* ＨＩＧＨ ／𝓌𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇 !

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕤𝕖‌:

chase knew that when they left love island his quality of life was going to increase significantly. no more snooping cameras or wondering what or if he was going to do something that would be embarrassing and last a lifetime on the internet. the time had gone by so quickly. between spending time with dakota and trying to figure out his next step off made him wary of which direction he should go in. the one thing he was grateful for throughout this entire process was dakota. the curly haired boy had kept him sane at the villa and was the sole reason why he would ever go back.

chase nestled into dakota as he felt the other play with his hair, he leaned his head into dakota’s chest and gave him a quick peck of a kiss to his clothed chest. it was moments like these where he felt like he would follow dakota anywhere - even if it meant going back to the villa for another season. for a moment the whole recite a sonnet thing made chase’s eyes widen until he realized that dakota was merely teasing him, “you think you’re real sly, huh?” chase smirked as he tapped the other’s chest with his hand playfully. he rolled his eyes and then asked, “a ping pong bar?” the american questioned, “is that where they play ping pong or is-” he was interrupted by dakota saying that he would whoop his ass. chase’s inner competitive nature jumped out as he shook his head, “you really think you can beat me at my own game?” chase asked. he then laughed against dakota, “i’d like to see you try” a smirk grew on chase’s lips as the southerner added, “maybe i’ll go easy on you or let you play doubles with me or something if you’re lucky” chase teased.

𝕀ℕ 𝕊𝕆𝕄𝔼 𝕎𝔸𝕐𝕊 𝕀𝕋 felt a little strange being removed from the constant surveillance of the cameras. dakota had grown so accustomed to living with so many other people and always being on the watch for what might slip out of his mouth ( namely swear words as he knew his father would not approve ) that he still had to remind himself that he was now free to say whatever he liked. that these moments that were shared between them were theirs and nobody else’s to look in on from now on. 

“a ping pong bar.” dakota repeats simply with a short nod of his head, already getting a little bit too excited by the premise of doing something active, which only escalated as chase seemed to get into competitive mode. and it quickly brought a grin to his face. “you don’t think i could take you on?” he asks, looking down at chase warmly, using the hand that had previously been running through the other’s hair to brush over chase’s cheek gently. hell, dakota knows he wouldn’t have a chance of winning anything involving tennis against the american, but it’s fun drawing this competitive side out of chase. “i’ll have you know i once invented a move in a football game when i was eight which involved a roundhouse kick that distracted all the other players on the field and allowed my teammate to score a goal,” dakota says proudly, puffing his chest out. he avoids mentioning that, in actuality, his teammate scored an own goal in the commotion. “although, doubles sounds like a lot of fun. maybe we can win something together, huh?” 

[onlyfansdotcomslashshawnmendes]

🥺

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕣𝕪‌:

Arriving at the villa for the second time has left Henry a little more disillusioned, a little more heartbroken, and a lot more determined to see himself into a relationship or two that actually makes him happy. The break had done him some good, giving him time to connect with a few people from season two in advance, and while he doesn’t exactly have any potential for finding love just yet, he still thinks that it can give him a leg up. At the very least he knows that he likes kissing one or two of them, so there’s that. “For some reason, I expected this place to change a lot more than it has.” Starting a conversation with someone in the room with him, Henry looks about, already thinking about gravitating towards the back yard since he’s gotten his things settled.

ℂ𝕆𝕄𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝔹𝔸ℂ𝕂 𝕋𝕆 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕍𝕀𝕃𝕃𝔸 feels strange for dakota. the break had only affirmed to him that he’d got all he wanted out of the process, and yet here he was. stuck in a two-season contract that he can only hope will be kind to him. some things never changed, though, and as dakota idly twirls the tea bag around in his mug, he feels as if he’d never actually left the love island kitchen to begin with. “you can say that again. only thing that’s changed about the place is the people and even then some of us have clung on, huh?” he throws a smile in henry’s direction. “i think we can consider ourselves part of the furniture at this point.” 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕤𝕖‌:

chase’s competitive nature made him very bitter that he hadn’t been able to win love island with dakota. as he had assimilated back into normal life he realized that not winning love island was honestly better for him in the long run. for the time being he was free of the love island lifestyle and all of the pressures and scrutiny that naturally came along with it. now he got to focus back in on his next steps in life as well as spend time with dakota. of course, chase was far more excited about the second part of his current situation. he knew it was just a matter of time before he came back to london with dakota to explore his world and chase couldn’t be more excited to get to see a new part of the world.

as chase walked towards the couch that dakota was lazily draped over, he smirked and eagerly accepted the other male’s invitation to join him. his tall, somewhat lanky body made room on the couch next to dakota and he smirked, “what were you thinking?” he asked rhetorically before dakota continued with his plans for the day. it wasn’t exactly chase’s nature to just go with the flow, but being in london - a city that dakota knew far better than chase could ever imagine - made chase feel like he could just follow dakota’s direction, adding whatever he pleased to their agenda. chase fidgeted on the couch and found a position that was comfortable, his head resting on dakota’s chest as he heard what was on the dossier for the day. “oh, yeah?” he asked about the pub that shakespeare frequented. not even second guessing the information he was presented, chase chuckled, “that sounds pretty good to me. though i’m not sure if i’m worthy of such a place. i’m pretty sure i spark notes-ed all of his shit back in high school” chase scowled before letting a chuckle pass his lips.

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕋ℍ𝕆𝕌𝔾ℍ𝕋 𝕆𝔽 𝔸ℕ𝕐 𝕀𝕄ℙ𝔼ℕ𝔻𝕀ℕ𝔾 love island contract renewal had been pushed to the back of dakota’s mind over christmas, too busy being wrapped up in excitement over finally seeing his family, and then getting some much needed alone time with chase. as much as the past six weeks on the island had been a whirlwind ( and he’s definitely thankful this downtime as he needs a break from all the emotional whiplash of the past few weeks ), he’s ultimately grateful for it at least putting him in contact with the southerner. 

as chase joins him on the couch, dakota wraps a protective arm around him, savouring every moment he’s had the other boy in his arms recently. feeling the other male shift in his hold, dakota places a gentle kiss to the top of the tennis player’s head, his free hand that wasn’t around him reaching out to idly run through his hair. “ah, so spark-notesing shakespeare is universal? good to know,” dakota grins as he looks down at the other boy, “it’s a good thing they rid of the ‘recite your favourite sonnet’ entry requirement a few years back, otherwise you’d be feeling even more unworthy,” he’s sure to let out a light laugh to accompany his words this time, feeling it would be a little too cruel to make chase believe that too. “or we could just say fuck shakespeare entirely and go to a ping-pong bar,” dakota muses, jutting his bottom lip out in thought before mischievously smiling at the boy in his embrace. “and then i can be super proud of myself for the next week because obviously i’ll beat your arse.” clearly he was forgetting that the likelihood of that actually happening when his potential opponent was a tennis player was slim to none. 

[seabreezc]

theo: wHAT's up from switzerland! i'm so sad you couldn't make it :(

theo: how's it going on your side of the world?

dakota: i knowwww, i've never been skiing it would have been fun :( but i suppose that's the reality of christmas on a photographer's budget

dakota: london's alright! i'm so ready to bring in 2020 though

dakota: you got any decent plans for it? aka i'm giving you the go-ahead 2 make me jealous here

[seabreezc]

@chaseweathers​ // 𝔸𝕃𝕋ℍ𝕆𝕌𝔾ℍ 𝔻𝔸𝕂𝕆𝕋𝔸 𝕋𝔸𝕃𝕂𝔼𝔻 down living in london throughout the entirety of his time on love island, having stated on many occasions that torquay was his real home, the holiday break is making him reassess. showing chase around london is giving him a new perspective on life in the big smoke and he's come to realise maybe the city he often found to be too cold and unforgiving wasn't so bad when he had someone to go home and cuddle with at the end of a day. and he sure is relishing in getting the most out of three weeks of missed cuddles. sure, he and chase hadn’t won love island, but dakota genuinely meant it when he’d told his friends on christmas day that he believed meeting chase was the real prize - even if they’d pretended to gag at his words in return. 

dakota wants to show chase everything; a little TOO excited when the other male had first arrived that the sports photographer had immediately worked on devising a rather extensive list of landmarks they had to visit in the run-up to new years. a bucket list within their bucket list. but today’s a sunday and keeping with kersey tradition, sunday’s are reserved for lazing. and lazing without the camera on them? too tempting to resist. “mm, so i was thinking,” dakota starts, draped across the navy couch in his living room as he ushers chase to join him. “we can stay here for a bit, and then maybe later i can show you the local pub that shakespeare used to frequent...? you know, the one i told you about when we were on the tube yesterday.” had shakespeare ever even stepped foot in his notoriously hipster area? probably not. but he was enjoying his rewritten version of london’s history far too much to stop now. 

[floralbruisesx]

He’s the kind of boy who hoards the stars in his mouth to give you a taste of heaven,even if it scorches his tongue.

The Divine Creator Series @floralbruisesx (via floralbruisesx)

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕜𝕣𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕒‌:

no, she practically screamed in her mind. why would she be okay? she came here hoping to find love and she’s leaving with nothing but a broken heart. three times she put herself out there and the world finally gave her a strike out. all she wanted was to pack her belongings and leave for home, to forget her time on this show and go back to the real world. it wasn’t fair. she was a good person, always looking out for everyone and spreading kindness every where she went. so why was she always getting dealt the short end of the stick? rome does nothing but break hearts left and right, and he gets to have a happy ended? it was outrageous! the more she thought about it, the more her face began to twist and turn into a harsh scowl, because the world had finally broken her, and her gentle nature was no where to be found in this moment. 

but how could she vent such frustrations to dakota? after all, he had found someone, and the winning title was snatched away from him like it was nothing. him and chase surpassed all the hardships, and they too were dealt the shitty cards. why do bad things happen to good people? “no,” she finally answers, her tone completely different from it’s usual soft and calm nature. “but there’s no point in talking about it, so…i was just trying to find my flip flops so i can finish packing. have you seen them?” please don’t try to make me feel better, she thinks to herself. just let me be bitter and we’ll never have to speak again. 

𝔽𝕆ℝ 𝕆ℕℂ𝔼, 𝔻𝔸𝕂𝕆𝕋𝔸'𝕊 𝕃𝔸ℂ𝕂𝕀ℕ𝔾 optimism as they head towards the final. if it wasn’t enough that he himself had suffered through the various obstacles that the past few weeks had presented to him, here was krysta - kind, giving, wonderful krysta - wearing a very non-characteristic scowl on her face as she stands metres away from him. appearing to be equally broken by the competition. seeing her expression only causes dakota to frown, his brow crumpling. nothing about the way their time in the villa was coming to an end was fair in the slightest, and he can’t help but question why rome had to be so cruel in dragging her into this mess, too. 

in his mind, rome had stripped krysta of her chance at happiness during their final few days in the villa, too. she’d had the first choice in the ceremony after all - finally catching her break only for it to be stripped away from her hands. and he figures that’s why she must be so short with him; that she’d had someone else in mind and it had been torn away from her fingertips just like him. “no, i haven’t seen them,” he sighs. had he been too busy wallowing in his own self-pity to have even begun to take in his surroundings? yes. yes he had. “but i can help you find them,” he states more than offers with a weak smile, hands going deep into his pockets as he walks over to her side. “maybe it’ll help take both our minds off it, hmm?” trying to assure her that everything would be alright even when he knows it’s the opposite. 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕣𝕚𝕕‌:

– “LISTEN, YOU’RE GOING BACK TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE COUNTRY SO…you’ll find out whether you’re really meant to be,” ingrid says. “and for now, we’re making the most of it by…” ingrid pulls the blender out, “frozen margaritas. it’s still island time where we are, so – time to get the most of that gorgeous tan, dakota, we’re PARTYING.” 

𝔻𝔸𝕂𝕆𝕋𝔸 𝕎𝕀ℕℂ𝔼𝕊 𝔸 𝕃𝕀𝕋𝕋𝕃𝔼 as ingrid mentions the reality of his and chase’s situation — two different countries and over 4000 miles apart... he’s going to need that frozen margarita. “... well, maybe some partying might help,” he concedes, a small smile tugging at his lips. “i guess the fact we all managed to make it this far is something worth celebrating.” 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕜𝕣𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕒‌:

@seabreezc​ // maybe it was rude of krysta to avoid dakota like he was carrying the black plague, but what else was she supposed to do? even though rome decided to match the two together just to rob him and chase’s change of winning, krysta still felt like she was to blame for the whole interaction. it only made her cruse the day she decided to tell dakota how she felt, but also made her mad that dakota made her think she actually stood a chance. after all, he practically admitted to having feelings as well, but she was simply too late. she still remembers the way he looked at her, how close they were stealing a sweet embrace. the thought of it now only makes her heart weigh heavy in her chest. for now, she simply focused on packing up her things and counting down the minutes until she could finally go back home and forget this whole show even happened. 

missing a pair of flip flops, krysta began to search around the villa for them, not truly upset if she didn’t find them, but at least it gave her something to do for the time being. however, suddenly dakota quickly came into view and she completely froze right in front of him. her eyes were red and puffy from crying so much lately, the dark circles under her eyes showing that sleep was not her friend anymore. god she wanted to say something, anything, to not make this moment so awkward. but all she could do was lower her eyes to the ground and pray that he wouldn’t ask too many questions. 

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕌ℕ𝕀𝕍𝔼ℝ𝕊𝔼 𝕎𝔸𝕊 𝕀ℕℂℝ𝔼𝔻𝕀𝔹𝕃𝕐 𝔽𝕀ℂ𝕂𝕃𝔼. he’s scared this week, underneath the initial frustration and anger directed at rome. scared in a way he hadn’t really felt when he was coupled with eleanor as at least he was sure that the feelings he’d once had for the chicago native had faded. with krysta, everything is still fresh. the warmth he feels for her, the spark he’d told her he felt in her presence. and although he knows rome is behind this particular cruel twist for the pair of them, he can’t help but think part of it is karma for how badly he’d handled things by the pool. for continuing to fumble over his words whenever he’s asked about krysta by any of the other islanders, and entertaining the thought of being with krysta - however briefly - when ingrid had asked him what would happen if chase and he ended things, earlier in the week. 

but instead of his many initial worries coming true concerning how these last few days would go, dakota hasn’t even seen krysta much since the recoupling. if she’d gone home certainly production would have informed them? he’s wearing his new trademark post-final-recoupling scowl as he stands by the pool, in direct contrast to the happy sharks on his trunks. his expression only softening when he catches a glimpse of krysta out of the corner of his eye and taking in how exhausted she looks.  “are you... okay?” he asks softly, already knowing the answer from looking at her but feeling the need to break the silence with something. 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕒𝕟‌:

“ yes , cult meeting . ” rowan giggles excitedly , fiddling with his hands as dakota finally gets in on the idea . “ we could host it somewhere else , though . or make a fire somewhere in the villa . a safe fire , of course . i’m sure someone has a lighter here , right ? and then that could be our fire pit , and we can still be good hosts ! ”

𝔸ℕ𝕐 𝕀𝔻𝔼𝔸𝕊 𝕋ℍ𝔸𝕋 𝕀𝕄𝕄𝔼𝔻𝕀𝔸𝕋𝔼𝕃𝕐 spring to dakota’s mind involving fire certainly don’t involve it being safe. “we can call it firepit 2.0,” he remarks with a smile. he’s still a little apprehensive about how it will work, but figures he’ll go with the flow on this one. “ooh maybe we can do that creepy thing they do in secret societies where we hold a candle under our chins.” was that a thing? or was he blending the thought together with seances? “i’ll also grab my copy of winnie the pooh out of my suitcase and we can recite a passage as the initiation.” yes, it was all coming together now. 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕓𝕖𝕟𝕠𝕚𝕥‌:

dakota has his way with words and benoit could not be more thankful for it at a time like this.  he’s asked not to laugh and benoit can’t help but do exactly that even before he begins, and he doesn’t do much to hide it, relying on the lack of lighting in the room to help with his lack of tact. when he does begin though, he listens very intently, trying to find something valuable, a life lesson he can benefit from, or something. — but it’s better than anything he would’ve guessed, which only makes him smile wider. storytime inevitably raises a lot of questions that benoit had been waiting patiently for him to finish speaking before he could ask. “ did you ever get curious about this secret underground kingdom ? did you ever go looking for it ? ” or was disappointment written in benoit’s cards, for the remainder of the night ?  

“𝕄𝔸𝕐𝔹𝔼.” dakota smiles, laughter seeping into his words as he tries to recollect the details. “i think i once tried poking a pothole near where i lived with a stick and wondered why nothing happened other than, you know, bits of gravel coming off it. so, naturally, i went home and told my dad my findings and he continued it by saying there was a secret code that the hedgehogs invented so only they could gain access.” in all honesty, his father’s imagination has always left him in awe, and this is evident now as he continues to laugh, face lighting up at the mere thought of the memory. “i think i must have believed that until i was at least thirteen. or i wanted to, anyway.” 

[seabreezc]

@ffsrome​ // 𝔻𝔸𝕂𝕆𝕋𝔸'𝕊 𝔹𝔼𝔼ℕ 𝕌ℕℂℍ𝔸ℝ𝔸ℂ𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕀𝕊𝕋𝕀ℂ𝔸𝕃𝕃𝕐 ℚ𝕌𝕀𝔼𝕋 since the results of the final coupling were announced. quiet discontent about the turn of last night’s events bubbling under the surface, reaching a boiling point as he enters the kitchen only to bump straight into the person he’d been desperately trying to avoid. this situation was very different to the ones he’d faced in the villa before because it’s cause was a person who had a choice and chose to do this to him. and he can only think that rome did it to secure himself an underhanded victory. 

dakota usually does well to not listen to the gut instinct to follow every single one of his whims when they come calling like he once would have, but he knows before he’s even opened his mouth that this isn’t one of those times. “you know,” he starts with his eyes closed, heart in his throat as the voice in his head practically screams at him not to do this. but he feels like disobeying. “during our time here i’ve heard people call you various things.” there’s a fire in his eyes as he turns to glower in rome’s direction, “but i didn’t think ‘COWARD’ would also need to be added to the list.” 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕣𝕚𝕕‌:

open starter / @villastarters​

– INGRID STIRS HER COCKTAIL WITH A STRAW OVER BY THE BAR THE NEXT AFTERNOON, stifling a laugh as she shakes her head. “wish i could say all that was a surprise, but – completely predictable,” she exhales slowly, straightening up. she’s happy to talk all about the way rome took the trophy from chase and dakota’s hands if ANYONE wants to ask. “i guess we should make the most of our last few days here, huh?”

𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℕ𝕀𝔾ℍ𝕋 𝔹𝔼𝔽𝕆ℝ𝔼 ℍ𝔸𝔻 only confirmed dakota’s reasoning to not entertain the idea of a win. he’s somewhat used to drawing the short straw in life, but for once, he’d been given someone directly to blame rather than just a case of bad luck or lack of talent as it had been before. the characteristic smile has been wiped off his face at the sense of injustice in this scenario, and he can’t help but sigh at ingrid’s mention of it being predictable. “make the most of it... right.” he nods. normally he’d be brimming with ideas, but now he’s drawing a blank. “and... how do we do that exactly?” 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕛𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕖𝕣‌:

❛ & open starter ! – ( @villastarters​ )

Jennifer was grumpy. She was not happy about being paired up with Angel, and that reality was definitely making her act in a certain way toward the other islanders – it was hard not to take her anger out on everyone else. “I have no idea where your swimsuit is, can’t you just find it yourself?” she grumbles, almost slamming the fridge door shut while grabbing a bowl of leftover yogurt and sitting down at the island-style countertops. “I keep track of my shit, you can keep track of yours, okay?”

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝔸𝔽𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕄𝔸𝕋ℍ 𝕆𝔽 the final coupling was clearly being felt throughout the villa and as much as he was trying to stick to his own mantra of not taking his anger out on others and distracting himself instead, it was becoming near impossible when he couldn’t even find his trunks to be able to start the process of swimming any pent up frustration off. given how happy jennifer had been prior to the recoupling, her tone in response to asking if she’d seen them around takes him by surprise and for a moment, he blinks in astonishment. “... sorry,” he says shortly, a mild frown tugging at his lips. “i didn’t mean to bother you.” 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕤𝕖‌:

* / open starter @villastarters​

chase honestly could not believe that after all this time he had spent on the island cultivating a relationship with dakota he had literally been fucked by every twist imaginable. and now that the final recoupling was over, chase was ready to throw hands with production. right after the ceremony he stormed at the camera and had a full on temper tantrum. the six foot four tennis player walked away from the set and over to a private area of the beach where there was a camera and he flipped over a beach chair in the sand and yelled, “is this fucking good tv? is that what you want?” chase hoped no one would hear but at the same time didn’t really care. “well, fuck!” he put his arms up in the air, “all of y’all can suck my fuckin’ ass” his face got right in the camera. “y’all got your plot twist! y’all got your fun and quirky ending! hope that’s good fuckin’ tv!” he called out. wow, was this embarrassing…

then when he saw someone approach him out of nowhere, chase honestly didn’t know what to say. he thought his temper tantrum was private so all he could do was look like a deer in headlights. “you see all of that?” he asked, partially annoyed at himself for doing all this in front of the camera.

𝕀ℕ 𝕊𝕆𝕄𝔼 𝕎𝔸𝕐𝕊 dakota wishes he could flip a beach chair too rather than stand there as numbly as he is now, watching the display before him. no, dakota’s anger over their situation is a boding tsunami, in the stage of drawing back from the shore after weeks’ worth of frustrations before it’d inevitably tumble back at an inopportune moment; angrier that his final few weeks in the villa were now ALL tainted without a redeeming ending by one person he’d actually tried to be KIND to earlier in the evening rather than the thought of the actual prize at the end. 

as chase notices him, he can only force a small smile on his face, although it’s lacking any semblance of a happy aura. “i did...” a light sigh escapes from his mouth before he takes a few steps closer to the other male and looks up at him. it’s a moment before he reaches a hand up delicately to brush against chase’s cheek, “this changes NOTHING,” dakota assures, eyes peering at chase’s in hopes of a similar affirmation. 

[seabreezc]

𝕗𝕥. 𝕓𝕖𝕟𝕠𝕚𝕥‌:

at least someone’s enjoying the disastrous weather and it’s a refreshing approach ( as things usually were à la dakota ).  benoit wasn’t worried, per se, but the upcoming conclusion of the season had been eating up at his mind a lot more than he would be actually willing to give away. dakota’s little arrangement to calm the nerves is welcomed with much appreciation as he reaches for a glass even before the other finishes speaking. “ thanks. just what i need, ” he raises the glass to toast to his server before indulging. it’s sweet how he shares the little story his father had made up to overcome the fear of thunderstorms… it intrigues him. “ have any other fun stories your dad told you when you were scared ? ” 

"ℍ𝔸ℙℙ𝕐 𝕋𝕆 𝔹𝔼 𝕆𝔽 𝕊𝔼ℝ𝕍𝕀ℂ𝔼,” he grins in response, faking a bow before putting the tray to one side out of the way. “hmm...” dakota hums lightly to himself as he squints in thought, trying to single out one of his dad’s stories because there were many. “okay, please don’t laugh.” dakota prefaces, biting down on his own bottom lip to suppress a short burst that threatens to slip past. “but i used to have a really bad fear of potholes when i was younger. like... i genuinely thought our car would be sucked into the road when we went over them.” was he pandering to his audience with this selection? maybe a little. “and my dad probably only told me this to get me to shut up on car journeys, but he said that potholes exist because they’re entrances to the hedgehogs’ secret underground kingdom,” he smiles fondly at the thought. “i think that was always my favourite.”