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butididntpourthewhiskeys · 8 months ago

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Homebodies

A little fluff for your TTPD weekend.

~~~

“No I promise, just sit down, I’ll be done in just a minute, mom.” she says firmly in response to her mother asking if she needs any help in the kitchen. Travis just gives Andrea that one look she’s grown to know too well. His eyebrows raised an inch and a smirk on his face that tells the blonde woman he’s got her daughter all figured out.

Leave it to me.

She giggles quietly at Travis, then slowly walks back into the living room to sit down next to Scott. Travis looks at all the different dishes on the counter behind her. The California sun is slowly setting. He should’ve known this morning when she announced that she’ll cook ‘a few Italian primi piatti’ that the ruthless perfectionist lurking inside of his girlfriend would finally make a come back on this Friday. After running around all day, going to the gym, completing her cardio challenge, baking cupcakes for her parents, finishing a work meeting, discussing a music video concept with her team and signing a few new contracts, she of course decided to hit the delicacy shop she loves out here in LA, just to buy all the ingredients she needs for a total of six different Italian dishes that she wants to make for him and her parents tonight. He knows too well by now that whenever Taylor is in this state of mind, there’s no stopping her. If she sets her mind onto something, there’s nothing anyone can say or do to make her loosen up a little. Even if that would involve her actually enjoying this quiet evening with him and her family instead of standing in the kitchen for a solid two hours now, not having had a single conversation with any one of her parents yet.

“What else needs to be done? I can cut veggies? I’m good at cutting stuff.” he tries one last time, steals a carrot stick from her cutting board and starts munching. While stirring the big blue Dutch oven in front of her, she looks back at him for a second, stressed, clearly not amused that he’s eating her uncooked food.

“No, all good. I just need to make sure the risotto won’t thicken too much and once that’s done you guys can sit down and eat the carpaccio before it gets soggy because I need to take the bread out of the oven and quickly scrap together the bruschetta sauce..”

Travis just sighs deeply, takes a step closer towards her. She’s too stressed whipping up the food in front of her to even notice him trying to get closer.

“How about we just let the bruschetta be? We’ve got so much food, babe. It’s just us four. It’s also really late already.”

She shakes her head, not responding to him and he knows that if he pushes her any more now, she might actually get mad at him tonight.

“How about I start cutting some tomatoes for the bruschetta then?” he says with a sigh, finally gave into her obsession with the tomato bread. For a moment she looks up at him, a weak smile on her face. It immediately lights up his entire body.

“That would be great.” she just says, still a bit hesitant and he knows why. She’s not sure if she should be happy that he’s offering to help her, or if she should be worried about the fact that he might cut off his fingers while doing so.

“Sure.” he says, can see the washed and perfectly ripe tomatoes sitting in the drain by the sink right next to her. He grabs one of the tomatoes, holds it up in the air with a question mark on his face.

“Little cubes?”

She nods, a smile on her face.

“Thanks, Trav.” she says then, still busy stirring the risotto in front of her. She doesn’t even notice that he gets closer to her, and fast enough has stolen her cheek a gentle kiss. She giggles all surprised about his gentleness, then feels him lean in again after a second.

“You’re very welcome, crazy.”

Another kiss leaving her cheek. She just giggles, continues stirring her risotto.

_________

“Taylor, that was absolutely incredible.”

She smiles proudly at her father sitting across from her, takes one last sip from her white wine.

“Thanks so much. So glad you liked it.”

“Honey, it was delicious but you didn’t have to put in all this work just because we’re visiting.” Andrea says, her tone a bit more dunning than Scott’s was before. Taylor just rolls her eyes, a bit annoyed that everyone around her acts like she reinvented the wheel with this Italian dinner. Yes, it was some cooking time to prepare this meal, but she loves hosting and loves being a cook. Her mom should know that better than anyone.

“Tay loves spoiling our guests.” Trav says then, and Taylor looks up at the big man sitting next to her. She starts smiling. Our guests. It was a simple sentence. But it made her feel a certain way. He’s home. This has become his home, too.

“I do. Also, this is Trav’s favorite dish. So..”

“Hey, don’t put this on me now.” He says quickly, jokingly holds up his hands in an innocent gesture that makes the whole table laugh. Taylor can’t help but giggle, too. She playfully hits him in the side.

“I gained fifteen pounds since December, Scott. Fifteen pounds.” he says dramatically to both Andrea and Scott, who amusedly witness the interaction between him and Taylor.

“That’s a good sign, though.” her father laughs, especially because his daughter starts hitting the man’s upper arm some more, looking deeply shocked from him, to her mom and back at Travis again.

“Do not even start blaming me for that. Every time I have food laying around he eats it. That’s not on me.”

Andrea starts laughing, and so does Scott. Travis just rolls his eyes playing pretend, sips one last time on his wine glass before looking at the blonde woman in the black top sitting next to him, giving him a playful side eye. She looks absolutely gorgeous as always, but there’s something in her eyes that gives her away. She’s exhausted. Deeply exhausted and tired, but he knows she won’t ever admit to it.

Without countering her some more, Travis just places his wine glasses in front of him, then wanders with his right hand to her head. He starts gently caressing her hair, wandering down to her neck then, where his thumbs draw some soft and slow circles. He can see her eyes getting smaller and her smile getting softer. His touch helps her let her guard down slowly. But she’s not the only one sitting around this table smiling quietly. Both of her parents witness his gentle gesture silently, a smile on both their faces, unsure if they’ve ever seen their daughter look as loved and taken care of as she does right now.

“You had three hours of sleep last night. How are you even still upright?”

She giggles, his hand now leaving her neck and reaching for her cold left hand.

“Jetlag and being tired is a choice.”

Andrea starts laughing. She knows just as much as Travis that this is the most ridiculous saying her daughter comes up with whenever she’s urged to slow down a little.

“Mhm. Sure.” he just says laughingly, knowing damn well that there’s no arguing with her tonight. Within less than two seconds, she gets up, starts cleaning the dinner table.

“How about you start picking a movie and we do the dishes.” Andrea now takes initiative but before she can even finish her sentence, Taylor shakes her head and makes sure to grab the used plates quicker than her mother can.

“Absolutely not. Trav will go pick a movie with you guys, I’m gonna quickly clean up and feed the cats and join you then.”

“I can feed the cats, babe.” the man who just got up right next to her tries once more but she shakes her head.

“No, please pick a movie with mom and dad.” She asks him with a serious look on her face and he sighs, just shakes his head in disbelief, knowing damn well that he’s got to let her be her obsessive self tonight.

“Alright guys, what do you want to watch?”

_________

“Why is it so quiet in here…”

“Because we are waiting for you, honey.” Scott says from the living room couch, looking at Taylor who stands in the now clean and shiny kitchen preparing the bowls for her cats.

“No, just start the movie already. I’ll be there in a second.” she says, really doesn’t want them to have to wait any longer. After all, it’s past nine already now. The view onto her little backyard is pitch black, and she knows her parents are still jet lagged, too.

“Absolutely not.” Travis says from the very right couch on which he sits, giving her that look she loves so much. With the remote control in his hand, as comfortable as he can be, he smiles at her, looking right into her eyes somehow even though this massive living room is dividing them.

“You can’t miss the beginning. It’s the most important part of this movie.”

“Alright, alright, give me one second.” she says, places the bowls in front of the three impatient cats waiting for their dinner, and washes her hands with her favorite lavender soap in the big kitchen sink one last time.

“Do you guys have drinks? Do you need any snacks, or ice cream? Trav, do we still have the…”

“We have everything, honey. Now enough with all this madness. Sit down on your ass. Now!” Andrea says in a new tone, which Travis hadn’t experienced before. It makes him smile though. Suddenly, Taylor just nods, turns off the lights in the kitchen and finally, after what felt like an eternity, makes her way up to her family lounging in the living room. Travis smiles at the beauty in front of him, immediately opens his arms for her to sit down next to him.

“Come on, babe. Lay down.” he just mumbles, gets comfortable on the big couch himself, a pillow in his neck, and enjoys to feel Taylor cuddle up to him, becoming the little spoon to be able to face the big flat screen.

“Alright, are we ready?”

“Yes.” Both Scott and Andrea answer annoyed from their seats and it makes Taylor laugh. Travis hits the play button and the movie starts. His right hand securely around Taylor’s small body frame, slowly wandering onto her stomach. She places her hand on top of his, and with his head on the pillow behind him, he leans over to her once, breathing in her incredible smelling hair, and steals her neck one last kiss. She moves a bit more, trying to get comfortable, and he can feel how fast her heart beats. He knew it. She’s been running around all day, not even allowing herself a single moment of rest. She’s rattled up, and her inability to just lay still in his arms is proof enough. Sometimes, he feels like whenever she’s not playing a show she needs to run around all day to compensate for her lack of adrenaline rush. It’s not good for her though. It’s not good to be in a constant state of stress.

The movie has just started and he catches himself every so often just staring at her instead. Her silhouette in the darkness, lid up by nothing but the flickering tv light. She’s the most beautiful person he knows. Not a single ounce of badness about her. It terrifies him sometimes, how deeply he loves her. How pure his feelings really are for her. His thoughts manifest themselves once more as she starts laughing about a scene on tv and he realizes that he was way too distracted to follow the storyline until now.

A few moments later, Travis can finally feel her become more and more still in his arms. Her hand still firmly over his, her thumb drawing the ever same slow circles on the back of his hand. She’s slowly coming down from her day. And half an hour later, he knows she’s fighting sleep. Whilst both of her parents are still awake watching and enjoying the movie he chose, the blonde woman in his arms has grown unusually quiet. It takes another five minutes and he feels her spasm once. She’s fighting sleep when really, she shouldn’t. Travis slowly lets go of her stomach, moves his big hand over her cold and naked upper arm instead. Nothing but the tv light lighting up her sleepy face.

“Baby?”

“Mhm?” she answers in her half sleeping state, of course pretending to be fully awake.

“Can you reach for the blanket next to you?”

She slowly sits up, grabs the blanket and just hands it to him, too tired to fully recognize the fact that she’s freezing in her top, and that she needs the blanket more than he does. She just lays down again, her head this time getting comfortable on his upper arm. He opens up the soft blanket over her, feels Taylor finally giving in. With her eyes half closed and the same tired disoriented look on her face whenever she wakes up at night to go to the bathroom, Taylor turns around, signaling him to open his arms for her some more. She’s now fully turned away from the tv, her sleepy face facing his chest. He protectively wraps the blanket around her cold torso, feels her little hand placed on his chest over his sweater. With her wrapped in his arms, and the blanket, Travis looks down at her closing her eyes, finally allowing herself to fall asleep. He leans down to kiss her forehead once, his arm around her, stroking her back up and down.

“Sorry, I’m just..”

He doesn’t know whether her mumbles are an apology to him or her parents about the fact that she falls asleep twenty minutes into the movie. But he’s having none of it.

“Shh. I’ll tell you later what happened.” he whispers, and she doesn’t even nod. Instead, he can watch her breathing get slower and slower and steadier and steadier. It takes less than a minute and she’s fully asleep in his arms. A little sigh escapes her throat. Her toes between his legs move once. In his arms, she slowly lets go. And Travis can now face the TV again, and actually enjoy the movie knowing that the woman in his arms is finally getting some well deserved rest. But his gentleness doesn’t remain unnoticed. Both Scott and Andrea watch Taylor drift off in his big arms, his left hand securely on her head, his right one around her waist, stroking her back over the blanket up and down every so often. Not one of the two can recall a time, in which they’ve witnessed their daughter more effortlessly safe, feeling loved and able to be herself more than in this moment.

#this is is ridiculous #homebodies #taylor swift fanfiction #taylor swift #fanfiction #fanfic #ttpd #writing #travis kelce #cozy #fluff #fluff on end lol #tayvis

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hong-kong-art-man · 5 months ago

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Looking Down From Garden Hill, Sham Shui Po Spreads Out From Us To Include Old Streets, Quiet Shophouses And Romantic “Tong Lau”s Which Mesmerize You With Its Old-world Charm

“Sunset is the opening music of the night”. In Hong Kong, the most photogenic moment of our Victoria Harbour is at sunset. One of the best angles to take such photos is from Garden Hill (嘉頓山) of a very old district Sham Shui Po (深水埗) which some call it “District of Sunset” as the old area is full of faded glories. But, every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn—Sham Shui Po is now being well gentrified! There are more and more trendy cafes near Ki Lung Street (基隆街) and the zone is often nicknamed as “The Brooklyn of Hong Kong”.

Sham Shui Po is situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, adjacent to the deep-water Victoria Harbour. “Po” means the flat land with a pier. Sham Shui Po Pier, now sadly gone, can be traced back to 1924 or an earlier date. In the late Qing Dynasty several hundred years ago, one of the customs stations was built in Sham Shui Po. It was usually the first stop for the boats coming from Pearl River (珠江) of the Mainland to the west of Hong Kong when they arrived here. Sham Shui Po thus became a busy marketplace with brisk business activities. Cottage industries such as footwear, clothing, household goods, herbal medicine, and many other trades flourished. These industries were usually housed in a 3-storey building with a covered verandah and the building is called “tong lau” (唐樓). Owners work in the ground floor shops and their families live upstairs. When several “tong lau”s are joined to each other, they form a long outdoor pedestrian porch with a cover. Hong Kong has a rainy climate in summer and the design of a tong lau can protect customers from getting wet in the street after shopping. Many such old shops still exist and some even have been in Sham Shui Po for over 70 years. Success comes to those who are busy with it. So, it is unfair to say everyone in Sham Shui Po is poor.

In 1955, a Han dynasty tomb was unearthed during the construction of a government housing estate in Sham Shui Po. The tomb comprises 4 chambers and there is an entrance passage in the shape of a symmetrical cross. It is known as the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum (李鄭屋漢墓博物館). It sheds light on the history that about 2,000 years ago, Sham Shui Po was already inhabited by people who were rich enough to build such a fine tomb. Do take a look on a beautiful day!

Sham Shui Po is more charming than other districts in Kowloon combined. It will take you more than one day to fully explore this old district and see things that already vanish in other places. Let me give you an example.

Apliu Street (鴨寮街) is an olden and famous “flea market” street for electronic products inclusive of second-hand components, parallel imports, and discontinued models. Also, old vinyl records, cassette tapes, newspapers, magazines, and books can be found. “Apliu” literally means duck sheds because in the past, the area was a cluster of matsheds on the beach and partly over water where sheds were built. The street is now a shopping paradise for men especially homebodies. It is difficult to find such a fascinating nostalgic street in other area of Hong Kong.

Sham Shui Po is well known for its cramped quarters, high population density and caged homes. Dilapidated buildings are everywhere. Many live in bad condition. The district is old and the residents, many being workers in the factories of Sham Shui Po in the past, are facing economic threats when their physical health now declines. Other old people are attracted to the district since housing and basic necessities in Sham Shui Po are affordable for them. An extreme imbalance between rich and poor in Hong Kong shows that our high degree of capitalism had to be wisely adjusted. Of course, poverty is not necessarily an enemy to happiness. Some live confidently there despite all the negative factors.

Sham Shui Po was the heart of Hong Kong’s textiles manufacturing industry in the 1960s. Now, these factories have gone but the district is still a popular market for designers and craftsmen to buy fashion materials which are in abundant supply. They include knitted fabrics, buttons, cotton cloths, needles and threads. These things are like a box of crayons that colour Sham Shui Po. The prominent streets are Nam Cheong Street (南昌街) and Yu Chau Street (汝州街).

In Hong Kong, snake soup (蛇羹) is considered a nutritious and expensive traditional dish. It is consumed in the cold months to make the body warm and strong. It may cure ailments such as arthritis. The well-known one is in Sham Shui Po and the restaurant is called “蛇王協” (Snake King Hip) in Apliu Street. Young people tend to dislike snake soup but you should try it before the gourmet food disappears in Hong Kong.

I want to salute Sham Shui Po with a passage in writing by the French photographer Chirstophe Agou: With every glance I take in the “negative-positive” of existence and the inevitability of impermanence to its glowing limits. Alone and haunted, I trust my inner eye, the heart. Everything, absolutely everything, becomes visible. Appearances, disappearances, nothing seems of secondary importance to me.

Sham Shui Po is nostalgically romantic.

Maurice Lee

Chinese Version 中文版: https://www.patreon.com/posts/jia-dun-shan-yao-109165156?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Sham Shui Po Market https://youtu.be/ln3ny9slWEo?si=GNWWrleDLz1J1qi5 Acknowledgement-RTHK

Sham Shui Po stories https://youtu.be/nWkpBNrJkts?si=ev3EzA-OY0RRsQrm Acknowledgement SEE Network

Lee Cheng Uk Han Tomb https://youtu.be/suMKLWpWiOc?si=JtKY6vdVH4L_7Ocl Acknowledgement-lhy1002

#Chirstophe Agou #Homebodies #Caged Homes #Cramped Quarters #Snake Soup #Apliu Street #District Of Sunset #Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum

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