#I put Dulce de Leche on everything sweet | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

merry-andrews · 10 months ago

Text

I finally got around to type my comment! putting it under the line because it's too long! :3

God, I was waiting for this updating and it's finally here!! such joy and happiness!! I hope we'll get more chapters and an epilogue maybe before season four is aired! I feel so lucky I found the boys fandom, many talented artists and writers and I found many good friends here too that I'm so grateful for! especially meeting you, dear writer, and your fics are my comforting source everytime I feel down! thank you for everything, you're the best and one of kindest, nicest people walking on this earth!

I love little details of stealing boyfriend's shirt or Johnny craving attention during last months of pregnancy. and this part too Billy still wears the expensive watch John gifted him, and he’s finally wearing outfits to match it.

It's really cute that Billy holds on the watch that John gave him despite mentioning he may sell it for the money and now working office work to effort a good life for his family, it reminded me of that scene Billy said before Becca he was a nobody but she changed him for good.. him and John had been through a lot and have many bad memories of each other but hhn honestly, good for them that they live together now (and I still think about sewer scene when I read about them being all domestic and how close John was to force Annie to kill Hughie but then Billy saved them)

“No, it’s about to be the Fourth of July.”

Billy retracts his hand, but rubs John’s arm and kisses his shoulder instead. “And? Not sure I follow.”

John puts his phone on the nightstand and hugs his chest with both arms protectively. “I don’t want her to be born on the Fourth, that’s all.”

“Still don’t follow.” Billy breaks into a chuckle. “Why the hell not?”

“I don’t want her birthday to be overshadowed by some holiday. And I definitely don’t want people thinking I made up the date. Which they will.”

Billy makes an incredulous little scoffing sound.

aww he's such a darling! worrying about his kid's birth date and what people might think of it, dunno why but I find it really endearing. and Billy's eagerness to touch and please him as soon as he's home and has changed into comfort clothes is really sweet. I love a brute Billy being soft inside.

Billy just manages to move out of the way to avoid being sideswiped. “Sorry,” John mumbles. “I feel like a beached whale when I’m lying down.”

“You look great.” Billy picks up John’s chin so their eyes meet, then strokes some of his hair out of his eyes. “Can’t imagine how uncomfortable it must feel, but you look gorgeous.”

I really love how Billy keeps telling him he's still beautiful even while he's round with the baby, giving him assurance and love, he's the best boyfriend honestly. I also love how you put phrases like that smoll 'beached whale' through the fic! it's really cute to read them. I'm not a writer myself but I call these little things as 'decorating the story' tho. they might won't be so important and some readers would just read and move on but I like reading them! they make the sentence more flourish and reader would remember your fic if they hear the same phrase in fututre!

“Well, don’t start now. God, my face,” John laments and touches his knuckles to the underside of his chin as he reviews the photos that he took himself.

Gosh I really love your version of John! he dies to have a kid of his own but he also keeps worrying for his weight, appearance, baby's birth date and... I remember you once mentioned The Boys is more close to celebrity lifestyles than about corrupted heroes! and it's absolutely endearing seeing how your John acts. loving to take photoes, having media pages and that little cute warning he gives Billy 'dont put them on the media' Gosh he's so sweet.

“And what am I supposed to do with that pint of dulce de leche Haagen-Dazs you were so insistent that I get from the shops, hmm?”

“Eat it yourself.”

Can I say I really adore the way you picture John? it's like Billy's living with a girlfriend always complaining, always wanting attention and needs to be told he's loved and pretty almost everyday. this sentence reminded me of that phrase in this fic, previous chapters when John had an interview at home and he just told Billy in most demanding voice that 'I have an interview today so you better make breakfast now cus I don't want any background noises later' or when they argue and Johnny rubs at him temples because he's tired of reasoning with Billy. your Johnny is the best Homelander I can find that is so close to canon one! I'm in awe of how you write him, it's like you live with him that you know exactly how he reacts!

Billy giving him a big kiss on the cheek, while he’s cracking up and squinting his eyes shut, big toothy grin. It’s all very candid

No comment on this part hehe I just loved this sentence soo much I wanted to mention it! wish I was a good artists, I'd loved to draw this picture of them all smiling and being happy. maybe later on John would frame it and they keep it on the bedside table beside their wedding pictures? XD

It’s hard to tell whether Billy is more afraid of heights or of looking undignified. John hugs him in by the waist as tightly as is comfortable for them both and lifts off slowly from their balcony, cruising at an easy speed, trying his utmost to make the trip as serene as possible.

It’s not John’s fault that a stray firework gets set off somewhere on the New Jersey side just as they’re crossing the short stretch of New York harbor to get to the island. It’s a loud explosion, probably one of the ones meant for tomorrow night. John wouldn’t have flinched had Billy not started panicking and squirming so much that for a moment John did worry he might drop him into the water.

Personally I like to think that Billy just hates flying and yes there's fear there too. when I read the part when Johnny suggests they fly I was like 'oh God please don't be "and then he carried Billy bridal style and Billy said oh I actually like flying with you"' and I want to kiss you for making Billy hating flying, it's not so important at all but God, you can tell I'm tired of reading fics where John carries Billy around, flying. because 1. it's so against the canon, look at that man, does he look like he enjoys flying?! 2. despite John being so close to him, giving him control and putting all his trust in him is a bit.. out of character, they have a long history together that indeed has left its traces on Billy. it's also one of the reasons why I headcanon top Billy (of course it's cus John was born to be a bottom and that Billy is so good at taking care and he truly enjoys it too) but it's also he can't still fully trust John. I agree with him, it'll take long time for old wound to heal and for Billy to fully be open to John but still... still..

“Do you stop feeling like I’m your family when I do that?” John presses further. Billy chuckles, picking John’s other hand off the armrest and bringing it up to his lips to kiss it.

Awwww he's so cute, thinking of Billy as family, counting himself as Billy's family and that little 'all three of us' that Billy says, Gosh, you're my favourite person, thank you for giving us all these sweet domestic moments between these two. X3

Billy stares at him, his confident devil-may-care façade peeled away completely. He’s looking pretty spooked. As Billy moves about the apartment, John still listens to his heart pounding loud and clear. “I- I doubt it’s gonna hurt anything. They said it might take a while anyway.” Billy rushes off to the kitchen. “You want yogurt?!” He yells, apparently forgetting that John can hear him just fine at any volume.

Gosh I love, love love how everything escalates in Billy's feature from that time the cramps start and that yelling through the house, him stuttering when talking and heart pounding so loud. aah I can't help I remember that scene when A-Train says a bad word behind John's back and he turns around with threaten in his low voice 'what did you say?'

Where the fuck is Billy? He was by his side through this ordeal, but he’s been gone for... John can’t really tell time. It’s probably only been fifteen minutes. Maybe he finally gave up on went off to get some sleep? John knows it’s a lot to ask of people to stay at his side for this many hours straight. He’s already had one complete nervous breakdown which seemed to cause Billy to lose all hope and cry quietly in the other room where he thought John wouldn’t hear him.

I've read this part many times before moving on T.T thank you for giving us this Billy. Gosh yeah he's that same brute 'I don't give a damn' and 'you all are like a weapon to me, I point you at whatever I want' and 'I'm just using that cunt of the supe, we win against the Vought by that supe on our side' but, isn't he a softy at heart? I can't even imagine how much pressure he went through and part of mental pressure during the labor is on the 'father'. even most part of it because John is in the middle of it but Billy is standing by his side and can't do anything to help and this guilty feeling with the fear of losing both John and the baby is just.. and then later on (don't blame me when I say it was my fave part to read because to much to talk about in this small phrases);

Billy returns from somewhere, smelling like fresh air and cigarettes all at once.

“Did you-” John would sound angry if he wasn’t delirious. “Did you just decide to go back to smoking?!”

“I needed a ciggy. Tea wasn’t cutting it. I couldn’t do this anymore,” Billy says, sounding tired and indifferent, although he looks absolutely wrecked when John looks up at his face.

“You can’t do this anymore?! What the fuck are you even doing!? I’m the only one suffering and no one’s doing anything to help me!” John knows he’s saying something cruel but can’t stop himself in the throes of pain.

“You’re right,” Billy replies and John can tell there’s sorrow on his face, but John only gets angrier at seeing that. “All I can offer you is a cigarette at this point. Tea if you want it. I don’t know how to help.”

“Fuck you! Fuck you! I never should have done this! I never should have asked you to do this it’s me! I never want to have sex ever again!”

“Fair enough,” Billy says, tone flat and defeated.

“Nothing is worth this pain!” John glances at the door, verifies Vogelbaum isn’t there anymore, and bursts into tears, not only because of the pain, but because of what he just admitted out loud.

“I swear if I could take your pain on, I would,” Billy mutters under his breath. “I wish I knew how to help. Talk some sense into her, tell her it’s time to come out. Fucking hell.”

I think all mothers go through this phase but reading it when it's about Billy and John, God they both are a mess and still can't live without each other.. they act exactly like how couples do when first baby's being born and hhn I love how beautifully you captured it. they both are at their limits and about to break into tears, this vulnerable moment and how they react to it was really precious for me to read and let me tell you, I couldn't imagine this scene going any other way than this, everything from 'voice flat or bursting into tears, Billy returning back to smoking' to writing dialogues was soo soo nice to read and so in character too! words aren't enough to say how much I loved this part, this interaction between them. and we all heard what Johnny said but I think they're going to have many more kids in future. God, I'm going to keep a screenshot of this part of the story so I can read it again and again! dear writer, you really deserve a prize for all love and attention and devotion you put for your work! and every new chapter is what a sweet pleasant experience to read!

John glances down when he feels the bed dip and sees Billy poised to receive the baby. It’s the first time he’s taken that post—the midwives standing off to the side, happy to cede responsibility.

“You’re not gonna pass out,” Billy assures him, rubbing his thigh. “You’re gonna have our beautiful baby right here. Come on.” Billy flicks his fingers and it’s a ridiculous come-hither motion, like John is being asked to pass him a football or something, but it’s comforting to have Billy there instead of off to the side, and it’s comforting to hear him say that he’s going to do it. It reminds John of how Billy was down there, coaxing his body open the first few times, when it was still painful to have sex without a lot of prelude.

I love how it all came naturally to Billy to take the post and the fact that it made John's spiked nerves to calm down by seeing him. and he stood where he was even while the baby had her laser power activated and it could be risking his life but he didn't leave the post. Billy isn't the best boyfriend or husband but he does everything he can do for helping his partner even if it means losing his life, it's one of many things I love about this character! and the ending was really cute, Billy rubbing at baby's back, not caring if she hurts him by her super power and John being sad because it wasn't how he wanted Billy to see Lena for the first time and that Despite all the pain and distress, John breaks into a tearful laugh when he hears Lena’s quiet first cry. He begs to hold her, and once Billy lays her out on his chest, even while they’re still toweling all the blood off of her, he leans down to inhale the scent of her before he succumbs and passes out.

I hope Lena and John both will be alright, I think The Vought will try everything to keep John and the baby if they ever go back there again. I'm thinking of maybe they offer a place for Billy and John to live but under the comapany's watch (like how they did with Becca and Ryan) or maybe they try anything to convince John to stay and forget Billy (we can offer you and your daughter a good life, and a mother too. think of what she would think if she's raised without a mother.. forget about that mud person.. Gosh, I just hope they won't return to the Vought (but don't blame me if I say I'd enjoy some drama too hehe)

Wish I could give more kudos!!! your butchlander works are my faves and sorry for late comment, AO3 was down this morning and I had to wait hehe. hope you're having a great day wherever you are!! love you! thank you, again, for blessing us with lovely fics, you're amazing!

Please congratulate me on writing my very first publicly posting my very first birth scene.

I basically rewrote this chapter from scratch after not being happy with it. Am I happy with it now? More so, at least. If you see major errors / text accidentally missing, please let me know, because I wrote it in haste, mostly on mobile, and die like men without betas, etc.

Pineapple Express mpreg, you have officially been dethroned 🪦👑 … (lol)

Yes, my goal is to completely finish this fic before S4 airs and before any conflicting new canon is introduced.

#the selfish gene #butchlander #the boys

53 notes · View notes

luveline · 3 years ago

Note

can i request remus helping r after a depressive episode?

ur fics abt mental health and anxiety have always kind of made me feel seen and i ty for that :) hope this request isn’t too overbearing or anything

tysm for reading and requesting baby!!! | tw implied depressive episode

You've been silent for hours. Remus has just finished your hair, what can sometimes be a long process after an episode, and is now cleaning up the mess he's made in the bathroom while you sit in the bedroom.

He can hear something. Fast breathing. He wipes his hands dry on the hand towel as he steps back into the bedroom, dropping it on top of your laundry basket full of dirty bed sheets and your pajamas.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

You take in another quick breath and press your hands to your chest.

Remus sits at the end of the freshly made bed by your side. "What?"

"I'm sorry for letting it get bad again." Your guilt is winding you up. He's thankful to hear your voice, though the morose tone isn't his favourite.

"That," he says, holding his hand out palm side up, "isn't something you have to be sorry for."

You put your hand in his. He looks over your sallow face, your tired eyes.

"How abouts… I make you something else to eat? You didn't eat much of your breakfast, and I brought everything we need for leek and potato soup."

He rubs your hand between his, something mischievous in his gaze. "No, I don't think that's what you want. How about," he takes another small pause, like what he's about to say is a big secret, "something sweet? There's a tin of condensed milk in the cupboard."

"You went through my cupboard?"

"No, I brought it. Thought you deserved a treat."

You smile. It's tiny but it's there, and he tugs on the thread.

"We'll make dulce de leche," he says decidedly, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

"Apple slices," you say.

"Yeah, apple slices and dulce de leche. Some ice cream, if it won't hurt your teeth."

You drop your head into his shoulder. "Thanks, Remus."

"You're welcome. Of course. I'm gonna give myself all the bigger portions, anyhow, so maybe save your thank yous for after."

You wrap your arm around his waist, a half hug.

"I was just kidding," he says, hands clasping your back, relieved to have you close and feeling better.

"I know," you say. The dulce de leche waits.

#remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x you #remus lupin x y/n #remus lupin drabble #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin blurb #marauders era #marauders #marauder x reader #x reader

434 notes · View notes

soleilnomoon · 2 years ago

Note

Heeeey! It's me again... since you said it would be okay to send in another ask for the even, I simply could not resist!! *__* But it's so VERY hard to choose, honestly. I love those prompts, with single words one can put together already a kinda sorta scenario. Could I ask for cinnamon roll, dulce de leche roll, angel food cake roll, lemon drop and toffee? (I rewrote this 2x, because it's all too good!) - With a topping of your choice :D I'd ask again for Ace, or perhaps Law or Zoro. =) Thx!!!

hiiii thank you for requesting again ପ(◍•ᴗ•◍)ଓ omg i know right? there are so many different possible combinations, i'm excited to write more stuff. i chose ace for this one because i want to write him more <3

1.5k words, fem reader, sfw (surprisingly), 18+ mdni, it's mildly suggestive, alcohol, angst lite tbh, mutual pining, fluff (shocking, shocking), ace is a brat and reader is a lil shy, but that's ok bc he's into it. has all the drama that love confessions are meant to have (sort of)

prolonged glances across the crowded room — ones that eviscerate any rational thought that dares to flutter around your head and leave you with a plate full of untouched food — music thumping loudly in your ears, but you curl your fingers and ball your hands into fists, ignoring the way he affects you from afar. what is meant to be a celebratory dinner shifts into a full-blown party, with enough drinks to drown the island in. another conquered area for whitebeard, another country under his protection — the townspeople are grateful, keep shoving food at your crew mates, their hospitality sweet and slightly misguided.

you keep that opinion to yourself, though, a soft sigh slipping out of your mouth, followed by a groan. if you can manage to sneak out undetected, you might avoid having awkward conversations altogether; lately, you’ve been fidgety, keeping to yourself, not really socializing with the others in your division. several crew mates ask you about it repeatedly, but you have an answer for everything — excuses, really; half-truths that don’t quite feel like lies. although, the more you say them, the more guilt you feel.

when you’re certain his attention is completely on the plate of food in front of him, you rush out of your seat, slinking around the crowd, but not before grabbing an unclaimed bottle of wine on your way out. with great difficulty, you pluck the cork out and drink straight from the bottle. twisting and turning in the halls until you make it outside.

the streets are just as lively, you take note of several of your crew mates drunkenly singing and dancing around. you smile at that, liking the brief respite that comes with winning several battles in a row; the tranquility that settles, light and dream-inducing, blanketing everyone and easing their minds. unfortunately for you, it’s not quite that simple. another swig from the bottle, the wine tart, semi-sweet — reminding you of the fruit you’d devour over the summers back home, its juices rich and addictive — and making your face warm.

another sigh drifts out of you, but that doesn’t stop you from heading down to the beach to enjoy a bit of solitude on the sand. normally, you wouldn’t venture out alone like that — especially not at night — but if you didn’t separate yourself from him somehow, you’d come undone. you needed to stand strong, which is what you tell yourself under your breath when you take off your sandals and enjoy the softness of the sand under your feet.

you glance down at your hand, the one that he’d grabbed hours earlier, and wonder what would’ve happened if you actually stayed to listen. caught up in the hows and whys of your thoughts, you don’t hear his heavy footsteps approach you. after inhaling a plate of food, he promptly left the party, wanting to catch up with you. there are things he has to tell you, things that keep knocking against that pitiful organ in his chest; it’s almost difficult to breathe sometimes, thoughts of you routinely consuming him without his permission.

and he’ll be damned if he lets you get away a second time.

“i’m actually well-versed in reading palms.”

there’s a pause before a slow smile reaches his face at your startled expression. with widened eyes, you take him in, cursing yourself to hell and back for being so oblivious. with a shake of your head, you stare at him with narrowed eyes.

“what are you talking about?”

you know better than to play this game with him — the one where you feign as if you don’t know what he’s talking about, where he calls you out on your shit with that devilish grin of his, which prompts you to start an argument because you don’t know how to handle being around him — and yet, here you are.

he swipes the bottle of wine from your hand, chuckling when you try to grab it back. “don’t be stingy,” he chastises readily, softly clicking his tongue at you. “don’t you know you’re supposed to share with your friends?”

an incredulous laugh tumbles out of you, hopping onto the sand and nudging at ace’s boots. he keeps his dark eyes on you as he drinks deeply from the bottle, enjoying the rush that prances along his tongue from the taste. “oh, so now we’re friends?” absolutely ridiculous; how could he ever consider you a friend, when all can you think about is the various ways you want him t—

“of course we are,” his voice cuts through your sporadic thoughts. maybe the wine is making you more bold, but you pivot around and take a step closer to him. amusement coasts along his face, his lips curling upward again, and while the moon is mostly hidden behind a few thick clouds, you’d still be able to see the freckles that litter his cheeks. “don’t you think so?”

he keeps looking at you intensely — like you hold the answers to questions he’s not brave enough to ask; it’s presumptuous to believe that, of course, but with how quickly he sought you out, with the warmth that’s radiating off of his body, you can’t help but think it’s true. you inhale sharply, the warm breeze stirring something within you, something you can’t quite put a name to yet.

you lick your lips, thoughts bouncing around, but before you can gather yourself appropriately, your mouth moves on its own. “no, how could we be?” your eyes widen at that, “there’s no damn way.”

ace finishes the rest of the wine without issue, barely feeling any of it, but knowing that his face does feel a little warmer than nowhere. tossing the empty bottle onto the sand without a care. “is this because i kissed you?”

because if it is, then he can easily ease your worries.

you gasp and he rolls his eyes at that, a sly smirk on his lips when he leans closer to you. it’s on instinct that your hand shoots up and clamps down over his mouth; you don’t know why you do it, he’s already said it out loud. the memory slams into you without remorse, images flashing of the last time you were alone with him. you don’t even remember what you were talking about, but his mouth was on yours, hands cupping your face, as you died several times. it’s true, you did — why else did your heart sputter out of control, keeping you in bed for days as your mind doled out a vicious punishment.

because the problem is, he kissed you and you liked it; he kissed you and you wanted to bottle the weightless feeling it gave you; he kissed you and you kept wanting to kiss him back.

you’re not ready to deal with that; it’s why you’ve kept your distance. you don’t know why exactly, but the idea of ace knowing that you like him like that is probably a fate worse than death. he grabs onto your wrist and you freeze, brain only restarting when he kisses the center of your palm. you let out a small shriek, which only makes him laugh again, the sound reverberating against your hand, traveling up your arm, and gliding around your heart. one squeeze and you’re helpless against his incessant teasing.

“i see what the problem is,” he says smoothly, tugging you closer as he presses a lingering kiss on your wrist. “first thing’s first, i need you to stop running away from me.” because how else can he properly talk to you about the think you so adamantly don’t want to talk to him about? but, again, your mouth is on autopilot, saying things before your brain can catch up.

“the problem is that i like you and it annoys me very much.”

the confession makes him wrap a thick arm around you, holding you closer, you body igniting with his prolonged touch. if you had more sense you’d walk away, find a new crew to sail with, and never look back — but you don’t, and you doubt you ever will.

“shouldn’t be a problem,” he releases his hold on your hand and you swallow thickly, not knowing if you can handle whatever else he wants to say. “i like you too.” it was more than obvious, you were just too stubborn to see it. but your eyes are open now, so you have no excuse; and you’re not sure what compels you, but you lean forward and press your lips against his. now, that takes him by surprise, but he doesn’t let that deter him as he licks at your bottom lip before seeking refuge in your mouth. your finger tangle around the dark strands of his hair, nails grazing his scalp, a jolt of electricity siphoning his common sense.

a sense of urgency passes through you when you find the taste of his mouth more savory than the wine. you reluctantly pull away from him, chest heaving, lips swollen from kissing. silences holds you captive again, tongue still as you sift through the various things you need to say. he doesn’t mind, though, as he’s very certain that you’ll be less inclined to keep your distance now. and, while he knows he’ll never be able to say it out loud yet, being around you brings a warmth that he can’t stop seeking out.

hopefully, with everything out on the table, you’ll stop running for real.

#fic request #i came up w. a loyalty card to make it official #(also u might get a surprise the more stamps u collect who knows)#milestone event #500+ followers event #🍭✨🍨sticky & sweet event🧁✨🍭#one piece imagine #one piece fluff #one piece angst #one piece x reader #one piece x y/n #portgas d. ace #portgas d. ace x reader #portgas d. ace x y/n #ace x y/n #ace x reader #ace fluff #spitfire-of-the-sea

103 notes · View notes

phoenixrising0308 · 2 years ago

Text

Prince Charming (2): Glitter in the air

#Day 16 Glitter

A/N: set 4 years after “And along came Polly” and in an open match world. Liam is a teacher (who isn’t open about his royalty status) Liam’s mother’s name is Lily.}

Pencil Chronicle Theme(s): Cinnamon roll hero- Bonus trope collection Pencil Chronicle Prompt(s): “I feel God in this chili tonight.” and “I am Beyoncé, always.” - The Office collection “I like good strong words that mean something.” - Little Women Collection Additional Prompt(s) - #’s 12,13,31 and Location Prompts #67 and #26

Disclaimer

Words according to this blogger: Dulce means sweet in Spanish.

Triggers: None

Chapter Song inspiration: Glitter in the air - P!nk

Word count: 4,000 *As always, forgive my typos and grammatical errors.*

Wednesday

Chili’s

He took a sip from his drink and slammed the table, and said, “WHOA! I feel God in this chili tonight.” and he burped loudly, “Are you having a great time?”

Jessica looked at her match date and kicked herself for being talked into the “Bargain Bin Match Bogo sale.” The Matchmaking service called “Eros 2.0” was owned by former interns of the disbanded ‘Eros’ matchmaking service; the rumor was they were always offering matches at half the price of their competitors by using discontinued or destroyed matches whose parts were broken down and put in other matches to repurpose for sale. Tonight’s candidate for Eros 2.0 was candidate #348 and went by the name Dames Elvin Rosario’s.

Jessica found him absolutely obnoxious, but she was also upset that he was designed based on her preferences. She asked for a friendly and quiet place that offered Chilean sea bass on their menu; instead, she found herself at a loud restaurant with several TVs with the occasional “Happy Birthday song from the Chili’s crew.” And instead of Chilean Sea Bass, she found Chili’s original Chili on the menu.

The waitress walked over and handed Dames the bill. He said, “Jess, you got this, right? I forgot my wallet, and it’s not payday.”

Jessica sighed. “Sure.” ‘How many frogs do you have to kiss…like he isn’t even like a real guy. Fix your life, Jess; just fix it. I’m getting a refund.’

“You’re driving me home, right? I want to say keep the windows up. You know stomach ain’t right.”

4 blocks away … Michael's craft store

His basket was full, but there was something he was looking for. He needed pink glitter. Pink was the class color this month. Tomorrow he would have all his students make a class art submission for ‘World Art Day’ It was also a monthly class pet day. He knew he would regret having to give his Corgi Chance five doggie baths to get the glitter off him but seeing their smiling faces would be all he needed for him to make it worth it.

Liam Rhys was everything you could imagine a Pre-K teacher to be kind, patient, and understanding. He gave up his Central Park Penthouse in favor of being closer to his job and just closed on a Williamsburg Brownstone two months ago. Riding his bike around the neighborhood, he discovered a tiny little bakery called ‘Dulce’ he loved some of the Latin inspired flavors; it reminded him of places he went to when he studied abroad in college he spoke the language fluently, and every summer for the last four years he volunteered at privately funded foundation called ‘Teach beyond limits where he traveled to help support other schools summer enrichment programs. Last summer, he spent time in Puerto Rico. He decided to spend Christmas break with a few friends and a local Christmas eggnog drink called Cocoquito. When he saw a twinkie inspired by it in the window, he had to try it.

Now, this little bakery would be his go-to place once a week on Fridays. He would stop in, and he would treat himself to a Dulce de leche Apple Turnover. As it turns out, the owner was the mother of Chance’s favorite student, Paloma Bianca Walker. Her classmates would call her Polly. Last week, her mother Emily asked a few personal questions he was happy to answer, thinking that she wanted to know a loyal customer better. Still, he also made sure to be vague for a few personal reasons as well as professional.

Friday

Jessica spent the night crying, upset that apparently Riley Brooks was now starting a family with her former fiancé and former FDNY Paramedic turned Physical Therapist, Rafael Aveiro showed up on her people you might know feed, and she combed through his pictures. They seemed happy; meanwhile, Jessica was stuck. She didn’t want him back, but she questioned why karma hadn’t gotten to him; four years later, she was still alone and still very much wanting to share her life with someone but pretended not to care. April 16th was her deceased parents’ wedding anniversary, and being lonely hit her the hardest, so she made sure to take off.

Jessica was given strict orders by Drake to be at ‘Dulce’ at 7:45 AM to take Polly to school. He needed to be at one police plaza for a meeting, and Emily was opening up the bakery. It was now 8:10 AM., and Polly started at 8:30AM.

Jessica finally made it double-parked her car.

“Titi (Aunt) Jessie!”

“Hey there, my beautiful girl.”

Polly looked excited as she said, “Chance day.”

“Who is Chance?”

“Chance is the class pet! He’s a Corgi”

“Oh, that’s fun!” Jessica replied.

Emily said, “But thanks for doing this for us, Jessica.”

“No problem. I’m off; Drake is handling city hall; he knows I hate working on this day. Besides, you have the bakery. And Sue across the street, that rotten recipe stealing-”

Emily cut Jessica off and said, “PIKACHU. Sue is a recipe stealing Pikachu.”

“Yeh, she’s a Pikachu, alright.”

Emily walked over and said, “Chance is waiting!” Emily followed and took a look at Jessica’s outfit choice.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a lovable mess.” Emily quickly took the pen out of Jessica’s hair, and it fell down below her shoulders. “You never know. Take off that purple sweater.” Emily mumbled before saying, “Paloma, take Titi Jessie’s sweater.”

Polly took Jessica’s sweater.

“Maybe you will bump into Prince Charming in a parking lot?”

Jessica scoffed, “Prince Charming… is stuck in traffic.”

Inside Jessica’s Escalade

Jessica and Polly were singing the little mermaid score as she got ready to merge into the lane to give the go-ahead from the other. Suddenly, the car sped up and cut them off, as Jessica was about to merge.

She honked the horn and pulled her window down, “YOU FUCKING FUCK FACE ASSHOLE! You couldn’t wait for your fucken turn!”

“Oh, bad, bad words.”

“Oh, POLLY, well, sometimes when you don’t wait your turn, someone has to tell you didn’t do the right thing, and Mr. The Honda Accord was really mean. Maybe and just maybe he won’t do that again because it um… It hurt my feelings, and I yelled.” Jessica tried rationalizing as the Honda drove slower than molasses in front of them.

“OH MY GOD, FUCKING FUCK FACE ASSHOLE! ! Why cut in front of my car if you’re going to move like a damn tourist,” Jessica growled before clearing her throat. “Sorry, he hurt my feelings again.”

Polly looked intrigued, “Ooh, okay.” She replied as they drove.

‘FUCK, I’m gonna get so much shit over being late. They gave me these official plates for my personal vehicle for a reason.’ Jessica put her NYPD Police lights on her dashboard, turned on her sirens, and then got on her speaker.

“This is an official Police vehicle giving a lawful order to yield right of way to the Ford Escalade behind you.”

Most Holy Trinity Elementary - Pre-K: Room 1

Polly could barely contain her excitement as they all lined up to see Chance. The 4-year-old thought it was the best thing ever that she had been looking forward to all week. Just when it was almost her turn, another preschooler cut her off in line.

“Hey!”

The boy stuck his tongue out at her, and Polly felt her anger boiling. ‘

‘Hurt my feelings.’

“YOU FUCKING FUCK FACE ASSHOLE!”

Every student gasped, and Liam blinked in surprise. “Polly. That is not a nice word. Well, that whole sentence was unkind.” He told her as she crossed her arms with a pout.

“Gavin was mean!”

Liam nodded and crouched down to both their levels. “Gavin, you have to wait your turn. That is not fair or nice. Polly, just because our feelings are hurt doesn’t mean we can use bad words like that to hurt other people, Okay? Next time, come get me.”

Both kids looked to the ground, “Sorry…”

“Now, let’s sing a song about our feelings, okay?”

Liam walked over to his mother’s guitar and picked it up, and began to play a few cords as he softly sang to his class as they waited for their turns to play with Chance.

Liam asked Polly privately.” Now, where did you hear that word from?”

Polly didn’t even think twice. “Titi Jess.”

“Thank you, Polly.”

Afternoon dismissal

“Hi, I’m here to pick up Paloma Walker.”

The secretary said, “Oh, she is with her teacher. They are in Prek-4, room one. It’s down the hall to your left.”

Jessica walked down the hall with her purple sweater. ‘I don’t care if it’s homey. It’s comfortable.’ The minute she walked in and saw him, she felt a faint blush warm her cheeks. ‘Polly’s teacher looks like that!? OMG, the glasses and suspenders well bend me over a desk.’ Jessica thought as the tall, blonde, handsome, big-built man with blue eyes looked played with Polly and Chance. Jessica ran into the hallway and took off the sweater and returned and shoved the ugly sweater behind herself on a desk.

Liam seemed to stare at her longer than intended before he shook himself and smiled. He extended his hand, “Are you, Mrs. Jessica Garcia?” ‘Please be a Miss.’ He secretly thought.

Jessica took a sweeping look at Liam and bit her lip. ‘My name is Jessica, but you can call me yours.’

“Uh, yeah!… Well, it’s Miss” She tried leveling her voice, “I’m Polly’s Aunt. Godmother. A close friend of her parents. Whatever you want to call it.” She gave a nervous laugh as she rambled.

Liam extended his hand and she took it.

‘God, you’re hands are huge. This could only mean one thing: you have a big crayon, and I would love to scribble with you. ALL. NIGHT. LONG. Wipe the smirk off your face.’ She cursed inwardly. She smiled.

Liam held her hand longer than a typical handshake. ‘I am, covered in pink glitter. My— God. You are beautiful; I would tell you every morning if you woke up next to me. Wait, I’m still holding your hand. Liam let it go.’ He released her hand and cleared his throat.

“I’m Mr. Rhys; you can call me Liam. I’m Paloma’s teacher.”

‘Also VERY single AND very interested.’

“But before you go, I actually feel I need to bring up something Polly said.”

Liam thought, ‘Gavin is a fucken fuck face. He is rude to everyone and just a complete brat. Is it wrong to be glad she told him off so I could meet you?’

Jessica frowned, “Oh?” ‘I really could just listen to you talk for hours. I bet you are good with kids. I will have ALL your babies…want to start tonight?’

“See…Another student cut in front of her to see Chance and Polly said a string of very creative profanity.” ‘I’d also like to say I can get lost in those brown eyes, and all is forgiven, Love. Love the nickname suits you. Let me whisper it in your ear while you sleep.’

Jessica nervously bit her lip and thought inwardly, ‘Oh Squirtle! I mean, oh shit! Now, you want to curse in Pokémon? You just made Polly that kid. Drake is going to be so mad at me FUCK. I’m still going over your house for the Yankee game fuck that.’

“Oh, I am so sorry about that. Mr. Walker really should watch what he says around her. It’s the job that takes its toll on you in many ways.”

Liam raised a brow with an amused look. “Oh, is that so? Because I heard something about her Titi saying it. Wonder if perhaps her Titi might consider another manner to express her disappointment.”

‘I would love to give you ideas over dinner. But if you would like to just be on time out under me, that can be arranged.’

Jessica gave Polly a look as Polly was oblivious while playing with Chance. Jessica smiled back at Liam.

“Well, I mean-I promise, I’ll talk to her about it.” ‘I’m torn between being angry at her for snitching or getting her a happy meal and doing a kiddie interrogation for intel.’

“It’s alright. Kids are like sponges at this age. It was very creative, though.” He chuckled, and Jessica chuckled as well.

“Yeah, you get creative in traffic.”

There was a bit of silence as they both smiled at each other.

Liam thought, ‘Can I ask her out? Is that allowed? I can’t even remember the last time I felt like this…Which is never.’

Jessica thought, ‘Does he like to read them stories? Look around the room, be cool; wait, guitar? Just take my panties.’

They both cleared the silence with a small laugh as Jessica said, “Well, I guess we better go. Come on, Polly.”

Liam wanted to frown but forced himself not to. ‘I don’t want you to leave. I want to know everything there is to know about you. Do you like French toast? Do you like coffee or tea? How many kids do you want? Do you love to dance? Ever been to Cordonia? I kinda have to do this thing. What are your thoughts on marriage?’

Polly sighed, “Ookkaay… By Chance, Bye Mr. R.!”

Jessica saw her sweater on the desk and walked past it. ‘Cinderella didn’t look back, so I’m not.’

He waved, “Goodbye, Polly.” Chance sat next to Liam as he watched Jessica and Polly leave the classroom. He looked down at Chance by his leg and smiled, then said, “…AND that’s how I met your mother on a sunny April afternoon covered in glitter. You’re a good boy, Chance; you are a very good boy indeed.”

In the parking lot

“Chicky nuggie?”

“Abso-fucken-lutely.” Jessica slapped her thigh, annoyed at herself for the slip-up. “Well, if I can get in a corner with Mr. Rhys, I will die happy, so there is that.”

“I’m telling Daddy!”

“Polly… Do you want to go to ‘Its Sugar’? I will let you buy whatever you want. They have a five-pound gummy bear with your name on it. We can keep it in my house.”

Back in the classroom

Liam sighed to himself as he cleaned up the room. ‘I hope she comes around more…God, you should have just asked her.’

He looked at the purple sweater and grabbed it. “WELL wouldn’t be the first time a prince brought something back to its owner.” He stared down at the sweater, smelling lavender vanilla on it. “I love Vanilla.”

Jessica’s Loft Intercom

Liam held the purple sweater in his hand, “I can do this. It’s not weird. So, she is Polly’s Aunt. I can ask her out. She gets to know the real Liam.”

Liam buzzed the apartment.

Jessica answered, “Hi, can I help you?”

“Um… Hi, Ms. Garcia. You left a purple sweater in my classroom. I hope you don’t mind. I asked Mrs. Walker if I could have your address to bring it to you.”

“Thank you, I will be right down.”

Inside Jessica’s loft

Jessica felt her heart flutter as she rushed to the bedroom and looked all over her apartment for an outfit and decided on her perfect black skinny jeans with a wine-colored top. She looked at herself in the mirror and fidgeted with her hair and shirt, and said, “I am Beyoncé, always. Beyoncé is flawless.” She accepted it and made her way downstairs going.

Jessica opened her apartment building door, “Thanks.” She smiled. Liam handed her the sweater, and their eyes met, their hands barely touching.

‘Do it. Take this chance. Don’t let yourself wake up tomorrow regretting not knowing what could have been.’

Liam took a deep breath and said, “I also wanted to deliver it in person because I was hoping you would be interested in going out with me. It’s Friday, and I’m sure you have other commitments -”

Jessica beamed, “No, I don’t. What did you have in mind?

“Stargazing on a beach, you aren’t too far from the beach, I believe.

Jessica felt butterflies in her stomach. ‘It sure beats an Astros - Yankee game…sorry, Drake.’

She faltered, “Well, it’s a private section. So they write us a ticket. I bet I can get us out of it.”

Liam smiled. ‘I own the section. It was where my mother took my father. Before the start of his season.”

“I have a particular attachment to its namesake. Don’t worry, I’m sure we can avoid tickets.”

Jessica enthusiastically nodded, “Uh, can I go get changed real fast?”

‘You look perfect as is. ‘

“Of course, I’ll wait.”

Once the door closed, Jessica practically skipped back to her apartment to get a jacket for the evening and but on a pair of sneakers. Liam grinned to himself as he hummed the class song for the week ‘If you’re happy and you know it.’

Pebble Beach - Lily Cove

“I thought this was nice and quiet. I hope you don’t mind.”

Jessica saw the stars barely forming as the sun started to set. Orange light reflected off the water and gave them both a golden glow. It was so peaceful.

Jessica smiled, “No, it’s perfect here.”

Liam took out a messenger he packed with a beach towel and fanned it out in the air; they could see specks of glitter release themselves from the blanket as they looked up. It almost seemed magical.

“…Is that glitter?” She smiled as she watched it twinkle in the air and landed on her.

“Yes, and we are totally covered in it. I’m so sorry. I had my students make an art project for ‘World Art Day.’”

“Well, Mr. R., you really are like a dream teacher.”

“Thank you that is very kind of you. But I’m hoping that despite all the glitter I just got on you, maybe you would think I’m an even better date.”

They laid the blanket down and sat across from each other. “A picnic?”

“Sort of. I wasn’t sure if I made it to you by the time, you would have eaten, so I packed something for us to snack on. “

‘Us. I like the sound of that.’ Liam thought to himself as he gave Jessica a warm smile. He began to unpack the impromptu picnic French bread, baked brie with honey and walnuts, and a nicely boxed cupcake.

Jessica raised a brow, “Is that from…”

“Yes. Emily made us a ‘date’ cupcake. Lemon, lavender rosewater cupcake.”

“That is gorgeous,” Jessica said, looking at the beautifully decorated cupcake.

“It is. But the cupcake is second to you.” Liam said, looking at Jessica sweetly.

Jessica blushed and averted Liam’s gaze, “Thank you.” She changed the topic with a smile. “So, you teach Pre-K?”

Liam smiled. “Yes. Yes, I do. It is the best job I’ve had so far. I volunteered at a foundation to did pro bono work, and one of the teachers at the school told me there was an opening, and I should consider it.”

“I love that. It’s just nice to give back. Work is where you spend most of your time if you’re unhappy, and you can …Change.”

Liam smiled knowingly, “I was a corporate attorney for a few years, and I worked long hours… I was so unhappy, Jessica. I just felt there was something I was more suited for. I wanted to travel again like I did in college.”

“You can call me Jessie if you want. That’s what my friends call me.”

Liam smiled, “I’m sorry, being formal is just a thing I naturally do. May I call you Jess?”

“Sure.”

“Jess, tell me about yourself. What is your heart’s desire?”

90 minutes later…

The conversation flowed easily between them. Jessica muttered, “Una Estrella fugaz” (A shooting star)

Liam responded,“Cuando ves una estrella fugaz, tienes que pedir un deseo.” (When you see a shooting star, you have to make a wish)

“You speak Spanish?” Jessica asked.

“Yes. I learned when I traveled.”

Jessica said as she gave him a glowing smile. “Cerrar los ojos y pedir un deseo” (close your eyes and make a wish)

They closed their eyes, and Jessica reached for Liam’s hand, and he grabbed it; they both squeezed each other’s hands as they made their wish quietly in their heads.

‘I wish for more nights like this with Liam.’

‘I wish for more nights like this with Jess.’

Liam smiled and asked, “Ready for that cupcake?”

“Sure.”

Liam carefully unwrapped the cupcake and held it in his hand. “I forgot to bring something to cut this in half with.” He held the cupcake to Jessica’s lips, “Here, you take a bite.”

Jessica closed her eyes and bit into the soft, moist cupcake, and let out a little moan. “Gosh, that’s so good.” Jessica took the cupcake out of Liam’s hand and said, “Your turn.”

Jessica’s Apartment

“Liam, I had a really great night.”

“I did too.”

“Jess, text me when you get home safe, okay?”

Jessica smiled at his consideration of her. It sadly wasn’t often a man did that on first dates. “Sure, I’d like that.” She bit her lip as Liam leaned over the door frame towering over her. “How tall are you, Jess?”

“Liam, I’m 4’11.”

‘I love the way she says my name. I SO want to kiss her. I think I’m in Love. Here goes nothing.”

“So, this is that awkward part where we stand there just wondering. I would like not to wonder.” He noticed she got on her toes too, and instantly he felt her heart melt, and then he gently lifted her chin.

Pressed his lips to hers. He could still taste the buttercream frosting from their shared cupcake. Their tongues coiled and mingled, finding the perfect rhythm that sent shivers up their spine. That moment they connected, and the hustle and bustle of city life paused, and their wildest dreams felt possible, and they were falling for each other.

He rested his head on hers. “I had a really great night.”

“Me too,” Jessica murmured, feeling like it was the date she always dreamed of with a man that felt like a fairytale.

Jessica stepped away and entered her apartment and A few minutes later, she texted Liam. ‘Thank you for a great time. I hope we can do it again.”

She noticed the message was received, so she decided to change and get ready for bed.

Two hours later …

Liam didn’t respond. She sighed. I like good strong words that mean something. I believe he meant them. So relax, Jess, maybe he is asleep.’

Meanwhile, outside of Jessica’s apartment

Liam found himself returning after taking a quick shower. He didn’t want his night to end. Never feeling like he connected to anyone the way he did with her. He thought it was silly and that she might find it odd. He texted, “It’s me, Liam. Jess, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Jessica: I can’t stop thinking about you either.

Liam: Do you want to watch the sunrise with me?

Jessica: Yes. Yes. I do. Um, I have a rooftop garden. Want to come here?

Liam: I would love that.

Jessica: You know the way?

Liam: Yes.

Jessica: Call me when you get here so I can buzz you in.

Liam: Okay.

Jessica’s phone rang, and she answered, “Liam.”

“Hey, I’ve been outside your apartment for about an hour. I just never really felt like this before about someone. I didn’t want the night to end.”

Jessica’s rooftop garden 4:42 AM - Saturday

Liam and Jessica sat there holding warm mugs of coffee wrapped in a blanket and watched the sunrise, and she dreaded him leaving shortly after, so she cuddled close to him.

“Liam, can I make you French toast after this?”

“I love French toast.” ‘Your one I have been waiting my whole life for.’ He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and touched her nose gently with his thumb.

“You still have glitter on you.”

6 hours later…

Liam’s Brownstone

Liam smiled as he opened up his apartment door. He was on cloud nine. He couldn’t wait for their second date. He was already planning it in his mind.

When he walked in, he was surprised to see someone sitting on his couch.

“Hey, little brother.”

“Leo, what are you doing here?”

Originally published on 4.15.21 and transitioned to this URL on 7.2.21 by the original author. -J

10 notes · View notes

riofann · 3 years ago

Text

Redemption Ch. 3

Master List

Redemption Chapter 2

“Welcome to Sweet Bakes! What can I get you?” You greet as you were busy distracted with the boxes you were in the process of folding

“See there she is Valentina!” the name catches your attention and you lookup to find Angel, Ez, and Valentina in your store

“Oh hi!”

“Hiii” Valentina waves

“What can I get you today?”

“Go ahead” Angel nudges the young girl in front of you

She steps forward, hands held together at the front “I just wanted to say thank you!”

“Oh you’re welcome Valentina! Do you want a cupcake?”

She nodded excitedly “You gotta ask your dad first” “Dad can I?”

Angel nods “Yea baby girl get whatever you want”

She walks up to the glass reading the names “Oooh chocolate and vanilla and cotton candy and strawberry and oreo!”

“Is that it?” you ask as you see her eyes looking at the various other flavors

“Yea!”

You place the cupcakes in the box and hand them to her “here you go on the house”

“Oh nah I was gonna pay for them!” Angel says pulling out his wallet

You shake your head and wave his hand away “I’m serious on the house!”

“Valentina what do we say”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she turns to Ez “Uncle Z look!”

“It looks yummy, Miss Y/N is a nice lady huh?” Ez entertains her “Yea!” she grins

You smile “Do you guys want any?”

“Shit shoot shoot” “Swear Jar Daddy” He playfully rolls his eyes “I know I know Let me get that dulce de leche and chocolate peanut butter” he turned to look at EZ “you sure you don’t want any bro?”

Ez shakes his head holding his hands up “Nah I’m good”

Angel scoffs “This guy health freak”

“Says the man who can’t walk up a flight of steps!” Ez shoots back

You giggle as you put the cupcakes into small package “Here you go Angel”

“Thanks” “I know it looks like we came to raid your stock but we are having a founders day party next weekend on Saturday and we wanted to know if you could make us a cake” Angel says holding onto the box

“Oh yea sure!”

“This we will pay for” Ez comments

You chuckle “Okay let me get my notepad” you state as you walk to the other side of the counter “Okay first how many people?”

“Hundreds” Angel responds

You look up “What is hundreds?”

He shrugs “Like more than 100 people at least”

“Wow big party”

“Yea, that’s why you’re the woman for the job”

You chuckle “Flavor?”

“Bishop thought you could do half vanilla and half chocolate” Ez answers

“Sure! Any special designs?”

“Yea we want the Mayans Mc logo on it and the founding date 1954, with a map of Santo Padre in the background”

“Okay” you write down the description

“We also wanted cupcakes and those can be the flavors you have here”

“Okay buttercream icing?”

“Yes” you look at Valentina and see she is licking the icing off her fingers, you smile in return

“Where am I dropping off the cake? Or are you coming to pick it up?”

“Oh uh Bishop will call and give you instructions” Ez answers

“Okay sheet pan cake okay?”

“Sheet pan?” Angel asks

“What does that mean?” Ez asks as well

“Sorry do you want the cake to be round or square or a funky shape?”

Ez shrugs “You pick”

“How many layers?” “Wow all of this goes into a cake?” You smile “You have no idea, so how many?” They both look at each other and shrug “Is two okay?”

“Yea i guess” Ez answers

“Okay and any filling on the inside?”

“Nah just icing”

“Okay I think 2 full sheet pan cakes put together will work should be more than enough especially if you are going to have cupcakes and all.” They nod in agreement “How many cupcakes 2 dozen?”

“Make it 3” Ez answers

You nod and look at your paper making sure you got everything “Is that it?”

“Yea just let us know how much”

“Okay let me calculate” you say as you type on your iPad “Okay the price is $740”

“Cool we’ll let Bishop know”

“Okay great. Let me know if there’s anything you want to add”

“Cool”

With that you watch as they walk away saying your goodbyes

You employ the help of Asher and Camila to help you with the large order. You found yourselves struggling to get the large cake in the back of the truck.

“Whew that was hard!” Asher comments

“Okay let me pull up Bishop’s number” you say typing it into your phone

“Oh I know where the club house is!” Camila interjects

Asher whips around and looks towards the back seat where she is sitting “How do you know young lady?”

“Because Me and Coco” she begins to blush

“Whattt spill right now!” Asher demands

“Well you know that's my beau” she answer smugly

You smile as you drive to the location. You pass your house and Asher’s on the way, the drive is a 35 minute drive through windy roads till you come up to the gate

“Hey it's me we have the cake!” You say to Chucky who looks at you with hesitancy until he remembered the party today

“Oh yes, let me open the gate!”

“Pull up right there!” He instructs to the small opening between bikes

You park the car in reverse and get out. There were already bikes filling up the space

“I can hold the door!” Chucky offers

“Thank you Chucky!”

Asher’s hand slips “Oh shit!”

You glare at him “Don’t drop it!”

“I will not but you have to admit this cake is big and heavy”

“Hush!” You scorn as you guys walk up the steps

The commotion at the door draws Bishops and everyone else's attention, they all rush to you three “Oh fuck why didn’t you call me we could have helped here let us take over!” they replace you and place it delicately on a table in the middle of the room

You blow out a deep breath and look around the area taking in the decor at the club house

Asher walks back in with the cupcakes

“You want to see?” You ask ask before you open the box

“Yes!” He turns to look around the club house “Yo! Come look at the cake!” he Feet scurry to where you were standing and you slowly lift up the box. “I hope you like it, you step aside to watch them take it all in. The cake was everything Ez had asked you to do but more. You had added intricate details of Santo Padre and the road that led to the club house with motorcycles on the road with the Mayans Mc logo in the middle along with the est. date on top and Southern California below.

“Shit you are one talented woman!” Hank comments

“Do you like it?” you ask looking around

“Hell yea!” Bishop says smiling

“Glad” Asher hands you the cupcakes “oh and the cupcakes, I made uh the cupcakes with motorcycles, leather jackets and helmets with different flavors” You say before opening one box. The leather jackets, helmets, and motorcycles sat on top of the icing.

“This looks so good thank you, you out did yourself!” Bishop comments

“Oh you’re welcome, I have plates forks and cutting serving spoons in the bag,'' he smiled at you. “So Asher and I are gonna get going, Camila said” “I’m staying to party with Coco” She says as she kisses his cheek

There are few chuckles around the room watching Coco blush

“Before you go” Bishop pulled out his wallet “Ez told me 700 but here is 1100”

“Oh no this is too much take back 400” you say going to remove money from the stack he gave you

Bishop stops you “Nah i insist all this hard work you put in”

“I really don’t mind its”

Asher takes it from you and puts in in his pocket “Thank you she appreciates it”

You cut your eyes and turn to face Asher. Bishop chuckles bringing your attention back to him with a smile on your face “I hope you enjoy the cake and the party”

“Why don’t you come join us?”

“Oh I..”

Camila abruptly leaves Coco’s side and wraps her arms around you and Asher “Yes! that would be perfect!”

You look down “I have to go get ready”

“Yea yea no problem party is just getting started”

You look at Asher for confirmation

“Yea him too come drink and be merry not working tonight are you?” Bishop asked

You both shake your head

“Okay well I insist”

You and Asher smile “Okay we will be back” Asher responds

You both walk away

“Are we really about to attend a biker gang party?” Asher asks as you turn on the key to start the car

You turn to look at him just as confused “Yes?”

“Really?”

“I think if we don’t come it will look bad Bishop insisted” you stress the last part

“That he did” Asher nods rigidly

“Okay let's hurry up and get back!”

#Redemption EZ Reyes x You #Redemption EZxYou #ezekiel reyes #ez reyes

19 notes · View notes

glitterge1pen · 4 years ago

Text

The Eternal And Inherit Romanticism Of An Apple Orchard

Keigo Takami x reader, sfw, fluff, word count 1,331

“This seems unessacey”

Keigo says flipping the edge of the oversized straw hat with his fingers. The staff had given one to him at the entrance counter. He had forgotten sunscreen and it was the best they could offer.

“Take it off then, get sunburn,”

You say parting the leaves and dangling branches of the trees. The grass path you were following was supposed to lead you to the apple trees. Your skin could feel each beat of the sun, it was so hot it felt like all the trees and plants were buzzing.

Still the orchard was mesmerising. The crab apple trees that you were walking through hadn't grown fruit yet, but the pink and white flowers had blossomed. Petals drifted down from the wind on the breeze. All the scenery was lush and vibrant, the sections and rows of different apples seemed endless and vast.

“When you said you wanted to go to an apple orchard, I thought you were joking,”

Keigo said, miserable and struggling in the heat.

“I had been joking, but then you agreed,”

You said trying to tease him a little. This is when the rows of crab apples stopped, the path opening onto an alleyway of grass. From there it was the slightly taller trunks of the other apple trees. These trees were dotted with red, yellow, and green bursts of fruit. Everything felt so alive it was invigorating. Keigo went to sit down right at the edge of the lines of trees but you pulled at his wrist before he could sit down all the way.

“These apples better be fuckng perfect,”

He had a smile on his face as you lured him deeper into the orchard. Once you could no longer see where the trees began or ended you stopped. Keigo was the one to place the blanket, you were the one to unpack the bag. You handed him the water first, the ice rattling as you did so.

“Thank god,”

He said as he began to gulp the water down. The two of you had packed lunches but before you could hand him his food he told you to wait.

“I told you, it has to be perfect”

Keigo and you began gently moving through the branches, trying to find a perfect apple. Your hands tracing the lines of the bark, thinking that if you had come a few days later the ground would be covered in apple mush. You're thankful for the time you have and are more determined to help Keigo find his perfect apple.

“Hey, about that one?”

Keigo asks you, waving you over to a neighboring tree. You stand shoulder to shoulder with him, following the point of his finger to the desired fruit. It doesn't even look real. It looks like a drawing of an apple, tempting red with the faintest yellow shine. Like a gameboy, or chunk of bread, you assume that it would fit perfectly into your hands. As if it had lived its life to be picked and eaten by you.

Keigo reached his arms over and above you, his shirt lifting and the skin of his midriff briefly brushing against you. His fingers could not reach the apple. You bit the inside of your lip, trying not to laugh, seeing if he would try again. He did. Once again the apple was too high on the branch. You feel a gust of wind of his wings opening, but he quickly retreats in on himself. The thicket overwhelming the space, leaving him no room to spread his wings. With no words Keigo hunches over on his knees, removing the hat from his head, like a knight holding a blade over his chest. He looks at you expectantly.

“What are you doing?”

You ask him, squinting with question.

“Waiting for you? Get on my back?”

“What? No? You are not giving me a piggyback ride”

“Do you think I can't pick you up? What do you think I do for a living?”

This was true, Keigo had to be physically strong. It was the most basic part of his job description. Still as you hoist your right leg over the base of his neck there is an anxious feeling in your stomach. He lets out a sharp grunt as he launches back onto his own legs. You wobble a bit, your thighs trying to steady the core of your body.

“See, I’m fine, now get the apple”

You extend your arm out to the top of the tree where the apple dangles. But Keigo is still too far away. When he steps forward it throws you off balance, your hands tangle in his hair as you try to not fall over. Stretching your arm, the flesh of the apple bounces against your fingers. Finally you are able to snap the fruit from its stem.

“Here, hold on”

Kiego says as he slowly lowers himself down onto the grass. You keep one hand on his shoulder, and the other on top of his head. When his knees touch the ground one of his hands comes to help guide your leg off of him. Standing on your own feet again you find it hard to look him in the eyes again, putting your focus on the apple instead.

"Now that," Keigo says pointing to the red fruit, "is an apple"

You toss it back and forth between your hands, pretending to assess its nature before handing it to Keigo. He does similar. Rotating it in his palm, giving it a throw to the air. He presses his lips against it aggressively.

"Do you want the first bite?"

He asks you, holding the apple to your mouth.

"No, you found it, you get the first bite"

Keigo shakes his head.

"But this was your idea, plus you're the one who got it from the tree"

"You literally held me up so that I could grab it"

Keigo rolls his heads to the side, like what he is going to say next is something he shouldn't say directly to you.

"Let's take the first bite together"

Keigo once again puts the apple to your mouth, this time closer to your lips. His fingers tapping against the sturdy surface of the fruit. His own nose brushing the apple as he looks upon you. As you meet his stare you find it too deep to look away. Looking away would be saying you didn't want to bite the apple. You did. But it felt dangerous to admit this to Keigo.

So you say nothing. You move the tip of your nose to the apple, copying Keigo's gesture. The edges of his mouth pull to a grin, when you see his small smile you can't help but do the same. Keigo pokes his teeth onto the top of the apple, not breaking the red skin. You follow suit simply placing your teeth on the apple. You move first and slowly. Sinking your teeth into the apple but only a little.

There is the softest crunch, the littlest drop of water from the apples insides leak onto Keigo's fingers. You hold his gaze still, in sync as both of you slide your teeth down the exterior of the apple. The fruit was sweet and left a sting of tart juice on your tongue. You pull away from Keigo to chew and swallow.

"Oh shit it's actually good,"

Kiego says, already taking another bite. He lays down on the blanket, one arm propping his head up. You lay next to him. Bits of sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees. Warm patches of light that were cooled by the breeze. With each wave of wind the roar of the trees felt consuming. You closed your eyes, letting the sounds of the orchard fill you. The buzz of bees, the rustle of leaves, somewhere in the distance you could hear the rush of water.

"Hey you want a slice?"

You open your eyes, Keigo is there over you, holding the apple and easily cutting it with one of his feathers.

“Wait, why didn't you just use a feather to get the apple?”

“Because I wanted to carry you on my shoulders?”

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

A/N: Originally Keigo was going to magically just have on of those cans of dulce de leche, and was going to open it via stabbing it with a pocket knife, but like??? Why would he have a pocket knife??? THEN I wanted him to have honey sticks and eats those but I couldnt really think of anything interesting with that. Also have been really into apples lately so sorry about that I guess.

#hawks #hawks x reader #hawks fluff #bnha #mha #Keigo Takami x reader #keigo x reader #gender neutral reader #bnha x reader #fluff #apples

70 notes · View notes

prinxlyart · 4 years ago

Note

just any individual toh character hc would SLAP. mebbe ur thoughts on the twins idk this is vague

Nah it’s cool, I can dig it let’s do this

I only put this under a line break cuz it got so long oops lol

Emira:

Defo has a stutter that she went through a lot of intensive and grueling speech therapy sessions for (when she was about 7 years old) that she hated. Amity and Edric both know this and know it’s a sensitive topic for her. They’ll tease her lightly about it, but never in front of anyone else and they know where to draw the line. In my last Vinera post, I mentioned how much Viney adores her stutter. She absolutely loves getting Emira flustered enough to start stuttering. She’s incredibly patient and understanding when it comes to Emira’s stutter and Em’s feelings about her stutter, and she helps Emira learn to be okay with it again. It’s nothing to be ashamed of (and it’s cute).

My girl likes carrots. Like, really likes carrots. As in she’ll eat them straight out of the ground if she’s given a chance to wash it first. She really loves carrots. This is only an issue later on after she and Viney start taking care of beasts together and Emira’s been caught eating their entire stock of carrots that’s meant for the beasts. Viney has to keep the carrots in a secret box away from Emira after that point.

Emira actually really loves beasts/animals but has never been good at handling them. Any time she’d try to approach an animal to pet it, it would try to bite her. She’d get extremely pouty whenever this happens because beasts/animals love Edric. It’s not until after she and Viney start dating that Viney actually starts teaching her how to approach different creatures and her love for creatures reignites.

Emira’s a giant pushover for Amity. Only Edric knows this because he’s also a pushover for her. If Amity ever found out what power she actually holds over them, they’d be in so much trouble. They mask their love for their sister with constant teasing. Yes of course they get annoyed by her, that’s how siblings are, especially when Amity tattles on them, but at the end of the day, they’d help Amity hide the body if she asked. (The few times they witnessed her crying by someone other than their parents, they had gone on a warpath. Nobody hurts Mittens.)

Defo had a brief infatuation with Luz for like 5 minutes before she realized how head-over-heels Amity was. As long as they’re both happy, that’s what matters. She’ll take that secret to her grave though.

L O V E S having her hair played with, but like, only with people she’s super comfortable with. She has so much hair (mostly due to her mother’s wishes) and any time they all have attend some fancy gathering, Emira has to be seen by a stylist in order to get all her hair into whatever wild fancy shape her mom wants for the event. That she hates more than life itself, but whenever she’s upset, Edric or Amity grabs her hair brush and just gently brushes her hair out until she’s chill again. (She absolutely melts when Viney starts playing with her hair). In an act of defiance and because she needed this Change, the moment she and her siblings leave the Blight Manor permanently, she cuts off all of her hair. It’s very reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Viney loves it. Everyone loves it actually, but the biggest reactions come from Viney and Luz (they both love running their fingers through the newly cut hair because it’s so soft).

She likes to sing to herself when she’s alone. It’s rare that it ever happens because if she knows there’s other people in the same building as her, she won’t chance it. But when she knows she’s alone and no one will notice if she casts a silence bubble around herself so she can sing at the top of her lungs? You better believe she closes any doors or curtains in the area, locks everything, casts that spell and goes nuts. Her voice isn’t all that great, but it’s lovely when she’s singing quietly to herself while she does homework or something. On especially bad nights, Amity will ask her to sing to her. Emira sang to her once when they were like, 3 and 5 respectively, and it’s been their secret thing ever since for especially rough nights/nightmares.

Edric:

Yknow how James from Pokémon is just super good with Pokémon ?? Like, he knows how to treat them, he knows what they like, he asks them gently if they’d like to join them, etc. That’s exactly how Edric approaches creatures. He’s a natural with them, but he and his sister’s natural affinity for illusion magic kept him from pursuing that track of magic.

He’s always wanted a pet, but every time he brings it up to his parents, he’s met with the same firm No as always. He’s definitely gotten in trouble for trying to sneak wild creatures into the house to keep in his room. Thank Titan for Em’s cool new girlfriend who’s not only a multi-track student, but studying the exact subject he wants to study and is super eager to teach him everything she knows. He learns vicariously through her and helps her study for her tests. At first, Emira is suspicious of them, but she knows her brother wouldn’t be so cruel as to try to steal her girlfriend away from her. He’s just a dork.

My boy’s got a sweet tooth. He loves desserts and sweets and fluffy baked goods and often tries to sneak candies when he thinks no one is looking. Chocolate is a big weakness for him. When Luz introduces him to Human Sweets, he’s practically bouncing off the walls. Cotton candy??????? Flan?????? Dulce de Leche en Tabla??? He nearly passes out when Luz busts out what she calls a “chocolate fountain” and turns it on. Y’all remember that one image of a bird bathing in a chocolate fountain from a million years ago? That’s Edric.

Edric Blight LIVES to see his sisters laugh. He would pull all sorts of silly faces and dumb tricks to make Amity laugh when they were little. He still tries to make her laugh, but usually those have grown from giggles to disgruntled mumbling. He’ll never admit how much it breaks his heart and it’s not until he sees her laughing at something Luz has done that he has hope he may still be able to get her to laugh again (it’s also the first time he’s heard her laugh in years and it makes his heart soar in relief. He was almost certain their parents had stamped any concept of laughter out of her).

My boy Edric is so full of love and passion; actually quite similarly to Luz. What makes them different though is that Edric is Aromantic. He’s never had a crush in his life. He’s happy with his sisters and all of their friends and their family as it grows in the future. He has some best friends that he lives with for a while (after his sisters move in with their respective partners), but for the most part he’s chill. He loves his family, he loves spoiling his sisters’ kids, and he’s content with himself. It takes him a super long time to be content with himself, but he gets there. I will literally never get over the fact that his biggest fear is “being alone forever”. He’s never alone. He will always have his friends and family. And, thanks in large part to Luz, he has his parents back. His parents that actually were excited when he cast his first spell and tucked him in at night when he was a toddler, giving him kisses goodnight and pleasant dreams. Not the parents he’d run away from; those were the cold, uncaring, obsessed with fake concepts of popularity and status people he ran away from with his sisters. It took years, but Luz helped bring his real parents back. He loves getting to know them for who they are now that he’s an adult too.

He and Gus become best friends. Like, dumb buddy cop movie levels of best friends. They get into so much trouble when it’s just the two of them and they have the time of their lives. At first, he and Em just sort of took Gus under their wing because he was a little bit of an outcast in their homeroom for being so much younger than everyone else. But he’s a friend of Luz’s and a friend of Amity’s after a while, which automatically makes him cool in their book. They soon find themselves actually enjoying his company, rather than just protecting him from stray bullies, and they find his ability with illusion magic exciting. They themselves are considered prodigies so having another prodigy to show off practice with is super stimulating for all of them. As the years go on (and Emira spends more time with Viney) Edric starts calling more and more often for “Bro Time” where they go do stupid teenage stuff or test the limits of their magic or even just hang out and talk for hours. It’s actually all this time hanging out with just Gus that Edric discovers he’s aro; somehow it comes out that Gus has developed a crush on Edric and (major age differences aside) Edric realizes he’s never had a crush on anyone before. It’s a conversation that sucks a lot, but they’re besties and they manage to get through it. Gus maybe needs to take a day with his original gal pals to just cry about it, but he gets over it just fine. He also helps Edric understand what it means to be aromantic. Well, with the help of Luz and Willow as well; Luz is a walking dictionary for lgbt terminology and Willow’s super good at helping dissect feelings (when they’re not her own cough’outofsightoutofmind’cough).

I genuinely don’t know what he might pursue for a career. Part of me wants him to be independent and do his own thing, but a much stronger part of me wants him to just be part of Viney as Emira’s business. He loves creatures so much and he loves taking care of them, but I don’t want him to feel like a third wheel around his twin sister either. Maybe he becomes a dual track teacher at Hexside specifically for healing and beast keeping so more students can learn about Service Creatures. He can substitute for the Illusion track homeroom when needed, but he’s super passionate about the Service Creature sub-track he and Viney pitch to Principal Bump.

#prinxly inquiries #anonymous #the owl house #emira blight #edric blight #toh headcanons #I have a lot of Thoughts and Feelings about these two

100 notes · View notes

fashournalist · 3 years ago

Text

Cheesecake Review: Allegro Cakes Express' Sampler (12 flavors!)

Have you ever dreamt of trying every possible flavor while selecting which ice cream to order--or which cookie or slice of cake? Allegro’s Cheesecake Sampler is the answer to your prayers. It’s what we had for Mother’s Day, and for sure, if Momi were still here with us, she would have enjoyed each slice.

With 12 flavors to try, your cravings for different kinds of [cheese]cake will be satisfied, and you wouldn’t have to shell out what you normally spend on cakes. Although there’s no guarantee you will like them all, it’s worth trying. I will briefly give my honest opinions on each flavor in no particular order. Read on to find out which flavor stood out the most for us; who knows, it could be your favorite, too. :)

Note: The individual cake images below came from Allegro’s page.

The S'mores flavor was one of the sweetest slices Allegro has. They didn’t hold back when it came to the ingredients; they were able to put in a lot of marshmallows and chocolate even when the slice was just small (to fit in with the other 11 slices). Although the S'mores' flavor, in general, is not one of our favorites, this one was good. Not a fan of marshmallows, but I do love graham cracker crumbs and chocolate.

Next up, the Banana Choco Chips! If you’re a lover of fruit, then this will probably be one of the flavors that will top your list. Think of banana loaf bread mixed with chocolate chip cookies - and a bit of cheesecake to fill the base, and you’ve got this slice.

The Dulce De Leche Cheesecake’s caramelised milk is the highlight of this flavor. While it’s usual for similar products to be too sweet, this one is just right. It also complements the base well. I noticed, though, that several of the flavours have a similar base, and they only seem to differ in toppings.

Peach Mango is one of the flavors that had a similar base but of course, had peach mangoes on top. It did not stand out that much for Dad and me.

In general, these two are our favorite cheesecake flavors--blueberry for Dad and matcha for me. Although, in this particular sampler, these didn’t top our list.

Allegro’s Blueberry Cheesecake had a rich taste balancing the sour and the sweet, but it was not the best we’ve tasted. I don’t know if my standards for blueberry cheesecake is just too high because I didn’t even like the one in Starbucks. So far, I liked the blueberry cheesecake from The Alley at UPTC. But according to Dad, Allegro still did well on this flavor.

I liked Matcha more between these two, prolly because I’m always biased for matcha products. It had a different base from most of the flavors, and you can really taste the balance between sweetness and bitterness. I actually wish it was a bit more bitter haha.

The Al Capone Cheesecake is one of the flavors that had a similar base and only differed in toppings. I do love Al Capone, but I didn’t like Allegro’s version. Perhaps, they could have added more almonds and also included almonds in their base.

As for the Ube Macapuno, the good thing about it is it at least had a different base from the other flavors. You can really taste the ube with every bite of its rich, creamy base topped with macapuno. Dad likes ube, so this was one of his favorites.

This was our first time to try Bibingka Cheesecake, and boy, it was truly flavorful. Like a cheesecake with a twist, its base had chunks of salted egg so you can taste the fusion of cake and one of our favorite Filipino delicacies. Word of advice, though, you have to finish this right away. We split some slices and left them in our fridge, but the remaining salted egg was already spoiled the following day.

Next, we have the Turtle Cheesecake, which is made of caramel, chocolate and pecans. Their rich, creamy taste when mixed makes a good combination. Although, this slice has a similar base to other flavors like Peach Mango and Al Capone.

I’m a lover of Oreo Cheesecake and everything cookies and cream, so this was bound to be included in my top favorites for Allegro’s sampler. True to its word, their oreo cheesecake is filled with a lot of cookie crumbs aside from the one that served as a topping.

But if there was one flavor that stood out the most, and got both my and my Dad’s approval, it would be the Neapolitan Cheesecake! Usually, my Dad and I have different flavors when we try out products, like what happened with Deta Bites Cookies, the previous one I reviewed. But for Allegro’s Cheesecake Sampler, one flavor stood out in the list of their best flavors. It even topped my favorites matcha and oreo.

Made up of chocolate strawberry, vanilla, and cream cheese layers all on top of a moist brownie, the Neapolitan Cheesecake will surely leave you craving for more. That’s why if ever we’ll order another cake with only one flavor from Allegro someday, it would be this.

What do you think of the flavors? Which one are you most excited to try? Get ready to avail this sampler for a reasonable price. Usually, 8” premium cheesecakes cost around 1200 to 1500 or even more, and that’s for only one flavor. But with Allegro’s, you get to try all flavors for 1000!

They also have good customer service, and they honor Senior Citizen/PWD discount. We got this cake for only 800 because we saved 20%!

What are you waiting for? Give their cheesecake sampler a shot now and find your favorite flavor today. :)

Follow their accounts here:

Facebook: Allegro Cakes Express Delivery

Instagram: Allegro Cakes Official

Thank you for reading my blog! Stay tuned for my next food review two weeks from now : )

PS Do you want me to try your products? Just send me an email at [email protected] with the subject "Blog feature + the name of your product" :)

Previous review: Detabites Cookies

Upcoming review: Pakamura Takoyaki

#Cakes #cake #cheesecake #food #food review #reviews #food blogger #matcha #oreo #neapolitan #desserts #sweets #ube #ube macapuno #dulce de leche #blueberry cheesecake #banana choco chips #must try #fashournalist

3 notes · View notes

renegadepisces · 5 years ago

Text

Bright Imagine: Kandomere accidentally meets your family part 3

Fandom: Bright

Pairing: Kandomere x reader

Tags: slow build, fluff, eventual nsfw

Note: also on AO3 as Serendipity & Caffeine

Dread wasn’t quite the right word for how you felt about Friday’s dinner. You could never dread seeing your sibling and their family. Your family wasn’t the issue.

It wasn’t Kandomere’s fault though, you chided yourself. Your sibling and their spouse had invited him. He was more than welcome to attend.

And the problem wasn’t necessarily that you didn’t want him to attend. You didn’t dislike him. In fact, he’d grown on you since you’d run into him while out with your family. As intimidating as he was - he had to intimidate to do his job - he clearly had a soft spot for children. He’d taken not only to stopping by your desk on his way to his office in the morning and asking how you were, but asking about your family too.

No, your family wasn’t the issue. Neither was Kandomere. You were stunned on Wednesday when you shared the time and location of the gathering and Kandomere assured you he’d attend. It wasn’t his assurance that shocked you, or his willingness to spend a prime Friday night eating lasagna with a suburban family of 5 (6, counting you), or even the professional uneasiness of going to a family dinner with your superior.

You felt relief when he said he’d be there. A strange flutter rose in your chest when he insisted he’d pick you up and drive you home too. He offered a practical explanation of course - one car is better than two and all that. It finally dawned on you that you wanted to Kandomere to come.

And that was the problem confronting you when you slipped through the door of your apartment on Friday afternoon and prepared to tackle the absurdity of your evening plans. It was a familiar dance. You did your hair, freshened up your face, agonized over what to wear, and finally paced through your living room while stealing fervent glances at the digital clock displayed on your ancient coffee pot as you waited for Kandomere to pick you up.

It felt too much like a date. The careful choices for your appearance, the waiting anxiously by your phone, the hoping that your family would like him - these were date rituals. These were boyfriend rituals.

But Kandomere was not your boyfriend. Kandomere was a walking, talking, sneering elf gorget-wearing visual definition of the word unattainable. Having a crush on your coworker was stupid. Having a crush on your stupidly handsome elvish coworker? That was delusional.

You’d consoled yourself over the telenovela-level disaster you’d somehow gotten yourself into by baking. You liked baking in general and often overindulged in the hobby during particularly stressful periods. You found something therapeutic in kneading bread dough and whisking cake batter.

You’d baked something every night since your sibling invited Kandomere to dinner. Two dozen blueberry-lemon-poppyseed muffins on Tuesday, your favorite coffee cake with cinnamon bun glaze on Wednesday, and a layered chocolate cake with dulce de leche buttercream icing and mocha drizzle on Thursday.

Okay, you’d meant to make the cake. You always brought desert to family dinners and this one was your sibling’s favorite. You’d deposited the muffins in the breakroom at work early enough that no one knew who’d brought them. Overhearing the steady stream of compliments whenever you made another cup of coffee or refilled your water bottle had been uplifting, even if you didn’t take credit. You’d kept the coffee cake for yourself at home. The dulce de leche cake was neatly and securely packed in a portable cake stand, waiting on Kandomere to pick you up.

Your heart leapt into your throat when you heard a knock at the door. You’d expected the innocuous buzz of a text message, but the sound of knuckles tapping lightly against the door pierced the tense silence of your apartment like a dart.

Cautiously, you crossed the living room and pressed your eye to the peephole. Kandomere, continuing to astound you in all the worst ways, stood in the harsh fluorescent lighting of your apartment corridor. It wasn’t a bad place to live - certainly nicer than a lot of other complexes in LA - but Kandomere still looked equally out-of-place and breathtaking.

“Sir,” was the best greeting you could come up with as you stepped out into the hallway.

“So formal,” he said, his eyes sweeping across you appraisingly before settling on the cake carrier clutched in your hands.

“Dessert, I assume?”

“By my sibling’s personal request. I hope you like chocolate,” you teased.

“Not your nephews’ choice? I didn’t expect you to miss a chance to spoil them.” he said, gesturing toward the end of the corridor, where the elevator was, in an obvious invitation to get going.

“I make whatever cake they want for their birthdays and any time I babysit. The younger one comes up with some weird flavor combinations and I’m waiting with baited breath to see what he asks for this year.”

“A boy after my own heart.” Kandomere chuckled, “I have a horrible sweet tooth.”

You hadn’t meant to tell him more than he asked. The words just slipped out. You liked talking about the boys. More alarmingly, Kandomere seemed to like listening to you talk about them. Why else would he stop by your desk and make small talk about what school they attended and if their hobbies kept you busy on your days off?

The drive to your sibling’s home was mostly quiet. You traded inane details about cases you were working on and swapped MTF office chatter until Kandomere’s GPS brought you to your destination - one of those cookie-cutter suburban starter home communities. It was nicer than your apartment complex, but not nearly as luxurious as what you were sure Kandomere was used to.

Ordinarily, you wouldn’t have bothered knocking, but you wanted to give your sibling and their spouse some warning before you brought a guest into their home. Your hand never made it to the door though.

It jerked inward, startling you and throwing you off balance as the solid surface you were reaching for fled from your outstretched hand. A hand gripped you by your shoulder and steadied you before gently pulling you back to your feet. Kandomere, with the lightning fast reflexes and grace common among elves, had kept you from falling face first into your youngest nephew.

“Are you supposed to answer the door by yourself?” you chided him gently.

Completely unfazed by your correction, he looked up at you and Kandomere and asked, “Why are you holding hands?”

Your face burned as you realized you’d brought your hand up to your shoulder when Kandomere kept you from falling a few seconds before. Instinctively, you both pulled your hands away, breaking the contact.

Your sibling burst into view, holding your niece in their arms and telling their middle child not to be rude and keep you and Kandomere standing outside.

As you suspected, everything was perfect. The lasagna was already on the table and had cooled to the point that it could be eaten without scorching your tongue. Kandomere had brought flowers as a gift instead of wine, not knowing if your niece was breastfed. She was, and your sibling and their spouse appreciated his thoughtfulness. Your nephews even ate most of their vegetables without needing to be pestered.

Kandomere had been positively gregarious all evening, so it didn’t surprise you when he complimented you on your cake. You were a good baker after all, and knew a few secrets to making boxed cake mix taste like it was made from scratch. Covering it with heaps of homemade buttercream icing was one of them.

“This is truly excellent. I never knew you were so accomplished y/n,” he praised.

“Oh this isn’t even their best cake recipe. Y/n, you should bring your coffee cake into the office some time.” your in-law said.

“I should have known your best work would feature coffee.” Kandomere laughed.

Before you could respond, the baby monitor crackled to life in your sibling’s hand. Your niece had slept through dinner peacefully, but now wanted attention. Your in law started to get up from the table, but you stopped her.

“Let me get her. Sit down and eat your cake,” you insisted.

They didn’t argue. You’d done just about everything that babies required with all three of their children. From diapers to vomit, you’d handled it. Besides, Kandomere seemed to be having a good time. You wondered what embarrassing stories your sibling might try to tell him and if their spouse would them.

Your niece was working herself up into a sobbing tantrum when you tiptoed into her room. She screeched indignantly when you picked her up and fisted your shirt in her chubby hands. You didn’t smell anything that pointed to her needing a change, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

You noticed her onesie was wet near the neck and touched your finger to her mouth. Now you had a sneaking suspicion as to why she was so irritated. Quietly, you retreated to the kitchen and reached into the freezer. Clutching your prize in one hand and holding your niece on your hip with the other, you returned to her room. Hopefully her teething ring and a few lullabies would get her back to sleep.

By your second refrain of Frere Jacques, her sobs were quieting as she sucked almost hungrily at the cold teething ring. You sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star until you saw her eyelids drift closed. If she could make it through a round of Danny Boy, you could be sure she was asleep and put her back in her crib.

“And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me. . .” you crooned the final line, looking down at her for any sign of stirring.

She was sound asleep.

In the hallway, Kandomere’s ears twitched as he caught the sound of your lullabies. You didn’t have a great singing voice, but it was soothingly steady and soft. Clearly, it was good enough for the kids because even the oldest of your nephews was nodding off in his seat.

It seemed that your lullaby affected the whole house, because you hadn’t been out of your niece’s nursery long before the process of saying goodbyes began. First the boys, who needed to go get ready for bed. Then your in-law, who always left you and your sibling alone together at the end of these nights. Your sibling always walked you to your car and waited until you disappeared from sight before turning out the lights and joining their spouse in bed.

This all made it incredibly strange to experience your sibling walking you and Kandomere to the door. It only got weirder when you remembered that Kandomere had driven you both there and would therefore be driving you home. The whole affair seemed so intimate. You’d dated men who didn’t meet your family even after months, and yet he had met them less than a week ago and was already eating lasagna and getting goodbye hugs from your nephews.

“I didn’t think you’d be so good with kids.” you blurted out, motivated equally by curiosity and desperation to break the mounting silence filling the car.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” you assured him, “I just mean that most people who do that well with kids have experience. Either they grew up in a large family or they have kids of their own. I didn’t think either was true of you, so I didn’t expect you to be so good with my family. I meant it as a compliment Kandomere.”

He remained silent far longer than you liked before answering.

“Elves usually don’t have large families. Most of us are only children and plenty of us don’t have children at all. Growing up, I always wanted a large family.”

“Well, you can still make that happen.” you said, and you regretted it as soon as the words came out your mouth. It sounded like you were flirting. You definitely hadn’t meant for that to sound like flirtation.

“With our hours? I’m not holding my breath.” he scoffed.

“Oh come on. You’re an intelligent, attractive elf in LA. There are plenty of people who would date you. You just don’t meet them because you practically live at your desk.” you retorted.

“Alright then y/n, why are still you single if you’re the expert?” His tone was playful, and his lips parted just enough for you to catch the glint of his sharpened canines through his smile.

“Well, this may surprise you but the number of sane, available men attracted to human female cops with a background in martial arts and behavioural profiling is a statistical aberration.”

You both erupted into peels of laughter. The mood in the car shifted suddenly, dispelling the tension as the suffocating silence fled in the wake of your laughter. You found that carrying on a conversation in such an intimate and personal setting as Kandomere’s car came much more easily when he was smiling at you.

“And my family doesn’t like anyone I date. Not a single one.” you said, “Though they seem to like you.”

“Your nephew did tell me you were single.”

Your eyes widened in shock and you choked back a startled noise. You were tempted to ask which one, but were silent for the rest of the ride to your apartment. Your face burned in embarrassment.

Despite that, now that you faced the possibility of ending the night, you hesitated. As much as you hadn’t looked forward to tonight, it had been pleasant.

It had been a while since you’d asked a man up to your apartment. And that wasn’t really what you were going for. You wanted Kandomere to come up with you but not like that.

Fuck it, you decided as he puled up to the curb.

“Would you be up for a second dessert course Kandomere?” you asked.

You heard his breath hitch. The dim light of your complex’s parking garage and the inscrutable curtain of his lustrous hair made it impossible to gauge his reaction.

“I happened to make that coffee cake my in-law mentioned on Wednesday night. You said earlier that you have a sweet tooth.”

Silence welled up around you like a rising tide. You were about to give up and get out of the car when he seemed to make a decision. Kandomere turned his crystalline eyes toward yours, and shifted the car into park.

“I’d love that.”

As nerve-wracking as having Kandomere in your sibling’s home had been, inviting him into your tiny apartment was even worse. You kept it tidy thankfully, but you couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about your modest lifestyle.

He didn’t betray the faintest hint of judgement though. He seemed genuinely more interested in the promised coffee cake than scrutinizing your home. You had a stovetop espresso pot, and quickly set it to work on producing two cups of liquid caffeine. You’d worked with Kandomere long enough to know he never said no to coffee regardless of the time of day.

Somehow, he looked less out of place on your couch than he had in the corridor at the beginning of your evening together. Maybe, you thought, it was the way he looked with his suit jacket removed, or the way he reclined into the plush cushions of your oversized second hand sofa.

The coffee pot sang, signalling that it was time to cut the cake. It still looked and smelled as good as it had the night you’d made it. You brought the plates of cake and cups of steaming hot espresso to the coffee table and took a seat beside him on the sofa.

Kandomere glided a dainty forkful to his lips, passing the fork between his perfectly white, pointed teeth. You watched him savor the bite like it was a gourmet morsel from some elftown patisserie. He even closed his eyes, as if to focus more on the taste.

“I’m not complaining. I truly appreciate your talents y/n,” he said around a mouthful of cake, and your heart plummeted through the floor as you prepared to hear what you assumed would be a critical review of your very best cake.

“But I have to know: why did you bake so much this week?”

“Excuse me?” You asked, not following his logic. He should only know about two desserts. Unless-.

“The muffins in the breakroom on Wednesday morning. Outside of the breakroom, the smell was strongest at your desk but I never saw you eat a single one. So the smell must have gotten on you a different way, like when you brought them into the breakroom.”

Sometimes you forgot he was a real federal agent with impeccable deductive reasoning skills and enhanced senses.

“Listen,” you blurted as your brain hastily tried to piece together a narrative that would adequately explain the situation without embarrassing you even more. It failed.

“Oh, I am.” he said, smirking and leaning forward.

“I had no idea how to handle tonight. It’s fine but it’s weird right? You’re not my direct supervisor but you are a senior agent and I work with you but we’re not close. But you’re invited to my sibling’s house for a family gathering and you have to understand that I have dated men for months who have never met my sibling’s kids. And I bake when I’m stressed, so I just kept baking things. I wasn’t even done after the dulce de leche cake. I’ve got dough in the freezer-”

Suddenly, his hands darted to your shoulders and pulled you toward him. You were cut off by his lips crashing against yours. You closed your eyes, leaning into the kiss. As one of his hands roamed upward from your shoulder to settle at the nape of your neck, the other wound itself in your hair, pulling you even closer.

You shuddered as his tongue swept across your bottom lip. The pressure of his teeth followed shortly behind, gently worrying your flushed and steadily swelling lips. He painted featherlight, teasing strokes against the roof of your mouth with his tongue, earning him a low, breathy moan.

He broke the kiss as quickly as he’d begun it. His hands and lips - along with their giddying warmth and attention - withdrew sharply as he tore himself away from you.

“I’m sorry,” he panted, snatching up his jacket, “This was a mistake.”

He retreated into the corridor, not casting even a split-second glance behind him as your front door slammed shut.

#bright #netflix bright #bright imagine #kandomere x reader #reader insert

141 notes · View notes

an-aura-about-you · 4 years ago

Text

Cinnamon Butterscotch Pie - The Laziest/Tastiest Version Yet

I’m probably gonna tweak this recipe a bit more over time, but this recipe turns out a really good pie for pretty minimal effort. Recipe under the cut.

You will need:

1 (9 inch) Pie crust (either a premade cookie crust or look up your own recipe; this pie has a pretzel crust that adds a nice salty quality that complements the butterscotch) 2 (14 ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk, separated 3 TBSP salted butter 2 large eggs 2 TSP vanilla extract Cinnamon to taste

water a big pot with a lid big enough to hold a water bath for one can of milk tongs or other tool to handle hot items can opener can piercer/church key (optional, not as effective) a pan big enough to hold all the pie mix a separate bowl for mixing measuring spoon whisk/whip a small spatula/spoon

Our first goal is going to be making dulce de leche. First, make sure your sweetened condensed milk is made of just milk and sugar. Other ingredients can change the quality of the finished product. Remove the label and any glue from the outside of the can and place it in the pot. Cover with water and place on the stove. Bring the water bath to a boil. Once there, turn the temperature down until the water is simmering. Let the water bath simmer for at least 90 minutes and up to 3 1/2 hours. For this pie, I did it for 2 1/2 hours and my lid didn’t fit too well. The resulting dulce de leche was pretty light but still had a nice caramel taste and made for some good butterscotch. After you’ve cooked it for as long as you like, remove the can from the water bath using a tool like tongs and let it cool completely before handling it.

Once the dulce de leche is cooled, you can start preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.

One you can handle your dulce de leche, open the can and empty the contents in your pan. Heat enough to melt the dulce de leche and add the butter. Keep melted for easy mixing.

In the separate bowl, empty the contents of the uncooked can of milk. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Add in the vanilla and cinnamon to taste, keeping the cinnamon on hand to adjust if need be.

Slowly mix in the cinnamon mix with the butterscotch mix, whisking until fully incorporated. Condensed milk is thick, so a spatula can help. Once everything is mixed together, pour into the ready pie crust.

Bake until the pie is almost set but still a little wiggly. I checked on this pie after 30 minutes and it was too wiggly, so I gave it another 10 and it was almost completely set. 35 might be the sweet spot, but remember what Chef says: “When’s it done? When it’s done.” Let cool until it’s no more than warm to the touch at its hottest and put in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

This pie is super thick with a texture similar to a pumpkin pie. I’m considering thinning it out so that the recipe makes two smaller pies, but honestly I love the result right now. This is a pie that can stand up on its own, that can be picked up and eaten by hand wedge by delicious wedge. The pretzel crust is pretty nice with it, as anyone who likes the salted caramel craze can attest. Definitely worth a spot at your holiday feast.

12 notes · View notes

nerdypinupcrystal · 5 years ago

Text

Every Breath You Take Chapter 9: Girls Night

I’m BAAAAACK! I’m so sorry for taking forever to update, guys. I had so much going on; school and work back to back, I seriously get no days off! My aunt was in the hospital for a month, but she’s okay now. And I was also hit with the dreaded writers block. But I’m finally here with a new chapter, it’s a fun lengthy one, I hope you guys enjoy it!

Masterlist

Chapter 9: Girls Night

After our talk in Matt’s apartment, he walked me back to my place to rest, obviously noticing how drained the talk left me. With one more lingering, spine tingling kiss, he walked back to his apartment with the promise to see me later.

I called Lucy to invite her to have a sleepover with me. This day of honesty has encouraged me to want to open up to my new “best friend” as Lucy fondly titled herself.

I slept the day away until a knock on the door woke me up. I reached for my phone to check the time. My eyes widened with disbelief at reading the large bright numbers on the screen. 6:15 PM

Holy shit that talk really did drain me!

The knocking continued until I heard a familiar voice through the door.

“Iris, open up! The strippers are getting restless!” Lucy yelled impatiently.

I let out a snort of laughter as I made my way towards the door, opening it to reveal my quirky best friend wearing a yellow dress and carrying a green stuffed animal with little tentacles in its face.

“Good evening, Miss. Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Cthulhu?” Lucy asked, sounding every bit like a missionary.

“I was under the impression you brought strippers with you.” I replied, arching one brow up as I patiently waited for her response.

“They got impatient and went back to Chippendales. Now you get Cthulhu.” She responded as she thrust the green stuffed Cthulhu doll into my hands. “He like praises, occasional human sacrifices, and cuddles.”

I giggled as I held the stuffed monster like a baby. “Thank you, I’ll do my best.” I opened the door wider for her, “You may enter if you dare.”

“Thank you, kind gentlewoman.” Lucy replied with a curtsy. She stepped inside carrying a medium sized overnight bag on her shoulder, but surprised me with the tall pink train case she rolled in behind her.

“Please don’t tell me you have luggage for Cthulhu.” I pleaded, my brows furrowed in slight worry.

Lucy was quick to respond. “Nope! I came prepared with some essentials.”

She unlocked each compartment of the large case and proceeded to open and separate the case. Each compartment, to my amazement, revealed an assortment of pastries and desserts from the bakery. The top compartment had a protective container filled with a variety of cupcakes; the second compartment held a wide selection of French macarons, truffles,and fruit tarts; and the third compartment held various cronuts, puff pastry treats, and dulce de leche cookies.

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at all the sweets. “Holy shit, Luce! There’s no way we’re gonna finish all of this tonight!”

“Oh don’t be silly!” She replied as she started handing me the desserts to put in the fridge. “Some of this can be our breakfast too. Maybe you can even take some over to Matt.” Lucy wiggled her eyebrows at me with a smirk.

I blushed at the thought of Matt, my lips still tingling from our kiss this morning.

“And besides,” Lucy continued, interrupting my thoughts. “You haven’t seen the best part. Guaranteed to hype up that appetite.”

With that, she opened the bottom largest compartment. Revealing six bottles of Stella Rosa wine.

“Three for you, three for me!” Lucy exclaimed in excitement as she pulled out the bottles and set them on the counter.

“Holy shit.” I said, too speechless to say anything else. But then I realized to my dismay, “I don’t have a corkscrew.”

Lucy, being the ultimate problem solver replied. “No worries, I have one on my keychain.” She held up said keychain in all its pink bedazzled glory.

“Always prepared.” I spoke with admiration.

“Never know when you’re gonna need it. My sister and I learned that in Girl Scouts.” Lucy replied as she uncorked one of the bottles.

My eyebrows raised in surprise, “They taught you about corkscrews?”

“My mom was our scout leader, she insisted. But enough about that,” She thrust the open bottle to my hands as she opened a second bottle. “Let’s drink.”

“Shouldn’t we get some wine glasses?” I asked perplexed.

Lucy scoffed. “Sweetie, please. We’re ladies. We drink straight from the bottle.” I let out a laugh as I put the rest of the bottles in the fridge to chill. “Now let’s sit down, drink up, and talk about what’s going on with you.”

We got to the couch, I took a healthy gulp of the wine and told her everything.

She took it pretty well.

“I’m gonna fuckin kill him.” Lucy growled as we both wiped our tears. “I’m gonna fly out to Miami, and kill him to death!”

I let out a snort of laughter. “How do you kill someone to death?”

“Oh there are ways.” Lucy was quick to reply. “I can get quite creative when the inspiration hits me.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second,” I chuckled. “But I just got away from him and I hate the idea of you being in the same room as him. What he did to me was horrible enough. The thought of him doing anything to you or anyone else I care about terrifies me.” I felt a chill of fear go up my spine just saying it.

Lucy frowned in sympathy and pulled me into a comforting embrace. “Hey now, get that thought out of your mind. He’s thousands of miles away back in Miami. We’re in New York. You changed your look, it’s a huge city, and he thinks you’re dead. And most importantly, you’re not alone anymore. You have me, and two adorable kick ass lawyers that will fight for you. Especially Matt.” Lucy finished with a wink.

My cheeks reddened at the thought of my sweet, gorgeous neighbor. “That’s a pretty valid point.”

“Does he know?” Lucy asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, I told him this morning before I called you.”

“How did he take it?”

I hesitated before I answered. “Better than I thought. At first, though, he was silent. I guess he was processing everything, but I was so sure he hated me.” Lucy looked confused before I elaborated. “For lying. For running away from my problems like a coward.”

“Oh sweetie, you’re not a coward!” Lucy exclaimed, her eyes meeting mine. “You were being abused, you were alone and scared! You said yourself that cops couldn’t help you. It would’ve gotten even worse the longer you stayed. You did what you had to do, and on top of that, you snuck out to move your mom and faked her death to protect her even though you knew that you were gonna get hurt for disappearing like that. That took a lot of guts, you must know that by now.”

I nodded shakily, fighting the tears threatening to shed. “I do now. Matt said as much himself.”

Lucy’s face brightened. “See? That man is as smart as he is gorgeous...”

“And kissable.” I muttered as I took a sip of my wine.

Lucy continued, “Just like my Foggy- time the fuck out!”

My eyes widened at the sudden outburst. “What?”

“You kissed Matt?!” She asked excitedly.

“Oh, yeah, I did.” I replied with a timid smile, my cheeks flushing into a rosy pink.

Lucy could barely contain her composure, her hands were flailing and her body jumping from excitement. She shot up off the couch and rushed to the fridge, returning with the container of cupcakes before going back to the fridge to grab two more bottles of wine. She gingerly sat back on the couch, her legs folded like a kid eager for story time.

“Okay, I’m ready! Tell me everything.” She begged with glee.

Exasperated, I shook my head and replied. “Luce, there isn’t that much to tell. It wasn’t hot and heavy, it was sweet and tender during a vulnerable moment.”

“You say there isn’t much to tell, but I don’t care. Tell me about it anyway!” Lucy exclaimed impatiently. “Finish your first bottle and we can share all the dirty fantasies about our guys.” Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively as she nudged my open bottle towards me.

“Luce!” I laughed out. “I don’t really talk about this kind of stuff.”

“Oh you will,” Lucy stated. “Now sip sip.”

30 minutes, one and a half bottles of wine later….

“Matt’s so fuckin beautiful, it’s unfair!” I cried out dramatically, fully feeling the effects of the sweet wine. Lucy giggling like a drunk hyena as I continued.

“Like, he’s so sweet and precious with that smile made of sunshine, but he’s also sexy as fuck with that body- oh God, that body! I’ve bumped into him like a billion times, he even caught me in his arms once, and sweet baby Jesus that man is pure muscle! I wanna play with it like a jungle gym. Like every time I look at him...I feel it in my bones,” My eyes welled up with drunk tears, “I know his dick is big, I know it! I know it’s big! Oh God, my heart hurts!”

I was full on sobbing as I bit into my fifth or tenth cupcake.

Lucy was no better off than I was. She was on the brink of tears as she hugged me sympathetically. “My poor, sweet, thirsty flower child needs to get Murdocked so bad.”

“I really do!” I replied as I wiped my tears. “I’ve never had an orgasm and I really really wanna know what one feels like before I die of old age or something.”

“You what?!” Lucy exclaimed with and inhuman sounding gasp of breath. “How have you never had an orgasm?!”

I rolled my eyes and took a huge gulp of wine. “I was a virgin when I met Paul. He insisted we wait until after the wedding to make it more ‘special’. And the whole time during our honeymoon, it was uncomfortable and kinda hurt like hell, but he was a little gentle with me.” My mood began to dampen as I went on, “When he showed his true colors, he stopped being gentle. He took what he wanted and I just laid there and let him. It was better if I didn’t fight.”

I took another gulp of wine as Lucy processed everything. “Could he be any more of an asshole?!” She yelled in disgust. “If he has to be so controlling that he doesn’t care whether or not you cum, then he’s probably shit in bed anyway.”

I nodded in agreement, “That actually makes so much sense. He’s…..” I hesitated for a second.

Come on, girl. Say what you want about him. He’s not here to stop you.

I stood up on the couch, holding my bottle up high and proudly cried out, “Paul Burney is a fuckin asshole! I hate him with every inch of my body, and I deserve a better man that will give me all the love and orgasms I want!”

“Fuckin A, babydoll!” Lucy cheered as she clumsily stood up on the couch alongside me, holding her own bottle up high as she pledged, “Love and orgasms for us! A lifetime of STDs and...um...unlubed anal for Paul!”

I laughed so hard, I couldn’t control the sudden spray of wine from my mouth. I collapsed onto the couch, struggling to breathe through my drunken laughter.

“What the fuck?” I managed to ask.

Lucy hopped off the couch to sit back down. “It’ll be my birthday present to you.”

“My birthday isn’t until October.” I replied.

Lucy’s eyes widened in excitement. “Ooh only two months away then! What day? I wanna start planning now.”

I snorted in amusement as I replied. “The 31st. “

Lucy looked almost ready to have a heart attack. “NO WAY!!! Your birthday is on Halloween?!” She waved her hands ecstatically. “Halloween is my Christmas! And you get to have it for your birthday! That’s so cool!! It must’ve been so fun celebrating it.”

My smile dimmed. “It was when I was with my mom. When I got married, I didn’t get to celebrate either holiday anymore. Paul doesn’t like celebrating holidays, especially Halloween. He finds them childish.”

I looked down at my feet in shame, hating myself for letting him control me for so long. Lucy’s smile dropped; her face turned red, either from anger or the wine, or possibly both. She shook her head in disgust, relaxing her face back into a smile.

“Well he’s not here, and this is a new start for you, right?” I nodded for her to continue. “So it’s decided. I’m throwing you the spookiest, most epic Halloween birthday party ever! Costumes, Halloween themed birthday cake, booze, candy, the works! What do you say, birthday ghoul?”

Lucy wasn’t prepared for me to pounce onto her into an attack hug, she let out a yelp as the impact caused us to fall off the couch and onto the floor. She giggled hysterically as I peppered her face with drunken kisses.

“I take that as a yes?” She asked with excitement.

“Can we make jack-o-lanterns?” I asked, my eyes widened with childlike glee.

“Are you kidding? That’s gonna be the first thing we do, of course we can make them!” Lucy replied happily. “We’ll have a day at the pumpkin patch, ooh and I’m sure there’s a corn maze out there too. This is gonna be so much fun!” She clapped with excitement.

I was too drunk to keep any ounce of composure, l squealed and kicked my feet in the air like I just didn’t care. Then a thought occurred to me.

“Do you think Matt and Foggy would wanna join us? Would they even be into that sort of thing?” I asked, starting to feel a smidge of doubt.

Lucy gave my hair a gentle tug. “If they’re as into us as I’m pretty positive they are, then they’ll totally wanna join in. You can find out when you see Matt tomorrow.” She replied with a wink. “Besides, you pretty much have to be a soulless asshole to not wanna celebrate Halloween- let alone someone’s birthday!”

“Well, that explains Paul.”

Lucy scoffed. “Fuck that dumpster fire of a human being with something hard and sandpapery.”

I let out a snort of laughter, “Oh Luce, you have such a way with words.”

Lucy grinned with pride. “It’s a talent. However speaking of assholes…”

I caught her finger before it had the chance to poke at my bruised cheek.

“Who’s the asshole that hurt your cheek? What the Hell happened? Tell me everything!”

My clouded brain didn’t understand what she was talking about, until a certain sexy vigilante in black pajamas flashed through my mind.

“Oh my god, I totally forgot about that!” I exclaimed. “I had a crazy night last night.”

“Well don’t leave me in suspense, Woman! What happened???” Lucy asked impatiently.

I sat up before I started my tale of the night before. “So, I didn’t go home after seeing you. I needed to go somewhere to breathe. And while I was out, I made some new friends. Like this nurse who I ended up spilling my guts to about my situation, and she gave me a checkup. Her name’s Claire, very cool chick, she gets a free treat from the bakery, I can’t wait for you to meet her. Oh and I met this super cool group of musicians and jammed with them at Guitar Center, they’re my own band of gypsies, you’ll love them!” Focus, girl. “Anywho, I was walking home and it was dark. Then this dirty creepy guy dragged me down an alley. My dumb ass thought it was Paul, but nope, I was just being mugged. I tried to get away, but he threw me against the wall, which caused this,” I gestured to the bruised scrape in my cheek. “He started groping me and wanted to do other stuff to me,” I shivered at the memory. “But then, out of nowhere, this guy shows up, throws the mugger off me, and beats the mad shit out of him!”

“No way!” Lucy exclaimed as she sat up facing me. “Who was it?! Ooh was it one of the Avengers?”

I shrugged, “I don’t think so. Do any of the Avengers dress in head to toe black and fight like some kind of sexy acrobatic ninja?”

Lucy let out a dramatic gasp. “Oh my god, you lucky bitch! You got rescued by Daredevil!”

“Who?” I asked, not familiar with the name.

“Oh that’s right, you haven’t lived here long enough to be familiar with him. He’s our local vigilante, also known as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. He’s been around for about a year now, I think, trying to clean the streets of criminals and scumbags with some epic ass kicking from what I’ve heard. And you got rescued by him!” Lucy finished excitedly.

I sat there in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that not only did someone care enough to save my life, but that it was by an apparently famous crime fighter.

“What happened after that?” Lucy asked. “Did he talk to you? Or did he disappear mysteriously into the night?” She finished with a dramatic whisper.

I blushed as I remembered how close and intimate my moment with the masked man felt.

“He spoke to me…” I trailed off.

“And????” Lucy asked impatiently.

She wasn’t going to let it go until I told her, so I let out a sigh and continued. “He asked me if I was okay. He got really close to me, he touched my cheek…” I felt my heart race remembering his touch. “It felt so intimate. Like he really genuinely cared about me. Like he wanted to hold me, you know?” Lucy dreamily nodded as I continued. “He told me to go home and be safe. I thanked him, and then he was gone.”

Lucy sighed. “That sounds so romantic. Having your own superhero to keep you safe. What a dream!”

I couldn’t help but agree. “He certainly got my heart racing, that’s for sure.”

“I heard he has a killer body under those black pajamas.” Lucy pointed out. “How did it look? And most importantly, did you check out his ass?” She asked, causing me to almost choke on my wine.

“Oh my god, Luce, warn a girl next time!” She simply shrugged. “And seriously? I was in danger. I saw him beat up that creep who wanted to hurt me!”

Lucy’s excitement deflated , “You’re right, I’m sorry-”

“Of course I checked out his ass!” I cut her off. “I’m not stupid! If my life was about to end, I needed something good to look at.”

Lucy let out an excited giggle. “And how was it?”

“Round and juicy, like a perfect peach. If I were to rate it, I’d give it two palms up.” I replied, holding my hands palm side up with a grabbing motion; causing Lucy and I to burst into hysterical laughter.

“You’ll have to get a good grip on that peach the next time you see him.” Lucy wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

I snorted, “Groping a vigilante? Oh yeah, I see that working out well. He’ll probably have me arrested!”

Lucy shrugged, “You know a couple hot lawyers that’ll defend you.”

Matt.

The thought of him instantly sobered me up.

“Fuck, how could I have forgotten about Matt? I shouldn’t be thinking these things about some masked stranger! What’s wrong with me?” I asked, frustrated with myself.

Lucy seemed unfazed by my thoughts. “Don’t worry about that. He won’t mind.”

“What makes you say that?” I looked at her in slight confusion.

Lucy’s eyes widened as she took a huge gulp of wine. She hesitated for a second before replying. “Maybe...he’s into kinky shit and would be open to a sexy three way. Then you really would be the luckiest bitch in the world!”

I just barely swallowed my wine before cracking up. “I don’t think Matt and I are at that stage of our relationship to talk about that kind of stuff yet. We haven’t even really talked about what we are yet. And besides, I doubt he’s into threesomes and stuff like that anyway.”

Don’t act like the thought didn’t cross your mind. I shrugged at my thoughts.

“Hey, don’t rule it out,” Lucy insisted. “Just because he’s blind and catholic, doesn’t mean he’s not kinky as hell. In fact, he’s probably very adventurous indeed.” She finished with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and replied, “I’ll keep that in mind, you weirdo.”

“Dancing!” Lucy exclaimed out of nowhere, immediately changing the subject. “We have to have dancing at your party! Ooh the Time Warp is a must, remind me that we seriously need to go out for a Rocky Horror night, by the way. Ooh we can do the rockabilly stroll! That’ll be a fun and easy dance to do.”

“What’s the rockabilly stroll?” I asked once Luce stopped to take a breath.

She immediately jumped up and ran for her bag. She pulled out a portable speaker and her phone. A moment later, rockabilly music filled the air. Lucy grabbed my hands, yanking me to my feet.

“You’re gonna learn today.” She declared before my new dance lessons began.

The rest of the night was spent dancing, eating, drinking, and leaving all my troubles behind.

Next Morning

I woke up the next morning expecting a killer hangover despite Lucy making me take some aspirin and orange juice before passing out, but no such hangover occurred. I wanted to go back to sleep, sure, but thankfully there was no splitting headache from all that wine.

The smell of coffee brewing prevented me from falling back asleep. I slowly started to rise up from the scattered pillows and tangled blanket on the...floor?

I guess we were too tired or too hammered to make it to the bed.

“Rise and shine, Ginger!” Lucy called out from the kitchen.

I forced myself up and clumsily stumbled towards the kitchen. Lucy stood at the counter wide awake and perked full of energy.

“How are you so full of energy?” I groggily asked her.

“High metabolism and an iron liver. I get that from my mama.” Lucy replied with a cheeky grin. “How do you take your coffee, my sleepy ginger snap?”

“Sweeter than Matt’s smile.” I replied dreamily, still half asleep.

“What was that?” Lucy replied with a chuckle.

“More cream and sugar than coffee.” I clarified, blushing at the realization of what I said.

Lucy complied, handing me my fresh cup. “One sweet ass coffee for one thirsty ass lady.”

“Thanks, darling.” I replied, drinking the coffee. “So what time are we opening the bakery today?”

“Well I think we can get away with opening up shop a little later today. The boss is pretty lenient.” She winked. “So we can take our time getting more awake and ready for the day.”

“Sounds like a great plan.” I readily agreed. “I love my boss.”

“Love ya too, doll.” Lucy replied with a wink. “But first thing’s first.” She made her way to the fridge. “You’re gonna brush your teeth, get dressed, and take some goodies over to the handsome Mr. Murdock.”

“You don’t mind if I leave you behind for a few minutes?” I asked, not wanting to be rude to my friend.

Lucy put that worry to rest. “Don’t worry about me. I might take advantage of your shower if you don’t mind?”

“Knock yourself out. I’m just gonna freshen up real quick.” I replied as I raced to my room to change and brush my teeth as well as my birds nest-looking hair.

I was ready in no time; I rushed over to the kitchen where Lucy had just finished putting together a container full of pastries for me to take.

Lucy looked at me knowingly. “Wow, someone is eager to get Murdocked.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, you perv.” I replied innocently as I reached for the container. “Thanks for putting this together, Luce. I think I’ll bring him some coffee too. I think he’ll appreciate that.”

“Aww that’s so sweet!” Lucy gushed. She grabbed her overnight bag and pulled out a small stack of to-go coffee cups and lids. “Here, take one of these. Last thing we need is a coffee accident.”

“Thanks, Mary Poppins. You seem to carry everything!” I exclaimed.

Lucy scoffed. “Sweetie, Mary Poppins has nothing on me. Now go get your Murdock fix!” She started nudging me out the door. “I want details!” She finished with a slam of the door.

I shook my head with a giggle as I walked over next door. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach as I raised my hand to knock on Matt’s door.

The door opened after the first knock, revealing Matt, who was looking absolutely sinful in a black suit and tie. His beautiful eyes were already covered by those familiar red sunglasses.

“Morning, Matt!” I greeted cheerfully, feeling more awake in his presence.

“Good morning to you too, Iris.” He replied, flashing that gorgeous smile I love so much. “You sound better today.”

“I feel better today.” I replied, the memory of our kiss causing me to blush.

Matt opened the door wider. “Would you like to come in? I have to leave soon, but I can definitely spare a few minutes for you.” He finished with a wink, causing my organs to bounce.

I cleared my throat before I could get lost in my dirty thoughts.

“Why thank you, don’t mind if I do.” I replied with a slight curtsy before entering the apartment. Matt smirked as if he could see my gesture.

“How are you?” He asked as he closed the door, moving towards me. “I know yesterday had taken a lot out of you. Are you okay?”

He lifted his hand to my shoulder, giving me instant warmth at his thoughtfulness.

“I am.” I replied with a smile. “For the first time in a long time, I really am.” I leaned up to kiss those sweet lips of his, which he eagerly and gently gave back in kind. “Thank you for listening. And for accepting me and the truth.”

Matt smiled as he caressed my cheek. “Anytime. Thank you for trusting me. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“It wasn’t.” I agreed. “But it feels better to not have to keep this to myself anymore. I even called Lucy over to tell her.”

I looked down at the goodies in my hands and remembered the initial reason I was there.

“And speaking of which, she brought over practically half the treats from the bakery, and I thought you might like some for breakfast. You can maybe share some with Foggy if you want.” I gently nudged the container into his hands.

Matt’s smile was priceless. “Thank you so much, Iris. That’s so thoughtful of you. Foggy will appreciate this for sure.” He then sniffed the air. “Is that coffee I smell?”

“Yup!” I replied, carefully placing the hot cup in his hands. “I thought you could use a pick-me-up.”

“Wow, thank you! You’re a goddess.” He sighed appreciatively as he smelled the coffee.

I blushed at the comment, “It’s no problem. I don’t remember how you take your coffee, so I left it black.”

“I actually do take it black, so you did perfectly.” He praised. He took a sip, letting out a soft moan, giving me goosebumps. “Thank you so much, you saved me from having to make some myself.”

“Anytime.” I replied. “I’m happy to help.”

Matt smiled back; he was about to speak, but he was cut off by a robotic voice calling out “Foggy. Foggy. Foggy.”

Letting out a huff he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m sorry, Iris, can you give me just a second?”

“Of course, go ahead.” I assured him as he answered the phone.

“Hey, Foggy.” Matt greeted.

I couldn’t hear what Foggy was saying, but from Matt’s expression, I would guess Foggy was getting impatient.

“I know, I’m sorry I’m running late. I overslept.” He explained. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He tightened his grip on the container of pastries in his hand. He continued with a smirk, “And I’m even bringing breakfast. Courtesy of our favorite ladies.”

I felt my face flush even redder at the comment. Matt had to have known how he was affecting me, his smirk grew with a chuckle. Either at me or at what Foggy was saying, I have no idea.

“Okay. I’ll be there soon.” He finished before hanging up.

“I take it this is your cue to go?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

Matt nodded apologetically. “Yeah. I’d rather stay, to be honest, but we’re meeting a client today, and we have to prepare for that.”

I immediately felt guilty. “Oh god, Matt, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you late.”

Matt tilted my chin up to look at him. “Hey, don’t ever apologize for coming by. You’re a very welcome distraction.”

Our noses touched oh so softly, only a breath between our lips. My heart pounded in my ears, I think even Matt could hear it.

This man will be the death of me. But what a way to go.

The logical part of me should back away before we get carried away. But the aroused part of me wanted to keep going.

I gave in and eagerly pressed my lips against his, feeling lighter than air. I could feel Matt’s hand lightly grasp the back of my neck, his fingers combed through my hair as he held me closer to him. My hands clawed at his back, trying to get him even closer.

I felt the tip of Matt’s tongue at the seam of my lips, begging for entry. I let out an eager gasp in response, I softly began to greet his tongue with mine….

“Foggy. Foggy. Foggy. Fog-”

Letting out a groan of frustration, Matt broke apart from our kiss and answered the phone while still holding me close to him.

“What, Foggy?” Matt asked through clenched teeth.

The deep growl sent thrilling chills up my spine. Why does it sound so familiar?

“I knew it!” Foggy yelled on the other end, which I could hear loud and clear this time. “Get your tongue out of Iris’s throat, and get your ass over here!”

Foggy hung up before Matt could even respond.

We both let out a sigh of disappointment, Matt leaning his forehead against mine.

“I guess you really have to go this time, huh?” I asked dejectedly.

“I don’t want to, but he’ll hunt me down if I don’t.” He replied with a half hearted chuckle. “May I walk you back to your door?”

I giggled back, “Of course. Don’t forget the container. You’re gonna need those pastries to calm him down.”

Matt chuckled again, “You might be right about that. Though I think we’ll have to stop by the bakery so he can see Lucy in order for him to forgive me.”

“That can be arranged.” I replied as we made our way out the door.

He locked the door just as I noticed something was missing. “Oh Matt, you forgot your coffee.”

He turned to me with a smirk. “It’s okay. I already had my pick-me-up.”

Damn he’s smooth.

“You’re incorrigible.” I responded, flushing as red as a tomato.

“And you’re irresistible.” Matt replied with a wink as he held my hand.

“And you’re running late.” I replied back, trying to control my racing heart.

Our short walk ended as we stopped in front of my door, our hands still clasped together.

“You’re right,” He said, sounding disappointed once again about leaving. “Thank you for stopping by. It really made my morning.”

I grinned. “Anytime.” Then I decided to continue my bold streak. “In fact, would you like to come over for dinner tonight? We could whip something up in the kitchen together, it’ll be fun.”

I felt unreasonably nervous waiting for his answer.

You just soft core made out with the man in his apartment. I don’t think he’s gonna say “no”.

Matt smiled sweetly and replied, “I’d love to. What time should I come over?”

“How about 6:00?” I asked. Lucy won’t mind letting me off before then.

“Perfect.” He replied. “Want me to bring anything?”

“Just yourself.” I said, not wanting to let go of his hand. “Are you craving for anything in particular?”

I know what I’m craving for.

Matt smirked as if he heard my thoughts and replied, “How about we bake some dessert for dinner?” His calloused fingers lightly caressed my hand. “I’m suddenly craving for something sweet.”

I suddenly felt hot enough to break a sweat, and my rapidly beating heart certainly didn’t help. Keep it together.

“Okay,” Why did I sound so breathless? I cleared my throat before continuing. “I’ll think of something for us to make. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Looking forward to it.” He said as he leaned down to leave a soft, lingering kiss on my lips. “See you tonight.”

“Bye.” I whispered, biting my lip to try to hold back my bashful grin.

I could faintly hear Lucy’s footsteps shuffling quickly away from the other side of the door. Matt had an amused grin on his face as he turned away and walked towards the elevator.

I drifted through the doorway of my apartment like I was floating on a cloud. Even Lucy’s knowing smirk couldn’t distract me from the excitement tonight will surely bring.

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

A/N: And that was chapter 9!!! I hope it was worth the wait and that you loved the bonding between Iris and Lucy. I love them so much! And Matt...*sigh* he makes my heart sing! I hope y’all liked it, please be sure to follow me, reblog and leave a comment telling me what you think. Your comments truly make my day! Well that’s all for now and I’ll do my best not to take forever on the next chapter. Until next time...*kiss noise*

@jobean12-blog @cametobuyplums @tomhollandeu @writeyourmindaway @annavega333 @lullabylike @persephone-of-tartaros @emilymarie0422 @andrasta14

#Every Breath You Take #Daredevil #daredevil fanfiction #Matt Murdock #matt murdock x iris #matt murdock x oc #matt murdock x reader #daredevil au

32 notes · View notes

cartoonfangirl1218 · 6 years ago

Text

Love Potion Extravaganza Ch. 1

Note: So first off, thank you @missnobodynobodius for commiserating with me about matching EoA with Crazy Ex Girlfriend songs and hearing this ridiculous story when it was a mere wish. Thank you, @shasta627 for helping me match some of the songs and which ones to cut. And thank you @pizzansunshine for helping me for agreeing to edit this monster. Now this story, if you can’t tell by the title, it has ships. So many ships and love. There’s Eleteo, there’s Manualtina, there’s Gabelena, there’s Estoma, there’s Alonsonaomi, there’s Gabela, one sided Gababel, there’s LuisaxFrancisco, there’s Gabenaomi! Unfortunately I couldn’t figure out how to add Estenaomi without adding young Esteban to the chaos😢 But even the Delgados get a turn. So yeah. Many many ships. Slightly suggestive themes. Think P-13. So I hope you enjoy this with its love and lust misadventures here. 🤗🥰😉

And to add here are the two songs I put in the chapter, if you want to listen along to it. West Covina reprise II https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q8XuQbzoFss and Horny Angry Tango. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x_rAmAYE-8I. Enjoy!

Elena knocked eagerly upon the workshop of her royal wizard who opened it with a teasing smile.

“You are really excited for this interkingdom alliance aren’t you?” With intentional slowness, Mateo lazily leaned against his door, noting her excited smile and eyes sparking with impatience at his not-quick-enough casualness.

“Yes I’m excited that Avalor is arranging the alliance between Cordoba and Paraiso, it’s an honor and that. But I really, really can’t wait for you to finally meet Alonso and Valentina!”

Elena’s quick eyes saw that Mateo wasn’t engaged in any particular task, evidenced by the tamborita stuck safely on his belt. He was just being slow to tease her! Well she took advantage of his smirking at her to grab his hand to break into an run towards the breakfast table.

“Considering the stories I’ve heard about them, should I be worried?” Mateo called out, stumbling a little at the brisk run bringing Elena to a pause.

“They’ve gotten better...ish. Well I feel like they have matured over the last few visits and with you there, I think it will be easier to deal with them. You’re just very patient with-” Elena paused and turned away to hide her blush.

Lately she had been feeling emotions towards Mateo that were a bit stronger than those she had towards Naomi and Gabe. They were all her friends but something with Mateo ran deeper. She appreciated his traits a bit more. His patience, his steadfastness, his trust, his compassion, how he always knew just the right words to say, how he was so modest but courageous at the same time. When he displayed his confidence, he didn’t act like obnoxious jerk but it was so endearing because underneath it all he was still sweet adorkable Mateo. And then his eyes....

There she went, thinking all about Mateo’s admirable traits. The list had been getting longer and she had been getting more flustered. Whenever she was in presence she had this urge to stand next to him, maybe even nuzzle the crook of his neck. He had such a warm body. That was one of the first things she had noticed when she hugged him during Navidad. She wanted to melt against him and he smelled of gingerbread too!

Elena stop this. He’s your friend. F-R-I-E-N-D Friend!

And now she kept blurting out small words about how much she cared for him. When she wasn’t even sure he liked her. Surely someone as expressive as he would have given some sign that he was interested.

Mateo looked at her questioningly, a light pink blush creeping up his neck.

“You’re so patient. Plus you’re a wizard. Your spells always save the day,” Elena finished lamely, hoping that she hadn’t revealed her attraction for him.

“Uh yeah of course thanks!” Mateo stammered, willing the flush creeping up his neck and across his cheeks to go away. .

Keep calm. She’s just being her usual sweet self.

Mateo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, glancing at Elena’s long raven hair. It was so shiny and smooth like if the nighttime sky had become a river of hair that smelled like strawberries. Mateo sighed. He was hopelessly desperately in love with the crown princess who was totally out of his league and he just couldn’t shake off his crush.

He suppose it had started sometime around the aftermath of Fiero’s first attack. The way she encouraged him to take up his grandfather’s mantle was so precious to him. She had been the only one who showed such trust and belief in his magic skills. Ever! His mother cared for his skills, yes, but that was only after Shuriki’s return and even then she didn’t know enough to get too involved with his studies. The rest of Avalor, ha. They didn’t know the difference between a wizard or a malvago. But Elena. After she had gotten out of the amulet, she shared such confidence in his skills, he didn’t want to do anything to disappoint her.

He had thought that was normal. Some friendly devotion between princess and royal wizard, between friends. But then he began noticing Elena even more. The way her optimism lit up whatever room she was in. How endlessly creative she was when it came to fixing problems and new ideas. Her devotion to her people and kingdom. How she always believed in the best of everyone. Her strength after everything she had gone through. She was not cynical, she was not bitter, she strived to do her best all the time.

The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to get to know her. He learned a little on Dia de Los Muertos two years ago when she told him about the dark prophecy. He learned some of her fears and her weaknesses and that only fueled his desire to help her. If she felt sad, he wanted to comfort her, if she felt weak, he wanted to be the one she could lean on. He said it as much when they went to Vallestrella, “I’ll always be here for you, Elena. No matter what.”

He would have to be crazy not to notice her gorgeous looks too. Her kind, enthusiastic face whose smile was like the sun, her bright eyes... he could go on and on.

But he knew it was useless. He was not a noble, he was not incredibly suave or handsome. He was just her friend. He knew she deserved someone who always went above and beyond. Someone who would help bring her kingdom prosperity and her happiness. He knew he wouldn’t be able to live up to the title of king. If she even had feelings for him which was doubtful. She could have anyone she wanted. Sometimes though, when she teamed up with him during missions or when she gave him a special gift that showed she was thinking about him or now, when she said how she appreciated him- a little spark of hope would burst inside. Maybe she could like him. But then all his doubts returned to remind him how fantastical that belief was.

The two entered the breakfast table where the cook had arranged several large platters of desserts. To suit Francisco’s enormous appetite no doubt, but Elena realized it was a bit much even for her abuelo. Plus there was an inordinate number of roses strewn on places on the table that were not covered by platters.

“The cook does know that Prince Alonso and Princess Valentina aren’t arriving until lunchtime right?” Mateo questioned.

“Oh no, it’s just for us.” The two teens spotted Luisa’s hand waving behind a cake resting at the front of the table.

The two went to the head of the table, inhaling scents of fresh tres leches, campechanas, pan dulces, cherries, empanadas, all sorts of sweet treats to the sight of Luisa sitting contentedly on Francisco’s lap and hand feeding him a cherry.

“What’s with all the food?” Elena asked, but the abuelos seemed to have forgotten her presence and were rubbing noses.

“Guys.” Elena cleared her throat. No notice. Elena coughed pointedly again. Nothing. “Abuela. Abuelo? “

No response. Elena exchanged a glance with Mateo, his perplexed expression mirroring hers down to the identical raised eyebrow. Elena turned back to her grandparents, squaring her shoulders and used her best commanding tone, “Francisco Flores and Luisa Flores please give your attention to me. Now.”

Luisa and Francisco jolted a little at Elena’s queenly voice and looked at her confusedly as if they had never seen her before.

“Is there something you want, dear?” Luisa said distractedly, brushing some crumbs off her husband’s mustache.

“I’m- We’re wondering what is with all the food?” Elena repeated her question.

Francisco proudly straightened in his seat, “This was all my idea. I wanted to show mi amor just how sweet she is with all of this” He gestured grandly at the table, “And we could feed each other all day just like at our honeymoon.”

“Oh Francisco, you’re such a romantic.” Luisa gave him a long, deep kiss. It could have been for 7 seconds but it was long enough for Elena and Mateo to feel uncomfortable so Elena coughed again.

“Can we have any of the food?”

“Sure sure.” Francisco waved his hand dismissively at them, gazing lovingly at Luisa while she whispered in her ear with a devilish smirk.

Elena and Mateo shrugged at each other and took a seat at the other end of the table. “Is it their anniversary?” Mateo asked with another look at the elderly couple who were engaged in another, more passionate liplock.

“No. Usually Abuelo wakes us all up by serenading Abuela in the morning. I should know, I never am able to sleep through it. I guess they’re just in a romantic mood.” Elena answered, a subconscious smile playing about her lips as she looked at her grandparents.

Mateo smiled upon seeing her smile. It was truly one of the most beautiful things in his world. “It’s nice that they are so in love with each other after all these years.”

With a dreamy tone, almost as if she was talking to herself, or confiding a secret to someone Elena replied, “I hope I have that someday too.”

“Me too.” Mateo agreed, lapsing into silence. He wished to say more, but at the same time he knew he couldn’t. He wanted to describe his perfect girl, and how it matched her description. But he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with her. No, it would be too much to bear if he made her uncomfortable.

The moment passed and Elena turned to focus her full attention on Mateo.

“Back to the alliance that will happen. I think you’ll hit it off with Valentina. The two of you can talk about wizardry all day long. Since she’s a beginner, maybe you can teach her a thing or two. You are a really good teacher.”

“Yeah, after letting Olivia bring a water spirit to life, I think I have some work to do.” Mateo chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“Don’t say that. You’re a great teacher. Without you I wouldn’t have mastered my scepter so fast or be able to do the invisibility spell.” Elena smiled, grabbing his hand to give a firm shake. Elena managed to keep her smile even though she wanted to gasp at the slight brush of electricity she felt from the touch of his hand that grazed up and down her spine in delightful little chills.

“When are they arriving again?” Mateo managed to squawk, in spite of the the sudden dryness in his mouth thanks to the soft touch of Elena’s hands tightly wound with his own.

“Princess Valentina and her guard arrived yesterday and are staying at Avalor’s finest resort. 5 stars. With a jacuzzi obviously. We would have let her room here but some of the palace staff haven’t gotten over her last visit.” Elena said and Mateo laughed a little, remembering Elena’s story of Valentina’s obnoxious bragging.

“Prince Alonso will be arriving sometime before-”

“Guitar!” Francisco’s voice called from the other side of the table which the servant brought up quickly.

Without any prelude, Francisco and Luisa sang in unison, “It’s not just a coincidence, it isn’t just by chance. It’s logical. It’s obvious. It all makes perfect sense. And I’m just so happy that you’re here.” Ending with Francisco dropping his guitar with a clang and sweeping Luisa more into his lap in a passionate kiss.

“They are really in love today.” Mateo commented, surprised how they could keep kissing without coming up for air.

“This is kind of strange. They’ve never acted this way before-” Elena was about to go on when the breakfast door banged open and Julio Guzman rushed to Elena’s side.

“Julio, what’s wrong?” Elena put a calming hand on Julio’s shoulder seeing the young man’s annoyed expression.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your breakfast princesa, but I came here early to discuss the possible trade opportunities for the alliance with Chancellor Esteban. It’s just-” Julio groaned showing his frustration, “He and Doña are fighting. Again! I try not to bring her to the meetings but Esteban insists I do because I don’t quite understand all the trade lingo yet. But whenever I do, they start fighting and ignoring me. They don’t even know I’m there and I can’t get a word in edgewise.”

Elena winced in sympathy. Whenever those two started one of their infamous fights, no one stood in their way and nothing could distract them from battling each other. Julio had confided his frustrations at being ignored before at meetings where he was supposed to be in charge before, but clearly her lectures hadn’t gone through to them.

“Um Abuela?” Elena called over to the other side of the table where she was met with annoyed glares from her grandparents for interrupting their romantic rendezvous.

“Esteban and Doña haven’t listened to me about not fighting during trade deals. Maybe... You can get through to them.”

Luisa sighed as if her request was just another chore in a very busy day but her smile brightened again when Francisco kissed her temple, promising, “Go help them. I’ll prepare some songs to serenade you by.”

Luisa gave a girly giggle and whispered something else into Francisco’s ear which he returned with an eyebrow wiggle, making Elena uncomfortable in a whole new way. She knew they were in love but...

What was more weird was Luisa’s reaction. She had never been so visibly annoyed before. She always had been so willing to drop all other tasks when it came to helping others. Except alone time with Francisco apparently.

Luisa quickly paced out to the hallway, calling after the younger adults who were staring at her in surprise and confusion, “Come on. I want to get this over quickly. Chop chop.”

The three jumped up and followed her in an obedient line, as they approached the Grand Council room, they could already hear voices raised. In angry song.

“I’m clearly not over you yet.”

“I’m clearly not over you either.”

Luisa opened the door to the almost familiar scene of Esteban and Doña Paloma, glaring nose to nose, circling each other. Eyes blazing with fury and pride.

“Our love has transformed into hate.”

“This is how left them.” Julio sighed.

To Elena and Mateo’s surprise instead of the usual insults, Esteban twirled Doña around, gripping her tightly so they would be back to back, singing,“Damn! Sex right now would sure be great.”

“What?” Elena was so shocked by that declaration she couldn’t manage a proper screech of surprise but a strangled whisper. Not that the two dueling adults would have noticed, their eyes were locked with each other as they performed a rather intricate tango.

“This is our horny angry tango!

I want to fight!

I want to bang!

This is our horny angry tango!

We’re truly furious but...

Dang! We’re also horny too!”

Mateo went white as he listened to the lyrics of the song, unsure of where he should look. He hoped that Elena didn’t see him glance at her to gauge her reaction and misinterpret it for something more..well horny.

“Excuse me. Is that anyway to talk with guests and children present.” Luisa interrupted, tapping her foot impatiently. Elena squawked at her abuela’s word choice and Mateo put a comforting hand on her shoulder, sharing a look that mimicked her outrage at being referred to as children.

Esteban and Doña glanced at them in the doorway and quickly pushed away from each other as if they were on fire.

“Sorry so sorry abuela.” Esteban gulped nervously, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

“We didn’t mean to- were we too loud?” Doña panted heavily, undoing her bun, “Just these trade deals are a bit hard to get through with all this heat--Will someone open a window?”

“It’s not surprising that it’s so hot. You do expel a lot of hot air.” Esteban commented snarkily as he took off his coat.

“My “hot air” is minor compared to your justifications that somehow we can afford to offer free port rights to Paraiso with nothing in return. Such a royal way of thinking.” Doña shot back, flinging her coat at him.

Esteban growled, shrugging off his blazer to pull her towards him with a smolder in his eyes, “I want to tear you limb from limb!’

Doña gripped Esteban’s hair and slid her leg up against his thigh, “And put your limbs all over my limbs!”

Esteban took advantage to her dip her several times, “Each time we fight I crave you more!”

He almost dropped her from that position when she ripped open his shirt to suggestively lick at his chest,“This would be better on the floor!”

At those words Elena turned around to rush out the door. It was bad enough that her abuelos were all lovey during breakfast but this was a scene that she did not want to witness! Her hands clapped firmly over her eyes, she bumped into the wall instead. Her head pounded but still very able to hear, “This is our horizontal tango!

We’re both pissed off...

And yet turned on!”

Mateo helped her stand up, keeping his eyes firmly transfixed to the floor. However curiosity of what the formerly appearance/reputation-conscientious Chancellor and lady were doing won over him. He flicked his eyes up to see Esteban and Doña’s new position. Writhing on the Grand Council Table. He was never going to see it the same way again.

“This is our horizontal, horny, angry tango!

Now it’s time for six bar long- classic tango dance break.”

Thankfully the adults got up from the table to execute a tango dance break, giving Elena time to wonder why her abuela was not looking so shocked. Esteban and Doña Paloma? They were rivals. They fought all the time. There couldn’t be any secret feelings between them. And if they had feelings, they wouldn’t do this. They wouldn’t be writhing around on the Grand Council Table in front of––everyone!

She looked at Mateo, knowing that he would know what she was thinking. Her abuelos kisses at breakfast, her cousin’s horny angry tango. Something was going on and they had to get to the bottom of it.

Before Mateo could nod back at her they were distracted by a resounding slap. They looked back to see Esteban sporting a bright red handprint on his cheek and an annoyed glare at the women who was in his arms. Sighing he sang, “I cannot slap you back, because you are a lady.”

Doña pursed her lips, “That clearly is a double standard. But it’s probably for the best.”

The two dipped one more time and were back face to face, “This is our horny angry tango!”

Pressed against each other, panting heavily, the room was silent as everyone waited for what would happen next.

Elena privately mused that this was the most disheveled she had seen her cousin and the former Magister. Hair was plastered to faces that were slicked with sweat, their eyes seemed glassy yet they were focused on not breaking the other’s stare.

“I can’t stand this.” Esteban said in a low husky tone filled with a hunger that Elena had never heard from him before, which made her a bit nervous about what he would do next.

The tension in the room was palpable and Elena desperately wanted to grab Mateo’s hand. She couldn’t stand thick tension like this, she needed action now or she was going to break in and try to switch the subject to-

In one sweeping move, Esteban pushed all the paperwork that had been piled neatly at the edge of the Grand Council Table onto the floor, scattering the white sheets everywhere.

“I must have you.” Esteban declared, pressing a series of urgent kisses on Doña’s neck and lips as he pushed her down against the table. As Doña arched back, breathlessly moaning in response, Elena turned to leave again, pulling Mateo behind her.

The action seemed to snap Luisa to her senses. Clapping her hands between them, she brought everyone’s attention to herself, and stopped Elena from starting her flight to safer quarters.

Esteban and Doña reluctantly broke apart and seemed surprised at the presence of other people in the room.

“Julio, when did you get here?” Esteban asked with genuine confusion.

“I’ve been here the whole time!” Julio cried, crossing his arms, grumbling unintelligible curses to himself.

“Nevermind him.” Luisa interrupted, “You, Esteban Flores, you have your very own room for privacy purposes like this. You should know better.”

“Um..That wasn’t the issue we came here for.” Mateo pointed out, “Also don’t you think this is a bit strange. Most business meetings don’t entail...tangos.”

Luisa sighed, putting her hands on her hips, “I can’t change whatever sexual tension there is simmering between them. Moreover I don’t care. Let’s get this resolved as quickly as possible, I need to go back to my beloved querido...” She paused. Next to her Esteban and Doña had gotten bored of the conversation and were passionately kissing, and whispering scandalous propositions to one another.

“They’re like horny teenagers?” Elena wrinkled her nose.

“Well they did say horny angry tango not chaste angry tango. I guessed we should expect this.” Mateo said.

“Hmm you’ve always said you were going to have begging your name..How will you ever accomplish that?” Doña murmured kissing his jawline, rubbing herself tantalizing against his chest.

“This is true.” Esteban’s breath hitched as his hand slipped underneath his dress, “And my dear, with my lips between your-.”

“Esteban! Please be discreet!” Elena cried, wishing for all the word that the past morning could be erased from her memories.

“Oh Elena, we Flores do not know the meaning of that word.” Esteban rolled his eyes as if he found her request to be incredibly naive.

Luisa grabbed Esteban’s ear like she used to do when he was a boy, “That’s enough of that. Here’s what we’ll do. Esteban and Doña please stay in Esteban’s room, Elena and Mateo greet the ambassadors and Julio... go back to Angelica’s. That settled? Good.”

Luisa strode out of the room with the confidence of a woman who could get things done. Elena turned to Julio, “I’m sorry, Julio. I think you better do what my abuela says for now. But I promise I will fix this issue. Next meeting you will be heard.”

“Thank you princesa, I do hope so.” Julio shook his head and left the room.

Mateo and Elena looked at each other, at a complete lost for words when a jingling got their attention.

Almost afraid to look, they saw Doña throw Esteban’s belt to the floor, he took her in his arms in a bridal carry and they exited the room, completely oblivious to the world around them.

“Let’s just go to Princess Valentina’s hotel.” Elena suggested, shuddering a bit, “We can figure out what is going on at the palace later.”

“Yes, you’re completely right.” Mateo agreed, giving Elena his arm as they walked the hallway to the carriage, “We should be focused on this alliance.”

The ride to their destination was silent more or less as the two tried to hype themselves up for the upcoming meeting and shrug away the confusion of the morning’s antics. Even though it was before lunchtime, they hoped Princess Valentina would distract them until the alliance meeting came to fruition.

Mateo opened the door for Elena to go out first like a true gentleman and Elena respectfully waited for Mateo to come out.

The hotel was half the size of the palace, fitting for its 5 star rating to include a pool, several in-room jacuzzis, a private indoor garden, three different types of restaurants, a club room and its hotel rooms. Perfect for Valentina’s extravagant tastes.

In fact Mateo could see a bit of what Elena meant by Valentina’s grandiosity. She was wearing a triple petticoat, poofy pink dress decorated with sparkles and a large rose at the hip. All of it was a shiny satin and her hair matched with satin pink ribbons and roses interwoven in her high updo. All of it screamed, Look at me. It was fine for the Princess of Paraiso he guessed, but he preferred Elena’s much more low-key looks anyday. She just had a natural beauty that shined no matter the outfit.

She was sitting at one of the hotel’s outdoor cafe tables with a man in a purple dress shirt bearing the Paraiso symbol, Manuel, Valentina’s loyal guard no doubt.

It was clear neither of them had noticed Elena’s arrival as they continued quietly talking over a bowl of strawberry ice cream. Just as Elena was about to go up to greet them, Manuel fed a spoonful of ice cream to Valentina. Valentina smiled, licking her lips mischievously and then leaned over to give him a deep kiss.

#eleteo #elena of avalor #love potion extravaganza #chapter one #my fanfic #my fanfiction #estoma #luisaxfrancisco #luisa flores #francisco flores #elena castillo flores #mateo de alva #julio guzman #suggestive #esteban flores #doña paloma

20 notes · View notes