Day 2: Part 2 - The Deal
Things were not going well.
"You seriously think it's okay to just show up and take our spot?"
"I sure as hell didn't see your stupid names on them anywhere, dumbass!"
"Bakugo, let's just go," Uraraka said meekly with a light tug on his arm. "We can sit somewhere else."
Katsuki ignored her and pulled his arm away, glaring up at the other man that had impeded so gracelessly on his sunbathing. At first, they had politely asked Uraraka if they could move. But they only spoke English, and she had just stared back up at them with vague understanding. That was when Katsuki intervened with a "not in your life" and the situation had quickly escalated from there.
"You and your loser family weren't even using them anyway!"
"Well we're here now and we'd like to use them." It was clear the guy was trying his best not to lose his temper on the teenager in front of his wife and kids. "So, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"On what authority?" Katsuki's anger spiked. Uraraka touched his arm again. "You expect me to just pack up and scram because it's suddenly convenient for-"
There was a sudden shift in Katsuki's stomach, like the feeling of going over a roller coaster, and then he was weightless. His toes lifted out of the sand and his body began to pitch forward slowly. Too shocked to speak, Katsuki windmilled his arms to keep from turning upside down, but his struggle went in vain. A hand grabbed his ankle and righted him once more before his temper and his dignity could go flying out the window. Looking down, Uraraka was holding on to him like a balloon she had gotten at the zoo, his knapsack slung over her shoulder. The man and his family were watching with expressions that probably matched Katsuki's own, but with much less scowling. His glare to her would have been lethal, but she wasn't looking back up at him. Instead, her head was bent in a small bow as broken English poured from her mouth.
"So sorry!" She said hurriedly, and began backing away with Katsuki in tow. "We wir go now. Have a nice day!"
With that, she brushed past them and began heading back down the beach in the direction of the hotel. Katsuki dragged behind her, and he could swear he could hear that guy's kids laughing at him. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Katsuki tried his best to keep his palms from igniting and sending shooting off into the sky like a rocket. The blood rushing to his head almost made him pass out.
"Uraraka." He could see the chill run down her spine from the tone of his voice. "Put me down. Right. The fuck. Now."
Uraraka stopped in her tracks, moved her sunglasses to her head, and spun on her toes towards him, kicking up sand as she did. "I told you this was going to happen!" Letting go of him, the girl pointed her finger accusingly as he began to slowly spin through the air once more. "This whole thing could have been avoided if we had just found a vacant spot!"
"Are you really insinuating that this is my fault?" Katsuki growled, though it was hard to maintain his composure with his body pitching sideways. "I'm not the one who gave up so easily and ran away like a coward."
"I was being courteous! Not everything is a fight, Bakugo!" Uraraka shook her fists in frustration. "I swear, sometimes you can be just as stubborn as Deku."
"Don't you dare compare me with that loser." It was Katsuki's turn to shove his finger in her direction. "At least I'm willing to stand up for myself. I thought you were made of tougher stuff, but it seems I was wrong."
Uraraka gaped at him, as if his words had run her though like a lance. The look of hurt on her face caused Katsuki's gut to twist, but he was too angry to care. Uraraka huffed, put her finger tips together and muttered "release". Unprepared, Katsuki hit the sand hard on his side, his sunglasses popping off of his face from the impact. Before he could regain himself, his knapsack hit the sand next to him. Looking up, he saw Uraraka's back storming away down the beach. With a snort, Katsuki got to his feet, grabbed his bag and sunglasses from the sand, and trudged off in the opposite direction. On lookers didn't dare meet his eye as he stomped across the sand.
Finally, he told himself. The inevitable had happened. Katsuki knew it was only a matter of time before she got tired of him and left him alone. Took a lot longer than he expected, and he had tried to bore her to tears with hours of pointless sunbathing, but that plan came to a messy, screeching end. That and she also seemed to enjoy just laying in the sun. Now, though, they were free from each other, free from having to pretend to enjoy each others company. Now they could both enjoy their vacations.
But a small part of Katsuki did feel a little off. Perhaps it was guilt, or maybe regret. Either way, it left a sour taste in his mouth as he made his way towards the exit of the beach. Nobody could say that he hadn't given her a chance - two chances, actually - or that he hadn't tried to make their little friendship work. But they were just too different; different personalities, different methods of conflict resolution, the list could go on. The main point was that there was no way it could have ever worked between the two of them. So yeah, it was better this way. Quelling the irritating twist in his gut, Katsuki left the beaches of The Sea Cliffs and made his way towards the main road, his original plans from before now back on track.
The morning was over, and the sun was reaching its peak in the sky. Not wanting to risk the chance of sunburn any further, Katsuki removed his knapsack from his shoulders and absently grabbed his shirt from it. Pulling the garment out, Katsuki was to preoccupied with watching for traffic to realize that his shirt had changed color. It was only when he had begun to pull the shirt over his head that he realized that the powder blue tint and flowery smell of the fabric coupled with the fact that it was way too tight was not correct. Yanking the shirt off the top of his head, Katsuki scrutinized the shirt.
"Ah, crap," he mumbled. It was Uraraka's shirt.
Digging through the bag, Katsuki grimly discovered that her shorts and wallet were still in his possession as well. "God dammit."
Standing by the side of the road with Uraraka's clothes and wallet in his hands, Katsuki was unsure of what he should do. In the heat of the moment, it seemed that Uraraka had been too upset to remember to grab her things from him before she stormed off. Katsuki must have really pissed her off. But now that he had them, he was at a loss for what to do with them. Yes, obviously he should return her stuff, but his temper was still running a little high, and his pride wouldn't allow him to seek her out to return her affects. He couldn't dump her things by the road and just forget about them - that was low, even for him. Should he try to find her parents and try to give her stuff to them? No. It would look incredibly suspicious if he handed over their daughter's clothes and personal items without said daughter present. The last thing Katsuki needed was an angry father on his vacation. Or, even worse - an angry mother.
With a growl, Katsuki stuffed Uraraka's shirt and shorts back into his bag, but kept her wallet out. The wallet was small - incredibly small, how did women fit anything in these thing? - and a lavender purple color decorated with blue stars bearing silly cartoon faces. Flipping the wallet open, Katsuki was surprised to see that Uraraka carried little more than her school ID, her room key, the green access card, and some yen. Taking the key card out of its slot in the card holders, Katsuki inspected it. Unfortunately, the hotel card did not indicate which room she was in, so he couldn't go to her room and simply drop them off. He supposed he could ask the concierge which room they were in, but the same fear of looking suspicious quashed that idea, too. Americans could be incredibly paranoid, after all. But perhaps he was making this too complicated.
He really didn't want to go crawling back to her so soon after their fight, but maybe he could just give Uraraka her shit and go, grace and pleasantries be damned. Seeing as that was rounding down to be his only option, Katsuki gave an exasperated sigh and replaced the card in its slot. But stopped, when he noticed that something else had been hiding behind the key card in the same fold. Pulling out the small piece of paper, Katsuki flipped it over. It was a picture - a Polaroid, if he remembered correctly. Who the hell used Polaroids anymore? Katsuki moved his aviators to his head to get a better look at it. There were three people in the picture; Uraraka, that nerd Iida, and, of course, Deku. The very sight of that loser was enough to cause a sneer to rise to Katsuki's lips.
But the picture was... nice. Iida was the one holding the camera, his long arm stretched out to the edge of the frame. The poor excuse for his smiled was almost made up for by the shine in his eyes. Uraraka was in the middle, her arms looped around the boys' necks, making them stoop to her height, cheeks bright pink as always. Deku was wearing an awkward grin, and it was obvious that he was blushing. Individually, the three of them looked silly and dorky. But together, they looked... well, like good friends. Like they were having fun. Like they had laughed and had a good time when this picture was taken. Katsuki's eyes fixated on the girl in the middle. Uraraka had a nice smile, and her eyes were bright with glee.
Katsuki stared at the picture for longer than he would care to admit, an unfamiliar feeling swirling in his chest. A car sped by him on the road, the wind nearly flinging the picture from his fingers. New thoughts were popping up in his head like daisies, realizations that made him frown and groan at himself. Deku might not have been the strongest or the smartest in their class, but everyone befriended him regardless. Even that icyhot bastard was getting cozy with him. Katsuki couldn't really say that he had done the same, though he had certainly earned their respect - and that was fine with him. Really. He didn't need friends to slow him down. There was Kirishima, who had pretty much handcuffed himself to Katsuki against his will, but he had gotten used to the red-head - and even appreciated his company, though he would never admit it. But Kirishima was friends with everybody. So he didn't really count. But, despite his lone wolf attitude, Katsuki couldn't deny that a part of him had always sought out companionship. Someone that could keep up with him, challenge him, and accept him rather than tolerate him. For a while, that person was Deku. Presently, Kirishima was doing a good job at filling that role. However, even he got tired of Katsuki's mood-swings, too. But he was back home, hundreds of miles across the sea.
Over the years, Katsuki had gotten so good at pretending to prefer solitude that he had forgotten about the appeal of friendship. This photo was reminding him. It annoyed him, but he was anything but ignorant.
Katsuki was envious. He wanted the kind of friendship that Deku and Uraraka shared.
With a sigh, Katsuki replaced the picture, and put her wallet into the pocket of his swimtrunks. Fishing his actual shirt out of his bag, Katsuki pulled it over his head and turned back toward The Sea Cliffs. Stepping away from the road, he headed back toward the beach. Uraraka wasn't like Kirishima, and Katsuki had been stupid to think he could treat her in the same way. Kirishima took Katsuki's personality in stride, letting harsh comments and bouts of yelling roll off him with a laugh. Uraraka not only took all of Katsuki's crap, but she also threw it back in his face. Maybe that was why he had been so reluctant to spend time with her, and had unintentionally set her up to fail. Ah, no that wasn't true. He had every intention to ditch her at the first opportunity, and that wasn't fair. He hadn't exactly made it easy, either, but Uraraka's determination to be optimistic was astounding. Although her words from earlier rose up on his mind:
"This isn't exactly how I pictured this holiday going, either."
Feeling like the biggest asshole in the world, the boy stepped away from the road and back toward the resort, flipping his sunglasses back onto his eyes. Maybe Katsuki could salvage this situation. There was a way that he could repair this whole vacation, and hopefully regain what little respect Uraraka had for him. Now that he had his thoughts in order, and had calmed down, he was better equipped to handle the situation. Katsuki knew what he had to do, and was determined to make it work. But he didn't like it. If everything worked out, however, then this might just turn out to be a pretty good vacation.
Ochaco sat at an empty table on the patio in front of one of the outdoor dining areas of The Sea Cliffs, her hands resting on the table in front of her and the wood of the chair splintering uncomfortably into her thighs. Lips pinched together, Ochaco moaned miserably. Her shoulders were starting to feel dry and crunchy, telltale freckles of sunburn popping up on her skin. Unfortunately, she didn't have any sunscreen with her, and all the covered and shady tables were taken. Sighing, Ochaco hung her head, feeling incredibly stupid and embarrassed for herself.
It wasn't until Ochaco had reached her hotel room after parting ways with Bakugo that she had realized her predicament. The ensuing search for her parents had yielded no results after the knock on the door had gone unanswered. It was strange that her mom and dad were nowhere to be found, but the resort was rather large. Ochaco couldn't find Jason either, so it was possible they had gone with him somewhere outside the resort. Although, they had promised to catch up with her... but before her mind could travel down that dark road, Ochaco squared her shoulders. Her other option was to ask the receptionist if she could have another key to her room. But as soon as Ochaco had walked up to the girl behind the desk with a big smile and a cheery "Aloha!", she hadn't been prepared for the stream of English that followed. The awkward silence that followed the girl's question stretched on for a little too long as Ochaco realized that she didn't possess the vocabulary that she needed to get help. So, slinking away before her self-esteem could plummet any farther, Ochaco decided that the only thing left to do would be to try to find Bakugo and get her stuff back. But it turned that he was also MIA, and Ochaco was left alone in a Hawaii without clothes, money, or sunscreen.
Thumping her head against the table and making her cheap ray bands go scattering across the wood table top, Ochaco moaned again, lost and confused and beginning to panic. Tears welled beneath her eyelids, but she refused to let them fall. She was going to be a hero one day, and heroes don't cry. Though, perhaps that wasn't entirely true; Deku sure seemed to do an awful lot of crying. But she wasn't Deku - she wasn't amazing and strong like him, or had the unbreakable confidence that he possessed. She was just Ochaco, the infinity girl, who now felt like a lonely sixteen-year old teenager who could do with a little saving right about now. Some saving, and also something cool to drink. Her throat was parched.
Something thumped against the wooden table. Ochaco looked up, seeing a glass of dark, bubbly soda resting in front of her. Ice cubes floated in the soda, and moisture collected on the glass.
"The next time you storm off like that, make sure you take your shit with you, kay Pink Cheeks?"
Ochaco looked up at the voice. Bakugo stood next to the table, his hand stretched out and holding her clothes - which were neatly folded - and her wallet. His other hand held his own drink, a clear-yellowish soda. When she looked up to his face, she couldn't help but notice how his expression change from being slightly annoyed to mildly shocked. Realizing that her eyes must have been starting to turn red from her tears, she looked away from him and quickly wiped her face with the heel of her palm. Taking a deep breath, Ochaco rose to her feet and turned to face Bakugo. There were a lot of things she wanted to say to him right now, but she also knew that none of it would make her feel any better. So, with a small "thank you", she took her clothes and wallet from Bakugo. Expecting him to turn around and leave, Ochaco was surprised when he stepped away and took a seat at the table, waiting patiently for her to get dressed and sipping his soda. Suddenly suspicious, Ochaco slipped her shorts on. Why was he still here? Her eyes drifted to the soda she had yet to touch. Oh.
"How much do I owe you for the drinks?" She asked meekly.
"Nothing." Bakugo's voice didn't seem quite as harsh as usual. "I used your green card."
Ochaco stared at him, unsure whether she should be relieved that she wasn't in debt to Bakugo or annoyed that he had obviously gone through her things. Before she could decide, Bakugo rose from his seat, put his drink down, and pulled the shirt off of his back.
"That flimsy tank top ain't gonna do shit to prevent sunburn," He said handing it to her. "This will at least cover your shoulders."
"Shock" wasn't a strong enough word to describe what Ochaco felt as she gaped at Bakugo and the black shirt he was holding out to her. Too stunned to say or do anything, she stared at him for such a long time that his face flushed with red and he practically threw the shirt at her face.
"Just take it, okay?!"
Ochaco grabbed the shirt before it could fall to the ground. "Uh... okay... thanks?"
Not sure what else she could do, Ochaco slipped the shirt over her head. The shirt - black, of course - was far too big, falling past the length of her shorts, making it seem like she wasn't wearing pants at all. But the shirt was very soft from use, and finally having the sun off of her shoulders was so incredibly satisfying that it made Ochaco sigh contentedly. Rubbing the crunchy feeling from her skin through the fabric, Ochaco sat down at the table and pulled the soda Bakugo had gotten for her close. The first sip was like heaven, the sweet taste of the soda washing over her tongue and cooling her insides when she swallowed. Ochaco had never tasted anything so magical.
After draining half the glass, Ochaco sat back and gasped. Bakugo was watching her closely, sipping his own drink much more slowly. Regaining her composure, Ochaco reached over, grabbed her sunglasses, and replaced them back on top of her head.
"So what are you doing here?" She asked coolly. Then, bitterly, she continued with "I thought I was too cowardly for you to hang out with."
Bakugo sighed through his nose and nodded thoughtfully, though he did roll his eyes at her. "Alright, I guess I deserve that."
The argument that she had quickly constructed in her mind died instantly on her tongue. Ochaco waited, not sure what else she might say, or even if she should and risk ruining the bizarre phenomenon that was unfolding before her. Bakugo shifted in his seat, placing his palms on the table.
"Listen Pink Cheeks, I've been thinking," Bakugo started, leaning forward so that his red aviators gleamed in the sun. "I want to make a deal with you."
If he had straight up apologized like she was half-expecting him to, Ochaco would have gotten up and walked away. A sincere Bakugo would have been too much to handle. But he didn't, and a sense of normalcy returned to the world. Ochaco sat forward as well, her intrigue overriding her previous bitterness.
"What kind of deal?"
"Not so much a deal, more of an agreement." Bakugo quirked his lips in thought. "If we're going to survive on this island with each other."
Ochaco's eyes widened. "Wait... you-you still want to hang out with me?"
Bakugo stared at her, and Ochaco immediately thought that she had blown her second chance already. She couldn't see his eyes, so she had no idea what he was thinking.
"Yeah," he finally said. "That alright with you, Pink Cheeks?"
Ochaco felt her mouth drop open in shock. "But we were just fighting with each other."
"Can you honestly tell me you've never been in a heated argument with your friends before?" An eyebrow cocked up above his sunglasses.
Ochaco was about to argue that she hadn't, but realized that that wasn't true. Once, back towards the beginning of the first semester, Ochaco and Iida had squabbled about some aspect of proper hero conduct. He had turned out to be right, of course, and she never forget that particular rule because of it. And on a separate occasion, she and Ashido had almost gotten in a cat fight over nail polish, of all things. But Ochaco was still close friends with both of them, and she was comforted in knowing that no amount of bickering would change that.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ochaco tapped her finger against her cheek, then smiled at the boy. "Does that mean that you and I are friends, too?"
"Let's not get carried away." Bakugo swept the glasses off of his face and looked at Ochaco with his piercing red eyes. "Are you in, or not?"
Ochaco grinned widely, excitement sparking in her chest. "Yeah! Let's do it!"
Bakugo smiled back at her. It was the first time she had ever seen him smile without malice. He actually had a really nice smile. It was too bad he didn't do it more.
"Alright," He started. "I'll go first, since I've really only got one thing that I want to make clear - I'll agree to get you through this vacation in one piece, but only if you promise to stop comparing me to Deku." Bakugo paused. "Actually, let me just change that to no mentions of that loser whatsoever. I came here to get away from him, you know. You bringing him up every five minutes is really getting in the way of that."
Ochaco puffed a cheek, because surely she didn't talk about Midorya that much. She had only mentioned him, what, three times the entire day? But she wasn't about to argue the point. If not bringing up her friend's name was the key to Bakugo's happiness and her sanity for the duration of the week, then that was a relatively small price to pay. But she also needed to come up with her own term to match his.
"Okay," Ochaco said with a nod, then lifted a finger toward the boy. "And I'll agree to let you have access to all my green card's benefits without question, but only if you promise that you won't get in anymore fights with anyone for the rest of the week. That includes me."
Bakugo's smile faltered, and for a moment Ochaco feared that the deal was off. She had tried to make her end of the deal similar to his - a rather large reward for a comparatively small price. But if being non-confrontational for a week was too hard for Bakugo, then maybe it wasn't in either of their best interests to see this deal through. Ochaco hoped that wouldn't be the case. As brisk as Bakugo could be, he had a fun side hidden somewhere deep down inside. Ochaco just knew it.
"Fine. Okay, you've got a deal." Bakugo only sounded a little pained as he reached his hand out to her. "No more fights."
Ochaco gladly took his hand, which was warm and strong, and gave it a firm shake. "And no more Deku. Starting right now, that is."
They didn't immediately let go of each others hands, the warmth of their skin on each others different from the heat of the sun - something comforting, and familiar. She looked deep into his eyes, and he peered back at her. The crashing of the waves on the sand suddenly grew louder in her ears, and the sun shined a little brighter. The world seemed to fade away around the two of them, slowing down and prolonging the moment. For a second, Ochaco and Bakugo were the only ones on the island. The sensation faded quickly, and they released each others hands.
"So," Bakugo cleared his throat. "What do you wanna do?"
Ochaco hummed in thought. "I have no idea. I guess I could use something to eat?"
Bakugo huffed a single laugh. "No shit. We skipped breakfast, after all. But what about after that?"
"I'm up for anything," Ochaco said with a grin. "Just... no more sunbathing, okay?"
Bakugo quirked his lips and rolled his eyes, nodding in agreement. The expression was not a new one for Ochaco, but all of his hostility was gone this time. "Yeah, that's not really my style either. Don't worry, I've got something in mind." With that, Bakugo stood from his seat and flipped his aviators back onto his face. "Let's go, Uraraka. We're burning daylight."
Nodding, Ochaco quickly finished her drink and got to her feet, moving her sunglasses to her face as well. "Lead the way, Bakugo!"
The rest of the day was actually... rather nice.
Bakugo introduced Uraraka to snorkeling. They rented some gear for her, and hit the water - which was just the right temperature. The sea floor around the resort still had a few small reefs and and patches of sea grass to boast, but there really wasn't much in the way of fish. That didn't really matter to Uraraka. The elation of experiencing something incredible for the first time was enough to make up for the events of that morning, and the day wasn't over yet. Over the course of the day, the profound difference in the relationship between the two teenagers compared to that morning was startling. Bakugo still snapped and growled at Uraraka from time to time, but all ill-intent was gone and Uraraka didn't have to try so very hard to keep him complacent. That was just how Bakugo was, Uraraka realized. His anger didn't necessarily mean dislike, like she had thought previously. If anything, it was a sign that he cared. For Bakugo, having Uraraka finally relax in his presence allowed him to take it easy, too. He didn't feel the need to keep up his isolating facade. It was scary to admit, but they were actually having fun together.
As they went about their activities, Bakugo and Uraraka were startled by just how quickly the day went by. It had seemed that they hadn't done much, but the comfortable tiredness that was beginning to set into their bones said otherwise. When they looked up, the sun was starting to get low.
"Sunset already?" Ochaco murmured.
"Guess it's time for dinner." Bakugo looked out on the horizon, his red aviators reflecting the sun. "Let's head back."
They had wandered pretty far down one end of the resort beach in search of tide pools that Bakugo swore were some of the neatest things in the world. But they were farther down than expected, and in that moment, Uraraka's stomach let out a beastly gurgle. With a sheepish grin, Uraraka laughed. Bakugo sighed and shook his head at her, but a smiled sat on his lips that he couldn't quite hide. Doing an about-face, the two teenagers headed back toward the hotel, leaving footprints in the sand.
When they reached the lobby of The Sea Cliffs, Ochaco heard someone calling her name.
"Mom? Dad?" She spun around, meeting the embrace of her father as he rushed up to her. "Where have you guys been?!"
"We looked all over for you, sweetheart," Mr. Uraraka said. "But we couldn't find you. And then Jason wanted us to do an interview for the contest board. Took a lot longer than we thought, since Jason had to translate some things for us. What have you-"
Ochaco's father stopped when he and her mother realized that Katsuki was still standing there, watching this little family reunion.
"Oh, so you did end up spending the day with the Bakugo's." Her mom smiled at Katsuki. "I hope Ochaco wasn't too much trouble."
Ochaco and Katsuki shared a look. If they only knew.
"Nah, not too much." Katsuki shrugged.
"That's great to hear," Mrs. Uraraka beamed at her daughter, then looked back up at Katsuki. "Say, would you and your parents like to join us for dinner? I feel guilty about breakfast."
Katsuki shook his head, however, removing his sunglasses from his face. "I would have to find my parents, first, and I don't really feel like doing that just yet."
Mr. and Mrs. Uraraka laughed, promising to do it another night. Katsuki nodded and began to turn away, but Ochaco stopped him before he could.
"Your shirt, Bakugo," she said as she lifted the garment over her head. Katsuki had completely forgotten that she was still wearing it. With a "thanks", Katsuki took the shirt - but Ochaco continued to hold onto it, making him look up to meet her gaze. "We're going to see those tide pools tomorrow, right?"
Katsuki paused, considering the girl before him. Then, finally, with a nod, he said "Sure thing. Meet me back here in the morning."
Ochaco smiled widely, releasing his shirt and giving him a wave as she and her parents turned to leave. Katsuki found himself waving back at her as he watched her leave to get ready for dinner, her mother worriedly commenting "Ochaco, your shoulders!" as she did. The Uraraka's disappeared inside the golden elevator, leaving Katsuki alone in the lobby, a mix of emotions in his gut. Within the elevator, Ochaco's mom continued to fret over her.
"Don't worry, we've got some aloe in the room." Her mother pressed a finger to Ochaco's red skin, then pulled it away and watched the white skin fade back to red. "Did you not put suncreen on, sweetheart?"
"I did this morning," Ochaco replied. "But then I didn't reapply it later."
"Well, I think it was awfully nice of that young man to loan you his shirt," Mr. Uraraka said playfully. "Did you two have fun today?"
Ochaco smiled up at her father. "Yeah, we did!"
She launched into the story of her day, excluding the bits about their fight that morning and the deal they had struck. Her parents watched her come to life as Ochaco detailed the things she had seen and done, and they knew that they had made the right decision by pretending to be jet-lagged that morning.
A/N: Alright! The fluff train is officially pulling out of the station! Now we should be getting into the good stuff, hah. But there will definitely be more obstacles for these two along the way, as well.
As always, read, review, and enjoy!
