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monstersandmaw · 5 years

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Taurgust - Male centaur x reader (nsfw) *Starfall Springs*

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

To celebrate Taurgust, the celebration of all things '-taur', I present Jaime, the hafflinger centaur and horse trainer. I know a couple of my Patreon supporters have been excited about this for a while, so I hope it lives up to expectations!

It's going up on Tumblr today (3rd August) so that I don't get too behind with the Taurgust prompts, after having only gone up on Patreon yesterday. I know that's a shorter 'early release' period than I usually like to give my patrons, but I think they’ve forgiven me, given that I’ve got my dragon shifter series starting this month (Ep. 1 is already up), and the giveaway drabbles are also being posted, so there’s lots of unique and early release content on Patreon!

Reader is gender neutral, and divorced (married young and foolishly…). They had a terrible accident while out on the horse one day, and have been searching for a trainer to help Peregrine get over whatever it is that’s still tormenting him…

It's 7984 words and quite story-heavy, but there is some nsfw at the end.

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“I’m at my wit’s end, please…” you begged down the phone. “I’ve tried trainers from all over my part of the country. No one will look at him. I don’t know what else to do. They’re all telling me to put him down but I won’t give up on him.”

The trainer on the other end of the line took a deep, steadying breath, as though preparing to turn you down. In fact, you knew he was going to turn you down.

And so you interrupted him before he could deliver the news, just like all the others had. “Please, this horse has been through a lot. He means everything to me and… I can’t…” Choked with tears, you ground to a halt. “Please…”

“You really intend to load him up in a trailer and drive six hundred miles with him to Starfall? You think that’s what’s best for him?”

“Don’t you dare -!” you started hotly, but managed to contain yourself a second later. “I’m sorry. I just… I refuse to believe he’s unreachable.”

“I’m sorry. I just don’t think it’s practical. There must be someone in your area who -”

“Weren’t you listening?!” you cried. “No one wants to look at him. They say he’s too broken after the accident. The vet’s fixed him up physically, but there’s so much that he’s got going on in his head…”

“I'm sorry.”

Anger flared, hot and bitter, and you simply slammed the phone down. “Fuck!” you spat, kicking at the skirting boards in the hallway and leaving a big scuff mark on them.

The next morning you awoke with an oddly calm sense of resolve and rose well before dawn, backed the trailer up to the entrance of the barn, propped the doors of the barn against the sides of the trailer so that there was nowhere for Peregrine to go, and went to his stall. As usual, when he saw you, he reared and plunged, eyes rolling, his storm-grey coat already shivering.

“Easy,” you said, but you knew it would make no difference.

He was wild now. Ever since the accident which had nearly killed you and done a lot of damage to him nearly six months ago now, he had refused to be around you without going berserk. It was heartbreaking to see the once calm animal that you’d bought with the settlement from your divorce - as something to enjoy during your free time - become this crazed beast, lashing out, snorting, whinnying, screaming…

Undoing the bolt and standing well out of the way, you watched him charge up the barn at a fast trot, blowing and snorting. He shot into the trailer and you rammed the door shut behind him. He immediately kicked the closed ramp with both hind hooves, sending you reeling back, but mercifully not before you’d slammed the bolts across.

With tears in your eyes, you set off.

The total journey to Starfall Springs would probably take you about nine or ten hours, given the traffic. You stopped three times, once to take a long nap in the back of your four by four, your dog Pip curled up along your legs. You'd be coated in his black and white fur by the time he shifted, but it was worth it for the comfort and closeness. You didn’t get a whole lot of that from anywhere else these days.

Every time you stopped, Peregrine would start up his banging and stamping in the back, but eventually he would stop and fall quiet. Each time he did, the tears came afresh. “I’m sorry,” you murmured to him as you pressed your hand against the side of the trailer before getting back into the car and setting off for the last leg of the journey.

The lights of Starfall Springs came into view long after sunset, and with your eyes prickling and your back and legs stiff after driving for so long, you pulled off the main road, down a track which your Sat Nav told you would lead to Broadleaze Farm. If he turned you away now, you were just going to leave Peregrine here. You couldn’t inflict another journey like that on the poor animal.

As you jolted along the track, you heard a barking from the farmyard up ahead, and a light flicked on. It was nearing midnight, and you knew this was a crazy-stupid idea, but some part of you was whispering that it might just work.

The clop of hooves on concrete greeted you as you killed the engine at the farm gate and climbed out. Looking around, squinting through the pitch darkness, you caught sight of what you thought was a loose horse walking towards you, but as he stepped closer to the beam of your car’s headlights, you realised he was a centaur.

“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice a curiously wary tenor. You recognised it instantly from the phone.

“Jaime?” you asked.

“Yeah, that’s me. Do I know you?”

“Uh… I’m the one who phoned up about the problem horse…”

His hooves fell silent on the yard and he stopped. “Fuck me, you actually did it,” he breathed. “You actually dragged your horse all the way out here.”

“Please don’t turn us away…” you practically whimpered.

He let out a great sigh and shook his head. In the half light, you thought his equine half looked remarkably like that of a hafflinger, a gingery blond with pale fetlocks and a thick bushy tail. His human torso was clad in a rusty red t-shirt, and as he raised one arm to scratch the back of his blond hair that was cropped close above his pointed ears and floppy across the top, you saw that there was a big hole in the armpit. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting visitors at this hour.

“Get back in,” he said, gesturing at your car, and your heart sank like a stone.

“No, please…”

“Get back in,” he said firmly and gently, “And I’ll open the gate for you.”

“What?” you couldn't be sure that you hadn’t just hallucinated after such a long time on the road.

“You can park over there by the barn. I’m assuming he hasn’t been out of the trailer for the entire journey…”

“That’s right.”

He shook his head again. “Pull up against that paddock gate. He can be turned out in there for the night. Has he eaten?”

“I put a couple of big haynets in this morning.”

Jaime nodded. “No hard feed.”

You shook your head. “And… not much water either. I just stuck a bucket in through the jockey door when we stopped.”

A slight scowl crossed his face. “At least you gave him that much. Come on.”

And with that, he unhitched the gate and opened it inwards while you drove through and parked up where he’d told you to, near a large, red barn with white window frames and eaves. Backing the trailer up in the dark was a challenge, but he guided you expertly.

He stood beside the open gate of the paddock so that Peregrine would only be able to bolt out of the side door into the field once the ramp had been opened.

The smell when you opened the upper hatch door was… pungent. Undoing the bolts one at a time, you then stood to one side and lowered the ramp.

Peregrine stood there, sixteen hands tall, soaked in sweat, chest heaving, eyes rolling. He took one look at the open space, stamped, tossed his head, and shot out down the ramp, hooves clanging and clattering as he thundered into the paddock.

Exhaustion washed over you, and with it came a fresh wave of gut-twisting guilt, and you simply burst into tears. Cover your mouth with your shaking hand, you watched him tearing around the paddock, head in the air, tail streaming behind him.

“He’s a beautiful animal,” Jaime commented from the gate. “Come on. It’s late. You can stay in the guest cottage. I usually use it for self-catering holiday lets but I had to do some renovations this summer. The bathroom is out of action, so you’ll have to shower at the farm house, but the plumbing is still ok.”

“Thank you,” you said, getting a handle on your emotions again. “And Jaime…?”

“Yes?”

“I’m… I’m so sorry.”

His sapphire blue eyes met yours in the light from the automatic lamp on the front of the barn, and he came about as close to telling you off as he’d got so far when he said, “I can’t say I’ll be able to do anything for him, but since you dragged the poor thing all the way out here, the least I can do is look after him.

At that point, Pip woke up in the back of the car and launched himself at the window in a flurry of barking.

Jaime shied slightly in surprise and then laughed. “You got a whole ark full of animals in there, or is that it?”

Sheepishly, you said, “I couldn’t just leave him home alone. I didn’t know how long I’d be gone.”

“I understand. He’s welcome too, so long as he doesn't eat my chickens…”

“I’ll keep him on a lead,” you promised. “Thank you so much.”

Jaime stepped to one side and said, “I’ll meet you over by that building there,” and he pointed to a single-storey cottage that might have been an old apple barn on the far side of the farmyard. “You can park up outside.”

You closed up the revolting trailer and after you’d driven slowly away, Jaime closed the gate on Peregrine, who was still trotting around and snorting, and then crossed the yard to join you.

The steady, syncopated rhythm of his hooves on the concrete was somehow soothing - especially since the only hooves you’d heard had been the chaotic clattering of Peregrine’s as he either paced his stall or thundered out into the paddock.

“The house is open,” Jaime said. “I’ll go and grab the key from the farmhouse. You need anything?”

“I wouldn’t mind a quick shower. I had planned to go and find a hotel in Starfall Springs itself while I’m here… I didn’t bring a towel.”

He grinned, causing a little dimple to appear in his cheek like a pulled thread. “I can get you one. You are one determined human, I’ll give you that. You must really care for that horse.”

“He… He means a lot to me. Represents a lot…”

“I get it,” he said. “I’ll take a look at him in the morning. Like I said, no promises. You get yourself settled and come over when you’re ready for your shower.”

You nodded. “Thank you again.”

The centaur just shook his head again in surprised disbelief that you were actually nuts enough to have pulled this all off, and then walked away.

The farmhouse door was open when you showed up a quarter of an hour later, and he was in the kitchen filling up a water bottle. Jaime showed you to the bathroom and left you to it, saying he was going to bed, and just to pull the door closed behind you when you left. You couldn’t believe how trusting he was, but maybe it was a small-town-thing.

His downstairs bathroom was actually more of a giant wet room, and as you showered you realised that the whole ground floor had been adapted and refurbished to suit a centaur. You wondered if he lived here alone. There was only one toothbrush in a glass by the sink, so you assumed that he did.

Later, curled up on the comfortable double bed in his holiday cottage, with Pip snuggled up beside you, you suddenly felt hopeful for the first time since before the accident. He hadn’t turned you away; you’d made it this far; and tomorrow was a new day.

Sleep, unusually for you, claimed you pretty quickly, and you tumbled back into blissfully deep, blank sleep until well after sunrise the next day.

When you did eventually stir, you realised with a jolt that it was almost ten o’clock. You never slept that late. You seemed only to have woken up because Pip was whining and asking to go out.

Clipping his lead on, you opened the back door of the cottage which backed onto a small patch of grass, bordered with lavender and other flowers, and you let him snuffle around and do his business while you stood there in your bare feet and pyjamas, blearily rubbing your eyes.

The sounds of the country were hardly unfamiliar to you but there was a fresh, odd kind of strangeness to this place. The dew had long since burnt off the grass, but it still smelled lush and green. The land around the farm rolled away in gentle, undulating grassy pastures until it reached a patch of oak woodland in the distance, and the whicker and whinny of horses reached your ears every now and again. You wondered idly how many he had here.

When Pip was done, you apologised to him for feeding him so late, and then fed yourself with a snack bar in your bag, and dressed. Taking your collie with you, you stepped outside onto the main farmyard and looked over to Peregrine’s paddock, only to find it empty.

Had he escaped? Jumped the fence and bolted?

Half blinded by panic, you rushed over to the field, but at the sound of a clicking tongue and the thud of hooves in a sandy surface, you followed the line of the barn around to the sunnier, south side of the building, and found a wooden round pen with high sides. There, cantering around the edge with his head held defiantly high, was Peregrine. Jaime stood at the centre, a long rope in his hands, attempting to do join-up with him.

The horse was having none of it.

He ignored Jaime’s every attempt to connect, his ears pressed back against his head instead of having one locked onto Jaime, and he just cantered round and round. Seeing that it was going nowhere, Jaime sighed and dropped his energy, turning away from your horse, at which point the gelding stopped cantering around and just stood there snorting at him.

You watched, silent and fearful, as Jaime left the ring, closing the gate on Peregrine and hanging up the rope on a hook on the fence. Then he turned to you.

“I’m sorry I slept so late,” you blurted. “I… I don’t normally… I didn’t set an alarm.”

He just smiled. “You’ve been through a lot. I’m glad you slept.”

You turned your gaze back to Peregine who was now looking out at the pastures beyond the round pen. “So… what do you think?”

“I think he’s been through a lot too,” he said quietly. “He doesn't want to know. He’s not interested in forming any kind of connection.”

“Is he a lost cause? Should I just have shot him the way everyone else thinks I should?” you asked bitterly.

Jaime tilted his head slightly as he regarded you steadily. “I’m not making any promises, but I’ll work with him. See what I can do.”

“Thank you,” you breathed and turned to look at him.

He was so handsome, it almost took your breath away. He had a dark dusting of freckles across his cheeks and over the bridge of his straight nose, and those eyes were the colour of a summer sky.

“Can I help in any way?” you asked.

Jaime chuckled. “You can help me with the other horses if you like.”

Your days settled into a rhythm after that. You had driven into Starfall Springs to stock up on groceries, and you lived in the cottage with Pip, getting up early to walk him down to the copse at the far end of the fields before retuning to bring in the horses from the overnight pastures with Jaime. He was an absolute delight to watch, there was no denying that. He wasn’t particularly tall, and his equine half was stocky and muscular, but when he cantered out into the field to round up the horses, he moved with such confidence, it was hard not to admire him.

The horses loved him and followed him without question. He introduced you to Leaf, a dappled two year old with one blue eye and one brown, and she took an instant shine to you and to your interesting pockets. She nosed around in them for a while until you pulled out an apple and flicked a questioning look at Jaime who just laughed and nodded. He watched you bite off a big chunk for her and hold out your palm, knowing that to offer an entire apple to a relatively young horse would probably result in her just choking on it. However, she quickly learned to bite off bits of the apple for herself while you held it, and she became your confidence booster while you were there. Progress with Peregrine was… nonexistent.

While Jaime worked with Peregrine, you worked with Leaf; getting her used to being handled by a human in preparation for being backed.

By contrast with Leaf, your own horse showed no signs of wanting anything to do with anyone, Jaime included, and it was slowly breaking your heart all over again. You’d let yourself hope that this might be the answer and it was becoming clear that it might well not be the answer at all.

One afternoon, about two weeks after you’d pulled up unannounced at his farm gate, Jaime was leading Peregrine from the round pen back to his paddock, when Pip, who had been sitting quietly beside you for the entirety of the schooling session, suddenly leapt to his feet, snapping at a passing butterfly.

The sudden movement startled Peregrine, and he shied, head jerking upwards, and he yanked himself free of Jaime’s grip and galloped off through the farmyard and out towards the freedom of the acres and acres of pasture beyond.

“Shit,” Jaime hissed as the gelding thundered down the farm track in a cloud of dust and out into the pastures to the south of the road, lead-rope dangling from his head collar and flailing this way and that. You prayed he wouldn’t step on it as he tore along the path.

“I’m sorry,” you gasped, grabbing hold of Pip far too late and making him sit back down, but Jaime shook his head.

“He was looking for any excuse today,” he said. “I could feel it. It’s not your fault.” He shot a look at the chagrined collie and added, “Nor his.”

“What now?”

Jaime sighed. “I’ll go out and get him.”

“Should I come too?”

He looked at you and nodded. “Though maybe leave Pip at the cottage…”

You nodded in return and led Pip away. The collie seemed to sense he’d done something monumentally unhelpful, and you tried to reassure him as you crossed the yard to the cottage. You settled him in his dog bed and gave him a rawhide bone to chew so that it didn't feel like a punishment, and then tramped down the dirt track in the direction that Peregrine had bolted.

Eventually you came to the sunny, wide hayfield that smelled of chamomile and wild flowers too, and found Jaime standing by the fence, resting his weight on his palms on the top rail, just watching Peregrine.

Coming to rest beside him, you stopped and looked from Jaime to the horse and back again. “Everything ok?” you whispered.

He just nodded without looking at you. He hadn’t taken his eyes of Peregrine.

“What’s going on?”

Nothing.

You sighed.

“Should I go?”

Silence.

“I’ll go.”

“No,” Jaime murmured gently, voice barely audible. “Stay. Look at him.”

You did.

He had his head down and was eating the lush grass. Your first thought was that he’d get colic if he had too much, but since Jaime himself was susceptible to colic, he must have known as much and wasn’t worried. Forcing yourself to relax and really look, you saw the way that Peregrine’s flank twitched idly as a fly landed on it, his tail swished casually, and he stepped eagerly forward to the next patch of clover. “He… He looks chilled out for once…”

Jaime smiled. “Yeah. I think… part of him has forgotten just how to be a horse, you know? He’s been so uptight since… well… whatever happened.” He fell silent for a while and the two of you continued to watch Peregrine out in the meadow. “You know,” Jaime said. “It might help me if you told me a bit about that…”

“No.”

The centaur didn’t look down at you or move, but he did tense up slightly. Then he sighed, but still he said nothing and passed no judgement.

“I’m sorry,” you said a second later. “I… I don’t like talking about it.”

“Neither does Peregrine,” he muttered.

“You can talk to horses?”

Jaime shot you a wry grin. “Horse whisperer, remember?”

“Yeah, but…” you glanced at his equine half, and he whickered a soft laugh.

“No,” he said. “I can’t speak to horses in the same way that you can’t speak to monkeys either.”

Your cheeks flushed at that. You should have known better than to insult him by even insinuating as much. “Sorry.”

“But he does have plenty to say,” Jaime amended. “He just doesn’t know how to say any of it.”

The two of you stayed there watching him for a long time. When perhaps half an hour had elapsed, you looked up at the sky, blue and endless above you, and said, “It was a day like today. Perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky.”

Jaime, who had been halfway through adjusting his weight on his hocks, went very still.

“We’d been out for a hack on the Downs; our usual long route. Lots of nice canter tracks. He’d been really good - he was always good - and we were just walking along the lane back to the yard.”

You bit back the memory of what happened next, even as it flashed before your eyes, which were stinging with unshed tears.

“Some eighteen year old who’d just passed his driving test came flying around the corner in his fucking Subaru, and he lost control at the corner. He swerved and skidded. I had my reins all long and wasn’t really paying attention. Peregrine went up and then the car slammed into him. We were thrown back into a dry drainage ditch. Peregrine landed on top of me. I fractured my skull and my spine, broke my shoulder and my leg and three ribs. ’Grin got off a bit lighter, with a lot of cuts and bruises, a fractured skull as well, and some other fractures to his legs.”

You still recalled the weight of him on top of you and the taste of blood in your mouth. The crushing, winded struggle for breath. And the pain. The doctors were surprised that you recalled all of it, given that many trauma victims have no memory of the events surrounding their injuries. Every horrifying second had stayed with you ever since.

Jaime still hadn’t moved. He was watching Peregrine, but every fibre of his being was concentrated on you and your story.

“I was in hospital for a long time. The vet wanted to put ’Grin down, but I kept saying no. I’d got some spare cash from the divorce settlement, and I said I’d use it all up on him if necessary. It’s mostly all gone now. Insurance paid for a lot of it, but… they don’t cover the call out fees and consultation fees for horse whisperers.” It struck you then, and not for the first time, that Jaime hadn’t asked you for a penny; not for the rent of the cottage nor for his time with Peregrine.

Eventually, he turned his clear eyes on you and said, “You know what? I think… I get it now. I think I get what’s troubling him so much.”

“What?”

“You said he reared up when the car shot round the bend?”

“Yeah?”

Jaime’s lips twitched into a sad smile. “We don’t usually rear up when we’re frightened. If we’re frightened, we equines just run. It’s instinct. We rear up when we think we have a chance… when we want to look intimidating… when we’ve got something worth defending. I think he was trying to protect you.”

Your chest heaved and tears welled up, hot and blinding. “Oh god,” you choked. “Grin…”

“I think…” Jaime went on in his gentle way, “I think that he’s still trying to protect you.”

“What? How?”

“If you don’t get on him, if you don’t go near him, you can’t get hurt.”

It was too much.

Your knees went out from under you as you sank into the grass and broke down. It was the first time since coming out of hospital that you’d really gone to pieces like this.

“Easy,” Jaime murmured, and to your surprise, he started to fold his legs to lie down beside you. Once he was on the same level as you, you just tipped forwards and hugged him. He let you cry against his chest, your back heaving, wracked with desperate, gulping sobs.

He stroked your back until you had nothing left to give and simply slumped, listless, against his body. Drained, wrung out, without even a shred of energy left for embarrassment, you pushed yourself shakily off his red tartan shirt and sniffed, smearing tears across your face with the back of your hand.

Jaime held you steady with a hand on your shoulder for a little while longer and then stood, levering himself upright and then he held out his hand to you. “Come on. I’ve got an idea.”

You cocked your head curiously, and allowed him to pull you upright.

“Can you mount from the ground?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

Your voice was hoarse, your throat raw as you croaked, “What?”

He was still holding your hand, even though you were definitely steady on your feet now.

“You want me to try and get on Peregrine, despite the fact that he won’t let me anywhere near him, and I’m not wearing a back protector or a hat?”

Jaime laughed. “No. I’m not that reckless.” He turned his body parallel to the fence and added, “You can use the fence if you like.”

“Holy shit,” you blurted. “You want me to ride you?”

His ears darkened to a dusky red at that, but he laughed quietly and said, “I have an idea. Do you trust me?”

“I’m sorry,” you said. “I just… I didn’t think centaurs, you know, let just anyone hop on…”

“We don’t,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But I think this is going to work.”

“Ok…” you hedged.

It was easy enough to clamber up onto the fence a couple of rungs high and then settle yourself down on his sunny, golden back. His whole body tensed up as you landed gently, but as you adjusted yourself - and realised with a disconcerting jolt that you had nowhere to put your hands, no reins, no saddle - he relaxed a bit and glanced back over his shoulder. “Comfy?”

“Uh… yeah?” you said.

“Ready?”

“Absolutely not. What are you planning?”

“I’m just going to go and get him.”

And so he did.

It’d been a while since you’d ridden bareback, and it wasn’t exactly the most comfortable way to sit. Your thighs and calves gripped him so tightly that he wheezed softly and said, “Relax. I’m not going to let you slide off. Have you done much dressage by any chance…?”

“My mum ran a dressage stables,” you whispered as the two of you neared Peregrine, who was still eating nonchalantly, though his ears told you he knew you were coming over. “I grew up riding horses too big and powerful for me.”

“I can tell,” he said dryly. “Ok. Keep quiet now.”

He didn't try to sneak up on Peregrine, but he was soft and gentle in his approach. The big horse jerked his head up and snorted, backing away.

“Easy…” Jaime said and then, to your surprise, he turned broadside to the gelding so that he could see you clearly, riding on his back.

Peregrine whickered softly and then let out an ear-piercing neigh, nostrils flared wide.

“I’m just going to stand here for a bit,” Jaime told you. “Keep still and relaxed. Let him get used to it.”

The seconds ticked by, becoming a minute, then two, then three. After nearly five minutes, Peregrine shivered and seemed to go soft all over. His muscles stopped twitching and he lowered his head, licking and chewing in equine submission. His ears went soft too. He took a tentative step towards the pair of you.

The meadow grasses hissed and whispered around his hocks as he came cautiously over, delicate flowers bobbing their heads at his passage. Stopping perhaps a metre from you, he extended his neck and snuffed at your thigh, taking another cautious step closer.

“Hey buddy,” you murmured. “Hey. Come on; it’s ok.”

Your hand had been resting on your thigh and his velvety muzzle brushed over your knuckles, his warm breath fanning over your skin. He huffed gently and you turned your palm over, daring to touch him and, to your utter astonishment, he let you.

You and Jaime stayed like that for a long time until finally Jaime moved his hind quarters away from Peregrine and turned to face him himself. The gelding then quietly allowed the centaur to pick up the dangling lead rope from the ground and, without a word, Jaime led the horse back to the yard with you still aboard.

“You want me to get down now?” you whispered but Jaime shook his head.

“You’re good.”

Riding a centaur was one of those things you’d always dreamed about as a child, but never once imagined you’d ever get the chance to do. It was notoriously a very big deal for them, and in the name of helping your traumatised horse, this quiet trainer had allowed you, a relative stranger, to clamber up onto his back in what had to be a degrading act for him. It moved you more deeply than you cared to admit.

Jaime turned Peregrine loose in his paddock with an affectionate pat on his quarters, but this time instead of bolting off, Peregrine simply walked away, head low, tail swishing idly back and forth. With a smile and a gentle click, Jaime closed the gate and looked over his shoulder at you. “You want a hand down?”

“Sure,” you smiled, though really you didn’t need any help to dismount. He reached back and steadied you as you swung down off him, and as you landed lightly on the concrete beside him, you squeezed his rough hand. It was a hand that spoke of manual labour and the clever capability of the horse trainer.

“I’ve got someone coming over for a lesson in about half an hour,” he said. “You think you can get Ellie ready for me?”

You nodded. “Listen, Jaime… thank you. Not just for… you know… letting me ride you like that, but for everything you’re doing for me and Peregrine. And… And for back there in the field too…”

He closed his eyes and smiled softly, bowing his head. “You’ve been through a lot. I think I understand you both a bit better now. I think I know how to go forward from here.”

And with that, he left you to go and prepare the sand school for his lesson, and you headed out to the pastures at the back to catch the little bay mare for him. She was tricky to handle, but once caught, she usually behaved herself, and she had the most beautiful paces. You longed to ride her, but you were probably a bit too big for her.

Watching him teach the little human girl how to ride was a delight, and you stayed near the school, just watching them from the edge of the arena, and offered to take Ellie off her at the end of the lesson. The kid was beaming as she handed the reins over to you.

“Nice work,” you said and she grinned up at you.

“Jaime said he’s gonna teach me to do a leg yield next week, and that we might do some trotting poles too!”

“Whoa, that’s awesome!” you laughed and she suddenly darted off as a car approached and the person you took for her father stepped out.

You let their chatter slide into the background as you loosened Ellie’s girth before running her stirrups up and slipping the reins over head, unaware that Jaime’s eyes were on you, taking note of the way you moved around the horse; gently, calmly, efficiently. Horses had always made sense to you, which was why the trouble with Peregrine had been so heartbreaking. You’d backed youngsters, you’d coached lazy horses into fitness, and you’d even managed to get one of your mother’s best mares into a grand prix level dressage competition, but when it came to your own horse, perhaps you were just too close to see the problem in full.

You were brushing Ellie down in her stall, waiting until you could give her a small feed, when Jaime’s hooves sounded on the concrete of the barn and he came over and leaned on the stable door. “Got a proposition for you,” he said without preamble.

“Oh?” you asked, ducking under Ellie’s neck and running your hands over her coat between brush strokes. Jaime’s eyes drifted down to watch the movements of your hands and he didn’t respond for a moment.

He cleared his throat and said, “Uh… Yeah. I’d… I’d like you to help me back Leaf. If you’re up for it.”

“I’d love to!” you exclaimed softly. “Are you sure?”

“Well, I can only do so much before I need someone to sit on her,” he said. “Consider it your payment?”

“I have offered to pay you actual money, you know?” you said flatly.

“I know. You don’t have to do it, but… think about it.”

And with that, he was gone.

Work continued with Peregrine, and this time you were present. Jaime worked on lungeing and long-lining him, and when he wasn’t repairing fences or shuttling hay in his large hand-cart from the feed barn to the horses, you and he were backing Leaf together. She was an excellent student, and had been well prepared by Jaime. She trusted him implicitly, and now you, so she only twitched her back as she got used to the thick, cotton numnah that would sit beneath the saddle.

“Good girl!” you laughed, nuzzling her nose and running your hands up her cheeks as she relaxed again. “You’re so good…”

You shot Jaime a glance and he said, “Ready?”

You nodded. You had your hard riding hat and back protector on now, and though you weren’t expecting her to go berserk, it was always a danger. Jaime raised his foreleg and you grinned in thanks as you used it as a leg-up to lie across her shoulders so that she could get used to having weight on her back. She didn’t even shift. When it came to the saddle, however, she whipped round and nipped you right in the ribs with her sharp, pincer-like teeth as you did the girth up, and the string of curses that left your lips made Jaime blush and chuckle.

“Are you alright?” he asked, trying not to laugh outright.

“Fuck, that hurt!” you growled softly through gritted teeth and rubbed subtly at the blossoming mark on your torso, not wanting to spook Leaf. “Oh man, that’s going to leave one hell of a bruise.”

In the end, you backed her without any major issues, and you simply walked around the arena a couple of times with Jaime leading her, and then you dismounted and untacked her. Best to end on a positive note.

Once she’d been brushed down and fed, Jaime took her out to the paddock while you cleaned and stowed away her tack. You were just finishing up as Jaime came back into the barn, and he was noticeably hobbling on one back hoof.

“You ok?” you asked, hanging up her grooming box and coming over to him. “What happened?”

“Stone in my shoe I think,” he grumbled. “I’ll go sort it out. I won’t be long.”

“You… uh… you want me to get it out?” you asked.

His chest heaved just once, and then he laughed. “Sure. Thanks.”

“You mind if I use Leaf’s hoof pick?”

“Not at all.”

Instinctively, as you stood beside his hind leg, you placed your hands on his golden quarters and ran them the length of his leg, right down to the soft, creamy fluff around his feathery fetlocks. The centaur shuddered and a soft groan escaped him. You weren't sure if you should pretend that you hadn’t heard it. You dug the sharp flint out from between the frog and the iron shoe, and he grunted again in relief.

“Perfect, thanks. Listen,” he said, setting his hoof down and turning to look at you. “I… I was wondering if maybe you fancied eating with me tonight? It’ll be vegetarian, but… I’m not a bad cook? And you’ve spent every night in that little cottage alone since you got here…”

Your heart skipped a beat at that, but you smiled up at him and nodded. “I’d love to.”

His cheeks warmed beneath the spattering of freckles on his tanned skin. “Cool, well, I’m gonna go wash all this dust off my coat, but just come on over whenever you’re done. And… thanks for your help with Leaf today. She really likes you.”

“She’s had a good teacher all her life,” you said as the two of you headed out of the barn and parted ways in the farmyard. “I think she was looking forward to being backed today.”

You’d have been lying if you’d said you hadn’t spent a little longer on getting ready than usual before going over to the farmhouse later that evening, and when you pushed open the wide door and stepped inside, the most wonderful smell of cooking wafted out to greet you. Jaime was in the kitchen, and when you joined him he grinned at you from above a wok, a cotton apron protecting his human torso from splashes.

“Hi,” he said. “Help yourself to whatever in the fridge - there’s beer, and some wine too. Should be cold enough… I only got it out an hour or so ago…”

“You don’t normally drink?” you asked, checking out the selection and picking a bottle.

He shrugged. “Beer, yes; wine, not so much.”

“Well, I appreciate the thought. Though really it should be me buying you things to say thank you…”

He just grinned at you and shook his head.

Jaime was indeed a good cook, and after you’d shared stir fry, with Jaime sitting on a wide, flat cushion on the living room floor and you on the sofa, he asked if you wanted to walk Pip down to the lake. You told him that you’d already given him his evening run before coming over, and he nodded.

Mellow and just nicely full, you lay back on the sofa and your thoughts drifted to lying against his solid body as you’d broken down in the pasture after Peregrine had bolted, finally confronting what had happened all those months ago. Jaime’s mind seemed to have kept pace with yours, because he said, “About Peregrine… I wanted to thank you for trusting me.”

“Oh? I just told you what happened to us… you know…”

“No,” he said, shaking his head so that his floppy hair fell briefly into his eyes. “I meant… when you, er, rode me.”

“Oh!” you exclaimed, flushing. “Surely I should be the one thanking you…? Isn’t it, like, a huge deal for centaurs?”

He nodded and swallowed. “Yeah, it is, but I guess you’re alright.”

“But you hardly know me! I’m just some batshit insane human who showed up at your gate a month ago with a mad horse and a mutt, and you just let me stay!”

His rich chuckle filled your ears for a moment and you watched as the dimples formed in his cheeks again. They made you want to kiss them. “I like you,” he said. “I didn’t think I would after your phone call - I thought you were pushy and selfish - but when you turned up, you turned out to be alright.”

“Just alright?”

Those sapphire blue eyes narrowed playfully and his voice deepened as he murmured, “No. Much more than alright. The horses trust you, and if the animals trust you, then you must be a good person.”

That moment hung between you before you set your glass down on the table at the end of the sofa that was clearly meant for non-equine guests, and stood. “Mind if I join you down there? It looks so comfy…”

Jaime shuffled slightly on the large, mattress-like cushion, stowing his legs out of the way against his body. When you plonked yourself down and immediately lay back against him, resting the back of your head on his human torso, he gave a shaky exhale and then brought his hands affectionately to your shoulders.

He whispered your name and you felt his hands tighten slightly on your arms.

“Mmm?”

“I’ve… I’ve never… um… with a human…”

You sat up and pushed gently so that he rolled over onto his side. He could easily have resisted, but he didn’t.

The momentum rocked him slightly onto his back, his forelegs bent, his human torso flat on his back. He was still smiling, eyes locked on your face. His belly was pale as parchment, and you could see his cock was already starting to unsheathe itself, the tip weeping onto his creamy coat. Again, he rasped your name.

In a swift motion, you straddled him and he gasped. “Is this ok?” you asked and he nodded. Scraping your fingertips the wrong way through his coat, you leaned your body forwards like a stretching cat as you moved your hands upwards towards his equine chest, and he shivered conspicuously. “You like that?”

Jaime nodded. “Feels so good… You know, when… when I saw…” he swallowed thickly, having difficulty speaking as you continued to caress him. “When I saw the way you were brushing Ellie down, all I could think of was your hands on my coat…”

“Like this?”

“Mm mph, like that,” he whimpered, his hind legs kicking slightly as his cock twitched eagerly. “Gods…”

His cock, hard and weeping and now fully exposed, was huge. There was no way that you could take much of him now, and none at all without some serious prep-work, so instead you decided on something else; you stripped naked while he lay on his back, unable to reach his own cock to ease the tension. It continued to twitch and drool onto his belly and he groaned at the sight of you.

“You’re gorgeous,” he moaned dazedly.

“So are you,” you replied, letting your gaze sweep slowly over his whole body. As you sank back down astride him, you let his slick, leaking cock slide against you, and he cried out, hind hooves thrashing suddenly.

“Gods, that’s so good,” he rasped, more to himself than to you as his eyes rolled and he arched his human spine up off the floor.

As you ground yourself steadily against his length, repeating the gesture, enjoying the slide of him beneath you, you felt him starting to shake beneath you. “Jaime?”

“I’m getting close,” he laughed nervously. “You look so good like that,” he added.

“Well, you did say you didn’t mind me riding you…”

“I can’t believe you went there,” he half gasped as you gave a long, slow, deliberate roll of your hips and then raised yourself up off him so that you could grab his cock with both your hands. You worked him closer and closer with your hands, occasionally flicking your tongue over his head just to hear him yell and pant in pleasure and watch his legs kick.

You tightened your grip and he curled his abs, almost sitting up towards you as his front legs pawed the air.

“I’m… I’m going to… I… uhnnff…” he grunted, and a heartbeat later, his cock pulsed and he spilled all over his belly, crying out as he came, his whole body going rigid and tense, muscles straining beautifully, powerfully.

His body convulsed, his chest heaving, and he came so hard you thought he might just pass out on you as you stroked him through the last throes of his orgasm. Finally he flopped back to lie flat on his back, his legs limp and his twitching cock softening slightly.

Still very much aroused yourself, you released him to lie down beside him and moved your hands down your own body to take care of yourself. He cracked an eye open and said, “Wait for me… to… recover, and I’ll… I’d like to… I mean… if you want…”

You grinned. “I’m not sure I can wait much longer, Jaime,” you said as you began to pleasure yourself. Your eyes fluttered and your lips parted, and Jaime watched you closely with his bleary eyes.

Rolling over onto his side, careful not to crush you, he clamped one surprisingly heavy foreleg over your own legs to stop you moving, and he brought his hand down to replace yours. “Please…” he said, whispering in your ear and nosing gently into your hair before kissing you softly on the side of your head. “Please let me make you come…”

And as he returned the favour, the weight of his strong foreleg pinning you down, you felt heat crawl up your body and down to your toes, the pleasure of his rough hand and the unfamiliar rhythm he set combining into an intoxicating mix that had you barrelling towards your own peak in no time. You could still feel what his cock had been like beneath you, and as you thought about that, he gave one final motion and you came hard, mind blank and body alight under his touch.

He kissed you and murmured as you came down from your orgasm, “Stay…? At least for tonight? Stay with me?”

You couldn’t really manage words, but as he showed no signs of moving his hand from where it still was, you smiled and nodded. Your answer was met with another kiss and accompanied by a teasing touch that made you jolt and groan.

“Yes, I’ll stay,” you gasped.

“Good. I want to do that to you again.”

—

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#exophilia #taurgust #centaur #male centaur #centaur x reader #male centaur x reader

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writing-realityawayfromreality · 5 years

Text

It’s always been you, not him/ her

Requested : Yes

It’s kind of long and got off track at the end, but i hope you enjoy, it took a few days to write.

You weren’t the jealous type usually but you’ve been having a slightly harder time dealing with Ivan and other girls. One he’s extremely sweet and highly attractive and two he was a really talented hockey player who happens to plays for the Philadelphia flyers.

Ivan’s family is here in Philadelphia for the holidays seeing as that the guys had a game on the 23rd and Ivan didn’t really feel like traveling home when he knew the airport was going to be packed, and he also didn’t want to leave you alone on christmas, you thought it was going to just be the two of you and maybe a few of the other guys who aren’t traveling or can’t travel home. You thought wrong. You were a bit excited and nervous at the same time seeing as though you haven’t meet his parents even though you have been dating for a little over a year now. Also you found out that apparently Ivan had a girlfriend back home before leaving to which he told her that he doesn’t really think he could do the whole long distance thing since it was his rookie year, he would be living in a new country and he didn’t want to have to worry about what’s going on back home with his girlfriend.

So here you were out and about with not only Ivan’s family but also his ex girlfriend who apparently had stayed really close with Ivan’s family even after the breakup. You weren’t one to judge, you knew his ex Natalia was really liked by his parents, to which it annoyed you because this was the first time that you were meeting his family and all the could focus on was Natalia and Ivan. Ivan however was over the moon with the fact his parents and brother are going to get to see him play tonight.

Ivan was honestly just excited that his family was here with him and couldn’t careless what we did as long as we were all together. You thought that it would be fun to go ice skating. You decided to head over to dilworth park for some afternoon skating since it wasn’t that far away from the arena or your apartment. You and Ivan have been here thousands of times. This was your go to spot for date night after your dinner. Needless to say you were a pretty good skater and well everyone knows how well Ivan is, the question is how well does his family and Natalia skate.

Once you arrived you paid to skate and rentals while Ivan sat with his family waiting for you to get back with their wristbands and skates. As you waited for the skates you looked over at Ivan who had this huge smile on his face, he looked at you and you swear the smile grew bigger. You smiled in return, that was until Natalia distracted him by grabbing his arm and making him look at something that was happening on the ice.Both of them were sitting there laughing at whatever just happened. You were still slightly annoyed but glad ivan was spending time with people he loved and was comfortable with. He struggles being so far away from home and sometimes feels like he can’t turn to anyone on his team for help with that type of issue, but luckily a few guys like ghost offered a welcoming hand.

You were just waiting for ivan to finish lacing up his brother’s skates. You couldn’t believe how similar they looked to one another, genetics you thought smiling. Natalia was first on the ice followed by ivan’s brother, mother, and father and lastly Ivan and you. Ivan tapped his brother saying that he bets he could beat his brother in a race. Of course their mom yells at the both of them to be care will his father just laughs.

This left you with Natalia and his parents. skating slowly next to them Ivan’s mom was the first to speak. “So have you always lived in the city?” she questioned. Shocked that she was speaking to you you slightly choked on your saliva causing you to cough before answering. “No, I lived about an hour or so away but I applied to Temple for college and whelp, here I am.” you responded. “Oh, what are you going for?” his father asked. “Pre med. I’m hoping to be able to get into their med school right after graduation.” you said smiling hoping to impress them.

“Ah, Natalia here is already in her second year at one of the top med school back in Russia.” his mother said. You glanced at Natalia who had a smirk on her face that said it all. “Yeah, if you ever need help...” “Thanks” was all you said. Once again it was awkward silence before Ivan returned with his brother. “Y/n... It’s our song, come skate with me.” Ivan said before pulling you towards the center of the ice.

“You okay?” Ivan asked. “Yeah, i just...” “Listen I know my parents can be harsh and distant. But they know I am happy with you and that makes them happy. They will grow to love you like i do, okay?” you nodded and continued to skate with Ivan until Natalia came crashing into Ivan who just happened to catch her. “Sorry, I don’t know what happened.” “It’s okay Nat. What do you say we head back to the benches and get ready to head out?” Ivan said.

You took off ahead of everyone because you have had more than you could handle with Natalia. You looked back to see that Ivan had his hands around Natalia’s waist partly because she claimed she was scared she was going to fall after the incident. She had her hands firmly on Ivans. All of them came off the ice laughing like it wasn’t an issue Natalia was totally flirting with Ivan. Once everyone got their skates off you told Ivan that you weren’t feeling well and was just going to head back to the apartment and see if a nap would help you feel better.

You talked Ivan into finishing showing his company around Philly even though you wouldn’t be with. He didn’t really want to leave you behind but you promised him you would go to his game tonight to spend time with his family. His parents were sad to hear you weren’t feeling well and was going to miss out on all the fun of sight seeing. You finally reached your apartment to just lay down on the sofa and go on instagram. You just so happened to be looking at the pictures of you and Ivan that you were tagged in. You smiled as you came across the first picture you two were ever tagged in. After a few minutes you finally went back up to the top seeing that there was a new picture. It was Ivan and Natalia at Del Frescos having a late dinner with his family.

“I can’t thank this family for allowing me to tag along on this journey to Philadelphia to see my best friend. Much love for you Ivan. #the gangs back together.”

Barf..

After what felt like hours Ivan texted you telling you that he is now at the rink with his family. You told him that you were on your way so that way you could show them around and get to your seats before it became crowded. You found them out side of the locker room looking lost seeing as Ivan was nowhere in sight. You smiled and told them to follow you as you showed them around the arena. You asked them how lunch was. They told you that it was amazing but wished you were there to had enjoyed it with them.

After getting some chicky and pete fries you headed to your seats. Ivan skated up to the glass and waved at you guys. You smiled and laughed as Travis skated up behind him shoving him into the glass itself. Natalia looked horrified that his own team mate would hit him. you told his family each one of the teammates names and how good of friends their son and they were.

The game was amazing but it wasn’t over yet, it was a tough game to begin with considering who they were playing. They went into over time and there was only a few seconds left before shoot out. Ivan had the puck and was skating pretty fast down the side. He cut towards the middle shooting on net. The fans cheered as the puck had slipped past the goalie and somehow managed to make its way to the back of the net.

Ivan scored the game winning goal. You don’t think anyone has ever cheered as loud as his family did. After Ivan scored he skated over to were you were sitting slamming himself against the glass has his teammates filled the ice coming to celebrate with him. He looked at you blowing a kiss. You smiled to yourself before speaking to his family. You told them that you could bring them down to see their son. The almost jumped out straight out of their seats. You were too busy talking to his parents about how well Ivan has been playing the past few games you didn’t notice he was standing right in front of you causing you to run into him.

You let Ivan’s parents be the first to hug and kiss him. They were talking in their native tongue. Making you smile because he kept looking between you and his parents. Natalia was next to hug him. She was saying things to him that you couldn’t understand but could tell that his mood had changed. Before Natalia pulled away she had given him a kiss. You quickly looked away acting as though you didn’t see it. Ivan walked up to you trying to hug you. You didn’t want to cause a scene so you gave him a half hearted hug.

Natalia had headed back to the hotel room after seeing Ivan. His family decided to head back over to your place to have a little celebratory dessert. the car ride home was a little awkward, Ivan could tell something was wrong. Once in the apartment you told them that you were tired and just going to head to bed. Ivan excused himself and followed you into the bedroom.

“Y/n what’s wrong? And don’t say nothing because ever since they’ve gotten here you have seemed annoyed. My parents are here to get to know you and you’ve just been kinda... i don’t know, off?” Ivan said walking towards you. “Nothing Ivan, I’m just tired and have a big day planned for tomorrow. Why don’t you see if Natalia wants some dessert...” You responded walking over towards your side of the bed.

“Natalia means nothing to me. She’s always been the clingy type and she couldn’t handle me breaking up with her.” Ivan said now standing in front of you grabbing your arms. “That’s not what it seems like Ivan, the ice skating and the post and then there was that kiss.”

“It’s always been you, not Natalia. Look..” Ivan said pulling you into the living room where his parents were. “from the moment I met you i’ve been crazy about you. I couldn’t get you out of my head. My parents know everything there is to know about you. Natalia tagged along hoping that I would change my mind and take her back. But I love you, no one else, I told her to go home after she kissed me because it reminded me how lucky I am to have you. I wanted my parents to be here while I did this, I know you weren’t really close with your own and I wanted to wait until they got here on christmas eve but...”

Ivan got down on one knee pulling the box out of his suit pocket. “Y/n, i know that we’ve only been together a year but I don’t want to be with anyone else in my life. I love you so much, heck even my parents love you like their own daughter. What I am trying to say is... Will you marry me?”

You looked at Ivan’s parent who were smiling with tears in their eyes. You looked at his little brother who was jumping with happiness. You knew your answer. Looking down at Ivan, you nodded “Yes ivan” your head smiling. Ivan stood up placing the ring on your finger. He kissed you to which you pulled away quickly seeing as though his parents were in the room

“Y/n. we were sorry if we seemed like we favored Natalia more, we just didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Ivan couldn’t stop talking about you and how happy you make him. We are so glad that you are part of the family. And we are glad this is how we are meeting you for the first time. You make our boy so happy, we couldn’t be happier as parents.” His mother said embracing you in a hug.

Ivan walked towards you wrapping his arms around your waist.“I told you, It’s always been you.” Ivan whispered in your ear.

#thoughts?#ivan provorov #Philadelphia Flyers #requests open #hopefully y'all enjoy

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princessgearhead · 6 years

Text

Eyes of a Killer

Chapter 2

Previous / Ao3 / ffn

The crisp morning air flowed gently into Riza’s room through the cracked window, rustling the curtains while carrying the scent from the flowering lilac bush on the hill of the far side of the Hawkeye property. Riza yawned, already tired of the day so far. She had already been up for about an hour or so following her regular morning schedule: feeding the chickens, cleaning out the coop, watering the garden in the back, and making a simple breakfast of eggs and toast for her father and herself. She briefly considered ignoring Roy’s previous protests from last night and make an additional plate for him, but since he had yet to get up, she decided against it.

Riza sighed as she lay down on her bed, breathing in the floral aroma. It reminded her of when she was little and she would play outside while her mother would read beside the flowering bushes. Lilacs were her mother’s favourite flower. It was something about the arrival of early summer that she loved. She always said that because their season of bloom was so short, you had to appreciate them before it was too late. Riza nearly laughed at the irony of it all.

The anniversary of her death was coming up on ten years and now the only things that Riza had left from her mother were the last lilac bush on the hill and the golden earrings that she now wore as her most prized possession. A bitterness crept into her mouth as the memories she had tried to forget were flicking across her mind. Memories are a funny thing, aren’t they? The more she tried to forget the ones that haunted her, the more it seemed that they were the only memories of her mother that stayed, while the ones she wanted to cherish seemed to slowly fade away.

She picked up the book that she had on her side table, trying to distract herself. After a few minutes, she found herself staring at the words yet not processing them. Her mind had successfully wandered elsewhere. More specifically, she was a little more aware of the snoring coming from the room beside her than she cared to admit to herself. The soft rumbling that came through the walls had been annoyingly hard to ignore last night, despite Riza being used to strangers coming and going with all sorts of sleeping habits that had never before bothered her. But now this strangely nice, and not to mention cute, city boy with messy jet black hair had come along, and of course, he had to have a nasal cavity that sounded like a running car.

When Roy had shown up on her doorstep, Riza strangely found herself taken aback. Her father has had many potential apprentices in the past, but none of them have ever been this young. Certainly, none that were around her age, at least. With the sunset behind him, he almost looked like he had walked out of a dream. Almost. The stunned look he had on his face kind of ruined the imagery. Although, even with his frazzled state of obvious nervousness, Riza found herself being charmed by the lingering stare of the eyes that were dark as the night that was rapidly approaching.

Feeling frustrated with herself, she put her book back down on the table. It was obvious that no reading was going to get done. With a huff, Riza grabbed one of her pillows and pulled it tight to her chest.

‘For God’s sake Riza, get a hold of yourself and stop being an idiot... He probably won’t last two weeks here anyways so calm the hell down. So many promising alchemists have come here and not one of them have stayed longer than a few months. How could you possibly even try to expect anything different for him?’

Since she didn’t have anything that needed to be done, and the guest in her home to had no apparent plans of being awake any time soon, Riza decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick nap. Before she knew it her eyelids were drooping heavily. And just as she was drifting off, she faintly heard the snoring from the room over suddenly stop with a snort.

As the morning grew on, Roy wasn’t really sure what to do with his Sunday since he didn’t have any real obligations yet. The light was pouring through the blinds, which is what woke him from his deep sleep. He made a mental note that he would have to remember to close them before tomorrow morning if he ever wanted to stay in bed past dawn. Roy laid with his eyes shut, desperately trying to ignore the very bright sun beckoning him to wake.

‘What is it about travel that makes you so tired? It really doesn’t make any sense, I mean you’re just sitting there for hours on end not doing anything extraneous but for whatever reason it’s exhausting…’

He turned over, in an attempt to escape the sun’s taunts, but after a minute or so he sighed, realizing there was no hope in the return of sleep. Shoving his covers off, Roy swung his legs off the bed and slowly stood up. Stretching tall and yawning, the mannerism he displayed was like that of a cat, long and lanky. His eyes settled on his suitcase beside the desk across the room and he groaned. Chris had explicitly told him that he should unpack as soon as he got there. She had said something along the lines of, ‘If you leave your clothes unpacked, not only will you look like a vagabond, but you will have shown that you lack the ambition and dedication to become Hawkeye’s apprentice.’ Remembering her scolding, Roy couldn’t help but smile. His foster mother was dedicated to helping him in any way she could, but that didn’t stop her from giving him the tougher side of love.

After making his bed, he grabbed his suitcase and opened it on his the smoothed out blanket. Everything inside was nicely folded in order to prevent the wrinkles that Chris had warned about. But once he looked everything over, Roy deemed it fine to leave his clothes as is for now after taking his choice of outfit for the day.

Taking the small bag of toiletries he had, he exited his room and crossed the hall to the washroom. He looked back to see that Riza’s door was closed and wondered passively if she was inside. Shaking the thought off, he began to wash his face to rid the lingering feeling of sleep. He looked up in the mirror above the sink and internally groaned after noticing his somehow messier than usual hair. After running his hands under the water, he attempted to tame his dishevelled locks by running his fingers through them while trying to avoid making a mess. He grabbed his comb and somewhat succeeded in getting it reigned-in before giving up, seeing there was little more to gain from the fight.

Returning from the washroom, he couldn’t help but notice the feeling like he didn’t quite belong. The room was so foreign to him with only his suitcase to signify that there was anybody staying in it. He thought to himself, as he got dressed, that maybe he would go explore the town to see if he could find something to make the room seem more like his own. When he passed through the small town yesterday he had seen a market set up for the weekend and decided that would be worth going to see even if he didn’t pick up anything.

Roy considered adding a jacket to his outfit, but after opening the window, he discovered that even in the late morning the Eastern heat was no match to the temperate climate of Central that he was used to. He sighed deeply. There was absolutely no way he would be comfortable in his desired attire. Taking one last moment to gather himself, he made his way into the small town.

Stepping out of the house, Roy could see a few other houses farther down the road. Some were accompanied by farmhouses that were surrounded by land occupied with various attributes. Others stood with only towering trees to border for privacy. His current residence seemed to fall in-between farm and country manor. The house was quite large with less land than most farms in the area, but there was a large coop that was far enough away that Roy hadn’t noticed it when he arrived the night before. The Hawkeye household was neither a short walk or a long trek away from town. The path was just wide enough for either one vehicle, the size of a car or carriage, or two small carts to pass judging by the well-worn tracks packed into the earth. Then again, it was hard to say what constituted as the road considering there was no consistent fencing to indicate where properties ended and the road began.

A soft breeze cooled the early summer sun, making it a much more enjoyable journey. The people here were what really struck Roy. Instead of the averted eyes of those hustling and bustling through the city, he found himself being waved at as if he was an old friend to these strangers he passed.

After some time he found himself in the centre of the town-- if you could really call it that considering its size. Almost any part of the town was close enough to the centre to consider itself apart of it. Shops of all sort were scattered about, both as permanent establishments or in pop-up shops for the weekend market. Roy was surprised to see there were enough people who lived here to make such a crowd. Standing off to the side next to one of the buildings, he admired the atmosphere of this quaint community. The small friendly interactions between everyone who seemed to know each other. He supposed with the population number as it was, it would be hard not to know almost all of your neighbours.

Across the way, there was a fruit stand that was connected to the little flower show next to it. In the window, he could see a stout older lady with little wisps of silver scattered in her dark hair that was pulled back in a neat bun. She wore a slight smile as she was in the middle of arranging a beautiful bouquet with white and pink lilies being the most prominent flowers. Almost like she could feel him watching her, she looked up and spotted him. Roy smiled at her and was about to walk away before she waved at him to come inside. He considered pretending that he had not seen her gesture to be on his way, but considering how well connected this town seemed to be, Roy decided it would be in his best interest to be friendly with the townsfolk. Another factor in his decision to slowly make his way to the steps leading to the door was the very insistent look on her face that made it seem like he didn’t really have a choice in the matter anyway.

Bells chimed as he opened the door. He was greeted by a booming yet joyful voice.

“You must be that Mustang kid right?”

He gave her an odd look. “How do you know me?”

“Word travels fast in a place like this. I heard ol’ Bert was taking on another student but I never thought you’d be this young.” She grabbed him by his arms and looked him up and down very intently before letting him go again with an impossible to read look on her face.

This whole interaction was much more up-close-and-personal than Roy was expecting, not that he was really sure what he was expecting to begin with anyway. With a nervous chuckle, Roy stepped out of her reach.

“Uh, yeah, that’d be me, Ma’am. I didn’t realize it could travel that fast...”

“Shows how little time you’ve spent here. You got a first name to go with that horse?” she asked, crossing her arms.

He crossed one foot awkwardly over the other. “Roy.”

“Roy, huh? Well, honey, you can call me Mrs. Catalina. I run this shop and the fruit stand right outside in the summer with my husband, Buck. I got a daughter about your age as well. Rebecca. In fact, she’s in the same class as Riza. What a sweetheart that girl is.”

Hearing Riza’s name made his stomach wobble but the side of his mouth involuntarily twitched into a small smile. “Yeah, Riza seems really great.”

Mrs. Catalina cocked her eyebrow, “I meant Rebecca.”

“OH,” Roy’s eyes went wide, “I just meant-”

“I know what you meant, hon,” she laughed, making Roy let out a strangely relieved sigh, scratching at the back of his neck. But then Mrs. Catalina stopped and regarded him closely, “I helped Riza out as much as she would let me when her mother passed. This whole town loves her dearly so you would do well to keep that in mind, young man.”

Roy felt his palms start to sweat, he took a step back before he bumped into the door, “I swear I’d never-” His stumbling sentence was cut off with Mrs. Catalina’s laugh.

“Relax, Roy. I’m just giving you a hard time. Mostly.” She was smiling, but her kind eyes still conveyed her seriousness.

He swallowed hard, his mouth felt dry, and he was feeling desperate to change the subject. He silently cursed himself. What was it about this girl that made his mind go completely stupid? Whatever it was, Roy hoped that sometime soon he would be able to act with at least some form of normalcy again.

Mrs. Catalina smirked, knowing that her self-appointed job of intimidating Roy had been completed. “Now, Roy,” she smiled a smile that gave a twinkle to her eyes, resembling rich chocolate, “since that we are all clear about that, I’d like to formally welcome you here. It’s a small town, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, so if you ever need anything and young man I mean anything, you come to me and I’ll help you if I can.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder, in a manner much less aggressive than she had shown previously. Her demeanour was extremely hard to follow and was completely perplexing to Roy. He laughed nervously and thanked her. Before he left, she insisted that he had to take a small potted cactus free of charge as a welcoming gift. She also told him to come around for tea once he got himself settled, an offer that, while he felt that he was obligated to accept, he also was grateful for.

While the town was small enough to go through it in a matter of hours, Roy decided that for today he would stick around the market. He made small talk with the townsfolk that approached him, but mostly kept to himself and observed. Roy was grateful that none of the interactions were as forward as Mrs. Catalina. He wasn’t sure what to make of her quite yet.

Since his goal of the outing had been to find things for the room as he was determined that this would be his newfound home, he eventually found a few things that he liked between shops to accompany his new prickly responsibility. He had picked up a beautifully bound leather notebook along with a set of stationery from a man who apparently lived only a few houses down from the Hawkeyes. At one of the stands, he met an elderly lady who made decadent sweets and convinced Roy to buy a box of assorted candies and chocolates to send back home for his sisters.

Roy found himself at the end of the market, or rather the end for him since he was back to where he had begun that early afternoon. Whatever perspective it was looked at, he was back at the Catalinas’ flower shop and fruit stand. He hadn’t really looked at the establishments before he had been ushered in. Now, after his encounter with Mrs. Catalina, he felt compelled to really look to see what the building could tell him. Like most of the buildings in the town’s centre, it had probably been constructed at least a few generations ago. The white paint was due for some touching up and the sign above the door that read Petals by Catalina had obviously been there for decades as most of the blue lettering was chipped off but it was still legible. It had to be a family business, Roy gathered from the name, whether it was started by Mrs. Catalina herself or if she and her husband had inherited it, he couldn’t tell.

In the window, he saw a girl with long wavy dark hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail. She was adjusting the display sign that had been knocked to an angle. Besides the absent-minded smile of Mrs. Catalina, this girl was the spitting image of her.

‘That must be Mrs. Catalina’s daughter, Rebecca… I wonder how well she knows Riza. It sounded like Mrs. Catalina almost raised her after her mom died. What the hell was Mr. Hawkeye doing then? It couldn’t have been easy but seriously? What could have happened there to make it up to the Catalinas to make sure she was okay?’

He glanced over to the see Mrs. Catalina chatting with who Roy assumed was her husband: a taller, lean man with a bushy moustache barely hiding the smile underneath that matched his short silver hair. Roy glanced at the customers who were looking over the produce and he was surprised to recognize one person in the crowded area, the girl he had just so happened to be thinking about. Her short golden locks nearly glowed with the sunlight hitting at just the right angle as she leaned forward to pick up an apple and inspect it before placing it with the rest of her produce in her basket.

“Riza?”

Slightly startled, she jumped as her head snapped in the direction of his voice with her eyes wide. Upon seeing who the speaker was she couldn’t help but smile.

“Mr. Mustang! What a surprise to see you here.”

“Couldn’t stay away could you, Roy?” Mrs. Catalina joked. Riza looked at her strangely and then back at him.

“How could I? Especially when you have such lovely clientele.” Roy smiled at Riza, who rolled her eyes as her cheeks flushed ever so slightly at his comment.

Mrs. Catalina laughed. “Where is this newfound confidence coming from? Are you sure that you’re the Roy Mustang that I met earlier today?” She shared a look with the man beside her, who had been eyeing Roy up, much like Mrs. Catalina had earlier during his first introduction. The intense gaze almost made Roy lose all of the calmness and regularity that he had built up throughout the day, interacting with everyone like he was just another person who belonged within the crowd.

“To be quite fair, Mrs. Catalina, you do have a talent for intimidation behind that charming beauty of yours,” he replied smoothly, regaining his confidence.

She scoffed as one eyebrow skyrocketed. A snort came from the man beside her as he watched her reaction, which earned him a quick stink eye.

“Ruby, my darling, you have to admit the kid’s got a point there.”

Mrs. Catalina pursed her lips before smiling as she shifted her attention back to Riza who had been silently watching the interaction in front of her as she wore the smallest hint of a smile in the corners of her mouth.

“Now, Riza honey, what else can I get for ya today? We just got our first plums of the season. I set aside a couple for ya already since I know how much you love them.” She reached down behind the stand to grab the pre-bagged fruit and handed it over to Riza as her husband started to help someone else.

“Oh thank you so much, Ruby, you’re really too kind, as always,” she replied while placing the fruit in her basket. “How much do I owe you for everything?” Riza asked, reaching for her wallet.

“500 cenz.”

Riza scowled, or at least as much of a scowl that someone can make while trying not to smile. “Ruby, you really shouldn’t keep giving me things for free.”

Mrs. Catalina crossed her arms. “It’s not free. It’s 500 cenz.”

Riza shook her head as she handed over the money. “You barely charge me anything for how much you send with me, and I appreciate it, but-”

“Then take the discount, darling. You aren’t going to change my mind here.”

Sighing in defeat, Riza put away her wallet. “Thank you, Ruby.”

“You’re welcome Riza.” Mrs. Catalina smiled at her and glanced back to Roy. “Now are you two headed home now or are you still walking around the market?”

Roy and Riza looked to each other for an answer, unsure of what to say. They both hesitated to respond until Riza replied, “Well, I didn’t have anything else to get today unless you still wanted to look around?”

Roy shook his head. “I think I saw everything that I wanted to already, I was about to head back until I saw you here actually.

“Alright then, I guess we’re going make our way back. I’ll stop by later in the week for tea probably. Thanks again!” Riza waved goodbye as they exited the produce stand together. Side by side, they started on the path leading out of town. Roy was watching his feet as they walked together in a comfortable silence for a while before they reached the road that met the edge of the small town. He let his eyes wander so Riza was less in his peripheral and noticed that both the basket and bags she was carrying were fairly full.

“Those look pretty heavy,” he observed. “I can carry some of that for you if you’d like.”

She shook her head, “I’m quite capable of doing it myself thanks.”

Roy couldn’t help but laugh. “I never said you weren’t able. I offered because it just so happens that I have a free hand and now insist on helping you.” He finished with a smile that made the darkness of his eyes seem to sparkle. Roy put out his hand towards her basket, which seemed to be the heavier of her items. Riza eyed him closely while considering his offer, or rather his demand, before shrugging and handing it to him.

She stretched her fingers, before transferring one of her remaining bags to her newly freed hand. “Thank you,” she said looking back at him as she smiled. Maybe being the first smile he had seen from her that wasn’t restrained. Roy felt his stomach turn and his knees wobble. It was the kind of smile that made it impossible not to smile as well.

“It’s nothing really. I’m happy to do it,” he managed to say with an even tone.

Perhaps it was because of the company and small talk to keep his mind busy because the journey back seemed quite a bit shorter than it had been that morning. Before he knew it, they had arrived back at the house. Riza opened the door for the two of them since Roy’s hands were preoccupied with not only the basket but his own purchases from the day as well. He followed her into the kitchen and set everything on the counter next to her bags.

Riza started to take things out of the bags to put them away in their respective places. Roy reached his hand to assist, accidentally brushing his fingers against hers in the process. Her amber eyes instantly flicked up to meet his. Her gaze left as quickly as it had come. Her hand followed suit.

Roy nervously chuckled and ruffled his hair before rubbing the back of his neck out of habit. With his other hand, he gestured towards the groceries. “Do you mind if I lend a hand?”

“Oh, um, sure I guess...” Riza eyed him cautiously before starting to tell him where things belonged.

It didn’t take long with two people working together. Not even enough time to have a conversation. Taking the last bags of produce out from the basket, Roy found there were two books underneath.

“Rimmer’s Collection of Poetry, and…?” Roy held up the second one, a thick leather-bound book that clearly showed signs of heavy use, in a questioning manner to Riza. “What’s this?”

“It’s nothing!” Riza’s face flushed as she snatched it from his hands.

Crossing his arms, Roy cocked an eyebrow. “Quite a reaction for nothing if you ask me.”

With lips pursed she shot him a glare. “It’s a good thing I didn’t ask now, did I?”

Roy held his hands up defensively. “I don’t mean to pry but you have to admit that the way you’re trying to deflect this just makes it sound more interesting.”

“Well, it isn’t, ok?” With a huff, Riza hugged the book close to her chest. Her gaze dropped to the floor as her cheeks flared.

A hard lump formed in Roy’s throat. He cleared his throat and ruffled the back of his hair. “Hey, I was just- I’m sorry… I’ll drop it ok?” He apologized, handing over her book which she hesitantly took back.

Taking a deep breath and sighing, Riza rubbed her arm absently. She glanced over to the counter, something catching her eye. Tilting her head with curiosity, she made a puzzling expression.

“Is that a cactus in your bag?”

Roy looked over to the bag that contained the items he had collected earlier to see that the cactus that Mrs. Catalina had given him was poking out of the top. Grateful that the previous tension shattered thanks to his new plant, he let out a chuckle. “Yeah, it was a ‘welcome to the town’ gift from Mrs. Catalina.”

“Ruby gave you a cactus? Really?” She asked in disbelief as she set the books behind her.

“Um, yeah… She seems very involved.” Roy chose his last word carefully, remembering that Mrs. Catalina had spoken about Riza with a very familiar regard. He wasn’t with the outright intention to be nosey, but he couldn’t deny that he was left with more than a few questions about her past.

Riza let out a snort. “That's one way of saying it. Ruby runs this town. She knows everyone and everything that happens around here.”

“Oh yes, she made that pretty clear,” Roy chuckled. “From what I can tell, it’s a very tight-knit community. It’s quite a bit of an adjustment from what I’m used to honestly.”

“You came in from Central City right?” She asked as she leaned back on the counter, crossing her arms over her chest.

Roy smiled at the thought of home. “Yeah, I did!”

“What’s it like? I’ve never really even been out too far from here, much less been to any of the big cities.” Riza’s golden warm eyes were filled with dream-like wonder and curiosity.

“Really? You have to go sometime. I mean, okay, there are good and bad things about anywhere, but I do really love living in the city. There’s always something going on or something to do. But then again, it’s quite refreshing that everyone is so friendly and personable here. Most people in the city just live in their own head rather than taking the second to acknowledge a stranger. Unless you know them, nobody is really going to stop you for a conversation on the street.”

She looked out of the window above the sink and sighed, “Someday I’ll get out in the world.”

Roy studied her face closely. Her look of determination and yearning completely mesmerized him. There was so much more about Riza Hawkeye that he didn’t know but couldn’t wait to find out. “You will, you’re just getting started and you have your whole life ahead of you.”

Riza glanced at him with an eyebrow raised and a smile “I hope you’re right Mr. Mustang, I really do.”

They shared a moment of wistful silence, dreaming of their own possibilities in life. Riza sighed, gathering up her books from behind her. “Well, it’s not going to happen anytime soon, that’s for sure. I’m going to put these upstairs now. You’re welcome to take a look at any of the books in the study or, I mean, really whatever you were going to do, I guess.”

“Oh, I think I’ll head up there myself. Get some reading done probably.”

Roy grabbed his bag from the counter and followed her up the stairs. She dipped into her room to put away her books while Roy headed to his. He took out the cactus from the bag and put it on his windowsill. As he was setting up his desk with his newly purchased stationary and such, Riza popped her head in his doorframe.

“I’m going to start making dinner now. Would you like to eat up here or in the dining room?”

“Dining room I suppose, do you want an extra set of hands?” He tried to make the offer seem casual but he couldn’t help but take the opportunity to try and spend more time with his teacher’s daughter.

Riza looked a little surprised at his offer and shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I’ll come to fetch you when it’s ready. And besides, you should probably unpack,” she remarked, looking at his suitcase that showed evidence that he had rummaged through it that morning. “You don’t want all your clothes getting wrinkled if they aren’t already.”

She disappeared downstairs without another word, leaving Roy alone to unpack and his mind to wander.

Roy had quickly finished unpacking and decided he might as well get some studying in before his lessons started on Monday, although with the aromas of whatever was being cooked downstairs being wafted through the house, focusing on his reading became slightly difficult. A little over an hour had passed and through the window, Roy could see the early stages of night begin to fall. He switched on the lamp on his bedside table and not long after, a light knock on the doorframe stopped Roy mid-sentence in his book.

“Mr. Mustang, dinner is ready downstairs,” Riza stood in the doorway before turning to leave.

“Roy,” he interjected as he got up from the bed, putting his open book upside down to save his place. She turned to face him again looking slightly puzzled. “Like you said yesterday, I’ll be staying here as long as I can. You don’t have to be so formal with me.”

She paused before she replied and the smallest smirk crept onto her face as she eyed him cautiously. “I hope your skills back up that newly found confidence of yours, otherwise you’ll be out in less than a week, Roy.”

His name on her tongue made Roy’s stomach lurch, even after he specifically asked for it. Trying to have a cool composure in his reply, he ran his fingers through his messy black hair while making an exaggerated sarcastic gasp. “Ahh, you wound me Riza,” he said as he dramatically brought a hand to his chest above his heart. “I never would have pegged such a sweet girl like yourself to have a hidden mean side. You could have really hurt my feelings there.”

“Oh, please. I have a feeling you have a big enough ego to handle it. “She folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe with the slightest smirk on her face. “As a matter of fact, I’m guessing you’ve never had the kind of mockery you need in order to keep it in check. So really I think I’d be doing you a favour if I continued.”

“Is that so?” Roy laughed. She was absolutely right of course. While Chris was a mostly strict foster mother and she always had him hard at work, she adored him completely and was the one who encouraged him in everything he did. It was not out of the ordinary for her to spoil him just a little bit, not enough to make him into a little brat who thought he deserved the world ought to be handed to him, but just enough that to put it quite simply, Roy was a mama's boy through and through.“So, what else about me do you think you have learned about me since I got here?”

Riza eyed him with a knowing look like he was missing something obvious. “Now why would I give information away that easily? Is equivalent exchange not the philosophy of alchemists? I may not be an alchemist myself, but growing up around one it was kind of hard not to get some of those ideologies engraved in my mind.”

What little composure Roy had evaporated as he started to sputter on his words. “First of all,” he paused to collect his thoughts, “equivalent exchange is not a philosophy,” he spat the word out with disgust, “it’s a scientific law. I- it’s fact! It’s not a belief or way of thinking.”

Riza tilted her head with an eyebrow raised. “I was under the impression that a philosophy was a study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, is it not?” She did not wait for an answer and continued. “Law or philosophy, it doesn’t matter what you call it, but you have to acknowledge that equivalent exchange isn’t just about alchemy, it can be applied to just about everything. Surely you must know that by this point in your life.”

Roy crossed his arms over his chest as he stumbled on a feeble attempt to respond. She smirked, knowing she had won and simply said, “Checkmate.”

He gave her a questioning look, not fully understanding the reference.

“You’ve never played chess before? Seriously?”

“What can I say? I’m not a geek like you apparently,” he replied with snark, getting a little frustrated with her condescending tone and her constant one-upping.

Riza couldn’t help but laugh, “I beg to differ, Roy. Your studies clearly prove otherwise, and besides, chess is all about strategy and using your brain. A concept which seems to be something you could stand to do a little more of if you hope to accomplish anything here at all.”

“Are you always this rude to those unfortunate enough to come through here?” Roy quipped.

She shrugged. “No, but to be quite fair, most of my father's students have been older than you and very few have paid much attention to anything besides their studies.”

“What makes you think I’m not focused on my studies? I just got here today and if you hadn’t noticed, I was studying before you came up here.” He vaguely gestured to the book he set down next to some papers he had scattered around his bed. “And my age? How should that factor into this? You’re what? Fifteen?”

“Sixteen, almost seventeen,” Riza replied cooley. “And I never said you weren’t studious. I wasn’t even talking about you then if you had been listening,” she sighed and Roy saw her cheeks flush ever so slightly. “I was just saying that not a lot of the people who have come through here have said much to, me much less tried to have a real conversation.”

Roy stood there silently, not knowing how to respond. Riza brushed her bangs back, tucking some stray hairs behind her ear. “Anyways, the food is probably getting cold downstairs.” She quickly left the room, Roy heard her fast footsteps going down the stairs.

‘Jeez, this girl does not seem like she’s had much attention paid to her in her life. Who the hell has been neglecting her to the point to make her so surprised that someone would take a few minutes to talk to her? It’s not like we’ve even talked that much at all and she’s acting like I’m going out of my way to be nice to her. Well… I mean I haven’t really. I may have intended to when I offered to help her out in the kitchen, but still, that could have just been a polite gesture… Maybe I’m just reading too much into this.’

Roy waited a minute after she left before following her lead downstairs and into the dining room that had a medium-sized table that was set for two. Riza came back from the kitchen, bringing out a steaming quiche with a serving already taken from it, she looked up at him as he entered the room and placed the pie on the table.

“It smells amazing in here. Did you really cook everything by yourself?” Roy asked, grabbing the nearest seat that had a place setting made up.

“Yeah, I’ve been helping in the kitchen for as long as I can remember,” she smiled as she sat down, looking lost in her thoughts. “Well, helping is a generous word for when I was really young. My mom loved cooking and she was always patient with teaching me everything she could. Even after all that, I’m nowhere near as good as she was. I pretty much do all the cooking now.”

Roy studied her closely, the genuine emotion that was displayed freely on her face was unlike how she had seemed earlier, hard and very guarded. He felt like he had stumbled upon something rare and incredibly sacred and pure: the way her shoulders had relaxed and even the subtle change in how she was breathing. It was more of the soft nature that Roy had first expected of her.

“Well, not that I’m really in the position to compare but I think she obviously did a great job in teaching you. You’re selling yourself short here Riza.”

His comment brought her attention back to him. She looked at him as though before he spoke she had forgotten he was even there. She shook her head and laughed. “You can’t comment on my cooking until you’ve actually had it. How can you tell it’s good if you haven’t even tried it yet?”

“You make a fair point, but it’s only a valid one for a few more seconds,” Roy chuckled as he took a bite and let the flavours take over his mouth. “Oh my god, Riza,” he exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair. “Are you kidding me? This is amazing!”

She rolled her eyes, “I don’t think it’s too late to train in theatre since you’re clearly proficient in being dramatic.”

“I’m being serious here. I’ve never had anything like this before I mean, I’ve grown up eating bar food, which, while delicious, is nothing like this. This has about a dozen flavours going on and isn’t filled with grease? It’s incredible!” He said with a beaming grin spread across his face before he continued to stuff his face.

Riza blushed and muttered a thank you before she started her meal as well.

They kept the conversation light, not delving into anything in particular until they had both finished eating and the rest of the pie remained on table cold. The darkness of night had crept up to them and without the overhead light in the dining room, it would have been pitch black.

Riza glanced at the clock behind her and was surprised to see that it was already twenty after midnight. “I really should clean this all up and get to bed, it’s getting really late.” She stood up and as she went to reach for the dishes Roy stopped her.

“Riza, I have to insist on helping you clean up. It’s really not fair that you cooked everything and you’re trying to stop me from cleaning? I could bring up the topic of equivalent exchange again in order to convince you, but that’s a bit useless since you can’t stop me from helping anyways.” Roy crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow with a very matter of fact look on his face.

Risa pursed her lips to give the impression of being annoyed but it was obvious it was only in order to stop herself from smiling. “Okay, fine. You win this round, Roy.”

He fake scoffed. “This round? It seems to me that I’ve won more than just the one today.” Roy crossed his arms as if it were to affirm his point.

Riza lightly shook her head as she rolled her eyes, lips pursed but with the hint of a smile showing, “God, you are impossible, you know that right?”

“You wouldn’t be the first to say something along those lines.” Roy smiled as he stood up and gathered up both of their dishes as Riza grabbed the pie and led him to the kitchen. He pushed up his sleeves and started to run the sink. Having two sets of hands made the whole process go by pretty quickly and soon enough they were done. The pair made their way upstairs, chatting quietly until they reached Riza’s door which she opened slightly and stood in front of, facing Roy.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight,” Roy said as he leaned against the doorframe with a half smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Yes, I guess it would be. Goodnight Roy.” Riza said with a smile and stepped into her room.

“Goodnight Riza,” Roy replied as she closed her door behind her.

Roy let out a soft sigh as he smiled to himself and headed to his own room and let himself fall into his bed. Reflecting on his day he felt at ease. That was until he remembered what tomorrow would bring. The mysterious Berthold Hawkeye. He decided that it wasn’t worth worrying about, considering that this was the whole reason he had come here. But still, Roy couldn’t get the knots in his stomach to untie and spent most of the night tossing and turning until finally, his body surrendered itself to sleep.

#royai #royai fanfiction #Roy Mustang #riza hawkeye #fma #fullmetal alchemist #roy mustang x riza hawkeye #fma fanfiction #roy #riza #eyes of a killer #royai fic #fics #writing

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kristallioness · 6 years

Text

Heaven on earth

Summary: Aang and Katara discover the beauty of an old pagoda in the Earth Kingdom, located in a sacred place for the air nomads.

Word count: 2,375

Author's note: This is 1/2 of the prompts that I submitted this year and which eventually got chosen (the other one didn't, again)! I wanted to submit this specific prompt because I already had an idea for it last year when someone first submitted it under the name "Sacred (Place)", but it didn't make the final cut. Now I can finally share what I had in mind and why I wanted to write it. The idea came to me when I watched the 4th episode of "Kaks Kanget Kagu-Aasias" ("The two tough ones in South-Eastern Asia"), which was an Estonian TV series running in spring 2017. The two tough ones, Kristjan Jõekalda and Teet Margna, are our own local, famous, very rich, funny and beloved Estonian TV hosts/entertainers. They've travelled through South-America (Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile), Russia, India, the United States of America and their last journey took them across 4 countries in South-Eastern Asia, one of them being Myanmar. In Myanmar, they visited Bagan and introduced the Shwesandaw Pagoda, where Teet (being the braver one in the bunch) climbed to the top floor to have the most marvellous view of the sun setting. That breathtaking view and the entire landscape filled with so many beautiful temples was what inspired me to write this story with Aang and Katara. I could just imagine them exploring a similar place in their world. Set postwar, prior to "The Promise" trilogy.

----------x----------

"You sure you don't wanna come with us?" Aang asked for the nth time that evening. He was holding onto Katara's hand to help her climb up on Appa's saddle.

"Nah, it's just some old ruins. You guys go and have fun. It'll give me a break from your constant oogies," Sokka said as he dumped the pile of firewood in front of him, with Momo leaping closer to sniff whether he'd brought something edible along with him, too.

"Ugh.." Katara merely groaned and rolled her eyes as she hopped to the front of the saddle. Aang airbended himself on Appa's head and grabbed the reins.

"Okay. See you later, Sokka!" he exclaimed cheerfully, waving to both him and his pet winged lemur, who stayed behind to keep the warrior company.

"Appa, yip-yip!"

The sky bison growled and took off from their campsite. The main trio of Team Avatar were camping near the Northern Earth Kingdom while helping the Fire Nation colonials move back to their homeland. After another small village had been cleared of the Fire Nation families, they had the rest of the day off.

"So, where is this place exactly?" Katara wondered as she leaned over the edge of the saddle, crossing her arms and supporting her chin on top.

"About a mile away from our camp. If we walked, it'd take us about an hour to get there. But thanks to Appa, we'll be there in a few minutes!" Aang stated in a chipper tone, glancing over his shoulder to grin at her. He scratched the sky bison's head to thank him for providing them with such a short, cosy ride to their destination. Appa released a long, low growl at the show of affection.

Katara looked down below. They were flying over a territory full of thick fir forests, the evening sun that still shined behind them casting shadows over the tall trees and the ground beneath. Soon she could spot a couple of foliage trees in between, the density in general slowly becoming more scarce.

"Look, there it is!" Aang shouted excitedly, pointing a finger straight towards the horizon. When they got closer and Katara lifted her head to look in front, she gasped at the sight.

"Wow!"

She saw hundreds of pyramid-shaped buildings spread across the vast landscape. Gravel roads wreathed with bushes and trees connected them to each other. Plots of neglected farmland filled the empty square spaces in between.

"There's so many of them..."

Katara crawled to the side of the saddle and peeked over the edge. She was amazed by this place to say the least. Aang tugged at the reins a little bit to let Appa fly in a more relaxed manner so they could enjoy the view.

"These are all temples, stupas, pagodas, sanctuaries and monasteries. About 2,200 to 2,500 are still standing, though there might be even less now because I'm not sure how much damage these old structures received during the war.." he explained, scratching the back of his head for a moment.

"But thousands of years ago, there used to be more than 10,000 of them. They were built and used by air nomads from different villages, who didn't live too far away from each other. These small villages began to merge and turn into bigger groups of air nomads living together, until they decided to reside in only one sacred temple, which later became the Northern Air Temple."

Katara thought that it made sense, since they were in this part of the Earth Kingdom that remained very close to the Northern Air Temple.

"These plains are called 'the sea of temples'."

"I can see why," she giggled since it did seem like there was no end to these ancient buildings. They were flying right in the middle of this earthly sea, surrounded by something from each cardinal point, no matter where they looked.

"Do you wanna see one of my favourite places in the world?"

Besides his tone, his enthusiasm reflected from that familiar shimmer in his grey eyes as Aang gazed at her. It must've been something special to him if she distinguished that certain look in his eyes. Katara chuckled, then returned his warm smile.

"Of course, sweetie. Show me."

She watched how Aang guided Appa down closer to the ground, changing their course towards one of the highest pagodas nearby. He knew exactly where they were going and why. A small cloud of dust and gravel formed around the sky bison's feet as he landed in front of the pagoda. The airbender grabbed his staff before he jumped off the sky bison's head and thanked him by scratching the fur behind his ear.

"Nice job, buddy! It's been a long day. Get some rest while Katara and I go exploring around this pagoda."

Appa grunted, laying his head on his front paws and closing his big brown eyes to take a short nap. In the meantime, Katara had slid down his tail. Having dusted her tunic, she walked over to her boyfriend.

"So, where to now?"

"We're gonna climb all the way up there!" Aang said, slowly pointing his finger up along the staircase that led to the fifth level of the pagoda. The building itself had five square-shaped floors where people could walk around on, with a cylindrical stupa in the center decorating the top.

He grabbed Katara's hand and laced their fingers together as they approached the bottom of the stairs. At first as they began climbing up, it was Aang who led the way, always being a step in front of her and maintaining a good grip on her hand.

Katara followed a step behind him. Each step was practically up to her knees, hence the climb progressed in a rather slow pace. She counted the number of steps it took for them to get to the first terrace. More than 11 of those steps later, halfway up to the second level, she tripped when her foot got caught behind one of them.

Katara yelped as she lost her balance and began falling backwards, but she didn't even manage to blink before she was already back upright and in Aang's embrace. He saved her by catching her just in time.

"Katara! Are you okay?"

Her heart dropped and her diamond blue eyes grew wide as she met his worried gaze. Luckily, Aang had reacted fast enough and tugged at her hand to pull her back up to his side. She'd landed a step higher right next to him. His free hand was wrapped around her shaky body to hold her steady now.

Katara glanced behind and saw a few pebbles making their way down the stairs, dropping to the wider platform on the first level a couple of steps below. She took a very deep, calming breath.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay.." she stammered, holding her hands close to her chest. She felt her heart beating fast after she had a slight scare.

"You have to be more careful. This climb is pretty steep," Aang reprimanded her a little bit. He frowned when he saw how scared she looked and gifted her with a kiss on the cheek, rubbing her arm to comfort her.

"C'mon, let's take these final steps together and then have a nice walk around the pagoda before we continue. Okay?"

"Mhmm.." she hummed and nodded in agreement, her gaze fixed right in front of her feet. After that, they began walking up side by side, literally. Aang declared each step they took out loud as they moved one step at a time. He held his arm tightly around her waist to prevent her from falling again, supporting his own weight on the tip of his staff.

"Just one more.." he said as they lifted their left feet in unison, followed by their right ones. They'd reached the second terrace.

"There we go.. Let's take a break, sweetie."

"Sounds good," Katara agreed, heaving a sigh of relief. She was still shook from the near tumble as she let Aang give her a tour around the pagoda.

She entwined their hands as they strolled along the line of stones that'd been piled up on the edges of the terraces to form protective barriers. She gently ran her free hand over the rough pieces of earth while listening to her boyfriend talk about the history behind these old structures. She hummed now and again, showing that she was paying attention.

The cracks in the stones and the crumbled parts in the barriers betrayed just how old the pagoda really was when she saw them up close. Katara didn't wanna damage these old ruins any more than they already were. She wanted them to preserve their original state.

As they reached the back of the pagoda, her fear seemed to have slowly faded away. She wore a loving smile on her lips as she gazed at the horizon, marvelling at all the other buildings that stretched out over miles while Aang pointed at some of them and told tidbits about their origin. At least the ones he knew something about.

By the time they came full circle and arrived back at the stairs, she'd practically forgotten about the small incident. She instinctively wrapped her arm around Aang's waist and kept close to his side as they continued climbing to the top, one step at a time.

Less than ten minutes later, they'd finally made it up to the highest terrace safe and sound. As soon as they took a few steps away from the stairs, Aang hopped in front of her and stopped them in their tracks.

"Close your eyes, and don't peek!"

Katara giggled and did as she was told. She felt how he gently grabbed her hands, slowly lifting them up to cover her face with them.

"You're not peeking, are you?"

"Mkmm.." she replied, shaking her head. Aang held onto her shoulders to help her move. She sensed how he turned her around and they treaded closer to the barrier.

"What are you doing?" Katara wondered, a hint of excitement in her tone.

"Trust me. I wanna show you something. Be careful with your steps, you might trip behind a rock!" he warned her again, trying to guide her through a path where there weren't any bumps. They stopped in front of the wall that reached up to their waists.

"Are your eyes still closed?"

"Mhmm."

Katara heard how Aang dropped his staff somewhere, after which he grabbed her hands and lowered them onto the grained stones in front of her. He checked whether she was peeking.

"Are you ready?"

She chuckled, a wide grin decorating her features when she nodded to him.

"Then open your eyes."

She gasped, her hands landing back on her mouth. They were facing towards the stunning sunset that fell upon the plains. Neither of them could see it from the second terrace down below since it wasn't high enough, and she hadn't noticed it behind her back while they were busy climbing to where they were now.

"Aang.. this is beautiful!" was all she could muster as she clapped her hands together. He took a step closer and snaked an arm around her middle, pulling her by his side.

"I know. That's why I wanted you to come here. The sunsets in this place are some of the most beautiful ones in the entire world."

He was right. Katara leaned forward to place her elbows on the barrier, supporting her chin in the palms of her hands. Aang followed her example as he supported himself against the rocky wall.

They simply stood there in silence, enjoying the sunset, admiring how the shadows of the temples fell to the ground and onto the flora surrounding them. Katara felt enchanted by this gorgeous scenery. She averted her gaze back towards Aang when she heard him sniff. She noticed that he looked a bit sad. He wasn't crying, but it was evident that he was trying really hard to hold himself back.

"This.. this reminds you of home, doesn't it?"

He didn't look at her. He blinked and rubbed his right cheek with the back of his hand, the side of his face that she couldn't see from that angle. She guessed that he was crying. He nodded to her.

"Mhmm.."

Katara didn't say another word. She grabbed his free hand and gave it a squeeze. Aang stared at their entwined hands, then squeezed his eyes shut and softly bumped his temple against hers.

She felt how something wet trickled against her cheek. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Aang was crying a little. He sniffed and wiped his cheek dry by rubbing it against hers this time. She returned the gesture by fondly rubbing their noses together as well. She wrapped her other arm around him and hugged him as tight as she could.

"Thank you, Katara," he murmured, then kissed her cheek. She hummed in delight.

"No, thank you, Aang.. for bringing me here."

Katara loved it when he shared bits and pieces of his culture with her. It was something that she felt was unique in their relationship, something that nobody else could be apart of. She wouldn't have wanted this lovely evening to go any other way.

When Aang opened his grey eyes and met her loving gaze, she cupped his chin and ran her thumb across his lips, making him smile. She pressed a tender kiss there, releasing a short giggle afterwards. He rubbed at his cheeks to dry the last of his tears as they finished watching how the sun fell behind the mountain range in the horizon.

"So, how are we gonna get back down? Would you like to climb down or glide down?" Aang asked, scratching the back of his head. Katara already knew the answer to that question.

She giggled and pulled him beside her, gripping his waist firmly. Aang grabbed his staff and opened it into a glider, giving them a boost with his airbending to hop into the air. They glided back down to Appa so they could head back to their campsite and regale Sokka with stories about their adventures in the sea of temples.

#Kataang Week #sacred #Kataangtag #Kataang #the original Gaang #Team Avatar #Aang #Katara #Sokka #Appa #Momo #ATLA #my fanfiction #mine #shards of Kristal

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maddyanarchist · 4 years

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LION

WELCOME BACK AGAIN TO THE WEEKLY FILM REVIEW SERIES, SOME THOUGHTS, INSIGHTS, SNNIPETS & WHAT MAKES IT SO UNIQUE.

This is one of the few rich movies I have seen so far & by the term rich I don’t mean visually , or some heavy commercially viable film. The film is in itself a rich source of content since it has in it ingrained all sorts of the varied mix of different interpersonal relationships & above all making the audience believe that the theme ‘HUMANITY’ still exists!

SYNOPSIS: The story is about the journey of a five year old SAROO from the KHANDWA DISTRICT of MADHYA PRADESH in INDIA , TO AUSTRALIA. SAROO , belongs from a poor family, the breadwinner being his mother only , & he has a elder brother ‘GUDDU ‘ & has a younger sister. They have a very menial income wherein SAROO ‘s mother works as a labourer carrying rocks, his brother works in a mill & sometimes they both steal coal from freight trains to trade for milk & food. Although they live in acute poverty , but as a family even in such hardship they all live happily. One day , SAROO ACCOMPANIES his brother to his job at the mill late in the night & they arrive at a nearby train station, where SAROO decides to stay back & take a nap. GUDDU tries to wake him up , but SAROO feels a lot tired . AFTER some hours when GUDDU does’nt return from his work SAROO searches for him & boards a train presuming GUDDU is aboard. He falls asleep again in one of the compartments & wakes up to find the train in motion, while he shouts & shrieks for hep , but all in vain. After several days, the train arrives in a faraway station in CALCUTTA, WEST BENGAL wherein he does’nt get to understand the language very much. He stands at the ticket counter & tries to obtain a ticket home , but the attendant does’nt recognise the name of the village, hence he ultimately finds shelter along with the street children , until he wakes up & is forced to run when a group of man tries to kidnap him. This is the first time he got the experience of human trafficking.

After a few days , SAROo comes across NOOR , a seemingly friendly woman who takes him back to her apartment. She tells SAROO that a man named RAMA will help him find his way back home. Something does’nt click in the tone of the words RAMA & SAROO feels suspicious about their intentions, so he listened to his gut & ran away. After a few days he is helped by a young man who takes him to the police station , but unable to trace any information , they put him in an orphanage. Three months later , he is adopted by an AUSTRALIAN couple , little did he realise he has to shift to TASMANIA , miles away from his home. But he did’nt have any inch of fear left inside him & he gracefully accepts them as his parents. He also has an adopted brother MANTOSH , another fellow adopted by his adopted parents, but soon he realises MANTOSH is not that cooperative &with his parents. This makes SAROO ‘s adopted mother emotionally beaten & anxious. Even if SAROO is of a tender age , he understands his mother & lovingly embraces his support without even questioning anything. That displays his level of maturity.

Time passes & he grows with time in to a young gentleman , who is now all set to go to the UNIVERSITY of MELBOURNE to complete his hotel management degree. The fact that has not changed is the behaviour of MANTOSH towards his mom , & this upsets him & also his mother who considers herself guilty for the same. Here is when audience comes to know that MANTOSH lives seperate from SAROO & HIS PARENTS , because that is a way he tries to protect them for from the insecurities he has inside of him ,which also shows that MANTOSH is concerned for his adopted parents , but his disability ha s made him a lot more pessimistic in life. In MELBOURNE SAROO falls in love with LUCY & they both go on pretty well. One fine afternoon they arrive to the student housing wherein all the group were having Indian cuisine, & though SAROO seemed to have moved ahead in life , when he treads in to the kitchen , after finding a JALEBI laid down on the table , he takes a bite of it & he goes down the memory lane wherein he always wanted to have this swet , but back that time he did’nt have that much money. Thsi makes him emotional & he confronted his friends saying that ‘ I WAS LOST’. TEARS came down his eyes as he said so. So his friends tries to help him out , but it seems he does’nt remeber anything except the fact he belongs from GANESHTALAY. Now INDIA being such a scattered country , not knowing the district or the state it was almost impossible ti find out the exact location ,since for several days he was on that train lonely before he reached CALCUTTA. Though , SAROO seemed to give up on his idea of finding his way back in front of his friends , but the day after making out with Lucy , he wakes up in the midnight only to find himself in front of the laptop & trying to find the location by using the new technology , ‘ GOOGLE EARTH’ back then. He calculated the train speeds & the distance within a circumradius formed on an idea of his vivid imagination , but it does’nt seem to work out, & this makes him a lot more restless . It seems like wherever he is , some voice is screaming out on his ears , trying to call him back & he could see halluicination his elder brother GUDDU all the time. For the worse his relationship with LUCY becomes bitter. FOR LUCY , he seems to have lost between his past & his present. She tells him to confront his present wherein he yells at her saying that, ‘ DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT IS LIKE? HOW EVERYDAY MY REAL BROTHER SCREAMS MY NAME? CAN YOU IMAGINE THE PAIN THEY MUST BE NO KNOWING WHERE I AM ?. For the next several days , he seems to search his answers , trying out every possible way , but nothing happens. AFTER few monthe he meets LUCY again wherein she asks him , ‘ WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU FIND THEY ARE NOT THERE ? , to which he replies , ‘ I HAVE NO CHOICE’. He also comes to know from his father that his mother is not very well, so is possible if he could just meet her. He visits SUE , whose health is deteoriating, & learns that she is no infertile & that he had chosen to help others through adoption . for she feels ,by giving out a birth will not make anything better , rather than giving a life to someone suffering intensely may induce a difference. After hearing her , he mends his relationship with LUCY & MANTOSH & decides to give up his idea of searching any further , giving a last try. So , one evening while scanning GOOGLE EARTH, serendipitiousy , he happens to recollect the rock formations , his mother worked & gradually with every click he seems to move closer to his way back home , ultimately coming across the neighbourhood he lived in. HAVING , completed his serach he informs his adoptive mother all about his whereabouts & why he behaved estraned these all days , living in seperation from them. In turn she understands his pain & fully supports his efforts.

He goes back to INDIA , in search of his mother which is still a doubt for in this wide span of 25yrs , it may be she has moved somewhere, but to his fortune, his biological mother never left the village for she had deep faith that one day her son will find her way back home . He also comes to know that his elder brother is dead. Finally he is able to come back to where it all began. His adoptive & biological parents reconciled & shed tears on such a long journey back home.

In the end he comes to know that he actually mispelled his name ‘ SHERU ‘ for ‘ SAROO’ & this is a bit of irony because SHERU means LION, the animal who always finds its way back to its abode.

The film is based upon a true story by SAROO BRIERLY. It is a life story which shows the power of conviction & determination to reach one’s goal. It highlights the selflessness of a mother who projected the essence of motherhood which is not just restricted to being biological. IT also makes us learn that even if we try to leave our past behind , if something is left back , we have to go back to our past to mend back affairs. It is a philosophical journey which captures the idea behind imagination because he literally found his mother from SPACE. It’s a journey which shows how life is a full circle. It comes back to where it began. Above all its the power of humanity which holds the string of interpersonal relationships of life.

SOMETIMES STORIES ARE NOT JUST STORIES , THEY CONTAIN THE POWER TO TRANSFORM IMAGINATION IN TO REALITY & THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU CAN REFUTE BECAUSE IT IS A TRUE REALITY REALISED BY THE INDIVIDUAL. SO HAVE BELIEF IN WHAT YOU BELIEVE.

#HUMANITYINSPIRATIONCARELOVE

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chinxino5-blog · 7 years

Text

It’s A Package Deal - Eleven

Bryce spent ten minutes contemplating turning on the radio. The car was silent and although it was pleasant, he wished for some sort of sound. He liked sound. As much as the two were at peace in that moment, Bryce still wished for something to fill the space between them other than silence. Ohm had been in a comfortably good mood and Bryce deemed himself safe enough to reach a hand forward and spin the volume dial up so he could hear the voices chattering away.

Feeling the hitman’s watch on him, he plugged in his phone and shuffled his playlist. When he sat back, he met blank grey eyes for just a moment before the focus was returned to the road, not a shift in his expression.

He smiled to himself ever-so-slightly at his small success, seeing as Ohm’s gun wasn’t in his hand and it wasn’t aimed at him. A calm, not-pissed Ohm, was a good Ohm.

It was something.

Their surroundings thinned over the morning hours, the forest dropping away for the vast openness of the Kansas country. The land stretched out to the horizon; flat, endless and empty. Despite the exposure, Ohm felt himself settle back as they sped down long roads. There was no one around to watch them as they went, no one to pick at their phones or murmur amongst themselves.

That was fortunate at least, seeing as their back windshield was completely shattered and they didn’t look like your everyday road-trippers. There was no need to worry, no need to stress. The emptiness of their location was just as good as the envelopment of the forests. They were still alone.

Bryce rested his head back against his chair, the tension and exhaustion in his body rushing out of his lungs with a sigh. His music floated on the air, coating him in familiarity and comfort.

He barely acknowledged his own voice as he hummed along, eyes staring out at where the earth ended.

“Bryce.” He blinked over to Ohm, meeting those cool grey eyes again. They watched him with a narrowed gaze, but lacked malice as he raised a brow. “Shut up.” Words sharp, but uncaring. A cool warning. The hum faded in his throat and his gaze dropped to the radio. He had a very vivid memory of the gun at his throat and didn’t really want a part two.

Nodding stiffly, he adjusted his seat slightly and let his legs stretch out as much as they could.

The two fell back into silence, and just listened as the song changed once again. Without much thought, Ohm leaned forward a touch and turned up the volume so the sound was heavier in his mind. The music was nice, and he mentally thanked Bryce for not listening to bullshit like heavy metal or annoying hip hop. Instead, he played soft songs with sweet melodies. They were calming and enjoyable to listen to while driving, but not so slow that they’d lull him to sleep. It wasn’t bad.

At least the blonde had a few good qualities.

Ohm found himself rolling down his window and could practically feel his thoughts unwind as the wind fluttered through the car. It washed over his face with a freshness untainted by pollution and untouched by anything but dirt, grass and clouds.

He breathed in deeply through his nose, wanting to breathe in that very air every day for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to taste the polluted city air. He hated the city air. It was thick with smoke and fuel and every kind of pollutant you could think of. Comparing that to out there in the vastness and emptiness was like comparing sewerage water to drinking water.

It was only point to add to the list of things he adored about country life.

Drifting off into the love for his paradise, he acknowledged Bryce’s humming long after it had begun and caught himself following the melody. After a few more long moments of fresh air and pretty humming, Ohm realised he probably should have told the blonde to shut his trap minutes ago.

His mouth opened, Bryce’s name on his tongue, but he found himself pressing his lips together and shaking his head. He didn’t care, it didn’t bother him. He daren’t say he liked the sound, but he wasn’t fussed as it curled around his thoughts and ran along until his fingertips.

He could tolerate the humming – he could learn to tolerate Bryce too.

The atmosphere of the car was hard describe. Bryce liked to think it was pure. Ohm wasn’t glaring and scowling and snarling. Threats weren’t rolling off his tongue like any other day. His eyes weren’t cold and hard and hiding malicious thoughts like they usually were. Instead, his bandana rested around his neck, and his expression was calm. His eyes were soft and his hair ruffled with the wind that flushed through his open window. His hands were relaxed on the leather wheel, his posture was slack, his gun remained untouched.

He was soft, content and calm.

Bryce was almost happy to say he felt comfortable alongside the man, unbothered by him and no longer shuddering with intimidation. The hitman still terrified him, and it was hard to look him in the eye without shrinking back, but it was a nice day. He had a nice aura.

Nice compared to the feeling he usually gave off when they were together.

Bryce felt relatively content. He’d sat with his legs crossed most of the day, sketch pad in his lap and pencil flying over paper. He flicked over page after page, leaving random quirky drawings on each one without purpose or order or proper design. He realised he had started humming again halfway through the day and startled himself, worrying how long he had been doing so and wondering if Ohm had even noticed.

To both concerns, he had no idea, but nothing had been said and the older man had only ever glanced at him every now and then. With slight hesitance, he allowed himself to relax and didn’t bother to overthink the little tunes he hummed along to.

Under Ohm’s directions, he retrieved a box of food from behind his seat and opened up a bag of chips for the driver and another for himself. They snacked on little titbits of food throughout the afternoon, nothing much changing.

The world around them was an exception. Endless flat horizons grew into mountains, and little orderly fields fell apart to acres of low shrubbery. Little clusters of trees dotted the shaped land and they soon found themselves travelling between and around hills and cliff-faces.

That was, until, the car stopped.

They were moving, flying along as they looked up and around the world they passed through, and then they weren’t.

“What’s going on?” Bryce asked, blinking over at Ohm who was frowning at the steering wheel. He chose against responding, twisting the key in the ignition. The car coughed, spluttered, and choked. It didn’t start. “Ohm…”

The brunette groaned, slumping forwards over the steering wheel. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Know anything about cars?” he asked, lifting his head slightly to blink at Bryce with tired eyes. The blonde could see the need for sleep growing heavier in the swirls of grey and sighed, regretfully shaking his head.

“I probably know less than you but I’ll have a look and see if anything’s noticeably destroyed. You should try and rest or something,” he remarked and Ohm straightened immediately. He rubbed his eyes, wishing the lethargy away. “I can sit outside and wave down a car. You look wrecked and you won’t be able to drive if you can’t stay awake.”

He bit out a short, “I’m fine,” and Bryce just shook his head.

He stepped out of the car and dragged himself to the front. Popping the hood, he raised his brows at the mess of mechanics he knew absolutely nothing about. Thankfully, there wasn’t any smoke and nothing looked cracked. But he had no idea what internal damage there could have been. He knew next to nothing about cars, and even less about cars that didn’t start.

He didn’t often do big trips.

“Nothing looks really out of place?” he called to the hitman, carding his fingers through his head hopelessly. Leaving the hood up, he walked around to Ohm’s side and rested against the door. The brunette was trying hard not to look exhausted, and failing. “Just get some sleep, or at least try. I can’t do shit out in the middle of nowhere with a broken down car. I’ll just stand out here and wave down someone driving past.”

Ohm looked at him with doubt. He was exhausted, unfortunately, and Bryce’s humming had definitely done a number on his energy levels. A nap sounded really desirable.

“Fine. But do anything and I’ll know,” he grumbled, the weak threat not doing much to faze the blonde who nodded. Defeat hung off his sigh as he unclipped his seatbelt and pushed his seat further down, rolling to face away from the open window. .

Bryce nodded, satisfied with the other’s compliance, and sat himself down on the road. He hoped that someone would drive past soon.

His gaze dropped over the mountains. They had stopped on a road that rose up in a rocky hillside to the right, and dropped off down over bushland to the left. The vast openness they’d previously been racing across had evaporated to an unstable landscape. Roads wound among hills, along ridges and through spots of forests. There was no pattern to it, no journey to follow; it was a curious adventure with a careless destination.

A destination which had been prolonged, at least for just a bit.

He hoped for not too long, not wishing to be out so late waiting for luck he didn’t believe he had. He didn’t want to sit out in the cold all night, begging for headlights to appear around the bend with the sound of an engine. He didn’t want to talk to random strangers and make up a dumb backstory to who they were and what they were doing.

He wanted to find himself in a moving car, with the heater on and nice music playing. He didn’t like the idea of being stuck. It wasn’t like they could contact anyone, the least contact with people, the better. Calling a towing company would be a long time, and a bigger chance to be recognised.

Some stranger driving around would be less likely to recognise his face. If they did, he was sure Ohm would do something about it.

That thought wasn’t welcome in his mind.

But what if he took the chance… He could wave down a stranger, explain the situation and have them drive off to the next city with just him. He could find authorities, give them Ohm’s information, book a plane ticket home and be back in his apartment with his lover’s arms secured around him, a promise of love and safety. He could leave the hitman sleeping in his car without the slightest idea as they raced off through the country.

Ohm was asleep. The window was open, but he was still asleep. Was he a light sleeper? It was likely. Living his sort of life, he’d have to be. Always in hiding, always on the run. He’d be moving the moment he felt or heard anything.

That meant putting his window up would be too risky, and too difficult to explain without seeming guilty if he awoke. If any car came speeding down the road their engine would certainly rouse him also. Talking would alert him. Car doors opening would alert him.

There were little to no chance of getting out.

Bryce let his head fall to rest on his bent knees, glaring at the gravel. His mind threw thought after thought into a mental rubbish bin, fear battling with his will to get away. The risks were too high, but were they worth it.

He could feel the bruise that had formed at the base of his throat, having glimpsed it in the side mirror when getting out of the car. It wasn’t pretty, and the memory was still vivid despite how calm his partner had been all day. He was still wary and allowed his fingertips to brush along the tender skin.

The thought of what Ohm’d do to him if he was caught making a run for it kept him planted to the side of the car, and his will to run and scream and make a fuss was locked down and silenced in his conscience.

He wasn’t reckless, or brave. He stayed seated on the road.

His gun didn’t shoot. It wouldn’t shoot.

The longer he looked into those blue watering eyes, the more his energy bubbled. In anger? Frustration? Panic? Distress? He couldn’t tell his emotions apart, but he felt he was going to implode. His gaze followed each tear that dribbled down his cheeks, following the line of his jaw and dropping to the grass.

He was just a man. Just a victim. A subject. A deal. He was just another blonde. He was just another pair of blue eyes. He was nothing special, he was nothing specific. He was just someone to be shot.

Ohm yanked the trigger back as far as it could go, only to listen helplessly as it clicked. For the second time, he checked there were bullets in place. For the second time, he assured himself there was. For the umpteenth time, he aimed between the sobbing man’s eyes and shot nothing.

He wanted to scream, but his grit teeth didn’t allow it. Instead, he glared at the blonde. His eyes were big and wide, it was all Ohm could see. Two big swirls of blue, crinkled at the edges and leaking down his sickly pale skin. His lips trembled with words he couldn’t say, and after a few more moments, he fell to his knees.

His eyes stayed on Ohm.

The hitman let out a cry of anguish. “Why can’t I shoot you!?” His fingers trembled around the black weapon, and he only held it tighter. He tried again, hearing it click and click and click. He grit his teeth, running a hand through his hair and gripping it tightly at the roots.

His feet were planted in the grass, little vines entwined over them. He couldn’t turn, or run, and his eyes refused to close.

They stayed on Bryce. He watched the tears soak his skin and drip to the grass below. He glared as green curled over to grey and brown.

He blinked.

And his paradise was dead.

Not a patch of alive, green grass could be seen, trees were coated in thick layers of charcoal, no flowers swayed in the chilling breeze that was pleasant and calming only moments ago. The sound of birds morphed into the wailing of the wind and he could only glare as Bryce fell back onto his heels.

Blue eyes. Staring. Crying.

You can’t kill him unless you mean it.

Ohm snarled, yanking his hand from his hair. He wanted to punch something, to claw at something, to make something bleed. “What’s that supposed to mean!?” he spat, lip pulled back in a vicious sneer. Anger and distress flushed through his bloodstream. He raised the gun again, two hands clamped around it in shaky determination. “I want him fucking dead!” With a final shout, he squeezed the trigger and the bullet buried itself in between those two big blue eyes.

A woman fell to the ground, blonde hair falling over her face as it gushed blood. Her big blue eyes filled with red and Ohm tore his feet from vines that weren’t there. He threw his gun to the side and walked into the trees in search of his paradise.

First: Prologue

Previous: Ten

Next: Twelve

Ayy, I posted! I’m actually getting extremely excited about this because it’s about to get far more interesting and far more emotional with the characters. This, my friends, is where the story starts kicking <3

Hope you all enjoy it! Let me know what you think about it

#brohm #fic #brohm fic #fanfic #brohm fanfic #bbs #bbs fic #bbs fanfic #stockholm syndrome #hitman!ohmwrecker #it's a package deal #its a package deal

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randrvstheworld · 7 years

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Cali.

Day one. Classic getting to know the neighbourhood day.

Our hostel puts on loads of free activities so we indulged in an hour of yoga on our arrival at El Viajero which was fun, relaxing, & a great way to stretch out after our long & uncomfortable bus journey from Medellin. Post-yoga & checking into our room/sorting out our stuff/having a nap & a hot shower we went for a walk up the road into a beautiful park at the top of a hill, lush views over the city. Cali is BIG, also is mostly flat so from the higher points round the edges of the city you can see for miles & miles. Cali is known as city of birds & there are so many, really pretty ones everywhere. Like Medellin, we are in a city of temperate climes; not too hot, not to cold, little bit rainy but mostly not humid & mosquito-free so we are thoroughly enjoying not being ludicrously sweaty and itchy constantly. It’s nice.

After our park walk we ate dinner on a roof terrace & gazed out over the city. Medellin is prettier but Cali, apparently, is a more ‘typical’ Colombian town. Still heaps of rad street art all over the place - I learned that graffiti isn’t an actual crime here, it’s simply an infraction so I guess it’s policed in a pretty lax manner; as a result the street art is actually great, not shitty tags but awesome & well-executed, beautiful murals. After dinner we headed back to our hostel for the first of our free salsa classes - they do them every night. It was fun, lively, sweaty. I learnt five basic steps & danced with a cool Swiss dude called Nikolas who I drank a couple beers & shared travel tips with afterwards.

Yesterday we went out in the morning for a free walking tour - LOVE a free walking tour. 1) it’s free, 2) it’s a neat way to get to know the area & learn a fair bit of history in the process (beneficial for me, because I know literally nothing about the world). There’s a square in the centre of town called Poet Square; something cool about this place is that there are dozens of dudes with typewriters at little stands. Back when education was unaffordable for most people & many Calenos were illiterate they’d go to these guys when they needed a letter writing or a forma document or whatnot. Due to the fact that education is now accessible & almost everyone has a computer (or at least access to one) their service is all but obsolete now however many people still go to the public typists for the purposes of keeping the tradition going - they are now paid by the city so that even if they don’t have any customers they can still keep doing their thing. I thought this was very unique & cool.

Our tour guide also insisted that we try & typical Cali beverage called a Lulada which is a kind of sour fruit shmushed up with ice & condensed milk, which does not sound nice (nor look nice) but is tangy & sweet & amazing. Buoyed by an intense sugar high we rented bikes from our hostel for a couple hours in the afternoon & ended up getting a bit of a free tour from the bike rental guy who was the sweetest dude ever & seemed quite concerned that we might get run over/hadn’t learned enough about Cali so showed us around for a little bit before we ventured off on our own. We cycled to Parque el Gato which is a part dotted with all these sculptures of cats, each one designed by a different Cali artist. After the cats we tried to cycled to Parque del Perro (dog park) in the hopes of seeing some doggo sculptures but got v lost along the way & instead ended up in a very nice neighbourhood where we walked to the top of an even higher hill than the day before for even more amazing views, sat on some steps drinking it all in & had one of those moments where I found it very hard to comprehend that I AM IN COLOMBIA & my dreams of travelling are finally actually coming true. Sometimes I just have to pinch myself because it all feels so unreal. Looking out over this vast city, beautiful blossoming trees & tiny cute bright red birds perched on telephone wires, mountains in the distance... I am just in awe of everything & still can’t quite believe that after so much planning & preparing we are actually doing it.

On our way back to the bike rental place we suddenly realised why bike dude had been concerned for our welfare as we inadvertently hit the busiest main road in the city during rush hour & basically cycled for 40 minutes yelling FFFFUUUUUUUUCCCKKKKKKK because that sh*t was hair-raising. We thanked Jesus for the fact that this was one of very few bike rental places that provided helmets. Motorbikes veer onto the pavements to skip traffic & henceforth cycling in London will be an actual breeze because you have not truly felt fear until you have tried cycling round Colombia. It’s as if our bikes were not bikes at all but invisibility cloaks. FARK. I think I’m still shaking. But when we arrived in one piece I have never felt more alive! I genuinely think I had so much adrenaline coursing through my system I could’ve picked up a car & launched it across the street.

Bike dude then told us we HAD to try another traditional Cali drink called a Champu & if we wanted he would take us to his favourite place to get it. Never one to turn down a spontaneous offer we said yes & off we cycled again to this little joint just round the corner from our hostel where we were served this drink which looked like a glass of cold soup but tasted like a delicious smoothie, packed with different kinds of fruit & honey. It was really good! We indulged in more salsa in the evening followed by ore beers & increasingly aggressive games of shithead with various people from the hostel. It was a day of trying typical Cali things - we also ate a huge, 2-course lunch at a local place which cost just over £2 each; soup, ice tea, chicken, rice & vegetables, salad & plantain. For £2. We intended to stay in Colombia for 2-3 weeks. By the time we leave we will have been here for almost 2 months! This country is great; so lively & fun & varied, beautiful landscapes, wonderful people & customs. AND SO CHEAP!!

Today we’re going for a hike up to the Three Crosses (yep, muchos religious iconography) & then another salsa lesson before we attempt to take our salsa learnings out on the town. We’ll be shimmying til dawn (or falling over a lot either way it should be fun)

#cali #colombia #travel diary #travelling #south america #randrvstheworld

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imagine-that-one-thing · 7 years

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Say You Do | Chapter Four

Other Chapters found, HERE Warning: Smut included.

Emily:

A weight is lifted off my shoulders as I sit shotgun in Harry’s sportscar. My previous emotions, being brought on at the mere thought of our wedding, enveloped me into a state of sadness and frustration. The moment the cold jewellery touched my fair skin, momentarily, my clouded emotions escaped me. Though my only mode of release was tears, it had to be done. Better done behind closed doors, than in public.

The car is silent, and I sit slightly angled so I am able to look at the scenery — both outside, and inside of the car. Harry was a sight I couldn’t get tired of looking at, even during this period of our life, he remains my salvation.

I can feel myself falling asleep as the car smoothly drives along a soft country road. I desperately am trying not to doze off, currently enjoying my location and my company, I want to feel this way for as long as possible. My body, however, is sleep deprived, from my constant tossing and turning, the overthinking and plotting.

“You can take a nap, if you’d like,” Harry is the first to speak as if he is able to read my mind. “We will only arrive in an hour.”

“I wish I wasn’t so tired,” I sigh, kicking off my shoes and resting my feet on the seat beneath me. “I want to admire the scenic route.”

“We will take this way home, then.” Harry glances over at me, shooting me a smirk. “I’ll wake you when we arrive.” He promises.

I give in, without a word. As I close my eyes, the touch of Harry’s hand intertwining with mine rattles my core, momentarily waking me as I glance down at our connection. It feels nice, and I decide not to decline the contact I had been craving but was too afraid to ask for. His minor action is one so powerful, I sleep soundly the whole way to the venue.

I wake up only moments before arriving and lay eyes on the beautiful church at the end of our journey. Our dear friends are finally getting married today. Today is one of the happiest, most important, days of their lives. For me, and even possibly Harry, the day before us would consist of an abundance of flashbacks, and envy, for the spouses to be.

As Harry parks his car, I can feel the eyes of the guests burning through the windows at us. I glance over, up towards the steps of the church, where a number of guests stand as they wait to enter the building. Some, are people we know, friends we had become distant with over the years and throughout Harry’s success.

Others are simply onlookers, excited to see a man of status attending the same gathering as them. This, somehow, makes me feel important, on a day that is about everything except Harry and I.

“Are you ready, love?” Harry asks me, squeezing my hand before shifting the car into park.

“Ready if you are.” I nod, smiling towards him.

Almost in sync, we open our doors, stepping out gracefully and looking at each other over the roof of the car. Harry smirks at me, now making a joke of us mimicking each other’s every move. We close our doors on the count of three and strut to the back of the car where we meet each other.

Harry’s hand reaches for mine over the trunk of the car, and with that, we walk towards the group gawking in our direction.

“Why are they staring at us like that?” I question, looking around in confusion. “Do I have something on my face?”

As we ascend the steep concrete steps, Harry takes a place behind me and lifts the small train of my dress high enough to enable easy steps on my part. I’m flattered, and in awe, by his actions, and take notice that the people surrounding us feel the same. We stop, momentarily, and chat up a few old friends. They compliment us, with bright eyes and convincing words, but that is hardly enough to trigger a genuine thanks from us.

“Emily, you’re glowing!” Our friend, Patty, chirps to me. She seems far too excited to be seeing Harry and me again, but I must admit, it is fun to play pretend with people you hardly see.

“Thank you! I feel fantastic.” I nod, smiling at her as she sways in her dress. “I have nothing to complain about these days!”

I lean on Harry, and we both laugh at my comment along with those around us. But, different from them, we are laughing for completely alternative, and obvious, reasons. At least we are keeping our sense of humour until the end.

Our interactions are kept to a minimum before the host calls us into the church to take our seats. Thankfully, we have been seated beside a couple we do not know. We have escaped interrogation, although, I must admit, we are good liars.

Watching our friends elope, and profess their undying love for each other, causes tears to escape my eyes. I find myself not being the only one here who is brought to tears, many women around me are patting their tears away with soft silk tissues. For them, their tears are those of joy, the ones you can feel raising up your eyes as you smile at a tender sight. On my part, the tears are bitter and burn as they enter my tired weeping eyes. Harry feels this vibe, wrapping his arm around me as he brings me closer to his side.

“I will be with you forever,” The groom ends his vow, and kisses the hand of his soon-to-be bride.

“I said something like that too, you know,” Harry whispers into my ear, before kissing my temple. “And I still mean it, if you’ll have me.”

I look up at him, a tear travels down my cheek, leaving cold remnants behind. He peeks down at me, his big, warm, hand raises to my cheek. His touch is so soft, as his thumb brushes the heavy tear from my skin. I lean into his palm, closing my eyes as if we are the only people in the room. I nod gently, before looking at him again. His green eyes radiate from my perspective, the high church lights cast down on us, and it feels like I am witnessing an angel.

That interaction was enough for me and, almost immediately, I felt better, and authentically began to clap for the happy couple. I was like them once, I already had my parade and shoved the love I had for my significant other down the throats of my guests. Having said that, the divorce rate in England is roughly fifty per cent, and I hope they come out on the better half.

As they walk out the doors and collapse into their awaiting limo, the guests are all piling up at the door, in a rushed and messy attempt to reach the venue in a timely matter. Harry and I do not hang back, and are one of the first out of the church and darting to our car.

I can feel my dress flying behind me, as Harry pulls me through the parking lot and into the car. We speed off onto the narrow road and follow the car in front of us to the next building. I feel wildly comfortable beside Harry, and for the first time, in a long time, it feels like we aren’t enduring any difficulties. I feel like my old self; I never want this day to end. Approaching the hall, which also doubles as a hotel in which we will be staying, I take in its beauty. The large white pillars out front and tall rounded doors give away the luxury of the setting.

Upon entering, we easily find our table. We sit with our old friends and shoot the shit for almost an hour before dinner is served. The room is packed, and filled with only the most beautiful mood. Harry and I take it upon ourselves to congratulate the newlyweds and present our gift to them as a generous check, encased in an envelope with both our names pressed onto it.

It was the least we would do.

As the night passes on, the tables begin to empty, as the dancefloor overflows. I smile to myself as I observe a few of the other couples dancing, from the comfort of my seat, and little kids gracefully playing and waltzing around like the adults, doing their best to stay occupied.

I’ve always admired the scenes of weddings, they’re continuously flowing with a loving enthusiasm, there’s never a dull moment, between the laughter of children dancing and the smiling sensation of the happy couples.

I take a taste of my wine, Harry’s hand caressing against my leg, his fingers cautiously moving the material of my dress to slip under it.

His warm touch clasped to the tenderness of my skin spontaneously permeates my soul with a sense of clarity. I glance over at him, noticing how he’s smiling with his eyes focused on the dance floor, nonchalantly causing my toes to curl slightly within my heeled shoes. My eyes mirror his gaze, my own smile painting across my supple lips as I witness a young girl and boy dancing, her little white dress floating with each step.

I feel him squeeze my thigh considerately under the table, granting a sudden urge of desire to sweep through me.

I bite down on my lip, taking a small breath as I sense the tip of his fingers rubbing circles against the softness of my skin. At first, I disregard the tenderness and the intriguing touch; I have longed for so long to feel his touch, but I’m sure it’s just in the heat of the moment.

I take another sip of my wine, placing it down as I perceive his hand inching higher, his fingers lacing the outline of my lingerie, immediately driving my head to revolve in roaring circles. I take a breath, my eyes narrowing over to meet a far-flung grin, anticipation becoming something that I’m struggling to avoid.

A shiver radiates down my spine the minute his fastidious fingers continue to grace the touch against the slender column of my lingerie, almost causing my breath to hitch in my throat. He nonchalantly reaches for his wine glass, takes a drink, the delicacy of his touch still enthralling me, moderately, and steadily.

I let out a breath as he stops tampering with my sanity, moving his hand to decline back towards my lower thigh, his eyes shimmering at me with that cheeky shine they have possessed since the day I met him.

“Lose ye’ breath? Hm?” He chuckles like the tease he used to be before things began to escalate into a rocky abyss of insignificance.

I don’t respond as I mildly bear my teeth to sink into the mellowness of my bottom lip, striving not to concede my irate sentiments to leave him of innocence and drag him to the hotel room.

It has been months since the sensation of his touch being pressed to my body pervaded my senses. I was freezing and fragile, now I appear rekindled and swelled with an intensity I can not fathom to detail. My eyes take intimation of his cut creased jawline, down to his crimson red tie, and the way his white shirt is rolled up his sleeve, exposing a few of his youthful tattoos engraved into his surface like a permanent cascading waterfall.

I subtly lick my lips, savouring the aftertaste of my wine, beginning to wish to taste what his sweet lips provide, something I have not sampled in a while — something I crave — like a bee covets luscious, rectified honey.

I catch him off guard when I caress my hand to relax on his inner thigh, his eyes immediately diverting their full attention to me as I smirk in a spontaneous manner. He swallows the last bit of his wine with a hard gulp, pressing the glass to the table.

“Be nice,” He raspily clears his throat, eyeing a couple as they pass the table, oblivious to the devious shenanigans leisurely taking place under the table, out of view.

I inch my hand further up his thigh, gliding itself skillfully over his package, his jaw clenching as he gulps.

“Em,” He breathes, my hand allowing itself to stay positioned to tease his delicacy.

“Breathless?” I tease him the same way he did to me, entertained by his darkening eyes, and his trembling lips as he attempts to battle the same desire I am caving into. “Hotel?” I whisper, his eyes closing for a split second, his head descending in a nod.

“You’re going to have to move your hand, first.” He comments and I raise a brow, just now noticing his hand gripping my thigh mildly, but enough to make it known he is caving.

With a smirk, I cast my eyes between his own and his hand settling on my groin still, “So do you,” I remind him, his hand releasing itself from my thigh, mine doing the same, setting him free as he stands to his feet, he grabs his suit jacket from its position overhanging the chair, driving it up his arms before extending me his hand — the hand that executed an enthusiasm — a burning in my soul that I have neglected to welcome in a while.

Like a pair of giggly children, we subtly find our way departing the scene of the reception, managing to disappear without being observed by the main people of the wedding.

The tour from the elevator to the doorway of the room was a brisk walk permeated with a pang of intense lingering hunger. The moment Harry thrusts the door open, I enter, turning around and mounting him against the door as it shuts, his hands spontaneously clasping to the material of my gown embracing my waist, our tongues caressing and binding like two ships.

He groans into our kiss, carefully pushing off the door, guiding us towards the bed, my hands brushing off his suit jacket, enabling it to drop to the carpeted flooring of the hotel room. I begin to press my agile fingers to the buttons of his shirt, shakily undoing them in a hasty manner, his own hand unzipping the back of my dress.

When I get his shirt wide open, his bare chest staring at me in the face, I force the shirt down his flexed arms, another article of clothing making its way to the floor. He helps with tugging off my dress, my feet slipping out of the heels, my body now only clad in a pair of my black, skimpy lingerie.

I struggle to keep my hands to myself as the raging desire to feel every inch of his body infuriates me while he kicks off his shoes, my hands now vigorously drawing at his pants as we flounder our way towards the bed.

I decline against the fresh coverings, his body surging to hover over mine, the cloying sensation of his kisses weighting to the slender column of my neck hitches my breath in my throat.

The enraged desire and anticipation rise with every rich, sensational kiss his lips allow being caressed to my once cold and bitter body. My fingers tangle themselves within the silkiness of his short hair, the ends just beginning to curl.

My fingertips haven’t run through his hair in a long time, they almost misremembered the way it felt to have his smooth hair glide against each fingertip.

I am taken back as I feel the stroke of his tongue glide over my collarbone, his hands wandering my body like a map with no destination. I move my hands to release his soft hair from my grip, moving to feel every dip and curve his body has to offer, gliding over his abs like rocky mountains covered in dripping honey. My hands and eyes honouring the full power of his physique.

“I want you,” I feel him whisper swiftly against the edge of my skin, lifting his head slightly to allow the shade of his eyes to gleam into my own. I bite my lip, feeling the cold chain of his necklace tapping my warm skin, all thoughts becoming superfluous but one.

I nod, not managing to mumble my words, instead, I wrap my leg around him, surging his body closer to mine, a deep primitive tug that signals that I want him. My mouth takes bold possession of his lips, my tongue exploring the texture of his, the feathery strokes of his tongue causing my hormones to percolate furiously, bouncing against the seams of my skin, humming through my veins, igniting a hunger that has been caged for so long. As we kiss with promises full of fulfilment, his delicate fingers begin to slide down the lacy underwear clasped to my body, my head twisting frantically as I kiss him deeper, ready for what’s to come.

He surges himself closer to me, his hard thighs crowning my hips, pressing me against his arousal. I haul in a breath, my body closing tightly around him as he enthrals me with his entry, an engulfing emotion hitching my breath, the slowly repeated motions bringing back memories that have felt so distant. I haven’t felt him this close to me in a long time — I have not felt him.

Heat and power radiate between our bodies, both of us working together to create a fulfilment of passion and love; the long, gradual, ride of delight silencing the deep hunger inside me. Wildness beginning to brew beneath the gentleness he surging. I relentlessly move my hips against his, my nails gliding against the skin of his back in the passion onslaught of his desire, denoting a reckless savage lust, unlike anything I had ever felt before. Our tongues dip and swirl in sweet motion, his strength throbbing inside me at a faster pace — transcending physical pleasure. An urgent need and want flow in a commanding way between us as I arch my back to better accept him.

The stirring of primal needs hits its towering peak, his groans becoming more powerful, my lips forcing themselves not to pull away from his kiss, my teeth wanting to bite into the skin around his shoulder, but I divert the frustration to my hands on his back.

Ripples of pleasure make itself distinguished, molten waves melting inside me, a keening sound escaping my lips as I throw back my head, my eyes narrowing to half-mast.

It was potent — he was damn potent.

His sweaty body falls beside me, nothing but our deep, heavy breath fills the silence around us, my legs quivery and moist, his chest rising rapidly as he gazes up at the hotel ceiling.

“Fuck, that was great.” He breaks the silence, reading my own thoughts, it was not great, it was fucking euphoric. “I love you,” He breathes with a short breath, tilting his head to look at me.

The narcotic power of his deep voice draws a smile from my honey tasting lips, tampering with my sanity again.

“I love you,” the words effortlessly slip from my lips, “Please, don’t leave me.”

my thoughts escape through words, a craving that was fulfilled now revealing a vulnerability that I am not sure whether I want to be exposed.

I feel his hand reach over and press softly over mine, “I’m right here, Em. I’m not going anywhere.”

His husky voice sends shivers down my spine, my body moving closer to his, my mouth skimming the edge of his lips, allowing him to take control of rained, silky, kisses.

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artificialqueens · 7 years

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This could happen (Trixya) - Toki

AN: First submission! A little one shot real-world Trixya for your nerves ft. a touch of smut. TW: Drink, drugs, swearing.

It was the longest leg of the journey, a boiling hot summer’s morning, and Trixie was already bored. On a day like this she should be out on the beach, eyes half closed in the dazzling light, sun pouring over her skin and drawing shadows across her slowly hardening abs. She loved going to the gym. She loved showing off her muscles, as if she had no idea anyone was watching her smooth skin ripple when she flexed. She loved being athletic, feeling adult. Getting a smoothie. Now she was folded over the central table of the tour bus, listlessly checking the latest Instagram posts she’d been tagged in from the show the night before. Nothing stood out as she scrolled. The usual thirty meet and greet selfies, the three photos of her grimacing and presenting a gifted copy of Contact, a photo of her with her arm draped over the shoulder of a slight twink sporting a hastily-bought merch T. Everyone wants to stand out. Form a lasting connection, make an impression, linger in the sleepy next-day mind of the famous drag queen. No one did. She turned off her phone.

The bus was an ageing one, more fitting for a medium-low budget tour. The outlets didn’t work. Battery must be conserved, and that meant socialising. Trixie pushed herself up from the couch and took a moment to stretch, flexing her biceps as the sun flashed through the windows. “Ooh girl,” Violet piped up from the front. “Get it mama. Bring those arms up here.” Trixie yawned as she paced forward to where a few of her tourmates were curled up. It was the tenth morning of the Summer of Drag tour, a long bill spanning fifteen states over twenty-four days. Trixie, Violet, Bianca, Alaska, Aja, Max, Pandora Boxx and Michelle Visage were all on the roster.. for most of the time, anyway. The Summer of Drag lineup varied several times between states to accommodate the busy schedules of the stars, although Trixie, Michelle and Pandora were permanent fixtures. From tomorrow Pearl would be around for a few days, Adore after that, and Sasha V at some point in future. Trixie dropped down next to Violet and put an arm around her. The mood was definitely low energy, a droning song on the radio as endless fields rolled by outside. The sky was an impossible blue. Thousands of tiny scratchmarks on the windows caught the sun and frosted the windows gold. Most of the queens dozed. A gradual click, click waded into Trixie’s consciousness. She couldn’t place it. “Look at this bullshit.” Violet pushed her phone into Trixie’s hand and slid her sunglasses down over her eyes, shifting a little sideways to get more comfortable. Trixie glanced at the screen, an open text conversation dancing before her eyes as she tried to steady it against the pitch of the bus.

From: PURL bitch I know

From: PURL but like

From: PURL they said they’d find someone else

From: PURL so

Sent: ok but people are gonna talk shit about it cause you did this before (seen)

From: PURL yeah

Sent: I hope they send someone fun (seen)

Sent: this tour is dull af without you (seen)

Sent: did they say who (seen)

Sent: i am sooooo oooo oooo boredd (seen)

From: PURL no

From: PURL sorry purp

“Oh, that sucks.“ Trixie tried to pass the phone back to Violet, but her friend had fallen asleep. She missed Pearl. It was weird how such a chill person could make everything so much more interesting. They hadn’t seen each other since a show in Boston that spring, and she’d been looking forward to catching up. Getting drunk together maybe. Goofing off. Trixie glanced down at Violet, now snoring slightly. Tiny dark hairs had begun to pepper the skinny queen’s upper lip. A spot of drool was threatening to fall onto Trixie’s shirt. She shifted away slowly, willing it not to move until she was out of its path. Violet was always so confident. It dripped off her just like that drool drop. She seemed so permanently at ease, sometimes making Trixie feel awkward and misplaced against her backdrop of casual droll glamour. No big though. Not really. She was learning to let go of a little of that tightly woven country-boy background that kept her careful in life and love.

I guess we’ll see what the future holds. Maybe I’ll meet someone soon.

Her relationship with David had gone the invitable way of all the rest. Intense half-year honeymoon made stronger by the absences, but eventual scraps over missed dates and finally long silences, a few attempts to resurrect their romance, and a pretty inevitable break up. She didn’t blame him. It’s hard being in love with someone constantly on the go, and David had never been particularly interested in her drag. They’d shared a love of video games and a few music interests, but it hadn’t proven enough to last.

Trixie glanced up at the other queens spread around the bus. Aja was next to Violet, sound asleep. Beyond her Pandora, asleep too. Michelle was on the other side of the aisleway, tapping at her phone carefully with inch-long fake nails. Click, click. Oh, that was the noise. Beyond her was Max, deep in a book. Trixie shifted position and studied her for a minute. The morning sun played across the outline of the boy’s aquiline nose, casting a liquid silhouette across the pages as she turned them slowly. Crazy bone-structured baby bitch. Damn. She resumed count subconsciously. Alaska was somewhere in the back, probably napping in her bunk. Bianca nonexistent. She’d opted to take flights between stops instead. Hated tour buses. The tour manager was probably up front with the driver. And that made nine. "Okay. Okay okay.” Trixie had finally freed herself from Violet. She rose to her feet and swung herself back towards the table where her phone lay, pushing the power button as she continued towards the bunks at the back. She scanned the rows for her nametag, mostly out of habit by now. Her bed was on the middle shelf, towards the back on the right-hand side. It wasn’t too bad, considering. Older buses seemed to have roomier bunks, and the external wall of hers was just one huge window with a rolling shade to block out the light. She slid it up halfway to let the sun pour in, mostly so she could watch the fields slide by as she rested her head on her warm pink pillow. The landscape really made her think of home. Occasional farmhouses baking in the hot sun, one or two with their aluminium windmill blades turning slowly. Somewhere a fan whirred softly. No birdsong, just the whisper of grass shifting. The quiet purr of the engine. Time slowing. Her eyelids drooped as the details began to blur. This was a nice moment. Tour wasn’t so bad.

“Rest stop ladies!”

Sweaty neck. Dry mouth. Possibly sunburn. Trixie shifted and reached for her phone as she felt the bus slowing down.

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Mom (9) Katya (6) Kim (3) More…

From: Katya idiot

From: Katya barb

From: Katya deb

From: Katya shelby

Ugh.

Sent: Hey

Sent: What’s up

…

(seen)

Katya is typing

“TRIXIEE” came the roar of Violet’s voice, startling the sleepy queen. “GET UP ASSHOLE.” “Oh my god.” “Come on! I need vodka!” “Violet,” Trixie slid out of the bunk and stretched, pacing slowly towards the front. “You don’t need me to fund your alcohol problem girl. Work it out.” Violet had already disappeared through the door. Honestly, Trixie was glad for a break from the drive. She was the last one off the bus, stepping out into the scorching heat as the sunlight landed almost physically onto her skin. She could smell the hot tarmac of the rest-stop parking lot baking in the heat. A bird was croaking somewhere. Time to head for the gas station. She wanted something to drink, some snacks, and definitely something to read. Her phone battery was nearly dead, so she knew she’d be bored as hell for the next five hours. The cool of the airconditioned store was immediately soothing as Aja’s dry laugh hit her ears. She was a cool kid. Her fanbase after her season aired had grown pretty fast, everyone fascinated by her naomi meets kim aesthetic. She was so honest, too. Easy to like. “Trixie.” Violet broke into her thoughts suddenly, rounding the aisle with a bottle of alcohol in each hand. She bore down on Trixie, offering one as she started to chatter. “Vodka’s two for one. I have no cash though and my wallet’s on the bus. If you get me this I’ll let you have the other one.” Trixie didn’t even bother to protest the deal. “Sure girl. Get me a mixer, Coke’s fine.” She glanced down at the magazine rack in front of her. It was the usual assembly of shitty gossip editions, packed with fake headlines and the kind of exaggerated celebrity nonsense news that bordered on slander. She’d read all of them. A small side section of arts and crafts books caught her eye though, and she reached for a book of guitar tabs peeking out from the rack. It proved to be an out-of-print collection of 2000-2005 country song arrangements by local state musicians, the poorly printed cover a photo of an older man sitting on his porch with a scrappy looking dog. Looked dumb. Maybe she’d pick up some inspiration for her next tune. A couple of songs from her recently-released album had proven pretty popular, not just with the Drag Race fanbase but also the general public, even charting on the country music billboard. Since then she’d started working on new material, but her creativity had kind of dried up. Nothing stuck. Trixie headed for the counter, grabbing a bag of chips along the way. Violet was waiting for her and passing time making idle conversation with the clerk. He’d clearly recognised the queen, and was not-so-subtly attempting to swing a selfie. “I’ll take a photo with you if you give me cigarettes,” Violet purred. That’s weird. “You started smoking, girl?” Violet shrugged. The cashier’s face had fallen a little, and he started to explain that giving out store goods could get him fired. “I got ‘em. I’m not supporting your habit though. You owe me. This is blood money.” “Yeah yeah, I’ll pay you in show money tonight.” Violet laughed. “I always get more than you, so.” “You don’t even need it, cunt. You’re the rich one.” Trixie swiped her card as Violet gathered up their shopping. Her gaze fell on the songbook and she started to mention it, but Trixie’s less than playful shrug stopped her from cracking a joke. “I’m bored,” she offered by way of explanation. “I figured I’d learn some uh… Backyard Bill and the Moonshines.” “Sounds cool, girl.” Violet shoved the cigarette pack into her back pocket. “I wanna do shots when we get on the bus though. If Pearl’s not coming I’m gonna just get drunk without her.”

Two hours later, Violet set about making good on her promise. Trixie stared at the row of shot glasses Aja was setting up on the table as Violet made sure they were quickly filled. Alaska was next to her on the couch, slowly peeling nail glue off her fingernails with her characteristic bored langour. She was droning on about the new fashion label venture Sasha Velour was collaborating on. It was interesting, but Trixie wasn’t interested. Max was tucked up on the rear sofa at the table, deep in conversation with the side of Michelle’s face as she continued texting whoever it was she was always talking to. “Yeah honey,” Trixie heard her murmur, “yeah yeah. Yep.” Aja pushed a shot into her eyeline. “Time to drink, Trixita.” Shots right after lunch. Three hours to go until the venue. Why not? “Cheers.” She downed the vodka easily, Violet a second behind her. Max glanced up from her seat but shook her head at Aja’s offer of a shot. “Guess it’s just the three of us. Move up.” As she started to squeeze onto the couch next to Aja, Violet’s phone lit up for a brief moment. “How are you getting charge, girl?” “I have a battery pack, a girl gave it to me last night after I tweeted about this dump truck not having power.” “Work.” Trixie dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She checked the screen to see her battery level. 2%.

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Agent (29) BTDQ (10) Kim (9) Katya (4) Mom (2) More…

Oh yeah, what did Katya want? Trixie swiped her phone, but let out an exasperated sigh as the screen froze and then faded to black. “Violet, can I use your charger?” “Sorry girl.” The skinny brunette shrugged as she tied her long hair into a ponytail. “It’s out. Only lasted for like an hour. Hey, round two.”

By the time the tour bus pulled into the venue parking lot it was already starting to get dark. Red stripes scored the early evening sky as the last of the golden sun painted the city skyscrapers. Lights were flicking on all around, late workers hunched over desks as everyone poured into the streets to begin their various evening plans. So many lonely people. I’m super romantic. And super drunk. Fuuck. Trisie slid her bag otno her shoulder andd stagered down theh bus gangway. STTUUPID. shouldnt get tshi drunk before a show buit theres no meet and greet tonigth it'sl be fine she’d alreday put on her makuep evne though it wasn'r completetly as good as usuual. last shot was anhour ago and she was actually startig to sober up. she jstu needed some fresh air. pulling her hood up, she stpped into the cooling evenign air and took a deep breath. that’s goood. not so bad. ACtually, startig to feel a lottt better. Pandora put an arm around her shoulders as her head stopped spinning. “You ok?” “Yeah girl. Just shouldn’t drink on the bus. I’m good.” They shared a moment’s laughter as they heard the sudden roar from the line snaking around the side of the building, ripples of excitement spreading as the fans caught sight of the famous queens. “Let’s get inside.” Trixie followed the other queens as the group of prearranged roadies and assistants flooded out from the building. She greeted her assigned aid Toby and pointed out her suitcases amongst the pile being quickly unloaded from the bus, before stepping into the venue and narrowing her eyes to accommodate the dim lighting in the hallway. She was definitely still feeling drunk. Probably needed to touch up her makeup before getting on stage. She checked her watch, peering in the low light. The opening number was in an hour. Trixie turned the corner of the hallway to see the dressing room doorway and soon spotted the familiar line of mirrors and lights. She plopped herself next to Aja, the newer queen of the pack looking a little more drunk than she was. “Which order are you on?” Aja glanced at the sheet on the countertop as she quickly unloaded her makeup. “Uhh.. Second, right after.. does that say Pandora?” Trixie leaned closer and nodded. “Yeah. Before Max. Then me. There’s no meet and greet tonight though, right?” Aja screwed up her eyes to make out the difference between her foundation powder shades. She held up a brush in a wobbly hand and took a stab at reaching for her base shade. She knocked it off the table. “Yeah. I think Bianca’s first and last and she usually stays on, right?” “Up to her, girl.” Trixie found to her surprise that her makeup was actually pretty on point. She reached for her set of preprepared lashes and twisted the cap off her Duo tube, running a line of the glue down the middle of each dark clump. “I can’t wait to get out tonight after this. I want a nap. I’m so fucking tired of the heat. I can’t ever sleep properly, it’s like I just get cramps and have these weird dreams about being late for this summer camp I went to when I was a kid. Except I never went to this one, so it’s like my head just came up with this weird.. place..” Trixie trailed off as she noticed how skillfully and deliberately Aja was painting her face. The younger queen had quickly transformed her cheeks into a distinctive contour, lining her nose with cream shades as she scrunched her eyes up to focus her vision. “Girl how are you so good at this when you’re drunk?” Aja laughed. “I’ve done this so many times. Like too many.” “Worrrk, what do you use to highlight?” “Twin Cake with Ice Angel and Kitten Parade, I’m doing shimmery fairy fantasy tonight.” Trixie glanced over in surprise as she held one set of lashes to her eyelids to let the glue dry. “Seriously? I haven’t met anyone else who uses those two together.” Aja laughed. “I learned it from you! You did a Periscope once ages ago and I asked you what you used. I still use it for my pink look.” “No way.” Trixie blinked a few times to check her lashes were fully attached. All good. “Well girl, I’m gonna go find something to keep my buzz going.” She reached into her bag and yanked out her phone charger, hammering it into the wall and hooking up her phone as she stopped to glance around. Where’s Violet? A sudden rise in volume hit her as Bianca swept into the room. Immediately her head began to ache and she slipped out the door behind the tiny comedian queen, pausing to give her a quick air kiss. She knew roughly where the stage was, so she started down the hallway to the left hoping to run into an assistant who could grab her a whiskey from the bar. The pounding of the bass from the club filled the air. Trixie paused for a moment to identify the song. It’s.. yeah, it’s Sissy That Walk. Would she ever get away from the Ru Girl fame? She knew she should be grateful. Oh, she really was. But it was wearing to travel for weeks on end with people she couldn’t completely bond with, medicating with alcohol to pass the hours. She definitely needed to slow down on that. Except for now. She just wanted to get to the end of this corridor and find the club staff.

Instead, she turned the corner and ran straight into Katya. It took her a few seconds to adjust. The shorter queen was fully made up, double Courtney wig pinned on top in an effortless sweeping blonde style that looked a far stretch from her usual careless ‘ugly drag’. She was wearing her red cheerleader outfit, KATYA spelled out across her chest in black letters. Her bright blue eyes shone out from their smokey black makeup, teeth flashing a perfect white in the low light as she roared with laughter at Violet, the brunette hanging off her arm with a happy devotion. Trixie sucked in her breath in total surprise.

“Katya!” she shrieked, a little too excitedly for her own taste. Her comedy partner’s head whipped around and she was met with an enormous grin. Immediately she reached for her friend’s tiny frame. Hugging Katya was always like taking a little bag of bones into her arms, all frenzy and energy and joy. “What are you doing here?” “They booked me, mama! I’m the surprise guest!” Trixie was flooded with a wave of half-drunk affection. Right when she needed someone to feel close to, here’s this idiot. The pair shared an unbelievable connection, always had. She suddenly found she could bear the thought of the tour. Felt excited, even. “Are you doing any other nights? How long are you staying for?” she asked into Katya’s wig, before pulling out of the hug. “Just tomorrow!” Their eyes were locked, a moment Trixie didn’t want to break out of. Characteristically, Katya turned away first. “Christ, I need a cigarette.” “I gotcha girl.” Trixie narrowed her eyes as Violet reached into her back pocket and prized out the pack of Camels. She waved it in front of Katya’s face, grinning slyly. “Trade you. Sexual favours.” Oh right. Now it makes sense. She knew. Violet always flirted with Katya. Ever since they’d slept together on tour ages ago, Trixie had definitely felt the sexual tension whenever the queens got in the same room. It was pretty one-sided though, right? Katya laughed and reached for the cigarettes. “You beast! Using my addiction against me Barbara? Are you coming out?" Violet tightened her grip on Katya’s arm and began tugging her toward the fire exit further down the hallway. As Trixie turned to head in the opposite direction she heard the brunette cackle, "Of course! I’m gonna suck your dick in the alley. Let’s go, bitch.” Eye roll. “I’m so fucking glad you’re here Katya. I’m boooored. You know Pearl dropped the tour?” An insistant flower of anger tugged at Trixie’s throat as she finally reached the backstage area. “Hey someone, can I get a Fireball?” So Violet had known since that morning. Katya was supposed to be Trixie’s comedy partner. They could’ve arranged something. Thrown together an impromptu UNHhhh. Knocked something up to completely eclipse everyone else. To be honest with herself, she’d had been feeling a little overshadowed on the tour. So many gigs and dates had left her little time to work on anything new, so she’d fallen back on Candy Man and a guitar piece from one of her more popular recent songs. Everyone laughed a little flat at her jokes, they’d heard them a thousand times before on social media. And Katya was this.. this catalyst of unpredictable humour, like some explosion of random parts of a thousand cultural references and bit-parts mashed through her perfect set of teeth. She was always, always a surprise. Her stupid goofball humour reached into Trixie and yanked out the best parts of her. Framed them in the spotlight. Made her so cuttingly funny, every joke landing like an old classic, met with shrieks of laughter. Trixie and Katya the Comedy Duo were a force, and they could outshine absolutely anyone. “Here you go,” Toby showed up out of nowhere, slipping a glass of whiskey into her hand. “Straight up, on us.” “Thanks.”

Two hours later, her buzz was still going strong as she sat down to take off her makeup. Her performances had gone well, met with a level of appreciation and such a genuine response from the fans that she was left a little humbled. This was what it was about, right? Being an entertainer. Trixie lifted the heavy wig off her head and let out an enormous groan. “Suck it up, queen.” Bianca slid down into the chair next to her, quickly touching up her lipliner with an expert eye. “At least you can go to bed. I’m on meet and greet for an hour.” “I’m not going to bed yet girl. Have you seen Katya?” Bianca glanced round and lifted a finger to point at the sky. “What do you think?” Oh yeah. The familiar trap beat opening of Same Parts filtered through the doorway, met with the deafening roar of the already-energised crowd. As Alaska piped up across the room about how much in royalties Katya must have earned for Tatianna, Trixie suddenly remembered her phone. She swiped it on and opened her messages.

From: Katya i’m booked with you!

From: Katya see you tonight

From: Katya lets do a double? I’ve got some new material

From: Katya call me call me

From: Katya deb?

From: Katya see you soon mama

The five mixed drinks Trixie had consumed since reaching the venue quickly welled up in her throat as she suddenly felt regretful about those nasty little thoughts she’d haboured about her friend. Poor Katya, she’d tried to get in touch. She was actually such a good person. And this momentary feeling of elation definitely has nothing to do with feeling jealous before. Jealous of what? I mean it’s normal to want to spend time with Katya. But Violet draping herself on her is so fucking gross. Give me a chance to talk to her. Trixie suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for their Australia tour. They’d shared the limelight 50-50 and had spent a couple wonderful days and nights goofing off so far from the usual routine of the big US tours. It’d been so great. Katya’s great. Where’s Katya? Katya’s on stage. Katya’ll be out soon. Katya’s sleeping on the bus tonight. Trixie paused her thought train to sweep her towering pile of black-smudged facewipes into the trash. She quickly slid out her contacts, dumped everything into her bags and shouldered the lightest. Toby, who’d been texting in the corner, immediately jumped to his feet and started ferrying her cases out to the back. “See you on the bus boo,” Violet piped up, quickly taking down her hair. Alaska was sprawling next to her, texting frantically. No reason to stay here. Trixie nodded and zipped up her jacket, heading out into the cold air. A pair of fans beyond the fence about forty feet off spotted her and started howling her name, so she gave them a little halfhearted wave before climbing up into the bus. She felt pretty drunk, still. It’d be a shame to waste it. “SHOT.” “Oh my god.” As her heart returned to normal, Frank the tour manager slid a shot glass across the table. It was still smudged with Aja’s lipstick. “This is my last night. Pete’s taking over tomorrow.” “Where are we going next again?” “Houston, then Austin.” “And after?” “Tulsa.” “Mhmm.” Trixie skulled the shot and winced. “That’s me for the night.” “No way, everyone’s doing a round when they get on board.” “Well Katya won’t.” “Oh right, I forgot. Was she like an alcoholic before?” “No. She just has an addictive personality and she doesn’t want it. She’s not really into doing things unless it’s a super serious blackout, yknow?” Frank whistled quietly. “Must be tough. You know a lot about her.” Trixie shrugged. “Well, we spend a lot of time talking.” “Do you ever run out of things to talk about?” “No.” Trixie ran her fingertip around the rim of her shot glass. She felt herself click into an automatic Talk-About-Katya mode. It was pretty familiar - she’d probably mentioned her comedy partner in 8/10 interviews. “She’s so funny. I’d marry her if it’d ever actually work between us. But you have to be attracted to someone before you’d want to spend that amount of time with them.” She paused for a second to think. “Either that, or not attracted to them at all. That’s why we get on so well.” Frank reached out and took the glass from between her fingers. “So you’re saying you’re completely 100% platonic?” “I mean..” Trixie started to hear the vague chatter of a few of her tourmates as they approached the bus. “Katya says attraction’s a spectrum. Like it’s such a fluid thing that changes from day to day. There’s definitely times when she’s into me sexually.” The alcohol loosened her lips for a moment. “I liked her too, at first. But I had a boyfriend and the shooting schedule was so intense, we weren’t really allowed to talk in private cause they wanted to film everything. So nothing ever happened.” “Right, yeah.” Frank leaned back to glance out of the window at the approaching queens. “But nothing after it wrapped?” Trixie shrugged. “I mean I definitely liked her. You can’t not like her. But we work so well as business partners that I never let anything happen between us, so I guess..” She shrugged. “That whole physical thing just died out. For me, anyway. I’m all or nothing, emotionally.” Pandora’s face appeared through the doorway, followed by Michelle. “She isn’t much for romance, though. As you could guess.” “Who?” barked Michelle, sliding in next to Trixie. She reached out and took one of the shot glasses Frank had finished refilling. “Who are we talking about?” “Katya.” “Ohh.” Downing the vodka with an expert flick of the wrist, Michelle pulled out her phone and immediately started to text. “The whole Ross-Rachel thing. Don’t you ever get tired of talking about it?" Trixie shrugged. "It’s pretty good for business. It can get weird though.” She leaned forward. “You know fans write stories about us getting together?” “Mm-hmm.” “They’re elaborate, too. There’s this whole demographic of underaged girls that want us to get together. I don’t get it at all.” Michelle glanced up. “Honey, it’s obvious. Everyone needs a lovestory to believe in. Writing it makes them feel like a part of it.” “You’re right.” “WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW.” Katya’s familiar sex-noise echoed out from her parted grinning lips as the blonde queen burst onto the bus with Violet quickly in tow. “Drinks, ladies? God, I’m so hot. Is there a shower here?” Michelle gestured towards the rear of the coach. “Help yourself. Use one of the guest towels on the shelf.” “Thanks mama. Nice doing business." As she swept past the table, Katya glanced down at the line of shot glasses and grabbed one. She slid it over to Trixie before anyone could react and winked. "Trixie’s having mine.” “No, girl. I’m about to be passing out.” “Wouldn’t be the first tiiiime,” Katya half-sang as she disappeared into the bus bathroom. Trixie slid hers over to Michelle who accepted it without comment. They locked eyes for a brief moment, and the motherly brunette gave a smirk. “You like it when she pays attention to you though, right?” “Oh yeah, she’s great. She makes you feel like the only person in the world.” Violet dropped her phone on the table and slid in next to Michelle. “Oh yeah,” she laughed. “And I’m gonna make HER feel like the only person in the world tonight.” Trixie suddenly snapped into focus. “Wait, yeah. Where’s she sleeping? All the beds are full.” “With me!” Violet rolled her eyes. “Duh. Literally. Literally!” “Yeah, we get it.” Frank broke into the conversation. “You want to fuck him. But not on this bus. Everyone needs sleep and you can hear everything, you know that.” “Shut up, Frank.” “No, he’s right.” Trixie spun around to face Violet, head swimming slightly. “I need to sleep this off, girl. You and Katya can fuck as much as you want, but not in your bunk. It’s above mine, and you know I hate noise like that.” Violet shrugged. “Fine. I’ll get a hotel in.. Where are we next?” “Austin.” “No, Houston. And you can’t, we have to get across to Austin by lunch. We’re driving all night.” “Fuck, I’m never getting laid.” The chat subsided into casual remarks about the evening, but it was always crazy how much everyone loved to talk about Katya. Trixie absentmindedly chewed a fingernail as she tried to understand her friend’s intense charm. It’s like people just wanted to experience her through conversation. Like even if she wasn’t around, she was on people’s minds. She’d even won over- “Alasssssssssssska!” Violet hooted, as the sleepy-eyed queen stepped onto the bus. “Bitch c'mere, we’re toasting Fred. Frank.” “Coming purple monster,” Alaska replied in her gutteral vocal fry. “Were you waiting for me?” “You wish girl. Here.” “Thanks girl. Where’s Kattie sleeping tonight?” “In with me,” Trixie blurted suddenly. She wasn’t taking the chance of Katya and Alaska hooking up. Everyone had half been expecting it since their Aspen snapchats and resulting intense fast friendship. Since those stupid Pure commercials they’d been talking on the phone a lot too. Katya had a theory about separation of sex and soul. She’d gone into great exploratory detail a few times: wild-eyed, arms waving happily as she burned through cigarettes and spilled thoughts from that great endless mind of hers at a million miles an hour. She loved the idea of anchorless love. She couldn’t see it as a minefield, or anything but a way to tie everything together. She wanted to have sex with the entire world. But sort of with her heart. And brain. And dick. Anyway, she insisted that a successful business partnership could happen even when you were sleeping together. But not with feelings involved - she’d put her foot down about that immediately. Trixie couldn’t separate emotions and physicality like that. She meant it when she said all or nothing. But maybe Alaska would give Katya what she wanted, and they’d be the next hot new comedy pairing. Maybe that’s what Katya was after. And now she was heading back down the aisle of the bus, makeup gone, towelling off her short blonde hair in a pair of black shorts and a Tshirt that said сука. “Hiiieee,” she grinned. “What’d I miss. Oh, we’re driving.” Several of the queens around the table turned to check that yes, the bus had smoothly pulled out and was now making its way down an orange-lit road. “Move over,” Katya squeezed onto the very full seat next to Alaska. Their legs tangled up and she fluidly threw an arm around her shoulders. “Tell me about the tour so far mama. How’s this pit of dusty rusty snakes treating you?” “Oh we’re fiiine.” Alaska dropped her phone onto the table and turned her full attention to her friend. No one gets her away from that phone but Katya. Trixie leaned forward to join the conversation, but became suddenly aware her head had seriously begun to spin. “Violet’s up to her her usual antics. Max has read every single book, or maybe just one long book, and Michelle’s been doing my nails. We’re nail friends. I hate this god damn bus though." "Shit.” Alaska and Katya turned to glance at Trixie, who’d turned pale and started to sweat. “Guys, I need to get out.” They quickly made space for her to clamber towards the bathroom, where she slid the door shut and dropped to her knees by the toilet. Everything was super swimmy. Ugh. She rested her forehead on the seat and closed her eyes. It’d pass. It was mostly the movement of the bus anyhow. She just needed a minute.

“TRIXIE!!” The barbie queen’s eyes snapped open. How long had she been asleep? She reached up and unlatched the door, and immediately Violet spilled in. “Oh my god. Oh my god I’ve been needing to pee so bad. You fuckin asshole. Get out of here.” “Sorry girl. I passed out for a sec.” Trixie pulled herself unsteadily to her feet and navigated past her friend. She glanced at a few of the empty bunks before swinging herself carefully into her own, head beginning to pound. “Why do I do this? Fuck.” Time to get some rest. Trixie brought the glowing dial of her watch up to her face and screwed up her eyes in hope of making some sense of the time. 1:12 AM. She’d been out for half an hour. Down the hallway the queens were still going strong. She could hear Michelle, Aja and Alaska ribbing back and forth, Katya’s shriek of laughter rippling out from time to time. Pandora and Max were deep in conversation, but she couldn’t hear what about. It didn’t matter. Time for sleep.

Neon.

Neon green. Soft. A smoky heavy texture in the air, summer night lonely. Darkness and neon and green. Still. Two blurry little figures.

Trixie opened her eyes properly and peered out of the window. The bus was parked up at a gas station. The lights of the pumps were shining out into the dark, and by the edge of the clearing Katya and Alaska were sharing what looked like a joint and talking to each other quietly. As Trixie watched, Alaska reached up to touch Katya’s arm for just a second. They had their backs turned, and Katya exhaled in a long slow stream of smoke that faded softly into the darkness beyond. Everything was mostly silent on the bus. A few snores filtered through intro Trixie’s consciousness. She checked the time again - 3:54 AM. And she suddenly felt lonely. That was the thing with her and Katya. The lines were so blurry they had to be made completely clear and concrete. But Katya was right - attraction was fluid. And right now, Trixie’s heart hurt with jealousy and a touch of confusion. The way Alaska and Katya were talking in a calm, quiet way made her a little nervous, too. Alaska could cut so easily through to Katya’s more serious side, the vulnerable bit she kept hidden away for the most part. She showed it on Periscope sometimes. Trixie had watched them all. So what if those two start doing more together? And UNHhhh gets even less of Katya’s time? Whatever they do’ll never be as successful. She had to admit it felt great working with Katya. She loved how everything seemed to be a predictable hit; platinum star fanbase gold. Their joint videos immediately climbed to most viewed, any minute interaction on social media prized and screencapped and retweeted and obsessed over. Financially, it was a winning combo. And.. And it made her feel special being half of Trixie and Katya when the other half was somewhere nearby being loved by the whole world. Cause there was that connection. It was implied. Katya was in some very unspoken, very platonic way - mostly platonic way - a little bit Trixie’s. Now the silent late-night duo were turning and walking slowly back towards the bus. Alaska linked arms with Katya, their movements slow and easy. Trixie stared out into the darkness, letting them walk beyond her gaze. She heard the hiss of the door, their muted footsteps as they climbed onboard. She heard their motions as they passed by her in the dark. She heard a stifled giggle as they awkwardly climbed into Alaska’s bunk. She closed her eyes.

It was a boiling hot summer’s morning, Trixie’s mouth was stuck shut, and her eyes felt like little fireballs. Ugh fuck, Fireball. For the past twenty minutes she’d been willing herself to get back to sleep, but it wasn’t coming. She was still her in sweats from the night before with the bus heating up pretty fast in the baking morning sun. She needed a shower. Swinging one leg out of the bunk, she suddenly realised she’d slept in her shoes. Great. Mess. She kicked them off and padded quietly into the bathroom, careful not to disturb the other sleeping queens. A glance at her watch showed it to be 7 something AM. She quickly pulled the door shut and shed her clothes, stepping into the stream of lukewarm water with relief. What a rough night. Was it? She cycled through the events from the evening before as she soaped up. That gas station scene had felt like a dream, but Katya’s absence in her bed was all too real this morning. Maybe this was it. The start of a new comedy partnership. One that didn’t involve her. What kind of stuff would they make? Probably something arty. They’d make fun of high concept fashion ads from the 90s and thrill the New York crowd to death. She could see why it’d be funny, too. Trixie turned off the water and started towelling off as she began to think about her own performance for the coming evening. Maybe a Dolly Parton song to change things up a little. She still needed to check out that stupid country song book. She stepped into a fresh pair of boxers and pulled a shirt over her head. Clean clothes felt amazing. Stretching felt super good, too - even though the little bathroom was too small to really get a good reach. She stepped out into the aisle and tossed her dirty clothes on top of the full laundry basket, reaching out to steady herself as she swung her body into her bunk and dropped down straight on top of Katya.

“WHAT the fuck?” Trixie rapidly hushed her voice as the little queen giggled, squirming underneath her weight. Above her Violet gave a grumpy moan and kicked a foot out into the alley. “You scared me motherfucker,” Trixie hissed. Katya extracted herself and rolled towards the window, squishing herself up against the cool glass. She rested her head on one hand and struck a jaunty paint-me-like-your-french-girls pose. “Hi mama. Miss me?” “No. Where were you? I thought you were supposed to sleep in here last night.” Katya shrugged. “Was I? I slept in with Alaska. I mean I didn’t really sleep. She takes up all the room. Can we cuddle?” Trixie extended an arm without comment and Katya immediately swung her head up into her neck. It always felt so easy. An arm snaked over her stomach and Katya’s little bony hand tucked itself lightly under her hip. “MMmm.” “Shhh.” Trixie felt her friend sneak a knee over hers, pushing in between her legs. “Let me in mama. Let me in, I’m not gonna try anything. Promise. I just want to sleep.” “No!” “Please? Are you sure?” “Katya.” “Mmmm. Mmm-mm.” “Katya.” “Mmmmm.” “Fine. But you’re gonna sleep and I’m too awake now. I need music. Do you have any?” Without a word, Katya reached into the pocket of her shorts and yanked out her phone, white earbuds tightly wrapped around it. She plopped it on her friend’s chest and rested her hand just below, fingertips in the dip between Trixie’s ribs. Trixie’s neck tickled as she inhaled happily. “You smell good, mama.” Trixie didn’t reply. With one arm around Katya she was finding it tricky to unwind the headphones, lifting the wires as the phone tumbled over onto her chest. It thwapped Katya’s fingers, the little queen mumbled in protest and moved her hand lower down. Halfway onto Trixie’s stomach. And then a touch lower. “Katya.” “Mmmmmm.” She shifted her weight and slid her knee fully between Trixie’s legs. Their bare thighs settled tightly together, skin to skin. It might have been her imagination, but for a very brief second Trixie felt a completely unexpected twinge. Fuck, not now. “I’m not trying anything.” “You better not.” “Mmm. Night.” A moment passed before she felt the subtle shift of Katya’s body relaxing. She always fell asleep immediately. It had been a relief last summer when they’d stayed together, Katya aggressively hitting on Trixie in an effort to culminate their friendshp. Nothing had happened beyond a similar snuggle close to how they lay now, tangled up in a warm embrace. Attraction is such a spectrum. Trixie was pretty sure Katya wasn’t into her at the moment. But you never knew, she never clung at all. No signals. Her thigh, between my thighs. Trixie needed a distraction. It was biological, right? A response to stimulation. It’d been a long, long time. She tucked an earbud into her left ear and swiped the phone on. It was locked. Katya was already snoring, and her hand was too awkward to tease a finger onto the home button. Stuck with your crazy Russian musical soundtrack, or whatever. Or t.A.T.u. Or the background white noise track of a meat packing plant or something, you little weirdo. She pressed play from the lock menu. A surprisingly pretty muted synth track flooded her ears. Far off echoed drums. A slightly tuneless Swedish-sounding voice, breaking from odd melodics to soft whispers, phasing between uncomfortable and really beautiful as the chords shifted. This was so Katya. Nothing was ever straightforward. She looked for the odd in everything. Everything came together. Trixie turned her head to rest her chin on Katya’s warm forehead, eyes half focused on the gold fields rolling past the window. She felt their bodies together, locked tight. Watched the light play over their skin. Their breathing had subconsciously synced, and she spent a few minutes zoning out into the way their chests rose and fell together. She could see Katya’s heartbeat pulsing along the golden skin on the back of her hand. She thought about their skin contact. Katya and Alaska would never snuggle like us. But if they start working together all the time, it’s pretty much the end of us. At least.. in a business sense. She knew she was being ridiculous. But she always leapt to conclusions. It was just her mind. Katya mumbled softly in her sleep, pushing her face a little closer into Trixie’s neck. At least now, even if only for now, Trixie had her friend’s body wrapped up in her arms. She wondered if there’d ever be an event horizon - a moment where Katya’s phenomenal fame kept growing and she drifted away, just out of reach. Didn’t have time for filming. Couldn’t return calls. Didn’t text back. She’d expected that thought to trigger some kind of business plan in her head. A way to make it work. A plot to keep filming and collaborating on everything that kept their duo going. But instead, Trixie was surprised by how strongly her chest opened up and a wave of intense attachment rushed out, threatening to overwhelm her. Her fingers tightened imperceptibly on Katya’s skin. Don’t go. She bit her tongue to clamp down on that thought, but feelings were hitting her. Hard. No, something else was hitting her. She glanced down. The crotch of Katya’s shorts had begun to bulge, pressed lightly against Trixie’s thigh. She glanced at Katya’s eyelids and found them still firmly shut, the queen apparently deep in sleep. Ugh, shit. What do I do now? The strength of her recent unspoken realisations were enough to deal with at the moment. She definitely didn’t need any physical complications. She should push Katya off her and demand some space. Wake her up. Reestablish those boundaries. Except.. The blonde queen had started to grind down slowly against her thigh, and for some reason Trixie couldn’t stop staring at the hardening bulge between her legs. Her heart began to pound. Her body began to respond. She could feel the blood starting an inevitable rush downwards, a familiar tingle growing faster than she’d like. They’d sort of done this before, one time. An intense snuggle, some slow grinding. Katya called it frottage. Trixie thought that sounded like a kind of cheese. She’d cracked a joke and they’d broken it off, Katya rolling quickly off the couch to go find a cigarette. That was before David, before Palm Springs, when they’d had to shut anything like that down due to the budding new relationship. Trixie would be lying if she hadn’t briefly wondered about what would’ve happened in its place. What might have happened one of those vacation nights, maybe after their naked photoshoot. But that was then, and this was now, and honestly she was starting to lose focus on anything but the now-visible outline of Katya’s erection through her pants. “Katya,” she whispered. This wasn’t going to happen while anyone was asleep. She felt the queen’s eyelids open sleepily. “Mm?” This is it. Do or die. ..Fuck it.

“Come here.” Heart pounding, she took Katya’s hand from her chest and moved it slowly downwards, inch by inch, until Katya’s fingers were just about to brush the rise of her swollen boxers. She lifted her hand away and held her breath as the blonde queen paused for a moment. And then, without comment, Katya dropped her fingertips lightly onto the shaft of her hard dick. As jolts of electricity pounded through Trixie’s body, Katya began to trace the outline of her erection, moving slowly with two probing fingers before sliding her whole hand over and around her girth, glancing up to meet Trixie’s eyes. “You were right, mama.” “What?” Trixie whispered, caught off-guard. “About the size. I didn’t believe you. You’re big.” “I tol-” Trixie’s breath caught suddenly in her throat as Katya tightened her grip. She began to squeeze with a little more pressure, grinding herself harder against Trixie’s leg. “You’re too big for me. But maybe I’m right for you.” Trixie felt Katya’s free hand slide down to her hip, pulling her insistently onto her side to face her. She felt her fingers begin to tug her boxers down, the other hand still slowly moving up and down her dick with the kind of pressure that felt unbelievable through the material. It was too much. And then she was free, and Katya’s fingers were sliding around her shaft, and Katya was pushing her own pants down with a quick movement from her spare hand. “Touch me,” she whispered, bring her lips up to Trixie’s. The skin was barely grazing, and Katya kept it that way. Trixie could smell her. Could almost taste her. Her lips started to ache, anticipating their kiss. Katya read her mind, and reached out for her hand. “Touch me first.” Trixie complied, letting Katya guide her down to her dick. She felt the warm skin touch her fingertips, and before she had a moment to think she’d already wrapped her hand around the girth of it, eliciting a tiny moan from Katya. They began to pump each other slowly, the hot breath between their lips mingling as they tried to stay silent. Trixie could feel herself melting into the sensation, her eyes closing in the warm sun, disappearing completely into the way her heart wrapped about Katya’s touch. She leaned forward to break the desperate tension but Katya leaned back, just out of reach. “Not yet.” “Katya? Where’s Katya?” Shit. Frank. Fuck. Trixie opened her eyes to meet Katya’s blue-eyed surprise. “Oh shit.” Trixie quickly scooted over to the bunk curtain, tugging her boxers up with one hand and pulling her shirt down with the other. She had no idea why she felt so guilty, but the way Katya was grinning made her jump all over. Now she could see Frank, barefoot and sleepy-eyed, some papers in his hands. “She’s here. What’s up?” “She has to sign these insurance forms. I should’ve had her do it last night but I need her to do it now before we cross state lines.” “I’m coming.” Katya finished buttoning up her shorts and propped herself up on one elbow. “I’ll be there in a sec.” “I’m leaving them on the table.” Trixie glanced over and watched as her newfound crush checked her pockets for her cigarettes. She finally found the crushed pack and teased one out, sliding it between her lips with a little smile. “Hey, do you know I bought those for you?” Trixie whispered. Katya flashed her a look of surprise. “Well.. I paid for them.” Made sense. Katya pulled the cigarette from her mouth and leaned in towards her. “Do you want a small kiss, mama?” Fuck yes. But maybe.. “Tonight.” Gotta maintain some boundaries. A flash of a grin, the tiniest linger of her hand against Trixie’s chest as she clambered over her, and Katya was gone. Trixie knew she wouldn’t be back. It wasn’t her style. But they had one more night to figure it out.

It was the second longest leg of the journey, a boiling hot summer’s morning, and Trixie was writing a song.

#trixie mattel #katya zamolodchikova #trixya #smut #tw alcohol #tw drugs #tw swearing #toki #rpdr fanfiction #submission #canon compliant #this could happen

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toocheapforpostcards · 7 years

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iceland

a vacation in iceland never occurred to us 10 years ago, but recently it had crept its way up our list of places we wanted to visit. the tourism boom seemed to come with the popularity of social media - instagram in particular - but further research has taught me it was launched by a financial crash in iceland in 2008 which made everything more affordable for visitors. this crash was soon followed by the an eruption from one of the 35 active volcanoes on the island, bringing in many news outlets that showcased the gorgeous landscapes of the country. these events led to the tourists in iceland outnumbering actual residents 7 to 1 this year, and mikey and i were happy to be among them. iceland has a tendency to look like a completely different place from one kilometer to the next. i’m not sure if anyone actually reads this blog, like most photos i take they’re for my own future reference. i’m going to write this one as a sort of travel guide because two people have asked me for iceland tips in the few weeks since we’ve been back so i’m sure others will too. for the casual reader, beware of the sheer quanity of photos to follow. plus a video.

youtube

our car rental’s shadow as we drove from the airport to the blue lagoon at 6am.

we bought our tickets for the first time slot (7am) and i was the fourth person in the pools. we were exhausted from no sleep on the overnight flight but that made the lagoon all the more relaxing.

for about an hour the place was positively calm. then the sun got bright, the 8am people came too and it began to get as crowded as everyone said it would be.

brunch at the laundromat cafe before we took our first nap of the day.

the main street downtown square of reykjavik, aka as busy as iceland gets.

the view from city center hotel.

the day before we arrived was the pride parade so there were remnants of it all over the city.

fish soup and plokkfiskur, a traditional icelandic dish at a place called Fish.

the hallgrimskirja, a church and tallest building in reykjavik.

we didn’t go here, i just wish we did.

walking along the waterfront near harpa (a concert hall) we saw these stone piles called cairns for the first time.

had an excellent dinner at the beautiful grillmarket.

writing our (poorly chosen?) postcards to the girls while trying puffin. mikey was thisclose to ordering the horse as well but the server suggested he have it rare which turned him off the idea.

picking up coffee and pastries at reykjavik roasters.

drove southeast to catch the westman island ferry from landeyjahöfn.

arriving at vestmannaeyjar (westman islands) and being very surprised at the number of people that lived there considering how long and difficult the trip was. clearly we were just learning to understand iceland.

one of my favorite dishes of the trip was this cream of mushroom soup from tanginn right near the ferry dock, which i ate at warp speed so we could catch our tour.

suited up for our ribsafari boat tour around the islands.

this boat whipped around the islands so fast, blasting american pop music as we were pelted with water. the seats were only for when we were standing still, if the boat was moving we had to be up on our haunches.

almost every island had some sheep on it, no matter how steep.

our guide, hawk, or so he claimed.

one of my favorite moments of the trip was when a puffin was flying alongside the boat with us for a long stretch, which was as close as i got to one.

there were many faces and shapes that could be seen in the sides of the islands; this one of an elephant bending down to drink the water was particularly distinct.

we were wet and freezing and so happy we did it.

as we drove east there was a long line of cars along the road so we knew it must be something interesting. we pulled over and started walking towards seljalandfoss waterfall. this is pretty typical - not all landmarks and natural beauties are marked, so it was smart to pull off and explore if you saw more than two cars gathered together.

this was the only waterfall we saw (out of a dozen or so) that we could walk behind. there were no signs indicating how wet you would get or how treacherous the trail got on the other side of the falls, as icelanders don’t seem to believe in warnings.

luckily we had our newly purchased waterproof everything.

we accidentally overshot our hotel and thought this horse farm was it.

it turned out to be a church/cemetary as well.

our tiny house at the welcome hotel lambafell near eyvindarhólar.

the lambafell was in the middle of nowhere and had no restaurant service (except two hours of breakfast at the main house) so we drove to vik for dinner. we ate and drank well at sudur vik, topped off by this fantastic slice of custardy apple pie - a la mode and with toffee bits. mmmmmm.

at the end of that driveway is the main house. we had slept through breakfast and couldn’t get coffee, but at least there was a view (and a general store a few miles up the road).

swung by skogafoss waterfall in the morning and saw lots of campers waking up including an infant, which impressed me thoroughly.

spotted a few tiny houses built under a mountain from the road and had a look (but not a touch).

the mysterious start to our 3 hour journey on unknown roads.

we drove through pingvellir national park, very sparsely populated as far as national parks go.

at this point we became concerned that we were on a very long driveway leading to someone’s farm.

our first road signs in hours.

this was the view at the fossatun country hotel, not where we stayed but it was the first possible place we could have safely stopped in hours so we wanted to walk around a bit. it was another tiny house hotel that looked nice.

one of many photos we sent to the girls to get a laugh out of them.

a little further up the road we saw the stedji brewery was having tasting hours. we sampled their hvalur 2 beer - the signature ingredient is whale testicles smoked in sheep dung. it really wasn’t bad.

as we finally came to the end of the drive there was a rainbow beaming right out of our hotel.

we had a soak in their heated pools until it started raining.

a sampling of the icelandic language. we learned to say nothing.

lamb and fish were always 2 of 5 main courses on every menu we came across. langoustines and a vegetarian dish were also featured heavily, with the occasional beef/whale/horse/puffin option.

driving up the mountain to langjokull glacier.

this did not instill a lot of confidence. for the millionth time we were thankful to have four wheel drive.

seeing the start of the glacier was like looking at the ocean.

more awesome full body suits.

we took snowmobiles up the glacier to the entrance of a man dug tunnel where they run tours.

seeing the weather patterns of about 25 years worth of snow, rain and ice in these stripes.

there’s a chapel down there. we pretended to renew our vows.

having a seat at the end of the tour to remove the crampons.

i really don’t care for tunnels, caves or any tight spaces so i was proud of myself for going ahead with the tour after the FIRST thing the tour guide said was “don’t think of this as a solid tunnel, think of it as honey - always flowing all around us.”

another cluster of cars at the side of the road. i didn’t even catch the name of this place.

the only cautionary sign/rope we saw on the whole trip.

outside of the cities the houses were few and far between and not marked with numbers or street names, but rather the family name on a sign at the start of the driveway. this was a particularly busy area with 4 houses and a church (and trees - a rare sight).

we figured the steps must lead somewhere good.

someone gave up on their shoes up there.

stopping at borgarnes for lunch on our drive out to the peninsula.

we sat at a normal table but i did push for this birdcage.

this was our first chance to walk on a black sand beach.

just checking to make sure the water was freezing. it sure was.

we were going right by a set of natural hotsprings that we had read about in a blog post and i wanted to experience very much. it’s called landbrotalaug and is difficult to find. about 25 minutes outside of borgarnes you make a left turn after passing eldborg crater onto an unnamed dirt road, after a few minutes you’ll pass an old abandoned house and a few minutes later you’ll see a makeshift parking lot. from the parking lot there’s a path to the left that leads to this (very hot) pool above, filled by a pipe from water below. it’s shallow and can fit about 10 people comfortably. the pool pictured below (nicknamed the hot pot) was the perfect temp for me and fits two very nicely, and you’re in up to your chest. the hot pot is accessible from the right side of the parking lot (you just need to cross a shallow part of the water but there’s a stone path). do NOT make the mistake i made and think you can cut across the cold water in between. it looks shallow but the floor is mud and it sucked me in to the knee so quickly, pulling off my flip flop and scaring me half to death. ��

this was taken from the rooftop deck of the budir hotel on snaefellsnes peninsula. we chose true hotels, usually the only ones in the area. there are lots of hostels all around the island as well.

past the black church there’s a sand path leading to the ocean.

i usually don’t ask strangers to take photos but i’m very glad i did a bunch of times on this trip. so much better than a bunch of head only selfies.

we grabbed up a cancellation on a horseback riding tour at lysuholl farm. we didn’t plan anything ahead except the hotels we would sleep in for 4 out of the 5 nights we were there. this is usually how we travel but i do think we got lucky a couple of times. for this trip in particular we didn’t feel rushed to leave an area of the country until we were ready and we could decide our plans based on weather.

mikey the centaur. no really they have small horses in iceland. this was his first time on one!

driving the loop around the peninsula and we stopped at arnarstapi. they have dozens of amazing rock formations along their cliffs and a booming tourist presence because of it. definitely the largest collection of restaurants outside of reykjavik.

“stay golden”

we walked over this once before we realized it was the rock bridge we had seen in so many photos. it’s wider than it looks but still terrifying.

excellent fish and chips from this food truck.

the rest of the peninsula drive didn’t take nearly as long as we expected. lots of great scenery but the towns were tiny and the time flew by. we headed back to reykjavik for the night to have a good dinner and save ourselves a long drive to the airport in the morning.

walking through some residential streets to get downtown.

we put in our name at a restaurant and sought out micro bar, a place mikey had read about in an article. our friend elaine from brooklyn was there, in town to run the marathon in a couple days. so we blew through our reservation and stayed with her until we were so hungry that we had to get boats (aka hoagies aka subs aka poor boys).

the next morning we had this amazing vanilla pastry thing from braud & co.

and then we made good on our dinner reservations the night before and sampled a few things from jamie’s italian, nearly making us miss our flight but the caesar salad made it worth it, honestly.

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papersandkeyboards · 7 years

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4/18-24: When I Decided to (somewhat) Run Away from Home

30th WEEK, APR 18-24, 2016.

“I’m so tired.”

“I can’t do this.”

“Are you asking me? Don’t you realize I never even try to answer the question?”

“Uuuuugh.”

Aaah. Back to school. Back to routine of hearing at least five complaints a day. Back to hearing at least one swear word in every other sentence people say in the hallway. Back at it again with calf-high white socks and Nike slippers. Back to Monday that everybody hates.

Unless I didn’t go to school on Monday. I had a major headache since on the plane the previous night from Phoenix to Seattle. In the morning, I was better to the extent that if I had a strict mother I would be able to be forced to go to school, but I found myself lying in bed, awaken by the alarm at 6.23, thinking to myself, “screw this. I’m staying in my bed.”

So I went back to sleep until 8 or 9-something.

I was trying to be productive, and even though I did something (if ‘taking a shower’ counts as productive for a sloth like me), then again, I could’ve done better. Biasa.

Anyway, over the spring break, Kira’s family discovered that Dave—Kira’s host dad—had a kidney stone, so after spring break, Karen offered Kira to stay at our house. So Karen planned to pick up Kira after school . Meanwhile, I went downtown to the public library to pick up a book I was planning to read.

So, Tuesday. My official first day of school after spring break. Two weeks of no school made me forget some people (I couldn’t even understand why) and made my handwriting acceptably ugly, as usual. Besides that, nothing much.

On Wednesday, we had a softball game against Franklin High School, and we won big. 25-5. Woohoo. (perlu diingat bahwa sebenarnya tim softball kita bukan yang terbaik, if anything, sekolah kami dan Franklin palingan dua sekolah dengan tim softball terjelek)

On Thursday, Mrs. Shaw was in the middle of explaining in English class, when somebody suddenly shouts, “Mrs. Shaw, Prince died!”

I’ve heard of the name and I know he was a singer, but that’s all I know (to be honest, at first I thought they were talking about Prince, my classmate from Oceanography). Looked like only Gretar and I were the ones who weren’t so surprised by the news, while everyone was in denial, then Mrs. Shaw googled him through the computer that was connected to the projector screen, and it was displayed there, as big as it can be, that the legendary Prince died that morning.

The class went chaotic. Mrs. Shaw stormed off the class, holding back tears.

That was pretty much the topic of the day from that moment on.

That’s a quite brief—if you would call it brief—recount of my first school week. The less boring part of the week is, of course, the weekend.

I’ve been dying for some independent travel. That means travelling without your host family or AFS volunteer. My friends in Europe have been doing some serious independent travel—considering that Europe is pretty small and you can easily go to other countries on your own.

The thing is, AFS-USA is complicated. A lot of red tape. You have to get permission from your host family (duh), coordinator, then your natural family, then they have to ask national coordinator in your origin country to release a travel waiver, then you have to send the signed travel waiver from your natural family to your coordinator, then your coordinator has to ask for approval from New York office.

Rempong banget, kan?

Harus izin ke sinilah, ke situlah, kalau pengen overnight gak boleh tanpa orang dewasa lah (walaupun disetujui host family—seriously, my host family gave me one night of hotel room fee, as a birthday present, if I were to do the independent travel, tapi ya... gitu. Gak dibolehin.), banyak banget syaratnya pokoknya. Nego dengan alasan udah 18 tahun pun tetep gak dibolehin.

Ceritanya gini. I planned this with Raya, and since we’re not sure whether we can stay overnight or not, we set the destination to be Tacoma (the only place reachable and touristy enough for a day trip), and we set the date. Then I found out we can’t stay overnight without someone 25 or older, because if we could, we could go to Leavenworth and book a motel room or something with our host parents’ names, at least. Then Nancy said you can if you’re staying with someone you know. But I know no one from Leavenworth.

Then, one day, I found out I actually know someone in Portland, another exchange student from Indonesia. Her name is Ari, and she’s from Bali. So the plan changed to going to Portland for the weekend, staying one night at her house, then going back home on Sunday. I told Nancy, and the long chain of asking permission began. Two weeks before the agreed D-day, Raya cancelled. Then I asked Kira and she agreed. The birthday gift from my host parents changed from ‘one free motel/hotel room for independent travel’ to ‘free round-trip ticket from Seattle to Portland’. One day before D-day (Saturday, April 23), when she found out the price of the ticket, Kira cancelled because she said it was too expensive for her. Terus aku sempat ngambek ke dia setengah harian di sekolah. Lalu curhat ke Audrey tentang ‘kenapa semuanya ngereject aku’ pakai full bahasa Indonesia sementara pihak yang digibahin lagi leyeh-leyeh di kasur kamar di lantai atas. Biasa, moody teenager.

Tapi beneran deh, kesel. Padahal aku udah rencana mau ngajarin siapapun-yang-bakal-pergi-bareng main speed pakai kartu remi di kereta. I think that the trip itself, the journey to the destination, is one of the most exciting part. Especially with a friend.

Anyway.

Here’s the final plan: I, with me and myself, would take the Amtrak train to Portland on Saturday morning for around 4 hours, then Ari would pick me up when I got there. I would stay overnight at her house, then I would come back to Seattle Sunday afternoon and arrive at the evening.

Setidaknya, kalau aku pergi sendiri, aku bisa ngomong ke Ari pakai full bahasa Indonesia (bayangin kalau si bule ikutan, kan gak bisa terlalu bebas jadinya), dan aku bisa bawa laptop dan nyelesaiin hal-hal yang perlu kuselesaikan di kereta (baca: this very blog itself). Woohoo!

Now if I were to take a train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta or something without my parents, it wouldn’t sound so bad. (denger nih Ma)

So. I got to Union Station in Portland, and I met Ari, her host mom, Jessie, and Jessie’s friend, John. I also met Dan, Ari’s host dad, and Evelyn, Ari’s one-year old host sister. I dropped my backpack in the car, then Ari, Jessie, John, and I walked to what I want to do first thing in Portland: voodoo doughnut.

Or at least I think I want to do, until I saw the line that was even longer than what I saw at Georgetown Cupcake. It was like a line to a ride in an amusement park.

We stood in line for five seconds, then I asked Jessie, “...is it worth it?”

Long story short, we walked away from the line to a food truck nearby and bought mini donuts from it instead.

Yes, we didn’t get the doughnut but we took a picture. [biar kekinian]

We walked around Portland, basically. From this one food truck to Blue Star, a coffee and doughnut shop, to buy yet another doughnut. After that, John and the rest of us split, and Jessie and Ari took me to Powell’s City of Books. it’s basically a gigantic book store. It’s so humongous you need a map. It was cool.

The initial plan was walking from there to an ice cream shop, then Ari suggested us to go to the water front, so we walked there instead, then John and his girlfriend Marie would pick us up from the waterfront to the ice cream shop, then to Jessie’s house.

The waterfront was pretty. A clear evidence that Portland has a lot of bridges across the Willamette River. A good place for a picnic, a boat, a jog, and for homeless people to hang around or take a nap. (i’m serious)

Ari is in a dragon boat team in her school—it’s a sport of rowing a long dragon-shaped boat along the river. So she took us to see the dragon boats.

Along the way, I also saw a couple of boats, one of which is used as a museum, and a submarine that serves as a museum as well. Cool.

From there John and Marie drove us to get ice cream, then we went home (to Ari’s host family’s house), since John and Marie were joining us for dinner anyway.

Jessie suggested earlier that we made gado-gado for dinner (turned out Ari had made gado-gado for her host family many times), so we did just that. (then Ari told me that Dan, her host dad, is Indonesian—both of his parents came from Palembang, Southern Sumatra, but he was born here, so basically he doesn’t speak Indonesian)

We had a good talk with everybody on the dinner table until 9.30ish, then Ari and I went down to the TV room, where we would spend the night. The couch was awesome. That’s all I have to say.

The next day, Ari’s host family (and John and Marie) and I went to Woodburn, around 45 minutes from Portland, to a tulip farm. (yep, not exactly spending the whole weekend in Portland, but I got a good portion of it from yesterday afternoon) I was excited because I know there’s a tulip farm in Washington, but it was far up north, like, almost reaching Bellingham. At least I got to go to one, in Oregon. Hehe.

Then we found out that only 10% of the tulips were blooming since it’s the end of the season. Yah.

The tulip farm looks pretty much like a pumpkin patch. An outdoorsy place, with bounce houses, popcorn stand, photo booths with face holes on it, and hay rides (in which you sit on the back of a truck filled with cubes of hay). Except, in this particular tulip farm, there’s a train with wooden-shoe-shaped cars, a wooden shoe shop, and a windmill. Very Dutch.

And the best way to handle a Dutch-themed farm is by taking a picture in front of the windmill with big-ass Indonesian flag fluttering in the air (Indonesians would get the reference).

The tulip farm was kind of sad, though. You can see the colors of the tulips from the distance, but once you get close, it’s actually kind of sad, seeing the flowers almost dying and not as crowded as we expected it to be.

Well, at least we still have 10% of tulips, which were still beautiful. The garden next to it was filled with rhododendrons and they were beautiful too.

Then we went to Mt. Angel to get lunch in a German restaurant. Mt. Angel is a small Bavarian town, I assume it’s like a small version of Leavenworth. I didn’t get to go to Leavenworth but at least I got Mt. Angel. Hm.

The last thing we did was driving back to Portland to the train station.

The whole trip turned out to be fun. Not regretting anything right now, really. It was really delightful to meet everyone I met this weekend. Thanks a lot to Ari and her host family for having me for the weekend.

And I’m so glad now I can cross of something from my list. Not the totally independent kind of travel that I expect, but hey, I was happy, so beat it.

And it was definitely wonderful to meet Ari. Yay.

Salam dari exchange student yang terlalu semangat keluyuran,

Nabila Safitri. (featuring Ari Widiastuti as the best host of the week)

#langkahanakbangsa #portland

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