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Eli: i think it would be like really awesome if scientists could engineer manatees to be like the size of a goldfish
Eli: 'cause then i could have one in my fishbowl and be like FUCK YEAH TINY MANATEE
Cosimo Galluzzi

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Claire Keane
Peter Solarz
art blog(derogatory)
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
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Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ

祝日 / Permanent Vacation
NASA
taylor price

blake kathryn

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Product Placement
Not today Justin

Kaledo Art
Jules of Nature

Andulka

seen from Australia

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seen from Canada

seen from Malaysia

seen from Türkiye

seen from Australia

seen from Netherlands
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@eliiwatson
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Eli: i think it would be like really awesome if scientists could engineer manatees to be like the size of a goldfish
Eli: 'cause then i could have one in my fishbowl and be like FUCK YEAH TINY MANATEE
Echo coming to the states.
@eliiwatson
modern day romeo & juliet au — liv & eli
HER NOSE scrunched lightly as a pout formed on her lips, the brunette nodding. “it was absolutely dreadful. the worst of the bunch, honestly.” she’d been on many dates with the young men her father deemed appropriate, and very few of them had been enjoyable, primarily because most of the dates were with men who only had interest in talking about themselves and their accomplishments, something olivia never had any interest in herself. she was conceited enough to only want to talk about herself ( most of the time ), but that didn’t mean wanted to listen to someone list his alma mater and the accomplishments he’d made while there as if that were the only important thing in the world. she giggled quietly as she shook her head. “not to boost your ego or anything, but yes, you absolutely are.” though truth be told, she hadn’t paid much attention to how attractive any of her dates were. they weren’t eli and that was what mattered. her heart belonged to him whether her family knew it or not, whether they like it or not.
she hadn’t been expecting him to agree to her idea, mostly because a part of her had been joking, because dating elijah was one thing, but running away with him? well, that was on a new level, and her parents would never forgive her for that. but his excitement was contagious, a bright grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. “really? you’ll do it? you’ll go with me even though there’s every chance our families will cut us off completely?” olivia knew that given the opportunity, she would leave without hesitation. after all, the only real thing keeping her here was standing right in front of her, offering to leave as well, but she wanted to be certain that he wouldn’t have any regrets should they actually go. “let’s do it then, let’s go.”
THE FULL implications of his immediate agreement crashed around him as Olivia spoke, but he felt confident. Positive. Being cut off was a very real possibility; his father had never threatened him with it before but he could almost picture it as he stood there with Liv - the severe expression on his father’s face, the clear disappointment he would likely find there, his mother’s quavering look in his direction— none of it mattered. None of it frightened him when he really thought about it. He could have lived in a cardboard box for the rest of his life and he’d wake up every morning happier than anything if he had Liv there with him. He snorted at the thought; hopefully they’d find a place a little kinder than a cardboard box. “Darling, I must not have made this abundantly clear but I adore you, okay? I do. I—” He blushed lightly, laughing. “I love you. And I could give an absolute shit less about my father’s company. Especially if it means I can’t ever be with you the way I want to. So, yeah, I’d drop everything for you. It’s a no brainer.”
His smile was wide; blinding, practically. He couldn’t help but duck his head and kiss her, hands rising to her face as he continued to smile into the kiss. “Fuck, I’ll have to call Rupert. Should we go to yours? Or just go?” He pulled back enough to look at her, breathless and bright with excitement at the possibilities unfolding in front of them. “Whatever you wanna do, we’ll do it. We’re gonna do it.” He was practically boiling over with energy, ready to run miles and miles if he had to, especially if it meant he’d finish with Liv at his side.
WWII AU
‘’I meant the war.’’ he said nodding his head at him. ‘’I understand, I guess with all the loss, I mean. I can see how that would work logistically.’’ he said softly. ‘’Yeah, I get that. All my friends enlisted, I went with them. But I’d just had scarlet fever and they wouldn’t let me enlist, and now every-time I go back they tell me that my healths an issue.’’ he sighed. ‘’It’s the worst feeling in the world not being able to help..’’
‘’Okay, so this is a bit like a half way house?’’ he asked raising an eyebrow at him. ‘’Well if there are nurses, then I guess it’s not all bad.’’ he said with a smirk. ‘’Well I suppose a rain shower is far better than no shower.’’
‘’Never been in a warzone before..’’ he said slowly. ‘’It’s an odd experience so far. To be here, but not be able to be helpful at all.’’
Eli frowned deeply as James explained the reason he hadn’t been able to enlist— he’d always been a healthy kid and he was a healthy soldier (well, he’d been healthier before all of the trench foot and malaria but so had they all). “I’m— sorry. I think sometimes I’d rather be in your position,” His smile was weak and awkward as he cleared his throat, “You don’t have to be worried you won’t make it back to your family. At least, you didn’t have to before.” He shrugged lazily at the comment, “Something like that, and I’m sure you’ll be plenty helpful. You’re absolutely fucking mad if you think we’ll let you out there without a bloody rifle.”
His head snapped up at the sound of the door slamming open and he stood to an abrupt attention at the sight of his commanding officer. “Get your shit and get to the staging area, Watson. Yesterday.” Eli saluted his affirmation in lieu of words and grinned at James wryly, “Looks like you’ll be getting your taste of the war sooner than we thought, eh?”
She played with her hair, giving the most innocent expression she could muster and quietly mumbling. “I uh……I found it…..” She then added in an even softer tone. “On the side of the road….”
“... On the side of the road.” The phrase escaped his lips in a drawl as he squinted at his sister, “You know what ELSE could have happened on the side of the road? Someone could have kidnapped you or something! Can you disinfect wood? Is that a thing? Because I think you might want to look into that, honestly. Jesus, Echo, you know you could probably get this somewhere in town without the gross factor, yeah?”
Joker stepped outside and locked the door behind him, lighting up another smoke and taking his time to answer. He sucked in the cancer stick before blowing it away from the other’s face in a polite manner. “Yeah. I basically live at the library or my best friend’s apartment with her kid. That is actually where it is I think, if I remember correctly.” He took out his phone and began walking, motioning for the other to keep up the pace. After a short pause, he spoke into the cellular device. “Hey, Harlow……yeah, no. I locked it up……Hey, listen. You remember that ugly old book I put in your guest room?……Well, it’s not my fault a three year old doesn’t want to learn about quantum theory, okay. Let it go Charlie!…..Anyways, I am going to run by and pick it up. I have an attractive Stephen Hawking wannabe needing to borrow it……No, I will not sleep with him at your house, god. I have morals, you know.” This bickering went on for a good while, leading into other subjects that had nothing to do with the topic at hand. Finally, he said that he loved her and hung up the phone. By the time he was off the phone with his best friend, they were already at her house.
He could only nod briefly as his companion explained his living situation, opening his mouth to speak as Joker fished out his mobile. He listened absently to the half of the conversation he was privy to, biting back a smile at some of the comments (he couldn’t deny the thought of shagging a virtual stranger was one that had crossed his mind more than once, but he wasn’t about to do it when he had work on his mind). “Priorities, Elijah, priorities.” He continued to follow him, hands shoved in his pockets until he found himself coming to an abrupt stop in front of a charming little house in a neighborhood he was sure he’d wandered through a thousand times. “I can’t say I’ve ever been called a Stephen Hawking wannabe before,” He announced suddenly, a playful smirk quirking his lips upwards, “I’d say today’s already a day of firsts, and that really just tops it.” He laughed lowly, shaking his head in blatant amusement. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling: excited to finally be getting a copy of the book he’d been hunting for for months, relieved to have it so he could be on his way, or disappointed to be leaving Joker when he did get it - not that that made much sense to him.
Marie heard nothing, not even as he spoke her name. She continued on, saying nothing and everything in a string of run on sentences. It wasn’t until she felt the gentle caress of his palms against her cheek that she grew silent and simple stared up at him with a daft look on her face. His velvet voice reminded her to calm herself and breathe. She did just that; inhaling sharply and releasing all her negativity into the open air as she exhaled. Both of her hands rose from her sides and rested upon the back of his hands as they framed her fair face. Accompanying his action, her once steady heart began pounding relentlessly, she was almost sure he could hear it from that distance. The thought alone made her cheeks burn a faint pink. The entirety of him speaking she listened, not daring to interrupt. He was being much kinder than she expected. It was impossible for her to process that she had gotten this far, she half expected him to slam the door in her face when he realized who it was tapping lightly on it. Upon hearing of her skillful way of baffling people her light blue gaze dropped and a soft chuckle could be heard. “I do have a bit of a knack for that, don’t I?” Truth be told, she even surprised herself when she muster up the courage to show up unannounced. The faint smile vanished almost immediately after their his trip was mentioned. There was no need for him to finish his sentence because she already knew where it led. And nothing was the same without you. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. You desperately needed time away.” She found herself reaching out toward him to adjust the collar of his shirt, much like she had done many times in the past. Once his lips met her forehead her eyes closed and was reminded of all the times he had gently pressed a kiss to the center of her forehead, there were too many to count and she cherished every single one. “A walk..?” Slowly, she returned to reality, just now remembering the walk she suggested. “Oh! Yes, a walk. I’m ready.”
You should have been there too. He felt his eyes burn briefly as she adjusted his collar and images of things he’d only ever dared to imagine when he was half too drunk to care flickered through his thoughts. Images of them together. Climbing mountains and swimming with dolphins and all of the other ridiculous, cliche romantic things they had crammed onto a list of things they were happy to do as long as they were together. Images of early mornings spent huddled together with tea and smiles, thriving on one another. Still together after their trip. Happy and full of life and love and together. He blinked the thought and the rush of emotion away, choking briefly on the lump that had settled in his throat— he’d hardly imagined he’d ever see Marie again and the conflicting emotions bubbled in his chest. He was elated to be able to hug her again, to look at her and feel the same rush of emotion for her he’d always felt, but it was something else entirely to let her fully back into his life. But he wanted to. God, did he want to. He took a slow breath, smiling softly as she seemed to come to her senses all at once as he finished shrugging on his jacket. He offered her his arm without thinking, drawing his lip between his teeth at the realization that he seemed keen on falling back to every old habit he’d ever gotten used to around her and he sighed softly. “Can I ask why you stopped by?” He cleared his throat briefly; he’d wondered as soon as he’d opened the door to find her on the other side why it was that she was there. They hadn’t spoken in person in ages, usually passing messages through Echo if they passed them along at all and he realized all at once that regardless of anything that was going to happen in the next hour or so they were bound to spend together: he didn’t want to cut Marie out of his life. He’d never intended to even come close to doing so when he’d left England, but he hardly wanted a repeat performance when he was absolutely capable of ensuring that that never had to happen.
Joker gave a small laugh, his face barely showing the light expression. “Convince me you are not a sellout author and I might let you come over to grab it.” He waited, not expecting a reply. “Yeah, you can come get it. Come on, follow me pretty boy.” He grabbed a ring of jumbled keys and went to lock up the library, leaving it.
Eli snorted, fighting hard not to feel entirely offended by the librarian’s snide comments. He’d heard worse, much worse, from various critics and people he knew who simply didn’t like him, but still— he’d never been one to take it without some frustration. “Yes, sir.” He chuckled, following Joker obediently as they slipped out of the library. “Do you live very far, then?”
She then jumped with excitement, making a big O face. “I could turn it into another bookshelf.” She then ran into the bedroom and brought out Eli’s most recent works, letting them tumble all over the couch. “I have been meaning to make a valid home for these, other than my bedside table. And I know I already have like….five bookshelves, but they are all filled up…again”
“You... could also do that, actually. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it...” He trailed off as Echo scurried into the other room, a smile lighting his face again at the sight of his books. “Aw, sis, I’m flattered. Where’d you get this big hunk of wood, by the way? I’ve learned not to ask questions, I know, but I think maybe I want an explanation or two. For sanity’s sake, y’know?”
modern day romeo & juliet au — liv & eli
THE SMILE that she saw on eli’s face widened her own to the point where she was certain her face was going to split in two. “i wouldn’t say years, but it’s certainly been too long,” she giggled, wrapping her arms around him briefly. now that they were in the same vicinity as each other, olivia didn’t want to break contact with him for more than a minute, almost fearing he’d disappear if she couldn’t feel the fact that he really was right there in front of her. feeling his jacket around her shoulders, she gave him a bright, and appreciative grin, pulling it tighter around her slightly. “glad i could help then.” she paused to chuckle, nodding in understanding. “oh, i know. did i tell you they set up another date for me last night?” there was a sigh of exasperation as she remembered just how dull the man had been, just like nearly every other man her mother had sent her to dinner with. olivia hated it, the quasi-blind dates and boring dinners, but it was something her father wanted, because god forbid a woman take over his company, especially when she could easily marry a man who would be fit for the company, as her father liked to say.
she sighed heavily, her head resting on his chest as she thought about why it was that the dates had been so boring, and she knew immediately that it was because none of them had been with eli. she hated that their families were such bitter rivals because of companies, especially because none of them could see far enough past this fact to consider that maybe the other family wasn’t so bad, and maybe they could continue to be rivals without being so unnecessarily cruel to each other, without absolutely forbidding their children to even look at each other. “i say we just say screw it and run away, leave it all behind. who needs all of this?”
HIS NOSE scrunched in immediate distaste at the mention of yet another date. He wasn’t a stranger to them but he could recognize that he had a great deal many more privileges on than front than Liv did. At the very least, his parents let him do what he wanted without urging him to date ceaselessly and his father seemed content to allow him to screw around whenever he wanted without a word one way or another (not that he made a habit of doing that). “You didn’t mention it, no. Was it just as bad as I’m imagining it was?” He raised an eyebrow, almost on the verge of laughter— it was cockiness more than anything that prompted it; he was well aware that there were occasions in which he felt very, very superior to a lot of the people he met on a regular basis, especially if those people were potential suitors to the girl he was very much in love with. He leaned in and held a hand to one side of his mouth, “I bet I’m way cuter, huh?” It was infinitely easy to joke with Liv and he often thought that was one of the things that had so attracted him to her - it felt so much easier to be with her than to do anything in the world; there wasn’t any pressure or expectation and he could be a normal twenty-something guy who happened to be in love with an incredible girl.
“No one I know,” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, mulling the thought over again and again and again. What would it really do if they ran away? He had siblings. There were other people who could do his job if he so chose to leave it. “Let’s go, then. Let’s go to the airport— or I can take you home and you pack a bag but we can leave tonight. We’ll go to the airport and pick a flight, any flight. Anywhere.” His voice was progressively more excited as he spoke, thrilled by the prospect of being able to leave and live his life happily with Liv at his side.
WWII AU
‘’You’ve got a fair point..’’ he said letting out a sigh. James hated feeling so inadequate, which is how he felt here and he’d only been here an hour. Being one of the only men his age not allowed to enlist was just embarrassing. But when he looked around it almost made him glad.
‘’Yeah, having a good group of men is aways good, must be nice working with people you like.’’ he said leaning back on the bunk. ‘’Yeah, it must be hard losing someone that way, when you work with them. I’ve had a couple friends go, but I can’t imagine what it’s like for you all here.’’ he said letting out a breath. ‘’Yeah they warned me before I said that I’d do it. Didn’t stop me though, if all the other men my age are here doing their bit, I’m sure as hell going to do it too. Well then let’s hope you get sent out again..’’
James offered him a small grin when he clapped his shoulder. ‘’Got it, I’ll get used to it.’’ he said letting out a breath. ‘’So how long have you been here?’’
“In the war, you mean? Or this place, specifically?” He quirked an eyebrow, shrugging. “I’m not American, so, longer than you lot have been— they folded our unit into this one to pad it; help the Yanks with their numbers and everything else. It’s... rough. Out here.” He rubbed the back of his neck slowly, his voice soft, “I enlisted in ‘39. Everyone was doing it. My mates... all of them joined as soon as they could— they jumped at the chance to do something. No one could refuse and a lot of us had no reason to.” It was difficult to talk about things, and every time he tried it almost felt like he was talking about someone else. Someone who couldn’t have possibly been Sergeant Eli Watson.
“We’ve been here for about three months. It’s the closest we can get to the other islands, so they send us off wherever they need us and we get to rest here.” He smiled softly, “It’s not terrible. There’s coffee and red cross nurses, and we can take half a shower when it rains.” He chuckled softly.
“You ever been to a war zone before, Anderson? Or is this a first for you?”
WWII AU
@eliiwatson
22 July, 1944. Just a mere two days ago, Hitler had survived an assassination attempt. It was a pity he did, thought Ruth, maybe the war would end faster if he hadn’t. In the trenches of Normandy, things were about as chaotic, tense, and frightful as they could possibly be. But she was one of the tough nurses, the ones who had seen men torn from limb to limb and bore it all with that stiff, English upper lip. She didn’t have nightmares, she was too busy to; surviving on three or four hours of sleep a night if she was lucky, tending to the wounded in the rest of her time.
She was called to the first aid tent early that morning, maybe it was three or four, she didn’t check her pocketwatch as she quickly changed out of her nightrobe and into her nursing outfit. If they were calling her, then they needed all the help they could get and taking her time was not an option. She had heard brief details of a Private Watson, injured in active duty just this morning and as she rushed into the tent, her eyes scanned for any sight of him. Though she moved fast, she wasn’t frantic. If anything, she tried to look as calm, as serene as possible. Even if there was no hope for some of the men in that tent, she had to give them the impression that there was.
Normandy was everything Eli had ever imagined hell to be like— screaming and crying, the smell of sulfur and gun powder— sand so soaked with blood he would swear he’d never be able to wash the grit from his fingers. His squad, the men around him, they made being there almost manageable (more than that, there were times when they made him forget where they were; times where he felt like they could have been back in London, just people connecting in the best way they knew how). Instead they were trooping through the French countryside, gaining ground and losing it day after day, caught in fire fights and scared half to death.
Still, he hardly expected to get shot. Hardly expected to be one of the guys staring up at men carting him to an ambulance amidst gun fire and shouts for medics but he had been. And now he was lying in a bed in the field hospital (which was really more of a tent with a bright red cross painted on it), listening to the groaning men around him and wondering where he’d be in a week’s time. He blinked sluggishly and found a woman, a nurse, looking down on him and he managed a smile, wincing. “They didn’t tell me getting shot would bring me to such beautiful girls. How’s it looking?”
what if au || eli.
They were in love. It was obvious by the way they stared deeply into each other’s eyes rather than the setting sun and impeccable view after scaling a mountain. It was obvious by the way they found any excuse to touch one another, even if it was a simple graze of fingertips against unsuspecting flesh. It was obvious by the way that once they were together it almost seemed as if they were the only two people in the room, no, the entire universe. That kind of love was never meant to exist, but it did and it currently travelled the world after leaving behind all they have ever known. At least, they had each other. Mariella had woken up early that night struggled to make breakfast for her sleeping beau, but after failing multiple time at an easy task such as eggs she gave up. Instead, she opted out and ordered his favorites that she memorized after so many years. It was meant to be a romantic surprise and she would see it through, even if she was incapable of cracking and egg open without shattering the shell. Once a knock on their hotel room door was heard the door was opened, server tipped, and she was rolling the food to their shared bed. Leaning forward her lips pressed to his forehead. “Morning, love,” she spoke in a gentle voice. “We have quite a few activities lined up for this evening.”
Eli was a great many things, but a morning person was not one of them. Especially not when he’d rather spend most mornings curled up with Marie than have to get up and face the world for any reason whatsoever. Even hearing her voice was only enough to rouse him into a groggy awareness that she’d woken up before he had, yet again, but he smiled sleepily— having the presence of mind to crack and eye open and look at his girlfriend sleepily. “Do any of them include having you back in bed? Because I’m quite fond of that particular activity.” His smile widened into the boyish grin he tended to save for her and her alone, finally pushing himself into a sitting position with a wide yawn. He blinked his bleariness away in seconds, leaning in to kiss Mari gently, “And now I think I’m officially awake.” He yawned again and laughed— there were mornings he woke up to her and couldn’t believe that this was where their life together had taken them. He’d always thought about it, of course, but he knew when to be a practical person and practicality had kept them from doing this for a long while and now, well, now he was happier than he had ever been. Waking up next to the woman who made him so happy he could hardly think straight. “What are we doing today, darling?” He patted the space next to him and reached for the tray next to them happily.
WWII AU
James studied the mans face, you could tell he was tired. Everyone here was tired, you could see it in their eyes, even the way they spoke. James gave the man an awkward smile when he saluted him.
‘’Dry socks, got it..’’ he said with a small smile. As he looked around, he could see that it was hard to be here all the time and that it was very wet under foot. ‘’They’ve put me here for six weeks. My editor wanted someone to come and see from the people on the front lines what was happening.’’ he said with a shrug. ‘’He wouldn’t send any of the females in the office therefore here I am.’’ he said . ‘’I understand, and I’ll try and be as un-invasive as I can.’’ James said as he followed the man further in land.
James stepped into the makeshift barracks sitting his bag down on the bed which he’d been pointed out. ‘’Okay..’’ he said before getting his notebook out his bag. ‘’I knew it was hell. But this is something else..’’ he said with a sigh. ‘’They don’t tell you this when enlisting do they?’’
A humorless smile graced Eli’s lips as he stretched himself out along the length of his bunk, groaning as several joints popped and creaked - he felt like floorboards being worn down to their smallest grains. “No, they don’t tell ya this when you sign up. Who the fuck would if they did?” He snorted, shaking his head. He wasn’t sure the reporter could hack it, not really. Balls and bravado did a lot for talk but when it came down to it - when the shells were screaming and the bullets whizzing and the men crying for their mothers, well, balls and bravado didn’t do a whole hell of a lot, then.
“It’s not all bad...” He trailed off, sniffing for a moment, “The guys ain’t so bad and they’re the only thing we got in this shit hole, so that’s all for the best, inn’t it? Some of ‘em get rotated out and then filled in but we’ve had the same ones around for most of the tour so far. Y’know, ‘sides the ones that ain’t walkin’ around here no more.” He sighed softly, “It ain’t a nice place they stuck ya, mate, I really hate to break it to ya. You want a story, you’re gonna have to wait until we go out again. We ain’t much for talkin’ about it, and seein’s a hell of a lot better for understanding.”
He sat up properly to reach out, clapping James firmly on the shoulder with a wry grin. “You best get used to the idea of living in hell.”
WWII AU
@eliiwatson
Being a reporter in the middle of a war was an odd thing. Alot of the time you got stick from people for not being over there fighting hand and hand with your brothers, but usually after a lengthy discussion on why you’d been rejected from the army in the first place people tended to get the idea hat it wasn’t totally by choice.
This was an issue James faced daily, he’d tried to join the army as soon as registration opened only to be hit back after he came down with Scarlett Fever. One fail, meant he couldn’t try again in enough time to actually be able to help.
So he got a job a a reporter, reporting everything that was going on over seas rather than actually experiencing it. So when he got told he was being sent over seas to get stories from the barracks he couldn’t contain his excitement, yes he wasn’t going to be actually fighting, but he was going to be over there. Seeing it first hand.
It was raining when he landed in the army base, and he felt very out of place. Like he didn’t belong, but he simply stood up straight and walked out to greet the soldier who was there to greet him.
‘’Hello, I’m James Anderson. The reporter. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’’ he said greeting the soldier who was going to escort him around.
They’d been away from the front line for all of three hours when his CO informed him that he’d be charged with escorting a reporter fresh from the States around to gather intel on the state of the front and everything they had been suffering through thus far. Eli was reluctant, truthfully, he’d much rather have gone back with the men as soon as he was able but he wasn’t one to disobey direct orders and found himself huddled in the ever present rain, waiting for their new arrival.
He blinked passively in the face of the man, James, and shrugged, offering him a lazy salute in lieu of a handshake. “C’mon, then. I don’t want to be stuck in this anymore than you do; jungle rot’s a fuckin’ pain to deal with, mate, lemme warn you. Keep your socks dry, whatever you do here.” With that piece of advice out in the air, Eli turned on his heel and headed back towards the huts further inland. “How long did they stick ya down here, anyway? It’s not exactly a picnic.”
A brief glance over his shoulder was the only other recognition he could offer as he stepped into the relatively dry space of the makeshift barracks, pointing to an adjacent bunk as he settled down on his own. “That’s yours while you’re here. Enjoy it while you have it, there’s no telling when they’ll send us out again.”
.
modern day romeo & juliet au feat @eliiwatson
WITH HER heels in hand, olivia quietly opened her bedroom door, peeking out to make sure the hallway was clear. seeing it was empty, she slipped out, gently pulling the door shut behind her. she tiptoed to the stairs, constantly looking over her shoulder. it wasn’t as if her parents wouldn’t let her out of the house, but only after they asked her a million questions, and if they found out she was going to meet elijah, the heir to her father’s company’s biggest rival, well, they’d never let her leave again. it was easier to put her heels on after she slipped out the back door and walk to the corner where there was a cab waiting for her than to let her parents know she was leaving and deal with the spanish inquisition. she’d never been one to sneak out in general, but when the most that she saw him was at awful networking parties where they could barely even look at each other, she needed to see him.
the ride to the spot where she and elijah had planned to meet earlier was short, though the excitement she felt about seeing him made it seem much longer. once she was there, she scrambled out of the cab and thanked the driver, glancing around to see if she could spot him. it only took a second before she could spot him, quietly making her way towards him. once she was close enough, she covered his eyes with her hands and muttered a quick, “guess who?” the smile on her faace wa clearly heard in her words, before she leaned forward to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “i’ve missed you.” she moved so she was standing in front of him, grinning wider as she looked up at him. “how’ve you been?”
Inquiries had followed him almost the entirety of his journey out of the office and he’d nearly bitten the heads off of many an intern in his haste to meet his driver— he’d been planning to meet Olivia for nearly a week and he would be absolutely damned if he was made late by some kid who didn’t know their arse from a hole in the ground and needed his assistance guiding them through every step of a process that was the last thing on his mind. It felt like an eternity had passed when he finally slipped through the lobby doors and into the car, reaching forward to pat his driver’s shoulder happily as he loosened his tie enough to give himself at least some breathing room. “Rough day, eh, lad?” Eli laughed lowly, shaking his head, “It wasn’t meant to be— sooner you get me where I’m wanting to go, the less rough it’ll be, mate. I’ve got a girl to see.” Rupert had been his driver since he was a teenager, and he’d become remarkably excellent at keeping secrets from his parents ( he couldn’t even begin to imagine how red his mother’s face would get if he admitted to being involved with a rival company’s heiress.)
His relief was almost palpable as he hurried out of the car with a quick goodbye to Rupert, adjusting his tie to ensure he didn’t look quite as mussed as he felt when he felt familiar hands block his sight and a crooked smile threatened to split his cheeks altogether. “Join the club, gorgeous, I feel like it’s been years.” He was breathless, eyes bright with excitement as he shrugged lazily, ridding himself of his coat to drape it over Olivia’s shoulders - it was beginning to get chilly and he wanted time with her as long as she could spare it. “I’m much better now that you’re here,” He drawled, smiling, “Busy. Always busy, though, honestly. I’m ready for a break, you know? I’m burnt out.”