd never gone. Saying she was a complete novice was certainly overreaching. Just because it had been awhile since her last venture into the woods didn't mean she needed to be as hyperactive about it as Ruby was. It wasn't even that fun for her back then, honestly. She had only agreed to go because it made Ruby happy. Ugh, she could hear Yang making a 'whipping' sound in her mind right now.

"Weiss, that was glamping, not camping." Blake spoke up from behind the wheel, a hand on Yang's knee as she drove the four of them to the campgrounds. "Your family took you to the woods, yes, but you were in a fully-stocked portable home with air conditioning and beds. That's like saying living in a house next to the woods is camping. You've never actually experienced the wilderness in your entire life." Between Ruby's high-pitched excitement and Weiss's stubborn attitude, she was already starting to get a headache. She'd known what she was getting into when she'd agreed to do this, though. There was no one to blame but herself.

"That's not a real word, Blake. Besides, that is camping! What else would you call sleeping out in the woods, staring at the stars through the visor in the ceiling? Don't be ridiculous." She paused when she heard Yang laughing, turning her indignant attention to the passenger seat. "And just what is so funny?" Now Ruby was laughing, and she couldn't figure out which of the two sisters she should be glaring at. How could they sit there and make fun of her camping experiences? She hadn't expected them to be so elitist.

"You can't be serious, Weiss. That's not camping!" Yang could barely get the words out because she was laughing so hard. Weiss puffed out her cheeks, which made Ruby poke them with a giggle. "Real camping involves staying in a tent with a sleeping bag, not a comfy bed. You sit around a fire and roast marshmallows, telling ghost stories and watching the stars from above the treetops. Sounds nothing like what your family did, right?" Hearing Yang's words made Weiss's face fall. Her eyes slowly widened as she stared at her in increasing horror.

"What... That's camping?" She gaped at Yang, then turned towards Ruby so fast her neck cracked. "Tell me she's lying." Ruby just shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "Are you serious?! We're going to be spending the weekend in a tiny tent like homeless people?!" Yang busted out laughing again while Blake glared at her through the rearview mirror. "Why didn't you tell me this was what you meant, Ruby?!"

"I thought you knew what I meant!" Ruby had known that Weiss's camping experience wasn't exactly typical, but that was why she'd been saying it was Weiss's first time camping. Her first real camping trip. She'd had no idea that Weiss didn't know that was atypical. It'd just seemed obvious. Everyone knew what camping was, right? Apparently not, as it turned out. "It's okay, though. It'll be fun! A weekend in the woods with your best friends!" She spread her arms as wide as she could in the car, smiling brightly. "What do you think about that?"

"I think I'm going to die." Weiss groaned and laid her head back against the seat. She should've known something was wrong when Ruby was packing sleeping bags for them. It should've raised some sort of an alarm, but she'd stopped questioning her partner's eccentricities awhile ago. That would turn out to be costly this time. She closed her eyes and tried to astral project herself somewhere with an actual roof. A weekend in the woods with all sorts of insects ready to take bites out of her skin, woodland creatures wanting to do more than that, and worse of all: Blake and Yang, who'd proven that they couldn't keep their hands off each other for more than five minutes. This was going to be hell.

When they got to the campsite, Blake parked the car and everyone started getting to work. Ruby and Yang pulled out the tents and started to nail them down to the ground. Blake got their supply of food and drinks out of the trunk and started hauling it over near where they were going to start a fire that night. As for Weiss, she hovered around Ruby and asked a variety of paranoid, ridiculous questions.

"What are we supposed to do if we get attacked by a bear? Did you bring enough bug spray for the entire weekend? What about sunscreen? Are there snakes in these woods? There's no Wi-Fi and I can't check which snakes are venomous. Where are we supposed to use the restroom? You don't expect me to go in the woods like some kind of a barbarian, do you?" Ruby exhaled deeply, hammering in a pike with a look of increased annoyance. Across from her, Yang was shaking so hard from keeping her laughter in, the tent kept threatening to come down when she held it. She loved her partner, though. She really, really did. That didn't make her any easier to deal with when she was like this, though. 'This' being so very... Weiss-like.

"There are no bears. We have enough bug spray. We have sunscreen too. There are no snakes either, so you don't have to check how poisonous they are-" "Venomous," Weiss quickly chipped in. Ruby chose to ignore that. "And no, I don't expect you to pee in the forest. There's an outhouse near here that we can use." For once, she didn't put any excitement into her answers. Normally she was happy to answer any questions Weiss had, but being bombarded by all those questions at once, along with her generally sour attitude for most of the ride there, had worn down Ruby's normally chipper mood. She figured that had answered everything properly, but she was incorrect.

"What did you say?" Ruby just turned and stared at her, unsure of what she'd said that Weiss was referring too. She'd answered what felt like a dozen questions without pause. "An outhouse? You expect me to go to the bathroom in an outhouse?" She was visibly shaking in distress. Weiss hated public restrooms. They were usually not taken care of well, and the thought of walking into one with coarse graffiti and shredded paper towels everywhere made her gag. An outhouse was even worse, though. It was the most public of public restrooms. Absolutely disgusting. She might as well use the woods for all the good it would do her!

"Sorry, I forgot to pack a toilet for us to use."

"The joke is not appreciated." Weiss huffed and stormed over to Blake, who had hoped that if she'd been quiet enough, she'd be able to avoid Hurricane Schnee. Nobody was safe from that unnatural disaster, though. "Blake, give me the keys. I'm driving home right now. This is ridiculous." Blake sighed and dropped down onto a large log that was next to their fire pit. She'd tried to tell Ruby that bringing Weiss outdoors was a bad idea. She'd even floated the idea of bringing Winter instead, since she was like a bigger Weiss. That kind of counted. Ruby was adamant that Weiss come with them, though, even after being warned that something like this would happen. She just had to go and fall in love with the ice queen, didn't she?

"Fine, fine." She put her hands in her pockets, feeling the keys in there. However, when her hands came out, they were empty. She knew this was probably going to bite her in the butt eventually, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. "Uh, they're not here."

"What?" Weiss stepped closer, hands on her hips as she glared at Blake. "This is no time for games, Blake. Give me the keys now."

"I don't have them, Weiss!" She did her best to sell the lie, looking a bit freaked out as she made a scene out of patting down her pants. "I must've dropped them somewhere." That did it. The annoyance on Weiss's face was quickly replaced by panic at the realization that their only way home was now lost somewhere. She whirled around and ran to the car, tugging on the handle of the front door. It was locked, though, and wouldn't give way to her. Not that she could do anything if it had. She didn't know how to hotwire a car.

"Get over here and help me!" She yelled at all three of them, dropping down to her knees in desperation to see if the keys had fallen beneath the car. Then she started crawling through the grass, trying to find a hint of silver or black that would reveal them to her. When she looked up, nobody had moved from their positions, which only frustrated her further. "Why are you just sitting there?! We're going to be stranded here forever! Girls!" Finally, after finishing setting up their first tent, Ruby stood up and headed over to her distressed snowflake.

"Please don't rile her up, Blake. I'm the one who has to calm her down," Ruby muttered as she passed by Blake, heading over to the car. She went down on her knees and started massaging Weiss's shoulders, whispering calming words in her ear. Eventually she was able to get Weiss back on her feet and over to the tent, an arm over her shoulder to keep her close. As they passed by Blake, Weiss stuck her tongue out at her. So Ruby told her the truth, then. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Ruby was actually able to corral Weiss into helping her set up the other tent, though she grumbled about it the entire time. It sort of made Ruby regret asking her to help, and that was compounded when she looked up and saw Blake and Yang making out by the fire pit. She really needed to remember to have those two separated whenever they were setting things up. Seeing Blake's tongue down her sister's throat wasn't her idea of a fun camping adventure.

When everything was finally set up, the four of them ventured into the woods for a nice, relaxing hike. They were going to appreciate nature, then bring back some firewood to light up that night. It was as relaxing a walk as possible when one of the participants was Weiss. She was as jittery as a caffeine addict, jumping backwards at any sudden movement. Whether it was something rustling in the bushes or an insect that had flown near her, Weiss clearly wasn't doing much appreciating of her surroundings. When she wasn't yelping like someone was attacking her, she spent a good deal of time complaining about anything and everything.

"I wish we had something to gag her with..." Blake muttered to Yang, getting close to ripping off her own ears. Weiss acted like they were keeping her there against her will. It wasn't their fault she had a warped view of what camping was.

"We could use my underwear-" Yang started, only to get cut off by Blake's 'It's time to stop' look. "Okay, okay, we can use your underwear." Blake just sighed. Sometimes...

Ruby, meanwhile, wasn't feeling so frustrated anymore. In fact, she felt a little guilty. She could tell that Weiss was struggling, and this was the only way she knew how to react to the situation. Instead of trying to force her to enjoy it like she did, or become extra chipper to try and drown out her pessimism, she just took Weiss's hand and held it tightly. She pulled Weiss close to her and walked in lockstep with her, falling a couple paces behind Blake and Yang so she could have Weiss to herself for a bit. Sort of.

"Hey, it's okay, Weiss. Nothing's going to happen to us out here." She made circles on the back of Weiss's hand with a finger, smiling reassuringly at her. "Dad took Yang and I camping plenty of times, and nothing bad ever happened to us. Besides, if there is any wildlife out here, I'll protect you from it." She giggled as Weiss rolled her eyes.

"I doubt you can do anything to protect me from bears, Ruby." Though she was still nervous about walking around in the forest like this, she felt a bit calmer with Ruby's warmth next to her. For whatever reason, Ruby had the ability to calm her down when nothing else could. It was one of the reasons she'd began to trust her when she refused to extend that courtesy to others. They weren't like Ruby: they couldn't even hope to get close. She was just special like that. "Are you sure we're not going to get lost in here?"

"Yup! Blake's got a compass and everything. She can point us back to camp." Blake gave a wave over her shoulder, acknowledging that she'd heard her name. That put Weiss further at ease, though she hadn't forgiven Blake yet for pulling that key prank on her. However, there wasn't too much to get mad about for the rest of their time in the forest. They were able to collect a good amount of firewood: mostly with Yang ripping branches off of trees with her bare hands. There was enough wood for everyone to carry a handful back, which Weiss made sure to grumble about. It was 'work for the help' and all that.

They set the wood down by the pit and relaxed for awhile while the sun was still up. Yang had brought a deck of cards, and the four of them sat in a tent to play poker. There wasn't any betting made: it was just for fun and to pass the time. Yang did suggest betting something, but the other three unanimously rejected playing strip poker. Things were pretty calm for the next couple of hours, all in all. There wasn't anything for even Weiss to complain about, which was a relief for all parties involved.

When the sun started to go down, Yang loaded the fire pit up with wood and put some lighter fluid on it. Then she struck a match and tossed it in, quickly getting a good flame going. "Alright girls, let's get this cookout started!" She went for the cooler and grabbed out a packet of hot dogs, opening the packaging while Blake grabbed four skewers. Then she put a hot dog on each skewer and handed them around so everyone could cook their own. While everyone else took theirs without complaint, Weiss stared at hers as if she'd been handed an alien device.

"You want me to put this in the fire?" Weiss stared at it some more, then turned her attention to the fire. It crackled and burned at degrees completely unsafe for human skin. A small ember popped out and landed near her feet, making her squeal and fall backwards off the log. Yang proceeded to laugh her ass off while Ruby hurried over to help her back up. Of course, she was laughing too, so the gallant gesture wasn't as appreciated. Weiss 'hmpf'ed and folded her arms. "I'll just eat it cold, then."

"I'm pretty sure you'll get salmonella or something." Ruby gently grabbed the skewer and pushed it away from Weiss's face. "Just put it in the fire for as long as I do, and take it out when I do. It'll be cooked to perfection." She gave Weiss a thumbs up, but only got a sour frown in return. Seeing her eyes glance towards the fire, she put two and two together. She leaned in and whispered, "The fire's not gonna hurt you, Weiss. You'll be okay."

"Hmpf." She didn't answer Ruby, but she did hold out her skewer and glanced over towards her partner. "Well?" Smiling, Ruby plopped down next to her and stuck her hot dog in the fire, with Weiss following suit. Both Blake and Yang sat down on the opposite log and did the same, and the four of them just waited for their food to be cooked. The entire time, Weiss had her eyes on Ruby, her hand twitching every time Ruby moved. Finally, she pulled out her hot dog, and Weiss yanked hers out right after her.

On the other side, Yang handed her skewer over to Blake so she could grab everyone drinks while the food cooled down. She and Blake had a beer, while Ruby had a soda and Weiss had water. Originally she'd asked for wine, but Yang claimed that it wasn't very 'camping friendly', whatever that meant. She would just stick with water, then. With their drinks, they also got buns for their hot dogs once they were cool enough to grab.

"Ooh, the sun's finally gone down!" Yang exclaimed happily, chomping down on the remainder of her hot dog. Well, her second hot dog, but who was counting? The four of them had been eating and chatting amicably as the sun set on them, but now the dark had finally spread into the woods. "It's time for ghost stories!" She clapped her hands together, excitedly looking around the campfire. Ruby was the only one who appeared to be excited. Blake usually didn't tip her hand when it came to her emotions, and Weiss just looked thoroughly uninterested. That just meant she needed to come up with something super scary to freak her out.

"Did you know this forest is actually haunted?" She grinned as she looked around the campfire, the fire casting her face in an eerie orange glow. "I chose this place exactly for that reason. They say that a group of guys drove by this campground in the winter time. It was cold, and the forest was blanketed in snow. Their car ran into a snowbank, but it would've been easy to push it out. They were more than capable." She halted her story, changing out her grin for a more somber, serious expression. "However, they didn't. Something compelled them to abandon their car and venture into the cold, unforgiving forest."

"They wandered in the woods for so long that two of them ended up falling to the ground from exhaustion and perished where they fell. The other three luckily found a cabin to stay in, and if we went deeper into the woods, we could even find it ourselves. This was only delaying the inevitable, though." Blake was already curled up next to Yang, taking in the spooky story pensively. Ruby actually appeared frightened by the story, leaning forward with her hands on her knees and taking in every word. Weiss found it hard to believe that anyone would actually be scared by something like this, but Ruby had helped her with her own forest troubles...

"They stayed in that cabin for months, but no matter how long they waited, nobody was coming to help. All the snow made it too difficult to get through the forest." Weiss reached over and took Ruby's hand, squeezing it tightly. Ruby looked over at her in surprise, then smiled and leaned against her side. It embarrassed Weiss somewhat, but she would allow it for tonight. "Eventually, one of them died on the lone bed, wrapped up in enough blankets that it was like he had turned into a cocoon."

"The other two set out on foot, but it wouldn't be long before one of them died. They found his bones just outside the cabin, along with an extra pair of shoes. The two who had died in the forest, and the dead guy in the cabin? They eventually found all their bones when the Spring thawed out the snow. The fifth guy, though? They never found him. No body, no bones, no nothing. He walked out of that cabin and disappeared, never to be seen again... except some campers still say they can hear his voice on the wind on some long, lonely nights. They even say they can hear his footsteps coming closer to their tents. Closer, closer... Until it vanishes into the dark. He still haunts these woods today, and he's not the only one..." She stopped talking, tilting her head as if listening for something. "Can you hear that? I think I hear something."

"No, I can't hear anything." Weiss bit down on her lip as Ruby clung onto her arm, squeezing the life out of it. "C'mon Ruby, let go! There's nothing out there!" She looked over at Yang with disapproval, then realized something was missing. Or rather, someone was missing. "Wait, where's Blake?" Yang just grinned at her, but said nothing more. "What the hell? Yang, where the hell is Blake-"

"Boo." A voice came from right next to her ear, making her scream and jump off of the log. She flew up and tripped over her own feet, screaming again as she fell backwards into the grass. Ruby, who had just been in the process of relinquishing Weiss's arm, squealed as she fell face-first into the grass. Groaning, Weiss jolted up, only to find that the 'ghostly presence' was none other than Blake. Yang, who had held back her laughter the entire time Blake had 'disappeared', couldn't contain herself anymore. She fell off the log and rolled around on the grass, laughing so hard that she could barely breathe.

"Oh man, you should've seen your face! I thought you were gonna jump right outta your skin!" She howled with laughter while a mortified Weiss glared poison-tipped daggers at her. Her words were garbled a bit with how hard she was laughing, but the intent was clear. "I think I'm gonna die! Oh man, I can't breathe! Blaaake, that was beautiful! Help me!" She laughed and laughed while Blake trotted over to save her girlfriend from a laughter-based paralysis. Weiss considered pushing her into the fire, but she wasn't sure she could get away with that one.

"That was a good one, Yang! You really got us!" Ruby pushed herself up from the grass, laughing as well. Weiss turned and gaped at her, unable to believe that she was laughing after that little stunt those two pulled. That didn't seem to matter to her, though. Her eyes shined with determination to one up Yang's ghost story with one of her own. That was... one way to look at it. When she was focused on something, you could either walk next to her or get out of the way. She decided her best course of action was to sit back down next to her and pretend that she hadn't been scared out of her wits.

Ruby sat there for five minutes trying to come up with the perfect ghost story while Weiss held her hand and wished she could use her phone with the other. Someone needed to get wi-fi out in the forest. This was the current year, after all. Eventually Ruby came up with a story that wasn't half bad. At least, Weiss thought so. She sat there impassive throughout, however, refusing to be spooked again. Blake then told her own, but Weiss refused to budge. She even kept her eyes on all three of them, in case they tried to get up and pull a fast one over her.

"Alright Weiss, it's your turn!" Ruby patted her knee and smiled brightly, excited for whatever story Weiss was going to come up with. If she was expecting something great, however, then she was going to end up disappointed. Coming up with scary stories wasn't Weiss's forte. She wasn't really big on horror in general, honestly. Especially not with a heavy reliance on jump scares, Blake.

"Once, there was a couple who were very mean to an innocent girl. The innocent girl then left them in the woods to be eaten by bears. The end."

"That wasn't very scary." Ruby pouted, poking Weiss's arm. "And it wasn't long either!"

"It was honestly more like a fairytale," Blake chimed in. "With the 'Once' start and all."

"Scary Story Time is canceled."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After things had all wound down, Yang doused the fire and the four of them retired to their tents for the night. Blake and Yang were in one, while Ruby and Weiss were in the other. Weiss had considered bringing earplugs so she could sleep through any shenanigans those two were certainly going to get up to. However, impairing her hearing when there could be wildlife crawling through the forest to maul her alive made her want to have all her sensory faculties intact. She just had to hope that if a bear happened to find them, it would be attracted to the noise those two were making and she could make her escape.

Both her and Ruby had their own sleeping bags, but that wasn't acceptable to Ruby. She suggested they put them together and unzip them from opposite sides, so that it'd be like they had one big sleeping bag. Weiss acquiesced, because it was Ruby and she hadn't yet figured out how to follow through on 'no' most of the time when it came to her. She could say no all the live-long day, but when Ruby gave her those puppy-dog eyes, she'd crumble like a house of cards. She had a power over her that no one else could dare dream of.

"This was a nice day. Good food, good stories, good company." She rolled over to kiss Weiss's cheek, smiling at the blush she knew would be there, though it was too dark to see for sure. "I know you thought camping was something else, but I'm glad you stuck it out with us. Even though you did try to take the keys and drive off without us." She laughed and wrapped her arms around Weiss, pulling herself as close as she could beneath the dual sleeping bags.

"I would've come back for you. Once the trip was over." Weiss rolled her eyes, but she didn't try to push Ruby away. She'd gotten too used to her body warmth. Whenever she had to sleep alone, she could feel that something was missing. Now she found it unacceptable if she had to fall asleep without Ruby by her side. Not that she had admitted that in as many words. "It wasn't that bad, though. I mean, besides the bugs, and the scary stories, and having to be outside all the time."

"So the only thing bad about camping is camping, huh?"

"Yes, exactly." That sounded like Weiss, alright. Ruby giggled, continuing to snuggle up with Weiss. She could feel Weiss moving in her arms, which turned out to be so she could hold her as well. That made her smile brightly, happily squeezing her partner. Weiss's skin was always so cool to the touch, which was nice when they were out in the humidity of a spring forest. It was like having a bit of air conditioning she could always take with her. Feeling very content at the moment, she searched out Weiss's lips in the dark, pressing her own against them.

Weiss was more than happy to reciprocate that kiss. She held onto Ruby and closed her eyes, even if there wasn't much she could see with them open anyway. Maybe staying out in the wilderness wasn't where she thrived, but in that moment, it didn't matter. Because to her, wherever Ruby was was where she belonged. That was completely cheesy and undoubtedly cliche, which is why she wouldn't say it out loud. Well, that and it embarrassed her to even think of it. That didn't make it any less true, though. Maybe she'd put it in her vows if and when they got married. That'd be nice.

"I love you, Ruby." She could at least say that. It wasn't hard for her to express those particular feelings anymore. They weren't sleeping in a comfortable bed together, but they were together, and that was what mattered. Maybe not to her back when she would inevitably wake up with it all out of wack, but to her heart it would.

"I love you too! See, I knew this trip would be good, and now you can say you've gone camping for real for the first time!" She nestled her head against Weiss's chest and sighed contently. "The next two days are going to be just as good. I can feel it!" Oh yeah, they were going to be camping all weekend. Well, in that case...

"Pardon me, Ruby. I'm going to go get the keys from Blake."

[girls-scenarios]

My Sunshine

Idol: Chaewon (IZ*ONE)

Prompt: May I request a (angsty,fluffy) fic with iz*one's chaewon where her and her gf go to the beach on her day off. Where her gf (the reader) had a date planned but the plans changed when the whole group arrived.

Writer: Admin Kiwi

A/N: I’m not sure how angst-y this is? But I hope you all enjoy!

♡ Tip Jar♡

Chaewon had been planning this date for weeks. As an idol, she didn’t get much free time, so actually being able to go out with you was a dream come true. Especially when all the other time the two of you spent together was consistently interrupted by her group or your friends. For this date, she wanted to spend the day with you and only you. Just for once.

“A beach date?” Curiously, you pulled the phone away from your ear to look at the photos your girlfriend sent you. They were of a beach not too far away from where the two of you were staying, with plenty of shade and a cute little cafe and rolling waves. The weather had started getting warmer, and the more you thought of it, the more you wanted to go. “What made you think of this?” You asked as you brought the phone back up to your ear, leaning back onto your bed.

“I wanted to get away with you on my day off,” Chaewon replied, and you could tell she was smiling. You could also tell that Yujin and Yena were yelling about something from the noise in the background. “I want to get away from all this racket too.”

“Understandable,” you said with a laugh.

“So? How do you feel about the beach?”

“The beach sounds great! I can’t wait!”

“Yay!” As she spoke, a crash echoed in the background and you could hear more yelling. “Shit. Babe, I have to go. I’ll send you the details, okay?”

“Okay, stay safe. Love you.”

“I love you too!” The line went dead, and you laughed to yourself again as you pulled the phone away from your ear. It seemed like it was always so lively over there, and you knew why Chaewon would want to get away for a while.

A beach date with Chaewon. That would be so nice. Warm sun, a cool ocean breeze, the water lapping at your feet through your sandals.... It was only as you stood from your bed that you realized what this meant: you’d be seeing Chaewon in a swimsuit. And she’d be seeing you in one too.

Your face flushed a bit and you glanced at the clock. “Well. I should probably go shopping.”

-

The morning of the date, Chaewon woke up bright and early to begin packing her bag. There were things the two of you would need, like sunscreen and bug spray, her wallet, water bottles, and a beach towel. As she picked up her swimsuit off the bed, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, and, after a minute of hesitation, walked over to the mirror to hold up it up in front of her.

Her swimsuit was a cute one-piece, black and white with polka-dots, a window at her midriff, and a cute bow above the opening. The thought of you seeing her in it made her cheeks redden a bit and she bit her lip, wondering if she should wear it under her clothes or change at the beach.

“Oh, that’s cute!” Eunbi’s voice made her jump a little, and she turned, quickly tossing the swimsuit onto the bed.

“What are you doing awake?”

“I heard you rummaging around in here and came to take a look.” The other girl raised her eyebrows. “Are you planning on going to the beach today?”

“U-um, yeah?” She hadn’t wanted her members to know, but she figured it was unavoidable that the leader found out as she sighed and walked back to her bag. “Would you wear the swimsuit under your clothes, or change at the beach, if it were you?”

“Change at the beach,” Eunbi said with a shrug. “But some people like to swear them as, like, clothes. You know, when they wear jean shorts and a cover up on top?”

“I have both,” Chaewon replied, trying to keep her voice down as to not wake up any of the other girls. “But I’m not sure I’m confident enough to wear them all the way there.”

“Then just change there. I’m sure It’ll be fine.” Eunbi yawned. “Have fun with whatever you’re doing, I guess.”

“Thanks.” Chaewon shoved the swimsuit into the bag with everything else and zipped it quickly, hoping that Eunbi had caught on that she didn’t want anyone to know where she was going. “I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Just stay safe and text me when you’re coming home.”

“You sound like my mom.”

“I’m your leader, same thing.”

When she finally stepped out of the dorm, she let out a sigh of relief and put on her cute sunglasses as she headed down to the entrance, where she knew you’d be waiting. She was wearing a summery, flowing dress covered in tiny flowers that hit at her mid-thigh, and for a moment, she wondered if she should have just worn her swimsuit and shorts. But then you turned around, saw her and smiled widely, and her heart jumped in her chest, making her glad she’d decided to wear the dress as she skipped over to join you.

“You look cute today,” you said, and she giggled happily, taking your arm.

“So do you. I like the summer look.”

You looked down at your jean shorts and laughed, shaking your head. “I’m nowhere as summery as you. Thank you, though.”

Almost shivering with excitement, she pulled out her phone, ready to call for a ride. Beforehand, though, she gave you an excited smile that you immediately reciprocated. “Should we get going?”

“Let’s go. I can’t wait to see the beach.”

-

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky when the two of you arrived at the beach, and as the two of you headed down to get changed, Chaewon skipped a bit, uncharacteristically excited. It was cute to see, and you couldn’t help the huge smile spreading over your features as you followed her to the locker rooms.

You weren’t ready to see her in a swimsuit. But there she was, standing in her cute polka-dotted one-piece with jean shorts, her cover-up in her arms.

“What do you think?” She asked, a shy smile on her lips as she touched at the straps, making you swallow nervously. Of course, she looked cute. The black and white made the slight tan she’d gotten from performing outside look great, and her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, only her bangs and a few stray hairs falling loose as she put her sunglasses back on over her eyes.

“You look great. I like the bow,” you said, a bit awkward as you pointed, making her laugh.

“Thank you! I like your swim suit too.” 

You looked down at your outfit as you took her hand. It seemed the suit you’d ran and bought from the nearest store had payed off, and you couldn’t hide your smile as the two of you headed down to the beach, bags in hand. It didn’t take long to find a good spot to sit and lay out, and as Chaewon laid out the blankets, you pulled out the sunscreen. The beach was surprisingly quiet, only a few other people hanging around since it was a week day, but that was how you’d hoped it would be. Too many people made the two of you feel like you were being watched. It was on of the downfalls of having a successful girlfriend.

“I’m glad we decided to come out here,” she said as she sat down beside you, accepting the sunscreen from your outstretched hand. “It’s so nice and peaceful.”

“I do love the sound of the beach,” you admitted, squinting out at the waves as they lapped lazily against the sand.

“It beats my member’s screaming, that’s for sure.”

With a laugh, you shook your head and took back the sunscreen. “Let’s not think about them now and just relax. Want me to do your back?”

The peace and quiet was short-lived. As the two of you walked down to meet the waves, an all-too familiar voice called Chaewon, and both of you froze.

“No. Here?” Chaewon looked like she didn’t want to believe it, but both of you knew what you were going to see as you turned around.

Sure enough, Yujin was running down the beach, waving her arms like wild with ten other girls behind her. “Chaewon! Hey, we finally found you!”

“Tell me this isn’t happening.” Your girlfriend buried her face in her hands, groaning. “I told them not to come!”

“Yo, why aren’t you answering your phone? Chaeyeon got worried that you were dead or something! Oh, hey (Y/N).” Yujin’s loud voice broke the peacefulness of the beach first, and then the rest of the members were all crowded around, complimenting Chaewon’s swimsuit and asking why she’d sneaked out so early in the morning. There was nothing you could really do, so you just stood there awkwardly, watching as your girlfriend fixed her members with a hard stare.

“Why are you guys here?”

“Because. You said you were going to the beach and we thought it would be a good idea,” Chaeyeon said, her bag tossed over her shoulder. “Yujin said it sounded like you were inviting us too.”

“Yujin!” The red-head turned on the younger girl, who raised her hands.

“Hey! You did say that you were going to the beach!”

“Yeah, with (Y/N)!”

“You didn’t want us here?” Yena asked, head tilting to the side with wide eyes. Chaewon seemed to have an internal struggle, looking across her member’s faces and biting her lip.

“I told you guys that it was a date,” Hyewon said, speaking up from the back with a yawn. “I’m going to go take a nap now. The sand is really soft and warm. Good luck.” As she walked away, she waved, and Chaewon swallowed, twisting her hands together.

“It’s not like I wouldn’t like going to the beach with you all,” she said, letting out a little sigh. “I like you all! I do, really! But since (Y/N) and I don’t get a lot of time alone, I thought. Well, it would be nice to finally have some time together.” You gave her a little smile and slipped over to her side to take one of her hands.

“Sorry if we didn’t make that clear. It could have been our fault.” You smiled. “The beach is big, you all don’t have to leave! Actually, we could do lunch together. But if Chaewon and I could get a little time to ourselves, that would be nice, you know?”

“Understood!” Chaeyeon and Eunbi spoke at the same time, wrapping their arms around the kids that hadn’t yet gotten bored and wandered off.

“Keep your phone on you, Chaewon,” Eunbi said as they turned around, waving softly. “Sorry that we crashed your date.”

“Wait, I wanted to play with (Y/N),” Wonyoung whined, but Eunbi just pulled her and Yujin away, not giving them any time to complain. Sakura left the two of you with a little wink that made both of you blush a bit, knowing that she understood what it was like to need a little privacy. As the girls walked away to join Hyewon where she’d set up camp (or more like, just laid out on the sand) Chaewon squeezed your hand and turned to look at you.

“Thanks for explaining it to them. It felt so awkward for me.”

“I knew they’d understand,” you replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Why don’t we go get some snow cones until they settle down over there? Just the two of us?”

“I like the sound of that. The sun is really bright right now, I could use something to cool down.”

“The sun isn’t as bright as you.” She made a face as you said it, but you could tell from the blush on her cheeks that she liked it, so you laughed and pulled her closer, leaning over to kiss her cheek as the two of you walked away. “My sunshine.”

“That’s gross and cheesy,” she said, bumping your hip with her own, but she was smiling now, poker face broken. “What’s gotten into you today?”

“Maybe it’s the beach. Or maybe I just love you a lot.”

Rolling her eyes, she kissed your cheek in return, not caring what the girls might say when the two of you saw them again. Already, the situation was forgotten, and she was just happy to be with you. Even if you were a little too cheesy for her liking today. “You’re lucky I love you too.”

[beatrice-otter]

Assisting Mr. Wayne

Title: Assisting Mr. Wayne Fandom: Batman Beyond Characters: Terry McGinnis, Bruce Wayne, Maxine Gibson Written for: litra in yuletide  2018 Written by: beatrice_otter  Betaed by: karanguni  Word Count: 2,398 Summary: Here's the thing: this whole PA gig is just what they tell people as an excuse for Terry to hang around Bruce. On AO3.  Dreamwidth.  Pillowfort.

Here's the thing: this whole PA gig is just what they tell people as an excuse for Terry to hang around Bruce. He doesn't actually act as a personal assistant. Hell, he's not even quite sure what all a PA does. Terry's job is to show up in the evening, get a few lessons on things like how to collect evidence or preserve a crime scene, do a physical training session of some sort (acrobatics, hand-to-hand combat, or just ordinary physical conditioning), and then go out and patrol. He learns all the skills necessary for the modern superhero, and he gets paid a small stipend for it as part of the PA cover.

And usually, it's fine. His friends either know it's a cover for being Batman or don't care about his boring cover job, and his Mom is used to him not really talking about what he's up to. Anybody else he gets introduced to as "Mr. Wayne's PA" only sees him briefly trailing along in Bruce's wake. He's been to the occasional party or board meeting or function that way, and it's always been fine.

This is not the occasional party or board meeting or function.

This is a full week-long management retreat, at which a number of executives from a variety of corporations will be staying at the most exclusive resort in the Bahamas while attending workshops on the most up-to-date modern management techniques and market forecasts, networking, and (mostly) relaxing on the beach and partying on the company dime.

"Nice work if you can get it," Terry had said with a whistle when Bruce showed him the information.

"We're going," Bruce had said. "Someone—or several someones—at that conference is funneling a ton of off-the-books money to illegal medical research, and then selling a sanitized version of the results to a number of corporations that get plausible deniability as to the source of it."

"This has been going on for a while," Terry had said, skimming over the files. "And most of it looks to be either white collar stuff or taking place outside Gotham—outside America, even. Not really our turf."

"Local law enforcement is either out of its depth or corrupt," Bruce had said. "As for other superheroes, we're the only ones who can get in to the retreat with no questions asked. Max can serve as tech support and try to follow the money trail."

Terry had laughed. "Oh, Max will love getting left behind here while we go off to the Bahamas."

"Actually, I thought I'd rent a nearby beach house for her, so she would be available if we need backup." Bruce had said. "Or if Terry and 'Batman' needed to be in two places at once."

"So she can sit on the beach with a computer while we're stuck in boring meetings?" Terry had said. "Come on, Bruce!"

Bruce had smiled his grim little smile. "Oh, you won't be stuck in meetings all day."

And he wasn't. Neither was Bruce, actually; Bruce spent most of his time in the spa, or golfing, or lounging around while Terry fetched him drinks and snacks. Bruce, who didn't enjoy relaxing, had to do nothing but; Terry, who would have loved some beach time, only got snatches of free time here and there. The seminars were short, and informal, and barely more than a fig leaf to cover the rich people vacationing on the company dime.

"I didn't manage to get you booked on the fishing yacht tomorrow, Boss," Terry said quietly as he handed Bruce his sunscreen. Some of the prime suspects were going fishing tomorrow, which Terry had learned from things mentioned by the other PAs. "But I did manage to slip aboard and get the place bugged. And I got remote access dongles attached to the non-networked computers, so Max should be able to hack in."

"Good work, Terry," Bruce said, flipping open the cap and squirting some on his hands, which he began applying to the exposed skin on his arms. "And don't forget the party tonight."

"Don't worry, I've got everything under control," Terry said, taking back the bottle.

It was a party. Bruce was not hosting it. All Bruce had to do (in his civilian persona) was show up in a tux and schmooze … which meant that all Terry had to do as his PA was make sure the tux was ready. And, while Terry didn't know much about tuxes, Bruce was the one who had packed it. All Terry had to do was lay it out for him. How hard could it be?

The first issue was that as Terry took it out of the garment bag and hung up the hanger he realized that maybe he should have done that earlier. It didn't look right? The shirt especially was a little bit … crinklier than it should have been.

After figuring out what search terms he should even use (the magic word was "wrinkled"), the net told him what the problem was. Apparently rich-people clothes were sometimes made of all-natural fibers, which needed special treatment to lie flat without creasing. (And it used to be that all clothing was that way, weird.) And, also, high-end hotels and resorts like this one should have the equipment needed to fix it in the suite somewhere.

Sure enough, at the back of a closet was a steamer and an iron and an ironing board. The iron, according to the how-to article, could scorch or burn the fabric if it was too hot, so Terry figured the steamer must be the safer option. He filled it with water, turned it on, and aimed it at the shirt.

Nothing happened. It clicked a little bit, though, so Terry pressed the button. Still nothing happened.

He shook it and jammed down the button repeatedly.

And then a cloud of water droplets sprayed from the thing, soaking the shirt.

Terry swore up a storm. Now what?

Fortunately, being a high-end resort, the place had laundry facilities where the employees handled things, and not the guests.

Unfortunately, they didn't want to take responsibility for a rush job on a tux shirt an hour before its owner expected to be wearing it.

"Look, just stick it in the dryer for fifteen minutes, it'll be fine," Terry said, hoping they'd do it, because his second option was standing over it with a hairdryer.

"We're busy with things that people have scheduled ahead of time," the laundry attendant said. "It's not like the party is a surprise, if you'd showed up this morning, we'd have had time to work you in."

"Yeah, but I didn't know this morning that the shirt was wrinkled!" Terry said, noting one of the other PAs (Jordan Wirkkala, mid-30s, worked for the CEO of one of the tech companies that probably wasn't part of the scheme they were investigating) coming up behind him.

"Then you should have checked. Poor planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine," the attendant said. He turned to Jordan. "Ah! Mx. Wirkkala, how nice to see you again. I'll just get your employer's things." He ducked into the back room.

"Terry, right?" Jordan said, looking him up and down. They'd met in passing at a number of get-togethers over the three years Terry had been Batman (and using "Mr. Wayne's PA" as a cover). "Last-minute emergency?"

"Yeah," Terry said, showing him the shirt.

"Oof," Jordan said, wincing. They watched water drip slowly from the bottom hem. "Did you drop it in the sink or something?"

"Steamer malfunction," Terry said.

"I didn't know they could do that," Jordan said.

"Neither did I," Terry said. "And I'm really hoping they can dry and press it for me, because I've gotta get his cufflinks out of the hotel safe, and if I have to stand over this with a hairdryer …"

"Don't you have a spare shirt?" Jordan asked.

"No," Terry said.

"But what if he spilled something on himself? What if some luggage got lost? You've been his PA long enough you should know to plan for emergencies," Jordan said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, Bruce doesn't travel often," Terry said. "I don't take care of his clothes normally, he's got a service for that."

"Right," Jordan said. "Mostly a driver-and-errands type, then?"

"Huh?" Terry said. "Oh. Yeah. That's mostly what I do for Mr. Wayne."

"And here it is!" the attendant said cheerily, emerging from the back with a clear plastic bag containing a green dress.

"Thank you!" Jordan said, slipping him a tip. "And I'm sure it can't take that long to dry Mr. Wayne's shirt, can it?"

"Policies exist for a reason," the attendant said stiffly.

"Yeah, but all it needs is a few minutes in the dryer," Jordan said. "And you know that PAs are the ones who do the booking. Do you think Terry will ever book Mr. Wayne here again if you aren't helpful?"

Terry looked at the attendant. The attendant looked at Terry. "Fine," he said, "but you better tip well."

"Thank you," Terry said fervently. "And you bet I will." He handed over the shirt and turned to Jordan. "And thank you," he said.

"Not a problem," Jordan said, turning to leave. "Although, you're lucky Mr. Wayne likes you, if you have problems like this often."

While Bruce was at the party schmoozing, Terry got to suit up and get to his real job. Well, the suiting up was metaphorical this time; they didn't want to risk Batman being seen so far away from Gotham at the same time Terry was. (Bruce had even gone so far as to get someone to fake up a 'Batman' appearance in Gotham while they were gone.)

But even if he didn't get to wear his own suit, he did get to try out a moderately-schway scaled down alternative, as he prowled through the resort poking into places that Terry McGinnis definitely did not have access to.

"I dunno, Max, I'm not finding much," Terry said over his coms.

"I am," Max said. "These guys are pretty good at their computer security, but I'm better. Especially with the remote-access dongles you placed to get me into the isolated computers. Bruce's tip-off was right, there's definitely some shady stuff going on, but I don't think this is the place they get their hands dirty. So there's nobody here for you to rescue or beat up."

"Great," Terry said glumly as he planted a tracker in the suitcase of one of their suspects. "I'm in the Bahamas, but I don't get to relax, I don't get to play on the beach or lounge around the pool, and I don't even get any action out of it."

"You've really been missing out, it is just gorgeous here," Max said, and he could hear the laugh in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Terry grumbled.

"Seriously, though, Terry, we wrap up the information I'm getting with a nice bow and drop it off with the FBI and Interpol and some local police departments—Gotham included—and we'll blow an evil international medical racket out of the water. A lot of people will be saved. And that's why we do this gig, right? To help people? Beating up bad guys is just a fun side effect."

Terry was still frustrated the next day, as he tried to sort out Bruce's schedule to get him the maximum time in the vicinity of their targets. Not that they thought any of these people were stupid enough to let anything important slip, but you never knew; old rich people often got careless because they'd spent all their lives buying themselves out of trouble. And besides, they thought Bruce was one of them.

"You look intent," came a voice from above him.

Terry glanced up, squinting into the sun. It was Jordan. "Mr. Wayne decided on some last minute changes for the day's schedule. Though it is kinda stupid that he needs a formal schedule for vacation." The sailing thing, sure; boats only had so much space, so you had to have some way to pick who got aboard. But some of these other things, he had no idea why they had participant limits.

Jordan shrugged. "Hey, at least you get to do it sitting outside on a veranda overlooking the ocean, instead of gloomy old Gotham."

"Yeah, yeah," Terry sighed, looking down at his computer. Unfortunately, the guy Bruce was most interested in after last night was only scheduled for things that were already full. And if there was a way to get Bruce in to any of them, Terry couldn't find it.

"I just hope you're better at scheduling than you are at dealing with clothing issues," Jordan said with a little bit of humor.

"I do okay," Terry said evenly, instead of getting defensive like he wanted to.

"You know, a lot of a PA's job is smoothing things over and figuring out where the cracks in the system are so you can use them to your employer's benefit," Jordan said. "Handling people, you know? Like that laundry attendant last night. You might try being more … personable. Making friends with everyone you might need before you need them. That sort of thing."

"Yeah, I know," Terry said. For the first time, he wondered if he should have been infiltrating the other PAs the way Bruce was infiltrating the rich guys. But then again, Bruce actually was a rich asshole, no need to pretend anything, while Terry was no kind of PA, and that was something actual PAs might spot with closer acquaintance.

"If you need help let me know," Jordan said, before heading off across the patio.

"Thanks," Terry said. He looked back down at the screen and made a face, debating whether to call Jordan back. If there were any super-secret Personal Assistant tactics to get someone into a sold-out thing, Terry didn't have them. Or maybe he should just figure out who was running one of these sessions and slip them a bribe to let Bruce in? Terry shook his head. He wasn't much of a PA, but he was an excellent Batman, and maybe it was time to solve this problem the Batman way. He waited until Jordan was out of earshot before calling Max. "Hey, Max, think you can hack the booking system?"

[brett-buckner-the-dirt]

The Flame made up with enthusiasm, what they lacked in wins.

SO … DAMN … CLOSE.

I could hear the excited gasp from everyone in the stands when the metallic thunk of the aluminum bat sent the ball sailing into the darkness like a giant yellow day glow comet on a reverse course toward destiny. The batter, who looked old and strong enough to be a forklift operator despite supposedly being only 11 years old, strutted around the bases, knowing she’d hit a home run.

Though, in her defense, given that it’s kid-pitch softball, I’ve seen bunts turn into triples, and since she hit this ball like she was Mark McGwire jacked up on Creatin, there was probably no need to rush.

But she didn’t count on Jellybean being.

It was the kind of moment that only parents of little league outfielders can appreciate. Since early March, Jellybean has spent hours during practice and 25 games waiting in the down-and-ready position, but that ball never comes.

Sometimes, I think the coaches even forget she and the other outfielders are even there. They become like lawn furniture as they hit endless grounders and pop flies to the infielders – generally the best players (AKA the Coaches Kids) – while my little princess feels the grass grow beneath her feet. Then they shout something like, “Look alive …” and wonder why the kids have the loafing reaction time of a Walking Dead zombie.

And in truth, the only actual game action the outfielders get comes from backing up the back-up and by the point the play’s pretty much over.

But not on this night, not with this batter.

It was the last game, in what’s been a long and frustrating season for our Flames. We weren’t very good, a reality made all the worse by the fact that we really should have been. We were the last seed in the tournament, down 13-7 to the dreaded, and seriously hated, Peaches. After four days of torrential rain – and three straight days of game cancellations – it was hot and muggy and gross, and everyone from the parents in the stands to the kids swatting mosquitoes in the field just wanted it all to be over.

Then Andrea the Giant stepped up to the plate and sent a moon shot hurtling toward my child, who, as always, was in the down-and-ready position.  It was like a dream come true. When the ball left the bat, I left my seat. In that frozen moment, I remembered the hours we spent in the back yard, listening to Princess Rap Battles and tossing pop flies. Jellybean had gotten so good.

She held her glove right. She moved her feet. She kept her eye on the ball. She blocked out everything going on around her. One time, she caught 13 flies in a row, and I’m not talking easy ones either. I mean, I reared back like I was throwing a haymaker at God, and she shagged it with a flip of her hair and gleam in her eye (after I got smart enough to buy her sunglasses before she went blind from starting into the sun).

It was all about to pay off. She felt it too, running forward when all her fellow outfielders would have run the other way in terror. Jellybean WANTED the spotlight, the pressure. Sure the game was a blowout, but I could already hear the roar of the crowd and see her teammates running out to give her high-fives and maybe even hoist her on their shoulders and carry her off the field.

It would be a glorious triumph for every kid who’s every been spent more time applying bug spray and sunscreen than actually … ya … know … feeling like a part of the team. From here, Jellybean would be catapult to a position that didn’t require visiting grandparents to say, “now where is she? Oh, way out there.”

Down. Down. Down. The ball came, fire trailing behind as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. Other parents stood up for a better look. Bam-Bam shucked off his headphones and ignored the Shrek movie he was watching to see what all the excitement was about.

The entire stadium fell silent as Jellybean extended her glove while still running forward. It was so still, so quiet that I heard the gentle scratch of leather as the ball skipped off the tip of her glove and fell dead to the ground.

Disbelief and disappoint spread through the stands, like the seconds right after the fireworks have ended and the sky is still filled with smoke. It would have been the perfect ending. But instead, the Behemoth in a pink batter’s helmet ran around the bases as Jellybean picked up the ball and hit the relay throw to second.

I wanted to cry, to scream the unfairness to the heavens, but I had to be strong for my little girl, whom I knew would be devastated as the game and season were over.

After the obligatory “good game” handshakes and the “I’m so proud of you … never gave up … fought right up to the end …” speeches from the coaches, I hugged my little ballplayer, ready to offer words of wisdom, experience, encouragement, and, most of all love. She, in turn, looked up to me with those big blue eyes and said:

“Can we get a Frostie?”

So brave. So brave.

‘So Done’

When the game was over, I wasn’t exactly sad. Jellybean was downright elated.

It had been a long, season. The weather had gone from freezing to that kind of sticky hot that seems to fester around ball field. The Flames were the epitome of the “always played hard” but fell short in the win column.

I knew I’d grow to miss it all more than I do now. Jellybean vows she’s “so done” with softball. She promises we’ll keep tossing the ball around from time to time, but I know better. Pretty soon dance recitals will take the place of backyard pop flies, and that makes me sad. Softball was something we could do together. I could toss her grounders, show her how to watch the ball into her glove. It was something we could bond over. I cannot dance … unless the white boy prom sway is an actual dance move.

What I’ll miss most is how softball brought our weird little broken family together. Two or three days a week, we’d get to hang out a couple of hours and just enjoy each other’s company. It was like a family reunion but only with the family members you actually like.

She so little, and cute

Jase tries not to sleep, fails

The Diva, a great mom

Grandma gets some baby time.

All of Jellybean’s scattered grandparents made it to multiple games, but best of all was the visits with The Diva and her brood. Sure, I usually had to drive all the way to Phenix City then back to Midland to pick ‘em up, but were it not for those trips, I’d never have known that 2-year old Bam-Bam knows every word to the Scooby-Doo theme song.

After picking our spots right by the fence so we could sit in the shade and still see Jellybean in the outfield, I’d get Bam-Bam set up with his toys – brought over from my house. There was Han Solo and Chewbacca, a Hulk bobble head, the Xenomorph from Alien and a tiny key chain figure of GhostFace from the Scream movies, which he called, “Stabby” – all carried in a battered old KISS lunchbox along with some almonds.

Bam-Bam has loves KISS

Heeeer’s Stabby

Booty-Head the dinosaur

Once the game started, he’d climb up in my lap and using Jellybean’s iPad, watch episodes of Boss Baby or PJ Mask while trying not to fall asleep.

On the other side, The Lovely Mother of My Children, always dressed in scrubs after rushing to the field from the hospital, would sit by The Diva and just talk. Things haven’t always been great between those two over the last few years, but during those games, things were pretty good, and I’d like to think some of those good vibes carried over after the game.

But with her newest bundle of beautiful still not at the sitting-up phase, The Diva wants all the help and advice she can get, while her momma can’t help but love the baby, even if she still worries about her own child.

There are still problems and there always will be, but for a little while at least they don’t matter much. It’s just nice being together, being happy, and cheering. And even if there’s not another “next year,” at least we had this one.

But maybe … just maybe Jellybean will change her mind. I’d sure like to see her get another chance to catch a pop fly.

  Take me out to the ballgame … one final time SO … DAMN … CLOSE. I could hear the excited gasp from everyone in the stands when the metallic…

[let-it-raines]

Pitching a Tent ⛺️ (1/1)

Emma Swan does not want to go camping. Who even goes camping anymore when things like air conditioning, indoor plumbing, and the internet exist? Why would anybody in their right mind sleep on the ground instead of the softness of a mattress? David says that it’s an adventure, and while she doesn’t believe him those first few hours of trekking through the wilderness, she does once she drunkenly wanders into a British man’s tent in the middle of the night.

Created by the 2 trope game of | wilderness + awkward first meeting |

Rating: Teen (yes, I know, the innuendo in the title is not indicative of this)

A/N: Can I give one big shoutout to @galaxyzxstark for sending me the prompt  that created this story but also for literally brightening my day every time I see her tags underneath one of my stories? You are the best! Thank you❤️

And thank you to @captainsjedi for organizing @csseptembersunshine to give me the motivation to finish writing a lot of little things that I’ve been working on☺️

Found on AO3 | Here |

Tag list: @kmomof4 @snowbellewells ​@tiganasummertree @xellewoods @galaxyzxstark @thejollyroger-writer @idristardis @snowbellewells @karenfrommisthaven @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @scientificapricot @captswanis4vr @a-faekindagirl @emmas-storybook @searchingwardrobes @ultimiflos @jamif @dreameronarooftop15 @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @tiganasummertree @wellhellotragic @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi @teamhook @kmomof4 @ekr032-blog-blog @superchocovian @ultraluckycatnd @cs-forlife @andiirivera @qualitycoffeethings @jonirobinson64 @mariakov81 

-/-

“Toothbrush, toothpaste, bug spray, sunscreen, sleeping bag, whatever, whatever, whatever.”

Emma runs through the list that David sent her in email after email and text after text. It’s ridiculous. The man puts a ring on Mary Margaret’s left hand and all of the sudden he starts making her highly organized lists and reminding everybody of everything at all times. And by everybody she most definitely means herself and possibly Ruby, but since Ruby is dating Mulan, Mulan usually keeps everything organized for the two of them. So that just leaves Emma to be this mess of a person who is pretty much treated like David’s child instead of his friend.

They have a weird relationship, but it’s fine.

And she really does probably need packing lists sent to her two to three times so that she can make sure to pack everything and have time to buy what’s missing on the list. Or, like she’s done now, she can pack the morning of and be missing everything that she needs that she couldn’t find at the Wal-Mart she went to at three in the morning. Some very interesting people were walking the aisles – and she is including herself in that.

Getting hit on while wearing pajama pants with Santa Claus’s face plastered all of over them is not something she ever thought would happen and will probably never happen again.

But David and Mary Margaret have very oddly decided that they want to go camping as some kind of joint bachelor and bachelorette party, and Emma would much prefer a half-a-day thing where they spend the daylight hours wandering around in nature or canoeing and then sleep in a nice, air-conditioned cabin that has beds and indoor plumbing and a solid roof over their heads. But no, the soon-to-be Nolans have decided that they want to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor of a forest. Supposedly, it’s a beautiful place with a gorgeous lake and human-made campsites carved out, but Emma is not going to believe it until she sees it.

This is what happens when you don’t have parents to take you camping as a kid – you are entirely unprepared to live in nature for a little over forty-eight hours even if you do consider yourself a resourceful person like Emma considers herself to be.

“Dry shampoo,” Emma mumbles to herself, moving from her bedroom to her bathroom and grabbing the bottle before shaking it and spraying it into her hair so that her hair won’t be disgusting tomorrow. She’s going to pull it back into double French braids, but still.

David better be bringing snacks on this trip. She is not going to be able to survive without snacks.

Damn.

Why didn’t she buy pop-tarts when she was at the store this morning?

Probably because she was running away from the weirdos who hit on people wearing Santa Claus pajama pants in May.

Oooh, she needs to pack her pajamas.

(She really does need that list.)

Emma’s phone starts buzzing on her bed, and she lunges over her backpack to check it.

Ruby: Get your ass outside. It’s time to go.

-/-

Okay, okay, okay.

So maybe David and Mary Margaret were right about how gorgeous it is out here. Emma wasn’t sure at first, especially with the three-hour drive that it took to get to the campsite and the hour-hike through some pretty shady (literally and figuratively) woods, but once they got to their destination, she was definitely a little more open to it.

Or a lot open to it.

The air is somehow different out here, fresher and less saturated than the air of the city. There are no traces of gas or garbage or the intense crowding of people. Emma loves living in Boston, loves almost everything about it, but sometimes she can do without the crowds and all of the industrialization of the city. Walking out of the hordes of trees and into the open space of the campsite to see the sunshine sparkling down on a clear blue lake that stretches out over the grounds, ripples moving through the water as fish swim and birds coast in the sky, is now one of her favorite views in the world.

The lack of honking horns and people talking on cell phones is pretty refreshing too.

Emma could, however, do without the bugs that are buzzing around her despite the spray she’s soaked her body in and also do without the possibility of bears and snakes coming out of nowhere to attack her.

The random animals walking around terrify her. Obviously, she’s encroaching on their natural habitat, but this wasn’t exactly her idea, okay?

It’s surprisingly easy to set up camp, even if her tent gives her all kinds of fits that explain why it was under fifty dollars, and after it collapses in on itself for a fifth time, David sighs and sets it up for her. She swears that she is a resourceful person, that she could probably survive a little while in the wilderness, but that might be entirely too optimistic thinking with how the whole tent thing went. Nothing like a camping trip to humble expectations on how she would do if she ever signed up for Survivor.

Is that show even still on the air?

As soon as she gets internet service again, she’s finding out.

“Do you find the whole camping and joint bachelor and bachelorette party thing weird?” Ruby asks her as Emma lays out her sleeping bag, tucking her pillow inside so nothing gets on it during the day.

“I find it all extremely weird,” Emma huffs, twisting her head to look at Ruby who has been far too amused by Emma’s struggles today. “Except for the fact that they want to do this together. Two peas in a pod. I never thought the separate weekend trips were going to work out even though I was really looking forward to going to New York.”

“You and me both,” Ruby sighs, plopping down on Emma’s sleeping bag, “but I think this could be fun. I mean, ten of us, some beer, and the wilderness. What could go wrong?”

“As someone whose tent fell apart multiple times, I feel like the answer to that is everything. I have lived in Boston my entire life. I was not made for this.”

“You’ll adapt. I know for a fact that Mary Margaret brought things to make s’mores for you.”

“She did not,” Emma gasps, turning to face Ruby before sitting down on the ground too, a rock hitting her ass. Ruby nods, a smile on her face. “Did she really? God, I love Mary Margaret and her resourcefulness.”

“She also brought you hot chocolate.”

“Even better.”

“And I,” Ruby hums, reaching into the inside of her vest to pull out a flask, “brought whiskey and earplugs just in case all of the couples here get ideas that you, our little spinster, are not taking part in. I mean, you could, but I doubt you’d be quite so loud by yourself.”

Emma can’t help but laugh at Ruby and the smirk on her face. Anybody who brings their own flask of whiskey when they know that David, Victor, and Graham have brought an entire cooler full of drinks is a resourceful woman. And Emma can always go for some spiked hot chocolate. Well, not always, but it does sound nice for sitting around the fire tonight.

And the earplugs. She did not think about that. She doesn’t really want to.

“I love you for that.”

Ruby mock gasps, putting the flask back in her pocket before covering her mouth with her hands. “Don’t tell my girlfriend that.”

“Tell me what?” Mulan questions as she pokes her head to the inside of the tent.

“That I love your girlfriend,” Emma chuckles. She stands from the ground and brushes at her ass, the feel of the rock probably going to be imprinted there forever. “Obviously you have a lot to worry about.”

Mulan rolls her eyes. “I think I’ll be fine for about thirty-two different reasons on that front. Do either of you have a bobby pin? I’ve got this piece of hair that won’t stay back, and it’s driving me crazy.”

“I have a couple in my backpack, babe,” Ruby tells Mulan, not bothering to get up from the ground. “In the bag with my toiletries.”

“Thank you. You guys want to go hiking now that things are set up? I think our other option was fishing.”

“Hiking,” Emma and Ruby say at the same time. “Definitely hiking.”

-/-

“Is everyone wearing sunscreen?”

Mary Margaret has asked that question approximately seventeen times today, and while it has been very much appreciated, now that the sun is setting over the lake, everything cast in an orange glow, no one really needs it. At least, Emma doesn’t. What she needs is something to eat that’s not a bag of trail mix, even if that trail mix was really good. She would know. She ate the entire bag when they went hiking earlier, but they were out there all afternoon long.

She needed substance to survive.

(Okay, so she definitely wouldn’t last on Survivor.)

“Yes, Mom,” Emma teases, picking up her water bottle so that she can take another sip. “We have all protected our skin.”

“You say that like I didn’t save that pale skin of yours earlier by handing you my bottle.”

“True, true,” she sighs before getting up from her folding chair so that she can walk toward Mary Margaret and wrap her arm around her shoulder. “Thank you for taking care of me. You’re the best.”

“I also brought you snacks. You probably love me for that too.”

“Oh, I do. I’ve been told of the s’mores and hot chocolate, and let me tell you, I can’t wait. It’s what’s going to make sleeping in the wilderness bearable.”

(That kind of sounded like a pun, but it really wasn’t…and now she’s thinking about bears.)

“I think it’s kind of fun. David and I go camping all of the time.”

“You guys literally stayed in a lodge with a spa the last time you went camping.”

“Semantics.”

“David,” Emma yells as her hip bumps into Mary Margaret to tease her, “when is the food going to be ready? I’m starving.”

“You are not actually starving,” David corrects, looking back at her from the grill that’s set up at the campsite. “You’re just in that state of Emma where you’re always slightly hungry.”

“What can I say? I like food.”

David laughs at her before turning around and flipping the hot dogs on the grill. She doesn’t even like hot dogs, but she can’t wait for these.

The rest of the night idles by, everyone beginning to get a little tipsy on beer or Ruby’s smuggled whiskey – definitely a lot of the smuggled whiskey for Emma – and as the sky completely darkens so that the only sources of light are the clear stars in the sky and the large fire that everyone is sitting around, Emma completely settles into being outside camping. This is actually the kind of thing she could get used to.

It’s definitely the whiskey and the s’mores talking.

Probably more the whiskey than anything, but she knows how to hold her liquor and isn’t that affected by it.

So maybe it’s the chocolate.

She doesn’t know, and it doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day all that matters is that David and Mary Margaret are having a good time. This is their weekend, and to watch Mary Margaret have her head rested on David’s shoulder with content smiles on both of their faces is all that matters.

Emma’s not entirely sure if she believes in true love, especially not with her relationship history, but if anyone has it, it’s David and Mary Margaret.

Or, at least, they have a good love that they both choose to work every day for, and that is probably a better qualification of true love anyways.

Little by little, everyone trickles off into their tents. Graham and Belle are the first to go, followed by Ruby and Mulan, Ruby teasing Emma about using her ear plugs. Emma rolls her eyes at that, but when she goes to her tent, zipping it up so that nothing can get in – which is something she doesn’t even want to think about – she does twist her ear plugs before putting them in her ears so she can’t hear anything else.

Better safe than sorry, right?

-/-

The moment Emma’s eyes open, she notices two things.

Her head is killing her.

She really has to pee.

Like, really has to pee.

And after checking her phone and confirming that it’s only a little past three in the morning, Emma reaches over to grab her boots, stuffing her pajamas pants inside of them, and unzips her tent so that she can go find somewhere to pee.

Definitely not the weirdest thing she’s ever done at three in the morning but also not the most normal.

Victor, for some insane reason, has decided to sleep in a hammock outside, and since she can tell that he is very much awake doing whatever it is Victor Whale does while awake in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night, Emma uses the flashlight on her phone to wander into the woods to try to find a tree to pee behind somewhere Victor can’t see or hear.

If they do this again, they’re going somewhere with bathrooms. Emma is putting it in whatever unwritten rule book there is.

Her head is still pounding, the haze of the whiskey and lack of sleep definitely evident, but Emma manages to find a tree, pee behind it, and start working her way back toward the camp.

Only, which way was the camp? To her left or to her right?

Oh shit. Maybe it was neither left nor right and somewhere in between? What’s in between left and right? Straight? Yeah, definitely straight.

“You can do this,” Emma whispers to herself, giggling a little bit when she realizes that she is actually talking to herself.

Is it possible for Ruby’s whiskey to be spiked? Can alcohol be spiked with…more alcohol?

That’s too confusing to even think about it. Maybe she can’t hold her liquor the way she thought she could.

Left. Right. Straight.

Yeah, straight.

Emma trudges through the woods, having to avoid some limbs that she doesn’t remember avoiding the first time. And when did she even wander this far into the woods to begin with?

Damn Victor and his damn sleeping bag.

After what feels like walking for hours, Emma finally sees the opening of the woods back out into the campsite, and it’s just in time since small droplets of water are beginning to fall from the sky that has her putting her phone away in the waistband of her pants, wishing she hadn’t taken her bra off. It’s also what makes Emma hurry to her tent, quickly unzipping the entrance and stepping inside before zipping it back up and toeing out of her boots, thankful to be in the warm, dry enclosure of her tent, fully ready to go back to sleep before her head can hurt her anymore.

“Who the bloody hell are you?”

Okay, so her head is definitely deteriorating or something because that was a British man, and even if that’s what her GPS is set to sound like because she can’t figure out how to change it back to the default voice, she knows that it’s not what the voice inside of her head sounds like.

And the warm hand that she feels on her shoulder can’t be part of her imagination either.

Shit.

She’s about to die, isn’t she? There’s nothing like being about to die that sobers a person up enough to see that she is very much not alone in this tent, the dark shadows of a man skipping across her vision. And where is all of her stuff?

“Are you okay?” the voice says again, and then suddenly there’s a flash of light, a lantern being turned on, and things start to make so much more sense.

Kind of.

Because a grown ass man with black hair and what she thinks are blue eyes is sitting next to her blinking at her with his brows furrowed together and his lips parted. He’s also not wearing any clothes, but the moment she noticed the firm muscles covered with hair and the particular piece of anatomy that males possess (wow, maybe she’s still a little drunk if she can’t even think the word dick), her eyes glanced back up to his face even as her cheeks warmed.

What is happening?

“Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?” Emma finally says, and the man simply blinks at her again.

“Why are you in my tent?”

“I asked you first.”

Wow. Real mature, Emma.

“You broke into my bloody tent.”

“I’m pretty sure this is my tent,” Emma sighs, and she does not at all watch as the man grabs a pair of boxers and pulls them on. “Or, at least, I thought it was. Is this not my tent?”

“No, lass,” he breathes, continuing to get dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, “I don’t believe it is. Are you drunk?”

“Um,” she hums, reaching up to rub at her eyes just to make sure that she’s not hallucinating, and when her surroundings come back to her, she realizes that she most definitely is not.

This is most definitely not her tent.

Holy shit.

Where even is she?

“Shit,” she mutters aloud, standing up only to hit the wires that are holding the tent up, but none of that matters as she reaches down for her boots and stuffs her feet into them, quickly unzipping the tent and stepping outside only to trip on the entrance and stumble out onto the ground.

Face first.

Into the mud.

Because it’s raining.

She knew that. Of course, she knew that.

“Woah, woah, woah, lass,” the man sighs, his hands reaching under her arms to pick her up off the ground. This could not be any more embarrassing. It simply can’t. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to my camp so I don’t get murdered by the man I apparently just barged in on.”

“I’m not a murderer.”

Emma blinks up at him as the rain pours down on the two of them, the power of it increasing with every second that she stands out here, and she might as well get pneumonia because she’s going to get murdered anyways.

Positive thinking for the win.

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“I guess you’ll have to trust me,” he sighs, a bright smile on his face that she can see under the moonlight. “How do I know that you’re not a murderer? You’re the one who broke into my tent, after all.”

Emma chuckles and starts shaking her head before reaching up to cover her face with her hands. Her entire body is going to be bruised tomorrow. “I’m so, so, so sorry. I don’t – I may be the slightest bit drunk and was in the woods because I needed a place to pee and I didn’t want to do it near my campsite because Victor was sleeping in a freaking hammock outside. I mean, who does that? He’s so weird, and he’s probably getting soaked in this rain right now and I – ”

There’s a tug on her wrist and suddenly she’s being pulled back into the tent of the mystery man, and if she gets murdered tonight, there’s absolutely no reason for her to regret eating four s’mores.

None at all.

(It was five.)

“W-what are you doing?” she hisses, little bumps rising on her arms as a cold chill settles over her.

“Love, as much as I am enjoying your rambling, I don’t enjoy standing in pouring down rain. We were getting drenched out there.”

“I am not your love.”

“Well, maybe if I knew your name, I could call you something else.”

This man is really attractive, and Emma still isn’t entirely sure that she isn’t dreaming.

“Emma Swan.”

The man smiles before reaching back to scratch behind his ear, a half smile on his lips. “Killian Jones at your service, milady. Now, Swan, you were saying something about walking away from your camp? You’re here with other people, aye?”

“My friends for a, like, super weird joint bachelorette and bachelor party.”

“Ah, well, that explains your state of intoxication. Though, I didn’t know that women were now wearing pajama pants with Santa’s face on them to bachelorette parties. That’s a bloody shame.”

“Ha ha,” she murmurs as she rolls her eyes. “Look, bud, these pants are super comfortable and warm except for right now because I’m covered in rain. Can someone even be covered in rain? Is that a thing?”

Thunder crashes down around them, a slow rumbling that’s followed by bright flashes of lightning, and now all Emma can think is that if she doesn’t get murdered, she’s going to die by lightning strike on her walk back to the camp she’s actually supposed to be in.

(Murder, pneumonia, or a lightning strike: the three most common causes of death.)

How does she even get back? Where in the world is she?

Killian clicks his tongue, and her head snaps away from looking at the roof of the tent to looking at him, and all she wants to do is slap the cocky grin off of his face. Or kiss it.

Woah, okay, that’s definitely the whiskey talking. This is not a romantic comedy. She’s not sleeping with the random man that she found in the woods.

Horror movie. It’s a horror movie. Not a romantic comedy.

Get it together, Emma.

“What?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest and really wishing that she hadn’t taken off her bra because this guy can most definitely see her tits through this shirt. Then again, she saw his dick.

What a weird night.

“Well, I’m thinking about this little predicament we’re in,” Killian sighs, pulling his damp shirt over his head so that she gets a good flash of his abs and the trail of dark hair that dips into his pants before he’s throwing on a sweatshirt over his shoulders and all she can see is the messy shock of dark hair on his head. “First of all, you need to get out of those clothes. I have a flannel shirt and some boxers you can wear. I wish I had something different, but I’m afraid I’m going to need my pajama pants since I’ve soaked my jeans.”

“Yeah, no, I’m fine. I’m leaving as soon as I figure out how to get back to my friends.”

“Stubborn lass,” he mumbles under his breath before digging through his bag and tossing the clothes at her. She catches them, and she’s about to protest once more when he turns around so that he can’t see her. “And you’re not going to get back to your friends tonight. You may as well wait the four hours until the sun rises, but it’s too dark and the rain is too bad for you to find your way back right now. I imagine you can’t be far, probably just across a little patch of woods, but you were obviously pretty drunk and could have wandered for a long time without realizing it. Have you finished changing so I can turn around now?”

“What? Are you a gentleman or something?” she huffs, pulling her wet shirt over her head before sliding the sleeves of the flannel onto her arms and buttoning it up.

Killian looks behind him, his eyes glancing up and down her body before he winks. “I’m always a gentleman, love.”

“Whatever.” Emma finishes changing clothes, balling up her pajamas and putting them in the corner with her boots as another bout of thunder crashes down around them. “Thanks for the clothes. And the shelter and not murdering me or whatever since I did kind of intrude into your tent.”

He turns around with a nod of his head, but instead of replying to her, Killian bends down and starts unzipping his sleeping bag, spreading it out and laying it on the ground. “Now, Swan,” he sighs, “I know you’ve already seen the family jewels, but I need to get out of these pants and need you to turn around. But you may sit down if you like.”

Emma does what he says, turning around before sitting down on the warmth of sleeping bag, and she very pointedly ignores the sound of his zipper being undone and the rustle of clothes being shed. If only she had those earplugs that Ruby gave her. Those would be pretty helpful right now.

Four hours.

Emma is going to be here for four hours until the sun rises, and she is leaving as soon as she can find her way back. And she is not going to sleep no matter how much it is calling to her. She doesn’t sleep over with men she goes home with at bars, and she’s not sleeping in the vicinity of a man who might be a murderer (even though she doesn’t really think that) who could have been out here waiting for someone to stumble into his tent.

Probably not the best plan.

Probably not his plan at all.

The sleeping bag shifts beneath her, and Emma feels the warm heat of a body next to her, and when she turns to the side, Killian has laid out on the blanket, his arms crossed behind his head, and his feet at the ankles. Is he about to go to sleep?

“So, Swan,” Killian starts, his voice as even as it has been this entire time, “you’re a bit of an open book to me, and I can tell that you very much think I’m going to murder you even though I should think that about you. I’ve not heard of many murderers who wait in tents for their victims to come to them. So, I figure we might as well get to know each other since I imagine there will be no going back to sleep involved here.”

Well, that was kind of a creepy reading of the mind.

Emma twists over on her side and mimics Killian’s position, kind of wishing she had a pillow right now too, but beggars can’t be choosers. Wandering in unknown woods while drunk is definitely topping the list of her worst drunk moments over that time that she asked every woman in the bar if they would be willing to braid her hair because her arms had turned into actual noodles…and then she asked everyone if they had noodles for her to eat.

She still kind of hates Ruby and Belle for allowing her to do that instead of taking her home.

“I’m not sure there’s much to know about me,” she finally tells Killian while light flashes outside.

“Nonsense,” he scoffs, hitting his elbow into her. “You seem plenty interesting. I mean, look at how much excitement you’ve already brought into my boring weekend with my mates. Liam could never be this exciting.”

“Who’s Liam?”

“My older brother. He’s in the tent next to us, is probably wondering why the bloody hell I’m talking to myself, and then down the way are Robin and Will. It was Liam’s birthday on Wednesday, and he decided we should go camping this weekend. So, my brother is just as crazy as your friends for wanting to do this. Though, I suspect maybe I’m a little more equip at camping than you are.”

“What the hell gives you that idea?”

“The fact that you are in my tent.”

“True,” she sighs, completely and totally ignoring just how good this guy’s shirt smells. And it’s also really warm. Warm enough that she doesn’t really want to give it up. “What do you do, Killian Jones? And are you British? You sound British.”

“That’s because I am.” Emma twists her head back to the side only to find Killian grinning at her with that cheeky smile and a raised brow that she imagines must be what he does when he’s charming someone. “I’m a writer, actually. I’ve got a couple books out now, nothing big or anything, but it pays the bills. As do the occasional articles I write. It’s…tough, you know, because sometimes my mind doesn’t cooperate and the industry sucks, but I love it. And I’m able to live in your country because of it too, which is a plus since my publishing company is American.”

Okay, so British dude whose tent she invaded is a writer. That’s honestly pretty cool, and she is most definitely going to look up his books when she gets internet back. Not that she’s going to tell him that. He seems to have a bit of an ego even if it is a charming one.

“Well, that’s fancy. Am I going to end up in one of your books?”

“Absolutely. I’m already plotting it in my mind.”

“Of course you are.”

“So, love, what do you do for a living? I need to know as research for my book.”

Emma laughs, twisting a bit on the ground to make herself more comfortable. “I’m a cop.”

“Badass, Swan.”

A little swell of pride swells within her. Damn right she’s badass. “I know. I’m usually not a bumbling drunk idiot crashing tents, believe it or not.”

“Oh, I can tell. You were too flustered for this to be your first time, and you know what they say, you never forget your first.”

“Is that supposed to be an innuendo?”

“Always,” he chuckles, waggling his brows across his forehead, and her stomach does this little weird twisting thing inside of her. “So, tell me about these friends of yours who are celebrating their upcoming nuptials in the woods.”

And that’s exactly how Emma starts weaving the tale of Mary Margaret Blanchard, David Nolan, and the weird, sickeningly sweet, wonderful love story that they have. She most likely gives a little too much detail, which she blames on the lingering effects of the whiskey-s’more hangover, and that tiny underlying fear of what exactly this situation right now involves. Obviously, there are no rules for her life in these odd hours between night and dawn, and when Killian doesn’t tell her to shut up, she takes that as a sign to keep going despite the fact that she has probably never talked this much to someone she has known for under two hours in her entire life.

Sometimes she doesn’t even talk this much to her closest friends.

That does something to her insides, twisting around her heart and either the large or small intestine, but Emma is easily able to ignore it as Killian asks her questions about her friends and shares little snippets of his own, reaffirming what she already knew about the fact that every single person on earth is at least a little bit crazy. If they’re put together in a group, however, the craziness factor multiplies tenfold.

Killian is thirty-two years old, though he says he sometimes feels much older than that, and honestly, she believes it with the way that he talks, all quick wit and flowery words that are laced with innuendo. It might be a British thing. She’s not sure. She’s only ever met one other British person in her life, and that was only for thirty seconds while he asked her how to get downtown.

But this particular Brit is charming and funny and has her laughing so much that her stomach hurts nearly as much as her head is really starting to with the hangover that’s really coming in. He reads, like, all the time, which makes sense for his profession, but he’s also one of those people who does in-depth research for his books by actually going out and doing the activity he’s describing. It sounds a little extra for her, but it’s apparently how he got into both kickboxing and sailing, as well as being able to mix a mean drink, and she can appreciate all of those things.

Kickboxing because she enjoys that, sailing because it seems kind of cool, and a good mixed drink because, well, that one is kind of obvious.

The conversation flows so easily, a natural progression that almost seems false in its genuine state, that Emma doesn’t notice that the rain has stopped pounding down on the tent or that thunder is no longer making her jump every few seconds. And she definitely doesn’t notice that sunlight is beginning to peek through.

But Killian does, and when he brings it up, disappoint washes over her.

Why in the world is she disappointed that she has to go back to her friends? And her clothes. And oh God, her toothbrush. Her breath is probably awful right now.

Her clothes are still soaked through, so Killian insists that she can keep on her measly borrowings from him, and so looking like the most ridiculous person in the world wearing an oversized flannel shirt, boxers, and a pair of hiking boots, Emma steps out of the tent only to come face to face with three other men all sitting around a firepit drinking coffee.

“Damn, Jones,” one of them whistles, “I knew you knew how to pick up women, but doing it out in the middle of the woods is damn impressive.”

“Shut up, Scarlet.”

Ah, she thinks, so that’s the Will she’s been told about.

And the one with blue eyes and curly hair is likely Liam so the one remaining is Robin.

“Lads,” Killian continues, walking toward the fire and grabbing a canister sitting on the griddle before pouring what looks like coffee into a mug, “this is Emma. Emma and her friends are camping somewhere nearby. I’m thinking across that patch of woods since she mentioned a lake. But Emma, here, was a tad bit intoxicated last night – ” At this he hands her the cup of coffee, and she is even more thankful for him “ – and got a bit turned around when she was relieving herself. And then the storm started, so she stayed with me for a bit. Though nothing untoward happened. On my honor.”

Her cheeks heat at that, but she ignores them and takes a sip of the coffee, also ignoring the fact that she probably just burned her tongue and also that there is absolutely no creamer or milk or sugar in this. But caffeine is caffeine, and that’s all that matters.

“Hello,” she croaks out, waving her hand in the air at the three of them. This is about ten thousand times more awkward than barging in on a naked stranger last night. Oh shit, she really did that. “It’s nice to meet all of you. Thanks for the coffee.”

“That’s a nice outfit you’ve got on there,” Liam laughs, shaking his head the slightest bit. “I trust my little brother is telling the truth when it comes to him being a gentleman last night.”

“Younger,” Killian quickly corrects, looking between she and Liam. “I am your younger brother, and yes, as I told you, I was a gentleman.”

“I mean, he was alright,” Emma teases as her eyes squint up at the rising sun. “He didn’t give me his pillow, I saw his dick, and he wouldn’t stop talking, but other than that, he was great.”

Liam, Robin, and Will all break out into laughter that has her shoulders straightening a little bit and her confidence rising as she arches her brow at Killian. He looks both affronted and impressed with his parted lips and raised eyebrows, and that’s exactly what she was going for there.

“I thought you said you were a gentleman, Killian,” Robin laughs. He puts his mug down on the ground and wipes away at his eyes. “How did she see your dick if you were being a gentleman? Were you pitching a tent…inside of your tent? Talk about inception.”

“Alright,” Killian sighs over the laughter of all of his friends – and her too – before he wraps his arm around her shoulder in a touch that very literally might send all of the lightning strikes from last night down her spine, “I think I should probably help Emma find her friends before they start missing her, and I fully expect the lot of you to have cooked breakfast by the time I get back, yeah?”

“You can have some peanuts and whatever you catch in the lake.”

“You’re awfully cheeky for it to be so early in the morning, Will,” Killian sighs, squeezing his hand against her shoulder.

“I got a great night’s sleep last night. Unlike you, obviously, because you look like shit.”

“That’s all on Emma.”

“Hey,” she scoffs in protest even if she knows that it’s true. “You could have gone to sleep.”

“And run the risk of you murdering me? Never.” He cocks a smile at her, one that’s slanted and boyish and probably charms all of the girls Will was teasing him about, before tilting his head back toward the woods. “You ready to go, Swan?”

“Yeah,” Emma sighs, taking one more giant gulp of coffee, “I guess I am.”

With her phone – still without any kind of signal because apparently they are in the most remote place on the planet even though Boston is less than three hours away – and her wet clothes in hand, the two of them start trekking around the perimeter of the woods so that Emma can figure out where in the world her friends are. She knows that she definitely came through the woods, and Killian’s got a pretty good idea of the area now that it’s sunlight outside, so they should be able to find it.

Hopefully.

How far can someone really wander while drunk?

That seems like it’d be a really funny question to google. The answers would be something else.

“So, your friends are interesting,” Emma says, trying to think of some kind of small talk. It’s not awkward walking in the woods, but she can still feel the lingering effects of Killian’s hand on her shoulder and figures talking might make it go away no matter how illogical that is. “Well, friends and brother.”

“They’re a bunch of assholes who I didn’t think would be awake,” Killian sighs, holding up a stray branch for her to walk under, “but I do love them.”

“That’s how all friends are, I think. At least, I think so. If not, we’ve surrounded ourselves with the wrong people. Then again, I kind of think I can be an asshole sometimes, so I probably deserve asshole friends.”

“You? An asshole? Never.”

“I feel like we have not known each other long enough to mess with each other like this.”

“Then what the hell is it you were doing back at my campsite with my friends?”

“Valid point,” Emma laughs before stopping in her tracks to try to see if any of this looks familiar. It all just looks like…wood. And leaves. “Do you know where we are?”

“Aye. We need to keep going straight. I think the rest of the campsites are out on the other side.”

“Whatever you say. I’m still not entire convinced that you’re just leading me into the woods to murder me.”

Killian barks out a laugh, his head thrown back, before he places his hand on the small of Emma’s back and gently guides her forward. “Swan, I promise you that you are going to make it out of this situation alive.” “Whatever you say, Jones.”

They idly chat as twigs and leaves crunch underneath their boots, and even though Emma knows that it’s been at least a fifteen-minute walk (damn, drunk Emma), it surprises her when the two of them walk through a clearing of the woods and the familiar sites of her actual campsite come into play.

Okay, so Killian’s tent doesn’t at all look like hers.

What the hell was she even thinking?

Obviously, she wasn’t.

“This you, love?”

“Yep,” she sighs, looking over at David and Ruby sitting by their firepit with mugs in their hands before turning around to look up at Killian. He’s smiling, that crooked one, and his messy hair has at least two leaves in it. Camping is really not for everyone, and they’ve still got another day of it. Hopefully tonight she won’t wander into a random man’s tent. “This is me. Thanks for not murdering me.”

There’s a subtle shake of his head, those lashes landing against his cheeks, and the smile stays there. “You are ridiculous.”

“You like it.”

“Yeah,” Killian mumbles while his hand reaches up to scratch at his scruff, “I do. You are surprisingly quite the charmer.”

“I don’t think it’s surprising at all.” Killian laughs at her shrug of her shoulders before swaying into her space, the toes of his boots knocking into the toes of hers, and her breath hitches at the touch. “So, thanks for helping me find my way back. I promise I won’t barge into your tent in the middle of the night. Though, you should really think about wearing clothes. Just in case and all.”

“Just in case,” he repeats, and Emma fills a chill run down the back of her spine at the dark tone of his voice. “Or, you know, you could. I don’t think I’d mind. You do have to give me my clothes back.”

Her eyes roll, but her heart flutters all the same. Emma is not the type of girl to meet a guy and immediately hit it off. There are too many things in her past, too many bad relationships that have burned up in flames, but she’s not committing to life here. She may not even be committing to anything at all. It was a weird night, and she might as well let it roll into a weird, wonderful morning.

“I think I’m going to have to keep them.”

“Huh, then maybe I’ll have to stumble into your tent in the middle of the night to get them back.”

“I’ll make sure I’m dressed again in my Santa Claus pajama pants.”

Killian laughs as his head dips so that his lips can tentatively press against hers. He’s as unsure of everything as she is, which makes a hell of a lot of sense considering how weird this situation is, but Emma responds to the kiss, slowly moving her lips against his as her hands move up Killian’s arms, gripping onto the soft material of his sweater as Killian’s hands thread into her hair, familiar and yet entirely unfamiliar shivers covering her body as soft lips move against and with hers.

What a few hours.

What a damn good kisser.

Emma pulls back, not entirely sure what kind of pacing is going on here or what she should do, and she laughs when she remembers that she hasn’t brushed her teeth and probably has awful breath. Then again, so does Killian.

Obviously the height of romance.

“Why are you laughing? I don’t usually have women laugh at me during a kiss.”

“Well, that’s because you’re not kissing women who probably have bad breath and smell like a forest.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

Emma pulls back and slaps his chest, which really only makes Killian waggle his brows across his forehead, the confidence coming off of him in waves.

“You’re a jerk.”

“Only a little.”

“Or at lot.”

“Definitely a lot,” he laughs before kissing her cheek and squeezing her hip. “Do you want to go to dinner with me sometime? Preferably when we’ve both had the opportunity to shower and brush our teeth. A proper getting to know each other.”

“Can we go somewhere with air-conditioning?”

“Absolutely,” he smiles.

“Then yeah,” Emma sighs, pressing up on her toes to kiss Killian’s cheek, “we can go to dinner sometime. You can also come back to get your clothes sometime today.”

“You going to see if you can google me before that?”

“Damn right.”

Emma steps away then, walking backward to the camp and waving Killian away before turning around to walk between the tents where Ruby and David are sitting with their jaws practically on the floor.

“What the hell was that?” David starts.

“Who the hell was that?” Ruby continues.

Sighing, Emma sits down on the folding chair and looks at her friends. “Man do I have a story to tell you guys.”

-/-

Killian and his friends join their group for dinner later that night, but the dinner with brushed teeth and styled hair – plus that ever-important air-conditioning – comes a week later in Boston.

Killian is her date for Mary Margaret and David’s wedding two months later.

Two years later, they get engaged in a tent with Emma wearing her Santa Claus pajama pants and Killian wearing his boxers, but she insists that he takes them off, for authenticity and all.

And the story of how they met most definitely ends up in one of Killian’s books.

It’s a murder mystery.