#peeling an orang for his beautiful fish boyfriend

[trustymikh]

it's mermay

using @janayuga's desigs <3

[sisterspooky1013]

Only One Choice, Chapter 7

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

Saturday brings an unexpected heat wave, the high temperatures uncharacteristic even for D.C. Dana has grappled all week with how to explain her Saturday evening plans to Ethan. Her instinct is to lie, to tell him she’s getting dinner with Missy or has to go into work for an emergency autopsy. But lying makes it impossible to tell herself that what she’s doing isn’t wrong; if she has nothing to hide, why would she be hiding it? In the end, she goes with vague truth and tells him that she’s meeting up with a colleague to discuss some interesting new research they shared with her. Never mind that said colleague is a very handsome and apparently very single man. Never mind that she feels a rush between her legs whenever she pictures his cocky smile. Meeting with a colleague. Interesting research. Nothing more.

She and Ethan spend the morning lying around in their underwear, too overheated to do anything else. The air conditioning hums and sputters, trying to keep up, but it's no match for the sweltering heat.

“Do we have ice cream?” Ethan asks, splayed out on his back against the hardwood clad in green boxer shorts.

“Nope, I ate it all when I was PMSing last week,” she replies from the couch, arms and legs draped off the sides so that no part of her body is touching any other.

They are quiet for a bit.

“Wanna have sex?” Ethan asks offhandedly, and she feels a flush of dread.

“Too hot,” she replies with an equally offhand tone, glad he can’t see her face.

They are quiet again.

“Are you okay, Dana?” he asks hesitantly, his eyes on the ceiling. She waits a little too long to answer.

“Yeah, why?”

“You just...you don’t seem like yourself. Since we got engaged, I mean. You seem kind of distracted. Distant, maybe?”

She takes a steadying breath. She knows he’s right. If she were honest, she’d tell him that she feels crushing guilt for being so infatuated with another man. That she feels like a horrible girlfriend, fiancée, almost-wife, for continuing to seek out interactions with him, but she can’t bring herself to stop. That she loves Ethan, so much, but can’t deny the pull that Mulder has on her. That she feels like she’s cheating when they have sex, because Mulder invariably takes his place in her mind. But she can’t tell him any of that.

She rolls to her side so she can look at him.

“I’m sorry, Ethan. I guess I’m just feeling overwhelmed lately, with work and the wedding. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

He rolls his head to the side to meet her eye.

“So you’re not having doubts? About getting married?” The pain and worry in his voice is like a kick in the gut.

“Of course not,” she implores, crawling off the couch and across the floor to where he lays. She gingerly throws a leg over his hip and straddles him, placing her hands on his sweat-damp chest and leaning forward to kiss him on the lips. “I can’t wait to be your wife,” she says with a soft smile, and the twist in her belly alerts her to the fact that this might be a lie.

They make love, there on the living room floor. She keeps her eyes open, not allowing her mind to wander from this moment, this man. Not allowing herself to admit that this is a consolation, an attempt to prove to them both that she is in this, with him, for the long haul. Her orgasm is weak and brief, not the same. Nothing is the same, anymore. Not since Mulder waltzed into the autopsy bay and complicated her life.

————————

The heat has abated only slightly by 5:30 as she’s preparing to leave her apartment and head to Mulder’s. She debates what to wear for an agonizingly long time; the temperature calls for a dress or shorts, but she fears sending the wrong message if it looks like she’s intentionally bearing skin. She finally settles on a black maxi dress, a compromise in coverage and air flow, paired with flip flops. Casual, not trying too hard, but not frumpy either.

As she makes for the door, Ethan stops her with a gentle grasp on her wrist, pulling her to him.

“You look beautiful,” he says with an affectionate gaze, and that guilty feeling in her belly is back. Their impromptu living room floor love-making seems to have assuaged his concerns over her demeanor for the time being, but it only served to deepen her own inner turmoil.

“Thank you,” she replies before kissing him on the cheek and escaping the emotional heat of their apartment for the temperate heat of the DC evening.

2630 Hegal Place is a stately brick building that has been decently maintained. It’s not as nice as her neighborhood in Georgetown, but it’s hardly the slum that Mulder suggested it was. She feels a little sick as she rides the elevator up to the fourth floor, taking in the dark wood trim against the yellowing walls of his hallway. She finds apartment forty-two and pauses outside the door for a long while. She has a feeling that walking through this door is a decision with consequences, one she shouldn’t take lightly. She realizes she’s not wearing her engagement ring; it’s likely sitting on the bathroom counter beside the sink. A simple oversight; she’s not yet used to wearing it. Certainly not a Freudian slip of the mind...she has the sudden overwhelming urge to flee. Perhaps she knows exactly what she’s doing after all. She turns to walk back to the elevator when the door swings open, startling her.

“Scully,” he says with a lopsided smile.

He’s wearing dark wash jeans, his top half bare, a bag of garbage in one hand. Her eyes immediately light on the broad expanse of his chest, smooth and dappled with a light dusting of hair. His abdomen is solid, sleek and defined. A swimmer’s body, she thinks with a sigh.

“I was just taking the trash out, you’re a little early,” he says with a hint of embarrassment, passing her to stuff the bag down the chute at the end of the hall.

“Oh, sorry, am I?” she looks at her watch; it’s 5:55.

“Or maybe I’m just running a little behind,” he replies sheepishly, then lifts his arm and gestures for her to enter the apartment, “please, come in.”

She enters a combination foyer and dining room, the kitchen tucked off to the left and the living room straight ahead. The ambiance matches the hallway, dark wood and yellow walls, the ceilings impressively high. The decor is sparse; nothing on the walls and only small trinkets littering the surfaces, a fish tank burbling near the window. She waits to see where he directs her to go. The dining room table seems like a suitably professional place for two colleagues to review work files. He brushes past her to the living room, the shower-fresh smell of him drifting into her nostrils; Irish Spring and Old Spice.

“You can take a seat,” he says gesturing to the couch, “let me just grab a shirt and the files.” He disappears through a door that must be his bedroom.

She sets her purse on his cluttered desk and sits on one end of the worn leather couch, looking around at his few furnishings. She startles when a black blur springs onto her lap with a high-pitched meow, and Mulder re-enters the room with a bankers box tucked under his arm, his torso now covered by a black T-shirt.

“Jesus, Priscilla, don’t assault the woman,” he says as he sets the box on the coffee table and plucks the cat off her lap. “Sorry about that, she has an affinity for pretty girls,” he continues, then directs his next comment to the cat. “We have that in common, eh, Prissy?”

She feels a flush to her cheeks and he takes the cat with him to the kitchen, returning with two beers in its place.

“I hope your boyfriend doesn’t mind me borrowing you for the evening,” he says as he hands her an open beer.

She looks at him with a mildly shocked expression, his mention of Ethan feeling out of place and somehow obscene. Noticing her discomfort, he changes the subject as he sits on the opposite end of the couch.

“This is all I walked away with, one box of the best, brightest, and weirdest X files I came across during my time. About half are those I investigated myself, the rest were left from the previous agents who started the division,” he slides the box down the coffee table towards her and she plucks the lid off carefully to see dozens of neatly labeled orange folders. She pulls a random one out from the middle and sets her beer on the coffee table, opening the file across her lap.

“So tell me why the X files division was shut down,” she says as she leafs through the pages.

“Well, the official reason is that an investigation into a man with green blood resulted in multiple deaths, which was just the last in a series of...mishaps. But the real reason is that I was too close to the truth.”

She lifts her head from the file to look at him. He has his bare feet propped up on the coffee table, his elbow resting on the arm of the couch. He seems so at ease all the time, so comfortable around her.

“The truth about what?” she asks, working to peel her eyes from his plush lower lip.

He takes a deep breath. “A lot of things, but namely a government conspiracy to conceal the existence of extraterrestrial life, even as they’re conducting experiments and research on said extraterrestrials. Perhaps even working with them.”

It’s that same even, factual delivery. Her mouth blossoms into a slow smile.

“Working with the aliens? To do what, open a KMart on Mars?” she teases, and he returns her smile with one that is so devilish it makes her pelvis twitch.

“Read on, Scully. The more you see, the less crazy it sounds.”

He stands and goes to the stereo, and after a few minutes of fiddling around she hears Radiohead begin to play. “You like Radiohead?” he asks, and she gives a half shrug, half nod. Doesn’t love ‘em, doesn’t hate ‘em.

“So this one appears to be about some kind of tree-dwelling insect?” she asks, reading over details of a dead man sucked dry of all fluids and bound up in a giant cocoon.

Mulder returns to the couch and sits beside her, much closer this time, their thighs nearly touching. The heat of his body on top of the warmth of the air makes new sweat prick at the back of her neck.

“Indeed, prehistoric insects that were released from the inner rings of the tree when they were logged. I nearly got eaten up by them myself,” he remarks, reaching over to turn the pages that lie across her lap. She shivers a little despite the heat.

“And what does that have to do with aliens and government conspiracies?” she asks, keeping her head down, knowing that if she looks up at him he would be close enough to kiss.

“It’s not that straight forward, Scully. There are things, many things, on our planet that are unexplainable, and having control over that which can’t be understood by science and intelligence gives you a certain degree of power. Unfortunately, it’s a power that’s most often used for evil instead of good.”

She does turn to him then, getting an up-close look at the greenish, almost-hazel of his irises, the pronounced bridge of his nose.

“There’s nothing that’s unexplainable on this planet, Mulder. Just because we can’t explain it now doesn’t mean we never will. Consider how much science has progressed in the last fifty years alone. Who knows what we deem unexplainable now that will be perfectly understood in another fifty?”

He tilts his head closer to her and her heart speeds up, her lips parting unconsciously. His smirk is devastatingly sexy, and she suddenly doesn’t trust herself.

“May I use your bathroom?” she asks abruptly, looking away.

“Of course, it’s through the bedroom,” he says, hitching his thumb to the door behind and to their left.

She carefully makes her way into his bedroom, which contains a queen size mattress on a mahogany frame, a dresser, and not much else. He’s a man of simple means, it would seem. The bathroom is clean and devoid of skid marks and stray pubic hairs; the seat is even down. When she returns, he’s placed several of the files in a neat stack on the coffee table.

“These are the ones I’d recommend you read. At least they may be the ones you find most compelling,” he says as she returns to her seat, inching just a bit further away from him than she’d been before.

She takes the first from the stack and opens it. “So how’d you get into all this, Mulder? Have you always been into aliens, or did you see E.T. too many times when it came out?”

He doesn’t answer and she looks at him. He’s considering her, pondering. Deciding whether to tell her something.

Continue Reading here

[lunatens]

flowers in your footsteps

word count: 1912

genre: magic au, flufffff!!

pairing: forest nymph!reader x lee minho

summary: basically you’re a forest nymph and your cute bf Minho lives nearby and comes to visit you after school and that’s pretty much it lol

a/n: kesya you inspired me to write something magic bc magic is actually the best and every time u write something magical or fantasy I die so I *tried* to do something involving a lil magic!

~

the bark digs into your back as you lean against the trunk of your favourite maple tree (it’s your favourite because it happens to be the closest tree to minho’s backyard about 50 meters away) perched in your usual spot on a thick branch high up in the tree. you keep a firm gaze on the back door of minho’s house; your keen ears picked up on the school bus’ distant roar about half an hour ago, so minho should be here by now. you let your head rest back against the trunk, looking up at the delicate branches and leaves above you. a few beams of sunlight are able to find their way through the thick canopy of leaves, but otherwise the tree provides a fair amount of protection from the hot afternoon sun. the still summer air is so thick you feel like you could swim through it, and strands of hair are plastered to your neck and forehead from your sweat. you sigh in annoyance at the humidity and summon a gentle breeze to help cool yourself off. it tickles the trees and causes the leaves to rustle about on their branches, so you close your eyes to listen to your favourite sound (well, your favourite sound besides minho’s laugh of course).

~

your eyes fly open at the familiar squeak of minho’s back door opening and closing, and you excitedly leap down from the tree, bare feet landing in the soft grass below. your sudden movement startles a couple of birds who were feeding on the ground nearby, and they fly away in a flurry of flaps and anxious chirps. you mutter a quiet apology then turn to wave at minho, who’s now approaching the edge of the forest.

“you’re late,” you say with a pout as he finally reaches you under the shady copse of trees. minho leans in to press an apologetic kiss to your cheek, and you roll your eyes (but he still notices your little smile and the subtle blush on your cheeks, and he knows you never get tired of his kisses).

“i know, i’m sorry. rehearsal for the dance show tomorrow went a little longer than usual, so i had to walk home. i brought you something though,” he says, reaching into his bag and pulling out two brightly coloured popsicles. you gasp in excitement, eagerly grabbing one and tearing off the wrapper.

“i figured they’d be nice on a day like today,” minho says, opening the other one for himself. you simply nod in return, mouth full of flavoured ice.

“thank you,” you say, leaning in to give minho a sweet, sticky kiss. he lets out a loud laugh and rustles your hair, and you stick out your purple-stained tongue at him.

“i have another way we can cool down; let’s head to chan’s pond!” you suggest, taking minho’s hand to lead him into the forest. chan is one of your closest friends; you befriended the water nymph when he found you practicing growing lilypads in his pond as a you g child, and the two of you have been like siblings ever since. chan is one of the few nymphs in the forest that didn’t shun you after they found out about your human boyfriend, and you’re eternally grateful to him for sticking by your side.

you lead minho through the forest, guiding him around all of the roots and rocks along the way to make sure he doesn’t trip. you walk in a comfortable silence, listening to the vibrant sounds of the forest; cicadas buzzing, birds singing, and the trickle of chan’s little waterfall growing ever louder.

“i really wish you could come tomorrow,” minho says, breaking the silence, and you can hear the faint sadness in his voice.

“minnie, you know i can’t leave the forest; believe me, i would if i could,” you say. “i wish i could be there to see you perform, i’m sure it’ll be amazing. you’ll just have to perform it for me!” you say, trying to cheer him up.

“anything for you,” he says with a wink. “i could use another rehearsal anyways,” he adds on. you reach the pond and you wave to chan, who’s sprawled out on a sunny rock across the water; he lifts his head up to glance over his sunglasses at you (minho brought him a gift for being so kind to the two of you) then flops back down on the rock, toes dipping into the cool pond water. minho goes to take off his shirt and jump in the water, but you tug him towards the large grassy clearing beside the pond.

“dance first,” you beg, and minho easily caves under your puppy dog eyes.

“i don’t have music though,” he says, and you shrug your shoulders, folding your arms as you lean against a tree. minho looks at you for a moment, then sighs and begins to dance, his movements fluid and graceful. each time he takes a step you grow a small flower in his footsteps, so by the end of the dance minho is surrounded by a cluster of colourful wildflowers. he stands there breathless, huffing and puffing as he looks around him in wonder. his shirt is damp with sweat, but when he pulls you in for a hug you could care less.

“you’re such a show off,” he says with a cheeky grin, then more quietly adds “but i’ll never get over how much beauty you add to this world,” and you giggle shyly.

“it’s just a couple flowers,” you mumble, and minho just stares at you in awe. his eyes flicker down to your lips, and you make the first move, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him close so you can kiss him. despite the heat, the kiss is still magical and wonderful and soft as always, and it tastes of the fruity popsicles you had earlier. minho parts his lips, allowing you to deepen the kiss, and his hands move to rest on your hips, when suddenly you’re hit with what feels like someone dumping a bucket of ice cold water over the two of you. you and minho pull away from each other immediately, gasping in shock and the sudden coldness. you brush the water from your eyes and turn to glare at chan, who’s now sitting up on his rock and peering at you through his sunglasses, a triumphant smirk on his sun kissed face.

“no making out at my pond when i’m here,” he says. “now are you two gonna swim or not?” he questions, and in response minho peels off his now drenched shirt, picks you up in his arms (you let out a screech of laughter at this) and leaps into the pond, the two of you laughing as you enjoy the refreshing cool water. chan shakes his head at the two of you, mutters a quiet “children,” under his breath then lies back down on the rock.

~

after a long while of splashing each other and swimming and goofing around, the pruny wrinkles on your fingers and toes tell you it’s time to get out of the water. currently you and minho are sitting at the base of the waterfall, letting the gentle stream of water trickle over your heads and chatting about whatever you feel like.

“okay minho, let’s go,” you say as you glide back into the water, looking at him and waiting for him to follow.

“race you!” he says suddenly, and launches himself into the pond, swimming furiously for the shore. you chase after him, but it’s hard to swim when you’re erupting in fits of giggles and the pond water keeps getting in your mouth. in a last ditch effort you grow a long winding plant from the bottom of the pond; just as minho is about to reach the shore, it snakes itself around his ankle and pulls him back through the water.

“unfair!” he whines as you pass him, swimming gracefully while he flails and splashed trying to break free of the plant’s grasp. you eventually release him just as you climb out of the water, wringing out your hair satisfied while minho slowly paddles towards you, defeated. you call upon a soft breeze to help dry the two of you off, and minho shivers at the cool air on his bare skin. you pass him his shirt (still damp from earlier) and he pulls it on, shaking the water out of his hair. you notice the goosebumps on his arm, so you pull him into you and wrap your arms around him.

“can we go watch the sunset?” you ask, looking up at him. the sky above you is mostly clear, with the occasional cloud scattered somewhere in the vast sea of blue.

“okay… but then i really have to go, my mom’ll want me back,” he says, planting a kiss on your forehead. you both wave goodbye to chan, who seems to be preoccupied talking to some of the fish passing by in the creek. you and minho walk side by side through the forest, the fading sunlight making the woods grow slowly darker. you can hear the frogs begin to sing from the pond in the distance, and the air grows chillier by the minute.

~

“remember when you first moved in and came to the forest?” you ask minho. you’re curled up against him as the two of you sit up as high as you can safely climb in the tallest tree in the forest; you’ve bent the branches to support the two of you and make sure you can’t fall out—you’re fine, but you notice the way minho’s face pales and his heart rate picks up each time you climb the tree. the sun is a bright smear on the horizon, casting a golden glow on everything, and the sky is alight with pinks and blues and oranges. minho hums in response, thinking back fondly to when he’d startled you and you fell from the low branch you were on.

“yeah, i remember you cried and when your tears hit the ground they turned into little sprouts and i thought i was going crazy,” he says with a light laugh. “remember when i first showed you my ipod?” he asks, and in response you start singing the first song he ever showed you, belting out the lyrics as minho laughs and pulls you closer into him.

“remember our first kiss? it was in this very tree,” you say, wiggling your eyebrows at him.

“hmm..i don’t know, you’ll have to jog my memory,” minho says with a smirk before leaning in and gently placing his lips on yours. you can’t help but smile at how cheesy he is, and you rest your head on his shoulder after pulling away, sighing contentedly.

~

the last rays of sunlight fade away; the two of you watch a flock of geese cross the sky as the first stars start to appear in the sky. a shooting star streaks across the sky, and you gasp excitedly.

“minho! make a wish!”

“i don’t need to, i have everything i need right here,” he says with a wink; as cheesy and goofy as he is, your heart can’t help but melt at his words, and you realize he’s right; what more is there to wish for when you have the whole world right next to you.

~

requested by @skydivingstars (kesya ilysmmm!! thank you this was suPEr duper fun to write) <3

[bookworlders]

the wedding date

part 2 of the percabeth fake dating!au. enjoy!

chapter 1 | ao3 | ffnet 

~

chapter 2

Annabeth had fully intended on being the one to drive from the train station to the wedding venue, but their rental car had ended up being a vintage stick shift convertible, which she did not know how to drive. Percy, ever the gentlemen, took the wheel as Annabeth guided him through the twists and turns of the Montauk backroads.  

 By the time they had gathered their luggage and figured out the car situation, the sun had long set. Annabeth was quite enjoying the way the cool night air whipped through her curls as Percy drove. June weather was much more bearable outside of the city.

 “It’s that turn up ahead, at the hill with that big pine tree.” Annabeth guided Percy as he switched his headlights to bright.

 Percy turned onto a gravel road, the headlights illuminating a worn wooden sign.

 Camp Half-Blood.

 “So this is where the wedding is going to be? A summer camp?”

 Annabeth nodded, gazing up at the pine tree. “Yeah, we all used to go here. Every summer since I was seven. It’s where Jason and Piper met, it just seemed right.” Her voice softened, “And all of our friends are coming back like a big reunion. That’s why we’re here a couple days early, a couple pre-wedding festivities at our favorite place.” 

 Annabeth breathed in the sweet air (from the strawberry fields at the back) that reminded her so much of her childhood and happiness and home. It was perfect that her best friend was going to get married to her other best friend at their favorite place in the whole world. Annabeth smiled. She almost didn’t mind she had hired a stranger to fake date and that she had brought him to her said happy place.

 “You can park there,” Annabeth said, leaning forward in her seat and pointing ahead. She was getting so excited. Lights from windows shone up ahead out of large, blue house with white trim and a wraparound porch. “It’s called the Big House.”

 Annabeth was already unbuckled and out of the door before Percy even put the car into park. He watched as she up bounded up  the front porch steps.

 “Annabeth, my dear! How are you?”

 In the darkness of the evening, Percy hadn’t noticed a man in a wheelchair sitting on the porch. Annabeth threw her arms around him, “Chiron!”

 “Was your train delayed? We expected you ages ago.”

Percy walked up the steps to the pair as Annabeth recounted their journey. Annabeth turned to face him. He couldn’t help but notice the smile that had broken across her face as soon as Annabeth had seen the man. Percy also noticed the smile flicker when her eyes rested upon him. “Chiron, this is my, er, boyfriend, Percy. Percy, Chiron is our old camp director.”

Percy shook his hand, “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“You as well, great to meet you, Percy. Is that short for Perseus?” Chiron had a kind face and crinkles by his eyes. It was the face of someone wise.

“It is, sir. My mom picked it. She liked his story.”

 “It’s the name of a hero. Perfect fit for someone for our Annabeth.”

 Annabeth scoffed, “Chiron, stop.” But Percy heard nothing but affection for the man in her voice. “Where is everyone?” She asked, following Chiron into the Big House as he wheeled inside. Percy followed.

“I’m afraid everyone retired right after dinner. A long, tiring day of traveling for most of them. Not to worry though, you’ll see everyone at brunch. The Romans arrive tomorrow morning.”

 “The Romans are what Chiron calls the campers from our sister camp, Camp Jupiter,” Annabeth explained as Chiron lead them into what Percy assumed was the camp office. The walls of the office were covered in photographs, some yellowed with age and some clearly taken on smart ohone cameras, of kids dressed in orange T-shirts—images of bonfires, archery, games in the woods, swimming in the lake. Percy studied them as Chiron rummaged around a drawer of what sounded like keys.

 “So I’m in Cabin 6 I assume, Chiron?” Annabeth leaned on the desk, “And Percy in one of the guest rooms here? Or in Cabin 11? ” She turned to him. “Sorry, Percy,” Annabeth said, lightly, “camp rules. No significant others in the same cabin.”

 “Actually, Annabeth,” Chiron said, “Since the regular campers are off this week on their field trip in the city, we were able to make some special arrangements for the wedding. You’re all adults now, after all. He held out his hand with a bronze key on a ring with a ‘3’ painted on a seashell keychain. “I had the staff set up Cabin 3 as a guest room for you.”

 “Oh,” Annabeth said, “Um.” She stared at Chiron’s open palm for a moment before taking it from him, “Great. Thank you.” She made brief eye contact with Percy. “Let’s go then.”

“Goodnight, Annabeth. Nice to meet you, Percy. Get some rest tonight, full day tomorrow!”

Percy walked back over to the car to unload their luggage. He lifted his duffle bag onto his shoulder. Annabeth reached for her suitcase, but Percy hoisted it up as well, “I got it, just lead the way.”

Camp Half-Blood was a beautiful space, and it was a beautiful, perfect summer night. As they walked to the edge of the hill that the Big House sat on, Percy could see the moon sparkling off the waves of the Long Island Sound. Below the hill, in the valley, Percy saw a U-shape of twelve cabins of all different shapes and sizes, and, at the tips of the U, a couple smaller cabins.

“The first twelve are the original ones from when we attended here. The minor ones on the end are new. For all the new campers.” Annabeth pointed to the first cabin on the left arm of the U, “That’s the one we’re staying at.” She led Percy down the path into the valley

“Cabin 3,” Percy read aloud the sign on top of the cabin as Annabeth unlocked the door. Contrary to the two-story cabins next to it, Cabin 3 was a long and solid and looked like it belonged at the edge of a beach. The outer walls were a rough gray texture with seashells embedded in the exterior. Annabeth pushed the door open and Percy followed her inside with their luggage.

“Wow.” They both said at once. 

The inside was dark and cool, the walls made out of an abalone looking material that almost seemed to glow. There was a fountain of a fish that bubbled in the corner, various dressers and nightstands, and a single queen bed with the headboard against the wall. 

Annabeth eyed the bed. “No one really ever stayed in this cabin when we went here. This is actually the first time I’ve been inside. I thought every cabin had bunk beds.”

Percy had tossed his duffle bag onto the ground, already beginning to unpack his clothes into a dresser while Annabeth surveyed the room. “It’s nice. Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you a morning showerer or a night showerer?” 

“Um, night.”

“Perfect! I’m a morning showerer.”

Annabeth was slightly annoyed at how chill Percy was when almost every word they exchanged had her flushing.

When Percy came back out of the bathroom, teeth brushed and in pajamas, Annabeth was almost done constructing her Great Wall of Pillows down the center of their bed. He stared at it. 

“I just thought that, there’s only one bed—” Annabeth started.

“No, no,” Percy said, “This is fine, whatever you’re comfortable with.” 

He shoved his dirty clothes into one of the empty drawers before sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Also,” Annabeth said, “Before I forget.” She walked over to his side of the bed and handed him a thick envelope, “Two thousand dollars. It’s all there.”

Now it was Percy who was blushing. “Thanks.” He took the envelope from her and shoved it into his bag.

“Aren’t you going to count it?”

“I trust you.”

“Oh, well, okay.” Annabeth stood in front of him for a moment. “I’m just gonna shower then.” 

This was definitely one of the top five longest showers Annabeth ever took. The bathroom in their cabin only had a single shower, toilet, and sink—unlike Cabin 6 from her childhood that had a communal bathroom with many stalls and showers and a line of sinks to accommodate all of her bunkmates. 

She let the steam and hot water wash over her, desperately trying to wash away the nerves and guilt and overall queasiness from this whole situation. Percy was a great guy, and she felt so far that she could rely on him this weekend. But just the thought of seeing Luke at all even with her fake boyfriend as a shield…

When the water started to run cold, she stepped out to dry off. Her lemon scented shampoo made the bathroom smell pleasant and familiar. 

After she completed her hair routine and hung up her outfit for the morning, Annabeth stepped back into the main cabin. The fountain still bubbled in the corner. 

Percy was passed out on his side of the bed, already gently snoring. His arm was draped over the pillow barrier and spilling over onto her side. He looked so peaceful, his face completely relaxed and innocent in his slumber. Annabeth wanted to reach over and brush his dark curls away from his face. She suppressed the urge as she gently peeled back the covers and slipped into bed, softly nudging his hand back over to his side. 

Percy mumbled, tossing over onto his side. Annabeth gulped. He slept shirtless.

This was going to be an interesting weekend.  

[effyeahzimbits]

Title: Beer Pong Penalty

Rating: M

Pairing: Zimbits

Summary: Anyone who loses beer pong must face the penalty. The day comes for Eric Richard Bittle to put his money where his mouth is.

Warnings: Swearing. Description of piercings. Many hangovers.

Read on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14061129

     He’d been hit by a truck. That was the only possible explanation for the ungodly pounding in his head. He was going to open his eyes and find himself in hospital and covered in bandages and being doted upon by his beautiful Canadian Adonis boyfriend. Said Canadian Adonis boyfriend was going to be dressed in nothing but the tightest little underwear and spoon feeding him his dear old Moomaw’s Georgian peach pie.

     So, when he did finally wrench his eyes open, Bitty was thoroughly disappointed to find himself staring up at the peeling grey ceiling of the Haus’ lounge area. It took a moment for the realisation to sink into his hungover brain, but when it finally did, he let out a disgusted squeak and quickly rolled off the germ ridden couch and onto the floor. The grubby carpet was littered with plastic red cups and empty plates and other remains, but it was still preferable to that green cesspit of Hell.

     Bitty groaned miserably and pressed the heels of his palms to his aching eyes in a futile attempt at forcing the headache away. Memories of the previous night’s party came flooding back, including the gross tequila that had cost Ransom a grand total of six bucks and the cocktails that Shitty had fervently claimed to be mimosas but had contained the distinct burn of cheap vodka. Sober Eric always declared that he was going to have an easy night and wouldn’t get too drunk. Sober Eric was a dirty liar.

     He sighed heavily and let his arms flop to his sides, gazing up at the ceiling with all the energy of a dead fish. Truthfully, he couldn’t remember any of the finer details. He knew there had been beer pong in there somewhere (he always lost catastrophically), a little crazy dancing to Beyoncé had also happened at some point (Holster always liked to indulge him), and Bitty wasn’t entirely sure at this point but he might have taken a lot of tipsy selfies and sent them to Jack. When he had the strength to sit up he’d check his phone.

     He spent ten whole minutes convincing himself that the headache was going to miraculously vanish if he laid still long enough. It didn’t of course, and he finally decided to drag himself up with a dramatic groan. The room spun so violently he thought he was going to blow chunks. The couch would look considerably better soaked in vomit, he mused, but the thought of cleaning it up made him think better of it. Instead he used it to haul himself up and onto his unsteady feet. He wobbled only a little, and after a couple of deep breaths the nausea settled enough for him to make it into the kitchen.

     He kicked more cups and plates and – was that a bra? – out of the way as he padded through, and he was pretty sure he could hear someone snoring somewhere, though he didn’t see any limbs sticking out from underneath the furniture. His beloved kitchen was completely trashed, though he hadn’t expected any different. If he’d recovered enough by this afternoon then he would blitz the whole place top to bottom with industrial strength bleach, but for now he’d suffer through the mess to get a cup of coffee.

     The coffee beans took ages to grind and he stared at them with a dead expression, the steady drip drip of the black liquid hammering into his brain. It had only meant to be a few casual drinks to celebrate their latest winning game, but things grew dark when Ransom pulled out that stupid tequila. The bottle stood half empty on the counter, it’s plastic moustached sombrero lid practically mocking him. He had a sudden burst of energy and tossed the alcohol deep into the trash, hiding it under a stack of Chinese takeaway cartons. If Ransom asked, he’d play dumb and pretended he had no idea where it went.

     He dug his old faded mug out of the sink and poured steaming hot coffee into it without even rinsing the porcelain. And because he would never be broken inside enough to drink it black, he dumped as much sugar and caramel creamer into it as he could stomach. He sat at the table to slurp it, trying to blink away the cobwebs. He scalded his tongue more than once and the sting woke him up a little more.

     It was only after the second cup did he start feeling more human. He’d heard the front door open and close a couple of times and assumed some of their guests were starting to rouse and realise they were in the wrong house. He hoped someone reclaimed the bra. Holster had turned the last one into a hat of shame for whoever came last at beer pong. Bitty had had to wear it for a whole half an hour last night. Remembering he probably sent Jack a picture of that too, he took up his phone and scrolled through his messages. Of course, there was a selfie of him in the bra hat. There were lots of selfies in fact. He started out looking quite cute and presentable, until the last one where his hair was sticking up in all directions and his cheek was smeared in Lardo’s purple lipstick and his nice blue shirt was drenched in the vivid orange fake mimosa concoction. Luckily Jack had only seemed to grow even more amused as his sobriety deteriorated.

     Jack had of course already sent him his usual good morning text three hours ago. Sleeping in for Jack meant waking up at seven am, and he always went for a run half an hour later. At first Bitty teased him for it, calling him an exercise freak, but then he’d learned that Jack’s anxiety medication had a bad habit of making him feel drowsy, and the morning runs helped to wake up his foggy brain. Bitty continued to chirp him for it, but only because it made Jack laugh. He was still learning a lot about Jack, and each nuance he discovered only made him fall in love with his former captain even more.

     He was just tapping out a reply with his own good morning and apologising for the ridiculous selfies when the Haus started to come back to life around him. Ransom and Holster descended the stairs first, looking like they’d taken in a bath in neat vodka and then slept in a ditch. The frogs and tadpoles followed them, and Bitty assumed they’d all crashed on Chowder’s floor because the last he’d seen of them they were playing ring of fire with the volleyball girls in Chowder’s bedroom. Then finally Lardo and Shitty crammed themselves in the tiny kitchen too, helping themselves to the rest of the coffee and whatever food they could scrape together from the remnants that were left from the night before.

     “So, Bits,” Shitty chirped in a voice that was far too disgustingly cheerful for Bitty’s delicate head.

     He was naked as the day he was born and perched on one of the counter tops. Bitty wondered if there was a bleach that was stronger than industrial strength and where he could buy five gallons of it.

     “When are we heading into town, ya crazy little fucker?”

     Bitty lifted his heavy head and narrowed his eyes at his friend.      “What?” he asked eloquently, his voice hoarse from the alcohol abuse. “Why would I want to go into town?”      He wasn’t going to step one foot out of the Haus today. He was going to go straight up to bed and sleep until his head exploded and he died, or the hangover wore off. Whichever came first.

     “Dude, don’t you remember the bet?” Ransom asked gleefully. “You know, the beer pong bet?”

     Bitty wracked his cotton wool filled brain but could definitely not remember any bet relating to his spectacular loss. He remembered the honour belch, that was difficult to forget, but certainly no bet. He shook his head, creasing his brow in a frown.

     “Bro. Bro,” Ransom seized his shoulder, looking like all his birthdays had come at once and not like he’d had a disgusting hangover not two minutes ago. “You have to go get a piercing.”

     “I have to get a what?”

     Bitty blinked at him, straining his eyes through the fogginess to frown at his friend’s ecstatic face. He had to have misheard him. There was no way he would agree to anything like that, no matter how shitfaced he was. He shook his head, ignoring the throbbing between his temples.

     “You heard the man!” Shitty crowed, grinning just as widely. “You were going on all night about how you’d always wanted a piercing, so we decided to make you put your money where your fucking mouth is.”

     “He’s right,” Lardo told Bitty with a smirk, and around them, the rest of the team were laughing as they recalled the events from the night before. “You promised, Bits. If you lost the game, your penalty would be to go and get that piercing.”

     “Y’all’re lying,” Bitty said slowly, glaring at them all when his friends just cracked up laughing. “I agreed to no such thing. Prove it.”

     “Bits,” Shitty said gleefully, clapping a hand over his shoulder. “Bits. My sweet, spicy southern beauty. You have just asked a motherfucking lawyer to prove something.”

     Bitty’s glare dropped slightly when he realised exactly that, but he attached it back into place a moment later. He folded his arms obstinately, watching Shitty scroll through his phone with a huge grin on his face. A moment later, his own voice filled the kitchen, a little high pitched and definitely tipsy.

     “I, Eric Richard Bittle,” the recording began, making Bitty cringe. “Hereby announce that my penalty for suffering a crushing defeat at beer pong, will be to obtain exactly one piercing in a place of my choosing, tomorrow the fifteenth of May.”

      Bitty’s mouth dropped open. He had clearly been reading from a handwritten sheet, as he’d stumbled over words between drunken giggles. The others roared with laughter at Bitty’s horrified expression, and Shitty smugly put his phone back onto the table. Bitty stared at it as if it had personally thrown out all the butter in the house.

     “Shall I get my car keys?” Lardo smirked, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

     Bitty couldn’t speak. It’s true, he had always entertained the idea of a piercing, but never seriously. His mother would kill him for one. And he never thought he’d ever actually have the guts to go through with it. But a bet was a bet. He couldn’t back out of a beer pong penalty. It was written in the Haus rules. He sighed in defeat. At least he could choose where he was going to have it.

      “Lord, I must have been so drunk,” he groaned, sinking his face into his hands.

     The others’ laughter drilled through his brain, reminding him of his crippling hangover. He wasn’t stupid enough to get a piercing with so much alcohol in his system, so he waved his coffee cup in Holster’s general direction. It was instantly plucked from his hands and refilled. It appeared by his side a moment later, filled with wonderful creamy caramel flavoured coffee.

     “If I’m doing this, I need food,” he pouted, dragging the mug close and inhaling the fumes in the hopes that it would bring him back to life.

     Ransom leapt towards the fridge for ingredients comically fast. Bitty couldn’t resist the smirk as he watched his friends scramble to make a hearty breakfast. He took his phone again and swiped open the front facing camera, appraising his face in the screen. His ear would be the obvious option, but Bitty figured if he was going to do this then he might as well go all out. He turned his face to the side, humming thoughtfully as he tried to imagine a shiny stud in various places.

     By the time breakfast appeared in front of him �� a large plate of eggs and waffles and bacon – he was starting to feel excited. Now that he was more comfortable with himself, he had started playing around with his own personal style, and a piercing would be an extension of that, albeit a little more extreme. He figured if he didn’t like it, he’d just take it out, though he’d hate to waste money like that.

     “Eyebrow,” he finally announced, putting his phone down and picking up his fork instead. “I’m going to get my right eyebrow pierced.”

     “Dude,” Ransom whistled, lifting his own eyebrows. “You will look so hot with an eyebrow piercing. Good choice.”

     The others all nodded and offered their own words of encouragement between shovelling food into their mouths. Bitty grinned widely and tucked into his own breakfast, practically buzzing with excitement already. He realised he hadn’t finished his text to Jack and took up his phone again, chewing as he typed. He wondered what Jack would think and considered asking for his opinion, but eventually decided against it. He loved Jack, and valued his thoughts, but he didn’t want to risk his boyfriend putting him off the idea. It would be a surprise instead.

     After breakfast, Bitty took a long shower. The hot water washed away the cobwebs and he stepped out into the steamy room feeling fresher and brighter. He dressed and dried his hair in record time, meeting Shitty and Lardo in the kitchen. Luckily, Lardo hadn’t drank the night before, and was perfectly chipper. A little while later, they all piled into her tiny car and headed off into town.

     There was a small tattoo parlour on the outskirts, popular among the Samwell student body for it’s friendly staff and attractive prices. Lardo knew it well after accompanying a few of her course mates, and had assured Bitty that it was a safe and trustworthy place. As they neared town though, Bitty’s nerves started to kick in and he began tapping his fingers impatiently on the door handle. It wasn’t the pain he was worried about. Not much, anyway. He was more worried about how he might look with it, what Jack would say, what his mother would say.

     By the time Lardo pulled into a parking space, he was starting to feel a little sick.

     “Hey, Bits,” Shitty murmured, catching his attention.

     Bitty looked up to see both Shitty and Lardo turning towards him from their front seats, both wearing soft expressions that he couldn’t quite read.

     “If you wanna back out, we won’t say anything brah,” Shitty reassured him.       “Right. We’ll say they were closed or something. We don’t want to force you into doing this if you really don’t want to,” Lardo added.

     Bitty looked at both of their faces, touched by their obvious concern. As much as they’d encouraged him back at the Haus, they weren’t about to coerce him into something like this if he genuinely didn’t want to do it. Bitty smiled, his heart swelling with a warm affection for the pair of them. He felt his nerves melting away, leaving that excitement once more.

     “Let’s do this,” he grinned widely, laughing when both of their faces lit up.

     He hopped gracefully out of the car, having to resist the urge to scamper into the shop like a thrilled child heading into a toy store. Instead he strode through the door confidently with his head held high. A shrill buzzing noise that irritated his ears came from the back of the shop, where he could see a big, colourful woman hunched over a client, her hand moving rhythmically over their arm. There was a man at the counter by the large window, and after a nudge from Lardo, Bitty headed over.

     It was a small room, and the walls were adorned with hundreds of flash designs and posters. It smelled strongly of antiseptic too, and Bitty focussed on that instead of the awful buzzing. The man at the counter was young, tanned and heavily tattooed, and flashed them all a wide smile as they approached. He nodded at Lardo, obviously recognising her.

     “Hey, what’s up? How can I help?” He asked, when he realised that it was Bitty who was interested in getting something.

     “I’d like a piercing please. My eyebrow,” Bitty grinned, the excitement evident in his voice. Both Shitty and Lardo snickered at his lack of chill, sinking into a row of seats on the far wall.

     “Sure. I just need you to fill this form for me,” the assistant replied, sliding a sheet of paper over the counter towards him. “And I need to see some ID too.”

     It was tempting to skim the boring questions about allergies and scribble his signature, but Bitty forced himself to read it properly and answer honestly. He was that keen on getting this done now that he didn’t want to ruin it by doing something stupid. Once he was satisfied, he signed his name and pulled out his driving license, along with the forty bucks required.

     He perused the selection of body jewellery available while the assistant read over his form and made a copy of his ID. He was already fantasising about the elaborate and brightly coloured bars he could wear after it had finished healing. At the back of his mind he worried about what his mama and Jack might say, but he quickly squashed the thoughts down. He was a grown man and could make these decisions for himself.

     The assistant called him over towards the back of the shop. Bitty flashed Lardo and Shitty one last excited grin, then headed around the counter and into the sterile workroom. The colourful tattooist looked up from her work and winked playfully at him even as her client grimaced in pain. Bitty walked past them towards the large, paper covered bench and lithely hopped up after the assistant gestured towards it.

     “My name’s Danny,” the man smiled, taking supplies from the shelf and placing them on the small trolley beside him. “My job isn’t to hurt you, okay? I’ll be as gentle as I can. While sticking a huge needle in your face,” he grinned widely.

     Bitty laughed and nodded, grateful for Danny’s humour. It settled his nerves a little bit. He calmly placed his palms flat down on the bench, focussing on the rough paper beneath them. He watched Danny meticulously clean his surfaces and readied the equipment.

     “Here’s a selection of eyebrow bars we can use. Any take your fancy?” Danny asked, showing Bitty a small selection of jewellery in a case on the wall.

     Bitty hummed thoughtfully as he inspected them. There were a few plain ones in different colours, and others that were adorned with crystals. He didn’t want anything too flashy, but none of the plain ones interested him either. At the end of the row was a small curved bar in a metallic rainbow that he instantly thought was perfect. The colour was subtle, but was one that resonated with him.

     “That one please,” Bitty grinned, pointing it out.

     Danny took the required piece of jewellery and sterilised it carefully before unscrewing a ball at one end, ready to be inserted in the fresh piercing. With that done, he took a marker and carefully placed a dot above Bitty’s right eyebrow.

     “Does that look like the right spot?” Danny asked, nodding towards the huge mirror that ran along one wall.

     Bitty turned to look, examining the small green mark. His stomach churned with nerves again. He caught Shitty and Lardo’s faces in the glass and they both gave him huge grins and thumbs up. He laughed, he took a deep breath and nodded.

     “Yep. Looks good. Let’s do it.”

     Bitty found it easier if he watched Danny’s hands pulling on gloves rather than focus on his racing heart. He wasn’t going to look in the mirror, and he really wasn’t going to look at the needle waiting in its sanitary container. Danny carefully pinched his brow between two fingers and secured a tight clamp over the skin. It wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable, and when he saw Danny go for the needle, Bitty closed his eyes.

     “You ready, dude?” Danny’s voice came gently from somewhere in front of him.

     “Ready,” Bitty replied in a voice that was surprisingly steady.

     He felt Danny stabilise the clamp, and then a moment later a sharp, stabbing pain blossomed in his brow. Bitty inhaled abruptly, but did his best to stay still. The shooting pain faded almost instantly to an intense sting that flared a little as Danny fiddled with the bar, and then settled down again. When Danny gently released the clamp, Bitty opened his eyes and let out a relieved laugh, his shoulders slumping. He hadn’t even realised he’d been tensing them.

     “All done,” Danny announced with a bright grin. “It really suits you, take a look.”

     Bitty turned to examine his face in the mirror, ignoring Shitty and Lardo’s loud and excited hoots of celebration from the other side of the counter. His right eyebrow was already swelling around the curved bar, but Bitty already loved the shiny metal that accentuated the curve of his brow. Danny was right, it really did suit him.

     “It looks amazing, thank you!” Bitty laughed, turning to give Danny his biggest grin.

     “No problem, I’m glad you like it,” Danny laughed, disposing of the needle before tugging off his gloves. “Okay so that’s gonna sting for a bitch for a few days, take an Advil if it gets too bad. You should clean it at least twice a day with warm saltwater and avoid touching it at all. The swelling should go down soon, but don’t change it for a smaller bar for at least eight weeks.”

     “Got it,” Bitty nodded, determined to listen to Danny’s every word. He had the whole summer to let it heal, and hopefully it would be fine long before he had to put on a hockey helmet again.

     “I can do it for you if you don’t want to try it yourself. And if you have any questions, just give me a call, okay?” Danny took a small business card from the counter and offered it out.

     Bitty took it and hopped off the bench, sliding the card into his back pocket. He thanked Danny again and made his way back around the counter. Shitty and Lardo instantly started hollering and grabbed him the moment he was in reach.

     “You motherfucking stunner,” Shitty gushed, sounding weirdly choked up. “It’s perfect.”

     “It looks good on you,” Lardo agreed with a wide grin, slinging her arm around his shoulders as they headed out of the shop.

     “Thanks,” Bitty laughed, starting to feel a little drained from all the adrenalin. “It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Stings though.”

     “Let’s go get lunch,” Lardo suggested, guiding him towards a nearby Subway restaurant instead of her car. “We should get some sugar in you.”

     Many hours later, after lunch, a raucous drive back to the Haus, and answering questions fired at him from the other members of the SMH, Bitty finally found himself perched cross-legged on his bed with his laptop open in front of him. He’d refrained from taking any selfies until he’d shown Jack despite being desperate to flash it all over Twitter. Maybe he’d take one before bed, but right now all he wanted to do was talk to his boyfriend.

     Jack picked up after three rings. He was freshly showered, his damp hair curling as it dried. He had a sleepy smile on his face, worn out from his game. Bitty’s heart swelled with affection just from the sight of him.

     “Hi, Sweetpea.”

     “Hey Bits. How was-? “

     Jack broke off his sentence midway, his mouth forming a perfect little ‘o’. He frowned and leaned forward, squinting at the screen. Bitty didn’t say anything and smiled calmly. His eyebrow was red and swollen, but he knew the piercing would be clearly visible.

     “Did you get your eyebrow pierced?” Jack asked softly, his blue eyes wide.

     “Yep!” Bitty chirped with a laugh, feeling overwhelmed with giddiness when Jack seemed more in awe than anything else. “It was my pong penalty from last night. What do you think?”

     Jack was quiet for a moment, eyes scanning Bitty’s face again. He smiled widely and nodded, completely unaware he was making Bitty’s heart flutter.

     “I really like it,” he admitted softly. “You look really good.”

     Bitty could argue that Jack always thought he looked good, but the compliment made him beam all the same.

     “Thanks, sugar. I really love how it looks. I can’t wait for it to be all healed up. Lord knows what my mama will say about it,” Bitty laughed, a little too high pitched.

     Lots of men had pierced eyebrows, it wasn’t like it was a ‘feminine’ piercing, but he was still a little worried that it would only emphasise his sexuality. He was still getting his head around the idea that he was allowed to be proud of who he was and what anyone else thought wasn’t his problem. Though feeling that pride was a lot harder when he couldn’t muster up the courage to come out to his mother. Staying with Jack for the summer was sounding more and more appealing.

     Jack could tell him that he was an adult and could make decisions whether he had his mother’s approval or not, but he sensed that it wasn’t the right time for that conversation. Bitty had had a fun and exciting weekend, and Jack didn’t want to ruin his good mood by bringing up such intense topics. They could talk about it another day. So, Jack just smiled and told him he looked nice again.

     The bright smile on Bitty’s face meant it was appreciated.

     “Are you going to get any more?” Jack wondered, shifting into a more comfortable position.

     “I’m not sure,” Bitty hummed. “I haven’t thought about it. I don’t think I’ll be like you and your tattoos though,” he teased playfully.

     Jack had booked himself in for a tattoo session in late July, just in case the Falconers made playoffs. It would be his first, and was working with Lardo on a small and meaningful design that was top secret. The trouble was once he’d started thinking about them, he found himself thinking of possibilities for more designs and where they might go on his body. Lardo had warned him that getting your first tattoo was a slippery slope, and he was starting to see why.

     “Hm, shame,” Jack joked with a lopsided grin.

     Bitty gracefully raised an eyebrow and smirked. It was hard to tell through a computer screen, but he knew Jack well enough by now to tell when he was starting to get excited. His pale cheeks were beginning to flush, and his eyes seemed dark and even more smouldering than usual.

     “Mr. Zimmermann. Is my piercing turning you on right now?” Bitty purred lowly, carefully moving his computer off his lap and onto the bed in front of him.

     “It’s not the piercing,” Jack argued with a laugh. His cheeks went even pinker after being called out. “Though it does look amazing. It’s you. How confident you are and how you know you look good.”

     Bitty inwardly softened a little, smitten with how Jack looked at him. It was something he could revel in later, when it was dark and he was ready to go to sleep. For now, he deftly whipped off his thin t-shirt, careful not to catch his new piercing.

     “Well then, honey. Make your handsome self comfortable and I’ll show you just how confident I am.” The End

A.N: Please do not get piercings after nights of heavy drinking. I took creative license with this lmao.

Thanks for reading!

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #476

“yeah, i am the brain, some say insane”

What is your favorite Pixar film? Finding Nemo. Who was the last person to send you any sort of message on social media? My sister Misty. Would you rather build a snowman or a snow fort? Why? Snowman. I think you can personalize them better. At what age do you believe children should begin having screen time? I don't know. I guess it would depend on the kid. Have you ever failed an important test? Which subject? Yes; I failed my last Algebra final and the course. Who taught you how to ride a bike? How old were you? My dad. Idr how old I was. Do you know what your ring size is? What is it? Nope. When you picture dinosaurs in your head, what color are they? Like a darkish red or green. Last candy you tried that you did not enjoy? Or one that you did enjoy? No clue. Were you a chubby or thin baby? I was your average size. What is the most outrageous thing you’ve considered doing lately? Trying to get a cubicle job. Like seriously, NOBODY wants those. I don't either, but I just don't know what other options I have that don't require a degree and I'm not flocked by other people. I'd probably have some duties on the phone, but like... I'm not going to find a job I qualify for that is perfectly reclusive. Have you ever known somebody who ran away? Not personally, no. Rollercoasters that go upside-down… yes please or no thank you? NO FUCKING THANK YOU. Can you have kids? I would assume so, but honestly I wish I physically couldn't with how intensely I fear being raped. Are you a fan of Elton John? I've never really listened to his music and know very little about him as an individual. What does your town’s name begin with? "R." Are you a seafood fan? Nooooo. The one and only seafood I enjoy is shrimp. Give me a random word in another language. Tell me what it means. "Himmel" is "Heaven" in German. Odd how that was the first one to come to me, ha ha. Which city would you like to visit- Rome, Tunis, London, Madrid or Paris? Rome. New tats in your near future? Sadly no. :/ I have to focus on more important things. Did you ever participate in beauty pageants as a child? No. I don't support those. Have you ever ridden in a limousine before? No, but I've always wanted to. :( What's the most amount of money you'd pay for a house or a vehicle? Idk, considering I'm not familiar enough with what is considered reasonable and average for either. What's the longest wait time you'll wait at a restaurant to be seated? If it was actually up to me, shit, maybe only 15 minutes. I am way too impatient, and I'd rather just go to another place than wait for a while. Have you ever been given a responsibility that you couldn't handle? Did you mean: my past three jobs? Did you ever try to start a club as a child? For what? I feel like my friends and I did before... but I remember nothing of it. Who was your favorite babysitter as a child? My sister had this friend in our neighborhood as a kid whose grandparents used to watch us. The grandpa we knew as "Uncle Donny," and he was bar none our favorite. He was such a sweet man. Have you ever cared for a stray animal before? Cats, on many occasions in the past. [TW: SUICIDE/OVERDOSE] Have you ever contacted a suicide or crisis services hotline? For whom? Yeah, for me. I tried first to reach them online in one of those private chatrooms, but I want to say I waited around 30 minutes with nobody available. I was so desperate that I tried calling too, but again, it was too busy. That's when I ODed. Is there anyone from your family that you no longer associate with? I have an uncle by marriage that's an abusive, manipulative fuck that NOBODY associates with, except his brainwashed daughters. Do you have any illnesses that reoccur frequently? I mean, I have mental illnesses that flare up now and again, but no traditional illnesses. What is your sexual orientation? Queer or pansexual, idk man. Have you ever done any drugs harder than marijuana? I've never even done weed. What is one job you would never want to have? I would, no exaggeration, rather die than be a butcher. I could never in five trillion years. Do you bite or peel your string cheese? I don't like string cheese. Who crosses your mind the most? Girt, nowadays. I know, a fucking shocker who wasn't the answer. Have you ever been on a scavenger hunt? In school, yeah. Ever been to an auction? No. Are there two colors that you just simply despise? Puke green and yellow. If you were a fish, what colour would you like to be? I wanna be the Rainbow Fish. :') Did your first real significant other change you at all? You have literally no idea. Are you waiting to have sex until you’re married? No. What’s your favorite football team? I don't like football. Or even understand it. Do you have anything autographed by a celebrity? No. What’s your favorite way to eat peanut butter? Gimme a Reese's and I'm a happy bitch. :^) What’s your favorite kind of sandwich? I'm basic, just hand me a pb&j. How are you today? Worried about my mother since she has Covid now. I'm not feeling too hot, either. Was any of your home decor inspired by Pinterest? No. What is this month’s calendar picture? I don't own a current calendar. What is your last ex-boyfriend’s or ex-girlfriend’s name? Sara Jane. I prefer to refer to her as just my best friend, though; "ex" usually implies negative feelings in some way or form, and I've none of those. Do you use Snapchat? I never have. Would you rather go out for pancakes or steak? Yum, pancakes. Are you the clubbing type? No. Clubs don't appeal to me at all. Is your ex sexually attractive to you still? I haven't seen him in literally years. I wouldn't know. What is unattractive about them? The fact he apparently can't accept a mentally ill partner. Supposedly, he broke up with the girl he dated after me for the same reason he left me: her having depression. Like bro, good fucking luck finding a girl who doesn't struggle with something. Good luck finding someone who's going to be on Cloud 9 all the time. And also, he never communicated what he was feeling. Do you have a crap load of friends to hang out with? God no. The only person I hang out with is my boyfriend. Honeymoon, where? Alaska, if it's a good time of year to see the Northern Lights. If not, maybe the Bahamas to visit their black and pink beaches. The heat and humidity put me off, though... Lipstick over the actual natural lip line, your thoughts? It's capable of being attractive if done well and it's not too extreme, unless you're only looking from a distance. It can look especially great on drag queens imo. How would your wedding bouquet look like? Depends on the time of year, really. I kind of want to say black regardless, but I think that would blend too much with my dress (which I want to be black). Maybe if it was in the fall, which I want, it'd be orange and black to fit the Halloween vibe I'd love to have as a theme, perhaps a rich red, or light pink and white... idk. That's far in the future. What kind of game would you like to play that doesn’t exist yet? Bro, give me a meerkat simulator. There's the Lead the Meerkats Wii game that I ADORE, but I think the concept could be greatly expanded upon and made more realistic. What is one thing you would never ever eat? Balut came to mind very quickly. That looks like the grossest shit imaginable. I'll never forget seeing it for the first time on GMM and wondering how neither of them literally died where they sat lmao. There are a LOT of other foods, too. I'm incredibly picky. Which character in your favorite movie do you hate the most? Every single character from The Lion King is so lovable. Which non-existing (sci-fi and such) weapon and/or vehicle would you like to own/use? Bro, I want Thori'dal from WoW. A bombin' bow with unlimited, magical arrows? That shit's dope. Could save your life, and plus I love bows. How do you think the world will end? Humanity's end will almost certainly be rooted in human action. The end of the planet itself will probably be a black hole, gamma ray, or something else supremely powerful. If you could take a pill that would cure something in you that isn’t an illness - what would you be cured of? The fact I'm fat. :^) Take it all away pls. Has anyone besides your family seen you naked? If so, who? My ex. Do you remember anyone’s number by heart? Literally nobody's. Not even my own. :x Name something you will never try in your lifetime. Hunting. What’s the best place you have ever eaten at? The Cheesecake Factory, omlllll. Are you at home right now? Yep. What’s worse: Crocs or Uggs? Crocs are so fucking ugly to me. Do you knock before you open doors? Always. Does Fred from YouTube annoy you? Now THIS is a throwback. I liked him as a kid. He'd probably annoy the shit out of me now. Anything exciting taking place today? No. Who have you texted today? My mother and Becky, the receptionist at my psychiatrist's office. I rescheduled my appointment to tomorrow with my mom being sick (she wants to talk to him, and she's in no shape to today) and me not feeling well, either. Do you like grapefruits? No. Have you ever had the Reese’s PB candy bars? Omfg, the ones that are a bar of smaller squares is my FAVORITE candy in the world. Where’s your mother? In bed. She was directed to mostly quarantine in her room away from me. Are there any pets you’re wishing for? Always. :( Do you like oatmeal raisin cookies? I HATE raisins, so guess. Is your belly button pierced? No. Do you watch PewDiePie? Not anymore, no. His content changed a long time ago and doesn't interest me anymore. Do you like "Despacito?" Omg my sister showed it to me once and I hated it. Do you have any subscribers on YouTube? uhhh *checks* I have 71. More than I expected, ha ha. What’s the first word that comes to your mind if I say: "Boop!" Booping a snake on the nose. :'3 Have you ever played Five Nights at Freddy’s? Nah. I enjoy watching YouTubers play it, and I like the franchise, it's just not my kind of game to actually play. Can you twerk? Oh god, never tried, don't want to. Do you like dabbing? It looks stupid to me. It looks like you're smelling your armpit, dude. Can money buy you happiness? You are 110% full of shit if you think it can't to some degree. I would be so, so much happier if I wasn't poor. Have you heard of Blizzard Entertainment? Well, considering they're the company that owns World of Warcraft, obviously.

[fanficsofmine]

Dream Vacation - Jongdae Fluff

We had the two following requests:

Can you write an amusement park or a fair date with Jongdae? Maybe with fireworks at the end? Super fluffy please!

Hi! I love you guys so much. Can I request some date night soft Chen? Or anniversary traveling? Something like that? Thank you!

So I wrangled my sister, @watermonkey0, to help me combine the two and this is the product! Hope you both love it! -T

“Surprise!” 

I skipped out ahead of the gate and grinned back at my boyfriend. Kim Jongdae stepped off the plane ramp with a small grin, pulling my suitcase behind him. 

“Why was that flight so short,” he asked suspiciously. It was our anniversary and, after a literal arm wrestle with his manager, I was able to get him some time off of work, even during his busy comeback schedule. It was the perfect opportunity to whisk him away where it could just be us for a change. But I hadn’t told him where we were going. That was the fun part. 

 “What ever do you mean?” I grinned and danced away. He followed after casually, looking far too wonderful in his ripped jeans and baggy pink sweater. His mask and sunglasses were shoved in his bag somewhere, probably stowed away because he thought he wouldn’t need them. 

 “We were only up for two hours. Did we even make it out of Korea?” He glanced around, catching sight of a banner printed in block Kanji. 

“Apparently…” He muttered to himself, hurrying to catch up with me as I steamrolled out of Naha Airport. 

 Okinawa, Japan, one of the most beautiful vacation spots in all of Asia, the lesser known Hawaii. It’s said that the waters and beaches around the island were so clean and clear, you could see straight to the ocean floor. The airport was small but bustling as Dae and I made our way outside. He ducked his head on instinct as we passed a large group of tourists, but they seemed too enraptured by the scenery to notice the celebrity slipping past them. Eagerly, I pulled him into a cab and instructed the man to take us to the ferry. 

 “The port? We’re not even going to the hotel first,” Dae whined, but I quickly shut him up with a quick peck on the lips. 

 “The surprise isn’t over yet!” 

 The cabbie whisked us along the narrow streets down to the water’s edge, where I pulled Dae out and skipped us onto the small ferry waiting on the dock. We were the last to board, so once we were settled, the boat departed, leaving everything behind. 

 I leaned against the railing of the upper deck, letting the sea breeze waft over me, when I felt two familiar arms circle around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder and I could hear his gentle hum in my ear as he hugged me from behind. He took a big breath in, and then sighed contently. 

“Man, I miss the ocean,” his voice purred against my back, making me snuggle further into him. 

 “You live in a coastal city. The ocean is never that far away,” I replied absentmindedly, enjoying the caress of the wind and the warmth of his chest.

 “It might as well be a million miles,” he mumbled and kissed my cheek. I recognized that tone, the one that said he was bitter about how busy they were, how tired they all felt, but I knew Jongdae well enough to know that he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He just needed a break. They all did. I turned in his embrace, facing the most beautiful man in the whole world. 

 “No need for ‘might as well’s. You have the whole week to do whatever you want. You’ll have great food, you’ll have the ocean, and you’ll have me. Pretty sweet deal, right?” His face broke into the biggest grin as he pressed his forehead to mine. 

 “A whole week with just you and the sea, huh? That’s the best surprise I’ve ever had.” He sighed dramatically, like he’d been entitled to it. But that wasn’t Dae. He would have kept working day and night if they asked him to. He was so giving, so willing. It was about time someone gifted him in return. 

 “Oh the surprise isn’t over yet!” I teased and sealed the deal with a small kiss to the tip of his nose. His eyebrows shot up in disbelief. 

 “How?” 

 “Because I’m awesome, that’s how.” I grinned and then pulled him towards the front of the ferry where he was more than willing to be the Jack to my Rose.

 After an hour at sea, the ferry reached our final destination: Zamami Island. The water lapping at the side of the boat was crystal clear, and I could hardly believe it. Tiny fish of every color darted about in the waves, and I could see the ocean floor, clustered with barnacles and coral. I pointed them out to Dae who thought it was funny to point out the smallest, brightest fish and name it after me. I swatted his arm playfully before the captain called for all passengers to disembark. 

We were staying at the house of a friend of Yuta’s from NCT. They often rented out the small house to tourists and it was pure luck that they were free this week. It was an adorable bungalow, nestled into the slope of a hill, a hundred yards from the water’s edge. In the most uncivilized fashion I could, I threw down my bags and made a mad dash for the waves, shoes flying, hair loose, wild as the wind itself. 

If I turned around, I was sure I would catch sight of Dae leaning casually on the beam of the porch, gazing at me with that infuriatingly beautiful look he usually gives me when I go off the rails—but to my amazement, I felt him splash up alongside me. The bottom half of his jeans were soaked, and the extra weight made his already baggy sweatshirt sag, but none of that mattered. 

He was so damn beautiful, standing knee deep in the clearest water in the world, grinning at me like he’d played my own joke back on me. Quick as a flash, he reached down and scooped a handful of water and splashed it at me. It wasn’t a subtle, sissy handful either—he totally drenched me. 

I was phased for only a moment before I was retaliating with both arms. He squealed and started to run, or well more, hop away, me chasing him down the beach. 

 When we were both good and wet, we declared a truce and sprawled out on the sandy beach. No towels were required when the sand was as soft as cotton. I wanted to fall asleep them and there, in the warm cuddle of the sand, but I made Dae get up and check the time. 

We couldn’t be late. 

He moaned and groan but eventually heaved himself up. It was only an added bonus that he peeled off his shirt and threw it at me, revealing his lick-worthy chest and abs. 

 “You better put on another one or we’re not going anywhere tonight!” I yelled as he jogged to the house like a supermodel on Baywatch. 

I rolled over, bunching his shirt into a damp pillow, and watched him step around the house, trying not to get sand everywhere and failing. He grabbed my bag from the kitchen counter and rummaged around for my phone. 

I saw it blink to life before he was yelling, “It’s almost seven. Why? Do we have plans?”

Rolling back over, I noticed that the horizon was much more orange than it had been, signaling the coming night. Not wanting to get up, but knowing it was inevitable, I stood with a groan and a stretch…and that’s when it happened.

It was an atrocious scream, one that he usually reserved for spiders or life threatening injuries. I knew this because a few months ago when he’d encountered an eight legged friend while on tour in Cambodia, he’d called me…still screaming. And last year when he’d hurt his wrist during a performance, he held it in the whole trip to my apartment before he broke down on my patio furniture. So I knew that timbre, a pitch I don’t think even I as a girl could match, and I was running, leaping over imaginary bushes, sprinting faster than the Black Flash.

The scene that developed would have been comical, had he not been scared to death. There was my boyfriend, the love of my life, Kim Jongdae, crouching on the kitchen counter, wet, shirtless, and covered in sand; and then there in the living room…was a pheasant. Its weird green head bucked forward and back as it stepped around, contrasting even more weirdly with its orange body. I will admit that its beady little red eyes had me in a bind for a moment as I tried to process what the hell was going on. The bungalow had retractable walls, so the thing probably just wandered in here, maybe wanting an autograph from EXO’s Chen. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered reading about Okinawa and how it didn’t have any native animals, so scientists had introduced a random assortment of fauna, hoping they would all just work. Pheasants had not been what came to mind though…

“J-Jagi...” Jongdae swallowed from the counter. He was hugging his knees, and I marveled at how he’d managed to make himself so small so quickly.

“Dae, it’s okay. It’s just a—”

“A parrot, right?” I froze mid-explanation. His eyes were pleading, and also so adorably innocent that there was no way I could tell him the truth. But, I also didn’t have it in me to laugh in his face.

“Excuse me for just a moment…” I mumbled and did a 180, exiting the house.

“Ahhhhh waaaeeeee!” I heard as I rounded the wall and collapsed into a pile of laughter, covering my mouth with both hands to try and muffle it.

The next thing I knew, I was shooing the bird out of the house with one of Dae’s notebooks, biting my bottom lip to suppress my grin. He was never going to live this down—not ever. I’d be telling the story of the infamous ‘parrot’ for years to come. And no, I didn’t correct him. He was going to go his whole life thinking pheasants were parrots if I had anything to say about it! But in the meantime, we had a surprise to finish.

I got Dae off the counter and sent him to shower off all the sand and humiliation while I closed the walls. Couldn’t have any more intruders getting in, now could we? Then, when he was done, I quickly rinsed off and dressed in the backless green dress Sehun had ordered me to buy. He knew more about style than SM’s whole fashion department, so who was I to disobey? I couldn’t deny how exotic it made me look though. The threaded halter front was sprinkled with glass beads and little trinkets of silver and gold. I could pass as a gypsy, just a bracelet here and some improvised eyeliner henna, and bam: Esmeralda. Jongdae didn’t need any help to look attractive, his jeans and shirt were more than enough to have me falling all over him as we borrowed our hosts’ bikes, and rode into town.

The sun was fully set by the time we made it to the entrance, and I only managed to glance back at him before he realized that my surprise, the one I’d been planning for weeks, was something he’d been asking for for months.

“Oh my god…is this—”

“The Ryukyu Kaiensai Fireworks Festival? Maybe.” I leaned forward on my handlebars and huffed on my nails, shining them on my dress like I was some sort of badass. In the effort of full disclosure, I never would have thought that he would want to go to something like this. Jongdae was very much a homebody, but he’d seen an article about it a couple months back in a magazine and he had been so impressed that he brought it home to show me. It was still laying on my coffee table, a reminder I’d left for my future self.

“Ahhh Jagi, this is…” He trailed off as he ran his fingers through his hair, clearly overwhelmed with how awesome I was.

“Well come on! Put up your bike! We gotta find a spot or we’ll miss the opening!” The smile on his face was intoxicating as we quickly locked up our bikes and ran, hand in hand, onto the crowded beach. But, luckily, my awesomeness knew no bounds, and I led him over to a large beach stone. As we got closer, Dae piped up.

“Yuta?” The young idol hopped down from his perch and grinned at the two of us.

“You guys made it! I was half expecting you not to show, if you know what I mean.” I wagged his eyebrows at us suggestively, and I blushed. I mean, if Dae hadn’t put a shirt on, it was a likely scenario.  

“Thanks for saving us a seat!” I beamed and he bowed his head to me, giving me a little wink on the side for good measure. He had been so nice and so helpful, and he’d never asked for anything in return for being so generous. He reminded me of Jongdae in that regard.

We shared a few more pleasantries before the loud speaker boomed that the show was about to start. Dae and I climbed up on our boulder while Yuta made himself scarce. I positioned myself between his legs and leaned into him. Sometimes it felt like the space over his heart was made to fit nobody else but me, like he was carved in such a way that I was the only one who would ever be able to be here. His arms slung loosely around me, and I grabbed his hands in mine. He was so comfortable, and he was so mine, and I was so happy.

The music began to play and the first firework boomed like a clap of thunder and I jumped in delight. It rattled around in my bones, and it was exhilarating. With my most excited face, I looked back to see if Dae was just as awestruck, but he was…only looking at me.

“Did you see it? Look, you’re gonna miss it!” I asked, but he only gave me a small content smile. “Look, Dae. Look!” I tried to move his chin to look up at the sky, but he resist, pegging me with an expression that I knew meant he was about to hit me with something profound.

“I’m not missing anything. You’re more radiant than anything up there.”

I melted a little, and it wasn’t just because it was EXO’s Chen telling me exactly what I wanted to hear.

“But we didn’t come here to see me, we came for the fireworks.” I muttered, kicking myself for arguing when he was complimenting me so highly.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Jagi. We could have stayed in Seoul, watching Netflix on your couch, and I would still say the same thing. Anywhere with you is exactly where I want to be. You’re amazing…thank you for this.” He gave me a small kiss on the lips that I couldn’t help but turn into a deeper one as ‘Kimi No Na Wa’ played on in the background, a sky full of fire and stars highlighting my love for this man.

[mzargentum]

The Perfect Cure

For my babeh @insomniasix for spoiling me with Promlin because I’m a needy baby. xD Here’s some good ol’ Gladix, for you. <3 *is nervous as hell because this is my first non-Prompto related fic*

Warnings: None | Word Count: 1,122 | OC’s: Six Ulric

Terrific.

One of the most beautiful days anyone’s ever seen in Lucis. Sun’s out, not a cloud to be seen for miles, and here Six was, confined to her bed with a cold and the Empire’s monthly invasion to her uterus. The blood bath has begun.

Why though? Why her? Astrals, why?

Was this karma for pissing off Reggie? She always did that though. When did that become punishable by cutting off half of her oxygen intake and making sneezing painful?

She was like a zombie. Moving was a a legit nightmare. Gods forbid she really had to pee. Every step was more like a slide, her slippers scraping across the wood floors.

Her bed became her haven. The hardass glaive snuggled under the plethora blankets into an awkward lump. She didn’t feel better in the slightest, but at least she could suffer comfortably as the whir of the ceiling fan slowly put the woman to sleep until...

“Babe”.

Peeling the blankets from her field of vision revealed Gladio standing halfway through the cracked bedroom door.

“Were you asleep?”

“Not really”, Six replied slowly leaning forward into a sitting position, “it’s hard to sleep when you can’t breathe”. 

Grabbing a couple of tissues from the box on the nightstand next to her, she blew her stuffed up nose grimacing at the goop within its contents before tossing the wad of fluffy paper into the waste basket, resting her pounding head against her palm.

The King’s Shield offered a sympathetic smile to his ill girlfriend as he approached her taking his spot on his side of the bed. “I made you some breakfast”.

Six glanced at her boyfriend from between her fingers with a raised eyebrow before noticing the steaming cup noodles in his hand. 

Apparently the bits of scrambled eggs and bacon made that suitable for “breakfast”, but it was food so Six didn’t object. 

“Aaaand...”, Gladio continued handing her a opened beer bottle after her cup noodles, “we were out of orange juice”.

Six chuckled with a smirk as he took the beverage from her boyfriend. “Classy”. As she placed the cold bottle onto the nightstand, she got a brief glimpse of the time. Her eyebrows forwarded in suspicion before she turned back to the Shield.

“What’re you doing home so early? You usually aren’t back until way later”.

“I never left”, the tattooed man admits, scratching the back of his head.

“You haven’t? What’ve you been doing all day?”

Clearing his throat, “well”, he mumbled. “I figured you could use a hand with the chores. So I did a little cleaning”.

The utter shock that Six experienced by his answer must’ve displayed itself onto her face judging by Gladio’s scoff.

“What? You think all I know how to do is bash heads?”

“What all did you clean?”, Six asked as she finally indulged in her “breakfast”.

“The dishes, the living room, I waxed the floor and did the laundry”.

The speechless glaive stared at her giant muscly Shield while she slurped her noodles from the cup. She couldn’t tell if she was getting turned on by the fact that this man literally cleaned their whole apartment or because of the fact that her hormones were out of wack.

Gladio chuckle at his girlfriend’s expression, gently brushing her hair behind her ear. “Now you can focus on getting better”, the man softly reassured as he leaned in closer to his girlfriend.

“Nnnnmmmhh!” A muffled whine escaped her throat as she pulled away from Gladio, pasta still in her mouth.

“Don’t kiss me! You’ll catch my sick! And I look like Ramuh’s asshole”. Six grumbled as she lifted the cup to her face, gulping the remaining soup.

Rolling his eyes, the tattooed man took the empty noodle cup from her hands, tossing it into the waste basket before lifting his girlfriend into a straddling position on his lap, much to her surprise. His giant arms wrapped around her body so she couldn’t escape, but lightly enough for her to be comfortable.

“Baby, there’s not a damn thing you could say to make me believe you are anything less than the most beautiful and sexiest woman in all of Lucis”. His sensually rusted tone starting a fire in the glaive’s chubby cheeks summoning a soft chuckle from her boyfriend’s throat.

“I think it’s adorable how easily you blush”.

“Shut up”, she grumbled, turning her cherry face from Gladio trying really hard not to smile at his teasing, although failing miserably.

“Aww, somebody shy”, he continued on, lightly tickling the woman finally getting a smile from her despite her previous mood until...

*ring ring*

A sudden chime from Gladio’s pocket disrupted their merriment much to the Shield’s annoyance.

As he fished his phone from his pocket to see who dared interrupt them, he silenced the device before placing it face down onto the nightstand next to him.

“Who was it?”

“Just Noct”, Gladio replied nonchalantly returning his hands to their original position against his love’s back.

“What’s up?” Six’s curiosity was getting the best of her.

“The guys had planned on going on this fishing trip today. Probably checking to see if I can go”.

Well, there it was. 

As much as she loved having her beloved to herself, she didn’t like interfering with his guy time.

“Why don’t you go?”, she hesitantly urged him with a smile receiving a light glare from the man. When Gladio’s mind was made up, usually there was no point in arguing, but Six was just as stubborn as he was so she’d try nonetheless.

“You should go. You’d have fun”, she suggested as she attempted to shake his grip only to abruptly be flipped over onto her back, a sharp gasp escaping her lungs, as the behemoth Shield hovered over her on his elbows as to not to crush her under his weight, while preventing her from escaping.

“Six”, his voice soft, yet firm to make his point clear to his stubborn girlfriend. “I just want to take care of you”.

His blissful amber gaze into her pearl iris’ made her stomach erupt with butterflies as he delicately caressed her cheek with his warm palm.

“If I wanted to be there, I would be. I can go fishing with them anytime, but right now, my place is here with you”.

At this point, there was no fighting his affections as Six melted to his touch, taking hold Gladio’s giant hand as her cheek squished against it.

“I love you”, she whispered to her beloved, her silver orbs twinkling like stars in the daytime.

“I love you too”. The tattooed marshmallow of a man smiled as he leaned into her embrace, placing a tender kiss upon her lips.

Tagging: @ravagekamisama @aquathemermaidstripper @insomniasix @digitalkanvas @a-new-recipehhh @prettyprompto

[forwardtillthefinish]

“I don’t need a crown to know that I’m a queen” - Queen Bee Half Marathon

What an event, after the disappointment that was The Berlin Marathon. I went to Cincinnati hoping for a good weekend, a fun race and boost to the spirit. I can honestly say, Cincinnati and the Queen Bee Half Marathon delivered in full!

The worst part about the entire weekend was the 8.5 hour drive. My traveling partner had to drop out and I couldn’t get anyone to come with so I braved the drive alone. I highly recommend comedy podcasts for long drives with Pandora station breaks in the middle. During the drive, I decided that I wanted to go straight to the expo for two reasons: stretch my legs and to make sure I wouldn’t be out all night after a day of travel.

The expo was two fold. Not only was it packet pick up for the race but also it was connected to a wellness expo presented by Kroger. At this point I was glad I drove because the swag and samples were endless. I got a thank you first for being an ambassador,a few premium items for being a half marathoner, a full bag of beauty samples, another bag of snack samples and not to mention all the snacks and such I had at the expo. By the time I got to my car, my arms were so tired! But everything I picked up was something I could use or will use now that I’ve tried it. If I had planned my trip better, I would have gotten there earlier to see some of the demonstrations they had as well.

After the expo, I made my way to my AirBnB that was a short 10 min from downtown. Laid out my stuff, laid out my race stuff, settled in and ate the dinner I brought with me from home and called it an early night.

The next morning, I got up and headed towards the downtown area and picked a parking lot based on cost and seeing women in cold weather running gear. This proved to be a smart choice as I was able to park most of the day for $5. Little did I know how long I was actually going to stay at the finish line but I’ll get to that later. After paying and eating my breakfast, I started following ladies to the start.

The start was well laid out, gear check busses, a super amount of porta potties (which were sparkling clean before and after the race!), and easy to get into corrals. For once, I was not super early so I didn’t have a lot of time to loiter but was able to get two trips to the potty and had a great chat with another woman who had mentioned she was last in the past. What this woman didn’t know is that she really comforted me by telling me that the organizers really are back of the pack friendly per her past experiences. As that conversation wrapped up, it was time to start the race.

I’m not sure why it surprised me but even with the 7:30am start, the sun had not yet completely risen. But I didn’t mind as it didn’t seem to make much difference as it was a chilly day. I knew this race started on a hill but man! The climb was consistent for about two full miles. But the views from the top were completely worth the climb. You could see the river and sun peaking over, it was absolutely gorgeous.

Also within the first couple miles, more snacks than I have seen in a full marathon course. I’m taking Krispy Kreme doughnut holes, chocolate of all types. As the race went on, you didn’t even need your own fuel- Swedish fish, gummies, crasins, Oreos, butter cookies, more chocolate- and even orange segments that had been peeled so you didn’t have to throw the peel on the ground! If that wasn’t enough, there were people handing out tissues almost every other mile. The race organizers clearly have thought of everything.

Along the way, I struck up a couple conversations with ladies from all over. One lady, Tena, was doing her first half marathon at age 72 after multiple surgeries. She was with her daughter, Christine, and friend, Mary. And they really helped me stay on track. I hung with them for a majority of the middle of the race. Towards the end, I found another lady who I had been going back and forth with. Her story was incredible. After dealing with so much physical and emotional issues, she was getting back into running. Around mile 10, I noticed someone handing out beers and mimosas. I asked them to pour me some

Champagne and they said sure! So I stopped, walked and drank a glass of champagne. As I was finishing that up, I came across a woman that was having awful cramps- so bad that you could see them. I always carry extra saltstick just in case. I offered her two tablets and helped her get her water bottle out of her belt. I later found out she decided not to go on but her husband was able to get a medal for her.

The best part about the back half of this race is that it is all down hill after about mile 7. Of course the climbs on the front half of the race caused some fatigue but I felt pretty good coming into the finish line.

After getting through the finish, it was the standard recovery items offered- water, a salty snack, chocolate milk, medal. But just past the finish there was a mini festival where they had an additional finishers item- ear muffs, sunflowers, mimosas, massages, half off race official gear (where I picked up some Queen Bee Goodrs) and plenty food.

Being an ambassador for the race, I had been invited to the VIBee area. There was food, sweets, adult beverages and cute little gifts. I had only planned to swing by say hi and head back to my car but instead I met some really cool ladies who I ended up drinking quite a bit of champagne with. We shared races we loved, what our next plans were and chatted until they basically kicked us out of the tent.

After going back to the AirBnB, showering and taking a quick nap, I headed out to meet my sorority sister Sophie and her boyfriend Will for dinner and BLINK. To be honest, I didn’t understand how artsy and cool Cincinnati was. Between getting some amazing tacos at Coronado and then walking through the streets with music and art installations I was impressed. What a cool weekend for the city, race by day and party by night.

I would recommend Queen Bee and a weekend trip to Cincy to anyone looking for a get away, I would just recommend you fly if you are coming from VA.

Can’t wait to go back for the Flying Pig weekend in the spring!

[tveit-for-me]

Dream a Little Dream of Me (HS): Chapter One

I was definitely not a morning person… especially without my usual cup of coffee. I cradled the steaming mug in my hands and rested back against the kitchen counter. The strong smell of espresso livened my senses, making the early hour more bearable. My boyfriend, Damiano, had already left for work, which left the small apartment strangely quiet. I absentmindedly found myself glancing at the microwave clock and deducing the amount of time I had left before I had to leave – forty minutes. Reluctantly, I dragged myself away from the cozy kitchen and into the shower.

As predicted, I emerged from my bedroom forty minutes later, ready for the day. Before I ran out the door, however, I made sure to grab my second cup of coffee and a couple of the leftover profiteroles that my boyfriend had brought home from his bakery last night.

The crisp morning air caused me to shiver slightly as I rushed out the door. The soft breeze pushed my hair into my face. I groaned and slid into the warm seats of the waiting Honda Civic. Once out of the breeze, I attempted to tame the curls that had been disheveled from the wind. Realizing the time, I quickly peeled away from my townhouse apartment and merged onto the busy suburban highway.

It wasn’t until I was parked outside the high school I taught at that I had let myself think about the day ahead. It was Friday (finally!), and I knew that would make my students harder to handle. My mind instantly shifted into teacher-mode as I climbed out of my car and entered the school building. The sound of my heels clicking on the linoleum was drowned out by the student’s before-school commotion as I made my way towards my classroom.

Once in my classroom, I exchanged my purse and cup of coffee for fish food. Noel and Nina, the class betta fish, shared a tank near the front of the room by the whiteboard. They greeted me by fanning out their beautiful pink and purple fins and swam to the nibble at the food I had sprinkled onto the water’s surface.

“Ms. Anderson?”

I jumped slightly at the sudden voice coming from the doorway and laughed at myself before glancing up at one of my students. “Yes, Jessica?”

“I had a couple questions about our cellular respiration project that I was hoping you would answer…”

***

My planning period was the last hour and a half block of the day. I pushed aside my notes and lesson plans, which were starting to give me a headache and rubbed my temples. I went to the teacher lounge to grab a soda from the vending machine. I pulled the Dr. Pepper from the dispenser tray at the bottom of the vending machine and twisted the cap off with a fissss.

“How’s it going, Willa?” A tall blonde entered the teacher lounge, and her red-painted lips turned up into a friendly smile.

“Hey, Jenny. I’m so ready to go home!” I laughed before taking a sip of my soda.

Jenny snorted as she made her way past me to the refrigerator, which caused us to laugh harder. “I am, too, girl!” She opened the door of the refrigerator and returned with the characteristic red and white of a Chinese food take away box. “Since we’re off Monday, the hubby and I are sending the kids to Mom’s and then away we go to the beach.”

“I’m sure you guys will have fun doing that, just don’t come back sunburned!” I raised my eyebrows at her, playfully hinting at the time she came back from a previous getaway burned head-to-toe. The image of her waddling into school, blonde hair white against her red skin, was forever engrained in my brain.

“Shut up, Willa!” She warned, attempting to be serious. We both knew that act wouldn’t last, and we both erupted into laughter. “So, do you and Damiano have any plans?” She stabbed a piece of orange chicken with her fork and popped the bite-sized piece in her mouth. Her question seemed like innocent curiosity; however, as her best friend, I knew she was trying to pry her way into my personal life.

I took another sip of my Dr. Pepper and sat on top of the small table. “Nope. Dam’s really busy with work this weekend. They’re opening up another bakery in Agoura Hills.”

“That’s really awesome, Willa!” Jenny smiled and reached over to squeeze my shoulder. “I know you’re proud of him.”

A goofy smile spread across my face, and I played with the cap of my soda bottle. “I am. He came here from Italy three years ago with twenty dollars in his pocket, and now he’s accomplished all he’d ever dreamed of.”

“Except just one thing…” Jenny trailed off, setting her container of Chinese food down on the table. I shot her an inquisitive look before she continued. “His ass needs to marry you!” she half whispered-half shouted.

I laughed and playfully smacked her hand away from me. “I don’t think that’s going to happen for a while, Jen!”

Jenny sighed and returned to her orange chicken. “Yeah? Well I’ve seen how much he adores you, and I just know it’s got to be right around the corner!”

A bit flustered, I opened my mouth to argue with her. I closed it in defeat, however, when the beep beep beep of the intercom sounded for the afternoon’s announcements. I mouthed a “have fun this weekend” to Jenny and waved goodbye and exited the teacher’s lounge. The afternoon announcements were generally for only students, so I found myself ignoring the voice of the principal as I made my way back to my classroom.

TGIF! I chanted as I gathered all of my notes and lesson plans and headed out to my car. The usual four o’clock traffic didn’t bother me as I navigated the jam-packed roads home. My students were working on a project that wasn’t due until next week, and I had miraculously managed to finish grading all my other assignments during the first half-hour of my planning period. This was the first weekend this school year that I had managed to have completely free, and to top all of that off, it was a three-day weekend as well. TGIF indeed!

Excited to finally have a weekend to myself with no work, I flew into the car park and carefully parked my Honda in its usual place outside my townhouse. Once inside, I tossed my black leather messenger bag onto the floor near the couch and slipped out of my red, peep-toe heels before making my way into the kitchen.

I was perusing the collection of fresh fruit in the large, crystal bowl on the kitchen island when I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me. I jumped and gasped at the contact, clearly startled. My head swiveled around to glance at the person holding me from behind. The pair of striking blue eyes and raven black hair provided such a stark contrast that I had only seen on one person – my boyfriend.

It was always a blessing and a curse when Damiano came home from working at the bakery. After his shift, he would always smell of pastries, chocolate, and coffee – AKA everything I could ever crave. It was the same now. Damiano smelled heavenly.

“Jesus, Dam! You scared the shit out of me!” I laughed, relaxing against him.

He buried his face in my neck, the scruff from his unshaven face scratching me slightly. He chuckled at my words before peppering kisses from my ear down onto my shoulder. I shivered under his lips and somehow managed to pull away from him, grabbing an apple from the bowl of fruit.

“How was the bakery?” I asked around a bite of apple.

“It was pretty good.” He laughed. “Actually it was great. Massimilano dropped a hundred croquet-en-bouche in the dining room today. “He was pretty embarrassed.”

I giggled and turned around to rest against the countertop, wiping a bit of apple juice from the corner of my mouth. “I would have been mortified.”

“I know you would have.” He smiled at me, and his sky blue eyes practically twinkled. “I also know you ate all the profiteroles I brought home last night.” His thick Italian accent usually made me melt. When he was teasing like this and his eyes shone as bright as they did now, however, it made me want to jump him right now in the kitchen.

I swallowed with restraint and instead focused on what he had just said. I mustered up all the strength I had to make myself appear angry and not incredibly turned on. “I can’t help it if my boyfriend is a fucking amazing baker and brings home treats! That’s like telling a dog not to chase a cat!” I argued in an attempt to defend my dignity.

Damiano cracked a knowing smile but dropped the subject. His hand found mine, and he pulled me into his chest. “It’s Friday,” he said, voice deep and accent thick.

“Yeah,” I managed to croak out. His voiced combined with the feel of his warm arms around me and the smell of chocolate and sugar from his day at the bakery seemed to intoxicate me.

“Let me take you out for dinner?” His statement ended more like a question, promoting me to look up until my gaze was sealed with his.

I smiled and stood on my tip-toes to kiss his cheek. “Where are we going? How should I dress?”

He shot me a playful smile. “If I had my way, nothing. But I think Americans don’t like nudity, yeah? So why don’t you wear something casual.”

I slapped his arm playfully before giving him a quick kiss. “You probably need to shower. You smell like a bakery.”

He scoffed, and his expression told me that he was clearly annoyed by my statement. “What? That’s not bad. Just let me change my shirt.” He lifted his black uniform polo over his head, revealing his taut muscles and inked skin.

“Damiano,” I said sternly, causing his eyes to snap to mine once again. “You need to shower.” I threw him a flirty wink. “Who else is going to wash my hair?”

At my suggestion, he quickly changed his attitude and immediately pressed my body against the kitchen wall. Who knows if we would even make it to dinner…

Next Part --->

[bealikestowrite]

"You haven't read this one, have you?"

Oikawa wiped his wet hands on the orange beach towel. His bare chest was pressed against the sticky beach sand, back absorbing the dimming light of the falling evening sun. Small waves lapped at his tail. They danced over his fins and tickled the skin at his waist. His hair was drying into its natural curls, brown waves brushing his ears.

"Hm, I don't think so?" Oikawa reached out and took the book, examining its cover. It appeared to be some sort of fantasy book, the title standing out against an emerald green cover, leafy patterns and fairy trails lining the page. His eyes scanned the blurb quickly. He nodded as he deemed it interesting enough to delve past the front cover. "Where'd you find this one?"

"Dusty corner of an old book shop. I hope you know an entire shelf almost collapsed on me when I tried to grab this book for you."

Oikawa peeled his eyes away from the book, smirking up at his companion, "Was Iwa-chan too short to reach it?"

"If you're gonna be an ass then I won't bother next time," Iwaizumi growled, turning away to sniff in annoyance. "I'll get you a crap book about mermaid conspiracies." His look turned conniving as his gaze returned to Oikawa, eyes narrowed in a teasing glare. "I know how much you love those."

Oikawa most certainly did not 'love those'. In fact, he'd been almost offended by a lot of the claims made in the book Iwaizumi had presented to him  one day. He did not seek to harm any innocent sailors. His teeth were not sharp and pointed. His nails were not like little pincers. He also did not start impromptu song and dance sessions with friendly fish and the occasional crustacean; they couldn't even <i>talk</i>. Besides, last time he had tried that, Suga had told him that he had a terrible singing voice and that he was going to give some poor passing ship a real scare.

Oikawa reached out and rested his hand on Iwaizumi's thigh. "Thank you."

They had fallen into a habit, after years of knowing one another. They had been just seven years old when they'd met for the first time. The Iwaizumi family had just moved into the rickety old house on the cliff, buying the abandoned slice of sandy coastline with it- Oikawa's favourite place to play. He'd cried when Iwaizumi had spotted him, and Iwaizumi had cried when the mermaid swam away in a panic. Upon hearing the boy's tears, Oikawa returned to the beach and handed him a pretty rock he'd found. Thus the order of their relationship was sealed.

Oikawa would bring Iwaizumi pretty rocks, who in return would pick him wild flowers. As they grew older, their trades began to change. Oikawa would give shells and would receive a bug of some description, although they'd always set the bug free and watch it fly away. Iwaizumi would bring some food and Oikawa would bring shy kisses. Oikawa brought his shell, and this time Iwaizumi brought the gentle kisses. Now Oikawa brought coral and Iwaizumi, in turn, brought him books.

Iwaizumi reached his hand down, lacing his fingers between Oikawa's where his hand lay rested on his thigh. Oikawa looked up. Iwaizumi never failed to impress him with his handsome features. Skin tanned from hours working out on the beach, always smooth and warm to the touch. His eyes were a hazel that Oikawa likened to the colour of trees he longed to touch, green flecks the hue of lush leaves that he sometimes found scattered along the shoreline. His strong features, familiar territory under Oikawa's deft fingers, fell relaxed under the caress of the sea's breeze.

"What colour would you say Suga's tail is?"

Oikawa blinked, "What?"

"What colour is Suga's tail?"

"White and salmon."

Iwaizumi frowned, "I'd say it's more of a peach colour, though."

"Hm, I guess." Oikawa frowned down at the page in front of him. It was almost endearing, a little wrinkle between his brows and a pout on his pink lips. "What's an e-mail?"

Iwaizumi flicked Oikawa on the forehead. The merman glowered at his boyfriend. He sighed and closed his book, carefully placing it down on the towel in front of him. Iwaizumi now had his undivided attention, and Oikawa made this clear by resting his chin in his hand and watching him unblinkingly, an almost unnerving stare. Their hands were still intertwined on Iwaizumi's thigh, fingers pressing and trailing against each other's.

"Are you even paying attention to me?"

"I was reading!" Oikawa protested, a pout playing on his lips.

"Sorry." Hajime reached forward and tucked some loose hair behind Oikawa's ear, fingers trailing lovingly against the soft skin of Oikawa's cheek and salty lips. "I'm just worried about him."

Oikawa raised a brow, "Hm?"

"I know you felt it. You felt me worrying, right?"

"Yeah," Oikawa sighed, squeezing Iwaizumi's fingers reassuringly. "I felt it."

Iwaizumi smiled at him. It was difficult for him, Oikawa supposed, having a mermaid for a lover. As exciting as it was, it was also unknown territory. The pair had known each other for years, but to Iwaizumi, Oikawa was still in essence a 'mythical creature'. He was told by his family and friends that mermaids didn't exist, and this always shook Iwaizumi; if Oikawa was so mythical, so intriguing and beautiful, why would he want him? He was just a human, and not even a particularly interesting one at that. He was average. But still, this didn't stop Oikawa from coming back everyday to spend all of his spare time with him, and it certainly didn't stop them from promising one another their hearts.

"I felt you worrying too. You shouldn't lecture Suga so much." Iwaizumi's fingers dropped to run over the shell at the hollow of his lover's throat. Oikawa sighed, leaning down to kiss the back of Iwaizumi's hand.

"He was spotted," Oikawa breathed against the skin of Iwaizumi's hand. Iwaizumi reached out to pull Oikawa further out of the water and closer to him. Oikawa sat beside him now, long tail stretching out in front of them against the sand.

"Mm, I figured as much. A guy I work with said he saw a tail. Peach and white."

"Ah, that's a relief!" Oikawa exclaimed. "I thought maybe you'd grown tired of looking at my beautiful tail."

The exclamation was an attempt at a lighthearted joke, but the facade had no effect on Iwaizumi anymore. Oikawa, much like him, had insecurities about their relationship. That was natural in any relationship, particularly one in which the two lovers were of different worlds. Why would Iwaizumi want to give up his time to love a mermaid when he could help himself to any number of beautiful humans whom he could spend every hour of every day with? But still, Iwaizumi had given Oikawa his heart.

"Never," Iwaizumi whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to the sensitive skin just above the gills on Oikawa's neck. Oikawa released a shuddering breath, trembling hands clutching the shell around Iwaizumi's neck as he ducked to capture his boyfriend's lips in a tender kiss, a gentle noise escaping his throat as Iwaizumi pressed into the kiss, his own hands finding and cradling the shell around Oikawa's neck.

"Good," Oikawa said breathily when they pulled away, foreheads pressed together and lips mere millimetres apart.

Oikawa always tasted like salt, lips soft, sometimes cold and sometimes warm. Iwaizumi was addicted to them either way. Iwaizumi always tasted like mint, the chewing gum he always occupied himself with, lips always warm and slightly chapped. Oikawa was addicted to them, the feeling of tender lips pressing against his in a goodnight kiss every evening enough to keep him going until their next daily meeting.

The expanse of once blue water was changing colour before them, the blue paint of the stunning afternoon sky becoming mixed with the newly orange evening sun. The sun was falling into the sea, flames licking the lazy waves a gorgeous amber. The cliffs that bit into the sea cast dark shadows into the horizon. It was soothing to watch the shadows dance atop the water, forming intricate patterns of shadowy tendrils. Sometimes the clouds even joined in with their show, throwing their own shadows down onto the sea as they crawled across the sky.

"We can't stop Koushi, can we?" Tooru broke the silence between them, knotting his hand with Hajime's once more.

Hajime sighed, casting Tooru a glance from where he sat beside him. "No," he answered. "We can't. You can warn him against humans as much as you want, but that won't stop him." A smirk ran along Hajime's lips, reddened from their kiss. "It never stopped you, did it?"

Oikawa shot a dazzling smile Iwaizumi's way. Iwaizumi felt his heart stop, a blush crawling up the back of his neck. Oikawa's beauty never ceased to amaze him. The handsome dip of his collar bones, sharp angles of his cheekbones and strong set of his jaw were all images that made Hajime's heart flutter, especially in the way that water droplets clung to his angular features like embellishments of diamonds strung along his skin. The uncontrollable swoop of his curls was soft to the touch, despite the salt with which it had been coated in from the sea. The curls licked his ears, framed his face like an impressive frame around an equally impressive painting. His lips were slender against white teeth, pink tongue peeking out whenever he offered a cheeky grin.

But the best thing? Hajime decided that was, without a shadow of a doubt, Tooru's eyes. If eyes were the windows to the soul, then Tooru's eyes would be the window not only to his own soul, but to Hajime's too. The truly encapsulating image of his brown eyes had imprinted itself on Hajime's soul, undeniable evidence that Tooru truly had taken Hajime's soul as well as his heart. Hajime gave Tooru everything he possibly could, and Tooru took all of these gifts and took care of them the best he could, showering them with love and healing them when necessary.

"'Spose not." Oikawa grinned at Iwaizumi. "But then I've always been stubborn."

"Well, that's certainly true," Iwaizumi remarked.

Oikawa bumped Iwaizumi with his shoulder. "Mean, Iwa-chan."

"But true."

Oikawa didn't retort. He was right, after all. Oikawa was stubborn, but Iwaizumi was stubborn, too. That was why their relationship worked. Despite the relentless bouts of criticism from others, their stubbornness and determination to prove others wrong helped them to fight away the negativity. They were stubborn, but they were stubborn together.

"This guy that spotted Suga," Tooru started. "Is he a good person? He won't-"

"He won't use Suga, don't worry. Sawamura Daichi is a pretty decent guy. I mean he's a little intimidating if you piss him off, but he'd never do anything to hurt anyone. Plus, he's always loved all things pretty, so Suga will be fine."

"<i>That's exactly what I'm worried about!</i>" Oikawa threw his hands up in exasperation. He huffed out a breath, bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "Suga isn't just a <i>pretty thing</i> to add to Sawamura Daichi's collection! He's a <i>mermaid</i>, he's <i>alive</i>. I don't want Suga to fall in love with some guy who just sees him as a pretty object to add to his aquarium! I don't want Suga to fall in love with a man and have his shell broken, because he deserves to find someone who loves him unconditionally. I don't want Suga to give someone his <i>everything</i>-"

"Tooru, is that what this is about?" Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa's waving hands.

Oikawa's shoulders rose and fell in a heavy sigh. He brought his hand up to the shell around his neck, fingers twirling it about and brushing it softly. Iwaizumi felt it. The cold stab of fear through Oikawa's heart, the absolute terror brought on by the ever looming unknown. He felt the way Oikawa's breaths fell short and shuddering from his lips, felt the rush of blood around his body as his heart rate increased, felt the tremor of his fingers as he fumbled for the right words. But he didn't need words, not really, not when Iwaizumi could understand what he was feeling from just a single touch. And really, Iwaizumi didn't even need the help of their shells, their years of loving one another enough to constitute a solid understanding of the other.

"I never said you have to give me everything," Iwaizumi insisted, leaning to press his forehead against Oikawa's. He felt his stomach flip, the glistening beauty of Oikawa's brown eyes making his heart flutter. "You know you don't have to do that. I'd never ask you-"

"I know. But sometimes I think about it. I think that maybe it would be better, that if I could find a way to become a human then I would do it without a second thought, and I'd find you and we'd run off together and just spend forever being in love," Oikawa swallowed thickly around the words, as they seemed to choke him. Hot tears ran down his face, dripping down onto his tail. Hajime didn't reach out. Tooru didn't want him to. "But then I stop, and I think, if I was meant to be a human, wouldn't I have been born a human? That's what I think, and then Suga will find me and he'll remind me that I am a mermaid, that I have a tail and not legs, and I belong in the ocean. My heart may not be with the ocean, Hajime, but my soul certainly is. It's tied to it, and I can't undo the knot. I don't think I'm supposed to, to be quite honest. And so that's where I'll stay."

Iwaizumi reached out this time. He pressed a finger to Oikawa's lips, forcing the other man into silence. The only sound for a few seconds was the gentle ebb and flow of the waves, frothy white coalescing like lace around the glistening scales of Oikawa's tail. He pressed one hand to Oikawa's waist, where scales joined skin, because he knew it made Oikawa feel safe. He pressed his other hand to Oikawa's shell, breath stuttering slightly as Oikawa did the same, cradling Iwaizumi's shell in his hand as though it were priceless.

"That's where you'll stay, because that's where you're happy. I'll look after your heart for as long as you want me to, until you want me to return it to the ocean."

Oikawa closed the distance between their lips. It was slow, passionate, full of a requited longing that burned deep in their hearts. Knotted fingers were mimicked by knotted hearts, breathless names murmured against lips carried by the breeze, closed eyes giving way to an avalanche of emotions, an unrelenting knowledge that one needed the other. Hands in hair, fingers tracing over shoulders and down backs, lips wandering from mouths, breaths trickling against bare skin like droplets down a window pane.

<i>I love you.</i>

<i>But I can't give you everything.</i>

<i>I'm sorry.</i>