#me and my sister decided front arena for this one cos we were far back last time and it was good but for £30 more... like YES?!

[amber-isnt-a-precious-stone]

istg if i miss out on the green day tickets tomorrow x.x i just missed the spotify fan presale cos i didn't see the email 3 hours ago and they sold out already lol 😱

[broadstbroskis]

present tense | matthew tkachuk

back on my childhood friends to (enemies to) lovers bullshit here! have a nice 5k matty fic that was not the fic i set out to write and is far better for it! one flashback-ish area set in italics! enjoy!

-----

There’s a picture that sits on the desks in both of your dad’s offices-in the Blues training facility and over at Enterprise Arena-that everytime you look at you can’t help but scoff in disgust. Sometimes you even flip the picture down, if it stirs up particularly loathsome feels at that moment in time. But each time you end up back in his office, the picture’s back standing, in its usual place front and center on his desk. 

You can’t figure out why. Sure, you’re by far his favorite kid (suck it, Josh and Seth), but for him to keep a picture that’s close to fifteen years old on his desk that features you just cheesing it up with a guy you can’t even stand anymore is a little ridiculous.

“Just because you don’t like Matthew anymore doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t,” Your dad tells you bluntly, anytime you try to mention that fact to him, which you definitely should have known better. He and Keith had only become better friends since Keith’s transition to his front office role. 

“I still don’t understand what went wrong with you two.” Your mom huffs. It’s the biggest tragedy of her and Chantal Tkachuk’s lives, the day that you and Matthew were no longer best friends and neither of them ever miss a chance to lament that fact. “Best friends one day and then not the next. What could possibly have happened that can’t be fixed?”

“Can’t fix asshole!” You respond cheerily. 

“YN!” Your mom snaps. 

“What?” You shrug. “It’s self-proclaimed!” She gives you a look and even though you are 22 years old, you know what thin ice looks like, so you merely smile back at her.

And there’s the other thing. For all that you can barely stand to be in the same room as your former best friend, the rest of your family loves him. Your dad and Seth will golf with Matt and Keith once a week now that it’s summer and he’s back in town. Josh invited both Matt and Brady to his fucking bachelor party this summer. The entire family will be at his wedding!

You literally couldn’t escape the guy. Your summer had barely just begun; it was only a few days after graduation, and already the pressure was on to keep applying for jobs or decide to go on for a Masters. Josh’s wedding was fast approaching and Nicole had the entire bridal party running all around St. Louis in preparation.

The last thing you wanted was to have to deal with Matty.

-----

From the minute you and Matthew Tkachuk were thrown together it’d been instant connection. You can’t recall the exact moment you’d met; you can, however, remember running through the halls of hockey games, trying to keep up with your older brothers at barbeques as Brady tried to keep up with the two of you, sharing secrets under blankets, and making promises to each other in the dark that you were too scared to make in the light.

Until you were sixteen, you’d both kept those promises, each and every one of them. The smallest things, like promising to bring two snacks to an after school event, to the biggest things, like always being there for each other. 

You were Matty’s biggest cheerleader growing up, quite literally sometimes, showing up to his hockey games in your cheer uniform after a practice or competition. And even though it was clear from early on that Matty was destined for great things, he never made you feel like he’d be leaving you behind, celebrating all your accomplishments the same way you’d celebrated his (far more incredible) ones.

But the distance apart during his first year away at the NTDP changed something. You no longer had Matty to rely on to have your back unconditionally. He was up in Ann Arbor, crushing his dreams, and you were so happy for him, really, but that left you at home and for the first time, realizing what Matty’s dreams would really mean for your friendship long term. You threw yourself into cheer, into your other friends. When his responses to your texts took longer and longer to come, you realized that you were doing the same thing- what’s the rush to get back to someone who’s only going to take three days to respond to you?

And then summer rolled around and Matty came back and acted like nothing was different. He’d swept you up into his arms and twirled you around, proclaiming how much he missed you, while your families looked on and laughed, especially at how you’d whined at him for messing you your hair.

“You didn’t miss me?” He’d pouted, poking you until you’d admitted that you did, of course you did, and that brought the grin you knew and loved.

From that moment on, for the rest of summer, the two of you were inseparable. It’s like every minute you couldn’t spend together was a wasted one. For all the time that went between texts when he was away, your phone was blowing up now that he was back, unable to stop talking those scarce moments when you were apart. 

It became expected, amongst both your friends, that if you invited one of you somewhere, the other was showing up as well. You were blowing off after-practice Starbucks runs for Matty to pick you up and get lunch. You’d found out later that he was moving workouts and basketball games with some buddies so they’d coincide with your practice times. Very quickly, you’d fallen back into old habits, but no one called you out on it, accepting both of you easily, and merging friend groups fairly seamlessly.

As the summer went on, the looming date of Matty leaving again started to hang over your head as the-thing-that-just-wasn’t-mentioned...but that didn’t mean it was ever far from your thoughts. It would pop in at the worst times- when the two of you were grabbing coffee and driving around, when you were lying by the pool for the afternoon, when you were bickering about what movie to watch that night.

You’d just wanted to forget for one night, that he’d be leaving you in just a week, and Paul Morgan’s house party seemed like the place to do it. There was cheap booze flowing, shitty beer in your cup, and it was easy enough to keep the smile on your face surrounded by your friends. 

But you couldn’t shake Matty, the entire night, who was right on top of you, his arm wrapped around your shoulders first, and then playing with your hair, and then his palm splayed against your back. How were you supposed to forget that he was leaving you in seven short days when his thumb was brushing over your hip bone? 

You’d shoved him away, offering some excuse about the bathroom, but going instead to hide in one of the rooms upstairs. The tears had started almost as soon as the door shut, your body shaking as you’d sat down on the bed. Was this going to be the new normal? Days without speaking, only the most vague responses when you did, barely knowing each other for most of the year, only for Matt to come home and cling to you for three months of the year? 

That it was Matty who’d come to find you was entirely unsurprising, opening the door more gently than he did almost anything, but then rushing to your side once he saw your face and pressing to know what was wrong. 

The combination of alcohol and nostalgia had gotten you. “I can’t do this every year, Matty. I can’t pretend everything is the same when you come home, when you’re away and we’re like total strangers.”

“So let’s not be.”

You’d laughed, pretty hollowly. “And how are we supposed to do-” But before you’d even finished, he’d kissed you. 

There are things you remember so clearly from that night, your first time. The way Matty had looked at you anytime he pulled back from kissing you; the way he’d laced his fingers into yours as he’d entered you so carefully, like he was terrified of hurting you; how tenderly he kissed you each time he pressed his lips to yours. The fuzzier moments are some of the words he’d whispered to you both during and after, the things that sometimes return to you in a dream- how beautiful you were, how perfect this was, how much he adored you. 

That he loved you, that he always would, that he only wanted you for forever.

Usually in your dreams, that was when you woke up. But at least you didn’t have to see him kissing another girl that way.

-----

Bridal showers were one of the worst things you could possibly think of, but you’d give anything to be at one of those stupid traditional showers where all the women sit in circle for hours and the old ladies cry over what great gifts all this stupid shit is, if it meant you didn’t have to see Matthew.

But no, Josh and Nicole had to go “non-traditional” and throw a co-ed shower. “We’ve already got a house.” You’d heard Nicole explain to yet another older relative, the same thing she’d said to the rest of the bridal party (granted, sounding much less like she’s tired of saying it) when she’d first tossed the idea out. “We don’t need a bunch of stuff we already have. We just want to get a bunch of our family and friends together.” And for you all to stock our bar, was the second part of the joke, and the theme of the party.

Nicole hadn’t looked stressed about this day- which was supposed to be a casual get-together at your parents with family and close friends-until the comments had started to rain. You can see the eye twitch start to go in your future sister-in-law and as she’s explaining the concept to another aunt of hers, you slip in next to her with another glass of champagne. “Can I steal you please?”

“Of course!” She beams, excusing herself from that group. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just don’t want you to murder anyone before you marry my brother this summer!”

She laughs. “Thank you. For the record, the same goes.”

“Me? What have I done today? Seth is the one who opened that $600 bottle of wine accidentally!”

She gives you a look. “I saw the Tkachuk’s walk in, including Matt. Be nice.”

“I will if he is.” You say childishly, sipping on your own glass of champagne.

It’s just your luck, though, that I saw the Tkachuk’s walk in means here they come now. In classic Tkachuk fashion, Keith and all three kids are shoving each other around, and Chantal is rolling her eyes, right up until the moment they reach you and Nicole, when Keith sends once final shot at Matthew, before regrouping to congratulate her along with his wife.

“Where’s that brother of yours?” Keith wonders, craning his neck. “We’ve got some putting to discuss today.”

“Here we go again.” Taryn mutters, rolling her eyes.

“Hey now!” Matt protests. “Joe and I won that fair and square. We’re just better golfers than you two.”

“Better cheaters, more like.” You mutter into your champagne glass, but it’s just loud enough for everyone to hear and Keith and Taryn laugh even as Nicole and Chantal sigh, like ugh, this already.

“No need to cheat when you’re just this good.” Matty grins back sleazily. It seems to be the smile he reserves specially for you; you’ve never seen him break it out for anyone else.

You plaster the fakest smile on your face. There’s no reason for you to be so hurt by an otherwise innocent comment-after all, despite him professing how much he loved you, you were never actually together-but even now, you can’t help the feeling that hits you when he even mentions the word cheat. “Well you’d know best, wouldn’t you?” You say, managing to feign a cheerful tone to make your fake smile. 

Chantal smiles, not catching the dig you’d intended it to be. “Well it’s nice to see that the two of you are at least capable of putting your differences aside.”

“Yeah, my wedding is looking so much more promising!” Nicole teases.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Even if Matty manages to control himself enough to not start a fight, you’ve still got Seth to worry about.” You nod over at your brother, who’s apparently already given up on glassware, and is carrying around the $600 bottle of wine he’d cracked open earlier in the afternoon.

“Yeah, and even if YN manages not to shit-talk all the other guests, I’m sure Joe and Dad over here will throw something out there as soon as they get a few in them.” Matthew snarks back.

“Well that lasted long.” Keith says pleasantly, like his own son hadn’t just rudely thrown him under the bus.

“We shouldn’t have expected less.” You hear Nicole say, but you’re too busy arguing with Matthew about which one of you is going to be worse at her wedding to respond.

-----

The worst thing to come out of the summer that you and Matt had spent attached at the hip only to end up hating each other is that it had actually made your separate friend groups become friends. So now anytime he was home, it was fairly common for a large group chat to go out to round up the squad for a night out.

Which meant yet another night where you were stuck with Matthew.

Even more annoyingly, when he does show up at the bar, he’s nothing but nice. He immediately waves off cards from everyone, offering to pick up the tab for the night. You’re shocked when he remembers that Mel, your best friend, is going to med school in the fall, and he shows, like, genuine interest in her move to Boston and offers her a few places he remembers from Brady’s short time there or recommendations from friends. 

“You’re being ridiculous.” Mel says, when she drags you out on the dance floor. 

“Says who?” You return petulantly, like you have no idea that she’s talking about the sour face that you’ve been making most of the night.

“Um, all of us.” Mel tells you. “Behind your backs, because we think whatever happened between you and Matt is dumb.”

“You talk about us behind our backs?” You cry, outraged.

“Well if the two of you aren’t going to tell us what happened to our faces, then we had to speculate somewhere!”

And that was never going to fucking happen. You’d never told anyone what had happened between the two of you and as far as you knew, Matthew had never broken the unspoken agreement to never tell anyone, either. You certainly remember the sound the smacking palms had made when Nick had high-fived him for managing to “get something” from Sofia Taylor only a day after you had- “There’s nothing to speculate.” You tell Mel, stopping that train of thought and falling to an old standby. “He’s just an asshole.”

“An asshole who’s buying all our drinks tonight?”

“Yes.” You state stubbornly, and knowing she’s not going to win this one with you, she drops the subject and just starts dancing, shouting along to some of the throwbacks you both know and love.

When she leaves you to grab another drink, her spot is quickly replaced by another body, and you loop your arm around the neck of the guy that takes her place, grinning as his hands start on your hips and gradually begin to slip lower on your back as you press yourself closer to him. 

It doesn’t last long because almost the second his hands get to the point where it might even be considered getting close to your ass, he’s pulled away from you. “Get moving.” Matthew says, even as you glare at him furiously. 

Whether he knows who Matthew is or just doesn’t think he could take him if it came down to it, the guy you were dancing with starts shoving his way through the crowd, even after you call for him to wait. When that doesn’t work you round on Matt. “What was that, you asshole?”

“Wait, you liked him touching you?”

“I didn’t mind!”

He actually laughs. “That guy?”

You give him a dirty look, pushing your way through the crowd, in the direction you’d seen that guy go, but it’s a lost cause. No matter which way you look, you can’t see him.

The only thing you can see is the curly head of hair that’s followed you. “That can’t be who you want.” He tells you, as you’re starting to give up, stuck on the outskirts of the bar now.

“You don’t actually get a say in that.” You cry back at him, a little hysterical. “Maybe you could have, one day. But you fucked that up.” He actually does a double take at that, stepping away from you. “So no, you don’t anymore.”

“YN,” He reaches out for you.

“I’m calling an Uber and going home.” You shove his hand away. You can’t even be near him anymore. “And since you can be nice enough to buy drinks, I can say thanks. But that’s it. Don’t pretend like you did me some big favor tonight. You ruined my life once and now you’ve ruined my night.”

And that’s it. You shove past him before he can say anything else to you. 

But he doesn’t come after you. For once, you might actually have left him completely speechless.

-----

On the same weekend that you, Nicole, and the other girls jet off to Austin for her bachelorette party, Josh and his bachelor party take off for Vegas. 

“As long as he doesn’t come home having gambled our house away.” Is the only thing Nicole says, when one of her cousins asks if she’s at all concerned about the Vegas crew. Privately, you think her nonchalant attitude has more to do with the amount of champagne she’s already consumed, but you can’t deny that she’s right. 

“Low bar there.” The maid of honor laughs.

Nicole shrugs as you laugh. “She’s just hoping that Matt doesn’t pull a Hangover on him.”

“You know, name recognition is probably going to be what makes Matty the one who stops the others from pulling a Hangover on Josh.” Nicole muses.

You give her a look. “You couldn’t just give me this one thing?”

She laughs. “After a couple more shots, I’ll give you anything, babe.”

You’ll cheers to that.

Hours later, you’re still cheers-ing-to Nicole, to Josh, to anything ridiculous that anyone of you can think of, each time someone buys you all a round of shots at the bar. You’re pleasantly buzzed, buzzed enough that the letters are too blurry to read clearly when your phone rings, so you just swipe to accept the call and make your way outside, where it’s a little quieter. “Hello?”

“That’s not how it happened at all!” You hear Matthew say loudly. You can’t tell where he’s at, but the background music sounds muffled, like it is behind you, and he sounds as drunk as you feel.

“What?” You can’t keep up with him. Had you missed something? You almost pull your phone away from your ear to check the group chat, to see if you’d been drunk texting in it and forgotten already, but his voice stops you.

“I didn’t ruin your life; you ruined mine!”

If you weren’t leaning against the wall, your legs would have collapsed out from under you. As it is you slide a good foot down the bricks and the flowy tank you’ve got on isn’t doing much to help avoid the scratches that are sure to run down your low back tomorrow. “What?” You can only repeat.

But it seems like Matt’s been building up steam for this. “After everything we’d been through, after everything I said to you, you could just walk away like that?”

“I’m sure Sofia fucking Taylor could give you a great reason why I just walked away like that.” You snap back, finally understanding and ending the call immediately. You’re raging. You can’t believe he’d even attempt to call you out like this.

Even a few deep breaths doesn’t calm you down. When you make your way back into the bar, a few of the girls have concerned looks on their faces, but you wave them off. “I’ll be fine. Just need to drink more. That’s what we’re all here for, right?”

“RIGHT!” Nicole shouts in your face, already beaming.

Maybe if you keep drinking to her level, you’ll be able to forget this whole conversation even happened.

-----

When drinking doesn’t work to forget that phone call, you just start going out of your way to avoid Matty completely. When you see him at family events, you just ignore him entirely. You start pulling back from the big group chat with your friends, only committing to events once he’s fully committed to not going.

Mel calls you out on it, telling you that you’re just being childish and that you can’t avoid him forever, but your family commends you for finally taking the high road, even if they still think the whole thing is dumb in the first place. 

And it’s easy to look like it’s you taking the high road, because Matthew’s trying desperately to talk to you. You’ve got nothing to say though. It’s like the years of rage have finally cooled. Like if you can’t forget the phone call where he says you ruined his life, then you can finally move past the part where he actually did ruin yours.

The day of your brother’s wedding dawns, hectic as you’d expected, and you spend your morning alternating between doing anything Nicole asks and getting ready yourself. You feel like a princess when you slip into the long, blush dress, but it’s nothing compared to how Nicole looks, and you were far from a crier, but seeing her in her dress was only the first time you teared up that day, and it was far from the last.

By the time the ceremony ended, it’d happened three more times and you made a few jokes about it with some cousins and Seth before you figured you could excuse yourself for a few minutes in the garden outside to get some fresh air before the photographer needed you.

Outside, the weather is perfect, an ideal day for an August wedding. There’s a few places to sit, you remember, from when you’d toured the venue with Nicole once, and you start off for one of them, only to be interrupted.

“Hey!”

You jump around, almost twisting your ankle in your heels, entirely surprised at the voice “Nick! What the fuck are you even doing here now?” You frown, when you see him. He’s dressed in street clothes; he’s not here as a date and it’s too early to crash (which you’d straight up invited some of your friends to do, once it got a little later in the evening and meals had been served).

Nick’s rubbing the back of his neck, looking incredibly awkward and like this is the last place he’d rather be. “I uh, I think I owe you an explanation. Sorry, I couldn’t wait anymore.”

You frown. “For what?”

His hand moves from the back of his neck to his face, but you’re still able to hear as he says, “I was the one who sent Sofia over to him.”

You laugh hollowly. “Fuck off, Nick.”

“YN, Matt only told me the other day that you guys slept together in high school. He was just-god, he was so into you! I swear to god I didn’t know!”

“Fuck off!” You repeat, a little more desperately. 

“I just wanted him to get over you.” Nick says, sounding almost as desperate as you. “He didn’t even want her-she just-it wasn’t-I swear to god if I had known, I never would have-”

“Seriously, Nick, fuck off.” And whether he actually took your words to heart or not, Nick does to turn go, leaving you standing alone in a long dress and ready to cry, once again as he didn’t even want her rings through your head repeatedly.

-----

Once you know that things could have been different between you and Matty, it’s like you can’t look away from him. In two separate rounds of pictures, you get called out by the photographer for not looking, just because you thought you heard his voice.

The reception isn’t much better. As you start greeting different friends and relatives at the cocktail hour, you can’t help but wonder how things could have been. Would Matty have been by your side through all of this instead of over by the bar joking with Brady and Seth? He’d certainly be sitting next to you at dinner. Would he be throwing a couple side chirps into Seth’s best man toast or would he have managed to keep his mouth shut? 

After dinner, when the real party begins, you nudge Seth and gesture at the bar for a shot, breathing a sigh of relief when he enthusiastically agrees, and you round up Josh, Nicole, and a couple of your cousins to meet him at the bar, only to find that he’s rounded up your dad, Keith, Brady, Matthew- the person you’d been hoping to start drinking to forget again. 

Matty doesn’t look away from you and as his eyes follow your every movement- the passing of glasses, lifting the glass up to your mouth, licking the last drop off your lip-you feel the flush grow across your cheeks that’s got little to do with how much you’ve already had to drink. 

“Another!” Josh calls.

“If you’re too fucking drunk tonight,” Nicole warns, leaning against him.

“We just got fucking married!” He beams, capturing her lips in a kiss that has you leading a cheer and then all of you cycling through the motions of another round of shots, all while a pair of blue eyes don’t leave you.

When Seth starts making his third toast of the night, about how happy he is for Josh and Nicole, you seize your opportunity to sneak out for some fresh air, slipping out the doors right behind you.

“Fucking finally.” You hear Matthew behind you and quickly lift the bottom of your dress to be able to run, only for him to stop you dead in your tracks. “YN, god, just-”

He stops abruptly and you let the bottom of your dress fall as you turn to face him. “What, Matty?” You ask him helplessly.

“Don’t...go.” He finishes, rather lamely, compared to anything you’ve heard him say ever.

“We are at my brother’s wedding!” You cry back to him, gesturing around you wildly. You’re not that far into the garden that you can’t still hear the sound of Love on Top from where you’re standing now. “Where am I going to go?”

Your response is enough for Matty to collect himself. “Since the day I told you I loved you, all you’ve done is run from me and we are finally, finally on the same page about why, and you’re going to do it again?”

Desperate for a second to breathe, you gesture around you again. “Is this really the place?”

Matty nods. “I’m not walking away from you again so that can be it. I don’t want to spend another six years thinking you walked away from me, when it turns out you didn’t want to at all.”

“Of course I didn’t, but I didn’t want to be just another girl!”

“You’ve never been just another girl.”

“Well, I just learned that a few hours ago,” You tell him dryly. “From Nick. But it really didn’t feel like that when the day after you told me I was your everything, you were making out with another girl.”

“We weren’t-” Matty starts, but cuts himself off at the dirty look you send him and instead steps closer and grabs your hand, completely ignoring your flinch. “Why didn’t you just say something to me? Anything? God, it would-” He shakes his head, and the unspoken it would have made things so much easier goes unsaid.

“Why didn’t you say something to me?” You counter.

“I asked you first.”

“I asked you second!”

“YN!” It’s like he’s trying not to laugh, but it only works at lightening the mood between the two of you for a moment, before you’re sighing.

“What would I have said?” You ask, kind of ruefully. “Things were weird after you went away and you were about to go away again and I should have what? Begged you to love me and not any of the other girls that might be right there in Michigan with you, let alone the one I thought you’d already chosen over me?” You shrug. “It wasn’t-it wasn’t exactly peak confidence levels right then.” Matty winces at that and you nod at him. “ Alright, your turn.”

“I guess…” He trails off. “I was mostly worried that you had just changed your mind. And that you were trying to let me down easy.” The laugh that escapes after that is so bitter that it’s your turn to wince. “And then by the time I got home again, it was pretty clear that you weren’t letting me down easy at all.”

“I haven’t changed my mind at all.” You look him straight in the eyes, meeting the blue you’ve missed so desperately, determined not to look away for anything this time. 

“Haven’t.” Matthew repeats, squeezing your hand, and as the smile starts to bloom across his face, you feel a matching one grow across yours. “As in, present tense?”

You nod, but you barely get the chance to before his other hand is coming up to the base of your skull and pulling you in for a kiss. Christ, if you thought sex with him was good at 16, expectations have changed, because this kiss alone takes your breath away, makes your knees weak, and has you gripping onto him just to stay standing. “Matty, please tell me you’re going to do that again.” You manage to breathe out, mostly against his lips, which is as far away from him that you think you’re ever going to be able to be.

“I’m never going to stop doing that.” Matthew says, and it sounds like all the promises you’d made to each other as children under blanket forts, but it feels like your past, your present, and your future have combined as he presses his lips to yours in another breathtaking kiss. 

[sehunsmuabrows]

Superstar//Byun Baekhyun

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader 

Genre: ???angst??? 

Word count: 2,222 

Summary: You haven’t been back home since your career took off and a huge breakup. After traveling around the world, you return home to see that your ex boyfriend has achieved his dreams. 

I guess this is part one, it was supposed to be a one shot but it got too complicated 

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

You felt like hell trudging through the airport, hauling your heavy luggage with resentment. Your fifth cup of coffee only making you more on edge about the whole experience. Though you were partly glad knowing that this would be your last time traveling for a while. It had been years since you had been to your hometown, your parents made no effort to keep in contact with you as work got more demanding, other than to ask for money when they were tight on funds. So you decided that you didn’t need to go out of your way to spend time with them. The only reason you would have continued to visit home was no longer a part of the equation, so you dove into work without looking back.  

You finally arrived at the front of the airport, waiting for your ride to arrive at the front of the terminal. Your work friend, Areum, had promised to pick you up from the airport and let you stay at her place, seeing as you hadn’t found a place in Seoul yet. You perked up when you saw her bright red buggie roll to the curb in front of you. “Hey there Ms. Y/N, how was your flight?” Areum piped after getting out of her car and rushing to help you with your bags, energetic as ever. You tried to shake any sign of irritation or fatigue from your mannerisms as you replied smiling brightly at her,  “It was a little rough, but I get to fly business class and that’s always a treat”. You plopped into the front seat, groaning as if you had completely forgotten what it was like to sit in a chair.  

The ride to Areum’s apartment was quiet, as it was far too early in the morning to engage in a deep conversation. And as chatty as Areum is, she was aware that you were far too tired to entertain her. You watched out of the window as you passed the distantly familiar buildings. Seeing the city left an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach as you remembered the memories you made. All of the feelings and memories you had supressed while traveling the world started to drip back into your mind. Baekhyun’s smiling face reappeared in your mind as you thought of everything you left behind. You couldn’t help but think of your ex whenever you thought of seoul, and now you were here, completely and totally surrounded by it. You ran out of time to brood over your past when the car stopped in front of the apartment, it seemed like your body was running ahead of your mind as you glided through Areum’s apartment. She finally showed you to the room that you would be staying in and left you to unpack. As soon as she shut the door behind her, you collapsed onto the soft bed, falling asleep upon impact.

The next month or so was good and uneventful, you begun to a class at a nearby university and the pay was good, so you had no complaints. It wasn’t hard to find a new gig, as you had become well known for your sociology lectures and notorious among students for being a bit rigid. Your friendship with Areum had gotten stronger, you had even stopped referring to her as a “work friend”, and moved to considering her a regular friend. She had begun to try to get you to go to activities with her instead of just watching movies in her apartment, even trying to set you up with her guy friends. One day, she burst into your room with more energy than she had ever shown before, and that was saying something. She began thrashing around on the ground smiling and yelling words that you couldn’t quite make out. You didn’t have very much of a reaction to this type of behavior from her anymore, seeing as she has a tendency to get over excited. The happiness tantrum lasted about 5 minutes before she finally calmed down and explained what her episode was about. “I just got us tickets to see exo tomorrow! Front row and everything, my cousin gave them to me because she has a surgery that day, it’s sad but another man’s misfortune is another man’s miracle” she blurted out, jumping around like a madman. Seeing that you were overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, Areum stopped jumping and tried to level herself to your even temperament as she showed you the tickets.  

“First of all, you know that really isn’t my scene, screaming girls and loud bass isn’t really my ideal afternoon. Second of all, I have work.” You said, handing the tickets back to her. She huffed loudly, visibly frustrated by your refusal.

“I know you don’t really listen to music, but you have to get out there. It could help you with your lectures, it wouldn't hurt to loosen up just a little, don’t think I haven’t noticed how depressed you’ve been since you got here” She spit back, pushing the tickets back into your hand. “ Also, i checked your schedule and you don’t have any lectures or meetings that day, we’re going.” She said, leaving the room before you could say anything back. As usual, you were too exhausted to fight back and ended up following her plans. The rest of the night was spent planning outfits for the concert. Apparently, we needed to camp out at the venue several hours early so we decided to go for more comfortable clothing. Unfortunately you only owned business attire and pajamas, meaning you had to borrow Areum’s clothes. You ended up wearing baggy sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt with the word  “CHEN” on it, which you assumed must be the name of someone in the group. The clothes were too big, as areum was significantly taller than you. Areum was wearing an identical sweatshirt with the name “SUHO”, which she was showing of proudly in the morning of the concert.  

You arrived at the venue several hours in advance, quickly jumping in line behind a group of girls who seemed as if they had slept there. It took you almost an hour of awkward second glances from girls in the line to realize that many of  them were in your class at the University nearby. You felt both embarrassed and confused when you heard one of the girls in front of you whisper to her friend “Dude look, my sociology professor is a Jongdae stan”. Areum was extremely entertained upon hearing the not-so-quiet exchange, explaining that Jongdae was the real name of the man whose stage name you had stamped on your shirt.  

The hours passed by slowly, as the line got longer and longer, you got more and more anxious. You considered, that if there was this much excitement for a performance, then it must be worth it. By the time the venue started letting people in, your legs were aching, you were leaning onto Areum for support. However, in contrast to you, Areum didn’t seem to be tired at all, though she was on edge waiting for the ticket scanner to get to the two of you. Once you both passed through into the venue, she grabbed your arm and started to drag you to the merchandise line to get lightsticks and banners. You managed to make it to the station before a long line accumulated, just standing behind a couple other people. The girl directly in front of you was tall and muscular, blocking your view of the merchandise table completely. Areum was annoyed by this and asked her to move over to the side so she could browse. You could only see the back of her jersey, which read the single word that had haunted and tormented you for years, Byun Baekhyun. You were instantly stunned after reading the word, your mind raced so fast that you barely noticed the lightstick being stuck into your hand. You followed areum to your spot in front of the stage. You looked around, noticing for the first time that the same word was plastered everywhere in the arena. Girls wearing it proudly across their chests, waving it in the air like flag, and painted across their face. Your mind finally flooded with thoughts of him, the way he sung to you when you couldn't sleep, the way his face scrunched up when you tried to flirt with him, the way he bragged about you to his friends. Your love was strong and didn’t seem like anything could go wrong, until your career got more demanding and Baekhyun got closer to debut. You started spending less and less time with him, you started earning more money and he was only a trainee at an entertainment company, you started to get distant and he was feeling neglected. Which is why you couldn't even bring yourself to cry when you found your sister’s bra in his bedroom, and he had no explanation. You blamed yourself for the relationship crumbling, no matter what your friends or your own teaching curriculum told you about crumbling relationships, you always felt responsible. You never even found the strength to confront your sister about Baekhyun in person, it always ended up in a series of drunk emails.

Areum noticed your loss of focus and tried to see what was wrong, but the lights had already dimmed and the crowd was deafeningly loud, so you just shrugged her off, promising to explain after the concert. Music started to play loudly, your heart started to pound hard as you anticipated the group’s approach, you hoped that you were mistaken, and it was actually a different Byun Baekhyun, so that you wouldn’t have to watch your ex boyfriend live out his glorious dream from the front row. It wasn't like the score was even either, showing up to your ex girlfriends lecture about class conflict and inequalities would be alot less dramatic than this.

The music got louder, as did the screams, when 9 men emerged from the bottom of the stage, swiftly beginning their first song. All hope was gone when the first line was sung, you would recognize his voice anywhere. The silky sound of his voice invaded your ears swiftly, entrancing you just as it always had. Thankfully, the group was still far enough upstage to be a sizeable distance from you, with any luck, you could get out of the concert without him seeing you. You couldn't help but enjoy the performance, if you hadn't been so caught up with Baekhyun’s presence, you may have even payed attention to all of the members. They had made it through half of their set before they came up stage and sang a ballad. You realized that this could possibly mean trouble, so you stood a little behind Areum for protection. She quickly noticed your actions and shoved you back forward to your previous spot, telling you to not be scared. Of course she knew nothing of your previous relationship, and probably wouldn’t believe you if you tried to tell her, so you didn't blame her for thinking you were just being timid.

You cursed yourself for not wearing a hat earlier in the morning, as it would’ve been a convenient device to hide your face in this situation. A member with the name KAI stamped onto the back of his jersey was closest to you, he had squat down to touch fans’ hands and wave. He slowly made his way to you and Areum, his smile was dazzling as he looked at the both of you, until he looked at you a little closer, causing his smile to falter, his face to express a bit of shock while trying to maintain a smile. The realization set in that Baekhyun might have shown his members a picture of me by chance-- or Kai took one of my classes-- i desperately hoped for the latter. He quickly moved on from you and Areum, standing up and joining the other members in throwing plushies at each other across stage. It was then you resumed your focus on Baekhyun, he took Kai’s place and started greeting fans as he sung, he got closer and closer to you slowly. You tried to figure out a way to hide and make it seem normal to the other fans in the crowd. Once again, you tried to hide behind Areum,that strategy was just as successful as it was the first time, as you were launched to the front once again, you felt the presence that you dreaded the most. You looked up to see the very face that you tried to forget for 4 years staring back at you, unwavering and full of emotion. You saw many things in his eyes that night, too many things to decipher. The look in his eyes was all it took for you to push your way out of the crowd, desperately looking for a way out of the arena. Throughout the years without him, you tried to forget him and move on to someone new, you thought that if you saw him again then all the feelings would be gone, wondering if it was ever love at all. But you were wrong, it would never go away. 

Next

[thatssonanii]

Golden Hearts 💛🖤 - Chapter One

AJ Styles/OC

Warning:None really. A bit of flirting and some less than happy moments mentioned. Its a bit of a slow start but it’ll pick up!

Tears rolled slowly down Tika’s cheeks as a sad smile rose to her lips while she stared at the phone on front of her. While she sat in the car line at the arena, she had gotten bored and decided to look through the gallery on her phone. The line had come to a stop with some sort of hold up she wasn’t sure about the nature, honestly didn’t care. The rain was pouring down around the car with the sun threatening to peak around the clouds mirrored the way she felt. She wanted to cry and smile all at the same time.

Tika’s four-year-old daughter, Serenity, came into view of the camera, a smile on her sun kissed brown skin. Her dimples looked like two wells on her chubby cheeks. She twirled one time in her floral print romper then leaned down to fix the straps of her gold sandals.

“Is that my baby?” Tika asked loudly. “Is that my babv slayin’ like that? With her baby hairs poppin’?”

Serenity giggled as she put her hands on her knees and cocked her little head to the side. “Who else but me, mama. I’m flawless.” She pretended to whip her hair, which was secure at the top of her head in a neat bun.

The video came to an end with Serenity doing her best Beyoncé moves. She was Serenity’s favorite singer so much so Tika made sure to take her daughter to any concert she could and bought her memorabilia as well.

Tika started to go through the pictures they had taken that day. She remembered that day clearly. They were headed off to a summer pool party one of Tika’s friends was having for the kids. If it was one thing Serenity had gotten from her mama, it was her love of photography. She took pictures of any and everything she could. Serenity’s little imagination had knew no bounds just as her mama’s.  

The sound of someone laying on their horn snapped Tika’s attention from her phone to her rearview mirror to see the person honking at her. The smile on her face replaced with a scowl, even if she was holding up the line they didn’t need to honk at her like that. She put her car in drive still staring in the mirror wanting badly to flip them the bird. It was one thing she didn’t miss about while she was on leave from the company, some of the rude people she called co-workers. Her time was just as valuable as theirs.

After a year of being gone, things felt a little foreign to Tika. She couldn’t lie though and say it didn’t feel good to be back. Even though she didn’t want as much time as the company had given her off, she was thankful for it. She knew she wouldn’t have been able to make it back in the two months she had originally asked for versus the year they gave her. What’s more, she didn’t think she would still have a job. Yet here she is, backstage at Smackdown Live in Toledo, Ohio. The company, mainly Shane, fought with her to wait till the Smackdown after Blacklash to return instead of the actual pay per view. He didn’t want her to be overwhelmed. She was still a bit apprehensive about being so far from home but she knew she needed to be strong and have faith.

No one seemed to take notice in her being there, which she preferred. She moved in silence through the bright, buzzing backstage area. All Tika wanted to do was make it to her area so she could unpack her bag and start snapping pictures.

“You didn’t tell me you were here, Ti.”

The voice brought her smile back. Tika acted like she didn’t hear them, pretending to search her camera bag for lenses she didn’t need. “You hear me, girl. I know you do.” Suddenly there were arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground making her laugh louder than she should have.

“Let me go, Trin,” she laughed trying to wiggle from her grasp. “We’re in public. Put me down, you’re being extra.”

“Oh, I’m extra,” Trinity asked setting her down. “I’m extra because a certain someone didn’t tell their favorite oldest cousin they were back.”

Trinity gave Tika a fake smile to combat the smirk on younger woman’s face. In her rush to get everything packed and ready for her flight from Orlando, Florida to Toledo, Tika had forgotten to let her cousin know she was returning to work. Their relationship was much more like sisters and best friends. If someone didn’t know them, they would swear they were sisters. Trinity being the more eccentric sister with the bright hair and make-up where as Tika was the tamer one. She liked to keep things simple, natural for the most part and fun.  

“First, you’re my only cousin. Second, I’m sorry. I was overwhelmed trying to get everything together for the trip.”

Trinity eyed her for a second as if debating whether she believed her or not. “Mmhm. So how you holdin’ up, Ti?”

“I’m fine, I’m good.”

“If you’re not, you know you can tell me right?” Trinity pulled her into a small hug, resting her head against Tika’s head, lovingly. She appreciated her cousin wanting to check up on her but she didn’t want to talk about any of it. Finally getting to a point where she could leave her house without crying, Tika didn’t want to make any steps backwards. If she did, she knew the result wouldn’t be good for her.

“Enough about me though. What about you, champ? Winning in our backyard, babe. That was everything.” The proud smile was unmistakable. To say Tika was proud would be an understatement. She always knew Trinity would get her WrestleMania moment, her only regret is that she missed it.

Trinity smiled bashfully, ignoring the people moving around them trying to get things ready for the show. Tika noticed and moved them to the other part of the hallway, trying to get out of the way.

“It was amazing. I felt so much love, I didn’t think the people would really be happy I won. It was a shocker.”

“Girl, please.” Tika shooed her playfully. “With all that shaking and flipping you did. Who wouldn’t love you? I was looking at you tryna figure out if that was my big cousin out there slayin’.”

They bumped shoulders as they laughed loudly earning looks from the people around them to which they gave them nasty glares. When they were together, it was loud and everyone had a good time. And if anyone wasn’t having a good time then they could leave as Trinity would always say.

“Come on, I know Jon and Josh wanna see you. They’ve been talkin’ about you since we last saw you in March.”

Trinity was never one to ask anything. The words that came out of her mouth, usually came out in a demand. This time was no difference. Tika gave a fleeting glance as Trinity drug her away holding onto her hand tightly. As they passed throngs of people, their co-workers, they attempted to speak to Tika but Trinity was not slowing down. Instead of a proper conversation, Tika gave them small waves and apologetic smiles.

When they entered the large, open locker room, the room got louder. There was an up roar of cheers, shit talking and laughing. Just what Tika had missed. Watching Austin record for his gaming channel, especially the competitions were pure entertainment. Kofi and E sat in front of the monitors Austin had set up on the table playing UFC. It must have been for the tournament he saw Jon going on and on about on Twitter. Jon, his brother Josh, Antonio and AJ stood around the trio, as spectators and commentators. Trinity bumped shoulders with Jon, he turned around prepared to pop her arm until his eyes landed on me.

“Oh snap! Lil Tiki torch in the house,” he yelled draping his arms around her. His hug swallowed her leaving her no choice but to bury her face in his chest until he was ready to let her go. Tika couldn’t help but laugh at how affectionate he always seemed to be. His outburst had caught the attention of the other males in the room.

“We’ve got the baddest woman in the land with a camera in her hand, Miss Tika Harris” Austin roared looking into the camera. A round of ‘oooh’ emanated from E and Kofi at his rhyme.

“How you doin’, love?” Josh asked pulling her away from his brother’s arms into his. “I’m alright. No worries.” Josh was the calmer twin. He didn’t need to be loud all the time like his older brother. Then again, he could get just as loud if need be. Austin and Antonio gave her quick squeezes then returned to the game play.

“Long time, no see, darlin’.”

“Hi to you too, AJ.”

Tika kept her head forward staring at the screens in front of her not wanting their interaction to be caught on the cameras. She knew that fans paid more attention to those in the background more than the ones right in front. The last thing she needed was marks ganging up on her and sending mean tweets.

His eyes bore into the side of her face. The baby blues were locked in, he didn’t care about the presence of a Austin’s cameras. “Your thumbs don’t look broke to me.”

“What,” she asked with a slight laugh.

“I mean I figured you weren’t textin’ cause your thumbs were broken,” he sighed folding his arms across his chest. “But I see they’re just fine.”

Tika didn’t feel like getting into this conversation while they were in ear shot of everyone else and the camera. The last thing she needed was for someone to make a big deal out of them talking. She’s seen first hands what false accusations can do to someone’s career in this company especially a female. With a nudge to Trinity’s arm, Tika left the locker room already knowing AJ would be right behind her shortly. While she wondered down the hallway towards the large stack of crates she scrolled through the notifications on her phone. There were mainly texts from her parents, especially her mom, who wanted to know how everything was going and how she was doing. The rest were a few friend, who after a year still didn’t get that she didn’t want to constantly relive it all and didn’t want their handouts.

She felt his presence before she saw him. AJ approached her just as she made it to the crates. He lifted her by her hips onto the crates so that he could get a good look at her.

“What is with you wrestlers and picking people up?” She sat her phone beside her on the cart, giving AJ her full attention. In the year that she had been gone, he had let his hair grow longer than what she remembered. His beard was a lot fuller now. Both framed his face, bringing out his eyes even more. “It’s a part of the occupation. Didn’t get these muscles from liftin’ remotes,” he shrugged. A year later and still the same person.

“I’m sorry for not returning your calls and texts. I’m tryna do better now, AJ.”

“Yeah well I accept your apology this time. But next time,” he warned wagging his index finger in Tika’s face. She laughed pushing his finger from her face.

She and AJ had become good friends upon him coming into the company back in 2016. He had such a good spirit, she couldn’t ignore him for long. No matter how hard she tried to ignore him greeting her so nicely every time he saw her or the small conversations and jokes he made when they found themselves near each other with time to kill. Some of the men that worked for the company tried to give off this vibe that they were good people but in reality, they were assholes. But AJ was different, he was the person he put out for others to see.

“No but really. How you holdin’ up, kid?”

“Kid?” She scoffed at the name. “I’m a grown woman, AJ. Not a kid. I told you about that name before.”

“You’re a kid to me. A sassy one.”

“Grown. Woman.” She spoke slowly maintaining eye contact with him. A smile graced his lips as he waved her off playfully. “Whatever, kid or grown woman. How you holdin’ up?”

“I’m fine. Taking it day by day.”

AJ was the first person to find her after it initially happened. She was standing in the lobby of the hotel with Trinity, the twins and some of their other co-workers debating on plans when she got a phone call from her mom. They were in New York for Raw, it was a month before the brand split. She would never forget how her mom sounded on the other end of the phone. For a moment, she felt like she was paralyzed but then she was tripping over herself repeating that she was coming home to her mom before hanging up. The hallway that she had snuck off to was clear, the only noises around her was the dinging from the nearby elevator bank.  

All she remembered was AJ helping her from the floor, trying to ask her what’s wrong. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t bring herself to repeat what her mom had told her, she didn’t want to make any assumptions and saying it out loud would make her do just that. For a few minutes, all she could do was cry. She sobbed quietly into his chest, something she wouldn’t be able to do when she reached Orlando. The world around her felt as though it had come to a stand still. She rememberedbletting him know that something was wrong with her daughter and she needed to get home.

AJ stayed with her until Trinity spoke with her aunt, Tika’s mom, to find out what exactly was happening. Tika clung to him, her head was throbbing but she couldn’t stop her tears. He hated to see her upset, he had never seen her do anything but smile, laugh and occasionally glare.

“You’re thinking about it. Don’t do that.”  Her voice was soft and sweet. She smiled but AJ saw the sadness behind the smile on her smile. “Thinking about it won’t change it, AJ. I learned that the hard way.”

AJ opened his mouth to speak but Austin yelling out his name cut him off. I shooed him away when he tried to keep talking. Getting AJ away from the whole conversation was for the best. It was part of the reason Tika had stopped responding to his texts. AJ was way more comfortable talking about it than she was. It didn’t upset her that he wanted to talk about it, it upset her that at some point she was comfortable talking about it with him. She just didn’t think she was ready and here it is a year later.

Grabbing her phone, Tika hopped down to go back to her camera so she could do test shots. On the way, she glanced at her phone for the time, her lock screen catching her eye instead. The picture put a smile on her face, most of the time it’s what kept her going. The person she was doing everything for.

[nonopiimagines]

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Fates Pairing: Shura x f!Nohrian!Corrin Warnings: n/a Word Count: 2,554 Author Notes: Writing Camilla is hard. Also, serow are like fluffy goats. So cute. 

part iii.

It had been weeks since that evening when Corrin tended to his wound, and though his wound was almost fully healed, the memory was still burned into his brain. When he was lying on his bedroll, waiting for sleep to overtake him, Shura would hash and rehash that memory along with many other snippets of conversations with her or times when he would catch glimpses of her during battle or in negotiations with the enemy forces. He didn't like that she was becoming a constant presence in his thoughts, distracting him during trainings in the arena or when pacing the castle ramparts. It was only a matter of time before it cost him an arm or a leg during a real skirmish. What happened to his confidence--preference, even--in being alone, trusting no one, never letting anyone get too close to him? Corrin was able to slice through that wall like a hot knife through butter.

In his defense, Corrin wasn't making it easy for him. It started by her asking him to support her during one of their smaller battles. Then it became supporting her during every battle. She would sprinkle him with comments like, "We were really in sync today," and, "I think our fighting styles complement each other," or, "I appreciate you always having my back." Shura was constantly at war with himself, trying to guess if what the Nohrian princess was saying meant anything beyond its face-value. But he would always conclude with something along the lines of, she's a gods damned princess and she'll be having none of you and your complicated past.

But what made Shura hesitate was a recently occurring ritual. Normally during meals, he would get his food in the mess hall and then leave to eat in solitude. Sometimes he would eat near the pasture and watch the cows, or sometimes in the arena if people were still training, but most of the time he would walk around the ramparts until he found the perfect spot to eat and gaze out upon the land outside the walls. It wasn't abnormal for Corrin to stumble upon him eating alone, but it had only been the last few days that she purposefully would leave half her food uneaten so she could find him and finish her meal while conversing with him. The first time it happened, he thought it was a fluke, that maybe she had something important to discuss with him that could not wait. But then it happened again and again, always during dinner but sometimes during breakfast as well. Shura didn't mind spending more time with her, but it left a seed within him that blossomed into questions like, "What does Corrin really think of me? Could she truly have affection for me?"

So especially at times like this, when everyone was asleep or on watch and his mind had no boundaries so it flitted between these thoughts like a boat at the mercy of a storm's waves. If only he could calm his mind and relax so his body could rest and recuperate for tasks ahead. He couldn't help but remember Laslow's offhanded comment earlier that day, "You look like a Faceless roughed you up, Shura. Maybe you should go take an hour at the hot springs!" It was late enough that no one else would likely be there to bother him. At this point, he was was willing to give anything a try.

Shura quietly slinked out of his bedroll, grabbed a towel from his bag, and headed out of the barracks. Even just feeling the cool night air on his skin made him sigh in relief as he followed the stone path that lead from the barracks, past the docks, directly to the bathhouse. No one was around except for the shadowy figures of those who were on watch tonight. It left the building eerily silent, the only movement being the steam rising off the large pools of water. Shura chose a secluded spot near the far corner of the bathhouse. It was partially hidden from the entrance, giving him time to escape unseen if someone else decided to use the facilities at this time of night.

It only took him a moment to strip off the majority of his clothes and slip into the warm water, a stronger wave of sulfur hitting his nose that he quickly became accustomed to. A sleepy daze was beginning to take him over, the kind where you desperately wished for sleep but knew that you were incapable. The kind that left your brain devoid of coherent thoughts, but the words still bubble up from somewhere, making less and less sense each time and distorting the world around you. Shura splashed some water on his face and tried to forcibly massage relaxation into his neck and shoulders. Even still his thoughts turned to Corrin, wishing she was here with him, telling him it's okay, holding her hands over his eyes and blocking out the world until he found peace. He sighed in frustration, turning to hoist himself partially out of the pool to grab his towel for a makeshift pillow. He shoved it under his head, leaning against the wall of the pool, crossing his arms in a defensive posture. This was Shura's last stand. He was going to close his eyes, empty his mind, and focus on one thing only: counting sheep.

But it wasn't long before those sheep turned into serow and the imagined scenery around him turned into Kohga. He was on top of one of their many mountains, everything lush and green around him but he could see the cold winds buffeting the serow as they grazed in clusters around the mountain top. It was home, somewhere he returned to often in his thoughts and dreams, but less so lately. In a way, it was calming. Something so simple could steady his heart and ease his mind. But as it normally was, as his dreamself turned to survey the land below, black clouds of smoke rose from the villages that dotted the land. Hundreds of lives upended, overturned, ruined for the greed of their neighbor, Mokushu. And even in this state of sleep and sleepless, he already knew how this story played out. Those who weren't dead scattered and that's how he became alone, aloof, and a man of no country. Boundless and free, yet so tightly held down by grief and endless desire to rise up again like a flower coming out of the springtime snow.

Kohga was one thing he could never let go. He could make peace with the death of his family and friends, knowing he will never see them again until he too passed on. But in a way, they could still carry on through their people. To reestablish Kohga would free him in a way he has never known. To be weightless by the virtue of seeing something taken from you, ripped from your naive hands, returning to you after fighting and striving for so long. And to do so in the face of your oppressors would return the universe to its rightful balance once again. It was in this way that Shura knew this wouldn't not be his last sleepless night.

Still in his lucid state, Shura let his mind take him to his village in Kohga. It was winter now and all that was left were burnt husks of buildings. He could see the small hoofprints of deer dabbling around in the deeper snow banks, but those were the only signs of life still thriving in his old home. He walked and walked, up a short hill that was littered with slumbering trees and across a bridge where a stream would flow beneath in the warmer months. Shura knew what lie ahead and still he returned here. It wasn't nearly as destroyed as the small dwellings in the village, but it was damaged enough that nothing dare set foot here. It was his dojo, where he learned to use a bow for the first time and later how patch his own wounds and diagnose infection. The last time he was truly content was when he lived and trained here. Shura stood in front of it, staring at the steps leading up into the main room but not making a move.

All of a sudden, he heard a giggle. A woman's laugh. Then the sound of footsteps somewhere in the dojo. He raced inside, stepping over practice katanas and ruined tatami mats on the floor, his eyes darting all over looking for the source of the noise. And then he saw the glint of metallic armor out of the corner of his eye and spun in its direction, but nothing was there. Then the laughter again, closer this time, in the same room even, but it was distorted and echoing. Again, he searched, calling out, slamming open the paper doors that still remained intact that lead to other rooms, but there was nothing and no one.

And then he realized.

"Maybe this will help you, little sister."

"I hope so. I've had a hard time getting to sleep lately."

Shura was frozen in place, his head still back on his towel with his eyes glued to the ceiling. He could hear the sounds of Corrin and Camilla entering one of the pools closer to the entrance of the hot springs hidden from his view. Silence descended upon him again and he knew it was too late to escape. Even if he could get out of the pool and gather his stuff without making a sound, he was positive they would see him attempting to exit the building.

"Camilla, may I ask your opinion on something?"

"Anything, dear sister."

It sounded like Corrin was hesitating, perhaps trying to find the right words. "Maybe I could start with a question for you instead. You are smart and beautiful and anyone would be lucky to have you. Is there a reason why you don't seek out a partner?"

Camilla let out a laugh followed by the sound of water moving. "I can't have some plaything distracting me from taking care of you! Especially now that our family is together again, it just won't do."

"Thank you, big sister." Shura couldn't tell if Corrin sighed or laughed.

"Carry on with your questions. What's bothering you?"

A small piece of Shura perked up, the part of him that wasn't desperate to run back to the safety of the barracks. Was Corrin okay? They were nearing the end of the war, he knew. The continuous breakthroughs in battles, counting down the failure of each Hoshidan sibling until victory would come at their complete defeat and the fall of their capitol. But he could also see the fatigue in everyone, not limited to the Nohrian forces but civilians too. And Shura knew better than anyone that battles took an emotional and physical toll that would take years to rebuild. Maybe Corrin was feeling it too.

"I... There's someone who I'm very fond of..."

"Yes?" Camilla drew out her response, as if doing so would coax Corrin into continuing.

"I want to pursue a relationship with this person. But I'm concerned that it may... distract me. Or that having someone I'm close to in that way would impact my decision-making when it mattered most."

Shura's heart stopped. He could feel his face burning, whether it was from the prolonged soak in the hot mineral water or from Corrin's last statement, he didn't know. Who was she referring to? He could hope it was him, given that she'd started eating meals with him and they spent almost every minute on the battlefield next to each other. But he also knew how friendly Corrin was, she spent time with everyone. Just because they had a good "working" relationship, didn't mean that she was treating him out of the ordinary, like he meant something special to her.

"And we're so close to ending this war, Camilla. I can see it. And if something were to happen and I make a mistake... Maybe I should just wait until everything's settled."

"Oh, baby sister." He heard the sound of water move again, he imagined Camilla hugging her sister like she so often did.

Corrin grunted. "Camilla!"

"You can't complain about hugs from your big sister! Especially when I might lose you to someone else."

"Gods, nothing's happened yet."

Their banter made Shura smile briefly. He'd never wished for siblings for himself, but he knew that they were integral to Corrin's life. They all seemed to dote on her to some degree, even little Elise.

"When you were taken away from us by the Hoshidans--"

"You mean when they helped me after Hans betrayed Gunter and I."

"Details, dear sister. When that horrible thing happened, we were all so worried for you. I was not the only one who suspected the worst and wished I had more time to spend with you doing only good things. No wars, no fighting, no confronting father. Just spending time with you, laughing with you, making you happy."

"I know, but I'm alright now."

"Yes, and that is truly wonderful! I was never happier than in that moment when I saw you were okay. Because of that experience, I don't want to waste time not being happy. You don't know how much time is left."

Shura was surprised at the older Nohrian princess' seriousness. Corrin hadn't told him a lot about the beginning of the war and her roll in it.

"You would choose to be happy, even if it meant risking other people's lives?"

Camilla's laugh echoed off the walls again. "That's not the problem, sweet sister. I know that you will never intentionally hurt anyone because that's not what makes you happy. You will always do what's best for everyone and that's why you're leading the war effort. Everyone trusts you unconditionally and that trust is not misplaced."

Shura found himself smiling again because he knew her words were true. Even an old, crusty bastard like himself crumpled in front of Lady Corrin and her overwhelming desire to be good. For so long he couldn't even fathom what trust in someone would feel like. He didn't think he was capable anymore.

"Thanks, big sister."

"Anything for you. Now that you've stopped being mopey, we can go back to your quarters and I can braid your hair before bed."

He thought he heard Corrin chuckle before it sounded like the two women were getting out of the water and collecting their belongings. It didn't take long before it was completely silent again. Shura waited a few more minutes before following suit. After the stress of his nightmare and the adrenaline coursing through his body the entire time the two Nohrian princesses were conversing, he felt like he couldn't process anymore information. He barely made it back to the barracks before promptly falling asleep.

[dadsontour]

Dads on tour: I’m on a boat

My dad loves to write a holiday letter. And they’re usually too funny not to share. Names have been changed to protect fellow passengers (you’ll understand why)... 

This letter was received from Argentina after a boat cruise around Cape Horn.

“Long flights are the means to an end but always throw up their challenges. 

After QANTAS decided that my safety was important to them they pulled the plane out of service at the last minute and brought in one that I am sure will be first to go in Alan Joyce’s fire sale when the new ones come on board this year – but it made it!  

I cannot say I have experienced a paper cup delay before – who forgot to put the coffee cups on board?  What’s another 15 minutes!

At least I wasn’t confronted by one of the space Nazis who has to recline their seat in your face as soon as the seat belt lights go off.  

School holidays , what to expect other than a couple of disgruntled teachers sitting behind upset about how the assistant principals conspired to stack the principal selection panel to get one of them up for the principal job, but the plot was overheard by staff.  

Flying south along the Andes from Santiago to Punta Arenas is just another reminder of how elongated Chile is, running some 4500 km north to south and this was over a 3 hour flight to the deeper south. Lots of volcanoes to be seen until the even longer continuous white cloud took over. 

Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas is an interesting place, very much wanting to be part of the tourist scene given its location as a potential jumping off point to Patagonia and colder parts further south.  At the same time it is very much part of the petrochemical scene for Chile.   

Summer temps can get into the mid to higher teens with a day or two of mid twenties in February when the kids take the plunge into the fairly icy waters.   

Beach towels on sale after Christmas – really what was that retailer thinking!

Global warming impacts heavily in Sth America and here the big issue was that the ice skating rink didn’t freeze over last winter for the first year in a long time.

There is no chance of the Donald visiting Patagonia one feels!  I met a lot of Americans hiking in Torres del Paine and did not find one who claimed to have voted for him!

With some trepidation I headed off on a tour of Punta Arenas where the main attraction was the cemetery!  Hmmm!    

Much of this area is steppe used for farming of sheep and more recently cattle in a harsh environment with the original pastoralists coming essentially in hope wanting to make a fresh start in the mid 1800s.  

In came Mr Menendez with his manager Mr Braun. Mr Menendez (Jose to his friends) was given lots and lots of land by the government.  So all the way from Lithuana comes Mr Braun’s sister Sara who manages to marry very quickly more new found wealth.  Her husband dies young and she inherits the biscuits! 

So we now have the wealthiest of the wealthy as the Brauns and the Menendez’s.  Needless to say Mr Braun’s son then marries Jose Menendez’s daughter and the deal is done.  

The Brauns control all the wealth.  Sara has a palace built adjoining the main square with a special little sun chamber constructed at the front to enable her to watch the goings on of the locals.  

Mr Braun builds his palace next door with a special glassed in tower on top that enables him to look out over the city to the waters below carrying out a busy trade of his sheep on the Magellan Straits pre Panama Canal.  

Sara died in the 1950s and her name is all over town, including the Sara Brown Secondary School (as well as the cemetery where her tomb is one of the biggest – her husband is a small one beside hers – she would not be buried with him as he was the wrong religion in death but not in marriage!).

The trip from Punta Arenas into the stunning landscapes of Patagonia is almost a 5 hour bus ride through to Eco Camp where I stayed.  

The M&Ms

Just four passengers on the bus.  Enter an Australian couple, he retired, she still working as a GP.  

If it’s travel, they have done it all and happy to tell everyone about it.  If they haven’t been there they have been somewhere better!  

“Some people call us M&M” comes the admission related to their Christian names, others might have seen a physical resemblance to one – lets call him M2 as there was no doubt who was M1.  

After a very fleeting (2 day) visit to Patagonia, M&M were headed for an Antarctica cruise on a very expensive boat as M2 had an akubra that he had worn on all other continents and he needed to go to Antarctica to complete the set.  

They struggled physically with the demands of the sightseeing “you know he is full of medical bits” but did manage in a couple of days to see a few animals and ensure that everyone knew of their world travels and that for them travel complications only happened when they let their friends do part of the organisation of the trip.

EcoCamp

The EcoCamp where I stayed at Torres del Paine was really good.  Living in a dome for four nights was different.  A little case of the haves and have nots – I had the “standard” number – no heating or ensuite, neither of which bothered me but the half sized doors were a bit of an embuggerance for someone with no protection from skinning the skull on the top of the door way!  

For a few more dollars they came with heaters and ensuites (and bigger doors!)  My three days there were spent taking on the three arms of the “W route” which essentially take in the three most commonly visited locations in the park - the Torres del Paine base (a 22km walk/climb), the Frenchmans Valley (an 18km walk) and the Grey Glacier (a more relaxing boatride).  

I’ll let the pictures do the talking for these three experiences – they were all amazing, although the Frenchmans Valley was a little soggy which stopped us doing the last 3 kms of the walk.  We tended to be with the same group each day and that enhanced the whole experience as well.

I then travelled back to Punta Arenas to board the Stella Australis, a four day boat trip headed ultimately to the Beagle Channel and a landing at Cape Horn, before docking in Ushuaia (Argentina).  

On the boat

All aboard, OMG, around 190 passengers had me shaking at the knees anyway given my allergy to cruise boats, but this was a means to an end and I had to keep revisiting that!  

A cruise with a group of 37 from Deutschland and as if it were an Olympics medal count, even more from the U.S of A.  These were not the type of American tourists I had met at the Ecolodge.  

At my first meal I made the mistake of walking too far into the dining room where a lady met me and said “I’m sorry but these tables are for a special group of us from Harvard”.  The Donald was alive and well here!  One of the Americans on my dinner table has already told me how .... you guessed it, I have found someone who voted for Donald!  

But then this couple did stay on the same floor as Venus and Sarina when they came out to the Australian Open.  Looking after Hedge Funds in the U.S. set him up and she is big in events management (running the campaign to convert the under 35s that All Spice is not for “old people” and organising corporates with Bill Clinton and Colin Powell.  

I even came across the person who co-ordinated the bid for the London Olympics.  On the last night they have an auction to sell off the navigation map to Cape Horn – that will be a story and I certainly would not consider a bid!

The boat trip was fine.  Loved the barrage of glaciers, many coming right down to sea level.  There was a small celebration as we passed the avenue of the glaciers - the Italian, French, English, German and Dutch glaciers in quick succession, with the crew handing out corresponding alcohol and food, ensuring a lively night on board. 

Loved the wildlife we have seen with animals right into breeding season (well childcare really) – they don’t have long before winter is back.  I’m not making any parallels with some of the passengers there!   

I find the U.S of A provides a rich source of amusement!   The (U.S.) woman seen carrying a torch on the boat saying you know it still does get dark at night here.  The (U.S.) grumpy old man at the reception after the first meal complaining the he was “starving” as he didn’t eat octopus and there was no other option – the octopus was an opener only in a 4 course meal.  The (U.S.) woman who on hearing they are building another of these expedition boats to increase the number of trips heard to say “Oh, could it be with an elevator”  Then coming back to that recurrent theme of the Donald as it comes up in conversation all the time, the man (from the U.S. and sounding like let’s say North Dakota) perhaps coming to terms with reality reading an article “Managing Donald”  Then there was the group from Harvard who had their own sessions running – “welcome to come along but you are not permitted to ask any questions”.

Cape Horn

After being softened up for the prospect of not being able to land at Cape Horn, the weather gods smiled initially at least with sunshine and calm.  

This is as far south as it gets short of Antarctica and one family gets to look after the place for a 12 month stint (no breaks and no leaving the island unless an emergency).  

So just in case you were contemplating a career change (there is just the Naval officer, his wife who becomes the Park Ranger, and three kids 14,8 and 1) it takes 12 months training to ensure you are emotionally stable and then appendix removal for everyone with the Naval Officer opting for the vasectomy as well.  

No TV of course and a weather station to be read every 3 hours.  In summer you get to talk to a few visitors such as our boatload, in winter no one comes near the place.  Just to remind everyone of the hostility of the environment, we arrived in sunshine and left in heavy snow (all in one hour).  But then as was said, it is an address that almost everyone on the world knows of.

Argentina

This morning saw an Argentinean stamp in the passport with the boat trip ending in Ushuaia.  It has become a trendy little place catering to tourists jumping off to Antarctica these days.  

It wasn’t always that way though having been set up as a penitentiary where the inmates outnumbered the residents back at the turn of the 20th century.  A little train runs today  (at a price doing the Argentinean economy no harm), along the line constructed by the inmates over 100 years ago – a fascinating story, but not for the inmates I am sure.

The journey continues!

Dad