#I’m totally not thinking about the loudness of the absense at all | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jilliancares · 5 years ago

Note

Yo I was looking through all the fics I've read and I wanted to re-read 'The King's Quest' but I realised it was a patreon reward and was never posted. I was wondering if there is anywhere that I can find it?

I finally went and looked through my documents and found it! I’ll post it here!

The King’s Quest - 5k - a short, original wlw fiction story wherein the main character sets off to find the king’s missing crown, seeing as the one who accomplishes this task gets to marry the princess

“I don’t know why I go along with your plans,” Milo complained, hiking the (second) bag on his back higher. He’d offered to carry Jaz’s bag a mile back and had decided their mission was doomed ever since.

“Because you have nothing better to do,” Jaz answered honestly, and Milo made a sound in the back of his throat that was half agreement and half offense. It was true, though. Summer had come to their kingdom and without jobs or the responsibility of school, they had all the free time in the world.

They came from a small town — one small enough that there weren’t very many other kids their age — so if Milo had decided to stay while Jaz went on this adventure on her own, he would’ve been very much bored and alone for the summer. As it was, he tended to follow in Jaz’s footsteps, which led to grand adventures like this one (and less grand adventures, like their too frequent visits to the principal’s office). It wasn’t that Jaz liked making and getting in trouble, it was that she had grand plans for life, and not much could get in the way of her plans.

Examples of these grand plans included stealing Old Man Johnson’s pig, convincing Milo to shave his head, and marrying Princess Amelia. It wasn’t her fault that her plans tended to occasionally have disastrous results. Sure, Old Man Johnson had tried to have them arrested, and sure, Milo was still recovering from that stint with a pair of scissors, but what really mattered was that they’d had fun. Or at least, Jaz had.

Still, Jaz could admit this adventure was turning out to be less fun than she’d been anticipating. When the King had put out the royal order announcing that the first person to retrieve his royal (but stolen) crown would be able to marry his daughter, Jaz had jumped to attention with the beginnings of an adventure swirling through her brain. She’d imagined daring stakes and dangerous terrains and dueling masked strangers, and so far all she’d gotten was a long trek up a longer hill with a best friend who wouldn’t stop complaining.

Granted, he was carrying her bag, but he’d offered to do that. It wasn’t her fault that he had some misguided sense of chivalry. It’d been days since they’d left their hometown and Jaz had had a fine time of carrying her own bag all that time, but the moment they’d reached the base of the mountain Milo had puffed up his chest and claimed it was his pride on the line.

“Just give me my bag back,” Jaz insisted, turning around and walking up the path backwards, arm extended and fingers wiggling in Milo’s direction. She could see the want in his eyes, the desire to rid himself of the extra weight and make this unbearable climb slightly more bearable.

“No,” he ended up saying, hands coming up to cling to the straps on his shoulders. “I’m fine.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re —” Jaz cut herself off. Or, more accurately, the knife pressed against her throat, held by the person who Jaz currently had her back pressed against, cut her off. It was common instinct to shut the fuck up when an armed stranger had your life in their hands. Pretty hands, at that. Were those fingers manicured?

“Let’s all just calm down!” Milo shouted, eyes wide with panic as he flung his arms in the air in the universal sign of, I mean you no harm, please don’t slit my best friend’s throat. Unfortunately, the momentum of his arms flying into the air combined with the weight of two bags situated on his back overbalanced him, and he fell backwards and started tumbling down the mountain.

“Milo!” Jaz shouted, because even with a knife at your throat there was something scary about watching your best friend tumble head over feet down a steep and rocky slope. He slowed a few yards down from them, sliding sideways down the path, and let out a loud groan that assured Jaz his pride was hurt more than his body.

“Wow, I totally didn’t need to threaten you guys,” the potential-murderer said, and she released Jaz, spinning her dagger in her hand and tucking it into her belt. Milo was climbing back to his feed, slumping back up to where Jaz and the yet-to-be-a-murderer stood.

“Oh, good,” he panted, smiling weakly at the two of them. “You’ve worked out your differences.”

With Milo back at her side and a knife no longer at her throat, Jaz felt secure enough to examine her would-be murderer. Her nails were manicured, though that was hardly the only put-together thing about her. Her long hair was pinned up into an elegant bun atop her head, and her traveling clothes didn’t appear to have even a speck of dirt on them; meanwhile Jaz and Milo were covered from head to toe in dust. (Milo more-so, having just tumbled down the mountain.)

“Do you try to kill every traveler you see or was just there something special about us?” Jaz questioned. She couldn’t decide whether this girl was still a threat. Sure, her knife was put away, but how could anyone look so refined under a midday summer’s sun?

“I heard you two arguing,” the girl said with a shrug. “I assumed you’d be a couple more idiots on the King’s Quest.”

“And you think we’re not because…?” Milo said unhelpfully. If this girl only attacked idiots on the Quest then they’d better pretend they were a couple idiots on an afternoon hike!

“Well, you’re clearly not up to the task,” the girl laughed. “Sorry for having mistaken you.”

And, okay, this was probably why Jaz got in trouble all the time. She had a couple issues with things such as ‘holding her tongue’ and ‘keeping her temper,’ so it was with an indignant scoff that she responded to the girl, “What makes you think that?”

The girl blinked, surprised. Then she waved a hand at them, gesturing to them in general. Even Milo made an offended sound.

“I’ll have you know that we are on the King’s Quest!” Jaz snapped, leaning forward to get into the girl’s face. Probably not the best idea, considering she had a knife and possibly the devil on her side, seeing as she must’ve sold her soul to be looking like this in the middle of nowhere. “And we’re gonna find the crown first and I’m gonna marry the Princess!”

With that, Jaz stomped past the girl and further up the path, Milo scurrying along behind her, the weight of the bags forgotten. It made sense that this girl, some sort of soul-selling, mountain-guarding asshole, would’ve found a lot of people on the King’s Quest by hiding up in this mountain. It was the one path that crossed from the eastern half of the kingdom to the western half, and the town on the other side was home to a colony of secret-sellers. Anyone could learn anything there, so long as they had something the secret-keepers would want. It was this town that was Jaz’s current destination. There, she would barter for the last known location of the crown, and then she’d be off again, one step closer to marrying the princess.

“Wait!” the girl yelled, and it was instinct that made Jaz grab Milo’s wrist and start booking it up the last stretch of the mountain. In her mind’s eye, the girl was chasing after them, her knife held out and ready to stab their retreating backs.

“We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die —” Milo was panting. Jaz glanced over at him to see that his eyes were squinched shut.

“Open your eyes!” she yelled at him.

“I don’t want to!” he burst out, all in one breath, and Jaz groaned, cursing her best friend and chancing a glance over her shoulder, possibly one of the last over-the-shoulder-glances she would ever have.

She was right in that the girl was chasing them, except she wasn’t carrying her knife, and her hair had escaped it’s updo and was falling around her red face as she chased after them. It was this (the hair, not the absense of the knife) that finally persuaded Jaz to stop. This girl was human after all.

“Why are we stopping?!” Milo demanded, because Jaz was still holding onto his wrist and he’d stumbled to a stop immediately after she had.

“I don’t think we’re about to get murdered,” Jaz said.“Famous last words,” Milo said darkly, moments before the girl caught up to them and bent over her knees, breathing heavily.

“God,” she said, her voice thin and breathless. “Never make me run up a mountain again.” And then, once she’d caught her breath and stood up straight, she smiled. “I want to join you,” she said.

Jaz considered it. “No.”

“Wha — why not!?”

Counting off her fingers, Jaz said, “You held a knife to my throat, said we ‘weren’t up to the task,’ and I’m going to marry the Princess.”

“What does that last one have to do with me?”

“If you find the crown first, you could try to steal my future wife. I can’t risk that,” Jaz scoffed, her tone obvious. Milo was nodding importantly.

“What about him?” the girl said, gesturing to Milo.

“Uh-uh,” Milo said loudly, shaking his head. “I want nothing to do with the Princess. I’m just here as moral support.”

“Well, I want nothing to do with the Princess either,” the girl said haughtily. “After you marry her, you could give me some gold or something. That’ll be my compensation.”

Jaz considered it again. This girl did have a knife, which she seemed pretty skilled with, and maybe she’d sold enough of her soul for Jaz to look even half as clean as she did. “Fine,” Jaz said, still eyeing the stranger carefully. “You can come with us.” She extended her hand. “I’m Jaz. Short for Jasmine.”

“Nice to meet you, Jasmine,” said the girl.

“No,” Jaz said. “Short for Jasmine. I’m Jaz.”

“Right, right. And I’m Millie.” The girl — Millie — nodded her head as she said this, shaking Jaz’s hand.

“Milo,” Milo interrupted, turning their handshake into a hand pile, which he then shook up and down.

With introductions finished and knives still yet to be buried in anyone’s skin, they were off. Having run up the mountain, a good amount of the climb was behind them, and before they knew it they were cresting the peak, able to see the town below.

“So what’s our plan?” Millie asked. It was strange, how quickly they became a ‘we’ instead of an ‘us and the scary girl with the knife.’

“We go there,” Jaz explained, pointing to the town below them. “We’re gonna barter for information of the crown’s whereabouts.”

“All right, all right, yeah. Good plan. Except I already know where the crown is.”

Both Jaz and Milo turned to look at Millie in shock. For what probably shouldn’t have been the first time, Jaz wondered, who is this girl?

“Um,” said Milo. “How?”

“I already bartered for it,” she said, gesturing towards the town with a jerk of her head. “Real stingey, the secret-keepers. I almost thought I wouldn’t have anything they’d want.”

“What’d you give them?” Jaz asked incredulously. She was aware that she didn’t have much to offer herself, but she’d already been coming up with plans in her mind as to how she might buy a secret anyway. She was thinking of promising them gold if — (when) — she found the crown and married the Princess, or something like offering to be their servant for a year otherwise. It wasn’t ideal, but she was desperate and information was scarce. And yet in swoops Millie, the immaculate Fixer of All Problems. How the hell does that happen?

“Oh — just, you know. Some jewelry,” Millie answered unhelpfully. Jaz squinted at her distrustfully. Milo cheered.

“One less step for us!” he said excitedly, immediately throwing both his and Jaz’s bags to the ground. “I vote we take a break.” Before Jaz could protest, could claim that they should head off now if they really wanted to be the first ones to find the crown, Millie joined Milo on the ground.

“Perfect,” she said, sitting prim and proper and folding her hands in her lap. “I was starting to get a cramp.”

Very quickly, Jaz was learning that Millie was not the best travel companion. Unlike Milo, who always let Jaz be the leader of their little duo, she challenged Jaz’s directions and made suggestions of her own. Granted, sometimes these suggestions turned out to be better than Jaz’s ideas in the first place, but she still didn’t much like the feeling of being challenged.

Not to mention the fact that Millie was so secretive. Every night when they built a fire and gathered around it and ate whatever provisions they had for dinner, they talked. Conversation strayed and laughter rung freely, but whenever any kind of personal question was directed Millie’s way she closed right up. She didn’t seem to want to talk about her past or her home or herself. It was starting to get old, in Jaz’s opinion. She hated the way their conversations stuttered to an awkward stop, right at Millie’s feet.

Possibly the worst thing about her, though, was the fact that she thought the King’s Quest was stupid. And they were on the King’s Quest!

“I just think it’s derogatory,” Millie went on pompously. They’d left the terrain of the mountain and everything neighboring it days ago. Now, they were stomping through a forest in what was supposedly the fastest way towards the crown. Except the forest was giving way to swampland and Jaz could feel her feet sinking and squelching with every step. Her mood was already low enough, what with this horrible and uncomfortable part of their journey, and she certainly didn’t need Millie going on about how the King’s Quest was derogatory. Especially not when she never seemed to sink into the mud herself, picking her way across the land on somehow only the parts that didn’t sink.

“I think you’re derogatory,” Jaz muttered under her breath, but Millie didn’t hear her. Milo was some yards ahead of them, covered in mud up to his knees.

“I think the ground’s getting more stable over here!” he called back excitedly, waving as if they weren’t able to see him as easily as he could see them. He then took another step forward and sank up to his waist. “Mmm, just kidding!”

Millie continued on as if none of this had happened. “I mean, think about it. Everyone’s just trying to marry the Princess without knowing anything about her. They just want gold or jewels or power, Jasmine.”

“It’s Jaz,” Jaz bit out. Scratch everything she’d said before — the worst thing about Millie was the fact that she couldn’t seem to get Jaz’s name right. “And you’re the one who wanted compensation in gold,” Jaz pointed out. “I want her undying love and affection.”

Millie rolled her eyes, which Jaz didn’t fail to see. She pointed a finger at Millie. “You’re wrong,” she said. “Sure, I bet some people are just in it for the money or whatever, but that doesn’t mean everyone is. Some of us have been waiting all our lives to meet the Princess. Some of us have read every single one of her interviews. Some of us have even donated to all the charities she’s founded.”

Millie raised an eyebrow. “Well now you’re just talking about yourself, aren’t you?”

Jaz blushed. “She’s a great person,” she enthused. “We’re soulmates — which she’ll realize the second she meets me.” With a sigh, Jaz let her mind wander, imagining carrying the crown up the castle’s steps, the King weeping gratefully at her feet, Princess Amelia crying my hero! when she saw her.

“Well let’s just hope you are the one to find it,” Millie said with a huff. “Otherwise some creep might end up marrying the Princess.”

Jaz glared at the other girl. “I will fight any and all creeps that try to get in the way of me and the Princess.”

Milo, still stuck in the mud up to his waist, finally called out for help.

It took another good hour of slumming through the swamp until they were finally on solid ground again, and practically the rest of the afternoon of trudging through yet more forest before they were emerging into another unimpressive field. Honestly, Jaz had been expecting this journey to the crown to be a bit more exciting. They’d yet to pass through a single town, all their travels being through useless, obscure places.

“Where did you say this crown was again?” Jaz demanded, arms crossed as she surveyed the disgusting amount of endless field before them. She was tired of walking. She was tired of there not being any paths. She was tired of not having the crown in her hands.

“Oh it’s — in that direction,” Millie said, pointing her finger across the field.

“Yeah, but what’s this place called?”

“It’s… too hard to pronounce,” Millie said, avoiding eye contact, and Jaz grit her teeth in anger. She was suddenly and viciously confident that Millie was lying to her. Every time they’d asked her where they were going, she’d avoided answering in the way Jaz wanted, avoiding giving this place they were apparently going to a name.

“Spell it out, I’m great at pronouncing things,” Milo suggested happily.

“I don’t know how to spell it,” Millie answered, and Jaz was sure. This girl was a liar. Jaz had been an idiot to trust her, a random person squatting in the mountains and threatening adventurers with knives.

“Oh, well,” Jaz said lightly, uncharacteristically dropping it. “We’ll get there when we get there, whatever this place is.” Millie smiled gratefully, agreeing, and Jaz plastered the biggest and fakest smile onto her face in return.

She spent that whole evening stewing in her anger. She made idle chit-chat during dinner and helped set up their camp afterwards, spreading their sleeping bags out in the field. Except she didn’t sleep. She laid there, letting time pass her by as Milo and Millie dropped off, their breaths evening and becoming slow and steady around her. And then she made her move.

Jaz climbed out of her sleeping bag, cringing with every crinkle of the material and crunch of the leaves and grasses around her, and tiptoed to Millie’s bag. It was a nice bag, much nicer than Jaz and Milo’s, and it was with apprehension that Jaz opened it. She had no idea what she would find inside, but she was kind of imagining an array of weapons or a severed head or something.

Instead, she found clothes, a few bags of nuts and berries, and a crown. Jaz’s thought process was something like, yep, yep, okay, sure. A crown. Nice.

And then her heart was shooting up into her throat, surely beating loudly enough to wake both Milo and Millie, because WHAT? Millie had the crown?! She’d had it all along?! What the hell was going on?

Jaz was a mix of emotions, all tangled and confusing inside her. Anger and betrayal warred in her stomach. Despite everything, she’d actually grown to like Millie. She’d started to consider her a friend, had even enjoyed her company when she wasn’t being annoying, and now she felt betrayed. Millie was up to something. Maybe something evil.

Part of Jaz — a huge part, to be honest — wanted to grab the crown, wake Milo, and book it. It was the kind of betrayal Millie deserved, after leading them on whatever wild goose chase this was. But the rest of Jaz wanted answers. She wanted to know why. And it was because of this part of her — curse her stubborn love for dramatics! — that she yanked the crown out of the bag, stood upright, and demanded, “What the hell, Millie?!”

Millie woke up immediately. As did Milo, with an unrefined, “Wha — !?”

It was obvious to see Millie’s panic as her gaze shot from the crown to Jaz’s face and back again.

“Oh my God!” Milo suddenly burst out. “You found the crown!” And then, almost as an afterthought, “Am I dreaming?”

“No, Milo, you’re not dreaming,” Jaz said shortly. “Millie tricked us. She had the crown all along.”

“It’s not what you think,” Millie said immediately, pleadingly, and Jaz scoffed.

“What was the point of all this?” she asked. “Why even get Milo and me to come with you in the first place? Where were you even taking us?”

“To the castle!” Millie said, sounding desperate now. She gestured into the distance, the same direction they’d been headed, but Jaz wasn’t sure she believed her. It wasn’t like she knew the kingdom very well, especially on the ground instead of looking down at a map.

“A likely story,” Jaz scoffed. “And just what —” she was interrupted by the sound of people crashing through the forest, only a small ways from where their camp was set up.

“Get down!” Millie suddenly said, her voice a whisper-shout. Jaz didn’t feel very inclined to listen to a liar, but Millie shot to her feet and pulled Jaz to the ground just in time, hiding the two of them in the midst of all the tall grasses of the field.

Milo was only a little ways from them, but his eyes were wide and he looked worried. Millie gestured for him to stay where he was, before putting a finger to her lips. She was a liar. She’d had the crown all along. But still, Jaz couldn’t help but trust her in that moment, when the far-off voices were becoming less far-off, growing louder and angrier the closer they got.

“I heard voices, I swear!” one person — a man, it sounded like — growled.

“Then where are they?” another person asked.

“Probably in the field somewhere,” another answered.

Then came the sounds of three pairs of footsteps stomping through the field. And with the sound of their footsteps, the unmistakable clink of — armor? But who would wear armor other than the King’s Guard?

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” one man sang. Jaz could hear their footsteps getting louder. Millie looked frightened.

When the men got so close Jaz was afraid they were in danger of getting stepped on, Millie seemed to brace herself before standing straight up. Jaz, despite her earlier anger at Millie, followed, jumping up and stepping in front of her, for some reason. Probably because she was brave. Super brave.

Milo, because he’d always been a good follower, followed. He, too, jumped to his feet, and he fought and struggled through weeds clinging to his feet to stand beside Jaz, also in front of Millie.

And Jaz wasn’t afraid to say that she was kind of in shock. Before her were three, fully outfitted members of the King’s Guard, equipped with armor and swords and the whole shebang. Just what was going on?

“Step away from the Princess,” one man said, glowering at them, and all the thoughts dropped out of Jaz’s head. For a second, she thought incredulously, who?

And then: “Stand down.” It was Millie who said it, and for some weird reason, the guards listened to her. They stepped back and stopped looking quite so terrifying.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,” Milo said, but Jaz refused to let him come to the realization before she did. It was because of this that she turned around, gaping at Millie.

“You’re the Princess?!” she spluttered, and Millie — Princess Amelia — smiled a guilty little smile.

“Surprise?”

“You’re to return to the castle at once, Princess,” one of the guards spoke up. “Your father orders it.”

Millie crossed her arms. “They’re coming with me,” she said, gesturing to Jaz and Milo. Oh, great, Jaz thought. We’re getting arrested.

“Princess —”

“They found the crown,” Millie said sternly.

“You stole the crown!” one of the guards burst out angrily. Millie just stuck her nose up, looking off to the side.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.

Jaz, who was in a state of shock so severe she was considering sitting down, looked at Milo. He appeared to be feeling similarly, and as she watched, he continually mouthed the word ‘Princess?’ to himself.

Jaz became aware of the voices still talking somewhere around her and had to force herself to tune back in. “— found the crown fair and square, so it’ll be her that I marry. That is, if she agrees?”

Millie was looking at Jaz expectantly and Jaz scrambled to keep up, to remember what they were talking about, and — oh. OH.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah I agree, um. Yeah.” Jaz couldn’t help remembering how she’d ranted to Millie — the Princess! — about how great the Princess was. God, this was twisted. And embarrassing. She was never going to live this down.

Then, past the layers of embarrassment and confusion and general slow, jelly-like thoughts, Jaz realized her heart was pounding away with excitement. She was marrying the Princess. Sure, it’s what she’d set out to do, but so rarely did her plans go anything other than awry.

And Jaz, because she never admitted to her mistakes if she could help it, turned to Milo with a smirk. “I told you this plan was a great one.”

Milo scoffed, throwing his hands into the air. “You didn’t even find the crown! It found you!” he protested, but Jaz wasn’t listening. She was too busy thinking of the future, of long afternoons spent in the castle’s gardens and even longer nights spent dragging Millie through the city’s streets in search of a real adventure.

#the king's quest #my writing #original fiction #jilliancares #catatonichristy

23 notes · View notes

probably-writing-x · 6 years ago

Text

The Unknown One (Vol.5)

~A Noah Centineo AU Series~

Tags: @imarypayne @sunshine112 @sleepwalkingdragon @supernatural-girl97 @vibhati123 @butithasntkilledyouyet @faefictions @carisi-sonny

Inspiration: The boy next door cliché always seemed to happen in movies. But when this boy moved in to the house beside yours, he seemed willing to discover more than you wanted him to know.

Warnings: Some talk of financial struggle but nothing big

Notes: Would you still want me to continue this? Any thoughts on what you want to see more of in this series?

Field trips. You hated them. It was just a day of kids walking round a field or an old house and pretending to listen to the guide. But, you had to go.

Having already left the house late, you were stretched for time when you finally reached the school bus to take you and everyone was already piled on. Normally, you'd take a couple of seats to yourself and plug in your music, forgetting the crowd around you. But, with your irritating lateness, there was only one seat left. Next to Noah, of course. With his hand saluting from his head in a peace symbol and his lips puckered, looking far too handsome against the aged seat on which he sat. Damn, on moments like this you were sure you could feel your parents looking down on you- both with opposing reactions to this boy.

"Well look how that turned out," You chuckle, plopping down onto the seat beside him.

Noah grins and shuffles in his seat, "Yeah, total coincidence,"

You raise your brows at him and he laughs it off.

"Okay I might have fought off a few of the team to make sure the seat was free, maybe you should be on time next time," He jokes, tugging his bag onto his lap.

You look down at your feet. The bills came through today and it was always a day that made you feel sick. It was the stress of making money stretch further than it could and awaiting your next installment from your Grandma.

"So," Noah starts up once again, now with snacks scattering his lap, "I bought a bunch of stuff because I didn't know what you liked,"

"Aren't you supposed to be on some sort of sportsman diet for your game tonight?" You point out, picking up one of the Pringle tubes.

He rolls his eyes and takes a couple from the tube, stuffing them in his mouth, "So you're still coming?"

"Yeah, Leo's at his friend's house again," Their parents seem really lovely,"

"Oooh," He wiggles his brows, "Just us two,"

"And a whole crowd of people,"

"I only care about one of them," He mumbles and his hand somehow moves instantly closer to yours.

It is a small movement at first, with his pinky finger just brushing the side of yours. But soon his finger hooks with yours so your hands are only slightly intertwined. When you don't pull away, you watch him smile gently.

~~~

By the time you reach the destination, you have fallen asleep on Noah. Your head resting on his shoulder and your hands now fully tangled in each others. He nudges you with minimal force to wake you up, "We're here darling,"

Darling. Wow, the last time you'd heard someone call you that was your mum. Noah reminded you of her in some ways- his compassion and his care, his kindness and selflessness. You could recognise it already.

"Thank you," You smile, reluctant to pull away from the comfort of his shoulder.

The professor recites a bunch of rules and regulations for the order of the day and eventually you and all of the other students are piling off the coach. You're split into groups based on your classes so you and Noah end up in separate sessions. He gets taken to one section of the location based on sports of some sort and yours is about music.

It's boring to say the least. Sure, you liked music. But this wasn't what you enjoyed. You liked songwriting and voicing what you kept inside, not playing random instruments in a field.

"Okay guys, we're going to do some orienteering in these teams now," The leader explains, following on with more rules and regulations before you're all on your way.

It isn't long before your team crosses paths with the overly loud and excited sports team, Noah taking his place at the back. You try to avoid eye contact with him because it would be certain to make you blush. But when a hand grabs yours, everything is completely focused on him. He pulls you into the shielded protection of the trees, hands finding your waist.

"Noah!" You hiss, unable to avoid the smile growing on your lips, "We should get back to the trip?"

"You're telling me you'd rather listen to them go on about garden toads instead of being with me?" He raises a brow, his face close enough to yours that you could see every detail.

You go to respond but see one of the other groups getting closer, tugging Noah further into the trees and knocking back into one, Noah colliding with you.

"Shhh," You whisper, tilting your head to the side slightly to try to see him.

His head was ducked so that it rested in the hollow of your collarbone, his hot breath tickling your cool skin.

"Go back if you want to," He mumbles, pressing a kiss to your collarbone.

You can't help but tilt his chin up and kiss his lips, feeling them kiss you back with clear eagerness and certainty.

"Or stay," He smirks, pecking your lips again.

You hum in response and hold your hands on his shoulders. He seemed to be so much more natural at this. Noah had snaked a hand to the small of your back and the other fell comfortably to your hips, like he already knew exactly how to fit your form. You still felt like you were getting to know him, and how you could be with him. But his own confidence was certainly helping.

Just as Noah leant in to kiss you again, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket and he pulled away slightly.

You pulled it out instantly, hoping it would notify you of your Grandma's payment. Please.

No. It was just notification of an outstanding bill.

"Everything okay?" Noah frowns, his eyes focused on you with all worry possible.

"Yeah," You pause, "Um, it's just usually my Grandma would have sent over the money today but I haven't heard from her,"

"Maybe there's just a delay with the money going to your account," He attempts to reassure you and the attempt is cute. Though it doesn't help.

"This isn't like her, I haven't heard from her in a few days actually," You look down at the ground as the heavy anxiety settles on your chest. It was a thought you didn't want to have.

"Come on," He laces his hand with yours, "Let's get back to the bus, no use worrying about it in the middle of nowhere,"

You follow him absently, mind completely focused on the fear that raced through your veins.

~~~

Noah managed to make up some sort of injury excuse to the teachers by the time you made it back as a way of avoiding the real reason for your absense and they seem to buy it completely. He lets you sit down at the window and comes to seat beside you, his hand finding yours again.

"Do you want to call?" He asks you quietly, aware that you'd hate anyone else hearing about your situation.

"I-" You start but feel your words shake on your lips, "I'm not sure,"

"Hey," Noah rests your head on his shoulder, stroking a hand through your hair, "You don't know what's happening yet, don't worry about it now. Call her when you're home and try to find out what's going on, okay?"

He feels you nod and lets you rest your head there for the rest of the journey, content as long as you were the same.

"Noah, about tonight-" You start but he stops you.

"Don't even think about it, I completely understand. Just let me know later," He squeezes your hand and you snuggle a little closer into his arm.

He could've sworn his heart just flipped in his chest, like even it was excited for him. This boy was falling in love, nervous and fearful, but in love.

28 notes · View notes

kaiofmotunui · 6 years ago

Text

Hold Onto the Memories | Tikai

Who: @tiaisms & @kaiofmotunui

When: Monday, December 31st

Where: The Charming Dance Hall

What: Tia and Kai meet on the dance floor at the New Year’s party close to midnight.

Kai stood in the crowd, tossing back a glass of champagne that Lui had scored him a few moments before. He didn't know why he'd showed up to this New Year's party in the first place. Maybe he would have had major FOMO if he'd stayed home and saw everyone posting about it on their stories, or maybe he just went to be around his friends. One of those friends, of course, being Tia. Now that they were actually on good terms as exes...Maybe to some a little too good of terms, he felt it okay to hang around her in social situations like this. It was almost midnight, maybe he could ring in the new year with her...and Huntley...but mostly her. Speak of the hairy devil, he was nowhere to be found as Kai sauntered up to her, hands in the pockets of his smoking jacket. "Hey! Happy almost-New Year," he smirked to her. "Where's Huntley?"

Tia was enjoying the party for the most part, hanging out with various friends and blissfully ignoring the fact that her boyfriend was in a corner somewhere being a giant nerd. And even though she and Huntley were definitely there together, she couldn't help but take advantage of his absense and casually keep her eyes out for Kai in the crowd, all the while assuring herself that despite how late into the night it was getting, it was totally normal to want to ring in the new year with a good pal. It wasn't like she was planning on making him her New Years Kiss, that was Huntley's job obvi! When Kai ended up being the one to find her, Tia happily flung her arms around his neck in greeting. "Happy almost New Year back!" She replied, lingering a teeensy bit too long in the release. Even though she was absolutely mostly committed to her relationship, Kai still smelled reslly comforting and warm and she couldn't be faulted for just liking it a lot. "He's um somewhere in a corner doing um cool things. Like dancing!" Tia lied, pretty unconvincingly as her cheeks warmed in mild embarrassment of the fact that Huntley had fully brought board games to a NYE party.

Kai felt his brows raise when Tia embraced him, but didn't hesitate to embrace back, lingering just as long as she had before letting go. "Oh? Dancing?" Kai nodded, taking Tia by the hand and spinning her around herself. "Well that's just a waste if he's dancing and it's not with you," he commented, smirking. He had never been one for dancing while they were together -- in fact, Kai remembered making a big to-do about being forced to dance with her at proms. But he'd matured and stopped caring what people thought about him, and would give anything to dance with Tia now.

Tia giggled as Kai spun her around and stood a little closer to him than she would've normally since their break up. "Yep, that's what he's doing." Tia casually swung the hand she hadn't yet let go of. "Some people can't handle my talent I guess." She joked, playfully shrugging her shoulders as a new song started up. "But you've been able to handle me before pretty well, so will you dance with me now?"

Kai ran his tongue over his bottom lip, gazing down at her with a sigh as she swung their arms. "I was? I mean, yeah! I was," He chuckled, unable to keep his eyes off her while simultaneously trying to disguise his blushing cheeks as Tia granted his silent wish. "And of course. Always," Kai's gaze lingered, as he tugged her toward the dance floor. He moved to the beat, letting the music guide his steps. "So...Got any New Year's resolutions?" he asked, attempting to take his mind off of the fact that here they were, dancing together like they should have at the prom that he screwed everything up at. It kind of felt like a second chance, in a way.

Tia tried and failed to stop her gaze from drifting down to Kai's lips as he licked them and in her distraction barely even got the joke he made, so she just laughed along with him to cover her tracks. Tia tried very hard to keep her thoughts extra platonic as she and Kai began to dance. She scrunched her eyebrows for a moment in thought, for some reason she hadn't even thought of making any for the next year. Most of her end of the year plans, were about where to go and which relatives she was even speaking to and who of those few would get any cards or presents. So in a slightly skewed way, Tia hadn't been thinking of herself at all that season. "Not really. I kind of have everything as perfect as I can make it right now and that's okay with me." She sighed, ignoring her feud with Charlie, the post-thanksgiving awkwardness with Annie and the way that she was lowkey icing out her both of her parents. But she was friends with both Kai and Freddie now despite the odds and asking for anything more would probably be asking for a little too much. "What about you? Do you have any resolutions for the New year?"

Kai cocked a brow at her claim that everything was perfect. She had a new dog, was the Best Woman for her sister's wedding, and was apparently going on some ski trip with Huntley where they would be hot tubbing and who knows what else in their room. She did seem to have everything perfect, and it was all without him. Kai nodded, putting on a grin. "Perfect, huh? Well, I shouldn't have expected anything less," he commented, twirling her once more. "Me? Well...I guess I want to get back on my channel." He'd taken a hiatus after the WaltFest fiasco. "Try new things...Dance more...Make the best of my time here in Walt. Stop running away from things..." he shrugged, hoping she got what he was implying. But even if she didn't, it was kind of important that he voiced it out loud to himself, to really validate his own feelings. "That got deep, sorry -- also I want to work out more and get a sick bod, I guess," Kai winked.

Tia smiled back at Kai just before letting him twirl her again and listened to him come up with his list. She absolutely understood what he'd been implying with his last "deep" resolution, but that wasn't exactly the most platonic thing to comment on, so she instead picked something she figured would be. "Those are nice. But a sick bod? What's so umm...healthy? About the one you have now? You tryna turn into Kai "the rock" Waialiki on us all of a sudden?" Tia asked, eyeing Kai's body with an obviously less than friendly gaze.

Kai chuckled, shrugging. "Nah, I don't want to go that crazy. Just...I dunno, I want to make a change. Stop locking myself in my room editing tracks and videos for twelve hours a day. If I can't work my arms out manning the sails, then I need to do it some other way." He took a glance at his watch, noticing the time was dwindling down -- it was almost midnight. They had maybe one or two songs to dance to before the countdown. "It's getting pretty late, should we go find Huntley? Or...your friends?" he suggested, though his body didn't stop dancing.

Tia decided to try twirling Kai for a change, tilting a little closer on the toes of her heels to get the turn done right. "Well have you ever considered trying a sport? Huntley plays volleyball and gets a pretty good work out from it, I think. Plus you can make more friends and check off the trying new things part of your list!" Tia glanced down at Kai's watch too and frowned slightly, he had a point but she really didn't want to stop dancing with only Kai just yet. "Nah! He's pretty great at finding me in a crowd if he has to since he's so tall and I don't know, with Sage being Sage and L'ogan being L'ogan, I feel like hunting either couple down so close to the new year is asking to see something totally innecessary for a public place. But do you have someone you need to go find before midnight?"

Kai laughed when she spun him, before wrinkling his nose at the idea of a team sport. Especially volleyball. Especially volleyball with Huntley. “I dunno, I’ve never been much of a team player. I fly solo, but you know that,” he smirked. “Maybe I could give the rowing team a chance or something....Or get Lui to teach me golf,” he chuckled at the idea of sauntering around on a golf course in a polo shirt. Kai felt a flood of relief fall over him when Tia rejected his idea of finding other people to ring in the New Year with, and cocked a brow when she asked if he had anyone to find. “Nope!” Kai declared almost too quickly. “I mean, what you said about Sage and L’ogan — same about Lui. And I guess I wouldn’t mind keeping you company til Huntley — being so tall — finds you. Since you seem so positive that he will.”

Tia shrugged, not really surprised that Kai was rejecting her team sport advice, it was worth a shot at least. "The rowing team actually would probably be the most perfect thing for you now that you're staying here. But i'm pretty sure golfers wear those super high plaid sock things. What if your ankles think you suddenly don't love them anymore?" She joked, not being able to resist yet another dig at his thing for not wearing socks. Stifling a grin when Kai told her that he wasn't really interested in finding other people to ring in the year with either, Tia moved in a little closer to Kai. Just to hear each other better since it would be getting louder soon thanks to the countdown and stuff. "Good. I like having you around as company,...pal. it probably won't be that long until he looks up from his ga-dancing to come and find me."

Kai rolled his eyes with a smile, sticking his tongue out at her teasing. “Hey, I’m wearing socks right now!” He lifted the leg of his pant, hopping up and down on one foot to show her. “My ankles know I love them cause I’m keeping them nice ‘n toasty,” he chuckled. When Tia leaned in closer to him, his cheeks grew warmer, but he couldn’t move away. Rather, he reflexively placed a hand on the small of her back to hear her better, as well. “I mean, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t chance it. Ringing in the new year with Tia La Bouff is a gift.”

Tia giggled and stuck her tongue right back out at Kai. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you for wearing weather appropriate clothes. And look your pants aren't even khaki, what a miracle!" She started to sarcastically applaud him, but instead she shivered slightly as his hand touched the small of her back. "Well, um if he misses out, I guess that'll just be his loss then, huh." She laughed again, struggling slightly to be heard because of how breathy her voice was suddenly coming out.

Kai nodded with a gulp. “Yep! His loss,” Kai agreed as the energy of the crowd started to buzz louder, with people rushing to find friends and loved ones as the countdown was apparently getting closer. Kai glanced up at the big projection of the countdown that displayed on the farthest wall of the dance hall. Ten seconds. “Well if he misses out, who’s getting your New Year’s kiss?” Kai asked, his heart pounding. He knew this was overstepping — but when it was him and Tia, nothing ever felt wrong. When they were together, no matter what it was, it was right.

Tia was only vaguely aware of the rush around them as time ticked closer to the New Year and Huntley was still nowhere to be seen. All she could focus on was how close Kai was next to her, the feeling of his fingers and how the responsible thing would be to back the hell up and just not kiss anyone at midnight like so many other girls in the room probably would be doing. But instead of actually backing up, Tia surged forward, flinging her arms around Kai's neck and moving in to kiss him, stopping about half a centimeter away to answer his question. "I guess it's just going to have to be you." She stated matter of factly, before closing the basically nonexistent distance and pressing their lips together just as the count ticked down to midnight.

Kai knew what would come of this when he opened the can of worms. Okay, well, it could've gone one of two ways -- either Tia would've rejected him for the second time, less publicly this time but ultimately just as soul-crushing, or she'd give into their month-long flirtations and catch onto his hint. Luckily, it was the second option and the fireworks that erupted in his chest when their lips met mirrored the ones that lit up the night sky. He clutched onto Tia's back, fingers curling into the fabric of her dress as the melody of Auld Lang Syne blared through the speakers. The start of a whole new, fresh year and he was not only kissing his ex, but kissing his ex that currently had a boyfriend. Rather than let that fact scare him away from this situation, Kai continued to kiss her til it seemed like all the buzz around them had died. Then, finally, he loosened his grip on her back and let his lips part from hers. "Happy New Year," he breathed, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest.

Tia didn't feel anything she expected to feel when Kai finally let her go. After the initial high of kissing him wore off, like half a second in, all Tia could remember were the massive lows that came from every other time they did this whole break up and then big dramatic make up song and dance. It wasn't even all that long ago that Tia hadn't even been able to wash her own hair because of one of their fights. And as great as Kai was and as much as she loved him, she just couldn't do it anymore. She had Huntley now, she'd chosen him over Kai last time and he hadn't once given her a reason to regret it. And once Huntley fully entered her mind in what was so wrong with kissing Kai again, Tia suddenly couldn't breathe. Nothing about any of her interactions with Kai all night or even for the past month if she was really and truly being honest with herself were what Huntley deserved. He tried so hard to be exactly what she could ever want in a guy and this was how she was repaying him? Tia felt faint but also like her heart was about to jump right out of her throat as she staggered backwards away from Kai. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry. This was a big mistake. I can't do this. Not with you." She exclaimed, practically hyperventilating as the reality of how badly she'd just fucked up seemed to crash into her head over and over again.

Kai furrowed his brow, finally down from the high of kissing Tia to understand what she was saying. He watched as she stumbled over her words, feeling his chest tighten as she called their kiss a 'mistake'. "Wh- what?" Kai started, shaking his head. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to blink away the scene that was playing out in front of him. No, no, no. This was not how this was supposed to end. "No, Twinkle, wait --" he reached out as she backed away, trying to catch her before she was out of sight, but the bustling crowd filled the gap between them and suddenly he couldn't see her anymore. "Twinkle, wait!" Kai exclaimed again, desperate to fix this. Even if they weren't back together, being friends was exponentially better than not talking for months at a time. He shoved his way through the crowd, craning his neck to find her, but having no such luck. Then, as if taunting him, the DJ called for all the couples to find each other on the dance floor for the final dance of the night. And to rub salt in the freshly-reopened wound, the opening melody of his and Tia's song started to play. The song they danced to at the Valentine's ball when he first came back. The song he sang to ask her to prom. Kai removed his celebratory 2019 tophat and crushed the cheap plastic in his hands. He'd lost her.

#( interaction: tia )#( feat: tia )#✦event: new years 2k19

1 note · View note