#also ​the best ingredient to have in your kitchen is ketchup

[fattributes]

Genuinely, I don’t know how else to get the word out, but I feel like if your home-cooked dinners don’t taste right, you're missing either paprika, sugar, butter, or chicken bouillon.

[monayen]

how about something sfw for a change? can you do a ranking of who’s best at cooking?

Cooking Headcannons

➷ Paring - Multi x Fem!Reader [Randal's Friends / Ranfren]

➷ CWs - very light mention of consuming blood and cannibalism. that’s about it !!

a/n - i feel like im a bit rusty at pure sfw stuff… but i will try for NNN ~_~ this isn’t a ranking, since a good chunk are either just bad or barely cook. mostly just hcs about food they like, what’d they’d make you, and habits etc. ratmen are excluded cus you know those boys scavenge rather than cook !!! also ignore any mistakes i wrote this really fast

Sebastian

While Sebastian did work at a pizza place for a bit before becoming Randal’s pet, it was just as a delivery boy

I like to think he was in the training process of learning how to make the food, but he got lost before he learned anything skillful. He does have half the recipe for garlic knots memorized though 

A personal hc is that his parents were semi-absent with him (which probably helped lead him to being in the adoption center in the first place), so he survived a lot on sandwiches and microwave meals since they were easy and available

He wasn’t a big fan of it then, but now he craves them a lot. His favorite were the microwaveable kraft dinner mac & cheese cups. Foods like that are a comfort for him, and he’ll love you forever if you manage to get some for him to eat

Luther doesn’t trust him in the kitchen, so even if Sebastian wanted to cook, he wouldn’t be allowed. Deep down, he doubts his cooking skills anyways

Randal

A terrible cook. He has no idea how to properly prepare a meal and his attempts often end in disaster

Randal doesn't understand the concept of recipes or following instructions. He just throws random ingredients together and hopes for the best. “How to Basic” levels of culinary skills

Despite his terrible cooking skills, Randal still insists on trying to make meals for people (or you) to try. Truly believes he's good and everyone else just can’t handle his exquisite tastes

Once, Randal tried to make surprise pancakes for breakfast. He used baking powder instead of baking soda and the pancakes turned out hard as rocks. He still ate them anyway, breaking a couple of his teeth in the process. Don’t worry, they grew back by supper

He used to try to cook at least a couple times a week, but Luther banned him after he 

somehow managed to set water on fire on the stove. Now he’s restricted to just the microwave. Which is alright, just remind him to add the water in his instant noodles before they explode

Randal will also eat almost anything if it's covered in enough sauce or condiments. He's been known to put ketchup on his cereal and maple syrup on his pizza. Swears by it, will probably make you try all his weird food combinations

Satoru

This little show off!

Cooks and bakes purely to give it away to you or Randal. He doesn’t even eat them himself, always insisting you try his new recipe

The reality is that he steals most of his ideas from cookbooks. While he has the skill to execute them, coming up with his own dishes and perfecting them is a bit beyond him—but that’s a secret he keeps to himself!

He’ll sit there, watching closely as you eat his carefully prepared food, studying your reactions and asking if it’s good, like a chef waiting for feedback

But he’s memorized what you like already, and he makes sure to tailor his dishes just for you, hoping to earn your praise when the flavors hit your tongue

Exceptional at chopping, so fast at it you worry he’ll cut a finger off or something if he’s not careful enough. A part of him doesn’t mind if you taste something that has a little bit of his blood in it…

Doesn’t exactly have a favorite meal or food, he likes whatever you like :) is a bit partial to Japanese cuisine though, especially sashimi

Nyon

Nyon's cooking skills are quite limited. As a catman, his preferences lean more towards raw meats and simple  foods. Or whatever Luther gives him

Doesn’t mean he doesn’t like a good home cooked meal, but if you put him in a kitchen with every ingredient and tool that could potentially make something avant-garde or delicious… he’d probably just end up making hard boiled eggs

He does have an odd skill of picking though. Pickled cucumbers, onions, beets, all in unlabeled, merky, mason jars. Has a goal to pickle everything that can be pickled, just to try

Keeps a stash of it in the pantry and munches on them when he gets high. Will share if you ask (he kinda wants you to, pickling takes practice!) 

Nyon has the stance that he’d much rather wash the dishes and put away the ingredients than actually prepare the food, as it’s a lot of effort and stress on his part that’d he’d rather avoid

Nyen

Really only ever cooks for himself. Not a fan of sharing and to be honest… you probably wouldn’t like what he makes anyways

Lots of slabs of undercooked chicken and beef, barely seasoned because “it doesn’t need that.” Protein buff, but not keen on eating beans… or eggs… or fish… Okay, usually just eats chicken to maintain his muscles

Unironically picky, doesn’t eat a lot of what isn’t what he usually eats. If you give him a plate of pasta or something, he’ll just stare at it like you handed him a severed cow head. Even Luther knows this, making sure he keeps the fridge stocked with Nyen favorite foods so he’s in the best condition to get through the day!

Does have a small sweet tooth, so you can coax him into baking if he’s in a good mood. His favorite are raspberry muffins :)

You still might have to do most of the work, but he’ll mix shit and keep track of the dessert in the oven for you. Don’t ask him for anything else—just hand him a muffin and clean up the mess, okay?

Luther

Quite the chef! 

He’s domestic, and even though Randal always begs him to get fast food to eat, he always prefers to make something at home

Uses “passed down” recipes. Passed down from who? Who knows. He keeps them all in a little old notebook, pages yellowed and worn out. The last ingredient in all the recipes is always “love ♡”

He’s also a big fan of those southern mom baking shows, especially during the holiday season, he’ll bake like a madman!

Likes nature, so he does have a small garden in the backyard of the house he’ll tend to when he has the time. Specializes in exotic vegetables you probably aren’t used to eating. Ask him how his kohlrabi harvest is going, he’s quite proud!

The type of humanoid to surprise you with your favorite meal after a long day. Makes enough for everyone, of course, but Luther puts in effort to see the smile on your face when he presents you with it at the dinner table

He does expect compliments after you eat any of his food, even if it’s something as simple as scrambled eggs. It means a lot to him, so don’t forget to do so. He might take it the wrong way if you don’t 

Luther swears up and down that he’d never eat a human. Cannibalism is wrong! But he did get very close to once… just to “expand his pallet”

[aimbutmiss]

Cooking was a lot like sword fighting. There were rules, and a routine to follow to get better at it. But repetition alone wasn't enough to be good, you had to understand the fundamentals. Which ingredients go with what, and what combinations to avoid. Mihawk had a lot of time to study this back at his home in Kuraigana, cooking for the two kids that literally got delivered to him by a stork 20 years too late. Zoro loved his food, but didn't care much for the process, not that he had time to spare from his sword training. But Perona came into the kitchen to help him sometimes. She was more interested in baking, which was unknown terrain to Mihawk and kind of terrifying, because it was a lot easier to mess up.

He wrapped his arms around his black satin nightgown as he knelt slightly to check the oven. Thankfully, the bread had risen well. He got up and picked up some eggs to get started on an omelette as two men walked into the kitchen, one being dragged by the other.

"Good morning." The taller man grumbled under his breath as he threw the other man on one of the chairs. He was wearing green pyjama pants and no shirt, displaying his muscles and scars to the world. He sat down beside the sleeping clown and picked up the newspaper on the table, his hook ripping through the paper. But the man started reading as if it didn't phase him at all. It never did.

"Good morning to you as well. Slept well?"

"As well as I could."

Mihawk put the whisked eggs aside and walked over to his lover to give a chaste kiss to his lips.

"What about him?" He asked, pointing to Buggy who was quietly snoring and drooling on the table. He made a move to gently shake the clown but a hand wrapped around his wrist to stop him.

"Leave him be. He must be tired."

Mihawk's lips curled slightly as he moved back to the kitchen counter to lightly butter a pan, while Crocodile's eyes fell back on the newspaper. A loud sizzle filled the quiet space as Mihawk poured the egg mixture into the hot pan.

"Straw Hat is wreaking havoc again."

"When is he ever not?"

"Your Zoro seems to be doing well too."

"Hm."

Plating the food was also an important part of the process, according to seasoned chefs. Mihawk didn't quite get it, but he tried to honor their code. He would be very angry if anyone broke the code of swordfighting, so he tried to apply the same respect to other art forms. He gently placed the grilled tomatoes on Crocodile's plate, none for Buggy of course. Instead he used some ketchup to draw a cute clown face on his omelette. It wasn't the best or anything, but Mihawk was very proud of it. He knew Buggy would love it too, the sentiment was there. He took the plates and walked over to the table, putting the food in front of his lovers.

"Buggy, darling, wake up."

Buggy groaned and whined as Mihawk gently poked him. "Stop it, Hawkyyyy."

"Just get up, clown. It's already quite late. You need to eat to get through the day. We have that business meeting with that old fart today, remember?"

Buggy finally lifted his head from the table, his hair all over the place, the bun he put it in last night barely holding it together. His lips were shiny with drool and his shirt was falling off his shoulder, probably because he stole it from one of them.

"I forgot about that... Do I have to, Croccy? You're the one who deals with business stuff!"

"Yes, you're right. You don't have to do a single business thing. All you have to do is sit down and look pretty."

"That's hard too! Sometimes! No one understands the struggles of being too hot and charismatic."

Crocodile put down the newspaper he was reading to finally start eating as Mihawk sat down with his own plate. "Just shut up and eat." He said in his low voice, but there was no bite to it. Not anymore. They had gotten through their differences, and grown.

Mihawk smiled as he took a bite from the food. It wasn't perfect, but it sure felt like it as he watched the other two men clearly enjoy his cooking. Two years ago today, he was probably sulking around in his mansion on Kuraigana. He would have never guessed back then, that he would end up where he is now.

Mihawk was a man of routine and rules, but this once he had to admit: Sometimes change is good.

@kittaykattz this is super short but hope you enjoy

[writing-rat]

Cooking in Session

Pairings: Joey x Sammy

Content: Abigail Spoilersish, Fluff, Cooking lessons, mentions of drug use

Summary: Since Joey has a job has a school nurse now, she can't let Sammy not know how to cook. She needs to learn how to make lunch after all.

WC: 885

It had been a week since Sammy and Joey left the mansion. With Joey helping to kill Frank, Abigail promised to help a knocked-out vampire Sammy that Joey had managed to knock out and tie up. Kristof Lazar and Abigail had helped her out and Sammy was happy to be back to herself, Abigail promising she was saved. Safe to say Sammy wasn’t the same mentally, but she was trying. Currently, the 2 girls lived together while Caleb was also with them. He was currently in high school while Sammy was working at a company, looking at the data she was sent. She was a coder now and not a hacker unless needed to see if she could crack security systems. She was using her skills for good now. Joey meanwhile managed to make it as a school nurse and she was happy about that. She was currently using a holiday day after all as she wanted to teach Sammy cooking. She saw how she had eaten the entire week for lunch after all. She only had plain noodles and pasta.

“Sammy, are you on lunch break?” Joey asked. 

“Yeah babe, I am. Why?” she asked. 

“I am going to help you make a sauce for your pasta so you don’t have it plain when I am at work,” Joey explained. Sammy widened her eyes before she smiled, the same smile for when she was being figured out by Joey.

“You are the best,” she spoke. Joey shrugged. 

“I want my lover to be healthy,” she explained and Sammy nodded as she was quick to go into the kitchen with Joey. Sammy was excited. Joey meanwhile got a can of chopped tomatoes, peppers, tomato paste, ketchup, onions and different herbs out. “Those are onions,” Sammy spoke confidently. “I learnt the difference between garlic and onions,” she added. Joey snickered. 

“I’m glad,” she spoke and kissed Sammy’s cheek. She was happy they could joke about that at least.

“First, chopping onions,” Joey instructed. She showed Sammy how to hold the knife and chop them before she let Sammy take a go at it. Sammy was happy as she was doing it all before she looked at Joey when she finished. She wanted the praise that she knew Joey would give her. 

“How did I do?” she asked just to make sure she got it. 

“You did well mi amor,” Joey responded with a smile. “You could quicken up but it takes time to learn,” she added. Sammy nodded as Joey grabbed a red pepper. She once again taught her how to cut it and Sammy did as told, no injuries happening. She was also praised once again and it made her excited. 

“Now that these ingredients are cut, we put in the onions first,” she spoke, letting Sammy scrape them in. Sammy nodded as she was listening, choosing the pasta she wanted as Joey was admiring Sammy a bit. She was wearing some of Joey’s sweatpants and one of her tank tops. It was a hot day after all. Joey meanwhile was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, her scars from her old drug use being shown, and a pair of shorts. She was more confident showing them around Sammy and Caleb now, Caleb was happy to be with his mom rather than his fuck up of a father. Soon the onions were done, and Sammy put the peppers in under her lover’s command. She was being good as Joey was hoping she would memorise this. She was sure she would though if she could remember code. 

After 30 minutes, the sauce was done and was simmering as Joey and Sammy were getting something to drink. Joey got some water while Sammy got some Dr Pepper and was sitting on the counter. “Thank you for this,” Sammy thanked, looking at Joey genuinely with a soft smile. 

“It’s no problem mi vida. I am happy to teach you anything and I know you have had a hard childhood so I am happy to show you new things you need to learn,” she spoke. Sammy was happy. She felt loved. Soon enough the sauce and pasta were done and she got 2 plates ready for them. She let Sammy choose how much she wanted first. Sammy meanwhile made it even and Joey chuckled. She was happy to see how compassionate her lover was. The 2 girls soon sat down. 

“You know… it’s weird how we still call each other our undercover names,” Sammy teased. Joey widened her eyes then laughed and was nodding. 

“Agreed. Why don’t we use it when one of us is in trouble? Like if you made a mess in our room,” Joey teased. Sammy nodded excitedly. 

“Yeah! So… Ana, want to go on a date soon?” Jessica asked. 

“Yeah, I would love that Jess,” Ana spoke with a smile, then both proceeded to laugh. They were just happy. That was when Jess took a bite of her food and she widened her eyes. 

“Holy shit, this tastes so good. Fuck your school nurse job, become a chef,” Jess praised. 

“Thanks, but I don’t think I have that much skill,” Ana chuckled as she was eating. Sammy just smiled. She was sure she did, but she wouldn’t push her. For now, she would enjoy the food.

[words-like-water]

You're My Angel

or the one where running errands with peter makes you realize your feelings for him.

wooo! first published story. it has not been betad so if you're looking to be a mutual/beta reader pleeeease hit me up

peter parker x fem!reader

word count: 2,700

warnings: none really. angst if you squint bc unrequited love that ends up requited

i don't like using y/n so peter and the reader call each other lots of nicknames. 

nothing. nothing. nothing.

nothing in the fridge, nothing in the cabinets. no ingredients, barely any snacks. the only tangible things in my kitchen are a bottle of ketchup and multiple almost-rotten fruits. i slam the refrigerator door shut and lean against it with a sigh.

i guess next time i should stock up before a mission. living with my mom has its. we get along, and we don't get in each other's way; she's always at work and i'm always at "avenger club" as she likes to call it. however, being the only other person living here also means that if she doesn't buy groceries, it's my responsibility.

i'm contemplating using instacart for groceries when my phone rings in its spot on the counter. picking it up, a smile finds its way to my face as i see who's calling me.

"hiiii, angel!"

 peter parker's voice pours from my phone's speakers. it's music to my ears. peter and i have known each other since he joined the avengers, two years after i had. we've been inseparable since that week in haiti, saving civilians from a freak tropical storm. 

we had so much in common, from our love of legos to our protective sense for the people we care about. my friends like his friends, and vice versa. even my mom and may get along. 

we're like peanut butter and jelly, chicken and waffles, and cookies and milk. we're great on our own, but together, we just make something amazing. wait, what?

i shake the ridiculous thought from my head as i remember i'm on the phone.

"what do you want, parker?" there's a playful accusatory tone in my voice as I cross my arms like he can see me.

"whatever do you mean? i can't just call my best friend because i want to talk to her?"

i roll my eyes and say, "peter, you only call me angel when you want something." and i know i'm right. he's called me angel ever since we went on a mission where i basically saved his life. he knows it strokes my ego.

"fine, you caught me. may's at this thing with some ladies she met at the library. i'm soooo bored."

"well you're in luck," i proclaim, pushing off of the fridge and walking down the hallway. "i need to run errands, you can come with me."

i hear something like plastic rustling on his end of the phone before he groans, "ew, errands? no thanks." his words are almost incoherent around a snack of some sort.

making it into my room, i drop my phone on the bed and start to change out of my sweats. "okay, stay at home and be bored out of your mind. and when i go to delmar's later don't ask me to bring you anything." i smirk at the commotion i hear from his side as i pull on a different shirt. 

"delmar's? i'll be at your house in 10," he says loud and clear, then he hangs up. 

I shake my head while messing with my hair a bit. not that i care what i look like in front of peter, i just like to be decent anytime i leave the house.

---

true to his word, peter knocked on my door 10 minutes later. his cheeks tinted red and his hair unruly. 

"did you swing here?" i ask him, reaching up to comb through the curls until they lay somewhat flat. he leans down a bit and allows me to work, his hair like silk between my fingers. 

"yeah, the sooner we do boring grown-up stuff, the sooner we can get sandwiches." he looks at me with a gleam in his eyes that never disappears. 

i push his head away lightly as a grab my purse and keys. "you only wanna run errands with me so i'll buy you food? you're such a leech, parker." i say with fake hurt in my voice as i turn to lock the door. 

"awww. that's not true, i'd run errands with you anytime, angel." he coos, and i have to force myself to remain standing as he runs his fingertips down my spine.

i narrow my eyes at him to hide the fact that i'm wracking my brain for possible explanations of why he could have done that. there had to be something on my shirt. that gesture was pure friendliness, right? and better question, why did it make my knees feel weak as toothpicks?

"whatever, liar." i laugh a little to keep my voice steady as i brush past him towards the elevator.

as we get in, he asks me what kind of errands i need to run. first, the library to return some books, then groceries. then we can get delmar's i assure him.

the walk from my apartment building to the library isn't long, and once i return the books, we head for the grocery store. between the destinations, we talk about school, different shows, and our secret "club," but only with codenames in case anyone is listening. we people watch and play games, and every now and then i feel peter's hand brush mine. only slightly, like it was an accident, i pray it was an accident. 

we reach the grocery store, and like the gentleman he is, he grabs a basket while i look for the list in my purse. 

"okay, first things first, cereal." i declare, walking in one direction. they had recently rearranged the layout of the store, but i was confident that i knew where i needed to go. i turn to say something to peter when i realize he's walking the opposite way. 

"peter," i call for him, "where are you going?"

"...to..get..cereal?" he points out like i've just asked him the most obvious question.

"baby," i condescendingly say, "cereal's this way," i point in the direction i was originally going. 

"no, sweetheart, cereal is this way." he juts his thumb in the direction he was going.

"alright, parker." i walk closer to him. "since you think you know everything, let's make it a game."

"okay," he smirks as he crosses his arms, "i'm listening." his tongue swiping across his bottom lip.

my eyes catch on his thick arms, straining against his sweatshirt. stupid spider. and i have to rip my eyes away from the motion at his lips to continue my thoughts. what is wrong with me today?

"for every item on the list," i fight to keep my eyes on his, "we'll make a bet about which side of the store it's on. whoever loses the most has to buy dinner."

he nods along to what i'm saying, seemingly contemplating, but i can already see the mischief in his eyes. "i'll play your game, but when you lose just know i'm ordering everything delmar's makes."

"oh please, be my guest," i nod along with him, "i just hope you've got enough cash to back yourself up."

in the next second, he's in my space. barely three inches away as my breath catches in my throat. 

"so, cereal... lead the way."

---

i turn on my heels, speeding towards where i know the cereal is. he doesn't expect me to move so quickly, as he's still standing where i was a second ago. but he reacts, catching up to me slightly.

my heart is beating fast and hard, and i pray he can't hear it. i can't think for the life of me why he's acting like this. he can't like me. we're friends. that's how i know that peter is awkward. and he's shy, especially with girls that he likes. but he's not shy right now. he's being so forward. which means...

he doesn't like me, he's playing with me. this really is a game to him. he only calls me angel when he wants something.

i almost pass what i'm looking for in my scatterbrained state. "see," i motioned, "there it is, like i said." 

i grab what i need and put it in the basket, barely looking at him, though i can feel his confusion at my change in emotion. i take the list, putting my initial next to the first item, and read off the second item to him. we place our bets, and head in his direction first. it turns out to be correct, so i check off the item and write his initial. we continue this for the rest of the items, but my mind begins to wander again.

i can't believe peter would mess with me like this. playing with my feelings. feelings that i didn't even know i had. i try to think about when they could have developed, and it dawns on me. as i watch him put bread in the basket, an item i was right about, i realize why today is different. 

peter and i had never run errands together. being in such a domestic situation with someone i had come to care for so much made me realize just how much i like peter. of course, when i first met him, i thought he was attractive, but more so, i found him adorable. and he's funny, and he cares so much. and throughout the years he's done everything he can to make me happy. running errands with him made me think of the future. our future and how this could be us one day, making groceries for our apartment.

but it will never be us, because peter doesn't feel that way, and he's playing with me, and it hurts more than i can admit.

i don't hear whatever gloating statement he makes as he wins the next item, fruits and vegetables, and he notices. his face falls as he assesses what might be wrong, and i can feel my throat close at the thought of having this conversation. the universal, friendship-ending, i-like-you-why-don't-you-like-me-back conversation. i cough, clearing my face of any emotion except feigned annoyance. 

"good job. you're in the lead by one. the last item is jam, and i think it's this way, so let's go."

i don't give him a chance to say anything as i take the basket, and head in the direction i indicated. i can feel him keeping his distance, but i don't bother to look behind me. it's good that he can feel his game ending. maybe we can go back to being regular friends after this. hopefully. 

we reach the shelves filled with jellies, jams, syrups, and preserves. it's exactly where i thought it was, although a little high, and i mark my initials next to it. peter congratulates me quietly. i make no comment about how we're tied now, and i reach for it, just aching to hurry up and get out of this store and go home.

i can't reach it, not even on my tippy toes, so i step on the lowest shelf to give myself a boost. i feel my fingers graze the jar, and i almost have it when i hear peter.

"angel, you're gonna hurt yourself, just let me get it." 

and it's a good thing that his hand is hovering over my lower back, waiting for permission. because hearing him call me that name, the one that doesn't sound the same anymore, makes me falter, and with my weight of center because of the basket, i slip off the shelf. 

it's not that high off the ground, but in my distressed state, it startles me nonetheless. peter catches me, one arm on my back and one arm around my front. i'm sure he can feel my heavy breaths, my beating heart. 

he takes the basket, sets it on the ground, and i can feel it before he says it. it takes everything in me not to cry. it's not enough.

"are you okay, angel?"

next thing i know, i'm angrily wiping tears from my face and pushing him away from me. 

"stop it. stop calling me that," i say between deep breaths.

"okay. i'm sorry. i thought you liked it." he steps towards me, hands up, with an apologetic shrug.

he's right.  and that's the problem.

"i do; i do like it. but not like this, not when you don't mean it." i see his brows furrow.

"wh-what do you mean, 'i don't mean it'?" i don't realize he's so close now, and as he places his hands gently on my arms, i don't stop him.

steadying myself, i gaze at my shoes. unable to look at him as i rip my heart out to put it on my sleeve.

"you only call me angel when you want something. but today was different, and i hadn't put two and two together until just now. when you brushed my back in front of my apartment, and when you kept touching my hand on our walk, and when you got in my space when we first got here, it all drove me insane. and you keep calling me angel, but it's different, and now i know why. because you're messing with me, peter parker. and it hurts because i really, really like you, but this is just a game to you. which hurts even more because i never thought that you would do something like this."

i finish my rambling in sniffles, and i wait with bated breath for him to laugh in my face. 

"aw, baby," his hands cupping my face coax me to look at him. "do you know why i call you angel? hm?"

"because i saved your life," i sniffle and try to look back at the floor. but he holds me in place, dipping his head to keep eye contact with me.

"well yes, but also, because you're my angel. any time i hear you laugh, it makes my heart feel like it's gonna beat out of my chest. and you're so beautiful, all the time, it's like you're glowing. but most of all, just like an angel, you make my world a better place just by being in it."

it's easier for me to breathe now. and i don't think i've ever been happier than i am in this moment. i bet i look hysterical, covered in tears, and standing on the jelly aisle. 

"if you really like me, why did you act like that, all bold and stuff?" I'm starting to calm down, "the peter parker i know is awkward when he likes a girl, always."

peter's cheeks go pink, and it's his turn to struggle to hold eye contact.

"i don't know, when i asked mr. stark what i should do about liking you, he told be to be bold because girls like that. i guess i didn't think about if that would work with you." 

his thumbs caress back and forth against my cheeks absentmindedly.

"well, it doesn't work with me," i place my hands on his wrists, my thumbs mirroring his motion. "i want awkward peter parker."

his face is slowly inching towards mine, and this time i don't mind.

"oh yeah?," his eyes flicker to my lips before returning to mine. "i promise i'll go back to being awkward, right after this."

he presses his lips gently against mine, the salt from my dried tears present between us as i kiss him back. even though we were standing in the middle of a grocery store, it was the softest, most romantic experience i've ever had. i wouldn't change a thing. as his tongue brushed against my bottom lip, i had no choice but to regard the fact that we were in public.

"okay, tiger," i pulled back, reluctantly.

the pink in his cheeks deepened drastically. 

"see," i move my hands to cup his face now, "there's my peter parker."

he turns my hand to kiss my palm, then the other. we separate long enough for him to grab the jam and place it in the basket, picking it up. then, he wraps his free arm around me and pulls me into his side.

"i know we tied, but will you still buy me dinner?", i ask as we walk towards the checkout line.

he laughs and kisses my temple, "yes angel, i'll buy you dinner."

[youdoyoucooking]

Calm Down and Cook Every Single Meatloaf

Basic meatloaf should be in everyone’s “recipes I know without looking up the actual recipe” collection. It opens the doorway to so much more and it strangely impresses everyone. Meatloaf is really just the evolution of Country Pâté (also known as Terrine De Campagne). Fancy! It is also the dish I order to judge the quality of a diner (just like I judge Mexican restaurants by their salsa). But Meatloaf is also something so easy to make at home. A meatloaf dinner also sets the stage for a meatloaf sandwich the next day, and who doesn’t love that? Meatloaf can even evolve into meatballs and then into Swedish Meatballs (so you don’t have to find yourself an Ikea).

Meatloaf can be made from almost any ground meat, eggs, and a few breadcrumbs. The seasoning can be any flavor profile or nationality that is ringing your bells at the moment. There was a trend of packaged dry Onion Soup mix instead of salt and pepper. Still a traditional and solid option. I think everyone has a packet of taco seasoning in the back of their spice cabinet, perfect time to use it. Meatloaf can be served hot or cold. It can be stuffed with almost anything, from cheese to pickles, to asparagus. Your friends will think you won the James Beard Award for Best Chef. Don’t be afraid. You’re in charge, not the meatloaf. Meat “loaf” can be done in a loaf pan or, if you prefer the crispy outside bits, shape it free form on a baking dish in an oval shape. I can remember my Mom once forming a meatloaf in a heart shape on Valentine's Day. I thought she was a magician. 

This is what meatloaf can do for you. What can you do for meatloaf? Here is a basic recipe that can be used as a springboard for endless variations. 

Basic Meatloaf

2 pounds ground meat.

1 egg

½ small onion (finely chopped)

3/4 cup milk

1 cup plain dried bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of Salt 

½ teaspoon of pepper 

½ cup of Any BBQ sauce

Instructions:

Let's start with the base. Combine all the ingredients except the BBQ sauce in a large bowl. Mix until it is evenly combined, this is your meatloaf base, your basic meatloaf. Shape the mixture into an oval loaf on a greased baking pan or in a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the oven, spread the BBQ sauce all over the top, and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until fully cooked (check to ensure internal temp is 165°F). Total cooking time will be about 60 minutes whether you are using the BBQ sauce or not. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Now, let's have fun and start coloring outside the lines:

First, why BBQ sauce? If you’re not in the mood it can be swapped out for ketchup, or sweet chili sauce, or eliminate that step completely. Not a big deal.

A basic meatloaf with 2 pounds of meat should serve 8 people. In reality, I think, it serves 6 but you should have in your head that it will serve 4 people because you are a normal human being and are going to want to have meatloaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow. 

Any ground meat will work so look in your freezer. You can use 100% ground beef or go with the classic combination of beef, pork, and veal. If you struggle with veal that's Ok. Skip it and use 50% beef and 50% pork. On the other extreme, venison is also a tasty choice and gives a slightly gamey taste. If you want to try 100% ground pork here’s a tasty idea: stir in ½ of a finely chopped apple into the meatloaf base. Just remember, you’ll need a total of 2 pounds of meat. But this can be plus or minus. 2 ½ pounds is fine, just remember you will need another 15 minutes of cooking. The same goes with using only 1 ½ pounds of meat. The cooking time will be about 15 minutes less. Check the internal temperature with a thermometer and look for 165 degrees. Kitchen thermometers are a lot more accessible, affordable, and a solid purchase. They are a great tool to have and will give you the confidence to experiment with basic recipes.

If you decide to use ground Chicken or Turkey you will see that it is “wetter” than other ground meat so you will want to increase your breadcrumbs to a total of 1½ cups. Chicken and Turkey can also be very lean. A good solution for this is to lay a few slices of bacon across the top (also, because it’s bacon) as this will add fat and flavor, a couple of pats of butter along the top works nicely too.

Herbs: fresh or dried. Do you have a favorite herb? A teaspoon of dried or a tablespoon of chopped fresh is a great way to experiment with taste. Something as simple as chives and parsley will go a long way to flavoring your base. If you are using ground lamb, try rosemary.

Of course store bought breadcrumbs can also be replaced with homemade crumbs from leftover stale bread (I do not throw things away lightly). Tear the stale bread into 2-inch chunks and pulse in a food processor. “Pulse” is when you turn your processor on and off several times so you can really chop something up finely without it turning into a paste. Make a bunch of crumbs all at once and freeze the leftovers for another use.

If you only have “Italian” breadcrumbs then, maybe skip the salt because that comes already salted. Are you all about the Italian-flavored bread crumbs? Try adding flavors that will enhance that profile. A little dried oregano, garlic powder, crushed garlic, and a pinch of hot pepper flakes are great. Any or all of these can work. A ½ teaspoon of each work but you go with your intuition, you can add more or less. Parmesan cheese (up to ½ cup) is an easy addition if you have some lurking in the back of your fridge.

Now, open your horizons and truly look around your kitchen. Do you have any vegetables that are moments away from the compost pile? Chopped them up well. They can go in the meatloaf base and stretch the dish in a very inexpensive way (just don’t use more than 25% chopped vegetables in the mix. If you do, the meat will lose its ability to hold its shape and the loaf falls apart.). My Mom would do this with sad floppy carrots, celery, and mushrooms. These all work well and add to the flavor.

Next, stuffed meatloaf. If you go this route, you are going to want to add 10 minutes to the initial cooking time and make it 55 minutes. Take about  ⅔  of whatever meatloaf base you decide to make and lay it on your baking sheet or loaf pan (whatever you are using). Form a trough (trench, channel, hollow) down the middle with your fingertips. Spoon in your filling and then use the remaining ⅓ of your base to close it up. Once this is done, dip your hands in some cold water and smooth and close any openings the loaf might have. You can fill your meatloaf with whatever you fancy. A good way to start is 4 to 5 ounces of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry. Spinach can be combined with any cheese (mozzarella is fun). Try sauteed mushrooms and green peppers. Go crazy, use corn mixed with a couple of spoonfuls of salsa, and call it “Southwestern”. A row of peeled hard-boiled eggs would be very French. Serve while wearing a beret. A stuffed meatloaf has so many possibilities, no one is stopping you and will earn you endless accolades.

Tiny Little Balls of Meatloaf or as I call them - Meatballs.

Take your same basic meatloaf base and shape the mixture into 1½ inch size balls and bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. You can line the cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup. If your base mixture feels too wet to shape nicely, add a couple of tablespoons more of breadcrumbs.  These can be served on pasta with any sauce you enjoy. Premade, store-bought brown gravy has a place in this world and combined with meatballs and served on egg noodles is a guilty pleasure of mine. If you stir a little Dijon mustard and sour cream into the brown gravy you are very close to a Swedish meatball. Serve them with a scoop of lingonberry jam and pretend you are Swedish. There’s always a meatball sub to be made with those meatballs (also a grinder, hoagie, or hero) and they freeze well.

Meatloaf is an excellent basic recipe and can be adapted once you have the confidence. What are you craving? Would it fit into a meatloaf? Did you want to sneak vegetables into your family's diet? You can do this. Remember the meatloaf police aren’t at your door.

[barcadly]

Hash Brown | Crispy Hash Browns

If you’re craving the perfect combination of crunch and flavor, look no further than Foodella Foods’ Hash Browns. A staple in many kitchens, these golden delights are not just for breakfast — they’re versatile enough to be enjoyed any time of the day. At Foodella Foods, we specialize in crafting crispy hash browns that deliver the perfect balance of texture and taste.

Our crispy hash browns are made using premium potatoes, ensuring that each bite offers that satisfying crunch on the outside with a soft, flavorful interior.

We take the guesswork out of seasoning. Each hash brown is perfectly seasoned to enhance its natural potato flavor, making it a delicious side or snack on its own.

In today’s fast-paced world, convenience is key. Our hash browns are easy to prepare, making them a quick solution for busy mornings or a tasty addition to any meal.

Whether paired with eggs, served alongside your favorite meats, or simply enjoyed with a dollop of ketchup, Foodella Foods’ crispy hash browns are the perfect complement to any dish.

Pair them with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast for a hearty, traditional breakfast. Add a crispy hash brown as a side to your burger for an extra layer of crunch. Top with sour cream and chives or your favorite dipping sauce for a quick, satisfying snack.

At Foodella Foods, quality is our top priority. Our hash browns are made from carefully selected ingredients, ensuring you get the best in every bite. We are dedicated to providing products that not only taste great but also meet the highest standards of quality and convenience.

Ready to elevate your meals with the perfect crispy hash browns? Visit our website or your local retailer to pick up Foodella Foods’ hash browns today. Experience the delicious crunch and flavor that have made our hash browns a favorite in kitchens everywhere.

visit our site : https://foodellafoods.com/

[mffoodproduct22]

why should you try mf food lip-smacking tortilla wraps?

You’ve probably seen the viral Tortilla Wrap videos on social media, which offer a really easy quesadilla technique to make your food. With good reason, wraps are incredibly popular. Sandwich bread can be easily replaced with a tortilla wrap for people who are trying to cut back on calorie intake. They are aesthetically pleasing and extremely lightweight.

Tacos, enchiladas, and burritos are dishes you can try with tortilla wraps, but you can also use them for sandwiches, pizza, and other foods. In MF Food a leading wrap tortilla manufacturing company you can find extensive selection of mouthwatering and delectable tortilla wraps. Why try MF Food lip-smacking tortilla wraps? Get the answer below:

MF Food Tortilla for Savory Lunches to Sweet Treats

Are you attempting to give your meals a taste boost? The delicious tortilla wraps from MF Food are the only choice! These wraps are a must-try for all food fans and adaptable enough to satisfy any craving.

Savor Mexican Delights 

Craving for new taste? Choose the whole wheat Tortilla Wraps from MF Food. They make the ideal dish for a delicious Mexican meal. For a well-balanced and nourishing lunch, stuff them with juicy cooked chicken, spicy salsa, aromatic cilantro, creamy cheese, and tart sour cream. These wraps are a tasty and practical choice if you’re having a quick picnic or a longer one.

Multigrain Wraps for Healthier Options 

MF Food offers multigrain tortilla wraps that are full of healthy deliciousness for people looking for a better option. For a filling and nutrient-dense supper, stack them high with crunchy cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and hot jalapenos. For an additional delicious touch, top it with a piece of cheese and a dollop of ketchup. These wraps are a treat, with the ideal balance of grains and vegetables.

Italian-Styled wraps

Why do you want to go to expensive Italian restaurants when MF Food Italian-styled wraps are with you? MF Food adaptable tortilla wraps will take your taste buds to Italy. Add your favorite healthy ingredients and top with thick marinara or pizza sauce to turn them into tiny pizzas. There are many options available, including lean proteins and healthy veggies. 

Sweet Endings with Dessert Wraps 

Are you in the mood for something sweet? Wraps made with simple tortillas from MF Food make the ideal base for dessert recipes. Satisfy your sweet taste with a variety of toppings, ranging from smooth peanut butter and crunchy apple slices to rich chocolate spread and whipped cream. 

Try marshmallows, chocolate spread, and crushed cracker crumbs for a tasty and kid-friendly treat. Every meal closes on a delightfully sweet note when you serve these dessert wrappers. 

Discover Your Inner Chef with MF Food Delicious Tortillas

Ready to transform your experience in the kitchen? The mouthwatering selection of Tortilla Wraps from MF Food is your best bet. 

Try Limitless Options

The tortilla wrappers of MF Food provide endless possibilities for making delicious meals, regardless of your level of culinary expertise. You can use your creativity and try out different combinations to suit your taste buds with so many flavors and textures to pick from. You can confidently share your new try on Tortilla Wraps with your family and friends.

Magnificent Mediterranean Treats 

Enjoy the standard tortilla wraps from MF Food and get Mediterranean tastes. The ideal palette for cooking your own culinary masterpieces comes with the soft and pliable texture of these wraps. For a light and filling lunch alternative that will have your taste buds tingling, try stuffing them with creamy hummus, crisp cucumber, juicy tomato, creamy avocado, chickpeas, briny olives, and tart vinaigrette.

Veggie Delights 

The whole wheat tortilla wraps stuffed with shredded cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, and crisp lettuce seasoned with vinaigrette provide a filling and tasty lunch or snack. Whole wheat tortilla wraps from MF Food are loaded with vitamins and minerals and are not only tasty but also a healthier option for adults and children. To create a complete lunch that will sustain your energy levels throughout the day, pair them with biscuits, fruits, nutritious nuts, and jelly beans.

Captivating Corn Tortilla 

The corn Tortilla Wraps from MF Food are the perfect option if you enjoy vegetarian cuisine. Packed with the natural sweetness of maize, these wraps make the ideal basis for making delicious snacks packed with nutrient-dense veggies. To make a tasty and filling dish that will entice your taste buds and have you going back for more, mix red bell peppers, yellow zucchini, carrots, onions, cucumbers, and fresh coriander.

Spicy Wraps with Chilli Tortillas 

The chili tortilla wraps are perfect for people who like a little kick of spice. Try stuffing them with flavorful cooked prawns, diced avocado, acidic ketchup, and creamy mayonnaise for a flavorful and unusual dish that strikes the ideal balance between cool and spicy sensations. Also, go with a more traditional option with MF Food wraps and mix baby spinach, grated carrots, and shredded red cabbage to make a crunchy, healthy filling that goes well with the chili wraps’ fiery taste.

Nourishing Multigrain Wonders 

MF Food multigrain tortilla wraps offer the softest texture and maximum nutritional value. These wraps are the ideal option for a well-balanced and filling supper because they’re full of protein and fiber. For a tasty and nutritious treat that will fill you up and give you energy, stuff Tortilla Wraps with juicy tomatoes, crisp onions, lettuce, tender chicken, and your preferred sauce. Finally, sprinkle them with creamy ranch dressing.

Tastes of Savory Spinach 

Looking for a healthy alternative to sandwiches? MF Food spinach tortilla wraps are the best try. First, cover them with chilled cream cheese for a creamy base. Next, top with shredded lettuce, tangy salsa, skinless, boneless chicken pieces, and tasty fajita seasoning to create a delicious dinner that is sure to satisfy your cravings. Add some chopped cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta, and a dab of hummus and rose harissa for a unique touch. This dish is tasty and filling, ideal for work lunches or dinners.

Finally

As a leading wrap tortilla manufacturing company, MF Food offers incredible selection of tortilla wraps, which includes plain, whole wheat, corn, chili, multigrain, and spinach tortilla wraps. These wraps can transform boring lunches into memorable events. So, what are you waiting for? Get the real flavors of tortilla wraps wherever you cook at home or travel with your friends from MF Food.  

Learn more: https://mf-food.com/why-should-you-try-mf-food-lip-smacking-tortilla-wraps/

[ethnicmixxblog]

The Charm of Filipino Grocery Store and Thai Grocery Store

When it comes the multicultural neighborhoods, you can find the best example from the Filipino or Thai grocery store promises. This is all about a delightful adventure for food enthusiasts and curious palates alike. Filipino grocery store offers the authentic Philippines items that are not only mouthwatering but also soothing to the soul. These amazing stores offer more than just ingredients, they are the gateways to rich culinary traditions of the Philippines and Thailand altogether.

Entering a Filipino grocery shop feels like entering one of Manila's busy marketplaces. A vibrant assortment of goods that perfectly encapsulate Filipino cuisine adorns the shelves. Every dish reflects a different aspect of the culinary legacy, ranging from traditional favorites like adobo sauce and sinigang mix to unusual discoveries like calamansi juice and banana ketchup.

Tropical aromas abound in the fresh produce department, where unusual fruits like jackfruit, guavas, and mangoes entice customers to make their own delicious fiestas at home. Savor the aroma of long-grain rice and indulge in the assortment of Filipino appetizers, which include savory dishes like chicharrón and sweet sweets like ensaymada.

In the meanwhile, a Thai grocery shop online welcomes you into a world of fragrant herbs, vivid spices, and the unique tastes that have made Thai food so popular throughout the world. The air is filled with the distinct aroma of Thai basil, galangal, and lemongrass, giving customers a fully immersive experience.

A Thai grocery store is a veritable gold mine for anyone hoping to replicate the robust and well-balanced flavors of Thailand in their own kitchen, from the curry pastes that are the foundation of Thai curries to the necessary fish sauce and coconut milk. Go through the aisles filled with rice noodles, jasmine rice, and unusual seasonings to locate the ingredients for a Thai cuisine culinary adventure.

Filipino or Thai grocery store is not just a shopping trip, it is an exploration of the cultures. You can also visit African supermarket online to get the authentic African food items that will delight your senses and make a visual feast to satisfy your guests.

[dnvfoodsandspices]

Why It's Important to Have Good Sauces: Enhancing the Flavors of Your Meals :

Sauces are an essential component of any food related experience by adding depth, flavour, and a kick of excitement to our favourite dishes. A renowned provider of pickles, sauces, masalas, papads, and other food items, understands the importance of good sauces in adding zest, masala and colour to your ordinary meals into extraordinary culinary delights. In this blog, we will explore why it is crucial to have fantastic sauces and how they can enhance the flavours of your meals.

The primary reason why sauces are wanted is their ability to enhance the taste, aroma and texture of a wide range of dishes. Whether it's a tangy and rich tomato sauce, a zesty green chilli sauce, a savoury soy sauce, or a sweet and spicy, hot and sweet sauce, each sauce brings its unique flavour profile to compliment and elevate various cuisines. A perfect sauce adds depth, complexity, and a burst of masalas that can take your meal from ordinary to exceptional.

Tomato Sauce.

When it comes to sauces, quality is of utmost importance. Opting for the best tomato sauce, such as DNV Foods' organic tomato sauce, ensures that you are using a product made from high-quality ingredients without any artificial additives or preservatives. A great tomato sauce can elevate your pasta dishes, adding a luscious texture, a vibrant red colour, and a rich, tangy taste that perfectly compliments the essence of the pasta and other ingredients.

Sauces also offer versatility in the kitchen. They can be used as condiments, marinades, or even as a base for creating new flavours. Tomato ketchup, for example, is not only a classic accompaniment to burgers and fries but can also be used as an ingredient in sauces, dressings, and other recipes to add a touch of sweetness and tanginess. Green chilli sauce can spice up your stir-fries, dips, and marinades, while soy sauce brings a distinctive umami flavour to Asian-inspired dishes.

Green Chilli Sauce.

Moreover, excellent green chilli sauces can make your meals more enjoyable and fiery. They can provide balance and also add fiest to the overall taste experience by complementing and enhancing the natural zest of the ingredients. A well- green chilli sauce can combine all the multiple tastes and bring out a particular aroma of a dish, the best in each component and creating a harmonious blend of mirch masalas.

Green chilli sauces are a must-have condiment for those who enjoy a spicy kick in their meals. Not only do they add heat to your dishes, but they also bring a unique flavour that enhances the overall taste experience. that tantalise your taste buds.

One of the greatest advantages of green chilli sauces is their versatility. They can be paired with a wide range of dishes, from Mexican cuisine to Asian stir-fries, and everything in between. Whether you're grilling or sautéing vegetables, or even making a simple sandwich, to multiple veggies, it can take your dish to a whole new level.

Soy Sauce.

Having a variety of good sauces, like soy sauce on hand, allows you to experiment with multiple cuisines, flavors, and cooking styles. Whether you are cooking a traditional Indian curry, a Chinese stir-fry, or a Mediterranean-inspired dish, having the right soy sauces on your shelf opens up a world of culinary possibilities. It allows you to explore new flavors, create exciting combinations, and tailor your meals to suit your preferences.

Good sauces play a vital role in enhancing the flavors and enjoyment of our meals. In addition to the wide range of sauces offered by DNV Foods, their commitment to quality and flavor is unparalleled. Each sauce is carefully crafted using the finest ingredients, ensuring that every bite is bursting with taste.

The best tomato sauce, for example, is made from ripe, juicy tomatoes that are simmered to perfection. Its rich, robust flavor adds a depth of taste to pasta dishes, pizzas, and even sandwiches. 

Pasta sauce is another specialty of DNV Foods. Their pasta sauce is made with a blend of aromatic herbs and spices, creating a savory and aromatic profile. Whether you prefer a traditional marinara sauce or a creamy Alfredo sauce, DNV Foods has got you covered.

[hotandsweettomatosauce]

Have You Tasted Hot and Sweet Tomato Sauce Yet?

Are you still having your boring bread and butter in your breakfast? Why not try something with tomato ketchup? Tomato sauce is a versatile ingredient that can be used in many dishes to add flavor, texture, and color. It has a distinct, savory flavor that can help to enhance the overall taste of a dish. However, food brands keep on doing experiments with food items. Many of them have already launched new flavors of authentic tomato ketchup like hot and sweet tomato sauce, no garlic no onion tomato sauce, and more. It also adds a rich, umami flavor that can complement and balance out other flavors in a recipe.

You can use this sauce with veg cold sandwiches or with other quick breakfasts like poha, upma, etc. This sauce adds a vibrant red color to a dish, which can make it more visually appealing, and has a velvety texture that can help to bind ingredients together and add moisture to a dish.

Hot and sweet tomato sauce can be used in a variety of dishes. It can be used as a condiment for burgers, fries, and sandwiches, or as a sauce for pasta, meatballs, and pizza. This tomato sauce is easy to make at home with just a few ingredients. You can customize it to your liking by adjusting the amount of heat or sweetness. If you're looking to switch up your meals and add some variety, hot and sweet tomato sauce can be a great addition. It can help to add new flavors to your dishes and keep things interesting in the kitchen Are you still confused about which sauce to buy for your full-of-spice nachos? Get the best hot and sweet tomato sauce from Veeba. Veeba has a wide range of dips, sauces, salad dressings, and more displayed online and you can easily get them offline as well. Veeba has different flavors of tomato sauce. Check them out and get the best for you.

[vanillelace]

⟡ warnings ; profanity, mentions of blood (this is a vampire au), some NON DETAILED mentions of violence, food mentioned, death.

⟡ pairings ; yang jungwon x fem. reader

⟡ genre ; vampire au, fake dating and attempted slowburn, slight royalty? PLOT TWIST BUT NOT THAT WELL WRITTEN

⟡ wordcount ; 12652 words

⟡ summary ; You are the most wanted half-blood. Your mother, however against her will, was smitten by a mere mortal, condemning herself and your future. And she conveniently forgot to mention that she is a vampire. Yang Jungwon, son of one of the most famous vampire royals, has to date you in order to see a brighter future. An unexpected journey full of twists and turns.

⟡ note ; hi guys. i have not uploaded a single work of mine because motivation is going 📉📉 rn 💀 so uh yeah this will probably be my last work. i may upload, but of my own will ^^ also I had to rush this really bad so im sorry if it doesn’t seem too good. I may release a sequel!! Not right now though. SONG MADE BY ME. DON'T STEAL.

THIS IS A PART OF THE RED MOON COLLAB WITH @liliansun AND @twilightau ‼️

“It’s a beautiful day, nonetheless,” your best friend, Danielle Marsh, comments. 

“Doesn’t mean I have to be all shimmy-shimmy-aah, Dani.” You reply, laughing. Danielle giggles, punching you playfully. 

You and Danielle have been the best of friends since even before you could speak. At that age, of course, it was mainly slapping each other and pulling one another’s hair, but you still considered it a holy friendship at the time. Your mum, Aurelia, and Danielle’s mother, Mrs. Marsh, were the best of friends. They had their own secrets, some of them they did not (and still don’t) trust the two of you with, and those secrets brought them together.

Today is the day before your birthday, and the day after Danielle’s. It’s currently the 30th of March, 11 AM, and the two of you are attempting to pass the time. 

“Should we just have a picnic?” You ask Dani, to which she nods enthusiastically. “Totally! Let’s go make some food.”

“Dibs on making lemon crinkle cookies!” You shout, running into the kitchen. You accidentally bump into your cat, Mitch. She’s the most beautiful calico cat you’ve ever seen, and you’ve always found it extremely hard to believe that someone would let Mitch out of their sight and allow her to be lost. You adopted her off the street. 

She purrs, rubbing her neck against your leg. You smile and kiss her head, exactly the place where she hates being kissed, and run off into the kitchen, Danielle following suit. She stopped on her way to lift your cat and give her a hug, and grabbed her car keys. “I’m gonna go get stuff for the cookies, and let’s make some nachos. I’ll buy stuff for pink lemonade too. Text me if you need anything, get started with the nachos. Home baked, right?”

“Yeah, always. You’re getting the salsa ingredients too, right? We don’t have ketchup.”

“Yep. I’ll send you a list of what I’m buying before I check out. Reply fast or I will not give a flying shit, I tell you.”

You roll your eyes, laughing. “Yeah, mom, bye!”

“I’M A DAY OLDER THAN YOU!” Dani yelled, slamming the door behind her.

You and Dani live together, just down the lane from both your family homes. Dani is 19 as of yesterday, and you turn 19 in a few hours. Funny how Mum thought I’d barely be old enough to drive, but now I have my driver’s license too, you think to yourself.

Your mother isn’t one for the history books in your opinion. She’s your average mother. She always tells you that she’s from Canada, and your father’s from South Korea. You’ve never met your father. He died when your mother was 7 months along. She does have a picture of him though. 

You’re constantly surprised by how similar you and your father look. Same eyes, but not eye color, same nose, same smile. Same figure, and same accent, allegedly. Your mother is an extremely kind person, and was heartbroken when your father passed away.

Your grandmother, who you’ve not been able to meet, always writes to you on a monthly basis. She’s the sweetest person you’ve ever known, aside from your mother. Dani is on very good terms with your family too, so it’s all one huge party. She’s not really close to your younger sister, Lily, who's adopted, but they do talk often.

After Danielle returns, you and Danielle get started on making a mess. The doorbell rings, and you run to answer it, a water-stained apron arming you from whoever is on the other side of the door. 

“Hello, are you Y/N?” A masculine voice asks, and you find a face to the voice when you look up from the ground. 

“…who are you?”

“Oh, I should probably introduce myself. I’m Park Sunghoon, ambassador to the Maledictus ruler.”

“I’m sorry, what?” You snicker, trying to cover it up, taking off the apron and dumping it on the couch nearby, “Is this some elaborate scheme? Because you’re failing miserably at trying to convince me.”

“Um, lady, no. Are you Y/N?”

“And if I am?”

The Sunghoon in question sighs and presses a finger to his temple, as if this conversation is giving him a headache. “Y/N, who is it?” Danielle shouts, and you facepalm. 

You just HAD to shout my name, didn’t you?

“Alright then. Please come with me with no resistance, unless you particularly wish to be unconscious.”

“Danielle!” You yell, but your voice is muffled by your cat jumping on you, smacking you right in the mouth. “Oh, for fuck's sake.” Sunghoon sighs, dragging you and Mitch into a limousine. 

Limousine? Okay, rich. 

“DANIELLE!” You yell. Deciding self-defense is your only resort, you bite him on the wrist, Mitch just purring in approval. 

“JEEZ, LADY, I CAN'T RESIST EVERYTHING?” Sunghoon half-yells, half-asks, groaning in pain but still reluctant to let go. 

Mom, I'm sorry but I may go to prison for this. 

Anyone watching would think you're showing a sudden display of affection to your alleged kidnapper. You aggressively hug him, his face turning red. 

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” Sunghoon manages, extremely confused and amused. 

Danielle runs, a bowl of salsa in one hand. Seeing you strangle (or attempt to) him, she lets out a war cry, the neighbor staring. 

“AYYY!” She yells, the bowl rising in her hand. 

You immediately know what she's going to do, and you both are so going to regret it. 

She whacks him face-on with the salsa! 

Mitch shrieks happily and jumps in the limousine. 

“I don't fucking get paid enough for this. Get. In. Please.” Sunghoon positively begs at this point, looking close to tears. 

Out of the kindness of your hearts, you both take a seat. 

Only when Sunghoon climbs in and mumbles, “Salsa was very good, if I do say so myself,” do you realize that you have a terrible sense of danger and security. 

“Aww! Why, thank you!” Danielle smiles, and Mitch purrs. 

“Danielle, sweetie, no big deal, but we're probably going to get killed.”

“As long as it's with you. We lived a long life.”

“You guys talk too much.” Sunghoon says, as the car gets darker and darker by the second. You look down to see a syringe in your arm. 

“Oh, nooooooo…” a distorted voice says. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

“Y/N, you snore. Did you know that? And so does your friend here. Even your cat snores.”

You wake up to Sunghoon looking exhausted, his hand massaging his temple. Does he always do that? 

“Sorry.” You say, just as Danielle and Mitch snore and purr. You offer a smile that comes out more like a grimace, and Sunghoon, if possible, looks wearier. 

“No worries.” He offers a smile. “Could you wake them up, if you don't mind? We're almost here.”

You nod, not-so-eagerly, because you know Danielle is going to be pissed. She's the sort of person that hates being woken up by someone else. 

You poke her warily. She responds with a snore, louder than ever, and turns over to her side. Oh, great. 

You slap Danielle lightly on her cheek, to which she wakes up, gasping. “Y/N! Have you not learnt–” she begins, but stops when she realizes who she's with. 

“Good morning, Ms. Danielle.” Sunghoon nods respectfully. Dani smiles. 

“Wait. Wait. Why are we HERE?” You yell, everything coming back to you. 

Crap, crap, crap, the lemon crinkle cookies are probably burning NOOOOO… 

Priorities, man. 

You come back to the limo, seeing Danielle holding Mitch out in front of her. “I'm a good girl please don't kill me I'm too young–”

“Half an hour ago, you were telling us how you and Y/N have lived a long life. Here you are, telling me you're too young to die. Make up your mind, lady.”

“Ooh, lady. Damn. I'm Danielle!” Danielle says, reaching Mitch out for a handshake. 

“DANIELLE, HE'S A STRANGER. DID NO ONE TEACH YOU ABOUT STRANGER DANGER?”

“Y/N makes a valid point, Ms. Danielle. Did no one teach you anything?” Sunghoon laughs. 

“Y/N, can we beat him up?”

You smile. “Thought you'd never ask.”

She grabs a rolling pan from her apron and starts whacking him. You pinch him wherever possible. 

“This– Is– For– My– Fucking– Lemon– Fucking– Crinkle– Fucking– Cookies!” you say with each pinch. 

“NO! THE TRAUMA! PLEASE STOP!” Sunghoon screams, and the driver from ahead says, “Please don't kill him. I have a family to feed, and I depend on him. Please.”

Both of you stop. “He pays you?”

“Yeah, he's pretty rich.”

You and Dani smirk at each other. 

“You thinking what I'm thinking?”

“Definitely.” You reply. 

“Maybe if you give us money–”

“Maybe if you give us info–”

“DANI NO–”

“Y/N NO–”

A pause. 

“Give us a minute to reconvene and get back to you!” Danielle says. 

Sunghoon nods in agreement, a tear falling from his eye. 

“Danielle, what are you going to reconvene over? WE DON'T NEED MONEY, WE NEED INFORMATION?”

“But when you can get money, why not take it?”

Pause. 

“Valid point. We'll ask for both.”

“Okay,” Danielle nods, and says loudly, “Sunghoon, we've reached a compromise.”

“I didn't know you were on first-name basis with your victim but okay! What do you want? Anything to make you guys shut up. Please.”

“Money,” Danielle says, “and info.” you add. 

“How much? Of both?” He asks, pulling out his wallet. 

“100$ for each of us. And all the info we want.”

“Good deal. Here you go. Ask away.”

“Thanks! Why are we here?” 

“You'll see. Don't worry, you'll see at least two familiar faces, if not three.”

“Oh. Will we be safe?”

“You're in a limousine, I paid you to stop abusing me, and I didn't even hit your cat, not that I would, of course. What do you think?”

“Oh. Sorry,” Danielle apologizes. 

“It's alright! By the way, we've reached Maledictus. Please have a look-over of your appearance.” Sunghoon announces, clambering out of the limousine. 

Danielle looks down to see a flour-covered apron, which she bashfully pulls off. You give yourself a brush-off, and deem yourself neat. You ruffle Mitch, at which she shrieks and scampers over to Danielle. Dani winks at you and gathers her apron and Mitch. 

“Lead the way, Sunghoon.” You say, as Dani gets out of the car. 

A winding path leads to a gate, putting you in mind of Draco Malfoy's mansion from Harry Potter. The black gate does not cool your senses, and when Sunghoon identifies himself using his biometrics, a deep voice booms. 

“Identify the visitors you have with you, Mr. Park.”

“Uhm, a cat, a friend, and her.”

There's an empty silence, after which the voice booms, “Biometric identity of 'her', please.”

Sunghoon gestures to you, and you walk awkwardly. He takes your hand and presses the thumb to the identifier. 

“Approved. You may enter.”

Sunghoon grins lightly. “Ladies first. And cats.”

Danielle walks ahead, dropping Mitch down to follow. You walk with Sunghoon, curious to know why you are here. 

“Sunghoon, am I in trouble? Will Mitch and Danielle be alright?”

“Don't worry. They're fine. Nothing's going to happen to you as long as you don't 'resist', per se.”

You nod, not entirely convinced. “No matter what you do, Ms. Danielle and your cat will be safe. I'll give you my word.”

You nod slightly, feeling better about this whole mess. “Thanks, Sunghoon.”

Sunghoon smiles, the first real smile you've seen. “I'm sorry for the hostility you encountered when you first met us by the way. And the salsa. We were trying to protect ourselves.”

“It's cool, you don't need to worry. I understand. Besides, the salsa was delicious, although it could've taken away my eyesight forever.” He laughs at that, and you take it as a sign that it really is fine. You join in. 

“Ah, welcome back, Mr. Sunghoon. I see you brought her. But who is the person with her? And what is–” 

An old, balding woman sees her worst nightmare rubbing her foot and purring. “IS THIS–” she begins, but stops to sneeze noisily. 

“I'm sorry, miss. Didn't know you were allergic.” Danielle scoops Mitch up and walks a small distance away. 

“It's alright,” the woman sniffles haughtily, “but I thought you might know, Sunghoon.” 

“My bad, Mrs. Ahn, I wasn't aware you would be here to welcome us. I thought it'd be Mr. Ahn.”

To give you slight context, Sunghoon whispers, “Mr. Ahn loves animals, but his wife is allergic to almost all of them. That's why he's been unable to have a pet, and jumps at the opportunity to take care of one.”

“Yes, I am only alright with bats. Good reason for that, too. However, my husband has been working a lot and is having his midday snack, so I thought to cover up for him. He'll meet you in the Hub.” Mrs. Ahn says, smiling tenderly. 

It has always amazed you how people change with just a smile. But no one shares that amazement, so you can't really say anything about it, for fear of being laughed at and, or, killed! 

“Thank you, Mrs. Ahn. If you'll excuse us, I'll take them to meet him now.”

Mrs. Ahn nods, moving out of the way, waving as you pass, sneezing as Mitch scampers forward to meet you. Picking her up, you peck her and squish her. 

“You really love your cat, huh?” Sunghoon laughs, poking Mitch playfully. You swear you see Mitch roll her eyes, and you nod eagerly. 

“I mean, who wouldn't? Want to know the story behind how she became my pet?”

“Totally, after this meeting though. Sort of important. For me and you. So. Yeah.”

Oh, right. 

“No worries.”

You hum, as Danielle catches up with you guys. “This is why I hate quick paced walkers.” She mumbles, out of breath. You and Sunghoon laugh. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

After what seems like eternal walking, and around five flights of stairs, Sunghoon finally says, “We're here!”

“How are you still so loud?” You and Danielle groan, and Mitch purrs. “You too, Mitch. You literally rode my back.” Danielle sighs. 

“Y/N, you are one untrained half-blood.” Sunghoon mumbles, just enough for you to catch it. 

“One untrained WHAT?” You shout, the breath returning to your lungs and voice regifted to your throat. 

“Fuck. You'll see!” Sunghoon runs, gesturing to the two of you to follow.

“Danielle, DID YOU FUCKING HEAR THAT?” 

Danielle nods. “Unfortunately, if we're being realistic, we can't exactly find out. But because I'm your best friend, I'll panic with you. AN UNTRAINED WHAT? IS THIS HARRY POTTER?”

“You know, my mother never talks about her family. Kind of suspicious if you ask me. I haven't even seen my grandmother. I know that they're from Canada, but I don't know any more.”

“Well, I guess we're about to find out.” Danielle says, looking at the magnificent doors swinging open. 

“MRAWW!” Mitch shrieks through the utter silence as she spots a familiar face. She scurries across the room to where a woman is standing, looking extremely anxious. A crown rests on her face solemnly, sparkling in the golden light exuded by the chandelier. 

“MOM?”

This is when everything keeping you sane shrivels up and dies. 

“MS. CAMPBELL??” Danielle yells, and the two of you run to meet her, not realizing that there's a throne next to where she's standing. “Mother dearest, would you care to explain?” You confront her, extremely concerned. 

“Hi, darling. I'm sorry it had to be this way. But it did. So. Hi. Uhm. Your grandmother's here! And so is –”

Before you can hear who else you were supposed to know, your grandmother squeezes you into a tight hug. “My darling Y/N!”

“Gran! I've never met you, have I?”

Wow, what a greeting. Way to go. So proud. Such etiquette. 

“Now, that's no way to greet your grandmother, is it? But yes, you've only seen me when you were an itty-bitty baby. How adorable you were and still are.”

“Thanks, Gran. Would you at least be so kind as to tell me what's going on?”

“You'll see soon enough. Take a place. Dani! I've heard a lot about you. Stand next to Y/N. Grab Mitch too.”

You two obey, and Mitch settles in Danielle's arms. 

“The accused may step forward.” A deep voice booms, not unlike the one you heard at the gate earlier. 

HUH? ACCUSED????? 

Your mother and grandmother step forward. 

“You have been summoned to The Court of Maledictus to present your defense as to why the vampire world has not been made aware of the presence of one of the most powerful and popular half-blood in existence,” an extremely bald man began (why is everyone bald?), pausing to hear Sunghoon whisper in his ear. “I am also made to learn that there's a mortal present amongst us?”

“Yes, Slav, but she can be trusted.” Your mother insists, and Slav sighs. 

“So be it. May the half-blood be made to stand in front of the Court?”

You walk after receiving a nudge from your Gran. Sunghoon inclines his head to where you are supposed to stand, and you walk, your head looking straight ahead. 

“Ms. Y/N Jae-hyun Campbell, daughter of the late Mr. Lee Jae-hyun and Mrs. Adrina Cassius, are you aware that Adrina Cassius, known in the mortal world as Amber Cassius, is a vampire?”

One beat. 

Two beats. 

“You are absolutely, positively, most DEFINITELY joking.”

Adrina grimly smiles at Slav, who rolls his eyes. 

“Adrina, you are telling the Court that you're own child, the most powerful half-blood in all of history, doesn't know her own family?” A man, looking no older than 50, looks down at you scrutinizingly. He wears a magnificent crown worthy of a king atop his head, where locks of grayish-brown hair flow down till where his shoulders meet his neck. Dressed in robes of elegant black, he looks ready to perform wizarding nonsense. 

“Unfortunately, Yang Jae-hwan, she doesn't. You don't hold any rights over that decision either.” Your mother says, evidently annoyed. 

“Anyways,” Slav clears his throat, “Adrina Cassius married a mortal, Lee Jae-hyun, for the reasons she prefers to call love. She gave birth to Y/N Jae-hyun Campbell, whose real name is Y/N Jae-hyun Cassius. 

“We are here for the 'grand reveal' of Ms. Y/N, and His Majesty Yang Jae-hwan's verdict on how best to train the half-blood, and how to protect her. We are also here to listen to the defense of the Cassius family.”

“Hello all, I am Wilhelmina Cassius, wife of Athan Cassius,” – a collective gasp rings throughout the Court – “and I will present the defense. 

“We have none. Why do we defend our choices? Yes, the choices in question may threaten the very existence of mortality, but they didn't! She's of age in a few hours, and we were going to present a diary written by all the reigning royalty of our family, including how to adjust to being a half-blood by our ancestor, Lilith Cassius. 

“However, due to… present circumstances, we are unable to. I find this to be a valid enough defense. I am the reigning queen due to my daughter stepping down, which I fully support, by the way, and I have been handling things just fine. I don't seem to find a valid reason for this whole fiasco.”

“The Queen of Colonia, present day Canada, has made the defense. What does the King reply to this?”

“You're right, Wilhelmina, you do make a valid point. But what if her powers got out before she came of age? What then? What if mortals were harmed? This is the first half-blood I've seen that's not out of control. Precautions have to be taken, Wilhelmina.”

“Jae-hwan, you wanted Y/N's power for yourself and under control, didn't you? We can be honest, this is a safe space!”

“Wilhelmina, let's stay civil. I do care about power, but I would not take Y/N's power. Ever. My son is equally powerful. In fact, I'm surprised Y/N didn't–”

“Enough. Can we get the verdict?”

“Yes, Slav, if you please.”

“By the Court's discretion, the verdict remains not against, but with the Cassius family. However, a few conditions will be discussed, and now that Yang Jung-won, son of Yang Jae-hwan, succeeded in getting Ms. Cassius here, he has succeeded in placing his claim to the throne and will be the next emperor.”

Yang Jungwon? Didn't Sunghoon drag us here? 

“The Court is dismissed. The Cassius family and their acquanitance have been requested to stay back for a meal. Thank you.”

How was that a proper court verdict? This is the weirdest day of my life. Couldn't get weirder. 

“Y/N, WHAT THE FU- HECK WAS THAT?” Danielle screams in your ears, Mitch shrieking as usual with equal passion. 

“Danielle, I wish I knew. I'm as confused as you are, honey.”

“Kids, we need to go to the official dining hall. Follow me.” Your mother says, flying away as a bat. 

Wait, flying? The day got weirder. 

Danielle gapes, but follows. You follow suit. What is happening?

All around, life seems to be going on as usual in the Palace of Maledictus. You feel like you're the only ones out of order. Mitch bounds after your bat-mom and Dani and you walk slowly behind. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

After what seems like a lot of walking and exercise again, you and Danielle finally reach the hall. 

It's not a hall. It's a huge ballroom. A very long dining table stretches from one end of the room to the other, a regal tablecloth spread out on it. The chairs look like thrones themselves, and there are at least 32 chairs in total. Approximately. The hall has a lot of chandeliers looking down at the people vainly. 

“Please, ma'am, have a seat,” a waiter gestures to a chair next to your mother, while another waiter takes charge of Danielle's seating. The two of you sit together, your mother to your left and your Gran on Danielle's right. 

A delicious-looking feast has been set out, and you see your mother wolfing down chicken. Taking 'inspiration', the whole table begins digging in happily. 

“I propose our kids to date, Adrina.”

The table goes crazy. Wilhelmina chokes on wine, Danielle spits chicken on her plate, Adrina has a coughing fit, and your jaw drops. The king's heir, Yang Jung-won, blinks rapidly, and Sunghoon falls out of his seat. 

“I – (cough) – beg your – (cough) – pardon?” Adrina says, trying to pull herself together. “They can fake date. Beneifical for both families, and we can have an alliance if all goes well. If it doesn't, we'll see. If they don't – what is the term? – fall in love with each other, then there's no alliance and we go back to our lives. If there's no alliance, maybe Jungwon can take over your territory once the inevitable happens.”

Inevitable being your grandmother dying, you know. The horrible tradition in your family states that the ruler who marries a mortal will be removed from the line of ruling, and only their child – a half-blood – after they come of age will be allowed to rule. So, after your Gran, only you can rule. 

“Is that a threat, Jaehwan?” 

“No, merely a caution, my dear Adrina.”

“Mom,” you whisper. “Mom, it's fine. We can try it. Don't worry. Ask him if we can think and discuss about this for five minutes.”

“Jaehwan, we'll discuss this for five minutes. We can't take such a rash decision instantly. Give us time and we'll tell you after discussing it after the meal.”

Jaehwan agrees, and so the meal goes on, and afterwards, the hall goes silent. 

Gran and your mother whisper quietly, you and Danielle not the only ones trying to catch snippets of their conversation. Jaehwan and Sunghoon crane their necks to eavesdrop, while Jungwon seems to be the only calm one. 

“Y/N, are you really alright with this?” Adrina asks, and Wilhelmina whisper-shouts, “How is that even an option? Adrina!” “Mother, I'm trying to secure my daughter's future, and her sister's. Her sister is a mortal and isn't of age yet. She can't be told. I'm sorry, mother.”

“Gran, I'll be fine. He won't torture me. Mom, I'm prepared.”

Wilhelmina and Danielle, although very silent, don't look too happy. “Jaehwan, let it be written that Jungwon and Y/N have begun dating on the 31st of March. On the 30th of June, we will see how the relationship is going and decide whether to form an alliance or not.”

Jaehwan beams, clapping. “Jungwon, you'll be moving to Y/N's city, and your friends may move too, if you like. I hope to see a good alliance.”

Jungwon makes eye contact with you, smiles ever-so-slightly. “Alright, father.”

It isn’t possible to fall in love in just three months. This is not going to be really good.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Your grandmother is positively pissed about the arrangement, but she doesn't exactly have a say due to the fact that it will be beneficial to her rule. And her future generations. So she

has no option but to go with it. 

Danielle has been forcing you to tell her everything he does for the past hour. The two of you are staying awake till midnight to celebrate your birthday. 

“Y/N, if I find a single red flag, I will make you dump that son of a vampire.”

“Hey, don't call him that. I'm the daughter of a vampire.”

“Still can't get over that, but sure. He's a terrible person.”

“Breathe, Dan. Let's not judge a book by its cover.”

“Yeah.”

The two of you are staying at the palace, and all you can think about is:

My poor lemon crinkle cookies. They have done nothing to deserve this. 

“Anyways, fifteen minutes left!” Danielle says, sensing the annoyance practically radiating from you. She rolls up a lettuce to make a makeshift mic, its edges tearing up slightly. 

“What do you think, Ms. Cassius, the soon-to-be 19 year old?”

“Comment denied!” You smile, pushing the lettuce-mic away. Danielle pouts jokingly, eating the mic. 

You guys have brought up a mini-picnic from the kitchen to enjoy by yourselves in your room. Your mother is sleeping in the room across, and your Gran is asleep in the next room, on your right. 

Taking a bite of the lemon tart the two of you stole, you think about the day's events. Damn, that was a weird day. But the ending seems good! 

The two of you pass your time, talking about the university you go to, Zephyr University. Gossiping about the most recent breakups in your friend group, you don't realize how fast the time flew until Danielle checks her phone. 

“SHIT, IT'S 11:56!” Danielle shouts, making you jump. “Bro, breathe, we have four minutes,” you say, laughing at Dan's expression. 

“How are you so calm? Dude. You're – what did they say? – ah, coming of age in the next… three minutes!”

“I wasn't born exactly at 12 AM on the 31st of March, you know?”

“Yeah, but we don't talk about that!”

You grin, helping yourself to a chocolate. 

“OKAY, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y/N!”

“THANK YOU DANIELLE!” You yell with equal energy, jumping up and down with Danielle. 

The door creaks. 

A hiss is heard. 

You and Danielle stop celebrating. 

The creaking stops. 

“Danielle?”

“Y/N?”

The two of you look at each other, and scream. 

And then, someone places what looks like blood next to you. What seems like a sinister voice says, “Happy birthday, Y/N. Hope you get along with good blood.”

That doesn't even make sense. 

You shriek anyway. Getting up, both you and Danielle punch, kick and pinch whatever part of the person you two can. 

“ARGH! WAIT! HEAR ME OUT! SWITCH ON THE FUCKING LIGHT!”

You continue without a care, but Danielle does so. The two of you have been sitting in the light of a single candle, so it is sort of understandable why you can't see who the creep is.

The light flicks on to reveal Yang Jungwon. 

Oh, fuck. 

“Dude, you have good self-defense, but like, why?”

“But why would you come here?” Danielle asks, in shock. “You see, Ms. Danielle, I believed that as her fake boyfriend, I should probably wish her a happy birthday. Did not expect this to happen, although Sunghoon told me what you guys did to him. He is apparently very scarred.”

You smirk at the memory, catching Danielle's eye. Jungwon narrows his eyes, still very curious and concerned, but shakes it off. 

“Thanks for the thought of it, Jungwon. What flavor is the cake? It looks a lot like blood.”

“That's because it is!”

One beat. Two beats. 

Danielle gags, getting as far away as possible from the cake. “Jungwon, what the fuck?”

You don't even know him but you're already worried. 

“I'm joking… Ms. Danielle, don't worry. It's just red velvet with some extremely bright red frosting.”

“Oh,” Danielle murmurs, walking slowly. “Want me to test it out or something?”

“Nope, I'll do it myself, Jungwon.” You say, grabbing a wine glass and scooping the cake in it. Taking a spoon, you gingerly take a small bite, ready to vomit if necessary. To your surprise, it tastes delicious. 

“... Maybe it isn't all that bad. It doesn't taste like blood, approved by me.”

Jungwon lets out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, and Danielle promptly eats the cake from your wine glass. “Ifs akshooli weawy goof,” she says, nodding in approval. 

“It's actually really good,” you translate for Jungwon. “Thanks, I baked it myself!” 

“WOAH, REALLY?” Danielle exclaims, eyes as wide as plates. Quietly, she whispers to you, “Y/N, maybe he isn't as bad as I thought,” and you smile. 

“Anyways, I'll let you guys sleep. We're going to Zephyr Uni in the morning, around 10. I'm transferring universities, so I'll be taking finals at your university. Continuing classes there, too. See you at breakfast,” Jungwon salutes a goodbye and shuts the door behind him. 

“Well, that was… interesting. He's nice though. He thought of you!”

“Yeah, more like he wants the alliance.” You say quietly, confused. Is what I'm saying true? 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

At breakfast, you, Dani, Sunghoon, Jungwon and his friends sit together. The five of Jungwon's friends know about the arrangement, so nothing's extremely awkward. 

“Guys, this is Y/N Cassius, and her friend, Danielle Marsh, a mortal. And Mitch, their cat.” Sunghoon introduces while Jungwon goes to fetch juice for the table. 

“Hey!” You and Dani chorus, taking a seat in between Sunghoon and Jungwon. “I'm Lee Heeseung, the oldest here. I'll let the others introduce themselves. It's nice to meet you!”

“I'm Park Jeongseong, but you can call me Jay!”

“I'm Sim Jaeyun, but you can call me Jake!”

“I'm Kim Sunoo!”

“And I'm Riki, Nishimura Riki.”

You and Dani nod to each of them respectfully, and smile. “We hope we all get along well, hopefully.” Dani says, grinning and lifting her fork. 

Once Jungwon is back, he takes a seat next to you, smiling. He offers juice to everyone, taking care to not spill even a bit. He's sort of cute. Maybe he's nice after all. 

Your thoughts are immediately proven wrong. 

“Oops!” 

Jungwon smirks evilly as a stain of orange juice spreads on your white shirt, and you gasp as you feel the chill of the juice. 

“JUNGWON!” Heeseung scolds, running to get baking soda from the kitchen. Sunghoon presses his temple, sighing with fury. You just sit there, mouth ajar. “Y/N, just stay here, I'll get you another shirt. Heeseung can remove the stain when you change shirts.” Danielle says, and runs off to your mother, who hopefully has a change of clothes. 

Sunghoon turns to Jungwon. “Jungwon. Apologize. You're supposed to be mature, especially to your fake girlfriend. Why did you do this?”

“It was an accident. Sorry, Y/N!” He apologizes happily, as if no one knows that he did it on purpose. “Totally, Jungwon! It's completely alright!” You say sarcastically, seeing Danielle return with a white button-up crop top. 

Luckily your mother had packed up whatever clothes you and Dani left behind at her home, because you two had zero time to pack. 

Mom, thanks. 

Heeseung returns too, so you go to the ladies' room to change your shirt. You exit the restroom to see Jungwon standing outside, holding the baking soda. “You forgot this,” he says, picking his nails. 

“Oh, thanks.” You say, taking it from him and re-entering the room to use the sink. From outside, he says as loud as possible, “I really am very sorry, I didn't mean to cause a change in the mood. Like, really. I'm not mean, I promise. I'll be thoughtful from now on when I think of jokes.”

You listen silently, scrubbing the shirt. Seeing the stain disappear, you exit, stopping in front of Jungwon. “Don't worry. I was just really upset because it's my birthday, you know. Wanted the day to go perfect.”

“Oh, I'm sorry.” “You don't need to apologize, it's fine! Let's forget it and look ahead!” You smile, and Jungwon returns it, his face cheering up. 

The two of you walk back to the table, and on the way, you ask a member of staff for a bag to keep the wet shirt in. The lights suddenly dim, and your eyesight takes a bit to adjust. “Need help?” Jungwon offers, taking your hand gently. He leads you back to the table as you try to spot your mother, who was supposed to be here. 

Your senses haven't fully developed due to the lack of training as a young child, and so you can't really make out much. “I'll help you train, by the way, whenever we're free. We'll discuss a set time later.” Jungwon says, reading your mind. 

You thank him, and finally reach the table. Ignoring the slight tingles in your fingers, you let go of his hand, and the table brightens up. 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY..” 

You gasp as nineteen candles light up and the whole table sings for you. The staff clap as well, and you smile, the brightest in the room. 

“Thank you all so much!” You exclaim in joy after the song is over. “Make a wish, Y/N,” Dani says, and you do so, blowing the candles. 

“What'd you wish for?” Jungwon asks you curiously, as you cut the cake to give everyone.

“If I tell you, it would not come true. So no thanks.” You say, busy cutting the cake proportionately. He pouts, and cringes immediately after. “Shit, remind me to never do that again.” You laugh and nod. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

On the journey back home, the University students sit in one vehicle, and your mother sits in another. Gran left for Canada immediately after breakfast, and Jungwon's father and the rest's parents stayed back in Maledictus. 

You sit next to Dani and Sunghoon, and you tell Hoon the story of how Mitch became your pet as he listens attentively, with Dani adding her own comments in between. 

“So yeah, Mitch decided to stay with us! We officially adopted her, like, 10 months ago.”

Sunghoon smiles, ruffling Mitch's fur, while she claws at his hand, irritated. The journey worth 90 minutes passes by quickly, and the driver pulls up to the driveway of your home. Your mother's car follows, and the drivers stop for a meal. 

You quickly whip up some spaghetti and sandwiches, and Danielle attempts to repair the damage in your kitchen. Sunghoon makes some lemonade, and gives the drivers their meal. They wave and drive off to Maledictus. 

“Shit, the kitchen is such a mess.” Danielle says, opening the oven door to find burnt cookies and an extremely nauseating smell. 

“What happened here?” Your mother asks, entering the kitchen. 

“Mother, we were trying to enjoy our last few days of break before school, but dear Sunghoon over here decided to drag us to Maledictus!”

Sunghoon winces, wiping the inside of the oven clean. The rest are sorting through the bags in the living room. Dani is currently sifting through the food in the fridge, trying to throw out the rotten food. Surprisingly, even after just one day of absence, at least a quarter of the food (healthy stuff) had gone bad. 

You hate wasting food and Danielle knows it. So she does it herself. She dumps the food in the separate trash can, cringing. 

After about half an hour of cleaning, the three of you manage to clean up the mess in the kitchen. The rest of Jungwon's friends successfully sort through their bags and make sure the right stuff is in the right bag. Your mother has already returned home, but you see a notification from your mother. 

Mom ♡ : If you need anything, message me or call. 

You : thanks mother!! 

After sending a reply, you settle down on the rug in the living room, while Danielle gets chairs for the rest. “We're leaving for the dorms tomorrow, do you guys have everything set?” You ask the boys, who nod. “Only Riki is your age. He's majoring in dance. I'm majoring in journalism.” Sunghoon says, and Riki grins, saluting. 

“What do you major in, guys?” Dani asks, sitting next to you. “I major in humanities, finishing my degree this year,” Heeseung says. 

“I major in the visual arts,” Jay says. “I major in astrophysics.” Jake smiles. 

“I major in the visual arts, like Jay.” Sunoo says, smiling brightly. “And I major in music, focusing on composition and therapy.” Jungwon says, and you gasp. “Same!”

“Oh, damn, nice. We'll see each other in class then!” Jungwon replies. 

“What about you, Danielle?” Sunoo asks. 

“Film studies!” Danielle says enthusiastically. “Thought so,” Jungwon says, nodding. 

“What do you mean?” “You seem like the type to be really happy in the studies of media. Just the, uh, vibe with a capital V.”

Everyone agrees, and Danielle flushes. “Aw, thanks guys. Means a lot.”

You pat her on the back and Danielle holds your hand. I would never trade this for anything. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

SHIT WE'RE LATE. 

The first thought you have when you wake up. Delightful. 

Why is everything shaking? 

The second thought. How very wonderful. You then realize that your bed is shaking. “Y/N, WAKE UP.” 

Jungwon's voice yells, and water splashes on your face. “Sorry, Y/N,” Sunghoon says. You blink rapidly and see Danielle assembling an outfit for you. 

Only then does everything process. 

SHIT I'M WEARING SHORTS AND A SHIRT?? I LOOK LIKE CRAP. 

You jump into the shower, practically flying. Jungwon and Sunghoon catch each other's eyes and try not to laugh. 

“Welcome to our household,” Danielle says, holding a pile of clothes and dumping them on your bed. Sunghoon offers to take Y/N's suitcases down, and Danielle gladly accepts. 

“Jungwon, she'll ask for her clothes. Just hand that whole pile over, but DO NOT. I REPEAT. DO NOT. LOOK AT HER. YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF SIX FEET UNDER. YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” Dani says, shaking him aggressively by the shoulders. You sigh in the shower. 

Dearest Danielle. 

“BREATHE, DANIELLE, I THINK HE KNOWS,” you yell as loud as you can. 

Immediately after the shower switches off, you bang the bathroom door and stretch a hand out for your clothes. Jungwon obediently hands them over. 

Getting dressed in a hurry, you tie your hair up in a bun. “Let's go!” You exclaim, dragging Jungwon by the hand downstairs. 

“Everyone finished their breakfasts, by the way.” He says casually, and you facepalm. 

“Shit, I'm so sorry.” “It's okay, breathe. You can have it on the way there.”

“We're going on public transport, I'll just pack it and take it there. Are the groceries packed?”

He nods, and Danielle stops you on the landing. “Here's your breakfast. Eat it in the dorm. Let's go.”

The nine of you rush to the bus stop, just in time for the bus to arrive. “Zephyr Stop, please. Nine of us.” The conductor nods, and you pay. 

Online payment for the win! 

Upon reaching the bus stop, all of you get down, and you and Dani wave to the conductor. She waves and smiles. 

“We'll show you to your dorms. All genders in one huge building, but different wings. Females on the left, males on the right, and non-binary people depends on their preferences or identification. Not really sure.” Danielle says. 

The seven boys nod, lugging their bags with them. “The dormitories have a mini-kitchen, explaining the groceries we have. Depending on how many people you have in your room, you have bunk beds and one extra bed. One attached bathroom for everyone, and a study table for each person. There's a couch and a TV, and the Wi-Fi password will be shared to you by a residential counselor,” you explain, walking slowly. 

“Since today's a Sunday, we can meet up freely. When actual classes begin, we'll have to stay in our own block. But we can meet at the shops on campus.

“We have a café, restaurant, medical store, a few medical staff, grocery stores, and thrift stores run by the marketing and fashion students. We have a few sports fields, a garden, recording studios, a huge library, swimming pools, and just an open field. We have an amphitheater and auditorium too. ”

The boys listen attentively, and Danielle sees the check-in machine. “Hand me your IDs, I'll check you guys in.” She offers, and everyone dumps their IDs in her hand. 

Checking in everyone, she hands the IDs back to everyone. 

“We'll meet at the café. Can we have a group chat? I'll share the location there.” You offer, and Sunghoon nods. “I'll take your numbers and make one. Guys, go ahead.”

The rest meet with the resident counselor as you give your number to Hoon. Grabbing as many bags as you can, you take yours and Danielle's belongings and unlock your room. 

I'll unpack later. 

Opening your phone, you see a message. 

Park Sunghoon has added you to a group chat. 

Park Sunghoon has renamed the group chat to Vampires and a Mortal

Sunghoon :

hey guys. y/n will share the location here. we'll meet up there. btw, here's the room numbers and roommates. 

– me and jungwon, room 112

– heeseung, jay, sunoo in room 116

– riki and jake in room 115

You :

here's the location : xtxtxtxttxxttxxt

me and danielle are in room 67 

You close the chat, and help Danielle unpack her things. 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

“I'm too lazy to remember everyone's orders, so go order your food yourself guys. Please.” You say, and they roll their eyes. Zephyr Café is a really calm place, the classic romanticized café. 

It has a beige color palette, and the smell of baking and happiness. Students come here on casual hangouts, study dates, solo dates, dates in general. Since not all students arrived on campus, and you all were here for lunch, the café was not very crowded. 

“Hey Jaemin!” You wave to the boy behind the counter, Na Jaemin. “Hey Y/N! I see you have people with you. You seem to be making friends!” He laughs, and you punch him playfully. 

“Shut up. Me and Danielle have the usual, the guys will order personally.”

“Alright. Enjoy, friendless bitch.”

“SHUT UP, JAE.”

You and Jaemin have known each other since your first year at Zephyr, the both of you in the same course. You're close with his friend group too. 

You did nurse a small crush on him, and sometimes still do. But it's just a crush. 

After everyone receives their orders, all of you talk about everything possible. Breaking the ice is really useful, because you and Jungwon will have to pull off a fake relationship and you need to make it realistic. 

“Also, Y/N, we need to talk in private. Could you guys give us a minute or a few?” 

Without waiting for an answer, he pulls you over to a corner of the café. “Can we use the field for training?” He asks, and you nod. “Yeah, just let me know the times. We probably have the same schedules so yeah.” He nods, and you return to your seats. 

All nine of you chatter away like old friends, talking about Spider-Man to Angelina Jolie. 

After the café lunch, you guys return to your rooms, and you take a small nap. In the evening, you and Danielle meet up with a few friends. 

“Yunjin! Minji! Hi!” The two of you greet your two other friends. They're roommates and are in the room opposite to you. 

“Hey guys!” Minji says, hugging the two of you. Behind her, Yunjin is dragging a sack full of snacks. “Here's food. Eat whenever. You're welcome.” She says, and you hug  her. Yunjin is the oldest, the same age as Heeseung, and is finishing her degree in botany this year. Minji is majoring in literature. 

You’re the youngest in the four of you guys, but you hate when they baby you, so they always baby you. Just for fun.

“And how’s our baby doing?” Yunjin says, pulling your cheeks. “Stop it!” You say, pulling out of her reach. Minji laughs, and Danielle opens your fridge to keep the groceries away. “I heard you made new friends? Around, like, seven boys?”

“Yeah, don’t make it weird, please.” You tell Minji, who already looks like she’s scheming. “Mhm, sure, I would never!” You sigh. Your friends are annoying, and also annoyingly sweet, so it’s a win-win.  

“Aww, does my baby have a boyfwend?” Yunjin asks, putting on a pair of glasses and smirking at you knowingly. “Maybe, but you’ll never find out who!”

“So you confirmed that you have one. We’ll find him. And when we do, he will regret it.”

“Please don’t guys, she finally got a boyfriend. Let’s not scare him away.” Danielle says, coming to the couch with packed bottles of cold coffee for Yunjin and Minji. “Did you guys have lunch yet?” She asks, and they nod. “Did you guys?” Minji asks, accepting the coffee. You nod and plop on the sofa. 

Small talk continues, and they leave to unpack. “Bye guys! We need to unpack too,” you say to Danielle, shutting the door after they leave. “Yeah, let’s do it. Anyways, how did you like the questions about your ‘boyfwend’, Y/N?” Danielle giggles.

“My vampire boyfriend?” You ask, grinning. “I don’t think I would describe him in that way, but sure. He’s fake anyway. As in, our relationship is fake.” 

Danielle nods, putting her clothes on hangers and placing them in her side of the wardrobe. “Danielle, you don’t want to drink, do you?” You ask, the thought suddenly occurring to you.

“Never.”

“Oh, thank god.”

You have never found the alleged temptation of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes tempting, and you hope never to. The farthest you’ll ever go, you decide, is wine or champagne, and medicinal drugs.

Hopefully you avoid the latter too.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

“Wake up, Y/N, it’s seven AM.” Danielle shouts in your ears, and you jump. “Okay, okay, breathe.” You say, gathering yourself and rubbing your eyes aggressively. “Need water?” Danielle asks, and you nod. She hands you a glass, and you dump it over your head.

“Better?”

“Yep. Are you ready?”

“As usual. We’ll leave by 7:45, so we have a lot of time for breakfast.”

You rush to get ready, and wrap a towel around your head after your shower. Pulling on a decent outfit, you stare in the mirror, satisfied. Deciding to go with a minimal makeup look, you finish it off with a brush of your brows. You’re wearing a black oversized shirt with graphics, and faded blue baggy jeans with blue Converse. Pinning your hair back, you use hair gel to make your hair less frizzy. Dabbing on some lip balm, you walk out of the door, grabbing your bags.

“Let’s go?” Danielle asks, and you nod.

Arriving at the main building, you look up to where your class is. The theory classes are in the first half of the day, and the second half goes to completing your assignments, and practical classes, if any. 

You and Danielle usually drop off your bags, but you see Jungwon, Sunghoon, and the rest at the entrance, looking confused. “Oh, hey, I nearly forgot about you guys,” you say, rushing to help them out. “Media and sciences are at one place, so I’ll take Sunghoon and Jake. The arts are in another section of the building, so Y/N can take you guys there. We’re going to drop our bags off, have breakfast first, then go to class, so come with us.”

They nod, and you all run off to your classes. You drop off Riki at the dance studio in the basement, and tell him he can ask the professor if he needs anything. Waiting patiently for him to keep his bag, you check your phone. “Back, whose room are we going to next?” He pops out of the studio, and you say, “Visual arts.”

Going to the first floor after the ground floor, you take a right and go to the second classroom you see. “Here. It’s more of an art studio, not sure where they take their practicals. The professor is in, you can ask them.” 

They walk out after ten minutes, and say, “They asked us to leave our bags right here, they’ll show us around later.”

You nod, and go to the next floor, allowing them to follow you. “Music composition, music therapy is the classroom on our left.” You drop your bag in the front, and Jungwon drops his bag beside you. 

“Let’s go to the restaurant.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The day has been exhausting. You still have training to look forward to. You open the texts between you and Jungwon again.

Jungwon : we’ll meet up on the ground, i’ll be waiting at 11.

You : pm????????????

Jungwon : yeah, what else? 🙄 we’ll do sensory training today. darkness. think about it, let ur brain process.

You : 🙄 im rolling my eyes but make it in bold, italic red underline.

Jungwon : nice reference. i see you’re a woman of culture as well.

You : obviously 

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

“Training’s going to be interesting,” Jungwon says. 

It is 11:15 PM, and you are extremely sleepy. You are in the field, near the forests that surround it. The trees block out the little light from the night sky. You grimace and say, “Sure. Can we get it over with, please?”

He shrugs, and begins. “Make out my movements. Stop me when you think you can.”

You see a blur of hands around you. Shit, he’s fast.

Finally, when you see him hesitate, you smack his hand. “Got you.”

“Good. Can be faster. Next, I want you to hold my hand with exactly my little finger. Doesn’t matter how. But little finger.”

Another blur of movements. Your eyes are adjusting, however slowly it may seem. Finally, when you think you can see his ring finger, you grab a finger.

“Good.” He says, turning on a torch. “You’re getting better. Stop me when I cross my fingers.”

And so it goes on, and on, and on, until around 11:55. “Stop me when I get too close,” he says.

Now, what is TOO CLOSE?

You stop him as soon as you feel his breath on your cheek. “This time, it seems you got me by my breath, not your eyes. Good strategy, but doesn’t work in all battles. We’ll stop here. I’ll walk you to your dorm. Is Danielle still up?”

“Nope, I asked her to sleep, not wait for me. She said she’d try, but I highly doubt she can. She falls asleep on a fixed schedule.”

Jungwon shakes his head, and you can barely make it out. The walk back is silent, only filled with the sounds of insects and animals making sounds, and the sound of your footsteps and breaths coordinating.

“See you Friday, Y/N.”

See you Friday.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Every Monday and Friday, the same time every time, he trains you. By the third Monday, you are successfully able to identify different movements. 

It’s a Wednesday, and you enter class and sit next to Jungwon, who’s passed out. It’s 8:32 AM, and the class begins at 9 AM. All around you, you hear whispers. You turn to Jaemin, who sits behind you, and ask, “What’s happening?”

“Y/N, you haven’t heard? Rumor is that you and Jungwon sneak out at midnight.” Jaemin says, cutting straight to the point.

“What? There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Yeah…” he begins. “They think you do stuff in the woods. You know, inappropriate shit. I don’t believe them, but there you go.”

You stare. “You’re kidding. They can’t possibly be that immature.”

“Actually, they are. Plus, Jungwon’s asleep, so that makes things worse. You may want to talk to him.”

“Thanks, Jaemin.”

“Also, Y/N, do you want to hang out with me after school?”

“Definitely!”

“Alright, see you at the café at 5:30?”

“See you there.”

You turn to the front, and poke Jungwon. “Jungwon, we need to talk, dude.”

“Mmf. Let me sleep, Y/N.”

“It’s serious, you dickwad.”

“Chill with the language, Y/N.” He says, sitting up straight. “What is it?” “Uhm, basically, there are rumors that we do inappropriate stuff in the woods.”

“Isn’t that technically good? Because we’re supposed to be fake dating…”

“Oh. Right. I forgot about that.”

“Speaking of which, we should probably show off right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can kiss you on the cheek, you know.”

“Oh…” you flush, shrugging. “Sure,”

Before you even get out the word, Jungwon pecks your cheek softly, smiling ear-to-ear. You go positively pink at the kiss, although very childish. The whispers seem to grow even louder, and Jungwon says, “Ignore them. They’re going to manipulate anything we do, so why not give them a show?”

You nod, and the professor enters, signaling an end to the whole fiasco.

You subtly open your notebook and doodle hearts everywhere.

What is happening to me?

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

At lunch, when all of you meet up, Jungwon fills everyone in on what happened in class. They laugh, and Danielle and Sunghoon smirk at you. Surprisingly, you and Sunghoon are becoming fast friends, and you conveniently forget the fact that he was your attempted kidnapper.

“Anyways, how were your classes, guys?”

The chatter goes on till 2 PM, when the practicals begin. Today, you have a free class till 3 PM, after which you have a practical session in the studio to try and begin working on your final presentation. Finals begin from April 22nd, and end on May 2nd. University begins again on July 1st. It’s the 10th of April, and the frenzy is finally getting to a lot of students.

Each of you leave for your respective schedules. You hurry to the library to get started on your music therapy homework. “Hi, Y/N! Over here!” You hear Yunjin say, and the librarian aggressively shushes her. You wave excitedly and head over there, swinging your bag on the floor. “Hi Yunjin!”

“Hey kid. What’s up?”

And so you and Yunjin chat whilst doing your homework, a paper on how music is interpreted amongst teens as makeshift therapy. Yunjin is doing her botany work, a case study on different structures in various plants worth 25% of her grade. She frustratedly shakes her head, looking at her computer. “Google is so unreliable, man,” she sighs. “Need help? I probably can’t, but worth asking,” you offer. “Nope, it’s fine, thanks!” She replies, waving it off.

You narrow your eyes at her, and she grins widely. “It’s okay, don’t worry kiddo.”

You nod, still suspicious, and continue your work. Finally, at 2:50, you decide you’re satisfied with your work. You proofread it, and format it. “Yunjin, need any prints?” She shakes her head as a ‘no’, and you nod, heading over to the printer. 

“Hi!” A familiar voice exclaims, and you look up from your paper to see Jaemin’s best friend, Lee Jeno. “Hi Jeno!” You reply cheerfully. He’s extremely similar to a Samoyed, with a really cute eye smile. You realize with a sudden jolt that Jungwon and Sunoo also have eye smiles. 

“How’s life treating you?” He asks, stapling his papers. “Oh, interesting. What about you?” 

“Fun. But since finals are near, I doubt the same spirit will last.” “Valid point.” You comment, as your prints get ready. Stapling them, you wave a goodbye. “Are you working at the café today?” You ask him, walking back to your table. “Yeah! My shift’s till 6 something.”

“I’ll see you at the café!” You smile and wave. “Bye Y/N!” “Bye Jeno!”

“Yunjin, I’ll go to the recording studio. Good luck with your assignment, okay?”

“Okay, child. Bye!”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!”

��� . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

At the recording studio, you greet the assistant professor, the teacher who helps with practicals. “Hello, Ms. Kent! Did you have your lunch?”

“Yep! Thanks for asking, Ms. Campbell.” You internally shudder, remembering the exposed feeling going through you at the Court when they revealed your last name to be Cassius.

“I feel like this time I want to go for a backing track before I try writing the words,” you say, placing your bag next to your chair. “New method? Whatever for?”

“I don’t know, I just feel like I don’t have inspiration for lyrics. Maybe by next week.”

“You mean the seventeenth? That’s a dangerously close date, but okay. Whatever’s fine by you. We have time till 5 today, so you will definitely be able to achieve a lot.”

You smile, looking at your melody list. It’s a sheet you prepared that lists your favorite backing tracks.

“What if I—“

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

After the recording studio session, you feel energized, music coursing through your veins. Ready to meet Jaemin, you go directly to the café, fifteen minutes away from the studio. Checking the time, you realize it’s 5:20 PM, ten minutes earlier than planned.

It’s fine, maybe I can get started on the lyrics. I need a melody though.

You begin pointlessly humming, trying to come up with a melody for your lyrics. “Hmm, HMM, HMMMM!”

“I’m sorry, but are you okay?” Jaemin asks, walking up to you. “The practical seems to be messing with your head, Y/N.”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up. Are you ready for it though?”

“If it’s me, you can’t really have expectations, Y/N.”

“You’re right. Point taken. How’s it going?”

“I have, like, the chorus all set, but not the backing track, the verses or the melody.”

“So basically you have nothing except some repetitive lines, or a refrain.”

“Pretty much, yeah.” He grins, ordering a coffee. “Hey Jeno.”

“Hey, Jae. Hi Y/N! I didn’t know this was what you meant by ‘see you there’. I don’t want it to be awkward or anything, but are you two on a date?”

“No!” You both chorus, panicking, and Jeno giggles. “Whatever you say.”

The two of you discuss everything about summer, waiting for your orders. “How was your birthday?” Jaemin asks, and you grin. “Oh, lovely!” You reply, recalling the weirdest day before.”

“I have a gift for you, but it’ll wait until after this hangout.”

“You LITERALLY DID NOT have to tell me, Jae. Why are you so mean?” You whine, your head in your hands. “I love annoying you, Y/N.”

“Sure you do. You are a bitch. An evil, mean, bitch.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure, kid.”

“SHUT UP!”

Conversations have always been easy with Jaemin, so you find it no surprise that you don’t get bored with him. At the end of it all, around 6:30, when you both get up to pay, he doesn’t allow you to pay. “My treat. If you pay, you won’t get your gift, and I’ll tease you till the end that you never got to see it.”

“You are manipulating me. But okay. Next time, I’m paying.”

“Sure, sure.”

After paying, the two of you leave, and he says,”Here’s your gift.”

Opening a blue velvet box, he takes out a locket. “Holy shit, Jaemin, it’s beautiful.”

“Open the locket.”

In it is a picture of you, Danielle, him, and Mitch. I miss Mitch. I wish she could stay at the dorms.

Your eyes tear up. “Y/N! Don’t cry, is it that bad?”

“No. It’s beautiful.”

“Here, I’ll put it on for you.”

That’s when you realize that this is what love, platonic, feels like. He unclasps the hook of it and puts it around your neck gently, smiling. “It looks lovely on you.”

“Thank you so much, Jaemin.”

“You’re always welcome.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Jungwon : why were you out with jaemin?

You : uh.. he’s my friend?

Jungwon : but IM UR FAKE BOYFRIEND?? 😭😭 

You : THEN ASK ME OUT??

          Ignore that. 😀😀

Jungwon : No. Meet me outside ur dorm RN

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

“Y/N. Will you go out with me on a date?”

The first thing you hear when you open your door is Jungwon’s voice, and he’s holding a bouquet of flowers. 

“Where did you get the flowers from? We literally texted three minutes ago.”

“ANSWER THE QUESTION!” He cries, looking exhausted. 

“I mean, obviously, I thought that was a given!”

“I could kiss you right now.”

You shrug. “Do you want me to?”

“To what?”

“Kiss you right now.”

“Yeah, that would be cool,” you say (not so) casually. “Don’t act so carefree.” He replies, kissing you on the lips.

It doesn’t seem right. There should be more of a PLOT before we kiss, man.

I’m looking into this too much. Chill, Y/N.

You kiss him back, and Danielle shrieks behind you. Crap, Dani.

The two of you break apart, the bouquet in your hand. “DID I MISS SOMETHING?”

“NO, BUT YOU RUINED IT, NINCOMPOOP.”

“SHIT. WHY ARE WE TALKING IN CAPS AGAIN?”

“BECAUSE I’M PISSED?”

“Guys, breathe,” Jungwon breaks in. “Y/N, it’s alright. Danielle, you didn’t miss anything. I just asked her out on a date.”

“Oh. Continue, pretend I’m not here.”

“Danielle, that’s just weird, dude.” You both say to her.

She raises her hands, as if accused. “Don’t blame me, love made me crazy.”

You throw a pillow at her face.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Jungwon : for the date, meet me at the restaurant, friday, at seven pm. no training, we’ll compensate for the training on saturday.

You : okayy ^_^ thank u 💗💗

Jungwon : ideally i should be thanking u but okay

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

You giggle as the two of you continue texting. “Y/N, it’s ten. Sleep. Please. Or let me. Or go over to his dorm. I would much rather sleep in the same room as Sunghoon than listen to you giggling annoyingly. Do vampires never sleep or something? That guy looks tired but doesn’t sleep.”

You shake off her rant. “Okay, okay, mom, I’ll sleep.”

You wish him a good night. You can’t help but feel like high school sweethearts, but make it older and more mature.

Mature? Says the girl giggling at texts. Bro. You’re not okay.

I know.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

You wait for Friday night to arrive. When classes end, you rush to your dorm to get dressed. Two hours early. Danielle rushes after her classes too, to make sure you look perfect (you already do) for the date.

“Okay, what do you want to wear?” She asks, shutting the door behind her. 

“Uh, maybe the black dress? Not yours, not the tight fitting one. The more airy, loose one.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Yours, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t have good shoes to match.”

“I have black heels, I think. I’ll search. Clean makeup?”

“Yeah, obviously.”

You rush to get ready, and by 6:30, you look in the mirror. The black dress has pleats that reach your knees, and off the shoulder sleeves that extend to your elbow. You wear Danielle’s strapped heels, wedged, not pencil, and your hair is left loose, a scrunchie in your purse, in case you need it. Your makeup consists of concealer, some counter, tinted lip balm, highlighter and eyeshadow eyeliner.

“You look so pretty, I need a Polaroid.”

You pose for one, and take one with your best friend. “Man, if I were Jungwon, I would rather die than let you go. Juliet to your Romeo.”

“HOW I HEARD YOU SAY!” You and Danielle sing along, while you pack your purse.

“Bye! Have fun, Y/N,” she says, kissing your cheek. “Bye!”

You arrive at the restaurant, and you see Jungwon standing there with a bouquet of daisies, your favorite. “How’d you know?”

“Danielle.” He replies, hugging you. “Shit, Y/N, you look so gorgeous.” He compliments you, and you flush bright pink. “Thank you.” “Always.”

“I want to get to know you more, Y/N.” He announces grandly, kissing the back of your hand. “Aww, hopeless romantic,” you tease, and ask, “What are we going to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know, dance?” He jokes, smiling. You giggle — STOP WITH THE CREEPY GIGGLING, Y/N — and grin. “We’re going out of campus. I took permission, plus it’s the weekend, so they told me it’s allowed.”

“Ah, alright. Where though?”

“You’ll see.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The drive there is not that long. After around twenty minutes of driving, he says, “We’re here, Y/N.”

You look around. Stars sparkle in the night, and the moon looks bright and happy. “I found this place last week, after training. It’s really beautiful, but I’ve never seen it during the day. Here’s the treehouse I built.”

“You built a TREEHOUSE?”

“Yeah, out of wood that had fallen. The walls are made with rotten wood. #Recycling!”

“Wow. You built a treehouse.”

“Not a big deal!”

“Totally.”

He leads you up the ladder, and grabs a chair for you. “I made dinner, it’s in the car.”

Jungwon runs to bring the food. He’s so cute, man. He returns with a picnic basket, and asks you to turn around. The room is brightened up. Is he lighting a candle?

“You can look now.”

You gasp, seeing candles lit, and wine glasses. “Jungwon, I don’t drink…”

“Who says we’re drinking wine?” He smirks, pulling out apple cider, your favorite. “Danielle?”

“Nope, me. I saw you drink it during class.”

You blush furiously, the thought of him looking at your preferences overwhelming you. “Thank you.”

The two of you spend all your time there, getting to know one another, drinking apple cider sophisticatedly, eating a vegetarian filet mignon (that’s what he called it), and laughing.

You admit that it’s been really fun with him. Is it a crush?

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Finals. Crap.

It’s the sixteenth of March, and you have not prepared lyrics. You have a general melody, but you need lyrics. After class, you run to the library and grab a dictionary.

You frantically start scribbling down lyrics.

 It began before my birthday

You and I, so forced, 

Didn’t have words to say 

The ice trying to defrost

Itself so fast

You wished me at midnight

Scared me out of my wits

You and I, against no light

Your goodbye felt like secret chits

Passed in class

And maybe I read into things too much

But we seem like too good of an opportunity to pass

Up, so I’ll try and take this and trust

That we both would last

So please don’t leave, don’t say goodbye

You know I’ll miss you, so don’t even try

No matter how fake we are, hope you feel the same

Way as I do, please just stay

And I could be romanticizing you a lot

You and I, as pretty as a forget-me-not

Following its name, I can’t ever forget you

I’ll be as blue as the flower if I do

And maybe I read into things too much

But we seem like too good of an opportunity to pass

Up, so I’ll try and take this and trust

That we both would last

So please don’t leave, don’t say goodbye

You know I’ll miss you, so don’t even try

No matter how fake we are, hope you feel the same

Way as I do, please just stay

I haven’t known you for long, a few weeks isn’t much 

Time doesn’t matter, ‘cause you feel like a crutch

To my sanity, if I don’t have you near

So please just stay, dear

So please don’t leave, don’t say goodbye

You know I’ll miss you, so don’t even try

No matter how fake we are, hope you feel the same

Way as I do, please just stay

So please don’t leave, don’t say goodbye

You know I’ll miss you, so don’t even try

No matter how fake we are, hope you feel the same

Way as I do, i hope you stay

“Good enough.” You murmur, and fall asleep.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

After homework class the next day, you rush to the recording studio. “Ms. Kent, I’m ready.”

“Jeez, Ms. Campbell, you scared me. But I’m happy. Let's begin.”

At the end of the session, Ms. Kent smiles with pride. “I am very proud of you. I hope it works out for whoever you have dedicated this song to.”

“Thank you, Ms. Kent.”

You exit, feeling very happy. This is guaranteed to get you a good grade. 

You hear your phone ring, and you take a glance. It’s Sunghoon. “Hello?”

“Y/N, Jungwon is dead.”

Pause.

One beat.

Two beats.

“You’re joking. I’m coming to your dorm right now.”

“I’m not here, Y/N, please believe me.” You hear the pain in his voice. “Y/N, I’m at the campus hospital. I’ve called the King. Please come now. Everyone’s here.”

You run, tears falling, but you don’t realize it. Your only priority is getting to Jungwon.

“What happened?” You cry, seeing Danielle waiting outside.

“Y/N, he left a letter for you.”

“No, Danielle, this is a joke. Danielle, please. This is a joke.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N, it’s not. It really isn’t.”

She encloses an envelope in your palm. “None of us opened it. He died in the bathroom, Y/N. Allegedly because of a stab, possibly silver.”

“It’s a murder.” You declare between sobs. “We know, Y/N, please come see him. His father will be here in fifteen minutes.”

“When did this.. when was he found?”

She doesn’t say anything.

“DANIELLE, WHEN WAS HE FOUND?”

The one person I thought was like me. Would understand. Who helped me reach my potential and unlocked it in the first place. Lit a candlelight dinner for me. He’s my fucking muse. This is a joke.

“DANIELLE, HE’S GONE.”

Sunghoon screams, and on seeing you, hugs you immediately. The rest are sitting, tears soaking their shirts. When they see you, they run for a group hug. “Y/N…”

“He was found when I was in the recording session, right?”

“We tried calling you. None of us could come get you, we were too busy. It was 5 minutes before you picked up Sunghoon’s call.” Danielle murmurs, choking up with tears.

“And now he’s missing.” Heeseung says, staring blankly. The doctor arrives on the scene. “Hello, the patient has gone missing and I’m aware. For your information, I’m a vampire, too. There is a high possibility he turned to ashes, and we can’t rule it out. I'm not sure what happened, and the security cameras aren’t explaining anything either. We’re sorry for your loss. We are trying our best to figure it out. I am aware he is the young Prince of Maledictus, and the King is on his way. I assure you, this is not a mistake. It’s supernatural.

“A red moon incident is what we call it. When a vampire, a very powerful one at that, just disappears with no warning after his alleged death, it’s either they’re in ashes… or they’re alive.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Dear Diary,

The king is furious. His only heir, gone into thin air? Impossible. He doesn’t blame me, though, surprisingly. I honestly don’t think he believes me to have the capacity to be able to scheme this well.

I don’t mind.

I know exactly what happened. His letter explained everything.

Here’s a word-to-word copy of it.

—————————————————————————————————————

Dear Y/N.

Do not show this to anyone else. Not even Danielle, not even Mitch. Mitch is a human, by the way. She’s been made a cat because of an age-old curse that runs in her family. 

I am alive. For security purposes, I won’t tell you where. My father is planning something. He’s a terrible, cunning man. He wants to kill you, and make me do it. I’m sorry, but I love you.

You hear me?

I love you.

I’m alive. I asked Jaemin to place the silver next to a body I was working on. Jaemin’s really nice, by the way. He knows. But he’s with me. He’s applied for leave from the university under pretences of his grandmother being ill.

Lies.

He’s with me, and wants me to tell you that he’s safe. “Y/N, remember me in that locket of yours.” 

Remember me too. I’ll come get you one day. When it’s safe. I promise.

By the way, love the song. I know for a fact it’s about us. Jaemin overheard everything before he came to the bathroom.

Don’t hate us,

Love, Jungwon.

P.S. : we both love you. Stay safe, and don’t worry. Don’t forget us, otherwise you’ll be as blue as a forget-me-not. ;)

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

THREE YEARS LATER.

“Y/N!” Danielle greets you.

The two of you don’t live together anymore. She moved away to LA for her career after graduation. You still stay in the same place, in hope of Jungwon being able to find you. 

Right now, Danielle is with you, at your good old home. Your mother is in Canada, helping your Gran.

“Hi! How are you?”

Danielle and you still talk, and have video calls weekly twice. The boys are still in touch through the group chat.

“I’m fine, as I said yesterday,” you laugh. “Same!” She giggles.

The two of you spend hours together until it’s time for her flight. “I’ll see you next month. Call you when I reach!”

You hug her tightly. “I miss you a lot.”

“I miss you too, Y/N. I love you, okay? Take care!”

She kisses you on your cheek. “Love you too. Have a safe flight!”

After shutting the door, you plop down on your couch. Life’s been good.

“Y/N. How have you been?”

You turn around to see Jungwon and Jaemin, looking extremely weary.

“We need to go, right now.”

Ah, my vampire boyfriend.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

[sundropmoondroplover]

Trusting Each Other

        Over the few days of hanging out with the Skelebro's you started to trust Sans more and more. Sans never told anyone about your secrets and kept it to himself respecting your wishes. You and Sans were very similar which you didn't see until now. You and Sans had trouble trusting people, also you hate making promises. When Sans rarely told you his secrets you kept his so he could trust you. One of the secrets you can vaguely remember Sans telling you made it sound like he was scared.

~Flashback~

        "Can you keep this secret kid?" Sans asked looking at you. "Of course I will Sans…" you said. He looked at you somewhat relieved but also afraid. He sighed and then looked at you with a sad look in his eyes. "Resets" he said blankly. You were confused about the word 'resets.' What is so bad about the word reset? "What is a reset Sans?" you asked looking at him. Sans looks at you then at the ground. "Resets? It is when the whole world resets back to before the human comes down to the underground" he said. Sans must have seen everything when the world reset.  

        "You don't know how many times I've seen Papyrus die over and over again… seeing everyone die by the hands of a human…" he said looking at the ground. You looked at him feeling a weird feeling go through you but you just ignored it. "That's why I'm so protective over him…" he said. He looked at you. He looked like he was about to cry. "Is that also why you have a hard time trusting new people that fall down?" you asked. "Yes that is why I have a hard time trusting anyone" he said. You felt bad for Sans and you suddenly hugged him. You felt his whole body stiffen at the hug before returning it. "Heh… thanks kid.." he said quietly.

~Present~

        You didn't realize you were staring off until someone gently touched you shoulder. You jumped before realizing that Sans was trying to get your attention. "geez kid didn't mean to scare you" he said. You quietly said that it was alright. "what are you thinking about? you were spaced out quite a bit" he said quietly before sitting next to you. You watched as he slumped into the couch drinking some ketchup. "Oh it's nothing…" you said. He didn't necessarily believe you but decided it would be best to leave it be for now. Suddenly the door swung open to reveal Papyrus bringing in bags containing ingredients for spaghetti. "HELLO SANS AND HUMAN. I HOPE YOUR HUNGRY. FOR I THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS MAKING SPAGHETTI TONIGHT!" He announced. "Sounds great bro" Sans said smiling at him. "Do you want help Papyrus?" you asked. Papyrus stopped in his tracks before saying yes. You got up and disappeared into the kitchen with him. 

Sans P.O.V

        I watched as Papyrus and Y/N walked into the kitchen. He let out a quiet chuckle, thinking about the mess that would be made in the process. Sure, his brothers spaghetti isn't the best right now, but he was sure that with some help in the kitchen, it might be pretty edible. He continued to drink his bottle of ketchup, turning on the TV. He let out a quick grumble, noticing that, of course, Mettaton was on. He didn't necessarily like Mettaton too much because of how he interacted with his bro. He leaned against the armrest of the couch with his skull resting on his phalanges, slowly falling asleep. The last thing he heard was Papyrus's loud voice telling Y/n what to do before falling asleep. 

Third P.O.V

      Y/n was listening to Papyrus's every instruction about making spaghetti but also helping him improve it to make it the best it could be. Papyrus was currently making the sauce for the spaghetti while Y/n was making the noodles. She quickly turned over to Papyrus, looking up at him. "Hey, Papyrus, can you do me a quick favor and grab the salt out of that tall cupboard?" She asked smiling. Papyrus smiled and nodded. "OF COURSE HUMAN! YOU ARE A BIT TOO SHORT TO REACH I SEE BUT HOWEVER I THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL HELP YOU," he said before grabbing the salt handing it to you. She gently took the salt from Papyrus's hand a little bit to the noodles. Papyrus was watching everything she was doing before speaking up. "HUMAN, THE SPAGHETTI IS ALMOST FINISHED. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP BUT WHILE IM GETTING THE SPAGHETTI READY ON PLATES I WANT YOU TO LET SANS KNOW IT IS READY," he said letting out a little nyeh heh heh. 

      "Alright, Papyrus, I will go get Sans and let him know," she said, giggling. She walked out of the kitchen into the living room where Sans was sitting on the couch. Before she could say San's name, she heard a quiet snore come out of him. She walked back into the kitchen quickly, getting Papyrus's attention. "Hey Papy your brother is asleep on the couch. Is it okay if I take him to his room so he can get some rest? As soon as he's awake, he can eat some food, " she said quietly. Papyrus looked out of the kitchen at Sans laying on the couch, then back to Y/n. "YES, BUT I EXPECT AS SOON AS HE WAKES WE ALL GET TO TRY THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S NEW SPAGHETTI.. Also made by Y/n, " he said the last part quietly. She giggled before thanking him, walking back out into the living room. She went to where Sans was asleep at trying to figure out how she's going to get Sans upstairs to his bedroom. He can't be that heavy can he?

      She quickly put her arms underneath Sans and picked him up. Wow, he really wasn't heavy. After all, he's all bones. She quietly walked up the stairs to where Sans bedroom was at. She made sure not to accidently wake him up because she's sure he needs this sleep. Walking down the hallway, she first saw Papyrus's room, then finally Sans room. She tried to open Sans bedroom door to find out it was locked letting out a sigh. She put her hands on the doorknob, closing her eyes using her magic before she heard a quick unlock sound. She smiled, opening Sans door and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind her. Wow, his room was a mess with some clothes on the floor and a miniature tornado? 

      She shook her head, smiling and put Sans on his bed. Before she could start to leave, she was pulled onto the bed next to Sans. Sans had put his arms around Y/n's torso, snuggling his skull into the small of her back. She knew she would be stuck in this predicament for a while. She let out a quick sigh of contentment, noticing how comfy it actually was to be snuggled by Sans. She shouldn't be taking advantage of this situation, but she couldn't help it. After a little while, she slowly drifted off to sleep with Sans snuggling her.

[minthoneycas]

hard agree that dean makes a killer brisket. tell me more about this brisket??

on the topic of jewish food. i think sam is a latke machine. like you put him in a kitchen say "okay sam here are the ingredients make some latkes" and leave him be for a few hours you will come back in and sam will be surrounded by towers of latkes

cas makes a noodle kugel that is so full of love <3

eileen is a challah goddess. makes the most beautiful and intricate challahs you have ever seen in your life

okay so Dean makes the world's best brisket. he learned the recipe from Rufus, and they let it sear on the stovetop with some roughly chopped Mirepoix and garlic (about 1-2 inches for the veggies and diced for the alliums), then after they have some caramelization and browning they scrape up the fond in the pot and deglaze with a little dry red wine (manischewitz when they can get it). they put the meat on a low wire rack above the aromatics and veggies to let the fat and juices drip down. then they mix in a bit of ketchup, some thyme, and bay leaves, and 1 part coca cola (old fashioned/mexican/corn syrup free), and a smidge of chicken stock until it's coming up just below the brisket. they cover it and leave it to slow roast in the broiler for 3 hours on a low heat ABSOLUTELY NOT CHECKING IT until the time is up, then take out and slice the brisket to ensure even cooking add some fingerling or baby salt potatoes to the liquid. put back in the broiler covered for another 30-45 minutes until the potatoes are tender to the touch, then plate it.

I disagree I think Sam, a man who never had to truly cook for himself and when he has to as an adult subsists on salads, wraps, and diner food CONSISTANTLY burns the latkes if he's in charge of watching them fry. Cas is the real Latke making machine. Sam does make a decent charoset though. Dean Hates Grating the potato and onions and is still confused by the concept of Cheese cloth, but also thinks that using a food processor is a cop out. Cas is such a Latke Master that he even makes turnip, beet, and carrot latkes since he says they're more traditional and historically accurate to the diasporic groups that first started making latkes since potatoes were originally cultivated in the Andes by the Inca.

Sam does like Applesauce with his latkes, while Dean is more Adventurous and will try anything you give him topping wise from leftover cranberry sauce, to lox and cornichons. Jack likes applesauce AND sour cream and even makes Latke gelt latke sandwiches (they are four). Cas typically goes for Sour Cream.

Cas both makes an amazing noodle kugel, and a potato kugel that is essentially one giant baked latke in a pyrex. he makes it for Jack's birthday every year.

Eileen makes Challah that would make you weep. She does ones with edible flowers, ones with nut, and seeds, and raisins, ones with rainbow colors, and ones that have the most intricate braids you wonder if it's not magic (it is, Sam casts spells to make the dough cooperate). if you could imagine the loaf of bread Peeta gives Katniss in the hunger games that keeps her family from starving to death and makes her fall in love? Eileen makes challah that good.

Favorite Hamantaschen fillings:

Cas: Poppy seed

Eileen: lemon curd

Sam: blueberry

Jack: Apricot or Strawberry

Dean: any

[hexandbalances]

Tool Maintenance

I have seen quite a lot of promotion of this or that tool to use in one’s craft or place on one’s altar over the years, but I haven’t seen as much discussion on how to properly care for or use those tools. Taking proper care not only increases your connection to the tool - making its use more potent - but extends its longevity. I thought I might start with two near universal work horses: the cauldron and mortar & pestle.

Cauldrons

Cast Iron

The majority of cauldrons I’ve seen commercially available are made of cast iron. Cast iron cannot be cleaned like a conventional pot or ceramic dish. Dish soap and steel wool should never touch your cast iron tools. 

To clean:

A clean, stiff bristled brush and hot water should function for common cleaning needs. Do not soak in water, this will cause rust.

For hard, stuck-on bits make a paste of kosher salt and hot water and use that to scrub with a rag or paper towels. You may also boil water in the cauldron if the situation is dire.

Thoroughly dry the cauldron with a paper towel or lint-free cloth. Air drying is often insufficient and can cause rust to set in.

Using a cloth or paper towel, swab the entire cauldron, inside and out, with oil. I use linseed or flaxseed but olive oil is also very common. This is referred to as seasoning.

If rust does set in do not fret; it’s often fixable by rubbing the area with a raw potato.

Brass & Copper

Brass and copper develop patina/tarnish over time, especially when handled often. There are a few non-irritating methods of removing tarnish that can often be found in your pantry:

Ketchup - apply a layer on your cauldron and let sit 10 minutes. Rinse off with water and buff dry.

Lemon and salt - a 2:1 ratio of fresh lemon juice and salt. Gently buff with a clean cloth, rinse, and buff dry.

Baking soda and white vinegar - Mix just enough vinegar into baking soda to create a thick paste. Layer onto your cauldron, let sit half an hour, then rinse and buff dry.

Mortar & Pestles

Marble & Granite

This is by far the most common mortar and pestle type I have come across. I have one made of marble and use it several times a week. You must season a mortar and pestle when you first get it.

Seasoning:

Grind uncooked rice. This is the initial coarse grind that should loosen up any debris or particles in the mortar. Discard once ground to a fine powder.

Grind garlic. This binds up any dust and debris loosened from the coarse grind, making it easier to remove. Discard once thoroughly pulverized.

Grind pepper then salt (and cumin if you have it). This provides a fine abrasion, smooths the walls of the mortar, and removes any lingering odor from the garlic. If you have cumin seeds grind those to a powder first, then pepper, then salt.

Cleaning:

Rinse immediately after use to prevent staining, especially if grinding oily or acidic materials.

Dab highly pigmented/oily sections with lemon juice or white vinegar but don’t allow it to sit.

Mild dish soap on a cloth or sponge can be used, but I tend to avoid it as it can sometimes leave a taste behind. Rinse with warm water.

Soaking your stone mortar and pestle will stain or damage it. For stubborn stuck-on bits grind white rice, then salt to remove. This is excellent at removing strong odors as well.

Volcanic Rock (Molcajete)

The molcajete is a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle made of basalt. This has been used by Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztec and Maya for thousands of years. Because of the highly porous nature of basalt, the molcajete will develop a deep season over time, and should never, ever, ever be cleaned with soap.

Seasoning:

Seasoning the molcajete is an involved process. If you need to, take breaks between each phase but do not cut corners - it’s worth the time and energy to do it right.

Soak for about two hours in clean water. Allow it to dry thoroughly - because basalt is very porous any lingering water could attract mold.

Before you begin to grind place a very slightly damp kitchen towel or sillpat beneath it to keep it from moving and to protect your counters.

Grind white rice to a fine powder to loosen sediment. The powder should turn grey from basalt being ground away. Do this until the powder stays white.

Grind rice and roughly a tablespoon of water into a paste. It’ll likely look grey and unappetizing; repeat until the paste stays white.

Grind garlic, cumin, salt, and a hot pepper into a paste. Let this sit overnight to absorb flavors, then rinse with warm water. Thoroughly dry your molcajete.

Cleaning:

After the seasoning trial, cleaning is relatively easy.

Rinse with warm water after each use.

Scrub, if needed, with a firm bristled kitchen brush - one that has never met soap. It’s best if you can have one set aside just for cleaning the molcajete.

Thoroughly dry - towel it dry, then flip it upside down, then right side up, repeating while it air dries.

Wood

My first mortar and pestle was a wooden one gifted to me by a well meaning Baba. Not understanding that it had a specific function I promptly ruined it and eventually replaced it with a marble one. Generally speaking you want the material of the mortar and pestle to be harder than the material you intend to grind. A wooden mortar and pestle is best used for softer items - dried or fresh herbs, yams, garlic, and the like - and ideally it should be set aside for a specific ingredient.

Cleaning:

For dry ingredients simply wiping out the mortar with a cloth is sufficient.

Otherwise, rinse with warm water.

A soft sponge with a tiny amount of unscented dish soap can be used. Allow to air dry.

For pungent ingredients, grind uncooked rice into a fine powder.

If your mortar and pestle begins to look dry or ashy, wipe it down with mineral oil.

[bonnyskies]

come back to me [epilogue] ⇢ jjk

you’re willing to do anything to save your marriage, even if that meant you’d have to sacrifice your own happiness to do so.

pairing — husband!jungkook x malereader

genre — angst, sexual themes, idol au, exes to lovers-ish au, open relationship au, marriage au, parents au

series warnings — infidelity (kinda?), swearing, bisexual!jungkook, jealous!jungkook, insecure!reader, unhealthy relationship, unrequited love-ish, slow burn, use of alcohol, mentions of divorce problems, (more could be added in future chapters)

word count — 2.6k

author’s note — this is officially the end :)

masterlist

Two years have passed since your anniversary, and nothing could be better.

Life was great, and you mean it this time. The feeling of waking up every morning and being in Jungkook’s arms created a warmth inside your chest that you never wanted to go away—and it seemed he felt the same way.

“Good morning,” you heard Jungkook whisper against the back of your neck, his voice low and raspy.

“Good morning,” you whispered back, feeling your heart flutter at the feeling of his arms tightening around your waist and placing kisses along your bare shoulder. “Happy anniversary, my love.”

Jungkook smiled against your smooth skin, moving his hand that was resting on your waist up your stomach, fingers dancing gently across your abdomen. “Happy anniversary, baby.”

“So what do you want to do today?” You ask, shuffling around so that you were now facing him, chest against chest, face against face. “We can have a picnic at the park together—you know, the one with that brand new jungle gym and the rope pyramid?”

“That sounds great,” Jungkook agrees while sliding his hands up and down your bare back and pressing tender kisses along your collarbone. “We can go to that deli restaurant across the street from the park and order that meat combo plate we got last time.”

“Yeah, we can!” You instantly nodded vigorously, already feeling your mouth watering at thought of the meal.

“Alright great,” Jungkook shot up from the bed, and you couldn’t help but blush at the sight of the many dark bruises and bright red scratch marks you left on him as he slid a pair of sweatpants and shirt on. “I’ll about go get the kids ready, you call the deli and order the food, okay?

You nodded your head, also getting out of bed and slipping on some clothes—and yes, kids, as in plural.

A week after your anniversary two years ago, Yeonha went into labor and gave birth to a baby girl, and you’re not lying when you say that she is splitting image of Jungkook. Anybody with eyes can easily tell that she is his daughter. They both share many characteristics, like hair and eye color, and they both have the same bunny smile that makes your heart skip a beat when seeing it.

You hate to admit it, but at first you thought it would be awkward when meeting her, especially since she is the child of your husband and his ex-girlfriend, but it wasn’t. You can’t lie and say your heart didn’t flutter when seeing her for the first time when Jungkook brought her into the house, in his arms, sound asleep—and the sight of that made you want another baby if you were being honest, but of course you couldn’t say anything, not when he just had one.

And as for Yeonha, sadly she’s still in your life. Jungkook and her have shared custody over Mina, so that means you have to see her at least twice a week when they meet with each other to get Mina from one another. But luckily you don’t have to speak to her at least.

Again, life was perfect now.

“Minho, make sure to watch your sister!” Jungkook shouts, watching with concern as the two kids sprinted excitedly to the playground.

“They’re fine, Jungkook. See,” you pointed at Minho who was currently helping Mina onto the swings before pushing her gently back and forth. “Now,” you then unwrapped the meat combo plate you got from the deli and handed Jungkook a slider and a can of strawberry soda. “Let’s enjoy our anniversary, okay?”

“Best anniversary ever,��� Jungkook teased, clinging your two soda cans together and pecking your lips softly before taking a small sip.

The two of you then began to dig into the food, taking fairly large bites into the small sandwiches. “This is delicious,” you spoke with a full mouth, “We haven’t had this in like—forever.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook agrees, taking another bite of his sandwich. “It’s been what—two months since we’ve been there, and it’s still delicious as ever.” He then glances over at you, lips curling up at the sight of your ketchup stained mouth and full cheeks. Even now, he thought you were the most beautiful, most handsome man his eyes have ever laid on. “I love you.”

His words were sudden, surprising you and making you stare at him with wide eyes and a full mouth. “W-What?”

Jungkook chuckled at your shocked reaction before repeating, “I love you, and I’m sorry that we can’t have a normal anniversary with just each other, alone.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize, darling.” You were quick to reassure him by placing your hand on his bicep and giving it a firm squeeze. “It’s your weekend with Mina and I’m okay with that, you know I love her like my own.”

Your words warmed Jungkook’s heart. You were right, you do love Mina as if she is your own child and that makes him so happy.

When Mina was born Jungkook was afraid that you two would start to drift apart again. Because after all, you were helping raise your husband’s child that wasn’t yours, and that can make things complicated.

But you proved him wrong.

The moment Mina became a part of your life you treated as if she was your own without any doubt, and that made Jungkook’s heart swell. He can’t tell how many times he has woken up and found his daughter in the kitchen with you, handing you the ingredients and helping you cook breakfast.

Jungkook thought there was no way he could love you anymore than how much he does now, but he was wrong. As he stood by the stairway, watching you two bond he could feel his heart triple in size inside his chest. You are definitely someone he doesn’t deserve to call his husband.

“You’re the best,” came out of his mouth faster than his mind could comprehend it. You simply shook your head, attempting to dismiss the topic but he continued. “No seriously, you’re the best husband anyone could ever have. Anyone else in your position would’ve left and never turned back but you chose to stay, and I can’t think of a way to show you how grateful I am.”

“I can’t think of a way either,” you agreed with him, smirking as you leaned over and brushed your lips against his teasingly. “It might take me the rest of my life to think of something. Do you mind waiting for that long?”

When hearing the teasing tone of your voice, he then said, “I don’t mind one bit,” before pressing his lips firmly against yours, the kiss being short yet passionate.

The rest of the day was like this, you and Jungkook being in the each other’s embrace, watching both Mina and Minho play together at the playground. It was peaceful, and calm. The four of you stayed at the park until nighttime, where the sun was starting to set and the moon was beginning to come out.

When going home, you were expecting to have a family movie night or something similar like that, because every weekend when you two have Mina it always comes to that—not that you were complaining because you loved family nights. But you definitely weren’t expecting to hear Jungkook say to the two kids to pack their bags and that they are going to stay with your mother tonight.

“W-What are you doing?” You ask the moment you enter the house, Minho and Mina sprinting up stairs to do exactly what their dad told them to. “It’s your weekend with Mina, I told you that I’m okay with spending our anniversary like this—”

“But I’m not,” Jungkook cut you off, placing his hands on your waist and pulling you to his chest. “You deserve the best. And don’t worry, one night won’t hurt—and it’s a three day weekend so I get Mina an extra day.”

You were hesitant at first, but when he started to leave tender kisses along your neck, making you become weak in the knees you couldn’t help but cave in, a hint of blush forming on your cheeks. “Okay, fine.”

“You don’t sound so excited to have the night to ourselves,” Jungkook muttered inside your neck, placing even more kisses down to your slightly exposed collarbone. “You know, it’s been almost a month since we have had time to ourselves—”

“Appa.” The sound of Mina’s loud, cheerful voice caused you and Jungkook to instantly separate, turning to see the two-year-old girl and Minho sprinting down the stairs with their backpacks on. “We’re ready.”

Jungkook licked his lips, trying to hide the swollen signs of them. “well, I’ll go take them to your eomeoni and be right right back, okay?”

“Okay,” you smiled back at him, pecking him on the lips and giving both Mina and Minho a kiss on their forehead. “Have fun you two, love you and behave.”

“Love you too appa,” they both shouted out, running past Jungkook as he opened the door for them and went straight towards the car.

Just as you were about to close the door, Jungkook kept it open with his foot in between the gap. His last words to you before leaving left you stunned and utterly speechless.

“You better be prepped and ready by the time I come home, baby boy.”

Jungkook couldn’t deny how stunning you were, even while you laid right beside him, both of you completely bare, sweat glistening off your bodies and chest heaving up and down, trying to regain your breath.

He can’t remember that last time you two have went this hard. It’s been half an hour since you two both have reached your release and he could still see you trembling underneath him, feel you clawing at his back and tears of pleasure shining in your eyes as he thrusted deeply into you. The sight was breathtaking.

“This thirty-three year old still got it,” Jungkook spoke up in a raspy voice, making you chuckle as you shifted your body onto your side to face him, running your hand up and down his bare torso.

“Yes you do,” you grinned up at him, leaning down and placing a couple tender kisses along his exposed, sharp collarbone.

A peaceful silence then consumed the bedroom. The two of you enjoyed the calm atmosphere that succumbed you both, savoring this moment since you two haven’t had any time for yourselves ever since the day Mina was born—not that any of you were complaining because she is a gem no doubt, it was just you two are a married couple and still would like to have time for yourselves every once in a while.

You could slowly feel yourself slip into slumber, but Jungkook’s next words made your eyes shoot wide open, nearly bulging out of your head.

“Let’s have another baby.”

“W-What,” you sat up on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and stared down at him. “Have you completely lost your mind? We already have two kids.”

“I know,” Jungkook copied your same position. “But I don’t know, I really want another kid, don’t you?”

“Of course I do—” you tried to say but then he cut you off, continuing.

“Then why can’t we? We both are in a perfect place in our lives,” smiling widely, Jungkook took your hands into his and squeezed them tightly. “You just got a promotion so you now work from home, and BTS is over, we finished our last tour last month so that means I’m going to be home now more than ever. Come on, let’s have another baby, please?”

You remained silent, and when Jungkook noticed your hesitation a frown formed on his lips. “If you don’t want another kid then that’s okay with me, I’m just wondering if you want one as well.”

Your heart clenched when seeing his downed expression, your thumbs immediately caressing the back of his hands comfortingly. “Jungkook, it’s not that I don’t want another kid because I do, but Mina is only two-years-old, don’t you think it is kind of early?”

Jungkook shook his head instantly, “No, I don’t. We always talked about having a big family, and now that we’re both in a comfortable place in our life, what’s a greater time than now?”

His words brought a large smile on your face. “Then let’s have another baby.”

“Really?” Jungkook stared at you with wide eyes, mouth gaped open.

“Yes really,” you quickly nodded, and next thing you knew you felt Jungkook’s lips crashing onto yours, moving his body so that he was now hovering you, hands moving down to your thighs and pulling you flushed against his body.

You couldn’t but moan against his lips when you felt his hands begin grope your ass, squeezing the flesh of your skin. “You do remember I’m a man, right? So that means I can’t get pregnant,” you teased, pulling away from his lips to stare at him.

Jungkook’s lips curled up into a smirk and whispered, “doesn’t mean we can’t try,” before bringing his mouth back down onto yours.

The night was again filled with the sound of your moans, Jungkook’s groans, and his skin slapping against yours.

And when morning, the first thing you did was call the same adoption agency that Minho came from and now, the two of you were officially added onto the list.

Life may be perfect now, but it was only going to get even more better from here on out.

BONUS:

“Alright Ms. Lee, I’m going to need you to push one more time and the baby should come out,” the male doctor that sat in front of you and Jungkook stated.

The woman that was laying on the hospital bed had tears in her eyes as she nodded her head, releasing a loud cry before doing exactly what the doctor said. And soon, the sound of a baby’s cries filled the delivery room.

“It’s a boy,” the doctor says, handing the baby boy to one of the nurses so that they could clean him up.

“Thank you so much, A-yeong.” You grasped onto the woman’s hand, bowing your head gratefully and at same time Jungkook also asks, “How are feeling?”

“Really tired,” the woman answered, skin shining with sweat and chest heaving up and down from exhaustion.

“Well you only have little time to rest before we have to go again,” the doctor spoke up again, “The second baby should coming out any second now.”

You and Jungkook both froze, “S-Second baby? We were informed that there will be only one.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” the doctor shrugged his shoulders. “On the record it says, Lee A-yeong, female, age thirty-one, having twins.”

You turned to Jungkook, eyes wide but shining with excitement. “We’re having twins,” you said, voice trembling out of happiness.

“We’re having twins,” Jungkook repeated your words, sharing the same joyful expression as you before leaning down capturing your lips into a sweet, passionate kiss.

Soon, another baby’s cries could be heard, making you two separate. Your eyes then met the baby’s ones, making your heart flutter inside. “This one is a girl.”

“Oh my god,” Jungkook gasped, hand over his mouth out of shock. “We have another baby girl.”

After the nurses cleaned both babies, they each handed you and Jungkook one. “So, have you two thought about any names?”

“Well, I’m thinking of naming the girl A-yeong,” you suggested, glancing at Jungkook for his opinion while delicately running the tip of your index finger along the baby girl’s chubby cheek.

“I like it,” Jungkook agrees.

A-yeong smiles and bows her head thankfully. “Thank you for naming her after me.” She then asks, “what about about the boy?”

“How about Junghyun?” Jungkook says, rocking the baby boy in his arms gently back and forth.

You instantly nodded your head, “Yeah, it’s cute—definitely suits him.”

“Hello there little ones,” Jungkook gets closer to you so that he can see the baby girl, A-yeong asleep in your arms. “Damn, they’re so precious.”

“Hey, watch your language,” you scolded him, “we’ve got babies right here.”

Jungkook chuckled and pecked your forehead. “Welcome to the world, Jeon A-yeong and Jeon Junghyun.”

Life may be perfect? No, life is perfect.

the series is officially over, i’d like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout this entire series. i love you all so much, there’s no way i could’ve been able to finish this without you guys.

TAGLIST:

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