just do what you love
POSTED ON Jul 28, 2024 2:49:54 GMT -5
Post by Luck Harris on Jul 28, 2024 2:49:54 GMT -5
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Luck had arrived early. He was prone to doing so when it came to these sorts of weekends. It gave him time to empty his truck of supplies. Back the boat in the water. Time to breathe, enjoy the solitude, and level himself a bit before things really "began". Once everyone else arrived, a moment to himself to clear his head — should he need to — would be a little harder to find. [break][break]
Having done pretty much all he could do, he was breaking up sticks for the night's fire and cleaning away brush, when he heard the slow crawl of the Kubiks' vehicle down the site's drive. The SUV rolled to a stop, gravel crunching beneath its wheels, and Luck turned slowly toward the noise; lifting a hand to shield his face from the sun high in the sky. Beside him, Charlie whined with anticipation and — giving the dog a quick glance and seeing him start his excited shivering — Luck shook his head and spoke in a quiet, low-toned aside. "Steady, boy, come on now. Sit." [break][break]
The dog looked at him. Looked quickly back at the vehicle. Sat on his haunches after a beat. Then stood again just as quickly, rear end swaying violently as he started a protesting whiffle in his throat. He shuffled (almost inconsolably) on his paws. Luck just barely stifled a roll of his eyes, wondering briefly what the pair of them looked like in that moment — wondering if Luck looked just as much abandoned shelter dog, ears perked in waiting for the return of its family, as... well... the dog. [break][break]
A door popped open. As soon as it did, the muted chatter of chaos within the vehicle became louder and more distinct — Ella whining and wailing that 'it wasn't fair!' and for Quentin to 'wait for her!' Her brother arguing back. Kat raising her voice above them. The sound tugged Luck's grin a hair wider. What a trip that must've been. Strange, how he'd never have entertained — for even a moment — the idea of being stuffed in the backseat with the whole lot of them before. And now, he almost wished he'd have had the chance. [break][break]
A pair of sneakers hit the gravel and a boy half-fell, half-jumped from the backseat. Luck felt the skin around his eyes tighten with amusement as he watched him pick himself up and shoot down the incline. "Hey, Uncle Luck! Hey, Charlizard!" [break][break]
Charlie couldn't take it any more and shot forward. Boy and dog passed one another with only a brief pause — Quentin crouching with a ferocious growl and Charlie leaping up to swipe a tongue toward his face — before they moved swiftly on. Quentin continued his haphazard stumble down the incline toward Luck and Charlie raced to the parked SUV to dance and hop around on his hindlegs before the open door. Who he was more excited to see... Nate or Ella... Luck couldn't begin to guess. [break][break]
As Quentin neared, Luck grinned fuller. "Hey there, birthday kid," he started, voice sounding half a chuckle and the words clipped short as the boy closed the distance between them and, only barely slowing, tossed his arms around his middle in a surprisingly-strong hug. "Woah!" Luck pretended to stumble back, as if the embrace might knock them down the incline, but then steadied the pair of them with a more decided laugh while he dropped a hand to the top of Quentin's head. He gave the boy's hair a thorough muss and scrunched his nose when he unlooped himself and tugged back with a scowl. "What are you turning tomorrow, huh... sixteen, is it?" [break][break]
Quentin scoffed, mouth pinching with suspicious scrutiny as he shook his head. "No-oo-o! Ten, you know that!" Luck lifted his brow, repeating the number on a wordless breath (as if not quite convinced), then let his eyes brighten and face perk. "Hey, double digits! You know what that means, don'tcha?" Smacking his lips, he glanced up the hill to where the rest of the family was climbing out of the vehicle. He found Kat's eyes and held them conspiratorially as he knelt to cup a hand over Quentin's ear and whisper. "You go tell your Mom that you think ten is plenty old enough for Uncle Luck to drive the boat for real when we go tubing. It's old enough to be tough... but still young enough that broken bones ain't nothin'... right?"[break][break]
Quentin pulled back, bright eyes narrowing as his mouth slowly pulled into a mischievous beam. He appeared to think it over, then nodded and spun around to start a (more difficult) clamber back up the hill. Luck followed slower — making a conscious effort to seem a bit less eager and overexcited than Charlie had been. He looked to Nate and lifted a hand to hold level on the air in front of him... then lifted it a little higher as he cocked his head quizzically and mouthed: 'he got taller?' [break][break]
It hadn't been terribly long since he'd seen Kat's kids. But still, at their age, they were always changing. Growing. And so quick. The thought of it might have subtly panged, if only for the fact that Luck might not have noticed the difference at all, had he been around while it just gradually happened. [break][break]
But he didn't give the thought a chance to find any weighty purchase within him. He'd decided on his way out to the cabins that all of that could — would have to — wait until he was home and alone again. And it was easy to dismiss, when Quentin raised his voice to shout, "Mom! Luck says he wants to break my arms when we go out on the lake! He said I'm old enough now and it's okay 'cause kids heal fast! Can we?"[break][break]
Luck slapped a palm to his face and tossed his head back. When he topped the hill, he groaned through a grin and pulled Kat into a hug that he (very decidedly) didn't think twice about; didn't pause to consider whether he needed to hesitate "in ask" now. "To be fair... I didn't word it quite that way," he mumbled amusedly, hugging her a little tighter and dropping his voice a fraction. "Thanks for havin' me."[break][break]
He pulled back. Tossed a wave and small quirk of his mouth toward Joszef on the other side of the SUV. Then, with an inward brace, he turned in Nate's direction. He intended, of course, to face and greet him in the same, breezy manner — to be a textbook example of ease... absolutely zen... like a piece of him wasn't teetering on some invisible edge. He'd practiced the ease. Imagined it over and over — how not difficult this was going to be. How normal he was going to make it. He'd practiced it in his head, endlessly, until he was convinced.[break][break]
But he couldn't help but falter, just a little. The hand he raised — at first to toss around the man's shoulders like he'd done Kat — redirected to prompt a handshake... then lifted quickly... to finally clap him on the shoulder. "Nate," he greeted, smiling a beat belatedly.[break][break]
Fuck's sake. [break][break]
It pained. The very obvious not normalness of it. What felt like a too-tight stitch snagged in his chest and he inwardly winced. "Good to see ya."
LIFE IS SHORT, MAKE IT SWEET
days will be long but the years will fly right by
Luck had arrived early. He was prone to doing so when it came to these sorts of weekends. It gave him time to empty his truck of supplies. Back the boat in the water. Time to breathe, enjoy the solitude, and level himself a bit before things really "began". Once everyone else arrived, a moment to himself to clear his head — should he need to — would be a little harder to find. [break][break]
Having done pretty much all he could do, he was breaking up sticks for the night's fire and cleaning away brush, when he heard the slow crawl of the Kubiks' vehicle down the site's drive. The SUV rolled to a stop, gravel crunching beneath its wheels, and Luck turned slowly toward the noise; lifting a hand to shield his face from the sun high in the sky. Beside him, Charlie whined with anticipation and — giving the dog a quick glance and seeing him start his excited shivering — Luck shook his head and spoke in a quiet, low-toned aside. "Steady, boy, come on now. Sit." [break][break]
The dog looked at him. Looked quickly back at the vehicle. Sat on his haunches after a beat. Then stood again just as quickly, rear end swaying violently as he started a protesting whiffle in his throat. He shuffled (almost inconsolably) on his paws. Luck just barely stifled a roll of his eyes, wondering briefly what the pair of them looked like in that moment — wondering if Luck looked just as much abandoned shelter dog, ears perked in waiting for the return of its family, as... well... the dog. [break][break]
A door popped open. As soon as it did, the muted chatter of chaos within the vehicle became louder and more distinct — Ella whining and wailing that 'it wasn't fair!' and for Quentin to 'wait for her!' Her brother arguing back. Kat raising her voice above them. The sound tugged Luck's grin a hair wider. What a trip that must've been. Strange, how he'd never have entertained — for even a moment — the idea of being stuffed in the backseat with the whole lot of them before. And now, he almost wished he'd have had the chance. [break][break]
A pair of sneakers hit the gravel and a boy half-fell, half-jumped from the backseat. Luck felt the skin around his eyes tighten with amusement as he watched him pick himself up and shoot down the incline. "Hey, Uncle Luck! Hey, Charlizard!" [break][break]
Charlie couldn't take it any more and shot forward. Boy and dog passed one another with only a brief pause — Quentin crouching with a ferocious growl and Charlie leaping up to swipe a tongue toward his face — before they moved swiftly on. Quentin continued his haphazard stumble down the incline toward Luck and Charlie raced to the parked SUV to dance and hop around on his hindlegs before the open door. Who he was more excited to see... Nate or Ella... Luck couldn't begin to guess. [break][break]
As Quentin neared, Luck grinned fuller. "Hey there, birthday kid," he started, voice sounding half a chuckle and the words clipped short as the boy closed the distance between them and, only barely slowing, tossed his arms around his middle in a surprisingly-strong hug. "Woah!" Luck pretended to stumble back, as if the embrace might knock them down the incline, but then steadied the pair of them with a more decided laugh while he dropped a hand to the top of Quentin's head. He gave the boy's hair a thorough muss and scrunched his nose when he unlooped himself and tugged back with a scowl. "What are you turning tomorrow, huh... sixteen, is it?" [break][break]
Quentin scoffed, mouth pinching with suspicious scrutiny as he shook his head. "No-oo-o! Ten, you know that!" Luck lifted his brow, repeating the number on a wordless breath (as if not quite convinced), then let his eyes brighten and face perk. "Hey, double digits! You know what that means, don'tcha?" Smacking his lips, he glanced up the hill to where the rest of the family was climbing out of the vehicle. He found Kat's eyes and held them conspiratorially as he knelt to cup a hand over Quentin's ear and whisper. "You go tell your Mom that you think ten is plenty old enough for Uncle Luck to drive the boat for real when we go tubing. It's old enough to be tough... but still young enough that broken bones ain't nothin'... right?"[break][break]
Quentin pulled back, bright eyes narrowing as his mouth slowly pulled into a mischievous beam. He appeared to think it over, then nodded and spun around to start a (more difficult) clamber back up the hill. Luck followed slower — making a conscious effort to seem a bit less eager and overexcited than Charlie had been. He looked to Nate and lifted a hand to hold level on the air in front of him... then lifted it a little higher as he cocked his head quizzically and mouthed: 'he got taller?' [break][break]
It hadn't been terribly long since he'd seen Kat's kids. But still, at their age, they were always changing. Growing. And so quick. The thought of it might have subtly panged, if only for the fact that Luck might not have noticed the difference at all, had he been around while it just gradually happened. [break][break]
But he didn't give the thought a chance to find any weighty purchase within him. He'd decided on his way out to the cabins that all of that could — would have to — wait until he was home and alone again. And it was easy to dismiss, when Quentin raised his voice to shout, "Mom! Luck says he wants to break my arms when we go out on the lake! He said I'm old enough now and it's okay 'cause kids heal fast! Can we?"[break][break]
Luck slapped a palm to his face and tossed his head back. When he topped the hill, he groaned through a grin and pulled Kat into a hug that he (very decidedly) didn't think twice about; didn't pause to consider whether he needed to hesitate "in ask" now. "To be fair... I didn't word it quite that way," he mumbled amusedly, hugging her a little tighter and dropping his voice a fraction. "Thanks for havin' me."[break][break]
He pulled back. Tossed a wave and small quirk of his mouth toward Joszef on the other side of the SUV. Then, with an inward brace, he turned in Nate's direction. He intended, of course, to face and greet him in the same, breezy manner — to be a textbook example of ease... absolutely zen... like a piece of him wasn't teetering on some invisible edge. He'd practiced the ease. Imagined it over and over — how not difficult this was going to be. How normal he was going to make it. He'd practiced it in his head, endlessly, until he was convinced.[break][break]
But he couldn't help but falter, just a little. The hand he raised — at first to toss around the man's shoulders like he'd done Kat — redirected to prompt a handshake... then lifted quickly... to finally clap him on the shoulder. "Nate," he greeted, smiling a beat belatedly.[break][break]
Fuck's sake. [break][break]
It pained. The very obvious not normalness of it. What felt like a too-tight stitch snagged in his chest and he inwardly winced. "Good to see ya."
we'll never be as young as we are tonight[break]
baby, ain't that right, yeah
baby, ain't that right, yeah
Tag: Nathaniel Collins [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes! TBH, I should have just gone to sleep instead of attempting to write, so sorry it's a wreck lmao ;v;
Give me a nudge for any changes! TBH, I should have just gone to sleep instead of attempting to write, so sorry it's a wreck lmao ;v;
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