#surfer kent

[anotherbluesunday]

🌸Intertidal—Ch. 28: Ribs (Tyler)🌸

Air and ocean spray ripping past me like a high pitch whistle singing to me, it kissed my cheeks and outstretched arm as I carved the sea green queens face. Smiled my hello while dropping down my knee with my left foot driving us along this yellow brick road. Eyes called up to the heavens above me, I laughed for a moment as the sun burned bright and clear through the glassy waters that wrapped around me. Enveloped me like the ocean were hoping to claim me because she was still salty about not finishing me off at Mavericks. Or how she'd given it her best go at drowning me when I was ten; flailing in a nasty rip current on a family vacation to O'ahu.

This beautiful vengeful gal, she was Life and Death.

Gave me a reason to be. A reason to wake up and live. To breathe. The ocean had given me purpose when I got my first taste of that indescribable high as a child. That incredible rush I'd chase until it wiped me off the face of this planet. And in this way she had also sealed my fate. Had promised me that my death would come at her hands regardless of any jokes I had with my family or friends or lovers.

Both my maker and my demise, these waters would follow me in wait wherever I went. Would rest calmly while I took shelter on dry land because she knew I wouldn't stay away for long. However, today wasn't her day. I had too many things left to do. Too many victories left to claim and kisses left to steal from my girl.

Dancing my fingers along my mistress's glimmering face, I left her in my wake. Told her better luck next time as I zipped down the line and escaped the barrel before it collapsed--the ocean kissing me one last time as I shattered the wall of spray spitting up from below.

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Intertidal Chapter Release—Ch. 18✨

Lifting my phone up high in the air, I sucked in another breath. Great. Tapping the green answer icon I didn't realize it was a video call before it was too late.

"What?" I groaned, trying not to growl because it was too early for these calls and I wasn't at my mental fittest in that moment.

"Mornin'," Kent chuckled, seemingly humored by my post-dawn anguish. "Yer lookin' bright eyed and bushy tailed."

I glared at him.

"What's got ya' out of sorts, love?" he asked in a more concerned tone. "Ya' sick or hurt?"

"No..." I hesitated. Furrowed my brow and closed my eyes as I pinched the bridge of my nose to ward off the creeping headache I felt coming. "Just...I don't know. My head's fuzzy."

"Drunk fuzzy? Hungover? Or like existential dread goin' into numb kinda fuzzy?" When I groaned at the last one I could hear him breathe a sympathetic chuckle. "Yeah, I have those mornin's too."

"Maybe if I have a mimosa..."

Kent clicked his tongue. "That, love, is what we call an unhealthy dependence bordering on alcoholic behavior."

"You sound like my therapist."

"Well kudos ta' her for havin' the stones to say that."

Only Kent could make me roll my eyes with the urge to clock him while looking as good as he did while doing it.

"What're ya' doin' today?"

"Besides withering away beneath my blankets waiting for death to come and fight me for my life?" Kent smirked, humored by my answer rather than being put off the way Enid or my parents would have been. Both him and Ty shared the same flavor of dark humor which was also my flavor as chance would have it. "Nothing. Why?"

"We should do somethin'."

Wading the glowing crystalline waters of the pool hidden within the tropical paradise that surrounded us, I watched Kent swim toward me after diving in from the opposite end. Form shifting hypnotically like an abstract painting cast in bronze, topaz blue, aquamarine, and shimmering yellow, I held my breathe as he approached. Smiled more as if I had been bewitched when he emerged looking like a damn Grecian god with his hair clinging to his broad built shoulders and eyes sparkling. It didn't help that "Moonlight Serenade" was playing to match the vintage vibe of the entire area encapsulating Trader Sam's, Tangaroa Terrace, and the "grown up's" pool.

"Yer doin' that thing again," Kent teased as he floated over to where I was lurking, my arms slung up on the lip of the pool deck. Tilting his head just a bit with a playful flicker in his eyes as he grabbed hold of the handrail of the sidesteps next to me, Kent closed the space separating us. Hung there looking like a siren pulled straight out of fiction. "You'll cook me 'live with that kind of starin'."

I couldn't respond. My brain had gone dead. Or on strike because it was tired of this bullshit. Either way, the bitch had peaced out on me and my thought process was left on buffering.

Eyes constantly drawn back to his eyes, his lips, his chest, it was irrational Wynn's turn to take control of the helm. And what do you know, she steered us all into the shallows. Ran us ashore marooning me in the destructive cycle of reconsidering my stance on relationships versus fuck buddies. And it was her fault that my brain was coming up with more pro's to locking down Kent than it was coming up with con's. This would have been an easy decision weeks ago. Wouldn't have been something I would have even considered at the start of the year. Granted, I had always wanted to take a ride or two on him. But date him? That was a sure sign I had suffered traumatic brain injury. Or at least so I thought. But now?

"Winnie...?" He said quietly, as if he were about to share a secret. From the look in his eyes, he may very well be doing that. Gaze flicking from my lips to my eyes as he got in a little closer, Kent nearly whispered, "What if..." he began--the tension mounting between us pure indescribable torture. "What if I were to tell ya' that you've been on my mind for the last year?"

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Catch the fever here using the link below. 🔥🔥🔥

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Intertidal Update: Chapter 24 (Kent)✨

Haphazardly closing the bedroom door, I slammed the bathroom door shut behind me. Gasped with a heaving sob as I raked my hands through my hair. Fell backwards against the wall and collapsed into a mess on the cold tiled floor as I cried. Cried and cried as I curled in on myself.

What had I done?

What was the reason?

Why? Why was it that every time I trusted someone with my heart they just crushed it in their fucking fingers without a shred of mercy?

An attention whore. A showman that lived for the limelight who hadn't a care for anyone else. Was that really all she saw me as? Was that what I was in Winnie's eyes? After everything? The mornings together. The kisses and constant hand holding. The surprise dates to nowhere because nothing was more fun than just running around town and seeing where the day took us. Every time I held her in my arms and made love to her. Gave her my body, heart, and soul. Shared the parts of myself that I wasn't proud of. The parts of myself that made me feel weak. What made me feel so horrifically human that I used to lose sleep thinking about these failings only for her to tell me that she loved them because they made me who I was today.

Was all of it a lie?

Was it all one-sided?

What had I done to deserve this vitriol?

Hyperventilating, my brain screamed at me to breathe. To calm down. But I couldn't. Couldn't let this one go. I didn't have it in me to win this battle. Winnie's words had cut too deep. Her insecurities mutating into an unbridled rage that had chewed me up like I was nothing to her. Like I had deserved it. Maybe I did. Maybe this was the universes way of telling me to leave before I could get bloodied up any worse than I already was. But the cruelest part of it was that I couldn't turn my back on her. I couldn't let Winnie go because my love was undying and nothing was irrational and illogical as this.

It was ridiculous really. Hilarious in a sad pitiful way because anyone with sense would let go. But she was my person--the love of my life. My one. Winnie had hurt me in ways I hadn't known were possible. But I loved her. Couldn't ever stop myself and it made me laugh past my anguished sobbing because it was such a hopeless situation. There was no way to move forward from here if Winnie didn't change but I couldn't make her change. She had to want it. She needed to want to change if she wanted me and the painful realization was that I wasn't important enough to motivate her.

Winnie wanted perfection. Demanded it. And she was so blinded by this that no one and nothing could stop her once she got onto a war path.

I was just collateral damage in the end.

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[anotherbluesunday]

Intertidal Update—Ch. 23: It Gets Better Pt.II (Kent)

"Mm, hello love," I purred in greeting to my darling when she came up from behind. Slipped her arms around me and her hands down the front pockets of my pants. "Hungry?"

"Like a bear fresh out of hibernation." Pecking at my cheek, she took her plate with a chipper "Thank you baby" then waltzed herself over to the table where I joined her. "So," Winnie began with her mouth half-full of food as she scrolled through the surf report. "It's looking like shit weather right before the competition."

Glancing up at her quick, I diverted my attention back to my food. "Oh yeah?" Winnie nodded. Slid her phone over to me. It wasn't looking good. "Well fuck."

"Well fuck is right."

Looking at the predicted wave height and swell pattern, slowly stopped eating. "This is the most recent update?"

"It's from this morning."

"Fuck..." I scrolled more. Switched websites to see if there was any difference between them. There wasn't. "Looks like the Antarctic sea's kickin' shit up into the area. Does Ty know? And Xav and AJ?"

"AJ isn't riding because Scoob had a breakdown a few days ago about how she didn't want to raise their baby on her own. And Xav is on his honeymoon. Won't be back until the Games."

"And Ty?" Looking at her for a moment, I waited then pushed again. "Winnie, he's gotta know."

"He's probably already checked--"

"Winnie..."

She was silent. Stared at me in guilted anguish from across the table.

"Have you called 'im?"

Stillness. Silence. And then, "I'm scared."

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Intertidal—Chapter 19, 20✨

Cheeks full of banana like a chipmunk, Enid giggled. Finally had some color back in her when she downed it and teased, "I would have paid good money to see you frazzled, Mr. Cool." I just snorted a laugh. Told her I was never cool and that it was all smoke and mirrors.

"How much time do we have left?" Enid asked, turning to look at Bonnie who was fully outfitted and ready to go.

"Thirty minutes."

"I can tell 'em you need more time," I offered. Changed it up when she shook her head. "Or I could make a scene. Pretend ta' fall down the stairs an' sprain my leg."

Enid laughed. Shook her head at me. "It's fine. I can be ready in thirty. I just need to touch up my makeup and do my hair..."

"I can do your makeup," Wednesday offered from the doorway.

Winnie nodded at Wen then looked back to her sister. "I'll do your hair. I only need to slip on my dress and then I'm ready so I can do your hair real quick."

"Thank you Scrappy," the oldest of the two sisters sniffled. Closed her arms around Winnie in a tight bear hug. "I love you guys so much."

"Love you too, Scoob. Stop crying though or you'll make your eyes even puffier." Turning to me, Winnie couldn't have been more impressive in that moment with how she was handling everything. "I know you have to get ready too but could you grab me a bag of ice? I need it to help with the puffiness in her cheeks and eyes."

Offering her a reserved smile because I couldn't kiss her like I wanted, I nodded. "I can do that."

"From Ariel to Cinderella." I whistled with a smirk and a kiss to her cheek. "You look lovely."

Just a hair shorter than me in my dress shoes and her in her flats, Winnie purred as she looked up at me. "And you're too handsome in this suit."

"Really now?"

She nodded. "Very handsome. I had to stop myself from making it too obvious that I was staring."

"Ye'h, I don't think I was as slick as you were. Ty caught me once or twice. I tried to play it off but he's only as dumb as wood 'bout himself."

"Good thing I was planning on telling them about us anyway."

Swallowing hard, I held her flush against me. Held her gently with my thumbs rubbing tender little circles into the curve of her back.

"So you're sure 'bout this? You ain't put off or anythin' after this mornin' or after what Divvy told ya'?"

Crystalline eyes searching mine, they darted to my lips as she thought about it.

"We all have our past history," Winnie spoke, her voice soft and thoughtful as she mentally weighed her words importance and impact. "I can't say I'm not shocked. I guess it's because my brain keeps ageing you down so it's weird when I'm reminded that you're eight years older. Well," she stopped and corrected herself even though she was right the first time, "seven years right now. But it would be ridiculous if you didn't have a whole life that existed before me...before us. So I'm not upset about it is what I'm trying to say. Or this morning since we're talking about it."

Fighting off the water works, I kissed her cheek and hugged my girl tight. "Thank you."

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You know, it wouldn’t be a proper wedding without some angst. 💜💜💜

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Intertidal Update: Chapter 24 (Wynn)✨

Sitting there wonderstruck as I watched Bianca cruise out of the barrel on her gun with arms outstretched as if she were flying, I smiled. Sighed quietly to myself forgetting entirely that it was my wave to catch next. It wasn't until I turned to Lia and the girls behind me that I realized I had priority. Wasn't until all their eyes were on me that I felt my gut twist and kink and grumble with the sick anxiety I had been shoving down all day.

"Loaʻa iā ʻoe kēia, e ke kaikamahine," Malia said to me with a gentle confident smile as she playfully tapped her fist to my shoulder. "Knock 'em dead babygirl."

Looking out at the swath of riders all floating in the foamy soup I spotted Ty and Kent. Swallowed hard as everyone rooted for me the way we all had every other rider before. But now it was me they were cheering for. I could hear my brilliant birdbrain of a brother crow my name. Heard Kent shout "drive 'er home Goldie!" And for the first time all day--all week--it felt like I could do this. Actually do this. Not charge it then fumble on a step or kiss my butt to the water which would drop me out of advancing.

I could do this.

Bumping fists with Lia, I smirked. "Bread and butter."

"See you on the flipside."

Rotating Billy, my board, around I plowed ahead. Paddled off to go catch the wave that'd take me and, if the fates decided, roll me into top contention to advance through the heats.

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Intertidal Update: Chapter 24 (Connie)✨

“I was scared!”

"Of what?! Of me?!" I wanted to cry. Screamed at her instead but all I wanted was to cry like some snotty nosed brat in their mum's bed. "I loved you! I gave up my world for you! You wanted me at home, so I was at home. You wanted me to give up big wave, so I took up teachin' at the shop instead. You told me to jump and I asked if it'd be into yer arms and each and every time I let you take a piece of me away because I fuckin' adored you Connie. You were scared for a moment while I've been scared for years! Do you have any idea how terrifying it was tryin' to move on from ya'?"

"We were children Benji."

"I was twenty-five and you were twenty-seven. That's hardly a child."

"But we were. We weren't ready. We may have wanted it in that moment but it would have self-destructed years down the line because we had no clue of what we were gettin' into."

I was stunned. Gobsmacked left with a voiceless bowled over smile as I scoffed out a laugh.

"I was ready. You may not 'ave been but I was."

Quivering with face flushed, my crossness broke like the sun coming through storm clouds as I was reminded again for the second time that this wasn't how I wanted it to end. We deserved better than this. Closing the gap between us that felt more like an ocean of time I traversed to reach her, I hugged Connie. Grumbled at her to stop being a brat when she tried fighting the way she always did when she was upset and in sore need of comforting but was too damn proud to say it.

Suspended in time just as I was when I read her text when she left me, I took in a deep breath. Let it settle in my lungs before I exhaled it right back out--long, cool, and calm.

"I'm not sayin' this to hurt ya'," I spoke at last when we had come down enough that the tension had nearly left us. "An' I want the best for you. Genuinely, I do Candy. But you don't love me."

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works