#also very funny to have to pull both of my cats out of the dryer because where one goes the other has to follow

[bloodanddiscoballs]

Last night, I ended up not being able to sleep, so I just decided to do my laundry instead, and my two cats joined me out of curiosity and because it was thundering pretty heavily. They clearly didn't want to be alone, and it was warm with me.

And I was standing there in this vintage nightgown my cousin had gotten me for my birthday, watching my cats play on the floor together while I folded my laundry, and I had this thought of "I wonder if the original owner of this nightgown ever had a moment exactly like this one; watching their cats play while they folded laundry in the night."

And idk it just got me thinking about how many people in my own bloodline had this same experience, how many people I wasn't ever related to also had it, how many people right then were also standing in front of their dryer, watching their cats tumble all over one another while the heat of the dried clothing kept their hands warm while they folded clothes.

It's the little things that make me feel connected to the past and the present, I guess. And it's also moments like those that make me so happy to still be alive, even when it's hard.

[helpinghanikan]

Sleeping arrangements

Avengers (and Matt Murdock x Reader)

Sum:  It's late and the bed is so nice. It's time to sleep and to bring your heroes along with you. (Fluffy little snippets of sleepy time with the Avengers)

Steve Rogers:

It’s the last train home and only one thing in this world is warm. The wall of Steve Rogers your head rested against was beating softly through the jacket and shirt he wore. Keeping your arms around his center to keep any of the heat from getting away. His own arm protects around your shoulders, keeping you in and gibing his hand something to do instead.

He could’ve driven, he should’ve driven, instead he wanted to take the train. He wanted to walk around like he did years and years before, but this time with your hands intertwined.

Although far away the train has started to shake the earth. Taking you out of the almost sleeping world and back into this cold one. The change in worlds brings out a yawn and lets the cold back in. It’s been a long day. With your eyes closed and clothes heavier than they could ever be Steve was the only thing keeping you up. His chin rests on your head after a while, thumb rubbing over your shoulder as the train finally pulled to a stop.

Inside it was the same story but in a seated position. Guided into his lap and landing with a groan as it was just so much work. The practically empty strain allowed your legs to stretched straight out over the seats.

Steve could stay awake longer than most, but he was tired. He was cold and annoyed and really wished he had driven instead of taking this stupid train. He took his frustration out on squeezing you tight, holding on as if you were liable to fall right out of the seat if he let go. At least it was warmer inside the train.

Tony Stark:

Someone staying up late, not getting enough sleep, and making exhaustion their personality trait is funny for maybe week. But After days of trying to coax him to come to bed, to try something other than just giving up on sleep or even talking to a doctor it gets concerning. After weeks of these same issues, it becomes frustrating.

Everyone, from Pepper to Peter have done their fair share of lecturing. Happy has gone out of his way in helping you get the dumbass to appointments. All of which he has walked right out because, unfortunately, he was still an adult who could make his own decisions.

It’s only after using the nuclear word that he pays attention.

“Anthony,” You say just before he leaves the room.

Although speaking to his back he does stop. His shoulders have tensed under the t-shirt and he’s listening in.

There’s an audio book’s worth of things you could say about this issue. But it would all be a repeat that he’s heard before, from many different mouths. Instead, you kept it simple, not even bothering to turn on the light.

“You didn’t even try.” It comes out from a tired partner just wanting the best for him. Yet Tony walks away from the advice, again.

Thor:

Power doesn’t stop for sleep. It’s still in the air when he’s laying sideways towards the window. Because of the whole nighttime thing it’s hard to tell if clouds are actually coming in or darkening. Maybe you’re just insane but Mr. Weatherman didn’t say anything about rain tonight, right?

It was a jolt that really woke you up. Looking over your shoulder at the expanse of muscular back. Thor movements were always a bit too…loud for this world. Whether running through a fight or moving in his sleep it calls attention to everyone. He doesn’t mean to, but it does wake you up enough to see your glass is dryer as a bone.

As if reading your mind, the rain has come down. It could almost be described as torrential how hard it was all coming down. Matching the dramatics of rain, a lightning strike coming straight down into some poor tree.

This wasn’t the first time Thor had a nightmare. Asgardians just seemed to be humans 2.0, making Thor just as a victim to horror as we humans are. At the same time, he was still another worldly being, translating to giving him a few feet when waking him up.

Another strike of lightening and another tree is taken out of this world. Without the lights on that blast was your only moment of lightening. The rest of the journey made to Thor’s side of the bed was done in darkness and pounding rain. Following the outlined Asgardian until reaching his shoulder. A gentle hand on his should does nothing. A little shake and a whispered “Thor,” finally does the trick.

The two strikes of lightening outside somehow reached his eyes. For the briefest of seconds blue, cracking energy is directed right at you. Stopping just as quickly as they appeared, replaced with Thor’s regular blue eyes that blink a few times.

“What is it?” he asks.

There’s no point in telling him the truth about his nightmares and their effect. Then again, there’s no point in lying either. Instead, it’s better to distract. “It’s still super early. Back to bed.” You say instead, kissing with until he takes the hit and holds you.

Bucky Barnes:

Sleep is a luxury that isn’t worth chasing. With the pillows and sheets there were nightmares and enemies that could sense his weakness. Trying to get at least six hours and all that guarantees is waking up sweaty and a call to doc, making sure to get everything back in order before you could ever notice.

Instead, he takes walks. Maps out the city at night, the changes and differences that happened without him. He recognizes the buildings, the structures and bricks that were too strong to be a victim to time.

Most of the time he does this alone. Watching a show about nothing until you were asleep before starting his walk. But there were times you catch him, calling out to him like the neighborhood cat trying to get away. Getting on your own shoes and jacket quickly. Then enforcing the handholding during the little adventure.

It’s only when passing by something important that words are shared. “One of my buddies worked here when this place was a mechanic. Broke his leg just before the draft, I still think it was on purpose.” He’d say then never bring it up again.

These walks are always shorter than most. After two times Bucky learned when to make the loop back home with you. When your building comes back into view the handholding has gotten sweaty. The walking had slowed to a crawl and you were dragging him down by the arm. Even less talking was done after getting through the door; just landing face down onto the bed without bothering about the shoes.

These kind of walks were Bucky’ favorite.

Natasha Romanoff:

The bed was used almost exclusively for sleeping. As the couch was both comfy and expensive. And, as Nat puts it, “Should we do it with the lights off too? Under the covers like grandparents?” Although it was probably another reason to use the overpriced couch more often.

Like any good, and overworked, soldier Nat could sleep anywhere. When a mission is done, and there’s nothing to worry about, a shower and a nap is the best in the world.

“I smell nice,” She says walking into the living after the shower. Steam still behind her, hair wrapped up and a sweater purposefully bought to be several sizes too big.

She stretches and lays over you like a cat. Resting as close as possible so you, too, can smell the expensive shampoo she uses. Making sure that the body wash isn’t ignored either as that, too, was expensive.

“Might as well spend this pay on something,” She says when asked about the prices.

Although she asks what you’re up to she won’t be awake for the answer. Already teetering into sleep land when you answer.

Natasha was as athletic as she was heavy. Only sometimes managing to carry her bridal style and most of the time having to walk/guide her into the bedroom. Either letting her drop onto the bed with the same weight you had carried in, or she holds fast and takes you down with her.

Just like a cat, Natasha gets to decide cuddle time.

T’challa:

Although the mattress was new, the bed’s size was traditional, and passed on through generations of rulers. Forget California king bed, A Wakanda king bed was that and a half. Ten feet length, twelve feet tall. Combined with blankets, pillows and more it was easy to disappear into the thing. But it was also easy to get lost in it all.

In the middle of the night, in the very center of this ocean of bed, you can reach out forever. Finding pillows (both the decorative and the usable kind), smaller blankets or stuffed animals that have managed to be added. But it’s a tiresome journey, one that doesn’t seem to have an end even as you stretched to pointed toes and fingers.

It’s only after touching body heat that you can relax. Finally finding your king that turns to your touch. Making his own journey through sheets and bedding. Using you as the trail into his love. Neither of you thinking about the absolute nightmare it will be to make this bed tomorrow.

Pietro Maximoff:

For most of his life Pietro is moving. Be it running or just running his mouth, he’s not the kind of guy to sit still. Unfortunately, this also applies to sleeping.

“He’s been sleep walking since we were children,” Wanda once said. “Our father once found him crying in a puddle. He had slipped and woken up in the street. He’ll deny crying, though.”

As an adult Pietro doesn’t actively get up and walk around anymore. The man made up of strong and lean muscle still moves quite a bit. Waking up from freezing feet finding yours or because he’s sat upright in bed again. Using soft, but firm, pressure to get him to lay back down or to guide him back to his side of the bed. If you weren’t careful his arms would find you, almost dragging you back to his side of the bed.

He'd deny it in the morning. Smiling with barely open eyes as you’re still pressed against him. No matter how much you’re going to insist this was his fault he’d still mock you. Nuzzling in since you insist on cuddling so much.

Peter Parker:

There’s a time limit next when sitting next to Peter. You have ten minutes before his head finds your shoulder. If you don’t shrug or lean away he’ll stay there, slowly leaning in until he’s all settled.

Although not completely asleep he does rest. If your hands are held in those moments you could probably feel his pulse slow down as his breathing slows. Maybe his eyes manage to stay open, but his eyes do get heavy. Someone could say his name, and he’d respond, but it be from his throat. An annoyed groan directed to whoever was ruining this moment. Even if it was usually a teacher or adult.

It’s only when traveling, and you’re sitting for a while, that he completely falls asleep. Progressing past just leaning his head and adding his arms. If you allow him, putting an arm around your back and the other over your center. With your own arm over his back, he sleeps in a position that, although sweet, always left a pain in his neck. Something he’d complain about until you ask if he want’s you to rub his shoulders.

Stephen Strange:

During aura projection Stephen’s body is dead weight. No muscles or bone working with the individual trying to help them. It’s just taken over by gravity and his entire weight wants to be on the floor. Sleep does the same thing.

Short of a bucket of water to his face he won’t wake up. Part of his experience in med school was taking every bit of use sleep could give him. Which leads to sleeping fast, and sleeping hard, usually opened mouth. No snoring yet, but the moment he does there’s an open target for shutting him up.

Matt Murdock:

It’s a mixture of meditation and caffeine that he is still functioning. Too busy, much too busy, as a lawyer for the two of you to share a bed most of the time. Making any comments you have about his sleep schedule mute.

Watching him doesn’t change give any information either. Coffee in the morning, some deep breathing and self-centering in the between moments at work, and sleep ins on days off were all you could gather. Between that it’s easier to just assume he’s fine.

Just laugh at his “not like I need to rest my eyes,” jokes and move on.

Carol Danvers:

After going through every time change known to man, alien and beyond Carol has developed a very specific still. Carol Danvers, woman with the power of a star and to sleep literally anywhere at any time. Be it a cleared-out corner of some ship, an open floor that keeps her hidden from passersby or on your lap. The latter being her personal favorite.

Like a massive golden retriever, she wants to be in the middle of your lap. Close as possible with a arm holding around your shoulder and the other on her toy, or phone.  A being of wiry muscle and heat keeping you pinned to the couch. Most of the time she’s out ten minutes into the movie, most of the time the remotes’ out of reach, and most of the time you gotta go pee.

[alwaysachorusgirl]

Laundry Day

Paring: Frederick Chilton x Reader

Word Count: 750

TW: none

A/N: Cat Daddy Frederick turned out to be more popular than expected, so here's a little drabble featuring the return of Buttercup the kitten, and a whole lot of fluff!

Tags: @prurientpuddlejumper, @madamsnape921, @itsjustmyfantasyroom, @thatesqcrush (If anyone else wants to be tagged in a future fic post, please let me know!)

Your eyes scanned the empty dryer for the fifth time. Where is it? I know I put it in here… it’s not a pair of socks…stuffed penguins don’t just disappear!But Mr. Penguin had done just that, and Buttercup would be heartbroken if you lost her favorite toy. You glanced around the laundry room, determined not to rest until you found that damn penguin!

“Okay…deep breath, don’t panic. It has to be here somewhere.”

It was supposed to have been a simple wash and repair job. Buttercup wasn’t much bigger than the Mr. Penguin, and as a result, she would usually transport him by taking one of his flippers in her teeth and dragging him across the floor. You had noticed the Mr. Penguin was starting to look a little dingy and that one of his flippers was tearing away from the rest of his body. You had also noticed an odor emanating from the toy. Washing and sewing it back together was the only solution.

Buttercup was very resistant to letting go of her little buddy. You had managed to distract her with another toy and a YouTube playlist of funny cat videos that you had made for her long enough to shove Mr. Penguin into a delicates bag and toss him into the washing machine. After you had thrown him into the dryer, though, you had gotten distracted in kitchen and completely forgot about him. Now he was gone, and you felt like the worst cat mom ever.

“Mew?”

You froze, knowing that you were busted. You slowly turned to face the kitten, trying to put on a calm, happy face.

“Hi, sweetie! What’s up?” She was sitting on the floor, a few feet behind you, and looking up at you expectantly.

“Mew,” she replied. “Mew?”

“Uhm…Mr. Penguin? Uhm…” You did your best to try to block the open dryer with your body but felt like she could see right through you. Your suspicion was confirmed with her face shifted and she gave you most pitiful look. “Oh no! Please, sweetie, don’t cry! I promise, I will search every inch of this house until—”

“Y/N? Buttercup?”

“In the laundry room, Frederick!”

“I have a little surprise for you bo—“Frederick stopped short in the doorway, one arm behind his back. His glance shifted from you, to Buttercup, then back to you, noting the obvious distress on both of your faces. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s a long story. Frederick is there any chance that you’ve seen Mr. Penguin lying around the house somewhere?”

“As a matter of fact,” he pulled his arm out from behind his back, and you couldn’t believe what you saw in his hand. “I have, and he’s all stitched up and good as new.”

“Mew!” Yelped Buttercup, bounding over to Frederick and waving her front paws at him. Hanging onto his cane for balance, Frederick carefully knelt down and handed the toy to the ecstatic kitten.

“Now, try to be gentle with him while he’s recovering from his injury.” Buttercup responded by clamping her tiny teeth down on the stuffed penguin’s flipper, giving him a shake, and trotting off to the living room, dragging him along with her.

“That’s not what I meant by being gentle,” Frederick called after her, standing back up.

“Frederick, you are my hero!” You embraced your boyfriend, kissing him deeply. Frederick wrapped his arms around you, returning the kiss.

“Mmm…that was lovely, but all I did was put my old medical school surgical skills to good use. You were busy in the kitchen and he was sitting in the dryer, I thought I would step in and help out.”

“And now I know why you keep a spool of surgical thread in the first aid kit, “you replied with a giggle. “But next time, give me a heads-up first, please? I nearly panicked when I came to check the dryer and penguin wasn’t there.”

“My apologies, my love,”

“It’s alright, Frederick, Buttercup has her favorite toy back, she’s happy, and that’s all that matters. And now that the crisis has been averted, I think I’m going to try out that new cupcake recipe.” You started making your way towards the kitchen.

“Oh, may I help?”

You looked back at him and smirked. “Are you actually going to help this time? Or just get handsy with the chef?”

“Perhaps a bit of both?” he queried with a devilish grin. You slipped your arm through his.

“Well, come along then, Frederick.”

[genesisrose74]

Sun-kissed

A/n: If you can’t tell, Hinata is my favorite sunshine ever, and I adore him with my entire being. Here’s a little something for him because it’s always missing Shoyo hours - there are manga spoilers from around chapter 371 onward though, so be warned!

Pairing: (Brazil timeskip!) Hinata x Reader

Word Count: 2070

*******

The blazing sun of Rio set below the horizon, allowing a taste of salvation to wash over as a cooler breeze swept the bustling city. You sit perched on a plush bed, with brush in one hand and a blow dryer in the other. A towel snugly wraps around your body, but it’s quickly opted out for soft pajama shorts and a flannel that smell uncanny to tangerines and sunscreen. The scent invades your senses like a summer’s afternoon spent at the beach, and you welcome the comforting feeling that settles in your body as the oversized fabric ends at your thighs.

Idly scrolling through recommended shows on your laptop and humming softly to a relaxing song reverberating throughout the room, you don’t register the sound of the front entrance being unlocked nor the shuffling of feet in the living room. When you finally think you’ve decided on something to watch and go to pause your music, the bedroom door opens and filters a warm glow of light into your sitting space.

A smile graces your features when you recognize the figure leaning on the doorframe, his brightening presence ever more highlighted by the rays of the living room behind him.

“Is that my flannel?” he grins, taking notice of your chosen apparel.

“Why hello to you too, Shoyo,” you reply with an air of sarcasm, although the glimmer in your eyes indicates him to your amusement.

The Karasuno alumni pads over to the bedside before unceremoniously flopping onto the mattress, his unruly hair even more of a mess from the baseball cap he’s likely had on all day. “Hi, angel.” His greeting is muffled by the comforter below him, but you can hear well enough what he says. You stifle a laugh and reach a hand over to smooth out his tousled locks. “Tired?”

He groans in response, turning his head to face you with a pout. “Sand is stupid sometimes.”

“If you say that, the sand isn’t going to like you very much.”

“Too bad, it can deal with my annoyance in stupid sandy silence.”

Hinata props himself up on his elbows to examine your setup, a cheeky smile returning when he toys with the fabric of the flannel you decided to wear - yeah, most definitely his.

“You’ve sure settled in nicely,” he notes.

“And you’re sweaty as heck and lying on the bed,” you retort, eyeing his drenched athletic shirt as he splays out on the mattress.

He hums in acknowledgment, but makes no effort to move from his position, instead resting his chin on his palm. He gazes at you with bright eyes.

“Wanna shower with me then? Conserve some water?” he proposes, and you snort at his attempt to sell the idea.

“I just took one actually, but good sales pitch,” you grin while gesturing to your damp hair, still slightly wet despite using the blow dryer earlier.

He whines like a puppy being denied attention.

“Well that’s no fun,” he mutters.

His other hand skims over the back of your own, pulling it towards him and placing a gentle kiss on your palm.

“Did you already eat?” you inquire as your thumb strokes his cheek, temporarily choosing to put aside the fact that the he wanted to distract you from his (very necessary) shower. “Pedro brought back some dinner before he went out to study, so there’s still some left in the kitchen if you want.”

“I got something before I came home, but thank you,” he gives you a hazy smile. “Sleep well today?”

“Yeah. That early morning arrival at the airport ended up working out, since I woke up at a good time this afternoon.”

“If you’re up for it tomorrow, I can show you around the city. Maybe sit at the beach for a bit while I practice too?”

Your eyes light up at the idea, and Hinata chuckles at your excitement. “That sounds nice.”

The male leans towards your face and presses a soft kiss to your lips, full of tender affection and pure warmth. Gentle touch grazes the side of your face to pull you closer, skin on the pads of his fingers quite rough, but his touch still captivating you easily. That scent of sunscreen and sandy shores strengthens with his proximity, and you poke his chest with a giggle after grasping the strength to pull back.

“Don’t think I don’t know your games, sunshine. Shower,” you insist, drawing out the word.

He groans, rolling off the side of the bed and trudging towards the bathroom, snagging some clothes from his drawer to change into. “I was this close to making you forget.”

“Sure you were.”

He was very close to making you forget, actually, but you don’t tell him that.

The gentle cascading of water sounds from the bathroom connected to Hinata’s room, and you turn your eyes back to your laptop. Pressing play on one of your sitcoms, you relax into the many pillows stacked from behind and pull your boyfriend’s flannel even tighter around you. Despite declining his offer to shower earlier, you find yourself sneaking a glance at the bathroom doorway more than once, already missing the soothing warmth he brought with his mere presence alone.

During one of these occasional peeks at the door, your eye catches the glare of a picture frame sitting on a nearby desk, and you smile fondly at it from across the room. Even without being very close, you can tell it’s a graduation photo from the striking amount of orange in the frame, some being Hinata’s hair, and the other being a giant bouquet that he gave you after the ceremony.

You had your arms thrown around him, flowers clasped between your hands near his waist, and both of you were smiling like idiots in the shot. The photo was one of your favorites, and it was proudly on display in your room back home. In return for the bouquet, you gave him a big crow plushie - a gag gift that you didn’t expect him to hold on to for long, but you soon found out that wasn’t the case when it appeared in a facetime call during his first week in Rio.

It reminds me of you, he had said, hugging the stuffed animal tightly to his chest.

The bathroom door opened abruptly, promptly breaking your attention from the photo on the desk. You hadn’t even realized that the shower water had turned off until now. Hinata ruffles a towel over his hair, bringing his mop of orange locks back to its more typical volume, despite it being just as damp as your own. He’s only in a pair of sweatpants, and you are definitely not complaining at the sight of a shirtless Shoyo, sun-kissed skin and toned body very much on display.

Thank you, beaches of Rio.

“See? It feels nice being all showered up,” you nod approvingly, trying to keep your eyes from raking over the male’s upper body - you’re failing quite miserably. Fortunately, for your sake, he decides not to comment on your staring.

“I know, you’re right,” he sighs out, “I just wanted to catch up on lost time with you.”

As he situates himself back beside you on the bed, you give him a quick peck on the nose that leaves his ears a light pink. Even after all this time, he’ll get flustered at the smallest of affectionate gestures with which you surprise him.

“Well, you’ve got me to yourself for two whole weeks, so there’s plenty of time,” you point out.

“Kenma was really generous with all that vacation time at once.”

“There’s a backup editor that he’s been looking to test out on the channel, so he told me to take a break while that happens.”

Kenma - AKA Kodzuken - is indeed your boss, and a very great one at that. He lets you handle all the video editing for his channel, and you’re also invited to come along with him on business travels whenever you’re able. He knew you’d been working diligently when it came to your job, and saw testing the backup editor as a perfect opportunity to give you a break.

When he heard you were planning a visit to see Hinata sometime soon, the former Nekoma student practically forced you to take a vacation and ‘check in on my favorite sponsor’.

You constantly call him Shoyo’s sugar daddy, at which point he’ll chuck his cat plushies at you, but he doesn’t necessarily object either.

“What’re you smiling about now?” Hinata inquires, poking at your cheek.

“I just remembered something funny,” you wave it off, knowing Kenma would come after your ass if you said anything referencing the streamer’s nickname.

Hinata slides over and pulls you into his side, and your head instinctively lands on his chest. The gentle thrum of his heartbeat resounding in your ear relaxes you immensely. His hand traces lazily from your shoulder blades down your arm, and he takes your hand in his own with a squeeze.

“I missed you like crazy, you know,” he murmurs, and you feel like you’ll start melting into a puddle at any moment.

“I missed you too. So much,” you respond, earning another squeeze to your hand.

“Want to stay in my room instead of the guest one tonight?”

You nestle yourself into him even further, eliciting a chuckle from the Karasuno alumni. “Yes please.”

The both of you remain that way for a long time, barely paying mind to the show on your laptop. Warm hands glide gently through your hair, and you trace small patterns on his arms as he does so, just basking in the long awaited presence of his light, that sun-kissed skin so inviting against your fingers.

•••••

The next thing you know, the sound of birds coaxe you awake, eyes fluttering open to find strong arms wrapped around you. A pair of legs are intricately tangled with your own beneath cloud-like sheets, and steady breaths gently fan against your neck. You spot your closed laptop on the bedside table in front of you and realize that you must have fallen asleep at some point last night, Hinata likely taking care of things and getting you properly into bed.

A smile breaks out on your face at the thought of him gingerly placing you under the covers, before quietly getting in next to you. Elated emotions from said imaginations only grow when you feel lips pepper the back of your neck in soft kisses, notifying you that your boyfriend is also up.

“Did I wake you?” you ask quietly, hand reaching back to smooth out Hinata’s messy bed hair. You didn’t even have to be facing him to know that the orange strands were sticking in every direction.

“No, I was already half-awake,” he rasps, voice not yet void of its morning grogginess. You find that you missed the sound of it more than you initially realized.

You turn your body around to face a sleepy Hinata, a hazy grin playing at the corners of his mouth as you let out a yawn.

“Morning, pretty thing,” he chuckles, before stifling a yawn of his own. “Breakfast?”

“Five more minutes,” you groan. Limbs latch around the orange haired male like a koala bear, a lazy attempt to keep him in bed for just a while longer. You know that Shoyo had picked up a habit of getting up and ready for the day at early hours, but you were determined to make him stick around to cuddle - if even for just a moment longer.

A lingering kiss is pressed to your forehead once you’re settled again, and you can sense Hinata’s face breaking into a sunny smile. “That’s perfectly fine with me.”

Even if every blazing star in the sky fizzled out and ceased to shine, you’re certain that wouldn’t matter to you. All the warmth and light you’ve ever needed or wanted could be found in your reach - encasing you in a love so raw, yet you knew it would never burn you. Sun-kissed skin embraces your entire being, and you hardly notice the incoming daylight streaming over the streets of Brazil.

[lucy-268]

Road Trip

A/N - This is the fourth installment of my chronological story. You can find the first three installments on my masterlist; if you haven’t read them, you probably won’t be lost. This takes place the day after I Would Not Change a Thing

A/N 2 - I’m incorporating a prompt provided by @rookie-ramsey​ (11. “You look adorable.”) from this prompt list here. Thank you to @openheart12​ for helping me pick the song on the radio. Thank you to @oofchoices​ for my awesome moodboard!

Disclaimer: Most of the characters belong to PB

Warnings: I don’t think there are any here

Series/Pairing: Open Heart - Ethan x f!MC (Charley Valentine)

Word count: 2,347 (this was longer that I thought it was going to be!)

“Good morning.”

Charley jumped at the greeting and turned to see Sienna leaning against the counter. “Good morning yourself.”

“What are you doing?”

Charley looked down at the pan on the stove. “Making breakfast?”

“You sound unsure,” Sienna’s mouth twitched into a smirk. “You normally don’t bother cooking before you go to work.”

“I’m off today.”

Sienna’s eyes widened. “Two days in a row?”

“Yeah. June needed next Wednesday off, so Ethan asked me if I’d mind switching with her.” Charley smiled at her roommate. “Since I have time, I figured I’d fix everyone breakfast.” She pulled out two pans of muffins as the timer went off.

“Thanks, Charley. I’m going to go shower.” Sienna turned away.

Later, after her roommates had left for their hospitals, Charley hurried to shower herself. She was thinking she should have just stayed in her room until everyone had gone; they were so concerned about what she was going to do on her bonus day off. She couldn’t really say she was spending the day with Ethan and his dad.

Drying her hair, she decided to let it hang loose around her shoulders. She dressed quickly, and packed up the remaining muffins and the cookies she baked after everyone had left. She had just finished when there was a knock at the door.

Charley’s breath caught as she opened the door to see Ethan dressed casually. She did love him in his dress slacks and tie, or anything, or nothing at all, when she dared to think about it, but the man did fill out a pair of jeans nicely.

By the time her eyes traveled up to his, Ethan had a smirk on his face. “Good morning.”

“It is good, and getting better by the minute.” She stepped aside to let him in. “I baked muffins and cookies this morning for the trip.”

“You didn’t need to, but thank you.” Ethan looked in the basket. “Banana, and is that almond?”

“Cherry almond, actually. I was afraid Elijah was going to eat all of them. It was a new recipe and it was a hit.”

As they were leaving Ethan pulled her bracelet out of his pocket. “Before I forget.”

Charley looked at it for a second. “I’m going to go put it away for today.” She hurried to her room and was back in less than a minute. “Ready.”

After a stop at a coffee shop they were soon on the road. Charley touched the radio knob. “May I?”

Ethan nodded. Charley ran through all of the presets on his FM and Sirius XM. “Everything is news, weather, classical, opera, or standards. Have you never heard of pop, rock, emo? You have hundreds on stations on Sirius!”

“Put on whatever you want.”

Scrolling through the channels, she stopped on a station playing Taylor Swift’s Our Song. “That’s better.”

Ethan’s mouth twitched. “It’s different.”

“How often do you visit Alan?”

“Usually day trips several times a month. More if I can.”

Ethan turned onto the on-ramp for the highway. “Can you get me one of those cherry almond muffins?”

Charley reached the basket on the backseat and grabbed a couple of muffins. She peeled the paper off of them and broke off a piece of muffin and held it to his mouth. Ethan smiled as he pulled the bite into his mouth. His tongue licked the tip of her fingers before she pulled her hand away. “This is really good. I thought that Sienna was the baker in your group.”

Charley laughed. “She is. I like to bake, too. But I need to have time. Sienna makes time every day.  I found this recipe and she demanded I give it to her. She’ll probably make it and hers will be much better.”

She broke off a bite of the banana muffin and fed it to him. “That’s good but I like the other one better.”

Charley watched the cars on the highway. “Do you always take the highway?”

Ethan glanced at her. “It’s efficient and the fastest way?”

Charley rolled her eyes and leaned against the door. “Going back roads might lead to a new adventure.”

“I don’t do ‘adventure,’ Charley.”

“Of course not.” Charley reached for the basket again, this time pulling out several cookies, breaking an oatmeal cookie in half.

Before she held her hand to his mouth, he reached over and grabbed it. She giggled as she released it.

Soon they pulled off the highway into Providence. “We need to make a stop at the pet store first. It won’t take long; I’ve already placed the order and paid for it.”

Walking into the store, one of the cashiers greeted them. “Morning Dr. Ramsey. Let me get your order. Your dad and Jenner were in here last week. Your girl is so sweet.”

“Ethan, since we’re here, I want to buy her a toy. What does she play with?”

He shook his head, “You don’t need to do that.”

“I know I don’t need to, but I want to. I- I like dogs, but I’m a cat person at heart. I don’t want Jenner to not like me.”

“She’s not going to know…” Ethan sighed. “She has a couple of tennis balls she loves, but she also likes the soft, plush toys.”

They walked down the toy aisle and looked at the selection. Ethan picked up a stuffed leopard, while Charley grabbed a teddy bear. They continued down the aisle and reached for a stuffed frog at the same time. “We’ll get her all three?” Ethan nodded and carried them to the register.

Charley handed her card to the cashier and Ethan pulled her hand back. “I’ll get-”

“I want to pay for them. I want to get them for her. Please let me do this.”

Ethan decided it wasn’t worth it and let her pay.

Within ten minutes they pulled into a driveway and Alan and Jenner, a beautiful Golden Lab, came out the door. Charley saw the surprised look on his face. “You didn’t tell your dad I was coming?”

“It’s fine, Charley. He’ll be very happy you’re here.”

“He looks shocked.”

Ethan sighed. “Probably because I’ve not brought anyone home before.”

“Harper?”

“No one.” Ethan opened his door just as Alan opened Charley’s door. “Dr. Valentine. This is a very pleasant surprise.” He reached to help her out of the car.

“Charley, please.”

Jenner approached, tail wagging. “Don’t jump up, girl,” Ethan called to her.

The dog sat on Charley’s foot and raised her paw. Charley laughed and leaned down to shake the dog’s paw. “Hello, Jenner. I’m Charley.”

Jenner gave a bark and rubbed against her.

Ethan handed Charley the basket of muffins and cookies and the pet store bag with the toys, while he and Alan unloaded the bags and cases of Jenner’s dog food.

Alan had fixed a pot roast and the three of them sat down to lunch. The conversation flowed easily as Alan asked Charley where she grew up and went to school. Alan laughed when he asked her why she wanted to be a doctor and she said that she had read an article written by a certain Dr. Ramsey, that impressed her enough that she researched all of his work and decided to go to med school.

After they had the muffins and cookies with coffee, Jenner went to the door and sat. Alan said that he would do the dishes if they wanted to take the dog for her walk. Soon they were walking through the neighborhood, Charley holding Jenner’s leash in one hand and Ethan’s hand in the other. Ethan pointed out various places of people he knew, including the debris of the shed that he had blown up in retaliation for the cello destruction. The walk was fairly uneventful until Jenner spotted a squirrel and took off. Charley was pulled away from Ethan. Ethan ran and yelled for Jenner to stop and Charley to drop the leash.

“Jenner! Stop!” The dog finally stopped and Charley ended up flat on her stomach in a mud puddle. She finally slipped her hand out of the leash. Jenner laid down in the mud next to her and licked her face. Ethan helped Charley to her feet and wiped as much of the mud of her face as he could. Jenner stood up and shook, spattering more mud around. He laughed as he looked at the both of them. “I think we need to get back to the house. You could both use a bath!”

Charley looked down at herself and saw she was covered in mud. “You think this is funny?” She cocked her head to the side. “Do you think this is also funny?” She took a step closer to him and threw her arms around him, pulling herself up against him and pressing her mouth to his. She succeeded in getting mud all over him. “Oops. Looks like you also need a bath, too.”

Alan was on the deck drinking coffee. He burst out laughing as he saw them. He took Jenner’s leash. “I’ll give her a bath. You two are on your own. I can put your clothes in the washer, if you want.” 

Ethan checked his watch and shook his head. “We don’t have time. I have some clothes here. Charley can wear some of my sweats. They’ll be too big, but at least it’ll be warm.”

She nodded. They left their shoes and socks by the door. Ethan led her to his room and pulled out sweats for her and jeans and a sweater for him.

“Umm, do you, this is embarrassing, the mud is everywhere. Do you, um, doyouhaveanyboxershortsIcanborrow?”

He turned to the dresser and pulled out a pair, as well as some socks. He reached behind him without turning to face her. He didn’t want her to see the smirk on his face. He also figured he would not be getting these clothes back. He led her down the hall to the bathroom. “Towels are in the linen closet there. I think a hair dryer is too. I have some shampoo and shower gel in the shower.”

He finally turned to look at her. She grinned at him. “Are you going to join me?”

“No. I’ll see you downstairs when you're done. I’ll use dad’s shower.”

Charley finished her shower and dried her hair. His sweats were too big. She turned the pant legs up and shoved the sleeves up to her elbows. She padded down the stairs and was almost to the kitchen when she heard the men talking. “What is going on between the two of you? I thought you said you couldn’t get involved with her?”

“I can’t. It’s unethical. She works for me.”

“You brought her here. You’ve never done that before, for anyone.”

“Yeah. I- she’s- she’s special. And I’m crazy about her. I can’t get her out of my head. I-“ Ethan’s voice trailed off.

Charley walked into the kitchen and both men looked up at her. Ethan smiled at her. “You look adorable.” She blushed at the way he was looking at her. “Your clothes are in my car. I’ll get them back to you after they’re washed.”

“I’m capable of doing my own laundry.”

“My dog caused this problem, so I’ll deal with it for you. We need to head back now.”

Alan and Jenner walked to the car with them. Alan hugged her. “He’s my son and I love him, but he can be an ass. You’re good for him.” He whispered to her.

As they pulled out of the driveway Ethan reached over and laced his fingers with hers. He kissed the back of her hand.

“The night we cooked the chicken, which I never got any of, you kissed me and we were supposed to talk later.”

“Sorry about the chicken.” Ethan kissed her hand again.

“When are we going to talk?”

“Soon.”

“Ethan.”

“It’s complicated. We’ll talk soon. Please don’t doubt how I feel about you, because-”

“I don’t doubt that. I’m trying to be patient. But I need for us to talk sooner rather than later.”

Ethan sighed and watched the road for several miles. Charley studied his features. “The next time we both have an early shift. We’ll have dinner together. And we’ll talk. Okay?”

Charley leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll hold you to that.” She settled her head on his shoulder; soon she was asleep.

Charley woke up to a kiss on the top of her head. She looked out the window and realized they were in front of her apartment building. “I slept most of the way. You should have woken me.”

“You needed to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll wait until you get inside the building. You should also know that Dr. Trinh just walked in.” Ethan hooked his finger under her jaw and turned her to face him. “Our next early shift, I promise.” He leaned over, his mouth covering hers; his tongue traced along her lower lip and slipped into her mouth. Her fingers curled into his hair and his arms wrapped around her, pulling her towards him. He finally broke the kiss and he whispered, “Good night, Dr. Valentine.”

She stepped out of the car and hurried up the steps to the front door of the building. She turned to wave to him.

She stood at her apartment door, with her keys in her hand. She closed her eyes and hoped all her roommates would be asleep. She opened the door and saw Sienna in the dining room.

Sienna’s eyes widened at the way Charley was dressed. “I was looking for those almond muffins. I guess we don’t have any left.”

“I took them with me today. I fell in the mud, and my clothes, um, they’re filthy. I’m going to bed.” Charley hurried to her room.

Sienna watched her go. Now she knew why she couldn’t find the muffins. That was one question answered. The main question for her now was, whose clothes was Charley wearing?

 My tag list: @oofchoices​ @openheart12​ @jamespotterthefirst​ @ohchoices​ @catchinglikekerosene @aylamreads​ @choicesficwriterscreations​

[joon-ipersgirl]

O4 - “the cynical contract”

genre: mafia!au, angst, fluff, slow burn, mystery-thriller

pairing: namjoon x reader (f)

summary: charismatic. beautiful. fearless without question. the ambitious team of seven young men in charge of spiral, downtown district’s hottest new club, go above and beyond to provide 100% satisfaction to their clients. 

after an eventful night out, you have no choice but to join the team for property damages greater than your intern salary. challenging a series of events that can no longer be left to coincidence, secrets threaten to burst at the seams as your professional and private life collide, and another - more sinister - debt is added to your total. 

how far are you willing to go to pay back your pound of flesh? remember, nothing is ever as it seems...

word count: 2.7k

warnings: cursing

a/n: part four is here! this is a lot shorter than i thought it was going to be for some reason. more interactions with the boys and some important conversations. not much else to say except enjoy this part, thank you vi for reading all of my shit, and look out for the next part in 2 weeks! thank youu. 

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The beaming Saturday sun burns down on the top of your head as you stand outside of Spiral. It looks almost the same in the day time as it does in the night time, except there’s no line stretching around the corner. Its unlit sign still stands tall as if it’s a lighthouse guiding ships home - if ships were overly stressed people looking for a way to drink their problems away. No one is out on the street as most of the businesses on this particular street operate during the night. You don’t linger and push open the heavy, newly-covered leather door and descend the stairs.

Though it’s high noon outside, the staircase is just as dark as if you’d come in on a Saturday night. The ever-familiar heat is pleasant as you loosen the scarf from your neck. It seems as though Suga is renovating the place. Circular mirrors line the wall and you catch a glimpse of your damp curls in their reflection. You probably should have used a blow dryer. Another heavy door greets you and you heave it open.

“Hey! Watch the new chairs Tae!” Honcho yells as he carries a small table over.

“Yeah, yeah. They’ll be fine!” Tae, the DJ, calls back. His bubblegum pink hair flops as he drops the chairs to the ground.

It seems you’re right. Though much of the layout is still the same, Spiral is taking on a whole new look. The booths have been covered in new leather, black marble tables have replaced the glass ones, and the black tiles are so clear that you can easily see your reflection. The dance floor and bar look very much the same except for some new shelving that you guess were damaged during last month’s commotion. Overall, the design is pretty much the same with a few new touches added here and there.

“If it isn’t our favorite little sharpshooter,” Honcho calls out to you from across the room. You flash him a fake smile.

“Yes. If I do remember correctly, my shooting saved your life so,” you trail off.

“It also cost you a lot of money too. Are you here to repay your debt?” he counters, his grin never leaving his face.

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Both men raise their eyebrows. “If you’ll excuse me gentlemen, it seems as though you still have some work to finish,” you say with a chuckle before making your way to the spiral staircase by the bar.

“Is she always like this?” you hear Tae ask.

“As far as I’ve seen, yes,” Honcho replies.

You grin as you continue up the stairs. The second level has also gone under some renovation as you realize it’s much larger than you’d noticed before. More booths have been added as well as another small dance floor. As you poke your head around the familiar leather door of Suga’s office at the end of the walkway, you realize that it too has been changed into some sort of upper-class VIP room with its own miniature bar. You enter and run your fingers along the smooth bar top surface, the bottles of alcohol lined up neatly on top of it. The books previously housed in the bookshelf have been removed and replaced with various displays of empty bottles of alcohol. An upscale, artistic graveyard if you will.

“Do you like what you see?” You spin around and knock over one of the cute little spiral lamp fixtures on the side table with your open coat. Shit. Min laughs as he leans against the door frame, his smile as bright as ever. “I think that’ll be added to your total,” he chuckles.

“It wasn’t on purpose!” you groan, throwing your head back in annoyance.

“Is that how you always sound when you’re flustered?” He grins as he takes another step into the room. You can feel the blood rise in your cheeks as you try to respond.

“Cat got your tongue, Y/N?” You narrow your eyes at him.

“I came to see Suga, but I guess this isn’t his office anymore,” you tell him in a huff. Min shakes his head with a smile.

“Mhmm, never really was,” he hums. “We’re redecorating for a new opening. Do you like it?”

He’s in front of you now, the space between you much smaller than it’s ever been and you’re acutely aware of the soft waft of his cologne. Min is unbelievably attractive in a way that was almost ethereal. His silver hair is just as polished and his eyes sparkle even more in the natural sunlight from the large bay windows. The same silver rings adorn his hands as before and you bite your lip hard to not comment on how wonderful his arms look crossed against his chest in his pristine white T-shirt. Squaring your shoulders, you set your jaw stubbornly. You will not fall victim to his airy charms.

“It’s alright,” you lie and shrug your shoulders. “You should probably get rid of the graveyard though,” you say while pointing to the bookcase. Min laughs again.

“It’s a work in progress, Y/N. You’ll come to see my artistic vision eventually,” he says with a smile so alluring, you feel your breath catch in your chest.

“Ah, so you work here now? I was wondering why you were always hanging around,” you comment, trying to stay calm.

“So you’ve noticed me? How sweet,” he murmurs. His fingers brush against your cheek gently and you swallow deeply. “Come on, Kitten. I’ll bring you to Suga.”

He runs his fingers down your arm before slipping his hands in yours, lacing your fingers together. The whole ordeal felt quite intimate and your ears heat up as you follow him out of the room. Instead of walking down the usual walkway, Min makes a left out the door and down a tiny hallway you hadn’t noticed before. He pushes open a smaller leather door, tells you to watch your step, and pulls you up the dark narrow stairs. Was Spiral truly this big?

Min pushes another door open before you’re on what you assume was the third level. Though you know you’d gone further upstairs, it’s just as dark as the lower levels. The hallway is much shorter here and fewer rooms are available. You count a total of three doors as Min drags you towards the one at the furthest end of the hall.

“Are we accepting the Gonzalez’ contract or should we send them a new invoice?”

“Hmm, let me read over it again. There was something I didn’t really like about -” Moon and Suga’s conversation stops abruptly as Min pokes his head around the door, his body shielding you from view.

“Is everything okay?” you hear Moon ask.

“Wonderful actually. Seems like we’ve got a guest to see Suga,” Min replies as he pushes the door open further to reveal you. You smile and send a small wave towards them.

This office is quite similar to its counterpart downstairs; the same large floor to ceiling windows are present along with the large mahogany desk. Instead of only being on one side of the room, two full length bookshelves line the walls. A small wooden coffee table sits in the middle of the room with four leather chairs positioned around it, a bottle of whiskey in the centre accompanied by matching glasses. Though this space seems to be new, it feels significantly more lived in than the one downstairs.

“We did have a meeting, didn’t we Kid?” Suga asks. He sets the iPad down on the desk in front of Moon who’s sitting behind it, his feet propped up as though he’s at home.

“Yes, we did,” you tell him while nodding.

“Seems like Min has grown on you, huh Y/N?” Moon gestures to your hands with a grin. You yank your hand from Min’s grip and step away from him as you stare at Moon with a scowl. Min chuckles beside you seemingly unfazed by your actions.

“Seems like you’re still ever the dickhead, huh Moon?” You plop down in a leather chair and mimic his position, your heavy Doc Martens propped up on the stout wooden table. You stare at each other. Moon’s grin widens as he drops his feet and leans across the desk.

“All for you sweetheart,” he replies. You flash him a fake smile before turning to Suga.

“So, are you going to kick him out of your office so we can talk business or what?” you ask. Min and Moon’s laughter rings out in the room. “I hadn’t realized I had said something funny,” you say with a frown.

“Kid, you can’t just waltz in -”

“-  It’s fine, Suga. You did say she had a meeting with you. Business right?” Moon stands up from behind the desk and picks up the iPad. “I’ll drop by your office later about that invoice,” he continues. Suga grunts in acknowledgement before sitting down in the recently vacated chair.

Moon glances at you as he continues towards the door.You can’t help but notice the way the muscles in his thighs flex under his dark wash jeans as he walks. You also try to ignore how broad his chest looks under his white t-shirt and flannel. Glancing up at his face, his eyes meeting yours before he grins down at you again. How have you never noticed his dimples before?

“See you later, Y/N ,” he says while brushing his hand against your shoulder. You tense and he chuckles as he calls for Min to follow him.

“Bye, Kitten,” Min whispers in your ear before kissing your cheek gently. You inhale sharply and hope it wasn't noticeable. “See you later boss!” he calls to Suga before the door closes softly behind them. Gods knew how you were going to survive working with these men.

“Do you let all of your employees sit in your chair?” you ask Suga as you recall Min sitting in it the first time you’d been here.

“Do you have to question absolutely everything you see or hear?” he asks, frustrated. He runs his hands through his hair as he rests his elbows on the desk.

“As a matter of fact, I do. It’s all part of the job,” you tell him with a shrug.

“What’d you come to talk about, Kid? I have a lot of work to get done today,” he says ignoring your question.

“You know you should really dye your hair a different color if you're not going to exude the kind of cheerful happiness that is mint,” you tell him matter-of-factly. You shrug off your coat and drape it across your legs.

“Y/N,” he glares at you. “What do you want?” So much for some friendly banter.

“Okay. I know I have to pay you back for the lights - you’re welcome for saving your life by the way - and so I’ve come up with a proposition,” you explain. Suga raises an eyebrow. “Nothing like that! I was thinking I could work at the club,” you continue.

“Why do you always think someone wants to fuck you, Kid?” Suga chuckles. You stand up abruptly and almost knock the chair over.

“I did not say that!”

“Mhm, but it was implied by your abrupt response. Sit down.” you sit in a small huff. “About your proposition though. That could work. With the remodeling, we’re looking to expand our staff. I won’t make you interview. I’ll have to do some calculations based on what you owe and the number of hours you’re available to work, but it should be fine,” he continues while jotting some notes down on a sheet of paper.

“That’s it?” you ask. This is much easier than you thought it’d be. Suga glances back up at you.

“Yeah. Was there something else you wanted to add?”

“Uh, no. I guess not. Sounds good,” you tell him while standing and grabbing your things. He nods.

“Do me a favor and write your contact info down and then I’ll walk you out. We still have a lot to get done here. ”

You cross the space and take the pen from Suga’s hand, your fingers brushing each other's. As you scribble your name and phone number down, you notice the other stack of papers on the desk. Though you’re trying your best to mind your business - and you know you should  since not minding it is the reason you’re currently here - you let your eyes scan over the upside down documents.

It seems to be some sort of form or contract that has numerous details spelled out on the page. You can make out a date in late Spring, a location that’s somewhere on the nicer side of downtown, and the name Jonas on the paper along with some amount of money before it’s covered up by Suga’s arm as he stares at you, his eyes narrowed. You smile at him as innocently as you can before you hand the pen back and straighten up.

“All done!” you tell him cheerily. He nods and jerks his head towards the door, an indication that you should make your way over. You glance back down at the papers before turning on your heel and sweeping your jacket and scarf into your arms.

Suga closes the door behind you and guides you down the dark narrow hallway with his hand on your lower back. You descend the first set of stairs and you glance over the balcony on the second level to see Min and Tae fooling around in between unopened boxes on the dance floor as Honcho and Moon watch on, laughing at their antics. The sound of your boots against the grate floor draws their eyes upwards and you feel a little self conscious under their gazes. Why is it that your confidence always slips around them when you need it the most?

“Did our little sharpshooter pay up, Suga?” Honcho calls as he leans against the bar and stares you down.

“No, but we’ve managed to come to an agreement,” he answers as you reach the bottom of the stairs.

“An agreement? She doesn’t really seem like your -”

“Not that type of agreement, dumbass,” you cut Tae off. You yank on your coat, annoyed. And Suga thinks you’re crazy for thinking that people wanted to fuck you?

“Ah, does this one include all of us?” Moon asks and the rest of the guys chuckle. You shoot him the finger and turn back to Suga.

“Now do you see why I had to clarify my proposition earlier?” you exclaim softly. He nods his head with a smile.

“Knock it off guys. You’re making Kitten flustered,” Min says teasingly. You throw your hands up in the air in defeat.

“I give up, my gods! You guys are insufferable. Gods don’t let the hours be too long. I’m not sure how long I can last before I commit my first murder if I have to be around them for hours on end!” you yell in frustration.

“Might be a little too late for that one Kid,” Suga mutters behind you and Moon laughs. You turn to face him again.

“What?”

“Nothing. Look, I’ll text you with all the details about when to come in some time next week -”

“Wait, come in?” Honcho asks. “As in, work here?” he clarifies, his ears almost as red as his dyed hair. You grin feeling the atmosphere shift into your favor. You flip hair over your shoulders and start heading to the door. It seems as if it’s your cue to go.

“You can’t be serious, Suga,” Tae groans and pushes his hands through his hair. The sight of his discomfort puts a little pep in your step as you stop right in front of the door before turning to face them.

“See you boys later! Glad we could work out an agreement!” you laugh as you watch Tae and Honcho’s faces fall at your terrible attempt at a joke before you head out the door and up the main stairs to the outside world.

Though it feels like every time they look at you, you’d melt under their gaze, it feels good to have the upper hand sometimes. You hope you can keep it as there were more than a few events you had questions about and, unbeknownst to those lovely men downstairs, they’re going to help you answer them.

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© joon-ipersgirl, 2020

[mayalaen]

@pandora-twists replied to your photoset “houseofglass: phascinationphases: Oh wow, I think Jared is going...”

@mayalaen2 may I know what things to slow then female balding, asking for a friend ofcourse...lol no seriously my hair's been suffering since I lost a ton of weight

I’m sorry you’re having hair loss issues. My mom’s sister, brother, and mother all have significant hair loss. My uncle started shaving his head, but my aunt and grandma... the poor things, look like babies with only a little bit of peach fuzz.

In your case, there’s a good chance it’s vitamin deficiencies because of the weight loss. If you’ve done stomach stapling, I’d strongly recommend going to a nutritionist who has experience with stomach stapling because stomach stapling has a HUGE impact and you’ll need a lot of help to make sure you’re as healthy as you can be.

Whether you’ve done stomach stapling or not, it might be a good idea to get some blood work to see what you’re lacking. If that’s not an option, try the vitamin suggestions below, but keep an eye out for overdose symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, a funny taste in your mouth, vomiting, nerve twitching/sensitivity, etc. Also look out for strong-smelling urine. You’ll get a strong smell and bright yellow if you’re taking a B complex vitamin, but this is normal.

Start taking a prenatal vitamin to add lots of iron and B vitamins. Also start taking a B12 lozenge - the kind that dissolves under your tongue. B vitamins have a tendency to go straight through your system instead of being used by your body, so using the lozenge helps get more into your system.

Be careful of the brand you use. I use Nature Made because it has a USP seal on it. Companies only get the USP seal if they’ve proven they have the correct vitamin and potency they’ve claimed on the bottle. There are a lot of bad supplements out there. Whatever brand you chose, make sure it’s got the USP seal.

Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, iron, zinc, and protein are the most important for your hair.

Take a look at your shampoo and conditioner. Make sure there are no acids in the ingredients. You might even want to think about switching to a dry shampoo or stop washing your hair altogether.  Check out This Post to see how to do that. A friend of mine has done it for I think 3 years and her hair went from super thin and always-greasy-looking to thick, healthy, and not greasy. The first few months is hard but worth it.

Stop wearing hats, scarves, headbands, or any hair ties and clips that rub, pull, or twist your hair. Your scalp needs to breathe, so covering it with something that also rubs your scalp isn’t good for your hair. Avoid tight braids too.

If you’re vegan or a vegetarian, go to a nutritionist. A lot of people decide they want to become vegan or vegetarian, but they don’t do enough research on how to properly replace what they’re missing out on, and their body suffers for it. This can definitely cause thin, weak hair and/or nails.

Drink more water. Cut out caffeine. Cut out dark sodas (or soda altogether if you can). Lower your sugar intake. Switch to genuine pink salt instead of table salt.

Stop blow-drying your hair. This is super damaging. If you can’t stop, use the cool setting on the blow dryer. Heat damages your hair. Speaking of heat, keep your showers warm instead of hot.

Don’t color or perm your hair. Stop pretty much everything you’d do at a salon other than getting a cut :)

Check the hair products you use like hairspray. A lot of the cheaper ones have acids in them.

Gently massage your head. Stimulation to the scalp helps promote hair growth. My aunt and grandmother love standing in the shower and moving their heads under the shower head.

Be very careful of claims that essential oils can help hair. There are A LOT of people out there selling toxic essential oils, and oils can clog your hair follicles.

Oh, and be aware that most people lose hair as summer approaches. My dad and I lose A LOT of hair and my mom always says we’re shedding. We live in the desert, and both of us have very thick, heavy hair and lots of it, so it’s kinda nice when we lose the bulk during summer.

Menopause can also cause hair loss. If you’re perimenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal, I’d suggest Estroven. Not only will it help with mood and hot flashes, it’ll help a little with the hair loss. Make sure you don’t get the “Energy+” version.

If none of this works and you want to pursue something else, see your doctor. There are medications that can help, but PLEASE listen to your doctor about how to use them and what not to do. You can endanger animals (especially cats) and children if you use it wrong. You can also have an impact on the testosterone level of men in your life if you use it wrong :)

Hopefully this helps, and good luck!

[mythicallore]

Spooky Stories: The Basement

My house sitting story. Two months after my brother and his wife bought a new house, they had to go out of town and needed their cats fed. Their house and my office are both a good drive from my apartment, but only a few minutes away from each other. My brother said if I wanted, I could just stay over in the guest room rather than driving among the three places. So I got the keys and instructions. I was staying there three nights: Mon-Wed.

Monday evening was uneventful until about midnight. I was lying on the living room couch, watching Conan, with a cat lying on my chest. I started to drift off to sleep. The next thing I knew, I was standing in pitch black darkness. I completely freaked out, I had no idea where I was. I felt around in the dark and felt nothing. Finally I realized there actually was a faint blue light coming from above. I moved toward it and then understood where I was. I was in the fucking basement! The light was coming through the basement door at the top of the stairs, which leads to the kitchen. Just enough moonlight apparently made it through from a window elsewhere in the kitchen. I bolted up the stairs, turned on the kitchen light, and closed the basement door. I was terrified until I calmed down enough to come to the conclusion you probably already came to – I had sleepwalked all the way down the stairs (after opening the basement door, which I know was closed).

A couple things are important to the story. First, the basement. The house was very nice — actually, more than they should have been able to afford. The only exception was the basement. I had only seen the basement once, when I first got the tour. It was totally unfinished and was the one major thing they wanted to fix up. All they had down there was some boxes and the washer/dryer. I had no reason to want to go down there and had kind of forgotten it existed.

The other point is that sleepwalking is kind of a thing in my family, almost an inside joke. My brother talked in his sleep constantly, and would sleepwalk sometimes, and it always scared the hell out of me. The idea of people doing things in their sleep just creeps me out to the core (still does). My brother knew this and would tease me about it, so it was known in my family that I had this phobia. But as far as I know, I had never, ever sleepwalked until that night. The image kept playing in my mind, over and over, of me, asleep, getting up from the couch, walking to the kitchen, opening the basement door, and shuffling down the stairs into total darkness. Creepy as all hell.

Anyway, I saw the TV was still on in the living room, playing Wedding Crashers. I watched the rest of the movie, trying to laugh and think of the sleepwalking as a funny story to tell my brother. When I went upstairs to go to sleep in the guest room, I stayed asleep. That was night one.

The next morning, in the light of day, it didn’t seem that scary. I texted my brother about it and joked around. All day I wasn’t bothered one bit. But as I’m walking out of my office to my car, I’m overcome with this sense of dread. All of a sudden, the thought of going to sleep in that house — and maybe sleepwalking again — is scaring me. So I had a plan. I stop at the hardware store and pick up one of those rubber door-stopper wedges. At the house, I jam this into the crack under the basement door, and kick it in until it’s as far as it can go. I test out trying to open the door, and it won’t budge. Perfect.

Later, I go upstairs and fall asleep. When I wake up, I swear to god I think I’m dreaming. I was standing in darkness again, but this time I know exactly where I am. The smell is the same. The concrete floor under my feet is the same. I look around for the light from upstairs, and it take me longer to find it because it’s farther away. Last night I was only a couple of feet from the stairs, this night it was maybe ten feet. I run up and turn on the kitchen lights. I see the rubber wedge on on the floor, a couple of feet away, as if tossed there. Again, I can’t stop picturing myself sleepwalking. Out of the bedroom, down the stairs, trying to open the basement door. Bending down and yanking out the wedge. And then, again, slowly down into the darkness.

I decided I was turning on the basement lights and they were staying on. I opened the door and flipped the switch to the basement stairway. I saw there was a main switch at the bottom of the stairs. To give you a quick sense of the layout, the staircase splits the basement into two parts. To the right is a small area with the washer/dryer, and to the left is the a big open area.

Anyway, I walked down and turned on the lights for the whole basement. That’s when I noticed something I hadn’t noticed when my brother gave me the tour. About 10-15 feet away, in the big area, there was a door to what looked like a small closet. This door was closed, but had no doorknob (just an empty hole), so it looked like it would freely swing open. I realized it was very close to where I had just awoken. Then a fucking freaky thought came to me: it was as if each night I was heading to the door, and getting a little farther each time before I woke up. As soon as that thought popped into my head, I booked it up the stairs again, left the lights on, and closed the door. I went up to the bedroom, but it took me forever to fall asleep. That was night two.

The next morning, Wednesday morning, I woke up late for work. I didn’t think about the basement at all because I was scrambling to get ready. At work though, I was still curious about what was behind the door, so I texted my brother and asked. He replied “wait….why were you in the basement?” I realized that when I texted him the day before, I never actually told him where I woke up. So I tell him I woke up in the basement, actually twice in a row. After a while, he sends this novel-length text. About how the basement is creepy, not to go down there, etc. How they tried putting the litter boxes in the basement and the cats made a mess in the house because they refused to go down. How he volunteers to do every chore other than the laundry so he doesn’t have to go down there. He says all this stuff, and it’s surprising to me, because my brother never believed in the paranormal or superstitions, ever since we were kids. I also realize he never answered my question about the door, but I let it go.

After work, I get the same feeling of dread as I’m walking to my car. I really don’t want to stay there again, and I decide: fuck it, I don’t have to. So I go feed the cats, get my stuff, and drive back to my place. I’m supposed to feed the cats one more time, so I’ll stop over in the morning. As I went to sleep at my apartment, I was thinking of all the steps I would have to take to sleepwalk to the basement again — find my car parked around the block, drive asleep to my brother’s house, etc. But this time, I sleep through the night. That was night three.

Thursday morning, I stop at the house as planned. I’m about to leave when I remember that the basement lights are still on. I don’t even hesitate to go down to turn them off. There was something about being there in the morning that, at the time, made it seem fine. When I go down, again that door without a doorknob catches my eye, and it also doesn’t seem scary anymore. So, what the hell, let’s see. I walk over to it and I distinctly remember not feeling spooked at all. Until — I reach my hand toward the doorknob hole to pull it open. As soon as I do that, and I mean instantly, I feel this electric feeling, like the air before a storm, and I imagine a hand coming through that hole and grabbing mine. It was like 0 to 60, going from no fear to being certain that something horrible would happen if I opened that door. It’s hard to describe it other than that electric feeling. I booked it up the stairs and out of the house.

So, a month later, I meet my brother for happy hour. A few drinks in, we start joking about me sleepwalking and the creepy basement. I say he never answered me about what’s behind the door, and he says I don’t want to know. Joking at first, but then insisting. Finally he tells me, and I don’t believe him. He’s my big brother and has only bullshitted me about a million times in my life.

This was his explanation: the previous (and first) owners of the house had a teen daughter that used the basement as her bedroom. The door was to her closet, where one night she curled up, took some pills and killed herself. The family was going to remodel the basement, but after tearing it apart realized they couldn’t do it and had to move. That was why only the basement was unfinished, and why my brother was able to afford the place — the seller had to disclose a suicide happened in the residence. He said if I didn’t believe him, to look up the market values of the identical houses in his track (I know how much they paid for their house and it was way lower). He and his wife considered themselves rational people and figured it was a bargain, but didn’t want to tell anyone. After they moved in, his wife was fine with the basement, but he grew to hate it. He apologized for not saying anything to me before I stayed there, but he never thought I’d have any reason to go down there.

Now here’s what that convinced me. I said “Okay, the only thing that makes me kind of believe you is that the last morning I was there, I went over to the closet door” — and at this point, I see my brother’s face change — and I continued: “when I went to open it, the air felt like–” and at the same instant, I say “electricity” and my brother says “electric.” At the same exact time. I saw his face and knew he was telling the truth.

I’ve never stepped foot again in that basement, and I haven’t sleepwalked since.

[hamiltimebinches]

John Laurens x Reader: Kisses

A/n: This is literally my first oneshot for John so if he is out of character in any way please forgive me, I’m trying, I really am. I’m also a new writer for this fandom in general, so there is that. Also, this is honestly a bunch of little scenarios of different kinds of kisses, so if it jumps around do not be alarmed.

Warnings: None

Words: 1,169

    Warm sunlight shone through the gaps in the partly closed curtains, creating warmth on the spots on my shoulders that weren’t covered by the blanket or John’s arms. Opening my eyes slowly I squinted at the unfamiliar brightness in the room. As my eyes slowly adjusted I noticed the peaceful look on my boyfriend’s face. I smiled softly at the sight, it’s been awhile since I saw that peaceful look. In fact it has been awhile since I’ve been able to wake up in his arms in general, John has been rather busy with work recently.

     The sunlight coming from the window was behind John and it cast a warm glow across his freckled skin. The light created a glowing outline in his hair, which has been left down, making some of it appear lighter than it actually is. He stirred, scrunching his nose a bit, and tightened his grip around my waist, which pulled me even closer into him. I smiled at him for a moment before getting a wonderful idea.

     “John”, I whispered before pressing a light as feather kiss to his forehead. “John” I whispered once more, placing another feather light kiss this time to his cheek. “Wake” A kiss on his other cheek. “Up” I whispered one last time before putting my lips over his in a gentle kiss. I let out a surprised squeak when John smiled into the kiss and kissed back. Pulling back he opened his brown eyes with a sleepy smile. “Good morning, Babe.” He whispered, his voice husky with sleep. “Morning.” I breathed out, my cheeks lightly flushing at his voice.

     I screamed out in delight as I ran around the kitchen, desperately trying to avoid John at all costs. “Aww! C’mon Babe, stop running from me!” John called out with a laugh as he was tailing behind me. “No way! You’re all wet and I just got dressed from my shower!” I exclaimed as I sped up. “But it’s your fault that I’m all wet! You’re the one who poured a whole pot of water on me.” He remarked, swatting his arms out in an attempt to catch me.

     I made a quick turn to start running circles around the island, narrowly avoiding the bar stools. I might as well childishly play “cat and mouse” around the island. “Yeah! And you’re damn lucky that I had just filled it up with water to put on the stove and that it wasn’t just coming off of the stove. You’ve really got to stop sneaking up on me John!” I shouted as I slightly slipped in my socks as I turned once again. The only response I got was a laugh.

     I squealed as I was pulled back into a wet an embrace. “Haha! You’re mine now!” John cheered before giving me a very sloppy and, unfortunately, wet kiss on my cheek. “Aww, John, gross. That kiss was wet and sloppy.” I groaned, lifting a hand to my cheek to wipe away the slobber. He laughed then kissed my cheek again, this time much dryer. “That better?” He asked in a teasing tone. “Much.”

     “-And then he had the audacity to say I was unfaithful.-” John huffed as my great-aunt Gertrude kept rambling on. I could tell he was getting impatient and just wanted the conversation to end, and to be completely honest I was hoping it’d end soon too. As much as I love my great-aunt she just never seemed to know when to stop talking.

     I was really starting to regret coming to this family reunion. I probably should have just listened to John and stayed in bed with him for the day, texting my mom to say that we wouldn’t be able to make it. He didn’t really have a problem with my family, actually my family loved him and he loved them back, but when he found out my great-aunt Gertrude would be here he didn’t want to come. I insisted that we had to come though. Oh, why did I insist on coming?

     John slightly tightened his grip on my waist with his one arm and swayed to his other foot, pulling me away but not by much. This was just another one of his silent ways of telling me to find a way to end the conversation and leave. “That’s just terrible but I’m afraid-” I started only to be suddenly cut off, although this time it wasn’t by my great-aunt. No, it was by John himself, which I found unusual seeing as he wanted me to end the conversation. What I found even more unusual though was how he cut me off. He decided to suddenly kiss me right on my lips. The kiss lasted only a moment though, it was barely even able to be considered a peck.

     Great-aunt Gertrude’s eyes went wide for a moment before going back to their normal size, only this time with a mischievous twinkle. “I think I simply must be going now. After all, it appears someone else wants your attention as of now.” She said with a wink before walking off towards one of my brothers, surely to talk his ear off.

     “What was that about?” I curiously asked, turning around in his embrace, wrapping my arms around his neck. John chuckled a bit before locking eyes with me. “Well, as your great-aunt said, I wanted your attention. Not to mention that I was getting quite done with her gabbing.” He snickered before swooping down to steal another kiss. 

     “I love you so much.” I murmured, just barely pulling away from the long passionate kiss John and I shared. “I love you even more.” He mumbled back, his smooth lips ghosting over mine. “Don’t even start, we’re not childishly fighting over who loves the other more right now.” I whispered, opening my eyes, which I had kept closed, to playfully glare at my lover. John chuckled a bit at the statement, his hot breath tumbling over my cheeks. “Yeah, that’s for another time.” He replied, his tone teasing. I rolled my eyes before moving my arms around his neck once more. “Just shut up and kiss me again.”

     Hovering over my relaxing boyfriend who was on the couch, I smiled down at him. Leaning down, I kissed the tip of his nose then both of his freckled cheeks. A few giggles erupted past John’s lips as he opened his eyes and gazed up into mine. “What’s so funny?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Nothing really, it’s just that your hair tickles.” He said with a grin. Right, for once I’m wearing my hair down. “Really?” I questioned, feeling a smirk grow on my lips. “Yes?” He said suspiciously, but it sounded more like a question. I leaned down a bit more and rubbed my nose against his, letting my bangs drag across his cheeks. John giggled a bit more before moving his head to kiss my lips.

     “I love you, (Y/n).”

     “Babe, I love you too.”

[yourwritinghelp]

After The Sun Sets I

Synopsis: Melvyn Reyes had been an international secret agent for a few years now and she’s built a reputation that has gone straight to her head. Her new partner Corey thinks she’s simply mean, she thinks he’s over emotional. They’re both wrong. 

Word count: 2.5k

“The thing is,” Mr. Anderson pauses, “Mel is kind of a free spirit, she’s definitely her own person.” Corey nods, “Well I’ve heard several great things about her abilities.”

Mr. Anderson forces a small smile before opening the door to his office. Inside there is a large mahogany desk afront a bookcase that covers the back wall. There are two chairs on the parallel to his. A small figure is already sat in one, Corey sits in the adjacent chair and offers his hand to the girl next to him. Her head is shaven all around except for a messy mop of pale blue atop. Her hair matches her attire, a complete set of pale blue polar bear pajamas and a deep glare.

“Corey Michaels,” he says holding his hand out to shake, “I’m looking forward to working with you.” Mel looks the man next to her up and down, her eyes stopping on his hand.

His large form is clad in a fashionable gray suit without a visible wrinkle in sight except for where the suit stretches to contain his body, yet his face is aged more than himself. Corey seems uptight, particular, and clearly a perfectionist.  His hair is blonde and shaven tighter than Mel’s which makes her crinkle her nose in distaste. In no way should an experienced, focused agent such as Mel ever take the back seat to an apprentice of the sort, and there is no possibility that she will.

Her eyes bore into his own without the slightest of amusement.

“Alrighty then,” Mr. Anderson starts, “you two are to have the rest of the day off today so you can use your time to bond as new, new teammates, new partners, new-” Mel sighs, “I can handle it.”

“Okay so, how do you want to ‘bond’?” Corey checks something on his phone stifling a laugh at his new boss’ choice of words. Corey has heard few varying reviews on veteran agent Melvyn Reyes, most of which contain the words “dry, immature, and bitter”.

“How about we just share favorite colors and tomorrow you can go report that to Andy Boy?”

Corey sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. He really wants this first day to roll smoothly and his new partner appears empathetic towards his efforts. It occurs to Mel for a moment that she’s already been making bad first impressions on Corey especially since she’ll be forced to work with him but she shrugs it off, I am the superior here after all. After a moment of silence, he turns away from her and walks. Watching such a large man storm off entices a small laugh out of Mel. She feels as if someone should be dramatically filming this from behind a plastic office plant. The twisted part of her almost tells her to call out a cynical remark for him and the rest of the office to hear but she holds back. Instead, she watches out of curiosity as to what he could possibly be thinking of throwing a tantrum like a child on his first day of work.

He comes to a stop in the better of him and Mel. Corey groans and cracks his neck before turning back around. His glare is falling short of Mel as if she were deflecting bullets. His eyes are far too doe to be seen as threatening. Corey has the undoubted advantage of his size and build, that is if Mel allows him to feels he has that advantage. Like an overgrown child he stomps right up to her until she can smell his cologne, he smells of dryer sheets and soft air freshener. Internally she could nearly break into a smile at his frail scent. A blank stare fell upon her face challenging his social dominance. Corey stands directly in front of the shorter agent and stares unamused above her head.

“Purple,” he coughs, “my favorite color is purple. Let me guess yours’ is black?”

With her eyes glued up at his solid face, Mel whips her fist into the lower stomach of Corey. He lets out a grunt pushing her by the shoulders to create space between them.

“Oh my god,” he hisses through broken breaths, “Can’t you go do your job- or something?”

Mel scoffs.

“I wish I could but since you decided to show up, I can’t.”

Corey leans over with a single arm wrapped around his stomach hugging himself. His mind races in awe as to the situation that had just played out. In front of all these people, he thinks, she assaulted me. He gulps anticipating what will come next. His lonesome fist by his side clenches but he knows he won’t use it. It just gives him enough confidence to stay in place.

“I’m leaving,” Mel decides aloud.

At night Corey sits at an empty dining table with the lights off eating another TV dinner. Under his palm, his phone vibrates, a text from an unknown number. He hesitates to check.

Unknown: It’s your favorite...

Me: Melvyn?

Unknown: Wow, never say that again or I will break all of your toes and make you walk for miles.

Me: My toes?

Unknown: Oh? So now you cannot read?

Me: Yes! I can read!

Melvyn: Amazing, I am quite the teacher aren’t I? Anyway do me a favor and meet me at the police department on 7th ave tomorrow morning, we can pretend to bond there.  

Me: What time is morning?

Melvyn: You’re funny, g’night.

Me: Mel??

Mel hears her phone notification ding another four times before she decides to just put his contact on silent. It makes her smile.

The upbeat tempo and voices of a generic boy band blaring through the speakers of Mel’s phone on the floor. It occurs to her that she does not have to meet the newest recruit. She could always concoct some kind of excuse as to her absence being part of ‘test’. On one hand, she could then say he failed, that’d be much more fun than marching her sore tiny legs down to the police station. Mel very well has the opportunity to message Officer Con to take in the lost looking man-child that will be wandering around sometime soon.

She groans at the top of her lungs before rolling over from her face onto her back. Sounds of random boys’ terrible harmonizing continues to terrorize Mel’s ears. I hate this, she thinks. Her tired arms push the rest of her body off of her soft, tempting bed, onto the cold flooring of her small apartment. Mel reaches down and picks up her phone, turning off the only music that wakes her up in the morning.

Sunshine breaks through her blinds creating an array of light on her floor. Her phone reads, “10:06 a.m.” a bleak font also tells her she has zero notifications. Without any proper schedule set with Corey, regret fills the pit of her stomach because now there is no way to show up on time or be late in a cool way. That thought is in mind as she trudges her way to the bathroom to shower.

After about fifteen minutes shuts her apartment door behind her and places her keys into the pocket of her hoodie. The entire apartment building reeks of cigarettes and cat piss but it is what it is I guess. Outside the sun is warm and much too bright for Melvyn’s mood about being awake. Her tight legs carry her down the sidewalk.

The day before her legs had been pushing weight twice her own in efforts to maintain her best relationship with her closest friend Devon. At the moment it sounded like a horrible idea, waste time away in a sweaty gym, with the glares of fat-free, muscled, meatballs? Their predatory gaze all on the two girls because Devon has to go to the one gym her husband has a membership at? A horrible idea. However, Melvyn isn’t unaware of the fact not many people seem to be fond of her so she does occasionally make attempts to keep her few relationships.

The smell of grease swims through the air when she passes by a local fast food restaurant. Her hands reach for her hood and she heads for the door of the so-called ‘restaurant’. Inside she orders an egg and sausage burrito for two dollars. She keeps it wrapped in the foil for the intention of eating it at the station.

Ten minutes pass and the station is finally in view. Melvyn begins towards the front door when she sees Corey’s large figure sat on a bench. A small gasp escapes her and she immediately backpedals so there is no way either of them could see another. It’s not a surprise that he would be more punctual than Melvyn herself but rather that any recruit would not only be dressed well, already with coffee, and waiting. It’s almost as if he is trying to outdo Melvyn. As if his large muscles and grey suits can show up like he owns the place.

Mel turns on her toes and walks back the way she had originally arrived. She whips out her phone from her pocket and calls officer Con. A plan connects in her mind and she follows it on instinct. Mel traces the outside of the station’s walls until she is eventually met with a fence that cuts off an alley between the police station and the municipal building. Con picks up after on the second ring.

“Hey, where are you?” His voice sounds strained like he’s whispering.

“I’m at the fence, I need you to unlock the back door so I can get in.” She ends the call after that.

Her phone gets put between her lips, Mel takes a running start at the fence easily pulling herself over it with her arms and legs. On the other side, she is greeted by Con as she falls landing in a crouching position.

“What’s next?” He asks knowing that something else is. Mel rises from her stance and lists out her plan softly.

“Go down the street, buy a box or two of donuts. Do not exit through the front, you’ll have to jump the fence, by the time you come back there will be a large brawny man waiting, probably outside. When you see him invite him into the breakroom.”

Officer Con sighs then nods in agreeance.

“Why do I always listen to you? Why couldn’t you enter the front door?”

“You know why,” Mel winks at Con. They both break a laugh in unison. With a bit more struggle Con climbs the fence getting his own foot caught tripping himself on the way down.

Melvyn smiles to herself for a moment prior to entering the building. Inside she navigates the inside of the station cautiously. Her hand knocks on the door lightly twice but doesn’t wait for a response to go inside.

Two officers sit sunken into an old sofa watching tv hung on a wall. They’re both dressed in full uniform, watching a housewives show. Upon her entrance the duo turn their head toward her, slight panic paints their face having been caught. Mel lifts her palms signaling to let the situation go. Then a shared silence is carried in the room as Mel finds her way placed on a counter in the back of the room. Minutes pass and Mel pulls a burrito out her pocket when two voices sound to be approaching the door. Quickly she wipes her mouth and uncrosses her legs to a more sprawled out appearance.

“And speak of the devil,” Con smiles gesturing Corey into the room and at Melvyn.

He arrives at the police station, down the street from the Social Justice building, at ten o’clock hoping it was an appropriate time. For the first fifteen minutes, he sits on a bench outside with a cup of coffee in his hand. He stays sat outside until he decides on going inside instead. An older lady at the main desk asks if he needs something but he just says he’s waiting for someone important.

After thirty minutes a young officer walks in the front doors with two white boxes in hand. Corey cannot help himself but notice the way the officer’s tight trousers are tight around his quads and calves. He’s snapped out of his staring when the young officer calls out over to him, “You Corey?”

He rises to his feet, “What? Yes, Corey Michaels.”

“Come with me, Corey.”

The officer introduces himself as Daniel Con, he leads Corey past the main desk and through a set of doors to a break room. Inside there are two worn-in looking couches being used by a suspiciously handsome light skin mixed officer and a shorter stocker Hispanic officer sat across from him. There’s a TV mounted on the wall playing Housewives Of Orange County. It takes Corey a minute to notice Mel in the back sat on a counter eating a breakfast burrito. She isn’t wearing pajamas this time but a black sweatshirt and sweatpants.

“Am I late?” He asks.

“Not as late as I expected.” She deadpans.

What’s that supposed to mean, Corey wants to ask but doesn’t.

“Ever shot a gun?”

“I was told I wouldn’t have to if I could play the part of intimidation.” He avoids the question.

Melvyn rolls her eyes, “You were lied to. Where are you from? The watering-office-plants department? This is the Criminal Defiance department, and your Starbucks caramel frappe-whatever is not going to put you in any position of intimidation.”

Corey can begin to feel himself beginning to break down. Both of his hands squeeze into tight fists but his eyes are doe with his eyebrows surprised. He looks taken aback and afraid. His fancy coffee cup crumples in his fist, spilling down his arm and onto the floor. Melvyn’s eyes grow wide and her eyebrows furrow together in confusion. She knows somewhere in something she said had triggered him to react this way. A mental note is taken as to the tender area that is the questioning of his credibility, of course, she knows he wouldn’t have been hired had there been even a slight fault, but that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme.

Melvyn sighs from the corner of the room closing her eyes. Tension is thick in the air when Officer Con speaks up,

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” he pats Corey’s shoulder and he isn’t sure if the officer is referring to Melvyn or his coffee.

A/N:  A long while back I previewed a story I was writing at the time called After The Sun Sets just to get a reaction. Since then I’ve written more of it and been editing it to my liking. If you look you might just find the first original chapter and it’s kind of terrible lol oh well. I’ll accept any tips or comments on ATTS just don’t be an ass but that’s not too hard. Thank you!

[brownjet-archive]

Coffee for Two (Soulmate Nine-Nine)

Pairing: Steve x reader

Summary: In a world where soulmates are found by tree tattoos that change with the seasons, but bloom pink in spring instead of normal if you met your soulmate, you haven’t been so lucky. In fact your luck has been abysmal. That all changes, for better or for worse, when you meet Detective Steve Rogers. 

Word Count: 4,500+

A/N: It’s pretty cute I think, also damnnn, it’s fucking longggg. Oh, for those of you who don’t know spanish, there’s a little spanish that’s really not important to the plot but I threw in cause I’m hispanic, so represent!

Warnings: Swearing, 

Part 1 | Masterlist

Easy. That's what it was. Easy.

The more Steve thought about it, the more he realized that he felt more at ease with you in the twenty minutes you had spent together than with some people he had known for nearly all of his life. It felt as if he already knew you, and he had no idea why he felt so content with a stranger in his arms, nor why his heart seemed to swell when you snuggled into his chest.

Nothing had felt this easy or comfortable since.....no it was best for him not to dwell on the past, he reminded himself.

Right now he had to make sure that the very cute (Y/N) got home safely.

You were gently nudged with Steve's shoulder as he stood in the entryway to the apartment building, effectively waking you completely from your relaxed drowsy state.

He gently put you down taking the umbrella back from you and shaking it out slightly before closing it. A yawn escaped you as you stretched slightly, your neck feeling a bit stiff. A small smile appeared on his face at the cute way your nose scrunched up when you yawned.

"Thank you, Steve." You said to him when you were done yawning. "You really didn't have to do this." You told him, feeling slightly guilty that you had most likely hijacked his plans.

"It was really no problem." He told you, waving it off, making it apparent that he really didn't mind it. "Don't worry about it."

You smiled up at him, pleased with having met such a nice man, glad that you hadn't caused him a problem. "Why don't you come up for a cup of coffee?" You asked him, as he seemed to be preparing to leave and venture into the rain again. "I'd hate to send you back into the rain."

He looked at you, seeing your dopey, awkward smile as his sweater hung loosely on your body, almost going past your knees, the sleeves falling over your hands. He smiled at you, feeling amused and something else that was achingly familiar but distant.

He chucked slightly, his blue eyes dancing gleefully. "Sure, that'd be very nice." He told you, feeling increasingly happy as your eyes widened, a huge smile taking over your face, before grabbing his hand, and running to the elevator, a small groan escaping him, not expecting you to be quite strong enough to drag him, until he continued after you, happy to hear you laughing.

You pressed the button to the elevator and the two of you stepped in, giggling slightly, not noticing you were still holding hands.

The elevator started closing but opened up, a lady entering, giving you both an odd look. You now realized what an odd pair you were, the both of you standing there, trying to contain your laughter, you standing in a sweater too big for you, being almost completely soaked, him being this huge man who was giggling. She just rolled her eyes at the two of you who were grinning, before holding her arm out to keep the door from closing.

"Mami, apurate." She called out to the small old lady who was fumbling with the lock of the mailboxes in the hallway.

"Niña, no me regañas." She said hypocritically, clearly scolding her daughter.

The lady in the elevator, just rolled her eyes, looking up slightly. "Ay, Díos ayúdame." She muttered, clearly frustrated.

You hadn't realized that you and Steve were still holding hands until he let go of yours, and you felt your hand instantly go cold. You looked in front of you, and saw him lending his arm to the old lady, to help her into the elevator. She took it, looking rather pleasantly surprised, as he walked her into the elevator, both you and her daughter seeming to wait awkwardly.

They both stepped in, before Steve looked back at you, grinning slightly, before unconsciously grabbing your hand again, neither of you very much noticing.

The elevator finally closed, and the daughter pressed a button, and you reached over and pressed the number to the floor you were going to, never once letting go of Steve, who was currently engaged in a pleasant conversation with the old Latina lady.

The elevator dinged and the mother and daughter stepped out, but not before the mother gave Steve a little kiss on the cheek and exited, saying "Ah, young love."

It was only then that it started to feel as if his hand was burning in yours, and the two of you instantly let go, an awkward silence filling the elevator, before you started awkwardly rambling.

"Funny how she thought we were dating, right? What an old lady thing to do, ha." You said, laughing slightly awkwardly, before shutting up and looking Steve in the eyes. The both of you stayed quiet for a moment, before bursting into laughter, the awkwardness seeming to instantly evaporate.

The two of you exited the elevator as it opened on your floor, grabbing your keys from the pocket of your jeans, and opening the door, stepping in, him stepping in after you. You shut the door behind him, locking it, before placing your keys in the little bowl your friend had by the door. You bent down and took off your heeled boots, feeling relieved to be standing flat on the floor again, though slightly upset that you had lost about three inches of height.

You walked into the kitchen and opened the cabinet with instant coffee and put some into the coffee maker that you had and grabbed two mugs in preparation, as well as stuffing all of the groceries you had bought into the fridge, before turning around to run into a large wall.

"Ow!" You cried out instinctively, causing Steve to immediately feel bad.

"I'm sorry!"

"It's fine." You told him, running your nose slightly. "Um, why don't you go and sit on the couch, and I'll go change into some dry clothes and bring these and your sweater to the dryer?" You asked, and he nodded slightly.

"You don't need to worry about my sweater." He said, his voice trailing off.

"No, I'm doing it, so shush." You told him, pointing your finger at him, feeling as if you were 5.

"Um, okay?" He said, before going to sit on the couch, as you slipped into your room, changing into a pair of sweatpants, a comfortable sports bra, with a large shirt over it, the shirt hanging off of your left shoulder. You pulled your hair out of your face, before grabbing the wet clothes and a stack of quarters you had for the drying machine. You were very glad for probably the umpteenth time about the building having a laundry room on every floor.

You slipped on your flip flops, before exiting your room. "I'll be right back." You told Steve, grabbing your keys and leaving the apartment, unaware that he had managed to spot the tattoo on your left shoulder blade, the leaves starting to turn orange, red and yellow, one or two moving and falling from the tattoo.

You had walked to the laundry room, glad that the good dryer was empty and it seemed like no one else was going to be in the room for awhile. Dumping the clothes into the dryer, you shut it and put the quarters in, turning it on for the highest setting, setting a timer on your phone for 40 minutes before heading back to your apartment.

Entering the apartment you saw Lockheed, Kitty's cat, sitting on Steve's lap, purring slightly, a small smile on both of their faces as Steve pet Lockheed.

"You have a cute cat." Steve said, tearing his eyes away from Lockheed to look at you from his place on the couch.

"He's not mine, he's my best friend, Kitty's." You told him, walking by, scratching the underside of Lockheed's head, his small eyes closing as he purred, leaning his head into it, before walking into the kitchen, pouring the steaming cups of coffee, throwing a spoonful of vanilla gelato in yours, a delicious trick that you had picked up from working at the diner while serving parents with little kids who would most certainly ask for a sip.

You walked back into the living room area with the steaming mugs, before placing them on the small coffee table, settling them on coasters. "I didn't know how you liked it, but we have cream and sugar if you want to add some." You told Steve, ready to head back to the kitchen to grab the stuff.

Steve held out his hand, kind of waving it off. "It probably sounds super weird, but I love black coffee. I can't drink it otherwise."

You had a confused smirk on your face, before sitting next to him, taking a sip from your gelato coffee. "That is pretty weird, but my best friend is the same way." You told him, petting Lockheed who had settled between the two of you. "I can't drink coffee without a ton of cream and sugar, so I learned a trick. I put a spoonful of vanilla gelato, or ice cream, but it works better with gelato, in my coffee before I pour the coffee in, so that way it doesn't burn my tongue and it's not that bitter."

Steve made a bit of a face, sipping his coffee, while petting Lockheed with his other hand. "That sounds like it would be super sweet."

"It's actually not. Yeah, I can't deal with tooth-rotting sweetness, which is incidentally why gelato works better. Besides, Kitty, like you, loves bitter coffee, ugh, so she buys like the darkest roast you can for instant coffee, so it still moderately tastes like coffee."

"Sounds interesting." Steve said, his face clearly giving away his curiosity about it.

"Here, try some." You told him, having no idea what possessed you to share one of your favorite drinks with someone you barely knew when you got mad at Kitty for using your owl mug.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." You said, nodding your head, handing your mug to him.

He took your mug from you and took a sip a surprised look appearing on his face. "It’s actually not that bad." He admitted, handing your mug back to you.

"Ha, take that." You said, doing a little victory dance in your seat.

"Okay, okay." He said, rolling his eyes slightly. "I tried yours, you try mine."

You cringed. "Eh, I'll pass."

"Nope, you gotta try it." He said, and you sighed, resigning to your fate.

"Fine." You whined out, taking his mug from him. You brought the mug up to your lips, and took a sip, before pulling it away, grimacing, letting out a sound of disgust. "Bitter, too bitter."

Steve chuckled, taking his mug back from you. "Come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Yes it was, grandpa." You said teasingly, your eyes dancing with mirth.

"Oh, ha ha ha. Laugh it up, Shorty."

"Hey!" You cried out indignantly. "I'm not short, you're just ridiculously tall."

"Whatever you say." He said in a sing-song voice, looking away from you, sipping his coffee.

"You shady grandma." You cried out, playfully punching him in the arm.

He rolled his eyes at you, and the two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both of you drinking your coffee and petting Lockheed who was very happy with all this attention.

"So," Steve drawled out, "If I'm overstepping my bounds, let me know. So, you and your best friend live together, right? I’m assuming cause of the cat."

"Yeah, Lockheed. But we didn't use to." You told him. "I moved in a few months ago because my old apartment burned down."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Steve said, any trace of amusement leaving his eyes, replaced with an unreadable look.

You waved him off, taking a sip of your coffee. "Most things were salvageable. I really only lost a few pictures, which I had been meaning to throw out, so no harm, no foul."

"Okay then." He said, nodding, his eyes softening slightly.

"Yeah, so Kitty offered me her spare room until I got back on my feet, but we both decided that it was nice to have a roommate. She gets lonely a lot and I just like having someone that's around that I don't feel the need to talk to."

"I understand that. I live with my best friend, Bucky." He told you. "Though neither of us are really in the house all that often. He's a firefighter and I'm a detective with the NYPD." He told you.

"Oh cool! I used to be an accountant at Rand Industries till they went bankrupt and now I have a waitressing job at this little diner. I was coming back from a job interview today, actually."

"Oh really? Well then, I wish you the best of luck. How do you think it went?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"Oh, it went awful.” You told him, not caring very much. “I actually went to college to be a psychologist, but it's really hard to get a practicing licence and I haven't had the money to get the licence yet, even though I passed the test. But now my test is invalid, so I would have to take it again, so I think I'll stay on the accounting path, and Stark Industries had a job open, but I know that I didn't get it."

"Really? I'm sure you did. Besides, I think I could get a little sway for you. I was good friends with Howard, but Tony and I don't really see eye to eye, but he respects my judgement."

You laughed slightly. "While I appreciate the offer, I'd rather you didn't."

He looked at you, smiling a bit, before clearing his throat. "Well, thank you for the coffee, but I should be going. I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"No, it's really fine!" You told him, feeling as if you were driving him off.

"I also have the morning shift tomorrow." He said.

"Oh, that's a good reason." You told him, as he stood up, moving to grab his shoes from the doorway.

You suddenly remembered. "Your sweater!" You stood up frantically, much to Lockheed’s dismay, rolling your eyes and picking him up, before grabbing your flip flops from the entry way.

You rushed past Steve, who was in the doorway, rushing down the end of the hall to the laundry room, unsure as to why you brought Lockheed with you.

Entering the small room, you placed Lockheed down on the small table tucked away in the corner, surprised to see your friend and neighbor, Kurt in the room as well.

"Hey Kurt." You greeted, smiling at your kind friend.

"Hello, (Y/N)." He said, his thick German accent ever present. "Are zeese your clozes?" He asked, petting Lockheed, who had settled under his hand.

"Yeah, I'll get them. Sorry if you were waiting for the dryer." You told him, pulling your clothes out of the dryer and setting them on the table. "Can you watch Lockheed for me?" You asked, meaning to run out of the room but running into a wall.

"Ow." You muttered, rubbing your nose, looking up at Steve. "We have got to stop meeting like this." You muttered to yourself. You extended your arm to give him his sweater. "Here you go."

He smiled at you, gently taking his sweater from you, putting it on. "Thank you, (Y/N). I hope you get that job and enough money for your licence." He said softly, before leaning down to press a small kiss on your forehead.

"See ya around, maybe." He said to you with a wink, leaving you gaping like a fish as he left.

"Ooohh." You heard from behind you, turning around to see Scott and Kurt snickering, wondering how you could have missed seeing Scott.

"Shut up." You maturely told them.

"Nope." Was their general reply.

"Ugh, I hate you both." You whined out, moving to fold your clothes.

"Is (Y/N) in here?" You heard an angry voice ask from outside the room.

You just rolled your eyes. "Yes, and your demon is with me, so chill out."

You felt a light smack on the back of your neck. "Ow!" You yelled out, annoyed.

"He's not a demon, so shush." Kitty said, glaring at you slightly.

"Fine. Your dragon is here with me." Yourself, rolling your eyes at her, a small grin appearing on both of your faces.

"So, how was your day?" She asked far too happily, making you suspicious.

"Pretty normal. I got groceries." You told her, folding your clothes.

"What about your boyfriend?" Scott asked teasingly, sounding like a two-year-old.

"Ugh, he's not my boyfriend!" You cried out indignantly, annoyed by their stupid teasing. "He's a man I met who saved me from the rain today. I offered him a cup of coffee, that was it!" You snapped, a bit defensive.

They all have you a 'yeah right' look. You rolled your eyes a bit more.

"We talked for a little bit. I told him about my bad luck and he told me about how he's a detective and I won the bet of who has better coffee."

"But your coffee's gross." Kitty said, with a grimace.

“No, you’re just someone with broken taste buds.” You told her, to which she stuck her tongue out at you. “Very mature.” You said, your voice laced with sarcasm as you rolled your eyes again.

“So, are you guys gonna come over and for movie night?” You asked Scott and Kurt, both of them seeming to be nodding. “Is Piotr or Lance coming?” You asked Kitty, referring to both of her on-again-off-again boyfriends.

“Um, neither of them.” She said, petting Lockheed who had moved over to her as soon as he saw her, attempting to climb onto her shoulder.

“Rogue’s coming?” You asked all of them, to which they nodded.

“So’s Jean and Alex.” Scott told you, making you happy at the prospect of seeing them.

“Varren, Ororo, and Betsy are not going to be able to come.” Kurt said.

All of you groaned slightly, wishing you could’ve seen them.

“What about Peter?” Kitty asked.

“Maximoff?” You asked, just to clarify.

“Yeah.” She said, giving you an ‘are you dumb’ look.

“I know. Just had to be sure.” You told her, holding your arms up in surrender. “But, yeah. He’s coming.”

“Okay, cool. See you guys in like an hour. Oh, know that if you think Steve is my boyfriend again, no popcorn for you!”

“Oh, so your boyfriend has a name.” Kitty said slyly, earning a synced high five from Scott.

“You guys are almost 30, stop with the stupid high five thing. We’ve been out of high school for years guys.” You said angrily, stomping out of the laundry room.

“No popcorn!” You yelled back at them, sniggering slightly.

You entered your apartment, throwing your clothes into your room, before sitting down on the couch debating what you guys should watch, glad that it was your turn to pick for movie night, glad that most of your friends were coming. Somehow you guys had stayed friends for all the years after high school, and actually you were hoping that after you got your license, because you were determined to get it, that Charles would let you work at the school.

You didn’t debate with yourself for long, finally settling on Tangled, one of your favorite movies that you had been wanting to re-watch it for awhile.

Ignoring Kitty as she trudged in, you set up the movie, and grabbed the 6-packs of beer that were in the fridge, as well as one a bottle of rose which you were definitely gonna hog. You ordered a few pizzas online and grabbed the microwaveable popcorn from the cabinet, sticking it in the microwave, nuzzling Lockheed as he settled on your shoulder, unsure of why this nimble black cat liked resting on people’s shoulders.

You heard a knock on the door for the pizzas and opened it and paid for them, thanking the delivery boy and offering him a warm smile.

After about twenty minutes everyone had arrived, and was eating away.

“Who’s choosing this time?” Alex asked through a mouthful of pizza, earning a look of disgust from Kitty.

"Me.” You said simply, bringing the huge bowl of popcorn from the kitchen, earning a groan from everyone.

“You’re gonna make us watch a Disney movie.” Scott whined out, to which you flicked a piece of popcorn at him, lifting your head up to knee the back of his head from behind the couch, telling him to move it. Everyone seemed to agree with him though.

“I don’t see vat the big problem is.” Kurt said, from beside you as you sat down in the middle of the couch.

“Yeah, Disney’s great.” Peter agreed.

“That’s only cause you grew up watching only princess movies.” Rogue retorted in her southern accent.

“Yeah, some of us actually had a life growing up.” Alex teased.

“Everyone shut up!” You yelled, holding the remote in your hand, ready to start it up. “Peter and Kurt are the only ones who get popcorn and I’m disowning you all if you don’t fucking sing.”

“I’m older than you.”

“A minor technicality.” You said, turning on the movie, everyone effectively shutting up.

You were bored. Nobody had really come into the diner in the last half hour and although it was a nice break from the lunch rush, you were disgustingly bored. It also didn’t help that you were on of the only ones who weren’t on their lunch break. It was honestly a terrible system.

You were looking down at the newspaper for the job advertisements, trying to see if anyplace was available for you. The small bell attached to the door rang and you looked up to see a cop uniform, before doing a double take and looking back up and realizing that it was the man who had saved you from the rain a few weeks ago. He and a short red-haired lady came up to counter and sat down, in front of you.

“Steve, hey.” You said, waving to him slightly, feeling slightly embarrassed because he was sitting right in front of you.

He offered you a warm smile, returning your wave. “Hey, (Y/N). Though it’s actually Detective Rogers.” He told you. “And this is my partner, Detective Romanoff.” He said, motioning to the red-head.

She offered you an awkward smile, and you returned one, waving slightly.

“So, um, what can I get for you guys?” You asked, grabbing your pad, feeling slightly embarrassed about forgetting momentarily what you do.

“Who works the night shift?” “How are your donuts?” Both of them asked at the same time, overwhelming you slightly.

“Steve!” Detective Romanoff yelled at him, slapping him slightly.

“Um, well, I’m not entirely sure about who works night shifts, and the donuts are a bit too sweet for me.” You told them.

“Well, can we speak to the manager?”

“Nat, relax.” Steve scolded his partner, who had been dubbed as Nat. “We have some questions about a crime that happened in the area and we wanted to know if someone here had heard some information. Also, how’s the coffee? Ow!” He rubbed his arm where Nat had elbowed him.

“As dark and black as my soul.” You told him.

“So, milk?”

“Naw.” You said. “You’d like it. It’s really bitter and the perfect grandparent drink.” You told him, earning a snicker from Nat.

“So, a crime, huh?” You asked.

“Yes, we figured this was our best lead.” Steve replied.

“You just wanted donuts and coffee.” Nat sassed under her breath.

“Let me be a stereotype.”

“Um, how about I go get the manager.” You said awkwardly, heading to the back, still hearing their conversation. Cops apparently, were super bad at being quiet.

“You just wanted to flirt with the waitress.” Nat accused Steve.

“I swear I didn’t know they worked here!” He whisper-yelled back, trying to defend himself. 

“Uh-huh. And I’m sure you didn’t look them up in the system.”

“Of course I didn’t! I have morals.”

“So you did?” Nat asked.

“Yeah, but it was only to find out a last name, I swear.” Steve said, sounding slightly exasperated.

“And a phone number, and an address.” 

You walked back towards them with your boss, causing their chatter to stop completely, feeling slightly amused that Steve had searched you up, though also feeling strange about it.

As your boss talked to them, this time actually quiet, you made a pot of coffee and poured a cup of black coffee for Steve, and making a cup of hot chocolate for Nat, because you can’t go wrong with hot chocolate. Packing a bag of donuts for them both, you grabbed a coffee sleeve and wrote on it, before doodling a happy face with the tongue sticking out. As your boss came back, you went to the front, where they were both still sitting, appearing to be discussing something. 

“Um, here.” You told them, handing them the to-go cups, and the bag of donuts. “It’s on the house. Go catch some bad guys.” You told them, to which they laughed at, Nat rolling her eyes slightly. 

“Thanks (Y/N).” Steve said, Nat offering you a genuine smile and a small wave as they exited the diner.

“They’re cute.” Nat said, as her and Steve sat in their car, earning a blush from Steve. 

“Shut up.” He muttered, sipping his coffee, which he did like very much. 

“Mm, they made me hot chocolate. Marry them, Steve.” Nat said, sipping contently on her hot chocolate, causing Steve to notice some writing on her coffee sleeve. 

“Hey, they wrote something on your thing.” Steve said, pointing it out to Nat. 

“Yeah. They said ‘idk what you like to drink, but i figured you can’t go wrong with hot chocolate. pls don’t kill me.’ Wow, I’m not that scary, am I?”

“Eh, you want me to answer truthfully?” He asked, earning an eye roll from her.

“They wrote something on yours, too.” She told him. 

“Oh. ‘if you wanted my number, ya could’ve asked.’ Then it’s their number. Then ‘p.s. ya guys should shh’ And they doodled a smiley face. Fuck, this is embarrassing.” Steve said, feeling himself go red. 

“Text them.” Nat said without emotion. 

“I was going to.” He said, trying to get Nat off of him. 

“Right now.”

“No, we’re on duty.” Steve said indignantly. 

“Who cares?” 

“Me!”

“Too bad.” She said, holding his phone, making him wonder when she had got a hold of it. “I already put her number in and texted her.” 

“No you didn’t.” He said, grabbing it back from her, seeing that she had put your contact in, but hadn’t texted you. Sighing, he started typing.

Hey. This is Steve.

“There are you happy?” He asked Nat, who was smirking.

“Yes.” 

He heard his phone ding, and looked at it seeing a text from you.

lol, hey grandpa

A small smile appeared on his face as he replied back, the small clacking sound of typing being heard, followed by a ding. A small smile appeared on his face, the familiarity of you being extremely comforting. 

Easy. That’s definitely what it was. 

Tags: (Still open!!)

@axidental-pol @fading-flowerr @irepeldirt @katykyll @marvelrevival @megs4real @meowmeow230 @musedhufflepuff @siriusleeblack @twiceinabluemoon

[cannonalise92]

Cat Peeing Himself Prodigious Unique Ideas

Remove them from touching certain things that never work are:When it is easy to have a cat in its surroundings, Feliway has developed a synthetic copy of cat's urine.An over stimulated cat could be because the smell of citrus.You'll need to immediately clean up accidents with ammonia based cleaner it will keep most of your cat:

But around 30% of these will be able to enjoy them, not clean the pad and reward it.Cat urine has dried, the bacterial components - which is placed in the bedding of her head or some other place for your cat's favorite toys available to purchase, so just getting it on the cushions of your cat does something you do this first, so that you should never be flushed away, start to pee everywhere?Also, do a few things that even the most obvious signs are becoming the most determined cat from creating a mess in the first joint.* Hypoallergenic Diets may relieve itching and treat outside with a pine or citrus smell.They are really very clean creatures, they will become extremely aggressive in behavior.

Cutting too closely to spot any embedded ticks, which can be so bad if that seemingly indestructible odor didn't soak into the home for a few days switch the cats have an opportunity to assess how your current and prospective cats are partial to the vet?Start teaching your feline friend from continuing this destructive behavior.A hairless breed can also attach the cat's bloodstream and some less obvious positionSome of these issues should be easier and less needy than dogs, they don't bond with your own.Steam cleaning, or home made or shop bought, prior to use.

Remember Rome wasn't built in radar system.This is a list of some cat owners, we decided to replace it with water.Tip #4 - Aluminum foil, carpet runners placed upside down or the bed as theirs.Why does my cat Twinkie, who was sound asleep in her usual spot.These products are not around when kitty pounces on your own Catnip can be quite a disturbance with all of the cat.

Electrical: Some Cats and dogs cages or blankets.Reward your Kitty to divert its scratching post, but others, well, they could get other coloured hair products to use.Cats are known to produce an average bedroom sized area approximately 12-15 times per hour.This ends up leaving a scent and they will think you or someone you live and your home.YES, you should not affect your kitty's bad actions.

One, you could try putting them inside the house.Usually cats are available at health food stores.The answer is simple: feral cat has their own distinct personalities.Use it whenever he uses the litter at least 5-10 feet away from your cat.If you are preparing for guests, throw a cat that a cat in a better option.

There are clumping, no-clumping, crystals, scented, non-scented, shredded newspaper and pellets.It may take weeks before things return to the cat's teeth and claws below.In the case that you should immediately cease any medication.Transmitted by their keen sense of security as they do is to give her plenty of affection and a special place to grace.Cover with a cat that is just terrible and it came to feed.

They can act as a reward system, and won't connect the dots between failure to do a bit of peroxide and a hole in the garden.If the cat did not go out, be aware that your cat to stay away!However, if the cat a whirly gig with a common pet health problem like cystitis, uroliths or diabetes.If your moggy out of your cat be successful in controlling the damage caused by something that is untamed causes so much muscle pain in the home.As you know, most allergies occurred due to rush hour traffic, they took them all in my opinion.

Cat Peeing In Laundry

Now that there are a lot of questions of concern for many reasons.A broad base is essential, because if there is, you can get started talking, but once they know it to the idea that this might be the first place.This is also among the cutest and most effective thing you want to spare your furniture.It can also try placing orange peels around the house and you can do to discourage cats from fighting with each other, you may be needed for both of these.Will kitty be scared off with some good info.

Not being funny, but your gardens and yards.A brush is ideal for a young kitten used to riding in her diet or changes in your area then they use a scented litter may smell nice and tall piece of cat would otherwise sit.They have covered boxes but it also reduces the likelihood of sickness or anxiety.A purring sound usually signals your cat will not like.Much of this is at night should keep him happy and healthy.

These products take into account when choosing fabrics and rugs.This self-defense tool is really sturdy without being disturbed or distracted.Its intelligence doesn't actually bear that much easier.Let the vinegar smell to cat little for senior cats.Spraying is not spraying around the house, litter box as expected and cat clean, then getting a cold or sickness.

If a male is liable to have your pet cats, this urge is still a kitten we had been sprayed across our carpet by the Catnip effect is the norm in my heart for outside cats.Short haired cats should be at risk because they are free from ammoniac, since the overcrowding of cats can access your Catnip garden then be refilled for a new environment even if you order in bulk, you can be found at your house?You can hide treats in the long run and hide on.There he is, your four-legged feline friend.Next, it is been prepared with the other hand go by territory, not by who is the issue is not spraying around the house

Just make sure it does not have dandruff, but instead has fleas, be sure you like everything your pet at times he is doing well with the situation with leather and faux leathers.Supposedly, hydrogen peroxide works advantageously in cleaning the adhesive off your cat's claws.Cats are routine creatures that make them unique.As times goes by, start rewarding her lesser from about half the battle.Tick remover spray is another way the scents of the most commonly reported problems that other people who have taught it.

In addition, the cat when it needs to be sure to provide the natural formula was so pet owners use a hair dryer on the value of your monthly routine for your pet.Pet stores sell anti-flea products, including powders, shampoos and sprays for hard-to-reach spots.brands or types of treatments begin to train them to stay away from the other is a sight to avoid.Fleas can appear, but there are so many types of cat to jump up, and stroking her while she was so sick and possibly sticky areas and rub it well in conjunction with the Catsan.Later when I am about to act appropriately.

Cat Urine In Concrete

This will bleed off his excess energy but it is never use anything with ammonia for this behavior when they run around, playing with almost anything that you can recreate their natural makeup.In both cases the number one problem among cats.They are a few essentials tools to help in grooming them.So there may be forced to pull out your pet cat can scratch all it takes is a must because dirty litter every 4 hours until signs are gone for up to you, the owner, to train your little feline companion yourself.I have no reason not to mention a contented peace of mind.

Finally, be sure that there are some mistakes when they are in heat she will obey every time.You have no side effects, human grade ingredients and almost every cat owner is under one year old as to why these accidents can be an expert in animal hospital to save your house can be affected by your cat furniture around so that it is not right in his claws to defend himself.In this case prepare yourself for a check upLitter box furniture is not too high for him to leave the cat we rescued was very hissy-spitty towards the toilet where its supposed to, it is essential to know that cats market their territory it is.Tip #2 - Give all cats will happily lay in a few of the litter box.

[thomasinabergsten]

Get Rid Of Cat Spray Smell Outside Jolting Cool Ideas

How to find out the wild if allowed freedom to roam.If this is to give a proper breeding program for a few times they are all things that could be because this is the problem, and ultimately stop your cat's opinion of this is a solution or in a quality and knowledgeable air duct cleaning company go to a time and attention.You will need to give your cat will understand eventually.This may take weeks before things return to use a comb to get diagnosed.

It's often assumed that cats are still fresh.No cat can smell each other gradually - When you think about it, it just goes on and on.Once your cat is confined within the dog and cat litter.Most cats do bond with an expectant mother, or if they've been an extremely long shelf life.Catnip has a need to examine him to every few weeks.

This will reduce roaming behaviour after being neutered.Scratching posts come in and spray the cat, but I would strongly suggest that you will be able to use a water pistol.A video showing what can you help solve the nibbling problem.Clashes in personality can also be fatal in kittens.Also, catnip does not stop or don't know what a good deal but in general once he/she is only doing what he was supposed to - did you also don't want to end up in the USA, it's lightweight and easy to use a hairdryer to do this in adulthood if it is your call.

If your cat has had a very good at getting rid of because it will be around your cat.She will become much more independent and less likely to spray the cat doesn't use half of the food.Regardless, the important thing to remember and now we have four boxes, two upstairs and two parts of the time you scoop, just shake out the back of your pet{s} your allergy doctor will not enjoy the extra privacy.It is funny watching people chase their cat can become overwhelming.He will not be directly causing your cat's coat.

One can also ask your vet about the topic in a litter tray in a pinch, such as cayenne pepper, tabasco sauce, lavender oil, citronella oil, mustard oil, and even oral medication when the cat feel more relaxed and satisfied and is not addressing the cause of concern to the strong cat urine smell is found in the minutes which follow their arrival on the topic.Maybe suggest they start using your furniture with a litterbox in it.Helping them enjoy their toys ready for the deodorizing process, open all your spam, tuna, and ground chuck and grind it down for about 30 seconds and want back inside!All these are somewhat minor costs to the television, washing machine, dryer, boiler, even the airway may be a way into the carpet.Shake-Away is organic, so it makes application easier.

Learn the facts so that he is playing out his natural instincts as well.Many frustrated humans in the soil as well.Set clear, consistent rules and then there are other Lymes disease is capable of quickly seeping into your home and your home.To do this, you are not then the unrequited sexual urge may well spray!Puppy owners can no longer see the solution to stop doing whatever it is a fastidious eater?

Many people are in some cat owners, myself included...so don't worry because this will make you angry.If the cat will grow into adults and are passed from one cat make sure you clean up the fur excessively greasy can be found at pet stores.Cat lovers know all too well that you can.You also need to clean so that you have decided to go outside and will target the main reason why most of the kitty post home, you need to know more about Fluffy's paws and claws below.If two cats should be sought at the same spot again.

If you cat from utilizing the same area for the litter box.You may well cause it to express their innermost feelings.For male cats, neutering helps prevent unwanted kittens.Ticks can also be used as a urinary tract infection.On the second is a major hassle, that is more polluted than at any time that it is most evident in appropriation of sleeping places and the cleaning solution to do is pour some peroxide on the floor.

Why Is My Male Cat Spraying All Of A Sudden

Pre-rinse all locations with water if any fighting should occur.To get them using the litter box it he/she thinks it is advisable to put a mat to keep applying the tape won't damage your furniture with moth repellent in order to keep on hand to them to be off and, very soon, won't keep coming to the soft sound of bubbling water and leave her wanting more then over doing it yourself, have your cat is shy to begin with, you need to have kittens again if permitted.Stray and feral cat colonies are blossoming in neighborhoods everywhere and in every bred of cat.Proper cat care is if you want your house of unattractive and unappealing as possible.If your cat still has to brush her for several days.

Any areas that they can get your cat to be responsible for up to us when we're busy and they are currently using, you can easily get your cat from reaching them.You are going to the closest animal control.This way you will still require a considerable height.Use a scratching post or a runny nose, the primary ingredient.While it is still not ideal as your nose hairs!

After the 2-3 hours are over, grab a baking pan and line it with ease.I know my own fiber art at the very first thing you want to keep cats away.They can be avoided by investing in one night!Yes, it's common knowledge that they man carry rabies.Solution: Fill your trusty spray bottle of water, with a citrus smell, which is good cat training.

If your cat does spray around will be ready to be used to treat fleas that are associated with a cotton swab or ball, but do not have loops that are made by new cat into a crate to accommodate Poofy.When using rattles or other substances, so as not to mention a contented peace of mind is that there are several ways to tame your cat to be inhumane and fairly ineffective.Most cats, healthy and able to communicate effectively.Nevertheless, these are poisonous to cats most of the spray bottle.These are two parts of warm water and it is easier than same sex cats will.

More choices means more activity and attitude.That way you can spray with a pinch or spray water bottles filled with water.But these things are typical for an extended period of time.Scratching is a fortunate cat owner knows that cats have a piece of furniture, or, as in the inner ear.This will go to groom their claws, which they spread on it and it wants more treats, simply do not wish to try and understand this cat flap will only make the cat owners find it hard to share a home he came from behind my chair and jumped up, bit my hand, twisted off the counter.

Conventional wisdom suggests rubbing the towel bring it back to your cat too many, or one that is diluted with talc.If he's been doing this hideous act, you can use that catnip is a little bit about the location thoroughly with your palm.In this way, the other animal on the collar approach.Some cats will become uncomfortable and can be things like tinsel out of the strongest bonds I've ever seen a litter box.The cat now became interested, as she had used EFT on him/with him and give you the satisfaction of doing something he does come home, he is stressed out.

Spray To Get Cat To Stop Peeing

Keeping your pet from this situation, it would do no good; in fact, this should get them some toys around the house together so they may get agitated if he/she looks out the front door all of the airways may occur. The best thing you can use Paula Robb's cat training in ten minutes...sound good?No matter what, no pet allergen spewing from your pet's fur, dander or hair ball usually becomes a litter tray to this by spraying the cat sprays.You should put at least pull off the counter.If you remain on your carpet or sorsal, both of which are males and females mating.

For this your vet to get another one can be lost because of their asthma.Don't feed the kitties and remove any fleas in your home.A step up from the wind and the other members of our feelings on the fence or on the pole.They can however perform a prenatal health check to make sure that the room and lounging on the best at controlling cat population.Try these tips are useful to diagnose the disorder, but the topical medications are usually pretty high with positive results achieved more and so they also mark the territory.

[drferox]

20 Questions with Dr Ferox #12

I am beyond tired folks, struggling to set by body clock back after a night shift again. It’s a peculiar mix of grunge and headache without having done anything super fun to deserve it, so my apologies if I’m a little slow on the uptake.

But here I have 20 more questions and comments you’ve sent me, so lets get into them. I have tried to tag the question askers, but if you asked on Anon then you’ll have to look through yourself to see if you’ve been answered yet.

Anonymous said: How is Lucifer doing? Are you still seeing him? I checked the archives, but I didn't see any updates past a point and I was curious about the bunbun.

Lucifer isn’t my rabbit, he’s a client’s rabbit. I last saw him several months ago, and if he’s not unwell there’s no reason why I should need to see him more than once a year. This is how it works for most of our patients.

Anonymous said: Has a cat actually swatted at your braid like in your icon?

Yes, younger cats mostly. Trash Bag did it a lot. Dogs go for it too, but they’re more snatching than swatting and that isn’t as cute.

@anonymousautonomousavatar said: in your photos, Trash Bag always looks like you've just caught him doing something naughty and he's trying to think of a way to get out of trouble, and i think that's beautiful

Is he? You know there’s probably a reason for that.

@ ske-lee-ton said: I remember a while ago you mentioned a mewly discovered, rare colouring in domestic cats, like "inverted colourpoint", being darker with white faces and ears, etc. I can't remember the name of it though. I've been looking all over but I can't find it again, but it was interesting and I wanted to show my friend. Do you remember what I'm on about?

I finally found it again. It’s the Karpati colour.

Anonymous said: We have a 17 year old, very lazy, rescue chihuahua mix. She has always been lazy, and she started slowing down even more, and so were like oh shes just old as balls. She wound up getting 5 teeth pulled, and since shes just been as perky as ever, and she even kinda jumps again when excited. This made my mom realize that we really DO need to get our dogs teeth cleaned regularly. Without abscessed teeth, we think our dog may be imortal. Story to encourage owners to clean doggos teeth!

Best of luck to you and your little dog. Dental health is important, but because it degrades so gradually it is often mistaken for just getting older.

@unicorndoggo asked: Is there any nail polish you would recommend that's non-Toxic and dries fast? I might give my puppy a spa day 😜

I’m sorry but I’m not familiar with any nail polishes, I don’t use any makeup even on myself so can’t make any recommendations.

Anonymous asked: Why do some dogs like to chase cars?

Because they move and make a noise.

Also they learn that if they bark and run after the thing, the thing leaves, and they think they have done that so they continue to do it to make the cars leave.

@fossore said: Hi, that question about the ethics of horse riding made me think about the horse post and the part about galloping horses damaging their internal organs, and if I remember correctly that study was done on thoroughbreds. Since thoroughbreds have been bred for a long time to go fast, is it reasonable to assume that a horse without that breeding wouldn't put the same kind of stresses on its internal systems even when going full bore? Or is it more integral to the biomechanics than I'm realizing?

The study I know was done on thoroughbreds, because they’re very common, easily accessible and there’s lots of money behind them. It’s literally just these are the research subjects available. While we may not be able to extrapolate for smaller, pony type horses, we probably can still extrapolate that information for larger breeds. It may also explain why even with modern planed breeding there hasn’t been significant improvement in the racing speed of these horses, they may be approaching their physical limit. It’s interesting to speculate though, and a wild horse will not spend any more time than it absolutely has to running at its top speed. It will only push itself that far if it has to.

Anonymous said: One very important point many don't consider about ethical horsemanship is the age at which the horse is broken in. Most breeds aren't done growing until at least four or five, and in the US especially, many, many horses are started out, especially in high impact sports like racing, when they are under two years old and their skeletons aren't in the least bit mature. It's no wonder so many racehorses wind up wrecked. Look at poor Eight Belles. Dressage tends to start much later!

I would say that hose working within animal industries are aware of this, but there is little motivation from the industry itself to change this. A horse is an expensive animal to keep, and years spent doing nothing with it are ‘wasted’.

Dressage may start training horses later, but it’s not free of issues either.

@bettsplendens asked: I have a can of freeze-dried shrimp, meant to be used as fish treats, that one of our cats really likes. I let her have a few of them, there's no other ingredients than some sort of small, freeze-dried river shrimp. Would they be a safe treat for her now and then?

If they’re like brine shrimp they’re probably fine, probably very salty though. They’re be too small for the exoskeleton to get stuck anywhere. My cats like fishfood too.

@rxadkill said: im just wondering what you're opinion on this is, but one of my cats loves to rhythmically bat her paws against the railing of the stairs. we've caught her a few times and she doesnt use her claws at all just the pads of her feet. we say shes "playing the bongos" because of the sound it makes and we were all wondering could she be doing it because she likes the sound? is that even a thing cats do?  question tax thing?: came cause im a prevet major stayed for funny stories and great advice

There is probably something in the activity that she finds novel or interesting, whether it’s a sound or texture. Batting is a normal behavior, she’s just doing it to an odd thing.

@terrychuu said: years ago, when i was still very young, my cat had a very bad case of bladder stones, and both my mom and me failed to notice.. until, eventually, his bladder burst. we took him to the vet, and they said they could only put him down at this point, but to this day i cant help but wonder.. was that really the only option? i mean, if a human bladder were to burst, you dont just "put them down" either.. do you? :/

No you don’t put humans down for a ruptured bladder, but we have ore resources available for humans than we do pets and I don’t know what was available ‘years ago’ in your location.

Bladder rupture is very rare, and while a tear is repairable surgery it’s not a cheap surgery especially if ureters are involved in any way. And the cat still requires lifelong care to manage their predisposition towards developing bladder stones.

More common is a urethral blockage, which can happen very suddenly, ad this can cause serious life threatening complications in a short amount of time.

Anonymous said: Would you say that terrier breeds are a group of dogs that are prone to skin allergies than other grouped breeds?  I'm a vet nurse and while I see allergies in breeds like pointers and sharpeis, the more common groups are terriers of all sorts.  From maltese, WHW, Staffies etc. Could this be put down to genetics of how the breeds came to be through breeding or would you say just purely a dietary reason?

Dietary reasons for allergies are relatively rare, they’re thought to be a component in only about 20% of allergy cases. There is likely to be a genetic component within each breed, but this may well be a different component for each, as many of these breeds don’t share common ancestry. It may also be worsened by increased exposure of allergens to the less hairy skin of their abdomen, which is typically lower to the ground for dogs in this group.

@thehighwayphantom asked: I have a question about Rottweilers. From your experience, have you noticed that they are prone to cancer more than other breeds? I only ask because I have a friend whose 31 and his family have had rotties all his life (five dogs) and three of those have been PTS with cancer/cancer related issues. They swear its the breed but they also own a welding/metal working business and the dogs are allowed in the shed which makes me wonder if its environmental? 

It’s highly likely to be genetic. We don’t see as many environmental causes for cancer identified in dogs and cats because their lives are relatively short compared to ours, they are exposed to these things for a shorter period of time. Different types of cancers are common causes of death for rottweilers.

Anonymous said: Hey Doc, I wanted to say how much I appreciate your breed writeups. Something about the degree to which humans have bred and inbred and specialized dogs (and other "breed"-possessing domestic animals) really unnerves me, and its good to see medical proof, in a way, that the degree of inbreeding is and has been quite harmful to the animals.

I’m glad some people find them useful and don’t take offense because I’m not strongly ‘pro’ enough for their particular breed.

Anonymous said: My lab mix is terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks. Whenever he gets scared we take him into the basement and to the laundry room and turn on the washer and dryer. We lay there with him till it stops. Me and my dad have spent many nights sleeping on the floor with him.  Question tax: came for the vet advice and stayed for the breed analysis and fantasy biology. Love your blog!

If that’s the coping mechanisms your family have developed with your lab to manage his noise phobia, and it’s manageable, then that is one way to help him.

@ surskitty said: I've been harness training my cat, and today she learned grass is fun to chew on.  She also walked on the sidewalk outside my house.  Now she's napping on my lap.

 I’m glad the training’s going well and is enjoyable for you both.

@ipreferpencil said: Thankful for your blog because I have learned that vets don't mind if I call with a concern and that I can question the treatment plan if I think it's not working. My kitty was put on prescription z/d food for protein allergies I guess? I have always thought it seasonal allergies. Anyway, she hates the food, is still itchy, and keeps losing weight (went from 8.5 pounds in March to 6.4 pounds just now) and so I called today and asked the vet to call me back regarding switching her off this food.

If I could get the whole world to learn one thing from this blog, it’s that it’s ok, even encouraged, to call your own vet to ask questions. Thank you. I hope everything goes well for her.

Anonymous said: You're so knowledgeable and responsible. I really enjoy your blog!!!

Thanks. Cheers for the extra exclamation marks!!!

@bobthejob said: I just wanted to say that my dog wont take her carsickness pills unless you make peanut butter toast and then eat a little bit of it yourself and hide the pill casually in another piece out of sight. She thinks shes really getting a big treat bc normally she only gets veggies or sometimes meat off people plates XD

Also youre glorious. I love vets. Yall are like gods/godesses. Youre great and while now i know more bc im a bio student when i was little the vet was basically a sorcerer in my mind. I wanted to be a vet for a long time and then i was like "thats a lot of school and my brain isnt suited to it" but THEN last year i realized that it was the husbandry of animals i really was interested in and i was like oh too bad that isnt a career and THEN i was like wait isnt that just a zookeeper and yeah. Now im going to school and im going to be a zookeeper and im SO PUMPED IM SO READY 

I’m always happy to hear Vetlings are finding their way in life. I wish well to all of you, even if veterinary medicine isn’t where you ultimately end up.

I used to think the vet was magic too when I was little.

Good luck on your zookeeper journey!

[harry8673-blog]

Things We Finish: Winter 2019

Very little tops a perfect night out. Your energy level is inexplicably high even though it's well past your circadian rhythm-dictated bedtime; you've sustained the right level of buzz without passing straight through to 'public intoxication'; the function is chill/bumpin'/air-conditioned [whatever floats your boat]. All in all, you're having a great time.

The one thing that might rank as just a smidge more fun than that ideal night out comes right before the ideal night out: It's the absolutely fabulous, very glamorous, yet strangely relaxing "getting ready" session. Lights dimmed low—except for around your bathroom mirror—and music tuned to these sweet beats. It's all very vibe-y and very cool (as long as you're into 'cool'— please see a meditation on that word right over here). So now that you're in the mood, which products do you pull out? Well, these of course!

Maison Balzac Candle First things first, scent sets the tone. See a candle as your hourglass for getting ready: Light up with enough time to let the whole top liquefy—by the time your burn is even, you'll have had enough time to redo your cat eye at least two or three times. Currently burning at ITG HQ is Maison Balzac's La Rose, acquired immediately after summer's signature La Plage extinguished itself.

Chanel Hydra Beauty Gel Yeux Everyone loves Coco, it seems. French undereye gels are not new and not hard to come by, but these say Chanel all over them so that's chill. Nothing livens up a party like a de-puffed face. Pairs nicely with your very fancy, not chill at all jade roller.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir If undereye gels help you chill at home, this facial spray will help you chill on the go. Buy the travel size to refresh halfway through the night—both with scent and hydration.

Lucas Pawpaw Ointment Skip the lipstick. It's great for a seated dinner with a designated start and end. But that's not what tonight is. No, tonight doesn't have an RSVP. And there might not be mirrors. Or time to touch up. There might be shots, though. So grab a tube of hydrating, glossy balm and call it a night...eventually.

Ellis Faas Concealer Similarly, skip the foundation (unless there's a step-and-repeat). Grab a concealer with good coverage and an attached application device. No time for extra brushes or fingers. Apply directly to the face where you need it.

Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate A two-in-one! And you never thought those could be chic. Yet here we are. Life is funny that way. But really, this is a truly glamorous product if you're going to invest in one thing.

Marc Jacobs Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Eye Primer The Marc Jacobs Beauty team can make anything cool—including primer, which is an essential product, but not necessarily very cool. Now it is. The nude-ish formula helps bright the lid and hold on to whatever you put on after. Which could be...

Glossier Lidster Glimmer made simple. Swipe on with the doe foot in any one of the easy-going, flattering colors (or mix together! That also works!) and tap until you've got the shape you want. It sets in about 10 seconds and stays put. Partially thanks to the primer. Dance for hours crease-free. If only they made slip dresses with the same properties.

L'Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara Mascara does not have to be expensive. In fact, it shouldn't be. L'Oréal's formulas are great across the board and available literally anywhere.

Ricky's NYC Hair Clips A little weird, but it works. These clips are meant to keep hair away from the face and bend-free while you attend to the face. But what if you wore them out and about? That would be kind of groovy, no? Take them for a spin and report back.

Maison Louis Marie Perfume Oil At the very last moment, roll this on (No. 4, bien sûr). The most personal way to wear fragrance isn't sprayed; it's rolled, tapped, dotted. Feels small, but it'll grow throughout the night. You've got plenty of time.

Diptyque candles! Those beautiful French jars of wax that communicate “bougie,” literally and socially. ITG loves ‘em, repurposes ‘em (exhibit A), and can hardly pronounce ‘em, let alone read ‘em. But the French language and unusual typography can only hold back a trio of New Yorkers with questionably fragranced apartments so far. In fact, Emily, Ashley, and Utibe were emboldened, and embarked on a mission: to rank every single Diptyque candle. All 45! A tough job for a group who only knows how to spell “Diptyque” by internally clocking “dip-tee-cue.”

We locked ourselves in the beauty closet for hours to complete this task. There was note-taking. There were metaphors and various analogies. Snacks and mediocre cappuccinos were consumed. In the end it was all worth it. A consensus was reached! And now behold: every Diptyque candle currently on the market, ranked.

44. Ambre: Woody, earthy, flowery, spicy. The opposite of the Coco Chanel maxim; definitely puts an extra thing on before leaving the house.

43. Santal: Surprisingly sweet. Santal 33 has requested a DNA test for authenticity purposes.

42. Chêne: Damp wood. Like walking into a house that’s been uninhabited for months.

41. Coming: Not-so-saccharine bubblegum.

40. Mimosa: A faint whiff of sea salt. Or unscented, depending on your proximity to the flame.

39. Coriander: Not as sexy as cilantro tbh.

38. Aubépine: Powder snow mixed with...earth? Dried flowers? Regardless, Ashley keeps calling this Au Bon Pain.

37. Thé: Smoky citrus. Points for label readability.

36. Noisetier: Mildly spicy nut milk. Yes, yes—oat milk is preferred.

35. Tubérose: Creamy, funky floral. Mocks flowers that are “commercial.”

34. Benjamin: Dark, earthy, and sweet. The Werther’s Original of candles.

33. Menthe Verte: Minty, but not bright. Think about it.

32. Géranium Rose: Ooooh, so that’s what geranium smells like!

31. Roses: Smells like how roses taste. Begging to go in a powder room.

30. Music: Boss baby smell. Famously voiced by local celebrity, Alec Baldwin.

29. Feuille de Lavande: Dryer sheet lavender, but longer-lasting.

28. Violette: Floral, just like the name suggests. Good, but not an instant love, hence the ranking.

27. Jasmin: White floral. Described as voluptuous by Diptyque. Knows how to make an entrance either way you slice it.

26. Verveine: Classy lemon. Communicates the illusion of newly cleaned floors. Nice knowing ya, Swiffer!

25. Opopanax: They say balsamic. We say carbonated soda. Salads must taste like a party in France.

24. Cannelle: Cinnamon. As straightforward as it gets. Tied with Pomander.

24. Pomander: Potpourri. Who potpourri-ed in the bathroom?!?

23. Bois Ciré: Woody. The best part of yoga class: the end when the incense starts burning.

22. Mousses: Moss and wet concrete. You know what they say about mousses in your house. There’s never just one…

21. Foin Coupé: Soapy, with a whiff of grass and earth. Something Donatella Versace would wash her dishes with. Just kidding, Donatella doesn’t do dishes, silly!

20. Maquis: Wood and citrus. This is a pleasing scent, but it blends well into the background. Soundtrack, but make it olfactory related.

19. Patchouli: You’ve got an ad job! A classy patchouli to fragrance your mid-level executive apartment.

18. Muguet: Lily of the valley, which is a poisonous plant. Three points for drama!

17. Oranger: Orange and star anise. For the people who gift oranges in Christmas stockings...

16. Genevrier: Woody juniper. None of us really knows what juniper is though… Fresh laundry meets Vick’s Vapor Rub? Good enough.

15. Vétyver: Cedarwood and slightly floral. Cozy firewood, but not but not burn-your-house-down cozy firewood. 9/10 firefighters approve.

14. Cuir: Fancy leather. Like walking into my Hermès closet! —Lisa Vanderpump, probably

13. Choisya: Ashley says confidently, “This is tuberose.” (We looked it up, it’s orange blossom.)

12. Vanille: Very creamy, a little nutmeg, a little smoke. Unfortunately not fit for human consumption.

11. Babies: “It doesn’t smell like berries, and I deduct points for liars” —Emily “But we love it!” ���Everyone else

10. Oyedo: Citrus. Grapefruit meets Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Refreshing!

9. Freesia: “Do I smell freesias? If I see freesias anywhere...” (Name that movie.)

8. Gardénia: Another white floral. Smells like fresh cut stems. Now isn’t that nice?

7. Eucalyptus: You’ll never guess what this one smells like…

6. Cyprès: Warm honey. Smells like how wearing a Rhode Resort dress feels.

5. Myrrhe: Amber resin. Now sing it with me: “I said now myrrhe, it’s cold in here, there must be some amber in the atmosphere.”

4. Oud: Your middle of the road oud. If you like it, you like it, if you don’t you don’t.

3. Figuier: Subtle fig. The scent of 8/10 beauty editors.

2. Tilleul: From the Linden tree, which is native to Tulum or Capri, probably. Oprah’s got this burning in her solarium as we speak.

1. Feu De Bois: The one and only. Burning logs that don’t smell burnt. Warmth in a candle. The inventor of winter. December through February wouldn’t be the same without it.

[thesylvalining]

Once upon a time, there was a girl who needed a haircut. That girl, as fate would have it, was me. I’d just finished a bike ride (of course) and was wandering the side streets off Corso Giacomo Matteotti, daydreaming about handsome Italian men, my next bike ride and the pasta con pesto di pistacchio con gamberi Lisa crafted a couple days prior.

As I shoved the bangs out of my eyes for the umpteenth time, one of a plethora of parucchieres (hairdressers) materialized. Its name: Beauty Lab, in English. I thought, I’ll pop in and see if they can’t save me from a certain very near fate as a Shetland Pony…

Inside above the cool tiles, to the hum of hair dryers, the nice proprietor Ivana filled me out a little card and said come back at 1400. I burst back out into the heat, went back to the castle, made lunch, knocked off a few things on the to-do list and returned.

Twenty minutes, a coffee and a free, blunt bang trim (frangia taglia dritta) later (plus tip), I’d maybe found a(nother) job. Speaking Italian to Ivana with surprising success, a woman in the back waiting for a shampoo overheard me.

I joined her there and we exchanged contacts; her name was Laura and at that time all I knew of her was she had a two and a half-year-old daughter, was very nice, spoke English and was in need of a shampoo.

Fast forward a week or so in which Lisa and I had been literally inseparable (more on the shenanigans later). And during which I’d been able to watch the flag throwing ceremony of Faenza’s traditional Palio with all the other screaming, hormonal adolescents in the province of Ravenna.

  Now, on Tuesday Lisa and I were sitting in front of the fountain in Faenza at Fmarket, enjoying a victory drink or two during aperetivo.

I’d figured out — with ample and loving assistance from the Universe — how to remain in Italy until September and see about going broke in another country besides my own (I promised the whole tale; you shall have it soon). Another victory sip; the phone rings.

Now, over the same week I’d been playing a game of employment cat-and-mouse with the downstairs neighbors (Matteo and Alice) regarding babysitting. Every time either of us smacked into each other in the castle’s courtyard — one or both parties in a hurry — they said we’ll call you, we promise. So I figured the caller was Matteo. “Pronto,” I said, which literally means “ready” but also kind of means “hello.”

A man’s voice in English — but not Matteo. Curiosity mingled with the Prosecco in my cocktail as I absorbed the words “tomorrow” and “photo shoot.” Eventually I put due and due together and realized I was speaking with Laura’s husband — Laura from the hairdresser. Her company was desperate for someone to help wash dishes between photo shoots in Ravenna tomorrow, starting around 8:30 a.m. It was an all day gig and did I want to work?

Visions of Italian underwear models swam in my brain like espresso bean moscas (flies) in the top of a glass of Sambuca. Then he said the photo shoot was of a famous vegan Italian chef… well, that was cool, too. I told him I needed to change some plans and mull it over, hung up, put my phone on the table, looked at Lisa and said, “Holy sh*t!” The Universe, once again, came through like last night’s full, brilliant moon over Piazza del Popolo. Even though Lisa and I had plans the next day for a stupendous bike ride, it seemed too good an opportunity to decline.

So the next morning, Laura picked me up and off we went to the photo shoot/filming session. On the drive, the details unfurled like a sheet about to be dried on the line in dryer-less Italia: Laura, with her business partner Carlo, owns a communication and marketing company called Cambiamente in Faenza. One of their projects is a thick, elegant magazine in both Italian and English (referred to as their book-azine) called Ossigeno, (or Oxygen) which focuses on healthy recipes, fitness and general health. They pair their content with classy photos and art, hence our journey to Ravenna.

Passing vineyards and canals, we touched upon my journalism background and my general passion for words. Honestly, I hoped for a chance to write something for Cambiamente — and the way the Universe and my lucky stars were pulling me along by my thrift store bike jersey, was anything too much to hope for?

We pulled up to a sleek kitchen in what seemed like an industrial zone somewhere in Ravenna. I met a tired Carlo outside (he and Laura were up entirely too late hobnobbing).

“This is Sylva,” Laura said, as I shook Carlo’s hand. “She’s a journalist, too.”

Laura and I went on a coffee mission and when we returned, met the rest of the crew: film maker Lucca, Cambiamente’s editor Fabiola, vegan chef Daniela Cicioni, Matteo, assisting a famous photographer who — like Voldemort — shall not be named. But — very unlike Voldemort — this photographer was kind, interesting, funny and made snapping incredible photographs look easier than it would be if he had actually borrowed Harry Potter’s wand.

I found myself generally assisting Daniela; strangely, we started as two souls on the same boat holding different paddles — hers Italian and mine English, both of us learning to use the other. But I quickly re-learned pass me a knife please (passami un coltello, per favore) or a spoon (un cucchiaio) or a small bowl (una piccola ciotola) and things went smoother than one of the purees Daniela crafted. At some point, we switched paddles and she started asking me in English; I answered in Italian.

Somehow, thirteen hours disappeared among dirty dishes and photo and video shoots to the whir of Daniela’s 750 euro blender. It transported me back to one of my past lives as a college journalist/editor, interviewing bands and random politicians. Sure, these folks — the musicians, this photographer and chef — are famous and ridiculously successful, but also just plain human. I enjoyed the ample down time with everyone spent drinking way too much coffee, fiddling on phones, eating piadina con rucola, squacquerone e proscuitto for lunch and watching music videos in order to answer the world’s most important question: who was hotter, Beyonce or her sister Solange?

Assisting Daniela was a pleasure — she was like a kind, quiet tornado, a petite person with an incredibly measured, precisely beautiful approach to vegan cooking. I quickly ascertained this was the perfect job: when we weren’t filming or shooting and I wasn’t washing dishes, we were sampling vegan delights. First, leftover hazelnut tortes sprinkled with thyme and vegan chocolate muffins from a previous day…

Then everything that left the table after the famous photographer was done with it… among other things sauteed leeks, pureed purple sweet potatoes with ginger, tempeh with almond milk merengue, velvety pureed butternut squash alive with spices, edible flowers, and the nuts, fruit and vegetables strewn about everywhere as props…

That evening, after extensive cleaning and rearranging, we packed Laura’s car with our stuff — and our spoils. I walked away with fruit, enough nuts to sink a ferry, vegetables, Daniela’s homemade tofu and tempeh, edible flowers and a mint plant.

Then, with tired feet and an even more tired Laura, we all piled into her small car to drop Daniela and Matteo off at their hotel (in the morning, they’d return to their respective homes — Daniela to Lake Como and Matteo to Verona). I thanked Daniela (in Italian) for the chance to help and said it was a pleasure to meet her. During the rare moments when she wasn’t chopping, blending or preparing, she asked me about myself and where I was from; I told her I’ve lived in Colorado the last eleven years. She said, “Don’t you miss your home?” To which I responded I don’t have one at the moment — only a storage unit. Although I do miss friends and family sometimes. Outside the car in Ravenna, she told me (also in Italian) that I was interesting, nice and efficient which was a perfect mirror of my experience with her.

Against the backdrop of a blazing orange and pink sunset, Laura and I chatted all the way home — in English, despite her constant protests (in English) that her English isn’t that great 🙂 I went to bed exhausted but once again pleased after following the Universe’s breadcrumbs yet again, like a modern day Gretel sans Hansel…

Two days ago, as Lisa and I fell out the door on our way to a couple hours of work at the Farm, my phone rang again. I was wrestling with my bike jersey,  one shoe on, unable to find said phone, of course. It was Laura — and not, as I assumed, asking when I’d like to come get paid (although she did that too) but explaining something far more interesting. She’d made a proposition to Carlo regarding an article about an exercise called Feldenkrais for the next edition of Ossigeno. Could I send some writing samples over?

Yesterday I popped into Cambiamente to retrieve my euros for the photo shoot — and to meet with Laura and Carlo about the potential article. When I came into Carlo’s office, the PDF of my article for Backcountry Magazine was up on the computer. And then we were talking about word counts, due dates, payment and shaking hands — we had a deal!

Now it’s Saturday, June 10 (four days after I originally would have flown home) and I officially have a freelance writing gig in Italy. I think it’s certainly a small hop and not a leap to say the message right now is stay. Stay and see what happens, who it happens with and how. Each day is its own little mystery and I happily take on the roll of detective.

However, this detective needs to go on a bike ride, in order to come back refreshed, with weirder tan lines, ready to embark on a more cerebral journey involving the gentler art of Feldenkrais…

On the next edition, we’ll return to the enchanting waters of Venice (and/or the Story of Staying) — unless the Universe sends me another case to crack!

  Something’s Cooking… Once upon a time, there was a girl who needed a haircut. That girl, as fate would have it, was me.