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[whatifitis]

♡ Cursing The Daylight - LN 4 ♡

Summary: Lando hates knowing you never sleep well so when he believes he's figured out why, he makes it his mission to save his sleepy girlfriend from sleep deprivation.

Author's note: A little blurb thing I wrote at 2 am. I tried my best 😭

WC: 1045

CW: Lando being a bit dumb and the sweetest person ever, fluff

You were currently cursing the daylight, watching as a blue bird flew past your window.

Fucker 

It was yet another sleepless night in your apartment. You continued to stare at your alarm clock, waiting for it to go off, a little reminder that if you were capable of sleeping properly, you’d still have 5 more minutes of sleep. 

For most of your life, especially in recent years, you’ve never been able to get a full night's rest. You’d always end up tossing and turning for hours, as well as waking up about 7 times a night. Every day you would feel irritated and restless due to your lack of sleep. 

However, whenever you slept over at your boyfriend's house, you always managed to get a good night's sleep. You and your boyfriend, Lando, have been together for about 5 months. The first night you two had spent together, was the first time you’d been able to sleep well. You woke up bright and early and you felt amazing, like nothing could stop you. 

Over the course of your relationship, Lando came to be aware of your inability to sleep well most nights. Whenever you would sleep in your own apartment, Lando would receive mass amounts of texts from you, all about how you slept terribly and that you either needed a nap or many coffees. 

Lando, being the ever so lovely person he is, picked up on something. The only times you would get a good night's sleep, waking up and not needing to complain about anything and everything, was when you slept at his place. 

The mattress! The boy thought, she sleeps better at mine cause my mattress is fucking mint. 

Upon realizing this, Lando goes and orders the same exact mattress he has, and has it sent to yours. He thought it’d be a nice surprise for you so that you can get a goodnight sleep every night. Another plus would be that you guys are coming up on your 6 month anniversary, this counts as a gift right?, thinks Lando. 

The day Lando gets an email stating that the mattress was out for delivery, he books it to your place, wanting to be there to see your reaction to his gift and so that he could help you bring it in and set it up. 

Lando arrives at your apartment, greeted by you with a massive smile and sparkling eyes. He wastes no time in pulling you to him by your hips and wrapping his arms around your torso. As you wrap your arms around his neck you say, “As much as I love seeing you, what are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet up later tonight for movie night.”

As Lando pulls away to look at you, the postman has just arrived. “That’s why.” he says, smiling cheekily and pointing to the truck behind him. 

The both of you watch as the postman begins to unload the mattress from the vehicle, before Lando jumps in and helps the man drag the mattress to the door of your apartment. 

Whilst Lando and the man bring the mattress into your apartment, you stand there dumbfounded. 

What the actual fuck is going on? The only thing I’ve ordered to my apartment is a new book and I don’t think the book is that big? Wait, did I order the right thing?!

As soon as the box is in your living area, you confront Lando, “Lan, my love, my gorgeous boy… what the fuck?” you ask, pointing at the big ass box in your living area. 

Your Lan stands there next to the box, all but swaying as he stands and gives you the biggest smile he could plaster on his face. 

The cheeky fuck. 

“It’s a mattress!” he says as he poses next to it, adding a pose for effect. 

“A mattress?” you ask.

“A mattress.” 

After a moment of silence, where you contemplated whether to strangle him or take his credit card away from him, you ask “Why?”

“Cause, you’re always tired and you never sleep well unless you’re at my place. So I figured out why! It’s because you find my mattress to feel so much better and comfier. I even ordered the same bed sheets I have, but I got yours in green since it’s your favorite color. They should be here tomorrow though so for tonight you can spend the night with me or we can use your old sheets.” he proposes, smiling so wide it makes your heart melt from the sweetness that you don’t deserve. 

He gets you the same mattress he has in his home, for your home. 

“I sleep better at yours because you’re there. Not because of the mattress, you muppet!” you exclaim. 

You watch as Lando’s face immediately drops, “what?” he asks. He’s truly been stunned with this information, “What’d you mean it’s not because of the mattress? You mean to tell me I haven’t helped solve your sleeping issues?! I thought I was smarter than all the doctors you’ve seen for this issue!”

You can’t help but laugh at your boyfriend's statement. 

“Gorgeous, you thought that of all the doctors I’ve seen… that none of them have thought that I was sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress?” 

Lando just stood there silent, blankly staring at a wall, likely contemplating all his life choices. 

“Fuck. So, do you not want the mattress? Seems like a hassle to return.” he states as he scratches the back of his neck, wondering how he’s going to return the heavy ass box. “Wait, you sleep better when you’re around me?” he looks at you, somewhat shocked. 

You walk up to him, taking his hands in yours and making him look you in the eyes, “Gorgeous, in the time we’ve been together, we’ve slept on couches and several different mattresses. And I always sleep well no matter where or what we are sleeping on. I sleep better because I’m with you, I feel safe with you.”

“Oh… oh!” he giggles a bit. Red starts to lightly color his face, he’s blushing, “That’s nice.”

You don’t think you’ve met anyone more awkward than this man, but you love him because of that, not in spite of it. 

[champion-of-love]

Apple's last two years in Ever After High passed by in a blur.

A/N: i started writing a draft for this fic but then it kinda fizzled out and got a writer's block on it. not sure if i'll even continue it but thought eh why not i'll post what i've written so far here

Word count: 571 words:

Note: Do not steal or repost.

.

Apple's last two years in Ever After High passed by in a blur.

Their sophomore year (otherwise known as their Legacy Year) was filled with so many twists and turns, that her junior and senior years practically flew by like a sweet summer breeze.

Well, her class' sophomore year was pretty eventful.

Raven destroying the book meant that everyone in Ever After had the freedom to choose what they wanted to do in life.

A pretty massive event, to be understated.

And the freedom of destiny allowed her to actually choose which classes she was interested in (like Good Kingdom Management and Advance Elfonomics) rather than those that suited someone of her 'destiny' (Damsel-in-Distressing and Princessology). It felt like a hex lifted off her shoulders now that she could study what she was passionate about, and not what was expected of her.

Her mother had some, rather ill, words to say to her about her choices to drop those classes. At first, she couldn't even move an inch without looking at her mother for approval beforehand, but she braveheartedly took Raven's advice and let it enter one ear and out the other.

Raven had pretty great advice regarding mothers, actually.

Eventually, her mother let the subject matter drop. Though, she still sometimes harped about Apple's royal ranking dropping at times.

Never mind that Apple had worked herself to the bone to reach and retain her first place in her freshman and sophomore years and never let herself drop beyond the Fairest Top Ten in her junior and senior years.

Nevermind that Apple was excelling in all of her new classes, getting the top ranks and was getting praises from all her professors.

Never mind this was the first time that Apple hadn’t followed her mother’s wishes.

And it was due to these facts that her first reaction was surprise when her mother sent her a fairly lovely spellabratory gift basket.

It was her and her classmates’ final month at Ever After and she had just finished an hexhaustive yearbook club meeting the night before. She was out like a light when Raven shook her awake, saying there was a package waiting for her signature outside their door. Quickly snatching her glasses off their spot on her nightstand, which she wore so often now that it left marks on her nose, she stumbled to their door to sign the clipboard that the delivery goose held.

The weight on her eyelids felt like a thousand carriages but her eyes were suddenly wide open when they landed on the massive gift basket her mother, as it said on the tag on the basket, sent for her.

She had wondered out loud on why her mother would send such a thing when Raven replied that their last ever after report cards were emailed to their parents early that morning. Raven’s father, the Good King, had woken her up with a call earlier to congratulate her.

Apple’s grades had never dropped below an A, so she supposed this meant she was graduating. She approached the gift basket with a smile and laid her hands on it, happy that she knew this meant that her mother must still care about her. It was wrapped with the softest of ribbons and her eyes followed how it was beautifully draped all over the basket.

And on top of that basket was the shiniest red apple she had ever seen.

[wholoveseggs]

Stains {Part Four}

18+ ---- {Masterlist} {Tag-List}

Part Four

{Elijah Mikaelson x f!Reader} One meddling Mikaelson, one stubborn heart, and one heated confrontation that leads to surrender...

♡♡ Thank you for all the love for this series!!♡♡

4.9k words - Warnings: slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, smuttttt, possessive!elijah, financial boundary-crossing, a heated argument, a cappuccino & a chocolate chip muffin, lots of aftercare, elijah being vulnerable & bathtub confessions...

{Part One}{Part Two}{Part Three}

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The next day you woke up feeling like hell. Your eyes were puffy and swollen, and your head was pounding. You had cried yourself to sleep, and the emotional turmoil left you feeling exhausted.

Elijah's words, his touch, his scent, were all seared into your mind, and no matter how hard you tried, they wouldn't leave.

You stood in front of your coffee machine in a daze, listening to it brew as you browsed through the news. There was a small article about the charity gala, and your stomach lurched when you saw his face, his arm around the waist of a beautiful woman.

You scowled, closing the app and checking your emails. You had a message from your boss, congratulating everyone on the successful gala, a few spam emails, more than a few food delivery notifications and a message from your landlord.

You ignored the rest, and clicked on the message from your landlord. It was a notice that you had overpaid your rent, and that you didn't have to pay them again until a year from now. You stared at the email, confused. You knew you hadn't overpaid, and yet, the statement said otherwise.

You opened your bank account, and none of the numbers were correct, your maxed out credit card balance was now zero.

Your brows furrowed as you frantically clicked on your recent transactions. Around 3 AM last night someone had transferred an obscene amount of money into your account. You stared at the number, a mixture of shock and anger coursing through you.

He didn't. No fucking way…did he actually...?

You picked up your phone and dialed his number, the anger rising in your chest. It rang a few times, and then he answered, his voice sounding slightly sleepy.

“Hello, darling," he said in his infuriatingly calm tone.

"Did you hack my bank account?" you snapped, not bothering with pleasantries.

"Good morning to you too," he replied, sounding amused.

"Did. You. Hack. My. Account," you growled, each word punctuated by a pause.

"No," he said, his tone shifting to something more serious. "I transferred funds to your bank account."

"How could you!" you exclaimed, your anger spilling over. "Do you have any idea how violating that is?"

"I owed you for the dress," he replied, a note of confusion in his voice. "Why are you upset?"

"Because I don't need or want your money!" you shouted, unable to keep your temper in check. “And this is way more money than what my dress is worth.”

"It was a gift," he said, his voice calm but with an edge of hesitation, as if he were beginning to realize his misstep. "I thought... it would help."

"Well, I don't accept your gifts," you retorted, glaring at the wall, your voice trembling with frustration. "You should’ve asked me first, Elijah. This isn’t your decision to make."

"I apologize," he said, sounding genuinely sorry. "I didn't mean to offend you."

You took a deep breath, trying to rein in your anger. "It's not just that," you said, the words spilling out before you could stop them. "You think money can solve everything. But it doesn't. Not for me. You can't just step into my life and decide what I need without even asking,"

There was a long pause, and for a moment, you wondered if he had hung up. But then he spoke, his voice softer, almost hesitant.

"Then tell me what you need," he said, the simple words hanging in the silence.

"I..." You faltered, unsure how to answer. The truth was, you weren't sure what you needed. Your anger faded, leaving behind a strange hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach.

"I'm sorry," Elijah said again, his voice sincere. "Come over," his voice quieter now, almost uncertain. "We can discuss this in person. Please."

"Absolutely not," you replied, adamant. "All you want is to get in my pants. That's all any of this is about. So, why don't you go back to fucking one of your models, and leave me the hell alone."

There was a stunned silence on the line, and then, "Is that what you think? You think I want to fuck you and then toss you aside?" His tone was incredulous, but there was something raw underneath, something that almost sounded hurt.

"Yes, and if I never see you again, it will be too soon," you retorted, your voice sharp as a blade, ending the call before he could respond.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm down. The man had absolutely no boundaries. None. Zero. He crossed every line, and invaded every part of your life. This wasn’t just about money. It was about control. And the worst part was, it wasn’t even malicious. Elijah thought he was helping. But that only made it worse. He didn’t see you. Not really. To him, you were just another problem to fix, another line in a ledger he could balance with enough zeroes.

You paced around the room, your mind racing. He had paid off your rent, and your credit card, all of your student loans and the sheer audacity of his actions infuriated you. He didn't even bother asking, just went ahead and did it. For a brief moment, you felt the weight lift, the endless pressure of rent and bills vanishing. But that moment was fleeting... It was a dream come true, but it was a gift wrapped up in thorns.

And that damn kiss. You couldn't forget how it felt, the way he held you, the way his lips moved against yours, the way his body felt pressed against you. Fucking asshole. You were so pissed off, and you could feel tears threatening to spill from your eyes.

You tried to distract yourself with chores, cleaning the apartment, washing dishes, washing the floors. You were in the middle of stripping your bed sheets when the intercom buzzed.

You ignored it, knowing exactly who was calling. He kept pressing it, and you could hear his voice through the speaker.

"I brought coffee and an apology," he said, his tone light.

You glared at the speaker, tempted to press the talk button, and just scream at him.

"Cappuccino," he continued. "Extra foam, and a chocolate chip muffin."

You sighed, relenting, and hit the talk button.

"Go the fuck away," you growled, not caring that the neighbors could hear. "It's creepy that you know my coffee order,"

"Well after I wore it on my suit, it wasn't hard to guess," he replied, sounding amused.

"I don't want your coffee, or your apology," you said, crossing your arms.

"That's a shame, because I'm coming up," he said, the intercom beeping as the line disconnected.

"Shit," you muttered, pacing nervously.

You didn't want him in your apartment, and you were tempted to hide. It was childish, but he was just so frustrating and irritating and hot and...

A knock sounded on the door, and you tensed, hoping he would go away. He knocked again, and called out your name.

You cursed under your breath, and walked over, pulling the door open, scowling.

"Get in before the neighbors complain," you grumbled, stepping aside.

He walked into the apartment, his gaze drifting around the room. "You really should get better security for the door, it's a simple fix," he said, setting the bag of food on the counter.

"Yeah, it's terrible, any creep can walk right in," you retorted, closing the door.

"You have a lovely home," he said, his gaze returning to you.

"Uh huh. What do you want?" you asked, glaring at him.

"For you to listen," he replied, taking a step towards you.

“No, I’ve heard enough.” You moved toward the couch, putting space between you. He followed, pulling out the coffee and muffin, setting them in front of you like a peace offering.

“Please, sit,” he said, his voice quieter now. There was no edge to it, no smirk. Reluctantly, you sat down, if only to glare at him from closer range.

“Hurry up, I have a busy day ahead of me,” you lied, snatching the coffee and taking a sip.

“I think you’re a remarkable woman,” he began, his tone unusually earnest. “Strong, driven, resilient. You’ve been fighting so hard for so long, and I…” He hesitated, the words catching in his throat. For once, he looked unsure. “I saw something of myself in you.”

You blinked, the admission catching you off guard. “What are you talking about?” you asked, narrowing your eyes.

“I grew up with nothing,” he said, his voice soft. “No safety, no security, no comfort. My siblings and I… we had to fend for ourselves. And we made it out, but with lasting wounds. Wounds I carry still.. and occasionally project on to others,"

He paused, his gaze dropping to his hands, which were clasped tightly in his lap. “I know what it’s like to feel the world is stacked against you. To feel like you’re one wrong step away from losing everything. When I see you struggling, I just��� I want to help. Because I’ve been there.”

The vulnerability in his voice was staggering. For the first time, he wasn’t the smug, untouchable Elijah Mikaelson. He was human. Flawed. Relatable.

You wanted to stay angry, but his words tugged at something inside you. “You thought throwing money at me was the answer?” you asked, your tone softer now, though still edged with frustration. "You could have just apologized for being an asshole."

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It wasn’t just about the money. It was about... wanting to ease your burden. To show you that you don’t have to fight alone.”

You stared at him, your emotions swirling. Anger, confusion, and something else; something warmer.

“You’re such an idiot,” you muttered, grabbing the muffin. “And you use way too much gel. Your hair looks like a helmet.”

He blinked, startled, before a low chuckle escaped him. “Is that so?”

You reached up without thinking, running your fingers through his perfectly styled hair and messing it up. “Yes, so stop trying so hard to look perfect.”

He grinned, his hair falling into his eyes, and damn it if it wasn't the most adorable thing you'd ever seen. "Duly noted," he said, his smile widening as you smoothed his hair back.

"Same goes for your ties, they are so damn tight," you mumbled, loosening his tie and unfastening the top button of his shirt. "Are they restricting the blood to your brain? that would explain a lot,"

He chuckled again, his gaze warming. "You're beautiful when you're angry," he murmured, reaching out and tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

Your breath caught at his touch, and heat pooled between your legs. "Shut up," you said, unable to keep the smile from your lips.

His gaze flicked to your lips, his smirk softening. “Make me,” he said, and the challenge sent a jolt through you.

You didn’t think, didn’t plan, you climbed into his lap, your hands gripping his shoulders, and kissed him. It was different this time. No anger, no heat, no battle. It was slow and languid, and his hands rested on your hips, pulling you closer, the warmth of his body seeping into yours.

You felt the tension in his muscles slowly relax, and the kiss grew deeper, more intense. He nipped at your bottom lip, drawing a low moan from you.

Your hands roamed his chest, tugging on the buttons of his shirt, your nails scratching down his chest as you went. He felt impossibly solid and warm beneath your fingers. He let you undo the shirt, and pulled it off, tossing it aside, and you could see the dark hair scattered across his chest.

You leaned back, and admired his toned physique. You ran your fingers down his torso, and felt his abs flex under your touch.

"Like what you see?" he asked, a note of amusement in his voice.

You flushed, and opened your mouth to protest, but he cut you off with another kiss and moved his hands up, slowly lifting your shirt. You didn't try to stop him, despite your earlier reservations, you wanted this, and more than that, you wanted him.

He pulled the shirt over your head, and tossed it aside, his gaze lingering on your body. You were suddenly very aware of your plain, cheap bra that was hanging on by a thread. You didn't exactly get dressed that morning expecting anyone to see it, and you flushed, self conscious.

"This garment has seen better days," he said, smirking, his fingertips grazing the fraying lace.

"How dare you, it's a Brioni," you replied, mock outrage in your tone.

His eyes flashed with desire, and his touch became bolder, as his lips left a trail of kisses down your throat.

"I like that sharp tongue of yours," he murmured, his hands sliding up to cup your breasts. "I wonder how long it will take me to turn those quick words into soft moans,"

You shivered, his words sending a jolt of pleasure through you. "Don't make promises you can't keep," you breathed, arching into his touch.

"Oh, I fully intend to keep them," he said, his smirk deepening. He leaned forward, pulling your bra down and capturing a nipple in his mouth.

You gasped, the heat of his mouth making you squirm, your fingers tangling in his hair. He teased and suckled, building the sensation until it was almost too much.

He released the hardened nub, and looked up at you. "Still got any complaints?" he asked, his tone teasing.

You glared at him, but the effect was ruined by the flush of arousal on your cheeks. "No," you said, breathless. "But I have plenty of demands."

For a moment you both stopped, just looking at each other, drinking each other in. Your breathing was labored, and you were trying not to let your mind run away with you, because there was still that nagging thought, that little voice, telling you this was a mistake, that his affection wasn't genuine.

But then he smiled, it was a soft, gentle smile, and your heart lurched in your chest. No one had ever looked at you like that, like you were the only thing that mattered.

All the tension that had been building between you snapped, and your remaining clothes were shed in a frantic tangle of limbs, your hands fumbling with his belt, as he unhooked your bra. The moment you both were completely naked, he lifted you up, carrying you to your bed, and laying you down, his body covering yours.

He was strong, much stronger than you anticipated, and your hands traced over his arms, his biceps firm and muscular, as he propped himself up with his elbows on either side of your head. You could feel his erection pressing against your thigh, and you couldn't help but glance down.

"My eyes are up here, darling," he teased, and you could hear the smile in his voice.

Your cheeks flushed, and you smiled at him. "Oh, hush," you said breathlessly.

He lowered his head, his lips ghosting over yours, the light touch making your heart race. Your body was on fire, and every nerve ending was electrified, aching for more. He moved down, trailing kisses down your neck, your collarbone, your breasts, your stomach, and then lower, kissing the inside of your thighs.

He hooked your legs over his shoulders, and licked a slow stripe up your slit, the sensation making you gasp and buck your hips. He gripped your hips, pinning them in place.

"Elijah," you moaned, his name falling from your lips like a plea.

He glanced up at you, and you could see the wicked gleam in his eyes, still arrogant, still smug. "Use that sharp tongue and beg for it," he taunted, dipping down and flicking his tongue over your clit.

You whimpered, your whole body feeling like it was melting into a puddle beneath him, everything around you vanished except his lips and tongue, working magic on your cunt.

"Pl- Please," you stuttered out, your hands clutching at his hair, your eyes closing.

He hummed in response, the sound sending jolts of pleasure through your already sensitive body. His movements quickened, his tongue and lips working in perfect rhythm until your entire body tensed, the release building higher, higher. Until it finally shattered.

You cried out his name, your body arching off the bed as the climax ripped through you, every nerve alight with sensation. His grip on your hips softened as he eased you through it, his mouth slowing but not stopping until you were trembling and spent beneath him.

Elijah pulled back, pressing soft kisses to the inside of your thighs as you tried to catch your breath. Your heart was pounding, your chest rising and falling rapidly, and yet somehow, the sight of him between your legs, his lips glistening with the evidence of your pleasure, sent another wave of heat coursing through you.

You tugged him towards you, pulling him into a desperate, needy kiss, tasting yourself on his lips. It was your turn now, and you were determined to make him writhe beneath you.

You broke the kiss, and pushed him down on the bed, a surprised noise escaping him. You straddled him, and kissed him again, this time harder, more insistent. His hands roamed over your body, pulling your hips down and grinding his cock against you. He felt so thick, and you felt a twinge of nerves, a little voice of doubt creeping in.

He sensed your hesitation, and paused, his eyes searching your face, his gaze filled with concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his tone gentle and reassuring. "Do you want to stop?"

You shook your head, a little embarrassed, "No, it's just... never mind,"

He pressed a soft kiss to the side of your jaw, his hands gently rubbing your thighs, his gesture so tender and intimate that it made you ache.

"You can tell me, what is it?" he asked, his gaze locking onto yours.

You took a deep breath, pushing away the insecurity. "It's... it's just been a while, and... you're bigger than average and it's intimidating, ok? Now, please, shut up and don't say anything," you blurted out, and then closed your eyes, feeling like a complete idiot.

You didn't see him grin, or the way his gaze softened with affection, but you heard him laugh, low and soft. It made your heart clench in your chest, and your eyes opened, meeting his again.

He leaned in and kissed you, all tender and gentle and you found yourself wrapping your arms around him, kissing him back with everything you had.

"We'll go slow," he said softly, breaking the kiss. "You just say the word, and we can stop," he reassured you, and you nodded, a small smile on your lips.

"I'll hold you to that," you replied, a mischievous glint in your eyes.

"I expect nothing less," he smirked, a teasing lilt in his voice.

You kissed him again, letting yourself melt into him, into the moment. All thoughts, all doubts, were banished, and the only thing that mattered was him, his skin against yours, his lips on yours, his hands exploring every inch of you. You lowered yourself down onto his cock, taking him slowly, savoring the feeling of him stretching and filling you. He let you take the lead, his touch gentle, his lips soft.

You began to move, setting a slow, steady pace, your hands on his chest, the muscles firm beneath your fingertips. His hair fell across his forehead, and his lips curved into a small, tender smile as he looked up at you. His eyes were dark with lust, but his smile was warm, and your heart beat wildly in your chest, because there it was again, that same emotion in his eyes that you were so afraid of.

"Don't look at me like that," you said, your voice soft and breathless.

His brow furrowed, confused. "Why not?"

"Because..." you began, and then let out a gasp, as he guided your hips, rolling them in just the right way, the movement hitting a sweet spot inside you.

He smirked, his gaze locked on yours as he repeated the motion, coaxing another soft gasp from your lips, your nails digging into his chest.

"Because what?" he asked, his voice low and teasing.

"Because, you're making it impossible for me to hate you," you admitted, the words slipping out.

"Oh darling, you never hated me," he replied, a soft grin on his lips. "You like me, just like I like you."

You blushed, the warmth spreading across your cheeks, and buried your face in the crook of his neck, hiding the flush.

"Shut up," you muttered, your voice muffled against his skin.

He laughed again, and the sound made you melt, the warmth in your chest growing. His hands squeezed your ass, lifting you up and then lowering you back down, thrusting up to meet you. You moaned, the pleasure building again, the friction, the pressure, the intensity sending you over the edge, the heat coiling in your belly and then snapping, sending you spiraling into a second climax, Elijah following you soon after.

The two of you collapsed into the bed, breathless and sweaty, and yet, somehow, utterly content. You turned onto your side, curling up next to him and for the first time since you met, neither of you had anything to say, and so you laid there, quietly holding each other, enjoying the moment.

After a few minutes, he finally spoke, his hand brushing your hair back.

“Stay here," he murmured, his voice softer than you’d ever heard it. "I’m going to run us a bath,”

"You don’t have to-" you started, but he pressed a kiss to your forehead, his lips lingering for a moment before he climbed out of bed.

You watched as he walked naked to the bathroom, your eyes tracing the smooth lines of his back and the strength in his movements. His ass was distractingly perfect, and you couldn’t help but bite your lip, a soft giggle escaping as you buried your face in the pillow. It still felt surreal that only moments ago, that incredible body had been entwined with yours.

A minute later, Elijah appeared in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. His smile was soft, almost shy, and it sent a flicker of warmth through your chest.

"Join me?" he asked, holding his hand out to you.

You stood and took his hand as he led you into the bathroom, the warm, fragrant water drawing you in. You sunk into the tub, the hot water feeling amazing against your skin.

Elijah sat behind you, his legs on either side of yours, and you relaxed back against his chest, sighing contently.

“This is nice," you murmured, letting your head rest on his shoulder.

"Yes, it is," he replied, his hands resting on your waist, pulling you closer. "Although this tub is much too small."

You laughed softly, the sound warm in the steamy air. "Not everything has to be extravagant, you know. Sometimes simple is... enough."

He was quiet for a moment, his chin brushing against your temple as he exhaled slowly. "You may be right," he admitted. "Though I can’t say I’m used to the concept."

You turned slightly, glancing back at him with a teasing smile. "Elijah Mikaelson, admitting he doesn’t need everything to be perfect? I should document this moment."

He chuckled, low and rich, his fingers gently tracing patterns along your arm. “I confess when I sent you that invoice for my suit, I knew I was being... unreasonable." He let out a low sigh, his voice softening. "It wasn’t about the suit. It wasn’t even about the money. It was... control. A petty attempt to assert dominance over a situation that, frankly, didn’t warrant it.”

You turned fully now, your gaze meeting his, the steam curling lazily around the both of you. "That’s… surprisingly self-aware of you," you said, a teasing lilt to your voice, though your heart softened at his honesty.

"I am capable of introspection, occasionally," he replied, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. He looked thoughtful for a moment, before adding, "I’d endure a thousand ruined suits if it meant having you here, like this."

You leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, feeling more content than you had in a long time. "You have me," you murmured, smiling softly.

For a moment, Elijah didn’t respond. He simply held you, his eyes searching yours as though he couldn’t quite believe your words. Then he smiled, wide, genuine, and entirely disarming.

"Good," he said quietly. "Because I don’t intend to let you go."

You laughed softly, settling back against his chest. His arms tightened around you, holding you close as the water lapped gently against your skin. The moment felt suspended in time, the world outside the bathroom fading into a distant memory.

"I think I like you better like this," you teased, tilting your head to glance back at him. "A little less... perfect. A little more human."

He chuckled, the sound warm and low. "You make it sound like I’ve been unapproachable," he said, though his tone carried no real offense.

"You were," you replied with a smirk. "I mean, who sends someone an invoice for a coffee stain? That’s peak villain behavior."

"I'm a bit attached to my clothing, it's something of a personal weakness," he admitted, a wry smile playing on his lips. "But I can admit when I've made a poor decision."

You smiled, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his jaw. "Well, for the record, I like the softer, more vulnerable side of you," you murmured.

He tilted your chin up, his eyes searching yours for a moment before his lips brushed against yours in a slow, sensual kiss.

"I like you when there is fire in your eyes, and venom on your tongue," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "Although, you are allowed to let people take care of you, once in a while,"

You laughed, shaking your head. "Yeah, that's not really my style."

"It could be," he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well, I guess I could try," you said with a playful shrug. "But I'm not letting you pay for everything."

"We'll discuss the terms," he said, his tone light and teasing.

The two of you stayed there, wrapped up in each other, the steam rising around you. The moment felt both achingly tender and deliciously intimate. You never imagined that the man who had been such a thorn in your side would become so central to your happiness, but here, in his arms, you realized that perhaps it was fate that had brought you together.

And that sometimes, the best things in life are the ones you never planned for.

{Part One}{Part Two}{Part Three}

[trickphotography2]

D-Day by TrickPhotography | Chapter 2

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x female!reader

Word count: 3.1k

Synopsis: After finding out his girlfriend is pregnant, Jake is ready to move in and get married. The last thing he expected was to be hit with a six-month deployment at sea and missing the birth of his first child.

Chapter 1 | Master List | Ao3

---------------------------------------

Chapter 2

“Special delivery!”

You looked up from your computer and blinked at the older woman in your office doorway. While Joanne, the office receptionist, often waved on her way to the break room to restock the coffee or clean up after the guys, she rarely stopped by. The most interaction you usually had was stopping by her desk to get your mail and snag a piece of candy from the bowl. After you had strongly shut down the hints that you needed to help the administration department set up the holiday party, the relationship was strained. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to help - it was just that you were the only person outside of admin asked to do so. If she’d asked just one man from your team to do the same, you would have been more than happy to pitch in. But you’d walked in on one too many snide conversations about the ‘party planning committee’ to give the guys another thing to tease you about. 

So Joanne standing in front of your office was an oddity. Even more so was the vase of flowers in her hands. “What are those?”

“Flowers for you, silly! There’s a card and everything!” She stepped into your office as you stood, lifting the flowers to her face to smell before handing them to you. You frowned at the arrangement of white roses and blue hydrangeas, running a finger along the green foliage. It clearly wasn’t the obligatory office birthday gift and your parents never sent flowers. “Open the card!” Joanne said, clapping her hands. 

Sighing, you set the vase on your desk and plucked out the white envelope. The front said that the arrangement was called Blue Skies. Your frown deepened at the message on the back.

1) Thanks for the beers

2) Didn’t think you were a tag chaser

3) I prefer to be called a man in a bag or Hangman

4) I disagree

-- Jake

There was that phone number again. 

“Well, who is it from?” Joanne asked. “A secret admirer?”

“My parents,” you lied, forcing a smile while stroking the soft rose petals. 

“Oh,” her smile fell, disappointed that there wasn’t more gossip to spread in the office. “That’s nice of them. Any special occasion?”

“Not that I know of. I’ll, um… I’m going to give them a call to thank them. And thank you for bringing these to me.”

“Of course. I’m up front if you need anything.” 

As soon as she left, you collapsed back into your chair and let your head fall back to stare at the ceiling. For a moment, you debated calling Seresin but decided against it, tossing the card in your desk drawer to deal with later. Your attempt to focus on emails kept being interrupted as the scent of the flowers permeated your office, and the blue caught the corner of your eye. It was a relief when the meeting reminder popped up on the screen. Quickly, you locked the computer and gathered a notebook and pen, grabbing your coffee mug at the last second.

Mark and Glen nodded as you moved toward the break room coffee pot. They were talking about a golfing trip over the weekend that some of the guys were going on. When they asked what you were doing, you shrugged, “Just relax and catch up on some stuff around the apartment.”

“No hot date?” Glen asked. Unlike some in your office, you knew Glen was playfully teasing - you’d attended his wedding just two months ago, and the man was so obnoxiously in love with his wife. 

“Not unless you count Mr. Clean who will be getting up close to my baseboards,” you laughed. 

“Say the word and you’d have a lot of guys lining up to see your baseboards,” Mark smirked into his coffee, and you blushed. Glen rolled his eyes before looking at his watch.

“Meeting’s starting soon. Save you a seat?” When you nodded, he shouldered Mark towards the door, and you could have sworn you saw Glen swat the back of Mark’s head. With a deep breath, you set your mug by the sink and turned on the cold water, removing your watch to thrust your wrists under the stream. While annoying, Mark’s comment wasn’t the worst you’d heard. And you’d, unfortunately, opened yourself up for that comment - joking about someone seeing your baseboards? Rookie move.

Eventually, you turned off the water and dried your hands. After putting on your watch and dumping cream and sugar into your coffee, you made your way to the conference room for the weekly check-in. Thankfully Joanne had sent one of her staff in to take notes so you wouldn’t be in charge of the meeting minutes. 

Twisting in your chair, you looked at the flowers again and chewed on your lower lip. They’d caused quite a few remarks as your colleagues filed past your office following the meeting, a few people popping in to try and get the gossip. You stuck to your story about them being from your parents. Glancing at the open door, you grabbed the card from your drawer and held it up again.

The card was handwritten, which either meant that Seresin… Jake… had called in the order or gone to a flower shop himself rather than ordering online. The writing was small and precise; you could feel it indent the paper when you ran a finger over it. Flipping the card over, you saw that Blue Skies was in different handwriting. Which meant he probably wrote the note himself. 

Something about a guy going into a flower shop and picking something out for you made your heart give an unwelcome flutter. It was a bad idea. You interacted with pilots enough to know those wings usually came with an ego. There was too much of that in your life already, why invite more? And besides, what kind of nickname was Hangman? You knew enough to understand that it was his callsign. Had he been caught doodling in his notes one too many times, or was it some inside joke? Groaning, you tried to push away those thoughts. There was no need for you to know where it came from.

Picking up your phone, you quickly typed in his number and hit send before you could think too much. It rang repeatedly as you shut the door and crossed your arm under your chest. 

“It’s Seresin. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.” 

“Oh, hi,” you said, unprepared to have been met with his voicemail. “I, um, I just wanted to call and say thank you for the flowers. They weren’t necessary. So, um… thank you again, and have a great day.” Cursing yourself after hanging up, you muttered, “Smooth.” 

The phone rang in your hand, flashing an unknown number. Against your better judgment, you answered it. “Hello?”

“Hi. It’s Seresin - Jake. Glad to hear you got the flowers. I was getting worried they got delivered to the wrong place.” 

“Right, um, thank you. Again.”

“You’re welcome. So I’ve been thinking about this conflict of interest.” 

“Oh?” 

“I’ve got nothing to do with contracts and I don’t even fly what you’re selling - I’m still in an old fourth-gen, like you pointed out yesterday. So there’s no conflict.”

“Really?” you said, feeling charmed despite yourself.

“And to your other point, I’ve very clearly a man in a bag, not a boy.”

“Man or boy, I don’t date pilots.”

“That a hard rule?”

“Yes.”

“What if I told you I was on the maintenance crew?” 

“Lying isn’t a great way to get a date.” 

“Who says I’m lying?”

“They don’t hand out those gold wings I saw on your uniform to just anyone, Lieutenant.” 

“You know a lot about uniforms. You serve?” 

“No, I’m a civilian.” When he hummed, you cleared your throat. “It was nice meeting you. And if you ever have $75 million lying around and want to purchase an F-35, feel free to call me and I’ll give you the sales pitch.” 

“That with the friends and family discount?”

“We’d have to be friends for you to get that.” 

“Ouch. Nothing on the family side?”

“Are you saying you're family? Because that would be another reason we can’t go on a date.” He chuckled, and you smiled. 

“I can see why you’re in negotiations.”

“It pays the bills.” There was silence before Jake cleared his throat.

“So dinner and drinks are off the table?”

“They are.”

“Damn.”

“No hard feelings?”

“Just a couple. It’s not every day you come across someone smart and gorgeous.” 

“You’ll get over me.” At that, he laughed and you grinned. 

“That’s usually my line.” 

“Oh, so you’re a heartbreaker? Good thing I’m dodging that bullet.”

“Guess so.” Neither of you said anything until he spoke up again. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah. It was nice meeting you, Lieutenant.”

“Jake.”

“Jake,” you repeated. “Have a good rest of your week.” 

“You too.”

When the call disconnected, you let your head fall back against the door and sighed. Why is it that a five-minute conversation with Jake was more fun than you’d had in months of being on dating apps? 

“So do you have any siblings?” Tyler asked, running his finger around the rim of his coffee mug. Smiling, you shook your head and subtly twisted your wrist to glance at your watch. Half an hour in and you were still playing twenty questions. You wondered when he would ask what your favorite color was. At least he wasn’t monologuing about his podcast like your last date. 

“Only child,” you replied. “You?”

“Two older brothers.”

“That must have been a fun dynamic growing up,” you smiled, adjusting your sunglasses. Tyler shrugged.

“Being the youngest sucked since I was the punching bag. Always wanted to be an only child.”

“It does have its perks. So are you from Lemoore?”

���Nah, got that DoDEA job and moved from the East Coast. Nothing like moving across the country to teach a bunch of third graders. I really wanted an overseas job, so that’ll be the next step.”

“That’s awesome. I really liked my teachers when I went to school on base.” 

“Yeah. Not to mention the pay is way better.” Your eyes glazed over as Tyler railed against the government teacher’s salary for stateside compared to overseas postings. You agreed that teachers needed to be paid more, but this wasn’t a great first-date conversation. You nodded where appropriate and sipped at your iced coffee.

And then you spotted him.

The downside of living near a military base was how small the community was. It wasn’t something you had necessarily picked up on while growing up when your whole social network revolved around school, but it was definitely noticeable as an adult. A perfect example was seeing a man you’d turned down walking towards the only open table on the patio of your favorite local coffee shop, clearly on a date. 

Jake pulled out the woman’s chair, settling her back-to-back with Tyler, and taking the seat opposite her. Which unfortunately put him in your direct eye line. While you couldn’t confirm it because you were both wearing sunglasses, you felt his eyes lock on you as you stared at him. It’d been three weeks since meeting him in the hangar, and clearly, he hadn’t had an issue finding a date. 

You tried focusing on Tyler, but your eyes kept drifting back to Jake. He looked good out of uniform. The green collared shirt he wore clung to his arms and chest, and was unbuttoned enough to hint at chest hair. You had a feeling it was a close match to his eyes. Forcing your gaze back to Tyler, you couldn’t help but compare the two men. Tyler was leaner, his dark hair long enough for him to continually flick out of his eyes. Tattoos decorated his arms - definitely your usual type. And he was dull. It had seemed exciting to set a date after only exchanging a few messages online, but this was a reminder of why you usually waited at least a week to screen out meeting someone in person. 

Jake’s laugh drew your attention, and your eyes flitted toward him before lowering to your drink. Running a hand through your hair, you pushed your sunglasses to the top of your head and propped your chin in your hand, leaning forward to focus on Tyler. You saw his eyes dip down to your cleavage and suppressed a sigh. You’d worn a cute new halter top decorated with flowers and a keyhole slit that apparently was just enough for him to get a peek at your breasts. 

As he rambled on about the renovation he was doing on his house (one tally in the pros column - homeowner), you absentmindedly ran your thumb through your glass’s condensation. With your customer service smile pasted on, you mentally ran through the lists of things you needed to get done that weekend. It was hard to ignore the chuckles and laughs from the table next to you, and you tried not to be envious of the easy flow of conversation between Jake and his date. 

Tyler eventually asked how you got into defense contracting, and you gave him the bare bones story - your dad did it and it was a career where you could use your English degree. Granted, working on a contract for washing planes - your newest project - wasn’t always the most exciting, but you liked it. “Too bad some of that military budget can’t go into education,” he smirked.

“Yeah, it’s absolutely an underfunded public service,” you agreed.

“Could divert funding for even a couple of those jets always flying overhead and get so much more bang for your buck.” It was on the tip of your tongue to comment on having to decouple property taxes from school funding, but it wasn’t worth the back and forth. Rather than answer, you took a sip of your coffee, glancing over Tyler’s shoulder to see Jake’s raised eyebrow. 

When you’d both finished your drinks and the date was coming to an organic end, you couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment that another guy who had seemed promising on paper led to a disappointing date. As you gathered your purse and empty cups, he held the door open for you to go inside and return your dishes. “Well, it was nice to meet you,” you said while exiting the building, car keys in hand. 

“Yeah, you too. I had a good time.”

“Me too,” you lied. “It’s always nice to get out and meet someone new.” 

“We should do this again sometime.” You smiled rather than answer and returned the hug he pulled you in for. Thankfully, you were parked on opposite sides of the lot. You sat in your car with the door open until he left, and then got back out. While the date was a bust, you wanted another latte to get you through the errands you needed to run that afternoon. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” a voice said behind you in line. Taking a deep breath, you turned to look up at Jake. 

“Hi.”

“Date going well?” 

“I could ask you the same,” you said, glancing out the window to where his date was looking at her phone. 

“Just getting us some refills,” he shrugged. 

“Good for you.” When it was your turn, you ordered a large iced latte to go and moved to the opposite side of the counter to wait for your drink. You pulled your phone from your back pocket and opened the dating app. Jake moved to stand behind you, crossing his arms over his chest. After typing a quick message to Tyler to say that you enjoyed the date but you didn’t really see anything moving forward, you unmatched with him. 

“Ouch. Could have at least let him get home before breaking his heart,” Jake said. Ignoring him, you closed the app and locked your phone, slipping it into your purse. Tucking your hands into your pockets, you glanced over your shoulder at him. 

“Kind of a dick move to talk to another woman while you’re on a date.” 

“Really? Even when there’s no chance of a date or even friendship with the one I’m talking to?” 

“Yeah, still disrespectful.” 

“My bad.” Neither of you spoke for a long moment. He stepped forward to grab a few sugar packets and stood beside you. “So, aren’t schools paid for by property taxes?”

“Yes!” you said, throwing your hands up. “I mean, completely agree with shifting some defense spending to education but…” you trailed off, turning to glare at him. “Were you listening to our conversation?”

“English degree?” Jake smirked. You reached out to swat his arm before you could stop yourself, which only made him laugh. “Hard not to. Should’ve kept your sunglasses on - hid that you were bored better.”

“I was not bored!” 

“Which is why you blew him off.” 

“Pay attention to your own dating life, Seresin.” With another glance at his date, you scoffed. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring her flowers.”

“Blew my budget on a cute contractor,” he shrugged. 

“Thanks for that, by the way. Everyone at work’s wondering who I’m dating.” 

Jake leaned closer, and you could smell his spicy aftershave and a hint of coffee on his breath when he spoke again, voice low and rumbling in your ear. “Probably better that I paid for delivery instead of bringing them myself, then, huh, Sweetheart.”

Goosebumps erupted on your skin, and your breath caught. Slowly, you turned towards him, catching a glimpse of your stunned expression in the aviator sunglasses hanging on the front of his shirt, and looked up at him. His green eyes dragged from your arm, lingered on your mouth, and finally met your gaze. There was a loaded silence as you dropped your eyes to his cocky grin before turning your attention back to the coffee counter. “Don’t be a dick to your date, please. Don’t be one of those guys.”  

That seemed to bring him up short, and his smile dropped as he looked out the window to where his date sat, tapping her fingers on the table. They called your drinks, and you both moved to grab them. Your eyes met briefly and you gave him a weak smile. “Good luck.”

“I’ll see you around,” he replied. With a nod, you walked towards the front door, pausing as you pushed it open to see Jake leaning against the door to the patio looking at you. Smiling, he lifted one of his drinks and tapped a finger to his forehead in a small salute. You smiled back and returned it before walking out.

-------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: DoDEA schools military funded schools on base. Stateside, it's usually only through elementary school, but overseas it goes through high school. They're just like a normal school, just funded differently (people always imagined a military training school when I say they're military schools).

Thank you for the support with this story! I do have a tag list running, so please let me know if you would like to be added to it.

Read Chapter 3

@memeorydotcom; @alldaysdreamers: @genius2050; @djs8891; @caitsymichelle13

[girleboy]

i'm having a sticker moment i really want nerdy stickers for my laptop but all the big tech companies' merch stores obviously ship from the US so i spent the other night emailing some of them like '🥺do you have plans to open international merch stores? 🥺' and one just got back to me like no sorry but here's a $30 gift card and a free delivery code. guys i am going to get so many stickers

[leonsliga]

How to get football autographs: a crash course

Fair warning: this will be a long post.

We’ve all heard it by now: the best way to get footballer autographs is to attend open trainings or wait outside their hotels and stadiums on match days. But what if you live far away or can’t afford to fly to training or games? Not to worry! Whether you’re a collector, a fan, or a little bit of both like me, quite a few clubs are still willing to send out autograph cards, as long as you send them a stamped addressed envelope.

You’ll find helpful how-to videos on how to do just that, along with links to some country stamp websites, below. These videos actually inspired this post:

Postal service links:

United Kingdom

https://shop.royalmail.com/postage-and-packaging/first-and-second-class-stamps - You can’t print UK stamps, but you can buy them off the Royal Mail website (see above link) or off Amazon in most cases

Germany

https://shop.deutschepost.de/shop/internetmarke/selectPostageIM.jsp?invalidAccess=true#porto-international (you’ll want to buy the printable compact letter—Kompaktbrief in German—stamps for 1,70€)

Spain

https://www.correos.es/es/en/companies/send/stamps - Unfortunately, I’m completely useless at navigating the Spanish postal service (AKA Correos), but here’s the link regardless. Maybe you’ll have better luck than me 😅

France

You can buy printable stamps using the link above

Postage Questions:

What materials will I need to send a request?

You’ll need a letter containing your autograph request, 2 envelopes (one bigger and one smaller), a stamp/stamps (depending on size and weight) from your country and the stamp/stamps of the destination country.

I’ve bought my stamps. What size envelopes should I get?

I recommend getting c4 envelopes, as they’ll be big enough to hold your autograph request letter. These will be the envelopes you’ll mail out. If you go with a c4 envelope, I’d recommend purchasing c5 envelopes as your smaller envelope. These will be the envelopes the clubs return to you with the autograph cards inside, and you’ll slide them into your c4 envelope when you’re ready to mail them.

Be sure to include the club’s mailing address and your country’s stamp on the large envelope and your address + their country’s stamp on the smaller one

Where can I find a club’s mailing address?

You can usually find a club’s mailing address, along with their attitude towards fanmail, on the “contact us” tab on their webpage. If you can’t find it there, search the name of the club on fanmail.biz; they have the mailing address of just about every football club you can imagine.

What should I put in my autograph request letter?

The main thing here is to include which footballers’ autographs you want (if you don’t have a preference, you don’t have to do this; you can always say you’d be happy to add whatever player cards they’re willing to send to your collection, or something like that lol). Apart from that, what you include is entirely up to you! I wouldn’t recommend sending a super long letter, but if you want to add a personal touch, you can always mention one of your favorite memories of that club and their achievements. It doesn’t hurt to throw in a thank you at the end either :) one last note: you can address your letter to the club or the player whose autograph you’re requesting; it’s entirely up to you!

Do I have to send a stamped addressed envelope to every club?

Not necessarily. If you want to save money on stamps and envelopes, try emailing the clubs first. If you’re lucky, they’ll send the autograph cards directly to you and pay for the postage :)

Now onto the most important question: does it work? The answer is that it depends on the club you’re sending the request to and sometimes even the league they play in. I’ll break it down by league below, detailing either my own experiences writing to the club (if I’ve written to the club and heard back, I’ll state it outright) or that of YouTubers who have reached out to them. If you don’t see your club here, assume they either don’t reply to fanmail, or I haven’t heard of any success stories yet.

Premier League

Some Prem clubs still send out autographs, but not all. Here’s the ones that do:

Manchester United - pre-covid I’m pretty sure they sent out only hand-signed autographs upon request. Unfortunately, they seem to have cut back a bit on this in recent years; nowadays they tend to send a mix of hand-signed and pre-printed, facsimile signatures (this was the case for me when I wrote to them a few months ago and a few YouTubers that wrote to them as well). Still, pretty amazing given the size of the club that they’re willing to do this. As a United fan, I can’t help but feel a little proud :)

Liverpool - they definitely take the “you’ll never walk alone” motto literally, because they also still answer autograph requests with squad photos and signatures, at least as of 2021. To add a personal touch, they usually include a certificate with your name on it. Even though they’re United’s biggest rivals, I can’t help but respect them for this.

Arsenal - another big club that’s not too big for their fans; to my knowledge, they still send out hand-signed autographs. In doing research for this post, I even stumbled upon a video of someone who got an Arsenal match program, 2 squad photos, and autographs on the back of one of them. Talk about a big haul!

Tottenham - usually send pre-signed, photocopied autograph cards

Chelsea - sent out pre-signed, facsimile autograph prints as of 2021

Manchester City - sends out facsimile signatures only, according to several YouTubers (I’ve never contacted the club personally, so I’m not sure if this is still the case). If you do reach out to them, let me know what you hear back!

Crystal Palace - hit-or-miss. They tend to reply with pre-signed squad photos. They usually include a “south london and proud” bracelet from what I understand though, which is a fun perk!

West Ham - you might hear back from them, you might not (I didn’t when I tried a few months ago, but I know several other people did). If they do reply, you’ll likely receive hand-signed photos.

Aston Villa - sent out mostly pre-signed cards as of 2021

Everton - sent out predominantly hand-signed cards as of 2020

Leicester - send out a mix of photocopied and hand-signed cards, as of 2020 - they generally include player cards from the entire squad

Bournemouth - sent out pre-printed cards as of 2021

Newcastle - still sent out hand-signed photographs as of 2020

Bundesliga

If you want hand-signed autographs, look no further than the Bundesliga. In my experience, they send out the most hand-signed cards of any football league, and it’s not even close. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a club that doesn’t send out hand-signed cards. I’m assuming it’s the same story for the 2. Bundesliga (I know Schalke sends out hand-signed cards at the very least).

Bayern Munich - generally, they prefer you purchase cards on their website. Unfortunately, you have to be a member to buy signed cards on there; otherwise, you have to settle for pre-signed prints. That said, I’m pretty sure that if you purchase the player cards on the website and send a few back to the club to be signed, they will return them with official autographs. I sent in a request for Manuel Neuer’s autograph earlier this year and enclosed his player card, and they sent it back hand-signed. I included my membership number in my request just in case, but I know they’ve sent hand-signed autographs to non-members in the past (i.e. the YouTuber mentioned towards the beginning of this post). If you do reach out to Bayern, let me know how it goes. My fingers are crossed for you regardless 🤞

Borussia Dortmund - probably the most reliable of the Bundesliga clubs when it comes to autograph requests. They now limit you to 4 footballers per request, so you’ll have to be selective. That said, they usually reply quickly and send out hand-signed autographs every time. I have yet to hear of anyone who hasn’t received something back when they sent an autograph request to BVB.

Bayer Leverkusen - when I requested autographs from them, they sent me some back. I requested 3 players’ autographs, along with Xabi Alonso’s, and received all 4 cards back hand-signed. Quite a few YouTubers have had success hearing from them as well. Even though they’re having a fantastic season, they clearly haven’t neglected their fanmail, which is cool to see :)

Eintracht Frankfurt - sends out hand-signed autograph cards, even as of this season (they sent hand-signed cards when I reached out to them two months ago). If they’re your club, you’re in luck.

VfB Stuttgart - hand-signed cards

RB Leipzig - hand-signed cards

FC Union Berlin - hand-signed cards (I haven’t heard back from them yet, but it’s only been a week and a half at this point)

SC Freiburg - hand-signed cards

Borussia Mönchengladbach - hand-signed cards (I just heard back from them a week ago, and I think I got a mix of hand-signed cards and pre-signed prints)

FC Augsburg - hand-signed cards

SV Werder Bremen - hand-signed cards

VfL Wolfsburg - hand-signed cards

VfL Bochum - hand-signed cards, sometimes of the entire team (I received 4 cards in response to my request)

TSG Hoffenheim - hand-signed cards, often of the entire team

FC Köln - hand-signed cards

FSV Mainz - hand-signed cards, often of majority of the squad

La Liga

If you’re a fan of a Spanish club, you might be a lot less lucky, sadly. Only one club still sends out hand-signed autographs to my knowledge, and only one other club sends anything back in response to fanmail.

Real Madrid - occasionally sends out posters with pre-printed, facsimile signatures.

Sevilla - this is the club to ask for hand-signed autographs. That said, you probably won’t get more than one or two. I’d recommend being specific about which player(s)’ autographs you want in order to avoid being disappointed.

Ligue 1

Maybe the French league is more your speed. It’s a mixed bag here; while few answer fanmail, the ones that do are more often than not the most generous of any football clubs on this list.

PSG - the Parisians do still respond to autograph requests, but pretty much exclusively send out facsimile signatures.

Olympique de Marseille - have sent out pre-signed cards of their entire team in the past, along with a poster

FC Metz - sent out a mix of hand-signed autographs and pre-signed prints as of 2021

LOSC Lille - sent out autograph cards as of 2021

OGC Nice - sent out autograph cards as of 2021

RC Strasbourg - sends out autographed postcards, and if you’re lucky, they might include a squad photo and some stickers along with it :)

AS Saint-Étienne - send out hand-signed cards, although I’ve also seen them send squad photos addressed to the recipient, along with 2 issues of their club’s magazine

Eredivisie

PSV Eindhoven - sometimes send out autograph cards with facsimile signatures (pre-prints)

Swiss Super League

FC Basel - sent out hand-signed cards as of 2021

BSC Young Boys - sent out hand-signed cards as of 2021

Austrian Football Bundesliga

SK Rapid Wien - sent out hand-signed cards as of 2021

LASK - hand-signed cards (as of 2021)

Scottish Premiership

Glasgow Rangers - occasionally sends pre-signed prints (at least, as of 2021)

Ekstraklasa

All clubs listed below have sent out hand-signed autograph cards in the past:

Śląsk Wrocław

Legia Warszawa

Lech Poznań

A-League

Western Sydney Wanderers - signed squad photo

MLS

Whether you’ve got a particular club in mind or you’re just a fan of one of the big stars (i.e. Messi), you’re probably in for disappointment. Autograph collecting isn’t super big in the U.S., and MLS treats autograph requests accordingly.

Seattle Sounders - one of the only two clubs in MLS that actually sends a response to autograph requests - one lucky collector was even able to get a hat signed by the entire squad! (see here)

NYCFC - sends out hand-signed autograph cards occasionally, usually only one or two

*side note: unfortunately, it seems like most people have only reached out to European clubs, (with the exception of the A-League and MLS), so I can’t speak to whether clubs on other continents fulfill autograph requests. If you reach out to any clubs in leagues not mentioned here, let me know and I’ll update the list :)

Lingering questions:

How long does it take to hear back from clubs?

In my experience as someone living in the UK, I’ve heard back from every club I reached out to within 2-3 weeks (closer to the 2 week mark in most cases). It depends on how far away you live from the club though. I heard back from Manchester United within a week of mailing my request, but they were the exception, not the rule.

Tldr: expect to hear back within a month (maybe a month and a half in extreme cases)

Do clubs answer autograph requests during the off-season?

In my experience, no. I tried this a few years back with no success.

Can I send a shirt to be signed by a player?

I wouldn’t recommend it, as you may not get it back. If you do, the club will probably just return it to you unsigned. You’re better off just requesting an autograph card imo.

Do national teams send autograph cards?

Some do! Last I’ve heard, the German national team still answers requests with authentic signatures and the Croatian national team has sent out signed cards previously as well. The Czech Republic sends out unsigned squad cards. Last but not least, the Dutch national team has sent out fan posters in the past.

Apart from David MC’s autograph series, here’s some of the other videos that helped form this list:

[feedeekate]

Random reminder that my main account is @boringkate and there are links to all kinds of non feederism related stuff at boringkate.com!

I have a curvage account at the link bellow!

https://curvage.org/forum/index.php?/profile/112154-boringkate/&tab=node_filestabprofile_filesTab

And if you wanna fatten me up then you can send canadian food giftcards to me@boringkate.com!

[loubella77]

Goodnight :) dm me tbh

$3.33 sale on OF ( happy holidays!! )

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Uber giftcards

Amazon gift cards

Shein gift cards

Dave and busters gift cards

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Or others , just dm me!!

[printshoplondon1]

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[theretirementstory]

21/04/24. Another day in Paris. It was an early start, I was out of bed at 5:30am and by the time we got back in the evening it was after 7pm. Boy was I tired! However, I am going to Paris for the next part of the CAR-T cell therapy on Thursday April 25. I should be staying in the hospital in Paris for 3-4 weeks. I am just praying that the food is good.

Now it’s time to do my tax return as it has to be completed by May 23 and I don’t want to send an email saying I am in hospital again! I have all of the information it is just a case of finding where to put it on the forms.

Had a catch up chat with Rosie who lives In Poitou-Charentes. Anie messaged to see if she could visit, she brought me a delightful bunch of muguet. While I was checking on a crumble I was cooking, there was a knock on the door. I opened the front door to find a huge bunch of muguet tucked into the door handle and Marlene was disappearing down the drive. I dashed out to speak to her and her husband before they left. I was so happy to receive these lovely gifts.

I had to have a platelet transfusion in Troyes on Monday and before they would let me leave the hospital in Paris on Tuesday I had to have another platelet transfusion. Can you believe I was booked in for another in Troyes on Friday afternoon. Well I got to the hospital on time, then after a blood test I was told I couldn’t have the transfusion on Friday I have to return on Monday morning. I was so angry but as I have found no amount of anger changes the stance of these people. Coming back in the taxi, I had to sit in the back, by the time we got home I was feeling travel sick! So Monday at 8:45am it is, what’s the betting that it will be more than one transfusion and I will be there all day 😩. I think I will need my case packing this afternoon!

Monique came to visit, she brought me lilac from her trees and three delicious cakes, bought at the most expensive cake shop in town! I cannot believe how well we get along and how we can sit and talk for hours when Monique only speaks French and German 🤔. She stayed for about 3 hours by which time we had put the world to rights.

I spoke to a cousin in London, who is terrified that WW3 is about to break out. To be honest if it does there is not much you or I can do about it and if someone pushes the button we may not even have time to worry. Just one thing I would like to know, in case this should happen, was Andrew Hillier from France 24, born in the North East of England? 😂

Anie called to see me again, bearing more gifts. This time it was pain d’épicés and a jar of homemade soup. The pain d’épicés contained walnuts too, it was absolutely delicious.

I needed some pj’s to wear in the hospital so I popped to Gemo in town and got a couple of pairs of pj bottoms and four t shirt tops as I need tops with short sleeves. I was given the sheet advising what I can eat on the protected feeding plan. Now I will be on this diet while I am in hospital but was told there is a washing machine available to wash my nightclothes. As I will be expected to remain in my room, being so far from home that I won’t have any visitors, I wonder how my pj’s will manage to get washed? Answers on a postcard please 😂😂.

The doctor from Paris phoned me just to say he had all the scan results and providing I don’t have Covid, he will see me on Thursday. Oh gosh it’s exciting and terrifying at the same time! I am hoping that I will be able to do my blogs but as some of the risk factors are neurological and I may lose the ability to write (temporarily) I will have to wait and see.

I have had two deliveries this week, the first was four books from another cousin in the UK and the second was a card and two magazines from a friend in the UK. I finally managed to package up, again, the gift I sent her last year which was refused by UK customs and returned to me.

“The Trainee Solicitor” has been stressed again this week! Having to keep one eye on training the new recruit and the other on dealing with his cases I guess he is looking a bit like Marty Feldman! Anyway it’s the weekend and a time to clear your head ready for the forthcoming week.

“The Reconnect Navigator” is going to be doing a new role at work until such time as a replacement is found. All experience and I think it will be rather interesting too. Her new Dr Marten boots have rubbed her feet and made them very sore. She went out on Friday evening with friends, I do hope she didn’t have to go barefoot!

“The Photographer” has his children this weekend. On Friday evening he had prepared a cottage pie with red wine jus and cheesy mash. Apparently the children really enjoyed it and my grandson had second helpings! On Saturday they met up with “The Trainee Solicitor” and “The Reconnect Navigator” for lunch, so I imagine that was a great experience too, as both children adore them! I was sent photos on Friday evening, of both children playing with large cardboard boxes. I love imaginary play where the box can be your home, a car, boat or plane it’s just wonderful to see children playing this way. Of course I love to see them as they are growing up so quickly, apparently my grandson can count to ten in French.

“The Jetsetter”, has been continuing with the day job until she goes away again. Not long now girl, I will be thinking of you on the day you fly but don’t you be thinking of me 😂.

The music this week starts with a song from a married couple. It was released in 1988, it’s Teardrops by Womack and Womack.

The second song is from 1997 (that was a good year😉) it’s by Savage Garden and it’s “To The Moon And Back”.

On my travels I have noticed that lilac, laburnum and the candles on the horse chestnut trees are all in evidence. I think they are probably a few weeks early. My cherry tree has lots of cherries starting to appear. Let’s hope that no heavy frost comes and kills them off.

So I will do my best to get a blog out to you next week. I am staying in the Saint-Antoine hospital in Paris. The nurse who was doing the transfusion said “ oh you are going to be staying on the floor”, I replied “Well I am hoping for a bed actually” to which we both had a laugh. The hospital is older than the one in Troyes, the room is probably going to be smaller and the “salle de douche”, in the room I was in on the day unit, was tiny, I could have taken a shower while sitting on the toilet! Maybe that’s how my pj’s will get washed 🤔.

The photo at the top of the blog Is the barrière du trône and this final photo is somewhere in the 12th arrondissement.

Jusqu’à la semaine prochaine.

[aufaits]

Access SCiPNET Email? One (1) new message!

To: "Au Fait" [ 5027-0983-1@site-phi.net ] From: "Site-φ HR" [ hr@site-phi.net ] Subject: Welcome!

Hello Au Fait,

We hope your flight into Site-φ went smoothly. Your belongings should already be moved in. Please expect deliveries to your suite for the next 1-3 business days as well. Included with your gift basket (we hope you like pretzels!) is your pager. There is a card with activation instructions next to it, but in the case you are having connectivity issues, please find Room 1946 in the B1 floor of the Main Base. 

The Mobile Task Force Commander will be contacting you shortly via pager for your introduction to the Chi-00 Team. 

Thank you! =)

Sincerely, 

Site-φ HR Department

Ombudsperson A.J. Stamatakis ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪs ᴇᴍᴀɪʟ ɪs ᴄᴏɴꜰɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴄɪᴘɪᴇɴᴛ sᴘᴇᴄɪꜰɪᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ. ɪᴛ ɪs sᴛʀɪᴄᴛʟʏ ꜰᴏʀʙɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ᴛᴏ sʜᴀʀᴇ ᴀɴʏ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴʏ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ, ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴄᴏɴsᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇɴᴅᴇʀ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ʙʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟʏ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛs ᴅᴇʟᴇᴛɪᴏɴ, sᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴇɴsᴜʀᴇ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴅᴏᴇs ɴᴏᴛ ᴏᴄᴄᴜʀ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ.

It’s not that jetlag hits hard. It’s not even that jetlag hits at all. But there’s a faint sense of something churning in her gut, nostalgia mixed with the way that naps never sit quite right, her whole body bleeding with discombobulation and bemusement. If we are to say (and on occasion some do) that certain emotions rest in assorted parts of the body, then her current state—  unmoored, bewildered, unraveled—  lingers in her eyes and teeth, a warmth reaching inward, paralyzing her with indecision.

Across the room, the email still beeps at her, the pretel half devoured and immediately forgotten. She knows that she ought to reread —  ought to send her thanks in return, be as peppy as the stranger on the other line, but the headache still lingers, her body is still dragged back into her bed. Around her, the items of her room sit in disarray, her books in lackluster piles, the cold light spilling through the windows, casting shadows in strange shapes.

She wants — to walk, to see, to meet —  but the mess captures her in its spiral. An hour later, and still she sits ensconced in her blankets, knowing that she will only have this for a time. Soon, she will have to be herself again. Soon, she will have to be Vivien, put her own name in her mouth and remind everyone what that means. Soon, the room will return to the precise thing that she has always known.

But for this moment —  for this point in time where she hangs in the in-between, not herself and not another, the amorphous nature of a body in travel, time passes like a liquid substance, light as the only marker of it’s transitory nature. For this moment she becomes like mercury too, never bound to a solid form, a solid mode of measurement.

And then the cold sets in, and she returns to herself.

[dailyexo]

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Credit: Visit Seoul.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Ticket Issues

Anyone who thinks that nerds are childish and somehow lacking in adulthood because of their hobbies and interests really needs to watch us arrange a convention sometime. I'm not even talking about the money required to go to a convention. I'm talking logistics. Travel time, organisation of activities for every given day, sorting the souvenir budget. And that's just if everything goes right.

See, my mother booked a physical ticket when she bought me my weekend priority entry to MCM Comic Con this year, and it arrived on Friday. My stepfather brought it Sunday when he finished programming the new heaters (well, one of the new heaters; today's the other one, fixing a hole he made in a wall, and sorting out the boiler ... theoretically, anyway). The first thing I thought was, "Ooh, pretty". The second thing I thought was, "...wait, why does this only say Sunday Priority instead of Weekend Priority?" I mean, the envelope was opened, and Mum and David had already had a look, but they don't understand how any of this works, and anyway probably stopped looking particularly closely when they saw MCM on the flier inside and knew it was technically mine. So they obviously didn't catch it. I, however, did, and it's my ticket, so I was going to have to sort something out.

At first I thought, "Well, maybe it's only the physical ticket that says the wrong thing and the QR code is fine" ... but I was deluding myself because the card is honestly more like a gift card you can get for various shops than anything else, and that probably means that there's just a batch of tickets with QR codes on them for specific days pre-printed and sent out as appropriate, and I just got the wrong one. However, I did want to confirm, so I downloaded the app for the convention (entire conventions have apps now, which I'm sure is helpful but still will not stop being weird) and begin the process of activating my ticket, just to see what happens. I eventually get the text boxes for confirming individual day tickets and weekend tickets. Try my confirmation code in the Weekend Priority Ticket box ... before I even hit submit, it's telling me that the code is invalid. Put the confirmation code for Sunday in? No such message. So they sent me the wrong ticket. Well, fuck.

First thing I did was check to see if that had happened to anyone else. If it has, it isn't a huge deal on the places people complain about such (like, for instance, Reddit), at least not even under the best search terms my black belt in Google-fu could generate. Now, there was the option to email the con runners, but ... well ... much as I hate and despise it, sometimes you just have to talk to a human being for some peace of mind. So I called the line for queries.

Surprisingly, I got an actual person on the line right away. A person in a really shitty wireless headset who I could only partly understand, but an actual person. So I explained the issue, gave him the QR code on the physical ticket and the confirmation ID on the confirmation email my mother forwarded to me, and now all I have to do is go to the query desk with my confirmation ID on my phone and it'll all get sorted. And I had to go to the query desk anyway for an accessibility lanyard, so that's okay. I mean, I'm going to bring my physical ticket just in case they want to see it, but that's only because decades as a secretary has taught me to cover your ass and have all even potentially relevant documents to hand when you're dealing with an issue. Better overprepared than having to fumble for things.

So that's my spark of adrenaline for the day - I actually had to ring customer service and sort out a problem. Because seriously, Marion's coming for the whole weekend and my autographs are booked for Saturday, so going only on Sunday is not an option, even if my mother hadn't spent just over £100 for the ticket, the delivery of physical ticket that they screwed up anyway, and a souvenir pin badge that I also have to pick up at the query desk. Or at least a query desk.

Anyway, look, I adulted my ass off to sort out the mess the people sending tickets made of my con information. Nobody gets to tell me that going to a comic convention makes me less than adult.

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

This is the newest way I'm doing surveys.

I got Survey Junkie on the side as well.

Also, through Microsoft Edge, I get daily points for searching up stuff and am at 3,000/13,000($10 gift card).

This week I cashed in a $15 Amazon gift card from Inbox and a $5 Amazon gift card from Junkie. Added it to my wallet for a delivery I needed desperately.

I like playing Solitaire on Inbox Dollars cuz play time and winning makes the bar up top fill up and then you can scratch off a ticket for money. The Scratch off IS a scam in that even if you get a $25 on your first go, it makes you scratch the whole card clean and will always give you the lowest amount there is regardless of what your first or last revealed number was. But hey, another 8 cents is fine with me(but that's cuz I'm so poor that I can't afford to be too bitchy about getting more money). There IS a time limit to how long you can play game tho.

The dailies are pretty ease to get through. At the end of the month, you get an bonus bit of money just because you completed the dailies and therefore 'logged in'.

[because-she-goes]

chocolate

warnings: none, just fluff. Enjoy!

What do you get for the boy on the other side of planet who has everything he could ever possibly want. What do you get the girl all the way back in America who could simply thrift or create whatever she needed.

The answer they both came up with was flowers. Matty’s being a classic romantic and liked red roses. Nora loved daisies and how summery they were. They also decided on dessert deliveries. Matty sent muffins for his muffin and Nora sent him the unreal brownies he loved from her place in New York.

So, now here we are. April 8th, 2017. Matty’s 28th.

Matty woke up that morning in his London home, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. They had started work on the next album, still untitled. Him and George were pulling late nights and drinking too many redbulls. His plaid pants hung low on his hips and he pulled on a robe, his house freezing. Going to make his morning cup of tea, he starts checking his phone for any overnight emails or texts from Jamie… he sees a missed call from Nora from last night at about 10pm - 3am London time. He checks the clock and sees its only about 5:30am there, Nora won’t be up for hours. Other than that, no immediate fires that need to be put out. Sipping his tea, he walks to the front door and grabs his newspapers - all the boys collecting them for album material. He loves these types of mornings - slow, relaxed, sleepy. He just wishes Nora could be with him, she had a work meeting tonight with a friend she had who was interested in commissioning something. She told him she would be getting the next flight out of New York in 2 days. He couldn’t wait. Her presence alone making the concrete house feel warm and comforting - like raspberry iced tea and summer time. He worked on a demo for a few hours and by the time lunch rolled around, his doorbell rang. Who could that be? He didn’t order anything and wasn’t expecting anyone. Matty swung the door open, and didn’t see the royal mail person there. Just a box with a note. Looking around again, shrugging his shoulders and picking up the box wrapped in twine with his name and address in a beautiful caligraphy.

Taking the package up to his kitchen, he unwraps it and the note falls to the ground. He takes the card and unfolds it. He inhales sharply when he recognizes the handwriting.

“To My Matthew,

Happiest of birthdays, Handsome! I am sorry I could not be there in person, but figured in the interim before my arrival you’d like a little piece of me. I love you so much, more than the English language will ever be able to articulate. I organized some things to arrive for you today so hopefully you like them. The first of which is a package of brownies from the bakery you love down the street from me, and before you even ask I did get the oreo ones you go nuts for. Don’t spoil your appetite, handsome… the boys’ll be round later to take you out. Have fun and again, I love you more than you’ll ever know.

Xx always,

Your Nora”

Matty was misty eyed, no-one had ever thought to send him something overseas when he was away. No girlfriend ever going that far for him. Putting that out of his brain, not wanting to get too emotional this early in the afternoon he tore open the box of brownies. The decadent smell of chocolate and candy filling the space around him, Matty thew his head back in bliss. “You’ve done it again, Downey!” He says to the universe - hoping someway she hears him. Munching on the brownie, he calls her.

“Well, good morning birthday boy! Gotten any of your gifts so far?” Her peach sweet voice comes through the line after a few rings.

“And a lovely afternoon to you, Honey! Yes actually, the brownies just came. Half already gone I’d like to report. Best brownies ever! What else is in store may I ask, beloved?”

“Oh, you’re good Matthew. I will be honest, I may have ordered a pack for myself to get delivered to the studio later. They truly are god’s gift to baking. As for the rest of the agenda, that is for me to know and for you to find out. Wouldn’t exactly be a birthday surprise if you knew, now would it, Handsome?”

“No it wouldn’t, Darling… Just know that when June rolls around and I’m locked away in a writing dungeon, I am gonna outdo whatever you have 10 fold.”

“You got yourself a challenge, Handsome.” She smiles. “Okay, I gotta run. I love you baby and happy birthday, I’ll be there before you know it.”

“Okay, good luck, Honey! I love you and am counting down the minutes.”

With that, another ring of the door bell comes as Matty hangs up the phone. Before him he sees a floral van and a young girl nervously holding a delicate bouquet of red roses and what look to be little bits of eucalyptus and white hydrangea. Oh, she knows him way too well, he thinks as he opens the door to the teenager.

“A Matty Healy?”

“I’m him! Thank You, doll. Have a good day!” He says to the girl as he tips her a few pounds and shuts the door softly. He grabs a vase and holds the flowers to his nose, he sighs in content. She really does know him incredibly well, a perfectly beautiful yet subtle arrangement.

Matty enjoys the rest of his day, texting her a picture of the brownie box now empty once the boys came and the flowers in their vase on his kitchen table. He blushed as she sent a kiss emoji and a “all for you, birthday boy <3”. Maybe 28 wasn’t going to be so terrible after all.

June in New York, Nora Downey turned 25 as the clocks struck 3:51am on the 16th.

She awoke quite differently than her other half. She slept through her alarm and wokd up a whole hour later for an appointment with her therapist. Calling the office, she rescheduled for the following day and was told it wasn’t any issue. Deciding to grab some coffee and swing by the local bookstore for her monthly magazine grab. Getting some copies of i-D magazine, DORK, Rolling Stone, British Vogue and British GQ. Heading back home excitedly to read her magazines, she gets a call from Matty.

“Hey baby, hows your birthday going? Doing anything fun today?” She smiles at his voice and the petname.

“Uhh, just heading home to read some magazines and things. Then maybe go to my painting and wine class!” He wishes he could be with her, but things with the album and the guys wanting to go to the countryside for the summer to write and work was just getting a little hectic. He does appreciate though that she is atleast doing something for her day, she raves about these wine and paint classes she started years ago. He still kept his plan of sending her a little something to her apartment, but she must have not seen it yet.

“Oh, that sounds fun! Me and the guys were gonna drive up north today and work at that studio I mentioned last week. Maybe I can facetime later and we can have a little virtual dinner date, yeah?”

“Sounds lovely, Handsome. I’m almost home by the way so sorry if this cuts out or if I go quiet trying to get upstairs.”

“Not a problem, take your time, Muffin.”

Getting to her building and clicking the button for the elevator she is shocked when she reaches her door.

“Healy, what have you done? Oh my god, don’t tell me you actually went through with the thing I joked about in Apri…”

“Oh, yes I did, Baby! Hope you love them, gotta run! Happy Birthday and I love you most!”

“Impossible, Handsome!”

Hanging up, grabbing the gorgeous bouquet of roses and daisies and the box she slides her keys in and kicks the door open. Knocking it closed, she carefully puts down the gifts on her entry table next to her key dish. Running to grab the cold champagne she keeps in case of emergencies from her fridge, a glass and a vase she makes me way back to the entry for the flowers. Setting the vase down on the living room table, she fills it with water and the flowers. Pouring her champagne, getting the box and magazines she sets up her afternoon. Nora goes to her bedroom, slides off her overalls and throws on a flannel shirt she stole from Matty and jean shorts. Gathering her hair in a ponytail and walking back to her idea of heaven, she sits comfortably on the couch. Snapping a picture of her and her treasures, she sends it to Matty - fully knowing its gonna drive him crazy that she’s in his shirt alone in her apartment.

“Couldn’t ask for a better start to 25 xx” She presses send and takes a bite of the incredible chocolate swirl muffins. She couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend.