#Best Coffee Creamer Reviews

[ash-writies]

Hii!! omg can i ask a nines x reader where she like gets hurt one time because shes always trying to be better than nines like they have this weird competition who can do those most impressive work and she confesses her love to him after a massive argument??

A/n: I’ve always been more of a Nines fan <3 I’ve stolen a lot of my headcanons from @pseudonymmcwriter , they’re amazing and I love their version of Nines! Go over and send them love if you haven’t already!!

Summary: Nines seems to be trying his best to work you up when you get assigned another case. You arrive at the scene to find it barren, that changes when you do a sweep of the house

Warnings: violence

2k Words

You looked up from your paper work in time to see Nines’ LED return to blue, indicating that he finished yet another document. You frowned and retuned to typing, if you had a computer in your head paperwork definitely wouldn’t take so long. Even though you completed it fast for a human, he still always left you in the dust. 

Nines glanced at you desk with a frown. He leaned over and tilted your monitor something like 5 degrees to the left. You scoffed and continued with your work, the way he always tried to correct you, even in unnecessary ways, left you fuming.

Once you wrapped up your paperwork another case was immediately dropped onto your desk. You didn’t even bother opening it and went to the break room. Hank was leaning against the counter waiting for the coffee to brew, “fresh pot?”

He turned and smiled at you, “yeah. How’s it going with the new partner?”

“It’s going,” you groaned, sinking into a chair, “he’s just really frustrating, he always acts like he’s better than me.”

“It was frustrating working with Connor at first,” he grumbled, pouring himself a cup, “but for different reasons I guess. I think it’ll get better with time.”

You sighed, “I hope you’re right, he’s driving me insane.” Once Hank was finished pouring himself a cup you stood to make your own. 

Just as you reached for the creamer and sugar, Nines rounded the corner, “have you reviewed the new case?”

“You mean the case that was set on my desk less than 30 seconds ago?”

“Three minutes and 43 seconds ago, yes.”

“No, I havent,” you rolled your eyes.

“Well you’ll have to review it on the way.”

You finished making your coffee, “I think we can wait a few minutes before heading out.”

He shot you a look of impatience, “as long as you make it quick.” You scoffed and walked past him to your desk. Even though you didn’t want to listen you reviewed the case as fast as possible and left with him to the scene, leaving a half empty cup of coffee in your wake.

There was no one there when you arrived, not even the victim, “are you sure we’re at the right house?”

Nines’ LED was amber, “of course.”

“You check down here, I’ll go upstairs,” you said not giving him a chance as you ascended the stairs. The house was probably built 70 years prior with owners that didn’t care about it. Some of the floorboards were bowed and rotted, the windows were smudged with smoke and dirt, and the walls that were once white were covered in hues of grey and yellow. You kept on hand on your holster as you reached the top of the stairs, the quietness of this place keeping you on edge. You opened one of the few doors and called, “Detroit Police! Anyone there?” 

Behind the first door you opened there was a desk, filing cabinet, and a bookshelf. You hummed and took another step into the room. It was very human, an android wouldn’t have a use for anything in there. The next room you stepped into was a bathroom. It was cozy and full of miscellaneous things like towels, makeup, and toilet paper. As you approached the final room you called down to Nines, “I don’t think anyone’s here.” 

You were about to make a joke about how the perfect RK900 made a mistake when you opened the door and an android ran at you. He slammed you against the wall and you barely moved to avoid a punch he threw at you. You didn’t give him room to make another attempt as you swept his foot out from underneath him. He grabbed your arm as he fell to the ground and you screamed as pain shot through your shoulder. You opened your mouth to call for Nines when you felt a hand wrap around your mouth. “Please,” the android muttered. You only raised your eyebrows as your partner rushed up the stairs.

“Step back!” his tone was void of anything, still it shot through your bones.

The android however, seemed unfazed, “I will if you let me go.” Nines’ eyes flickered towards yours in that moment of weakness. The android’s hand slid to your neck, “Let. Me Go.” You watched as Nines reluctantly pushed his gun onto the floor and lifted his hands into the air. The android hesitated before releasing you, but the moment he did he lunged at Nines, kicking the gun out of his reach. You watched the androids scramble on the floor and the android’s hand disappear beneath Nines’ shirt. You froze realising the android meant to kill Nines. You instinctively lunged at the android, wrapping him in a headlock and pulling him off of Nines. You twisted him so that you were pinning him to the ground. Nines crawled from behind you and subdued the android. Panting, you released him.

“Are you okay?” you asked, hand searching his stomach for scratches or torn plastic.

“I am fine,” Nines said, almost impatiently, “you have an anterior dislocated shoulder and need to seek immediate medical help.”

“I will once we get to the station,” you simply stated. You stood and lowered your good arm, offering to help him up. He took it but clearly didn’t need your help. He fixed his shirt and pulled the android onto his shoulder.

Once you arrived to the station he’d told you to stay in the car. It was too late as you were already up and the door was swinging shut, “why so you can take credit for my score? No thanks.” He knew you were being difficult on purpose he grumbled and alerted someone to retrieve the android.

“You told me you were going to seek medical help,” he began, fuming, “you can’t do that here so get in the car.” A part of you wanted to snap at him, you had just saved his life and he was still bossing you around. The other part of you was still hurting because of your arm.

“I’ll get there myself, just focus on the android,” you grumbled, only partially giving in to his request. When he opened his mouth to argue you quieted him with a glare. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As you can image the trip to the doctor was short and painful. You had to get your arm reset and they gave you some painkillers that should last you a couple days. We won’t even talk about the sling you had to have your arm in. You were exhausted after the day you had, sinking into your bed and groaning. You had every intention of falling asleep when you heard a lound knock on your door. You mumbled curses under your breath all the way to the door. You stood on your toes and looked through the peephole and were met with the image of Nines.

You opened the door, “what are you doing here?”

“I came to ask if you’ll be okay to work tomorrow,” he stated, LED yellow as he stared at your shoulder.

“Yeah, doctor says I can take it off after a few days but to avoid using it for a couple weeks.” 

“Good,” he said staring at you, it was silent for a few minutes after that. You were used to his silences but this one was irritating you more than usual.

“Well if that’s all-” you began.

“Why didn’t you shoot that android?” his tone gave nothing about his thoughts away.

“I didn’t want to-” you were about to leave it at that but you couldn’t, “to ruin the case.” When he cast you a disbelieving look you continued, “is it so hard to believe that I didn’t want to mess something up?”

“No, it’s not hard to believe, but with how often you do it, it’s not at the forefront of your mind,” as soon as he finished he looked like he regretted his words.

You felt as if he just slapped you in the face. You scoffed, face heating up and tears pricking you eyes, “wow- sorry you don’t have the perfect partner- ya’know what, I don’t have to take this from someone like you!” You attempted to slam the door in his face.

“An android?” he stopped the door with one of his hands. His face was the unfazed picture it always had been, but his tone was sharp.

“An apathetic prick who only cares about his stupid cases,” you spat.

“Do you expect me to care about anything else during work hours?” he forced the door open more and his tone had evened out.

“Yes, like your partner, your cowokers, or maybe- just maybe, the people we need to bring in and question.”

He frowned and behind him you saw one of your neighbors poking their head out from their doorway. You pulled him inside as he spoke, “well I don’t believe I should change any of that, I do just fine with my work the way I am. You could stand to stop caring as much.”

“Stop caring as much?” you repeated, shocked that he could say something like that, “if I cared less maybe you’d still be on the floor in that house!”

“You shouldn’t have helped.”

“Were you even listening? He was about to rip your heart out and you wanted me to stay out of it?” When he just looked at you and made no indication of saying anything you threw your arm into the air and began to storm into your room.

He called your name, “wait-”

“No! I can’t believe you tried to scold me for caring about you. You know how dense that makes you look?”

He took a step back, “why do you care about me?”

You looked at him, although he was trying to hide it there was something vulnerable about him. Sighing you decided to answer his question, “because I like you. Because even though you spend every hour of work proving to everyone that you’re better than me, I still fell for you.”

You watched his LED flicker red and he made no move to speak. You expected it though. You looked at your feet, suddenly embarrassed. “You believe I’m trying to belittle you during work?” he asked. You nodded, keeping your eyes down. He hesitated and reached forward, fingers brushing your hand, “I apologize, I did not realize my actions could come across that way.”

You pressed your lips together, wondering if he intentionally ignored your confession, “wow, the RK900 just apologized, can you send me the audio of that? I need to immortalize this moment…” Your eyes met Nines’ seeing a sudden seriousness.

He sighed your name, “I was attempting to make work easier for you… So you’d spend less time doing paperwork and being on the crime scene.”

You watched him with wide eyes, was this his way of- there’s only one way to be sure. You took a couple steps toward him and took his hand in yours, “spell it out for me.”

Before he could help it, he shot you an annoyed look, “I am reciprocating your feelings.”

“Which feelings?” you smirked. When he didn’t say anything (again) you began to step forward.

“I. like you too,” he said, wrapping an arm around your waist.

“For someone who has every word in their head,” you sighed as you wrapped your arm around his neck, “it sure took you a long time to say that.”

He rolled his eyes and leaned down to nestle his face into the crook of your shoulder. He pulled you closer as you did the same. “You should probably get some rest,” he muttered, not moving.

“Yeah…”

“I shouldn’t have let you get hurt today… I regret it.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” you whispered, slipping your fingers into his hair. You smiled as his body began to relax in yours. No matter how tired you felt, you could stay like this forever.

[neodengekiko]

Circle-K gas station coffee review:

Coffee machine is a touchscreen thing, clearly does not have a lot of CPU power because it takes 10 seconds to respond to my input. I pushed the wrong place and the coffee machine’s language changed to French. I do not speak French so I just guessed my order. I found out that I had entered in a small ice coffee which was about 1/4 of my extra large cup. I poured out the failed coffee into the drain and tried again: this time ordering, in English, an extra large decaf with room for cream.

There was a weird smell coming from the coffee area, but I decided it was best to ignore it. The creamers were in a little mini fridge on the counter. There was also a chocolate bar inside the fridge. I do not know who the chocolate bar was for… I put in 2 French Vanilla flavored creamers which didn’t seem to change the taste much.

The coffee was quite hot, and the sleeves they had didn’t fit extra large so my hands were a little uncomfortable carrying it out. It was cold outside though so it cooled off quickly.

The coffee was ok 👍 7/10

[crimsonblackrose]

Things that have brought delight so far: My cousin asking me what I like to eat and drink and her husband picked up coffee creamer for me. She tried it and went eww and now after almost a week she’s gone oh no, I like it because she found the right ratio’s for it and turned to her husband and said “We can’t ever buy this again. I like it.” 🤣 We visited one of my cousins who has a pool and a bunch of farm animals. Last time I was there all the farm animals were contained. This time they were running around wild. Which is how I stepped out of the car and then was greeted by a flock of chickens and any time I went outside they came running. It meant I also sat beside the pool to dry off and ended up with a rooster just like coming over to say hi. Coming out of the pool to find the baby of the family can now walk and she didn’t remember me (totally fair) so I got the most confused little glare of who the heck are you? Only to, before I left, get a big toothy grin and a bunch of waves. Giant lumbering St. Bernard is always a joy. Even if she slobbers over everything. The fact she’ll just come over and put her head on my lap or like try and grab my leg for pets. She’s massive and I adore that she spends most of the time snoring up a storm. 

My cousins youngest while shy usually hides from me and he came over and sat with me. The eldest also decided to sit with me while I read facts to him from a Harry Houdini book which was mostly about all these people who could swallow swords. Then he ran over to grab a book from his bag that I could read if I finished my book. He also went and got a bunch of candy with his dad and then brought it straight to me to share, telling me a quick review of all the sour flavors like which ones were best and which were the worst ones to avoid.

[williamsburgvapancakehousetour]

Five Forks Cafe

Our first stop on our visit to all of the pancake house in the Williamsburg area was five forks cafe. The food was so good we forgot to take pictures.

Our review:

Rating: 8.5

Parker rates it a 9 (doesn't want to rate it a 10 when we haven't tried other places yet), while I rated it an 8.

My order: Chocolate chip pancake

Parker's order: The Eggs Benedict special

Total price: 28.03

My Chocolate Chip Pancake was huge, taking up the entire large plate. It was very good, and Parker says it was the best they'd ever had.

The eggs benedict came with a country fried ham/bacon, which Parker gave to me. It had a maple flavor, but maybe that was just residual syrup on my fork. It paired very well with the chocolate chip pancake. The eggs benedict was also served with a side of hashed potatoes. They were good but didn't stand out.

Our coffee was pretty good, regular for a diner, they had half and half as creamer and both sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Overall the food was great, the vibes of the diner were friendly. The man ringing up our bill was wearing a pepe the frog hoodie, which Parker and I felt important to mention.

Parker also felt important to mention that they had visited before with their dad.

We definitely recommend this cafe, particularly for anyone looking to get away from the tourist attractions on Richmond Road.

We're looking forward to trying more restaurants soon.

[taytay-the-gaybertooth]

I Tried Maxwell House's Latte With Cold Foam

Not Good At What It Does Best

Quick Rating: 6/10. Bitter even compared to black instant coffee I've had before. When I finally got the foam to work the powder wasn't properly dissolved.

Apologies for the lack of photos. This was a spur-of-the-moment review, and I usually do video reviews, not written ones.

I'm someone who goes through coffee like crazy. I'm not the "pot a day" type, but I have the occasional day where it seems like just 2-3 cups isn't enough. A few days ago, I had one of those days. I made my meal shake very light on coffee (SlimFast powder can make a mean latte that doubles as a meal shake btw), and I had to wait for the bus after my trip to the gym... for fitness purposes of course. There was a Dunkin and a smoothie bar across from the strip mall my local gym was in, and a Starbucks across the road. However, I didn't have the money to spare, so I decided to suppress my coffee fix the best way I knew how: buying a coffee energy drink. My plans suddenly changed while I was walking through my local discount store, however, when I saw multiple companies' instant lattes with cold foam. Since they cost just as much discounted as an actual can of coffee (and were still in date for quite a few months), I decided to get one, and settled on the Maxwell House brand. Filling my empty water bottle at the gym before heading home, I successfully staved off my coffee craving long enough to make it home.

When I got home, I was excited to try the coffee. I'd bought a milk frother to make my own foam at home in the past, but I didn't always have time to make coffee and froth some milk and creamer. So, even if it wasn't going to be nearly as good as the real deal, I'm easy to please; just the concept of instant coffee that makes its own foam had me giddy like a kid, like when you'd go on a field trip to a museum or something and buy one of those science kits. And then came the disappointment. I decided to pour a packet into a bottle, shake it up, and there was no foam. I blamed myself, however; the package specifically says to stir, so I swallowed my pride, saved the foamless stuff for later, and stirred up a fresh cup. Much to my dismay, however, there was less than a centimeter of foam, and the rest of the drink wasn't foamy either. I checked the packets again in case they were out of date, and the best by date was in July like I remembered, over three months out. Frustrated, I tried the coffee anyways, and it was bitter. Very bitter. Worse yet, there were still undissolved clumps, so I stirred the drink again. Maybe it wasn't foaming because I'd undermixed it, but nope. Once all the powder was dissolved, all the foam was gone, and now the coffee tasted even more bitter. It wasn't incredibly offensive (like a terrible dark roast), but kind of like drinking pure concentrate. It wasn't strong in flavor like a batch made with a lot of extra coffee, but strong in that artificial sense.

Only today did I finally get the foam to work with two packets, shaken thoroughly in a bottle. However, the same thing happened as with the cup; dissolving all of the powder destroyed the foam. And despite having creamer, I had to take it with quite a bit of extra milk and cream. It's clear this product is just a gimmick, and if you really want foam with your latte, invest in a frother. If you make coffee like a barista, it's very useful for making pour-over foam. If you buy a handheld one, however, you can even use it for instant coffee, both to mix the coffee into water and to foam up the milk and/or creamer. I bought mine for about 12 bucks, and it's been quite helpful even outside of making coffee.

Or, if you can afford it, you can just go to a cafe.

[healthsolutionsservices]

"Sip, Smile, Repeat: The Joyful Experience of Javy Coffee"

Javy Vs. Jot - Black Coffee .... Javy

To make a sample cup of black coffee, we blended 113 teaspoons of Javy with 1 tablespoon of JOT per 8oz. of water. You can clearly see that Javy is more dark than Jot. My husband and I agreed that Javy’s coffee had more pronounced, richer flavor with a bitter aftertaste. Jot’s coffee, however was more light and less complex.

My husband loves a robust black coffee. That's why he preferred Javy to Jot. However, he did, however, say that he prefers a ratio of at least two teaspoons per eight ounces of water for his Javy concentrate.

I believe that the latte or a splash made with milk and creamer is the best method to drink my cup of coffee. It is crucial for me that liquid coffee concentrates work well milk or creamer (for an example, Javy on the left and Jot on the right).

In making lattes Lattes, both Javy and Jot required a light stir to ensure that it was thoroughly mixed. Because Javy's concentrate is stronger than Jot's I was able to find the coffee to come through more than Jot's when made in an latte. I also made a mocha mixing warm chocolate syrup to the mix, and Javy's nutty aftertaste was my clear choice in terms of flavored lattes.

However, because they come with distinct flavor profiles, I really loved both for various reasons. When I'm looking to drink simply a cup of latte which tastes fresh, I go for Jot. If I'm looking for something more bold and more interesting I choose Javy. Javy also offers seasonal releases that are limited edition and fun and there's a vast number of flavor profiles to choose from!

Price per bottle...Javy

Each bottle of Javy will yield 30 cups of coffee, with 1 teaspoon of concentrate per cup. Javy cost $24.95 per bottle, which is approximately 85 cents for a cup. If you make use of two teaspoons per cup as my husband, it'll cost $1.66 a cup.

Each bottle of Jot produces 14 cups of coffee. At $26 per bottle, Jot costs $1.86 per serving. If you opt to sign up for Javy the price per bottle is only $18 (plus the special price of $12.95 for your first purchase). Javy's pricing can be the most affordable choice.

Sustainability...Tie

I am a fan of buying products that are sustainable for the environment It is gratifying to know that both Javyand Jot take sustainability very seriously. Jot's beans are sourced from organic farms that are located in South America and Central America. They also place a lot of emphasis on female-owned farms.

Javy is partnering with Raiz Sustainability (r) to procure coffee from farms that employ regenerative farming methods. This partnership brings sustainability to the next level by offering eco-friendly services, support for farmers and assisting biodiversity soil health, as well as soil reconstruction.

Our verdict...Javy

The best coffee concentrate will be one that you love the most. This can vary depending on factors like cost and flavor characteristics. Also, be aware of whether you'd like to use the coffee concentrate to make lattes or black coffee.

My husband and I are both more likely to select Javy. We love the fact that Javy's high-concentration microdose makes more coffee in a smaller amount of concentrate, which means that Javy's bottle will last a lot longer than Jot's. Javy has limited-edition flavors as well as seasonal flavors, which means you'll always discover something new to add flavor to your morning cup. Javy is offering up to 67% discounts and freebies for a limited period of time. Get your buzz on now!

Javy Coffee

Javy Coffee Reviews

Javy Coffee Concentrate

[ikaria2024]

Great Advice To Help You Lose The Excess Weight

Whatever fitted yesterday, may not fit you today. That is a simple problem that many people face in our modern world, causing them to turn to weight loss plans. We all take a different approach to weight loss. The article below will discuss some of them and provide you with some useful tips on your endeavor.

A really useful tip to help you lose weight is to eat before going to the movie theater or to bring a healthy snack with you. Movie theaters are notorious for their unhealthy popcorn and all the candy that's readily available. By bringing your own snack, you won't give in to temptation.

If you want to lose weight, a great thing to do is find substitutes for foods you already enjoy. For instance, if you love ice cream but are on a diet, try frozen yogurt or even regular yogurt. Instead of drinking cream in your coffee, try a non-dairy creamer. This will give you the feeling that you are still enjoying food; just in a healthier way.

Do not forget to consult your doctor before going on any weight loss plan. Your doctor needs to confirm that there are no underlying causes for your weight gain. He can review your weight loss plan and verify that it is appropriate for you. The most important thing is that you must be healthy.

To stay away from fast food, you need to find an alternative. Fast food attracts you because it tastes good and is easily available. Make sure your fridge stays filled with healthy food to discourage you from going out to eat. Try cooking burgers yourself without adding any extra cheese.

Losing weight can be more fun if you do it with a partner. Try getting together with a group of friends and becoming workout buddies. Exercise together and talk about obstacles that arise. Working with a partner to lose weight can make you feel like you aren't alone, as well as making you accountable to someone else for keeping up.

If you are trying to lose weight, a great tip is to keep red pepper flakes in your home. Red pepper flakes can help you feel satisfied for a longer period of time. Therefore, if you eat these earlier in the day, red pepper flakes can lower your cravings later in the day.

Joining a gym is an excellent way to lose weight. Being in a community of people who are trying to be healthy will give you inspiration to do the same. You will also have access to an abundance of fitness equipment, so if you get bored with one exercise, you will always find something else to do.

Choosing green tea as a method to lose weight is a good strategy in addition, to being delicious. Green tea's extract is substituted for caffeine and salicin, which is a chemical closely related to aspirin that speeds up the metabolism that aids in burning calories. The best part of drinking green tea is that it works to burn fat whether you are resting or exercising.

If you're trying to lose weight, avoid the traditional idea of having three meals per day. Instead, have a light breakfast, a healthy snack in between, then a light lunch, another snack, then a light dinner. Having five small meals every day will keep your you from mindlessly snacking as a result of your decreased overall calorie intake.

Next time you eat out, try asking for half your meal in a to go box before it's even served. Most restaurants have portion sizes that are more appropriate for two or three people, and by eating half of your meal and getting the other half in a to go box, not only will you be cutting your calories in half, but lunch for the next day is already taken care of!

Diets that use drugs to help you shed pounds may actually work, but they tend to do more harm to your body than good. Instead of losing fat, a lot of these drugs have you losing essential water and muscle, which can produce harmful effects on your organs.

When you are eating a meal, avoid certain kinds of toppings that could add a lot of calories. Salt is one of these toppings that is not only bad for your body if consumed in bulk, but can slow your functionality and make you feel haggard during the day. Avoid sodium and salt in the foods that you eat when dieting.

Cut most of the liquid calories from your diet by eliminating things like sodas, juices, and other sweetened beverages. Try drinking things like unsweetened tea, or sparkling water if you miss the carbonation of soda. Beverages generally don't make you feel very full, so you can easily consume far more calories than you intend if you regularly drink sugary drinks.

If you do not find yourself getting full after eating a particularly large salad you can cut the portion of salad and eat it inside of a whole wheat pita bread. The bred will make you feel much fuller for a much longer amount of time and you can avoid cheating out of hunger.

Fit into your clothes by sticking to a proper weight loss plan. You can take a do-it-yourself approach by simply following some of the tips in this article. If you strive to use the tips, you will likely see yourself losing some weight within the first few weeks. Losing those pounds takes time, but it also builds your self confidence.

Q1: What is the key to successful weight loss? A1: The key to successful weight loss is a combination of balanced nutrition, regular physical activity, and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

Q2: How can portion control contribute to weight loss? A2: Portion control helps prevent overeating and reduces calorie intake, which is essential for weight loss.

Q3: Why is staying hydrated important for weight loss? A3: Staying hydrated supports metabolism, helps control appetite, and can prevent mistaking thirst for hunger.

Q4: What role does exercise play in weight loss? A4: Regular exercise increases calorie expenditure, builds lean muscle, and enhances overall metabolism, contributing to weight loss.

Q5: How does quality sleep impact weight loss efforts? A5: Quality sleep supports hormonal balance, appetite control, and energy levels, all of which are crucial for effective weight loss.

Q6: How can stress affect weight loss progress? A6: Chronic stress can lead to emotional eating and hinder weight loss progress by disrupting hormone balance.

Q7: What is the significance of setting realistic goals for weight loss? A7: Setting realistic goals ensures a sustainable and achievable approach, preventing discouragement and promoting long-term success.

Q8: How can mindfulness contribute to weight loss? A8: Mindful eating helps individuals become more attuned to hunger and fullness cues, leading to healthier food choices and portion control.

Q9: Why is seeking professional guidance important during weight loss? A9: Professional guidance from healthcare experts or dietitians provides personalized advice, ensuring safe and effective weight loss strategies.

Q10: What should individuals focus on to maintain a positive mindset during their weight loss journey? A10: Maintaining a positive mindset involves celebrating non-scale victories, learning from setbacks, and embracing gradual progress toward a healthier lifestyle.

[dexter25]

Get Ready To Brew! Coffee Hints That Will Inspire Your Tastebuds

Get Ready To Brew! Coffee Hints That Will Inspire Your Tastebuds.

There is nothing like coffee to lift a mood or your metabolism. There are a lot of coffee based decisions that can confuse a normal person. You have innumerable options to choose from. Use the advice in this article to benefit you.

When you only want to have one cup of coffee, try using a single cup machine. Keurig systems give you the opportunity to pick and choose exactly what kind of coffee you want, one cup at a time. There are a number of makers and features to choose from.

Do you want more flavorful java than what you get from a drip machine? Better brews can be achieved by allowing your machine to get hot by running a water-only cycle. After this is finished, you can then repeat as you normally would, adding coffee. This also works for giving your coffee maker a good cleaning.

Exercise a bit of caution when selecting water for your coffee. If your water does not taste good, neither will your coffee. Also, try to make sure the water you use has minerals. If not, the coffee could seem bitter. How to Clean Coffee Grinder

When it comes to coffee there are lots of different kinds. Some coffee drinkers like the robust flavor of a dark roast, while others may want a milder and smoother taste. Some like flavored coffees, and some coffees are quite sweet. The majority of people usually use creamer to add flavor instead of drinking flavored coffee.

Always perform a trial run with any new coffee maker. This means running a brewing cycle as if you are making coffee using only water. This cleans out aromas, dirt, dust and debris that might have taken hold during manufacture and transport to the store.

Coffee stored in your fridge can become terrific iced coffee. This will allow your coffee the necessary time to chill without getting watered down when you place hot coffee over ice. You may also want to add sugar or milk before you put it in the refrigerator. You will wake up to a delicious iced beverage. Best Coffee Grinder 2023

For old or cheap coffee makers, you can have better coffee by heating water before making the coffee. Once you have a hot pot of water, add the grounds and pour your hot water back into the machine. This will really bring out the flavor of the coffee and ensure that it is nice and hot.

Water can make or break the flavor of your home brewed coffee. Using bottled water is a great way to get the best tasting coffee. If you do not want to spend money on bottled water, consider getting a filter that fits on your faucet. Filtered water can be a serious improvement over water straight from your faucet.

If lowering your sugar use when drinking coffee is a priority, you will find lots of options. Agave nectar is a healthy, all-natural sweetener that is also safe for diabetics. Some low calorie sweeteners like stevia or splenda stay stable when added to hot liquids and can be safely be used in coffee as well. Cuisinart DCC-3200 Review – Perfectemp Coffee Maker

Remember that the origin of the beans determines the coffee's taste. Mix it up every now and again and try something new. Don't let price be a factor, drink what you love.

Don't ever reheat coffee. Instead of that, try using a thermal mug since it can retain your coffee's heat longer. If you can't do this, think about making another pot of coffee instead.

You can produce frothed milk without a specialty machine. Just put a mug of milk into the microwave and heat until it steams. Use your hands to quickly rotate a kitchen whisk in the hot milk. Keep going until the milk turns frothy. For ideal results, use half-and-half or 2 percent milk.

Overly warm places, such as above the oven, should never be used to store coffee. If you coffee is stored near a heat source, it can lose its flavor. So make sure you don't keep your coffee in any cabinets or counter-space that's too close to your stove.

Do you need some change in your coffee drinking routine? Try adding a little chocolate. This will give you some extra energy, and you'll surely enjoy the taste. One of the best ways to increase energy is to use a dark chocolate coffee in your morning brew.

To lower your caffeine consumption, you don't need to just quit. But that isn't necessary. You can cut down the amount of caffeine slowly by grinding your own blend of half caffeinated and half non-caffeinated coffee beans. Make sure that you keep all of the ratios the same if you are reducing the caffeine content.

If you like to make many different flavors of coffee, the best way to do so is to add creamers or syrups after you have brewed the coffee. This will also reduce the excess build up of flavors on your machine. This also allows your guests to choose their own favorite flavors. Always put in the flavors prior to adding your milk, however.

Do you have a baby that needs your constant attention, making it difficult to finish your morning cup of coffee? If so, discover a fast drive-through coffee shop nearby. Load up the car, head over and grab your coffee and then get back to whatever it is you need to do.

Blended coffees are a great way to experience more complex flavors from your coffee. Specialty coffee shops may help you choose the best blend for your tastes and they may give you a sample prior to buying in bulk.

If you drink it black, coffee can assist with burning fat. Do not add sugar or other high calorie syrups to it, however. That does add calories. Try drinking black coffee in the morning before you eat your breakfast and you should find it easier to keep your weight under control.

As you know by now, there seems to be no limit to the amount of flavors and options when it comes to coffee. The choices are numerous. It is hoped that the information found in this article has helped you to refine your choices and help you ease the decision making process.

[shawn1245]

Drink Delectable Coffee With These Tips And Tricks

Drink Delectable Coffee With These Tips And Tricks

Anyone who enjoyed coffee for any length of time understands how home brewing can save money. But many find that Starbucks coffee drinks are a special treat, and find they have trouble copying that same taste at home. Continue reading for some helpful hints regarding improving the taste of the coffee you brew.

It might be wise to purchase a Keruig maker for those times when you just want one cup of coffee. It will let you make just one cup of coffee, of any kind that you want. This company offers a complete line of coffee makers, each with a different assortment of features.

A wide range of coffees are now available. A lot of people like a darker or a fuller flavored coffee. Flavored coffees, such as hazelnut and raspberry, are abundant as well. Understand, however, that flavoring with creamer may produce better results than using flavored coffee.

Don't keep coffee in the freezer longer than three months. If it stays there longer, the quality will go down.

For the best results from an older coffee maker, first brew some hot water before you make any coffee. Then, add the heated water to the machine after you place the grounds in. This ensures that you get the hottest and thus most flavorful brew possible.

Use the correct amount of water when making coffee. If you don't use enough water, your coffee is going to be very strong. But adding too much water will leave you with weak coffee. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to put two cups of water in for each cup of coffee you are making. How to Clean Coffee Grinder

Consider purchasing a coffee grinder that has conical or flat grinding burrs. Either of these mechanisms reduce the heat generated during grinding. They also help your coffee stay tasty. Grinders that have blades are not very consistent. These tend to get too hot, running the risk of burnt beans.

You can make froth for your coffee from milk at home! Simply heat the milk in a microwave-safe mug or measuring cup until just steaming. Using a whisk, use your palms to rub the handle forwards and back very fast. Continue until the milk becomes foamy. 2 percent milk, half and half, or whole milk yields the best results.

You shouldn't store coffee near an oven. Heat can easily destroy your coffee's quality. Avoid placing your coffee canister near the stove, microwave or heating vents.

Coffee that is fair trade is a great way to benefit the planet. While it's a little more pricey, it tastes better. Besides, you will be helping out small farmer cooperatives from developing countries.

You might really want to drink your coffee when you wake up, but resist the urge to do so until the pot has finished brewing. Your coffee will not be as good if you do this. Think about getting one that has a timer. This would allow your coffee to be ready when you arise.

Artificial sweeteners may not be improving the taste of your coffee as much as you think. These things alter your coffee's flavor and cause it to taste bland. Try drinking your coffee black or using a small quantity of raw sugar for a better flavor. If sweetener is a must, think about using just a small amount. Best Coffee Grinder 2023

If you cannot find a variety of coffee that offers the flavor you desire, try a blend that combines several flavors. Either experiment with mixing beans on your own, or visit a coffee shop where a barista can help you choose the blend that is best suited to your taste.

For a bit of a change, flavor your coffee with sweeteners and various flavors. Various new sugars on the market can really change up the flavor of your brew. Other flavors like cinnamon, vanilla extract, cocoa and nutmeg enhance the coffee flavor as well. Almond, coconut, soy and rice milks come in a variety of flavors and can be used as a substitution for regular creamers. Cuisinart DCC-3200 Review – Perfectemp Coffee Maker

Remove the coffee pot from your coffee maker after you have finished brewing. When you leave the coffee on too long, the flavors will evaporate. If you want to keep it hot, use an insulated container, which will seal in the flavors.

Do not drink coffee after 3pm. Although coffee tastes good, the caffeine inside can inspire many sleepless nights. Therefore, you should refrain from drinking coffee after 3 P.M. so that you can sleep good at night.

Does your coffee taste too harsh or otherwise undrinkable without milk in it? You can use milk in a variety of ways for coffee. Using hot or cold milk can create different textures. Add flavored syrups like the coffee shops do, for a change you might just fall in love with.

You can experiment with adding different flavors to your coffee without buying different beans. You might want to try a different creamer of flavoring. If you're feeling adventurous, you can try flavored or soy milk. Also, different syrups are great for adding some extra flavor to your coffee.

The amount of time you spend making your coffee will have a great bearing on the taste of it. Coffee should brew for 4-5 minutes in order to provide a full-flavored brew. If you do not brew for this length of time, your coffee may be weak and have a bitter taste.

Coffee is thought to help in weight loss. You will experience greater energy, and a minimal boost in your metabolism. Although drinking coffee alone will not make you lose weight, it can if it is incorporated with an active lifestyle.

Never brew extra coffee to reheat for later. Brewing an entire pot of coffee for just yourself usually results in the pot sitting on the coffee maker all day. That helps save you some time, but you might sacrifice taste. Coffee that is fresh has better taste; therefore, brew in small quantities only.

It can be very tough to make coffee at home that has that same panache as the coffee at the corner store. Instead of giving up and spending your hard earned cash, use the tips you've learned here to improve your coffee brewing abilities.

[trash-monkey]

Cat Vibes

Chapter 2

Around noon the next day my phone started ringing as I was reviewing a paper my boss had send me over night and with smooth movements I answered the call that's from my personal phone.

"Hello, This is (Y/N) (L/N) you're speaking to." I stand from my seat with my empty cup so I can refill it with coffee that I made earlier in the kitchen.

"Hey, this is Jane." I sit the cup down on the island.

"Oh yes Jane, how are you today?" I said as I grab a small bottle of creamer from a cabinet.

"I'm doing good, Shikarmaru and I has come to a agreement that's you are the one to adopt him but on one condition of keeping contact with me after the adoption." I put one spoon full of mocha creamer into my cup before pouring coffee in it.

"Of course." I take a sip of my coffee.

"Great! I'll be over sometime today with Shikarmaru and his things along with the adoption papers you need to sign." We talked a few more seconds before hanging up as I returns back to my office to finish the paper as quickly as I can without getting sloppy so I can spend the rest of the day with Shikarmaru after the signing. An hour of finishing my paperwork and removing a few things from the guest bedroom that will soon be Shikarmarus, a knocking sounds through the silent house and opening the door to see Jane standing with Shikarmaru as three large totes sits beside them. I quickly greet them and allowing them into the house before grabbing all three totes in one go, I place them next to the couch where Jane and Shikarmaru has sit themselves.

"Would you like to see your new room while we sign the papers?" Shikarmaru shrubbed his shoulder in a sure lazy gesture before I lead him to the bedroom closest to my office and let him explore the room by himself as I returns to Jane.

"Just sign here and here on the x. This is a list of things he likes and don't like with my contact info in case you need it." She pulls a piece of paper from a folder filled with other sheets of paper of Shikarmaru's information and slides it over to me after signing papers.

"I keep this paper saying that I have handed over my guardianship of Shikarmaru to you, just in case if something happens." I nod in agreement before following behind Jane to Shikarmaru's room.

"You like it?" Jane asked which Shikarmaru nods before running to her and hugging her around her waist.

"I'll miss you." Shikarmaru tighten his hold at that causing Jane to smile.

"Don't worry I'll try my best to call you as must as I can but you have to be good for me, ok." She give him a kiss on the head before letting him go.

"I better get going since I still have a lot pack for the move, take great care of him." We walked to the front door.

"I will." I sit a hand on one of Shikarmaru's shoulders as we watch her get into her car and drive away.

"You want any help or you got it?" I lay on the three large totes in Shikarmaru's new room, he pushes the tote filled with clothes toward me as he goes to put up his other things. With a smile I began to neatly put away the clothes until I saw Shikarmaru setting up a round of Shōgi when I glanced over to see what's he's doing.

"You want to play a few rounds after dinner?" I asked which he nods at as I place the last few clothes that are left in the tote.

"What do you for dinner?" He shrubs his shoulders not really caring as he picks up his game which he placed back into the box to bring it into the living room leaving his tote open for later, I place the empty tote next to his door before following him. I look through the fridge and cabinets to see what I have to fix for dinner making a mental note to go grocery shopping soon since I only see enough to make Katsu curry.

"Thirsty." Shikarmaru give my pant leg a soft pull after completing setting up his Shōgi board on the coffee table.

"What do you want? Water, juice, or something else?" I asked after placing the last ingredient on the counter before going back to the fridge with Shikarmaru following behind, he looks a few seconds before grabbing the bottle of water I had sitting in the door and run back to the living room to lay on the back of the armchair I had sitting in front of a window so he could watch the clouds as he waits for dinner. Smiling at his adorable little run I got to cooking, not before long I find myself sitting in front of the Shōgi board making a move after I had cooked everything and we have eaten.

"You lose." I sighed at the defeat but at least I win one game out of the three times we played in the last few hours, even though I have a feeling he just give me the win.

"Come on, it's time for bed and we can play some more tomorrow." I said after noticing it's dark outside and that Shikarmaru's eyes starting to droop, I pick him up under his arms and pack him to his room.

"Let's get you pjs on and then you can sleep after brushing your teeth, ok?" He nods with a yawn and sluggishly put them on when I hand them to him from his closet, I bring him to the bathroom to brush his teeth with a new toothbrush and into bed he goes. With speed I do my own night routine, turning off and locking everything that need to be before finally getting into bed for the night.

_______________________________________________

[shemarmooresfedora]

Menagerie

Summary Quote: “Don’t you get it? It’s all been a lie, Spence. Since the moment we met, our entire relationship has been founded on a carefully crafted lie and since then, we have been tricked into thinking this was love...but maybe that was a lie too.”

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader

Genre: Angst with happy ending, Fluff

A/N: this fic has already been completed! it’s 25 chapters and just over 40,000 words. i don’t plan on posting all the chapters on to here but i have included the first two and the ao3 link to the rest is at the bottom if you are interested!

Chapter 1

You woke up from your peaceful slumber to hear a loud crash followed closely by someone yelling “FBI”. You screamed, alerting the agents of your presence thinking you were in danger but once the agents had reached your bedroom, you were being put in handcuffs and read your rights.

“W-What is happening? Is this some sort of sick joke?” you stuttered.

“Do you think killing three men is a sick joke?” the muscular intimidating agent spat back.

You were in utter shock. You barely even left the house let alone go out on a murderous rampage.

“I-I don’t know what you think I did b-but I can assure you I-I didn’t kill anyone or do anything illegal,” you tried to stay as calm as possible but you were shaking profusely.

The other agent that was the back-up in your apprehension seemed to notice this and took some sympathy on you by lightening his grip on your cuffs as he led you out of your front door that had been kicked down.

-

You sat in the chilly interrogation room wishing you had something else on rather than a thrifted oversized t-shirt with stains on it that said “Best Dad Ever” and sweatpants. They removed your handcuffs, I guess you weren't considered that much of a threat in a locked room in FBI Headquarters. Although you could not see past the one-sided glass, it was obvious the agents from before and possibly others from their team were standing on the other side, observing you.

-

“Well she is definitely not what I was expecting,” Prentiss was the first to break the silence as the whole BAU team watched you through the glass.

“She was sleeping when we apprehended her. Her facial expressions and body language showed clear signs of distress but I can not be certain if it was because we have the wrong person or she is scared she finally got caught. In her apartment, we found nothing in the slightest bit incriminating, mostly just lots of books,” Spencer spoke, while he was trying to remain impartial, he had admired your taste in literature as he was looking for evidence.

“I’m not convinced. I think this is whole ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ thing is an act,” Morgan stated as he strolled to the door leading to the room you were being held in.

-

The door opened and your eyes flickered up. Much to my dismay, it was the muscular agent rather than the tall, lanky agent who seemed a lot friendlier to you, given the circumstances.

He took the seat across from you and spoke firmly, “I am ready to take your confession whenever you are.”

At this point, you were just getting frustrated. You were ripped from your bed in the middle of the night given no explanation other than you had supposedly killed three men and he had the audacity to ask for your confession to something no one would even tell you the details of. So against your better judgment, you opened your mouth which has been known to get you in trouble from time to time.

“Well, considering no one has even told me what I am formally being accused of or the details, I can’t do that. Do you even have any evidence to keep me here? Oh wait...you don’t...that’s why you need a confession because all your evidence so far has been circumstantial. Only too bad for you...I know my rights. So, you have forty-eight hours to find some real evidence against me, that doesn’t exist if I may add, before you have to let me go.”

The agent looked back at the glass with his jaw dropped.

“I watch a lot of crime TV shows,” you huffed and crossed your arms.

-

“Okay this may be harder than we originally planned, folks. We are going to need everyone on call for the next forty-eight hours until we find some incriminating evidence,” Hotch spoke.

The agents began to depart from the room to review old case files and dig deeper into your personal history. Spencer stayed back for a few minutes and saw tears start to roll down your face when you thought no one was still watching you. You quickly wiped them away and wringed your fingers together. Spencer didn’t know if he should or not yet but he felt bad for you.

Chapter 2

The door opened again but this time, you just kept your eyes down at the table so the person could not see your watery eyes.

You have been trying to put up a brave face but every time, a different agent comes in to question you about your routine, friends, family, and personal life, you just feel exposed.

Traces of your DNA had been found on the bodies and they had all visited your bookstore but that wasn’t enough to convict you I guess. You didn’t know the victims personally but you still felt bad for them.

A cup of coffee was placed gently into your line of sight. You wrapped your hands around the warm paper cup and mumbled your thanks.

“I didn’t know how you liked it. I can add more creamer or sugar if you like,” the voice spoke.

You glanced up tentatively and it was the tall, lanky agent. Your lips turned up ever so slightly into a small smile but it was the most you could manage at the moment. You took a sip.

“No it’s fine, thank you. It really helps. I appreciate it,” you said.

“I’m Spencer, by the way”

“Y/N, but you probably already know that by now.”

He chuckled at your joke. Silence filled the room once again.

“I didn’t do it, Spencer...and I know I can’t really prove that but I wish I could. Most of my friends live in another state and so does my family so I don’t go out too often. I don’t have a boyfriend. I own a bookstore so I spend most of my time there. I don’t really know why this is happening to me,” you started to get choked up again so you stopped talking.

-

Spencer involuntarily blushed when you stated you didn’t have a boyfriend.

He really needed to get it together as much as he wanted to believe you.

You could be a murderer for all he knows...but a really pretty murderer with a great taste in literature and probably even a bigger collection of books than him.

Stop it, Spencer, get your head in the game. He smiled softly once more at you cradling your drink and exited the room.

-

The forty-eight hours were up. They had nothing solid against you. If anything, the team had less of a case against you.

The bodies were all dumped on the opposite side of town from where you lived but it was clear they had been transported there. Garcia’s digging showed you had no car and you weren’t lying when you said most of your friends and family live out of state so the chances of you borrowing someone else's car were unlikely.

Credit card receipts showed you hardly ever went to that side of town and they had profiled the unsub would know the area well.

The victims did come into your store a few times but they also visited all the shops on that street occasionally as well. It didn’t make sense for you to kill your customers. That would just be bad for business and easily linked back to you.

The team agreed that they believed Y/N was no longer a suspect.

-

An officer drove you back to your apartment where luckily, your door had been fixed.

You ordered takeout and took a shower to hopefully rid yourself of the stress of the past two days. Shortly after your dinner, you fell asleep hoping your door would not be busted down again by the FBI.

-

A few days had past and you were opening up the store for the morning. You were in the back organizing the nonfiction section when you heard the soft bell chime of the door opening.

You walked to the front expecting to greet one of your regulars. Once you saw who was standing shyly at the front desk, you stopped in your tracks.

“Spencer?”

“Uh h-hi-hello Y/N. How are you?”

“Good...unless you are here to bring me back in for more questioning”, you said half-joking half-seriously.

“Oh! Um no, you’re all set. I am truly sorry about that. But I do have a question for you”, he was nervously wringing his hands just like you do, looking anywhere but your eyes.

“It’s okay kind of sounds like the wrong thing to say because I would preferably not be dragged out of my bed in the middle of the night and then held for forty-hours but I understand, you were simply doing your job. Anyways, ask away,” you replied.

His eyes finally made contact with yours and he opened his mouth like he was about to say something but completely lost his confidence.

“Do you...um do you...do you have a nonfiction section?” Spencer blurted out.

You didn’t understand how the nonfiction section could make someone so nervous. He looked as if he was going to say something else but thought better of it.

“Of course! I was just organizing it! Right this way!” you chirped with a smile that seemed to untense his shoulders just a little bit.

Spencer perused the section a bit before deciding on a hefty book about the different plants and flowers native to the East Coast. When he made his way up to the front desk to check out, you praised his choice.

“Aw! I love reading about plants. I have some many succulents in my apartment. It's honestly more of a jungle. Have you ever seen forget-me-nots? So lovely!”

Spencer smiled and nodded, knowing if he tried to speak it would be gibberish because he could not focus on anything when he was looking at your radiant smile.

-

“Did you do it?”, Morgan asked as Spencer entered the bullpen with a brown bag.

“No but now I have a book on plants and flowers. I actually am excited to read it. Did you know that some plants like orchids do not require soil to grow they get their nutrients from-”

“You chickened out”, Derek sighed.

“She is so pretty! She was just standing there in all her radiance smiling at me and I couldn’t take the rejection. We dragged her out of her bed and put her in handcuffs only to find out two days later, she is innocent. I can hardly believe she is still being nice to me despite it.”

“Well believe it or not, the first night I met a girl, she was in handcuffs in her bed with me so it’s not always a bad thing,” Morgan smirked.

“Not appropriate, Morgan,” Spencer scolded.

“What are we talking about? I don’t like to not be included in the gossip!” Garcia ran over in her pink heels with Prentiss right behind her.

“Pretty Ricky here went to visit Y/N at her bookstore but then chickened out about asking her on a date,” Morgan informed them.

“Awwwww! I like her! She’s so pretty! Plus, I have already done a background search on her and she is squeaky clean now that we have proven she isn’t a murderer,” Garcia excitedly rambled.

Prentiss was nodding her head in agreement, grinning at Spencer.

Spencer had already chugged his morning cup of coffee during this conversation just to have an excuse to go get another cup and leave this conversation.

“You can’t run away from your feelings, Boy Wonder!” Garcia shouted.

Chapters 3-25

[wheresmynaya]

Hate to Date Ch.6 | Brittana

A/N - Exciting news, we're out of lockdown and I'm back to work. Not exciting news, I’m back to work LOL. As always, thanks for the reviews and those who have bought a coffee for me through ko-fi! Both instantly make my day & encourage me to keep up with these weekly updates so I really appreciate it!💙

Available on ff.net (x) ao3 (x) & under the cut!

It takes a whole ten seconds after Brittany closes the car door behind her before Puck’s hitting Santana with a barrage of questions. Santana does her best to ignore them because she knows Puck’s been dying to hear about their trip, but Brittany hasn’t even pulled her suitcase from the trunk yet and she can totally hear them still.

“Aren’t you going to help her or something?” Santana asks instead.

“Aren’t you? You’re her girlfriend.”

“You’re the guy. Isn’t lifting things meant to be your specialty?”

Puck narrows his eyes, “That’s not very girl power of you.”

Santana just huffs her way out of the car, but by the time she gets around Brittany’s already got her suitcase out. The blonde gives her a questioning look as Santana lingers by the trunk.

“I was coming to see if you needed help,” Santana explains.

Brittany chuckles, “Little late for that.”

Santana feels her face flush with embarrassment. Damn Puck making her look like an idiot.

“Besides, I’ve seen how you are around a suitcase,” Brittany smirks. “Probably best if I do the heavy lifting.”

“Nice one!” Puck calls out.

When Santana turns to flick him off, she finds that he’s halfway hanging out of the driver’s side window watching with interest. Brittany only laughs as she pulls the handle up on her luggage.

“You’re both dicks,” Santana grumbles as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“I mean, she’s not wrong though?” Puck reasons.

Santana just cuts him with a steely glare and that shuts him up real quick.

“Anyway, it’s been fun. Thanks for the ride again, Puck,” Brittany says before turning to Santana. “And I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Santana nods, “Yeah. Same time, same place.”

“I’ll remember you said that,” Brittany quips before waving goodbye and heading inside her apartment complex.

Puck’s still hanging out the driver’s side window looking back and forth between Santana and Brittany’s door with a slack jaw. Santana rolls her eyes at him as she pulls open the passenger door.

“What’s happening tomorrow?” He asks eagerly.

Santana sighs, “Can you just get in the car? You’re too damn big to be hanging out there like that.”

The reluctance to answer has Puck acting even more giddy. It’s a classic Santana tactic: deflect and insult. Puck listens anyway though and gets himself inside where Santana busies herself with buckling up.

“So what’s happening tomorrow?” Puck asks again.

“We’re working on that assignment together for Prof Martinez’s class,” Santana finally answers. “Because someone decided to fuck around with the teams now I have to actually spend time with her instead of lie about it.”

“Oh, boring,” Puck frowns and goes to start the car.

Santana looks back curiously, “What’d you think we were doing?”

Puck starts to smirk.

Santana scrunches her nose, “Actually, nevermind. I don’t want to know.”

“I’m just joking!” Puck laughs. “But seriously, will you tell me about your trip now? I was a little nervous that one of you wouldn’t be coming back.”

“What? Why?”

Puck shrugs, “I don’t know because you hate each other?”

Santana pauses, “I don’t know if hate’s the right word anymore.”

“You’d probably trick her into boarding the wrong plane or something. Is that not hate?”

Santana smirks, “Now that would’ve been funny.”

“See?”

Santana shakes her head, “I don’t know. She still frustrates the hell out of me and I find a lot of things she does super annoying, but to say I hate her doesn’t really fit anymore.”

Puck looks at her curiously, “You feeling okay? Did you finally get your heart back from Lima?”

Santana laughs, “You know Lima doesn’t have it.”

Puck chuckles along with her, “Well something big must’ve happened there if you’re changing your tune like this.”

“It’s nothing like that,” Santana replies. “I guess – I don’t know – I understand Brittany a little more? That doesn’t mean we’re going to braid each other’s hair anytime soon.”

“Right. What about your fam? How’d they feel about her?”

“We did what we were supposed to do. Mom likes her, Abuela not so much.”

“Shit,” Puck cringes.

“Yeah. It’ll work out though,” Santana answers. “This was a good start, we just need to put more time into it. I’m getting into that firm.”

“Hell yeah, you are!”

“In the meantime though, I’ve gotta up my game,” Santana says. “I can’t have people thinking Brittany’s a better girlfriend than me.”

Puck quirks his brow, “And how are you gonna do that?”

“Well after spending all this time with Brittany, I’ve learned me two things,” Santana smirks. “She’s a pushover and she’s a total sucker for the romantic shit, like the kind of shit that’s in movies. You know, real cliché stuff. Just look at the stuff she does for me.”

“Okay?”

“I just have to do it better than her,” Santana says simply, “I have to be thoughtful and sweet and take her by surprise. I’ve gotta be one step ahead at all times! And maybe I can embarrass the crap out of her in the process? It’s a win/win for me.”

Puck looks skeptic, but Santana’s already crafting her game plan.

\\

Santana spends all night watching cheesy rom-coms just to get some inspiration, because as it turns out – she’s not really familiar with romantic gestures. She’s never really needed them because hooking up isn’t about romance and that’s how she likes it. But this fake relationship thing is really pushing her out of her comfort zone – good thing it’s all an act.

Puck joins Santana after getting back from weight training and together they make a list of all the possible ways Santana can fake-woo Brittany. Puck jots down a couple ideas for himself, lord knows he needs all the help he can get!

The only downside of a rom-com marathon is that most of the movies are predominately straight and Santana struggles to relate. Meanwhile, Puck’s trying to hide the fact that he’s tearing up during certain scenes.

Despite the string hetero content, Puck does end up getting his hands on a bootleg copy of Imagine Me and You. Now it’s Santana’s turn to pretend she’s not tearing up and Puck wastes no time in teasing her about it.  

\\

Santana decides she’s going start off slow with something simple; bringing Brittany snacks for when they study together later on. Where it lacks in romance, it makes up for in thoughtfulness so Santana’s sure it’ll be a winner.

She’s already stopped off somewhere on her way to cheer practice to get what she needs just incase she runs late again. At least if Coach Roz goes on another rant again, Santana will meet Brittany bearing gifts.

It’s a pretty perfect plan, but what Santana doesn’t expect is to find Brittany waiting outside of the gym for her. Apparently, the blonde had a similar idea in mind and has beaten Santana to the punch.

Not with snacks, but with something much more valuable.

“Uh hey,” Santana eyes her hesitantly. “What are you doing here?”

Brittany lifts the cup in her hand, “I got you this.”

“You got me a coffee?”

“Yeah, I was in the area and I knew you’d be coming here for practice.”

Santana’s brows furrow, “Did Puck put you up to this?”

Brittany frowns, “What?”

“Nevermind,” Santana shakes her head and moves closer to take the cup. She stares down at the lid and looks to Brittany, “What is it?”

“Coffee?” Brittany answers. “Strong and as black as your heart.”

“Just how I like it,” Santana lies as she masks her disappointment.

She braces herself for the bitter taste, hoping her facial expression doesn’t give her away. Surprisingly though, it tastes nothing like she expected it to – it’s sweet, just like she actually likes it.

Brittany starts to smirk, “Plus a box of sugar and bunch of milk.”

“How’d you know?” Santana asks. “I pay the barista extra to keep her mouth shut.”

“She did, but I’ve seen the inside of your purse,” Brittany chuckles. “It’s nothing but sugar packets and tiny creamers. Plus I’ve spent the last couple of mornings with you, I’ve noticed things.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Who knew this leather-jacket-wearing badass cheerleader secretly likes her coffee super sweet?”

“Exactly. It doesn’t fit the aesthetic,” Santana brushes off. “I can’t have that little detail about me getting out. What would people think?”

Brittany quirks a brow, “Do you really care that much about that?”

“Don’t you?” Santana says simply.

Brittany shrugs, “It’s just coffee. So what?”

Santana pauses. Sometimes Brittany can make the hardest things sound so simple and Santana can’t tell if it’s because Brittany’s naïve or Santana’s just so used to overcomplicating things. It doesn’t matter, she’s not getting into it right now.

“Thanks for this,” Santana replies. “I’ll see you after practice.”

Brittany bites her lip as she nods, “Yeah okay. See you later.”

\\

Despite having a duffle bag full of all kinds of snacks, Santana holds off for the time being. It’s too close to Brittany’s little act of kindness and she can’t have the blonde thinking that she’s inspired Santana’s gesture.

So, she waits a few more days because timing is also important. Being surprised with snacks doesn’t mean a thing if you’ve just ate, so Santana keeps that in mind as she falls back into her usual routine of classes, cheer practice and studying.

The opportunity doesn’t arise until the following week.

Apparently one of Brittany’s classes has a test scheduled at the end of the week and it has the blonde stressed out more than usual. Santana only knows because Puck mentioned something about Brittany rescheduling a tutoring session which rarely happens.

So Santana thinks it’s finally her time to shine and really show off how thoughtful she can be!

As Santana makes her way inside the library with her bag full of goodies, there’s this big grin on her face because not only is she going to show Brittany she’s got some competition on the best girlfriend front there’s also quite the crowd around.

Again, it’s a win/win for Santana!

She finds Brittany in her usual spot at the back of the study area and makes her way over. Students studying at the various tables around watch as Santana saunters down the aisle in her cheer uniform. Santana can hear the whispers starting up and tries to keep from smirking at how good this is going to make her look.

“Hey,” Santana greets once she gets to Brittany’s table.

Brittany’s taken by complete surprise as she looks up. Santana can tell because the usual confidence is no where to be found, in it’s place is astonishment.

“Uh hi,” Brittany finally greets. “What are you doing here? Is it 3:30 already?”

“No. I was just in the neighborhood,” Santana shrugs as she takes a seat in front of Brittany. “Thought you might need a little afternoon snack break.”

Brittany looks questioningly until Santana starts pulling out various treats she knows Brittany loves. There’s a theater box of DOTS, a packet of Goldfish, a Mounds bar, and a few other goodies that are the healthier side.

“Awh, that’s so cute!” A girl from the table beside them coos before turning to her partner. “Where the hell are my snacks?”

The guy just frowns at Santana, “Thanks a lot.”

“Step your game up,” Santana tells him before turning back to Brittany. There’s a pleased smile on her face but she wants to hear it from Brittany herself, “You like?”

Brittany’s hesitant to answer but when she does, she can’t help but smile, “I like. I actually forgot my lunch today so this is perfect.”

Santana pumps her fist triumphantly before realizing people are still staring.

“You know, how long I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to give you all this stuff?” Santana admits. “I felt like a hoarder having to hide them in my room so Puck wouldn’t eat them.”

Brittany chuckles, “I don’t know how I’ll be able to top this.”

Santana smirks; that’s exactly what she likes to hear.

“Woah, who hit the jackpot?” Puck says, surprising the both of them as he comes up to the table.

“Jesus! Where’d you come from?” Santana gasps. “You know this is the library, right?”

“Yes,” Puck rolls his eyes. “I was studying with some guys from the team since Britt cancelled on me but I see why she did now.”

“Oh no, I didn’t know she was coming here,” Brittany explains quickly.

“It was a surprise,” Santana says proudly.

Pucks brows rise as he reaches for one of Brittany’s snacks, but Santana’s quick to swat at his hand.

“Paws off,” She tells him. “I got that for her, not you.”

“Damn chill,” Puck frowns as he holds his hand.

Brittany only chuckles at the pair, “Thanks for this. It’s been a much needed interruption but I do have to get back to studying.”

“Oh yeah, sure!” Santana nods as she goes to stand. She looks around to see if people are still watching and starts to grin when she finds that they are. “I’ll just be at practice, but let me know if you need anything else.”

“Okay,” Brittany smiles back.

“And I’ll just be over there,” Puck adds as he heads back to his table leaving Santana alone with Brittany.

“Thanks for the brain food,” Brittany mentions again. “Very sweet of you.”

Santana only shrugs although there’s a bashful smile on her face, “You know me, super thoughtful.”

“Uh-huh,” Brittany smirks before pulling her down gently for a kiss on the cheek. It takes Santana by surprise a little, but Brittany’s lips linger by Santana’s ear as she says. “I know you’re just trying to work the crowd. You’re not fooling me.”

Santana eyes go wide but she keeps a poker face, “Can’t have them thinking you’re the best girlfriend around.”

“Can’t help it if it’s true,” Brittany chuckles before letting Santana go. In a much louder voice she waves goodbye, “See you later, Fluffbottom!”

Santana pastes on a fake smile, but she can’t exit the building fast enough. The cringey terms of endearment are such a low blow!

\\

With Brittany onto Santana’s little plan, the blonde starts to up her game too. Over the next couple of weeks, the two go back and forth just trying to one up the other in romantic gestures. They sort of make a game out of who can pull the biggest awh from the spectators that always flock the couple.

Currently, the score is pretty even but Brittany’s never too far behind.

Santana doesn’t get it, but she tries harder anyway.  

\\

The next time Brittany decides to show Santana that she’s always one step ahead of her, it’s during one of the basketball games Santana cheers for. At first, Santana didn’t even notice her in the crowd because when has Brittany ever come to a sporting event?

In fact, it’s probably the last place she’d ever expect to see Brittany.

And yet, there she is…waving eagerly with Puck by her side to get her attention.

“Awh! Santana, your girlfriend’s here to watch you cheer!” One of the girls on Santana’s squad coos. “That is so cute!”

“Yeah,” Santana answers as she keeps her eye narrowed on Brittany. “Real cute.”

It’s not until after the halftime performance that Santana’s able to make her way over to Brittany for the first time since spotting her. There’s this smug grin on the blonde’s face and Santana struggles to keep from rolling her eyes at the sight of it. She just knows Brittany’s mentally adding a point to their ongoing tally.

As Santana reaches the bottom of the bleachers, Brittany’s about halfway down the steps. Puck’s not too far behind, his entire face painted in white and Columbia blue for the occasion.

“Well this is a surprise,” Santana says once she’s close enough. “You never come to these things.”

“That’s because I’ve never dated a cheerleader before,” Brittany quips.

“I invited her,” Puck admits.

Santana looks between the two of them skeptically, “I get why Puck’s here, but you? Do you secretly like women’s basketball or something?”

Brittany shakes her head, “I don’t know a thing about it.”

“Then why are you here?” Santana questions.

“Like I said, you’re my reason.”

If anyone else was listening in, they might’ve found Brittany’s statement a little cute. Maybe if Brittany wasn’t Brittany, Santana might’ve found it cute too but she knows the blonde’s true motives. She knows she’s just trying to work the crowd so it rolls right over Santana’s head.

Instead, she looks from Brittany to Puck.

“I’m starting to question where your loyalties lie, Puckerman,” Santana tells him.

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t think she’d actually say yes! I was just being nice.”

His hands are instantly thrown up in defense.

“Uh-huh.”

“He didn’t do anything. I was already thinking of coming,” Brittany interrupts with a sweet smile. “I figured I might as well add supportive girlfriend to the long list of things I’m great at and this was the perfect opportunity.”

Santana laughs off the jab, “Perfect girlfriend my ass.”

“I think it was pretty smart thinking on my part,” Brittany replies as she nods over to the entryway. “Did you know Eddie would be here?”

Santana glances in the coach’s direction and does her best to hide the fact that she forgot all about him possibly being around. “Duh. Of course he’d be here, he comes to most games.”

“Guess I should start coming to most games too then,” Brittany suggests. “Keep up appearances.”

Santana hates that Brittany’s got a point. Now’s about the time Santana would move on to the next girl and Eddie’s sure to be taking note so he can report back to Maribel. Damn Brittany and her quick thinking!

“Sure whatever,” Santana brushes off. “I need to get back. I hope you enjoy the rest of show.”

“I’ll try,” Brittany smirks before lifting the book in her hand. “I’ve got this just incase.”

“You brought a book to read at a game?” Santana tries not to laugh. “Can you at least try not being so nerdy? It’s hard to pretend to like you if you’re making it so easy for me to make fun of you.”  

Brittany sighs through her smile, “It’s only a precaution incase I get bored.”

“Bored? Our performances aren’t boring,” Santana tells her. “What’s boring about a full twisted layout?”

Brittany only shrugs, “I don’t even know what that is.”

“It’s a dope move that requires skill and talent.”

“So something you can’t do?” Brittany smirks.

Santana fakes a laugh, “You’re so funny.”

“What about the skirts? You like them, right?” Puck suddenly asks Brittany, still hung up on finding the games boring.

Santana nods along with him, “Everyone likes the skirts.”

Brittany’s eyes rake up Santana’s lithe frame slowly while Santana poses.

If there’s anything Santana’s more confident in, it’s her looks. She’s hot and she knows she’s hot, it’s not even about being conceited it’s pure fact. That combined with the power of a cheerleading uniform has never failed her, so it’s only a matter of time before Brittany’s admitting defeat.

When their eyes finally meet, there’s a smug grin on Santana’s face but Brittany is expressionless.

“It’s okay,” Brittany tells them with indifference.

Puck’s jaw drops, he’s practically besides himself with the news, while Santana only stares. She might not be able to read Brittany most of the time, but what she has become good at is noticing a blatant lie.

And it’s okay is one of them.

It’s like Santana’s finally found a weakness in Brittany’s front because why lie about it? If you think someone’s hot then say so, it’s no big deal – at least, to her it’s not. You don’t have to like people that you find attractive, clearly, so what’s Brittany’s deal?

Maybe it’s the lack of flirtatious banter or the build up of sex deprivation, but testing Brittany’s willpower sparks Santana’s interest and gets her thinking of a slightly better game.

“So this does nothing for you?” Santana asks again with a little shake of her hips.

In all of her years as a cheerleader, she’s never met anyone who could resist. Even without the uniform, Santana’s just got this confidence about her – this undeniable sexual magnetism – that kind of makes her irresistible.

Like she’s always said, she can’t help that she’s attractive. It truly is a gift.

Even Puck looks to Brittany for an answer. Funny thing though, Brittany doesn’t take the bait. Instead, she just maintains eye contact with Santana – unyielding and a little unnerving.

“Honey,” Brittany says sweetly. “If you’re looking for someone to drool over you keep looking.”

“Wow,” Santana laughs. “Some girlfriend you are!”  

“I’m not that shallow,” Brittany quips. “I don’t care about what you wear. I’m more interested in your heart.”

“God,” Santana scrunches her nose. “Who knew you were such a cornball.”

“I thought you’d like that,” Brittany chuckles. “But seriously, you can’t distract me with a short skirt.”

“I’ll remember you said that,” Santana challenges with a smirk.

Looks like Brittany’s a harder one to crack than she thought.

\\

Thankfully though the odds are in still Santana’s favor because what holiday is only weeks away now?

Valentine’s Day.

And it’s never too early to start the scheming! Santana’s been going pretty soft in the weeks following the game Brittany surprised her at, but it was all for a purpose. She’s letting Brittany create a false sense of security, she’s letting her think she’s totally got this in the bag. And when Brittany least expects it, BAM! Santana will pull out all the stops!

That’ll definitely put an end to the Brittany’s so thoughtful, Santana you’re so lucky! The roles will totally be reversed and that’s the ultimate win – another she can add to her figurative trophy shelf!

And although Santana won’t be getting laid this year, which is so depressing, the thought of being dubbed the best girlfriend ever over Brittany is pretty up there.

\\

So when Valentine’s week finally rolls around, Santana’s as eager as ever. She has the heart-shaped chocolates, she has the cute stuffed animal in it’s little red bowtie, but most importantly – she has the outfit.

And the outfit is everything.

“Woah,” Puck skids to a stop when he finds Santana in their kitchen dressed in her short candy striper dress. “Where are you going looking like that?”

Santana smirks as she finishes off her breakfast, “I’m going to see Brittany.”

“Dressed like that?”

“Yup.”

Puck tears his eyes away and looks at Santana like she’s crazy. “You know she’s in class, right? Not camped out a strip club.”

Santana brushes him off, “Obviously. It’s all apart of the plan.”

“What plan?” Puck laughs, “Give the girl a heart attack?”

“Sort of,” Santana starts grinning devilishly. “I’m gonna break her.”

Puck rolls his eyes, “This about the skirt thing again?”

“Yes!” Santana groans. “Don’t you think it’s weird that Brittany won’t admit that she finds me attractive?”

“Maybe she doesn’t.”

Santana eyes him like he’s lost his mind.

“Impossible,” She says.

Puck shakes his head, “This is trouble. You know that right?”

“It’s just a game between friends.”

“But you two aren’t friends,” Puck laughs as he makes a coffee.

“Shit. You’re right,” Santana pauses to think before shrugging. “Well then this is purely for my enjoyment. I haven’t had sex in like a month or made out with a hot stranger. I’m not allowed to flirt with anyone because technically I’m taken. The only joy I have left is being better than Brittany and or embarrassing the hell out of her so just let me have this.”

“Do whatever you want, Lopez.”

“Thank you,” Santana smiles angelically. She reaches for her basket of Valentine’s Day goodies, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make some jaws drop.”

Puck only lifts his mug of coffee in salute as his best friend leaves.

\\

So far, Santana’s outfit works like a charm. She kind of missed the way heads would roll for her whenever she walked by. She doesn’t really get that anymore with a girlfriend around and god, has she missed this attention! With Brittany, the compliments are all for show so it doesn’t really do anything for her but this – the helpless bystanders she leaves drooling in her wake?

There’s nothing fake about that.

Now when it comes to making her entrance, Santana’s a little merciful.

At first, she considered interrupting the class but she knows by now Brittany wouldn’t like that too much since she’s the biggest nerd she’s ever met and takes class super seriously. So instead, Santana waits in the hall until class finishes up. It’s an even better plan than the first because not only will she take Brittany by surprise, she’ll have an audience too without the threat of a professor telling her off for an interruption.

Santana counts the minutes, eagerly awaiting the class’s dismissal.

As the first few students start trickling out, Santana moves to stand taller – ready for showtime. There’s a sultry look on her face – one that’s been known to make knees go weak – as Brittany finally makes an appearance.

This time, Brittany’s the one taken by surprise; so much so that she does a double take when she sees Santana standing there.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Santana greets in a seductive tone.

It takes a second for Brittany to answer, her eyes struggling to stay on Santana’s. The brunette’s already taking this as a big win.

“It’s…not Valentine’s Day yet,” Brittany finally replies although she’s still visibly stunned.

“I figure I’d start early,” Santana flirts shamelessly with a soft touch to Brittany’s arm. “My girl should get a week’s worth of Valentine’s fun. Don’t you think?”

Brittany gulps, “Well…I was sort of waiting until the day to give you my gift.”

Santana smirks; she swears sweat is starting to bead around Brittany’s brow. The will power is definitely strong though, Santana can give her that!

“That’s okay,” Santana bites her lip seductively. “I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait.”

Brittany’s eyes flicker to Santana’s lips then back to meet her eyes. Something flashes in those dazzling blues and it’s like a trance has been broken. Brittany moves to stand a little straighter, her hands falling to Santana’s hips – strong and sure – as she begins to match Santana’s smirk.

“It’ll be so worth it,” Brittany flirts just as shamelessly which makes Santana falter. “Although, I don’t have anything like this is my wardrobe.”

“Only a select few have been able to pull it off,” Santana replies.

“I bet,” Brittany comments. “Looks like a lot of laces and buttons to get around.”

Santana falters again; she didn’t expect Brittany to take her words so literally but it kind of does something to her. It gives the slightest tug to something growing restless within her. But she shakes it off, keeps her eye on the prize.

“It’s quite time consuming. Have to be good with your hands,” Santana tells her.

Brittany cheeks go a little red at that and Santana quickly capitalizes on the moment.

“On top of the goodies I’ve brought, I also have these,” Santana says as she lifts her little basket. “Chocolates, every heart-shaped candy I could find, a teddy bear…”

“Looks like you’ve really outdone yourself,” Brittany notes with a peek into Santana’s basket. “How will I ever top this?”

There’s the slightest bit of sarcasm there, but Santana smirks anyway.

“You know…that’s the second time I’ve heard you say that. You might want to admit defeat while you still can.”

Brittany rolls her eyes, “You’re playing a dangerous game, Santana.”

“That’s the only kind of game I like to play.”

Brittany quirks her brow, “Okay.”

Santana wavers, “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Brittany chuckles.

“But – “

“I really have to get to my next class,” Brittany explains as she takes Santana’s basket while pressing a kiss to her cheek. “This was cute though.”

Cute? Puppies are cute. Kittens are cute. Hell, some babies are kind of cute. But this? Santana wasn’t going for cute. She was aiming higher than that! Much, much higher!

“Wait,” Santana calls out just as Brittany’s take a few steps down the hall.

Brittany turns, looking back at her expectantly.

“You’re talking about the basket right?” Santana asks, “The basket is cute?”

Brittany sighs tiredly although the smile is still there. Her eyes dip down to Santana’s exposed legs, that short, ruffled skirt, the corset and the amazing things it does to her cleavage then back up again.

“The outfit’s not bad too,” Brittany tells her with a smirk before turning away.

Not bad, Santana thinks. It’s not the statement she would’ve gone with but it’s a step up from cute so she’ll take it. The expression on Brittany’s face when she first saw Santana was way better though.

\\

Santana spends the rest of Valentine’s week doing cute little things here and there, but she kind of regrets starting off so strong with the outfit when the actual day comes.

It’s so typical of her to jump straight to the knockout punch instead of doing things slow and steady. She’s never had the patience for that and it’s biting her in the ass now, because all she has left up her sleeve is this giant heart-shaped balloon that she made Puck buy the night before and a bouquet of flowers.

She’s just hoping the simplicity of it is enough to get a good reaction out of the crowd, because walking towards their first class of the day together with a big ass balloon is already turning some heads. Not in the way heads turned for her on Monday, but hey – at least she has range.

When she finally does reach the lecture hall, it’s no surprise that Brittany’s already seated inside.

“Really Santana?” Professor Martinez sighs when Santana struggles to get the balloon through the door. “Don’t you think that’s a little distracting?”

“You know what else is distracting?” Santana quips as she sets her eyes on Brittany. “The adoration I have for my girlfriend.”

“Here we go,” Professor Martinez laughs. “I almost like it better when you two were constantly fighting.”

Santana brushes him off as she makes her way to Brittany, “This is for you.”

Brittany looks up at her reflection in the shiny red of the giant balloon, “Of course it is.”

“And also these,” Santana then presents Brittany with the bouquet. “I went with something a little out of the ordinary, you know, thinking outside of the box. I know how much you appreciate – “

“I’m allergic to sunflowers.”

Santana’s heart drops, “What?”

“Yeah,” Brittany leans back. “Deathly allergic.”

“Shit,” Santana instantly jolts away from her but Brittany starts to laugh. “Wait, seriously?”

“No, not seriously,” Brittany giggles as she accepts the gifts. “Who’s allergic to sunflowers?”

“Uh, I don’t know!” Santana frowns. “I’m sure someone out there is.”

Brittany quiets down, “Sorry. That was a little mean.”

Santana shakes her head as she takes the seat beside Brittany.

“And people say I’m mean,” She says.

Brittany leans over and kisses her cheek, “I don’t think anyone says that.”

Santana lets out a laugh, “You say that.”

“It’s not as bad as I thought,” Brittany shrugs. “Anyway, since we’re doing gifts already I can take you to part one of yours after class?”

“Part one?”

“Mhmm,” Brittany hums. “It should be ready by then. Part two needs a little more time.”

Santana gets to thinking what Brittany could possibly have planned, but Professor Martinez interrupts with the beginning of his lecture. Once again, Santana’s lack of patience has her completely distracted all class.

\\

“It’s in the art wing?” Santana questions as she follows after Brittany who has been tight-lipped since the end of class.

“Looks that way,” Brittany chuckles. “You’ll find out soon enough if you just quit asking questions.”

“I can’t help that I’m impatient.”

“Sure you can.”

Santana sighs and continues following Brittany until they reach their destination just a few minutes later. It’s a narrow hallway with a line of wooden doors and they’re stopped at the very first one.

“It’s in there?” Santana asks.

“Yup,” Brittany grins. “I’ll have to blindfold you though.”

“Kinky,” Santana smirks.

Brittany blushes through an eye roll, “Just turn around so I can put this on you.”

Santana continues joking as she turns for her, “I should’ve known, the quiet ones are always the kinkiest.”

“I’m not quiet,” Brittany replies as she tightens the blindfold around Santana’s head.

“I mean,” Santana snickers, “Just wanky.”

“Can you see anything?”

“Obviously not.”

“Perfect,” Brittany says and takes Santana by the hand.

Santana can hear the door creak open and she’s instantly hit with the scent of flowers. The blindfold’s kind of pointless now because the floral aroma gives away the surprise almost instantly, but just as she’s about to say something – Brittany pushes her to sit down.

Now, Santana’s been blindfolded a handful of times in her life. Santana’s also been pushed to sit down a handful of times in her life too. The combination of the two - historically for her – has lead to some pretty steamy times.

Obviously that won’t be the case here, but God does she wish it were.

The thought makes her wonder if it would matter if the person on the other side of that blindfold was still Brittany, but she doesn’t get to come up with an answer as the blindfold is soon pulled off.

Santana blinks at the sudden bright light to find that she’s surrounded by flowers. Like, a ton of them! They’re in buckets, in pots, in glass vases and in…red solo cups?

“I ran out of space,” Brittany comments when she notices Santana looking confused.

“Right,” Santana breathes out and as she turns to admire the entire room she’s even more surprised by what else she sees – a bunch of people staring back at her through a glass window.

That’s when she realizes that Brittany’s led her to an art display case, a display case that nearly everyone in the entire building walks by on their way to and from class. Santana quickly plasters on a smile while she’s on display in front of the crowd as Brittany comes to wrap an arm around her.

“Didn’t think you were the only one with a few tricks up her sleeve, huh?” Brittany whispers through her smirk.

“How’d you even get access to this case?” Santana wonders. “Don’t you have to book them like three months in advance?”

“I know a guy,” Brittany teases. “Now wave to our audience. They’re all here to witness this, they’ve known about it all week.”

Santana fights the eyeroll and waves, “You know, just because you fill a room full of flowers doesn’t mean you win this.”

“They’re not just any flowers though. I did my research,” Brittany defends. “They’re the lesbians of flowers.”

Santana looks around the room and deadpans, “Oh wow.”

“Didn’t know that was a thing, did you?”

“I can’t say that I did, no.”

“Just wait until part two of your gift,” Brittany tells her.

Santana looks back at her hesitantly, “When’s that gonna be?”

Brittany begins to smirk, “When you least expect it.”

Yeah, Santana’s really regretting starting off the week strong now.

\\

When you least expect it ends up meaning later that day during Santana’s cheer practice.

They’re out on the field for training because Coach Roz loves reminding everyone how much of a privilege it is to be able to practice in a heated gym. Apparently when she trained for the Olympics, their gym didn’t have heating so now once a month they train without heating too.

With it being the middle of February in New York, it’s fucking cold. Santana’s past complaining about her tits freezing off and is now just trying to get the hell out of there as fast as she can now that practice is finally over.

She almost gets away with it too, until all the lights in the stadium suddenly turn on causing everyone to stop and look around.

Santana’s been on edge ever since the whole Lesbians of Flowers incident took place earlier in the day, so she eyes her surroundings suspiciously – waiting for Brittany to fall from the sky dressed like cupid or something ridiculous and over the top.

What she doesn’t expect is to see the school’s Glee Club take the stands with Brittany leading them.

“Oh no,” Santana mumbles as microphone feedback echoes throughout the field. “She better not.”

“Attention all Lions,” Brittany’s voice booms over the loud speaker. “As a final Valentine’s Day treat, I’ve enlisted some friends to help me dedicate a little song to my favorite person ever.”

Santana’s face suddenly feels red hot. She barely feels the cold February air now as everyone turns to look at her. If there’s anything that embarrasses her more, it’s being serenaded in public – especially without any alcohol involved.

“This one’s for you, Sweet Cheeks!” Brittany says before the Glee Club starts up with their harmonizing.

As soon as they start singing Britney Spears’ (You Drive Me) Crazy, Santana doesn’t know whether to laugh or take offence. The song choice is actually kind of perfect for them in the literal sense as Santana gets to listening to the lyrics.

Obviously not every line is accurate, but Santana finds herself giggling as the performance goes on. Brittany’s totally feeling it though; dancing along with the Glee Clubbers in her own way although she looks so out of place next to their bland, choreographed steps.

She actually ends up dancing down the bleachers and Santana eagerly awaits a misstep, but it never happens. Leave it to Brittany to be able to dance down bleacher steps while other people usually struggle coming down the things normally.

Slightly out of breath, Brittany skips over to Santana with the smuggest grin yet.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” She says.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Santana replies.

“What’d you think about my part two?” Brittany nods over to the performance still going on.

“Definitely not what I had in mind,” Santana chuckles.

“I’ve paid them to repeat the performance until I give them a signal.”

“Give the signal now then,” Santana urges with a laugh.

“No way, I love this song!” Brittany starts to shimmy her shoulders, “Picked it out myself, you know. Britney’s kind of iconic.”

“Brittany likes Britney,” Santana quips. “Why am I not surprised?”

The blonde rolls her eyes, “You can go ahead admit defeat now.”

“I’ll be doing no such thing,” Santana crosses her arms. “Game’s not over until I say it is and since public humiliation is apparently on the table – “

“A sing-o-gram is hardly public humiliation,” Brittany argues.

“Maybe if they weren’t tone deaf losers then sure.”

Brittany puts a hand on her hip, “That was mean.”

“Just keeping it real,” Santana shrugs. “But seriously. Make them stop.”

Brittany sighs, “Fine.”

Suddenly, she takes Santana in her arms and dips her. A kiss lands on her cheek but to everyone else still watching them it looks as if it’s made contact with Santana’s lips. Santana hangs onto Brittany’s jacket for dear life, just hoping that the girl doesn’t drop her.

She doesn’t and soon Santana’s being stood upright again. The smug grin is back again as blue eyes sparkle with mischief.

“That was your signal?” Santana questions when she realizes the singing finally stopped.

Brittany shrugs, “Felt like it fit the moment.”

“Didn’t think it was a little dramatic?”

“My adoration for you is a little dramatic,” Brittany quips.

Santana just shakes her head and laughs. She knows just what to do to give Brittany a taste of her own medicine. Like the blonde, Santana just has to wait until she least expects it.

\\

The moment happens to arise a couple weeks later when Puck mentions something about Brittany inviting him to some big Brainiacs’ match.

“I can’t go though,” Puck tells Santana. “Got a hot date.”

“Right,” Santana replies – the gears already turning.

“You busy?” He asks. “Maybe you can go instead?”

Santana smirks, “I’m one step ahead of you.”

It’s pretty short notice, but Santana acts fast in gathering her necessary supplies. The pure embarrassment she felt on Valentine’s Day fuels her as she breaks out the posterboard and markers. She even takes it a step further and scours Brittany’s social media for some headshots, anything that won’t go all pixelated on fabric. She narrows it down to a select few and gets to work. In all her years as a cheerleader, Santana’s become well acquainted with showing a little spirit and her decorating skills are on point!

\\

When the night of the match finally comes, Santana arrives to the building in her freshly bedazzled t-shirt donning pictures of Brittany’s face along side a giant Number One Nerd as well as a poster decorated in a similar fashion. There’s no denying who Brittany’s number one fan truly is.

“Santana!” Tina greets her at the entrance. “Hi! This is a first. Oh wow, I love your shirt!”

“Just being a supportive girlfriend,” Santana grins – loving the publicity she’ll be sure to get with Tina around. “I never get a chance to go to Brittany’s matches with cheer practice. Thought I should go all out.”

“It’s a tough match tonight,” Tina tells her. “I’m sure you know that already. The Brainiacs will be grateful for the support.”

“Brittany will crush it,” Santana replies confidently.

When Santana gets inside, she quickly finds a spot near the front so Brittany won’t have any trouble spotting her in the crowd. Not like she could when Santana’s holding a bright blue poster.

She walks the narrow aisle like a tightrope and settles in an empty seat between two older couples. They’re probably here to support someone on either team or maybe just here because they lost a bet – who knows. Santana, however, is here on a mission and there’s nothing more exciting than the suspense in embarrassing the crap out of Brittany.

Once the match begins, an announcer strolls out to introduce the teams.

Santana doesn’t pay him any mind or the geeks that slowly start making their entrance until she hears Brittany’s name. She’s on her feet in an instant as she goes into full cheerleader mode.

“Go Brittany!” She calls out – her voice louder than the sound of applause – as she waves her poster excitedly. She can feel those around her staring, but she doesn’t care because the look of complete disbelief on Brittany’s face is even better.

Suddenly the couple next to her stands and starts to cheer, “Go Brittany!”

Santana eyes them curiously, wondering if she just started something or they’re just chiming in along with her. They’re just as loud, if not louder, but what’s even more curious is the way Brittany shies away from the attention.

Still though, Santana continues to wave as Brittany walks across the stage to her seat. It’s not until Brittany’s seated that Santana tops off her antics by blowing her a kiss then watches with a satisfied grin as she sees Brittany’s face go red.

Safe to say, Santana won this round.

\\

Despite the fact that academic decathlon club is just a glorified way of saying trivia team, Santana’s kind of surprised by how well Brittany actually does. The girl hasn’t missed a question yet which is saying something because Santana hasn’t heard of half of the things these questions consist of.

Another thing that sticks out to Santana is the fact that Brittany’s the only girl on the team. She wonders what that must be like, especially considering most of the guys on Brittany’s team seem really…fucking pretentious.

Their team captain? An absolute dickhead, Santana’s sure of it judging by the way he didn’t clap for Brittany’s correct answer. Some team captain he is and the others just follow his lead.

And Santana doesn’t know why, but seeing the way they interact with Brittany just makes her want to cheer even louder. She doesn’t even care when the rest of Brittany’s team glare at her, she’ll probably never see them again after this.

“Go Brittany!” Santana yells when Brittany answers correctly again. This time she makes eye contact with the couple next to her and explains, “That’s my girlfriend.”

The woman blinks, strangely similarly to Brittany, “I didn’t know Brittany was dating anyone.”

“Brittany’s dating someone?” The man next to her asks. “What happened to Artie?”

Santana tilts her head to the side, “Who’s Artie?”

The couple share a look while Santana starts connecting the dots. The woman’s blonde hair and striking blue eyes, the man’s t-shirt donning Brittany’s name and face – which she didn’t realize until now.

Suddenly, it dawns on her.

“Wait. Are you,” Santana stammers. “Are you Brittany’s parents?”

The woman smiles as she nods, “I’m her mom, Whitney. This is Pierce, her dad.”

The man next to her waves, “Hi. I’m Pierce.”

“I just said that,” Whitney whispers to him.

“Did you? I didn’t hear.”

Santana’s stunned, unsure of what she’s meant to do. She already introduced herself as Brittany’s girlfriend but Brittany doesn’t need a fake girlfriend – does she? And who the hell is Artie?

She’s starting to panic a little as Brittany’s reaction earlier starts to make sense. All this time, Santana’s been sitting next to her parents and she couldn’t do a thing about it! And when it comes to parents, she’s not like Brittany. She’s never been the girl people take home to meet their parents!

This is unknown territory and she can’t believe she’s even thinking it but where’s Brittany when she needs her?

“And you are?” Whitney asks – breaking Santana out of her thoughts.

Santana blinks, “Sorry?”

“Your name, dear.”

“Oh!” Santana blushes, “Duh. Sorry, I’m Santana.”

“Pretty name,” Whitney compliments.

“Santana,” Pierce repeats the name like he’s trying to commit it to memory.

Santana nods, wondering if she should be giving them the well-rehearsed spiel about their relationship or if she should just wait for Brittany. She’s really at a loss here and keeps looking to Brittany for some type of signal, but the girl is too focused on the trivia.

“So you have classes together?” Whitney asks, “You and Brittany?”

Santana swallows dryly, “Yeah. We have a couple together.”

“That’s nice,” Whitney replies. “You know our Brittany is the first in the family to go to college? Technically she’s gone to two so that’s even better.”

Santana’s brows rise at the information, “I-I didn’t know that, no.”

“She’s really something special,” She tells Santana. “We try to go to as many of her matches as we can. She’s just so smart.”

“We don’t know where she gets it from,” Pierce jokes. “Definitely not me.”

Whitney sighs through her smile, “It did take us all by surprise.”

Santana briefly remembers her and Brittany’s conversation on their flight back to campus. There was something about Brittany being left behind, about people not seeing her potential and giving up. It makes her wonder if her parents were lumped into that group, although it’s hard to imagine such a nice couple doing something like that to Brittany.

\\

When the match ends awhile later – another win for the Brainiacs – Santana anxiously awaits Brittany’s entrance. So far the conversation with Brittany’s parents never exceeded surface level stuff which is a relief but she can tell there are questions and she doesn’t think she can answer them on her own.

“Mom, dad,” Brittany greets. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“We thought we’d surprise you since we’ve missed your last couple of matches,” Whitney says.

Brittany nods and looks to Santana.

“We had similar ideas,” Santana explains. “Being that I’m a supportive girlfriend and all.”

“I see,” Brittany catches on and wraps her arm around Santana’s waist. “It was a great surprise.”

Whitney and Pete look between the two and start to smile.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were dating someone, Britt-Britt?” Pierce asks.

Santana’s brows rise at the nickname, “Yeah Britt-Britt. Wanna keep me a secret?”

Brittany forces a laugh as she subtly pinches Santana’s side.

“Kidding,” Santana amends.

“I was going to tell you this weekend,” Brittany explains to her parents. “I’ve been really focused on preparing for this match. It’s been a pretty busy week.”

“That’s okay, dear,” Whitney replies. “We just want to be kept in the loop.”

Brittany frowns, “Yeah sure. Well, we’ve got to get going.”

“What?” Santana quirks her brow.

Whitney and Pierce respond similarly, “You don’t want to go for dinner or ice cream or something? You know, like we used to?”

“Santana and I have plans already,” Brittany tells them. “Maybe tomorrow though if you’re still around.”

Whitney and Pierce exchange a look, “We were going to drive back tomorrow morning.”

“Right,” Brittany shrugs. “Well maybe next time then.”

Santana watches as Brittany begins saying her goodbyes to her parents. She can sense the awkward tension and it makes her feel weird for intruding, but it doesn’t last long as Brittany loops her arms with hers and drags her away.

“Uh, what was that about?” Santana questions when they’re outside. “You don’t want to hang out with your parents?”

Brittany ignores the questions as they get to walking, “Sorry if they were annoying or anything.”

Santana grows even more confused, “They weren’t. They just want to cheer you on. How's that annoying?”

“I forgot I was talking to the captain of the cheer squad,” Brittany deflects again with a smirk.

“I'm not captain.”

Brittany looks to her, “You're not?"

Santana shakes her head, “Nope. People suspect favoritism when your step dad is the football coach.”

Brittany scoffs, “What's he have to do with cheerleading?”

“Exactly,” Santana says before getting back on topic. “Anyway, your parents seem sweet.”

“I guess.”

Santana looks at her, “No?”

It takes Brittany a second to answer, “They just, they haven't always been there for me growing up. They had no problem handing me off when something more important came up, you know?”

Santana shakes her head, “What could be more important than their kid?”

“Beats me,” Brittany shrugs. “But I guess they're trying to make up for that now.”

Santana nods, noticing the forlorn look on Brittany’s face and how misplaced it looks. Her comment gets her thinking about her dad and how he wasn’t around that often either, but he never let her forget how proud he was of her accomplishments. Even if he wasn’t around a lot, Santana never doubted how he felt about her.

With Brittany, she doesn’t think she returns the sentiment.  

“Well, that's pretty fucked up,” Santana admits. Brittany looks back at her questioningly but Santana only shrugs, “I'd totally be there for my kid especially if they were half as smart as you.”

Brittany starts to grin and that forlornness suddenly disappears and morphs into something Santana’s a lot more familiar with.

“Didn't know you knew how to give compliments,” Brittany quips.

Santana rolls her eyes, “And there you go making me regret it.”

[440mxs-wife]

Broken Promises

Imagine: Gabriel tries to apologize after a fight.

It started out as any normal day. Well, normal for the hunting life, anyway. You rolled over to see your bedside clock telling you it was 8:30am, time to start your day. You also noticed the single red rose in the vase on your nightstand. Gabriel, you smiled to yourself as you closed your eyes and breathed in the rose's scent.

You and Gabriel had been seeing each other for the past year or so. Sam and Dean were a little skeptical at first, but then they saw how happy you were together. They did their best to stay civil whenever Gabriel was around, for your sake.

His favorite thing to do for you was to leave a single red rose for you to see each morning. He says he does it to show you how much he loves you. He even takes care to remove the thorns so you won't hurt yourself.

Your relationship hasn't been without its issues, though. You've caught Gabe with his arms around another woman on a few occasions. He assured you the women meant nothing, and that you are his one and only true love. You forgave him and you stayed together.

After your shower, you wrapped your hair in one towel and your body in another. You heard a fluttering of wings and could swear you smelled candy. You looked around, because you knew Gabriel was there, he just hadn't shown himself yet for some reason.

"Good morning, my love," you heard from behind you. "Good morning, Gabriel," you smiled, as you began to turn around.

"Whoa, hold on there a second. Loving the view, there, Sweetcheeks," he teased, reaching to pinch your backside.

You barely ducked out of his way, clutching the towel to your body. "You'd better clear out of here before Sam and/or Dean see you here with me in this state of undress," you warned.

"I am not afraid of Dean-o and/or Samsquatch," Gabriel scoffed. "Now come over here and let me see those 'sweet cheeks', Sweetcheeks," he taunted, reaching for your towel.

"Gabriel, now is not the time. I have to get dressed," you explained. Gabriel walked around you and got comfortable on the bed. He sat with his back against the headboard and his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. "By all means, Cupcake, please continue," he smirked.

You couldn't help but smile at his boldness, which also caused a blush to rise in your face. "Gabe, please. Either zap out and go do something else while I get dressed, or wait for me in the kitchen," you ordered.

"Ooh, I like it when you get bossy," he sassed. "All right, I'll give you 15 minutes to get dressed and not one second more. I'm pretty sure Dean-o and Samsquatch are in the kitchen by now. If they are, they won't be too pleased to see me unless you're there. I'll be back, baby," he promised, pulling you in for a slow, tender kiss. "There's more where that came from, sweetheart. I love you, you know," he said softly, as he caressed along your jawline with his index finger.

"Yes, Gabe, I know. I love you, too. Now, scoot, so I can get dressed, my love," you said as you tried to be stern. But the twinkle in his eye made it impossible, so you gave him a shy smile as he zapped out of sight.

You pulled on your favorite pair of dark blue jeans, a red scoop-neck T-shirt and red flannel shirt. Your black knee-high boots with the wedge heel completed your outfit. After running some styling gel through your short, spiky brown hair, you headed to the kitchen for some breakfast.

When you got there, coffee was already brewing and you popped a couple of pieces of bread into the toaster. As the bread toasted, you sliced a banana and retrieved the peanut butter from the pantry for your toast. When coffee finished brewing, you prepared it with a hot chocolate packet in the bottom and your favorite flavor of creamer.

You took your breakfast and your coffee over to the table. Just as you were about to sit in an empty seat, Gabriel appeared, so you ended up sitting on his lap. Gabe wrapped his arms around you, with Sam and Dean walking in just in time to witness this. They looked at each other and both rolled their eyes at the two of you. "Good morning, boys," you remarked.

"Good morning, hope you two haven't been carrying on any funny business in here. People eat and prepare food in here," Dean grumbled.

"Relax, Dean, I just sat down with my breakfast and Gabriel appeared. What's on the schedule today?" you asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"Well, we've got that demon hunt to get packed for, the one up north of here," Sam explained.

"Demon hunt?" Gabe asked, suddenly on high alert. "But you're just staying back here to research, right, Cupcake?"

"Gabe, we've talked about this. I'm a hunter. You can't protect me from everything. I need to go on cases from time to time to keep my skills sharp. Please understand, I'll be careful, and I have Sam and Dean to look out for me," you replied.

"Come here, sugar," he said, pulling your hand as you followed him to the library. "Listen, I don't want you to go, baby. I've got a bad feeling about this. Besides, Thing One and Thing Two would sacrifice you for each other faster than you can say, 'Oh My Dad'," he retorted.

"Gabriel! That's an absolutely horrible thing to say. In all the hunts I've been on with them, they have always taken good care of me. I've even saved their butts a few times and I'm still here, aren't I?" you ranted.

"That's because you're the better hunter, Sweetcheeks," Gabe said, as he tried to smooth things over. "Please promise me that you'll stay behind on this hunt. You can go on the next one. Please, baby, promise me," he pleaded.

You thought about what he was asking of you. You didn't like that he was trying to control your hunting by saying when you can and can't go. You also didn't want to leave Sam and Dean short-handed, because these simple hunts have a way of going sideways for the Winchesters. Finally, you relented, stating you would ask to be left behind this time, even though you weren't crazy about the idea.

Gabe responded to you with a long kiss, full of passion and a promise of more later. "Thank you, my love. I know it's not what you want to do, but I appreciate your understanding. I have to go for now, but I'll be back soon. I love you," he said.

"I love you, too, Gabe. See you soon," you replied. A whoosh of wings, and he was gone.

You walked back into the kitchen to brief the guys. They weren't happy about your decision to stay behind and research, but they also understood your reasons. You told them, though, if they needed you, they should call and you would be there to back them up.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sam and Dean met with the local law enforcement and the medical examiner about the recent deaths. They sent you the files in an email so that you could comb through it and look for any connections. They headed out for something to eat while you looked at the files.

After reviewing the files, you noticed that all of the victims had some of the same characteristics as you. Same age, hair/eye color and height. You shared your findings with Sam and Dean, and you all came to the same conclusion. In order to trap the leader of the demons, you had to become the bait. Not your favorite role, but you knew it had to be done to prevent any more deaths.

You packed your bag with extra clothes, toiletries, your demon blade and your flask of holy water. You picked up your keys for your 1968 royal blue Chevy Nova along with your wallet from your nightstand and headed for the garage. Once you hit the highway, you cranked up the classic rock and went to meet the boys.

A little after 11:00pm, you met with the boys at their motel. The plan was for you to get dressed up, sit at the bar and order a drink. Then you would wait for one of the demons to approach you and take you out of the bar. Sam and Dean would be outside, ready to follow.

The hunt went about as well as expected. The demon found you at the bar easily enough, and he whisked you away from the bar. He knew you were a hunter, though, and you ended up tied to a chair. Sam and Dean were occupied by other demons sent to attack, but they fought them off and took out the one holding you hostage.

On the way home, Dean convinced you to stop at the bar to celebrate a successful hunt. You agreed, but only for one drink, because you were tired. You also wanted to be home in case Gabriel decided to visit and make good on his earlier promise he made when he kissed you.

Sam and Dean walked in first, then Dean turned around abruptly. "You know what? Let's just go home. The place is really packed tonight. You're right, we just fought off some demons and we should get some sleep," he rattled off quickly.

"Dean, what's gotten into you? The place is damn near empty tonight," you observed as you pushed past him on your way to the bar. "Besides, a drink is just what I'll need to....help me....fall...." you trailed off.

Over in the corner, you caught a glimpse of a man with whiskey-colored hair and hazel eyes. His arms were wound tightly around a woman with raven black hair and an ample chest. You walked over, cleared your throat, and asked, "Gabe? What's going on here?"

"Well, look who's done with her 'research' and came out with the boys!" he snarled. "I went to the bunker to keep you company, but to my surprise, you weren't there. You promised me that you would stay behind while these two went out hunting!" he snapped.

"And you, Gabriel, promised me that you wouldn't do this anymore, that you wouldn't go out with other women. Well, it looks like we both broke our promises tonight. I'm sorry, but I'm done competing with other women for your heart. They can have you and you can have them, because we're done. Goodbye, Gabriel," your voice broke and you went running out of the bar, tears streaming down your face. You got behind the wheel and sped off towards the bunker.

Gabriel tried to follow you, but Sam and Dean blocked his way. "Don't even think about zapping in to talk to her. I think you'd better leave her alone for a while," Dean ordered. "She didn't deserve for you to treat her this way, and you certainly don't deserve her," he retorted.

Gabriel knew Dean was right, and that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He lost you, his one and only true love, but he was determined to get you back. He just wasn't sure quite yet how to do it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The first few days were the hardest. During that time, you couldn't even smell a chocolate bar without bursting into tears. Sam and Dean tried to keep your spirits up, playing cards, taking road trips, having movie nights. After about a week, you started to mostly keep to your room, only coming out to shower and for meals.

Sam and Dean still went hunting, often leaving you behind to research cases and field calls from other hunters. On one of these occasions, Castiel paid you a visit.

"Hey Cas, what's going on? Something I can help you with?" you asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. It's about Gabriel," he started but you held up your hand. 

"Stop. I am not interested in anything Gabriel has to say. I realize I made a mistake and broke my promise to him about not going hunting. I wouldn't have done so if my assistance wasn't absolutely needed. Doesn't make it right, I know, but still," you replied.

"Please, he asked me to see if you would find it in your heart to give him another chance. He said he was so angry about you going hunting that he wasn't thinking clearly," Cas pleaded.

"Let's say I agree to give him one more chance. What happens the next time I have to do the opposite of what he thinks I should do? Gabriel promised me that he wouldn't see other women. He said I was his one and only true love, but he was hanging all over that woman. I saw her, Cas. She was very pretty, much more attractive than me.

"Seeing Gabriel with her kinda made me feel like I'm nothing to him," you said in a small voice, tears threatening. "No. I can't--I won't go back to someone who thinks that little of me." Your phone started ringing and the caller ID showed it was Sam. "Excuse me, Cas, I have to take this. Hello?" you answered and Cas was gone. 

Following Castiel's visit, a single red rose began appearing again every morning in the vase you kept on your nightstand. Every morning, you plucked the rose out of the vase and dropped it in the wastebasket next to your bed. After about a week, you took the vase off your nightstand and put it in the drawer. Without the vase, the roses no longer appeared.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Man, you've got to be desperate if you're coming to us for help," Dean smirked.

"You're right, I am desperate. She's completely ignoring me and told Castiel that she wasn't interested in anything I had to say. I used to leave a single rose for her every morning in this vase she kept on her nightstand. Now? She's been throwing away the flowers and has removed the vase. She used to forgive me when this would happen before. Why can't she just do that now?" he grumbled.

"Really?!? Are you that clueless about women, especially her?" Sam broke in angrily. "She should know that your actions match your words. She deserves to feel cherished, like she is the most important person in your life. She needs to know that you would do whatever it takes to keep her from feeling an ounce of pain. Most of all, she wants someone who thinks more of her than he does himself, not that she'll ever let him," Sam concluded.

"Gee, if I didn't know any better, Samsquatch, I'd think you had some sort of feelings for her. Well, forget it, she's mine," Gabriel growled.

Sam got right in Gabriel's face and said, "Then act like it and treat her as such, you big jerk! You know what she told Cas? She thinks that the other woman was much more attractive to you than she is. She said that seeing you together made her feel like she's nothing to you. What you did that night was a dick move. You were so upset that she went hunting behind your back, that you decided to hurt her back, right? That's not how love works."

He continued, "And just so you know, you did hurt her. At first, she couldn't even look at a piece of candy without breaking out into tears. Lately, we're lucky if she even says two words to anyone, and she only comes out of her room to shower and eat, if that. If you love her like you say you do, then SHOW HER. If not, leave her alone," Sam finished.

"Where is she now?" Gabriel asked quietly.

"She's in her room, probably asleep," Dean answered.

Gabriel zapped into your room but he kept himself invisible. He could see you on the bed, tossing and turning, mumbling something in your sleep. "Gabriel? Where are you? Wait--no....stop, please....NO! Get away from him! Don't hurt him, please! Take me instead! GABRIEL!! Hang on, my love, stay with me. We'll get you fixed up in no ti--Gabe? Gabe?? Gabriel?!? Sam, Dean, I've lost him. Oh, my love...." You dissolved into sobs while still asleep.

Gabe decided he had seen enough. Even in your dreams, you still loved him enough to put his well-being above your own, even after what he had done. He reached up to wipe away the tears on his face. After seeing you go through your nightmare of losing him, he realized what a jerk he'd been.

He walked slowly out to the main living area to where Sam and Dean were sitting. They could see that his eyes were red and puffy from crying. Before either of them could say anything, Gabriel said, "Please. You've got to help me. I still love her, and after what I just saw, I love her even more now. You're right, it was a dick move, going after that other chick. I should never have done that. Will you help me?" The boys looked at one other and grinned before each clamping a hand on Gabriel's shoulder and putting together a plan.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Rise and shine, Valentine!" Dean bellowed, pulling the blankets off of you.

"Dean, you'd better be out of here before I count ten. I'm not getting out of bed today," you grumbled.

He sat down on the edge of your bed. "Oh, yes you are. You've been cooped up too long in here, and so far, we've let you, but not anymore. Please, honey. It's not good to be isolated like this. Sam and I want to take you out somewhere, so get out of bed, shower and meet us in the kitchen. You'll feel much better after your shower, and I'll have your coffee waiting, made just the way you like it," Dean promised.

You sighed. "All right. It looks like a beautiful spring day coming on, I would hate to let it go by without taking advantage of it," you agreed.

"That's the spirit! Now, hurry up, you don't want your coffee to get cold," Dean remarked. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

"Hey, Dean?" he turned around to face you. "Thank you," you replied.

"You're welcome, honey. For what though?" he asked.

"For being such a good friend, caring about me, you know," you answered.

"Always, sweetheart. Always," he assured you, pulling you into a hug. "Now get thee to the shower, woman! Time's a-wastin'!"

Dean was right, you did feel better after your shower. As a matter of fact, you chose to wear one of your sundresses today, a pale yellow one with little navy blue flowers all over it. You pulled out your thin white sweater from the closet and your white Keds tennis shoes.

There was a little spring in your step as you walked towards the kitchen to get your coffee. You smiled at Sam and Dean as you sat down at the breakfast table.

"You look very nice today," Sam remarked. "Thank you, Sam," you replied. "And thank you for whatever we're going to do today. Dean's right, I've been stuck moping in my room for too long. Time to get out and enjoy the day," you said.

After breakfast, you all got into the Impala and ended up at a carnival that Sam had heard about and found on the internet. You split a funnel cake with Dean and you got to ride on the Ferris Wheel. Once you came down from your ride, Sam took you over to the games and won you a teddy bear from the ring toss game.

Soon, it was getting dark, and it was time to go home. You slid into the back seat of the Impala and it wasn't long before you were asleep. You woke up to Dean nudging your arm. When you looked around, though, you were in a clearing in the park and not at home in the bunker.

"Guys, what's going on? Why are we here and not at home?" you asked.

"This is the last part of your day. Our instructions are to escort you to that park bench and to wait with you until your host arrives," Dean explained.

You all walked over and you sat down on the bench. "And just who might this 'mystery host' be?" you inquired. Just then, the clearing was lit with a soft glow.

"Good evening, miss. Is this seat taken?" a man to your left asked.

"Gabriel...." you whispered, then quickly stood up to run back to the Impala, only to find that Sam and Dean had already left.

"Please, sweetheart, I would like to talk to you about that night," Gabriel pleaded.

"Gabriel, I don't know that there's anything more to say. You were upset that I broke my promise about not hunting, which was wrong on my part. But then you decided to get even with me with another woman. She was....beautiful, much prettier than me. I hope you're happy with her," you choked out. You started to walk away, but Gabriel caught your hand in his.

"No one makes me as happy as you do. No one can or ever will. What I did was wrong, and I'm so sorry, sweetheart for hurting you. It's just....I get scared whenever you go hunting. I'm afraid something will happen, and I won't be able to get to you fast enough. I don't want to lose you," Gabriel explained.

"Why didn't you say that before? I would've understood, Gabe. It may not have changed my decision, but at least I'd know how you're feeling," you replied. "Otherwise, it comes off like you're trying to control me, and that doesn't really work for me."

Gabriel reached up with his hands to cup your face. "I know, my love, and I'll try to remember that in the future. Sweetheart, I have a confession to make. That night you had your nightmare about me?" You nodded. "I was in your room, watching you go through it all. It broke my heart to see you in such pain over something that wasn't real. I wanted so badly to take you in my arms and comfort you, but I figured you still didn't want anything to do with me."

"Well....at the time I didn't. But now....you could try putting your arms around me, and we could see how it goes," you said shyly.

No sooner were the words out of your mouth that Gabriel's arms were around you, holding you close. "Oh, my love," Gabe whispered. "I've missed this so much, Sugar. You are my one and only love, now and forever, I promise." He searched your face as he tried to figure out what you were looking at. "Something wrong, darlin'?" he asked.

"Gabe, honey, are these your....wings? They're beautiful, all ivory-colored with flecks of gold in them," you marveled as you ran your hands along his feathers.

"You can see them?" he asked, and you nodded. "Sweetheart, the only way you could see my wings is if I let you, or you're my soulmate," Gabe explained. "That means we're meant to be together, forever and always."

"Sounds perfect to me," you said softly as you reached up and meshed your lips with his. The kiss started slow and gentle, but then Gabriel took over, the intensity building with each passing second.

"I love you, Sugar," Gabriel declared.

"I love you too, Gabriel. Let's go home," you suggested, as he zapped you both back to your room in the bunker.

[ahtohallan-calling]

chapter 1 of the food of love is here!

{kristanna / t /modern au / humor and fluff / pride & prejudice inspired}

Legendary food critic Hayden West is known for their scathing reviews of restaurants and wickedly sharp wit. Restaurant owners tremble at the thought of the day the mysterious reviewer will walk through their doors-- never suspecting that Hayden West is, in fact, the redheaded woman with a sketchbook eating a quiet meal alone.

It's an easy enough job for Anna, and she's got her routine down pat, especially with the help of her assistant, Olaf.

And then comes the day she walks into Kristoff Bjorgman's restaurant-- and gets much, much more than she bargained for.

Pencil-- check.

Sketchbook-- check.

Phone, wallet, and keys-- check.

Anna took one last glance at herself in the mirror, smoothing down the navy skirt of her nondescript dress. Her hair, that couldn’t be helped; a wig would stand out even more than the fiery shade of auburn, but she’d pulled it up into a ponytail to keep it mostly out of sight. Simple makeup, plain unbranded shoes-- she appeared entirely unremarkable.

Perfect.

She hummed to herself a little as she locked her apartment and headed towards the stairs. This week’s assignment was easy enough; some new little bistro on the edge of an area that was trendy five years ago. 

She liked the little, unfussy places. It was easier to hide when no one cared if she lingered with her sketchbook, easier to see what she was looking for at places where you could hear what was happening in the kitchen while still watching the manager wander around trying to figure out who Hayden West was. 

The only clue they ever got was the day Hayden would be there; no photos existed of the mysterious restaurant critic, no matter how many times their scathing reviews went viral. “The Gordon Ramsay of newspaper critics,” that was what the Times had called Hayden after a withering review of a seafood place had garnered a hundred thousand retweets for its description of particularly horrible crab cakes that “deserved neither to be called crab nor cake but perhaps a vaguely saltwater scented cement patty that should be patented and marketed as an instantaneously effective weight loss supplement.”

Anna had been particularly proud of that one. It was a rare day when the food was actually bad enough to warrant such a review on its own; the fact that the manager had gotten into a screaming match that reduced a sixteen year old waitress to tears was simply motivation to hold absolutely nothing back. 

She wondered, sometimes, what people would think if they knew the truth: that in fact Hayden had never existed at all and was in fact a twenty-four-year-old woman who’d unexpectedly been promoted into the gig after the man she’d been interning under was unceremoniously given the boot for drunkenly relieving himself on the editor’s lawn, where he had gotten caught by a ferocious Maltese.

The restaurant, thankfully, was only a few blocks away; her car was in desperate need of a replacement everything, but she didn’t have the heart to get rid of it, not when it’d seen her through thick and thin for nearly ten years, from her sixteenth birthday to her college move-ins to her hour long commute to the Tribune’s office for her barely-more-than-unpaid internship. 

It came to a creaky halt in front of the restaurant at ten to noon; she’d have just enough time to get seated without having to wait, but she’d bear witness to the midday lunch rush and its aftermath. The place wasn’t much to look at, though she could tell by the small garden out front and the stenciled outlines on the white-painted brick wall that it wasn’t for lack of effort. It had opened only a month ago, the latest in a long line of valiant attempts to put something interesting on this block. If she remembered correctly, six months ago this space had been a design-your-own-lasagna place (wonderful idea, but impossible to execute efficiently); before that, there had been a sugar-free bakery that had been run out of business in two weeks when it was discovered that the only sugar-free thing it sold was bottled water; and even before that, it had been, like most places that were cursed with a constant “for lease” sign, a Jenny Craig. 

And now it was just BB’s, a name that was so simple it made her worry that this venture would fail like all its predecessors, especially considering its lack of marketing and online presence; she’d had to send her intern to do some scouting for her to even get her hands on a menu in advance.

“This place is great, boss,” Olaf had said through a mouthful of food as he’d called her on his way back to the office. “They’ve even got cheesecake.”

“With--”

“Chocolate sauce, yeah, yeah, I know how you are. I got the menu for you and had the cute waiter circle all his recommendations, and that was top of the list. Well, not literally top, the desserts are all at the--”

“I knew what you meant, Olaf,” she’d said as she rolled her eyes, a fond smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “And thanks.”

Now, Anna found herself hoping he had been right about this place when she pushed the door open, bells jingling overhead; it had been far too long since she’d gotten the chance to write an enthusiastic endorsement of a place that really deserved it. To her surprise, only one other table was taken by two men, one broad-shouldered and blond, the other dark-haired and sporting a wide smile the second he laid eyes on her.

“Hi!” he said brightly, leaping to his feet and wiping his hands on his apron. “Welcome to BB’s! Table for one?”

“Yes, please,” she said, returning his smile after a moment’s confusion; if the place was as good as Olaf had said, why was it this desolate on a Saturday at lunchtime?

“I’m Ryder, and I’ll be taking care of you today,” the waiter said, pulling a chair out for her at a table next to the window. “Let me grab you a menu, okay?”

“Thanks,” Anna said, her focus instead on the other man as he rose to his feet and ambled over to the door that led to the kitchen. He was even taller-- and broader, Jesus but those shoulders-- than she’d realized at first. 

This place must have been an old-fashioned diner once upon a time, judging by the window to the kitchen through which she could still see him. He was handsome, she supposed, if you liked men with strong jaws and broad noses and floppy golden hair.

And brown eyes, she thought, her cheeks turning bright red as he looked up and caught her staring. She jerked her attention away just as Ryder said cheerfully “Here you go!” as he put a laminated menu on the table in front of her. “The soup of the day is minestrone. What would you like to drink?”

“Water, please, and a coffee,” she said, still trying to cover her embarrassment.

“I’ll brew some fresh for you and be right back,” he said, that broad grin still plastered to his face as he bustled back to the kitchen.

Anna fidgeted a little in her seat as she pulled out her sketchbook. The whole point of her job was going unnoticed, but if she was the only customer in the restaurant today-- shit, this could blow her whole cover, considering each restaurant knew in advance that Hayden was coming that day.

For now, though, she had to worry about her notes, and so she began to sketch the interior of the restaurant in the notepad. She was no great artist by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the best way she’d found to remember her thoughts and impressions of a restaurant without having to worry about prying eyes reading over her shoulder. With each detail she drew, she thought of something specific-- friendly waiter as she scribbled the outline of the door, not busy, why? for the back of a chair, clean, good health rating posted for the box of the kitchen window.

And the menu-- she glanced over it as she doodled it. Simple, Italian-American fare; judging by the names-- Cliff’s Favorite, a deep-dish pizza with meatballs, and Ronnie’s Ravioli-- these were family recipes. She couldn’t help but wonder about what the chef’s family was like as she dared to steal another peek at him. He was working on prepping something, his forehead furrowed in concentration, and if she noticed the way his shoulders strained against his white t-shirt as he did so...well, so long as he didn’t catch her looking again, what did it matter?

The bells over the door jingled, startling her, and she turned to see a chattering group of six friends come in. A feeling of relief washed over her; she hated to see places like this go under fast.

Ryder set her coffee down in front of her, winking as he dropped a couple of creamers beside it, before scurrying over to seat the newcomers. She took a sip as her phone buzzed with a text from Olaf.

how is it?

Good so far. Decent coffee. Not many people here, though, can you send some friends?

aye aye, captain. i’ll remind them to do a better job of pretending not to recognize you this time lol

God, it was hard to remember how she’d used to do this without him. When Hans had first been fired and she’d been unceremoniously promoted into his newly vacant position, she’d spent the first few weeks scrambling to find a restaurant that actually deserved the sort of bad review Hayden West was known for. Hans, of course, had never had such scruples, but it felt wrong to Anna to make a mockery of a place and risk running it out of business when it was run by perfectly nice people, even if they did have a watery hollandaise. She’d used to rely on word of mouth and her own scouting expeditions to try and find places that really deserved it, but it wasn’t until she’d found the place with the shitty crab cakes that she’d finally found a manager who was a big enough asshole to deserve every bad review the place got.

The problem, though, was that when the review had gone viral, it had spelled a complete shutdown for the restaurant. After spending two sleepless nights worrying about the impact it’d have on the rest of the staff, Anna had gone for a second visit-- this time ordering a simple salad that still managed to be disgusting-- and pulled one of the waiters aside, asking about the plans the rests of the staff had for a next job.

And, because that had been her lucky day, the waiter had been Olaf, and he’d been just as enthusiastic as she was about helping connect the rest of the staff with new places more than willing to hire them on-- and he didn’t ask any questions about why, exactly, she cared so much. But when Anna had asked what Olaf himself was looking for as a next step, he’d blushed and admitted, “Honestly, I’m on a break from college right now. Journalism major-- not sure if it’s worth finishing, you know?”

Anna had confessed then for the very first time that she was, in fact, the legendary Hayden West-- or at least his successor-- expecting him to react with shock and, if she was being honest, a bit of awe, but instead Olaf had burst into laughter.

“Obviously,” he said, wiping at his eyes. “I saw the way you were looking around the place and heard the questions you were asking. Secret’s safe with me, though.”

She’d called her boss the same day asking to bring him on as a paid intern, and neither of them had looked back since. Olaf had a knack for finding disgruntled waitstaff in the Tri-State area complaining on Twitter and Reddit about their shitty bosses, then following up with them after Hayden’s reviews were published to make sure that they and their coworkers had a better place to work, either because their managers had seen the light or because they had moved on to greener pastures.

One of the tricks they’d developed together was sending in decoys if Anna was ever worried about getting caught. Olaf had a whole network of friends who were more than willing to show up to restaurants at a moment’s notice and eat a meal on the Tribune’s dime. 

Today, though, she needed a certain pair of them to make sure this went smoothly.

Send the two improv kids, she texted back. They’ve got their work cut out for them-- this place is deserted. They have to act extra Hayden-y.

Olaf replied with only a thumbs-up emoji. Anna sighed and sat back in her seat, and a moment later Ryder appeared by her side. “Ready to order?” he asked, wearing another bright smile.

Extra attentive-- she’d add that to the sketch later. “Yeah,” she said, skimming the menu quickly again. Honestly, so far, this place hit every mark of a restaurant worth one of Hayden’s really positive reviews, which, thanks to the column’s usual reputation, went even more viral than the venomous ones-- not every day that a renowned cynic actually liked something.

There was just one more test, the one that elevated a good place to a great one, great enough that she’d come back to on her own time and money and bring her sister along for the ride.

“I’ll just have the spaghetti, please,” she said with her sunniest smile.

Ryder nodded and turned away, whistling to himself, and she glanced up at the clock over his head. 

Five minutes and counting, she thought. Fingers crossed this goes the way I want.

---

a/n: THANK YOU to molly, laura, and melissa for helping me brainstorm and plan this one out!!extra thanks to molly and to johanna for helping me with some of the restaurant stuff, to ronnie for helping me decide what kind of restaurant kristoff would have, and as always, to creative director gabi :')

[jenniferxprentiss]

You Are In Love

Chapter Three: And at Every Table, I’ll Save You A Seat

read it on ao3 here, listen to the song here

Hi! Okay! Chapter 3 is finally done and we’ve got Will dealt with....or do we? We’ll see in upcoming chapters - but they can’t stay in domestic bliss for too long! Idk, I suck at describing chapters.

Throwing the tag list here, lemme know if I forgot you! @garcias-batcave @f-m27 @whiskey-fluent @jjsgirlfriend @criminalmindsgonewrong @heat-waveee @davidrossi-ismydad @good-heavens-chris-evans @abbyprentiss @higuysimbroken @dont-trustyourfeelings

And without further ado, here’s the chapter! As always, I would really appreciate reviews if you feel so inclined, but if you don’t, that’s cool too! Thank you for reading!

For once, the shrill sound of the alarm on the bedside table woke Emily before the sunlight did, usually up hours before her alarm was due to go off. She was comfortable, eyes bleary as she slapped the alarm clock. It had been so long since she was able to sleep in - she blamed it on the crying the night before and not the warm body barnacled to her chest.

Warm body barnacled to her chest - oh, shit.

Emily’s face was buried in JJ’s hair, arms still tightly wound around her as JJ was sprawled out over her. Her face was pinched, like she was trying not to wake up, the alarm clock having clearly woken them both from a restful sleep.

“Ugh, what time is it?” JJ mumbled, lips against Emily’s collarbone.

A blush crept up on Emily’s face, heating up her cheeks and chest. She tried to hide it in a cough, rubbing at her face. JJ’s face was so soft, so open, her blue eyes practically sparkling in the morning light.

“Uh, about nine? I haven’t really ever slept long enough for my alarm to sound.”

“Because your bed is lonely and cold.”

Emily laughed, strained and half hearted because it was true, she just wouldn’t admit it. She kicked the covers off of them, nearly pulling them back up at JJ’s sad, soft pout.

“Oh come on, you know we need to get into the office today. Up with you, go.”

Emily playfully shoved JJ off of her, propping herself up on her elbows as she watched JJ walk to the door and stop, leaning on the doorframe again. Seriously, what was it with that woman and leaning in doorways.

“My stuff’s still down the hall, yeah?”

She nodded, unable to speak. Her eyes were trained on JJ, the way the sweater hung down just low enough that Emily could barely make out the sleep shorts under it. Her hair was tousled, eyes shining brightly as she looked over at Emily with a goofy grin. Emily tried to ignore the flush creeping up on her cheeks, the way her heart was pounding at just the sight of JJ - and god, in that moment she hated Will Laryngitis even more for ever making JJ feel inadequate.

“You okay?”

“Yeah!” Emily rushed out, ignoring her heart pounding in her chest. “Yeah, I’m good. Your stuff is still in the bathroom, yeah - why don’t you get washed up while I grab you some clean clothes and start on breakfast?”

“Yeah.” JJ smiled, pushing off of the doorframe and walking backwards for a few paces. “Thanks for cuddling me.”

“Thanks for uh, being so cuddly?”

“Okay, I’m going now.”

The light lilt of JJ’s laugh got quieter as she retreated down the hall, hair bouncing as she half skipped away. Emily’s heart was still racing - she blamed it on the sheer fact that she hadn’t had company in her bed in quite some time, and not who the company had been.

She busied herself with finding them clothes to wear to work - selecting a blue dress she rarely wore for JJ, paired with a blazer, not wanting anyone to ask any questions as to why JJ was wearing her clothing. The thought of JJ in her clothes made her smirk - they were best friends, she’s certainly wore her fair share of JJ’s clothing after waking up on her couch, passed out after a long night of drinking.

Walking down the hall, the faint sound of water and JJ’s humming brought a smile to Emily’s face. She stood outside the bathroom door, the small pile of clothing in her hand as she just listened, the soft murmur of her voice nearly drowned out by the running water.

She was broken from her thoughts when JJ let out a small cough, nearly dropping the small pile in her hands. Emily let out a shaky laugh at her own antics before laying the pile on the floor outside the door, knocking gently so not to startle JJ.

“Hey, I’m leaving you some clothes out here. Feel free to go use my bathroom if you need to use my makeup or anything.”

“Thanks, Em.”

Emily sauntered down the hall, smile so bright her cheeks were burning. She could hear the shy smile in JJ’s words, knowing exactly what her face looked like in that moment.

In a feeble attempt to distract herself from thinking of JJ in the shower, singing and fully of shy smiles, she started the coffee machine up and got to work on their breakfast. She wrapped her favorite apron around her waist, tying it before she set about measuring out the ingredients for their pancakes.

Emily danced around the kitchen, humming to the song on the radio - a Taylor Swift song she absolutely loved but wouldn’t tell anyone about, just knowing the team would have a field day with her if they knew. She twirled around, apron and nightgown lending to the domestic fantasy she allowed herself to think about only in the most private moments, while she was cooking or cleaning and singing along to the radio.

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue.

All's well that ends well to end up with you.

Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover.

And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me.

And at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover.

There was a rustling in the doorway of the kitchen, Emily turning around and locking eyes with JJ, a crimson flush burning on her cheeks. She nearly dropped her spatula, eyes raking over JJ’s body.

She looked absolutely gorgeous in that dress, the blue making her eyes shine impossibly brighter. Her lips were curved up in the ghost of a small smile, eyes warm and inviting. Emily felt her heart clench - blamed it on hormones the way it made her ache to see JJ in her clothing - before letting out a shaky laugh.

“You weren’t supposed to see that.”

JJ seated herself on a stool at the breakfast bar, elbows resting on the countertop and face propped up by her hand. Her smile was wide, eyes sparkling as she stared at Emily. She didn’t say a word, just watching her and nodding slightly, encouraging her to continue.

The last bars of the song faded away and Emily turned the radio down a few notches, plating the last pancakes and sliding the stack in front of JJ. She was trying her best to contain her blush and her embarrassment, face still flushed and chewing on her bottom lip.

“Stop.” JJ‘s voice was soft, just a hint of playfulness behind it. “I like seeing this side of you.”

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you said that and pour our coffee now.”

Emily was laughing at herself, pouring two mugs of coffee from the carafe and mixing them the way they both liked - lots of sugar and a little bit of creamer, enough to make the rest of the team laugh at them while they linked pinkies and smiled goofily at each other. The thought brought a dumb smirk to Emily’s face, sliding the mug across the bar to JJ and sitting beside her.

“You don’t have to make me breakfast.”

“I know. I wanted to, is that a crime?”

“Yes. You’re an unsub now.”

They both laughed, hysterical peals of laughter as they dig into their breakfast, forks bumping and clanging together on the same plate.

————————

It had been a long day, and JJ was a little more than excited to get home and kick up her feet, absolutely nothing to do. She pulled into her driveway, stifling a yawn - it had been a long day of paperwork and local cases, and she honestly couldn’t wait to get back in the air and off to another big case.

Her stomach flopped at the thought of having to talk to Will after their non-fight last night. Before she crawled into bed with Emily, she had sent him a text - if he couldn’t accept that she didn’t want an abortion, she was leaving. It made her chuckle, a small breathy laugh under her breath, that she worked for the FBI and stared death in the face on a regular basis, but talking to her boyfriend made her nauseous at times.

JJ took the front steps two at a time, digging her keys out of her purse and pressing the key into the lock. It didn’t even jiggle. She frowned, eyes narrowing as she really looked at the lock, letting out a hissed curse.

Fucking Will.

He had changed the locks at some point between their conversation and now. She wanted to cry, running her hand through her hair, loose and messy, before she noticed a note under the mat.

JJ,

I hate to do this, but there’s really no choice. I can’t force you to get an abortion, and you can’t force me to stay with you. Your clothing is in the garage, we can arrange for you to pick up the rest of your belongings later. Let me know if you reconsider.

All the best,

Will.

Hot, angry tears dripped down her face, fingers clutching at the paper so hard it wrinkled. She tried to exhale, breath shaking as she withdrew her keys from the door and walked down the steps, head down as she tried her best not to cry.

She pulled out her phone, dialing the first number that came to mind - Emily. Of all people, of all of her friends, she knew Emily would judge her the least. She picked up on the second ring, quietly, listening to JJ’s ragged breathing laced with wet tears.

“Jayje? Is everything okay?”

“No…” She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, choking back a sob. “I need you. I don’t know what to do. Will changed the fucking locks.”

“He did what?!” Emily paused, and JJ could make out the faint jingle of her keys. “Stay right there, don’t move. I’m coming, I’m on my way. Fifteen minutes, Jayje. Will you be okay for fifteen minutes?”

She nodded, letting out a watery laugh at the fact that Emily couldn’t see her. There was a mechanical noise, then the sound of Emily’s car starting and the engine revving.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. I’m going to… he left my clothes in the garage. He said uh, he said I can get the rest of my things another time.”

Emily made a soft hum, and JJ knew she was speeding and trying to concentrate. She opened the garage, choking back another sob at the sight of her clothing thrown into garbage bags, sitting in the middle of the garage.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Emily.”

“What the fuck do you mean? You don’t know what you’re going to do? You’re staying with me and that’s final. You don’t impose on anything, you’re my best fucking friend.” Emily let out a long sigh, and JJ could hear her manicured fingernails tapping on the steering wheel anxiously. “Tell me you’ll at least consider it?”

“Yeah, Em. I’ll consider it.”

The call immediately dropped as Emily’s car screeched to a stop in front of the house. She jumped out, leaving the door open and lights on, running over to JJ and wrapping her arms around her.

Only then did JJ allow herself to break down, in Emily’s arms for the third time in two days. She sobbed brokenly into Emily’s shoulder, hands coming up to clutch at her back as sobs wracked her body.

“Oh, Jayje.” Emily whispered, arms tightening around her. “It’s alright, it’s going to be okay. We’ll figure it out.”

“It doesn’t feel okay.” JJ sniffled, pulling back from Emily’s embrace, hand motioning to the garage. “It looks like he packed most of my stuff but uh, I need to come back for the rest that’s inside. I don’t know what to do, where to put it all.”

“We’ll put in my house, I have next to no furniture anyways. I want you to feel at home, however long you stay.” Emily tossed a bag into the back of JJ’s car before walking to get more. “Just so you know, I wouldn’t object to you staying permanently.”

JJ shook her head, a small smile ghosting over her lips. Emily always knew how to make things infinitely better, bringing a smile to her face in the darkest times - whether that be through heartbreak, or after getting beaten up by an unsub.

“I don’t want to impose, really, but I appreciate it.”

“You aren’t imposing if I offer.” Emily pointed out, eyebrow raised as she continued to load bags into JJ’s car.

Her car was still sitting in the street abandoned, lights on and door still flung open. The sight made JJ’s heart clench, the amount that Emily cared for her touching her soul. She watched on as Emily finished loading the cars, stopping to swiftly kick the bumper of Will’s car, both women breaking out into hysterical giggles.

When they calmed down what felt like hours later, JJ doubled over with laughter, they both straightened up and walked towards their cars. JJ closed her trunk, offering Emily a shy smile, hands stuffed in her pockets before she spoke.

“Then if it’s not imposing, let’s go home.”

“Yeah, Jayje, let’s go home.”

Emily had to turn away before JJ saw the ridiculously wide smile she couldn’t stifle away, and despite the situation, JJ wore a matching smile too.