Geoguessr one shots :)

by Meerlyme

Summary:

A collection of one shots. Maybe there only will be one - we live and we learn.

Chapter 1: A stranger in town

Notes:

Written in haste. A western AU. Very much inspired by Rainbolt's Costa Rica video, especially the part where they ride into the sunset. Some regret, a one night stand and revelations. Also - the handkerchief code, but you don't need to know too much details to understand what's going on :)

This evening was calm. It was quite unlikely for there to be calm at any point in this town. Local hooligans and bandits liked to play tricks on the sherif, so it was a pleasant change. Of course, universe liked to play tricks on him instead, for, just as he was about to drown his sorrows in alcohol, a new face walked through the door.

Through the buzz of the tavern, he heard the stranger say "Whiskey, neat" to the bartender, who did not fail to comply. After a moment the bartender showed up before him.

"And anything for you, sheriff?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Find out what you can about that man, CG. We don't need any hooligans here," Trevor replied with a low voice, swirling the liquid in his glass slowly.

"And get him a drink on my tab while you’re at it," he added, eliciting a smirk from CG.

"I'll get that done, then," he said and went away.

Trevor is once again left to his own thoughts.

Another drink was slid across the counter to him some time later. Another stolen glance he sent to the strange man.

Trevor studied him. His shoulders broad and body lean. Hat graciously casting a shadow on his face, but his eyes glowed through the darkness. They were sharp with intent and mission. Beard rugged and shoulders tense. Without even realising, the eyes were staring back. Trevor adverted his gaze. The mysterious man smirked and moved closer to him.

‘’How you doin this fine evening, sheriff?’’ he asked. Trevor turned to look at him. Now that he was closer, he could admire his attire. The stranger’s hat was toped of with a single wildflower, jacket adorned with multiple colourful patches. Trevor smiled at the sight.

‘’Just fine. But tell me, what are you doing here, stranger,’’ he asked, ‘’this is not a place for the light-hearted.’’

The stranger chuckled. ‘’It ain’t indeed. For now, I’m making my way east. Trying to find somewhere to belong.’’

‘’Who’s to say this ain’t the place?’’ Trevor tried to coax more out of the guest.

The man shook his head with a smile. ‘’No no, this ain’t it. I’ll know when the time comes.’’

The sheriff nodded and the discussion turned to silence. Both men stared at the beverages before them. Somewhere in a corner of the tavern a faint roar of laughter emerged. Talks bubbled behind them. Trevor mustered up some courage to resume the conversation.

‘’So, what’s your name?’’ he asked. The man beside him kept staring down the glass.

‘’Where I come from, they call me Zag,’’ he responded, not giving any other information. Zag looked up at him suddenly, with a hint of urgency. ‘’Say, would you know a place to stay for the night?

Trevor raised his eyebrow. ‘’It’s quite late, but I suppose the tavern could have some free rooms upstairs. Might cost ya a bit. Better talk to the bartender,’’ he said.

‘’I’ll be right back then,’’ Zag smiled slightly and went closer to where the bartender was working.

Meanwhile the sheriff continued to study the strange man. There was something very captivating about him. Maybe it was the way he walked or talked, perhaps it was how he talked about himself, but that man was irresistible. With curiosity Trevor noted a navy-blue handkerchief in his back pocket. And his beautiful backside.

When Zag was done conversing with CG, he returned to his seat next to the sheriff. He raised an eyebrow at the funny expression Trevor had.

‘’Turns out they have one free room for tonight. Luck is on my side,’’ he said. Trevor hummed.

‘’I uhm… noticed you have a handkerchief in your back pocket. It’s… stylish,’’ the sheriff tried to find the right way to approach the subject. Zag’s eyes shifted to him in an instant.

‘’Yeah…really stylish. Real silk too,’’ the man’s eyes curiously studied him. Trevor hummed again.

‘’Maybe we can go try to find your room for tonight. Might need my help, the numbers on the doors are quite faded,’’ he clapped a hand on the stranger’s shoulder. The man looked up and narrowed his eyes.

‘’Oh really? Well, we better get going, I’d hate to intrude in the wrong room. Mine’s number seven,’’ he stood up with far too much ardour and theatrical movement. Trevor cringed a bit.

‘’Tone it down,’’ he whispered and lead the way upstairs. Talking from downstairs became quieter as they climbed up the stairs. Some singing could still be heard faintly in the hallway, but it was soon replaced with snores coming through closed doors.

‘’Here’s number seven,’’ the sheriff said, waiting for the other man’s lead.

‘’Well, thank you kind sir. Maybe you’d like to come inside for a quick drink?’’ Zag asked, the lie obvious, but instead of pointing it out, Trevor just smiled.

‘’I’d like that,’’ he said and walked in the room. Zag followed. As soon as the door closed, Trevor found himself pinned to the door.

‘’You do know I’ll be out of here as soon as sun rises, right?’’ the stranger asked. Trevor just nodded and captured their lips in a hungry kiss.

---

Faint sunrays danced on the floor as Trevor opened his eyes. The covers did little to cover his naked body, the morning cold seeping into his bones. The space beside him on the bed was empty, but still warm. With great effort the sheriff sat up and looked out the window. The world around was beginning to wake up. The sun casted its golden shine on the mountains and roofs, but the only thing he noticed was a small figure on horseback, riding into the sunrise.

The sheriff was distracted that day, his thoughts straying to a certain man. He had discovered a lone wildflower stuffed in his jacket’s pocket. It had stayed there, not visible to anyone, but Trevor was still painfully aware of it as the nature’s beauty laid there.

After a hard day he was sat at the tavern again, aimlessly looking around and hyperaware of the object in his pocket. The bartender noticed his strange demeanour.

‘’Ya alright, sheriff? Need a drink?’’ he leaned on the counter, ‘’Might it be related to the man who was here yesterday?’’

Trevor scoffed. ‘’No, had a hard day. Now pour one of your finest, will ya.’’ He nudged a glass towards the bartender. CG followed the request. When he got the glass back to the waiting customer, he suddenly spoke up.

‘’You know, there is a bandit going round’ these days. A traveller let me know. Apparently, he’s heading east. They know him as Zag,’’ CG said, carefully eyeing the sheriff.

Everything in Trevor’s body broke like glass shards, yet his face stayed rock solid. The wilted flower burning a hole in his pocket. Still staring at his drink, he mumbled. ‘’Oh. Is that so?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ the bartender nodded, ‘’better watch out these next days. He might start a fuss and steal something.’’

The sheriff hummed, deep in thought. It was already too late. The bandit had stolen something far more important than livestock or gold. He had stolen the sheriff’s heart.

Notes:

If y'all have some ideas for one shots, let me know!
As always, comments and kudos appreciated <3

Chapter 2: May this kind of friendship find everyone

Summary:

Platonic pairing! A oneshot of what I think was going through Kodiaks mind when Lennli won against Consus in the WC25.

Notes:

Very much inspired by Kodiaks stream, specifically when Lennli played against Consus. So much so that the dialog is 90% the same, only translated by YouTube's captions from his video. Why? Because I don't know German that well :(
I watched the video and could not stop grinning at the end - it was so cute. So I had to write about it.
Warning - might be kinda bad.

Kodiaks heart was thumping in his chest. He couldn’t breathe for a moment. Lenn won against Consus.

‘’OH MY GOD! THAT’S CRAZY,’’ he screamed, completely overwhelmed. With disbelief he watched as Lennli reached inside the bag to put on his sunglasses.

‘’Oh my god,’’ he repeated, still not being able to believe it, ‘’Dude!’’

A pair of arms ingulfed him in a hug and he clung on. He had completely forgot that his friend was with him streaming the event.

‘’But he did it,’’ Orion pointed out, afterwards inhaling sharply, ‘’Again! He won two-‘’

‘’Two times against Consus!’’ Kodiak cried out, putting his head in his arms. His eyes were still transfixed on things happening on screen.

‘’And people want to say that he had a master’s thesis, and he was busy, but he doesn’t give a shit! He is the goat,’’ his co-host provided some information to the stream, but Kodiak was barely listening. It was hard to stay in his seat.

‘’Dude!’’ he exclaimed; the reality of the situation still slow to hit him. Or more like beating him up at this point – he felt like he was dying from happiness. Kodiak wanted to say something, but his voice cracked unintentionally.

‘’Guys, I can’t speak!’’ mouth still agape, he thought of the rounds and the smiling crowd. Orion started to talk to chat. Kodiak slid down in his chair from exhaustion.

‘’Guys, the Cheergis in the chat, guys…’’ he shook his head, ‘’I can’t even talk, I’m so tired! But claps for Consus of course.’’

Orion shushed him. ‘’The interview!’’

Kodiak immediately scooted closer to the screen and stopped talking. All looks concentrated to the winner of the match. Orion sipped on a glass of water while they listened to Pala and Lennli talking. At some point Kodiak clapped.

‘’What’s going through your mind?’’ Pala asked, and Kodiak was keen to know the answer.

‘’I was… a little disappointed that Debre didn’t bring the leopard hat…’’ Lenn went on to tell their shenanigans with the NMPZ hat and Kodiak smiled involuntarily. How could the only thing going through his mind right now was the cap? As if hearing his thoughts, Orion began to speak.

‘’He’s really awesome, this man is built differently. It’s the only way to put it,’’ he said and then the situation really sank in for Kodiak. He won. His friend won. With hands clasped together he tried his best to blink back the tears, still staring at the man at the other side of the screen, who looked as content as ever. After a brief pause Orion continued to praise Lenn. Kodiak listened to him as if through cotton – the sound didn’t quite reach his ears. Noticing how unresponsive his friend was, Orion suddenly stopped his word flow with a short ‘’sorry, I was excited’’.

Kodiak cracked up and dismissed him – yes, he wanted to pay attention to what Lenn was saying, but it didn’t mean that Orion couldn’t talk. They continued to listen in silence, Orion giving him some looks at the things Lennli said, but Kodiak hardly noticed. He was more concerned about his breathing. He took in some deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heartbeat.

Then he remembered that he was at the venue where this was happening. This interview was happening behind him. Not able to ignore the fact, he turned to look.

‘’Ņo thoughts, just vibes. I think it sums up pretty well,’’ Orion repeated what Lennli said in the interview and Kodiak turned back swiftly to face the camera and let out a stream of words with no sense. Just out of pure anguish.

He turned to look again. An arena full of people who saw it happening and the man on stage. He was so chill about it, that it infuriated him a bit. But then again, who could be angry at the man representing Germany? Lenn was his friend, and he was very proud of him. So yeah, he was grinning widely, high on happiness. Kodiak turned back, exhaling violently. The stress was finally over. Lennli had done the improbable.

‘’That guy is about to get the biggest high five from me,’’ Orion chuckled, eyeing how Kodiak was dealing with this explosion of happiness. Kodiak had resumed listening to Lennli speak. They continued to sit in silence, sitting still as statues, fascination taking over them, as Lenn continued to shout out people. They clapped and cheered when Lennli went off stage. Then all hell broke loose.

‘’Oh my god,’’ Kodiak loudly bawled, probably for the nth time that day, ‘’ guys- I’m empty.’’

‘’I have a feeling I’ve not spoken in minutes,’’ Orion interjected, their words overlapping with each other’s.

‘’Really? It’s the same from me,’’ Kodiak started shouting. Even if he felt empty and completely exhausted, yet another burst of disbelief and ecstasy found its way of appearing, ‘’first of all, how he qualified for this – a game with Consus. Now he’s doing the same thing in the World Cup, I can’t anymore!’’ it sounded like Kodiak might burst into tears at any point. The amount of proudness and emotion he had about this – against all odds Lenn had made it.

Meanwhile Orion sat quietly, fighting his own grin, listening to Kodiak’s crash out. ‘’I’m in love with this man,’’ he said, and well, that was enough said. Kodiak looked at him for a moment while continuing talking.

‘’Really, like. If you are a Geoguessr fan, if you are German, that’s why you got to love him. It’s like-‘’ Kodiak let out another confused scream. His body could not contain the adrenaline. ‘’I can’t cope anymore!’’

‘’Cinema does not even describe it, it was so clutch,’’ Orion said agreeing with his friend. That did not stop him from ranting though.

‘’It was such a close game. It was so well played, the-‘’ Kodiak went on, and Orion join in as they went over the intricacies of the rounds. They laughed at a particular message in chat and then Kodiak went on to talk about how surprising this outcome was.

‘’Maybe Lennli should come on stream?’’ Kodiak read out a message from chat and looked at Orion. That certainly was a good idea.

‘’Oh, yeah. Where is he?’’ Orion asked and Kodiak could feel his heart once again trying to escape its place – he hadn’t congratulated him yet!

‘’I’ll do that,’’ he said as he made the webcam full screen, ‘’and now I’ll try to find him.’’

He hastily took off his headphones and took off, while Orion stayed, entertaining and talking to chat.

Meanwhile, Kodiak ran down the staircase, trying to find the winner of everyone’s hearts this evening. He sent a quick message to him to come on his stream and debated his options. He supposed that Lenn might be in the backroom that was reserved for the players, so he quickly rounded the corner. He ignored the steps echoing in the staircase behind him, as he went down the corridor. Upon arriving in the room, he immediately noted the lack of his friend, but just in case, he asked anyway.

‘’Has Lennli been here?’’ he asked, but all the people shrugged.

‘’Maybe he went to find you?’’ somebody suggested, and Kodiak was out of the room in an instant, clutching his phone in his hand, while phoning Orion.

‘’Is he with you?’’ he asked, walking fast (because running was strictly banned) down the corridor.

‘’Lenn is here. Lenn is here. We’re waiting for you,’’ Orion calmly said, but that did little to calm Kodiaks nerves. He ran up the stairs two steps at a time. He burst into the room and went straight to the man of the hour.

‘’Let’s go!’’ he yelled, hugging his friend tightly and laughing. Orion said something about a microphone, but Kodiak just suggested they keep the headset between them. It was thrilling to see him here, in the flesh. He had to restrain himself from hugging him again.

‘’I’ve just been looking everywhere, oh my god,’’ Kodiak sighed as he kneeled on the floor. Maybe they should have gotten another chair.

‘’Yeah, I read it and came up without replying,’’ Lennli put a hand over his face, chuckling about the situation. Kodiak was still grinning widely. He thought to himself that this was what life is about – friends, victories and unforgettable pride.

Notes:

Dudes, I hope you enjoyed the World Championship :)

Chapter 3: The GX Man

Summary:

Everyone's favourite couple are at the World Championship. Oh and Becky is there too. But where has Oscar gone? Cue lusting over a masked man and some revelations.

Notes:

You just know someone had to write something about the GX Man. Also, very much enjoyed the JSAG vlog :)

‘’Where did Oscar go?’’ Jack was loudly wondering, looking around the hall. The quarterfinals had ended and now everyone was waiting in suspense for the semis. Though Jack had more stuff to worry about – they had agreed to meet up during the break and watch the Sidemen segment together, but Oscar was nowhere to be seen.

‘’Maybe he is busy? You’ll talk to him later,’’ Becky tried to stop his wondering thoughts, for what felt like the tenth time that day.

‘’Maybe. But I was looking forward to it. He was supposed to help me win against them!’’ he muttered. Albeit it would be cheating, and he clearly said it as a joke, Jack couldn’t shake of the thought how funny it would have been. But alas, that all stays a dream.

‘’Let’s bring out our mystery opponent!’’ Jack heard as Pala exclaimed. The lights started flashing and he could see how people around him were turning their heads to find them. After some long, tormenting seconds, the light focused on a bald man. Then the light shifted up. Somewhere far away Jack heard the host ramble on.

There he was. The GX Man. Jack looked at the screen, drinking in the way he (or she. They? Well… I suppose it is GX Man and not GX Woman or GX Person, so…) sat unmoving. Jack was a bit spooked, but then a hand tapped the GX Man on his knee to get his attention and the mystery opponent snapped out of his stillness. His moves were a bit awkward as he looked around.

‘’Honestly, I thought it was the man in front and I wasn’t scared. Now I am a little bit,’’ Simon spoke into the microphone and Becky spurted into giggles.

‘’They really should have done the lighting better,’’ she hummed, and Jack nodded. As always, she was right. They continued to watch as the GX Man struggled to walk down the stairs and walk to the stage. Jack couldn’t help but laugh, he was walking like a newborn deer. The GX Man stood next to Simon and even from the weird angle, where Jack was looking from the top, he could see how the mystery man was slightly taller. Jesus, who is this guy?

The jacket was a bit too big, and the sneakers slightly ruined the illusion, but even then, the unreadable person looked intimidating.

‘’Yeah, you’re going down, mate,’’ Harry said and the couple sitting at the very top in the audience snickered.

‘’Wait, I need to film something for the vlog,’’ Jack realised and turned on his camera, just as the final words were said. He smiled at the faint sarcasm of the host and how the GX Man himself didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to talk. Right, this is just for the show. This part. Only this part.

As the players were settling down, Jack took his chance to talk to the vlog.

‘’Ooooo, the mysterious opponent. Who do you think he is Becky?’’ he asked, panning the camera towards his girlfriend, and most importantly, editor.

‘’Well, I’ve got no idea!’’ she responded with a smirk.

‘’I don’t know either! I suppose it must be someone quite influential and famous,’’ Jack continued to talk. Becky looked at him with a knowing smile.

‘’Actually, I think I know who it is,’’ she began as Jack whipped his head around to look at her, ‘’but I won’t tell you. I’m sure you’ll figure it out yourself.’’

‘’Well, that’s rude,’’ he murmured to the camera and panned it towards the stage.

Jack observed as the GX Man promptly ignored Joshes waves and stared straight at the screen. He supposed a part of it was the persona, mysterious and intimidating, but maybe the visibility through the mask wasn’t the greatest either. He watched as the ominous person clutched the mouse with his hand and through the screen above, Jack could see how tight those gloves were.

Actually, all of his clothes were nice. Maybe the jacket was a bit wrinkly, but to admit, the effect was there. A threat. A villain. In fact, a very good villain. The crowd shuddered as the GX Man immediately locked in Johannesburg.

‘’Woah, he got it!’’ Jack gasped and Becky besides him smiled, ‘’they are a very good player for sure. Damn, Oscar is missing all the action right now!’’

The watched in silence for a bit, Jack turning off the camera, deciding that was enough footage. The game ended two rounds later, the Sidemen going wrong continent. Not really listening to the banter on stage, Jack turned to Becky.

‘’Honestly, I think I figured it out,’’ Jack let it be known and Becky shook her head.

‘’Good, for a moment I thought you were oblivious,’’ she said, and Jack looked at her, offended at such blasphemy.

‘’How dare you! I keep up with the news! It’s Rainbolt! Who else would they invite, if not him?’’ Jack sat up in his seat, ‘’Google released Costa Rica with Rainbolt covering it like, this week. It all makes sense. What?’’ he questioned the sour face Becky made.

‘’No, I just… well, I thought it was somebody else,’’ she uttered, bewildering Jack. Who else was there?

‘’Well, either way. You must admit, they look nice. The clothes I mean. Just imagine showing up to a wedding in that suit,’’ Jack rambled, half of his mind still trying to figure out who Becky was talking about and the other observing the mannerisms of the mysterious man. Becky chuckled.

‘’Well, it is quite nice. But I think the mystery effect makes it seem nicer than it is,’’ she speculated, sending Jack on another spiral.

‘’Perhaps you’re right. I mean, he looks quite strong and, well, he is tall and good at the game. But through the ominousness and mystery some cracks appear and, well, the person behind the mask probably isn’t used to it. Did you see how he gave that thumbs up? He was radiating with golden retriever energy-What the fuck???!!!!’’ Jack exclaimed as GX Man went wrong country and the Sidemen got closer. Becky snickered at his sudden outburst.

‘’Good at the game you say?’’ she teased him while her partner stared that the scene happening before him.

‘’Maybe he has his bad days,’’ Jack murmured, suddenly very invested that the fascinating, erm, I mean, mysterious person wins. He gasped when GX Man guessed Laos.

‘’What is this guy doing?’’ he hissed, trying not to draw attention to himself. A person in front had turned around at his last outburst and given him a disproving look.

‘’I think he is doing the wrong country challenge,’’ Becky said and suddenly the last two guesses made sense.

‘’He has watched one too many of mine and Oscar’s collaboration videos,’’ Jack shook his head. Becky rolled her eyes at the irony.

Their suspicion was confirmed when he went Lesotho on South Africa.

‘’No,’’ Jack murmured at himself, ‘’this can’t be Rainbolt. He wouldn’t play with wrong country challenge. Can’t be one of the players either. Lennli wouldn’t be caught dead in that suit, I’m sure.’’ His girlfriend sat next to him, patiently waiting until he realised. If that day would even come.

Yet another small win for the Sidemen on the next round. Jack sighed as he watched the people on stage. Well, who will he fool? He was watching just one.

How he leaned in closer to the monitor at the start of the round. How he sat calmly, probably watching out of the corner of his eye how Josh was panicking.

The mask obstructing his face. Soulless.

Shoulders wide, but a hidden golden retriever just waiting to break through and lick you all over the face with love and affection and DID HE JUST GO SOUTH AFRICA ON IRELAND?

The noise in the hall was deafening, but Jack was stuck in his thoughts, which were louder than anything.

Was that a blunder? An honest mistake? Was that a part of the script?

The GX Man was sat still, seemingly unbothered by the loss. The crowd went outraged when the host requested the GX Man remove his mask. Or maybe that was just Jack’s heart.

How was that fair? They both won a game, so why are they pretending the man in red lost and was supposed to reveal himself?

‘’I don’t know, love’’ Becky brushed his shoulder with the palm of her hand. Had he said that out loud? How much had he said out loud? Whatever. He fished out his camera once again, this time with slightly shaky hands.

His heart went to the villain, who turned in the spinning chair towards the crowd. Why was he on his side? Well, maybe because he’s charismatic. And the suit was nice.

‘’GX Man, if you would be so kind, remove the mask,’’ the host said, and the mystery opponent complied. Jack watched as he removed his mask and took of his balaclava and shook his beautiful stunning wild hair. He could just about imagine the hundreds of edits that would be made with that clip.

The crowd went wild, and Jack found himself saying to the vlog: ‘’It’s my dear friend Oscar!’’

Only afterwards did he realised what had happened. The GX Man was Oscar. His dearest friend. Dearest friend who was Oscar. And now Josh was hugging that said friend with far too much vigour. Becky and the crowd roared with excitement. Jack had a sickened look on his face. He put down the camera and turned to his partner.

‘’Did you know about this?’’ he asked, utterly baffled. Becky sympathetically squeezed his hand.

‘’It takes anyone with a single braincell,’’ she responded, ‘’he is influential and well known and liked. Tall, strong, good at the game. Radiates with golden retriever energy and is a walking green flag. Oh, don’t look at me like that, those were your words not mine’’

Jack realised with a terrified expression that she was right. Perhaps he should stop thinking out loud and stop…whatever he was and is doing now. Which is to analyse every move of the man and possibly ogle at him.

…Although Jack won’t lie, Oscar does look good in red.

When they later met up, Jack was quieter than usual, meekly smiling when Oscar asked if everything’s ok. And if Becky or Oscar noticed anything, they turned a blind eye, excitedly going over the rounds. Jack watched as his dearest friend and girlfriend conversed. A supressed sickened feeling returned.