#and every day I got Stary massages

[pkmn-smashorpass]

Tell me your fave and why!!

[hollyhomburg]

what do you think the boys would be like for valentine’s day (you can interpret it through any of your aus if you want)

i think I’ll do it for Hybrid House since it’s been getting a lot of love recently! ok so because the humans work and the hybrids kind of have the day to themselves- I think that they would all agree that yeah- they have too busy of lives to do anything but like- have dinner as usual and then maybe cuddle in the living room and do illicit activities- but irl all of them are too tired from the work week and just kinda- wanna have each other close but not necessarily in a sensual way- they’d all probably end up giving gifts tbh, 

I think Tae would definitely try to make you a valentine by hand, and it ends up being kind of a mish-mosh with a lot of glitter and several hearts that push out when the reader opens it but! he brags that his is the best cuz it’s homemade, she really loves it and puts it on one of the shelves in her art room. he also gives you a super small pendant necklace- one thats got a little heart with cat ears on it- but you end up liking the card more.

 I think after namjoon bought her the first silk handkerchief she’d start a collection of them, a new one for every birthday or Christmas, a light blue one that goes nicely with her grey ears and brings out the silver tones in them, a black square with little stars for Christmas, and for valentines day, a thinner one meant to pull back her hair pattered with cherry blossoms in the lightest shade of pink. 

Jungkook would probably make her a flower crown and take her on a nice walk on the trails in the back yard to a little field of flowers he’d found just to have a nice lunch with her, careful to set out a blanket and lunch beforehand, they end up dozing (and sleepily making out) until they hear jin calling for them to come back inside for dinner. 

i think jimin out of all of them- would go the more sensual route- a classic set of super cute lingerie, a room full of candles and a few rose petals here and there, a nice slow massage that has your purrs rippling and your tail swinging, his hands touching everywhere and making you into jelly, afterward you're so deep down in a kittenish headspace that you climb aside his lap and scent mark his chest over and over and over again, 

Seokjin would think to give you a more practical gift, one that he knows you’ve been wanting for a while- he’s the type to pay attention to that sort of thing. a little case and a stand-up easel that you can take with you anywhere you want to go! it even has a careful cartridge for any extra paints you might want to bring as well as a pretty new gouache set that you’ve been wanting to try! 

Hoseok would want to give you a gift that you could both use together, and ends up getting you a hybrid themed set of bath bombs from Lush! (assuming they have such a thing in the hybrid verse) there are ones that smell like fresh clover for bunny hybrids, catnip and cherry for cat hybrids, an earthy piney lemon for wolf hybrids, and a sweet vanilla and cinnamon for fox hybrids- as well as a few others that are kind of innocuous- a milky one for cat hybrids, with real roses that rehydrate once they get in the water, you and hoseok end up having a soak in the tub as kind of your weekly ritual to wind down from the week and it becomes a little bit of a thing with the two of you, a weekly way for you to connect and destress. 

yoongi would get you a super soft blanket- knowing that you always want more for your collection and for your nap space, you already have every type of space heater for the wintertime, but he gets you a soft almost furr like weighted throw that has the best softest texture and black like the furr on his ears, and is a little weighted and then embroiders along the side of it “a hug from me even if I’m not there” honestly it takes him like- an age just to learn how to embroider and he works on it far longer than he would like but it’s worth it for the way you look up at him all stary eyed and almost tearful because yeah- that gift is hella thoughtful. and he makes sure to scent mark it fully and sleep with it a few nights before he gives it to you to make sure it smells like him too! 

and there you go! a very hybrid Valentines day! 

[im-sans-a-will-to-live-blog]

Knight in Blue Armor

I wrote this a few days ago to help me get out of a depressive slump. It originally started out as a crack fic and then it snowballed into an actual story lol. Most of my stories end up like that though so it’s no surprise. Hope you guys enjoy this one of our sweet Blueberry. 

Summary:

You’ve been stewing in your own filth for about a week and you just can’t seem to find the will to get up and shower. You haven’t eaten but maybe once in the past two days and you have almost made a hole in the couch where you’ve been camping out. Enter Blue, your amazingly wonderful, highly energetic, heart attack giving boyfriend and your week goes from bad to good.

You sat on the couch in the same clothes you’ve worn for a week and you could smell yourself. You shifted and your stank wafted up to your nose making you grimace but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Depression hit you hard and it refused to let you go so you were just relaxed in its paralyzing grip and went with the ride.

Hunger gnawed at you but you ignored that too. Food wasn’t appealing at the moment and you didn’t want to get up from your comfortable but gross position on the couch. You had just sent a text to your best friend agreeing on how hot a character was from your favorite fandom and was planning to lay down for your third nap of the day when your front door was opened with a resounding bang. It scared the shit out of you and with a startled yell, you looked up to see your boyfriend, Sans, standing in the doorway with his knees bent and his arms up to his shoulders and his fists clenched towards the ground.

“HUMAN!!! I HAVE RECEIVED NEWS OF THE LACK OF CARE YOU HAVE SHOWN YOURSELF!!!”

You gaped at him as he stomped towards you and suplexed you above him with a thundering laugh as he jumped over the couch, making a beeline to your bathroom.

“MWEH HEH HEH HEH! I AM HERE TO BRING YOU OUT OF YOUR SLUMP!!! THE FIRST STEP IS TO BATHE!!!”

“Blue,” you yelled as his scarf slapped you in the face when he flipped you over his shoulder with your ass in the air, kicking your bathroom door open, “what is going on?!?”

“THE MAGNIFICENT SANS IS HERE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU AND WASH AWAY YOUR TROUBLES WITH HIS SOOTHING VOICE AND CHARISMATIC PERSONALITY!!!!”

You screamed a little as he practically plopped you in front of him and turned on your shower, setting it to what he thought was an appropriate temperature. He hooked his fingers under the lip of your stinky, sweaty graphic T and ripped it off your body. You squeaked and tried to cover yourself but he wasn’t having any of it. He reached behind you and, with years of practice, unclasped your bra, slipping it over your shoulders with a gentle but firm yank.

“BLUE!” You complained and stomped your foot a little childishly as he threw the bra behind him, smirking down at your flushed form. His innocent act went out of the window as soon as he saw your chest. He reached forwards and palmed your breasts, thumbing your nipples. He giggled softly when you groaned at the sensation of his gloves on your skin; your boyfriend was very sporadic at times and while yes, you were flustered, this behavior wasn’t new.

He slid his hands down your stomach and yanked you to him, your sensitive nipples grazing against the battle body he always wore. He leaned down and bit your ear softly, ignoring how greasy your hair felt against his skull and whispered, “If you won’t take care of yourself then I guess I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.” He groped your ass and you gasped when he slipped his leg in between yours and pushed up. You grabbed his shoulders and he made his move, slipping his fingers into the sides of your sweat pants, yanking them down to your ankles. You glared at him when you realized his trick and he just grinned up at you with his signature stary eyed gaze. How could you stay mad at that cute face?

He reached behind you gage the temperature of the shower. Deeming it acceptable, he picked you up by your waist and settled you under the warm spray. You were a little aggravated by his manhandling but you knew his SOUL was in the right place so you sighed and turned your face into the water. You shivered as you felt him slide in behind you, having stripped himself of his armor in record time. You shook your head with a laugh as he hugged you from behind.

“I thought I was taking a bath,” you mused as he reached for your cotton candy scented shampoo.

“I, MYSELF, AM SWEATY AND GROSS FROM TRAINING WITH ALPHYS. I FIGURED WHILE I TAKE CARE OF YOU, I COULD ALSO CLEAN MYSELF UP.” He popped the shampoo open and squeezed it on top of your head, closing it before slipping a hand into your hair and setting it back onto the lip of your bathtub shower combo. You sighed as he massaged your scalp, bunching your hair up at the nape of your neck and giving it a good scrub, letting it go and then coming back to your scalp.

“Alright. But you scared the shit out of me. A little warning that you’d be coming over would be appreciated next time.”

“BUT THEN IT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN A SURPRISE.”

You groaned as he worked his fingers and turned around to face him to let the water rinse your sudsy hair as you talked, figuring he had given it a thorough enough wash.

“While I appreciate the thought,” you reached up and cupped his face in your hands, internally squealing at the blue blush that blossomed on his face, “it would be nice to have a heads up. You know my anxiety gets the best of me sometimes and I don’t always know it’s you when you barge in. We’re lucky I didn’t have an attack this time.”

His face fell and he looked incredibly guilty and you immediately tried to backtrack.

“I didn’t mean that in a bad way! I just...we both know my mental state still isn’t where it needs to be. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve helped immensely with that but I’m still healing from the negative mindset I had before I met you. These things take time and I’m afraid I’m never going to have enough…”

He perked up and grabbed your face in return, staring down at you with so much conviction, so much love, you didn’t know what to do with yourself.

“I KNOW YOU HAD A VERY HARD LIFE BEFORE ME. I AM REMINDED EVERY TIME YOU FLINCH WHEN I AM A LITTLE TOO ENTHUSIASTIC IN MY AFFECTION FOR YOU OR WHEN YOU WAKE UP WITH NIGHTMARES. BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT NO MATTER WHAT, I WILL BE HERE TO HELP YOU GET TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. I’VE SEEN YOUR PROGRESS. YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY BUT THE END TO THE ROAD THAT YOU TRAVEL IS STILL QUITE A WAYS OFF. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO TRAVEL IT ALONE. EVERY LITTLE HICUP, EVERY SUCCESS, I WILL BE THERE.”

Your eyes stung with tears as you kissed him, trying to put all your love, all your appreciation for him into it. He kissed you with just as much vigor and swept a hand over your head, pushing residual suds into the water. You pulled away and sighed dreamily as his pupils shaped themselves into little hearts.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?”

He let out a soft “mweh heh heh” and kissed you again before reaching for the washcloth beside you. You grimaced and yanked it out of his grip, rambling before he could be offended.

“This one is dirty! I leave them in here and change them out the next time I have to shower...and the last time I showeredwasaweekago.” You threw it into the floor and looked away as you flushed with shame.

“MWEH! WELL, I SHALL GO GET ANOTHER!!” He stepped out of the shower and out into the hall, quickly grabbing a cloth and a towel before running back into the bathroom. He set the towel onto the sink and slid back into the shower with you. It confused you how the fact that you had left a used washcloth in the shower for a week didn’t bother him but you didn’t question it.

He reached for the blueberry scented body wash his brother had gotten you as a gag gift last giftmas and chuckled as he slathered it onto the cloth. He massaged your body with it, adding just enough pressure for it to feel like a massage. You enjoyed his ministrations and after he was done, you returned the favor. The two of you finished up and stepped out, drying each other off with soft smiles.

You lead him to your bedroom and thanked whatever deity that was listening that you had the foresight to at least change your bedsheets. You both fell into your bed in a tangle of limbs and bones and talked a little bit about his training before you dozed off in his arms, wondering how the hell you got so lucky.

[imagicalrainbowunicornpuke]

I'm sorry if I got some information wrong. The whole deaf thing was mostly guesswork for me. I'm blind, not deaf XD. But no, let me know what is unrealistic or whatever so I can fix it :) Enjoy!

This honestly isn't my fault. I know, those words are something someone who was guilty would say. But this really isn't my fault.

Okay, maybe a little.

I probably (definitely) should've told my team, as you know any person with an ounce of common sense would.

However, in the past... people haven't reacted well.

Which, to me, is completely absurd because I can still hear.

Just not very well.

Thankfully, we live in a great time with loads of technology. So hearing aids were a simple matter. In fact, my deafness hardly impacted my life at all.

Well, if you exclude the several times my hearing aids broke or when we didn't have enough money to buy them.

Which is why ASL and reading lips have come in handy on my part.

Really the only problem is people's views. If I had a quarter for every time someone spoke obnoxiously loud to me I'd be able to afford a bodyguard to keep them the hell away from me.

Then there was the whole having to lie to the garrison about my hearing so I could actually get in. They had a strict policy on any sort of disability, even ones that did not interfere with their jobs.

Since, technically, I was supposed to have tip-top hearing I didn't inform my team of my condition.

It was no big deal, I could hear perfectly fine with my hearing aids.

Until those little fuckers broke.

I seriously had to work the graveyard shift the entire summer at a local 24-hour mart back home in Cuba. Not to mention, the dozens of odd jobs where I worked my ass off for hours on end.

I guess I should have anticipated that the heat of battle wasn't all that kind to the sensitive wiring in the aids.

So, that's how I ended up where I am now, staring down at the charred and blackened little buds.

Fucking delightful.

I groaned into my hands, massaging the bridge of my nose before pushing myself up and onto my feet as I headed out of Azul.

The sentient lion sent small and soothing comments to the back of my head.

Everything will be alright

Just tell your fellow paladins

They'll understand

I shook my head at her suggestion as I left the hanger and steeled myself to face the rest of Voltron.

"The hell was that Lance?" Keith's voice broke out first.

"You were completely unresponsive!" Pidge shrieked.

"You okay buddy?" Hunks comforting tone asked.

It took me a moment to understand what they said between reading lips and what little I could hear.

"Nothings wrong just got a little distracted," I answered.

In unison, all four face's winced.

"Inside voice," Shiro reprimanded.

I sent him an apologetic look before jetting it out of there. I skittered my way to my living quarters and hid there until dinner.

The castle must have tuned into my needs, as when the normal announcement of dinner through the intercoms (courtesy of Hunk), a small holographic screen popped up in front of me.

I shook my hands out as if I was trying to physically rid myself of the anxiety plaguing my mind.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the hallway and headed down to the dining room.

Avoiding the imploring eyes, I headed over to sit down next to Hunk.

Hunk already knows of my hearing. He is, after all, my best friend.

Discreetly, I dropped the burnt hearing aids into his hands.

'Can you fix them?' I signed under the table. Or... not exactly those words- sign language didn't work that way- but that was the general gist.

Hunk shook his head sadly before mouthing, 'Ask Pidge, she could.'

I shook my head while sighing.

I signed, 'I'll live, I guess.' before turning around to the food.

By food I mean goo.

I was eating away at my oh-so-amazing plate of space goo when Hunk elbowed me and pointed to where Shiro had been trying to talk to me.

"I was trying to ask if you were okay, Lance," Shiro repeated.

"Oh um, I'm fine," I could already tell by Hunk- who flinched- that I once again spoke too loudly.

I stood up from the table and headed back to my room before anyone could ask questions. A reoccurring theme, I suppose.

Hunk showed up a few minutes later and hung out with me on my bed. I always felt safe with him, he always knew what to say.

The rest of the week passed by in the same fashion, me trying and failing to act normal and then running away.

It was tiring and the other Paladins were started to get pissed. Namely a certain paladin with a short temper.

"Lance, just stop fucking yelling!" Pidge snapped.

Bet you thought I was talking about Keith. Nah, the cute- I mean annoying mullet-head dealt with his anger by storming out.

Pidge was the one who was getting frustrated with me nearly every day.

"Lance, you need to listen more," Shiro berated me for about the twentieth time that week.

The situation was wearing on everyone, and I felt incredibly guilty.

Okay, so maybe it was my fault.

I just never thought that my hearing would actually interfere with my job. But...

"Paladins! There is a distress signal from a nearby planet!" the text popped up as I was fiddling with my phone.

I jumped off my bed before sprinting to the hangar.

When I landed in Azul, I called out 'Hey baby girl,' in my mind.

'Well look who finally decided to visit me.... when you need me,' retorted the fiery lion.

'I'm sorry babes, how about I give you a good washing after we return from this mission.'

Azul replied with a satisfied hum as we shot into space and met up with the other lions.

I heard a low murmur in my ears- presumably from the other paladins as they discussed the mission.

Luckily, a line of small text popped up near the bottom of my visor. Almost like subtitles on a foreign film.

Shiro was speaking- with a purple text- about the situation.

"A small planet enslaved by a Galra fleet," Shiro informed, "We need to defeat the Galra stationed there."

I nodded once before the paladins and I headed down to the planet.

Azul and I landed near a Galra base camp, hidden by the brightly colored trees and bushes.

Noting the peculiar lack of armed guards, Azul and I decided on quietly picking them off one by one.

Not actual murder, 'cause that was fucked up. The Alteans had long ago developed a weapon that simply knocked the victim unconscious.

The numbers slowly dwindled, involving lots of me stopping and dragging their sleeping bodies behind some bushes.

I pushed my luck as far as I was willing to before climbing back into Azul.

As I was trying to figure out how I should signal the other Paladins into joining me at the base to launch a full-scale attack.

Before I could, my comms were suddenly filled with unintelligible chatter and my visor was filly up with text so fast I couldn't keep up.

Random words I managed to read before they disappeared stuck to my mind lick lead.

Help

Trap

Galra

Abort

I was trying not to freak out, and figure out where the fight was breaking out.  But at this point, the text was just filled with "ahhhhs" and various curses.

'Shit shit shit' I thought to Azul.

From the front window, I could dimly see various explosions and stray shots.

I rushed Azul into the sky, momentarily forgetting the base camp under me.

Just as I was towards the edge of the battle, the several fleets left at the camp made themselves known.

I was between two deadly forces, the fleets behind me and the huge Galran forces who were fighting the other paladins.

How amazing.

I managed (barely) to avoid the majority of the shots while sending my own back in return.

Suddenly, a screeching sound of metal against metal that even I could hear rang throughout the battlefield.

I winced at the sound and couldn't even imagine what it sounded like to the others.

Pidge, using her vines, had managed to salvage a huge slice of discarded metal and use it against a battleship.

The hunk of metal scraped across the sides of the ship, knocking off rows and rows of satellite looking objects.

Then, the Galran ships that were floating in the sky started to crash down to the planet, like a hailstorm of asshole Galra ships.

Maybe it was prudent to celebrate, but I couldn't help the joyful laugh that I let out. Pidge had just defeated the entire opposing force in one shot.

Out of nowhere, my visor filled up again.

And the main focus was me.

I sighed heavily, anticipating the lecture I'd get when we landed.

But then a few words caught my eye.

Watch out!

Move!

Lance!

Before I could figure out what the hell they were talking about, something crashed into Azul from behind.

Of course, I fucking forgot about the fleet behind me. Because duh. It's me. Lance fucking McClain who can't keep his shit together.

Azul and I were sent hurtling towards the ground.

The seat belt which had always been faulty, unclipped, sending me to go banging around in the cockpit.

Every hard surface and pointed object in the small room slammed hard against my flailing body.

Azul crashed landed belly up, leaving me sprawled on the ceiling, groaning.

Not having the strength to even move, I instead chose to stay down.

You okay, Az?

I'm fine, paladin. I just need to... rest...

The familiar feeling of Azul in the back of my head was gone, which left me feeling hollow.

Black was starting to fill my vision, distracting me from the aching pain that swallowed my body.

I didn't come to for a while.

Not when the other lions carried Azul and me off the planet and back into the palace.

Not when Hunk dragged me out of the cockpit.

Not when I was stuffed into the cryo pod.

I did, however, wake up when I was falling out of the pod and onto my knees.

Hunk came forward and helped me up to my feet.

The faces of the other Paladins weren't all that welcoming.

"Lance, the fuck?!" Keith exclaims when I exit.

The familiar furrow of Keith's brows and pout of his lips as he snapped at me made him look like an adorable puppy who was trying too hard to be a full grown dog.  

Shiro held his hand up, stopping Keith.

"Give him some time, Keith," Shiro began, "He just got out."

"Lance, stop staring at Shiro's and Keith's lips, it's too gay for me," Pidge joked.

I looked down, feeling pretty shitty, to be honest.

Hunk bristled before looking down at me.

"That's what that was wasn't it?" Hunk looked down at me, saddened. "You need to tell them, Lance. You put yourself and us in danger."

Maybe it was Hunk's disappointed gaze or maybe it was the fact that I had put them in danger, but I nodded my head before asking Hunk a question.

"You'll help me right?"

Even though I knew that my voice was much too loud, the fact that Hunk nodded in an "Of course, dumbass" kind of way made me smile.

I turned to face the other Paladins, plus Allura and Coran who had walked over to us.

"So, uh," I began- graceful I know, "I owe you guys an explanation. And an explanation as to why I didn't tell you guys. Basically, I just have a lot of explaining to do."

Shiro nodded in an encouraging way, "That's great, Lance. I'm happy you're opening up to us. But could you maybe lower your voice? You don't have to shout, we can hear you, ya know."

The smile made it clear that the last part of his comment was a joke, but it only made me take a deep breath.

"That's the thing, Shiro. You can hear me, but I can't."

The other Paladin's faces were confused, as they tried to understand what I said.

I sighed before saying, "When I was around five, I was in a car accident. I suffered a traumatic brain injury. To this day I have to deal with incredibly painful migraines. Which sucks, I guess. But the worst- well I don't wanna say worst because it really doesn't bother me. It's just a part of me now. What I'm trying to say is that I'm deaf."

Seeing the shocked expressions on my teammates made me hastily amend myself.

"Well, not deaf, but hard of hearing. Nearly deaf. I have hearing aids, so my condition doesn't even affect me. Or had hearing aids, I suppose," I said, discontented, "They were completely destroyed last week. In that one mission with the fire planet."

"So um, yeah," I tried to end the awkward ass monologue I was delivering, "That's why I've been off the past week. I can't hear shit."

My lame attempt at a joke fell to deaf ears (pun intended) was met with silence.

The fact that none of my teammates were speaking, and instead staring at me was just fucking dandy. Great for the anxiety.

I mean I was just hard of hearing, no reason to have a brain hemorrhage.

"If you guys wouldn't mind saying something, that'd be great." I fiddled with my sleeves.

Keith shook his head before saying, "Um, okay. That's a lot to process. But uh, why didn't you tell us?"

I chuckled nervously before saying, "The Garrison isn't all too keen on any kind of disabilities. So, if they found out about me they'd throw me out. Which means I can't become a pilot."

Shiro's arm clamped down on my shoulder.

"You can trust us. Believe me, I know how the Garrison is probably more than anyone else."

I nodded, feeling lighter than I had in a long while.

"You absolute fucking dumbass!" Pidge spit out, "If you would have told me I could have made you hearing aids within an hour, and you wouldn't off been hurt."

Well actually, Pidge threw words at me so fast that all I could gather was "fucking dumbass... told... hearing... hour... been..."

"Uhh...." I started, "I can read lips but that was too fast."

Hunk tapped my wrist to grab my attention before signing to me what they said.

I dropped my gaze before apologizing, "I'm really sorry, okay? I was an idiot who made a dumb decision."

"As long you know that you're an idiot, we're cool," Keith smiled.

I couldn't help the grin that took over my face from his words.

The gremlin shook their head before saying, "Whatever, I can use the information from the cryo pod to make a pair of hearing aids."

With that, Pidge left the room, presumably going to the huge room they had claimed as their workstation.

I was hella tired so Hunk and I decided to chill in the common room for a few hours.

Hunk was signing to me about what new ingredients he'd invented and how he thought he could make a cake out of them when Keith entered the room and waved me over.

I excuse myself from Hunk before meeting Keith in the hallway.

"I'd like to apologize for being an ass this past week," Keith spoke and to my absolute shock, signed along as well.

"How did you?" I sputtered.

Keith smiled sheepishly, "One of my foster families had a deaf son, and they taught me how. I actually was in my room these past two hours trying to brush up on it."

His hangs smoothly formed the words with a precision that only a person who had signed for a long time were able to manage.

I smiled so wide I thought my cheeks were going to rip, tears began to form in the corners of my eyes.

"That's one of the sweetest things someones ever done for me, thank you so much," I cried while trying to wipe away any stray tears with my sleeves.

"And you're forgiven by the way," I offhandedly commented.

I was about to try and start some sort of conversation with a (probably) awkward starter when I caught Keith's gaze.

He was intensely staring into my eyes, lost in thought, and I couldn't help but lose myself as well.

His dark grey eyes swam with flecks of purples. They shone with hidden emotions, passionate emotions.

Slowly, without even realizing, our bodies gravitated slowly to one another.

His eyes flicked down to my lips just as my own gaze was distracted by the luscious red of his lips.

Gradually, I began to lean down, edging closer until our noses were a hair's breadth apart. My eyes fluttered close as I was about to meet his lips.

"Lance, guess what?!" came Pidge's boisterous voice from down the hallway.

Keith and I scrambled apart. I launched myself so hard that I actually fell on my ass with a painful thump.

"Why are you on the floor, weirdo?" Pidge questioned with a chuckle.

"I, uh tripped..." I lamely explained as I stood up.

Pidge rolled their eyes before handing out to small white buds and dropping them into my hands.

My eyes widened as I placed them in my ears, and sound completely returned to my ears.

"I tricked them out," Pidge gloated with a grin, "They're practically indestructible."

I smiled, looking down at the ground, "Thanks, Pidge."

"No problem," Pidge responded before heading to the common room to talk with Hunk.

I turned back towards to Keith, whose cheeks were dusted in an adorable scarlet.

"Wanna walk with me to my room?" I asked shyly.

Keith nodded sheepishly before tentatively holding his hand out.

Swallowing down my anxiety, I grasped his smaller hand and reveled in the feeling all the way back to my quarters.

And maybe a little longer too.

[bites-kms]

Hong Kong Day 1

HK Itinerary for a Long Weekend ::: Day #1 out of 3

I arrived to the airport and everything went as smooth as possible. My friend Ria told me to get the a special pass for the train that allows me a round trip to the airport on this amazing, first class train, and unlimited MTR rides for three days. That was perfect! The exact amount I needed. So I went off the arrivals lounge and the ticket counter was expecting me. Voila!

I exchanged some more money just in case and I went to the station. Everything was smooth and perfect. The train and the seats are better than some business class airlines options I unfortunately flew on ( I dont wanna give out names but it starts with S and finishing with Audia). My first impressions were already superb. Some old buildings merging with the clear water bay, fishing and cargo ships, blue sunny sky - not that common in a polluted city that gets the smog from Mainland China more often than usual-. I arrived to Hong Kong station after 25 minutes on the express train and connected to Central Station. After my experience in STHLM, I’m glad that in another countries they call out different names for different stations, even if its a different part of the station (Yes, I’m talking about you freaking T-Centralen and Central Station!). So, from HK to Central, I took the blue line straight to my wonderful apartment in Sai Ying Pun. I did no research about the area, but as always, ended up with more luck than most of people and this was a lovely neighborhood. My host Yin was also fantastic: she drafted a whole word doc explaining how to get to her place from Central Station so it was quite easy to find without GPS nor phone, as I usually like to travel. I recognize the usefulness of it though, it's convenient, since it makes it easier to find places and you never get lost, but I also found myself looking down on the phone, instead of actually looking around, loving my surroundings and living the city that I came to see instead of paying attentions to the screen. So yes.. here I am writing about it, hopefully for you to check it on your phone, but I also suggest you to take your time, read it before and/or after but when you are here, put it down -it’s hard since Internet is so easily to find!- and get lost. Literally, it’s the best way to find hidden gems and, what’s most important, to find yourself.

The location is great, just a few stops away from Central, - you can actually walk there, I did it once by night, it’s far but super doable!- and very residential, with nice bars and restaurants around. The bad part, intense and I mean INTENSE hills around, not suitable for backpackers nor lazy fellows. After leaving my stuff, I went back to Central and left through one of the multiple exit options I found. I really don’t remember which one, sounds like D, but I might be wrong, one of the gentle metro assistant recommended me a street - which I’m not sure If I found or not- to eat and I just went for it. 

I started strolling around Hong Kong. On the first traffic light, I was on a very popular corner, by Queen’s St. and D’Aguilar (not very Honk Kong naming jejeje) and when the lights turned green and the people started crossing like ants in every direction, I smiled and remember why I freaking love Asia with all my heart and how it’s gonna be so hard to leave. That was when I realized the hills near my place had no comparison with the ones downtown: man, it was hard. I turned onto some weird alleys, looking for food. People were all dressed up, during their work lunch break, talking on the phone, avoiding bumping into other people, checking their phones, tourists taking pictures, it was insane.

I turned and on a corner I saw this huge flamingo, and I told to myself, “ohhh yeah baby”. I went in, and it was a juice parlor. Yes, Daniela got a beautiful flamingo jasmine tea with honey peach juice and aloe pieces to calm her thirst and open even more her appetite. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introducing to Flamingo Bloom! I kept turning, now with a pink gorgeous air flamingo that discovered Hong Kong  with me throughout the day until I ended up in a crowded alley. It was full of tables and street parlors. Some restaurants. People, people everywhere (insert Buzzlightyear Meme here XD) 

I went into one restaurant and took a seat. The food wasn’t as charming and the place wasn’t as crowded as one I just saw. As a golden rule, in Asia go where people queue, it’s usually worth it. So I went. I started queuing. It wasnt a proper restaurant, but instead just few stalls around two big round tables in the street. It was noodles with whatever. Just glorious. It was a family establishment. The oldest one, probably the cool uncle, was wearing an loosen Hawaiian shirt, with a hat put backwards, with glasses and shouting the menu. Priceless.

I got my noodles. I ordered them with wan tongs and meat. They were yummy and I made two new friends; one at the queue where he explained how good the pork and cow’s internal organs went with the noodle soup and another lady who I constantly annoyed with my elbow, hitting her chopsticks. I had a glorious custard egg tar on the famous Tai Cheong Bakery.  It had all the elements a simple good egg tart should have: warmth, buttery crumbly crust with a silky smooth eggy filling. It was delicious.

I was with no phone still and decided to start walking to what I thought was a cool street. Indeed it was. Hollywood walk or Antique St is a long street full with old warehouses with crafts and antiques from the British era, and yes, as nice and expensive as this sounds. I followed some street signs and ended up in one of the most famous temples in HK. The incense scent was intense and penetrating. Man Mo Temple is magnetic. There was no way to avoid it and to get immerse into it. Almost as a Bites&Kms tradition, I went on and turned three on, making a wish. It was what I thought was my last wish in Asia, (but of course, knowing me I went twice in Singapore afterwards). 

I kept discovering on what they claim to be the “longest stairs” but I tend to disagree. It’s a long corridor with many stairs, but since the staris are cut, I do not consider them as the longest. Maybe the longest complex of electric stairs in the world. That I can buy :). Anyways, they call it Middle and High levels because they are the easiest way to deal with the hills and there are a lot of bars and shophouses around them. After a very, VERY long day, flying at 5 am in the morning and walking non-stop like a crazy person, my legs started to shake and shiver due to the tiredness. I really needed to stop. So I did what any western would do: get a long, relaxing foot massage here! It was soooo good that I felt asleep! And between you and me, I hate sleeping during the massages, it’s the biggest FOMO syndrome of the history of times but I just feel that I do not enjoy it or appreciate it as I should If I passed out so I tend to avoid it. But this time, it was sooo good and I was so exhausted that I couldnt fight it. So, it wasnt just a foot massage, let me rephrase that, it was the best foot massage I got in my life! Maybe was because I was super tired, but seriously speaking, the therapist was really good, she did know where to press and the exact perfect amount of pressure on each place, merging the perfect amount of relaxation, acupuncture, Chinese wisdom, physical therapy and love. 

I kept walking around Central and had some happy hours drink around Lan Kwai Fong but decided to explore the port area a little bit more. Later on I realized you actually gotta cross over Victoria’s Harbour in order to have the great view but anyways, was pretty cool to be actually immerse between the buildings. I wondered around the city, enjoying its lights and shapes. I went home early, around 9ish 10ish coz I really wanted to rest to enjoy tomorrow. But this looks like a promising three-intense- days ahead!! What I great choice I made, I’m so happy to be here!

Thank you Hong Kong!