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Gemma made her decision to travel to Brazil quite late. As a result, the only ticket she could get was for a late flight on September 28. The flight from Spain takes 10 hours, so she would land in São Paulo the following morning. Most of the flight, Gemma tries to sleep, though her nerves about meeting many of her friends for the first time keep her tossing and turning. She also spends some time snacking to pass the hours.

When she arrives in São Paulo, her Portuguese helps her easily navigate the airport. She quickly checks in with the group chat to find out where everyone is waiting. Phil, Kristen, Jaiden, and Fit who landed not long ago, along with Pac, Quackity, Roier and Sabi, who had arrived the day before. They quickly send her a meeting point.

Following their directions, Gemma heads towards the designated exit and spots a white van. A twinge of caution slows her steps until suddenly, the door bursts open, and Roier and Quackity spring out with big grins.

"Hello!" Gemma shouts joyfully, dropping her suitcase to hug Roier, who reaches her first. She hasn't seen the two in person since they visited Spain in July for La Velada.

"I'm happy you came, stupid," Roier teases as he hugs her back warmly. "Was your flight long?" he asks.

"Ten hours," Gemma groans, stepping back to embrace Quackity too. "Hi, duckie."

Quackity rolls his eyes playfully and hugs her. As they're hugging, the rest of their friends step out from the van to greet her. "Bitch," Quackity jokes, and they all laugh.

The initial awkwardness fades, and soon Gemma is beaming as she looks around at all the familiar faces. She darts over to Pac, who's already grinning at her approach. "Gemma!" he shouts, wrapping her in a big hug. "We finally meet for real!"

"It feels fake, right?" she laughs, pulling back to get a better look at him. "I almost can't believe I'm actually here."

They exchange a flurry of excited banter, and Pac gives her a playful nudge. "Now we get to cause trouble together," he teases, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Next, Gemma catches sight of Sabi, Roier's girlfriend, whom she last encountered three months earlier at La Velada as well. Seeing Sabi's shy smile, Gemma greets her with a wide grin. "Hey, honey," she says warmly, wrapping her in a hug. "I'm tempted to steal you away from your goofy boyfriend."

Sabi chuckles softly and plants a gentle kiss on Gemma's cheek before they part ways, and Gemma heads over to Fit, greeting him with a big hug. Although they haven't hung out much recently, she still remembers his kindness during her beginning on the server. "It's awesome to finally meet a real Floridian," she jokes, and Fit laughs along.

Then it's time for Phil and Kristen. "Phil! Kristen!" Gemma exclaims, glowing as they envelop her in a hug. "My overseas parents," she says with a fake sniffle.

"We've never met, but I already adore you," Kristen responds with a chuckle, and Phil chimes in, "We've got to make sure you stay out of trouble while you're here."

Finally, Gemma spots Jaiden standing off to the side awkwardly and offers a bright, "Hi!" followed by a warm hug. "I've been looking forward to this," she tells Jaiden, handing over a small bird keychain. "Found this at the airport in Spain; thought you'd like it."

Jaiden gasps in excitement, and Gemma follows her to the van with her suitcase to see her attach it to her bag.

"Who are we waiting on?" Gemma inquires, settling next to Quackity inside the van after they all get back in.

"Slime and Foolish," Pac counts off on his fingers. He explains he's in charge of the airport pickups since Cellbit had other arrangements to handle. "The rest will join us later, and we'll pick them up then."

"Cool," Gemma nods, fighting off a yawn. A bit sheepishly, she asks, "Is it okay if I try to nap? I just came off a ten-hour flight."

"Of course, mate," Phil replies, puzzled. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I just didn't want to seem rude, you know?"

"It's fine, we'll wake you up when we need to," Quackity assures her.

With a thankful smile, Gemma leans against the window and closes her eyes, allowing the comfort of her friends' presence to lull her into sleep.

The next time Gemma wakes up, it's to the commotion caused by Charlie's flight landing. Apparently, he had asked in the group chat about the view from the van in order to locate it, and everyone replied with unhelpful pictures. Gemma had only talked with Charlie a couple of times, so she decided to wait for him to come over and greet him before she drifted back to sleep to not look rude.

Next, she stirs to Foolish's distinctive laugh. Even half asleep, Gemma recognizes it. She groggily rubs her face, trying to wake up and take in the scene. The van is now empty, everyone outside greeting the newcomer. Feeling a bit betrayed, she slowly gets up and heads to the door just as the group is about to come back inside. Her eyes lock with Foolish at the back of the group as they all shuffle to get in, but he steps back wordlessly, letting her step outside instead. Gemma ignores the muffled giggles from Roier behind her.

Foolish stands there in a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head and shorts, a flimsy duffle bag hanging from his shoulder. Too handsome. "Did you just wake up from a nap or somethin'?" he asks, tilting his head with a grin.

"Yeah, they were supposed to wake me when you got here," Gemma replies, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Nice to see your bag made it to Brazil," she muses, reaching out to feel the material of his bag between her thumb and pointer finger.

Foolish scoffs playfully, tugging her forward by that hand. Without a word, he lets the duffle bag drop to the ground and pulls her into a warm hug. Gemma's annoyance melts away as she wraps her arms around him, the comfort of the embrace fixing any negative thoughts she had before.

"Are you ready to go?" Phil asks from inside, breaking the two apart. They both head inside after a moment. Inside, Charlie had taken her spot next to Quackity so she picks a new spot. Just as she gets comfortable, a tap on her shoulder.

"Can I sit?"

Gemma raises her eyebrows, nodding. Foolish settles next to her with a smile just before the van drives off. Gemma then learns it's going to be a long drive to the mall - apparently when she was asleep they decided to go to a mall and pass the time there before they have to come back and pick up Baghera and Felps and his girlfriend.

"Thought you'd be more energized and happy to see me." Foolish teases, leaning closer to her. "All that talk of being excited to come, and the calls where you were so happy about it you couldn't sleep."

Grinning, Gemma looks at her hands. "You try to get off a ten-hour flight and have energy to be excited, you freak, all I wanna do is go to sleep. Good thing you've got enough energy for the both of us, eh?"

The man hums, considering her words, "I guess I'll be excited for both of us," he says, his voice playful and teasing. "You can lean on me if you wanna sleep, though. I'll do my best to not move."

Her heart skips a beat, and she manages a shy smile. "Oh, thanks man," she replies, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Anythin' for ya," he says casually, shrugging slightly before holding his shoulders still for her. "My good pal."

Gemma does her best to not focus on the last three words for the rest of the ride to the mall.

At the mall, the group splits. Pac leads Phil, Kristen, Slime, Jaiden, and Fit to a Brazilian restaurant he's been raving about, while Gemma, fluent in Portuguese, opts to guide Roier, Sabi, Quackity, and Foolish on an exploration spree since they aren't hungry.

"Are you sure about this?" Pac looks worried. "You've never been here before."

"Neither have you," Gemma counters. The rest of their friends are standing around them, watching Pac and Gemma argue in Portuguese. "Why would you know your way around a mall in a city you don't live in?"

"Fair point," Pac concedes. "Just try not to yell in English, alright?" He gives Foolish a sheepish look. "At least Foolish knows some Spanish."

"Yes, dad," Roier jokes, rolling his eyes. "We'll meet back here in an hour and a half."

The first place the five venture to is a tech store, a given since four of them are streamers. Foolish and Roier immediately head for a drone hovering silently in a demonstration cage. Gemma watches, amused, as Sabi tries to explain how it works, using her limited English for Foolish to understand and mixing in some basic Spanish.

"You look like a proud mom," Quackity jokes, sidling up beside Gemma with a mischievous grin. He shrugs, the picture of innocence, "Or a proud girlfriend."

"Roier's taken," Gemma replies, unphased by Quackity's bait. "Probably crushing your dreams, but he has a girlfriend."

"Right, because I was totally talking about him," Quackity plays along with a hum. "You should thank me for giving your seat to Charlie, though. Made you two sit together—my parents."

Gemma bursts out laughing and ruffles his hair, knocking his beanie askew. "Pretty weird to call your friends your parents. You might want to unpack that one, duckie."

"ugh," he groans, rushing to Roier - probably to complain and to ask him to fix his beanie. Gemma sees him do just that the moment Sabi finishes her explanation, looking embarrassed.

"Where to next?" Foolish strides over, standing close. They eye their friends. "You don't have to babysit us, ya know?"

Gemma scoffs, "I kinda do though. Roier and Quackity would do something stupid and involve Sabi. And you?" She lifts an eyebrow at him, "You'd be totally lost here without someone who speaks Spanish or Portuguese."

"Good thing I'm in your group then," he retorts, elbowing her gently. Then, a bit quieter, "Good thing I got you."

His words linger, tinged with an undertone Gemma can't quite grasp.

The guys beckon Foolish over for some fun, so Gemma and Sabi brainstorm their next stop. They decide on a beauty supply store—Sabi needs sunscreen and is on the hunt for some Brazilian brand of makeup she can't find back in Mexico, and Gemma just loves checking out new goodies. Quackity and Foolish agree easily, not caring where they'd go, and Sabi convinces Roier.

It's only a short walk to the store, which looks enormous. As soon as they arrive, the group splits up; Sabi and Roier head in one direction with Quackity tagging along, probably just to annoy Roier. Foolish sticks with Gemma, even offering to carry her purse while she shops. In the perfume section, Gemma sprays various fragrances on sample sticks, letting Foolish smell each one. She only considers the ones he likes. He doesn't question her.

"This one's good," she notes, holding up a stick scented with vanilla. Foolish nods thoughtfully.

"I kinda like the raspberry one too, though," he says.

"You're no help," she jokes, spraying the vanilla on her left wrist and the raspberry on her right. "Okay, so which one mixes best with my other scents?"

"Other scents?" he asks, gently lifting her left wrist to his nose.

"Yeah," she croaks, her voice a bit strained due to their close proximity. "Um- like, my lotion and body wash."

Foolish leans in, his breath warm as he inhales slightly from Gemma's left wrist, his eyes flicking up to meet hers with a playful curiosity. "That's actually nice," he says about the vanilla, then he shifts to her right wrist, still close enough that she can feel the soft exhale of his breath. "But I think the raspberry compliments you more. It's sweet, a bit like ya."

Gemma feels a blush heat her cheeks at his words. "Sweet, huh?" she teases, trying to sound casual even as her heart beats a little faster. "Is that just the perfume, or are you adding extra charm today?"

"Just calling it like I see it, scumbag." Foolish grins, stepping back but his eyes linger, as if hesitant to break their gaze. He nods toward her right wrist. "Definitely the raspberry."

"Raspberry it is," Gemma decides, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She places the vanilla one back on the shelf and tucks the raspberry perfume into her shopping basket.

They wander through the aisles, occasionally pointing out random items to each other, each exchange adding another layer to their playful banter. Foolish picks up a beauty blender, turning it over in his hands with a puzzled expression. Gemma laughs, explaining what it is, and his genuine want to learn makes her heart flutter again.

As they queue to pay, Foolish stands slightly closer than necessary. Gemma can't help but be aware of every point where their arms almost touch. It's a comfortable closeness, one that feels strangely right. "Thanks for helping me pick," she says, her voice softer now.

"Any time," he replies, his tone equally gentle. "It was fun, I didn't know there's so many different smells."

They share a smile, and in that brief moment, Gemma feels the possibility of more than just friendship beginning to bloom between them. Maybe it really is possible. As they leave the store with Sabi, Roier and Quackity, the subtle scent of raspberry lingering on her wrist is a sweet reminder of their time together.

BRAZILLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

this got rlly long so maybe a part 2 of the first day in brazil? ;)

also i have the meetup stream already written! but i have stuff in the works before that :p