thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

"Glad to hear it," he said with a soft smile. He was also enjoying having periods that were a little calmer. At his old job, down periods barely happened, if ever, and while he liked taking vacations, he didn't take them as much as he could have. "An adjustement period was needed for sure but we're at the very least nearing the end of it. Thanks by the way," he said, looking at her, "I don't know if I'd gotten the ropes this fast without your help." Rare admission from Simon but still true. @danaxallenlopez

She smiled at Simon as he closed the laptop in front of him. "I'm doing well," she told him, pulling out the chair and taking a seat in it, "Enjoying the bit of down time," though Dana was not without work, she wasn't constantly running around at the moment. "What about you? Adjusting more to the job?" Dana questioned him, curious to how he was enjoying the change in career choices after the last few months. @thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

Simon couldn't help but smile at the little girl's clearly annoyed expression as she tried putting her hair back in place. "Sounds good," he agreed with a nod, starting to walk towards the place. "I really am," he said, genuine. "It's definitely different, can't lie about that, but I like it." So far, regrets wasn't on the list of things he'd gained by switching jobs. "Oh! When is that?" he asked. They quickly made it to the bistro and found a table. "On me, it's been a while." @margaretxhawthorne

"See, even your uncle Simon knows I'm right," she reached out to gently ruffle her daughter's hair with a bright smile. "Great," she nodded her head, "we can go to the bistro," she suggested to Simon as it was just a few doors down on the street that they were on in downtown Kismet Harbor. "How are you liking the job with Julian?" She questioned her brother. The two were gone quite a lot for his races. "I'm good," which wasn't a lie per say, "Taylor's got a school play coming up so we've been practicing a lot for that, too." @thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

Indeed, they didn't know each other very well. They were more aware of each other, which might be surprising given that Marcel and Julian were close but Simon didn't always talk all that much with his brother's friends. "I haven't had time to try much of it," he admitted. "But yeah I'm famished. Let's go." He said, heading off. "Anything specific in mind?" @marcelvaughn

It had been a pretty long race but it felt good. He took a sip of his own water bottle and nodded. "Yeah, went alright." It's not like he had any pretentions that he would finish first or anything, so he was simply glad he'd made it to the finish line. Running wasn't even his favourite way to exercise. "So, enjoying the festival?" he asked. @marcelvaughn

[thesimonhawthorne]

[thesimonhawthorne]

Simon as Tumblr text posts

[thesimonhawthorne]

"Yeah, I'm alright," he replied with a laugh. Simon never had to stick to any specific diet, he was careful and went to the gym on a regular basis but just the idea of having to stick to specific foods and all bored him, so he couldn't imagine having to follow a diet for so long. And while as his manager, he did need to remind Julian to be careful, he was going to be enough of an asshole right after this that he didn't feel like it was necessary. He sighed heavily, trying to find the best way to breach the subject. "It's about you and Haven," he started, knowing this would be the touchy part. "Hm, some people," and that he obviously didn't mean dubious fan theories, "are saying you're too invested in that and not enough in your career and it's the reason your results are where they're at." @julianxhawthorne

“You try sticking to a food regime for that long, see how fast you cave.” Julian replied, having decided a few years ago that sometimes he was allowed to ignore his limitations from his diet and go all out. He knew how to get back in shape with the remainder of that week. It usually worked out for him. When Simon began about having to tell him something, he looked at him again. His brows furrowed at the mention he wouldn’t like it, already giving Julian scenarios in his head of what it could be. Did he slip to his parents that he got engaged? Did he lose an important sponsor? Did something happen with their shared business? While the thoughts roamed in his mind, his expression stayed calm. Much like they were taught to from a young age. “ ‘lright, out with it.” @thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

"Don't do that, your mom is right," he replied at his niece's eyeroll, although he was amused by her reaction. "Let's go for lunch then." He nodded before asking her where they wanted to go. It was true that they didn't get to see each other very much. They'd already been both pretty busy when he had his old job but now, following Julian to races meant he spent less time in town. "I'm doing alright. Quite busy too if I'm honest. How are you?" @margaretxhawthorne

On a simple walk, Simon had been a little surprised to see a little kid running towards him. He'd annoyed at first, as he usually was at people who let their kids run around in crowded places. Then, he'd been a little scared that it was his daughter, but he finally smiled as he recognised his niece. He hugged her and smiled at his sister when he arrived. "It was inevitable," he replied with a smile. "I don't have anything planned, so if you don't, I guess I have to accept." @margaretxhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

Simon’s smirk lingered as Aliye lined up her throw, her confidence unwavering. When she asked if he was always right, he shot her a teasing glance. “Always,” he replied, cool and self-assured.

Her stubbornness to stick with the bet despite its risks was something he admired. As she took her next shot, which landed closer to the bullseye, Simon raised an eyebrow, impressed but unwilling to give her too much credit. “Not bad. Took you long enough.”

He lined up his own throw, landing closer to the bullseye. “Looks like that drink’s on you,” he said with a smooth, teasing grin.

As they wound down, Simon took a sip of his drink, the night falling into a comfortable lull. “Don’t worry,” he added, leaning in slightly. “I’ll go easy on you next time.” @aliyebalik

END

Life was always fun when Aliye had anything to do with it and a healthy dose of delusion always made it possible. His words were met with a grin, head inclining gently in his direction. "And are you always right?" she asked, sensing that Simon's ego might just outdo her own inflated one.

The admission that his taste could be expensive probably should have given her some pause in offering to pay, but it didn't at all. The concern over whether she could afford it simply didn't exist for Aliye. "Hey, woman of my word over here. If I lose, you order whatever you want to drink," she reaffirmed, not for a second willing to back down on the bet, even if she had literally every reason to do just that.

Picking her drink up to take a few more long sips, Aliye was hoping it would give her the extra boost to somehow magically get better going into the next throw. Especially when she saw the easy spin of the dart in Simon's hands before he let it fly to the board, again with success. "You know, when I find out that you're actually a professional darts player, I'm going to file a complain that I've been scammed," she teased, moving around a bit to hype herself up before her next turn. There was no real method to her toss of the dart, Aliye taking mere moments to try and pretend she knew how to line it up before letting it fly, this time managing a somewhat more respectable throw closer to a bullseye.

@thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

Simon side-eyed his brother at his words and sighed, deciding not to comment on them. If he was to bring up an uncomfortable subject, might as well try to avoid to add other ones to the pile. Eager to tell him wasn't exactly how Simon would describe, as he'd push that decision as far as possible. Now seemed okay, with spirits being high and the next race in quite a bit of time. "I'm sure you will. At least it's break so you can fully enjoy it," he replied with an amused laugh that fell through pretty quickly as he became a little more serious. God, he hated being nervous. Thankfully, it didn't happen a lot. This would be so much easier if Julian wasn't his brother in this instance. "Speaking of which, there's something I thought you should know and you're not going to like it." @julianxhawthorne

“The seats are fine, you sound like dad.” Julian snickered, seating himself by his brother. If there was anything urgent on his brother’s mind that he had been eager to tell him, Julian had not realised. Which also could have something to do that he was on cloud nine ever since his proposal. He was long glad he got to share it with Simon already, so he wouldn’t have to mind his attitude and tongue. He just didn’t want to tell his parents as of yet. “It’s greasy food, I’ll love it no matter what.” His trainer would be less friendly about it, but Julian really had a craving. @thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

Before switching jobs, Simon rarely sat down at coffee shops. He was mostly there on his way to the bank and he left with a to-go cup. Now, since a lot of his work was done online, through emails and calls, much more than before, he did sometimes enjoy getting out and working in a café. It proved to be at least interesting, and he did so during this new long break, which, although put some halt on the race weekends, didn't mean he didn't have anything to do. "Oh hey you," he replied to Dana with a smile, closing the laptop that was in front of him. "How are you doing?" he asked. @danaxallenlopez

starter for @thesimonhawthorne

location: the coffee carousel

Dana had some free time and she usually used it to caffeinate herself. Typically, she relied on the constant running of her mind when she was getting things together for Julian and his races but right now, her mind was much quieter and thus requiring a bit of a boost. "She had just grabbed her coffee and was going to take it to go when she spotted a familiar Hawthorne sitting at one of the tables. "Hey, stranger," she felt like she hadn't seen much of Simon since the Hawaii trip.

[thesimonhawthorne]

Had they moved to any other city in Oregon, or even had she had the decency to not live so close to him in Kismet Harbor, he wouldn't have cared that much. This was too close. He could understand her mind being elsewhere but she still should've warned him. A discussion on the subject seemed to much to ask of her but a warning would've taken less than a minute. "You'd have been right," he admitted. No need to lie. Of course, it wasn't that they lived close to him. If he'd been the one moving to Portland, he may haven't gone too far from them. This was Kismet however, where too many people knew him. @sofiassullivan

"Thank you." She said and they made the awkward, but not too long walk down to the beach. Olivia was happy to see the water, like she always was, and as she ran forward, Sofia let out a sigh. "Olivia, don't get too close the water, okay?" She called after; not wanting her to get wet this late in the day. After a moment, she looked over at Simon so they could start talking. "I am sorry I didn't take a moment to tell you. It's not an excuse, but things have been hard since my fiancé passed and I just needed out of Portland and that place so when I go the job here, I took it." Her heart ached just saying it all. "I just wasn't sure if you'd understand that or even approve of us moving here." @thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

It had been a pretty long race but it felt good. He took a sip of his own water bottle and nodded. "Yeah, went alright." It's not like he had any pretentions that he would finish first or anything, so he was simply glad he'd made it to the finish line. Running wasn't even his favourite way to exercise. "So, enjoying the festival?" he asked. @marcelvaughn

Marcel was still trying to catch his breath after having raced to reach the finish line before some of his old buddies from high school. He remained undefeated, but at what cost? He had made the mistake of sitting down shortly after and could feel how tense his muscles were getting. Walking around to try warm himself back up again, he grinned when he spotted Simon. "Hey, Simon!" He greeted him, taking the bottle and nodding in appreciation. "It went well." He told him. "and for you?" @thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

On a simple walk, Simon had been a little surprised to see a little kid running towards him. He'd annoyed at first, as he usually was at people who let their kids run around in crowded places. Then, he'd been a little scared that it was his daughter, but he finally smiled as he recognised his niece. He hugged her and smiled at his sister when he arrived. "It was inevitable," he replied with a smile. "I don't have anything planned, so if you don't, I guess I have to accept." @margaretxhawthorne

starter for @thesimonhawthorne

location: downtown kismet harbor

Margaret was walking with Taylor along the streets of downtown Kismet Harbor when her daughter took off. As she were about to scold her for running off, though she were nine years old, she spotted the person that her daughter was running off to. Her brother, Simon. Margaret pushed a smile onto her lips, one that only felt a little forced as she quickened her pace to meet her daughter at Simon, "I'm guessing she's already begged you to join us for lunch?" Margaret joked, her daughter grinning at the both of them to confirm her suspicions.

[thesimonhawthorne]

closed for @marcelvaughn

Simon wiped the sweat from his brow, his breathing steady but deep after finishing the 10-mile race. His usual polished look was slightly disheveled, but there was a subtle pride in his posture. He felt like he had to participate, with HCP sponsoring the events and making donations, but he was glad he did. He glanced around and spotted Marcel, his neighbour. He grabbed a bottle of water and went towards him.

“Marcel,” Simon greeted with a nod, stepping over with a quick stretch of his arms. “I didn't see you on the run, how did it go for you?"

[thesimonhawthorne]

closed for @julianxhawthorne

Simon was looking around with his brother, food and drinks in hand as they were trying to find a spot to sit down. Eating at restaurants was just so much easier... But they ended up finding a long table occupied by two people at one end, so they took the other end. For over a week, maybe two, Simon had been wondering whether or not to bring up something to his brother, even though he would be more acting as his manager in that case. Then Julian told him he was engaged and Simon shelved the discussion. "I hope this tastes as good as it smells. And makes the lack of decent seating options worth it."

[thesimonhawthorne]

There was no point in beating around the bush anymore. He'd briefly wondered if she would actually be direct but he didn't have to wonder long. It was odd to hear someone from his life talk about Olivia. It was like being her father was something he'd been able to keep in a mostly seperate life and now it was seeping in. It was inevitable that it would, eventually, but it was still jarring to hear about it. It didn't seem like she was gloating or that she took it was 'gotcha' moment but Simon still felt trapped.

"Because her mother lives there," he replied before checking his phone for a notification that didn't exist. "Now, I have a meeting soon so I'll leave you to it. Thanks for the juice." He stood up and left, trying to act as natural as he could, knowing this subject would probably come back soon enough on the table. @joanxwagner

END

Joanna met Simon's gaze, unbothered by the shift in his tone. She had expected him to deflect, to test the waters before giving anything away. But now that he’d dropped the pretense, it was clear they were getting somewhere. Leaning back slightly, she crossed her arms, her expression calm but unwavering.

"Alright, Simon," she said evenly. "I saw you with that little girl of yours From the way I've never seen her before around town and with how you've been deflecting, I take it that you haven't told anyone about her, though I'm not sure why." Her voice softened, but the edge of concern remained. "I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about. I guess I'm just curious as to why she's there and not here?" @thesimonhawthorne

[thesimonhawthorne]

"Maybe you'll scream less," he replied with an amused, although slighty mocking, grin. "I think it's a wise choice." He nodded. It usually took time to get higher. Some people just went for it, but it was a fair choice to take it slow and he wouldn't fault her for that. They continued the session, Simon giving advice when he thought them necessary, until they decided it was enough for the day. @bridgetxjames

END.

"Definitely cool." She laughed with a smile and took his hand to stand up. "Great. Can't wait for the next one." Bridget shook her head as they walked to another part of the room. With an eyebrow raised, she looked over at the taller courses and then back at Simon. "Yeah. I think I'll stick to this for now." The last thing she wanted to do was fall from that high up, but once she was more comfortable with it all, maybe she'd be okay with at least trying. @thesimonhawthorne