Camp Wiegman-Part 78
Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle
Alternative Universe: Military School
Words: 5K
Masterlist
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Sunday, April 10th – Manchester Airport.
I've never been so excited to go on vacation. I'm sitting next to Lucy, holding her hand. We're waiting for our flight. Jenni and Alexia dropped us off an hour ago after we ate together, and now we're alone. It's soothing to be just the two of us, especially after the past few weeks.
"Excited?" Lucy whispers to me.
"Oh yes."
"It will be well-deserved."
We exchange a smile. After nonstop studying, tests, mock exams, and even working at the gallery with Grace for two Saturdays... Yes, I think it will be well-deserved. I've worked hard, but I don't regret it. It helped lift a huge weight off my shoulders. At least I've secured my spot at art school for next year. That's something. Now, as agreed with Lucy, I must step away from my studies for two weeks. It's difficult because my diploma is still on my mind. I worked hard, and I think I did quite well on my mock exams this week, but you never really know. In the meantime, I promised to make the most of these two weeks, so I’m trying not to think about it. The only thing I need to focus on is Lucy and our families.
"I was thinking we could go camping," I shared with Lucy.
"Camping, huh?"
"Yeah. We've talked about it so much. It would be a great opportunity. Or at least spend the evening on the beach! Oh my God, I’ve missed that so much," I said excitedly. "With a campfire, marshmallows, and—"
"Hey," Lucy laughed. "Relax. We'll have all the time to do whatever you want. It seems work has gotten to your head, huh?" she teased, running her hand through my hair.
"Are you making fun of me?" I asked, pouting.
"Oh no," she smiled mischievously.
"That was the deal, remember? I had to give it my all until vacation and then calm down afterward."
"That’s true. You didn’t sneak any study materials into your suitcase, did you? Maybe I should have checked."
"Stop," I giggled. "I wouldn’t do that."
"Oh no. That's not like you at all."
I laughed harder and playfully slapped her thigh at her irony. It's true I thought about it, but I didn't do it. I really want to enjoy this relaxing vacation. After all, we're going back home.
"Hey, none of that," she said, intertwining our fingers after my playful slap. "We have to endure almost 3 hours together in the air, so let’s not start hitting each other."
"True, but we'll sleep through half of it, so you don’t have to worry."
"Speak for yourself. You're a real napper."
I smiled. It's hard to argue with that. I enjoy being calm in moments like this. Finally, boarding time arrives. This is going to be a long trip. My six-hour flight back to Barcelona will seem like nothing compared to the nineteen hours we're about to face, with a layover, no less. We settle into our seats after passing through security. It's a shame, but I won’t see Shay here. She explained that she tries to be on the Barcelona flight as often as possible because her boyfriend lives there.
"Do you take this trip often?" I asked my girlfriend, gazing out of the window.
I’m eager to take off, but also nervous. I've never liked flying to Portugal. I wonder how Lucy feels about it. I remember she's not particularly fond of flying either.
"I think I’ve told you before," she answered. "I visit my parents twice a year… although, that might change next year."
"Why? Because of me? Please don't say that. I haven’t even met your parents yet, and they're going to hate me."
"Why are you getting so worked up?" she laughed. "Of course not. The venue will take up a lot of my time. I'll have other things to do than visit them. They'll just have to come to me for once."
"Okay," I murmured.
"Are you still nervous about meeting them?"
"A little…"
"Everything will be fine, I promise."
I smiled as she brought my hand to her lips. She makes me feel like everything's going to be okay. It’s crazy.
"Come on, get some rest. The trip is long, so you might as well recharge."
"Doesn’t it bother you...?"
"Sweetheart, you’ve been pushing yourself hard for three weeks. I know you’re tired. Rest, this is your time."
"Okay," I murmured. "Promise you won’t let me sleep too long though? I don’t want to leave you alone for the entire trip."
"Sweetheart, don’t worry about that. Sleep. We’ll have plenty of time to enjoy each other’s company when we land."
She nudged me to rest my head against her. I smiled and settled into a comfortable position. It’s true, a little rest wouldn’t hurt. I’ve been going non-stop. It’s time to relax, but before that... she’s right. I need some rest.
"Thank you," I murmured as I watched the takeoff through the window.
My eyelids felt heavy after half an hour. I tried to stay awake to keep Lucy company, but she seemed to avoid talking to help me fall asleep. It didn’t take long.
Sunday, April 10th, – Lisbon Airport.
It's either early or late... I’m not sure anymore. Now I remember why I hate jet lag. The good thing is the flight made me forget the time and regain some energy. I feel great, and I think Lucy does too. We’ve got silly smiles on our faces. We know we’ll finally be able to live safely here. We were so happy to return to our homeland. As we enter the terminal, I immediately spot my grandpa. Lucy must have sensed my excitement because she released my hand without saying a word, letting me run toward him. I immediately hug him tightly.
"I'm so happy to see you again! I missed you."
"And I missed you."
We pull apart, and I turn toward Lucy, who’s now by my side again. Before I even have time to introduce them, my grandpa asks:
"Well, is this the lucky one?" he says with a grin.
"Yes. Grandpa, this is Lucy. Lucy, this is Charlie Batlle, my grandfather."
"Nice to finally meet you. Ona’s told me a lot about you."
She smiles genuinely, though I can tell there’s a bit of tension behind it. My grandpa chuckles and catches her off guard by giving her a big hug.
"Forget formalities with me, dear. It’s a pleasure to meet my granddaughter’s girlfriend."
I smile in return. I didn’t expect this meeting to go any other way. My grandpa has such a big heart. When I told him who I was coming with, he was thrilled. I expected nothing less from him.
"How was the flight?" he asks as we start walking.
"Long, but overall good."
"Oh yes, it’s quite a haul. But we’re glad to finally be here."
I let them chat as I take in my surroundings. Just feeling the ground beneath my feet is a pleasure. My legs had started to go numb from sitting for so long. The sun shines through the large windows, making me smile. I feel like a ball of energy. It's wonderful to be back, but also hard. The last time I was here was for my father’s funeral... I don’t have time to dwell on it, though, as we grab our bags and head outside. The weather feels nice. A bit cool, but I’m not surprised given the time. It's early, and this time of year, we’re in autumn. I think we’ll be lucky. It feels mild, and we’ll be able to do lots of outdoor activities like we talked about on the plane.
"How’s the weather?" I ask my grandpa for his opinion.
- "I think you're going to be lucky in the next few days," he replies with a smile.
- "Great."
We walk through the parking lot, looking for his car. I spot it immediately, remembering it perfectly.
- "Oh, you still have your old pickup!? I can't believe it!"
I rush over to it, making my girlfriend laugh. I've always loved this car. My grandfather used to let me sit in the back whenever we took short trips. I expected him to have gotten rid of it by now.
- "It's a nice car," Lucy comments, running her hand over the bodywork. "1970 Chevrolet, right?"
- "Yes, that's right," my grandfather says, surprised. "You like cars?"
- "She loves them," I chime in before Lucy can respond. "She's a huge fan. If there's anyone you can talk to about your old cars, it's definitely her."
- "She's exaggerating," my girlfriend replies, a bit embarrassed. "I know a little thanks to my dad. He loves them, so I guess I inherited that from him."
- "Do you know a bit about mechanics?" he continues. "Because I think this old thing could use a little tune-up."
- "Oh. Well, I can take a look if you'd like. I restored my first car with my dad, and it was about the same age, so I think I can manage."
- "Really?" I say, surprised. "I didn't know that."
I knew she liked cars, but I never knew where it came from. Now I do. I think these holidays are going to be a way for us to learn more about each other. After all, we’re returning to our roots.
- "I wouldn't be as interesting if I told you everything all at once," she teases, making my grandfather laugh.
- "She's right! That's how I kept your grandmother for all those years."
He adores my girlfriend, it's obvious. I couldn't be happier. His opinion matters a lot to me. It's like my dad accepting her.
- "What was her name?" Lucy asks.
- "Mandie."
- "That's a beautiful name. We’ll have to keep it in mind for later."
I blush at this comment, which is clearly not a joke. It's obvious she means it. I think back to the conversation we had at the restaurant. She really does want to have kids with me someday. Finally, we pack our things into the back. Once we're done, my grandfather hands the keys to my girlfriend.
- "Oh, um..."
She looks at me, unsure of what to do. I shrug with a little smile.
- "I wouldn’t say no if I were you. You must be dying to, and let’s just say he doesn’t let just anyone drive his baby..."
- "Oh yes, that's for sure," confirms my grandfather.
- "I don’t even know the way," she tries to argue.
- "Well, we’ll guide you," I reply. "Come on, I'll sit next to you."
I snatch the keys from my grandfather and drag Lucy to encourage her to do it. I sit in the middle to stay by her side. I can tell she's feeling a bit awkward behind the wheel, but that quickly fades once we leave the airport. I smile because it's clear she's enjoying herself. The engine purrs, showing its age, but it still drives smoothly. It just needs a good clean-up. On the other side, I can see my grandfather is happy too. He was so excited to know we were coming. It's been a long time since anyone visited him. I know he knows a lot of people here, but it must be tough losing all your loved ones and being left without family nearby. In any case, he's in great shape. He hasn’t stopped talking the entire ride. I'm really glad I got some sleep on the plane; otherwise, I wouldn’t have handled this conversation as well given the time of day. On the other hand, I'm enjoying seeing Lisbon again. It feels like home. I smile when Lucy parks in front of the family house. It’s a little home that I’ve always been particularly fond of. We’re far from the city, and there’s a small beach just behind it. I’ve always found this place to be peaceful. Lucy must think the same, judging by the way she looks at the house with wonder.
- "You must be starving," says my grandfather as he gets out of the car. "I’ll go make you both some breakfast. Ona, why don’t you show her around the house while you wait?"
- "Yeah," I say, snapping out of my thoughts. "Yeah, of course. Thanks."
We get out as well, and I smile as I watch Lucy taking it all in. It feels strange to see her here, far from our obligations, but especially at my place. I finally feel like her girlfriend and not just her student.
- "Not bad, huh?" I ask, nudging her playfully.
- "It’s beautiful, indeed," she says with a small smile. "Is this the family home?"
- "Yeah... This was my dad’s last home," I confess.
- "Really?" she raises an eyebrow.
- "Yeah. He came back to live here after... my grandmother passed away and my parents divorced."
- "I see," she nods. "It’s a lovely place, though," she whispers. "You must have a lot of memories here."
- "Oh yes..." I breathe.
I squeal in surprise as we’re interrupted by a ball of fur that literally jumps on me. Lucy bursts out laughing and crouches down to greet the dog, who quickly forgets about me.
- "I can’t believe it! A little petting, and he’s off to someone else," I grumble, making my girlfriend smile.
- "Good thing humans aren’t like that. So, aren’t you going to introduce me?" she teases. "It’s an Australian Shepherd, isn’t it?"
I laugh, shaking my head.
- "Yes, that’s right. Let me introduce you to Buzz, the youngest member of the family. Well, sort of!" I giggle.
- "Wow. He seems like such a sweet dog."
I tilt my head with a smile, noticing she’s clearly no longer paying attention to me at the moment. Oh, so she really loves dogs, huh? Another thing I didn’t know. I crouch down too and finally manage to get the dog’s attention, along with Lucy’s.
- "Do you like dogs?" she asks me.
- "I do, yes. I didn’t know you were such a fan."
- "Oh, I love them, but they need a lot of attention, unfortunately."
- "That’s true."
I start petting Buzz too. I missed him. My dad wanted to get a dog so my grandfather wouldn’t be alone when he was away on missions. My grandfather wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, but in the end, he’s the one most attached to Buzz.
- "Maybe we could consider getting one."
I look up at Lucy in surprise.
- "Really?"
- "Well, why not? Maybe not right away, but once we see how our schedule is next year. If everything works out, we could get one."
- "Definitely, yes!"
I nod enthusiastically, making Lucy laugh. It would be a great first step toward commitment.
- "Alright," she says, standing up.
- "I should really show you around the house," I announce, standing up too.
We grab our bags and head inside. It feels strange being here again... The last time I was, my dad was still around. It’s bittersweet because I’ve always loved his rustic style. Lucy must have noticed my change in mood because she gently places her hand on my back.
- "Will you show me our room?"
I smile shyly and nod. From where we’re standing, we can see the living room, but I lead her upstairs to our left instead. Lucy follows closely behind. The house isn’t very big, but it has three bedrooms and a bathroom just on the upper floor. Mine is at the end. When we walk through the door, we’re greeted by a room flooded with light from a large bay window that opens onto a small terrace, almost as small as my room itself. It’s barely big enough for a bed and a wardrobe, but it’s more than enough. I chose this room because I fell in love with the view of the sea. I’ve lost count of how many times I left the curtains open just to wake up to that view, accompanied by the sound of the waves. It feels like paradise. Nothing has been moved, yet I can tell everything is clean. My grandfather must have taken the time to tidy up.
"It’s lovely," she whispers, pulling me out of my memories. "Is that your dad? »
I nod as she points to a picture of us. To be honest, it's the last one we took together. We were in the back, by the sea, and he tried to throw me into the water when we had just arrived here. In the end, it made for a beautiful shot, taken by my grandfather.
"You look a lot like him," she says with a small, sad smile. "How about we take a walk this afternoon? We can visit his grave while we're at it."
"Really?" I reply, surprised. "I mean, I don't want to burden you with that. I would have done it another time, like when you go for your morning run."
"Don't be silly. I'd like to come with you, if that's okay."
I smile softly and nod. I didn't want to pressure her, but if it's her idea, I won't say no.
"Okay... Thank you."
"It's nothing. You seem uneasy... Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah. It's just strange to be here..."
"You haven't been back since?"
"No," I admit. "We came back for the funeral, but..."
I take a deep breath. She has a right to know, after all.
"I didn't have the courage to set foot here again. I made my mom book us hotel rooms."
She nods in understanding.
"Come here."
She opens her arms, and I immediately snuggle into her embrace. She kisses my forehead, holding me tightly.
"It’ll be okay, alright? He wouldn't want to see you like this."
"I know... But it's stronger than me."
"Okay," she says, pulling back. "You know what? We didn't come here to mope around, so... How about we plan that stargazing night tonight instead? We can always take that walk another day. I can see you need a distraction."
"Really?"
"Well, yeah. If I'd known there was a beach right behind the house, I would've agreed to this sooner. Might as well enjoy it while the weather's nice. It might not last long."
She's amazing... She always finds ways to lift my spirits. I smile and nod. There's no rush now that we're here, but I really like this idea to start things off.
"Great... And what do you say we help your grandfather now? I can already smell waffles, and honestly, I’m starving."
I laugh and nod. If there’s one thing that didn’t go well during the trip, it’s the meals over the past few hours. A good breakfast will do us good.
"Yeah... You're right. You’ll be impressed. His waffles are the best."
"Oh, really? Better than mine?"
"Um... Hard to say... But yes. I’d say so," I tease, grinning.
"Oh, really? I might need to remind you otherwise..."
"Wh-"
I don’t even get to finish my sentence before she attacks me with tickles. I burst out laughing, squirming to escape her grasp, but it's no use. I accidentally pull her down onto the bed, but she still keeps control. I tend to forget just how strong she is.
"S-stop, p-please."
"Oh, now you’re begging?"
I can barely catch my breath. Lucy slows down, but her laughter still echoes in my head.
"So? Are you going to admit my waffles are the best?"
I try to breathe, but giggles still escape. Her fingers hover threateningly over my stomach, as if daring me to give the wrong answer. I grin, deciding to play along.
"I’m not changing my mind," I say with exaggerated seriousness.
Her mock-offended expression makes me smile like an idiot. I love when we’re like this together.
"Oh yeah? And what should I do to change your mind, huh? Oh, I think I know..."
I laugh as her lips brush against my neck.
"Please. You can’t torture me like this."
"Oh really?" she whispers. "I think I’m the only one who has the right to torture you like this."
I wrap my arms around her neck. I can’t help it. What I wasn’t expecting was for her to start tickling me again, this time under my shirt. The sneaky move leaves me laughing uncontrollably, unable to defend myself.
"S-stop, stop! Okay, okay, you win! Yours are the best! Yours are the best!"
The torture stops at my pleas. The next moment, her lips meet mine, and I immediately relax. I laugh as I try to catch my breath. She really is the one I need, no doubt about it.
"See? That wasn’t so hard."
"Girls?" my grandfather calls out. "Everything’s ready, if you’re hungry."
"Well, look at that. We didn’t even get to help your grandpa."
"He’ll survive," I murmur before kissing her.
I wrap my legs around her waist, but Lucy doesn't seem to agree. Though she chuckles, she gently pushes them away.
"Sweetheart..."
"What?" I laugh. "He can wait two more minutes."
"Okay," she sighs.
She kisses me back. I smile as I feel her hand caressing my stomach. She doesn’t even realize how much she drives me crazy... or maybe she does, judging by the way I move my hips against her.
"Not here, and definitely not now," she teases. "We need to go down."
"But!"
I groan in protest, making her laugh softly. She’s so adorable, looking at me with her head tilted. Her eyes drift down my body, and I realize my shirt is pushed up to my chest. I quickly pull it down, which brings her gaze back to my face.
"If I don’t get to, neither do you."
"Oh, you’re like that now?"
"Yep. Too bad for you. You’re missing out."
I get up from the bed and walk down the hallway, purposely swaying my hips for her to watch. I can hear her laughing behind me, which makes me turn around to stick my tongue out at her. What I wasn’t expecting was for her to catch up and grab my butt at that exact moment.
"Don’t worry, I plan to take care of that during this vacation," she whispers to me.
"Really?" I reply, breathless. "If you stick to your rule of no hooking up under family roofs, we won’t be doing much of anything."
"Who said it would be in a bed?"
Her comment stops me at the top of the stairs. Did I hear that right? Where did my innocent girlfriend go!? It’s her turn to tease me with a playful smile as she walks into the living room where my grandfather is waiting for us. Oh my God. We’ve only just started our vacation, but I don’t know why, I feel like this will be the best one we’ve ever had. Then again, we came here... there's no other word. We understand each other, we live together. I’ve never had it so easy with anyone else. My father was right. In life, you only meet one true love. It doesn’t matter how many people come before or even after... but there’s only one, and you feel it instantly. You just have to be lucky enough to find them. I think I knew from the first day what Lucy would mean to me. I was scared at first. After all, we each tried to push the other away with all our strength... But once again, my father was right. You can’t avoid the inevitable. Fate wanted us to be together, and here we are. One thing’s for sure, I’m not going to repeat my parents' mistakes. Lucy is going to be my priority, and I’ll make sure to nurture our relationship. It’s my turn to show her she deserves the world. Smiling, I join her as she’s already deep in conversation with my grandfather about old cars. Yeah, this woman is perfect.
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Right, so. I wanna imagine this slightly, mildly insane thing, ok? And I have absolutely no clue which ship to use this one for (since I'm currently obsessed with Good Omens and the Not-Nice-Demon and his Bastard-Angel, so yeah. I guess you can imagine it as Merthur if you'd want, or anything else really, but I'm gonna go with A and B this time around).
Right. So, imagine this, ok? (It's very specific btw, so bear with me lmao).
Both A and B are aspiring doctors. They were in the same class in 10th grade, and towards the end of the year, B started asking A for help because they were scared of their exams.
Now, imagine for their next academic year that B switches curriculums (though they're still in the same school) and the minimal conversation which both A and B engaged in before is now completely zero.
However! Since they're both aspiring med students at the time, they meet again in a prepratory class they've both enrolled in; a class needed to help prepare for a medical admissions test they both must take.
Now imagine that they begin talking somewhat after their 10th grade results are released (since 10th grade is a board year ykyk), and A slowly begins to catch feelings.
A's schoolfriends don't exactly catch on, but do enjoy teasing them and shipping them with B, unbeknownst to B.
Slowly, over their two year course, they begin talking more, even more than they had before. And before they know it, they're sending in their college applications and whiling away their summer together, having gone from mere acquaintances to close friends.
And then they're off to college, with B staying in their home country while A leaves and goes abroad (I was thinking England, but again, feel free to imagine whatever other place you'd like) for their studies instead.
Imagine they still talk as much as they possibly can, and approximately two years into med school, they begin surprising each other with visits during whatever holidays they can.
Now, well into either their 3rd or 4th year of uni, B surprises A once more, showing up on their doorstep.
A feigns anger and annoyance, the facade immediately dropping once B reveals they've gotten A chocolates from home.
B says that they're visiting for a week, and A is thrilled, but continues to be jokingly annoyed.
Over the course of the week, A and B (obviously) spend as much time as they possibly can with one another, from reading together while it rains outside to visiting shops together and buying breakfast before the other wakes up (just domestic things, but you know!!!).
Eventually, two and a half days before B needs to leave, they go out for lunch and end up dancing along to a live band at a restaurant, along with a bunch of other couples. They begin walking home, giggling and stumbling over one another, unable to stray too far away, and then it begins raining. And they're forced together under the awning of a nearby coffee shop. And then, before they know it, they're kissing. Sopping wet and shivering, but kissing nonetheless. And then they're back at A's apartment and. Well. I'm sure you can piece together where that goes. (They could either you know. Do the thing. Or just like cuddle and watch a film or something else if you're not into that kinda thing, I get it).
And then it's bliss for the next two days, they go nowhere except to shop for groceries.
After that, of course, it's time for B to leave and go back home. Though it's not exactly teary, their parting is filled with yearning and heartache because "why do you have to go, why'd we have to realise so late?" but B promises to come back as soon as they can, and A does the same.
This back and forth goes on for about a year, wherein whenever A visits home, they hide the fact that they are now dating B by saying they would visit and probably spend the night with a friend of theirs whenever they'd visit.
Eventually, however, they decide that it's time for their parents to know, and over a slightly longer, two-week break (or summer break, whichever you want), they decide to get their families together for a lunch, in order to introduce everyone to everyone.
A plans it at their house, ensuring their parents and sibling are out of the house before everyone else arrives, and they're super stressed over everything – "Have we made enough food? Did we buy the wine? I don't think so, wait no we did. But did we buy the chocolates? I don't think we did, could you run by the store and get some? Do I look alright? Should I cha–" and they're so wound up and B just thinks it's so adorable that they have to shut them up with a soft little kiss, saying something like "Hey. We'll be fine. They'll love each other, and I'm sure my parents will love you. Yes, we have enough food, and wine, and chocolates, and you look gorgeous, so stop worrying, we'll be alright."
And then B distracts them by sitting them down and turning on the television. And just as predicted, B's parents simply adore A and A's parents love B just as much too.
Eventually, as they were wont to do, they get married. (It can be either while they're just finishing up med school or after they've finished, that's another choice you make, but).
And though this obviously isn't the end, I'm too lazy to write more haha.
Now, there are a couple things – I know this seems super basic and boring because there's no huge plot twists- but I thought it was nice to just imagine two characters growing up together and falling in love and never looking back idk why. Either way, if you've read until here, kudos to you, this was super long, so thank you :D
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