-In 2023, not all parents hold their children to traditional standards for love and marriage, but modern lifestyles are still not always accepted. Especially not when your younger sibling is getting married first and your parents are practically jum...
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Thursday morning you nearly jump out of bed. You and Hinata have planned to meet at the entrance of one of the National Parks nearby.
More than anything you could use a bit of fresh air so just as soon as you shower and grab a bit of food for breakfast, you head to your car to meet up with your date.
When you pull into the lot, you see Hinata looking down at his phone. His eyebrows are pulled in together like he's looking at something important. So when you step out of your car, you quietly walk over instead of interrupting.
As you draw near, Hinata looks up and turns off his phone. "Hey!" he beams as a giant grin grows across his lips. "Good morning, Y/N."
"Good morning," you smile back at him. You then pull him in for a hug before taking a step back. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah. Have you ever been here before?" he asks as the two of you start your journey.
"I've been to the park, but there's like trails and all that, too, right? I've never done anything like that before," you admit to him. "I think my brother has though."
"Shame on him for not showing you around," he teases. "This place is great. It's got marked trails for all kinds of levels. But maybe for today we should start with something not so steep?"
"Good idea," you nod. "It might be better to build up to it."
"'Kay, then let's try the red trail. It's a little long but it's pretty flat. I used to walk my dog this way before I had to give her to my parents 'cause, you know, traveling for work makes it hard to be a pet owner."
"Oh man, that sucks. I'm sorry you had to do that. I remember I had a pet once back in middle school. My mom loved our cat more than she loved me or my brother I think," you chuckle. "When she died my mom couldn't sleep for a week. My dad insisted we never get a pet again after that."
"That's harsh," he shakes his head. "Pets are like family. Sucks they don't live as long as we do."
"For sure. Maybe if we did get another pet my mom wouldn't be so bitchy all the time, though," you grin.
"She'd be too preoccupied with the pet instead of you," he chuckles. "Do you not get along with your mom?"
"Ah, she's just got this stupid idea in her head that my brother and I are her little puppets living the life she never lived. What's that saying again? Like helicopter parenting but worse..."
"Living vicariously through your child? Probably narcissism."
"Yes, that's it. God, if she's not narcissistic then I don't know what is," you shake your head.
"So you're saying you're nothing like your mom?" he then asks.
"Nothing at all," you reply.
"And what would you say that includes? Tell me a bit about yourself. I mean we only met last week," he shrugs.
"Uh, well, while I don't think I spend as much time in nature like you do judging by how much you know about this park, I do like being outside. It helps me clear my mind about shit."
"I do that, too," he nods. "And weed."
"Weed helps," you chuckle. "Man, I wish I had brought some with me after the night I had last night."
"Last night?" he asks as he stops walking and turns to face you. "What happened last night?"
"Oh, you know just the average family dinner that included my mom being a bitch and my dad acting like a toddler," you sigh, admitting the truth to him. Though it's a bit embarrassing to talk about how much you dislike your parents, for some reason, you can just tell he isn't passing judgment.
"In that case," he smiles as he reaches into his pocket, "I've got just what you need."
In his hand, he pulls out a small joint just like the ones Kotonoha always rolls.
"Oh shit, no way," you smile. "You're willing to share?"
"Yeah. And it's new, I promise. I was gonna have a smoke later on but I think it'd be more fun with someone to share."
The two of you then walk to the side of the path toward an old fallen down tree. You step over and sit down with your back to the path and the tree, your ass probably covered in dirt and leaves. Not that you really care when he's offering a free smoke.
Hinata sits down beside you and pulls out a lighter from the opposite pocket. He then hands you the joint, offering you the first hit.
As you place the rolled paper to your lips, Hinata lights the very edge. You then take an inhale in and hold for a moment before blowing the smoke out.
"That's strong," you cough out as you pass him the joint. You weren't expecting his stuff to be just as strong as Kotonoha's. It's like they've got the same dealer. But that wouldn't really be a huge coincidence if the dealer's got a good rep.
For awhile, the two of you sit and smoke until there's only a small nub left of the paper. Then, once it's gone, you continue to stay to talk and laugh about absolute nonsense until you hear the crack of a stick.
Your body jolts as you look around. Neither you nor Hinata have moved which means something else is around.
You turn around onto your knees and place your hands on the fallen tree, looking out onto the path.
"What is it?" Hinata asks as he crawls into the same position as you.
"Dunno. I didn't see anything. What do you think it is?"
"Dunno. I didn't see anything," he repeats.
Just then you hear leaves rustling from behind you. Once more you turn around and see a deer rush straight past the two of you. Your heart nearly beats out of your chest until your brain slowly processes what you just saw.
"Shit. That scared the fuck out of me," you sigh.
"Me, too," Hinata nods, gripping the front of his shirt. "Fuck."
The two of you look at each other in a scared shock for a moment before completely breaking down in a fit of laughs. You laugh so hard that tears begin to stream down your face. You're not just crying. You're absolutely sobbing.
When Hinata notices, he still can't stop himself from laughing, but instead wraps his arms around you and holds you close.
"I'm sorry," he repeats, trying to apologize for laughing while attempting to calm you down. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," you sob into his chest. "I'm alright."
Once you've calmed down, Hinata lets you go. You quickly wipe the tears away from your eyes and take a deep breath. "I think we should keep walking," you whisper to him. "I don't think I can handle another jump scare."
"Good idea," he nods. "We're still only at the start of the trail. You think you can walk the rest of the way?"
"Yeah," you respond as you stand on your two feet. "I think so."
"Maybe it'll help if you let me hold your hand," he smiles, reaching out his hand to you.
