Tiana Benoit

Indie RP 21+ Mun: Tiff  FC: Nicole Beharie/Kat Graham (verse dependent)

[tianabenoit]

themightyhercules​:

That bright smile and the hope in it was a star he carried around in his chest. It was everything they’d been through to get to this point and everything they wanted to build in their life together moving forward. It hadn’t been easy, and he knew neither of them would have trusted easy after what they’d been through, but it had always felt right. From the moment he met her, he’d felt like he already knew her, and that feeling of home and comfort had only increased with time.

“Let’s see some more of this island,” he offered, grinning as he slid a hand into hers. They had nothing pressing to do tonight except wander their temporary home and relax after the long hours of traveling. They’d probably figure out dinner eventually too, both of them too fond of food to think of skipping meals. All he wanted out of this trip was to enjoy the time with her in a place of their choosing, for a change.

.

Tia couldn’t have imagined getting through everything without him. He had been her rock and the most solid thing in her world. He was happiness and safety, love and comfort, and she was so happy to know that they could spend their life together however they wanted to now. She hoped that it would get to be a very long, happy life together. 

She twined her fingers with his with a happy smile. “That sounds like a plan to me,” she agreed, giving him a gentle tag back towards the beach where her dress cover was waiting for them. There was so much waiting for them that they could choose to do or not do. More importantly, she was just looking forward to the time with him where they chose to be. “And maybe a snack?” 

Originally posted by nicolebehariewce

[tianabenoit]

beeskneeslottie​:

Lottie was happy with her love life. True, she daydreamed about finding her one true love, her prince, but she was just as happy to play the field in the meantime. She was a high-maintenance lady. Finding a man who could keep up with her was no easy task. She’d know him when she did, she was sure of it, and then she’d be glad to settle down.

She completely ignored the other table, if she noticed it at all. Lottie was the kind of person who made a scene wherever she went, and she’d long since stopped paying attention to the ripple effect she had in public. She was never anything other than exactly herself, no matter where she was. “He could be, Tia,” she insisted with a soft, dreamy sigh. It turned into an almost sly smirk at the comment. “Oh, he knows both your jobs, does he?” That was a man who was interested, and no, she would not be swayed.

Originally posted by kaliumroleplay

.

There wasn’t a day that went by that Tia didn’t want for Lottie to find the man who could keep up with her, who made her happy. Her best friend was one of the best people she had ever known and deserved every bit of happiness. She hadn’t met a person yet that she thought deserved Lottie, but that was beside the point. One had to exist, somewhere. 

She was used to her friend’s antics, but she still wasn’t quite sure how to handle being in it with her sometimes. Sighing softly, she shook her head at her words and the sigh. “No, Lottie,” she murmured. Her eyebrow raised lightly, “I mean, I work at two of the most popular restaurants in town. Not hard to recognize me from both.” 

Originally posted by katelliot

[tianabenoit]

beeskneeslottie​:

In Lottie’s opinion, there was always a reason for dating. Dating was its own excuse, and from the sounds of it, dating Hercules would be the best kind. That was, if he was smart enough to come back for a second look. Any man who didn’t take the time to get to know Tia didn’t deserve her. She was worth the effort of working around her schedule. Unfortunately, as she well knew, plenty of men didn’t want to make an effort.

“Tia!” She gasped dramatically enough that the people at the next table looked over at them. She pressed a hand over her heart with an emphatic shake of her head. “Bite your tongue! Darlin’, I would never steal your sheik. That one’s all you.” Lottie might be a little boy crazy at times, but she had rules. “The next time? So you’re planning to see him again?” She brightened immediately, clutching on to any small detail that would help her cause, which was to say Tia’s cause.

.

It was the largest point her and Lottie had always differed on. Lottie’s dreams had always included finding love, and Tia’s never had. It was easy to love Lottie, she thought, the way she shined so beautifully and happily was impossible to ignore. She hated that nothing had stuck yet, wanted it to for her because she wanted to see Lottie as happy as possible. 

Chuckling, she shook her head at her, waving a hand in apology to the table over. “He’s not my anything, Lottie,” she protested with a soft sigh, but she knew that there was going to be no budging her on that idea until what always happened did this time too. Tia pinned her with a look, “If he ever pops up at one of my jobs, I won’t have much a choice in seeing him again, now will I?”

[tianabenoit]

themightyhercules​:

Hercules had never had much luck with love or anything else before he met Tia. All his relationships had ended disastrously, and he’d believed it would always be that way. There was still a chance of that here, but he didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about endings when it came to her. He could imagine them being separated, but he couldn’t imagine a time when he didn’t love her, even if they weren’t together.

He loved the way she fit against him, soft on the outside where he was soft on the inside. He believed Tiana was actually much stronger than he was on the inside, and he admired her steel along with her sweet and everything else. “No contest, sweetheart,” he murmured, brushing another soft kiss to her lips.

.

For the first time in a long time, Tia had hope and was willing to live in it. There was no reason to think about an ending before it came around anymore. She was happy, the happiest she’d ever been, and knew that he was too. It wasn’t a wish or a fairy tale, it was the most real thing in her life and no matter what happened, it would stay that way. 

They balanced each other so well. Softness and steel, optimism and realism, all full of give and take on a foundation of friendship, support, and love. All her life, she’d listened to Lottie’s fairy tales. Hers was better. His soft words made her smile brightly into the kiss, resting her forehead against his. 

[tianabenoit]

themightyhercules​:

They’d gone from silly and teasing to heated just that fast, and he didn’t bother trying to keep it off his face. She’d always had that effect on him, but being stupid in love with her ripped down every defense he had. He leaned down to meet her kiss, his hand sliding further into her hair.

“Gods, I love you, Tia,” he whispered against her lips. It was hitting him, finally, that they were actually here. As in, not in Fableton anymore, but not back in their own worlds either. They could go anywhere they wanted now, have any kind of life they wanted. Demigods weren’t known for their luck, but all of his felt good right now.

.

Not once in her life had Tia ever thought she would be loved the way that Hercules loved her. He’d changed her, for the better, in a lot of ways and made her life so much better that it was impossible to imagine him not being in it. A soft noise escaped her and she pressed close to him again as his hand slid deep into her hair. 

She couldn’t help but shiver softly at the words and the emotion behind them. She had always been terrified that if they were ever able to leave Fableton, they wouldn’t be able to stay together. But they got to have a life together, one that the Gods didn’t seem to care much about anymore. “You’re my best thing,” she murmured, because it was the simple truth.

[tianabenoit]

beeskneeslottie·:

Was it so wrong for Lottie to want her friends to be happy and in love? If she wasn’t so dedicated to fashion, she would have made an excellent matchmaker. Not that Tiana ever let her practice! Lottie was a hurricane in girl form, but trying to get her best friend out on a date was an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

“I like him already.” She grinned. Handsome, modest, and heroic? She could fuel daydreams on much less than that. It didn’t quite fade under that information, but she sighed a bit dramatically and rolled her eyes. “Tia! Have I taught you nothing?” She brightened again quickly, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a mischievous smile. “He’ll be back. He’d be a fool not to.” Tiana was amazing, and that was objectively speaking, no bias whatsoever.

.

There had never been a reason for Tia to make time for anything like dating. She couldn’t keep it up and so far, she hadn’t found a person who was willing to work around her schedule or just swing by work. They wanted more than she was usually willing to spare. That alone spoke volumes about their priority in her life, which was none at all. 

She sighed softly and shook her head, “Then go find him. I’m sure you would like him a lot.” He was handsome, sweet, and she couldn’t find much for Lottie to argue against except the blue-collar job. A little laugh escaped her, “I highly doubt that, but I can put in a good word for you if you’d like next time I see him.”

[ratleyland]

Nicole Beharie

[tianabenoit]

beeskneeslottie·:

“What!?” she whisper-screamed back, her eyes dancing with laughter. She knew exactly what, but in this case, it wasn’t going to stop her. Her happiness for Tia bubbled up inside her, and it had to go somewhere. She couldn’t have been more pleased if Tiana told her she was getting married. She might as well have. The fact that she’d noticed someone was almost as momentous. “Aww! Bless his heart!” she cooed at her normal volume, pressing a hand to her chest.

Tiana didn’t choose a lot of friends, so Lottie tried not to be vocally judgmental about the ones she did, even if they were scruffy no-accounts like Jim Hawkins. The silent judgement was there though. She’d never had much use for him, and the feeling was mutual. “Hercules. My word.” She mimed fanning herself at the mental image. “He must be, if you couldn’t ignore it,” she giggled. “And a hero too! He sounds like a keeper. Are you going to see him again?”

Now Tia did let out an actual laugh at her best friend’s antics. She loved her dearly, but it never failed to amuse her how much she wanted her to find someone to have a relationship with. It was never at the top of her list, and she tended to be hyper-focused on her goals at the expense of making new personal relations. “He’d blush just hearing you say that, I think,” she pointed out with a chuckle.

She accepted the fact that parts of her world would never be able to mingle, and she was okay with that as a general rule. She fit fine with Lottie, but never felt like she fit in Lottie’s world. She wondered if she shouldn’t try to figure out how to introduce them, but she was worried Lottie would kill Hercules with the flirting. “I mean, if he pops up anywhere I work, sure i will. It’s not like we exchanged numbers or made date plans.”

[tianabenoit]

themightyhercules​:

A warm chuckle rumbled through his chest. He was sure to hold her high above the water so he wouldn’t get her clothes wet unless she wanted to, never sorry for an excuse to snuggle her closer. He was still while she dipped a foot into the water. “It’s warm,” he agreed. Not like the Atlantic. As far north as they were, it was almost always chilly, even in the summer.

He was pleased to have a front row seat to watching her undress. She didn’t even have to take off all her clothes to totally slay him. Styx almighty. When she’d tossed her dress onto the sand, he let her body slide slowly down his until she was back on her feet. “Hey, gorgeous,” he breathed, sliding a hand into her hair.

Tia could feel his eyes on her and it send a warm shiver down her spine that made her shoot him a slow smile. When he started to let her slide down, she kept her eyes on his face and let her hands trail with her. The care, the love, the heat, it was all more than she had ever thought about having in her life but she knew she never wanted to lose it... lose him. 

“Hey, yourself, handsome,” she sighed out happily, her head tipping back for him. She slid a hand up to his jaw and brushed her fingers there. Studying his loved face for a moment, she pushed up to kiss him, packed full of all the love and heat she was feeling.

[tianabenoit]

themightyhercules·:

Herc would never be tired of hearing that Tia loved him, but sometimes what she didn’t say was even better. He wasn’t very good with words, never had been, and that was okay because when it came down to it, words were pretty cheap. He showed care through actions, and she was the same way. There were a thousand little things that told him Tiana really loved him, and only one of them was in actual words. He didn’t fight the smile that spread across his face or the heat that spilled into his eyes. It was a miracle they made it out the door at all.

He paused when she did to consider the question, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Forward.” Without further warning, he scooped her up, one arm across her shoulders and the other under her knees, and ran toward the ocean. He could feel the spray of it even before they reached the water, and he stopped when he was about knee-deep, laughing as the waves crashed over his feet.

.

She had a bare moment to process the look on his face before letting out a squeal of laughter when he scooped her up. Instinctively, her arms went around his neck even though she knew he would never drop her. It was more to steady herself and it gave her the fun bonus of being able to press closer to him, which she always enjoyed. 

The feel of the spray made her laugh and press her face into his chest, stretching just enough to dip her toes from one foot into the water. “Oh that’s nice,” she decided with a grin. In his arms, she wriggled out of her dress and smirked up at him before bundling it and tossing it over his head back towards the beach.

[tianabenoit]

themightyhercules·:

He had half a mind to toss her over his shoulder and run straight into the ocean, but she had a point about travel clothes. A shower wouldn’t be totally out of line either, but they had all day to do whatever they pleased. He changed into a pair of board shorts and tried not to break anything while he waited for her–which really wasn’t that long, so he managed fine. It was well worth waiting for to see her in that dress, and he knew he was smiling like an idiot when he looked at her.

“You look amazing.” He leaned down to kiss her, quickly or they had a tendency to get distracted. Not that he’d mind getting distracted. He offered her a hand and headed outside. The patio opened onto a path right to the beach, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. A tiny lizard skittered across the path in front of them, and he grinned at the sight of it. He’d read that there weren’t a lot of bugs there, but the other wildlife sounded cool.

Tia couldn’t help but return his smile, the way he looked at her never failed to make her feel warm and loved and wanted. She had half a mind to chase him for more kisses but knew there was time for all of that later. For now, there was sunshine and beach awaiting them literally right outside their door. “You,” she shook her head and trailed off, enjoyment and intent heavy in her voice, because otherwise they really wouldn’t leave. Instead, she slipped her hand into his and followed him outside. 

She tipped her head back, face up into the sunshine with a happy sound. Lizards and things really no longer bothered her, and she couldn’t help but smile alongside him. “Alright, left or right?” She grinned up at him, stepping just in front and swaying side to side while she waited for his choice, her face full of the same playfulness she had on their more silly date nights. 

[xghostspider]

tianabenoit​:

.

Time and distance had never mattered in their friendship, very little had, and she was always grateful for Lottie’s presence in her life. She kept her from turning into a total workaholic and brought a needed bubbliness into her world that had been missing for a long time in Tia herself. She looked her best friend over and let out a little whistle of approval, laughing in delight. “You look amazing as usual,” she complimented, meaning it wholeheartedly. She never expected anything less. 

Settling into their seats, Tia couldn’t help but open the menu and take a look in anticipation. There was no part of her that was ever not excited to try new food, and it helped get her out of bed when all she wanted to do was sleep. “You know my usual, working and classes,” she shrugged before pausing. “I did meet someone interesting at the Snuggly Duckling the other night,” she admitted with a chuckle. “Too nice to be in there, honestly,” she couldn’t help but think back to her conversation with Hercules and Jim’s subsequent teasing, “Jim was being a troll, but that’s normal.” 

.

“Why thank you, darlin’!” She laughed, preening a little under the attention, and gave her hair a little flip. What girl was immune to compliments? Certainly not Lottie. She put a lot of effort into her appearance, and she thrived under admiration. The pause meant something good was coming, and she gave a tiny squeal of delight and clapped her hands together. Lottie had learned to tone down her natural bubbliness, to only make a scene when it served a purpose, but she was still a person who wore her feelings on the outside.

“You met someone!?” she whisper-shrieked. For Tia to even mention it meant this person had to be interesting, indeed. Lottie wasn’t sure her best friend even noticed other people most of the time. “Aww, he’s nice?” She pressed a hand over her heart and halfway swooned. Nice could be a placeholder quality for not cute, but she knew if Tiana said nice, she actually meant nice. “More details, Tia! Who is he? Is he handsome?” She let the mention of Jim go by with only a half-hearted roll of her eyes. She had no time for the likes of Jim Hawkins and they both knew it, but they had more important topics to discuss at the moment.

[tianabenoit]

“Lottie!,” she whisper-yelled, her eyes going round as she shook her head, her lips twitching in the way they always did when she was trying not to laugh at her best friend’s antics. She had known she was in for it the second she decided to mention someone outside of her usual commentary. “Yes, he was very nice. So much that he was very out of place at the Duckling,” she pointed out with a little laugh.

She knew Lottie would never care much for Jim, but he had turned into a surprisingly good friend for her to have around. He’d helped keep her sane when she hadn’t had Lottie, but she wouldn’t boost his ego with it. “His name is Hercules, and he’s a freaking brick wall of muscle,” she actually giggled and shook her head. “And yea, he’s handsome and it’s very hard to ignore it. But more than that... he was sweet. Actually told me to catch his attention of any of the guys gave me a problem. Like I wouldn’t just bop them with my tray,” she rolled her eyes as she’d done it more than once.

[tianabenoit]

beeskneeslottie·:

Lottie would never dream of interfering with Tiana’s hard work toward her goals. She liked to think she’d even learned something from her best friend about the value of working hard toward something she really wanted. But friendships and self-care were important too, and sometimes a girl had to step in. She hadn’t even taken a seat yet when she heard her voice, and she spun around, a smile lighting up her face. “Tia! I knew that dress would be perfect on you,” she gushed, walking straight into her hug. If it was the one time a week that Tiana cared about what she was wearing, then Lottie could accept that. She’d be happy to advise on any dates as well, but that didn’t happen nearly as often as she’d like.

“Don’t even worry about it, sugar. You look great, and I just got here myself.” She was still grinning as she slid into her chair. She picked up a menu but didn’t even glance at it yet. Odds were she’d let Tia choose most if not all of the food. She was perfectly capable of making her own decisions, just like Tia was perfectly capable of choosing her own wardrobe, but sometimes it was best to defer to the other’s expertise. “Tell me everything that happened this week! I feel like it’s been days since we talked.” They had regular phone chats, and Lottie texted practically all day, but catching up in person was different.

.

Time and distance had never mattered in their friendship, very little had, and she was always grateful for Lottie’s presence in her life. She kept her from turning into a total workaholic and brought a needed bubbliness into her world that had been missing for a long time in Tia herself. She looked her best friend over and let out a little whistle of approval, laughing in delight. “You look amazing as usual,” she complimented, meaning it wholeheartedly. She never expected anything less. 

Settling into their seats, Tia couldn’t help but open the menu and take a look in anticipation. There was no part of her that was ever not excited to try new food, and it helped get her out of bed when all she wanted to do was sleep. “You know my usual, working and classes,” she shrugged before pausing. “I did meet someone interesting at the Snuggly Duckling the other night,” she admitted with a chuckle. “Too nice to be in there, honestly,” she couldn’t help but think back to her conversation with Hercules and Jim’s subsequent teasing, “Jim was being a troll, but that’s normal.” 

[tianabenoit]

themightyhercules·:

He felt more relaxed already. Nobody could call them into work, and even if there was an emergency of some kind, there wasn’t a lot they could do about it from several thousand miles away. He loved their life together, but that didn’t make vacationing together any less awesome. No wonder there were so many movies about it. “Sounds good.” He headed in the direction of the baggage claim, helping her slide back to the ground and wrapping an arm around her when they reached it. It was a quick hop from there to their place, and he couldn’t get over having their own tiny house for the trip.

“This is amazing.” The doors practically opened up right on the beach. Fableton was technically on the coast, but the lagoon was a lot different from the ocean in Greece. So was this one, for that matter, but it still reminded him more of home. You didn’t really know blue until you saw it on the ocean (though, oddly enough, Ancient Greek didn’t even have a singular word for blue–you didn’t need to name what you saw all the time). “Wanna go for a walk?” He figured they’d spend the rest of today relaxing after the long flights, but there was no reason they couldn’t do some of that on the beach, which was basically the backyard.

Her practical bent wanted to unpack and get settled, look at everything that was around them one more time just to make sure she hadn’t forgotten about anything she’d found in her planning. The other part of her, the fun part, that had been cultivated over the course of their relationship practically squealed in excitement. She smiled easily at his question and nodded, “That sounds perfect, actually.” It was too beautiful outside their doors to ignore for any reason other than Hercules himself. 

“Let me get out of the travel clothes,” she looked down at herself with a little nost wrinkle before grinning back at him and dashing away to her suitcase. It was a quick matter to change out of her travel attire and slide into a swimsuit with a wrap dress in a soft green over the top of it. Her hair was left loose, since there was no reason for ponytails or buns while on vacation and no kitchen time. 

[tianabenoit]

beeskneeslottie·:

@tianabenoit·

Sometimes Lottie thought that if they didn’t insist on their standing weekly date, she might never see her best friend. Not that she’d trade a moment of her chaotic, busy, harebrained life here, but it never hurt to slow down for a moment and appreciate the people in it. After four years apart while she did the whole college thing, she wasn’t about to let her friendship with Tiana take a backseat. Tia usually left it to her to organize their dates, which played right into her skill set. She mixed it up depending on what their schedules were like each week, and it could be anything from brunch or afternoon shopping to a night out dancing or a girls’ night in watching movies and binging ice cream. (That one hit especially after Lottie went through one of her frequent breakups.)

Today was brunch at a cute new cafe on the boardwalk. They had their favorites, but Lottie regularly mixed up the eating arrangements so Tiana could sample all the food in town. Working on their dates was strictly off limits, but if Tia was going to have her own restaurant someday, she had to know her competition! Her dress was tight at the top and flared around her calves, not a blonde hair out of place, and she moved in her heels like she’d been born in them. “Hey there, sugar. I had a reservation for two under La Bouff?” She smiled at the host. He showed her to a table by the window, and she winked as he turned away. He was cute, and Lottie was pretty much always in the market.

Having been forced into learning how to function on her own, it was a very hard habit for Tiana to break. Working two and three jobs on top of school didn’t leave much room in her schedule and she’d run that way for a long time on purpose. She’d left her Mama in New Orleans and Lottie had done her school thing, and she was so proud of her best friend that it was beyond belief. It was a large part of why she had easily acquiesced to Lottie’s request of a standing date every week. It wasn’t anything Tia would ever want to plan, so she left that firmly in her friend’s hands, but she also made sure to be available. 

This morning, she was running a little behind and had promised to meet her at the designated spot. She loved that Lottie always thought of the food to keep Tia on her toes in terms of what was around. The other thing she always gave into was her friend’s sense of fashion and put some effort into her looks, normally an outfit that had been shoved at her with direct instructions on its when/where to wear. Today was a soft yellow halter-dress that flared around her knees and heels that she managed to not be concerned in. 

Getting to the restaurant, she smiled easily at the host, “Hi, I’m meeting Ms La Bouff?” She was shown in and smiled brightly when she saw Lottie, “Lottie!” Her pace picked up and she opened her arms as she got closer to the table. She loved this woman like family and she knew that would never change. “I’m so sorry, I worked late last night and there was no being functional if I didn’t sleep and shower,” she chuckled softly. 

[tianabenoit]

themightyhercules·:

Hercules didn’t know what to make of the barrier being down and the gods being gone. Since he couldn’t figure it out and puzzles weren’t his strong point anyway, he’d decided just to enjoy it while it was happening. The barrier alone opened up, literally, a whole world of possibilities for them. He didn’t really want to leave Fableton permanently, although he suspected he could settle just about anywhere with Tia and be happy about it. Their friends were there, along with her beloved restaurant, and it was more home than Ancient Greece had ever been to him. (Okay, maybe not a whole world, since there was no way he wanted to return there. He’d heard enough horror stories from Percy.) He’d lamented the fact that they couldn’t take a vacation together though, the idea of Tiana on a tropical beach with no work to distract them more than tempting, and now they could.

He’d have probably hopped a plane the next day and figured it out as he went, so it was lucky Tiana was there to help him plan ahead. It turned out that planning and looking forward to it was half the fun. He liked shopping with her, and packing with her, and looking at touristy photos and deciding what they wanted to do when they got there. They had a loose schedule for visiting each island, but they’d left open days here and there for relaxing and spontaneous adventures. They’d arranged to leave Beast and Basie with Lottie, who surprised him by being fond of animals. (It was rude of him to judge her by how she looked, but she didn’t look like someone who adored animals or anything else that could rumple her. He was wrong. He admitted it.)

The plane was a whole adventure by itself. He couldn’t control wind like his half-brother, but he was still a son of Zeus. The sky was his father’s domain, so he didn’t have any reservations about getting on a plane. Other than the takeoff and landing, it didn’t feel very fast. He could almost forget where he was if not for the breathtaking views outside the window. He’d never seen anything like it outside of television, and movies just didn’t do it justice. He was grinning ear to ear when they landed, the warm air and sunshine greeting them as they stepped off because even the airport was mostly outside. “Aloha!” he laughed, catching her easily and helping to slide her legs around his waist. He turned his head, finding it hard to stop grinning even through a kiss. “Gorgeous, ain’t it?” It was warm and beautiful like his home, but the color scheme was different. Brighter somehow, all the colors saturated. He didn’t know where to look first, and this was only the airport.

There was so much about this trip that Tia was looking forward to, but most of it was the time she was getting with Hercules. At home, she was always responsible for her restaurant, there was always the potential for Hercules to be called into work. They got to relax, sure, but she wondered if they ever entirely got to disconnect. Their ‘schedule’ such as it was, was more of general locations for them to spend their time so they could visit the different islands because of the differences between them: some touristy, some still rather wild. 

Wrapped around him, she laughed and propped her chin on his shoulder after a kiss. Her eyes darted around the space, relaxing against him as it fully kicked in that they were there and had all the time in the world. “It’s amazing,” she murmured in awed delight, knowing she would feel that a lot over the course of their vacation if this was anything to go by. She looked around at all of the signs for the baggage claim and pointed it out to him.

“Let’s get our stuff and then we can get to the hotel,” she decided. As they got to the claim, she slid down off of his back but curled into his side while they waited for their suitcases to come around. From there, it was an easy thing to catch their ride to where they were staying. She hadn’t wanted to do the big hotel thing, and instead had rented them bungalows in all of the various places as they island hopped. It allowed privacy and was easier to relax without the consideration of next door neighbors in hotel rooms. Best of all, they could still could food delivered, so she wouldn’t even have to cook. Stepping into the bungalow, she blinked at the wide open windows that looked out over the bluest water she had ever seen. 

[tianabenoit]

An Ocean of Freedom

Tiana had been absolutely unable to curb her excitement at the realization that they could leave Fableton. She loved her new home, had established herself there and ran a restaurant that filled her with pride and accomplishment. She’d found love and friends and things she had never expected. For the most part, she was content to stay where she was, but she had always been able to see the appeal in being able to see more of the rest of the world they now lived in.

Hercules had talked about one day seeing different places, vacations and put the idea in her head. It had been an easy decision to plan one, setting up everything for her place to run just fine without her for a while so she could run off with him. Plane tickets and suitcases, swimsuits and clothing, learning and planning had all led up to a trip that had her excited and energetic. 

She’d kept her hand in Hercules as the plane had taken off and landed, weary but excited and knowing that for he’d gotten more comfortable in his skin he still might worry being in a small space. The sheer brightness and color as they flew over the islands to their destination was staggering and they weren’t even surrounded by it yet. As they disembarked, she hopped herself onto Hercules’s back in joy and excitement, leaning forward to press a kiss at the back of his jaw. “Can you believe it? We’re here!”

@themightyhercules​