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setterspirit · 4 years ago

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play date with raden

tw; some more serious topics; mentions of drinking, teen pregnancy, etc.

❥ ‑‑‑‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑

“unless raden and you want to go to the park, that was the plan, yes,” you reply, nodding slowly and eyeing your son who seemed unfazed by your look of... disgust.

“then i can wear these!” eito declared, punching his fist in the air in triumph, heading over to his legos.

“no, absolutely not,” you insist, shaking your head vigorously and shooing your son back into his room, this time following him to pick out the outfit he would wear today.

“but mama, i want to wear these,” the five year old pouts, a frown on his face as he looks anywhere but at you.

“and i’m saying you cannot,” you reply firmly, placing the clothes you’d picked out on his bed. “i’m amending the rule i made concerning those-” you gesture to the pants he’s wearing, unsure what to even call them. “monstrosities,” you settle on. “you can wear those only around the house if it’s just the two of us.”

“what if uncle kei, uncle kenji, uncle kanji, uncle taka, uncle ken, or auntie mai are here?” the young boy questions, knowing he doesn’t have to look so nice with them.

at “uncle ken” you freeze, eyeing your son curiously. kentarō had only recently allowed for eito to call him uncle, and you still weren’t used to it. he had been so uncaring in the past, often shaking you off or ignoring you whenever you would invite him to join you and the rest of the group in an outing or dinner with eito. but recently, he’d been more willing to go, and at first it had thrown you off, but you eventually got used to it, often enjoying his company when he would join your group.

“yeah, those are the only exemptions,” you finally answered with a tight lipped smile. “now please be a good boy and change before raden gets here,” you finished, turning around and walking out of eito’s room, closing your eyes in exasperation once you’d reached the livingroom. god, sometimes being a mother was difficult, but you honestly wouldn’t change it for anything.

before you can get too lost in your thoughts, a knock at the door sounded, signaling that raden and his parents had arrived. eito, having changed into the clothes you’d picked out for him, raced to the door, excitedly pulling the door open to reveal the smiling face of his best friend and his slightly tired looking mother.

smiling at the woman as she watched her son race away to start playing with the legos eito had abandoned earlier, you offered to let her in, smiling and leading her to the dining room when she accepted your offer.

you were so thankful to the nishimura family, who’d been skeptical about leaving their child alone with you at first, but had soon warmed up to you when they realized just how much you loved and cared for eito. you didn’t blame them for having their skepticisms, it was only natural the family get to know you better before they leave their child in your care. you were, after all, only 20 when you’d first met them. leaving two toddlers with a 20 year old single mother was nerve wracking to any parent, young or old. so they hung out with you, invited you over to have dinner with them, observed how you interacted with their son and your own. for a 20 year old, you were quite mature, probably due to the fact you were raising eito alone.

“so, how have you been, l/n-san?” she questioned, fully turning her attention towards you.

“i’ve been good! i recently reconnected with an old friend, so that’s been keeping me in a happy mood,” you replied with a bright smile. the woman across from you observed your shift in features, from your usual soft smile to a bright, genuinely beaming smile.

“really? who is this ‘old friend?’” the woman questioned, interested to know what kind of person could make your mood shift so much.

“suna rintarō,” you replied excitedly, watching as nishimura’s eyes widened upon the realization of who you were talking about.

“hold on, suna rintarō, as in ejp raijin’s middle blocker suna rintarō?” she questioned in disbelief, with you nodding your head excitedly in response.

“yeah, we used to live next to each other and we went to the same elementary school before i left japan,” you responded, nishimura’s full attention now on you. “i don’t know how he found me, but he did, and we’ve been catching up since that big msby vs adlers game.”

“how do you mean, big?” the woman questioned, eyebrow raised questioningly.

“oh, you didn’t know? that game was like a huge one for old rivals,” you replied. she knew you knew a few famous volleyball players, she did follow your twitter, after all, but she didn’t know that you pretty much knew all the big names in the volleyball world now. “kageyama, ushijima, and hoshiumi used to be rivals, not just with each other, but also with four of the starters on the jackals team, too. sakusa, bokuto, miya atsumu, and hinata. that game was hinata’s welcome back to japan, in a way, and he was playing against his high school setter, kageyama tobio.”

nishimura nodded, intrigued. “and you know them all because?” she wasn’t trying to say you were lying, she would never call you a liar, she was simply curious to know how you knew all of this.

“i was a manager for date tech,” you replied with a small laugh. “and my cousin plays on the sendai team, the frogs, and he played on the same high school team as kageyama and hinata.” let’s just chalk it up to the fact you had a lot of connections to professional volleyball players.

you continued to talk a bit, pausing to watch your sons before nishimura received a text from her husband, asking where she was. it was nearing noon when she finally had to leave, so you bid her goodbye before preparing lunch for yourself, eito, and raden — mac & cheese because what 5 year old didn’t love mac & cheese?

the rest of the day passed rather uneventfully, eito and raden continuing to play with the legos tsukishima had bought eito, with you going around the house tidying things up or cleaning little messes you found they’d made. often times, you’d find yourself texting suna, too, catching up with him during his breaks between practices.

by the time dinner came around, raden had been picked up and taken home, the boys promising they’d see each other again at school. once he’d gone, you had eito clean up his toys that he and raden had missed, helping your son out so you guys could hurry over to mai’s for a dinner and game night with the boys.

TALK ABOUT SURPRISES

[ masterlist | eight | nine | ten ]

word count; 1.5k+

fast facts;

fact #1; there’s a HUGE difference between the way y/n acted in elementary school vs how she acted in high school. she was always the more timid between her and suna, so hearing her say she would willingly go to parties threw suna for a loop.

fact #2; futakuchi was a semi-bad influence in high school, but he mellowed out more in third year because of his newfound title as the vbc captain. that didn’t stop y/n from partying, though, as she sometimes needed to blow off steam and parties were the easiest way.

fact #3; y/n has only had one relationship, the one person being eito’s sperm donor. he walked out on the relationship when y/n told him she was pregnant, so now she’s worried about getting back into a relationship, especially because now she also has to think about eito’s feelings.

fact #4; the nishimura’s have been a huge help to y/n as she raised eito. they’ve given her helpful tips and watched after eito when she needed a babysitter and aiko was busy.

✨) summary; l/n y/n is a single mother living with her 5 year old son in sendai. suna rintarō is a professional volleyball player, the middle blocker for the ejp raijin. the msby black jackals vs the schweiden adlers is a game between two of japan’s v league division 1 teams that bring together many old rivals. y/n is dragged to the game by her cousin, tsukishima kei, claiming she needed to get out and do more than just work and take care of her child. reluctantly, she goes along with the usually salty blond — leaving her 5 year old with a babysitter — to watch the game between two of tsukishima’s ex-teammates. suna makes the executive decision that he will be going to the game to support his former teammate and setter, miya atsumu, with komori asking if he could accompany the middle blocker so he could support his cousin, suna readily agrees and they also invite washio to go with them, knowing he’d want to see bokuto as well. a chance encounter at the game of old reunions brings together two old friends and feelings start to re-emerge. follow y/n and suna as they get to know each other again, fend off any unwanted attention, and work through parenthood in “talk about surprises!”

a/n; some suna x y/n content in the beginning, mama y/n and eito content at the end. i’m really sorry if you want more suna content! i just wanted to show y/n and how she is as a mother. next few chapters should be a rollercoaster, you’ll see. 👀 see ya in the next update, loves! 🤍✨

updates every monday!

taglist; @pieckiya @its-the-aerieljeane @amatee @crayonwriting @reblogthatgoodfanfiction @mint-mai @akaashiwife @kac-chowsballs @sugarb0 @bdanie @the-golden-jhope @goodpop9 @navymacaroons @tendo-sxtori @sirachano0dles @seijqhigh @hannahlxu @mattsunsupremacy @winunk @briidge @kageyamasgirl @yongboxerrr @kiyoovmie @elianetsantana @ofmiceandsharks @bokutokita @honeydrip @tycrackculture @madmelle @kitkozume @gushinim @luckypartyranchmug @kenssister @matsukawaslut @smthn-about-smthn @devilkittymusic @tsukkisfatsimp @k3nma-fairy

bold and strike through means i couldnt tag. ):

check the masterlist to see how you may be added to the taglist. <3

#talk about surprises #haikyuu!!#haikyuu #haikyuu social media au #haikyuu smau #haikyuu suna #haikyuu suna rintarō #haikyuu suna rintarou #suna rintarou #suna rintarō #suna rintarou x reader #suna rintarō x reader #suna rintarou smau #suna rintarō smau #pro volleyball!suna #suna x reader #suna x y/n

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tashaalyssa · 4 years ago

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Our Earth-Bound Angel: An Open Letter to Misha Collins

September 18, 2008. It was a Thursday.

A simple, ordinary day. Most of us went to work, or school and when we came home, we were so excited to sit down and watch the new episode of this little show we were all kind of obsessed with called Supernatural. You might have heard of it, two annoyingly handsome brothers, a ’67 chevy impala, saving people, hunting things, the family business? Yeah, that’s the one. All I remember is having a ton of uni work to do, and Supernatural was always one of my favourite ways to procrastinate starting my assignments. Little did I know that on this particular Thursday, I and the rest of the world, including the Winchesters, would be introduced to a strange, stoic, ocean-blue-eyed, trench coat wearing being by the name of Castiel, Angel of the Lord.

As I sit here today, in November of 2020, hands down the strangest year I have been alive to witness and fifteen years after this incredible, groundbreaking show aired, I wait with anticipation, heartbreak and a grateful heart as the final episode hits our screens. I’m on the rollercoaster of emotions, as is the rest of the SPN family. Sam and Dean Winchester, and Castiel, have been so much more than television characters to so many people. They’ve been role models, safe places, escapes, friends we could always turn too when we felt alone. They’ve fought heaven, hell and everything in between, all while helping us fight the demons that a lot of us deal with everyday; depression, anxiety, repression, silence, violence, cruelty and bullying. Which brings me to why I'm writing this epistle.

While Supernatural and it’s characters have been a crux of support, for me, there has been one soul at the centre of what I can only describe as a shift in perspective, mindset and spirituality that has changed the way I think, the way I live my life, the way I perceive the world and the way in which I am consciously aware. That soul is Misha Collins.

Misha is the kind, genuine, incredible, humble human being who brought Castiel to life. He took this iconic angel through his journey from stoic, unwavering, unfeeling solider to the caring, loving, brave, loyal man he is today. Cas gave all of us who lived in the shadows a voice, he was a lost soul who fought for good, for love and for family at every turn. He discovered himself, he figured out right from wrong, figured out emotions, how to be and how to love, he figured out what truly made him happy, his love for a single human being. Cas is the embodiment of growth, of acceptance and of love. He is, and will forever be, one of the most groundbreaking characters to ever grace our screens (pun not intended, but I'll take it), and it's an astonishing and beautiful legacy to leave behind.

But the real earth-bound angel is Misha, the person.

Misha has impacted and changed so many lives all around the world, not just with his character, but with who he is, what he fights for, and how he inspires. When he speaks, we listen. Where he leads, we follow. He has changed my life in monumental ways and it's interesting to think that a single person, who I've never even had the privilege to meet in person, has been able to change my entire life for the better. There is nobody quite like Misha; he's a change maker, an advocate, an educator, an activist, a philanthropist, an absolute force to be reckoned with. I’ve never seen someone who uses their power and platform of celebrity the way he does; to fight for good, to fight for change and truly make a difference on both massive and small scales. He has brought about more kindness, and more social and political change than I ever thought possible.

In 2010, Misha, with help from the SPN Family, founded a non-profit organisation called Random Acts, which was the result of an immediate need to help those who had been affected by the earthquakes in Haiti at the time. Random Acts is an entirely volunteer-run organisation aiming to inspire change and help make a difference in people’s lives through acts of kindness. I have been working at Random Acts going on four years now. In that time, I have seen and been apart of so much good, so much kindness, it has truly lifted my soul and filled my heart at a deep level. I’ve been able to work with some of the greatest human beings on the planet, and many of them who have become close friends. Those who I can talk too when things are rough, those who know life can be hard, but they always have your back. I cherish them, I feel blessed everyday to know them, and without Misha and his desire to do good, I would never have found this amazing family. How does one even begin to say thank you for that?

For those of you who don’t know much about Random Acts, we are a non-profit organisation dedicated to conquering the world with kindness, one act at a time - and let me tell you, that’s exactly what we’re doing. The people in this organisation work tirelessly to save the world every single day. We’ve helped suffering communities rebuild their towns, homes and schools, our partnerships with GISH* and The Legacy of War Foundation* in the Change A Life project has seen over $750,000 raised for those in need. Let’s also not forget the development of the Random Acts COVID-19 Support Program and the SPN Family Crisis Support Network*, which is dedicated to promoting awareness and providing resources to all those suffering from mental health issues, self-harm, depression, bullying and addiction. This year we are celebrating 10 years of kindness, and if you would like to know more about how to get involved or contribute to our anniversary campaign, you can do so here: https://www.randomacts.org/ten-years-of-kindness/

But wait, there’s more, because that’s just who Misha is, like I said, a force to be reckoned with. Let’s face it, 2020 has been a nightmare on an epic scale; COVID, racism, violence, the U.S presidency and the election, you name it, we’ve done it. Throughout this year, most of us felt our hope slip away bit by bit, the more we tried to fight, the more it felt like we lost. It felt as though the world was burning and we couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it. I think I finally understood how Sam, Dean and Cas felt at the brink of every apocalypse they ever faced, because that is truly what this year was; the apocalypse. But whenever things got really tough, whenever I didn’t know what to do, or how to react or how to make it better, I knew I could turn to Misha, because he would have the answer. His light, his wisdom and his capacity for hope and goodness was never short of a miracle, and it was what got me through most of those gut-wrenching, 'I can’t do this’ days.

Misha is the type of person who acts on what he believes in, he is the person encouraging people to vote, providing resources and the information needed to make sure your votes were counted. He has had Random Acts volunteers bring snacks to people who were waiting in voting lines, he rallied his friends and the SPN Family to set up the SPN Phone Bank, he hosted the SPNVotes Zoom GOTV rally and episode watch party, and has provided us with Senate candidates and House of Representatives candidates lives and zoom talks so we can be as informed as possible. And that was just for the election. When the Black Lives Matter movement was at it’s height, Misha did everything in his power to educate, to assist and to fight for the rights of others: the GISH Change A Life project raised over $50,000 to fight malaria in Africa with Nothing But Nets and over $122,000 for Cut50 and Dream Corps' to help fight for criminal justice reform, he also provided us with access to discussions with senators and prominent leaders in social change so that we can be educated and so we can educate others on the serious issues that plague our society.

I could go on and on about this man, because the above only scratches the surface of what Misha has done for the world. I have never had someone impact my way of thinking and way of being on such an epic scale. Most of you who know me know that first and foremost, I’m an actor and I’m a writer. The inspiration that Misha has brought to my creative process is a feat in itself. To be able to watch an actor take a guest-star role and turn it into not just a main character, but a phenomenal example of development, growth and creativity has forever changed the way I approach a script and a character. The choices I’ve seen Misha make as Cas, all versions of, have both truly astounded and surprised me, I look up to Misha as an actor because he’s so uniquely creative. He’s not afraid to try things, he’s not afraid to push the envelope and get out of his comfort zones. He knows character and story so very well, he knows exactly how to use the full spectrum of emotions exactly when needed, and he has what I can only think to describe as ‘presence’, as ‘energy’ that radiates off the screen. Watching Misha play, develop and grow the essence that is Cas’ has been an educating and enlightening experience to watch as an actor.

For me as a human being, Misha has flipped the way I view the world and humanity on its head. He has this unbridled passion for life - and I don’t just mean in the sense that he loves life - I mean in the way where being around him, or listening to him, makes every person accountable for kindness and responsible for change. It’s not possible to follow Misha as a person and as an actor without being so heavily impacted by his views, his life, his art, his work, his capacity for good, everything. You don’t see that everyday. We don’t have enough of those kinds of leaders in our lives, and in a world where division and chaos is rife, people like Misha are our chance to save it. He is already so heavily impacting the way in which the next generation is going to behave, they are turning to him now to see how to be, what to do, how to make the world better. And he is teaching them and showing them the way and I couldn’t be prouder to call this man my idol.

So this is my thank you, in the best way I know how. In case nobody’s told you lately Misha, you are one of a kind. They broke the mould when they made you. You are the kindest, most inspiring soul and this world is so lucky and so blessed to have you. I feel privileged that I get to share a planet with you, and that I get to be living on this earth at the same time as you. You’ve changed the world, changed me, and changed all of us for the better. You’ve opened our eyes to issues and concerns, whether it be social, environmental, political or otherwise that we may not have understood or given much thought to before you showed us why we should. You’ve made us feel safe, you’ve given us the space and room to be ourselves, to not be ashamed of being different or unique. You have never judged us, but you have always encouraged and supported us. You have this beautiful way of talking to people, of using words to encourage and inspire and motivate us to be the change, to do the good, and to fight the fight. You light up any room you’re in or screen that you’re on, you make us smile and laugh, and when we feel down or low, it is you we turn too. Maybe you truly do have angel grace inside of you. You are the example to which I live my life by, and the standard to which I hold myself accountable. I hope one day to be even half the human being you are. I’m beyond grateful for everything you’ve taught me, about life, about acting, about being a good human, about being yourself and being the good you want to see in the world.

Thank you for Cas. Thank you for Random Acts and the Crisis Network. Thank you for GISH and the Change A Life project. Thank you for teaching me how to be better. Thank you for caring about the world. Thank you for your hope, wisdom and kindness. Thank you for changing the world. Thank you for saving our lives. Thank you for changing my life. Thank you for being you.

Some heroes don’t wear capes, some wear trenchcoats.

You are my hero. You are truly an angel, there is no fiction about that.

I love you.

xxx

* GISH: The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt, also founded and run by Misha, is an annual event that mixes the weird, the magical, the strange and the brilliant into one big machine that uses playfulness and creativity to spread kindness: https://www.gish.com/

* The Legacy of War Foundation: Co-founded by the incredible soul that is Giles Duley, to help empower and rebuild the lives of those who have been affected by conflict and violence: https://www.legacyofwarfoundation.com/

* SPN Family Crisis Network: Founded by Misha and fellow actors, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki upon listening to the stories told to them by the fans about their personal struggles with mental health issues, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts/attempts, self-harm, and addiction in order to support and help fans cope with such issues: https://www.imalive.org/, https://twloha.com/, and https://www.randomacts.org/random-acts-support-network/

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hedwigstalons · 4 years ago

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High Expectations - Ch15

Yup, this beast is still going and still growing. Life sapped my energy so it has been a lot longer between updates than I would have liked but I’ve been experimenting with writing out of sequence to make use of whatever creativity I can grasp. The plus side of this is that ch16 is in the editing stages and ch17 is also half written. But anyway....it’s taken a while but here is ch15 in the saga that has become affectionately termed ‘Bad Jeff’.

@willow-salix has been wonderful at helping be fix the plot holes and pick out the parts where I contradicted myself. I now have a proper timeline though (funky multicoloured spreadsheet and everything) so I shouldn’t tie myself in knots so much with the boys ages and milestones.

Earlier parts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen

AO3 chapter link

Chapter Fifteen

The incoming call notification had Virgil scrambling for his phone, fumbling with the handset while trying to swipe a call accept icon that suddenly seemed too small and fiddly to be practical. It took him three hasty attempts before managing to complete the action correctly, allowing him to finally speak to the brother who had been frustratingly out of contact. Scott had been in LA for three days and Virgil was now desperate for news but he had promised he wouldn’t interfere lest he call at the wrong moment and inflame matters further. It had been a nail-biting wait, forcing himself to be patient and trust Scott to call when he could.

“Scott, how is it?” It took him a moment to register that the face on the screen wasn’t Scott’s despite what the caller ID proclaimed. “Gordon?” He was surprised to see a younger brother rather than an older one.

“Don’t sound so pleased to see me.” There was an air of the old teasing Gordon making a slow return.

“Sorry. Of course I’m pleased to see you,” and he genuinely was, the face that looked back at him was still too thin and pale for comfort but the hair was clean again and the eyes had lost their haunted glaze, “I just wasn’t expecting it. Where’s Scott?”

“He’s here too.” The scene on Virgil’s screen shifted quickly as the handset at the other end was spun round to reveal its rightful owner who gave a little wave. “He said he was going to call you so I asked if I could go first.”

“Well, how are you?”

“I’m....okay.” Virgil had made him promise in the past not to lie about how he was feeling, it was one of the reasons he had been pulling away; it didn’t count as lying if you just omitted the truth. “It’s been a strange few days.”

“I’ll bet.”

“For a start I’ve found out that flyboy over there gets ever so twitchy if anyone else is at the controls of a plane. You’d best hope you never have to take him as a passenger in that bumble bee of yours if it ever gets off the drawing board. Or was it more like a turtle, that beast was green wasn’t it?” The look of fear that crossed Virgil’s face would have been comical if it wasn’t so genuine and Gordon was given the sudden reminder that, as far as Virgil was concerned, he wasn’t meant to know about their father’s vision. He was quick with his reassurances. “It’s okay, Dad told me about his rescue plans”

“He still won’t tell Alan though” Scott called out from across the room, “Dad has taken him out to fetch ice cream so we can talk freely for a few minutes.”

“Ice cream?”

“Yeah, I think he’s just trying to cover some of his own guilt. He’s still no Dad of the year though.” Scott's tone was derisive and Virgil could tell that tensions must still be running high. “He’s going to have to tell him sooner or later, he can’t just spring it on the kid that he is being dragged out of school and shunted across the world when the island move happens.”

“What, you mean like he gave us time to prepare for the move to LA?” Gordon snorted. “I don’t know about you guys but me and Alan didn’t exactly get much warning when we left Kansas.”

This surprised the older two who had known all about the plan, the many arguments were etched in their memories. In this case the problem child had been John. Scott had been making the transition from university to the Air Force and Virgil had been busy preparing for his studies at Denver but John had been on a path that didn’t align with their father’s business plans. The fifteen year old, with a coveted place at Harvard nearly in his grasp, had begged to stay so he could finish high school without interruptions; he had worked hard to stay two grades ahead of the curve and an inter-state move could undo it all. Of course letting John live alone had been out of the question, and Jeff had not been prepared to delay the move, leading to flares of temper and defiance that none of them had realised the middle child was capable of. It was only when Grandma stepped in, offering to return from New Mexico to become custodian of the farm and care for John during that final year that their father relented. With all of the concerns over John and his university dreams it hadn’t occurred to either of them that the youngest two hadn’t been told about the move. Evidently their father’s policy of ‘need to know’ was long running.

“Don’t worry Gords, Scott and I will make sure that Alan gets told. If Dad’s idea happens, and knowing Dad it probably will, Alan won’t just have another move sprung on him. I promise.” There was sincere honesty in those deep brown eyes and Gordon gave a subtle nod of thanks. “So tell me everything that has been happening over the last few days.”

Gordon recounted everything that had happened since Scott’s arrival, prompted by said older brother if he missed anything out. Virgil winced at the revelations. Even with the sanitised highlights he could tell that the last few days had been an emotional rollercoaster. In some cases the revelations were beyond his worst fears and he couldn’t help feeling proud of his little brother who had been living through harder circumstances than any of them had imagined.

“Which brings us to today,” Gordon brought the tale up to the present, “Dad’s decided I need to learn to fly seeing as this island he’s chosen isn’t exactly on the commercial air routes. Alan’s going to start learning too; Dad wasn’t happy about that idea but Scott reminded him that he started learning at Alan’s age. You should have seen him up there, Alan is an absolute natural.” Gordon’s voice glowed with pride at the achievements of his little brother.

“You didn’t do badly yourself” Scott cut in from across the room.

“So why were your knuckles white the whole time?”

“Hey, as you said, I just like being the one in control. It was no different when Dad was piloting and he’s clocked up more flight hours than the rest of us put together.”

“I can just imagine it” Virgil snorted, “you should’ve seen him supervising John when he was learning to drive.”

Gordon glanced across at Scott who had visibly paled at the memory, before turning his attention back to Virgil. “So yeah, I’ve now got to fit in pilot training and exams around getting back up to strength for WASP selection.”

“And WASP is definitely what you want? You aren’t just going along with it so you can get away from Dad? I know you’ll be able to do it, but please don’t enlist unless you’re really sure.”

Gordon wasn’t sure if that was the concerned older brother or the family pacifist speaking; WASP was still military after all and Virgil had made no secrets of his thoughts in that direction. But equally Virgil knew how stubborn he was and how he would never back down from a challenge and had managed to resolve his difference with Scott over the Air Force so he chalked the questions up to brotherly concern.

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s a good life Virg, something I can really make a career out of and the opportunities for officers…”

“Officer?” This definitely surprised the distant sibling. The widened eyes elicited a slight blush from Gordon.

“Um, yeah, that was Scott’s idea.” He was still having a little trouble reconciling himself to the notion that he was cut out to lead.

“Not just my idea” said brother called out from his perch on the bed, “the Marineville lot wanted to transfer you to officer training too. This time round you’ll just be applying for the officer steam from the beginning.”

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” Gordon shot Scott a glare of mock indignation, earning a chuckle from Virgil “it’s a good life. And yes, this time I’ll be trying out as an officer. I’ll have to redo the aptitude tests, different benchmarks and all that, but we’ve been looking into it and my scores were already at the right level. There’s just one additional aptitude test for officers that I never took before. I’ve tried an online practice test and did ok so I should be alright. I’m booked in to take it for real in a fortnight. After that it’s selection at Marineville again and then hopefully I’m in. It’ll take a few months but by the summer I should have my first posting. The officer intakes don’t happen as frequently as junior ranks so I’ve got time to train.”

“You seem to have it all mapped out and not a college course in sight.”

“Nope. Thanks, both of you. It’s...it’s been a hard few months and I couldn’t see a way out of it all.”

There was a noticeable slump in Gordon’s posture and the light went out of his eyes as the memories of his recent trials flooded back in. It broke Virgil’s heart to see how on a knife edge his brother still was and he knew he and Scott would need to keep a close eye on their younger sibling for a long while yet. At least Gordon had a goal to work towards again; they both knew his steely determination and drive to succeed. Once he had set his sights on a challenge nothing would stop him, the Olympics had proved that.

“Any time. And don’t be a stranger. If Dad starts getting on your case again or you just need to talk to someone you know where I am. I’ve been told my couch is pretty comfy too if this new schedule of training and flying lessons allows you any time off.”

“Admit it, you just want me back for my cooking” Gordon smirked.

“Maybe…” Virgil gave his best puppy dog eyes, eliciting a chuckle from both his brothers.

Any further chatter was interrupted by the sound of the apartment door crashing open, announcing the return of Jeff and Alan from the grocery store, followed by Alan’s shouts that if they didn’t get out there quick there would be no chocolate chip left for them. Both knew better than to treat this as an idle threat so with a hurried goodbye to Virgil they departed to claim their portions.

xoxoxox

Life soon settled into a new routine. Jeff still rarely made it back for dinner, they couldn’t expect miracles over night, but he was getting better at being home before Alan went to bed at least. Gordon suspected that had something to do with the ‘discussion’ Scott had with Jeff the night before he returned to his Air Force base. The voices that drifted through the firmly shut study door had shown a flare of temper from both sides and Gordon had been grateful Alan was already in bed and so not around to witness the argument. It was just as well Tracys were good at putting on a front, by the morning of Scott’s departure the tension had been firmly suppressed and Alan had been able to say goodbye to his eldest brother without any hint of bad feeling spoiling the moment.

Where life before the Olympics had been a mix of school and swimming, so life for Gordon going forwards became a mix of physical training and flight theory with time in the air thrown in at the weekends. He passed the WASP officer aptitude test easily enough but the next available selection course date wasn’t until after his birthday, leaving him with several months to focus on gaining the appropriate endorsements on his pilot’s licence to allow him to transport himself to and from his father’s intended island base.

Gordon wasn’t bad at flying but he didn’t possess the raw natural talent of his youngest sibling. He was competent and thorough with a steady hand but he couldn’t miss the looks of pride Jeff directed towards Alan as yet again the youngest of the family performed a manoeuvre as if he had been at the control yoke since birth. It didn’t stop at looks either, all too often Gordon found himself on the receiving end of an unfavourable comparison only this time it was against his younger brother as opposed to his older ones and the arena was cockpit rather than classroom performance. Evidently, for Jeff, old habits were hard to quell.

This time though Gordon wasn’t facing his troubles alone. Scott would check in with him occasionally until an overseas posting took him out of contact but Virgil was his real lifeline. Virgil made sure there was never more than a week between calls and often the gaps were smaller if he sensed Gordon slipping back and becoming more distant. The brother who had taken on the role of counselor seemed to have an uncanny intuition when it came to Gordon’s mood.

The extended time around his father however was still proving difficult and Gordon found himself eagerly boarding a flight to Denver to catch a much needed break.

As ever, Virgil was there to meet him at the airport.

“Good flight?”

“It was ok.”

“Not tempted to crash the cockpit then?”

Gordon just rolled his eyes and carried on out to the taxi ranks. To his surprise though Virgil directed the cab to take them to the smaller private airfield out of town rather than the apartment.

“Sorry Gords” he got in response to his querying look. “You know Dad said you gotta keep up your air time and this was the only runway slot I could get.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the deal.” One of the conditions of a weekend with Virgil was that he got some time in the sky to make up for the lesson he was missing with his father. “Are you alright with me taking up your baby?”

“I trust you” Virgil shrugged. He wasn’t quite as in love with and overprotective of his plane as Scott was of his, but neither was he going to let on to Gordon that he had had a long and in depth discussion with their father about Gordon’s ability and competence before he had agreed to help with Gordon’s pilot education.

Gordon always thought it odd that Virgil had a plane but didn’t bother to run his own car, although the longer he spent in the air the more he could see the appeal. Scott of course had always loved flight and it was no surprise to anyone that a big proportion of his allowance went on maintaining a craft that screamed billionaire playboy. Virgil’s choice was more subtle and practical, if operating your own private plane counted as practical; perfect for hopping around the country from his central base in Denver to visit family on his own schedule. Despite also being in possession of big enough allowance to afford it John had neither car nor plane having declared that flying commercial was much more sensible for his main coast to coast journey and he wasn’t one for pleasure flying; he was much more interested in what lay outside the atmosphere, far beyond the reach of a mere plane.

At the airfield Virgil maneuvered his little hopper out of the hanger he stored her in and then passed control over to Gordon.

“Go on then, show me what you can do” Virgil prompted after giving Gordon a quick rundown of the specific take off speed and other essential details he would need to operate the plane safely. He settled back in the co-pilot's chair, exuding a calm confidence despite itching to keep his hands on the controls; Gordon might be his brother and Jeff had given assurances that all would be well but Virgil was still uncomfortably aware that he has supervising an unlicensed novice pilot.

His fears were soon dispelled once Gordon started going through the motions in textbook fashion including performing his own pre-flight checks despite having watched those same checks being performed just a few minutes earlier. A short burst down the runway and they were up in the air. It wasn’t graceful and Gordon lacked the finesse that came with experience but Virgil was pleasantly surprised at the amount of progress Gordon had made in such a short space of time.

The problem with flying though is that unless you are practicing something like aerobatics then just keeping a plane in the air is actually pretty easy, it��s the take off and landing that takes skill. They weren’t making a journey so there was no real navigation to do beyond avoiding the restricted airspace and corridors used by the commercial flights and the weather was clear so flying by instruments was unnecessary. All in all it was a thoroughly untaxing lesson, allowing them to relax and enjoy the time together.

“So how’s your project going?” Gordon asked as he banked to avoid flying directly over a village.

“It’s okay. I’m on track to be done by the summer.”

“What will you do after that? Move back to LA or stay out here?”

“Neither, hopefully.” Gordon gave his brother a questioning glance of surprise. “Got to get space rated for Dad’s project. Me and John’ll be heading out to Tracy College for that, just waiting for confirmation of a course place.”

“Space rated?” He had realised John would need to undergo astronaut training in preparation for life on a space station but most of the project specifics were still a mystery to him.

“Yeah. Someone’s got to be able to play taxi service for John and I might need to take a rotation on call monitoring; he can’t live off planet forever.”

“Sounds like plans are really coming together for it. Does this mean Scott will need to get space rated at Tracy College too?”

“Scott…” There was a heavy pause and Gordon took his eye off the sky to regard his brother. Virgil’s brow had furrowed into a frown and when he spoke again there was a heaviness that told of hidden arguments. “Scott isn’t joining, he’s sticking to the Air Force.”

This surprised Gordon. In the few conversations he had had with his father about the project, usually confined to a cockpit where Alan couldn’t overhear, Scott was talked about like Virgil was, as a committed member of the team. His role as first responder and pilot of the envisioned rocket plane had been presented in terms of undisputed fact. No wonder the topic made Virgil look stormy, he was a peacemaker and if Scott wasn’t fitting in with their father’s vision Gordon could imagine that the arguments had been many and explosive.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

“So what’s going to happen there? Surely you can’t manage with just the three of you?”

“I don’t know. I’d like to think there is a contingency plan but Dad seems so sure Scott’s going to change his mind and do it. They’re both as stubborn as mules though and neither wants to give up their dream. It’s a good project, the tech looks amazing and we could really save lives. I can see Scott’s point though, he’s made a life for himself away from Dad and, well, you know yourself what Dad can be like for giving orders.”

Gordon knew all too well what it felt like to be on the receiving end of those orders, particularly when they were at odds with your own plans. At least Scott had the advantage of physical distance as a buffer to the disapproval and if push came to shove, if Jeff cut Scott off as punishment, the Air Force pay was enough to live on even if it meant Scott had to change his lifestyle to suit the lower budget.

Gordon made the final approach back towards the airfield, diverting the full attention of both brothers to monitoring the landing. As with the take off it wasn’t polished and it wasn’t pretty but it was safe and Virgil found himself once again admiring just how far his brother had come in such a short space of time. He wondered if, given time, Gordon would join the team. Jeff hadn’t made any mention of Gordon taking on a role in the rescue organisation, even if he was now allowed to know of its existence, but there was no denying that having an extra pilot on books could only be a good thing. Maybe one day he and Gordon would fly together, the more time he spent with his brother the more he enjoyed the company although, Virgil reflected, if they were to fly as a team he would be happier if Gordon took the co-pilot’s position.

With the plane back on the ground and safely returned to her berth in the hangers Virgil pushed all thoughts of Gordon joining the rescue business out of his mind; unless their father issued the instruction there was no point even considering the option. And anyway, Gordon was heading off to the military like Scott had so who knew if he would even want to join the project. Better to just let their father know that the required flying lesson had gone without a hitch then settle back to enjoy the weekend.

#High Expectations #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Gordon Tracy #Jeff Tracy #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #brothers looking out for each other #military careers

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purplesurveys · 4 years ago

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857

Your last ex finds out you’ve fallen in love with another person? I got back with my ex and I’ve only been ~in love~ with her, so this question doesn’t apply to me at all.

When’s the last time you were surprised? Today, because I SAW GABIE. After four goddamn months!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a big surprise to see her again, even if we did plan this out yesterday. I loved every bit of the brief time we had. Still giddy as fuck.

Would you fall apart if that last person you kissed walked out of your life? Realistically it wouldn’t be the end of the world but it would still suck and I would still be devastated, of course.

What is the last non-alcoholic beverage you had? Had water after finishing my dinner, just a few minutes ago. But I’m heating up some water so I can make coffee to drink for tonight.

Your mom finds used condoms in your room, you tell her? I’ll tell her it’s probably a prank from a friend, because it most likely would be. I’ve no reason to keep condoms, used or unused. Also I’d be pretty fucking pissed with such a prank and I’m likely to have a talk with that friend.

Do you prefer pasta salad, or coleslaw? I’d go with coleslaw, mostly because I do love it anyway and kinda because I’ve never heard of pasta salad.

Do you find smoking unattractive? I don’t find it ugly but it’s not necessarily attractive either. I don’t mind it, which is a far cry from what 18 year old anti-cigarette Robyn would’ve said.

Where’s the last place you went besides your house? I went to Gab’s house this afternoon. We played dress-up games, I bought from his dad’s small business (which sells theeee best Korean street food), she told me all about her internship and showed me the different softwares she uses, and she also introduced me to transcribing websites that can pay me a bit of money every hour because we’re both panicking about our futures hahahaha. Our activities were a bit of a rollercoaster but I fucking loved it. I was so happy for those three short hours.

If you were granted one wish, what would you wish for? I would love if I could get to dine in one of my favorite restaurants again.

Could you go for the rest of your life without drinking alcohol? Yes, I can. I’m not dependent on it and mostly drink it socially, except for the times I have bottles of soju in the fridge to drink when I’m alone and just wanna chill. Also, childhood trauma because of alcoholism in the family has made me pretty firm in my decision to not fall in too deep with my drinks.

Whose bed were you on last? Just mine.

When was the last time you changed in front of someone? March, probs? I don’t do that a lot except with my best friends.

Last person you kissed, have you cried in front of them? A few hundred times.

Do you trust all of your friends? Yes. To begin with, they’re my friends because I trust them.

Do you think the last person you kissed is nice? Yes. I don’t like it when she loses her temper because it takes a while for her to be in control of it, but 99.8% of the time she’s the nicest, sweetest, and most understanding person I know.

Does anyone call you babe? Just my girlfriend, I think.

Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months without cheating? Of course. Do you think the last person you kissed is a player? Well she’s only been with me and that’s been going on for a while, so I don’t know. We’ve had ‘what if we never got back together’ conversations though and she has told me that single!her definitely would’ve dated around and fooled around, so it’s possible that she could’ve been a player.

Could you go out in public looking like you do now? I would change my shorts. My tank top is decent; it’s actually meant to be worn outside but since it’s sleeveless and thin, I’ve taken to wearing it around the house so that I look cute here as well lol. I miss dressing up.

Do you believe exes can really ever be “just friends”? I do but I also don’t. Situation’s different for everyone.

Your ex wants you back? She did four years ago.

Would you rather love one person or have many short relationships? Just the one.

Anyone say they want to be with you forever? Mmm nope. It’s okay though, not really a fan of such dialogue. I’d rather she express this thought in different, less-cliche words.

Do you remember who you liked this time 3 months ago? Gabie.

Ever dated someone who was gorgeous but they had a conceited personality? No, I never thought of her as conceited.

Last person you had a deep conversation with? Again, Gabie. We had a brief but deep conversation about our plans for the short-term future, i.e. job-hunting, the possibility of freelancing for now, etc.

Is there a member of the opposite sex on your mind? Other than my dogs, no.

Did you reject or accept your last friend request? I ignored it for the meantime, haha. I don’t know who he is but we have tons of mutual friends apparently, so I’ll ask around to see if it’s safe to add him.

Would you prefer being locked in a room with your ex or your worst enemy? Ex, because that would also mean my current girlfriend and I’d never say no to being stuck in a room with her.

Have you kissed someone in ‘09 that means a lot to you? Didn’t kiss anyone in that year.

Do you want your ex to be happy, even if it means not being with you? I don’t have an ex but if I got into this situation with Gab it’ll be a hard-pill-to-swallow kind of situation. I’d ultimately let her go but like while I’d be bitter for a while, I would accept that it’s what she wants.

What would happen if you had a baby with the last person you kissed? That’s gonna be a huge breakthrough from a biological standpoint but I think I’d be more horrified than excited? I was traumatized enough by what happened in Eraserhead, so I’ll rush to the doctors first before celebrating lol.

Would you prefer a kiss on the cheek or neck? Neck.

Would it hurt seeing the person you last kissed kissing someone else? Yup.

If the last person you kissed bumped into you at school, what would you say? “what the fuck are you doing here”

Do you have a member of the opposite sex you can tell everything to? Andrew.

Do you believe your latest ex thinks about you? So tired of explaining the whole my-ex-is-now-my-girlfriend thing over and over lol so I might just skip questions like these if they still come up.

Has the last person you kissed, met your family? She’s met them but she’s just Gabie, Robyn’s best friend since seventh grade to my family.

Have you ever received a myspace message that made you cry? I was never active on Myspace.

Name someone whose name starts with the letter “L”: Liana, my successor in my vice-presidential position in my org.

Do you think anyone has feelings for you? Yep.

Will you fall in love in the next month? I think staying in it is more apt to say.

You’re insanely drunk stumbling through the streets, slurring songs, who are you with? While I’d let myself get to that level of drunk, I definitely wouldn’t let myself go out in public because that’s just dangerous. But to slightly answer this question, I’m willing to get irresponsibly drunk with Kate, Aya, Jo, and JM. Probably not Luisa because the last time we got drunk together she held my hand and it felt so off and I just wanted to run to Gab and cry because I was so creeped out.

Next time you will kiss someone? I have no idea. In another four months, maybe?

Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed last night? I think Gab. I just said I wasn’t ok and that I’ll just go to bed.

Do you like to cuddle? Only with my person.

If an ex said they hated you, you say? -

Do you know anyone who would just drop everything to come see you? No. I think that could get pretty unhealthy.

Have you ever done something you told yourself you wouldn’t do? Tons of things. I’ve stopped saying I’ll never do this and that because I always end up doing so. In the last decade I’ve joined a college org, drank alcohol, smoked a cigarette, vaped, liked smoothies...list goes on and on.

Have you ever suspected anyone of cheating on you? Nopes.

Is there someone you used to talk to every day that you don’t talk to at all? Yeah, people have come and gone. Sofie, Athenna, Macy, Chelsea, Kaira, Fern, Gabe, Agatha, Sachi, Audrey, Angel, Andi...again. List goes on.

Could you ever be friends with the person who hurt you most in life? That would be my mom, and I am at best civil with her. We have good days but they’re rare at best. I don’t see myself ending up being best friends with her many years from now.

Can you have more than one best friend? Yup, I have two.

Has anyone said they love you in the last week? Mom, dad, Gab, Angela, Angela’s mom, and a bunch of people who congratulated me when I uploaded my grad photo on social media.

Last compliment you received? My hair.

Are you starting to realize anything? Now that I’m out of school for good and off to the real world? Absolutely.

Who was the first person you talked to today? My mom because she actually woke me up -_-

Do you think you can last in a relationship for 3 months? I’ve lasted a lot longer than that.

Have you ever known someone that just creeped you out? Yes. And my intuition turned to be right because they were recently officially reported for sexual harassment.

Do you hate it when people mispronounce your name? No because I don’t know how they can possibly mispronounce it; it’s pretty straightforward. I do get misspellings a lot but I’m not annoyed a lot by it because I understandably have the less-common spelling of the name.

#survey #surveys

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let-it-raines · 6 years ago

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So @hollyethecurious reblogged this prompt, and both of our minds went crazy with ideas for CS. I don’t know if she’s writing her idea, but here’s a short thing that my brain came up with last night.

Also available on ao3 | here | with the rest of my stuff!

I hope you guys enjoy the ride ;)

Single Riders Won’t Stay Single

Here are some facts:

Emma Swan loves rollercoasters.

Emma Swan has never been on a rollercoaster.

Emma Swan gets to ride her first rollercoaster today.

Emma Swan is supposed to be riding her first rollercoaster with her best friend Mary Margaret Blanchard.

Emma Swan is not riding her first rollercoaster with Mary Margaret Blanchard because Mary Margaret Blanchard is a traitor who chose to spend the day with a boy instead of riding rollercoasters with Emma.

Now she realizes that this makes her sound like she is a teenage girl whose best friend is experiencing her first crush, but none of that is true. Emma is twenty-eight years old, and her best friend is wandering around Universal Studios in the hot depths of Florida with her fiancée David while Emma waits in the single rider line for the Incredible Hulk.

If only she was waiting in the single rider line for Bruce Banner.

David and Mary Margaret offered to come with her, but neither of them is too big on rollercoasters even if this whole trip to Orlando was Mary Margaret’s idea, so she knows that they were relieved when she said it was fine, she can go alone. She’ll just join them later when they’ve gotten all of the cutesy couple’s pictures out of the way.

Who is she kidding? They’ll be doing that all day.

So really, even if she was a little pissed at them for so easily agreeing to let her go off on her own, it’s a blessing in disguise because the single rider line is basically the express line for those not willing to pay for the express passes – she is one of those people because damn everything here is expensive. This way at least she can speed through the line and get paired with a random group of three people without the hassle of getting sunburned just waiting in line. If she’s going to get sunburned, it’s going to be because she spends the day in the sun doing more than one supposedly fun thing.

Plus, you know, if she ends up being terrified (because this isn’t exactly an easy rollercoaster to start off with but Emma dives deep or doesn’t dive at all), then she can scream bloody murder and never have to see the person sitting next to her again.

Anxiety is starting to build in her chest the closer she gets to the front of the line, and by the time she’s at least twenty people away from experiencing her first rollercoaster, it’s firmly lodged in her throat. She’s fucking nervous. But she’s also pumped, and she’s not turning back now.

Emma Swan is not a quitter.

When she can see the regular line full of friends, families, and couples, she absentmindedly wonders who she’ll get paired up with. It’s not like she has her phone to look at (this thing goes upside down, and she’s not buying a new phone for when it falls out of her pocket) and if she watches how the people go upside down one more time she may back out despite her conviction not to.

Emma Swan is sometimes a quitter.

So it’s people watching or zilch, and she can’t help it when her eyes zero in on these two guys who have to be brothers – though one is stockier with curlier hair while the other is leaner with straight hair – and the woman who’s with them.

They’re about the right distance away to be lined up with her, and considering it’s either them or the group of teenagers where one of them just picked his nose, she really hopes it’s the brothers and what seems to be the curly-haired guy’s girlfriend or wife or whatever. At least she hopes so because she just kissed him, and that would be weird if she was dating the other one.

She doesn’t have much time to contemplate it though because the cart is rolling into the station, and she’s being herded into the fences they put you in before you can get onto the ride. When the brother with the straight hair ends up directly behind her and the couple behind him, she has to hold herself back from doing a victory dance.

She obviously does some kind of anxiety dance instead because he’s talking to her unprompted, and she was not expecting that.

“This your first time?”

Oh fuck he’s British. Why is that so hot?

“How can you tell?”

What kind of question is that, Emma? You probably look like you could pee your pants. Oh hell, she’s totally talking to herself in her head right now, isn’t she? At least it’s not out loud.

He chuckles, just the smallest laugh, but she still hears it. “You seem a bit too nervous to just be excited. And I don’t know many people in the single rider line who are in it unwillingly, so just a guess.”

“Aren’t you perceptive?”

He smiles at her, and it’s obviously the Florida heat that’s causing her to go insane because the way his white teeth flash contrasted to the darkness of his stubble is as hot as this Florida sun. Did she really just think that? Yep, she’s definitely having a heat stroke or something.

“You’re a bit of an open book, love.”

“It’s Emma.”

He smiles again.

“Killian.”

Eventually the gates are opened and she and British dude Killian and his probable brother and his probable brother’s girlfriend are strapped into the ride, and wow she should have picked a kiddie ride for her first time. Screw going big or going home. She wants the medium option right about now. But it’s too late, and they’re inching up the tracks without her permission. She really hopes this guy isn’t some kind of preacher who takes offense to foul language.

There’s definitely going to be some foul language.

They go up ever so slowly and she thinks her anxiety is calming down, but then Killian looks over at her, and wow he has blue eyes, and says something she can’t quite make out.

“What?” she yells over the racketing of the ride.

He flashes her that smile again, and she really hopes she doesn’t throw up on him. That would be mortifying.

“You know what they say, darling, you never forget your first.”

And then they’re off.

She’s not really sure what else happens while she’s up there. It’s all a literal and figurative blur. All she knows is that she started praying in the middle of it and then by the end was sure that she’d cancelled out any good deeds coming her way by the obscenities that flew from her mouth. She’s pretty sure British dude was laughing at her, but she couldn’t tell over the ringing in her ears.

Once they start their slow (okay, no part of it is slow but at least she’s not hanging upside down again) descent back to ground, she feels the air leave her lungs and she can’t decide if that was awesome or terrifying. She’s honestly kind of in a daze. Or maybe an adrenaline rush. She has no idea what’s even happening until she feels warm skin on her hand and British dude…Killian is helping her out of her seat and back onto solid ground.

“Was it everything you dreamed?”

“What now?”

“The roller coaster?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess so. Though I do feel a little woozy.”

“You just don’t have your land legs back yet, lass. Come this way, and we can find a seat.”

“Little brother, did you pick up a stray?”

“Younger brother,” British dude one (why does she keep forgetting his name? Maybe the ride scrambled her brain) says to British dude two. “And this is Emma. First time thrill enthusiast who needs a bit of assistance getting her land legs back.”

Score. She was right about them being brothers. She’s not a private investigator for nothing.

“Are you here by yourself, Emma?”

“No, my friends are here, but they’re more interested in walking around and seeing everything than helping me check this off my mental bucket list.” She moves to sit down at an empty picnic table, Killian sliding in next to her while the others sit on the seat opposite. This is weird, right? People aren’t just this nice. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe I caught your names.”

“Liam Jones,” he reaches his hand across the table, and she takes it to shake, “and this is my wife Belle. And obviously you met my little brother Killian.”

“I’m his younger brother, lass. Smaller in absolutely no way.”

Did he just wink at her? Is he flirting with her? Does she want him to flirt with her?

She totally does.

“Where are you guys from? If you don’t mind me asking of course.”

“Originally, right outside of London. Currently, Boston.”

“No fucking way. I’m from Boston.”

“What are the odds?”

“Pretty small, I’m guessing.”

She can feel Killian’s eyes on her, and she finds herself looking down at her lap to hide her smile.

“Love,” he says, and when she looks over at him he’s scratching behind his ear, “not to be forward, but would you like to walk around with us until you meet up with your friends?”

“Really? I mean, you guys don’t think I’m a serial killer or something like that?”

“You could be, but I don’t think you’re going to murder us in the middle of a park.”

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Emma, despite her usual apprehension to people, ends up spending the rest of her afternoon with the Jones clan. David and Mary Margaret decided to go back to the hotel (for what she’s going to ignore because they are definitely sharing a room with her), and she finds that she doesn’t mind.

Killian, she discovers, is a damn professor at Harvard. He’s got a doctorate in English, and suddenly her high school diploma doesn’t feel so important anymore. It’s not that he makes her feel stupid or inferior or anything like that. In fact, he seems almost embarrassed about his job, and that doesn’t make any sense. But he just waves her off when she makes a comment about him being some kind of genius, and she can already tell that Killian Jones, for all his bravado, doesn’t like talking about himself.

He does talk about himself, though, because none of them have express passes, and the lines here are long. Like, what has driven so many people to come to a theme park in the hottest part of Florida in the middle of the summer?

“I wanted to be a pirate as a child,” he admits as they stand in line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, “but I quickly gave that up to wanting to be a wizard when these books came out, especially being a kid in Britain who very much resembled Daniel Radcliffe. Obviously, though, neither of those things were possible, so I became a boring professor who waxes poetic about novels more ‘refined’ than these and the English language as a whole.”

“I mean, I wanted to own a bakery so I could eat all the food, but I’m a private investigator.”

“Why not a baker?”

She’s not going to tell the whole truth to that, so she says the simple one.

“I can’t bake.”

He laughs at that, a fully belly laugh that has him throwing his head back, the sun glinting off his beard to show off the red in it. So he wouldn’t be a true Black Beard pirate if he had gone with that profession.

“Don’t let that hold you back, Swan.”

“I’d rather not give all of Boston food poisoning.”

“I’d eat your pastries.”

“Is that an innuendo?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Perhaps I would.”

The Harry Potter ride is awesome, and if the line wasn’t so long, she’d totally go on it again. But the line is long, and her stomach most definitely rumbled while they were in line – now would be a good time for that bakery, Swan – so the group is in yet another line, but this time to get something to drink.

She and Belle get butter beers while Killian and Liam get actual beers, and they walk around with them until they find something other than a turkey leg to eat. At one point the foam from the sweet drink gets on her chin, and Killian wipes it off with his thumb, a gentle caress that has her heart rate beating at a pace similar to when she was on the Hulk.

They end up near the Jurassic Park rides, and despite Killian protesting to the unhealthiness of it all – you just drank a beer, Jones – they eat chicken in the shape of dinosaurs with children all under the age of ten. Killian buys her meal despite her protests, and is she on a date with a guy she just met?

She kind of hopes that she is.

There’s a fake giant dinosaur to take pictures next to, and even if you’re not supposed to climb on top of it, Killian lifts her on his shoulders so that she can climb up there to take a picture. It’s worth it when the security guard yells at her to get down because Killian grabs her by the waist, and his hands are so damn warm underneath the material of her tank top. She doesn’t have time to think about it, though, because she’s thinking about how he’s grabbing her hand and jogging away from where they totally almost got kicked out of the park.

By the time they get back to where Liam and Belle are waiting for them, he doesn’t let go of her hand, even when Liam gives them a pointed glance and smirks. She almost lets go then, but his grip tightens and he smiles down at her with the softest look on his face.

They wander around for a few more hours, and she already knows that despite her constant application of sunscreen, her skin is going to be pink tomorrow. It’s so damn hot, and she needs some relief from this. That’s when they come across a blessed water ride, and it’s not even a question as to if they’re going to go on it or not.

They should have noticed, though, how everyone who rides ends up wet – that’s what the women always tell me, love – because while the relief from the heat is welcome, they’re all soaked through their clothes. She thinks it’ll just make for an uncomfortable evening, but then she notices that Killian is staring at her with a gaze that could almost be described as adoring. But she’s distracted by the fact that the water has made his gray t-shirt cling to his abs and his hair fall flat on his head. It’s hot, and she’s not even ashamed to admit it.

It’s not until later when Belle offers to take her to buy another shirt that she realizes that her nipples were very much on display because of the cold water against her shirt. She doesn’t care about that, but it does explain why Killian was staring at her earlier. She can’t complain. She was doing the same to him.

So the four of them walk around in soaked through clothes for the rest of the afternoon, riding several other rides but no other rollercoasters until they’ve come full circle and are back at the Hulk.

“What do you say, love? Want to go another round?”

She has to pump herself up for it, but she says yes.

This time, though, she doesn’t wait in the single rider’s line, and when they get strapped in, Killian places his hand over hers on the bars and squeezes, holding onto her tightly.

This time the ride is a lot more enjoyable, and Emma manages to keep her eyes open the entire time, even laughing when Killian waggles his eyebrows at her at the people behind them screaming. She doesn’t scream, but her insides definitely feel like they’ve been shuffled around for more than one reason.

Eventually the two of them pair off without Liam and Belle, and today really has been – pun intended – a rollercoaster of a day.

They somehow end up in Margaritaville, because when in Florida, right? Cheeseburgers, margaritas, and Jimmy Buffet songs are all over the place, and she can barely hear Killian through the music but she doesn’t care. He just slides his chair closer to her, and whisper shouts in her ear, sending shivers down her spine that have nothing to do with the alcohol running through her.

“So Swan,” he says later that night when they’re walking along the lake back to their hotels across the street from the resorts (they could have gotten on a bus, but neither of them wanted the night to end), “do you think you’re going to ride more rollercoasters or was today just a one time thing?”

She bumps his shoulder, their hands still interlaced like that’s normal, and keeps walking until they come to a crosswalk.

“I think I’d be willing to do it all again, but only with the right riding partner. You know any good places to go near Boston?”

“I feel like I could find somewhere to go, if I have the right riding partner as well.”

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll get paired up with someone cool in the single riders line.”

He turns to her then, eyes still blue even in the darkness, and releases her hand so that he can cup her face. Her breath doesn’t hitch, she swears.

“Emma, I’d really only like to go with you.”

And then his lips are against hers, so soft and warm and everything like she’s imagined – because she one hundred percent imagined it – and she almost sighs in relief. It doesn’t last long, but that’s okay, and when he pulls back he rests his forehead against hers, the heat of his skin running all the way through her.

“Yeah?”

“I quite fancy you when you’re not yelling at ride engineers for giving you a heart attack.”

She laughs against his lips before pulling back and resting her head on his shoulder as the two of them finally cross the crosswalk on the way back to their hotels.

Rollercoasters aren’t the only thing Emma rides that night.

#captain swan #cs ff #cs fic #cs fic prompt

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2slowgoers · 5 years ago

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10.20.19 - brutally honest

Hi W!

I’m not entirely inspired right now, but I’ve been thinking throughout the day, since I was inspired, and want to be able to write some stuff and articulate things. I’ll respond your previous post after I’ve written out my new content.

First thing, I spent these 4 days of bed rest binge watching a Kdrama, a rom com that I absolutely adore to bits! I just finished and my heart is AH <3. It’s called Fight My Way and reminds me of bits of pieces of Strong Woman DBS and Weightlifting Fairy. It’s got a strong female lead (the 2nd lead is also strong in a subtle way), and it’s about two best friends (since childhood) who eventually fall in love. It’s so sweet! And it’s completely my style haha, I’ve seen too many Kdramas at this point, I recognize most of the actors lmao. ANYWAYS, this drama brought me through an emotional rollercoaster over these couple of days, because the really main point of the show is about 4 twenty-somethings navigating their life, dreams, and relationships. Most of them were stuck in some menial, daily life grind job, and were not getting to do what they really loved at the beginning of the show. I felt super reassured cuz Kdramas tend to have 28/29 year olds still struggling to figure out their life, so it just helps me feel comforted. Seeing some of them in their day jobs, and hating it, but doing it because they have to earn money, was SO friggin relatable. One of them did customer service for a bit and was yelled at over the phone, and boy I almost cried from relatable that moment was. Watching them face their fear to follow their dreams, and fail along the way, but still persist, was honestly so moving to watch. It’s a more realistic show, and they did face a lot of failures. The main female lead had to go up against many applicants who had prestigious backgrounds like studying abroad or come from rich families, and she was continuously rejected, but she persisted and found something else that she loved to do. I will now tie in how this Kdrama feels so relevant to my life right now...

I named todays post “brutally honest” because I want to take this chance to be properly honest with you, once and for all, about how I feel my life. I added “brutally” because, honestly after spending 4 days alone in my room on my bed, it gives me a chance to clear away distractions and thoughts about daily life, to really self reflect. I could spend these days thinking about things I normally think about, but I’d usually run into life distractions that’d make me stop. It’s also brutal, because my thoughts can get pretty dark. But I’m trying not to see them as dark, but rather just being brutally honest about my life. You get a slice of what my journal entries look like :P

I am SO uninspired by my life in the Bay Area. If I think too much about it, I think I might be pretty miserable? The only reason I don’t think I’m super miserable on the daily basis is because I have distractions and I try not to think too much about it. But the truth is, I think my life is miserable, and to look at my own life, I hate myself. I’m actually growing so much hate for my current life, that I feel motivated to grow and cultivate a future that will never let me have to relive this life again. Combined with these health complications and my tendency to live life thinking “life’s so short, u never know when ur gna die”, I just don’t think the life I am living right now is worth living, if my life is truly going to be short. Some of the characters in Fight My Way go through this experience, and confront the misery they had (except they were living it for 5+ years - throughout their early and mid twenties). I don’t know how much you know, or how much what I say has impacted you, because I try to keep it low key, but I really really really really hate my life here. I just REALLY REALLY hate it. I hate what i’m doing for my job. I hate what the Bay Area is full of. I hate being surrounded by the energy here. I do NOT want to be here. And tbh I think I would be like this in any big American city. I would be like this at any corporate job. It’s not where I am working specifically, it’s not the Bay Area specifically, but I am just so so so UNinspired. I know for a fact I am capable of being inspired and feeling motivated, and yet I feel like I am wasting my days away. I am literally just here to earn the minimal money I can so I can get out of here as soon as possible. I think I am capable of getting through each day because I can lie to myself for the short term. That I’m learning... or I have great coworkers... I’m so lucky to live here for the rent I pay... I live a comfortable and privileged life - okay those are not lies, but tbh don’t think I’m learning much at all. In order to get through the next 7 months, I think I have to numb myself. And the only reason I’ve been able to get this far (1.5+ years), is because I lied to myself about all the things I want to accomplish and I am able to do here. Ok, saying that I lied to myself might be a bit brutal, but I did have to convince myself why I should have come here, get the jobs I did, and be here. Some days I can appreciate the things i’ve gone through and learned, and I think I had to have been here to go onto what ever is next for me. But just so I can make it very clear... I hope to Never. Ever. Ever. EVER. Return to the life I am living now. I can only go up from here, based on my own standards. I will return if I absolutely, financially, need to again, but god I really hate the tech world. I hate that I have to spend my everyday life pretending to like it and be enthusiastic about it (it’s hard especially when I’m interviewing candidates and I have to say how excited and how much i love everything sigh). I am SO SO SO SO SICK of myself for what I put myself through the past (soon to be) 3 years. I so sincerely hope that once I hit June 2020, that will be the end of this phase for me. What’s next? Who knows god what. (Well, I have some ideas, but I will reveal them when I am a bit more ready).

Ok. That was my brutally honest vent about how I really actually feel about my life. I effing hate it. But I can only pretend not to hate it for a few more months. It’s really hard, to not feel like I can ever be my true self, that I don’t even know what my true self is, I just know that my everyday right now is not it. On a related note, I also don’t feel the most comfortable living where I am right now, because it feels like it’s owned and dominated by someone else, you know? Another future goal is to finally live somewhere I can truly feel at home and I can be myself in too. The closest I have to feeling that way about a home was living with H, but otherwise, everywhere I lived was always owned or shared with someone else... I cannot wait for the day I get to have my own space, my own kitchen! and I get to dictate wat the heck I want to do with it.

All of this is linked to the Kdrama, Fight My Way, because the characters went through something similar to what I am going through now, and I found it inspiring how they got through things and how happy they are. Also, just btw, the main characters are considered “not normal” in the society they live in, and there were a lot of lines emphasizing “Live the life you want to live. Don’t look at how others are living. Live the mainstream life that is for YOU”. So yeah :’)

My Responses to your last post: - thank you for sharing me the thoughts and feelings about your age and how that plays into the relationships you have. I wouldn’t say I have personally experienced that. I am hyper conscious of age, but actually of when people are younger than me, rather than the other way around. It’s because I think about what I was like when I was at that age, and think of how different I was (even like now vs when I was 19). I didn’t know you did an art camp with 17 year olds when you were 12! That is quite the gap. I can see why you would want to hide your age. I know that when I was traveling, most people were older than me and they were usually surprised at my age when I told them, but I would get compliments for being mature for my age. I’d imagine the same would happen for you. It’s interesting how your mom wanted you to hang out with older folks to “improve” yourself, because you’re right, older folks can also be very immature... I mean, is your aunt (w/ the wechat name) someone you want to have mature conversations with? lol - I agree with your therapist that “responsibility” can be redefined. I lean more to the letting her stumble and make mistakes kind of responsibility, because she needs to grow up and see the world for what it really is to learn her lessons.

Aight, my turn to try to sleep. I hope to make it physically to work tomorrow! Because tbh I feel bad for missing so much of work this month. But I also could care less at this point... because of what I wrote about in this post lol.

- L

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