life is a hurricane

Scott Rogers.

[scott-rogers]

hippocmpvs​:

Nerves ran through her body and spilled out in flapping hands and bouncing toes. Her hair flew as she whirled on Scott, desperation and giddiness in her eyes. “Oh my god, oh my god, what should we do? Should we barricade the door? Should we jump out the window?” she asked quickly, already moving to make sure the chain lock was in place. At least she could buy them some time. 

As much as it shouldn’t be, it was oddly amusing to watch her act like that. He was used to seeing her look sure of herself, so her current actions were bringing a smile to his face. “Mila, calm down.” He spoke softly, placing his hands on her shoulders to try and ground her to the moment. “Jumping out the window is only going to prolong seeing them, letting them fester in how annoyed they are. I think the best course of action is to talk to them.” Something he knew wouldn’t be most people’s first option – but he’d never claimed to be the best planner in the world. “Getting it over with seems better than running when we know we can’t run from there for long.”

[scott-rogers]

hippocmpvs​:

scott’s little joke brought a smile to camila’s face. his jokes were always quiet and unassuming, but she caught this one easily, like she always did. scott’s expectations were never too high. he was always impossibly easygoing in a way that camila appreciated and envied. oh, to be like scott…but she counted herself lucky to know and spend time with him if nothing else.

before she could respond and hop in the shower, a shriek sounded through the wall from next door. her eyes widened with fear and mischief. “is that what i think it is?” had they been found out?

Eyes darting to the wall to the next room at the shriek, a small wave of regret hit him – causing him to remind himself that they’d truly not done anything too bad. It was all harmless fun – harmless fun, that would leave a few people annoyed for a few minutes. What had the potential to be less harmless was him and Camila having to share the same room. “If it’s not what you think it is, I’d say Michelle just found the biggest spider of her life.” It was said to help keep things light, as he looked around their room. “They won’t know it’s us until they come here – I’d say we have a good... Five minutes, before someone barges in swearing revenge.”

[scott-rogers]

hippocmpvs​:

“i think you can be stubborn…but i know just how stubborn i can be,” camila assured scott with a cheshire grin. as scott disappeared into the bathroom, she hoped he caught the way she stuck out her tongue at him. she ought to drink half his coffee just for that comment. after a beat, she rose from her spot with a loud sigh and took the time to venmo him for breakfast, followed by a prompt block, so he couldn’t transfer any money back. restlessly, she moved to gather her own belongings for her own shower.

she turned with a start when scott emerged from the bathroom; she hadn’t expected him out so quickly. “whoa, speed demon,” she said, backing away from the door to give him room to move about the room. “that was lightning speed…but if the water is lukewarm, then maybe i’ll have to be quick too. i hate cold showers.”

“How stubborn you are, is the stuff of legends.” He teased, belatedly realizing it sounded far too much like their old play fights for comfort, and he was glad for the reprise going for a shower gave him. When they were around their other friends it was easy to know where the line was, but when it was just them – sharing a room and having the banter they used to have – it seemed next to impossible to keep track of what he could and couldn’t say. “Hey, make fun all you want. I’m not going to feel bad about being quick when there was no warm water – I have high standards you know? They need to be met.” Which was the most ridiculous he’d said so far. Unless something was glaringly wrong, he’d shrug it off and go along with it. He was never the most picky the person, and for hotel rooms – that meant he didn’t have anything close to high standards.

[scott-rogers]

hippocmpvs‌:

camila was so wrapped up in her horror that she didn’t catch the fondness across scott’s expression, but maybe that was for the best. as she started to wake up, the coziness of the prior night started to sink in, and she couldn’t say that she minded it. she reached over to the nightstand for the cup of coffee she’d grabbed and took a sip, letting it ease down her throat before she replied, “even if you did have a stubborn streak, which is such a lie, you know mine always wins out. so just give it up, scott.”

she looked up at him from her nest in the bed, where she felt like she’d sunken into a pit of quicksand. “there is no way i’m getting up any time soon. you should go ahead,” she nodded from him to the door to nudge him along. plus, he’d gone through all the trouble to get breakfast. he deserved it.

“You don’t think I can be stubborn when I want to be?” The challenge purposely made no mention of Camila’s stubborn streak. He may have one of his own when it came to things he cared about, but he knew it was never going to be a match for her’s. Nodding at her words, he walked over to his bag slinging it over his shoulder as he looked back at her. “Sharing’s not caring, I know exactly how much coffee I have left, and I better have the same amount when I get back out.” He mock threatened, before going into the bathroom and taking what was perhaps the quickest shower of his life. The door to the room may have been shut, but it still felt odd showering so close to her after everything.

Walking back into the room, he dropped his bag where it was previously. “Shower’s all your’s now. Though fair warning, I think lukewarm is the best temperature you can expect, unless you have more luck with it than I did.”

[scott-rogers]

milasoto‌:

“Oh, god, we’re going to have to be on our guard for the entire trip, aren’t we?” Camila’s face widened in horror as the realization dawned on her. She rolled her eyes at Scott as she grabbed for a bagel and took nearly a quarter of it in her mouth in one bite. She chewed her overeagerness as quickly as possible, but her mouth was still full as she replied, “You’re going to let me pay you, and you’re going to like it. I won’t take no for an answer. You’re right, though, plus, who would pay our share of the bill if we were murdered? We just have to wait until the trip’s over, and we’re home, then avoid them for the rest of time. Simple!” Mila laughed as she took another bite from her bagel, this one much more reasonably sized. Being with Scott was comfortable and easy, more than she thought it would be before she even realized they’d be stuck sharing a room. 

Ducking his head as realisation dawned on Camila, he couldn’t keep the smile from his face. That look was oh so familiar, and of the things he loves – no had loved, he reminded himself – about her. Camila had always seemed ready to try absolutely anything, but he was the one who usually pointed out the many ways it could go wrong. Of course this time, he hadn’t pointed it out, leading to him giving a half-shrug. “We are, but on the bright side, maybe a little trepidation will make the vacation a little more interesting.” He couldn’t help the good-natured roll of his eyes at her next words. “You’re really going to be so stubborn over paying for breakfast? Because I have my own stubborn streak you know.” He mock threatened, knowing that his stubborn streak was non-existent ninety percent of the time. “Exactly, they need us at least until we get home. All we have to do is remind them how great we are before we’re home, and they can’t do anything to us. Seems easier than avoiding them forever.” He quipped, opening the bottle of water he’d bought and taking a sip. “Do you want to go for a shower first or should I?” He asked, before deciding it almost seemed odd not to add in ‘or we could go together’ – but that would definitely have been crossing a line, joke or not.

[scott-rogers]

milasoto‌:

Unlike Scott, Camila quickly passed out, deep in sleep on the hotel bed even as Scott flitted in and out the room. However, the sunlight filtering through the blinds soon nudged at her senses, and she cracked open her eyes when Scott returned. “Hey,” she croaked groggily, rubbing at her heavy-lidded eyes to get a better look at him. “Fuck, we did do that, didn’t we? They’re gonna kill us.” She sat up with a laugh, blinking so she could take the scene in. “Scott, you didn’t need to get us breakfast. You better let me pay you back.”

“Oh they won’t kill us… Today. It’d be too obvious, worrying about them killing you in a week or two.” He replied, making sure to sound like an over enthusiastic children’s tv presenter. “I’m not letting you pay for breakfast, I couldn’t sleep and needed something to do. And people need to eat.” It was the truth, he’d simply not told her why he had trouble sleeping – and that was something he was going to keep secret. He didn’t need to make her problem in working out their boundaries into their problems. “Besides, it’s all their fault really. They can’t kill us, if the problem would have been avoided if someone had let us stay with them for the night. We’re the victims here… Think they’ll buy that?”

[scott-rogers]

Scott hadn’t known what to expect when he found out that Mila was also going on the roadtrip, what he truly didn’t expect was to end up pranking their friends with her. He hadn’t expected to end up sharing a room with her – and he truly hadn’t expected to realise that maybe he wasn’t as over her as he liked to tell himself. When it was just them in their room, it almost felt old times. It felt so much like old times, he was worried about crossing lines. After a restless night, he decided to give up on sleep and get dressed, grabbing the car keys and driving around until he found somewhere open for breakfast. Ordering some pancakes and waffles along with a coffee, he drove back to the hotel, walking into their room with the bag of food and the drink. “Morning.” He spoke, going over to the bedside unit to place the food down. “Figured we should fuel up before we have to deal with everyone’s less than happy moods when they wake up.”

[scott-rogers]

milasoto‌:

“Like I said, I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit,” Camila insisted kindly, knowing the mischief had been her invention. It was the least she could do considering Scott had played along the way he always did. “All right, all right, but only because they’re all probably going to wake up in a few hours, and then we won’t be able to sleep for the rest of the trip because we’re going to have to be on our guard.” Mila rolled over, so she could flip off the bedside lamp then looked back at Scott. “Thanks for tonight, Scott,” she said, her voice soft with fatigue…

At the sound of her voice being so soft, he couldn’t be drawn back to the numerous nights he’d heard it before – before promptly mentally kicking himself. He couldn’t have those thoughts anymore, and he hadn’t for a while – not until that night. “You never need to say thanks. It was surprisingly fun.” ‘Fun’ always seemed to follow Mila, and while he may not always go along with – he couldn’t deny that things were always more interesting with her along. If for no other reason, than she always looked so excited when she was coming up with an idea. “And don’t worry, if it comes to it... I’ll just remind the others that they owe me for never getting them back for their pranks over the years, I was owed a pass.”

[scott-rogers]

milasoto‌: 

Camila’s grinned out of both amusement and relief that Scott didn’t take offense at her teasing. She could always count on Scott to play along, something she’d always loved about him. “Well, don’t sell yourself too short. You were half the mastermind behind this plan,” Camila said, more quietly as the exhaustion seeped further through her expression and body. “You don’t have to unless you want to,” she said, desperately fighting her tired instinct. If she could choose one way to spend a night with Scott on this trip, this would have been it, and she hated to run the risk of facing reality come morning. However, her eyes betrayed her, fully shutting for a long moment before she said, “I’m just resting my eyes.”

“Half the mastermind? I think it was more… Sixty-forty your way.”  He joked, despite knowing that she seemed to be fading, so he made an effort to make his tone softer. He’d witnessed a tired Camila before and it wasn’t normally a good thing for everyone involved. Their friends were clearly already asleep, and that meant they were going to wake earlier than normal and they’d expect Scott and Camila to get up with them. Or their friends would all come to their room banging the door once they worked out what they’d done. “Sure, resting your eyes.” He mused softly, nudging her side gently. “Come on, I think we both know that look on your face means that you’re tired, we should probably try and get some sleep before we have to deal with an angry mob tomorrow morning. Or… technically just later since it’s past midnight.”  

[scott-rogers]

milasoto‌:

“My version of cool is most people’s version of cool. Maybe you just aren’t cool,” Camila replied, a smile on her face, so Scott knew she teased. She hoped, of course, that she wouldn’t make him uncomfortable. She’d never been shy to add an, “But that’s why I love you,” or, “Which is my favorite thing about you,” but it was too out of place now, and her words didn’t have the same warm appreciation. “Yeah, I almost didn’t agree either. It was hard to get that time off, but I guess I finally earned my stripes at the office,” Mila said with a soft smile. Her eyes suddenly felt heavy, and she couldn’t force out a grin, but she tried to stay awake a little longer, flopping back against the headboard, so she was sitting up again.

“I think we’ve established that I’m that uncool friend, who’s only job is to make sure nobody does anything too crazy.” He replied deadpan, amusement written all over his face. He’d never had a problem when everyone else pointed out that he was a little more chilled out than everyone else, mostly because he knew there was no way he could argue with it – and he was perfectly comfortable with being the ‘boring’ one. In a way, he was sure that was why he and Camila had worked, they balanced each other out. “It would definitely have been a lot more dull without you… Although the others might not be so happy that we’re happy when they wake up.” He chuckled, noticing her leaning against the headboard, it may have been a while, but he liked to think he could still read her. “Do you want me to switch off the tv? We should probably try and get some sleep.”

[scott-rogers]

milasoto‌:

“Don’t be such a Nervous Nelly,” Camila jokingly chastised in response to Scott’s own teasing trepidation. She reached for her phone on the side table, searching up the course. Once she found the website, Mila flashed her phone at Scott, showing off a multi-level and multi-challenge obstacle course through the sky. “Doesn’t it look cool? I know you’re always about safety, but we’ve done some other stuff like it.”

Camila looked back at Scott over her shoulder, watching him as he leaned against the headboard and talked about his recent adventures – or rather the lack thereof. She wasn’t surprised or bored to hear the answer. That was just Scott’s endearing softness that she appreciated as much as she appreciated occasionally poking out of his comfort zone. “I can’t say I’m surprised either. Not in a bad way. Have they dragged you out to anything recently?”

“Nervous Nelly?” He parroted, laughter evident in his tone. It wasn’t exactly the first time he’d heard it, but that did nothing to take away from the fact he still found it amusing. Glancing at her phone screen, a soft smile appeared on his face. “It looks like your version of cool.” He teased, before wondering if he was even allowed to that any more. When they’d been together, teasing about each other about their differences had been somewhat of a game, now? Now he wasn’t sure if it could come across as mean or judging. He still wasn’t sure what their new normal was, but for the first time, they seemed willing to work towards making everything seem normal again.

Chuckling at her comment, he gave a half-shrug. “You know them, they’re always trying to drag people out to things. The easiest way to get them off your case is just agree every so often. But agreeing to come on the road trip, did mean I got a few months off, from them constantly trying to drag me somewhere.”

[scott-rogers]

milasoto‌:

Camila flipped over, so she could look up at Scott as they talked. As engaging as the episode was, she’d seen it a million times, and the opportunity to finally hang out with Scott again was far more compelling.

“Well, it is on my list to go skydiving again. And I read about this cool ropes course in Nashville recently. But I’ve been taking it pretty easy waiting for this trip, and it’s been pretty busy at the office…which is something I never thought I’d say,” she said, laughing slightly. Camila had told Scott perhaps too many times how mundane her job could get.

“What about you, though?” she asked, sitting up to better meet his eye. “Do anything crazy lately?”

As Camila spoke again, his gaze turned firmly onto her, seemingly forgetting the fact the television was still on. He wanted to tell himself his focus was only on her, because it would be rude not to pay attention when she was talking – but he knew there was more to it. There always was when it came to her.

“I’m in no way surprised that’s on your list again.” He teased, if there was one thing he knew for sure about her, it was that she’d never turn down an adventure – even if it was one she’d already been on. “Cool rope course? Do I even want to ask?” It wasn’t a secret that between the two of them, he was the more cautious one. He’d do as much research as he could, make sure that everything was completely safe – and then do the same checks all over again. “A busy office is a good thing, right?”

Smirking when she asked if he’d done anything crazy, he shrugged, leaning into the headboard. “You know me, I never stop doing something crazy.” He replied deadpan, before shaking his head. “Pretty much the same old stuff I normally do. Unless one of our friends drag me out somewhere. They might not be as hard to argue with as you, but they can still be pretty persuasive.”

[scott-rogers]

milasoto:

Mila rolled her eyes (a bit melodramatically) at Scott’s defense of his own joke, but a smile still danced on her face, exposing her true feelings. Though Scott hardly intended his charm, Camila had never been able to resist it. He was soft, endearing, comfortable. When they fought it was difficult, even, to stay mad at him, and Camila secretly prided her ability to hold a grudge.

On the bed, Camila flopped on her stomach, gesturing for Scott to join her. He had his cot, but the vantage point was far less optimal than the one from the bed. It only made sense. Mila stared at the tv with her chin cupped in her hands and her feet swinging in the air behind her. She’d watched the show dozens of times, but it still engrossed her. She didn’t look at Scott until his question, but she quickly looked away.

Camila wondered if Scott knew about Matias. Of course all the friends did; Camila certainly didn’t want to hide anything from them or Scott. She just didn’t know if they’d told him. Certainly it was the newest news in her life, but Mila couldn’t bring herself to bring it up. They were getting along too well, and the tidbit would certainly ruin the ease with which they interacted.

“Hmmm,” Mila pretended to think before looking back over at Scott. “Not much, really. Marianne quit last week, didn’t even give her two weeks. Everyone at the office is losing their minds, so much drama.”

Sitting down beside Mila, Scott tried to remind himself that they were adults. They were capable of being civil with an ex, no matter how messy things had got when they broke up. There was also a part of him that simply wanted things to work out between them. He missed simply getting to talk to her. She wasn’t like anyone else he knew, and he liked that about her. He liked that she offered a completely different perspective as his own – he’d always thought their differences were why they worked so well together

“I’m a little surprised that’s the biggest news you’d have. I thought you’d have some amazing story about going skydiving or doing something equally as adventurous. I’m guessing that nobody is Marianne’s biggest fan right now?”

[scott-rogers]

milasoto:

Mila groaned, a bit dramatically as usual, at Scott’s horrible pun. “You had me for a second there. Your logic was good, but you ruined it with that horrible excuse for a joke. I hope you’re ashamed ‘cause you should be.” Bored with the channels, she looked over her shoulder at Scott to listen to his suggestion. She smiled at his logic and said, “You took the words right out of my mouth, Rogers.” True, she was going to suggest some sort of comedy, but she hadn’t put quite that much thought into something as simple as a movie. It was very Scott, though, and Mila appreciated it.

She settled for a moment on a Friends re-run, one of the only things showing at the hour. Mila looked over at Scott again, asking, “How’s this?”

Chuckling at her words, he shook his head. “No shame here. It might not be the best joke I’ve ever said, but I liked it.” He didn’t particularly like the joke, but keeping things light between them had worked so far, and he wasn’t about to change that. If they could make fun of themselves, then they could get through the night without anything crazy happening. Nodding at her choice, he smiled gently over at her. “Works for me.”

Turning his attention to the television, he stayed silent for a few minutes, before glancing over at her from the corner of his eyes. “So... Anything new with you?” He asked, a little hesitantly. As much as he wanted to know what was happening in her life, to know that she was happy – he wasn’t quite sure if he had the right to ask. But he reasoned that he had nothing to lose by asking her, it wasn’t like they could get any more distant.

[scott-rogers]

milasoto:

Mila smiled at Scott’s prediction as she walked into the room. “You’re right,” she said, flopping down on her bed, tossing a couple empty shaving cream bottles on the floor before teasing, “You better watch out, maybe I’ll have to get you in your sleep to cover our tracks.”

Though her heart and veins raced with adrenaline and glee, Mila figured it was probably time for bed. No doubt everyone would want to catch as many sites as possible, which required an early rise and shine (and shower). She was surprised, however, when Scott suggested a movie.

“Yeah!” she agreed happily, bouncing off the bed and grabbing the remote. She flitted through the channels, not spending much time on any single one. “See anything good?”

Laughing at her idea to ‘cover their tracks’, he simply shrugged, looking over at her with a bright smile. “You can do that if you want... Then you’re the only person nothing happened, gets me off Scott-free.” He joked, knowing just how bad the joke was, but that was part of why he said it. Stupid jokes seemed to be what was getting them through everything.

Watching Mila as she scrolled through the channels, his eyes immediately looked over towards the tv at her question. “I think we should just pick whatever comedy comes up first – that way even if it’s not funny, we can make fun of the fact it tries to call itself a comedy.” It was the first thing he could think of, that would get him out of explaining he hadn’t even been looking at the screen.

[scott-rogers]

milasoto:

Mila immersed herself fully in the mischief at hand, a near-evil grin across her features as she drizzled honey in their friend’s leg hair. Honestly, even Camila knew the intensity of the  punishment far breached the crime, but she loved to carry herself away. She convinced herself that she was here only for a good time and that being “stuck” with Scott played no part in the game.

Mila saw Scott’s movement in her peripheral vision and nodded at his mouthed question. She tossed a couple empty bottles quietly in their friends’ trash and padded out after Scott. Behind her, Mila shut the door before taking off excitedly down the hall, beckoning Scott to follow her frenzied suit.

She leaned against the wall near their own room and finally laughed to herself. “I can’t believe we got away with that,” she said, looking over to Scott with a grin.

Chuckling at Mila’s words, he rooted in his pockets for the key to their room, before giving a one-shouldered shrug. “We got away with it... For now.” He amended with a smirk, finally finding the key, and opening the door, gesturing for her to get in first. “I think everyone else will know exactly what happened, when we’re the only ones nothing happened to.”

Though he was sure they could take whatever revenge their friends had planned. He also couldn’t bring himself to regret what they’d done, because it was the craziest thing he’d ever done – and it was nice every so often, to break out of the ‘nice’ box. Sitting down on the bed, he glanced over at her, knowing this was the part of the night that could get awkward quickly. “Do you want to watch a movie?” He suggested, before pointing over to the snacks they’d bought earlier. “We already have the snacks for it, might as well have a movie night.”

[scott-rogers]

milasoto:

“Pretty sure this is the last one,” Camila replied quietly. Her brows furrowed as she rattled off the rooms they’d vandalized so far, a tiny smile poking through her lips as she remembered the highlights of each one.

“Better make this one count,” she said as she moved further into the room, shaking the remains of a bottle of a syrup down to the opening. Once she neared her sleeping friend, Camila caught Scott’s eye again, reaching her arm out, so they could clink bottles. She retracted with a smile, getting to work on her attack.

When she confirmed this was the last one, part of him couldn’t help but wonder what came next. The rest of the day had been easy, because they’d had something to focus on. Once they were finished with the prank, it would just be them, and he couldn’t help but hope, that they wouldn’t slip into their regularly scheduled awkwardness.

Nodding when she mentioned making this one count, he had to bite his lip to hide a chuckle as the clinked the bottles together. Moving as quickly as he could, he emptied the can, before moving back towards the door, waiting for her to look over. “Ready to go?” He mouthed, not wanting to risk even whispering.