#My first name is an actual name (albeit a rare-ish one) but my middle name is the scientific name for a flower lol
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solradguy · 6 months ago
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I wonder if there's a way to find out if trans/nb people sometimes having unconventional names* was something that existed before roughly 1985 or if it's a direct side effect of generations y & z being exposed to American 1980s action movies, Japanese animated media, and the encouragement of personal handles on the internet not being an actual name
*Names of objects, weather phenomena, animals, adjectives, etc.
(yes I know about Public Universal Friend but that's only one example and an accurate dataset one example does not make)
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boymeetsweevil · 5 years ago
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Watch Yourself
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Grouping: Reader x Hoseok
Word Count: ~7770
Warnings/Themes: Peeping Tom-ish/Voyeurism, Hoseok is a closetexhibitionist, (and apparently so it OC) public sex, fingering, so much boob stuff, penetrative sex, too much talk centered around Hob’s hands, this is basically just pwp guys that second p is questionable
Summary: It starts with an invitation from your ex. It ends with Hoseok’s hands down your pants in said ex’s kitchen.
Part of the Masterlist for Group 2 of the @btssmutclub Summer Project
tagging: @jeoneric @betysotelo18
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There is something utterly sad about visiting the tiny local strip mall before 11am on a Saturday. Sadder yet is the fact that you are there by yourself, with no friend in sight. Said friend was supposed to come with you for moral support and to give his valued opinion on the swim wear you were there to buy. But, of course, something had to go wrong. Wonho, your fashion student friend, called you this morning to tell you that he pulled a muscle in his groin at the gym that same day and sent you a Snapchat of him in the campus clinic with an ice pack as proof.
As you pay for your tea for the morning from a small kiosk, you take in the fact that even the old ladies power walking around the floors of the mall and the elementary schoolers running to the arcade have their friends with them. You make a mental note to guilt trip Wonho a little bit when you see him next. Which will probably be at the pool party that necessitated this outing in the first place.
When you started attending your university, you came in with a high school sweetheart of sorts. Your ex had been one of the kindest guys you knew, albeit a little insecure. You thought he’d grow out of it, you were sure of it. But once he got accepted into his frat of choice after much ass-kissing, he changed. You endured it for 3 years too long before finally getting fed up in the middle of fall semester of your senior year. Since then, it had been smooth sailing, but also radio silence on your ex’s end.
It’s now the summer following your graduation and this invitation to his pool party seems to be coming from nowhere. Your friend Irene bluntly suggested it wasn’t because he really wanted you back in his life, but because he wanted to show off his new girlfriend to his old girlfriend. Your other friend, Monica, showed you the new girlfriend’s picture. She was pretty, into horses, and did charity on the weekends.
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(1 week prior)
“She seems nice,” you sniffed at the image on Monica’s screen before cutting into your pancakes from your favorite brunch spot. They were a little too thick this time and the force of your cutting shook the little table you were all seated at.
“Her style is a little 2008,” Wonho commented as he scrolled through the pictures on the girl’s account. “I didn’t think people still did the tunic and black cropped leggings thing anymore.”
Irene pinned him with a dirty look. “Lots of people still do that. I do that.”
“Yeah, you do,” he frowned disapprovingly.
You and Monica watched Irene and Wonho bicker about statement belts for a moment before she turned to you abruptly, shoving the phone back in your face like a bad omen.
“You know you have to go to that pool party, right?”
“Uh, yeah. We said we were all thinking of going, right?”
“I mean, maybe. But you specifically need to go.”
“Why?”
“Because you need to show him that you’re onto him and that he made a huge mistake losing you.”
“But I don’t care about him anymore,” you said innocently through a bite of eggs.
‘It’s the principle of the thing,” she sighed. “Your bathing suit has to be amazing, none of this—this,” she waved her hands in the air as if trying to conjure up the right phrase, “monochromatic one-piece mess.”
“What’s wrong with my one-piece?”
“It doesn’t do any favors for your body.”
“Wait a second, I—”
“It’s true,” Wonho turned to you, eyes so serious they make you lose train of thought. “You have a great silhouette and you rarely do it justice.”
“Yeah,” Irene chimed in and gestured to your hoodie, “I’ve been meaning to ask you why you have so many of those...shirts.”
“For comfort, maybe? You guys ever heard of that?”
The three of them blinked owlishly at you before Monica reached out to pat your hand. “It’s okay, sweetie. You’ll figure this bathing suit thing out.”
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You follow the various signs hanging down from the mall ceiling telling you the names of various shops and start browsing.
With your friend’s voices in your head, you try not to rely on your basic instincts too much and instead go to the stores you’ve heard Monica praise or seen Wonho shop at when buying clothes as birthday presents. You pass by one store you know all of your friends would approve of. But it positively reeks of sophistication and trendiness, so you circle the entire floor before eventually after coming back empty from the other stores. This one boutique has dim and flattering lighting and there’s an expensive smelling perfume wafting around the place when you push through the front door.
Instantly you get the urge to turn and walk out. All the other people in the store look like they walked out of fashion catalogs themselves. Even the employees refolding garments and waiting at the cash register are all perfectly proportioned, symmetrical, and statuesque. You thank the universe that you chose a neutral outfit: dark jeans Wonho bought for you after taking your measurements with painstaking care and a plain black tank top to beat the heat.
You consider sending a text to the group chat to ask for help when you enter the swimsuit section, but your pride and stubbornness rule that option out. So you just pick a bunch of swimsuits you think would look good on you and head over to the changing room. The attendant there is organizing the rack of returned garments and has his back to you when you enter the changing room hallway.
“How many items,” the attendant asks.
“It looks like I have 3,” you mutter after counting.
“Be right with you.”
You spend the time he takes to finish grouping items to take in his appearance.The back of his head and his voice are oddly familiar.
“Um, this might be a weird question, but are you Hoseok? Jung Hoseok?”
“I thought that was your voice.” The man in front of you turns and nods, a shy, but brilliant grin creeping onto his face. “Long time no see.”
“Yeah, it’s good to see you.”
Jung Hoseok had been one of your ex-boyfriend’s frat brothers and former “friend”. If there was no one closer around, your ex would hang out with Hoseok and a bunch of other guys not in his inner circle. And when there were closer guys around, you ex would ignore you. So you’d talk with Hoseok. He kept you company many a night when your boyfriend was nowhere to be found and you were alone at the frat parties you were only attending out of girlfriend loyalty.
From what you remember, Hoseok was an architecture and dance double major. He always had good jokes, good weed, and a flirty vibe about him. You’re a little ashamed to admit that you flirted back despite the fact that you were often around him as someone else’s date. But it never progressed into anything more. Not even after you broke up with your ex and were attending the parties to spite him briefly after the break up.
Hoseok would smoke you out and crowd you into the kitchen corner while you passed a blunt back and forth, exchanging banter and heated glances but nothing more. You spent more nights than you’re willing to confess to thinking about the comfortable press of his hand on the small of your back.
Now, he still looks the same as he did half a year ago, but with the addition of a golden tan from the part of the summer that’s already passed. He looks good in his impeccably white t-shirt and uniform slacks with his artfully tousled hair. Among the other model-like employees he fits right in. It’s a little unfair.
“You enjoying your summer,” he asks while giving you the perfunctory little card with a number 3 on it before leading you through a hall of changing rooms.
“Sort of. I moved into a new apartment with one of my friends, and we just finished getting settled. I’m gonna start teaching in the fall.”
“Teaching, huh? Whereabouts?” Hoseok selects one of the large fitting rooms all the way in the back. The ones that can fit packs of friends who are very invested in the outfit picking process.
“You know the Montessori school out by the northern part of the city?” He nods in recognition. “It’s that one.”
He lets out a low whistle at the mention of the small private elementary school that all the city’s most wealthy inhabitants bring their children to. “Sounds like it’ll be a good move, then. You’re living the dream, huh?”
“Yeah,” you duck your head modestly as you linger in front of the changing room door. “What about you? Are you here for the summer?”
“For the summer,” he confirms, “Then I’m moving into the city too. Near the Big Hit park to work with a firm there.”
“Are you gonna be interning?”
“I’m gonna be leading a project with my own design, actually.”
“Oh, Hoseok, that’s great! It’s really early in the game too. You’re going places.”
“Yeah, its—” he stops to look around the area and takes a reluctant step back. You realize then just how close you two were standing to each other. “I don’t want to hold you up if you’ve got friends waiting on you to pick something out.”
“Oh, you’re good. I came here by myself. My friends were supposed to help me get something, but they all...got busy.” You roll your eyes.
Hoseok returns to his station and continues organizing his area once more, but raises his voice so it carries to you. “That sucks. I’ve had stuff like that happen a few times.”
When you don’t immediately respond, he figures you’re busy changing. Almost instantly his thoughts gravitate towards your swimsuit choice, wondering what you picked out. Are you a fan of string bikinis or athletic cuts? His ears subconsciously strain for the rustling of clothes before he cuts the wandering thoughts short. He leaves to go get some extra work from his supervisor and give you privacy.
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In the changing room, you’re having a bit of trouble. The first suit is nearly on, but won’t zip past your bust like it's supposed to. You underestimate your strength as you try to force the zipper up and end up ripping the tab off the little sliding bit. You let out a quiet curse before resolving to buy the suit since you broke it. Perhaps it was your fault for thinking you could fit into a size you normally never wear, though it looked like it would fit you when you draped it over your torso earlier. Unfortunately for you, there weren’t any larger sizes either.
Pulling the tag hanging off the side of the suit, you check the price curiously only to find that the suit bandeau is heinously expensive on its own. You have no idea how much the bottoms cost, but you’re fairly certain they’re sold separately. You panic at the thought of having to pay so much for the suit and fumble with the sliding body of the zipper again, trying to get the top off of you, but it won’t budge.
“Hello?” Your voice rings out with uncertainty. You’d heard footsteps leaving the fitting room area earlier, but you didn’t hear them return.
When you get only silence as a reply, you open the door to your changing stall and poke your head out. You’re about to tip toe out to hopefully flag down one of the women working in the front of the store when Hoseok walks back into the fitting room area. He’s busy with whatever is on his phone and doesn’t seem to see you at first. You curse to yourself, hoping he doesn’t see you. To keep an eye on him, you start to walk backwards towards your changing room, but your bare feet squeak loudly against the polished wooden floor.
He looks toward you in that moment to chase the sound. His hand holding his phone drops and eyes linger on your form for longer than could be considered merely professional appraisal and his head turns quickly once he realizes this. Inside his chest, his heart is flutters at the after image of you behind his eyelids. You look good. Really good. While he might think a broken zipper would ruin the look, the fact that the bandeau is only half zipped and straining to contain your breasts makes you look like a classic pinup.
It takes a conscious effort to stray from mentally retracing the path that your curves made in the suit. The voluptuous flare of your hips and shapely legs both grab his attention even more than the bright candy apple red fabric of the suit. He turns abruptly, about to act as though he’s needed in the stock room when your voice sounds out, embarrassed.
“Hoseok?”
“Yeah?” His voice cracks a little, suddenly flustered, and he covers it best he can with a low cough. “What’s up?”
“I’m really sorry but,” you avert your eyes as you walk forward. “I think I broke this suit.”
“Huh?” Your exposed skin looks soft in the gentle lighting of the hallway, and somehow the sight of it is loud enough to muffle your confession. “You broke something?”
“It’s the zipper on the top. I was gonna buy it since I broke it. But the suit is, like, a million dollars. Is there...any chance you can give me a friends and family discount?”
“Oh.” He jumps at the chance to go back to being a helpful professional person again. “That’s okay. I’ll just tell my boss that it broke off in handling. We just put those out today.”
Your eyes go round with hope. “I don’t have to buy it?”
“Nah,” he waves away your offer, eyes now glued to his own shoes. “I got it.”
“Really?” Your face lights up beautifully, relief softening your features. “That’s amazing, thank you.”
He watches for a brief moment while you go back into the changing room. Surprisingly—or perhaps unsurprisingly, with the way his day is going—your ass is amazing, if the way the suit stretches in an almost heart over the cheeks. His throat is suddenly very dry and he nearly downs the entire water bottle he keeps near his station. Hoseok is only allowed a few moments of silence to recover.
“Hey, um, do you...do you think you could come here?”
Faltering in his steps, he walks back down the hallway with a rising sense of suspicion. He’s not sure what will come next, but he knows deep in his gut it’ll be odd and possibly enough to get him fired. Still, he stands in front of the door with uncertainty roiling in his belly.
“What’s up?”
“Come in,” is all you say in a muted hiss.
His hand is sweating when he turns the knob leading into the changing room. He tries to open it cautiously, give himself enough time to peer in and give you time to cover anything you don’t want him to see. But you merely yank him in by the collar and shut the door quickly before locking it. At his wide-eyed, nervous expression you quickly move to make things less awkward.
“Sorry,” you toss over your shoulder while testing the door knob. “I know this is weird, but I can’t get the suit off. It’s too tight to pull over my head and the zipper won’t budge no matter how hard I pull on it. Can you...help?”
Hoseok can only nod in response with nerves halting his tongue. He approaches you slowly, making sure nothing he’s doing seems threatening. Or overly enthusiastic. You’re pressed against the door with your back to the exit and it doesn’t take long for him to close the distance between you two. You’re careful to keep your breathing light so as not to draw extra attention to your chest despite the fact that Hoseok is now eyeballing it like its a complicated puzzle.
“I think the only way to get it off is to just brute force the zipper,” he says after a while.
“Okay.”
You wet your lips nervously and let out a shaky breath that you pray he’ll ignore.
“You might wanna, um, hold your...” he gestures vaguely at your ample cleavage. “So they don’t fall out if we get the top to open.”
Gingerly you cup your breasts to hold the fabric covering them together like he suggested. Hoseok brushes your fingers when he finally attempts to pull the zipper down for the first time. He mutters a quick apology and tries as best he can not to graze you again with his knuckles as his hand shakes. The other hand is behind his back, tightly fisted in effort to maintain his cool. From your vantage point, you can actually see his hand and the way the veins in his arm flash by looking at the mirror on the changing room wall.
A few more harsh tugs gets the zipper’s sliding body down the chain about halfway, but it’s not enough to get the straps of the suit off your arms.
“Maybe you should use two hands,” you hedge. He nods and holds the sides in one hand and the zipper with the other.
Hoseok lets out a steady breath before pulling the zipper down as hard as he can without ripping the suit. He can maybe fib to his boss about the zipper coming off, but not the top ripping in two. Luckily, the zipper stutters open wide enough for you to be able to slip it off now. The only problem is that you forgot to keep a firm grip on the halves of the top and your breasts almost spill completely out of the top.
You stand there, still holding your top up, and chance a look up at Hoseok. He’s gazing down at your chest but senses your gaze and locks eyes with you then. Something in the air between you changes, shifts, clicks. There’s an electricity that you can practically feel crackling under your skin and you take a step forward without thinking. Hoseok’s eyes fall closed as you approach, lashes fanning out prettily across the apples of his cheeks. Before you can chicken out, you ghost your lips over his slack mouth. It’s only a fleeting moment, but you still feel a jolt of something from the contact that has you letting out a small gasp.
Hoseok leans in to touch his forehead to yours almost as if he’s about to initiate another kiss, but a woman’s voice rings through the changing room area, letting him know that they need him to help his supervisor comb through the main part of the store and reset all the displays. Something about all the normal folders and floor monitors being out on their lunch break.
“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute. Just trying something on,” he lies.
He peers down at you again with a look that’s more subdued but still smoldering, eyes hooded dreamily, smoothing tingling palms against his work pants. Your cheeks heat up with the intensity of his stare, but you back away. The atmosphere isn’t quite the same after having the tenuous balance disrupted by his coworker. With your back against the door and so much of you still bared to him, you suddenly feel so vulnerable. Part of you is scared because that does something to your insides. Tying them up with excitement.
“I should go,” you sigh as he backs up.
He looks like he wants to say something, but stops himself. He slides back out while you’re collecting your actual clothes. When you finish changing, you shuffle passed Hoseok and purchase the expensive broken bathing suit with a grimace.
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A few days later, Hoseok is in the main part of the store replacing some items that were knocked over by a careless customer when a coworker comes over and taps him on the shoulder.
“What’s up, man?”
“There’s a customer here who wants you to start a dressing room for her. She wants a selection of bathing suits, too.”
“Cool,” Hoseok hands the employee the clothes he was dealing with. “She say what size?”
The guy relays the size information to him and with that Hoseok makes his way to the bathing suit section to pick out a variety of styles in the right size. With his arms laden with different pieces, he heads back into the changing room area. It’s empty but that’s not unusual at this day and time. It was the store owner’s idea to make it so there weren’t ever that many employees working a shift at a time to give off a minimalist, unbothered vibe.
“Miss,” he calls out to the customer, looking for a sign of the woman by looking for her feet in the cracks of the stall doors. “I have some pieces for you to try. I’ll be right outside in case you don’t want anything or you want a different color. Or if you want to check out as well. I can ring you up.”
“Thanks,” your voice sounds from behind the final door of the hallway. You push open the door to reveal your face.
Hoseok’s cheeks bloom rosy from behind the tiny mountain of bathing suits he gathered unwittingly for you. A strong wave of deja vu washes over him as he’s taken back to the last time he saw you here. The memory of the (almost) kiss is still fresh in his mind like it was yesterday because, at this point, he’s replayed it in his mind dozens of times. A couple of those replays involved the tissue box and bottle of lotion he keeps by his bed. During those times the moment was stretched out and embellished thanks to his industrious imagination.
“I’ll take some of those,” you say with arms reaching to a portion of the suits. “You said you’d be nearby?”
“Yeah,” he breathes.
“Good.”
Like a doting assistant, Hoseok leans on the wall outside your stall, eyes pitching across all parts of the room to occupy his thoughts and time. His gaze bounces from the opposite end of the hallway where his post is normally, to the other stalls, to the mirror lining the wall adjacent to him. There he sees his reflection as well as a reflection of all the stalls. Small movement in the mirror catches his eye, a quick flash of skin. With a hesitant look back at your stall, he realizes the door is cracked. Just enough for him to catch a glimpse of bare arm. A sliver of the mirror inside, through which he swears he sees you looking back at him.
He whips his head back to stare down the hallway, biting harshly on his tongue when the rustling of clothes stops and the sound of the door’s hinge gives a prolonged creak.
“Hoseok?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you give me that green one you have there and I’ll give this one back to you?”
“Oh,” he blinks. Surprised but relieved at the fact that you didn’t tear him a new one for being a peeping Tom. “S-sure.”
He looks away as best he can while handing you the suit you asked for before waiting patiently for you to remove and return the first one you tried. He wants to say something to you, ask about the other day and why you left so abruptly. Why you bought the suit that he said he would take care of. But all of that gets dashed away when his eyes wander instinctively back to your stall and the door is now half closed at best.
With the door angled like this, he can see your reflection perfectly from where he’s standing. You’d be naked if it weren’t for the delicate pair of underwear you’re wearing to safely try on the suits according to store policy. Hoseok can’t drag his eyes away from the sight of you examining the hunter green string bikini’s intricate tie system before attempting to put it on. The green bottoms lovingly hug the curves of your hips but leave little to the imagination with the way they’re bunched up. You skim your index fingers under the elastic of the bottoms to snap them back into place and cover more of your ass. He mourns the change in the view briefly before migrating up the slope of your bare back up to the loose strings dangling from the bikini top.
“Can you help me with this,” you give him a pout that he can’t say no to.
Suddenly he’s scrambling into the changing stall to put the clothes he was holding down on the small bench inside. He comes up behind you and recalls the intended weaving before deftly knotting the strings together in the right place. The end result is a pretty lattice pattern that contrasts with the simple triangles covering your breasts in the front. You test the support and bounce a little, cupping your chest lightly before letting out a pleased hum at Hoseok’s handiwork.
“What do you think?”
He gulps. “It’s, uh, it’s nice.”
“Just nice?” Your voice comes off as coy. You know you look better than nice, but inside you’re fighting the urge to gnaw at your lip self-consciously.
You knew that you were making a big gamble the moment you decided to request Hoseok as your personal shopper not even an hour ago. But ever since you rushed out of the shop a few days prior, the only thing you could think about was Hoseok. Hoseok and the way he looked at you. The way his palms trembled subtly as he reached for you that other day in the stall. The need was palpable and radiated from him like summer heat off dark concrete. It had been a long time since something like this made your breath hitch, and this was the mere memory alone. The memory itself was simultaneously addicting and not enough. So here you are, acting like you were filming a bad porno so you could chase that fleeting moment from last time. His supervisor wouldn’t be able to get you to back down this time even if she was banging on the stall door.
“I like it,” he mumbles quietly after some time.
“Me too. I’ll take it.” Your eyes meet his in the mirror and you watch his expression carefully. “Help me take it off?”
His mouth drops open just a bit. It’s such a small gesture that you might have missed if every instinct in you wasn’t curled tight with giddy lust. His fingers are feather-light against the skin of  your back as he loosens the binds he just did. All the while his gaze never leaves yours in the mirror. Almost as if he’s trying to communicate with you. You give a miniscule nod and then he’s giving the final tug.
The bikini top slithers down your front into a cool, smooth pile of ribbon at your feet. You’re bare like the other day, but your back is almost proudly straight this time and you fall back against him easily.
His hand comes up to lay on your shoulder. The weight is bureaucratic and safe enough that for a second you’re expecting a rebuff.
“Are you sure you wanna do this here?” The tip of his nose skims gently near your temple. Your breath hitches in anticipation. “Because once you say the word, we’re doing this. And I’m not closing that fucking door. I wanna see you backup all that strutting around you’ve been doing.”
You nod again. A shaky breath leaves you and you reach a hand back to creep up his front, fingers grazing collar and tugging needy. He takes a few steps forward, forcing you to stumble forward as well, before placing both hands on your hips. His hands push into the plush skin exposed there as if to test your solidness. The grip is warm and firm as he pushes your hips out until you have to lean forward and brace both hands on the full-length mirror on the changing room wall for balance.
“I don’t want you looking around all distracted at the door. Only look in the mirror. I want you to watch yourself and watch me with you. Okay?”
“Okay,” you sigh.
With that, he tugs down the bikini bottoms to reveal the underwear you had underneath. While you step out of the swimsuit bottoms and kick them to the side, he slides his hand down the front of your panties. The pads of his fingers part your folds easily with no resistance thanks to the copious amount of arousal already there.
“I’ve been thinking about how the other day would have played out if I never left for two days now,” you explain.
“You been touching yourself to it?”
“Yes,” your breath hitches when he swipes over your clit roughly.
“Me too.”
He nuzzles into the crook of your neck. The sweetness of the gesture contrasts starkly with the obscene wet noises coming from where he plays with your wet center. It's not loud enough to compete with the music playing through the store. And definitely not enough to grab anyone’s if they were seated at Hoseok’s post at the end of the hallway. But you still have to fight the instinct to look back at the half open door of the changing stall to make sure no one will catch you.
“You paying attention?”
Your eyes refocus on the reflection in the mirror and zero in on the way Hoseok’s hand barely fits in your underwear. Still, his middle and ring fingers are obscured by the front of your underwear and all you can really see is the way his hand movements speed up. A second later the tightness of the figure eights he rubs into you registers in your core and the wave of pleasure that hits has your knees buckling slightly. Luckily you’re already holding onto something—the mirror.
The slick noises coming from your center get louder as more arousal leaks onto Hoseok’s rapidly moving fingers. In the mirror, you can see that his brow is furrowed in concentration, or perhaps subtly dialed back lust. Meanwhile, his mouth hangs open slightly in silent, sympathetic moans. He must sense your gaze on his face because he looks up then and locks eyes with you in the mirror.
“It feels good,” you whine out the last syllable when he flirts with your entrance for the first time. Already, you’re clenching around a phantom something, eager for things to speed up.
“That’s good.”
His response sounds nonchalant, but you can feel his hardness nudging against your ass if you push back enough. He’s careful to keep it away from you, though, so he can focus on you. It’s not exactly attention that you’re used to after so many years with your ex, but you welcome it all the same. Hoseok is attentive and competitive in the way that he seeks the things that accidentally draw moans from your parted lips. Soon enough, your arms are shaking from a combination of the effort of holding yourself up against the mirror and your first orgasm’s approach.
Hoseok is now grinding the heel of his other palm into your clit, fingertips pistoning against one spongy area of your walls after seeing the way you had you stuttering and your hands sliding a bit against the glass. The first hand wandered up your torso some time ago. He meandered a path along the soft valley of your stomach before coming to cup your breast. With your arousal still shining dully on his fingers, he tweaks your nipple until it draws up and out. Testing various pressures and grips, he finds a perfect rhythm of rolling and pinching that makes you clench around his other hand. His fingers are elegant and long, but not quite thick enough even in a pair. It drives you slightly crazy and you instinctively push your hips back to grind harder against him, mewling shamelessly.
“Please,” your plea comes out crumpled from in between ragged breaths. “I want you.”
“Hmm?” The sharp curl of Hoseok’s smile appears in the mirror. It matches the mean humor that sneaks in to his cooing tone. “You wanna be full?
You nod, cheeks warming from the begging. “I want your dick.”
“Someone’s greedy,” he pulls his fingers out, marveling at the squelching sound the motion makes. “Don’t want to get off on just fingers, huh? You wanna be stuffed full in the middle of this changing room where anyone could walk in and see you.”
You can only moan in affirmation as Hoseok finally tugs down his own bottoms and kicks them to the side. Your eyes take in his muscled legs, landing appreciatively on the line on his thighs where his tan stops and his shorts must have protected his skin from the sun one day. Hoseok spins the two of you then, while you’re lost in thought about how one of his thighs would feel between yours.
With your back against the wall, Hoseok nods to himself like he’s satisfied with his work and begins laying soft, wet kisses against the skin of your throat. He pulls back only to slowly peel off his work shirt, teasing you with the slow exposure of his equally toned torso. You have a nice view of the way back muscles flex under smooth skin now that he’s facing away from the mirror.
“Watch yourself carefully this time,” he warns you with a hand on your chin to direct your gaze to his momentarily.
When he’s sure you’re watching your reflection obediently, he returns to your breasts. He really does think they’re a work of art. So he recites a soundless sonnet to them, tongue flitting against each twin peak with ardor. Your skin becomes almost blotchy in the heat of your moment. Heeding Hoseok’s words, you take in your appearance.
With a heaving chest and parted lips, you look wanton to say the least. Your eyes are at half mast and fighting against the pleasure Hoseok’s plucking fingers bring. Then you see him reaching down to grasp himself before turning to smirk at the mirror, almost as if he’s giving another audience you weren’t aware of, a show.
There’s not much warning. There’s only the gentle nudge of his knees tapping your already lax ones apart before he’s hitching one of your legs over his slender hips. In his grasp, the head of his erection runs along the length of your center. He’s hot and swollen against you, smearing precum on your folds on his journey to your entrance.
“You’re so wet,” he bites out with the same soft incredulity as a curse. His head pops up so he can pin you with a pleading look, almost like he can’t believe you’re you. “What if someone saw you like this? All spread open and dripping for me.”
“Maybe I—ah—wouldn’t mind.” You watch your own hand come up to thread through the soft hair at the nape of his neck. You tug gently on it like its a lifeline as he lines himself up, excitement bubbling up in your stomach. “Mmh, fuck.”
He takes his time bottoming out to make sure you have time to see your expression evolve as you encounter every ridge and swell of him. The stretch has your eyes rolling back, but you don’t let yourself close them. Instead you take in the way your breasts bounce now that Hoseok has begun pumping into you experimentally. The force of his thrusts causes the walls of the changing stall to rattle loudly and for a fraction of a second you worry someone—a customer or another employee seeking assistance with something—might hear the noise and try to see what the source was.
But then your leg is lifted a bit higher and the angle changes. Suddenly he’s going deeper, stretching you slightly more, all the while your clit is bombarded with the brush of his pelvis with every stroke. The leg you have on the ground shakes from the intense bolt of pleasure and you let out a desperate moan.
“Hoseok, oh my god, I’m—you feel so good,” you do the best you can to keep your voice low.
“I can’t hear you. Louder.”
“I said you feel good.”
“Where?”
“In-inside me. I can feel all of you and I’m so...you stretch me out so good,” you pant out.
“Are you close?” His teeth are gritted with the effort it takes to push back his own oncoming orgasm. “Shit.”
“Yeah, I just need—”
Before you can finish, Hoseok is tapping lightly on your lips, pulling the bottom one from between your teeth. You open up and take his thumb and suck it. Once he’s sure its wet enough, he lingers for a few beats to enjoy the feeling of your tongue lapping at him. Then he’s collecting his hand back with a pop and snakes it down between your two writhing bodies. The effect of his spit-slick finger against your clit while he continues to plow into you is instant. It’s just the thing you needed to really kick things into overdrive. Soon you’re chasing the glorious feeling by bringing him in impossibly closer with two hands on his petite ass and by flexing the thigh you had holding his hips in place. In this position, he’s too constricted to really move in and out, so he adapts and begins a rough, circular grind.
The moans you let out are high and breathy, inappropriately loud, and your eyes dart back to your reflection just in time to see your pornographic expression. Hoseok seems to enjoy it too as he leans in to nuzzle at your forehead before cupping your face in one hand and bringing you in to kiss you sweetly. You’re not sure how he manages to make sweet the amount of tongue he’s using, but it works and you sigh dreamily against his lips.
Your orgasm surges through you again when he surprises you and sucks on your tongue. He pulls back then and watches with awe coloring his face. Or perhaps it's the fluorescents and the light sheen of sweat. Either way, the sight of you has him pulsing inside your already convulsing walls. With quick reflexes, he’s pulling out and replacing his dick with three fingers. He strokes himself—slowly to stay hard but not to bring himself to climax just yet—and watches you come down from your high.
When you’re done, you let your leg flop down from its perch on his hip bone. You’re a little wobbly from holding the pose for so long and you fall to your feet gracelessly, not thinking about how disgusting the floors may be. It’s then that you’re able to really look at Hoseok’s dick for the first time when you’re basically at eye level with it.
“Where do you wanna come?” Your eyes look impossibly large from where he’s standing and for a moment he almost answers ‘your face’ before your cleavage grabs his attention.
He mumbles then, ducking his head as his cheeks flush prettily.
“What?”
“...On your tits,” he gulps, not sure of your response.
You merely cross your arms under your breasts to lift them. A disbelieving little laugh leaves him before he’s kneeling down in front of you. The angle is a little awkward, but it’s better than it was when he was standing. He reaches out then and rubs fondly at the area where your shoulder and neck meet with one hand while pumping himself with the other.
It doesn’t take long. Hoseok’s been rock hard since he realized the changing room door wasn’t closed and the fact that you just agreed to let him come on your boobs almost made him swallow his tongue. They’re really something, he thinks to himself. They look soft and he knows if he stuck his face in between them, they’d smell good too if your perfume from the other day when you walked by him is any indication. They’re the perfect size, too. His hips stutter in their rhythm as he thinks about all the other things he could be doing to them. He could be fucking them while you hold them for him. Or, If you let him, he’d spend hours just lapping at them until they were sensitive enough to have you squealing under him. He bites down on his tongue and speeds up his strokes while imagining nipping at you, sucking bruises into the warm skin of your chest.
“I’m—now,” he chokes out before spilling over your breasts. His eyes closed momentarily when the high first hit him, but he opens them quickly enough to see one of the last spurts shoot out and paint a nipple white. “Fuck, that’s hot.”
He collapses into his own pile of exhausted limbs in front of you and grabs at the boxers he was wearing earlier. Like a switch has been flipped, the environment changes. It’s not exactly awkward but everything feels fragile and tentative all of the sudden.
Leaning forward, his wipes the remnants of his release off your chest. The two of you make shy eye contact a few times while he’s in your personal space. He hesitates a bit before leaning closer to slot his lips over yours. The kiss is heated, but not overly passionate. A simmer. Soon he’s wiping his hands before tossing away the soiled underwear and gingerly cupping your face in both his warm hands. He kisses you so thoroughly, so well that you end up unconsciously chasing his lips once he pulls away.
“Good?” He chuckles when you finally open your eyes. You’re not sure when you closed them.
“It was alright,” you sniff. “But I think you might have to do that again some time, ‘cause I’m not 100% sure.” He grins and swipes a thumb over your cheek.
“Name a time and a place and I’m there.”
“What about Saturday at 2,” you blurt out.
“Oh, uh, that’s very specific—”
“Sorry! I’ve been meaning to ask you if you wanted to go to this...thing with me. It’s a party at my ex’s house and I thought it might be less painful if,” you trail off, suddenly embarrassed at your speediness. You don’t even know if Hoseok wants anything more than hookups and here you are asking him to be your plus one to a pool party.
“It’s specific, but I’m free. Should I bring my swimsuit?” Your answering smile is infectious and he can’t help but kiss at it briefly.
“Of course. I’m bringing mine,” you mumble between his lips. “I gotta pay for it first.”
“You’re really wearing the green one?”
“Yeah. It’s my color and it makes my boobs look nice.”
“True,” he nods seriously. “Come on. Let’s get dressed and I’ll ring you up.”
While you’re clothed and at the register, you fight to ignore the knowing stares of a few of the other people working on the floor. Hoseok seems unphased by their looks and actually seems to be glowing. He hums and smiles to himself while carefully folding and wrapping your bathing suit in some tissue paper. When he turns the little monitor around for your to pay with your card, he’s still humming to himself.
“I get off for the day in half and hour,” he blurts out while you sign for the bathing suit.
“Is that so,” you humor him and raise an intrigued looking eyebrow.
“Yeah, so, uh...” The girl who’s behind the counter with Hoseok and had been collecting hangers snorts to herself at Hoseok’s sudden shy disposition. “If you’re gonna be around, I can show you the best place to eat in the food court. If you’re hungry, I mean.”
You pretend to mull it over while putting your card back in your wallet. “Alright. But I don’t eat mall pizza.”
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“Hoseok,” you hiss as he presses himself against your backside while you search your ex’s kitchen for more plastic cups. “Someone will see us.”
“I don’t care,” he grinds against you, displacing your bottoms enough to expose the entire left globe of your ass. “I hope someone does. I hope he does.”
You turn around then, hoping to disrupt his fun, but he just brings both his hands to cup your breasts. The little green triangles do little to protect your modesty and, if anything, made his hands itch even more to touch you. He squeezes them in his hands, and when you don’t say anything, he pushes the material up and over them. Like he expected, your nipples are hard and have been since he started eye-fucking you earlier from across the pool.
“You’re insane,” you gasp. Partly because you’re functionally topless when any one of the partygoers, including your friends, could come around the corner in search of ice. And partly because Hoseok has latched onto one of your breasts and is now suckling at one nipple. “It’s like you—oh—want to get caught.”
He pulls off just long enough to speak. “Why should I care if anyone sees me making you feel good.”
“You know, in hindsight, I should have realized you have a thing about public sex.”
“You really should have. I gave you all the signs.” He has enough manners to shift so he’s covering you should anyone walk into the kitchen. His hand slides into your bathing suit bottoms, fingers immediately getting coated with your slick. “But it feels like you might be a little exhibitionist yourself.”
The sound of Monica and Irene laughing in the next room has your whole body tensing up with nerves, but it also has you sucking his fingers deeper into your center. Footsteps of more people who probably want a break from the sun enter the room, some sounding dangerously close.
“Oh god,” your head falls forward onto his shoulder as the wet sounds of your pussy get louder as he massages your clit. “Hoseok, we’re gonna get kicked out.”
“Not if you’re quiet.” He starts kissing your cheek, making a path to your mouth. “I’ll take care of you, baby.”
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alchemisland · 5 years ago
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Mike’s list of Irish punk bangers
Recently I’ve been attempting to recall the results of a certain patch-decked census, namely the list of one-off punk bands I’ve seen over the years. Next came another, more troubling thought: if tomorrow morning a hemorrhage turned my wits to water, who would wrest this mantle and detail those defunct Irish punk and metal bands who split without leaving behind a recording? If not I, then who?
Rather than spouting a list of band names so unheard as to seem almost religiously profane when uttered aloud, I recall only the time when conjuring a selection suchlike was easy and did not require considerable aforethought, which counts as work and is thus un-punk. 
Perhaps it’s misremembrance which worries most. 
Striving to immortalize these rarities which, like rare nightbugs, enter one’s ear and soon thereafter die, I will compile these annals myself. I’ve opted for a regular selection of arbitrary Irish underground and alternate tunes. Mostly punk and extreme metal, although there’s post-punk, bassy weirdness, drone, rock&roll and hip hop throughout.
I haven’t yet considered breakdown metrics. By subgenre or county of origin perhaps, but that’s for a future iteration to say. Just count your good sense badges and be glad I didn’t use the originally planned ‘Pale Shadows’ and ‘From the Bog’ headings for Dublin and rest-of-country songs respectively.
From the forge of Hephaestus to your plateless breast, three of my favourite underground Irish songs:
Violins is Not the Answer - Sick
Unless someone’s asking what luthiers make, Violins is Not the Answer. However, Violins were someone’s answer when they tore the tucked shirt off Galway punkdom with their raucous 2011 debut Green Diesel and Poitin. It’s a time-tested sob story of Irish scene cohesion that lets so fresh a band go unnoticed, unhailed and handsomely unkempt outside their home county; it’s this exact myopia, although antipode, which confined Lovecraft in Rhode Island and left Howard’s hypothalamus on the dash under a Cross Plains sun. 
Aside from the band themselves, I doubt there’s another  person alive who has heard this album more than I. I’ve proudly flown that battered, cider-stained flag throughout a local and global invasion until Violins, not 42, became the answer, at least for me.
Has it really been that long? Eight years on it still excites much as the first time. Its engine-revving opening track conjures images of sputtering roadsters chewing the starting line of a Mad Max outback race, while the final upstroked riddums of its GBH-esque closer Sick promises the tinny best of Shitty Limits alongside the sombre heights of FNM’s Midlife Crisis.
Guitars that sound like they’re being played with chainmail’d fingers, vorpal bass tapping, ska pick it ups to HxC stick it ups (middle fingers in this instance), Green Diesel crams a maelstrom of alt genres into a curt 26-ish minute runtime. Ben’s phlegm-tinged vocals lead the sonic vanguard, bolstered and occasionally shelved in favour of fireman-cum-drummer Donal’s softer warble on cryptid welfare anthem Vampire on the Dole.
Sick is my favourite tune. The song, the album’s only track exceeding a three minute runtime, combines everything that makes Violins worth ear-time in the epoch of overchoice. Although Class Ayes and Dickheads Picnic deliver the nutkicks exactly how frontman Ben, of Psychopigs, Hardcore Priests and Doppelskangerz fame, wants them delivered, Sick offers a sample book of greatness to come across two recorded albums. Containing an otolaryngologist-approved mix of harsh shouting and actual singing, Ben’s disarming foghorn timbre sweeps us slowly toward the finish after a suppressing fire of growled insistence, “You ain’t never gonna come//between me and my bottle.”
Fans of short time good time are well served with riffy tunes in the vein of punchier Propagandhi songs, albeit playfully apolitical. Littered with in-jokes and avowedly pro substance, these tracks stink of fun in the studio, a subterranean lodge affectionately christened the Fritzl Bunker. Even angry songs fizz with youthful energy. It makes me want to drink malibu from a shoe in GG Allin’s house. It rouses me to a bubbling zenith of bacchic hedonism which Andrew W.K. can’t hold a candle to. 
There’s much here not found elsewhere; adjoining on Keytar Mr Jimmy Penguin of Skratch Games fame, his genius confined only by the breadth of his current interest; also the album’s producer. You can tell Jimmy put work on this record. Every groove is warm and tipped to perfect balance with just the right amount of hiss; right in the sense that it’s sometimes wrong. 
Since disbanded, there’s two albums worth of raw riffage to enjoy. From Refused rip-offs and Exploited shouts-outs to Elvis Costello tracks played backwards, find this album, buy a CD and tell your Granny this picnic is for dickheads.
I’m rambling. Violins is not the Answer. For my money, the best punk band in Ireland post 2010.
https://violinsisnottheanswer.bandcamp.com/track/sick
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Divisions Ruin - Srebrenica/Merely Existing
I won’t lie. Much like a former athlete whose varsity gout impeded athletic excellence, I’ve had to settle here. I wanted the track Srebrenica from Division Ruin’s side of the Easpa Measa split - another band we’ll encounter later, or if not here than absolutely in future installments, should they ere be writ. 
I have the vinyl. Whenever I want to sonically experience withstanding a carpet bombing, I stick the needle down, turn the table over, sit in the lotus position and wait for oblivion. This track absolutely slays. The opening riff, an atomic discharge of heavy bass, distorted guitar and technical drumming from the scene stalwart and filler-player-extraordinaire John K, sears the ears, and one might be forgiven for touching that dial. Then the vocals come. Impassioned howls from the furious maw of Cirarot, which sound almost prehistoric in their primal ferocity. With my eyes closed, I feel the cymbal crashes like great waves and imagine people of the dawn age battling terrible beasties, although I’m not sure if she’s the lizard or its prospective prey. 
Although all their recorded tracks offer something for filth-seekers, I struggled to find another which accurately conveyed with sufficient brutality the blunt force flavour Srebrenica proffers. However you locate this song, ensure you’ve your iodine pills to hand; shit is about to get nuclear. In lieu of an active link, here’s another hefty slab from the same split.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARGqt0r_cVg
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Easpa Measa- Vargold
B-side of the Divisions Ruin split, Easpa Measa deliver a cleaner, dare I say, more mature crust experience. Less raw but equal in ferocity, Easpa Measa’s Eric’s howls are twisted as the metal he contorts for his angry punky art, conjuring images of Ireland with reintroduced wolves.
We picture them on the plain, endemic of wider wildness among the populace. However you fall on the lupine legacy of Eireann’s isle, Easpa Measa deliver perfect high kicks on every tier. Riffs, loud bass and amazing drumming from Ken Sweeney, another scene stalwart also of Harvester fame, while Clodagh’s vocals, whose shrieking ire can only be matched by the shipwrecking songs of the sirens themselves, compliment Eric’s baleful howls.
Bring back the wolf indeed. Although so many years since its release the band have disbanded with ne’er a wolf attendant at a single show, this song’s singular ferocity more than accounts for any deficit of wolfnishness on the island. Don’t miss this amazing video from their final show, alongside the Freebooters at the Boh’s club in Dublin, with bonus front row Mike Dempsey (that’s me!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIQC6wk7sY
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If you like this list or the tunes therein, let me know your thoughts and why they activated your nodding lever. 
If other bands are close to your heart but far from the zeitgeist, comment or PM with appropriate links and I’d be glad to include your suggestion.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this short post. I’ll have interesting content by the fishgut bucketload in 2020, but should/hope to have one more live before yuletide at least. 
Please drop a like and share this post with your favourite PUNX. Give them the gift of Violins this Christmate. An early stocking filler to ensure the loyalty of nephews and nieces come the post-yule divorce news, here’s an.. Important music video I made for their track Dickheads Picnic.
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shintorikhazumi · 7 years ago
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Heart Trouble (100 follower fic pt 1)
So... TWO SHOT
A/N: So… first things first,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR 100 FOLLOWERS!!!  (111 if you wanna nitpick)
I was expecting it to happen over the weekend, but so soon?
You guys are the best… for sharing and liking my writing that is like… crap and stuff. T^T I have much to work on.
And I have 0 confidence so… pssshhh!
But, Thanks for your support… now… details, details you that might make you not like this…
Wingman/Cousin Andrew? That really is his only purpose… I swear. He shows up in like… 1 or 2 scenes tops… the other shortly. I promise if you don’t like him… but he is relevant for conversation purposes.
The rest is a secret!
This was so rushed(plot-wise) it is horrible!
Enjoy?
~Shintori Khazumi
 Heart Trouble:
 The heart is a muscular organ in humans and other animals, which pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system.  Blood provides the body with oxygen and nutrients, as well as assists in the removal of metabolic wastes.  In humans, the heart is located between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest.
As one of the vital organs, the heart was long identified as the center of the entire body, the seat of life, or emotion, or reason, will, intellect, purpose or the mind. The heart is an emblematic symbol in many religions, signifying "truth, conscience or moral courage in many religions – the temple or throne of God in Islamic and Judeo-Christian thought; the divine centre, or atman, and the third eye of transcendent wisdom in Hinduism; the diamond of purity and essence of the Buddha; the Taoist centre of understanding.
Humans have known about the heart since ancient times, although its precise function and anatomy were not clearly understood. From the primarily religious views of earlier societies towards the heart, ancient Greeks are considered to have been the primary seat of scientific understanding of the heart in the ancient world.
Aristotle, Plato, Hippocrates , Erasistratos.
The names of men so great, men who took part in discovering the workings of this instrument in the first centuries, paving the way for modern research and unearthing of treasured facts and wisdom that assisted in unraveling this marvelously complicated organ.
A vital part of life in a small form the size of your fist.
Something, that with its conditions and performance, could mean the difference between life and death.
“And we are yet to completely understand its essence, in the physical, emotional and mental aspect, dare I say spiritual?”
Diana shut her diary/logbook dedicated to her thoughts on heart study.
Reviewing her major points before a big operation did wonders to calm the shaking nerves in her very core as she was about to handle a life with care, her actions determining the fate of the life she held in her hands- quite literally.
Now, she remained in wait in the doctor’s lounge, hands clasped tightly together as she rocked herself on the balls of her feet whilst seated, trying to take away the usual jitters.
Despite being seen as one of the most stoic, calm and collected prodigious doctors, it did not change the fact that even she would feel the pressure of saving lives.
“Doctor Cavendish.” The surgeon specializing in cardiology, turned to her assisting nurses, clipboard of her next patient in hand. “Your charge is here.”
The woman in her late forties smiled at Diana through the photograph.
“Yes, please do bring Miss Benison in once she’s ready.” The doctor instructed, also preparing to change into her operating wear and clean herself for another day of fighting together with her patients to maintain life. “We’ll get her through this.”
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 One successful surgery later, and the young Doctor Cavendish could be found in one of the hospital’s spacious medical wards, a three-hour operation after countless restless nights taking its toll on the prodigious medical worker, eyelids steadily growing in weight as she lay, sprawled, yet in a graceful manner, if possible, on one of the beds.
She considered herself lucky. She was given the mind and abilities, most especially talent for medicine, and had become quite the successful doctor, gaining one too many awards, nearly spotless record.
Her only flaw in being a medical personnel, was that she was almost apathetic, if not, only slightly empathetic towards her patients.
Of course, caring too much and getting attached to patients wasn’t all too highly thought of, but still, to work in such facilities, you needed to care, even just a bit. Diana passed the bare minimum requirement of love.
Yet, even though she knew and tried to change, Diana had always felt that she lacked care.
Or, more accurately, she was afraid to care for her patients.
Her first patient, the reason she had took up Cardiology in the first place and decided  to become one of the most amazing heart surgeons, the one she cared, loved the most…
She had let her very first patient…
She had let her own blood, her own mother…
Die.
“-ish. Doctor Cavendish!”  A young nurse shouted, shaking the blonde out of her stupor, as she sat up immediately. Hazy sapphires struggled to meet the gaze of the other woman standing above her, features formed in worry. “Are you alright, Doctor?” A blackette questioned, hand reached out, just in case.
“Yes… Yes, I’m quite alright.” The heart surgeon replied, moving out of the other room occupant’s reach. “It might just be the stress.” She waved the woman off, before focusing all around the room, eyes eventually landing back on the nurse’s form, spotting a clipboard in her hands. “New patient?”
The girl blinked, before realizing what it meant.
“Oh, Oh Yes! Yes, I was sent to show you your new patient on the waiting list. She still has about… a month or two before she needs operating, and all the others before her have been assigned different doctors so she has been pushed up the list. Miss Benison is already on the road to recovery so it should be fine adding someone to your list. At least, that’s what the chief told me to tell you.”
Diana sighed, holding out a hand to receive the clipboard, flipping it open and skimming over the details of her newest charge. Well, it was fine accepting it if the operation was fairly far off. At least she wouldn’t exactly have hectic schedules unless this person had very frequent attacks, which did not seem to be the case in her records.
Her interview stated that she also took very good care of her body, doing the recommended exercises for people with her condition to strengthen their hearts, as well as have proper diet and remember to take their medicine properly.
The only thing Diana didn’t quite favor was, due to how long they’d be tied together, she’d have a commitment on her hands. She rarely had cases like this as she was always assigned the urgent cases the needed immediate attention, after all she was the best chance at saving them. So having someone so far off from operation day meant that she’d have no excuse to not get to know her patient.
“Thank you. This is fine.” She answered like she was supposed to, not exactly having a choice. It was work. It was being professional.
So what, was getting to know someone really going to be that big a deal for her? Diana scoffed at herself. She could handle it. And it was nice, having an easier charge, semi-lenient days, not counting her on-call and regular duties.
She could handle this much.
She knew she could.
She thought she could.
Until she spotted the disease.
“Wait… this person-“
The nurse nodded. “Well, yes. She has… Danon disease, which is a fairly rare heart problem, though I know you can handle this much, Doctor. Just that…”
The woman trailed off, and Diana could understand why. Even she felt a bit skeptical about this. After all, with this kind of problem, that girl really should have her operation pushed up.
Danon Disease was a disease rare enough in males, yet even rarer in females. It was a disease that was characterized by cardiomyopathy, the weakening of the muscles, specifically those that helped in pumping. It meant that the heart muscles got weaker and the organ would pump softer, lesser, until it did no more.
Diana narrowed her eyes, searching for the patient’s age.
The life expectancy for patients with Danon Disease was very low. Males at nineteen, females at thirty-four.  Her newest patient was at the age of twenty-three, just three years shy of her own age, but anything could happen as this was a very randomly moving disease and she could lose her heart beat at any given time.
Heart troubles like this were supposed to be treated as soon as possible, more favorably through transplant.
Danon Disease was triggered by the x chromosome found in females. In females, who have two X chromosomes, a mutation in one of the two copies of the gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. Males have only one X chromosome, and a mutation in the only copy of the gene in each cell causes the disorder. In most cases, males experience more severe symptoms of the disorder than females. A characteristic of X-linked inheritance is that fathers cannot pass X-linked traits to their sons, and can only be received from mothers.
“Why isn’t she pushed further up the list? Shouldn’t she be one of those who need a transplant the most?” Diana looked to the nurse, now feeling the usual amount of concern she held for the patients. The usual.
“About that…” The nurse was now nervous from how intense Diana’s gaze was, and the blonde seemed to have noticed as she lightened up and repeated the question, albeit, in a nicer way. This made it easier for the woman to respond, though it was very cautious. “She has yet to find a donor.”
“Oh.” Diana closed the record. “I see. Has the search begun, just no matches?” She inquired, considering the reasons.
“Actually… there already is a match. The most compatible match.”
“Is that so? Then what’s the problem?” Diana could not understand why the girl with the sickness still refused her own life.
“The donor is living… and he’s her father… And it just so happens that he is the only match.”
Diana suddenly felt her heart plunge deep into her stomach, feeling unwell again. So that was it. She could understand the girl to some level… and strangely enough, found that she wanted to learn more of her.
“Alright then,” She tucked the folder under her arm as she got up from the bed, stretching best she could. “Let me meet Miss Atsuko Kagari.”
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 “Akko! Stop it! Just stop and sit. Can you do that for even five seconds? That is practically the minimum requirement!” A brunette male struggled to catch a young adult woman who was currently prancing around the room.
“But Andrew~” The girl whined to her best friend and cousin. “They said I’m finally going to meet my doctor! Won’t that be great?” She finally consented to her cousin’s wishes as she plopped down on her hospital bed, Andrew shrieking as the IV had a back flow.
“Akko!”
“Relax. Psh.” The girl waved him off, flushing the red back down into her system, something the nurse had taught her to do. “I’ll be fine. I’m always like this.”
“And you being like this is what brought you in here!”
“And I’m saying, that I’ll be getting out soon! Won’t that be great? I can finally be…” Suddenly Andrew felt the shift in the mood and was gripped with an immediate anxiousness.
“Don’t say it.” He warned, hearing this line so many times, hating it more and more each and every time. Akko needed to learn to like herself more, and despite saying she did, he always found her either staring herself in the mirror, looking at her own chest, hands pressed to it, or playing with the stethoscope, listening to her own heart when the doctor wasn’t looking in every single check-up she’d ever been in.
He even found out that his own father had bought Akko her own personal stethoscope for the purpose of her listening. She always said it was to learn how to get used to her own heart… so she’d know when it was slowing down.
“Andrew…” She spoke quietly, her face donning a sad smile. “I can finally be-“
It was both unnecessary and necessary worry.
And either worry, he did not need for Akko.
“Normal.”
Silence presumed between them, Andrew finding it hard to respond as the atmosphere suddenly dulled. Akko looked outside her window as she knew that the boy was more likely hurt for her, because of those words, more than he was worried.
“…”
Taking in a deep breath, Andrew mustered enough calm to speak his next words, trying not to heighten Akko’s sadness even more by being negative in his reaction.
“You are normal, Akko.” He reassured, taking a seat on the bedside chair, staring at his cousin’s forlorn figure. “You always have been normal.”
Akko sighed, shoulders slumping, before she lay against her pillows, a hand covering her eyes, shielding them from the brightness coming from the open curtains.
“My body sure doesn’t think so.”
“Akko-“ Whatever the rich boy had to say, had been cut off by soft raps on the room door.
“Come in~” Akko immediately tossed away her sad self, bearing a mask of joy, one that only few could decipher, Andrew lucky enough to know, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Miss Kagari?” Her usual nurse popped out from the door. “The doctor will be here to see you soon.”
“Thanks, Nurse Lotte!” She grinned at the bespectacled woman, who returned the smile, ready to go with her usual duties.
“You’re very welcome, Miss Kagari-“
“A-K-K-O. Call me Akko, Nurse Lotte.” Akko looked at her cheekily after interrupting her, and the nurse could only find it in herself to giggle at the positive attitude of her patient.
“Alright then, Akko, but only if you call me Lotte as well.” She went closer to the bed, checking on the vitals and IV, as she and Akko indulged in idle chatter while doing the usual routine.
“So Lotte… I was wondering.” Akko tried to get her nurse’s attention, as the girl was currently scribbling something on her clipboard.
“Yes Akko?”
“What’s the- my doctor like?” She asked, very curious as to who this great person who would free her from this binding chains called sickness, was.
“Well, in a sense, she is what most people would call a genius…” Lotte seemed to think, or maybe she was preoccupied with her rounds that she didn’t notice Akko’s expectant look.
“And?” She pushed, poking Lotte in the arm who started laughing as the gesture tickled. “Come on, there must be more to it than that!”
“W-well.. AHaha… stop, stop tickling!” Lotte gave her a stern glare, before it softened into a small smile. “You could say she is very, and I mean very, beautiful.”
“Oh? That just makes me more excited to meet her then, now that I know that it’s a woman.” Akko responded, now giddy. Andrew just rolled his eyes playfully. Akko swinging that way was no surprise after all.
“I’m sure you are.” Lotte grinned, now done with her check-up. “All right, she should be here right about-
“Miss Kagari?” Another voice came from the door. “Nurse Hannah here-“ A brunette in a ponytail peeked out.
“Nurse Barbara-“ Another continued, this time with pitch black hair, worn down.
“We’re here to check up on you, as well as assist Doctor Cavendish.” They both said in unison, parting by the door to leave space for those who needed to pass through.
“-Now.” Lotte finished with a smile. “I’ll leave you to it.” She told the girl, gathering her stuff to leave.
“Bye~”
Akko sat up straight, expectantly, now very intrigued on who this doctor could be.
Her jaw nearly dropped as a woman, not much older than her by the looks of it, came in the room, blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail with loose strands of hair framing her face, and Akko decided no one else could have looked as amazing in a scrub suit and lab coat.
“Miss Kagari, I assume? Hello. My name is Doctor Diana Cavendish. I specialize in cardiology and heart surgery, and I am the doctor assigned to you.” The stunning woman introduced herself to a dazed Akko who resumed her blatant staring at the Medical goddess before her, feeling healed already.
“Hey, are you okay?” Nurse Hannah asked, suddenly worried at the lack of response while Barbara went to check on the vitals.
Akko, blinking at the sound of different voices, immediately blurted out all her thoughts.
“Wow you’re really pretty! Like seriously!” She gushed, doing multiple once-overs, scanning the Cavendish from head to toe. “Though, you look… serious. A lot more than I’d expect from a doctor. Seen a lot of deaths, I suppose?”
Andrew almost choked on his saliva, trying not to laugh at that. He had heard of Diana Cavendish, and she was one of the brightest minds in the medical world. She had saved so many lives directly, and through all her many discoveries. Her fail ratio in percentage was very low… so to see his cousin say something like that so someone so medically-inclined, he could only recall fondly all the times she had lowered prideful beings, him and his father being prime examples.
“H-how rude!” Hanna screeched, shocked that someone would assume something so low of the good doctor. “Doctor Cavendish is one of the most prodigious doctors! A true genius, young and talented!” Barbara, though silent, nodded furiously in agreement. “So few people- I could count the number on my fingers, have actually gone under when with her, and that was already during the extreme cases!”
“I can count to a hundred on my fingers. Just do it over and over.” Akko teased, suddenly enjoying this flustered nurse.
Diana felt a tick growing on her head. Such a shameless patient. What was she even thinking? Provoking a nurse like this? What if they got into a little spat? That surely could possibly agitate her condition.”
“That’s not what I mean!”
“Heh…”
“Why-“
“It’s quite alright.” Diana cut the banter off, sending a look that spoke ‘back off and let me handle this.’ That made Hannah do so, and gave Akko a stern, cold stare, one full of warning.
“Doctor.” Akko nodded in greeting. “My name is-“
“I am well aware of that.” Diana told her, professional mode turned on. “I am also aware of your… condition.” Akko’s playful mood was swiftly banished, and she too adapted an air of seriousness. “I assume you do as well.”
The brunette allowed red and blue to clash, trying to decipher Diana as the blonde was doing the same. Cocky playfulness, then a sudden change to eerie graveness. What was this patient, who was this patient?
“I do know.” She said shortly after, refusing to break the connection. “I’ve known for quite some time- scratch that, I’ve known all my life.”
Diana raised a brow, unimpressed. “Well then, Miss Kagari,”
“Please call me Akko-“
“Miss Kagari.” Said girl was now listening better, after being shot down. “If you do know, then… you know how risky you are being, right? Picking fights with your condition-“
“I’m fine.” Akko insisted, and Diana frowned, obviously disagreeing.
“You most certainly aren’t. Now let me continue.” She threw a glare in, just to make sure Akko’s mouth stayed shut. “You know you have a problem. You know the effects. You know you cannot overexcite your own heart. You have cardiomyopathy, a symptom of a much larger disease, Danon Disease.” Diana explained, and Akko nodded, behaving herself for once.
“As you know, there are several surgical treatments to it.” Akko nodded, not wanting to interrupt anymore as she listened to the more favorable ways to get well rather than the one she absolutely needed to avoid. “Implantable Loop Recorder… for recording arrhythmias, ICD placement for slightly heavier circumstances and…” Diana sneaked a glance at the other’s expression as she read the diagnoses off the board. “Transplant.”
Akko stiffened, and Diana noticed the girl looked almost angry with her for the suggestion. “May I have either of the first two?” She nearly pleaded, voice far from the tone the brunette used when they first came in.
“I…” Diana found it hard to respond. Mostly, due to knowing the reason on why the girl was against it. “I’m sorry to tell you that after your results from a lab test came out, it was decided that transplant would be the best way to save you.” Dian informed, wondering why she could not keep her professional front as much as usual.
“Then I decline.” Akko was convicted. She was not going to back down from this decision, even if this pretty lady tried to convince her what many people tried to show her in the past. “I know the stakes. If that’s how it’s gonna be, I refuse to be saved.” She said this stubbornly, and Diana felt her well-controlled emotions on a rise.
“Now Listen here, we are doing our best to help you, but we also need you to help yourself. I know the decision is hard, but-“
“Then if you know it’s hard, don’t even recommend stuff like that.” Akko’s voice was raised, eyes slanted and narrowed as her finger pointed to the door. “I will not let my father give everything away for me. I’d rather die, than see him replace me in a casket for me!”
“Miss Kagari-“ Diana’s reprimand was right on her tongue, ready to talk some sense into the girl. But Akko’s heart was already closed, anger now churning in her system.
“Leave!”
The blonde doctor’s eyes widened, noticing the heart monitor on the side picking up in speed. Either she got out so that the girl would calm herself, or force sedatives, a more negative way that could lead to side effects.
She chose the better way.
“We were just leaving.” She still had some pride intact and she would keep it that way till the end. “I hope our next check-up will be on better terms.”
Akko no longer responded as the trio left her room, before Andrew smacked the back of her head, scolding her for her behavior towards the doctor. She did not seem to care though, and lay down, pulling the blankets over her, not wanting to talk about this any longer.
Andrew, realizing this, gave up, and decided to reflect on why Akko still refused.
It was reasonable, yet he knew both Akko and her father’s decisions were made out of love.
Now the only thing that would decide how Akko’s stay would go down was whether her resolve, or her father’s was stronger.
And that was the most worrying.
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 Diana felt herself slump against the wall of the ward after she had been left alone by her assistants. Her breathing was labored and she was tired, and scared, not feeling quite like herself. She did not know why such an effect, such worry gripped her, anxiousness filled her, but she knew the trigger. Those words!
“I’d rather die…”
“That is what she said.” Diana pressed a hand to her spinning forehead, willing the nausea to leave her be.
There was a sense of familiarity there… and Diana knew she had been in the same boat before, only on the opposite side.
She was the one who was supposed to give the transplant, and she was the one to whom those words were said for.
“I’d rather die than let my own daughter do it for me.” Her mother’s words rewound in her mind, countless times in the night, and now it was back to haunt her, even in the day because of some stupid girl. “She has more of a future, a life to live than I. She will most certainly not be my donor.”
“I suppose I can understand that fool a bit more now.” Diana murmured before returning to her bed to catch some sleep.
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
   The following visit to Akko’s had served a surprise to Diana as the moment she entered the room, the girl had prostrated herself, though in a seated position on her bed, and uttered an unending string of apologies to the blonde.
It was a totally different experience, but it showed Diana just how positive a patient Akko could be and totally changed her opinion of her.
“I sincerely apologize for my outrageous behavior, Doctor Cavendish!”
After reassuring the girl that it was alright, and Diana sharing similar experiences before, just so that she could convince her patient to feel less guilty, Akko shared her story of her ‘realization of sins’.
Turns out, her cousin had tattled to her father and she got the big scolding she deserved.
The way the girl spoke it in such an animated manner almost made Diana laugh, but she restrained it, the result being her caught up in her own giggles as Akko stared dumbfounded at the sight, putting the sound into memory as if it were a sacred song.
She dared not comment on it, lest Diana stopped doing it. And she had not realized until later when she left the room after the rounds, in a much better mood than before, and actually looking forward to the next visit.
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
  The third visit… as they say, third time’s the charm. It was the charm to allow Akko to talk more about herself and open up the slightest bit, which wasn’t all that hard seeing she was a friendly girl.
Diana started off with something light.
The girl’s hobbies, likes interest, how she managed her life up till now.
And this went on over the entirety of the week.
Diana would do her rounds every day, she would then check on her main patient, they’d do the routine, and all the while, they’d enter into easy chatter, steadily baring themselves more and more, relationship- trust, getting stronger between the patient and doctor.
They’d talk every day, and not once did they run out of topics for each little visit, delving deeper into knowing one another.
Diana began seeing that there was more to Akko than first, excitable, eccentric impressions, and that was that she had her quiet moments. From time to time, she would find the girl staring out the window in complete silence for minutes- hours maybe, Diana did not know, just before she’d enter to start the usual.
In turn, Akko found that Diana wasn’t just stoic and cold and professional, she was trying (though failing), to connect, and that was probably one of the main reasons she found it alright to exchange stories with Diana about themselves. Consider it her act of helping and payback.
Akko was more than willing to share, even returning some questions to Diana such as how she was at school, her favorite food, and even how she came to be a doctor, a great one at that, and on their tenth day, Akko realized the question that made her doctor answer more solemnly, the reason for her hardship in reaching out.
“My mother died and I could do nothing to save her… Even when I already was a doctor.” Diana ran a hand through her hair. “That’s why I don’t like getting too close to patients.” She was already hinting that Akko might have noticed, fully knowing the brunette was far more perceptive than she came off as.
Akko regretted asking that one. She felt so angry at herself not knowing that before. Maybe if shehad, their first meeting might have been smoother. She almost pinched herself. Almost since Diana stopped her hand before it could do harm to her already pink cheeks.
“It’s alright. I have more or less… accepted it already and… it brought me where I am today, I guess.” It was strange, to share such things with a patient, her own story. She never had to with her unspoken rule of being apathetic.
But now… Diana felt that their situations were reversely similar.
She could be empathetic.
“I… because of that, I’ll let you as me any heavy question as well.” Akko offered as compensation, genuinely feeling bad about what she had caused Diana, opening up old wounds, and all that.
“but-“
“Hey, I say I can handle it, you agree. That’s your job.” Akko gave a smile, though not quite reaching her eyes.
Diana returned the helpless grin, sighing. “No it is not…” But then again, there was a question that had been nagging at her. “Alright… Since when did you… know you had this disease and how did you react to it?” Diana thought it would be lighter than the one she answered, but she stood corrected.
Akko pressed her hands together, sweat seeming to pour out of her pores as she breathed, actually hesitant for once, to share.
And the doctor saw the same melancholy she often found in herself.
“I apologize, You don’t need to answer if you find it difficult.” Akko shook her head, heart prepared for the question anyway.
“My mom…” She began, and Diana felt wretched, the words very bitter-sounding in her ears. That particular pair… ‘My’ and ‘mom’. But the surgeon steeled herself and listened on, lending a listening ear and being attentive. “ She had the same disease…” Akko shrugged, but her lips quivered, and Diana decided to be the one to hear these problems and help Akko through it, whatever the tale might be.
“Go on.” Diana went closer, rubbing soothing circles on Akko’s back, now opting to hear everything so she could help. It was an awakening of her consciousness to patients, and she wanted to start with Akko, feeling the need to learn more, grow closer, despite still needing the reason as to why she felt that way.
Empathy, relatable situations. This was her reason to herself, though every day she knew Akko more, it was getting harder to believe that that was just it.
Akko was grateful for the support, taking in a large breath, now prepared to share what she had avoided for years. “When she gave birth to me-“ Maybe it was still hard, however, as she choked, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “- you know the rest.”
Diana hugged the girl in understanding, knowing what she meant, and feeling very sad for the one in her arms, locked tightly in her embrace, crying silently while grasping at the sleeves of her coat.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
And that was all Diana could think in terms of what to say. She wanted to take the words back immediately though as they only made Akko cry harder, causing her to hold the other closer, tighter.
“I’m sorry.”
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 Half-way into their second week, and Diana had already felt that her wall that she had been building up since her mother’s death was slowly, but surely being torn down by one mischievous, yet clever patient.
It was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome, as Diana found herself enjoying her usually mundane everyday tasks. Even her mood and attitude towards work and her patients, had slowly, but surely improved.
She had gained that ‘empathy’ that she’d so desired.
And now, another day, another talk, and she was looking forward to seeing Akko one more time, eager to learn more, feel more, and ultimately, help the other girl more.
Diana knocked three times swiftly on the door, followed by 2 slower raps of her knuckles, and another set of three. A code that would let Akko know it was the doctor, before she could enter with her own key.
“Heya, Doctor Cavendish!” The girl greeted cheerfully, immediately switching from her somber look just seconds ago, to a cheery, excited one. “Guess it’s time for that again, huh?” She wiggled her brows, smiling in a teasing way.
Diana rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she chuckled at her patient’s antics. “Please refrain from making my visits sound so scandalous, Miss Kagari.”
The brunette groaned, though she was wearing an ear splitting grin as she pretended to melt on the bed. “Please call me ‘Akko’, Doctor Cavendish… or else I can’t call you by your name! I feel so stiff and icky when you call me ‘Miss Kagari.’” The girl spoke in a comical imitation of the physician’s voice, causing her to laugh.
“Well, what’s stopping you? From calling me by my given name, I mean.” Diana awaited the reply, looking at the heart patient fondly. “It’s never stopped you before, from what I have heard from most of the workers who’ve had the… pleasure… of meeting you.” The doctor dared a teasing phrase that elicited a pout from Akko.
“Now, what could you possibly mean by that?” She hummed, eyes narrowing, daring Diana some more.
“I wonder…” The doctor replied, proceeding with the check-up. “Now, tell me, come on.” She urged an answer from the girl as she stared at the heart monitor beside the bed, counting the beats and observing, writing said observations down in her records.
“What? I really have to answer that question?” Akko felt shy, watching Diana as she checked up on all the vitals, as she was embarrassed as to the reason.
“Yes, Miss Kagari. Do share.” Diana grinned, done with the less physical checks and now held a stethoscope up, wearing the buds. “But later, I need to check your heart beat. Let me listen. You know the drill.”
Akko nodded turning around so that Diana could listen to her heart from the back, just as how nurse Lotte did, under her hospital gown.
She was surprised when Diana stopped her and told her to just sit still as she drew closer to Akko, earbuds in place, as she listened from the front.
The front.
And it shouldn’t have been a problem. Diana was not one to do unnecessary things and touch places she shouldn’t. She was very professional about this check-up.
But to Akko, it was just a tiny bit too much.
During their first meeting, when she said Diana was beautiful, she wasn’t lying. She found the other woman extremely captivating, from her tall nose, rosy cheeks, to those gorgeously plump lips, to her long lashes, and to those eyes that could just suck her in.
And her breath and heartbeat may have just picked up a bit, something that did not go past the doctor’s surveillance.
“Relax.” She spoke the one word that made Akko do so, snapping out of that trance. “Breath in deeply, then out.”
Doing as she was told, Akko felt her heart slow down to a normal pace, allowing Diana a better study  of Akko’s heart pace.
A sigh of relief came from the patient as the blonde doctor finally stepped back, allowing her some space as she had a slight frown on her face.
“Well, Miss Kagari.” She obviously was not pleased with whatever discovery she had made. “I see your heart beat is not normal. Quite faster than the norm, which is actually one of the symptoms of the disease you have.” She stated, a bit worriedly.
“I see.” Akko now felt concerned over her own self, because she’d never known such things. To her, this was the normal pacing of hearts. The only one she’d ever known, not willing to compare herself to others out of fear and insecurity.  
“Do not fret.” Diana sat by her bed, holding Akko’s hand, prompting her to look into azure eyes. “I am here because I can help. So trust me.” Her voice, her gaze, the warmth she emitted, they were all so compelling, that Akko was left speechless and could only nod.
They sat like that a few minutes, they did not know how long, but somehow it felt like eternity and nothing at the same time-
And immediately the lights went off, and no beeping came from the machine as yelps of surprise or clatters from outside could be heard, registering in Diana’s mind that there must have been a change of power due to a strong black-out maybe and the generators were beginning to start things up again.
Diana was not one to be afraid of the dark and such.
To her, no such problems existed.
But now, fear gripped at her heart, because once the monitor by the bedside started up, coupled with sudden labored breathing that was most certainly not hers, she was sure that those moans of pain were coming from Akko… and that she was having palpitations, possibly from the surprise of the sudden happening.
“D…doctor. It-! Hah… hu-hurts!”
Diana’s eyes went wide, her mind immediately scanning everything and tried to get her body to respond accordingly to the situation, first calling up nurse assistance before checking through the bedside drawers for Akko’s prescription medicine for cases like these.
As the responding nurses came in, Diana ordered them around, one handing her a glass of water as she tried to get Akko to drink her medications as best she could.
“Careful now, relax and try to drink, Miss Kagari.” She rubbed soothing circles on the girl’s back, trying to do gestures that could possibly calm the other down, but to no fruition.
The other nurses were now preparing a stronger medicine for Akko, and one that might help her fall asleep, as the only thing Diana could do now, was pray. For her patient, for this girl…
For Akko.
“Drink, Akko. Relax. You’ll be fine, Akko.” She spoke the name over and over again, and it seemed to work as the girl was able to take the pills, and shortly after, fell into a deep sleep, the only thing that said it was really sleep and not… another kind of sleep was the lone beep of the monitor in the cold white room of the hospital.
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 Diana Cavendish had been so worried. Worried like never before in the history of her work in this institution, and her heart had been beating so painfully against her chest, that it probably tired her out.
The nurses left the pair as soon as the patient’s condition was deemed stable, but she would be under constant monitoring because her first palpitation here in this facility had been fairly strong, and quite easily triggered.
The blonde doctor yawned before groggily opening her eyes, realizing it was already sunset from how the pristinely white room was now dyed with tints of orange and red. Sitting up from her position, head on the bed covers, realizing she had fallen asleep, her head snapped up to check on Akko who she found was staring blankly out the window as she always did before Diana came to do her rounds.
“I think I understand how dying people feel.”
The sudden words of the girl jolted the last bit of Diana’s sleepiness out of her system, as concern flooded her being, now trying to lean closer to the solemn woman on the bed who refused to look at her.
“What do you mean?” Diana knew that Akko knew she was awake, and decided to ask her questions. “Are you in pain again? Do you need anything?” She offered her assistance, to which Akko waved her off, not even sparing her a glance.
They were quiet, but the statement still nagged at Diana.
“Akko, what did you mean? What are you implying when you say you understand how dying people feel? You’re alive Akko, alive and well.”
Akko shook her head, saying she didn’t mean it like that before explaining, and Diana longed for the brunette to look at her while she spoke the next words, or else she wouldn’t be able to fathom what it was that troubled the other.
“You may have not known exactly ‘when’ but you just know…” Akko began, voice softening, but not wavering. “You just ‘feel’ that it may be your last. And that’s it. You end up accepting it all.”
Diana shook her head, feeling like crying for reasons unknown. Not crying for herself, but crying for the emotionless shell that sat before her.
An Atsuko Kagari she did not know.
“I did not die. So I have nothing to accept.” Akko spoke for the last time that day, eyes shifting to Diana’s watery ones, as they were lifeless as she implied.
Diana nearly choked at the last words as she gripped the garments of her patient who might have wanted to give up.
“So I have a question… Would you accept it?”
And just those words told Diana everything she did not want to know.
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 Diana stayed by Akko’s side as the late afternoon rays turned to darkness, one hand still clutching the robes of the girl for fear she might disappear, while the other flipped through the pages as Diana reviewed Akko’s records she had on hand.
She now began to remember some things. Such as, despite the fact Akko was usually so peppy and energetic, the reason she was here in the first place, and why she had been pushed up the waiting list, was that her palpitations were frequenting her more often, and growing stronger as her heart grew weaker in contrast, taking her closer to the state everyone hoped to avoid.
It did not help that she was aware of it too, and did not want to take the only decision to get better.
Nurse Lotte dropped by soon with Akko’s dinner, as did Andrew to take watch of Akko for the night, as he said their fathers would be visiting the following day, to which Akko simply nodded.
Diana took that as her cue to exit, throwing some words out before leaving.
“Good night.” She began, trying to seek out Akko’s eyes from where she stood by the door. She was not able to see the reaction, and she sighed, relenting for tonight. “See you in the morning.”
“Heavenly morning?” The words stopped her in her tracks, as she turned to look in shock.
Silence took over the room, before sense came back to Diana.
“Just… see you in the morning.”
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 A Long meeting the following day announced that Akko’s heart transplant would be moved sooner, rather than the two month wait, and that in the following two weeks, at latest, Akko would have a brand new heart. Whether or not she would accept.
That point was made very clear by her father, which Diana now identified as Mr. Ken, a kind man, with a big heart, enough to fill in for Akko’s broken one.
It pained her to see that this was the last choice. And she could see why Akko was vehemently refusing. Her father was a wonderful man, and Diana could tell in those few short moments they talked.
Carrying the heavy news to Akko’s room, she was afraid of what to expect as the door opened. She could not show weakness, however, as Mr. Kagari was accompanying her to the room.
“I haven’t seen Akko in a while. I know that if I saw her, she’d talk me out of the donation and… and I’d… I’d just argue with her and worsen her state.” He spoke weakly, very sadly, and Diana felt her heart break.
“I hope we come to the best decision, then.” She patted the older man’s back in reassurance as she did her special knock before entering the room.
What greeted her was a cheery Akko, much like how it had been the first time they had a negative confrontation, before the smile disappeared at the sight of the girl’s father.
“No!” She immediately yelled, throwing her pillow at the man.
“Akko!” Andrew, who was still in the room, held her hands before she could toss whatever items, including her meds. “Stop! Just, stop!”
Out of breath and angry, it dawned on her to relax, unless she wanted to convince her father some more on donating his life to her.
“I will not accept.” She crossed her arms, huffing in indignation. “You’re free to visit me, dad. But I won’t be needing any transplant, you understand? No one is dying and I’m going to go home with you just fine, both hearts intact!” And her words allowed no more argument, as Mr. Kagari sighed, rubbing his temples.
“That’s not poss-“
Before they could get into another spat, Diana remembered something about the surgical operations. This one wouldn’t be as effective as a new heart, but it would grant Akko’s wish. She didn’t know why she would even suggest such a thing, as it was always engraved into her being to do what was best for the patients regardless of how cruel it may be. But right now, this seemed to be the best for Akko’s circumstances.
“ICD placement.” She cut in, looking to Akko and her father. “What if Akko had ICD placement instead?”
“But that’s-“
“I know it wouldn’t be as effective, or long lasting as a transplant. But it still works, does it not? And it would answer to both your wishes.” Diana tried to suggest, and Akko’s father fumed in anger, against the blonde doctor’s expectations, no relief for middle ground anywhere.
“Are you saying I should just settle for some secondary choice, one that isn’t as good as the one now?” He raise his voice against the doctor. “I am the only donor compatible with my daughter, you know that! What if my heart deteriorates soon as she needs the transplant in the future. What will you do then? Right now, this is the only time for this. I’ve taken care of my heart, and I am ready to give it to her, so don’t help her in convincing me OTHERWISE!!”
“Dad.”
The man froze at his daughter’s tone, realizing what he had done to the woman who was going to help his daughter out. Who was trying to help them both out.
“I’m sorry.” He covered his eyes, beginning to cry. “I need some air.” The door shut behind him with a click, and Andrew decided to follow after him, leaving the doctor and patient alone.
It was awkward.
Diana was left alone with the daughter of the man who just yelled in her face at her horrible suggestion, and the one who had just defended her against the said father.
“I am so-“
“Thanks.” The words shocked Diana. She had angered the girl’s father and caused a rift between them. For what was she expressing gratitude for?
“Whatever are you referring to, I-“
“Diana…” Akko gave her a gentle smile, and Diana felt her heart speed up. She wondered if she was beginning to have heart problems as well. “Thank you for trying for me. For trying to find a solution that would make me happy. That could save both me and my father.” She reached out a hand, beckoning Diana to come closer and to take it. “Thank you.”
Diana walks to the girl, grasps her hand and sits down. “You’re very much welcome. Always.” She said, knowing Akko would take no other answer, and that there was more to it than that.
She still had something to say.
“What is it?” Diana prodded, playing with their joined hands as Akko blinked, caught off guard before she laughed that tinkling laughter that could only belong to her.
Diana admitted this was one of her most favorite sounds in the world.
“You could tell I wanted to say something?” Akko grinned, eyes turning to slits as she drew closer, bumping her forehead against Diana’s.
“Of course, I am your doctor after all.” Diana said quite proudly at guessing correctly. Now she waited.
“Then you should be able to guess, Doctor~” –and now groaned at Akko’s misleading.
“Just tell it to me straight, Miss Kagari.” She spoke in a faux- stern voice, almost pulling away as Akko went even closer, lips almost touching, but not quite, only brushing their noses together, causing Diana’s breath to get caught in her throat.
“Do you really want to know?” She whispered, staring at Diana’s lips, causing her to swallow that lump in her throat.
“Yes, Akko.” She replied, voice not betraying her nerves.
“Really, Reaaallyy?” Diana gave her an eye roll as those nerves disappeared almost immediately at the endearing annoying nature of her charge.
“Yes.” The doctor was now exasperated, nervousness gone, and impatient to hear what answer Akko had in store for her.
The brunette hummed, eyelids falling shut as she rubbed their foreheads together before giggling softly.
“Then… I love you.”
There was a pause hanging in the air as Diana froze, not being able to pull back, shocked, to say the least... and then there was silence…. Reigning in the room…
Akko found it far too uncomfortable and was the one to release the close proximity, sighing in disappointment, and something much heavier than that. She tried to snap the other out of it, very sorry to have destroyed a potentially unbreakable bond because of her own selfishness.
“Diana? I’m sorry, was it wrong of me to sa-“
“You can’t love me.”
Her words cut off, and now Akko blinked, confused.
“What…Why?” She was skeptical, having expected a yes or no firmly, but now, the answer was not ‘No’, but more of, ‘Don’t’.
“Because I don’t care.” The blonde finally replied, and in her heart, she knew it was a Lie. In truth, she was afraid because now, now that a girl named Atsuko Kagari came into her life, she regained something. Care… and now she was afraid that she cared too much. But there was a fact they both had to consider. One Diana realized, and one Akko was about to know.
“I feel you do. You always do.” Akko argued against the opinion the doctor had of herself, willing it to be a lie, if it weren’t already. “With every touch and motion, and work you do for me, you show me how much you care.”
It was true and Diana knew. Akko knew. They both knew.
However…
“But then, you still can’t.”
Akko scratched her head at the stubbornness, really not understanding the reason, now deciding to give up, and tell her reason for the spontaneous confession.
“I just wanted to tell you, you know. It’s not like I expect something back.” She crossed her arms, telling Diana about how it was a love along the way, and even if it only took a short while, she knew it was what it was. And now, her reason-“I just didn’t want to have regrets when I left.”
When she left.
Diana was afraid because Akko was implying that she would leave.
“That’s exactly why.” Her voice murmured, trying to hold onto Akko’s arms and searching for her hands to hold.
“What are you talking about?” Akko was about to receive an answer, and she was going to receive it.
“You can’t tell me you love me and leave me behind.” Diana looked into her eyes, silently admitting to herself that there was a possibility to her returning these feelings.
“Diana…”
“I think… it is totally possible, with how you’ve made me feel lately, for me to develop the same emotion for you… but!” She gazed at Akko intensely, into her very soul. “I don’t want to love you back if you’re already dead. So you can’t tell me that if you’re not going to live for me.” And it weakened back down to a sorry state.
And now, Akko understood.
And after understanding, she laughed. A lot.
“Diana… I’m sorry.”
“Wha-“ The sudden turn of events was throwing Diana off, and now, the contagious laughter was beginning to pull out giggles from her.
“You’re absolutely right. I can’t do that to you, huh?” Akko said, leaning against her bed frame with a wide smile, eyes filled with mirth.
“Akko-“
“Guess I’ll just have to live another day.” She grinned, now having a new mission, a new reason to live.
Diana sighed, discarding all other thoughts.
“Yes, you do.”
The moment was interrupted by the opening of the door, as Akko’s father enters into the room, eyes red, but looking much calmer, kinder, and happier.
“I’m sorry Akko.” He began, drawing closer to the girl and enveloping his daughter in a massive hug, kissing her hair as he mutters more apologies. He told the pair that he finally accepts the decision of having Akko undergo the ICD placement instead after much convincing on Andrew’s part, which Akko would be eternally grateful for.
He also apologized profusely to Diana who now humbly told him it was alright, and that there were far more intense cases than him.
Akko couldn’t be happier.
Having a confession somewhat (?) accepted, her father agreeing to a method that would allow them both to survive, and promised days of more happiness, with Diana hopefully be her side if she played those cards right.
She was looking forward to another day.
Diana was happy- no overjoyed. This time around, she wouldn’t be losing a patient dear to her. She had the skills and experience now to make it work, and now she went off to make the arrangements, a skip in her step, ready to face this battle prepared.
  ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 The following days flew by in a flash, and Diana and Akko found themselves growing ever closer, and it was enough to instill negative thoughts in Diana of ‘what ifs’ that included Akko and… eternal slumber.
But the brunette had always worked her hardest to throw such thoughts to the curb, and reassured Diana, promised her that she’d fight, that she’d work hard, that she’d stay and be there.
And more courting from Akko’s side came, and despite being a weak and fragile patient, as she put it (to which the good Doctor would often scoff, Diana found herself giving in bit by bit.
And such was the case in their latest conversation, as some of Akko’s friends had sent her papers and cards and she had begun folding random works of art, including a colorful array of paper roses which she handed to Diana during the next check-up.
The girl sputtered embarrassed nonsense, but accepted them in the end, softly hitting Akko’s arm after a rather teasing comment.
“So, So? What if I make it through? For you, especially?” The girl batted her lashes at Diana, trying to pull off a cute look, which was certainly effective in Diana’s books.
She blushed, humming in fake contemplation, already having an answer.
“If you survive this, I might just agree to going out with you.”
She smiled, and Akko smiled back.
“Then I really only have one choice, don’t I?”
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 Everything for the operation had been settled.
Diana was ecstatic after the meeting, practically skipping to Akko’s room to share the good news. And maybe, just maybe, with a bit more convincing, it could be done even earlier. For everyone’s sake.
“Good morning~” She practically sings as she opens the door, almost screeching at the sight of an empty bed, before an out-of-bed Akko pops out from around the corner with a white rose in hand.
“Good morning to you too, sunshine.” She smiled, managing to land a kiss on porcelain cheeks. Diana felt steam rise out of her head, and Akko merely laughed at her state. “And what has gotten you in such a pleasant mood this morning, Doctor Cavendish? Besides me, of course.”
Diana pinches the cheeky little cheek, before caressing it softly, Akko leaning into the touch as the blonde explains everything to her and Akko grows ever enthusiastic towards this operation, fearless, entrusting her life into Diana’s hands completely, fully certain she’d come out alright.
And what’s more-
Diana agrees that after the operation, Akko can confess again then she would accept.
The brunette was so happy she nearly lifted her doctor off the floor if only she wasn’t stopped by said doctor.
“Then I’m so happy I could kiss you?” It was a request for permission, which Diana declined fruitlessly as Akko wasn’t going to take no for an answer, acting upon her feelings… within respectable boundaries as she only planted it on Diana’s forehead and cheeks, but it was enough to render her tomato red.
“I love you.”
“Mm.”
 ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
 After more weeks, two to be exact, of fighting together against Akko’s illness, the date of the operation had already come down to tomorrow.
That night, after a pre-operation celebration, Diana had ended up too tired and slept in Akko’s room, right by her side.
It had been a hectic juggle between her normal duties, then the special assignment to Akko, and the little party, but she somehow managed to live through it all despite her exhaustion, and was rewarded with a good night’s rest as she fell asleep to the feeling of fingers combing through her hair and a lullaby drifting  through her mind.
Diana woke up to soft breathing and hand clasping hers, filling her with a warmth in her heart despite that slightly cold touch of their skin. Diana blamed it on the air conditioning.
She barely took note that Akko’s heart felt just a tiny bit slower, softer. Waving it off as the girl’s normal pace while sleeping. Something she never should have even considered, knowing the condition.
But, she couldn’t think that right now.
However, throughout the day, it remained the same, and the doctor would not quite shake off that inkling that something was at odds.
Throughout the day, she subconsciously remained very wary of heart beat, feeling off about something, growing more anxious, despite Akko’s cheery smiles and flirting.
It pained her to do it, but Diana could only manage to plaster on a fake smile, if only to keep Akko happy.
She fell asleep under premonition of negativity that she was beginning to loathe.
The next day, Diana awoke in the same position as yesterday, by Akko’s bed, as the brunette continued to snore away her worries, a light smile on her face as she held hands with Diana.
The doctor felt an endearing smile tug at her lips as she brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face, then risking a kiss on her forehead, praying she’d stay asleep as Diana snuck off with an idea in her head that could well be a positive start to this day.
It may have been a simple gesture, just going out to the cafeteria to pick up the brunette’s breakfast, but Diana knew small things like this, meant big things for Akko.
As she began nearing the room, happy to have been able to obtain the patient’s favorite meal after weeks of observation, she pauses in her tracks as she hears the one long beep of heart monitor, that has her clutching at her heart, drops the tray of food she was carrying and rushes in the room, dread in her bones as nurses in a frenzy, are all trying to help the now gasping patient, writhing in pain, and shaking..
Diana snapper out of her trance, assisting best she could, so scared, but knew that she had to focus, if she wanted to save the now dangerously fragile Akko.
The sound of the monotonous heart machine kills her so, but the desperate breathing from the source of the beat tells her there is that tiniest bit of hope for revival, but even those bits were trampled, crushed into smithereens as the breathing was dying down.
“She needs CPR!”
In one swift motion, Diana was on it, but she could not resist breaking down and begins crying while giving CPR to her unconscious patient.
She needed to talk some sense into the girl. She wanted to reach her.
“Damn you,” She began, cursing the girl as the nurses stared in shock. “You promised!” She pushed, before giving a breath. “Akko!”
“Doctor Cavendish?!” The usual calm and collected woman’s image flew out the window, as a broken and desperate professional now tried to save a life before them.
“You promised so please…” She begged, voice cracking, inhaling deeply before calling out. “ FIGHT!” She continued her work. “I believe in your believing heart. Now Fight!”
Nothing.
There was nothing.
And after Diana had tried so much, cried so much-
… nothing.
“Ah…kko.”
And there was just…
Nothing.
 [To be Continued…]
 A/N: Sooooo… if I get 150? Or maybe 120… Second chap will be out. Sorry if this is cruel… but hey, 10 more and it’s 120… ok nevermind. I’ll post part two when I find time.
NOW LET ME SLEEP.
I love you.
~Shintori Khazumi
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lindoig · 7 years ago
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Days 47 to 50 - Borroloola
We set off for Lorella Springs, but it turned out to be a long hard day, driving on some of the worst roads we have travelled, certainly this trip.  Some parts were fine, but there must have been a score or more creek crossings up to half a metre deep and dozens more dry dips and gullies that came upon us with little warning so driving was difficult, particularly in the stony areas where potholes were matched with rocks and washaways, giving way to loose sandy stretches, to challenge the driver – at least to keep him from nodding off.
Despite that, it was an interesting day.  We were not confident that we had enough fuel to do the trips in and out to all the attractions en route and in the end, we decided not to drive the 50km in and out of Lorella Springs as well as some of the other side-trips we could have taken so headed straight through to Borroloola – a remote destination we have looked forward to for more than 5 years.
We did a couple of short excursions off the main road, but decided to come back into the area to explore them when we had more fuel on our return journey in a week or so.  One such excursion was to Butterfly Springs, a lovely water-lily pool at the foot of a trickle of water running down some towering rocks.  It is very pretty with lots of birds around and is apparently the only place in Limmen National Park where it is safe to swim.  We didn’t go for a dip, but it was a nice little stopover only a few kilometres from the main track.  We also called in at Maria Lagoon, but it turned out to be just a station homestead. There was another lagoon with heaps of water-lilies nearby, but all pretty inaccessible.  While we were looking though, we had four beautiful healthy horses come to check us out, very frisky, maybe wild and afraid of these strange creatures in their territory, but lovely to watch.  We had seen a perentie and a few wild donkeys earlier in the day too.
Late in the day we came across a flurry of diamond doves, the first we had seen this trip, although I had been expecting them for several thousand kilometres.  We saw scores of them in a couple of kilometres and then almost none again for the next 100km.  Another exciting sighting was a pair of bustards wandering across the road as we navigated a bend so we stopped and watched them for a while.  They seemed as curious about us as we were about them and were in no hurry to wander further into the undergrowth.
For maybe 60-70km along this road, we had travelled beside a low ridge of hills, occasionally between two ridges, never more than 100 metres or so from the road.  They were rarely more than about 20 metres high, but had a layer of hard rock at the top and a cascade of smaller eroded stones down the slopes below it.  There was an area of reddish rock for a few kilometres in the middle, but most of it was white rock and the scree was almost always surrounded by green grass – like a green canvas with white rocks scattered across it.  Quite unusual and almost pretty.  We also traversed large areas of open woodland – or is it grassland? Looking out across it, there is a thin-ish layer of green (sometimes not so green in drier areas) with hundreds of stark white tree trunks distributed sparsely throughout, with enough to top it all with a thicker layer of green foliage, almost none of it more than 6-7 metres high.  There seemed to be no middle storey across quite large distances and I found that landscape quite attractive too.
A disappointing aspect of the day was the speed at which the relatively few oncoming vehicles travelled. We always slow down (actually stop sometimes) and pull well off the road to give them as much room as possible, but many of them roar past at absurd speeds, trailing a wall of rocks behind them. As a consequence, we have several cracks across the driver's side of our windscreen and numerous paint chips.  We will need to have the windscreen replaced, but that will probably have to wait until we get back to Katherine in a week or two.
The last hour into Borroloola was in the dark and a difficult drive, but fortunately, once we reached the Carpentaria Highway, it was sealed for the rest of the drive.
We set up camp in the Borroloola Caravan Park a little exhausted after a challenging, but very enjoyable day.
Next day, we had quite a few maintenance jobs to attend to – including rehanging the freezer door that had shaken loose on the previous day’s rough ride (fortunately it hadn’t fallen right off).  Also had to tighten up the spare wheels and the roof-rack anchors that had become loose – I hope there are no other things at risk of separating from their moorings. We also had to do some cleaning.  We are not neat freaks, but after so many hundred kilometres on dusty gravel roads, it was time for a few loads of washing and a bit of spit and polish on all the dusty surfaces in car and van.  We also had to refuel and visit the supermarket and explored a little around suburban Borroloola (the other two streets) and the boat ramp on the proud MacArthur River – another quite substantial waterway that must be a raging torrent in the Wet.  Our visit to the commercial centre of town was a bit confronting for me – almost exclusively black people and pretty dissolute from all appearances – not at all pleasant or welcoming.
We then drove the 60-odd km to the quaintly named Bing Bong Loading Terminal on the gulf of Carpentaria.  The Terminal is all off limits to plebs like us, but is used for loading the zinc and lead ores mined in the area (seems like maybe 200km away).  We were able to skirt the Terminal on a dirt road and went out to the mouth of Mule Creek where we saw and engaged in conversation with a small number of aboriginal men.  They were butchering a green turtle and a dugong they had caught off-shore – all very traditional tucker done in the traditional way and it was fascinating talking to them.  One guy in particular impressed me – educated, articulate and ready to share at least some aspects of indigenous life pretty freely.  He improved my overall view of aboriginals – a radical counter to the observed lassitude in town.  They told us about an aboriginal festival in Borroloola on Friday night and Saturday arvo/night so we have decided to stay here until at least Saturday. We will go to the Festival on Friday and then decide if we want to go on Saturday as well or head for Burketown across the border in Queensland.
After talking with the guys at Mule Creek, we found another rough track off the road and went in to what was basically the shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
There was quite a wide stretch of mud-flats before the water and we tried to identify some of the waders and shorebirds, but they were all just a little too far away.
Closer back towards Borroloola, we digressed to Batten Point and King Ash Bay near the mouth of the MacArthur River, but by then it was almost dark and every track we saw was sign-posted with ‘Life Members Only.  Trespassers Prosecuted.’ so despite still being alive and members of quite a few things, we switched on the headlights and took a short-cut back to the caravan and dinner.
Wednesday, we set off a bit earlier (for us) to visit the Carabirini Conservation Reserve, about 50km back along the Carpentaria Highway.  On the way down here, we had passed the Southern and Western Lost Cities on the assumption that we would visit them on our return trip, but there is a somewhat similar spectacle at Carabirini and we may elect to substitute that for another 100+km of rattles and dust when heading west.  I used the word ‘spectacle’ because it is truly spectacular.  It is like the Bungle Bungles, albeit on a smaller scale, but pretty extensive for all that, especially when walking through the towering stacks of ochre-coloured rocks – and there are LOTS of shades of ochre. There are canyons and pillars and sandstone formations of all shapes and sizes (mainly BIG), enough to leave your mouth agape for hours.  I will add a few pics, but having looked at the product of my photography, I am very disappointed that I haven’t captured a fraction of the magnificence, grandeur and majesty of the area.  We spent close to 3 hours there (although some of that was looking at birds) and came away trying to imagine the forces that transformed several hundred feet of underwater sediment into such mind-boggling structures, all of which had been tilted at crazy angles and eroded into the thousands of blocks and pancakes just for our amazement over thousands of millennia.  There have been many times on this trip when I have been confronted with the immense age of the country and the titanic forces that worked over millions of years to produce what we have to enjoy today.  It is not quite infinite, but trying to imagine the millions of human lifetimes that passed before the first humans evolved, with the natural forces of wind, water and warmth weathering the land (a lovely little lot of lyrical alliteration, eh?), is all a bit much for me to take in.  (And I like the definition of infinity that you could travel for trillions of miles in any direction and still have exactly the same distance in front and behind you as if you had never moved.)
After our walk through this amazing area, we were due for lunch, so walked 100m from the carpark to a bird hide overlooking the Carabirini Waterhole. This was yet another beautiful freshwater lagoon, with thousands of water-lilies and hundreds of birds – both water-birds and bush-birds. Until the Sun intruded through the doorway, it was wonderfully cool in the hide and we spent a great hour or two admiring the scenery and identifying a dozen or more species of birds.  It was a perfect interlude to complement our delightful walk through the sandstone spires of the ‘lost city’.
On the way back into town, we called in at another ‘Springs’ place, but it appeared to be a very run-down and unwelcoming aboriginal community so we took our leave without even stopping for a longer look.
On Thursday, we spent more than half the day doing a bit of cleaning and tidying, arranging our travel insurance for our trip next year, working on our photos and blogs and generally taking it easy under the air conditioner.  We did go out for a couple of hours to explore a bit more locally and visited an aboriginal arts centre, an aboriginal Sea Ranger station and a local museum. All were interesting, but the museum was fascinating.  Borroloola was touted as a major port in the late 1800s and has an unexpectedly colourful past.  It was the centre of a couple of failed pastoral endeavours, several failed mining ventures (and some successful).  Australia’s largest diamond at almost 105 carats, barely 3000 carats smaller than the world’s largest one, was found here and the current mining venture has produced many hundreds of thousands of tons of both zinc and lead!  The museum records epic stories of heroic struggle and survival, downed airmen battling the elements and wildlife, one surviving 141 days alone in the bush before being saved – quite amazing sagas from relatively recent times.  But earlier, it was a place exceedingly rich in mayhem, riddled with cattle and horse duffers, frequent bashings and murders, theft and pillage, a hideout for many of Australia’s worst criminals whilst on the lam – quite a terrifying place to be from about the 1870s to the early 1900s.  I am delighted to note that despite the need to exercise a modicum of care, it is now a place close to being riddled with law and order.
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