#Marco has seen many of his siblings come and go through the house growing up.

[buff-muffin]

Thinking of a Whitebeard modern AU where Newgate gets out of a gang life, cleans himself up and starts fostering kids, teens specifically. He takes in teenagers and usually ends up adopting them. They may only be in his house for a few years but he is their support system. He’s the one they call in an accident. Or when your passport expires. Or a work reference. No strings attached. He helps them no matter the situation with no judgment. He has been so many teenagers fresh start and their safe place. Some of his kids are in their 40’s now. Some are only 17 but he takes in and helps as many kids as possible and so many of them, now adults do their best to help out too. Marco was one of his first and raised him from when he was a child. And now that he’s aging, has moved back in to care for him. They try their best to meet for holidays though they all have their own lives. So the real family celebration is Pop’s birthday where all of them show up to celebrate the man that saved them and spend time with their siblings.

[amachja-moved]

Are you protective of your way of life? Are there rituals or customs that you prefer not to share with people outside of your village?

curious anon ask (always accepting!) (under cut for long post)

-------------- It is a hot day in Paradis; the sun beats down on the meadows and the nearby woods. Only the trees offer some sort of respite, casting shade overhead. This is where Sasha rests, sat upon a branch, one leg dangling over, and her back leaning against the trunk of the large oak. For two hours has she been sitting there, nearly sinking into the tree’s bark and trunk. It breathes under her, and she breathes with it, content, undisturbed. A little bit further, the horses give a neigh from time to time, from the comfort and safety of the stables. It is a nice summer day; and were it not for the voice piping up from under her perch, perhaps the young huntress would have indulged in a quick nap, before duty would inevitably call upon her again.

She holds a blade in her hands: a hunting knife, that she twirls between nimble fingers, and she hums, pensive. Whenever alone and undisturbed, language always seems to sink back into her throat, to retreat while no longer needed - far from the madding crowd, she has no use for words, and conjuring them back up proves a trying exercise. “I used to be, I guess.” Her voice has dropped, over the past few years - like roots growing deeper into velvety soil. There is a beat, a second skipped, that she stretches by sheer strength of will.  

“Ain’t much left to be protective of, now.” 

Fatalism wraps her carefully selected words in blatant resignation. Deep in the woods south of Wall Rose, an entire village lies dormant. Have the bears and the wolves reclaimed it, she wonders? Does her old house now nurse a litter of fox pups? Nothing ever disappears, in the forest, everything is repurposed, everything transforms. That doesn’t mean you cannot lose a great deal, either. “When I left the forest, it was... all I had. I knew there were folks who didn’t take too kindly to our way of life. I didn’t want ‘em to trample on it. Didn’t wanna give’em the chance.” And so, she guarded it. She built up walls around her memories, around her very core, and only ever permitted the slightest peeks to prying eyes. A very selective curation - a watered down version of her deepest foundations to make it more digestible for her fellow Cadets. 

“Sometimes... I wish I’d told’em more. Or showed’em more. I think a few of ‘em would have liked that. Marco, for sure. Reiner always used to ask questions, and Mikasa too. Yeah, maybe it would have been good, if I had.” With Dauper, dies their way of life -- the way of the hunters cannot be replicated in stables, in villages. Theirs is a world attached to a place, to the very earth they inhabit, to the nature they were carved from. When the Beast Titan had summoned his monsters, he had uprooted the hunters, and doomed their culture whole. Swallowed by the forest where it remains; while hunters now roam villages and cities, err, blend into the larger pack. Sasha knows she is part of the last generation of her kind. Her own children will never live the way she has lived.

Her own children will never know the world as she has known it; no one will ever again learn to see it the way she does. 

“I don’t know that I don’t want to share some of our traditions...” She pauses for a moment, takes the time to collect her thoughts. She has found herself doing that a lot more, taking her time, since reuniting with her father. “I just think there are things ya just can’t explain. Things I don’t think they’d understand because they ain’t never seen the world through our eyes. Their minds and ours, they don’t work the same.” The candid indulgence in her voice nullifies all and any possible misinterpretation. It is not pride that speaks; nothing but a simple statement, an observation, a conclusion she has come to after many years of observation, of meddling with those people who remain, in spite of all, terribly alien to her, and to who she knows she remains terribly alien. Affectionately so, perhaps - but alien nonetheless. The wilderness is sewn into her bones, carved into her soul, in ways words, and explanations, and conscientious study can never express or comprehend. “We may be listenin’ to the same tune, but we’re hearin’ different parts of it. It ain’t easy, explainin’ what only you can hear.” 

Sasha leans back against the tree, gathers her knees against her and sighs, a featherlight smile dancing upon rosy lips. “I suppose there is one tradition I haven’t told’em about yet, if you wanna hear it.” She glances down at the attentive silhouette beneath - does she still have their attention? Then perhaps she can gift them this, this little piece of her village, as a reward; as an extended hand. “Back in my village, when a child is old enough to go into the forest on their own, they have to take a kind of comin’ of age ritual. They’re sent into the forest, by themselves (though I think one of the parents always follows close by), and they have to look for a very special tree. Sometimes it takes just a few hours, but some kids have been known to be gone for a whole two weeks. It’s never the same tree for any two children. It’s a tree that speaks, and that speaks to ya only, so you gotta listen very carefully the whole time you’re out there. Once you’ve found it, it’s yours - like a tree sibling you’re bound to for the rest of your life.” 

There is a gleam in her eyes as she speaks, and Sasha looks down again, curious to see her vis-à-vis’ reaction. Of course, it is one of utter bafflement; and Sasha lets out a frank, amused laugh. “See? I told ya our minds don’t work the same!” She reminds them, evidently amused. “It’s more of an old tradition and an excuse to celebrate when the children return than anythin’ else, but we never stopped doin’ it, I guess. I found my tree after three days, when I answered the call of the forest - that’s what we call it. It’s a birch tree, about two hours away from the village, very deep in the forest. I haven’t seen it in a while. Maybe I should go back, someday. Bring Connie and Jean, or Mikasa with me, too.” Wouldn’t that be nice? She believes it might very well be. 

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt.45

Lance had been nearly deafened. He hadn’t been able to change back at all the previous day. Keith carrying him around as he was forced to be cooed over. He carried him to the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, basically wherever Keith went, Lance had gone with him. He’d changed back in the middle of the night, curled up against Keith. His poor boyfriend hadn’t had the best day, and he’d ended up hearing everything between him and Shiro. Shooting Hunk a message in the middle of the night, both his friends came by barely after the breakfast dishes had been put away. Pidge was either talking a million words a minutes, demanding answers from Matt, or screaming over seeing her brother again. The touching reunion was too much. Pidge’s voice was too much. He’d never had such a reunion with his siblings, so he ended up feeling half deaf and crying his eyes out in the kitchen. He was happy for her, but the weight of Matt’s secret was dragging him down, as was the pathetic jealousy of feeling on the outside again. Feeling strong arms wrap around his waist, Lance turned his head, nearly kissing Hunk thinking it was Keith. Hunk was also a crying mess

“I’m so happy he’s back. This is the best surprise Pidge could have gotten”

It was easy for him to think of Pidge as the same age as Hunk, and not two years younger. She was so brainy she seemed much older than her 22 years

“Yeah. It’s nice to see her so happy”

“I don’t think happy even comes close to describing what she’s feeling right now, man”

“That’s true”

Lance wanted to skip out and come back once Pidge had settled, but that was asking the impossible from his little gremlin. She had every right to be this happy. He’s be happy to if his siblings would accept him back. He missed them. He missed Marco most of all. Marco had loved having a vampire for a brother when everything had been new. Before he realised he had to keep things a secret and deal with a brother that had screaming nightmares and sometimes was too traumatised to talk

“Man, you okay? You’re shaking”

Lance smiled as he wiped at his eyes, knocking his glasses as he did

“I’m really happy for her. But it’s making me miss Miriam”

“Have you seen her lately?”

“Not as much as I’d like to. I didn’t go last weekend, and this weekend’s probably going to be out seeing Matt’s here with Rieva”

“Have you called her?”

Not as much as he’d like to have... Simultaneously wanting to be with her and keep her away from what was happening to him

“It’s not the same as seeing her”

“You could always to tomorrow?”

“Nah. Keith and Shiro are off to Platt tomorrow. I can’t just ditch Matt and Rieva here for the day with Curtis”

“I was wondering who he is... He hasn’t said much”

No one had said much other than Pidge and Matt. Shit... Curtis needed a cover story... His mouth moving without much thinking

“Cousin. Definitely a cousin... of mine... My house has turned into a damn bed and breakfast”

“Man, you have cousins? You never talked about any one other than Miriam”

“Oh, he’s like distantly related. Miriam thinks I need company”

“We never enough?”

Lance turned in Hunk’s hold, hugging him back

“You and Pidge are always, always, more than enough”

“That’s good enough for me. Man, all these people have my creative juices flowing. I think we need a feast”

Pidge stopped talking, spinning towards the pair of them

“Did I hear food?”

Hunk laughed, Lance still hugging him

“Yep. Lance and I are going to make you guys the biggest meal you’ve ever seen! Matt’s home, it’s time for a real party!”

“Whoop whoop! Okay, that’s our cue to vacate the kitchen. I want to hear all about how you snagged Rieva. She’s totes out of your league, you know that right?”

“I do. Let’s head to the living room. I want to hear all about what you’ve been up to here”

The kitchen vacated at near vampire speed as Pidge pulled Matt along with her. Lance watched them go from over Hunk’s shoulder. The only one who stayed was Keith, which Lance found reassuring. His boyfriend wasn’t jealous over him hugging Hunk. He took it as Keith making a real effort to be involved more with Hunk and his stupid emotions nearly made him cry again. Keith was like the missing piece none of them knew they needed. Breaking the hug, Lance wrinkled his nose over his fogged up glasses

“These things need to come with a warning. Right. Well. We’ll need to head to town. We need milk, and I have no idea what’s in the fridge”

“I’m on it”

Hunk gave him one more hard squeeze before walking over the fridge, Lance feeling Keith’s fingers brushing against his hand. Turning to his boyfriend, he gave him a wobbly smile

“Hey, you. Here to help?”

Keith nodded, he looked a little lost over what’d just happened

“Pidge is a bit too much right now... are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. All these family feels... bit much”

Lance fanned his face with his glasses, Keith nodding again. As his boyfriend started to let his hand drop, Lance reached out to squeeze it gently

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never... felt like that”

“Let me know if you need a break”

“I should be saying that to you”

God knew how much Lance wanted to kiss Keith right then. But Hunk was in the room and he didn’t want to make things more awkward for Keith

“I’ll be okay. It makes me wanna see Miriam”

“You should... You... we could go... or tomorrow. You could come with us tomorrow”

“Someone’s gotta be here to keep an eye on things. I’ll call her tonight”

Keith frowned of him

“You’ve wanted to see her for days... it’s not fair...”

“Sometimes things mean you can’t do what you want to do. I once went three months without seeing her and it was the absolute worst”

“I can’t imagine that”

“I know... anyway, you ready for another cooking lesson?”

“Yeah... Yeah, it’s like you said. It’s a good skill to have”

“Careful there, Keith. That nearly sounded like you were saying I’m right”

Keith snorted at him, Hunk calling out from where his head was still in the fridge

“What was that?”

“Keith admitted I’m right”

“As shocking as it seems, it happens. You’ve got a lot in here, so you can go to town while I get started”

“Sounds good. Wanna come for the ride?”

Keith nodded quickly, Lance smiling at the thought of Keith wanting to escape all these damn people, as he’d say

“Perfect. Hunk, gimme a list. We’ll be back once the shoppings done. Better pick up some wine while I’m at it. Pidge does love an excuse to party”

“That she does... I’m already dreading tomorrow morning”

“It’ll be fine. You’ll see”

*

Keith hated shopping. He hated shopping even more when it meant going up and down each isle, but today that was the plan and he was grateful for it. Both he and Lance needed a moment away from all the family stuff. Keith was “allowed” to push the cart, as Lance walked beside him, hands brushing occasionally in a way that made Keith want to hold his hand in public. Nudging him with his hip, Lance was definitely feeling better. It wasn’t fair he wasn’t able to see his Mami because of everything going on

“What?”

“Nothing. Felt like it”

Keith huffed, hiding his budding smile in the sound

“You’re so annoying”

“Yep. Still. This is nice... kind of like a da-... like none of that drama is waiting for us back at home”

Keith had heard that “da”. He didn’t know what the “da” was leading to. Nudging his boyfriend back, he took a guess

“We’re you going to say date?”

Lance couldn’t have meant date. What was date like about shopping together? They’d shopped together before...

“Pffft. Who said date? I didn’t say date. Just two dudes, two bros, doing bro things like shopping together...”

That wasn’t fooling Keith. He’d heard the way Lance called Curtis his cousin when Hunk tried to ask more about him

“How is this a date?”

“I didn’t say it was a date”

“You clearly said “da”. “Kind of like a da-...“”

“Nope. I have no memory of that. Oooh, look, we need that”

Keith intercepted Lance reaching for cake mix. The hunter had a feeling Hunk would be insulted if they brought the premade stuff home

“We don’t need that. If this was a date, wouldn’t I know about it? Does shopping for food even count as a date?”

“Noooo. Ugh. Fine. I mean... like, because we’re alone. Not alone, like “alone” alone, but it’s the pair of us hiding together”

“You’re making even less sense”

“I mean we haven’t been alone for like a week now... and it’s like... nice”

“It hasn’t been a week...”

“You know what I mean. With that many people around it feel soooooo much longer”

So their alone time at home did count? This dating thing was confusing

“That’s true”

“See. And we have to be only a little bit careful and not fully careful in front of people”

“It’s still not a date. You’d know if I took you on a date”

“You’d be cranky because you’re all flustered and awkward?”

Keith nodded, that was the most likely scenario

“Pretty much”

And pretty much how he normally was around Lance when Lance started paying too much attention to him

“Maybe when you’re settled we can go on a date. I mean, only if you want to. Totally, zero pressure. We can totes just go as friends... two bros hanging out...”

Keith really liked this awkward side to Lance. It reminded him Lance was nearly as human as he was

“I’d like that... as friends... or whatever”

“I like the sound of that “whatever””

Keith felt himself growing red, especially when he realised he was the whole conversation happened with his hand around Lance’s wrist. Quickly letting go, he turned away from his boyfriend. Being alone with Lance was dangerous. He wanted to kiss him, or at least slip his arm around Lance’s waist, but Garrison had already proven backwards enough. There was just something about when they were alone together that made Keith feel stupidly comfortable. Tomorrow they’d be off to Platt, and Shiro’d force him through a full medical, but that wasn’t even bothering him like it usually would. Normally he’d fixate and work himself up before those kinds of things, no matter how much he tried to deny it. Lance had a point about needing someone at the house in case something happened. Matt could easily mess up all their cover stories when being pestered incessantly by Pidge over things. Lance was needed there to keep things running smoothly, but it wasn’t fair he couldn’t see his mother when he really needed her right now. Maybe they’d get the chance on Monday? Shiro could stay home with Matt, Rieva and Curtis, while they went to Platt?

“I’ll “whatever”. What about Monday?”

With his thoughts in his head, Lance had every right to look confused as Keith’s sudden suggestion of Monday

“For a date?”

“What? No. You could go see your mother on Monday”

“Oh... do you think Shiro will be okay with that?”

“I could say I’m going with you, then find some way to kill time?”

“Or you could come with me?”

Keith was touched that Lance would invite him, but he didn’t want to crash their alone time

“I think there’s a lot you want to talk to her about that you should do on your own”

“What about a compromise? You come pick me up and stay for a bit?”

“I could do that... I don’t what to say though”

And what if he said the wrong thing? What if he upset Miriam?

“You’re overthinking things again. Mami knows you’ve been with me and that we’ve gotten close. I want her to spend time with you too, but only if you’re comfortable with it”

“I’ll think about it”

“Okay, I don’t want you feel pressured... but... I do want to tell Mami that I’ve found someone I like”

“You want to tell her about us?”

A vampire and a hunter seemed a bad joke

“I want her to know that even with everything going on, I’ve got someone by my side and on my side. I’ve been as honest with her as I could about everything from day one”

“Yeah. I know that... but won’t it bring up questions?”

The way Lance sighed hurt to hear, Keith feeling bad for prying

“Probably. I’m not going to tell her about Luis. I hate to admit how old she is now, but I don’t want to drive them apart. Mami is so full of love for her family. She doesn’t need to know what he did to me... besides, if you think about it, he hates me so much that he brought you into my life”

“I feel like he’d have a heart attack on the spot if he knew”

Keith maybe kind of wanted to see Luis lose his shit again

“As much as he’s a dick, let’s not joke about that. Some people never get over that fear. Luis couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t control his fear and... well, my sister Rachel wasn’t much better. My other sister Veronica used to reach out, when I was in university the first time around, but Luis didn’t like it. He just wanted to keep everyone safe. Especially with the thought that monsters really do exist. He had to grow up realising anyone could be a vampire and he wouldn’t know until it was too late. You know that kind of pressure. Plus he had a super traumatised brother, so most of Mami’s attention was constantly on me”

“But you’re like the least vampire vampire in existence”

“And you saw what happens when my ego gets too big. Imagine your kid brother not able to control that and constantly being scared of everything. No matter how hard it was to adjust, it took time that humans just don’t have. Life goes on. That’s why I’m so nervous with you. I don’t want to bind you to me. I don’t want you to suffer because you chose to date me. It still feels like a dream”

Yeah. It was probably going to be rough, but Keith had never wanted anyone like he wanted Lance. Things had been so shaky getting to where they were, he wasn’t going to give up now

“I don’t regret it. We’re still working things out”

“I know. But if you ever feel like that, I want you to be honest with me”

“I’ll try. What else is on Hunk’s list?”

“Milk, which we both knew we needed... ugh, that reminds me, there’s a mug of hot chocolate in my room still and it stinks”

“Is that why you threw up yesterday?”

“Nah. Food’s gotta come out someway. It’s honestly fine”

“That’d suck, if you asked me”

“Okay, so it does, but I’d rather eat like a normal person”

“Says the guy who’s started bringing blood to the breakfast table”

Lance shrugged, bumping Keith again with his hip. Keith was about ready to grab him by the hips and kiss him like they weren’t in public. Having all of Lance’s attentions was going to his head

“My house, my rules. I’m turning into a slob”

“I think you’ve earned the right to rest”

“It’s more like I can’t find effort to gather up my scattered fucks and get things together with everything so up in the air”

That was true. For both of them other than Shiro and Adam he’d never really had anyone he’d felt like he was leaving behind, and even that felt different to leaving Lance

“Fair call. I’ll see if I can get phone while we’re in Platt tomorrow. You can show me how to set it up”

“I’d like that... plus, Pidge won’t be there to order you a crazy expensive one. Like, all I need it for is talking to everyone and taking photos of Blue. I don’t need so many damn features”

Keith snorted, he could appreciate that

“Yep. Pretty much. I’m kind of nervous about being in a chat with everyone”

“It’s mostly memes. Everyone appreciates a good meme. Sometimes Shay and Pidge get pretty savage. Just don’t make the mistake of getting caught up in Pidge going on a new conspiracy craze. She’s been so focused on Garrison lately that we’re about due for her to pick some new interest on the other side of the country and decide we all have to go road-tripping to investigate”

“So don’t feed the gremlin?”

“Exactly. See. This is why you fit right in. You’ve already developed that healthy fear of Pidge. And Hunk, man, he’s the ray of sunshine you need in your life. Shit day? He’ll be there right when you need him”

“I’m not good at making friends”

“Neither am I. But those two are like us, you just can’t seem to stay away”

Keith felt all stupid again. His heart was being stupid again. Sure, Shiro said it was a crush and sure it mostly went stupid around Lance, but this was ridiculous. Coran better give him answers tomorrow or he might just go insane with how Lance was making him feel and react. Would it always be this way with him? Or would moving cool things off between them and turn them back to strangers like the last month meant nothing? He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be strangers with Lance... or Pidge, or Hunk... Matt was a little “eh” but he came with Pidge, kind of like a package deal. Keith couldn’t help but think about Lance describing this as a dream. He didn’t want to wake up if it was... because... he kind of, maybe, really didn’t want to be alone anymore.

[otterknowbynow]

Will Break for Food

Hunk and Lance go on a post-curfew kitchen excursion that leads to some eating and some thinking and some talking. 

also on ao3

It’s a terrible idea, sneaking into the kitchens. Cadets aren’t allowed to just have free access to the food stores, let alone industrial-size appliances, which -- if Lance is honest with himself -- feels reasonable, considering the caliber of kids he’s met here already. Platt and Harper would have a field day, and he’s not sure much of anything would survive if Griffin stopped flexing long enough to try to light a stove. Hunk would at least -- probably -- know what he was doing, but it’s still a terrible idea. 

“What if we get caught? I’m not getting chewed out by Iverson just because you wanted to make a sandwich!” 

“Sandwiches are obviously not on the menu for the homesick and decent-meal-deprived,” Hunk says dismissively. 

“Well, then what are we making?” He can’t resist asking. The answer won’t make a difference, he’s decided. It shouldn’t make a difference. It doesn’t matter that asking made Hunk’s entire face light up. He’s not breaking the fundamental rule of being a decent cadet his third week. He’s not doing it. That’s one way to guarantee he’ll never be a fighter pilot -- he’ll be stuck in cargo for life. But he won’t pretend he’s not curious, and he’s even more curious when Hunk ducks under his bed and pulls out a plastic container, the lid of which he whips off with a flourish. 

“We’re making ramen!” His expression is positively giddy; Lance can hardly stand it.

“Ramen? That’s your brilliant idea for a meal that’s better than what they throw us in the mess?” 

“Real ramen, Lance, not with those mysterious flavor powders you get in the little plastic-wrapped blocks.” Lance looks in the tupperware and has to admit this looks a lot more complicated than the packets he generally associates with the word. It doesn’t matter. This isn’t happening. 

“I’m not sneaking out after curfew, breaking into the kitchen of all places, and risking being yelled at, suspended, thrown off the waitlist for fighter track --” 

“--Now, come on, they wouldn’t do that.” Hunk interrupts, his face softening. “Is that what you’re worried about?” 

“I’m not worried,” Lance says, sarcasm creeping into his voice and settling in like a cat jumping into a familiar lap. “I’m being realistic. They’re not just gonna say, ‘oh, good job boys, that’s some choice ramen!’” 

“You don’t technically know that; my culinary skills are incredible.” 

“According to who exactly?” 

“Well, my mom, at least.” Hunk grabs the back of his neck self-consciously. “But, the point stands! She has excellent taste.” 

“Hunk --” Lance starts again, but Hunk cuts him off. 

“Please?” he asks, his eyes going wide. Lance suddenly finds himself unable to meet them, and looks down instead, ignoring the swooping feeling in his stomach. Maybe he’s hungrier than he thought he was. 

“I just don’t think we should be breaking rules when we’ve just gotten here,” he mumbles at the floor.

“Lance, I miss cooking. I miss my family. I miss home.” The pleading in his voice cuts straight into his heart, and Lance feels his resolve break all at once.

“Fine,” he says, throwing up his hands in exasperation. “But only because I just realized I’m starving. And if we get caught, I’m telling Iverson you hypnotized me.” It doesn’t even feel like a lie. 

--

“I can’t believe they don’t bother locking the doors,” Lance whispers, following Hunk through as the entrance slides open. The doors lead to easily the largest kitchen he’s ever seen, and his family’s kitchen back home is no slouch, full of butcher-block counters and a massive farmhouse table. There’s a lot less wood in here -- everything is gleaming stainless steel -- which makes it feel remarkably cold. Lance is suddenly glad this plan involves soup. 

“What? Of course they lock them,” Hunk says incredulously. “Why did you think I brought this?” He holds up something that looks a lot like a graphing calculator. 

“Uh...because you’re a nerd?” Lance offers, raising his eyebrows.

“No --” Hunk stops suddenly and frowns. “I mean, well, yes, technically, but the kind of nerd that knows how to make a door...unlocked.”  

"How long have you been planning this?" 

"Since like last Thursday," he says, shrugging.

"Hang on --" Lance holds up a hand, feeling his eyebrows stretch up to his hairline. "-- you've been homesick enough to consider midnight kitchen escapades for a week already? Hunk, that was after like...two weeks of being away from home!" 

"I know," Hunk says, his shoulders slumping a little. "Seems like it doesn't take that much, I just...love my family, y'know?"

Lance swallows a sarcastic "that's one way of putting it, I guess," and lets the breath he'd taken in for it come out as a sigh. 

"I do know," he says instead, the sarcasm cat apparently leaving him to embarrass himself. He's looking at the floor again -- tiles this time, as opposed to the carpet in their dorm room. "My family's close, too -- emotionally, I mean. I miss the fields, too, and the animals...deserts are cool, and all, I guess, but nothing normal grows here." He clamps his mouth shut, his lips together extra tight to keep the words from escaping any more. He did not sneak out after curfew with a kid he's known less than a month to get made fun of for talking about feelings. 

"It only took me a week before I cried the first time," Hunk says quietly, and Lance looks up at him, surprised. This time he doesn’t even think of a sarcastic response; the sincerity is too jarring.

“Huh?” It’s all he can muster, but it’s enough that Hunk goes on. 

“It’s not being away from them a week, like, obviously I’ve been away from my family for a week before, but it’s just -- thinking about all of it. Like, how home will always be home, but how it also never really will be again.” He shrugs, and Lance nods absently, but a moment later what Hunk’s just said hits him and he breathes in sharply. 

“Oh, wow, I hadn’t thought about it that way,” he says, suddenly very aware of his heartbeat, which seems a bit too quick for standing still in the middle of a dark kitchen, even with the adrenaline of rule-breaking and risk. It never really will be again. Of course the farm is still home, to an extent, and his avuela’s little house in Varadero is still home, to an extent, but the main thing that’s always defined home for him is wherever his family is. When his older siblings went off to visit Dad in the summers and he was left behind with Mama, it never felt quite like home until they were back. When the others moved out and Marco and Luis started their own families, it was weird, but they were still nearby, and they came over more evenings than they didn’t. If he thinks about it, the weirdest was definitely when Veronica left and was suddenly missing from Shabbat dinners, except when she was home on breaks. That’s him now, he realizes. No wonder he was willing to break into the kitchens with Hunk on a Friday night. 

“Lance, buddy, you okay?” Hunk’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts, and he nods, probably a few times too many. 

“I’m good, I’m good,” he says, still nodding a bit. “Let’s -- let’s make some ramen.” Hunk grins at him and moves to put the container he brought from their room on the enormous stainless steel island in the middle of the room. 

“Alright, now I know we can’t do a stock from scratch, but the stock cubes my mom gets are the best, and I slipped a few into my bag before I left home -- you never know when you’ll need a burst of flavor, right? Especially with cafeteria food. They’re chicken; don’t worry. All the rest of this okay for you?” He’s moving rapidly, setting out different smaller containers that were inside the one big one he brought. There’s a tupperware of tiny foil-wrapped cubes, a couple packages of noodles, and a bag of paper-thin, pink-tinged flakes of some kind. Lance isn’t sure what those last things are, but there’s a hechsher on the corner of the bag, so he shrugs. 

“Sure.” 

“Excellent,” Hunk says. “Hey -- can you check the fridge and see what they have in the way of veggies? We’re gonna have to improvise a bit.”

“You don’t think they’ll notice if we take all the onions?” Lance asks, feeling the panic rise a bit in him again. 

“We’re not going to take all of them,” Hunk says reassuringly, pulling a cutting board and a knife from the counter next to the sink and bringing them over to the island where he seems to be setting up a prep station. “Just, like, one. See if there are any green onions or carrots or -- you know, whatever looks good.” Lance shakes his head and moves to the line of big industrial fridges, bracing himself for the noise of the seal releasing when he moves the lever on the first one to open it. Any noise the fridge makes is completely overshadowed by a series of incredibly loud clanging sounds from behind him, though, and he whips around to see Hunk holding a giant stock pot and looking a bit sheepish. 

“It was on the bottom,” he says apologetically.

“Shit, Hunk, we don’t need the entire building to know we’re in here!” Lance remembers to keep his voice to a whisper, but it’s a close thing. He holds up a hand so Hunk won’t move and listens carefully, but all he can hear is the hum of the fridges and his own breathing, which has sped up to what strikes him as a totally unnecessary rate. He forces it to slow down and lowers his hand slowly.

“Sorry,” Hunk mouths at him silently, and starts to move toward the stove. Lance takes a deep breath and turns back to the fridge, hoping there’s something there that makes this worth the trouble. 

--

Twenty minutes later, they’ve managed to assemble what smells -- to Lance at least -- like an absolutely delicious soup. His stomach is growling loudly enough that he’s pretty sure it may wake some of the instructors on its own, never mind the avalanche of pots earlier or Hunk ripping open the noodles now. 

“Grab us a couple bowls?” Hunk says, dropping the noodles into the pot gently and grabbing the paddle he’s been using to stir them in. Lance nods and scans the back wall to try to figure out where the dishes must be. He’s settled on a likely-seeming alcove when he hears someone laugh loudly and freezes. 

“Did you --” he starts, and Hunk nods emphatically, eyes wide, his arm still stirring the pot automatically, though he seems to have forgotten that’s what he’s doing. Lance gulps. Now that he’s listening more carefully, he can hear the murmur of voices from somewhere nearby. He moves softly toward the door back to the hallway, ears as alert as they’ve ever been. There’s a sudden burst of laughter again, shared between at least two people. It’s cut off suddenly by a loud shushing sound, and the voices are near enough now that Lance can make out what they’re saying. 

“Do you want Iverson to catch us? God, Griff.” Oh, man, Lance thinks, if James Griffin is really out there, now would be a chance to get in good with him, convince him he’s a worthwhile guy to get to know. He wishes he weren’t so tired and so hungry -- he probably doesn’t have the brainpower right now to manage anything nearing cool, considering sarcasm has thoroughly abandoned him already. 

“Come on, what’s he going to do? Kick us out? Hate to break it to you, but I’ve got the top GPA in this place. They’re not gonna touch me.” That’s Griffin’s voice, alright. Lance raises his eyebrows and turns to look at Hunk, who has put the paddle down and turned the heat off on the stove, wiping his hands on a towel he has tucked into his belt. Hunk frowns, shakes his head slightly, as if to say “not worth it.” Lance turns back to the door and sighs, realizing as he does that he’s been holding his breath for what must’ve been nearly a minute, listening. 

“Hey, what’s that smell?” That’s Harper, Lance is sure, which means it’s probably all three of them, getting up to some midnight trio shenanigans. Weirdly, he doesn’t envy them nearly as much as he would have a week ago, before he got to know Hunk, and certainly before they broke into the kitchen in the middle of the night to make ramen, which, he realizes now, is exactly what Harper’s smelling. He bites back a yelp at this realization and sets his jaw. Hopefully they’ll all just...move on. 

“I don’t know, Harp, Kogane’s grandma’s house?” And yep, there she is. Platt's presence also confirmed. 

“What? You know Kogane doesn’t know his grandma.” All three of them dissolve into snickers at that, and Lance blanches. Keith Kogane might be arrogant and snobby as hell, but he doesn't deserve that. He's glad on a certain level, though, that they seem to have dropped the idea of investigating. Their laughter and voices fade away as they continue down the hall toward the cadets' quarters, and Lance feels his heart rate start to return to normal. Hunk, behind him, clears his throat, and Lance turns around. 

"You know, I really don't understand why you even try to hang out with them," Hunk says softly. 

"What, you think I'm not good enough for them?" he hears his own voice snap angrily before he can stop himself. So much for late-night lack of filters being maybe a good thing. Now Hunk is telling him he doesn't deserve to be respected and looked up to like those three? He can feel his eyes burning and tells himself it's because he's tired. "Like, I know I'm not --"

"What? No." Hunk looks absolutely baffled. "Good enough for Griffin? For Griffin?" He seems to have forgotten they're breaking at least four different rules and curfew, his voice rising. "Lance, that's the most absurd thing I've ever heard you say, and you manage to pack them in, buddy." This is the first time Lance has heard anything like bitterness in Hunk's voice, and it throws him. 

"What do you mean?" he asks, the anger draining out of him. 

"I mean," Hunk says, deliberately, crossing the room so they're standing eye to eye and lowering his voice again. "They're not worth it. Like, sure, they're popular, and they’ve got top marks, or whatever, but they're assholes. You want to be an asshole? Is that what you want? Because getting in good with assholes is how you turn into an asshole." 

Hunk's right, of course. They are assholes, all three of them, but the relative kindness of a person has never really been part of his criteria. His survival strategy has been the same since he was thrown into a new country as a ten-year-old with nothing going for him but decent swimming skills and a tourist industry English vocabulary. 

“Maybe I already am an asshole,” he says, more sincerely than he means to.

“I mean, sometimes!” Hunk says, throwing his hands wide. “We all are, sometimes, but that’s no reason to just lean into it.” 

“You’re never an asshole,” he says sullenly, back to staring at the floor.

“I’m -- that’s not true, but we don’t have to get into that right now.”

“I just want people to like me,” he mutters, still not looking up. He can feel tears pricking the back of his eyes, and it’s easier if he doesn’t have to see Hunk’s face. It’s such a simple want, after all, and yet one he's had to work so hard to try to fulfill. Join team sports, crack the jokes, keep an air of detached irony at all times, and maybe -- just maybe -- people will fold him in as one of the cool kids, not notice that he’s dragging behind in class. He's starting to think that's not the same thing as liking him, though.

“Maybe try listening to people who aren’t assholes, then?” He looks up to see Hunk smiling ruefully at him. 

“That's a thought," Lance admits, and his vision blurs. He blinks rapidly. He will not cry in the mess kitchen at one in the morning. He will not -- before he can finish the thought a second time, Hunk closes the distance between them and hugs him, really hugs him, not like the perfunctory hugs he gives to his tias when they're in for a visit over the high holidays. He breathes in sharply and feels his whole body tense, startled, and Hunk lets go of him immediately. 

"Sorry," he says, hunching his shoulders a bit. "I didn't mean to --"

"No, that's okay," Lance says, a bit surprised that it is, actually. He laughs, which is kind of a relief since he much prefers it to crying. "I'm just not, uh, used to it. You should warn me when you're going off-script like that." 

"You're not used to hugs? Or not used to hugs from me? Because I totally get not wanting to hug a stranger -- not that we're strangers, but you know, you've only known me a couple weeks, might be weird, you know --" Hunk trails off helplessly, his hand gripping the back of his neck, eyes looking somewhere over Lance’s shoulder. 

“Uh, in general,” Lance says, and it’s his turn to hunch his shoulders, sticking his hands in his pockets for lack of a better place to put them. “My mom’s the only hugger in my family, really, and I haven’t seen her in awhile, so.” He doesn’t mean for that to come out nearly as bitterly as it does. He winces, looks back at Hunk to see him standing with his arms open. 

“Buddy, if you need one -- oof.” Hugs are nice, he realizes, when they’re not being demanded by relatives you hardly see, whose primary purpose in visiting seems to be to comment about how tall you’ve grown, “and yet still so skinny! Are you feeding him enough, Marlinda?” Oh, thinking about his mom right now is not a good call if he wants to keep the tears from coming back, he realizes, and steps back out of Hunk’s arms, dashing the sleeve of his jacket across his eyes before Hunk can say anything about it. 

“So how about that ramen?” He manages casual as a tone, which is not bad, all things considered. 

“Oh, yeah! Bowls?” Hunk walks back over to the pot and Lance meets him there with two bowls from the back alcove. They’re a bit shallow, in that weird shape of cafeteria bowls everywhere that’s somehow not great for cereal and soup or for pasta, but they’ll get the job done. Hunk ladles noodles and broth into both, with some onion and a bit of wilted spinach they were pretty sure no one would miss. He tops each bowl with half an egg he boiled earlier and offers one to Lance, who looks down at it and frowns. 

“Uh, Hunk? How are we supposed to eat this? I’m pretty sure the caf doesn’t have chopsticks.” 

“Oh, it doesn’t,” Hunk says lightly. “But I do.” He goes back to the container on the counter and pulls out two pairs, handing one to Lance.

“Wow, you are a nerd,” he says, laughing. There’s nowhere to eat but the floor, and Lance is suddenly glad for all the cleaning details cadets get put on, since it’s probably been bleached in the last six hours or so. The two of them settle with their backs against the counter, and for a couple of minutes the kitchen is silent apart from the slurping of noodles and the clinking of chopsticks against bowls. 

The ramen is cool enough by now that Lance can eat it quickly, and it’s absolutely bananas how delicious it is. He guesses he shouldn’t be surprised that packages don’t measure up to the real thing, but the real thing isn’t usually an option.  

“Wow, Hunk,” he says when he can stop to take a breath. “This is something else.” 

“It’s taking you on a journey, huh,” Hunk says, nodding. “Best food does.” 

“A journey to deliciousville,” he says. “To tasty town, to flavor planet --” 

“-- Alright, buddy, I get it.” He’s laughing now, a little bit, but Lance needs to be sure he understands. 

“I don’t know if you do? But if I keep trying to explain, that’s going to keep me from eating it, and that is...Unacceptable.” He looks over at Hunk as he goes back to his bowl to see his roommate smiling down at his own food, his whole face almost glowing with pride. “I mean that,” he adds quietly. “This is, like, really good.” 

“Thanks.” 

It’s gone in minutes, and the empty bowls make him feel almost wistful, but he realizes as he carries them over to the sink to wash them that he’s also horrendously thirsty. 

“Hey, Hunk --” He turns, only to see there’s already a glass of water being offered to him. “Oh, thanks.” Hunk nods, drinking his own water before they both move to clean up. The good news is Hunk at least has been assigned enough cleaning details that he’s mercilessly efficient. It seems like it comes with the territory of having an often-turbulent stomach. Although if he’s used to food like this, Lance thinks, it makes a bit more sense that the commissary stuff doesn’t exactly treat him right. 

--

“I can’t believe you have a homemade mac and cheese recipe and you didn’t go with that for this whole stunt,” Lance whispers, trying to keep from laughing as they sneak back toward their quarters. Hunk’s container is full of leftover ramen now, and Lance is just hoping it’ll fit in their mini-fridge without a problem. 

“I mean, would you have been nearly as impressed if I’d made something that simple?” Hunk asks him with a grin, nudging their door open with his shoulder. 

“Honestly? I’m a simple man, Hunk,” He grabs Hunks shoulder and throws his other arm wide gesturing at their room as a whole. “Show me a big bowl of carbs and cheese, and I’m happy.” 

“We can always make it next Friday,” Hunk says, shrugging. Lance laughs and shakes his head, dropping his arm. 

“Right, sure, we’re definitely doing this again.” The sarcasm cat is back, thankfully, and he can’t resist adding -- “because we didn’t come close enough to giving us both full-blown panic attacks already.” 

But despite his claims, it becomes something of a ritual before long, to the point where Lance will come back from service on Friday night, change into jeans instead of pajamas, and read comics for maybe five minutes before Hunk looks over at him. 

“Still homesick?” He asks, every time, without fail. 

“I mean, kind of,” Lance says, frowning. “Not like, really homesick, I’m not a baby about it or anything.” 

But Hunk gives him that look, eyes wide, pointedly hopeful, and he knows that even if he wanted to say no, he’s not entirely sure he could. And every time he sees it he sighs, puts down whatever issue he’s reading. 

“If Iverson catches us, I’m blaming you.” 

[happytobecambridge]

Fatherly Adventures with the Captain Chapter 9: Come Home

The one thing she notices about their home is that boy, do they have a lot of books. However, when your husband is the most inquisitive man whose lived for like three hundred years and your son is the author, not just an author, but THE author- it’s to be expected.

Their house, she would say, perfectly describes their little family. Henry’s scarf and coat hangs on their coat rack, right by their front door. Killian’s leather jacket on the hook next to it, followed by her red leather jacket, tying up the whole ensemble.

Killian’s shoes are always neatly placed on their shoe rack, and let’s just say hers and Henry’s are usually haphazardly strewn across the entrance to their home.  

Their living room has an open feel to it- in fact, it’s probably where you’ll find them every night after dinner. Their coffee table, handcrafted by Marco and specifically designed per her and Henry’s requests to look like a treasure chest (much to Killian’s surprise and delight), often holds cups of hot chocolate, bowls of popcorn and milk duds, as the family settles in for their movie nights. This is where Henry’s love for Star Wars, Emma’s love for the classics like Back to the Future, Breakfast Club, 16 candles, are introduced and shared with Killian. She’s worried that as Henry gets older that these movie nights might seem lame to him, but she’s already missed out on so much. But she finds that she’s got nothing to worry about- she’s got a great kid- one that gets just as pumped for movie nights as them.

She remembers when she was the Dark One wanting to incorporate little aspects of Killian into their home, but to be honest, home decorating was definitely not her focus or priority at the time. Now that they’ve settled into a more peaceful routine devoid of monsters, villains, and fairies, Killian’s added upon her choices during her stint as the Dark One Decorator. Their library with all the books has many of the maps he’s drawn as Captain proudly framed and hung. His sextant is displayed, along with the compass from his and Emma’s journey. He’s got a dart board in their library, where he’ll swear by his aim and precision. Her favorite though is when he’ll make that dopey face at her when he hits a bulls eye as she’s curled up on the lounge chair, enjoying the quiet moment and more often than not, catching up with her mom on the phone. His silly face makes her fall in love with him all over again.

The first couple of weeks since they found out that she’s pregnant, it’s only her, Killian, and Henry that know. It’s kind of exciting that this is something only the three of them know and can share, but also something that she needs. The last time she was pregnant she was in a far different situation- there was no excitement, there were no hugs or kisses. Instead there was fear- there was coldness- and those are feelings that stick with you. So while they wait for the all clear from the doctor before announcing it, she’s also working through these feelings- letting herself not feel guilty that this pregnancy is and will be different from the last, allowing herself to feel excitement over this child and being able to share this experience with Henry, even though she didn’t have it when she was pregnant with him. It’s also an eye opening experience for Killian- he’s had to confront his past demons himself- coming to terms with his father’s abandonment for his children and then Killian’s actions in retaliation.

The night before their 10 week check up with the doctor, she finds herself sandwiched in between her two boys, after finishing Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Tomorrow once they get the clear from the doctor, they’ll be telling her parents that they’ll get to be grandparents again- the youngest second time grandparents this world has ever seen. She can already hear  the high pitched noises and squeals her mother will make and she already knows her father’s not gonna be able to calm her down, ever.

Vaguely listening to the two men in her life talk about their favorite heists/pranks from the movie, she starts to imagine how soon there’ll be a high chair added to their dining room, one of those sleeper chairs that rocks the baby in their living room. She can see it now- there’ll be baby books chosen by Henry all throughout the house- their little shoes will soon find their own place with Killian’s, Henry’s and hers by their front door. It’s something she never had, something she could never give Henry, but now she gets her second chance.

“Mom, are you okay?”

She’s startled out of her own thoughts by Henry’s worried tone. Quickly placating him, she throws her arm over his shoulder and ruffles his hair- just like she’s always done from the first time he brought her to Storybrooke. “Don’t worry kid, just got lost in my own thoughts. Pretty soon our house is gonna have baby stuff and I was just imagining how that’s gonna look like.”

“It’s gonna be awesome! I was thinking- what kind of mobile should the baby have in their room? I mean, I know Grandpa and Grandma planned for unicorns in yours, but I feel like we’ve got to find a way to combine Savior and Pirate for my brother or sister.” Henry’s excitement for his new sibling was something she’s eternally grateful for each and every day. She remembers the disappointment and the sinking feeling she had when she learned her parents were having another baby. But trust Henry to not only have the heart of the truest believer, but to literally be the most excited big brother. He wanted to know everything- how big’s the baby now, what can the baby do now- can it hear? can it see? is it sucking its thumb? He made it his and Killian’s mission to make sure that she wasn’t overdoing it- they’ve called it Operation Nesting Swan- they tell her it’s a working title. “Don’t forget author, lad.” Her heart melts  hearing Killian chime in. From day one, he’s stepped into the shoes of fatherhood for Henry, never treating him any differently or distantly because he wasn’t biologically Henry’s father. And since they found out news of the baby, he’s made it abundantly clear to their son that his relationship with Henry wouldn’t change and that Henry was just as much a part of this happy beginning and addition to the family.  

Henry’s smile at Killian’s suggestion brought the same to both Emma and Killian. She knew that keeping a secret from his other mom and grandparents, hell the whole town, was really tough on Henry, so she knew that once they got the okay from the doctor, he was going to be unstoppable then- he already was practically bursting at the seams. And speaking of which, she knew that there was no way she would be able to reign in Killian. Every time they’ve visited the doctor, he’s requested for a copy of the sonogram- she wouldn’t be surprised that once news spread, she would find her husband showing the whole town each and every picture.  

She couldn’t believe it- how far she had come, everything she’d faced- there were definitely times where her happy ending seemed impossible, where the picket fence life seemed so unattainable. But now here she was sitting in their home- a home she made with her husband, once a lost boy, who was on the verge of becoming a father, and what a wonderful father he would be. A home she made with her son, the boy she had to give up so he could have his best chance, who now found it with her, was growing up to be everything and more than what she wanted and dreamed for him, and she would get to witness it. A home where this newest duckling, who decided at that moment to move around her belly and make their presence known, would be joining them in just a couple of months.  

As she rested her hand on her growing bump to soothe her duckling, she thought, oh baby, we love you so much already and we can’t for you to come home.

[velvetcream03-blog]

What Net-a-Porter’s Alibaba Deal Says About the Luxury E-Commerce Opportunity in China

Hello BoF Professionals, your exclusive 'This Week in Fashion' briefing is ready, with members-only analysis on the key topic of the week and a digest of the week's top news.

This week, Alibaba scored a major coup by signing Net-a-Porter onto Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion platform. The Richemont-owned e-commerce portal, the biggest online luxury fashion website by sales, will sit on the Luxury Pavilion, which is available through Tmall, and Alibaba will take over operations of Net-a-Porter’s Chinese app and help launch a Chinese version of Mr Porter, the luxury retailer's menswear sibling. To date, customers in China have only had access to an English-language version of the men's site.

The latest move signals several truths about China's fast-moving online luxury market. For one, the already powerful e-commerce platforms operated by Alibaba and JD.com are further consolidating their power in the luxury space. For Alibaba, scoring a deal with what is arguably the world’s most prestigious online luxury player is a big victory in its ongoing battle with arch-rival JD.com, which pumped $397 million into luxury fashion marketplace — and Net-a-Porter competitor — Farfetch last year.

The deal also puts pressure on the few remaining sceptics who refuse to partner with China’s e-commerce giants. Luxury executives like Gucci’s Marco Bizzarri — who earlier this month at the BoF China Summit remained steadfast in his decision to stay away from platforms like Alibaba’s Tmall — could start to feel more isolated. Going it alone increasingly looks like a tough sell in China’s fast-growing online luxury market. And while there are very legitimate concerns about counterfeits and ceding control to Chinese conglomerates, for more and more luxury players, the motto now seems to be: "If you can’t beat them, join them."

Yoox Net-a-Porter chief executive Federico Marchetti was quick to take to social media in the minutes following the announcement of Richemont’s Alibaba deal. “Winning in the Chinese luxury market means thinking big,” Marchetti posted on Instagram. But the bigger story seems to be that even the established e-commerce giants of Europe now have to plug and play into a much bigger digital ecosystem if they are to reach their potential in the Chinese market.

China’s major e-commerce platforms have made major strides in luxury e-commerce over the past 18 months. And since Richemont acquired YNAP for €2.7 billion (a little over $3 billion) in May of this year, the e-commerce group has made no secret of its desire to partner with a local player in order to grow its China business. YNAP has long seen great potential in the Middle Kingdom, but it hasn’t managed to break through with great success, despite several efforts at entry and revitalisation.

Yoox made its first foray into Chinese e-commerce in 2010 via the launch of Emporioarmani.cn, and followed with other own-brand sites and Yoox.cn in 2012. That same year, Net-a-Porter acquired Chinese luxury e-commerce player Shouke.com, which was relaunched as Theoutnet.cn, a Chinese-language version of Net-a-Porter’s discount sister site. That site was then integrated as a Chinese-language section of the global Theoutnet.com site in 2015 to the dismay of Chinese consumers, who complained the global site lacked integrated customs tariffs clearing and local payment options.

Of course, 2015 was also the year of the merger between Yoox and Net-a-Porter, creating the world’s largest fashion e-tailer. But even being the world’s biggest online luxury player didn’t seem to give the group a leg-up in China, where it struggled to localise and lure consumers away from dominant Chinese e-commerce platforms.

As e-commerce sales in China topped $1 trillion in 2017, international luxury brands still remained underrepresented on the country’s big digital platforms, which were driving much of the momentum in the Chinese online luxury market. According to Gartner L2, only 24 percent of luxury brands had official stores on Tmall (Alibaba’s B2C e-commerce platform) and only 10 percent operated them on JD.com as of June 2017.

The big shift in luxury e-commerce in China occurred when the two dominant B2C platforms, Tmall and JD.com, turned their attention more aggressively to the space with the launch of specialised platforms Toplife, a standalone app launched by JD.com in June 2017, and Luxury Pavilion, an “app-within-an-app” accessed by invite only through Alibaba’s Tmall platform, first launched in August last year. YNAP is the latest of more than 60 partners to align with Luxury Pavilion in its 14 months of existence.

The attraction for these brands is obvious: Alibaba’s pool of 600 million potential customers, closer alignment on anti-counterfeiting efforts across its platforms and access to the tech giant’s famed big data operation.

On the flip side, the move into luxury is, in many ways, a sensible evolution for Alibaba and JD.com, which already have dominant positions in the wider consumer market. In 2018 Alibaba’s platforms, which include Taobao and Tmall, will account for 58.2 percent of all retail e-commerce sales in China, while JD.com will capture a 16.3 percent share, according to Emarketer. But the blockbuster quarterly growth now expected by shareholders could only be sustained by growing average spend per transaction.

Conveniently, this pivot came not only as Chinese consumers were re-embracing luxury with a vengeance — figures from Bain & Company put luxury market growth in China up 20 percent last year — but also as the central government, which had been central to the country’s luxury downturn, following President Xi Jinping’s 2012 crackdown on conspicuous consumption, encouraged consumers to “upgrade” their consumption, in order to help move the Chinese economy away from its traditional manufacturing and exporting base towards a consumer-led model.

The scene is certainly set for blockbuster online luxury growth in China, with more than $20 billion of luxury goods sold in the country last year and e-commerce currently accounting for more than 28 percent of retail sales (and growing) in the country. What also now seems certain is that international players are increasingly positioning themselves to capitalise on this growth by aligning with dominant Chinese technology players — the only ones with meaningful market share, local knowledge and the logistical networks to make it happen.

THE NEWS IN BRIEF

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Source: Gucci

Strong sales growth at Gucci helps Kering beat forecasts. The French luxury conglomerate said revenue reached €3.4 billion in the third quarter and increased 27.5 percent on a comparable basis. Sales growth had been expected to slow more sharply from 31.5 percent a quarter earlier to the 22.5 percent rise forecast in a poll of analysts by Inquiry Financial. Shares in the group, which had been particularly hit in the past three months over worries Gucci was running out of steam, were up 8.2 percent.

Puma lifts outlook as basketball launch goes well. Third quarter sales rose a currency-adjusted 14 percent to €1.242 billion ($1.42 billion), while operating profit was up 28 percent to €130 million, beating average analyst forecasts for €1.2 billion and €119 million respectively. Puma saw sales rise almost 16 percent in the Americas in the quarter and 23 percent in Asia, showing little of cooling in the region even as concerns grow that a trade war will curb spending by Chinese shoppers.

Ferragamo shares jump as widow's death sparks takeover talk. The death of Wander Ferragamo has prompted speculation that her heirs may eventually sell their stakes in the Italian luxury shoemaker. The shares, which peaked in 2015, rose as much as 8.8 percent. She was a key member of the family shareholders who controlled the company, opposing any sale after the company was floated on the Milan stock exchange in 2011. While the brand has struggled to keep up profitability, it might still be attractive to buyers.

PEOPLE

Philip Green | Source: Shutterstock

Sir Philip Green named in Parliament as the businessman at centre of Britain's #MeToo scandal. The Topshop owner was identified by Lord Hain, the former Leader of the House of Commons, after two days of speculation over the name of the man behind the injunction. The former Labour cabinet minister said that he had been contacted by someone “intimately involved in the case” and felt a “duty” to reveal the name using parliamentary privilege. Following Lord Hain’s comments, there were calls for the billionaire to be stripped of his Knighthood and for a crackdown on the use of non-disclosure agreements by “serial offenders.”

Christopher Raeburn joins Timberland. He joins the VF Corporation-owned brand as global creative director. Raeburn, who also helms his namesake label, will share his time equally between his own brand and Timberland. He will be based in his London studio and his first collection for Timberland will be Autumn/Winter 2020.

Giles Deacon joins Aspinal of London. The accessories brand has named Deacon as design director, effective immediately. The appointment comes after a well-received collaboration on Giles x Aspinal capsule accessories. Deacon will continue to helm Giles Deacon Couture as creative director.

Marine Serre, Richard Quinn and more nominated for Fashion Awards 2018. The nominees have been revealed ahead of the December 10 ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall. They include household names such as Alessandro Michele for Gucci and Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga to emerging designers like Craig Green, Martine Rose, Rejina Pyo and Samuel Ross for A-Cold-Wall*.

MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY

Amazon shares dip after sales miss. The e-commerce giant reported sales that missed analysts’ estimates, and issued a disappointing revenue forecast for the busy holiday quarter, suggesting it may be reaching a saturation point in the US. Revenue gained 29 percent to $56.6 billion in the third quarter. Analysts’ projected $57.1 billion. Sales will be from $66.5 billion to $72.5 billion in the current period, falling short of analysts’ average estimate of $73.8 billion.

Mytheresa launches kids. The Neiman Marcus-owned e-tailer is kicking off children’s clothing sales with 35 brands, including capsule collections from Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana. The new offering is targeted at existing Mytheresa customers, 40 percent of whom have children.

BoF Professional is your competitive advantage in a fast-changing fashion industry. Missed some BoF Professional exclusive features? Click here to browse the archive.

Source: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/what-net-a-porters-alibaba-deal-says-about-the-luxury-e-commerce-opportunity-in-china