#in rl we get hiking dates

[nextstopwonderland]

Nah but if my fantasy want of Danny being the first person to confront Yuta really does come true, especially with Yuta conflicted/literally pushing his teammates away, imma die

Danny and yuta, forever intertwined bc they love Bryan yet never standing together

[ambitionsource]

Hi, I am so here for all this ambition content right now. I check this page every day! I remember u guys mentioning about a rl and dasher road trip and I was wondering about that! Thank you!

hello pal!! literally so honored and happy that you’re enjoying ambition and the fact that you check our page every day... ugh you’re too sweet. hopefully the nonsense we do around here is entertaining! very happy to have you in our fandom community <3

so yes, rl + da road trip! i hope it’s okay that i took a bit to answer this, bc i wanted to ruminate on it for a bit before typing it up. so as y’all know we refer to the summer between s1 and 2 as “cruel summer” (thank u tswift), and similarly we have a code name for the summer between s2 and 3 which is “summer of love.” this is admittedly mainly because of rl, but also because a majority of the characters are in such a better headspace this summer than they were last.

boppin the rest under a read more, because i just go on... and on... and on............. (i really love rl & da)

-- Maggie

one facet of this summer is that around... july sometime, dylucasher decide they want to take a trip down to virginia beach (or the beaches in that general vicinity) because they want to check out a beach that isnt grey and cold like the ones close to them in ny, and because a trip before their last year of school together seems like a fun and Classic idea. originally they plan it for just the three of them, but somehow riley comes up and all of them agree -- especially dylan -- that it would be way more fun if she came along too. so they try to convince her to come along, which doesn’t take much convincing, it’s more so about figuring out how she’s going to get around cory because if he knew she wanted to go on a like week long trip with her boyfriend (who he doesn’t really trust) and two other boys he would probably have a heart attack.

you know, it would be like “you can’t go on an overnight trip with three boys!!!” “dad, you know dylan and asher. they’re gay. they’ve been dating for three years. they’re GAY. i do not think i’m at ALL at risk in that scenario???” fsdfSDKGDL

so riley devises a plan / cover story that involves like “going to stay with mom” for a few days, maybe a lie about staying over at isa’s or yindra’s for a couple days in there, you know, she lays out the whole lie and then bribes maya to go along with it and help cover her tracks (rl have very inverse influences on one another -- where riley sort of tames lucas and helps calm him and make him less feral, she develops a bit of a rebellious streak from him or just better identifies the nuances of which rules should be followed vs which were meant to be bent or broken..)

the good thing about this road trip is that it’s what truly cements riley’s friendship with dylan and asher. they’ve been toeing the line of friendship for like two years now (as riley said in cruel summer, she regretted not taking the time and establish a friendship with them in sophomore year before everything fell apart), and it’s kind of like it’s bound to happen. riley and asher takes a little more time to grow and develop just because of the kind of person asher is, but on this road trip dylan and riley just Click. like they were basically made to be best friends, dylan is the first person who kind intrinsically Gets riley and they match each other in terms of enthusiasm / personality / brightness. again, a friendship that’s just been Waiting to happen, and this trip really brings that to the forefront.

(on that note, i once joked that when dylan and riley get really into chatting about something and lucas zones out, they start sounding like the villagers in animal crossing to him. like if he stops paying attention for even a second suddenly dyley sound like this. and i stand by that claim.)

as for the trip itself, its not like i have the whole thing perfectly plotted or anything like that, more just... musings and ideas. oh and a playlist, of course i have a playlist. obviously they’re really good about swapping around drivers and sort of organizing their time since they only have a week, and i think it’s mainly funded by dylan’s youtube vlogger coin. asher helps and riley chips in her fair share, but dylan basically covers lucas because obviously he can’t pay but they all want him there. he makes up for this by driving the most even tho the other three insist its not a big deal.

when it comes to sharing space, the quartet of them are pretty good at it. obviously when they stop for the night they just share beds by couple, but it is interesting to think about how different these two relationships are in terms of like... you know, where they’re at. like its super easy for da to share a bed because they basically do that all the time now, but for rl breaking that boundary would be a kind of unspoken big deal and lucas would be so cautious about it. like they spend most of the summer in riley’s car (can’t hang out at her place with cory there and no one is going to lucas’s) and so theyve probably like fallen asleep together there once or twice and maybe napped ONCE at riley’s place when maya and cory were both gone in the 2.5 months they’ve been together, but it’s still... not the same. so at first lucas would be really nervous about it, but after the first couple of nights he’d relax and realize its really not that big a deal -- esp since riley seems pretty confident and comfortable with it. by the end of the week, lucas wakes up in the middle of the night and riley has cuddled up next to him and he’s like... okay MAYBE sharing a bed with someone makes points. perhaps.

one of the nights on the way down the coast, what truly breaks the ice for dylan and riley is that they break out a SMALL amount of alcohol and both get tipsy (which for them is just like. giddy and giggly and very chatty. they’re both happy drunks without a doubt). lucas and asher don’t indulge bc lucas doesn’t trust himself getting intoxicated and asher is just wary of it in general, but they figure dyley can do it as long as they’re both supervising. so dylan and riley talk A LOT that night and truly form their Kindred Spirit bond and also lucasher end up regretting letting them drink bc for like a half an hour dyley do this thing where they just pretend to share secrets with one another. like they theatrically whisper in one another’s ears and look at lucasher while they’re doing it and then start laughing and they’re literally not saying anything Important (like it’s probably like riley being like “psst... i think lucas is... hee hee... lucas is hot”) and then dylan cracking up and agreeing but bc lucasher don’t know what they’re saying they’re like ha ha very funny........... but y’all aren’t talking about us doe right. wait, what did you say. hold on --

a lot of the trip is also based around being in nature and the outdoors, since they don’t get to do much of that day-to-day in manhattan. considering one of their favorite spots to hang out as a group during senior year is at central park, they’re all definitely fresh air outdoorsy kind of people to a degree. so like, stopping at parks, going on hikes, and of course the beach itself. i made an instagram edit of one of said hikes when i was testing a template i made:

naturally, and i swear this happens at least once on a long road trip whether it is with family or friends or any combo of people, but you hit a point where you get irritable and start to get a little sick of one another. i think in this case that mainly starts between lucas and asher, because although they’re Best Friends i think lucas has a knack for finding ways of irritating him. and also lucas probably gets irritated by dylan’s high energy after too much time with no breaks, so he’s also snappy, and as they’re on the way back up to nyc people are spatting at one another or getting snippy over stupid things so riles is like. here’s an idea! how about we split up for the day when we get to philadelphia. this is an excellent idea and none of them are opposed, so when they arrive in philly, dylan and asher split off to go explore the city + historical sites.

what do riley and lucas do? well, riley takes lucas to meet her grandparents, of course.

at first lucas is like ummmmmmm no because he’s SUPER nervous about meeting her family -- the only family he’s met is cory and we know that’s... unideal, and eric, both of whom have a completely different perception of him bc of school and his behavioral record. he’s yet to meet topanga or auggie yet or anything like that -- but riley assures him that her grandparents are chill and she has no doubt she’ll like them. they’re also meeting lucas with a completely blank slate (i.e. no preconceived notions about him like those who work at aaa), so it’s not hard for lucas to make a good impression since he really is like... a good guy. not to mention no way is he snarky or deadpan in situations where he doesn’t feel comfortable or like he has the right lmao, so he’s on his BEST behavior around amy and alan.

the good thing is that alan himself kind of had a similar background and run on the wild side that lucas does (kind of like jack, altho jack was never as troubled as lucas), and so i think he would kind of... inherently Get him. like he’d strike up a conversation with him and at first lucas would be like omg why is this man speaking to me please i’m invisible pretend i’m not here... but after a bit he’d find it’s surprisingly easy to talk to alan. and they’d talk for like an hour and get on pretty well. meanwhile, amy is talking to riley and is like so... let me guess. cory does not know you’re traveling with your boyfriend???? and riley is like... perhaps. maybe don’t tell him? pretty please? and once amy convenes with alan and is like how is he and alan is all “he’s fine, we can approve,” then they agree not to rat riley out.

riley and lucas also climb up into the matthews tree house and take a look around and they comment on how strange it is that cory and eric once used to like, hang out in there and in that house and were once teenagers (lucas: be careful this is humanizing your father too much for me). and i’d think they’d sit up in the treehouse for a little bit and just talk and riley would talk about how nice it must’ve been to grow up in the suburbs like this, and she’s surprised when lucas agrees and he admits he fucking hates living in manhattan. and that kind of prompts this subtle internal thinking in both of them of like hmm well... maybe in the future when things are different and we can make our own rules maybe we’ll move out of the city and into a quieter life... they don’t say any of that out loud, but they’re both thinking it. and at the tail end of that conversation riley kisses lucas which turns into a Really Good Kiss... but then they’re interrupted by amy calling for them to come down for dinner and its kind of like lmao, they’re both a little bashful but in a casual silly way

[argylemnwrites]

Warmth

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x MC (Cassie Vanderfield)

Book: Open Heart (a little over 1 year after the end of Book 1)

Word Count: ~1300

Rating: G

Summary: Bryce finds himself in an unexpected location for his vacation.

Author’s Note: Written for Days 12 and 14 of the Autumn writing prompt list (prompts - Bonfire and Toasted Marshmallows) as requested by @universallypizzataco. I hope you don’t mind that I combined these prompts into one fic, but they just went so well together!

Bryce pulled the blanket further up over his lap and settled back in the lawn chair as he sank further into his Patagonia. His front might have been warm enough from the heat pouring off the flames, but his back was cold. The smoke from the bonfire drifted over toward him as the wind shifted, not only chilling him more, but also causing him to start coughing. 

This wasn’t exactly how Bryce had pictured spending his vacation. His other vacations in residency had been a bit more adventurous. Hiking in Peru. Backpacking in Iceland. Surfing in Bali. When he learned that he and Cassie had been lucky enough to actually have a week of vacation that lined up, he’d figured they could go to a resort in the Caribbean. Something warm, tropical, and relaxing, a perfect escape from the cold wind and rain of Boston Octobers.

But instead, they were at a cabin in Michigan’s upper peninsula. Instead of a luxury king sized bed, they were sleeping in twin beds they’d shoved together. And instead of cocktails on the beach or by the pool, they were drinking beer around a bonfire, the temperature 45 degrees, not 82. But when Cassie had suggested they head to her family’s cabin to join her parents and her brother in closing it down for the season, he hadn’t been able to say no. She’d looked so excited, her eyes sparkling and her speech just slightly pressured, telling him she hadn’t made it up there for this annual tradition since the second year of med school. Who was he to deny her that chance?

To be fair, it hadn’t all been huddling in the cold and lounging around a bare bones cabin. They’d spent a couple days in Ann Arbor for her fellowship interview at the start of their vacation, and their trip north had involved a night in a quaint little B&B as they ate fudge, rented bikes, and golfed at a much nicer course than they could afford in the warmer months on Mackinac Island. But for the past two days, they’d been up in the middle of nowhere, and starting Friday night, they’d been joined by her parents and her brother. Which is how Bryce found himself sitting around a bonfire with Mrs. Vanderfield and Nick on the last Saturday of their vacation, waiting for Cassie and her father to join them with the s’mores supplies. 

It was a bit strange to find himself willingly attending a family vacation. Of course, this wasn’t his family. And her family, though they were far from perfect, at least seemed to be open and caring with one another. Even now, as Bryce listened to Mrs. Vanderfield needle Nick about the length of his hair and how it wasn’t helping his job search, it felt more affectionate and warm than even the nicest compliments his parents tended to pay him. 

Soon, Cassie plopped down in the lawn chair next to his, grabbing a marshmallow from the bag and shoving it on her roasting stick before passing the bag to him. Bryce grabbed his stick, sitting next to him since he finished roasting his hot dog for dinner, and placed his marshmallow above the center of the bonfire, causing Cassie to roll her eyes and laugh.

“How many times do I have to tell you that’s a recipe for a burnt marshmallow?”

Bryce winked and shrugged, “Only like half the time. And what can I say, I like to live on the edge.”

“Yeah, real big risk taker here. You’re just impatient.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk. How many miles over the speed limit were you going on the way up here when you got pulled over?”

Cassie shot him a dirty look as her mother interjected, “Cassie, you got another speeding ticket? And in a rental car? I’m so sick of telling you that getting somewhere five minutes faster is not worth risking your life.”

“Mom, it was nothing. They let me off with just a warning.”

“Only because you played the doctor card,” Bryce chimed in, taking great amusement as Cassie glared at him while her father just shook his head as her mother pinched the bridge of her nose and Nick chuckled. “What medical emergency were you rushing to again?”

“None at that time, but if you keep this up, you will need a doctor before the night’s over.”

“Promises, promises,” Bryce said with a grin, but wisely decided to stop the teasing while she was only mildly annoyed. He pulled his marshmallow out from the center of the flames, perfectly golden brown. He glanced over at Cassie’s stick, held over the edge of the fire. Her marshmallow was still pale white.

Bryce grabbed the chocolate and graham crackers off the spare lawn chair, using them to slide his marshmallow off the stick and passed the s’more to her. “Here,” he said as he grabbed the stick out of her hand, “We’ll be here all night if you wait for that marshmallow to roast there, and we have to be on the road by 7am for our flight.”

“Wait, not only did Cassie get my bed for her boyfriend, but they aren’t gonna even be here for the worst parts of closing up the cabin?” Nick asked as he whipped his head around to look between his parents.

“We’re just happy Cassie could make it this year. And Bryce, of course,” Mr. Vanderfield said as he made his own s’more, leaving off the chocolate and just using graham crackers.

“Next year we should close out the cabin the first weekend of their vacation so they can actually help on Sunday. And one of you two can take the couch,” Nick said with a shake of his head, pointing between Bryce and Cassie.

“I doubt they’ll be able to make it next year, Nick. Bryce, your residency is four more years, is that right?” asked Mrs. Vanderfield.

Bryce nodded and opened his mouth to clarify, but saw his marshmallow catch fire. Yanking the stick back toward him, he quickly blew it out, but still found himself with a blackened marshmallow. Cassie moved to get him a new one, but he shook his head and made his s’more anyway. A little charring wasn’t a problem.

“The next two years are dedicated research time for me, so we should have some flexibility in scheduling our vacations,” Bryce said before taking a bite. 

“Oh, don’t feel obligated, dear. We completely understand if you two want to take a trip to Hawaii to see your family. That has to be more exciting than the UP,” said Mrs. Vanderfield.

“And warmer,” added Mr. Vanderfield.

Bryce just shook his head and continued eating his s’more. No need to get into that mess tonight. So he let the conversation drift to other topics, from Thanksgiving plans with Mrs. Vanderfield’s sister to Mr. Vanderfield’s new boss, from memories of the time Cassie broke her arm climbing the giant oak tree out front to Mrs. Vanderfield attempting to determine if Nick was currently dating anyone. It was so different than what Bryce was used to when his family got together, watching a family that clearly actually liked spending time with one another. 

As they left the bonfire and went to get ready for bed in the tiny bathroom, Cassie slipped her hand into his and said, “Thanks for coming up here with me. I know this isn’t your usual vacation.”

Bryce shrugged, “Maybe, but I am always up to try something new.”

“Still, I know you aren’t a big fan of the cold.”

“Warmth isn’t always found in a forecast, Cassie.” 

She smiled at him gently, then handed him his toothbrush and toothpaste from the toiletry bag they had sitting on the top of the toilet tank. While she was right that he never would have chosen a vacation like this on his own, he wouldn’t change sharing these moments with her for anything.

@mfackenthal @lilyofchoices @thequeenchoices @octobereighth @feartheendlesssummer @tallulahshh @fortunatelywaywardsandwich @dreaming-of-movies @choicesarehard @universallypizzataco @omgjasminesimone @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl

[bendthekneetobangtan]

85 Questions

Rules: Answer these 85 questions about yourself and tag 20 people

I was tagged by @ditzymax to answer these - thanks love! 💗

Last:

Drink: Water

📱 Call: My manager

Text Message: The boyfriend

Song you listened to: moonchild by RM aka the most brilliant man in the universe

Time you 😢: Ummmm, it was probably over a sad animal video, like one of those dogs that undergo trauma and have really miraculous recoveries and get adopted by a loving family with a gigantic farm. I always cry at those 😭

Ever:

Dated someone twice: God no

😘 someone and regretted it: No?

Been cheated on: No? (also, does this count if you were technically dating around?)

Lost someone special: Yes

Gotten drunk and thrown up: Yes, fun fact - I cannot metabolize alcohol AT ALL. I basically have an alcohol allergy so I can’t drink. :’’‘) I’ve always felt I’ve missed out in life because of this.

In the last year, have you:

Made new friends: Yup

Fallen out of 💛: No

😂 until you 😢: Yes, I laugh all the time at my boyfriend who mixes up common sayings horrifically.

Found out someone was talking about you: No

Met someone who changed you: No

Found out who your friends are: No (I mean, I’ve been knowing who they are...?)

😘 someone on your Facebook friends list: Yes

General:

How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: Ummm, 95%. I have one or two who I’ve never met because they live in a different country altogether.

Do you have any pets: Yes, I have a 50-pound mutt! 🐕

Do you want to change your name: Yes and no. I’ve always hated my RL name because it is such an outdated, old lady’s name. But I don’t know what I’d want it to be!

What did you do for your last 🎂: I spent the day with my boyfriend and we ate at a crowded, trendy restaurant and wandered around an art museum.

What time did you wake up today: Just before 7am

What were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping obvi

What is something you can’t wait for: The holidays so everyone at work can leave me tf alone 👍

What are you listening to right now: forever rain by RM

Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yes, it’s a pretty generic name

Something that gets on your nerves: This happened a lot when I was on vacation recently - people who lack self-awareness and do not care that they are standing in your way. I live in a big city so we are used to the hustle and bustle and getting from point A to point B in seconds. I went to visit the national parks in Utah and people would constantly clog the hiking trails by just STANDING THERE instead of going to the side. The worst was when we would be standing on a steep, narrow path. I’m not trying to plummet to my death, y’all.

Most visited website: According to my browser...Tumblr

Hair color: Black as night (my natural color)

Long or short hair: I have short hair, but wish I could l have a long mane (I blame the girls from Blackpink 😔)

What do you like about yourself: I like to think I’m really good at drawing on eyeliner ✍️

Want any piercings: Maybe it’s because I’m approaching 30 (I’m a fucking dinosaur compared to you guys), but I kinda wish I had a funky piercing like a nose ring or something.

Blood type: B+

Nicknames: None really

Relationship status: in a long-term relationship (4+ years)

Zodiac sign: Leo

Pronouns: she/her

Favorite 📺 show: Game of Thrones (obvi my url), Breaking Bad, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Tattoos: I have none

Right or left handed: Righty

Ever had surgery: Yes, sort of. I got LASIK done and IT IS AMAZING, I TELL YA. I say sort of because I was awake throught the whole thing and didn’t have to go under for the procedure.

Piercings: Only my ear lobes

Sports: I have zero coordination to do sports, but I go to the gym regularly 🏋️

Dream Vacation: I really want to go to the Canadian Rockies 🏔️

Trainers: I have at least a dozen pairs of sneakers. I am so glad it’s acceptable to wear them everywhere now. I like my feet comfy.

Eating: I already ate dinner so I’m not eating anything?

Drinking: Water

I’m about to watch: Nothing cuz it’s almost my bedtime lol

Waiting for: Me to win the lottery? Idk

Want: To win the lottery...😂

Get married for: Namjoon, the only man I want to marry :’)

Career: The cynic in me thinks I might be stuck in this field a while. I would love to do something creative, like architecture and design. But that ship has probably sailed and I don’t want to go back to school! 🤷

Hugs or kisses: Both

👄 or eyes: Eyes

Shorter or taller: Is this asking about me or my partner? I guess taller. I’m only 5′4″ so it’d be kinda strange dating someone shorter than me.

Older or younger: Older. I think I’d have to at least be in my 30s before I consider dating someone a few years younger.

Nice arms or stomach: Arms

Hookup or relationship: Relationship

Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesistant

Have you ever:

😘 a stranger: No

Drank hard liquor: No

Lost glasses: Not permanently, I always found them in a random place in my home

Turned someone down: Yes

Sex on first date: No

Broken someone’s ❤️: Uhhh maybe? I turned a few people down and they seemed pretty upset, but we never actually DATED so hmmm

Had your 💔: Yes

Been arrested: No

😢 when someone died: Of course

Fallen for a friend: Definitely

Do you believe in:

Yourself: Yes and no

Miracles: No

💛 at first sight: No

😘 on the first date: Sure, why not?

Angels: Jeon Jungkook exists, does he not??! 😭😭

Other:

Best friend’s name: keeping this one private

Eye color: Brown

Favorite Movie: The only ones I can think of are movies that I can rewatch multiple times. Nostalgic too. So probably everything Disney? lol

Favorite actor: Probably because I listened to her audiobook recently, but I love Tina Fey so much. She’s super inspiring!

Favorite Food: Umm rice? It goes with literally everything

Extrovert or Introvert: introvert

Favorite flower: Anything yellow lol

Favorite Hello 🐈 characters: Does this mean Sanrio? I loved Pochacco when I was a kid

I can’t tag 20 people, but I’ll tag @luffles424 and @suga-kookiemonster if y’all wanna do it!

[geckogirl89]

The End of an Era

Fandom: Hawaii Five-0 (2010) Pairing/Characters: Steve/Danny established relationship, but mostly focused on the Core Four friendship Rating: G Word Count: 1447 Notes: Set during the end of a fantasy season 8 where Chin and Kono are still present and Steve and Danny ended up together. Chin and Kono are leaving Hawaii, but not because of RL issues with the actors not getting paid enough. They're going as the natural conclusion I imagined for the show based on this post. The McDanno stuff is mostly just because this fic is already wish fulfillment, so I decided to fulfill all of my wishes.

Steve's beach had always been the central gathering place for the Five-0 ohana, and it was where the original members of the task force ended up a few hours after the end of Steve and Danny's wedding reception, after Lou had gone home with his family. Steve nostalgically recalled the group's first moment together on a different beach when Kono joined the team. It seemed appropriate that one of their last moments together would also be on a beach.

Everyone was still wearing their formal attire, but Kono had kicked off her sandals a few minutes ago and planted her feet in Chin's lap. The sun was setting, and the sight made Steve reminisce about the past year and how he had gotten to this point.

Kono and Chin had coincidentally begun to consider leaving Five-0 at about the same time. Kono had been deeply emotionally impacted by that case with the sex trafficking ring of underage girls, and her determination to do something about it had only increased after she became pregnant with her daughter Kaimana, who had been born a month ago. Chin had received a job offer in San Francisco that would involve a step up in his career, a pay raise, and would give Abby a chance to be near her family again since she would probably move with him.

As proud as Steve was that Chin and Kono were moving forward with their lives, he had been apprehensive about the coming changes and knew that he would miss both of them. He had also been worried in the back of his mind that Danny might also consider leaving, so he asked him about it.

"I'm not planning on going anywhere," Danny had told him with a grin. "After all, I need to put that chef's hat you gave me to good use. I think Hawaii has more room for a new Italian restaurant than New Jersey does."

Steve and Danny laughed at the joke, and then Danny had glanced away at his desk. "Besides, it's not like I could ever leave you anyway."

For some reason, that moment had seemed different to Steve than all of the previous moments of Danny telling Steve how much he meant to him. Perhaps it was the vulnerable quality in Danny's voice or the fact that he couldn't meet Steve's eyes. Whatever the reason, Steve turned Danny's face towards his and kissed him before he could talk himself out of it. Danny kissed him back, and everything had slotted into place with remarkable ease.

Three months of a whirlwind courtship later, and Steve and Danny had gotten married in Steve's backyard earlier that day with friends and family in attendance. Steve had been holding Danny's hand for the past hour, and that alone was enough to make him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. The fact that they were actually married was a dream come true.

Kono's sigh pulled Steve out of his wandering thoughts. She was staring out at the horizon, where the sky had turned pink and purple as the sun set over the ocean. "I'm really gonna miss this," she said.

"Me too," Chin agreed.

A pause ensued, and solemnity touched the group for the first time that day. Steve decided to break the tension.

"I'm sure the sunset will be nice in Arizona too. Those pictures of Sedona from that brochure you had on your desk looked really nice."

Kono shook her head and let out a giggle. "God, it's going to be weird not having a boss who goes through his employees' stuff all the time. Hell, it's going to be weird being the boss." Kono would be leaving next week to lead a federal task force to combat sex trafficking headquartered in Phoenix. Steve couldn't be prouder of how far she had come from the rookie fresh out of the police academy that he had met eight years ago.

Chin took a sip of his beer and then closed his eyes contently. "When you come out to visit me in California, we'll have to hit the beach."

"Definitely. I guess I'll have to take up something other than surfing soon. Maybe I could try rock climbing."

It was strange to imagine Kono only surfing on vacation, but Steve could picture her hiking on a desert landscape and smiled at the thought. Steve had always enjoyed hiking, and he would gladly do it with Kono when Steve and Danny visited her in the future.

Danny chuckled and Steve glanced over at his new husband to see him looking fondly at Kono. "I could picture you hiking the Grand Canyon or whatever. Not sure how you'll get used to the heat though. As tropical as this place is, Arizona can be like an oven in the summer."

Kono shrugged. "I think I'll be able to handle it. After all, you got used to life here."

Danny looked down and grinned, and Steve was reminded of the first time he ever sat with Danny on this beach and how that same gesture had made his heart skip a beat. The same thing happened this time, and his heart beat faster when Danny squeezed his hand.

"I guess so," Danny replied in a soft tone of voice. "A lot can change in eight years."

"Yeah," Chin said. "I never pictured you going without a tie to your own wedding."

"Much less wearing slippahs," Kono teased. "On the beach."

"Well, it's all about compromise. If it was just Steve's decision, I'm sure he'd be wearing cargo pants or board shorts."

Everyone laughed at Danny's joke, including Steve, who didn't mind being the target of his husband's humor. Eventually the laughs died down, and Chin cleared his throat.

"I'm really glad I stuck around for this." Chin had made sure that the date of his new job would be pushed back two weeks, which enabled him to attend Steve and Danny's wedding.

"We're glad too," Steve told him.

Kono wiped at her eyes, and when she pulled her hand away she was beaming. "It's good that we got to see you guys get married. Now you actually are an old married couple instead of just acting like one."

Memories flickered through Steve's mind of all the moments he had shared with Danny over the years. Chin and Kono had been there for many of those moments as well. With the wave of affection that Steve felt, especially for his new husband, he took his hand out of Danny's so that he could wrap his arm around Danny's shoulders instead.

Danny leaned into Steve's touch and looked over at Chin. "There's been a lot of weddings this year. First you and Abby and now me and Steve."

"Weddings and babies," Kono remarked. "It's been quite a year."

"It kind of feels like the end of an era," Steve said.

For a moment, everyone reflected on Steve's statement. The wind whistled through the trees, and the sky darkened as twilight approached.

Chin looked directly at Steve and Danny with a serious expression. "In a way, I guess it is. But even though Kono and I are leaving, I don't think we'll ever stop being ohana."

"And, as ohana, Chin and I will keep in touch with you guys after you leave," Kono promised. "Considering all that we've been through over the years, I'm pretty sure nothing could tear us apart at this point."

"Well, that's a call for a toast if I've ever heard it." Danny held out his glass and the others raised their drinks as well. "To us."

Steve, Chin, and Kono repeated the sentiment and clinked their glasses together. After everyone took a sip of their beverage, Steve gazed at the sky, where the stars were just beginning to appear. The day was ending, and an important time in their lives was coming to a close as well. Steve returned his attention to the group as Danny started to recount the time he and Steve had gotten handcuffed together, much to Chin and Kono's amusement. Steve watched Chin leaning forward to listen intently to Danny, Kono smirking as she imagined the scenario, and Danny's expansive hand gestures as he narrated the story. As he took in the image, Steve felt a profound sense of peace in the certainty that Chin was right.

The people he was with had become far more than his co-workers or friends. Chin and Kono were his family, and Danny was the love of his life. No matter what happened, they would always be ohana, and nothing, not time or distance or anything else, could ever truly separate them.

[ponyregrets]

Hey Chash! I know you're super busy both fic-wise and in rl, but if you have time and are interested, I was wondering if you might be interested in writing Bellamy's POV in "for what it's worth it was worth all the while" for my birthday next Tuesday? Seriously, though, no pressure.

A few days late, but happy birthday!! Original fic here, alt-POV on AO3 here.

“So, what’s the end-game here?” Miller asks.

“It’s Ascension,” Bellamy shoots back. “You know how to play Ascension.”

Miller snorts, and Bellamy has to admit, he basically deserves it. “I know you don’t really like your actual classmates, but you can’t tell me you actually want to spend the whole weekend hanging out with a girl who has another boyfriend.” He pauses. “Even if Monty thinks it’s bullshit.”

It’s objectively a bizarre statement. “What exactly does he think is bullshit?”

“He and Jasper were betting on what weird thing Clarke was going to do here before she showed up. I don’t really remember her from school,” he adds. “But apparently they weren’t sure she was going to come and when she got here with a boyfriend, Monty decided they were fake dating.”

“That’s not a thing,” he says.

“Yeah, that was my take on it. So I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

“Talking to a pretty girl doesn’t count as getting my hopes up.” He pauses. “Also I wasn’t even thinking they weren’t a real couple before you said it, so you’re the one getting my hopes up. Dick.”

“Talking to a pretty girl who lives in your city,” Miller says. “Who apparently might have a boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen movies,” he says, overly casual. “Even if they’re not dating now, they will be by the end of the weekend. That’s how it works. You bring someone as a fake date and then feelings turn real.”

“Yeah, that checks out. You’ve just been single for a while,” he adds, in his we are functioning adults who can discuss feelings voice. It’s always a terrifying voice, coming from Miller.

“And I’m still single. This doesn’t change that. Seriously, I’m not sure what you’re worried about. I’m making new friends. Do you think I’m going to like her better than you? Don’t worry, you’re still my number-one person I’d date if they were single, you know that. No one can take that away from you.”

Miller snorts. “Yeah, I’m breaking your heart every day. Also, she’s on her way over, so act normal.”

“You act normal,” he shoots back, and resists the urge to look around for her.

The thing is, Miller isn’t exactly wrong. Bellamy has been single for a while, and he did feel a sharp, sudden spike of interest at the first sight of Clarke, all big eyes and soft-looking hair, with a slightly husky voice and perfectly curved smile. She was really cute, on top of being vaguely familiar, and he’d been pretty pumped to learn she was friends with Octavia, because that meant he’d absolutely be seeing more of her.

But then she said she had a boyfriend, and introduced him to said boyfriend, and Bellamy tried to stop thinking of her as a girl he’d like to make out with and start thinking of her as a girl he’d like to get to know.

Unfortunately, he still kind of wants to make out with her, and Miller noticed, so now he’s going to be all self-conscious about it. Even though he’s not doing anything wrong. He’s not going to make out with her.

So when she sits down next to him, he just offers a smile and says, “Morning. Sleep well?”

Her face scrunches up, and he really wishes Miller wasn’t here. Mostly because now he’s paranoid about noticing how cute she is. “Until Lincoln woke up at the crack of dawn for hiking, yeah. Don’t tell me Monty went too,” she adds, to Miller.

“Yeah, no. He and Raven and Jasper are on a conference call for work. You know them, they can’t just leave the company alone.”

Her smile indicates that she thinks her friends’ workaholic tendencies are endearing. “So we won’t see them for the rest of the weekend?”

“Most likely.”

“But O and your boyfriend are going to be eaten by cougars. So they’re probably the worst off.” He considers for a minute, and then adds, “Until your ex shows up, anyway.”

He still feels a little weird talking about the ex; he remembers how much O disliked her, and the fact that it went wrong and Clarke’s not thrilled about seeing her again doesn’t make it feel an easier to navigate. Mostly it feels like he’s tuning in in the middle of a soap opera and trying to figure out how all the characters relate and which ones he’s supposed to be rooting for.

“Do I have to go hiking to get eaten by cougars?” Clarke asks, sounding thoughtful. “Or can I just get eaten here? If I don’t have to hike, the cougars sound better than my ex.”

He has to smile. “Glad we figured that out. Eaten alive is fine, as long as you can do it inside.”

“Basically.” She turns her attention back to Miller. “What are you guys doing today?”

Miller rolls his eyes. “Dragging Monty off the phone. For his own good. He’s using vacation days for this. I assume you’ve got stuff to do with your actual classmates,” he adds, to Bellamy, like he’s just setting him up to admit he’s avoiding everyone he knows. Which he is. Bellamy doesn’t even know why they’re friends.

“Fuck no, all the official activities are bullshit.” He opens his mouth to say what he was planning to do, and then realizes Miller is going to make fun of him. And Clarke might make fun of him. And both of them might think he’s trying to do something she’ll like to impress her or something, which he isn’t. It’s not his fault he likes museums. “I was actually going to hit up the college museum,” he says anyway, because it’s not like lying is going to improve the situation.

Clarke perks up; he doesn’t check Miller for a reaction. “Yeah? Do they have anything special going on?”

“Comic-book art exhibit.”

She’s beaming. It’s possible he’ll never be able to look at Miller again. This isn’t his fault. He and Clarke have similar interests, apparently. He’s not doing anything special. “That sounds awesome, can I come?”

“I will also want to check out other stuff.”

“You got the part where I’m an artist who works part-time at a museum, right?” she asks, with a roll of her eyes. “Do you think I don’t want to look at at everything?”

It’s not surprising, but it is awesome.

Again, never looking at Miller again. They don’t live in the same place. He can avoid eye contact for the foreseeable future. It won’t even be that hard.

“Yeah, okay, that was stupid of me. Of course you’re welcome.”

“Awesome, that sounds so much better than sitting around my room all day. When were you going? After breakfast?”

“Yeah. I figure once O is back, she’ll have plans, because she always does, so I have to do my own thing while she’s occupied.” He doesn’t look at Miller, but he does make his move in Ascension. “What about you? You want to come?”

“I gotta drag Monty out of whatever hole he’s in. But you guys have fun.”

Bellamy can hear him smirking. He’s the worst.

“Tell them whatever they’re doing will be there after the reunion,” Clarke says. “Also that the sun is nice and their friend.”

“I’m never going to sell them on that one.”

“Yeah, I don’t even buy it.” She stretches, bumps her shoulder against Bellamy’s. “So, just you and me?”

He manages a smile. “Just you and me.”

*

Clarke’s quiet as they walk over to the museum, and Bellamy’s struggling for a conversation starter when she asks, “When did Octavia tell you about my ex?”

The question is so unexpected it takes him a second to process it. “Huh?”

Clarke ducks her head, a faint flush on her cheeks. “Just–I was kind of worried she was going to still be mad at me. I was kind of a dick senior year with the whole thing, and we haven’t done that well keeping up with each other.”

It does make some sense. “Oh, that. I did get some god, Clarke’s girlfriend is an asshole calls your senior year, yeah. Honestly, I think she was just stressed, though. She was freaking out about graduation and all you guys going your separate ways.”

She lets out a small, self-deprecating snort. “Which we did.”

“Yeah, but–she’s not holding a grudge,” he assures her. “Don’t worry. She mentioned you were in Boston when she took her job and she was hoping to reconnect, but that’s about all I’ve heard about you in the last few years. It’s not like she still calls me up to say your girlfriend was an asshole five years ago.”

She grins. “I tell Lincoln how my girlfriend was an asshole five years ago all the time.”

“Yeah, it’s probably more relevant to your life.” She brought it up, so he feels safe adding, “I didn’t get that much detail about how she was an asshole, aside from O not liking her. Which, uh–O doesn’t always have the most unbiased opinions.”

“Neither do I, she’s my ex,” she says with a smile. But she pauses, thinking it over. “Do you have–some people just make you see all the worst stuff about yourself, you know?”

Part of him does get it, but more of him doesn’t, not really. It never feels like news, when people do that. Just like confirmation. “I like to think I kind of do that myself.”

Her reaction is instant, and that’s enough to make him laugh. “I hope not, it sucks.” She considers again. “It’s not quite that, just–whenever I see her or my mom, I think about what my life was supposed to be at this point. And I don’t want that life, but I feel like I should.” Another pause, and then she adds, deliberate, “Also, she’s just really good at making people feel shitty about themselves. Or she was.”

It seems like a lousy quality for a significant other, but she is Clarke’s ex. And Lincoln seems to be a big improvement. “You seem like you’re doing fine to me. But I grew up poor, so just having balance in my savings account is awesome as far as I’m concerned.”

“I grew up stupid rich. So my idea of success is based a lot on that. Status and shit.”

“Yeah, I remember that too. Octavia might have called you a spoiled princess a lot your freshman year.”

Clarke seems pleased by the statement, and it is a little strange, connecting this living, breathing girl to the person from his sister’s stories, the one she never seemed fully aware how she felt about. “I really was. I was so sheltered and spoiled when I got here.”

“You seem like a pretty normal person now,” he offers.

“I’m trying.”

He holds the museum door open, and she nods her thanks as they go inside. “Did she tell you about me? I’m starting to feel like a creep, remembering this much about you.”

She shoots him a grin. “She hated some girl you dated when we were juniors.”

It takes him a second to dredge up the memory. “Roma, yeah. She really hated Roma.”

“And she said you pretty much raised her,” she adds, her voice a little soft, like she’s really impressed or something.

And she has a boyfriend. A very hot boyfriend.

But he can make a good impression as a friend, right?

“Pretty much. Our grandma died when O was five, and after that, yeah–it was just me and her, honestly.” He shrugs. “I don’t think Mom really wanted kids, so she just let us fend for ourselves.”

“When did she die?” she asks, curious. “She did, right?”

“Yeah, four years ago. Don’t say you’re sorry,” he tells her, before she can do more than open her mouth. “It’s awkward if I have to pretend it made a difference in my life. Also, it’s been four years.”

She smiles with half her mouth. “I was going to say that’s when my dad died.”

For a second, he hesitates, but she seems fairly cool about it, so he says, “I assume I should actually be sorry about that?”

“Up to you. But I miss him, yeah.”

“Then I’m sorry. What happened?”

“Car crash. It was the last straw for me and my mom too, so–it’s basically just been me and Lincoln since then.”

He’s going to hell, like, immediately. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Monty is so full of shit. “He seems like a really cool guy,” he says, and it’s true. He really does seem great. He’s looking forward to spending more time with both of them.

Really, he is. Just can’t wait.

But a part of him is still hoping Lincoln doesn’t much like museums.

*

“Why are all the hot people dating each other?” Octavia asks. She finished with her hike, showered, and told him to come over to her room so she could bother him, which sounded like an improvement over being anti-social in his own room. He can not talk to anyone alone in his own room any time. That’s his plan most weekends. He’s going to take advantage of the chance to be social while he has it.

“Because they’re hot,” he says. “Why wouldn’t they be dating each other?”

“I’m hot. Why can’t they be dating me?”

“Your shitty personality,” he teases.

“Shut up, Bell.”

“Is this about Clarke’s boyfriend?”

“He’s really hot, right?”

“Not my type,” he says, with a shrug. “But sorry about your life. Does everyone come to reunions planning to hook up? I just wanted to see you and show my classmates I’m still hotter than they are. I wasn’t cruising for a love connection. I’m starting to feel like I was the only one.”

“I’m not either. I’m just saying.”

“Uh huh.” He sighs, puts his arm over his eyes. “I should go to my class dinner, right? Otherwise I have to pay for food.”

“And if you don’t see them, how are they gonna know you’re hotter than they are?”

He snorts. “Yeah, that’s true too.” After another second of indulging his own petulance, he pushes himself up. “Okay. I’ll probably see if any of the people I sorta liked want to hang out tonight. Text me if you’re doing anything better, though.”

“You know me, I’ll go anywhere with alcohol. I’ll come to you.”

“Man, whoever raised you did such a shitty job.”

“Right? I should ask for a refund.” She gives him a big smile. “Have fun. Keep me posted on where to drink.”

“I think you’ll figure it out. See you later, O.”

It’s not like Bellamy hated his classmates or anything. But most of his close friends ended up being either older or younger than he was, and he didn’t end up bonding that much with anyone. But there were people he sort of liked.

That being said, he’s still not entirely sure how he ends up in the kings game.

He understands all the individual steps, obviously. First he meets up with Murphy, who was his roommate freshman year, and seems like as good a person as any to tag along with, despite his overwhelming Murphy-ness. He’s at least as generally unimpressed with school spirit and class unity as Bellamy is, and they pick up a few other people as they go, and by the time someone suggests kings, he’s tipsy and on good terms with the world, so he goes along with it.

When he invites his sister, he tells her to bring whoever she wants, and he’s antsy until she arrives. As he expected, she’s got a horde with her, which has only grown since he last saw her.

“This is my little sister,” he announces, to his own smaller group. “And all her friends. I don’t even know you guys, sorry,” he adds, to the two girls he hasn’t seen before. “O’s like a person katamari.”

“No one gets your dorky references, Bell. This is Clarke’s ex, Lexa, and her girlfriend, Costia. It was Costia, right?”

“Yes,” says the girl. “Nice to meet you.”

His eyes flick to Clarke automatically, and she gives him a small smile. “Cool,” he says. “Nice to meet you guys too. I’d introduce everyone, but it seems like a pain, so I figure we should just start drinking and let it sort itself out.”

“Alcohol is the great equalizer,” Clarke agrees, and takes a seat next to him. She’s still pretty, and she’ll probably get prettier the drunker he gets.

Monty elbows Jasper, and Bellamy tries to ignore that. On top of not making eye contact with Miller. He’s going to end this weekend unable to talk to anyone he has ever met in his life.

That’s cool. He can probably make new friends. It can’t be that hard.

“Everyone know kings?” Echo asks. “Usual rules. Two is for you, pick someone to drink. Three is for me, you drink. Four is for floor, last person to touch the floor wins. Five is for guys, anyone who IDs as male drink. Six is for chicks, ditto for IDing as female. Seven is heaven, reach up. Eight, pick a mate to drink with you. Nine is rhymes, ten is truth or dare, jacks are Never Have I Ever. Queen is Questions, King you make your own rule, and Ace is waterfall. Cool?” She gets a round of vague agreement and nods. “Cool. Ready?”

Bellamy feels way too old to be playing kings, but it is kind of fun, in a sort of nostalgic way. And it’s oddly more fun to be doing it with Octavia; the two of them have always been close, but never peers, and it’s kind of nice feeling like he’s equal to her, like they’re peers for the first time ever.

And then Murphy says, “Bellamy, I dare you to kiss someone.”

The dare response was traditional; he and Murphy always dare each other, and asking for a truth would have been a sign of weakness. But it’s really not the dare he was expecting.

“Seriously?”

“What?”

“That’s really tame for you,” he says, and regrets it instantly.

Murphy smirks. “Would you rather streak? You can streak.”

“No takebacks,” he says, and then realizes he has to kiss someone.

It’s not like he doesn’t have options. The circle is fairly large, and he knows about half the people in it. He’s kissed some number of them. But he’d have to crawl across the cards to get to most of the people he knew before this weekend, and it’s not like he wants to kiss Murphy, even if it would serve him right. He could kiss Miller, but–

But Clarke’s been kind of leaning in to talk to him a lot, and smiling, and he’s just drunk enough to feel kind of stupid and reckless with it.

“You mind?” he asks her, with half a smile.

She and Lincoln exchange a look and they both shrug, and she turns back to him, a smile playing on her own lips, and cocks her head in invitation.

Bellamy hasn’t kissed someone on a dare since college, and not even recent college. That was, like, sophomore year shit. But it doesn’t actually feel as intimidating as it did back then, when he was hormonal and angsty basically all the time. Now he’s just–kissing a pretty girl with a boyfriend. It’s nothing. He doesn’t know what Murphy was thinking.

It occurs to him as he’s leaning in that he drank on being into her earlier, and this might be weird, but–she knows that too, and her eyes are fluttering shut, so she can’t be too opposed to the whole thing.

It’s just a kiss.

Her mouth is soft and tastes like alcohol and fruit juice. He’s not going to slip her tongue or anything, Murphy can’t possibly expect that, but even without, it’s nice. He likes kissing, and the warmth of her skin against his, the pliancy of her lips that makes him think, just for a second, that if he deepened the kiss, she’d let him. She’d kiss back.

So he pulls away before he can decide to try it.

Her eyes are still closed, her lips slightly parted, and–he can’t be reading these signals entirely wrong, right? He’s not good at this. The signals have to be pretty strong for him to even notice. So–

“I’m going to have you streak next time,” Murphy says, and for the first time he’s grateful for Murphy’s inability to keep his mouth shut.

“There are only two tens left,” he shoots back, and his voice comes out normal.

Clarke leans into Lincoln, and he tries not to think about it. “You should try that,” she says.

He can hear the smile in Lincoln’s voice, so that’s–something? Fucked if he knows. He’s either had too much or too little to drink. Either way, he’s not prepared for this situation. “If I get a ten,” he says, “I intend to.”

*

By the time kings is done, Bellamy’s leading theory is that Clarke and Lincoln are in an open, poly relationship, and one or both of them wants to fuck him, which is–flattering, and kind of fine, except that he hasn’t been good at casual sex in a while. And as much as he thinks sex with Clarke would be fun, he’s not really looking for a one-and-done thing.

Maybe it’s a sign of maturity.

He started taking smaller sips for his drinks after the kiss, to try to keep himself from doing anything stupid, but he doesn’t even know what stupid would involve, at this point. Either everything he’s thinking is stupid, or none of it is.

Mostly, he just wants to talk to Clarke. It feels like she might clear some things up, and that’s a staggering thought, when he’s only known her for a weekend. The whole situation is odd enough he should probably just cut his losses and ignore everyone in Octavia’s friend group. He could spend more time with Murphy. That’s a plausible life choice.

But when Clarke says, “I’ll go get drinks,” he can’t resist.

“I’ll help,” he says, at the same time Lincoln does, because of course he does. There’s no other way that could have played out, in retrospect.

“Great, three of us should be able to pick up enough booze, no problem,” says Clarke, with the kind of aggressive cheer that means she also thinks this is weird, but she’s going to power through. So he is too. Solidarity. “Come on.”

He’s not going to get a better opportunity to try to figure out what’s happening, and the June air is sobering, even if it’s not cool. It’s just always easier to think when you’re not surrounded by a circle of drunk people. Alcohol is absolutely contagious.

“I’m pretty sure they think we just wanted to have a threesome,” he finally settles on. It’s safe, neutral, and true, which means if they laugh it off, he can too.

There’s a pause long enough he’d say he starts to feel awkward, but he’s been feeling awkward for a while. He’s always awkward, honestly.

Finally, Clarke asks, “Were you thinking that?”

It’s a fair question he should have seen coming. He goes with, “Uh, Lincoln’s not really my type.” And then he can’t help adding, “No offense. You seem like a cool guy.” He’s flattered, but–threesome logistics are kind of beyond him, honestly.

Lincoln just smiles. “None taken. This is all you,” he tells Clarke, and then claps her on the shoulder, nods to Bellamy, and takes off in a different direction. Bellamy sort of assumes all roads lead to booze at this point in the night, but he can’t help being a little concerned. Lincoln didn’t even go to school here. Hopefully he doesn’t get lost in his attempt to avoid an awkward conversation

Clarke worries her lip, apparently searching for words. Which makes sense, because she finally blurts out, “We’re not dating. Me and Lincoln. We’re just–roommates. And BFFs.”

The amount of relief he feels is honestly a little pathetic, given, again, he barely knows her. But she seems so cool, and she’s gorgeous, and he hasn’t felt like that about anyone in a while. It wouldn’t have been bad, to have to give up on it, but–he’s so much happier if he doesn’t have to. If they could give this a shot.

“I was already nervous about coming this weekend,” Clarke goes on, the words just pouring out of her now. “And then Lexa got engaged and I honestly wasn’t sure your sister didn’t still hate me and it seemed like a good idea. And then we were going to tell you guys because it’s awkward, but Octavia decided to be nice to Lexa, so–you can tell me to shut up any time.”

His expression recovers, and he feels himself grinning. Monty was apparently right, and Clarke’s single, and he thinks she’s probably into him. His night is suddenly so good. “Oh, no, no way,” he tells her, and she smiles too. “Don’t stop on my account. This is awesome. Keep going.”

“That’s basically it,” she admits. Her expression turns wistful. “I just–I was expecting this to go really badly and that I’d need backup, but then it went really well, and I felt shitty lying to you guys, but–”

“But Lexa was here,” he says. He does get it, sort of. He’s not sure it’s anything he’d ever do, but it was also just a weekend. It makes a lot of sense. “Yeah, I can see that. Telling your friends you were nervous and made your friend pose as your boyfriend for your ex’s benefit is fine, but telling your ex that–”

“Yeah, exactly. Sorry.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m one of the least wronged parties here,” he teases. “You met me yesterday.”

She looks up at him, and the intensity in her gaze makes him swallow. “Yeah, but–you live pretty close to me. I’m hoping I’m going to see more of you.”

It’s the best thing he’s heard all weekend. “Me too.” He glances around; they’re almost alone. “You know your fake boyfriend wandered off, right?”

She blinks and looks around herself. “No, I didn’t notice.”

“And my sister was groaning about how unfair it was that all the hot people are dating each other instead of her.”

Clarke grins. “Lincoln remembered her as my hot college friend, so I think–”

It’s exactly the kind of news that Octavia is going to love, but he’s a lot more concerned with the fact that he and Clarke are alone, and she’s single, and she definitely wants to make out, so he leans in to kiss her again, letting his fingers slide into the hair at the base of her neck, and when she slides her own arms around him, he deepens the kiss like he wanted to earlier, licks into her mouth to find all the small noises of pleasure she’ll make.

She’s the first to pull back, breathless, and he smiles and slides his hands down to her waist. “They’re definitely going to think we’re having a threesome,” he murmurs.

She smiles. “I’m good with that.”

“Even Lexa?”

“She really mellowed out. I feel like she’d be happy for me and my many boyfriends.”

He can’t help laughing, giving her another quick kiss. “Seriously, you should tell O. She’ll think it’s hilarious.”

She looks away, worrying her lip. “I didn’t know she had a thing for me in college. I didn’t even know she was bi.”

“She’s pretty heavily skewed to guys, I think. And I noticed she had a thing for you before she did, with how much she was complaining about Lexa.”

“And when did you notice you had a thing for me?”

“The five minutes before you said you had a boyfriend,” he says. “And the ten minutes since you said you didn’t.” It’s not entirely true, but he figures it’s the kind of polite lie that’s okay. He was doing his best not to notice it in the mean time.

“That’s not much of a thing,” she teases, giving his hand a squeeze. He’s pretty confident she’s taking him somewhere to make out, and he’s so down for that. “Fifteen minutes? Come on.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he agrees. He can’t stop smiling. “But I think it’s got real growth potential.”

And he’s right about that.

[foxtrony]

Ugh

I have a story. And a question. Am I Queer? I always assumed I was being Asexual and all. Unfortunately, recently I was talking to a friend in RL about something (I can't remember what as it got over shadowed by this really fucking quickly) when some how my sexuality came up. Now this is a fairly new friend so it wasn't that strange of a thing, she was actually asking if the pronouns she'd been using were ok ( which kinda still sticks with me because wow this girl who I just become friends with, someone I'v never met until a couple of days ago asked me if she/her pronouns were ok after remembering that it was polite. Just. We've come far my friends.) So I told her I was Queer. Which I am as far as I always thought. It's super hard and annoying to explain to someone how your on the Asexual spectrum, and that yes you would date a girl but no you are not gay and no you are not bi and NO you are not homophobic for saying your not gay even if you would date a girl. Because your Asexual not any of those things. And yes Asexual normally means you don't have a high sex drive but it doesn't mean you don't have one at all because there are so many different kinds of Asexual that explaining to you exactly what I am in a crowed restaurant is not something I'd be willing to do right now. So I said I was Queer. WHICH I AM. But somehow between me saying this and us getting our food we had somehow gotten the attention of a table near our booth. I honestly thought they were homophobic for a while with how they kept staring at us after my saying that. Because it was only after I said that, that they started. These people literally came over to our table after they were done and sat down and started talking to us. Now I'm not normally a social person so this freaked me the Fuck out. I stayed quiet most of the time as a result. It was only after they told us they had heard me say I was Queer that they decided to come over, they had thought I was coming out of the closet (which I will admit is sweet of complete strangers to come over and give morale support) It was only after I told them I was Asexual that things took a turn for the shit. I have met horrible people in my life. I have been sneered at and talked down to. But the way these people looked at me when I told them that still hasn't left my mind. I have never been so talked down to by people I THOUGHT were in my community. They told me that I was a fag hag. That I only told people that I was Asexual to get attention. That they were ashamed and disgusted by me, by people LIKE me. That the only reason I was part of the LGBTQ+ community was because I was a horrible person. That I took attention away from causes that REALLY needed it. They said some of the worst thing I have ever heard before. I'm not gonna lie and say how I was my own hero and sassed back at them, how I told them to take a hike and go fuck themselves. Because none of that happened. I literally just started crying. Right there with a new friend and people I thought might be ok because they we're in MY community. It was one of the worst days of my life. They left when another customer complained to the waitress about them. I haven't actually told anyone in my life about this but I just don't know what to do now. I don't even really know what this post is about. It didn't start out as a 'there's bigotry in the LGBTQ+ community to!' Post but that's an important message too. It was mainly so I could get this off my chest, screaming into the void basically. Idk.