⤹ river

@levi ackerman. Hange handed a bowl of hot stew to Levi and sat beside him, blowing into her own bowl. Her eye sparkled at the mention of a lab. "We could even purchase a hospital bed... have a little nurse-patient fun." She forgot if she had mentioned her previous career to the ravenhead, but it didn't matter. She drank from the bowl and chewed thoughtfully. "Earlier you were furious at me for coming, yet now you want me to stay the middle of nowhere with you. We've come a long way within a few hours." Hange teased, bumping her shoulder against his. "Is this your way of proposal?" She turned slightly, brushing her lips against his ear and spoke in a sultry voice. "I accept being Mrs Ackerman."

@hange zoë. “A summer cottage.” His mind shift to the imagine of Hange fighting with a long shirt or tracking mud in with her large, clunky fishing books. It was a beautiful image, somewhat. Maybe it seemed that way given the long, ty life he’d lived. The captain glanced down at the bowls and the heat pouring from them. “Yeah, or a lab… if you really wanted one.” He’d have to look into purchasing some land in the next few weeks. Thanks to Kenny, he’d have more than enough to put something together. Erwin would probably for using him money to do things for Hange, but it did sound nice to be away somewhere… with her next to him. She’d already spoiled him with kisses. If he were to go without them, it’d likely make him anxious. “If I did all that… would you stay with me there?”

@levi ackerman. She gave the stew a gentle stir. It was a healthy colour of red; some spices were added to it for flavour. The brew was coming along nicely. Hange turned to him — he remembered. Feelings she couldn't identify just yet bubbled within her. "We made it." There were many words she wanted to tell him and feelings she wanted to express. Yet, looking into his grey-blue eyes, she knew Levi understood what she wanted to convey. Hange scooped the stew into the two bowls laid out beside her. "What do you think of a summer cottage? You could expand on your garden; i could have a library... Erwin is gonna be so envious!"

@hange zoë. He thought about all the ual potential him being a captain and her being a commander could provide. Hange was probably well into the idea of using her superiority to have her way with him, she already did that to be completely honest. Perhaps he would think of more rules to indulge the fantasy, knowing good and well she wanted to tie him up. His thoughts were interrupted by a gross diarrhea colored creature being dangled mere inches from his face. He very much saw the slime and whatever else she was going on about, but he definitely didn’t want to. Levi managed to keep from slapping it out of her hands and quietly moved to prepare the fire instead.

Every so often he’d look over his shoulder to make sure she hadn’t run off to observe some beavers or sleeping bears. Thankfully her attention seemed very focused on the potatoes. A part of him was somewhat happy she snuck into his van. His getaways were more so for peace and solitude but being around Hange, as complex and obnoxious as most found her, put him at peace more than he wanted to admit. “ Maybe we should just live here together” He repeated the words she once told him, the ones he’d denied at the time. “Could be nice.” This was his indirect way of saying he wasn’t necessarily angry about her coming along.

@levi ackerman. "Posse?" The old guy was acting hip again. "You loved our drunken nonsense." Probably. She could only recall one part of that night. She looked over from her phone at his frustration while inspecting the van, eyeing his delicious rump. This was why she had joined the trip. Hange mentally sent her gratitude to the tiny, ancient van. She let out a noise of irritation when her phone got snatched. "Oh? And what are Captain Levi's rules? Will Commander Hange get punished for not following them?"

After setting up the one tent, Hange's eye strayed to the creatures in the dirt. "Hey, look at this cute slug!" She carefully scooped up said creature using a thick branch and brought it close to Levi. "Slugs are hermaphrodites. They have both female and male organs; despite being able to self-fertilize, most prefer to swap !" She held the branch on a tilted angle, careful not to drop the slug. "I wonder if how this one will reproduce." The slug crawled up the branch, away from Hange's end. She dangled the branch in front of Levi's disgusted face. "See the slime? It acts like a barrier, protecting them from sharp objects. Which is great, because this stick is quite rough!"

Levi found her some time later in front of the tent. She rose to her feet, following him, and got the bags of food out of the cooler, letting them sit for a while. "You trust me to cook?" She jested, yet quickly got herself clean before handling the food.
The incident did not deter her from flames; she had to keep moving ahead. Hange took the pot and the utensils that he pointed out to her. Cleaning them was fast, given the stream of river not far from them. "Get the fire ready, will you?"

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@hange zoë. “There’s no need for that.” He popped the hood and leaned over it the check for the issue. Last time it was just an oil leak.. It probably just needed some oil. The short male was stubborn enough to hold on to such a troublesome hunk of metal despite having plenty of money to replace it. Why get rid of a perfectly good camper van. “You’re just trying to invite your posse out here to bother me with more drunken nonsense.” He grunted a bit as he leaned over to check a random piece sticking out of whatever the damn thing was called. Regardless it wasn’t look good. Levi clicked his tongue as he took the towel from his back pocket to wipe away the oil on his fingertips. He came closer to her and took the phone from her hand, hoping to contain his annoyance to just one idiot instead of three. “If you wanna get away with captain levi, you have to follow captain Levi’s rules.” Why had he suddenly switched to the third person?

He continued working on the tent, setting it up without too much of a fuss thanks, in part, to Hange. Her flirtation, whether she knew she was doing it or not, was starting take a toll on him. Was that a confession just now? “You’re delusional.” He mumbled the response in order to keep from seeming suspicious. What kind of psychopath sneaks into a van to get away with another man just for fun. He glanced at her as she focused on a slug in the dirt, clearly fascinated. Right. Hange was that kind of psychopath. She was just playing with him like she normally did, there was absolutely no need to go and get all sentimental after what happened a few weeks ago. That was all a part of a stupid game she probably didn’t remember and if he thought maybe for a second it wasn’t, he reminded himself that she had a thing with Moblit. Yeah, that’s it. She was busy and not even looking for… connections with moody mAn.

Levi made his way to the fire pit just a few feet in front of the tent. “Hey, three eyes…” He called to her, sitting on a large log. “How about you make us something to eat? I’ve got some food in the cooler.” Meat, potatoes, and vegetables would make for a delicious stew. They needed to get it started before the sun went down.

@levi ackerman. "I brought my own sleeping bag. I doubt i'll fit in your kiddy bag." Hange had almost forgot to bring it. Watching him attempt to ditch her yet pathetically fail brought tears to her eye. "That's what... you get.. for trying to leave me stranded here!" A cocky grin was on her face until an epiphany struck her mind. "Wait. Are we both stranded here?!" She dug out her phone. One bar. Of course there was limited connectivity.

Hange joined him in the unloading, unfazed by his irritation. "I worked out a deal with Moblit. Moblit! He knows i went camping. He should be able to get us out of here... except, i did not provide the location." She pursed her lips. Erwin had not mentioned where the campsite would be, as he himself hadn't known. Hange trusted Moblit to be able to determine which campsite Levi and herself were at; there were only so many places wherein one could camp. "Relax! There's one bar here. Perhaps there are more downstream; I'll walk there later to send a text to Erwin and Moblit!" She retrieved the tent, helping to unfurl it. "I do have a thing for short, moody mAn. If only he'll have me too." She eyed him all the while.

@hange zoë. "A big birdie, huh?" A bushy big bird looking image popped into mind. Why were those two always picking on him? Why couldn't they just enjoy each other's company WITHOUT HIM INVOLVED? Levi grimaced, watching her stretch her limbs, still holding the stick in hand. "That's funny, I didn't think I'd have any guests." He only brought one place to sleep and there was no way he'd survive waking up to her dirty toes in his face. They were too far away from him to drive back. Maybe he could get away with a nearby gas station at the foot of the mountain. The steam was billowing from his ears as he walked around the van and got inside, turning to crank it and hearing nothing but painful noises coming from the engine. No way... He tried again, but there were only more pained noises.

The little man stepped out of the van and slammed the door behind him, hard enough to make the entire thing shake. Not only was he stuck out her with Hange, he was stuck out here forever. Damn it all to hell. His beady eyes shifted to her lanky frame, clearly not pleased at all. "Don't you have a job or something?" Levi began to unload the camping supplies. "Did you just hear 'oh, Levi's going to have a serene weekend alone' I'll sneak into his van and join him'?" He cursed Erwin and his big fat mouth. "I'm beginning to think you have a thing for short, moody men."

@levi ackerman. She was dreaming. A familiar scene, one of a memory long ago, faint remnants scattered in her recollection. They were at the beach. A first, for them. She picked up a foreign creature that had a hard shell and knives for arms, ignoring his stern yet distressed warning. "How marvelou–" It grabbed her nose between its jagged fingers. A yell of her name sounded.

"...damn stowaway..." Hange awoke to her nose being jabbed at. Her eye travelled down the stick, up the arm, to the face of her offender. "Oh, hi Levi." She greeted nasally, a wonky smile on her face, dried drool decorating her shirt. "SURPRISE!!" She waved away the stick and rose from her curled position, exiting the small vehicle to stretch her fatigued limbs. She looked at the site. "So, we have arrived! It's been long since i went camping. Fresh air, fresh water!!!" She finally turned back to the fuming male. "A huge birdie informed me of your plans."

@hange zoë. Something wasn't right. The van was burning more gas than it normally did on such a routine trip. This, of course, logically led him to believe that maybe it was about to kill over again. It did that every so often, but the short male made sure to keep tools in the trunk just in case. He knew very little about mechanics, but if he couldn't figure out on his own, Erwin was just a phone call away. The commander was well skilled with using his hands and often did mechanic when he saw a friend in need. Despite the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, however, he arrived at the campsite next to the river without even so much of a bump.

Still, something felt off. His Levi senses were tingling even now that he'd stepped out onto the gravel and made his way around the van and quietly pulled the door open. "the hell..." His eyebrows furrowed upon seeing the lanky woman sleeping in his back seat, drooling all over herself. "Hey, three eyes-- Hey..." He leaned over and picked up a stick to poke her with, pressing its tip against her nose. "If I'd known there was a damn stowaway I would have let the ship sink--" How she even knew he was planning this trip was beyond him, but the steam was still pouring from his ears.

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@levi ackerman. She snuck into the open van. It was small and looked old, just like its driver. At least in this van, said petite driver could simultaneously reach the gas pedal while looking over the dashboard. His stuff were already neatly packed on the seats, covered by a tarp for containment. Hange slid her bag and herself under the tarp, folding her long limbs. This could either work or be a bust. She cackled mentally; he would be vexed when he found her. Hange had no choice; if it weren't for Erwin's interference, she wouldn't even know that he was going camping. She pouted. He did specifically tell her to stay away. What a fiesty midget. Hange yawned. It had been another late nighter; in addition, she had to wake up early to prepare her camping supplies, the duty not being in her mind until the last moment. The van was still stationery. Hange could rest for a few minutes; her eye slipped shut.

@oikawa tooru the moment the stranger had cleared their throat, keiji felt like he wanted the earth to swallow him whole; he was never one to show this much affection no matter the place. hastily detaching his arms around the other’s figure, a small part of him wished he should have held and be held perhaps a little bit longer. keiji, not knowing what to do, decided to do what he does best- awkwardly fiddling his fingers for a solid few seconds, giving the stranger a small court bow of his head as a sign of apology debating if he should just forcefully shove them inside the pockets of his jacket.

“we should but uhm-” the shorter pauses for a second, shifting to look around, pursing his lips ever so slightly in thought. “did you have anything else to do because,, i’m pretty much done for today. i already got all i needed so-” he explains rather softly, lifting the plastic bag with his purchase, the sound of the material rustling stridently before his steely blue orbs shifts back to oikawa, eyeing the now exposed lower half of the taller's face. not wanting to disrupt the other if he had things he needed to prioritize for the day, keiji could understand that.

@akaashi keiji when akaashi speaks, tooru blatantly eases, shoulders relaxing. it's almost too easy to read him then, the other's presence a different comfort than what he can get from the strange world they're currently in. it better be real, tooru repeats in his mind, breathing softly when akaashi leans away a little, and there's the temptation to lean his forehead against akaashi's. but he settles for a soft, "hey," in reply.

their small moment is suddenly interrupted when someone behind him clears their throat, and it's only then that tooru remembers that this isn't a private place for them to stay. he reluctantly pulls away from akaashi, before turning behind him with an apologetic smile, cheeks warm with slight embarrassment. "i'm sorry," he says, but the stranger only gives the two of them a weird look before moving on. he lets out a soft exhale, followed by a chuckle as he turns back to akaashi, holding onto his mask as he pulls it down a little. "shall we take this elsewhere then?"

@oikawa tooru a wave of panic hit through keiji when he realized that oikawa had frozen up in his arms, which resulted in him quickly moving to detangle himself; only to be reeled back into a tight hug. this time, it was keiji who froze up, not at all expecting such a warm reaction— but then again he didn't really know what to expect from someone he was sure he was never bumping to, much less actually see or hear from again. wordlessly wrapping his arms once more around the brunette, slightly gentler than earlier, with a small exhale at the naturalness of it all.

“I missed you too” keiji finally lets out softly, biting his lower lip in hopes that his words didn’t come off too shakily. leaning his forehead against oikawa’s shoulder for a few seconds before exhaling. “well, it better be real ,,or else— ” keiji almost inaudibly mumbles out, not knowing what else he could say or what being out there he could threaten if it all turned out to be just a joke or a dream. the shorter loosens his grips, moving back in search of the other’s face, albeit half covered only to offer a small reserved smile. “hey there.”

@akaashi keiji tooru barely manages to move on from the sound of akaashi's voice — it still gives him the same feeling, though it does sound a little deeper than what tooru can remember (but he can't exactly say that he trusts his memory; it's been too many years without hearing akaashi's voice, with nothing to even remind him of it). he can only blink when akaashi moves toward him, pulling him in a tight embrace that causes tooru to stiffen in his place as well, surprised and rather slow in taking in what's currently happening.

when akaashi moves away, a wave of unusual fear surges through tooru and his hand is quick to pull akaashi back into his arms. this time his arms wrap snake around the other's body just as tightly as the other did, as though if he holds akaashi any gentler, he might lose the other once more. his hands are trembling slightly, almost unnoticeable unless someone actually focuses on his hands, and he breathes against his mask shakily. "i missed you," he mutters. his hold on akaashi tightens. "oh my god, i hope this is real."

@oikawa tooru akaashi had only scooted aside just enough for the exiting customer to walk past him without any trouble, finding himself looking back front to take a step forward himself, ready to wander off into the wonders of the riverbank. but then he hears a name being called out. his name. flowing on a voice so soft, so oddly familiar he almost didn’t register it. he didn't know a lot of people in tokyo, just some coworkers and friends from university, but why did it sound so— familiar? the younger whips his head, quick enough he thought he’d get some sort of whiplash.

akaashi’s always calm expression shifts as his eyes widen, taking in the person right in front of him. although the face was masked, it was the same chocolate brown hair gently and perfectly tousled over the other’s face that never seemed to budge, the same chocolate brown eyes that had always watched him from across the court, eyes that always wore its emotions— staring right back at him. the same person who disappeared all those years ago. he just knew.

“...oikawa-san?” akaashi finally mumbles out, a bit unsure. it was him, right? it had to be. was that why he seemingly vanished all those years ago? it made sense; mind suddenly filled with thoughts he didn't yet know that answer to; a flood of emotions hit him, the familiarity of home. without realizing, his feet had moved closer towards the others, arms wrapping themselves around the other’s figure tightly. his body going rigid once his own actions finally seeps in, hastily moving to detach himself. “,, im so sorry-”

@akaashi keiji oikawa tooru — this is a name that no longer exists in the world of volleyball, he knows, but rather, his face now decorates the covers of fashion magazines, lined up on shelves. he's still getting used to the feeling of his face greeting his sight whenever his sight chances upon magazines or posters that hang up on clothing stores. but of course, he won't see all of those in a small homey stationary store, and he's glad for that. it still /does/ feel a little weird to see his face on magazines, after all. with a mask covering half of his face, he wanders through the shelves, looking for the materials he needs to decorate another part of his room (because what makes it more homey and more comfortable than decorating it himself, right? no matter how messy it is, it's still his!)

after a while, he's done shopping for what he needed, and he's already walking toward the counter when he finds a (strangely) familiar figure outside. tooru almost misses his change when the cashier repeats her words, and he's bowing and smiling apologetically as he addresses the cashier, before heading for the exit — almost in a rush, as his curiosity often manages to take over his rationality outside the court. he opens the exit, not truly expecting anything, but then he hears a voice that sounds (vaguely) familiar, and his eyes follow the stranger's countenance.

only to be hit by a wave of shock to find a face he hasn't seen in too many years.

"... akaashi?" he calls, eyes wide and blinking. "akaashi, is that you?"

@oikawa tooru a fruity scent fights it's way across the small homey stationary store that stood by the riverbank, the ravenette flutters his lids close for a second and breathes in the scent in an attempt to figure it out. berries. wild berries with a tinge of cinnamon; an odd pairing he decided he didn’t mind sticking onto him. he opens his lids, long lashes gently lifting from the comforts of his cheek to gaze outside as he waits in line, the way the sun bounced off its burnt orange hue against the peaceful flowing water of the river below and the way the wind manages to let its presence known in a cool breeze had always capitaved akaashi keiji. teeth crushing the citrus piece of candy in his mouth after paying for his purchase of washable colored markers since the kids had dried the ones at the daycare out along with some ink refills for his pens.

plastic bag hung on his wrist as akaashi dipped out of the store, tongue swiping on his lower lip as if to clear out the lemon flavored treat. pausing in his steps to take a quick peek at his phone, gunmetal blue orbs swiping over the screen which told him that he had time to spare, akaashi purses his lips in thought as he pockets the phone. debating if he should walk around the area for a while, and perhaps find something to buy for dinner later as the convenience store by his place that he frequented for their dashing display of onigiris had decided to go under construction. a small sigh escapes akaashi’s lips at the memory and inconvenience of it all. lifting a finger to gently push his falling glasses back to sit gingerly on the bridge of his nose. “ah- i’m sorry” akaashi blinks, the bells of the store snapping him out of his thoughts. realizing someone had exited the store after him; he timidly moves aside- only now realizing that he was blocking the exit.