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littlerockerao3 · 3 years

Note

Ooh 73 for the drabble thing if you want :)

Of course! Here it is!

73. “Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

Trigger warning: nudity, but I guess that was obvious.

~~~~

Robb hates Summer. He hates that he constantly has to take a shower only to still be sweating three seconds later. He hates how ice cream melts in a heartbeat and it all drips along the cone and straight in his hand. He hates how he has to sleep with the window open just to let some breeze in the room but then, in the morning, the sunshine so bright and hot either wakes him up too early or ends up burning some part of his body: it happened once that he fell asleep and this ray of sunshine burnt half of his arm.

Now, as if all of this wasn’t enough, it’s fucking July and no month is hotter than July. If it was up to Robb, he’d stay home with his face in front of the fan for hours and hours. But it just so happens that he has a boyfriend who claims to see him every once in a while, but since his boyfriend is a total dickhead who loves Summer more than anything else in the world (Robb is one hundred per cent sure that is solely because he can show off his biceps) and there’s no fucking fan at his place.

That had led Robb to the only solution to survive such hot weather: lowering the blinds, undressing and lying on the bed. It does work, for a little: the pillow is cool, but he’ll have to turn it on the other side in a few, cause he feels his hair is sweating so hard it’s basically wet. But for now, it’s a nice feeling: Theon’s place is comfortable in the first place. More quiet. Cooler, cause Theon’s the only one living in here, Robb’s home is so full of people stuck with each other he’s sure that’s the reason why it’s so warm. He wishes he could live at Theon’s place forever, which is something that could actually happen at some point, cause Theon is trying to send him signals about it for days. Robb’s not even sure if Theon himself is sure of it, he just wishes he could say it as it is: “move in with me”. It’s not like Robb would refuse.

“Babe, you in there?” He hears Theon’s voice coming from the other side of the door. He’s early, he said he had to go to the store and grab a few things and that it would have taken him only five minutes, which equals two twenty-five minutes when it’s about Theon.

The door opens, “Ro-is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

Robb rolls his eyes, as he turns lightly to stare at his boyfriend’s amused face, “Now don’t act like you don’t like it”.

A smirk appears on Theon’s face, thick dark eyebrows raising. He makes his way to the bed, flip flops swatting against the floor, and lays down next to Robb, “Oh I do like it indeed”.

He swats a hand down on Robb’s ass, much like he was expecting, which is the only reason Robb doesn’t wince.

“Ouch” he still says, out of instinct. In response, Theon pats his bum one more time, gentler, then rests his hand on Robb’s lower back. “Oh we both now you can handle much more than that”.

It’s true, Robb can’t deny that, but he’s too tired to replay: warm weather makes his head hurt and Theon’s hand is so warm it makes him sweat even more. He realises he’d been keeping his eyes closed only when he opens them up the moment he feels Theon’s lips pressing a kiss to his neck.

“What is wrong, sexy?”

Robb sighs in return, “My brain, my whole body is boiling. It’s too hot” he whines.

“N’aaaw, my poor little abominable snowman doesn’t like Summer, does he?” Theon brushes his nose against Robb’s cheek, then proceeds to kiss his jaw.

“I freaking ha-what did you just call me?” Robb would like to ask Theon where he got the idea for that nickname, but it’s in that moment that Theon climbs on top of him, his skin touching Robb’s. Which translates into: more sweating.

“No don’t do that, it’s too hot for you to touch me” he cries, pushing Theon away. Though Theon is only wearing shorts and a white t-shirt Robb wonders how he doesn’t need to take a shower cause, for fuck’s sake, Robb just took a shower, he’s completely naked yet he does need another shower.

“Seriously, and then you make fun of me when it’s winter and I’m too cold” Theon huffs, feigning annoyance.

Robb bends his head a little to press a small weak kiss to his shoulder, “How do you handle summer without melting or frying?” He asks it as if he’s looking for the elixir of life.

Theon twists his finger along one of Robb’s auburn curls, “I swim a lot”, he says, “In fact, we should go swim, right now and cool off”.

“In your pool?” Robb doesn’t know why he’s asking, of course he meant his pool: that was like, number one reason why Theon bought this house in the first place, cause it had enough space for a pool.

“Yep” Theon says.

“But I’ll get sunburned” Robb whines, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and caressing his long fingers with his own.

“Not if you put on sunscreen”.

“But I don’t have it here with me, and you’re a dickhead who doesn’t get sunburned because your skin tone is fucking amazing and you actually can sunbathe” Robb’s aware he sounds like a kid, but he doesn’t mind: he’s allowed to, sometimes. And it’s true, Theon does have an amazing skin tone and he’s a dickhead for that.

“I actually do have some sunscreen here” that statement causes Robb to frown in both confusion and surprise: Theon despises sunscreen, and he’s gonna regret that in a few years, but every time they go to the beach (not many times but still) and Robb tells him to put on some at least on his face, the answer he usually gets is a simple “fuck off”. That is why it’s so weird for Robb to know Theon has let some sunscreen in his home.

“You do?” he asks.

Theon rolls his eyes, a small blush making its way through his bony cheeks, “Yeah, just for you babe”.

The smile grows on Robb’s face without him trying to control it, “How thoughtful of you”.

Theon takes that as the opportunity to hide his blush behind a charming smirk, “I know right? I think I deserve a kiss”.

“More than one” Robb leans over so that his lips can touch Theon’s. He feels hands caressing his hips and lower back, til they make their way down to his ass. This time, when Theon pinches it, Robb does wince. “Ow! Stop it!” He exclaims, swatting Theon’s hands away.

Theon’s smile is just a few inches away from Robb’s mouth.

“Never” he says, then pulls him in for another kiss.

It’s Theon who pulls away first, this time: he gets up from the bed and slips inside his flip flops to grab the bottle of sunscreen from his drawer. It’s still wrapped in plastic.

“You know, I think you should stay naked” he says to Robb.

“Don’t you start” the redhead says in return: he knows that will only lead to Theon’s grabby hands not trying at all to control themselves.

“It’s not like anyone is going to see us anyway” Theons says, as he gets undressed too, only to slip inside a pair of red swim trunks, “Come on.”

Robb doesn’t know why he agrees on swimming naked while Theon is not going to be naked. Probably because he already knows those red trunks aren’t going to stay on for too long anyway. Oh well. He’s lucky enough the bush all around the house is high and no one is going to see his naked body, unless they’ll look out the top floors’ windows.

Theon’s grabby hand don’t waste time and show Robb how grabby they are right away, by applying much more sunscreen than necessary on his glutes and lower belly. Robb actually has to ask Theon to focus a little more on his shoulders and back, cause he’s been outside under the sun for five minutes and they’re burning already.

“There you go, now there’s no way you’re going to get sunburned, this is the sunscreen that’s usually used on little kids” Theon rubs the sunscreen over Robb’s cheeks and nose at last.

Robb eyes him up and down: his golden anklet is basically shining thanks to the contrast with his bronze skin, his brown eyes looks so warm. He’s just too gorgeous.

“I hate you, you have such a beautiful skin tone” he huffs.

Theon extends a hands to gently stroke Robb’s collarbone, “Mhm-hmm, I don’t have these lovely freckles though. Come on, let’s go”.

He jumps in the pool with a loud splash, drops of water lading all over Robb’s naked body. He better get going as well.

“Oh god this feels good” he almost moans, as he gets into the cold water of the pool.

“Told ya” Theon’s all over him in a second, hands on his waist, pressing him against the edge.

“Shut up”

“Make me”

Robb gladly starts that little make out session that ends with him pushing Theon away before it can turn into more than just a make out session. And that’s how Robb keeps swimming around while Theon sits on the pink flamingo float, saying that he should probably go inside and make them some drinks to drink by the pool, but still refusing to make a move.

“God, I wish I had a pool at my place, I’d swim in there every day” Robb says at some point, cause man Theon was right, swimming really does help you when it’s too hot.

Theon shrugs in response, “It wouldn’t be as relaxing, with all your siblings playing around” he claims, as a matter of fact. As he should, since he’s right.

“Goddamn you’re right” Robb runs a hand through his face: he loves his little siblings, but he’s getting older and he needs his own privacy, right now more than ever. He needs his own place.

It takes Theon a few bites of the inside of his cheek before he manages to talk again, “You can come here anytime you want, you know. Even every day is fine.”

There, these are the kinds of “signals” Robb was talking about: Theon telling him he can come over everyday, Theon telling him he knows were to go if he doesn’t feel like staying at home with all that chaos for one night. He never says it explicitly though.

Today might be the day. If Robb pushes him enough.

“Oh yeah?” he says, feigning curiosity, “What about when you’re at work?”

Theon shrugs, “You do have a spare key”.

“That’s supposed to be for emergency only”.

Theon huffs, “You were literally lying half dead, ass in the air, in my bed because of the weather, that does look like an emergency”.

He’s not looking at him in the eyes, which always happens when he’s the one about to make an important decision or, in this case, offer, that involves both of them as a couple.

“And then... you know, it was good to come back home and find you there.” He’s blushing, “Even if I left for just five minutes, it’s... I like the thought of coming home and find you here. So, you can come here whenever you want”.

Robb finds himself smiling, as he approaches the big flamingo floats and crosses his arms on it.

“Is there anything you want to tell me?”

Theon’s blush deepens, and he tries to hide it by rolling his eyes, “Well, yes there is something but...”

He doesn’t go on. Robb taps his knee, comfortingly.

“I’m listening”

Theon takes a deep, long huff. Runs both his hand through his hair and face. “God, I can’t believe I’m about to do this”.

He’s chuckling nervously, that’s another thing he does when he’s about to take a huge step in his, or their, life.

“Take your time”, Robb squeezes his knee.

“If you already figured that out then you could just give me an answer already”, that makes him laugh, but Robb definitely does not give in so easily.

“I want to hear you say it”, he claims, smiling at him as he’s taking the umpteenth deep breath.

“Okay, damn.” Theon finally looks at him in the eye. And then he says it, “Robb, do you want to move in with me?”

“Yes!”

Robb practically jumps on him as he’s screaming his answer, the pink flamingo flips upside down and their both underwater, Robb’s arms and legs wrapped around Theon. They’re both laughing when they make their way to the surface, Theon actually looks so happy he could cry.

They stop laughing only cause they both decide they should use their mouths to do something else, cause their previous make out session was probably a little too short.

And suddenly, even the pool it’s too hot for Robb, and for Theon too, most likely. But Robb doesn’t care, soon the sun will go down and the air will be a little cooler. And no one’s going to see them as they get it on in the soon-to-be-theirs-and-not-only-just-Theon’s pool.

Maybe Summer is not so bad.

#throbb #theon x robb #throbb fic #throbb one shot #I don’t remember how I tagged the previous one oh well #anon #hope you like it and thanks for the prompt!😘

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kotsuvi · 4 years

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hq at the outdoor pool [hc]

a/n: i did this instead of posting “a month of sundays” and honestly i’m not even mad about it.

karasuno:

- asahi: definitely wears a speedo. that’s all.

- daichi: wears bright orange boardshorts. slathers on sunscreen before, during, and after being in the pool. literally will make suga throw him the bottle while he’s in the water. like this man does not want to burn. occasionally yells at hinata, kageyama and bokuto for being too loud but then goes and does a cannonball into a group of kids.

- suga: totally the type to hang around the shallow end and splash around with the kids. he’d just wade around and get a kick out of them and all of the mom’s would fall for him within the first twenty minutes. probably brings neatly sliced carrots for a snack. wears a hat to avoid burning his scalp.

- nishinoya: the kid that pretends to drown in hopes of getting the hot lifeguard to give him CPR. the first time it actually worked, but it totally backfired the second time. some rando old man “saved” him instead but noya got right out of there before things escalated. he didn’t go back to the pool for the rest of the summer after that. threw up in the pool once too. they had to drain it and it was closed for a week.

- tanaka: always screaming. slips on the pool deck and gets yelled at for running. this man will literally dive into the water from anywhere. once he nearly decapitated a kid because he dove in the deep end without looking. he’s about one more annoying shriek away being banned from the place.

- tsukishima: mans DEFO brings goggles to every pool. definitely. absolutely. hinata thought they were a joke and laughed at him for a solid twenty seconds before tsukki threatened to drown him. he does laps around the perimeter of the pool. purposely splashes water in little kids faces. yells at tadashi for swimming too close.

- tadashi: follow tsukki around the whole time. honestly not a very strong swimmer. literally almost drowned once but he doesn’t like to bring it up. he’s got checkered swim shorts. wears one of those white swim shirts that kinda looks like a wetsuit. kid always has goosebumps too, even if the sun is blazing. like teeth chattering. he does NOT like the water but has serious FOMO so he goes in anyways.

- hinata: dear god. him and kageyama hold competitions for who can make the biggest splash. they jump in front the diving board, the slide, the side of the deck; anything to try and create some waves. really tried to get asahi to throw him into the air. he thought it would be super sick and create this mega splash but he just ended up looking like a toddler being tossed by a middle-aged man. it was extremely embarrassing. boy probably wears neon boardshorts and has matching flip-flops.

- kageyama: he almost always wins biggest splash. he also threatens to throw small children off the diving board if they don’t jump fast enough. mans has zero patience with other people, but when it’s his turn he chickens out and then makes some excuse as to why he couldn’t do it. “oh, i got a headache”, “there were too many people in the line, it would’ve taken forever”. he also steals things from the lost and found outside the change rooms; mostly water bottles.

aobajoshai:

- oikawa: comes extremely prepared. like very. towels and sunscreen and snacks and lots of drinks. only for himself tho; sharing is not caring. he just dips his toes in the water, maybe stands on the steps that lead into the pool, then he gets out and tans for the rest of the time. has boardshorts with flamingos on them. will occasionally splash water on his chest because he thinks it’s ~hot~. it kinda is.

- iwaizumi: he says he doesn’t even like the pool, but this man goes HARD in diving competitions. yanno those little toys that you throw in the deep end and they sink and then you have to go and get them? well yeah, he’s addicted to those. he’s so competitive about it too. made a kid cry once. when he’s not in the water he’s helping tendou fill up bottles to dump on kuroo and oikawa. he says there’s nothing to do at the pool, but he literally is busy the whole time. barks at you to shut up if you comment on the fact.

- kindaichi: brings a giant green floaty and just drifts around the pool. literally had a nap on it once and burnt his body so bad that he couldn’t sit down for a week without excruciating pain.

- kyoutani: tries to hold his breath for way longer than humanly possible. passed out once. starts a fight in the change rooms over who gets to use the last shower. threw shampoo in oikawa’s eyes once and temporarily blinded him. pretty sure all the staff is scared of him, and honestly they should be. this man will literally kill you.

nekoma:

- kuroo: isn’t just acting like the lifeguard, he literally is the lifeguard. kidding, but he wishes he was. literally tests the chlorine levels of the water every time he goes there. him and kenma mostly just hang around the edge and talk. he tells off bokuto and tanaka for nearly beheading kids, but thinks it’s funny. he won’t want to get his hair wet, but tendou will absolutely take every opportunity that he can to dunk that man.

- kenma: get a feeling that this boy does not like the pool. it’s too loud for him, and the screaming kids (+ tanaka) get on his nerves. he just sits with kuroo and prays that noya will throw up in the water again and then it’ll be drained. he only went because hinata pleaded him to, but the boy ditched him for kags halfway through.

- yaku: literally spends the whole time bullying lev. told tall boy™ that if he went under the water for too long it would absorb through his ears and his lungs would fill up and he would drown. to everyone else he’s very caring. literally saved a kid from drowning once. stopped a fight between a jackass and a girl that was insecure about her braces. literally soft but not when it comes to lev

- lev: TERRIFIED. thanks to yaku he’s literally scared to go in the water for more than five minutes. mans sits on the edge and dangles his feet over the side. hates when his fingers and toes go all pruny. he likes to go on the pool slide though. constantly slips in the change rooms when showering and confuses the shampoo with soap.

fukurodani:

-bokuto: this man goes WILD. literally lives at the pool when it’s hot. the king of doing tricks off the diving board. seriously. never ever leaves that board. he’ll push kids over to get to the top first. literally never ever stops shouting. he’s gotten so good at tricks that people will literally pay him to try new things. the lifeguards like to bet on whether or not he’ll make it. ALWAYS has a different pair of boardshorts??? this man has so many clothes for some reason. he also brings a different towel every time. oikawa is jealous but he won’t admit it.

- akaashi: DOES NOT SWIM. can do it but chooses not to. mans would rather just sit in the shade and read a good book. bokuto forces him to film shit and post it all over his socials. the kind of guy that looks mysterious and causes girls to giggle and admire from afar because they think he’s a heartbreaker.

shiratorizawa:

- ushijima: wears shorts that are way too fucking tight for him. snatches the hot lifeguard away from noya without even knowing it. this man will literally just sit at the bottom of the pool for as long as he can. like takes a huge breath and then sinks to the bottom. he’ll just sit there. like you’ll be swimming and look down and oh! there he is, just sitting criss-cross at the bottom of the fucking swimming pool. tanaka dared hinata to lay beside him, but hinata almost drowned before he even got seated cuz the poor boy couldn’t figure out how to stop floating up to the surface.

- tendou: he swims with his eyes open like DRILLING into you underwater. tsukki was doing his laps once and tendou was just there like watching. he’s the kinda guy to pull the filters out of the side of the pool and examine what’s inside (literally just bugs and leaves and some plastic cap). drinks the pool water. runs on the deck as well. like sprints. spends most of his time bothering everyone else and freaking out other swimmers. doesn’t shower before getting in the water and doesn’t shower afterwards. probably doesn’t shower period.

- goshiki: always doing tricks. handstands?? you got it. a cartwheel into the water? yep. tried to backflip off of bokuto’s shoulders and got screamed at by the staff? yes yes yes. did a flip off the diving board and bellyflopped so bad that his entire body was red for two weeks? mhm. he always needs an audience though, even if it’s just a few 10 year old kids. his trunks fell down once when he was getting out of the water.

other:

- aone: kids are scared of him. he always looks like he wants to drown somebody, and there was a rumour that he actually did. of course he didn’t. mans doesn’t even really know how to swim. he just paddles around in the shallow end. wishes he was wearing water wings.

- terushima: goes to the pool for the snacks and drinks??? “don’t know, the food just hits different here,” is always his answer. he brings his own speaker and literally starts a disco between the lawn chairs. the staff don’t like him at all, but he buys so much fucking food that literally all their income is from that man. he rarely actually goes in the water. stole someone’s flip-flops once and ended up getting warts.

- atsumu: pulls some random girl up on his shoulders for a chicken fight. went through two phones in three weeks because he takes it in the water with him??? literally like on his phone while swimming. idk, mans just gotta stay updated on the twitter tea. 100% pees in the pool and blames it on kageyama.

- sakusa: does not go to the public pool. ever.

#haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#hq #hq!!#haikyuu hc #haikyuu fic #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu imagine #oikawa #bokuto #nishinoya #tanaka #hinata #kageyama #hq hcs #hq at the outdoor pool #veewrites #vee's disastrous writing

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lihikainanea · 4 years

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i’m so emotional lately, just the universe and hormones, and the thought of bill having a swimming pool where he buys a lot of floats and stuff for her makes my heart warm. he also probably swims nude or in a little speedo and he probably gets a blow job 3/4 times they’re in there together. i just want more pool blurbs of our babes in total bliss and privacy.

Look man, I have a very adverse reaction to Speedos because it just reminds me of like, 70 year old men. Somehow, those are always the dudes wearing Speedos.

But there’s this great picture of Bill from a few years ago, out in the sun and he’s all squinty at the camera, those long BEAUTIFUL HERRY legs in front of him, and he has on this...this iiiiittttty bitty little bathing suit. And oh my. It is just...it is glorious.

There’s a few things here that are just getting me all emotional and sappy. For one, listen, Bill sets the pool up just the way tiger likes. He always makes sure there are no bugs in it, anywhere, because tiger hates that. He builds a nice deck around the pool and installs a hammock, for afternoon naps because tiger loves hammocks. He makes sure the entire yard is shrouded in privacy, puts up big cedars and shit, because tiger loves to swim topless and Bill loves to watch tiger swim topless. He gets a giant flamingo floaty, but mind you he actually takes quite a liking to it and commandeers that. He gets tiger a unicorn one. He just sets it up real nice and perfect for her, and he gets so happy when he sees how much she uses the pool and enjoys it.

And like, Bill learned the hard way that the European way is not universal. Speedos to him are just...that’s the bathing suit you wear. It’s no big deal. But when he came to this part of the pond and got mocked mercilessly for it, he bought swimming trunks--but truth be told, he still finds them uncomfortable. So every once in awhile, in the safety of his own home--he’ll break out his preferred method of swim wear. And while he anticipated a bit of ribbing from tiger; what he didn’t anticipate was the speed at which she vaulted from the pool, the hungry look in her eye, and the phenomenal blow job right there on the deck with his feet in the water.

And like, it happens every time.

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marblelover-ofliberty · 5 years

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a stoic mind and a bleeding heart iv

Once they were out of the villa complex and a little way down the road, he held his hand out for Enjolras’.

Enjolras’ face lit up, looking at Grantaire like he’d just offered him the answer for world peace. He laced their fingers together and brought his hand up to his mouth to press a kiss against the back of it.

Grantaire smiled to himself, feeling suddenly lighter. “So, shall we get your coffee first?” he asked.

“Ah, but then I will have to carry it around all afternoon, non?” Enjolras said with a little laugh. “Did you want to look at pool floats? Maybe we should come up with a plan of attack.”

“We’d have to carry those round all afternoon too,” Grantaire pointed out, laughing as well.

“Oui, but if we wander, have an early dinner, then go shopping, we won’t have that problem.”

“Fine, fine,” Grantaire said. “That’s a plan. What sort of pool things are you thinking?”

“I have always envied people with those huge flamingo floats,” Enjolras said, managing to keep a straight face. “Or the giant doughnuts.”

“No way,” Grantaire said; it was impossible not to laugh.

Enjolras bit the inside of his cheek to keep from cracking. “Can’t you imagine me lounging on a giant flamingo?”

“All too clearly - that’s the issue.”

Enjolras finally laughed, absolutely delighted. “It’s settled. We’re looking for a flamingo.”

“Oh, dieu… I won’t live this down among everyone else, t’sais.”

“They’ll be jealous of our flamingo. You watch, they’ll be using it the rest of the summer.”

“Oui, I have no doubt they will,” Grantaire laughed.

“You’ll become the most popular boy in the whole villa,” Enjolras teased, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

“I’m already the most popular boy in the whole villa,” Grantaire teased back, squeezing his hand.

Enjolras laughed. “You always were the biggest personality in the room.”

Grantaire snorted. “Is that a diplomatic way of saying I’ve always been a gigantic pain in the ass?”

“You’re only a pain in my ass,” Enjolras said, smiling at him. “Everyone else finds you quite charming.”

“It should be the other way around!”

“That I should find you charming and everyone else thinks you’re a pain in the ass?”

“Ouais!”

“You’d rather have only me find you charming than the masses?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the only one who matters?”

“Am I?”

“Aren’t you?” Grantaire teased, raising his eyebrows at him.

Enjolras breathed a laugh. “I know what the answer is for me, but I can’t answer that for you.”

Grantaire hit him lightly with the back of his hand.

Enjolras smiled, letting go of his hand to wrap his arm around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“This is nice,” Grantaire said softly, slipping an arm around his waist in return.

“Ouais, it is,” Enjolras agreed, holding Grantaire a little closer. “I was nervous about coming out here.”

“I was nervous about you coming out here,” Grantaire laughed.

“You should’ve told me,” Enjolras said with a laugh. “We could’ve been nervous together.”

“It would’ve ruined my image,” Grantaire joked.

Enjolras grinned. “Your image is already ruined with me.”

“Ah, merci, merci. I appreciate that.”

“Ah, come on,” Enjolras said with a laugh. “It’s nice to have someone who knows you, non?”

“Ouais, ouais,” Grantaire said, waving a dismissive hand.

Enjolras squeezed Grantaire’s shoulders, leaning in to kiss his cheek and marveling over the fact he could do that at all. “I still think you are very tough.”

Grantaire laughed and pulled him over into a quiet corner, away from watchful eyes, so he could lean up and kiss him properly.

“Dieu,” Enjolras murmured, scarcely breaking from the kiss, his hands curling into Grantaire’s hair to keep him close. “I’ll tell you you’re tough all day if this is what I get for it.”

Grantaire laughed again, breaking the kiss. He slipped his arm around Enjolras, leading him back out onto the street. “Come on, come on,” he said.

Enjolras groaned, allowing Grantaire to lead him off but slumping dramatically against him. “I forgot how cruel you are.”

“I just wanted a kiss!” Grantaire protested.

Enjolras laughed, straightening up and wrapping his arm around his waist. “You could have just kissed me.”

“Could I?” Grantaire teased.

“I would have stooped down for you,” Enjolras said, smiling at him.

“You could do that now,” Grantaire pointed out.

“Oui, but would you kiss me? Or would I just look like I was doing an impression of the Hunchback of Notre Dame?”

Grantaire snorted a laugh. “Would I kiss you,” he said, rendering the question ridiculous by repeating it.

Enjolras laughed. “You pulled me out of the street to kiss me, I don’t think that’s a silly question.”

Grantaire leaned up and kissed his cheek. “It’s the silliest question I’ve ever heard.”

“If that’s one of your boundaries, it’s okay,” Enjolras said, suddenly serious. “If you don’t want big public displays of affection. I’m okay with that.”

Grantaire sobered too. “I just don’t know how… safe it is around here,” he said, shrugging one shoulder.

“Oh,” Enjolras said with a frown, glancing around their surroundings. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Grantaire said. “I’m just wary.”

“What about when we’re back in Paris?”

“I guess that depends on how much we tell Les Amis,” Grantaire said thoughtfully. “I don’t care who sees us apart from that.”

Enjolras nodded, chewing on his bottom lip for a moment while he thought about it. “How much do you want to tell them?”

Grantaire shrugged. “Let’s not worry about it now, ah?”

Enjolras would worry about it, but he nodded in agreement anyway. “So, where’s this fountain?”

“Ah, it’s just along here,” Grantaire said, brightening as he picked up the pace a little. “It’s massive. Totally incongruous.”

Enjolras breathed a laugh, falling into step beside him. “The fountain will not move, chéri, you don’t need to run.”

“Spoil sport,” Grantaire said lightly.

Enjolras grinned. “Race you,” he said, dropping his arm from Grantaire’s waist and taking off running.

“No!” Grantaire cried, half-heartedly jogging after him. “Not fair! You actually go running!”

Enjolras burst into laughter, slowing his pace and turning to face him. “Now who’s the spoil sport?”

Grantaire slung an arm around his waist as he caught up with him. “You’re being ever so cruel,” he laughed.

Enjolras hung his arm around Grantaire’s neck, leaning in to kiss the corner of his mouth. “We can arm wrestle later, if you want.”

“Please,” Grantaire said, laughing again.

“That’ll be the ego boost you need,” Enjolras said with a laugh. “Oh, dieu. It is a massive fountain.”

“Pretty though, right?” Grantaire said, breaking away from him to perch on the edge of it. The water was littered with coins in various currencies.

“Very,” Enjolras agreed, sitting down beside him. He dug around in his pockets for change, splitting it between them. “Make a wish.”

Grantaire smiled, fingering the coin for a moment as he tried to think of something good. “What are you wishing for?” he asked Enjolras.

“If I tell you it won’t come true,” Enjolras said, stealing a kiss from his lips before tossing his coin over his shoulder.

Grantaire laughed. “Alternatively, if you tell me, I can help make it come true,” he said, throwing his coin in too.

Enjolras laughed too, shaking his head. “I’m not telling you.”

“Then we are presented with a paradox,” Grantaire said, starting to smirk.

“Isn’t the point of making a wish in a fountain giving that wish over to fate or the universe or whatever?”

“Sure, I guess,” Grantaire said, still wearing that smirk. “But, you see, I wished that you would tell me your wish…”

Enjolras laughed, shoving Grantaire playfully. “See? If you tell people what you wished for, it won’t come true.”

“It wasn’t coming true when I hadn’t told you what I wished for either,” Grantaire pointed out.

“Ah, you don’t know that,” Enjolras said. “I may have decided to confide in you later.”

“So now, when you do, it’ll be of your own volition,” Grantaire said, smiling at him.

Enjolras sighed. “You have compromised the integrity of our wishes.”

“You should have known I would.”

“You’re right,” Enjolras said, kissing his cheek. “Did you really wish that I would tell you what I wished for?”

Grantaire smiled. “Wishes don’t come true if you tell them,” he said.

“I’m not asking you to tell me what you wished for,” Enjolras said with a laugh. “I’m just making sure you didn’t waste your wish.”

Grantaire stuck his tongue out at him.

“Don’t make me push you into the fountain.”

Grantaire kissed his cheek quickly. “You wouldn’t,” he said with certainty.

“Stick your tongue out at me again if you’re so sure,” Enjolras teased, leaning in to return the kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Grantaire licked his cheek instead, then jumped up to his feet. “Onwards?” he asked.

“You’re disgusting,” Enjolras said with a laugh, wiping his cheek off with the back of his hand and standing too. “Where to?”

“Wherever you like,” Grantaire said, smiling at him.

“I’m a foreigner in your land,” Enjolras said, reaching for his hand. “Show me your favorite spots.”

“Ah, you’ve seen the best of them,” Grantaire said, lacing their fingers together. “There’s a really nice clifftop walk over the beach, but that’ll need a whole morning set aside.”

“Let’s go tomorrow,” Enjolras said, squeezing Grantaire’s hand. “For now, take me somewhere I can buy Lucy something pretty.”

Grantaire laughed, moving away from the fountain with him. “There are a few shops down here that sell odd, pretty sorts of things,” he said. “Not exactly souvenirs because this isn’t really a touristy area, but stuff that makes nice gifts anyway.”

“Listen, when Ferre married Lucy, I married Lucy,” Enjolras said. “If I came back with a tacky souvenir, she’d divorce him.”

“Oh, dieu, that’s true, isn’t it?” Grantaire laughed.

Enjolras laughed too. “Looks like Maman got her wish after all.”

Grantaire snorted. “Is she still trying to set you up?”

“Unfortunately,” Enjolras said with a sigh. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told her I’m not dating, she won’t hear it. She’s trying women again, too.”

“Oh, she’s not,” Grantaire groaned.

“She is,” Enjolras confirmed. “I think she just wants to see me with anyone at this point; I must look pathetic.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Grantaire said, squeezing his hand against a stab of guilt. “She has absurd expectations. We’ve always known that.”

“Ah, je sais,” Enjolras said, squeezing Grantaire’s hand back. “I’m just being dramatic. It doesn’t matter now, anyway.”

“Non?” Grantaire said, looking up at him.

Enjolras couldn’t stop himself from stealing a kiss. “Non, not now I have a legitimate reason to turn her down.”

“You do?” Grantaire asked, the kiss setting him off smiling again.

Enjolras breathed a shy laugh. “Don’t I?”

“Oh. Oh. You’re going to tell her we’re…?”

“Non,” Enjolras said quickly, then paused, frowning. “Well, je ne sais pas. Maybe just that I’m… talking to someone, I guess.”

Grantaire nodded.

“I don’t have to say anything at all to her,” Enjolras said, anxious now with Grantaire’s silence. “That would be easier, anyway. No prying questions.”

“Non, non, I… Whatever you think’s best,” Grantaire said.

Enjolras shook his head. “Forget I said anything about her, ca va? I’m getting ahead of myself.”

“Whatever you think is best, chéri,” Grantaire said.

“What do you think?” Enjolras asked, his voice softer now.

“She’s your maman,” Grantaire said, shrugging lightly.

Enjolras nodded, looking away from Grantaire so he couldn’t see how much that kind of indifference hurt him.

“Hey, this place looks interesting,” he said, letting go of Grantaire’s hand to duck into a random shop.

“I haven’t been before,” Grantaire said, following after him.

“Neither have I,” Enjolras attempted to joke, picking a random aisle to walk down.

“Ha ha,” Grantaire said, though his smile was genuine.

Enjolras shot him a small smile before turning his attention back to browsing aimlessly, determined not to ruin their afternoon with a spoiled mood.

“What sort of thing are you looking for for Lucy?” Grantaire asked.

“I have no idea,” Enjolras said with a laugh. “I don’t tend to shop for women.”

“Now, now, let’s not gender products,” Grantaire joked.

Enjolras pulled a face at him. “You know what I mean. Now, help me look.”

“Such a polite request,” Grantaire teased, glancing over the shelves they passed. “Chocolate probably isn’t a good idea, ah? It’d melt before we could get it back to the villa. They’ve got a whole load of different sweets down there though.”

“Sweets are a good, gender neutral gift,” Enjolras said with a nod. “Make sure the wrapping is shiny, at least. Nothing else matters.”

Grantaire laughed. “She might like something a bit more permanent than sweets though…” he mused. “And what about Combeferre? Are you bringing him back anything?”

“I know perfectly well Lucy meant jewelry when she said ‘something shiny,’” Enjolras said, laughing too. “If I don’t, he might divorce me. I thought maybe a language book or something.”

“Ah, nice idea,” Grantaire said. “There’s a jewellery shop down the end of the road, I think. They do a good range of stuff - not just expensive things. I was looking for my maman the other day.”

“Oh?” Enjolras asked lightly. “Have you been keeping touch with home?”

“No more or less than usual,” Grantaire said, shrugging.

“I didn’t even ask how they reacted to the news,” Enjolras said, leading them down another aisle.

“I think they’re just pleased I’m doing something useful, t’sais? They didn’t think there were many… career prospects in art and all that.”

Enjolras threw him a smile. “You’ve always been one to prove people wrong.”

“I’ll have that in writing, please and thank you.”

“I’ll even sign and date it.”

Grantaire laughed. “I’m holding you to that.”

“Find me a pen and paper,” Enjolras said, laughing too. “I’m sure there’s stationary in this shop somewhere.”

“We have plenty at home. I’ll remember, don’t you worry.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will.” Enjolras held out his hand. “Want to go find something shiny?”

Grantaire took his hand with a smile. “Let’s go.”

Enjolras lifted their hands to press a kiss to Grantaire’s, and lead them back out of the shop.

“Dieu, it’s so warm,” he said with a happy sigh. “I’ll miss this.”

“Oui, I think I’m actually going to die when I go back to Paris for Christmas,” Grantaire said.

Enjolras laughed, tugging Grantaire closer to wrap his arm around his waist and press a lingering kiss to his cheek. “I’ll keep you warm.”

“Ah, oui?” Grantaire said, smiling up at him.

“Oui, picture it with me,” Enjolras said, smiling back at him. “You and me, a big, cozy blanket, hot chocolate for you and coffee for me, the world news on the TV…”

“Not the news,” Grantaire groaned.

“Oui, the news,” Enjolras said with a delighted laugh. “You’ll be cozy and cultured.”

“I’m living in Greece. I don’t need to be any more cultured,” Grantaire protested.

“Greece is but one country in the whole world, chéri.”

“Two countries is enough for any one man to be getting along with.”

Enjolras breathed a laugh. “How does it feel not to worry so much?”

“Like it’d be good for you.”

“That’s why you have that baby smooth skin,” Enjolras said, kissing his temple. “No worry lines.”

“That feels like an insult,” Grantaire said, frowning up at him.

“Non non non, you worry just enough,” Enjolras said, kissing his forehead to make his frown disappear. “I’m aging myself faster worrying too much.”

“Very simple solution: stop worrying so much,” Grantaire teased.

Enjolras laughed. “I’ll stop worrying so much when you start worrying more.”

“Deal. Done,” Grantaire said. “I’ll start worrying more immediately.”

“Ah, you know personal change is harder for me.”

Grantaire snorted a laugh. “Only when you make it harder for yourself.”

“It’s not my fault the world is a mess,” Enjolras said with a shrug.

“Oh dieu,” Grantaire said. “This is getting far too heavy. Come on, into the jewellery store.”

Enjolras laughed and followed him in, letting go of his waist but keeping hold of his hand. “Now, have you paid attention to what Lucy wears? I don’t know where to start.”

“Sparkly,” Grantaire said, smiling. “Lots of gemstones.”

“Ca va, those are directions I can follow,” Enjolras said, walking slowly through the shop. “Did you find something for your maman before?”

“Oui, a necklace,” Grantaire said. “I don’t even know if she wears necklaces, but…”

“You picked it out for her, she’ll love it,” Enjolras said, squeezing his hand.

Grantaire shrugged. “I can always return it when I get back if she doesn’t,” he said.

“She’ll love it,” Enjolras said firmly. “Is that bracelet too much? I don’t want to make Christmas hard for Ferre.”

“It’s nice,” Grantaire said, laughing a little. “Keep it in mind - if there’s nothing else, it’d be good, I think.”

“It’s not too, je ne sais pas, romantic, is it?” Enjolras asked with a little laugh too. “You see all these jewelry commercials on TV…”

He trailed off as they came across a case of wedding bands, and it took a moment for him to recover, his throat suddenly tight. “Necklaces. Those aren’t as romantic, ah?”

“I mean… you’re very gay and she’s very married, so I’m not sure you need to worry about romantic,” Grantaire teased.

“I just want it to be appropriate,” Enjolras said, easing his hand from Grantaire’s for a quicker escape from rings to necklaces.

“You can always send some photos to Combeferre and ask his opinion, non? Or I’ll chip in, then it’s from both of us and less for you to worry about, ah?”

“What did you do with your ring?” Enjolras blurted out before he could stop himself.

Grantaire looked up at him with wide eyes. “My ring?” he asked, wanting to make sure he was following correctly before he gave anything away.

Enjolras could only just make eye contact; he nodded. “I kept mine,” he said. “I couldn’t let it go.”

He was. Grantaire nodded too. “Me neither,” he said. “It’s in one of the boxes Jehan’s storing for me while I’m here.”

Enjolras didn’t know if that made him happy or sad to hear, but he did know one thing. “I should have signed the prenup.”

Grantaire looked up at him, then away again. “Let’s not… It doesn’t do either of us any good to… Especially not here,” he said, breathing an uneasy laugh.

Enjolras started to speak and thought better of it, nodding instead. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “Want to go look for a pool flamingo?”

“What about Lucy?” Grantaire asked, hesitating.

“I can come back later,” Enjolras said. “I’m a little overwhelmed, anyway. There’s more to jewelry than I knew.”

Grantaire nodded. “Oui, ca va,” he said. “Flamingo time.”

Enjolras offered a smile and his hand. “Flamingo time.”

“Flamingo time!” Grantaire laughed, clasping Enjolras’ hand and leading the way out.

Enjolras laughed too, feeling lighter now back out in the fresh air and sunshine. “I’ll be devastated if they don’t actually have a flamingo.”

“Will you accept any substitutes?” Grantaire asked.

“A unicorn, maybe,” Enjolras said thoughtfully. “Or a donut. I think you’d look good on a slice of pizza.”

Grantaire burst into laughter. “What if they only have regular stuff? You know, no animals or foods or anything…”

Enjolras grinned. “We’ll have no choice but to burn the place down in protest against the Establishment.”

“So much for a holiday,” Grantaire groaned.

Enjolras dropped a kiss to his cheek. “The revolution never sleeps.”

“That’s a lie,” Grantaire said, smirking. “The revolution sleeps like a baby and snores like an old man.”

“Are you implying that I snore?”

“Oh, I’m not implying it,” Grantaire said gleefully.

“I do not snore,” Enjolras said firmly. “I can sue you for slander, tu sais.”

“Try it,” Grantaire laughed.

“You start spreading that false rumor around and I will.”

“I’m not spreading anything!”

Enjolras started to laugh. “Then take it back. Say I don’t snore.”

“You can’t make me.”

“I could persuade you.”

Grantaire smiled. “Is that right?”

Enjolras smiled too, pulling Grantaire off to the side of the pavement and tugging him close, sliding his hands into his back pockets.

“I can’t be as persuasive here as I would be in Paris,” he said, his lips just brushing against Grantaire’s. “But just wait until we get home.”

Grantaire smiled, closing his eyes. “Alright,” he murmured, “I’m waiting. We’ll see.”

Enjolras smiled and pressed his lips to Grantaire’s for a languid kiss, bringing a hand up to cup his face.

Grantaire was still smiling as he pulled back, keeping his eyes closed for just a moment. It had been such a long time since he’d felt loved like this.

“Flamingo,” he said.

Enjolras laughed. “Is that our new safe word?” he teased, stepping in to steal one more kiss before taking his hand and heading off again.

Grantaire snorted a laugh. “It is now, I guess,” he said.

“That’ll be a good laugh,” Enjolras said quite happily.

“Won’t it just?” Grantaire said, turning his head to kiss Enjolras’ shoulder.

Enjolras smiled, kissing Grantaire’s forehead in return. “This is good,” he said softly.

Grantaire nodded and squeezed his hand. “Oui?” he said.

“It’s just such a relief,” Enjolras said, breathing a laugh. “I’ve been holding on to it for so long, it feels good to just… love you.”

“Back at you,” Grantaire said quickly, then pointed toward a shop at the end of the road, boasting an eclectic mixture of postcards, beach towels, inflatables, and bric-a-brac. “Flamingo.”

“Oh,” Enjolras said, faltering with the sudden change in conversation. “Oh, oui, look at that.”

“I mean, I can’t specifically see a flamingo, but it looks like a likely looking place to look, ah?”

“Oui, it does,” Enjolras agreed. “Keep your fingers crossed.”

“I’m keeping everything crossed - I have my heart set on this damn flamingo,” Grantaire said. “T’sais, if we can’t find one here, I’m going to hunt one down online? I’d give my life’s savings for next-day delivery. You’re going to have this flamingo.”

Enjolras couldn’t help but laugh, despite the tightness in his stomach. “It’s hardly worth blowing your life’s savings for next-day delivery. Two-day delivery, however…”

“Non, that’s not acceptable! That would be two whole days without it!”

“You just want to take ridiculous pictures of me on a floating flamingo.”

“It’s going to make me so happy. We should name her.”

“Her? Are you gendering a floating flamingo?”

“Oui,” Grantaire said, smirking at him.

“We haven’t even met it yet. How do we know it’s not a him? Or a them?”

“I’ll reserve judgment. Until then, she’s a she.”

Enjolras laughed, shaking his head. “Fine, fine. Any name ideas?”

“Something really extravagant,” Grantaire mused.

Enjolras hummed thoughtfully, stepping aside as he opened the door to the shop to let Grantaire inside. “She’ll need more than one name if we’re going extravagant.”

“Non, non, non,” Grantaire said, leading the way in. “It should stand on its own, like Beyoncé or Cher, t’sais?”

“Well that’s certainly a lot of pressure,” Enjolras said, glancing around to spot the inflatables and heading that direction.

“It’s a big responsibility,” Grantaire agreed. He held Enjolras’ hand in both of his, leaning his cheek against his shoulder as they surveyed their options. “Hmm… Doughnut… turtle…”

Enjolras was almost too distracted by the warmth coming off Grantaire to help in his search, marveling again that they’d gotten here after so much time apart. “Look, there’s your pizza,” he said. “But do you see a flamingo? Should we ask?”

“Ah… Oh! There! There! Right up there in the corner! Do you see her?”

“Ah, dieu, of course she’s hard to get,” Enjolras said with a laugh. “Want to climb up on my shoulders?”

“There must be a step-stool or something around here somewhere,” Grantaire said, casting around them. He made a dismissive noise and broke away from Enjolras to step up onto one of the shelves, stretching up above him for the box. “Ah, I think I can knock her off - ready to catch her?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Enjolras said, stepping into place. “But don’t hit me in the face - it’s my money maker.”

Grantaire burst into laughter, almost falling from the shelves in the process. He clung to them and stretched up even higher to nudge the box off with his fingertips, back over his shoulder to Enjolras.

Enjolras laughed too, placing a hand on the small of Grantaire’s back to make sure he wouldn’t fall and catching the flamingo with the other.

“Got her - careful on your way down.”

Grantaire jumped off then leaned in close to examine the image on the box. “What do you think?” he asked. “Is she the one?”

“Considering the terrible danger you just went through to get her down, oui,” Enjolras said, leaning in to kiss his forehead. “We need to find an air pump now.”

“I can probably just blow her up,” Grantaire offered.

Enjolras laughed. “She’s huge, R. You’ll pass out before she’s halfway up.”

“That’s a challenge,” Grantaire said, hitting him with the back of his hand. “Let’s get her and get out of here. We’ll grab your coffee on the way back.”

“What about you? I can’t interest you in the pizza slice or the doughnut? I can’t guarantee I’ll share the flamingo.”

“Also a challenge,” Grantaire said, grinning at him. “Maybe I’ll grab a lilo or something, ah?”

“Oui, let’s have a look around, you menace,” Enjolras said, offering out his hand.

Grantaire took it with a grin. “Now, do we want to go matching pink or find a complementary colour or something that clashes abominably?” he mused.

Enjolras laughed, lifting their hands to kiss Grantaire’s. “Whatever your heart desires, chéri.”

“Oh, this green one’s good,” he said, grabbing another box off one of the shelves. “Nice and bright.”

“Pink goes good with green,” Enjolras agreed. “We’ll be the envy of the community pool.”

Grantaire snorted a laugh. “I intend to share,” he informed Enjolras.

“I haven’t seen a single soul at the villa,” Enjolras said, leading the way to the register. “Is Leonie a real person or are you making up imaginary friends?”

“We work hard and keep unsociable hours,” Grantaire said. “We should get drinks with them sometime this week - they’d all like to meet you.”

“Oui, that’d be nice,” Enjolras said with a nod. “But if we show up and no one else is there, I’m taking you straight back to Paris.”

“Any excuse,” Grantaire said, waving a dismissive hand.

“I have no shame any longer,” Enjolras said, taking the box from Grantaire and putting both up on the counter to pay.

“Here, let me get one,” Grantaire said, digging his wallet out of his pocket.

“Are you sure?” Enjolras asked, stopping midway through passing his credit card to the man at the register. “I don’t mind.”

“Oui, I’m sure,” Grantaire said, dragging the flamingo back and digging in his own pockets for some cash.

“Ca va, ca va,” Enjolras said, stepping aside to let Grantaire handle it. “That should make us even, non?”

“What for?”

Enjolras laughed. “Dinner, remember? Forget I said anything, you were upset I paid for it.”

“Oh, dieu,” Grantaire laughed. With the inflatables paid for, he grabbed them off the counter and led the way out of the shop. “Oui, oui, this makes us even. I’m no longer upset.”

“What a relief,” Enjolras said, taking the flamingo from him to share the burden. “Home?”

“Home,” Grantaire said with a nod. “Oh, don’t you want to grab your coffee first? It’s sort of on the way.”

“Oh, oui, we can get that out of the way,” Enjolras said. “I can’t guarantee I’ll ever get out of the pool again after this.”

Grantaire snorted a laugh and gestured for him to follow him. “The place is down this way.”

Enjolras took the opportunity to take Grantaire’s hand and stepped into place beside him with a smile. “If I could have a coffee maker on the water, I would be one hundred percent serious.”

“Will you settle for me bringing you a coffee every now and again?” Grantaire asked, lacing their fingers together. “Though how you can drink anything hot in this weather is a mystery.”

“You did a stint as a barista, non? You know how to make iced coffee,” Enjolras said. “You’d make a very hot pool boy.”

Grantaire burst into laughter, his cheeks flushing pink. “That is not why I am here!”

“You literally just offered to bring me coffees while I lounge around in the pool,” Enjolras said, laughing too.

“I didn’t ask to be objectified for it.”

“But you look so good in a swimsuit.”

Grantaire laughed, turning his head to press his face to Enjolras’ shoulder. “Oh, shut up.”

Enjolras laughed too, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I have a lot of missed flirting time to make up for.”

“I’m not going to survive this.”

“What a way to go out, ah?”

“Death by Enjolras,” Grantaire giggled.

Enjolras snorted. “Smothered to death by my affections.”

“Hot.”

“I’m glad you still think so after all this time.”

Grantaire laughed again, pretending to fan himself.

“Ah, here we go. Coffee time. I’ll warn you now, they have a ton of samples everywhere that you can help yourself to.”

Enjolras paused outside the door, closing his eyes and taking a dramatic breath, handing the flamingo back over to Grantaire. “Ca va,” he said solemnly. “I’m ready.”

Grantaire grinned at him as he took it. “I should have brought one of those old video cameras my parents had when I was a kid, really captured this experience,” he said, following him in.

Enjolras laughed. “Parents don’t use video cameras anymore; the cameras on their phones are far superior,” he said, immediately grabbing the first tasting cup on the way in. “Ah, dieu, this is so smooth. It’s not very bitter - do you want to try it?”

Grantaire pulled a face, shaking his head. “It’s all yours, chéri,” he said.

“I’m going to ask you that question at least ten more times before we leave here,” Enjolras said, leading the way further inside. He wandered around the shop, reading the labels on each type of coffee and trying every free sample, chatting with the shop attendant in broken English until he settled on a few different coffees to bring home for himself and as gifts.

“Well, that place is magic,” he said with a wistful sigh as they stepped back outside. “They’re snobbier about their coffee in Venice.”

“Ah, really?” Grantaire said, holding his hand out for Enjolras’ again. “We can come back again before you leave, if you want.”

Enjolras took his hand happily, lifting it to his lips to press a kiss against his knuckles. “We might have to. I’ll probably use this all within the next two days.”

“This holiday’s going to be a lot of fun then,” Grantaire teased, smiling up at him. He squeezed his hand.

Enjolras laughed. “You’ll be counting the minutes before you can ship me back off to Paris.”

“We won’t need to ship you back - you’ll eventually just bounce off the walls so hard it’ll propel you all the way back.”

“I can’t even imagine how costly the damages to the villa would be. They’d keep you locked away painting forever just to make up for it.”

Grantaire laughed. “I’d better get a move on and find an apprenticeship as a builder or a painter and decorator or something, ah?”

“Well, you are good with your hands,” Enjolras said, flashing him a playful smile.

Grantaire grinned at him. “Oui, I am,” he said.

“That’s the confidence I love,” Enjolras said, dropping a kiss to his cheek.

Grantaire laughed, his cheeks a little pink. “So, what do you want to do with the rest of the day?” he asked. “We have coffee to drink and inflatables to inflate…”

“Well, I think we should grab some lunch,” Enjolras said, still smiling in Grantaire’s direction. “And then we can spend the rest of the day floating around the pool with iced coffee and… whatever you will drink.”

“That sounds pretty heavenly,” Grantaire said. “Want to stop somewhere for lunch on the way back or eat at home? There are a couple of beach bars on the way.”

“Is there something we could pick up and take home? We’ve got a big haul here.”

“Ah, oui, most places have a takeaway option. And the great thing about this place is that your food never gets cold,” Grantaire laughed.

Enjolras laughed too. “Oui, that’s great until you’re racing the heat to eat ice cream.”

“Oh, dieu, don’t,” Grantaire said. “I have a ton in the freezer at home, so at least we don’t have to worry about that now.”

“Trust you to always be stocked up on ice cream even when there’s no other food in the house.”

“It’s an important food group.”

Enjolras laughed. “Come on, let’s get some gyros or something else very Greek.”

“Ah, in that case, this way,” Grantaire said, tugging Enjolras’ hand to lead him down another street.

#throughthefumes #stoic mind

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unkindnessofone · 7 years

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5SOS. Up We Go

This is the idea that won the vote. I hope you enjoy. I would love some feedback. There was going to be more beyond the end, but I thought I might leave this one on a happy note. Let me know what you think. xoxo

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“How nice of you to join us.” Simone mused from the shallow end of their suite's pool where she was floating very slowly in simple black one piece. Against her chest, in a very small bathing suit with blue stripes, yellow sand dollars, and pink flamingos all over it as well as a very floppy matching cotton hat, she was holding four month old Molly Irwin, just letting the her chubby little legs feel the cool water as they traveled around with no real place to go. Her tired eyes matched her young husbands as he slowly sat down at the edge, dipping his legs into the pool and waving silently at his two favorite ladies. Ever since Ashton became a father, his hangovers had hit him harder. They were fewer and further between, but they felt like being smacked over and over again by a swollen iron fist. He used to be able to work out through them, but it was bad painful just to read his texts in bed when he woke up. In his defense, one of his best friends did tie the knot the night before and that was a special occasion worth celebrating. Plus, there was an open bar with an incredible selection. “The water might help your head.” She suggested, shrugging her shoulders as she moved a little closer to where he was. Ashton shook his head as an answer and reached out his arms for Molly. He had been awake a grand total of ten minutes and he hadn't had a single second with his little one. It was not okay.

“Hey Miss Molly....” Quietly, for his own head and hers, he greeted her while carefully taking her from Simone's embrace. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally drop her into the water. “Are you hungover, too?” Jokingly, he asked her, adjusting the wide rim of her hat so he could actually see her face: expressionless, but still charming.

“She might be kiss hungover.” Simone added, her wet shoulders against Ashton's legs that were hanging in the water. “When I picked her up from your mum's room, she had the biggest lipstick stains on her. Bright red right on her forehead and cheek.” Simone would have been amused if it hadn't taken three baby wipes to fully remove the makeup from her child's face. Still, she was grateful that Annemarie left the reception early to watch over Molly while Ashton and Simone partied like they were teenagers with their friends.

Ashton held Molly out, just above the water, and let her feet kick clumsily in the water. Simone swam a little bit ahead of her, cheering her on as she watched Molly smile. It was one of the few ways she could indicate her mood to them at all.

“Did you talk to anyone this morning? Is anyone else up?” Ashton asked his wife, prying his eyes away from Molly's legs as he held her. Most of the invited guests to Cagney and Luke's wedding had stayed in surrounding hotels in Brisbane, but there were still some of Ashton's friends who had crashed at The Stamford Plaza or who could also afford a room there. He couldn't remember for sure if he and Calum made morning breakfast plans or if that was just silly drunk talk in between celebratory shots.

“Just Grace and your mum.”

“Ah, I can't remember as much as I'd like to after our first round of shots...” Chuckling, Ashton admitted before handing Molly back to her mother so that he could slide into the pool to join him. He hadn't put on any sunscreen yet even though it had been resting on the night stand by their hotel bed. “I was thinking, maybe, someone could fill in the blanks.”

“You danced a lot.” Simone informed him, a Chesire cat grin spreading across her face as she told him that suggested perhaps his moves on the dance floor hadn't been all that smooth. “And cried. You were very happy for Luke.”

“I like Keg, you know that. She brought us together.” He shot her a wink that he instantly regretted since it poked at his headache.

“You called yourself 'a fountain of extreme feelings'.” Simone wiggled her brows at him with a small chuckle, recalling how emotional the night made her husband. “I'm sure Grace could fill you in.” Simone mentioned. She hadn't exactly stayed stone cold sober either and since she was still pumping and breastfeeding, it had been her first night drinking in over a year. She was as light a weight as she had been on her eighteenth birthday. “She didn't drink last night.”

“What?” Ashton's whole face contorted until it looked like a honey crueler. That wasn't the party girl he knew. Both Michael and his wife could polish off a whiskey bottle to themselves and still walk in a straight line. As Ashton took a minute to consider what Simone said, he realized he hadn't seen Grace drunk in a little while. She had been sipping a glass with lime slice in it all night, but Ashton just assumed it was gin and Sprite.

“Do you want some juicy gossip? You'd be the second person to know. Well, I told Molly, so third.”

“What do you know?” Ashton didn't know if they were talking about his antics the night before or Grace, but either way, he was interested.

“Grace is pregnant.” Even though no one else was around, Simone still whispered the news.

After inhaling a huge breath of fresh morning air, Ashton lunged closer to the little girl in Simone's arms and poked at her tummy, “Do you hear that, Molls? You're going to have a little buddy!”

“Michael doesn't know.” Simone jumped in quickly, speaking from behind Molly to make it seem as if her daughter was the one dropping the hot gossip mom.

“Alright, start from the beginning.” Moving away from Molly and Simone, Ashton went closer to the pool wall, resting against it to focus on his wife. He really wished he had thought to bring his sunglasses out from his suitcase.

“She told me yesterday when we were in Cagney's suite because she was having a hard time staying awake. She wanted to know my tricks.” Unfortunately, Simone didn't have any. She hadn't gone through the exhaustion a lot of women feel during their first trimester. In fact, she was full of energy until the last month. “She's not really sure how to tell Mike.”

“She wants to some kind of special reveal?” Ashton didn't quite understand.

“They've been at each other’s throats lately. Yesterday was the first time they hadn't fought in a long time and I think that's because they were too busy.” Michael had been in Luke's wedding party and Grace was helping the girls get ready, looking after guests from out of town, and trying to lend a hand where she could. Ashton nodded as he listened to Simone. He remembered Michael telling him as they were drinking with Luke and the rest of his buddies in the limo that Grace had told him to go fuck himself the night before, leaving him to sleep in the hotel bath tub with a blanket and pillow that a maid brought up.

“They love each other though.” Shrugging it off, Ashton said without a care. Nobody ever questioned the affection between Grace and Michael. There had been times where they were threatening to break up with one another and then five seconds later Michael was cursing out a random guy in a club for looking at Grace the wrong way or standing too close. Their relationship was hot to the touch, but Ashton assumed they wanted it that way. “Michael once said he likes when she's angry because then she wants to be on top.” Ashton had no idea why he remembered that. He was a little embarrassed that none of them had been classy enough to keep information about their sex lives to themselves except for Calum.

“Well, she's worried.”

“They weren't trying?”

“She said they've just stopped using protection, but that was before they started fighting.”

“Mike's wanted to have kids since he met her. He'll be so happy.” Ashton really wasn't concerned in the slightest, but he could read on Simone's face that she wasn't as optimistic.

“Yeah, it's not about him and his feelings.” Forever a feminist, Simone shot with a little spice on her words, earning a little kick in the water from Molly. “Grace doesn't come from a supportive household. She didn't have a mother figure. She's very scared she will fail at it. Oh God, Ash, it was awful. She literally said, 'What if I'm as bad at it as I was at acting and everything else?' My heart would have broke if Cagney hadn't come out two seconds later in her dress.” The hairstylist really had looked like a vision. Nobody thought Luke would cry, but the moment Simone saw her friend in white she texted Ashton and told him she was changing her bet. A hundred dollars that the groom would weep – and she was right.

“How far along is she?” Ashton asked, knowing Simone had all the details. His wife never got involved in anything without gathering all the information. He always thought of her as a squirrel when she was in work mode, collecting everything and anything she could get her hands on.

“11 and a half weeks.”

“I would kill you if you waited that long to tell me.” Without any thought or regard for Grace, Ashton said with an eye roll that almost went around twice.

“Well, good thing she isn't your wife. She can handle this however she wants. I won't fault her for any decision she makes. We are supporting her, Ashton.”

“I feel like I should tell Mike.” A few seconds of uneasy silence drifted between them, but Ashton pushed off of the wall and waded closer to Simone and Molly, kissing his daughter's cheek and then his wife's lips, soft from a beeswax lip balm.

“Don't.” Whispering, Simone advised. “I'm only telling you because I can't keep anything from you, not because I want you to get involved.” She knew that wasn't easy for him, but it wasn't their issue to meddle in. “They'll be fine. She's just frightened.” Even though Molly's experience had been very different, she could still empathize with her friend. For her, the fear didn't arrive until the contractions did. That was when it truly felt real

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Enjoying a sip of hair of the dog from a flat beer left open on the floor from the night before, Michael laid out on the chair he moved near the hotel balcony. He enjoyed the sunlight pouring into the room, bathing him from head to toe in the bright explosion of colour. It was a gorgeous morning after one Hell of a night. He opened up his laptop on his lap and looked over at his sleeping wife while the home screen loaded. It was very strange for her to still be asleep while it was almost eleven in the morning. Usually, he was the one to crash into the afternoon while she went to an early morning spin class and ran errands about town, meeting with friends for lunch, and picking up dry cleaning and organic groceries. He just assumed she was either fully emerging into vacation mode or that she had danced herself exhausted at Luke and Cagney's reception. Michael hadn't realized yet that Grace had been napping lately. He just thought she was taking breaks from him. They had been pushing one another’s buttons a lot more furiously lately. It seemed like all he had to do was squeeze her too tight and she was jumping down his throat.

She was beautiful though. Michael still felt like he had won the lottery. For all of Grace's flaws, she was still the soft 'good morning' and 'good night' sound that he missed when they were apart. She was the first person to make him feel truly needed. It had always been him who loved fiercely and grew attached to other people, but Grace relied on Michael when she was down, she craved his jokes and his arms, and it made him feel unstoppable. She was one of the toughest people he had ever met, but yet, she genuinely needed him. They could fight like they were being paid to, but Michael never lost sight of how important they were to one another. He smiled at her completely still body until his laptop released a bright beep as his fingers mindlessly typed the wrong password.

“Oh, fuck.” He hissed at the machine, settling down his stale beer on the floor to use both hands this time. The beep hadn't interrupted Grace's slumber in the slightest, but Michael's curse did. Stirring, her eyes fluttered open and she wiped at her face, smudging the already creased makeup from the night before that she hadn't washed off. She had remembered to remove her flash lashes though. They were resting with dry glue all over them on the night stand by her side. “I was trying to be quiet.” Michael chuckled at himself and confessed.

“It's alright.” Grace pulled herself up by one side and reached for her phone that was resting by the curled up lashes. She checked the time and noted that she had missed a phone call from her doctor's office back in New York. “I should be up anyway.” She was really not used to how tired she had become. It was as if she hadn't stopped yawning the moment the strip turned pink on the pregnancy test. To be honest, she couldn't believe Michael was up. He had been rowdy the night before. She thought for sure he would sleep the whole day away like a bear would the winter season.

“Uhh...I slept in the bed next to you last night.” Michael had his laptop open on his knees, but gave Grace his attention. He liked watching her this way. It had been a while since he watched her unwrap her naked body from bed sheets, messy hair falling around her like a waterfall of tangles. “I hope that's alright. I guess, I just passed out.” They had been too busy with helping their friends get married to properly sort of their argument from the night before. Michael didn't dare say it out loud, but he couldn't remember what it was about. He knew he made an off hand comment about the wedding they were all in Brisbane for and that Grace took it the wrong way. Next thing he knew, he was banished to the bath tub since the hotel was out of extra rooms thanks to Luke's nuptials.

“Yeah.” Throwing her hair back from the front, Grace confirmed. “I asked you too.” She reminded him. Drunk Michael had been clumsy, but gracious. He was on his way to his makeshift bathroom bed when she asked him to cuddle her close.

Michael's face didn't hide any of his surprise, but a crooked smile tiptoed over his face, “I wish I could remember.” The night was a blur at best.

“We were about ten seconds into sex before we stopped because you kept saying you couldn't find me.” She informed him. “You said we were spinning.” She was the queen of messy sex, but it just didn't feel right with him slurring his words and losing track of his own limbs. “So, we just cuddled.” Grace watched as Michael just smiled at the words she was saying. “It was nice.”

“You're not mad at me?” He checked, removing his laptop from his person and closing it on the way to the floor.

“No. I love drunk Michael.” That wasn't always her stance on him intoxicated, but she was trying to put their recent troubles aside. “He thinks I'm beautiful.”

“Sober Michael thinks you're beautiful too.” Frowning at her with the corners of his mouth down and his eyebrows closing over his eyes, Michael informed her. “You seem to always forget that somehow, how in love with you I am.” Shaking his head, he rejoined her in bed. She was sitting up, but he pulled her down with his arms wrapped around her chest and curled her into him, his lips finding different tangles of hair to kiss vivaciously. “We have a couple more days here. Anything you want to do?” Michael checked in, purring in her ear as his grip around her shoulder loosened so he could roam elsewhere around her warm body. The sun had toasted them both perfectly this morning.

“I told Simone we would watch Molly tomorrow.”

“Yeah?” Pulling away from her head, Michael checked. That was news to him.

“How often do her and Ash get time together, right?” Between her company and Ashton's commitments to the band, it was a miracle they ever saw one another. Now with a baby in the mix, Grace just assumed the two of them lived completely separate lives that were forever dowsed in breast milk and drool. It was one of the many things that frightened her about motherhood.

“Yeah, no, it's cool. I just didn't know. What do you do with a three month old anyway?” He asked and then wondered if that was actually how old Molly Irwin was.

“You don't know?” Very scared, Grace checked, pushing away from Michael and furiously studying his face as if the actual answer was written somewhere between his forehead and left nostril. “I don't know either. I guess we just feed her and put her down and don't like...throw her around like a football.” She rambled.

“I wasn't planning to do that.” He laughed at her, shaking his head. “Are you sure you want to babysit? You seem a little freaked out.”

“Of course, I do.” Grace scoffed like he was crazy. “It'll be fine. It won't be hard.” She said to mostly herself.

“Well, what about today? We have the whole day ahead of us.” Even though Brisbane was special to Cagney and Luke, Michael wasn't sure if Grace had been there before. He wanted to seize this moment where she was feeling calm and they were in a good place. “Whatever you want to do, okay?” If she just wanted to hang out in the room and stay naked, he would be very okay with that, but if she wanted to call some friends and go out, Michael would make that happen as well.

“Could we talk?” Grace also wanted to take advantage of the warmth between them. She had been craving the current closeness she was feeling, their legs between one another's and their stomachs pressed together. The thin grey fabric of Michael's boxer briefs that he had wrestled into that morning were the only thing between them. It felt exactly how it should feel and Grace figured if there was a perfect time to tell him that she was pregnant, it was right now.

“Yeah. What about?” He always worried when they were in the middle of a bad spell that this would be the time she grew tired of his bullshit and wanted out. He had a full on panic attack the day after she accepted his proposal that one day she would get over him and leave. Calum had to punch him in the stomach to get him to snap out of it and focus on the song they were trying to record. “Fuck, did I say something stupid last night? You know I talk out of my ass when I'm drunk...” Michael rolled his head back on a pillow and pinched the middle of his forehead. He wished he could remember, but figured if he had done or said something unforgivable it might be better that it was lost in a fog. “I know it's not an excuse, but I'm sure I didn't mean it.” He reached for either of her hands under the table, massaging her knuckles with his thumb once he had one. Michael really wanted a break from the fighting.

“Stop.” Grace rested her forehead on his and exhaled against him as he released a heavy breath. They both were in desperate need of a teeth brushing. “I'm not upset about last night. You didn't say anything stupid. Well, you told Calum that he was too scrumptious to ever feel lonely and we all thought that was bizarre, but it's fine.” Grace weaseled her hand out from under Michael's and wrapped it around his knuckles, bringing it up to her dry lips for a kiss.

“Then what is it?” His nerves hadn't subsided in the slightest.

Grace inhaled as deep as she could, just the way she did when she tried her first cigarette: closing her eyes, sucking in until she felt her ribs ache, and then releasing slow enough to worry if she looked cool or not to the strangers around her. She noticed how anxious Michael looked and knew that she had past the point of no return. It wasn't as if she could just smile, shrug, and say, 'Nothing, nevermind.' He would either force it out of her or have a pounding rock in his chest for the rest of the day.

“Are you looking forward to a day with Molly tomorrow?” Kissing his knuckles again, she asked as casually as she would ask him if he wanted milk in his morning coffee or not.

“What?” Michael's eyes remained wide while his eyebrows thickened over top of them. “Um, I guess?” She was being weird, but Michael knew better than to point that out to her. “I don't know. She's a baby. She's my best friend's baby.” Michael didn't really have any feelings about it. It wouldn't be the worst by any stretch of his imagination, but he could think of many other activities that he would enjoy more.

“I'm just checking.”

“That's what you wanted to talk about? My interest in babysitting?”

“No...” Shaking her head, Grace grew meek for a second. She was always bombastic. There was nothing shy about the aspiring actress. It was, perhaps, Michael's favorite thing about her. Even if no one else thought she was a star, she refused to not shine.

“Grace, what's going on?” He laughed and poked at her stomach as she started to fold the blanket she was under between them. Michael had to fight to find her body that he had been tangled up with just seconds before.

“I'mpregnant.” She grumbled from behind her teeth that were locked behind shut lips and covered by the top of the sheets. Her eyes watched Michael, but he just leaned his head in to try and hear her better.

“What did you say?” He squinted at her if that would help his hearing. It was hard to hear her behind all her layers of armor, but his chuckling at her strange behavior wasn't doing him any flavors either. Michael pulled down the blanket from her chin as Grace said it again, only making him laugh more.

She prepared herself with a heavy breath again and threw her hands over her face, releasing the two words together again. This time she wasn't met with any poking or wrestling from Michael. She couldn't hear a breath from him, his laughing had stopped entirely. Grace spread her perfectly manicured fingers open and spied Michael through the openings between her index and middle. He was staring at her stunned, but somewhat suspicious with his left eye widened just slightly bigger.

“Did you just say what I think you said? Did you say that you are...? Grace...?” Michael checked slowly, watching her nod. Once her chin was completely engulfed by her neck and the bed sheets, Michael laid back down and put his own hands over his face, mimicking how she was just a moment ago.

Grace sat up with fear, her hands down on her knees as she tried to study Michael's hidden face just as he had been doing with hers moments ago, “What?” She snapped. “What is it? What are you thinking?” Her biggest fear was that he had the same questions she did. Grace instantly figured that Michael thought she would be the worst mother in the world even though he once told her before they had sex that he thought she would be an incredible parent, that he hadn't known if he wanted to be a dad himself until he took up with her.

“I'm thinking I can't wait to show them Howl's Moving Castle...” Michael admitted once his hands were down by his sides, exposing his rosy cheeks. Grace didn't have a second to ask him what that was before he had her pinned down, straddling her hips and kissing her face from chin to forehead. “This is crazy!” His best friend just tied the knot the night before and now he was finding out he was expecting. Michael felt like he was going to explode. He was the sun screaming into their room, but louder. As Grace laughed beneath him, he thought about running around the room in his underwear and then taking to the halls. Michael calmed down for just a moment and rested his head on her shoulder, breathing in her natural scent as his mind reeled through different movies he was going to introduce his kid to, matching Metallica shirts he could dress them in, and teaching them all the words to his favorite songs. They would have to move out of their condo and into a house. His kid was going to have a backyard and basement. “I'm going to practice throwing Molly in the air tomorrow and catching her. That's what Dad's do.” He whispered against Grace's skin, his excitement dancing out of the softness in his voice. He hadn't noticed, but Michael had put both his palms flat on her stomach, feeling nothing and everything all at once.

“Ashton would kill you if you dropped her.” Grace chuckled back, her head cheek resting on top of his bedhead. “If Simone didn't first.” She mused.

“I can't wait to tell them.” He said unaware that those two already knew. “Oh shit, my parents are going to freak out. Let's take them out for dinner tonight?!” He popped his head up so quickly that Grace barely had time to move her own.

“Wait. You're not scared?”

“No!” As if she was insane for asking, Michael shouted. “This is awesome. Our kid is going to have your gorgeous face, my taste in music, and they're going to be amazing. This is the best.” He couldn't believe she wasn't jumping up and down like he was.

“I'm terrified.”

“That's probably normal. You could talk to Simone about it.”

“What if I'm like my mom?” Very seriously, Grace asked. He softened again, realizing just how real her question was. They so rarely discussed Grace's family. She had once changed the subject to Charles Manson when Michael asked about her parents because that was more pleasant for her. Michael was silent for a moment before shaking his head to and fro' like a dog trying to dry off after running through the backyard sprinkler.

“Nope. No. I don't need to know that lady to know that won't happen.” Michael crawled up onto his knees and found both her hands, curling them up in his. “You are supportive and protective, you are tough and kind at the same time. This kid is so lucky. There is nothing even remotely monstrous about you. You were built for anything.” He watched as she believed him, her eyes adoring him while her fears were released through her lips warbling.

“You always know what to say.” She sighed. It was times like these that she understood why songwriting came so easy to her husband. He had a way with words that could calm anyone down. It was mind boggling to her that he was the same man who could make dick jokes at the wrong moment and talk with his whole foot in his mouth sometimes.

Michael leaned down and kissed her, slowly and sucking on her bottom lip before quickly letting go to pull the covers off of her and kiss her exposed stomach with a loud 'smack'.

“Can we run around naked now? Come on! Come on!” He lifted up her arms and bounced on the bed, her smile allowing laughter to erupt wildly from her mouth. Unbeknownst to her, Ashton was right. There was nothing to worry about. “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

#michael clifford imagine #michael clifford one shot #michael clifford au #5sos au #5sos one shot #5sos imagine #5sos michael clifford #michael clifford fic #unkindnessofoone #unkindnessofone

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neverisalongtime-ja-blog · 7 years

Text

Chapter 40: Just ride

Her I am with another chapter! I never going to stop thanking all for all the support and the feedback! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Read chapter 39

- Josh is out of control! How fucking dare he! – Anastasia was telling Mandy while both were swimming at Anastasia’s house pool.

- I have to admit that I wasn’t team Richard before but now I totally support him – Mandy answered lying on a float with the shape of a sea shell – Josh is acting like a baby, so immature. He wants to have it all, he wants Lauren and he wants you but he didn’t see Richard coming.

- You should have seen him begging me not to leave him and to be patient with him, but I’m done – Anastasia said with anger – I honestly didn’t see Richard coming either but everything happens for a reason.

- He is so sweet – Mandy said.

- And dreamy – Anastasia said.

- And fun.

- And talented.

- And easy to talk to.

- And easy to be around.

- And so handsome.

- And so perfect – Both friends looked at each other and laughed – This is exactly like when we were sixteen – Anastasia said – It’s so crazy we’re talking about the same guy.

- I never would have thought Richard Austin would fall for you.

- He hasn’t fallen for me.

- An… the way he put his hand around your waist when you were watching the Peppers, and the way you two sang and looked at each other at the show. At Glasto he looked at you with such lovely eyes. He is incredible but, for now, I’m going to abstain from telling you what to do because I told you to let Josh into your heart and that didn’t go well at all. I’m sorry for that.

- You don’t have to apologize, neither one of us would’ve thought that Josh would do such things. – Mandy nodded at her friend’s words.

- Have you talked to him? To Richard?

- He texts me or calls me every day. He is going to be in Los Angeles next week so maybe we’ll go out or something. He actually has a show at the Fonda Theater, we should go!

- That would be amazing.

Richard was truly amazing to Anastasia, and after all her love-life-craziness in the past years, it was nice for her to have someone solid around. Richard was so sure of himself and so sure of what he wanted. As he told her, he was going to be in Los Angeles for about a week for the Fonda show and some promotion for the new record, so Anastasia thought it would be cool to invite him for dinner at her place. She told him she would “cook” for him, but what she actually meant was she would buy food to make him think she cooked it.

Richard arrived at An’s house wearing a green tee shirt and a jean jacket with the sleeves rolled up and holding a bottle of champagne.

- You cooking for me is so special that I thought champagne would be perfect – He said at the door with half a smile.

- It goes perfectly with the seafood I made – Anastasia laughed because she didn’t cook any of it. She was wearing a jean pinafore dress with high-heeled green velvet sandals and her hair tied up in a ponytail.

- Your house is beautiful – He said looking and the backyard and the skyline of the city.

- Thank you – Anastasia said looking at his face, he had a Marlon Brandon kind of aura – Come take a seat, the table’s set and the food is ready.

She decided to go with all kind of seafood, crab, oysters, lobster and more. The food was delicious and the conversation with Richard was easy, intelligent and nice as usual. She learned that Richard’s parents were Vegas natives and he was born and raised there too, his dad use to be a doorman at the Flamingo and his mom use to be a waitress at the same hotel and they met there. He also had two older sisters so he grew up in a very feminine environment; he had one niece and two nephews. His son’s name was Elijah and he was nine years old. He met his ex-wife in high school so he hadn’t been with a lot of women during his life, “Maybe two”, he said.

Growing up in Las Vegas was fun because of the culture, he did a lot of crazy stuff as a teenager, of course, but the glamour and the lights and all the big shows always had his attention and he loved that. His band got together because all the members were neighbors and they knew each other since they were kids; that meant they were tight as friends just as Dead Curse was. He wasn’t proud of the beginnings of the band because as they got famous he developed a very arrogant ego and that brought a lot of negativity to the image of The Genius Sex Poets but all of that was in the past now.

Although he played guitar, bass and piano, he wasn’t that much of a music geek. It was a huge part of his life but now family was his priority. The way he talked about his son captivated Anastasia’s mind. He loved to travel and driving in the dessert, because having grown up in Las Vegas apparently being in the dessert was a huge thing to do, “It’s like escaping, leaving all the craziness behind. I go there every time I need to have a minute and breathe”, he told her. Apparently, he did that a lot during his divorce.

- I really thought I was going to spend my life with her – He said at the table – But she never got used to this kind of life style, of me not being around as I would wanted. She wanted me to quit and have a business or something, but that’s not me, I couldn’t do that. Music has giving me so many great things and I won’t leave it for anything – Anastasia felt the same, she couldn’t see her doing anything else.

After dinner, he opened the bottle he brought and they enjoyed it on the backyard with the stars as a roof and moonshine as illumination. The natural element conspired to create a romantic aura.

- I really have to say that you look especially beautiful tonight – He said tucking some of her loose hairs around the ponytail behind her left ear.

- Maybe is it because I cooked you all that food – She lied and laughed.

- I always have such a great time with you – Richard, tucking more of An’s hairs behind her hear, he was searching for excuses to keep touching her. Anastasia had a pleasant feeling in her stomach and smiled.

- I really enjoy your company too. You are so easy going and… I don’t know – Anastasia said as Richard started to get close – It’s like we have this… - Richard brought his face really close to Anastasia’s and talked.

- … Strong connection – He said before kissing her.

It was the most romantic kiss Anastasia have ever received, so different from Josh’s. So delicate, so respectful. He grabbed her firmly by her waist with his left hand and positioned his right hand on the back of her neck while she hugged him on his torso. Their mouths were doing a dance of their own and after almost a minute she broke the kiss to gasp for air. He looked at her straight to her eyes and smiled, she did the same.

- I have never received a kiss like that before – She said and he smiled wider – So… so…

- Meaningful – He said a word that wouldn’t pass through An’s mind but was the perfect word to describe it: meaningful – After everything that happened to me last year – He was still close to her face - I really thought I wouldn’t fall in love ever again but how wrong I was.

Did he just say that he was in love with her? Anastasia’s mind started to work fast. She definitely had feelings for Richard, but Josh was still in her heart. Josh was with Lauren at that precise moment… and then An got it: she deserved, for once, a man that was just for her (like she told Josh before), and Richard was everything she needed at that moment, the Universe was handing her a pair of arms where she could heal and restore her love life.

- I’m sorry – Richard broke the hug and gave a few steps back because of the lack of response from her – I think I came too straight – He was ashamed - She grabbed his face with both arms and smiled.

- I like straightforward people – And kissed him again.

Nothing else happened that night; Richard was too much of a gentleman to let it go further and that actually attracted her more to him. Once in bed, ready for sleep she couldn’t stop thinking about what just happened, Richard fucking Austin kissed her, her teenage crush kissed her. She thought that maybe this is how some Josh’s younger fans fantasize with him, she use to fantasize with Richard and now he just told her that he loved her. That smile stayed tattooed on her face until the day of the Richard’s band show.

By then Josh has texted her at least twice per day but she didn’t feel the need to reply. If he wanted to act like a jealous kid he had to do it on his own, she wasn’t going to play around that attitude. He had Lauren and now Richard was part of Anastasia’s life, she was sure it was time to cut the cord with Josh, especially for her mental stability.

Richard was very happy to have her on the show, Mandy and Mark tagged along. Unfortunately, Steph had to stay in London for work, she was also doing a Major in English Literature and conducting an investigation with the Oxford University, Mark couldn’t choose better.

- Steph and I decided we want a small wedding in the English countryside – Mark said at the bar inside the Fonda while waiting for The Genius Sex Poets to take the stage – Maybe we’ll rent a house there and spend a whole weekend celebrating. What about you? – He asked Mandy.

- I’m getting married in Malibu, there’s no doubt about it – The pink-haired girl answered with a smile - I actually found an amazing venue, a mansion at the shore that is very private, perfect for me to get ready there and have the ceremony and the reception at the same place.

- I’m gonna give you your honeymoon so think where you want to go – Anastasia said and Mandy opened her eyes big.

- Are you serious? – She said.

- I’ll pay for everything – Anastasia was laughing because of Mandy’s reaction.

- I can’t accept that!

- Shut up! – Anastasia said – Think where you wanna go and I’ll pay and you can’t say no.

- God gave me the best best friend someone could ask and I don’t really need to tell you but it’s obvious you will be my maid of honor – Even though Anastasia supposed it, hearing Mandy say it brought her a wind whirl of emotions and her eyes got watery.

- Oh, stop you two, I’m going to cry too! – Mark said and laughed. Anastasia hugged her friend, nodded and tried to wipe the tears without destroying her makeup - I’m pretty sure Stephanie will ask you to be one of her bridesmaids too.

- I’m going to cry more! – Anastasia said – Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

- Maybe that will change – Mark said pointing to the stage where Richard was coming out through the lights.

He was amazing on stage, not only he moved with confidence, his voice was to die for, so strong, so trained and so different from Josh’s. Mandy and Anastasia knew all the songs except for the new ones; they were listening to the classics since they were teenagers. Richard found An in the crowd even though she was far from the stage, and he locked eyes with her a couple of times giving her a couple of smiles.

After the last song, An, Mandy and Mark walked backstage. Richard, now with his clothes changed, gave Anastasia a tight hug and a big kiss on the lips which took her by surprise, that display of affection in front of his band mates, but she responded in the same way, kissing him back. Mandy was shocked but the rest of the people in that room didn’t seem to care a bit.

- That was an amazing show! – Mark said breaking the spell between Richard and Anastasia.

- The new songs are incredible – Mandy talked.

- That’s all because of Mark – Richard said with a smile, a pair of dimples formed in his cheeks every time he smiled – He and his damn amazing ear for music made them.

- Time to boost the producer’s ego – Mark laughed.

- Let’s head to the bar for drinks – Richard said putting his arm on Anastasia’s back, she felt such comfort in that action.

Richard was very sociable, and although he talked with a bunch of people that night, he kept coming back to Anastasia’s side to share a drink with her or to make sure she had everything she needed. He was certainly giving her all the attention in the world and that made her feel good.

- Anastasia, marry that guy right now! – Mandy was a bit tipsy – No! Forget it! I already told you I wasn’t going to give you any more advice on love.

- I think we are ready to leave – Mark said and Anastasia saw Richard talking with some friends in the distance. He looked back at her.

- I think I’m going to stay a little bit more – Anastasia said to Mark – I’ll call an Uber. Can you safely take Mandy back to her place? – She asked her brother.

- Like the old days! – Mark answered – Say bye to Richard from us.

- I will – Anastasia said and waved goodbye as her friend and Mark leave the place.

At that moment, Richard went back to An’s side.

- What happened to Mandy and Mark? – He asked.

- Mandy wasn’t feeling well so Mark took her home.

- And you decided to stay – He smiled again and the dimples appeared again she felt the pleasant tingling in her stomach again.

- Yeah… - She didn’t know what to answer.

- Listen, I had a crazy idea – Richard smiled again – I have my motorcycle parked outside, what do you say if we ride to Palm Springs and spend the entire day there tomorrow? – It sounded like an amazing plan.

- Yes! Sounds amazing! What time do we leave? – She didn’t get the whole idea.

- Right now!

- What?! That’s crazy! Richard, Palm Springs is two hours away! – She said but she wasn’t worried at all. She actually wanted to do it – Well, let’s go now, then! – He smiled and kissed her.

Now, An was wearing his leather jacket and riding his Indian Chief Dark Horse motorcycle through the 10 Route, leaving Los Angeles behind and entering the dessert, that place Richard loved. This was crazy, it was almost two in the morning, it was dark and that gave a special aura to the road, but she didn’t care about it, she felt safe with him. Anastasia had forgotten the last time she rode a motorcycle, probably when she was thirteen.

She was hugging Richard tight and saw him smiling; he stroked her arms from time to time. They arrived to the Palm Springs’ Marriott Hotel at almost four in the morning.

- Thank God they had rooms available because I didn’t plan any of this – He said laughing and opening the door to the suite with an amazing view to the pool. Everything was so peaceful at that hour.

- This is crazy. We both had drinks at The Fonda – Anastasia said entering.

- I only had one drink – He put his arms around her - I told you, coming to the dessert is like escaping, leaving the craziness behind…

They looked at each other; she knew what was going to happen. All the thrill of that night was reaching its peak. She loved that Richard acted that way, so impulsive, so unpredictable; she saw it when he appeared at Glastonbury Festival just to see her and now she was standing in front of her teenage crush naked, ready to give herself to him, not worrying about what happened to both in the past. The connection she had with Richard made her feel like she knew him during her whole life, in a way it was, but this was deep and special and the best of all she was happy.

She woke up feeling Richard’s lips on her neck. He was such a gentleman and treated her like she was a china doll, delicate. Although Richard was younger than Josh, the way he acted and talked and made love to her was so much mature. She was over the moon.

- I want to spend the day at the pool – Richard said smiling.

- Do you realize we didn’t pack anything? – She rolled over only to faint at his dimples.

- We can fix that, one call to front desk and they can bring us bathing suits and everything we need – Yeah, Richard’s band was in a much higher position, he was definitely more famous than her so in the hotel they knew who he was.

He did his thing and the hotel gave then swimming suits from one of the boutiques inside, she had the most relaxing day at the pool and the spa. That night they made their way back to Los Angeles. She was hugging Richard on his motorcycle feeling like a whole new Anastasia. This was solid; she could feel it and the most important thing of all: this time she was calm about the future.

Read chapter 41

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kappucinno · 4 years

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this blog is 3 years old today, and so, here is my third post ever (wooowwww)

So. It’s been a few years. I’m 21 and a senior in college. Is it cool if we make a time jump? Cool. I’m still Kathleen, but a bunch of other stuff has happened, and I’ll try to sum it up in bullet points: • Depression and anxiety hit me pretty hard spring of my freshman year. • I actually ended up making some more friends that spring, too - a pretty & cool girl named Jenae, a goofy and quirky girl named Emily, and a bearded dude named Zach, who was a couple years ahead of us in the art program. • I couldn’t find a job, so I spent all summer of 2017 hanging around my house and occasionally driving into a nearby town to get coffee and sketch the apple trees. • I lived in a single dorm in what was once the attic area of the oldest dorm on campus. I had three windows and a slanted roof and string lights, and it was the coziest place ever. • I go on an overnight trip to Portland with my two best friends from high school, Kaylee and Emily. • I ended up becoming better friends with Jenae, and met some of her friends, two dudes named Jon and Luis. • I arranged to move into my older sister’s old apartment in the fall with Jenae and her roommate Jordan. • I became infatuated with Jon, to no avail. Although, once, he did invite me over to his and Luis’ apartment, and just Jon and I hung out while he cooked me dinner. I still don’t know if that was a date or not. • I suffered major FOMO because they would all hang out without me, since they’re all from the same town. • I got my first summer job! I was a camp counselor at a YMCA day camp, and it was a wild ride. • I bought my first car! She’s an old Chevy Blazer that I named Monica, and half the stickers on the back aren’t even mine! • I played D&D with my summer camp coworkers/friends for the first time out of curiosity, and it was actually really fun! • I went to my first house party. I was the only sober person there. I kind of hated it. It was the same night someone hi-jacked an empty plane at the nearby airport and crash-landed into a nearby island that was, thankfully, uninhabited. • I took a week off work to move into the apartment with Jenae and Jordan. Jon helped me move my stuff in (I asked because I was still infatuated with him, and he lived in town year-round). I drove across the mountains and cried to Alaska by Maggie Rogers, although I don’t know where the tears came from. • I started my junior year of college, and re-connected with Emily, who I was friends with spring of freshman year. • I turned 20! And then a week later, I found out Jon had a think for my friend/co-worker Kaitlyn, which really bugged me, because she was the person I wanted to talk about it with the most. • I go on a youth ministry retreat and become better friends with Luis and our friend Annie. • I start to develop a crush on Luis, which Jenae and I agree is not ideal. I decide to not act on it, and just focus on becoming better friends with him. Which I do, because we have a bunch of stuff in common. • Jon comes back from winter break with a girlfriend, and I start to not really care. • I become better friends with a bunch of people in our social circle through Jon and Luis’ small group, like my friends Haley, Heather, and Katie. • Jordan decides in with her boyfriend, and so Heather agrees to move in with us for senior year. • Luis starts showing an interest in me, but then he changes his mind, all in the course of a week, which honestly breaks my heart, and I throw up because my emotions got the best of me. • Luis starts dating some random girl, which doesn’t amount to anything, but it still sucks for me. • I get a design internship down in Sacramento for the summer, which means I will live with the family of one of Dad’s best friends from high school and college, whom I have never met in my life. Oddly enough, this doesn’t scare me at all. • I continue to hang out with Luis while he’s dating that random girl, and try to push past my feelings for him. • By the end of the school year, I feel so low and under appreciated by the people I hang out with, I literally pack up all my stuff and go home in less than 3 hours. I say goodbye to Jenae, who is hanging out with Luis, so unfortunately, I have to say goodbye to him, too. He doesn’t know the reason I’m leaving, and thus skipping the graduation and grad parties of a bunch of my friends is because I can’t stand to be in the town where he lives any longer. • I go home for a week, and then my mom and I make the two-day-long drive down to Sacramento. We both feel like we should be having some deep talks, but we can’t think of anything, so we just kind of hang out and enjoy the drive southwards. • We arrive, and I meet the family I’ll be staying with - the Harlow’s - and I immediately bond with their two youngest kids, a 22-year-old girl named Maddy, and an 18-year-old girl named Emma, as well as their 19-year-old friend Molly. • After making sure I’ve settled in, my mom flies home, and it’s just me with the Harlow’s in California. • I start my internship, and I’m the youngest person in the office, but I work as hard as everyone else. • I spend the summer eating mint chocolate chip It’s-Its, floating around the pool fully-clothed on a large flamingo floaty, being fairly stressed out by work, hanging out with Maddy and her friends, drinking cold-brewed French press, watching Studio Ghibli movies, and talking to my sisters on the phone. • The area I lived in is home to the largest number of millionaires and billionaires in California north of Beverly Hills, so I watch the wealthy through both the lenses of my own experience and curiosity. A lot of people look down at me because of my car or the things I own, but a lot of people ask me a ton of questions, like have I been to Forks or Twin Peaks? (I have, but both are just regular towns, no vampires or serial killers that I know of). • In my last week, I visit Facebook and San Francisco, and my dad flies down that Friday night to drive back with me. • We drive back home, and I leave my pillow in a sketchy Holiday Inn in Oregon, which saddens my greatly. • I hang out at home for 3 weeks, and then I head back to school. • I start my senior year of college, and I become closer friends with two girls in my photography class (whom I’ve hung out with on and off throughout college), Riley and Jordyn. • Luis and I are actually really good friends! We play lots of Mario Kart and hang out a couple times a week to binge-watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine. • I turn 21, and instead of going out, my roommates and I stay in and do homework because we all have a butt-ton or homework. I drank one beer over the course of 3 hours. It’s pretty low-key, which I liked. Luis brings me balloons, even though him and Jenae hadn’t been getting along very well. • I start to get physically sick and anxious because I can’t tell where I stand with Luis, so I finally tell him how I feel. He says he’s not interested in me like that, but he wants to remain friends, which I agree too, because that was the main thing I was worried about. After telling him, I honestly just feel really relieved to know where I stand. We just promise that it won’t be weird. • I become closer friends with Jenae and Heather, and we all agree this is the best living situation we’ve had during the entirety of our college careers. • Luis avoids me for two weeks with out explanation, so I get anxious and spiral and freak out, and he dodges my questions. I apologize for spiraling, but he doesn’t seem to care. • I go home for winter break and come back, and his and I’s friendship is basically non-existent. • I take a yoga class and become better friends with my friend Arthur, whom I also know through Jon and Luis’s small group. • Heather has more free time, so her and Jenae and I hang out more. • I become better friends with my friend Bethany, who is also my coworker, but I knew her before through Jenae. • I apply for a butt-ton of jobs, and I either get a “we’re going in a different direction” or no response at all. • Luis hangs out with Jenae at my apartment, and things are so icy between us, I don’t feel like I can sit on my own couch. • Slowly, we start to get along a bit better, and we hang out a grand total of 3 times throughout the quarter, but he still doesn’t seem to care. • COVID-19 breaks out in Washington state just in time for finals, which I do online. • The guys use coronavirus as a reason to avoid me, but still hang out with Jenae, so I decide to use social distancing to cut them out of my life. And now we’re caught up. I’m currently at home, and I’m probably going to go back to school next week, if it ever stops snowing in the mountains that I have to cross to actually get to school. Heather texted the roomie group chat a few days ago and announced that she’s going to have to pull out of the lease because of coronavirus and her parents not being able to afford her rent with their jobs up in the air, so we’re on the hunt for a new roommate, which seems kind of futile with all that’s going on in the world. It’s definitely not how I wanted this year to go, and now that I’m looking back over the past few years, I got kind of obsessed with Luis. The way he treated me is super unhealthy, and unfortunately, I’m just one of a large group of people he treats like that. I was talking to my mom the other week - she drove over to my younger sister’s college to help her move out since all her classes are online and the campus is closed, and on the way back, she stopped in my town to get breakfast with me - and she told me she’s excited for me to graduate so that way I can find a better group of friends that actually value me, that I don’t have to doubt so often. I know I’m gonna be friends with Heather and Jenae after college - I’m going to Heather’s wedding this fall - but I know it’s gonna be a lot harder to see them, since we all don’t really know where we’re gonna be after June. But I agree with my mom. I’m pretty eager to find a group of friends that I actually know are my friends. To be honest, I forgot about this blog. I forgot it was here, and why I started it in the first place. I guess it’s kind of Caroline Calloway-inspires in that it’s sort of a living memoir, this blog. Maybe one day, after I’ve written a bunch of other books, I’ll make this blog an actual book, because now I know it’s here, I want to be here a lot more. If anyone in the digital void is reading this, hi! Thanks for spending a bunch of time looking at the summary of my college career, exactly three years after I started this blog. It’s not super exciting, I know, but maybe it’s interesting to watch a life take it’s course. I’ll be back! -Kathleen

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