a reason for waking {lynn gunn au}

s k a t i n g

The blonde runs a hand through her hair, then shrugs and gives the older girl a smile. "Sure."

"Alright." She steps back, providing Lynn with space to step on. Lynn cautiously places her weight on the board. Wobbling, she plants her feet on the ground.

"Wait," Emily says, unbuckling her helmet before reaching up and placing it gently on the younger girl's head, buckling it securely. "Just in case."

A fond smile plays on Lynn's lips as she touches the helmet in slight surprise. "Thank you." With that, she pushes off and windmills as she tries to keep her balance and fails. Pain shoots through her and she grits her teeth as she lands flat on her butt with the wind knocked out of her lungs. Emily's by her side in an instant, asking if she's okay, helping pull her off the ground, brushing pebbles off of the blonde's clothes.

Finally, her voice comes back. "I'm okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Do you feel alright? If you need to go to the emergency room---"

"I'm alright, Em," Lynn laughs, cutting the slightly hysterical girl off. "No broken tailbone or anything. I'm just a little unsteady, is all."

"Good. Are you up for another try? I think I have an idea." Lynn nods, and Emily quickly rushes to grab the retreating skateboard. Rolling it back, she instructs, "Okay, put both feet on the board, close together." The blonde obeys and jumps a little when she feels arms wrapping around her waist. "I've got you," the older girl mumbles into her ear as she pushes off.

Lynn could get used to this close proximity.

Emily continues standing on the board and guiding them around as Lynn pulls out her phone to take a picture. "Smile!" she calls, and the other girl does.

The resulting photo is slightly blurry. Lynn's eyes are closed and her mouth is open in a happy laugh. Strands of her hair are blowing in Emily's face, but the other girl continues to smile.

Of the many photos she's taken over the course of her life, this one is by far her favorite.

Quickly, she sends the picture to the group chat with Alex, Brian, and Justin, including a message that jokes, This one is making me learn to skate no matter what! Then she pockets her phone and turns her full attention back to the rattling of the skateboard, the cool wind against her face, and the arms around her waist.

Maybe she should meet up here with Emily more often.

There's no way to tell how long they go on. It feels like both a moment and a blissful eternity between them, and then the momentum finally slows before completely stopping. Lynn grins at Emily, who returns it while slightly panting. "That was fun," the blonde states. "Thank you."

"It really was, and no need to thank me," Emily replies, looking up at the sky. Lynn looks up, too, noticing that it's growing darker around them. "Would you like to come to my house? We could hang out there for a while. I could bring you back for your car whenever you're ready. People leave them here all the time."

"Sure, that sounds good," the younger girl replies with a smile, unbuckling the helmet and handing it back to the raven-haired girl, who tucks it under her arm and picks up the board. A comfortable silence falls over them as they walk out of the park and to Emily's vehicle. As they walk, Lynn has to fight the urge to take the older girl's hand in hers.

Emily leads her to an old, red Toyota Tacoma and unlocks it, opening the passenger-side door before motioning Lynn in with a grin. "Thank you," she says before climbing in. The door is carefully closed, and the blonde sinks into the comfortable seat. The truck smells like pine, and she can't help but inhale deeply, taking in the wonderful scent. Emily gets in as well, and they begin moving.