#and a lovely little pastry but i shall eat that when i get home. it's the seventh and i deserve this so be nice to me.

[outlying-hyppocrate]

three of my friends are having a heated debate on who can call me "crispy". i am now in the library because i do not give a shit.

[serpentandlily]

Hi!!! Could you do fluffy Rhys x reader where whenever she around Rhys, she can just relax and turn her mind off? Like she doesn’t have to be alert for everything and Rhys is more than happy because he likes how she trusts him enough to just relax and let down her walls around him.

Hopefully that makes sense I just woke up and my brain is not fully working right now lol🫡

Hope your doing well💜💜

This was such a cute idea! This is more of a drabble but I hope you like it!

Head in the Clouds:

Rhys x Reader Drabble

+++

“Where’s your coat?”

You smiled at Rhys, your mate and husband, as you bounded down the stairs in your house two at a time. His violet eyes looked back at you, shining with adoration and love, causing your heart to jump in your chest.

“My what?” You breathed out, coming to a stop in front of him. His lips twitched as he looked down at you.

“Your coat, darling,” he repeated. “It’s snowing outside.”

Your gaze shifted to the window by the door, now remembering that it was and had been snowing outside the past few days—the first sign of winter.

“Oh,” you said, sheepishly. “I forgot it upstairs.”

Rhys chuckled before grabbing a coat off the rack near the door, a coat he kept there because he knew his mate was oftentimes a bit forgetful when she was around him. But it never bothered him. He liked taking care of you.

It was a sign of trust, one he didn’t take for granted. He knew how hard you worked and he loved that about you, but he also loved this side of you. The side that could just relax around him.

“Come here,” Rhys said, holding out the coat for you. He helped you slip your arms through it before tugging it on you. “One more thing.”

He grabbed a small snow hat, one with a little puff ball on top. He pulled it over your head before flicking the little puff ball with a smile. You wrinkled your nose at him causing another small chuckle to leave his lips.

Rhys brushed your hair over your shoulders before pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Now you’re all ready. Shall we?”

He opened the door for you, smacking you on the butt as you passed him making you yelp. You shot him an amused glare but let him take your hand in his as he guided you towards the city streets.

"Did you eat breakfast this morning?"

Your eyes widened, suddenly feeling the hunger growling in your stomach. Normally you had breakfast with Rhys but this morning he had been stuck in a meeting with some local traders. You looked up at him, shaking your head.

"No, I forgot," you muttered, cheeks red.

You couldn’t help it. Whenever you were home and around Rhys, it was like your brain shut off. You knew Rhys would take care of you and you liked being taken care of for once. Your normal job usually caused you a lot of stress and it was nice to let someone else take charge, especially if that someone was your mate.

Rhys shook his head with a soft smile. "What are we going to do with you?" His tone was light, teasing. "Well, let's go get you something to eat. Can't have you running around the city on an empty stomach, can we, darling?"

You let Rhys take you to a small bakery near your house, one of your favorite places to go for pastries. You skipped inside, eyes scanning the display cases that housed all the delicious looking food, from fruit tarts to coffee cakes and other finger foods. You were too busy absentmindedly meandering down the small bakery to notice that the worker had asked what you wanted. You vaguely heard Rhys and the worker talking to each other, but paid them no mind.

A few minutes later, Rhys grabbed onto your elbow, catching your attention. "Let's go, darling."

Your brows furrowed as he escorted you outside, the bell over the door ringing as you exited the shop. "But we didn't get anything—"

Rhys held out a little white paper bag, cutting you off. You let out a soft, "Oh!", before grabbing it from him and opening it up to peer inside. "A glowberry tart! My—"

"Favorite," Rhys finished your sentence causing you to smile up at him. "I know, darling."

"Thank you, Rhys," you sang out, eagerly grabbing the small pastry and taking a small bite.

"Of course, my love," Rhys said, kissing the side of your head as he pulled you close to him with an arm around your waist. “Now, I believe we have some people to buy gifts for.”

You happily let Rhys escort you further into the city, eager to spend the rest of the day with him.

[horanghxnni]

coffee shop meet-cute. - j.w.w.

PAIRING: Jeon Wonwoo x Reader

WORD COUNT: 3.1k

TAGS: meet cute, strangers to lovers one-shot, barista!reader, non-idol!wonwoo; pure fluff, oblivious pining

WARNINGS: mentions of food/eating; i tried my best to write as gender neutral as possible, but i haven't proofread this more than once so pls let me know if it's not; other than that none (please let me know if i've missed anything)

NOTES: this is my first post here on tumblr omg. hi! i've been a big fan of work here and i've been writing for a while (i shall not discuss my cursed wattpad days when i was younger) and thought i'd start posting here for fun. i hope you enjoy! <3

You had started working at this local coffee shop when you were 16, at first as a way to earn cash on the weekends to fund your high school escapades, and now, 7 years later, you grew to love the feeling of crafting drinks and managing the shop you now felt was like a second home. You worked every day, and opening the quaint little shop meant that the first hour or so was a quiet peace to yourself, filled with the smell of brewing espresso and baking croissants. 

The morning rush came like clockwork, beginning at 7:15 am and finally reaching a calmer pace around 8 am. Just when the busy atmosphere began to subside and the day reached its first slump, a clearly anxious man made his way to the front counter, hurriedly ordering an iced americano and holding out his card before you could even tell him how much it would cost. You rang him up, and he left the counter to stand in a corner with a polite nod to wait for his coffee, glancing at the clock. You make his simple order as quickly as possible and set it on the pickup counter, calling his name. “Wonwoo, iced americano?” 

He grabs his cup and thanks you quietly, before hurriedly leaving the shop, not even bothering to grab a straw. You don’t think too much of it and get back to filling the pastry case as the curious stranger becomes a distant memory by the end of the day. 

That is, until you notice he comes in every day, always at the same time, just before 9 am. He enters with the same kind of energy, always as if he’s perpetually running late, and orders the same thing: iced americano, and if he was feeling peckish, a blueberry muffin. He never talked much, and the only thing you knew about him other than his coffee order was that his name was Wonwoo, he seemed to have a horrible concept of time, and he must work in some office to be dressed in business casual every day. This Groundhog Day feeling encounter with him remained as a growing routine for you, until 3 weeks later when you began to anticipate his arrival, and you had his order ready and waiting for him by the time he reached the counter. Your interaction grew more efficient as time passed, with a single swap of his debit card for his coffee, and his transaction down to 30 seconds, handing him back his card in record timing. You figured it was helping him, right? He was late to work, or something time-sensitive at least, and you made his caffeine pit-stop easier. It was a win-win: you gained another regular, and he got his coffee without hindering his morning. 

He ruined your flow one Wednesday afternoon. Once again, he arrived just before 9 am, but he walked in much slower this time, and he was wearing much more casual clothes, a faded gray t-shirt and jeans, a brown messenger bag slung on his shoulder. As usual, his coffee was already done, and you almost dropped a tray of apple tarts as he entered almost as an entirely different person. You set them in the pastry case with renewed care, and met him at the register. 

“Not in a rush this morning?” You asked, clearly confused but friendly, as you pushed his cup towards him. 

He chuckled, shaking his head as his eyes roved over the rows of pastries and sandwiches you had displayed. “Nope, we started a hybrid schedule so I’m working from home on Wednesdays.” He met your eyes for a moment before shifting back to the sweets, thinking. “I’m thinking about trying something new, what do you recommend?” 

It took you a moment before you adapted to the fact that you’d heard more than two words from him. His voice was smooth and deeper than you expected, and it seemed to sink into your bones. “Um, well the apple tarts are new, and we make pop tarts in house.” 

He nodded and took one more glance before meeting your eyes. “I’ll take one of each, for here.” He gave you a small smile and slid over his debit card, once again catching you off guard. For here? He was staying? You nodded silently and began to warm his sweets as you rang him up. He thanked you and took back his card, settling in a seat a few feet down the counter, pulling out his laptop and beginning to type quietly. You couldn’t help but steal glances at him as you made his little pastry plate, not used to his presence. You were so used to his rush of energy that seeing him so still and calm was confusing. You decided just before you gave him his plate that you’d slip a cake pop next to the tart, you had made extras today anyway. With a nod, you place it beside his laptop and don’t even wait for an acknowledgement, leaving the pretty stranger to his work and busying yourself with cleaning some dirty cups from earlier this morning and wiping down the counters. 

“The poptart is good. Do you make them yourself?” His voice cut through the quiet lo-fi music playing over the speakers as you paused from your cleaning. You turned to see him already looking at you, the half-eaten poptart in his hand. 

You nodded and put down the rag in your hand. “Yeah, every morning. The flavor changes depending on what fruit I can get my hands on.” You see him nod in approval, and he sets it down on his plate as he turns his full attention to you. 

“Thank you for the cake pop. And for making my coffee so quickly every day, it really helps me out.” He appears more bashful now, almost bordering embarrassed, as his cheeks flush an almost imperceptible pink. “I know I seem pretty pressed for time most mornings.” 

You laugh at his comment, thinking back to the quiet whirlwind of his stressed aura that appears in the shop every day. “Of course, I don’t want to make you any later than you already seem to be.” You pause for a moment before speaking again, wondering if you should ask the innocent question in your mind. He seems open to conversation, and it’s not like anyone else was demanding your attention at the moment. “Where do you work anyway?” 

“Oh, I work at the Pledis building, I’m a writer there for content creation. I’m not technically late ever, but I like to get there at a certain time and I definitely overestimate the time I need to commute.” He answers sheepishly, and you smile. A writer for such a big company? Impressive. 

You spoke for a little bit longer before another rush began, learning he’d been working at Pledis for a few years now, and his friend Joshua had recommended this coffee shop to him a few months ago, but he hadn’t had the chance to come until a few weeks ago. Of course your favorite regular would have pushed him here, and little details seemed to fit into place as your small chats throughout the few hours he remained at the bar revealed more and more about each other. Around 4 pm, he left with a wave, trying his best not to distract you too much. You waved back, and with an offhanded, “See you tomorrow!”, he left the cafe, the door jingling behind him. 

_____________ 

The next morning, Wonwoo surprised you again. He came in at 8:30, standing at the register while you finished the last of the morning rush orders, you hadn’t even seen him walk in. You turned to take the order only to see a face that wasn’t supposed to be here for another 20 minutes. 

“Oh, you’re here early! I’m sorry, I haven't made your coffee yet.” Of course you hadn’t. You had timed your routine almost down to the second, and he had thrown off your entire groove. He simply smiled and shook his head. 

“It’s okay, I have some time this morning. I’ll get my usual and another poptart, it doesn't matter the flavor.” He points to the plate and pulls out some cash. “You can keep the change.” Wonwoo, without another word, moves to where he sat the day before, settling in and pulling out his phone. 

You make his coffee and warm his poptart, placing it in a to-go sleeve, placing both in front of him. “So, I finally get my routine down with you and you all of a sudden decide you want to switch it up?” You raise an eyebrow at him. 

He looks up from his phone, a small smile growing on his lips. “Figured if I got here a little earlier, I’d relieve you of the time constraint.” His smile shifts into a frown after a moment. “I’m sorry if it threw you off that bad, I didn’t-”

You wave a hand at him, shaking your head. “Don’t worry about it, I was just messing with you.” 

His body visibly relaxes as he reaches for his coffee. “Thanks, Y/N.” You couldn’t help but grin as you hear your name in his voice, and you nod and turn before he can see just how wide your smile could get. You make small talk as he finishes his coffee and pastry, asking about his work and new recipes brewing in your head for the next 20 or so minutes before he declares he is leaving to head to work. 

“This was nice, actually sitting down before work. Maybe I’ll do this more often.” He hands you his plate as you agree, placing it in the sink to deal with later. 

“Thanks for hanging out with me this morning. You’re welcome anytime, obviously.” You say your goodbyes, and with another small smile, he leaves, and you’re left thinking of the way his smile lights up his face for the rest of the day. 

_____________ 

For the next few weeks, Wonwoo arrives around 20-30 minutes early. Your new routine involves pleasant conversation as you work, and him becoming a taste tester for new recipes before they hit the pastry case. You become used to each other’s presence, and with every new interaction, he grows more and more talkative. He tells you about frustrations from work from the day before, or a movie he had just watched over the weekend. You tell him about your roommate endeavors and outings you’d gone on recently. You consider yourselves friends at this point, and it was nice to have someone like him around when the morning felt like too much to handle. 

You had offhandedly mentioned taking a few days off one day and Wonwoo encouraged rest, but through all the chaos of pushed forward deadlines at work, he had completely forgotten until he arrived at the cafe one morning to see someone completely different behind the counter. He was confused to see his usual coffee was still sitting waiting for him in its normal place with his name on it, set aside on the counter, yet he did not recognize the barista currently finishing up a latte. As he slowly stepped up to the pickup counter and grabbed his drink, the employee looked up and met his gaze. 

“Oh, you must be Wonwoo. There’s your iced americano, there’s a muffin in the bag beside it.” His demeanor was nonchalant, as he placed the other drink on the counter and called out the order. 

“Is Y/N not in today?” It was the first thing he could think of, despite the answer being obvious. 

The younger boy looked up from his work. “No, they're off all week. They left me a note saying a guy named Wonwoo would come in at 8:30 and that was your usual.” He shrugged and looked down again at his brewing espresso shots. “I guess that’s you. I’m Chan, I usually work afternoons but I’m covering for Y/N this week.” 

Wonwoo nods, still processing what he had just heard. Y/N’s gone all week? Why hadn’t they said anything? He suddenly felt stupid as he remembered a conversation from two weeks ago, where Y/N finally decided the week they would take a solo trip to Jeju to visit their grandmother: this week. “Right. Thanks, Chan.” 

Chan nods back at him and Wonwoo leaves the cafe still in a semi-daze after setting down some cash, suddenly feeling as if he was thrown off balance, an unfamiliar budding feeling of disappointment settling deep in his chest. He makes his way to work, suddenly feeling like his predictable coffee didn’t taste the same. 

The rest of his work day was surprisingly only getting worse: he had printed the wrong files, was late to a meeting he was supposed to lead, and currently Joshua was trying (and failing) to speak to him about a conference they were attending the following month as Wonwoo unintentionally tuned him out. Suddenly, he felt a light shove of his shoulder pull him out of his trance.

“Dude, what is wrong with you? Have you heard anything I said?” Joshua raised an accusatory eyebrow at his friend and coworker. Wonwoo’s eyes suddenly gained focus as he looked up to see Joshua leaning against his desk. 

“I-” he attempted to think of an excuse, “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little distracted, my whole day feels thrown off.” He frowned and turned his chair toward the other man. “What were you saying?” 

Joshua’s mouth crept into an almost dangerous smirk as he took a glance at Wonwoo’s still full coffee cup, an unfamiliar handwriting scrawling his name on the top. “You didn’t see Y/N this morning.” 

Wonwoo almost choked on his own spit. “What? How- how do you know that?” 

The older boy rolled his eyes and pointed to the cup. “That’s not Y/N’s handwriting. I see them before you do most mornings, and they're not in town. They told me last week. I thought you knew.” 

“I did know, I just forgot, with everything going on at work.” Wonwoo couldn’t help but frown. Had not seeing them really thrown him off that much? “What does not seeing them have to do with anything though?” 

Joshua scoffed. “Dude, every time you come from that cafe, you walk in like you just won the lottery, and you see them every day. You like them, don’t you?” 

It was the last part that struck Wonwoo to his very core. He’d never even considered that to be an option before. Sure, Y/N was stunning, and kind, and he’d found great company in the barista, but like them? Romantically? Maybe it was more possible than he imagined. His face seemed to drop, as Joshua laughed at his rapid change in expression. 

“It’s okay if you do. They seem to make you happy. I think you should go for it.” With a grin that would rival the Cheshire cat, Joshua claps his friend on the shoulder before leaving his desk to return to his own, as Wonwoo’s brain settles on entertaining this thought that seems to bloom an unfamiliar feeling in his chest, replacing the heavy stone of disappointment from earlier. 

_____________

You were back after a relaxing few days with your grandmother, spending time in the sun and looking out on the ocean. Although the time off was needed, you couldn’t help but think about not only your cafe, but a specific regular you hadn’t seen since last week. You hoped Chan had made his usual for him as she said on the note, and you were excited to catch up with Wonwoo about the last week, and honestly, just to see him again. Spending the last few days without seeing each other triggered the realization that he was more special to you than you had initially thought, and though he may not feel the same, you were content with the friendship you had formed already. 

You opened the cafe without issue, and a sense of calm washed over you as you fell back into your routine. The morning rush felt like a breeze as you fell into a groove and before you knew it, 8:30 rolled around and the man you’d been thinking of walked through the door. He was early, as he now often was, but his anxious energy was back. He stepped up to the counter as you handed him his coffee, a fresh pop tart on a plate sliding his way as well. 

“It’s on the house today. I’m sure you missed my magic touch last week.” You joked, your smile widening. His mouth opened before it shut once more, mirroring your grin as he said a quiet thank you as he took his seat. You caught up on missed stories, with mostly you telling stories of your vacation as he sat quietly and listened as you multitasked. It wasn’t until you asked him a question and received no answer that you looked up at him from the espresso machine to see him simply staring at you. “Wonwoo?” 

You saw his eyes clear as his face rapidly turned a deep shade of red. “I’m sorry, I was listening. I just-” He paused, and your brows furrowed. 

“Are you alright?” You asked, putting down the espresso shot and giving him your full focus. 

“Do you want to, maybe, go to dinner sometime?” His eyes couldn’t meet yours at first, until suddenly the dark brown of his irises met yours and you melted at the adoration you felt behind his gaze. 

“Wonwoo, are you asking me on a date?” You couldn’t believe this was happening. You watched his cheeks redden further as he nodded and you couldn’t help the way you seemed to beam at him. “I’d like that very much. Maybe this Saturday, if you’re free?” 

You watched the anxiety leave his body in an instant as he agreed. He handed you his phone as he stood up, coffee cup and plate now empty. “Put your number in and I’ll call you?” 

You punched your contact information in and handed him the phone in exchange for his dishes, and watched as he clumsily pushed in his seat and grabbed his things. “Have a good day at work, Wonwoo. It was nice to see you.” 

“It was good to see you. I’ll call you later tonight, if that’s okay.” You nodded and if he smiled any wider, he thought his lips might start to crack. With one last goodbye, he left out the door, and his eyes didn’t leave your beautiful face through the window until he lost line of sight.

[fluffyjothoughts]

hiiii

i keep thinking about some autumn fluff with the boys because autumn is the time of looking for comfort to fight against the shitty weather and the lack of sun

love you💕

hey hey!! i love you too anonboo and i love fall! (both for the aesthetic and the fact that my birthday is in the fall) so let’s look at our boys shall we?

Kris: Walks around Ljubljana while holding hands and both of you are bundled up in his sweaters (because why wear yours if you can wear his? besides, he likes seeing you in his clothes) and jackets, strolling around thrift and vintage stores and fancy cafes that you two both like (especially the one with the Cuban coffee) before going back home and cuddling up under a blanket together.

Bojan: Eating his mom’s pastries that she gave you the last time the two of you visited while talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Cuddled up on the couch with a shitty romcom on or Nightmare before christmas (because it’s an amazing movie, no, he will not take criticism, neither will the author), your legs thrown over his lap and his arm wrapped around your shoulders.

Jan: Takes you on a stroll on a path in Vrhnika that he loves, Igor trailing behind you. He’s wearing his leather jacket and you’re wondering how he isn’t freezing but he just isn’t (witchcraft, i’m telling you) and listening to you rant about everything in your life while simultaneously showing you your pretty surroundings. Will have a nice up of coffee after.

Jure: Similar to Jan and Bojan, but he prefers a little treat of both. He’ll take you on a nice hiking trail to walk it through, take some cute pictures and walk back down before driving back to his car and showering together and watching some show that you like.

Nace: Morning and evening walks with Pino, but other than that he prefers to stay inside, considering he doesn’t like it when his nose gets too cold, so he ends up trying out new gluten free recipes with you so that you could bake and have fun together during the winter when it’d be even colder. You end up preparing a nice evening for the two of you, letting you fall asleep early in your bed.

[mountttmase]

Helloooo lovelyy🫢

OMG, I SUGGESTED YOU ABOUT HIM STAYING AT HERS FOR THE FIRST TIME, LOZ IM NOT PREPARED

How ever lately you were beginning to wonder what it might be like to have him in your space just like you were in his. CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT IT WITH YOU GIRL

How nice it would be to see his toothbrush next to yours, his shower gel propped up on the side and his favourite mug in your cabinet so you could make him his coffee just as he liked it in the morning. DYING 🫠🫠🫠🫠

You’d just sat down when you felt your phone start to ring, looking down to see a picture of Mason lighting up your screen and you felt your chest flutter at the sight of his goofy smile. MUM AND DAD ARE DOING A VIDEOCALL

‘Hello love. I’m just leaving training and I thought I’d check in. You alright?’ I THINK I'M MELTED

‘Nah I was just about to head to the shop and get some snacks. I fancy some cookies but someone won’t make me them’ he teased and you couldn’t help but smile. AHAHHAH, SILLY, SHE'S GOING TO INVITE YOU AR HERS AND MAKE YOU COOKIES TRUST ME

‘Well I still need to pop to the shop anyway so I can get those and bring them round if you want?’ he told you and you felt a little excitement roll through you at the thought of seeing him today as you didn’t have plans to see him until the weekend. EHEHHEHE, EXACTLY, GOOD SUGGESTION BOY

‘Hey Mase? When you get here do you um… do you maybe wanna hang out for a bit? Maybe we can make them together? Only if you have time’ I LOVE HOW SHE'S STILL SOOO SHY WITH HIM

AND I LOVE EVEN MORE HOW HE DOUBLE-CHECKS IF SHE'S SURE TO OPEN UP WITH HIM

‘I could grab us something while I’m there, how does pizza sound?’ I WANT PIZZA TOO, THANKS

‘Hey gorgeous’ he smiled, giving you a quick peck as he passed by. ‘You good?’ DEAD☺️☺️☺️

‘You started without me?’ He questioned, head nudging over to some of the ingredients you’d already weighed out before he sent you a wink. ‘Shall we get going? What have I got to do?’ OUR PASTRY CHEF IS HERE

‘Well I was hoping I could get a proper kiss first’ you teased, suddenly becoming a little shy as you played with your fingers and he rolled his eyes at you with a smile before pulling you closer by your hips. OOO, I LOVE HER🤣🫢

‘Okay let me get ready’ he laughed, quickly whipping his hoodie off and you subconsciously bit your lip at the sight of his abs that we’re on show for a few seconds as his top got stuck to his hoodie. ‘Oi, eyes up here’ he laughed, tilting your chin up so you could look at him before he quickly kissed your nose. ‘You got an apron for me or anything?’ AHHAHAHHA, THEY WANT TO GO TO THE BEDROOM SOO BAD

‘Should I take this off too then?’ He teased, gripping the neck of his plain white T-shirt and you shook your head whilst pulling it back down. NAUGHTY, DON'T MAKE MY GIRL BLUSH

‘Now I’m no expert, but I thought these have to go in the oven?’ He asked, raising his eyebrow adorably and you couldn’t help but laugh at his confusion. CHEF, DON'T BE DELUSIONAL, THEY'RE BETTER IF YOU LET THEM IN THE FRIDGE A BITT

‘Eventually yes. But I like to let them set up in the fridge for a bit first. Gives us time to eat the pizza too’ you told him, pinching his bum as you walked passed him and sending him a cheeky wink as he looked at you in shock. Y/N DON'T BE TOO NAUGHTY 🤣🤣

‘Stop that, you’re getting flour everywhere. Go find us something to watch, I’ll bring the pizza in’ AHHAHAHAH, SOMEONE WAS DISCUSSING ABOUT LEAVING HANDPRINTS IN CLOTHES WHILE COOKING 🤣🤣🤣

GOD, HAVE I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I LOVE THE NOSE KISSES THINGH?

‘Can I tell you something that might sound a bit weird?’ He asked after a little while and you couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable he looked. ‘I know I haven’t spent a lot of time here, like this is basically my first time here really, but I feel strangely at home? Like sometimes my house feels a bit big for just me? But here it’s cozy and it’s like I can forget who I am and just be normal for a bit. Like I haven’t thought about football once since I’ve been here. I like being with you and feeling like I’m part of your world. Does that make sense?’ OK, LOZ YOU MADE ME TEAR UP A BIT THERE

‘I feel the same’ you whispered. ‘Frey is the only person that’s ever really been here and I was a bit nervous about having you round after I’d asked but now you’re here I don’t want you to go’ OH MY...THEY ARE GROWING UP SO MUCH

‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ SHE IS GOING TO ASK AND IM GOING TO SCREAM

‘Will you stay then? I’ve not got work tomorrow and I promise I’ll make you breakfast’ you winked and you watched him blush at your proposal. SHE DIDDDDDD AAAAAA

‘Would it be weird if I told you I got you some stuff in my food shop the other week?’ You laughed, covering your face out of embarrassment but he just held you tighter. OHHHH THAT'S SOO SWEET, SHE WAS GETTING READY FOR THAT MOMENT

‘I know but that first night I stayed at yours, you had everything I needed and I’m so used to being on my own I thought I better get some just in case you ever did want to stay’ MUM AND DAD FOREVER

‘Well thank you’ he whispered, bringing you in for a soft kiss that made your heart flutter. ‘I hate to ruin the mood but can we make the cookies now’ HE'S A CHILD🤣🤣🤣

‘You’re being very cheeky’ he laughed, his hands finding your hips as he placed a soft kiss to the back of your neck before crossing his arms over your body so he could pull you into him. THAT WAS IN ONE OF THE TEASERS 🫢🫢🫢

‘Of course not’ PFF I HAD NO DOUBTS

‘How long do they take?’ MAS9N DON'T BE LIKE A IMPATIENT BABY🤣

‘About 12 minutes?’ You told him, walking over so you could wrap your arms around his shoulders. ‘You know, there’s a lot we could do in 12 minutes’ AHHAHAH, SHE'S GOING TO SAY SOMETHING THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT HE'S THINKING

‘The washing up’ HAHAHAH, I KNEW IT

‘Mase’ you breathed, tugging on his hair so he would look at you and you watched the way eyes darkened at the feel of it. ‘Kiss me’ GO ON BABY

‘You are the cutest thing’ he laughed, cupping your jaw and kissing you gently. ‘Come shower with me’ SWEET AND NAUGHTY BOY

You gasped at the contact, you hands finding his hair immediately as he licked away at you but it was only short lived. As soon as he knew you were getting into it he removed himself from you and stood up. Turning the shower off with a wink before making his way out. HE DID NOT LEAVE MY GIRL LIKE THAT🤣🙄

‘Now Mason, that wasn’t very kind of you was it?’ You asked as he shook his head at you. A bright smile on his face that he tried to suppress by biting his lip but the blush that covered his cheeks and nose was giving him away. ‘You forget, we’re in my house right now so it’s my rules’ you told him seductively and he couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath as you dropped your towel to the floor so he could look over your naked body. ‘Lay down for me’ LOZ, THAT WAS THE SUPER CHECKY CHAPTER OMG

‘Good. And if you don’t make me cum then you don’t get to cum after’ WOWWW

Something about being in your house with him though made your inner monster come out but from the way he was reacting he seemed to be in his element. You wondered to yourself why you didn’t try it sooner as he was a sucker for praise in general so this seemed like a natural carry on from that and you figured this might have to be a new thing with him to try with him more often. I'M LOVING THAT SIDE OF HER

In the next second his hands were on your hips, dragging you back to the edge of the bed and you yelped in surprise at his forcefulness before laughing. His strength surprised you sometimes but you loved it when he pulled you around like it was nothing. MOUNT I DON'T THINK SHES GOING TO LET YOU TAKE CONTROL

OK, yeah, she let him, or better he took it🤣🤣🤣

‘M-Mase, it’s too m-much’ you cried but he just shook his head into your neck. GIRL YOU ASKED FOR THAT🤣

‘Sure, won’t be a sec’ he smiled and you used the time he was gone to quickly pull on some pjs and get under the covers to wait for him to come back. As soon as he did, you noticed the slight blush on his cheeks and the cheeky smile to which you raised your brow at him before he let out a chuckle. ‘Now am I seeing things or is there a picture of us on your fridge?’ OHHHH GIRL THAT SO SWEET AND SOFT AND BEAUTIFUL AND HEARTWARMING

‘Come on, don’t get shy on me now’ he laughed whilst prying your hands away from you face and you looked up into his kind eyes knowing that everything was fine and he loved the fact you’d added him to your little collection. He dipped down to kiss you gently and you felt the butterflies erupt in your tummy as he stroked over your waist gently. ‘Can I ask you something?’ He whispered as he pulled away and you felt yourself go ridged about what he might say next. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, TELL ME THAT HE'S GOING TO ASK HER TO GO WITH HIM AT THE DINNER, PLEASEEE

YES, HE DIDDDD

‘Is Sophia going? Maybe she can take me dress shopping’ you laughed and he smiled down at you before kissing you softly again. I LOVE HOW SHE DIDN’T EXPLICITLY SAY YES

‘Well, you do everything for me. It’s about time I pay that back’ ‘You do a lot for me too’ MELTED, THOSE ARE MY BABIES

‘I thought it was really sexy earlier when you put me in my place and took control’ MOUNT🫢🫢🫢

‘Mmhmm, I’ll have to be bad more often’ AHHAHAHH

‘Night girlfriend’ he winked ‘Night boyfriend’NIGHT MUM AND DAD,LOVE YOU

I LOVE THEMMM

You are amazing at writers and describing everything without making it boring

As always thank you for deciding to share that and to write a second part of this lovely story

Thank you for making me part of that amazing journey

Love you a lot🩷🩷☠️

👨‍🍳😘

SHES BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER

I love getting to use your ideas and I love when you notice them 🥺 I hope I’ve done you proud 😂

And thank you for reading and always taking time to leave such lovely feedback, you’re just the best 🩷

[swanqueensalad]

Everyone’s all ‘Emma literally never stops eating’ and YES she does get seconds every single time she remembers to eat but that’s because the girl absolutely can’t remember to eat because she’s so used to going hungry🤡😭 screaming crying throwing up wanted to share my intrusive thoughts

hi anon i'm also screaming crying throwing up rn so thanks for that also let's pool our intrusive thoughts together shall we bc i want an excuse to ramble and analyse

TW: talk of child neglect, relationships w food, disordered eating, all that goes along with that

yep.

we all love to joke about emma and her pastries/grilled cheeses/tacos and her teenage boy metabolism and whatever but like,,

emma's eating habits are fucked up.

bc emma was raised in crowded, badly funded homes with too many mouths to feed, and she simply got used to it. this is also why she eats quickly and shovels it down - because when she was really young she had to eat quick and fight to get her claim in before the bigger kids took everything

(of course, little emma used to grab as much as she could, and hide stuff in her pockets and backpack for later too)

but it has totally left her in a weird place where she can just forget to eat for ages, then when she does she gets the Most food because she's suddenly starving, and of course eats quickly and messily and gets seconds and this is the cycle

she's also totally the kind of person now who has a bunch of snacks and very quick foods like instant noodles and chips and stuff that she will have instead of making proper meals, because food has never been 'proper meals' for her but rather, whatever you can get when you can get it

and ik i've talked about this before but it feels relevant - the same way we've fanonized (is this a term? lmao i'm making it one) regina as a very healthy, clean-eating, home-cooking, 'salad with dressing on the side' girl, that's... literally also another fucked up relationship with food.

especially when you just know cora criticized every aspect of her growing up, destroyed her self esteem, forced her into her ideal of a perfect beautiful lady, and 100% restricted her diet. this has totally left long lasting marks on regina's eating habits and her thoughts around food/body image.

BUT

they help each other enormously, as in all things

because regina is clearly restrictive and regimented with her food, but this means her set meal times and dedication to preparing stuff herself makes that more of a thing in emma's head, and of course regina loves emma so much and wants her to eat well and be nourished and healthy, so she always cooks for her and henry.

slowly, the routine is good for healing emma's hunger cues - and after a while, regina quietly tells her 'you know you can get more whenever you like. you don't have to shovel it all down now' and as stupid as it sounds, emma hasn't really thought about that before, not properly.

meanwhile, helping emma and thinking about how valued and precious food was to her growing up and helping her eat better makes regina see food more as fuel than whatever demonized enemy cora ingrained in her.

making sure emma and henry sit down for a proper meal in turn means they keep an eye on her, and encourage her to eat more, and support her when it's difficult.

when emma does occasionally order a pizza or some other less 'healthy' takeout, it normalises this for regina as something fun and well deserved, and gradually those 'fear foods' start to break down

they both know they're fucked up but they would never want to pass any of that down onto henry, so caring about their sons' health and each others definitely helps them both to get better

gradually, family meals become a beautiful, calming shared experience that's their special chill time at the end of the day.

[tu-sugar-mami]

Tales of the side of the road: Day #1)

You're an overworked, sleep deprived, tired barista at a pretty strange coffee shop. You don't really complain, since the payment is good and you have a lot of free time, with the shop being pretty much empty and customers walking in only once in a while. The place is big, well equipped, somehow there's wifi, and you love doing what you do even if sometimes you wish you could go home. You could say the building is placed in the middle of nowhere, in a road connecting two barely populated and pretty hidden towns. The only other building anywhere in a few miles is the convenience store, an old and beaten up OxxO across the street, the cashier doesn't speak much though.

The owner is a bit... how to say it? Cryptic, to put it slightly, but that doesn't bother you at all, you barely see them, and now that you think of it perhaps the only time you spoke to them is when you were hired.

You've seen your fair share of weird stuff in three years of working here, and you even made friends with the local cult, although with a rocky start when they tried to sacrifice you to their deity. It turned out for the best, since you gained regulars that always came in with the freshest gossip. And yes, you may have gotten a small curse because of the first encounter, but hey, being occasionally possessed by a dark goddess do come handy when one of the diverse side effects is super strength and you have to lift heavy boxes of ingredients for the drinks. Because, let me tell you, the drinks you make are not regular stuff.

You specialize in a very complex form of beverages, with basic color code names, but with a flawless, delicious, magnificent taste. At least to those who are meant for.

You see, customers here are very unique, and many have tried to eat you several times before you made it clear that you were not on the menu. They learned to not underestimate your skills manouvering a broom.

Anyway, today is a specially slow day. Not even Gary —a cultist of the highest ranks, who loves his double shot 'blue' coffee— has passed by yet and you can't help but wonder what or who held him back. Though your inquiry doesn't last long, when you hear voices outside and the approach of hurried steps.

It's almost nightfall and it starts to get chilly when you get ready for yet another endless night shift. You find it odd that other people aside from Gary would swing by the shop at this hour, but well, it is your job to serve them after all, and so you tighten your apron and ready your notepad.

Like i've said before you've seen a lot of not so ordinary stuff, and when an uncommonly tall —and absolutely gorgeous— lady along with three younger, shorter women wearing at least 10 layers of cozy clothes walk in you're absolutely unfazed and instead welcome them with the brightest smile you can muster.

"Hi! Welcome to Itsy Bitchy Spider, home of the best coffee in all 24 miles around. What can i get for you today?" You say, bringing the women's attention to you.

The tall lady seems a little thrown off by your warm welcoming. Or by the weird name of the franchise, or perhaps because she wasn't expecting a fragile-looking human to be behind the counter, who knows, but she usher one of the younger girls —a brunette one, who wears a creepy but charming smile peeking from under a thick scarf— towards the counter and clears her throat. "Hello, yes, my daughter got into a little bit of a situation earlier and she has to clean herself up. We're on our way to a very important meeting and she has to be presentable."

It's only now when you notice that said daughter has bloodied clothes, and when she lifts her head you can see that there's blood dripping from her chin too. But again, not the weirdest.

"Sure ma'am," You say with a smile, wich has her giving you a curious look. "the bathroom is on that black door over there." You point and the girl goes on her way, almost skipping. Kind of adorable, you think, like a small child would be, except much older and dangerous. "So, is the cult holding a meeting? That'd explain why Gary hasn't come by." You say casually. The woman is about to answer when another uh, you suppose is a daughter too, suddenly points at the pastries countertop.

"What's that?" A redhead girl asks. She looks excited and genuinely curious about a colorful piece of a cake. You don't make them, and honestly you don't want to know what's in them, but you know they're suitable for any kind of customer that walks in, so you pull out a piece and arrange it on a plate, decorating it with red syrup, the red syrup.

"Try it, it's on the house." You wink at her while sliding the plate towards her and she looks at you like you just handed her a priceless jewel.

"Really?" She says, but is more a formality since she's already pulling the plate closer. "Look Bela! Look what i got!"

"No, Daniela you shouldn't eat that. Your tummy will hurt, you know this." The tall lady says as she grabs the plate and pull it out of Daniela's grasp, which is easy given her height. "We're sorry, but we can't take this. We have a very strict diet." She hands the plate back to you.

You smile and gently take the plate away, aware of the sad puppy eyes the redhead is giving you. You discreetly, almost as if it wasn't your intention, you put the plate within her reach and keep talking. You pretend not to notice when the girl sneakily grabs the plate and runs back to her sister to share her prize.

"Ma'am, i assure you it is perfectly safe. You're not from around here, are you? Well, let me get you acquainted with the place." Not wasting any time you quickly prepare a concoction of 'red' coffee and top it with regular whipped cream while the lady's gaze is fixed on every move. "Here, try this."

"Try what?" The dark haired girl has returned from the bathroom all freshened up and looks curiously to the tall glass you slide on the counter. "Oooh, that looks nice!"

"It is nice. It's one of the house's specials. We call it 'red coffee' though it's up to you discover if you like it."

"Cassandra, i don't think we should..." The lady seems hesitant, but when you rise the glass as close as you can to her face and she takes a whiff you can clearly see her pupils dilate. "What... is that?" She asks, breathless, as if she's just found something she craved for so long and didn't even know it.

You smirk, knowing that you guessed correctly about what would work on her. "Why don't you take a sip and find out?"

"Mother, i think you should give it a try." The blonde girl, the one who hadn't said a word since she first entered says. You notice that there's some cake frosting right on the corner of her smiling lips.

"Perhaps i should listen to you, Bela. Let's see, shall we?" The mother takes the glass from your hand, tiny in comparasion to hers, and she guides the brim of the cup to her red lips. She cautiously takes a sip and as soon as the liquid touches her tongue and she tastes, the drink is downed in seconds.

"So, what's the veredict? You like it?" You say as you put the lid on the last of another three cups of the same drink that you finished making while the cup on the lady's hand was being emptied, ready to hand over to the girls.

"It's exquisite..." She says, and you can see the awe on her face. "How?"

"Well, that's a secret, isn't it? You can come by whenever you like, we're open all day, every day." You look behind the four women and spot a grumpy looking man wearing sunglasses and a hat just outside in the parking lot. Odd when there's no sunlight to protect his eyes from, but you don't judge. "Looks like someone is looking for you." You point past them to the guy.

And sure enough:

"Alcina! Where the fuck are you? Miranda is waiting for us, we're late!"

The annoyed expression on the lady's —Alcina, now you know— face almost make you laugh, but you don't want to be disrespectful and instead you just cough a little. "Looks like we have to part ways." She says, putting the glass on the counter delicately. Her eyes are glued to your own and you can see fire in them. "For now."

The lady turns around and walks away with determination and elegance in her stride and behind her the daughters follow with the grace of young gazelles. One of them, the blonde girl turns her head enough to see you over her shoulder and waves goodbye. You wave back.

"Have a safe trip!" You say. Much, much later you'll call this 'day one', when Alcina first entered your life, but for now:

Alcina... The name feels sweet like honey in your mouth and you smile. You can't wait to see her again.

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

@thejennystuttle here it is the first one i finished. I got carried away, srry. Hope u like it?

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If you love my work, buy me a coffee?

[guardians-of-exo]

Bird

Soaring

Dove /dʌv/ A symbol of grace, gentleness, and peace; a bringer of freedom and love

Yixing / Female reader

Wordcount: 2.7 K

Series masterlist

If you hear the beat of dawn This way, call my name I will fetch you so Please wait little more

You put down your book and look out the window beside you with a sigh. The words on the page have started blending together, leaving you reading the same sentence over and over without understanding. Another sigh as you put the book away. You knew what was going to happen anyway. The book isn’t a favorite of yours, but with limited choices, you can’t be picky.

A cold breeze blows through your room, and you shiver, pulling the blanket around you closer. Your balcony doors are wide open – they always are. It is the closest you ever get to the feeling of being free. When the doors are closed, you feel like a bird stuck in a gilded cage. Who cares if you get cold, if you get sick? You are always sick anyway.

‘You can’t go outside,’ they tell you. ‘You’ll only get sick. It is for your own good. We just want you safe.’ Over and over again, you are told this, but it means nothing to you anymore.

‘Safe’ means being stuck in this one room forever. ‘Safe’ means being alone. ‘Safe’ is nothing but isolation to you. And still, your body is weak, sick more often than not, so what is the point of it all?

You spend your days reading about the world outside – dreaming about leaving this cage you are supposed to call home. From your balcony, you can see a village in the distance, small but probably full of life. Behind the village lies a forest that seems to go on forever until it meets the mountains on the horizon, their white tips sparkling in the sun. You can see the ocean, how the village sends out fisherman every morning, and you wish with everything you have, that you could be on one of those boats. Go somewhere, far far away. All of this, you can see from your balcony, but you have never truly seen the world outside. From your balcony, it all just feels like another dream.

Every day you sit outside for hours, watching the birds above you come and go. Oh, how you wished you could join them. Jump off the balcony and just… fly away.

A soft knock on your door breaks your thoughts and you perk up, calling for them to enter. Yixing lets himself in, carrying a silver tray full of healthy foods you have never liked. Still, your heart skips a beat as you take in the only friend you have.

Yixing is tall and lithe, carrying himself with a regal grace that makes you think of the prince from your favorite fairy tale. Dark, feathery hair falls softly over his kind, brown eyes, and his gentle smile could light up a room.

“Your lunch, my lady,” he says as he sets the food in front of you. Seeing the grimace you make at the tray, he laughs softly then reaches into his uniform pocket and pulls out a folded handkerchief, handing it to you.

“Don’t tell,” he whispers with a wink as you unfold it to reveal your favorite pastry.

Warmth spreads through you, and you don’t even try to hide the wide smile that grows on your lips. “Thank you, Yixing.” He always goes out of his way to make your days just a little bit better.

He sits down beside you and gestures towards the food, encouraging you to eat. “So, what shall we talk about today?”

Despite not liking much on the silver tray, you begin eating knowing Yixing will have to report back. Though they never come to see you, your parents are always watching. If only they actually cared.

You are also eager to tell him about the dream you had – it is one you have had many times, and every time you are able to remember more and more. Every detail has been carefully scribbled down in a tiny notebook you keep under your pillow.

The dream takes you out on the open ocean on a beautiful sail ship, nothing but the sea between you and the fantastical worlds just beyond the horizon. You dream of dense jungles, endless deserts, and golden cities. There is so much to see, so much to explore. The dreams feel so real, like you have stepped through a magic portal to another world. You have read about magic, rare though not yet extinct, and you wonder how anyone could think of magic being gone when worlds like this exist out there.

All while listening attentively to your stories, Yixing makes sure you eat. Though you know he does not have to, he always stays with you while you eat, making sure you never skip the meal, all while letting you ramble on about whatever your heart desires. You talk about your favorite books, the dreams you have, and he tells you stories from the world outside.

He can never stay for long though, as soon as you finish eating other duties call his name, and he has to go. You only ever get to see him once a day, but those precious moments mean everything to you. Whether he stays because he pities you or genuinely enjoys your company, you have stopped worrying about long ago. He’s here, that’s all you need. He would never tell you the truth if you ever did ask anyway.

“See you tomorrow,” he says with a smile, but he hesitates by the door for a brief second before leaving.

The room always feels too big after he leaves, too empty. Dull. The warmth he brings with him leaves with him too.

You wrap a blanket around you and walk out onto the balcony. The wind is cold, but you smile up towards the sky and inhale deeply.

The flower garden below you is in full bloom, insect wings glittering in the sun making it look like golden dust shimmering in the air. Birds sing merrily as they glide through the air, the wind carrying in the sound of waves and the scent of salty foam.

You sigh as you lean on the railing, looking out into the world around you. The scent of the sea reminds you of your dreams. Is the ocean truly that vast? Even from the few maps you have, it seems impossible to you. Still, you can see it so clearly, feel it so clearly. The feeling of being surrounded by nothing but water. The freedom of being alone. The thrill of sailing through a storm.

The feeling of getting lost in a swamp of green as you fight your way through the jungles. You never knew so many shades of green existed, that there could be so many different types of vibrant flowers. The humid air and musky scent of pure earth, the sounds of being surrounded by hundreds of unseen living beings. You never know what you will find, what your next step will bring.

A barren desert, with the unforgiving sun burning everything in reach, nothing but sand wherever you look. The feeling of hopelessness as you wander endlessly through the dunes, longing for the cold nights. The feeling of yearning as you lie and look up at the velvet night sky covered in millions of shining stars.

You have never been to any of these places, have never experienced anything like that, so why could you feel it so clearly? The salt from the sea drying out your skin, the humid air of the jungle making it hard to breathe, the burning in your throat as if you have swallowed the sand beneath your feet. It feels so real. How?

You want to go more than anything. So what if you are sick, you are going to die either way. Staying in this room forever will only prolong the inevitable, torture you until you succumb to your illness.

The sky above you is the most beautiful blue, and soft, white clouds drift by lazily with the gentle breeze. Is there something more beyond those clouds?

Is it possible to reach the stars? Beyond the stars? This one room cannot be your entire world. There is so much more out there. You have read about the giant sail ships traveling the vast seas, you’ve steered them in your dreams, and for a moment you allow yourself to imagine sailing through the starry night sky.

If magic is truly real, you would wish for nothing more than to leave this place.

With a shake of your head, you rid yourself of the thoughts. Your dreams are just dreams; they will never be more than that.

Time passes, every day the same as the one before and the next to come. You read the same books, dream the same dreams. Yixing listens to you talk every day, patient and understanding that he is all you have. The other servants you see never stay to talk, and your parents only show themselves with months in between. ‘For your own good,’ they say, usually through the mouth of a servant. You used to love them, you remember as much, but any happy memories you might have had with them are long forgotten.

“Yixing,” you say staring down at your food. You haven’t been hungry in a while. What even is the point? “I’m going to run away.”

It wasn’t what you wanted to say, but as the words leave your mouth, you have never felt more determined. You are going to leave this place. You would rather die of sickness outside these walls while discovering what the world had to offer than be trapped and locked up alone.

“Dove,” Yixing says, shocked, but you stop him before he can say anything else.

“Don’t! I’m leaving no matter what you say. If you won’t help me, I don’t care.” It pains you to see the hurt in his eyes, but you can’t say. Not even for him.

“Dove,” he tries again, pleading. “Please. Think it through.”

“Yixing, no!” You stand up and begin to pace around. It feels like you are about to burst open, years and repressed thoughts and feelings fighting to escape. “I’ve spent my whole life thinking; I want to act!”

He stares at you, clearly not knowing what to say. You have never spoken to him like this before, have never been this honest about what you were truly feeling underneath it all. The desperation must be clear on your face because he sighs and nods slowly.

“Okay,” he then says, looking up at you with a worried frown. “But you have to promise me that you won’t do anything reckless. Let me figure something out.”

“What?” you ask, your hope soaring. He is going to help you!

“Just… trust me. Wait for me, no matter what.” He stands up and grabs your hands, squeezing as he looks you in the eyes. “I need you to promise me that you’ll wait for me, I can’t go unless I know that you’re safe.”

You squeeze his hands back, suddenly worried about what he was planning. You would trust Yixing with your life without hesitation, so why are you feeling uneasy about this? You never want him to risk anything for you – you already owe him everything. You search his face and find nothing but a cool determination. Asking what he is planning will get nothing out of him, he never wants to worry you.

This could be your one and only chance to get out, and if Yixing has a plan, you will have to trust that he has thought it through.

“I promise,” you say, trying to quiet the worry you feel. “Stay safe, Yixing.”

With your promise, he nods then lifts your hands up to press a soft kiss to the back of your hand. “I will.”

A chill goes through your room as he closes the door behind him. You better come back to me. You want to run after him, but your feet are rooted to the floor. You need to trust him.

And so, you wait.

Hours pass. Then days. Weeks go by and there is no sign of him. Your doubt and worry grow with every passing day, turning your dreams dark and restless.

Another servant brings you your lunch, but she refuses to tell you anything. In fact, she doesn’t speak to you at all like the rest of the servants you see. Without Yixing, you have nothing to look forward to. Nothing to brighten your day.

Did he leave you? The thought hurts too much, and you cannot make yourself believe it. Something must have happened to him… and that thought hurts even more. You promised to wait, but how much longer can you hold out like this without him by your side?

You stare up at the full moon, unable to sleep, and barely feel the cold night breeze as it ruffles your nightgown. A tear runs down your cheek. Please, come back to me. You close your eyes and turn to go back inside when you hear the low pulsing hum from that of beating wings.

From the moonlight emerges a gorgeous white swan, its large wings carrying it elegantly through the air as it comes closer and closer. You watch in awe as the swan lands gracefully on the balcony in front of you, shaking out its wings.

It regards you for a moment before bowing its head, and you gasp as it begins to glow. The light grows brighter and brighter until you have to shield your eyes, a strong gust of wind makes you take a startled step back. What is happening?

Just as suddenly as it had begun, as sudden is the quiet that follows. Slowly, you lower your hands from your eyes.

“Yixing,” you breathe, unable to believe what you are seeing in front of you.

Yixing smiles, and you know it is him, but he is…different. His dark hair is now snow-white, and a faint shimmer seems to emanate from his skin. White feathers flutter about in the air around him. But how? You remember reading about magical transformations, thought it was something out of a fairy tale, a curse…

“Oh Yixing,” you whisper, tears welling up in your eyes. “What have you done?” What has he sacrificed for you?

“What I had to,” he replies simply, reaching out towards you. “I made you a promise; I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

You tentatively step closer, taking his hand in yours. Despite being out in the cold, his hand is warm, and you want to cry. “For me?” the words barely get out as you look up at him through teary eyes. He reaches up to caress your cheek, his hand so soft and so warm.

“I would do anything for you.”

You let your tears fall as you feel your heart soar, and you want to laugh. All this time. How have you never noticed the love in his eyes as he looks at you? A look you know you must have returned every time you saw him. How could you have missed that he feels the same as you?

Without saying anything, without breaking eye contact, Yixing carefully climbs up on the balcony railing. ‘Trust me’ his eyes seem to say as he gazes down at you, your hand still in his. You allow him to help you up, your feet barely able to fit on the narrow stone barrier that previously kept you from falling into the dark abyss below.

“Are you sure?” he asks, stepping closer to you. You close your eyes. You would follow him to the ends of the earth. You nod.

“Don’t be afraid,” he whispers. “Just hold onto me.”

He leans his forehead against yours and squeezes your hands. And then you are falling, but there is no fear. You feel the rushing wind on your face as you fall towards the ground below you, and you smile.

It feels like you are soaring. The warmth of Yixing’s hands never leaves you, keeping you rooted in the moment. You just feel… free.

Warmth spreads through your body, hotter and hotter as if you are burning from within. A flash of bright light breaks through your closed eyes, lighting up the night. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and open your eyes.

There is nothing between you and the horizon ahead. Nothing to stop you. Nothing holding you back.

Your wings carry you weightlessly through the moonlit night, a beautiful swan by your side.

I threw away the old map And got the freedom What I want protect, baby It’s you It’s a start of a never-ending journey

[iguessweallcrazyithinktho]

I don’t know if I can request but if I could, a Chris Evans x y/n that’s French and she’s an actress, their married and have a 4month old baby and she’s doing a interview making croissants with their baby, I hope my English improved a little my friend Colette helped me since she knows English a little more. It’s me the French anon 🥰.Hope you have a good day or night lots of love from France 🇫🇷 xoxo belle personne merveilleuse ☺️

Baking buddy's

Warning: chris evans x french reader, dad! chris:

Author note: Your English is perfect! I hope this is the way you make croissants 

  Mirabelle was strapped against your chest facing the camera. She was holding on to your finger with her tiny hand, and she had a blue hair band with a bow on it. There was ingredients all laid out on your kitchen island in front of you, and a camera that was recording.

You were doing a video for Vogue and of course you were going to make croissants with your little one. People have been dying to see  Mirabelle after you've showed her right after you've gave birth. It's been a few months and after many questions on when they'll see her again you were finally showing her.

" salut, it’s Y/n here and I’m here with Mirabelle. say hi Mirabelle.” you looked down at Mirabelle to see her looking at you. you laughed before looking back at the camera. “today we are going to be making croissants. I always love making them,, it reminds me of France. so let’s get started shall we belle?”

belle looked up at you before clapping her hands together like she knew what you were saying.

“so I made some dough and butter yesterday.” you pointed to the batch of dough and slab of butter on the counter in front of you. so we are going to fold the dough over the butter.” you started to fold the dough over the butter with Belle on your chest. she was wiggling her little feet as she looked down at your work.

When you were done you looked at the camera. “now we are going to roll it out and fold it. you ready Mirabelle?” she obviously couldn’t say yes but you keep going. you rolled out and folded several times.(I think you’re supposed to refrigerate it after that but lets act like we don’t.”

“so now we are going to cut into like triangle shapes.” before you could start cutting the dough you heard the door open. chris was coming home from the store. Mirabelle started to bounce on your chest because she new it was her daddy.

“qui est cette Mirabelle?” you asked the excited girl. Chris walked into the kitchen seeing his two favorite girls and the camera. he gasped when he saw Belle smiling and kicking like crazy. “what are you doing princess?” he walked over to you both kissing Belle on the forehead before he kissed your cheek. 

“you both making Croissants for the people watching huh?” you chuckled before nodding. “yes we are.” Chris leaned up against the counter. “well okay I’ll let you two go back to having fun.” he leaned in kissing your cheek one more time before walking off. 

you looked back at the camera smiling. “now let’s go back to what we where doing. cutting them.” You began to cut them. you cut about 20 of them before you placed down the pizza cutter in your hand. 

“Now we roll them.” you bounced a little making Mirabelle giggle. She watched with her little fingers in her mouth as you rolled them into the shape everyone knows. you were done in no time. You grabbed the baking pan and sheet placing it in front of you.

“now we place them on this sheet and bake them for about 2 hours.” 

you placed every single one on the pan before you placed them in the oven. while you waited you both danced to some music. chris even joined you both to dance until the oven dinged. 

Chris decided to help you by pulling the hot pan out of the oven. he placed it on the counter. they were done and looked lovely. you picked one up holding up for the camera. Mirabelle tried to reach for it put you wouldn’t let her. “this is a perfect croissant. and now we’re going to eat them. But not Mirabelle.” you looked at her seeing her eyeing the pastry. you chuckled before looking at Chris. you opened your arms welcoming him to your side. you looked back at the camera. “au revoir tout le monde.”

---

hope you enjoyed French anon

@fallinfortom I don’t know why I keep thinking about you and Posie lol

[unluckybreadling]

Any Nae.gami HC’s, I love these two bozos!

Course! This ship is one of the reasons I got dragged to D.R Hell, Love these two losers <3

---

💕Bya.kuya has a lot of repressed feelings and shit in him, and ma.koto is the person to come and shake those feelings like a Macarena-(in good way lol)

💕Before Bya.kuya figured out he was indeed attracted to heavier people, he was nursing a medium soft spot for ma.koto that eventually developed into feelings, he was keeping cool under wraps… Then winter break happened and suddenly he got heart palpitations when he sees the brunette again (let's just say that mf ate, he did not miss any meals).

💕They were both equal mess of actually keeping those feelings under wraps and trying to make it not so obvious.

💕They had their first kiss in a little American-style dinner a few miles away from the university. Ma.koto’s choice, it was supposed to be a study session, that quickly dissolved into a dinner date. The kiss was shared after a singular sugary milkshake (they drunk it from two straws) with Elvis Presley ‘I can’t help falling in love with you’ playing in the background (yes this is hella cheesy I KNOW I KNOW)

💕Bya.kuya does a lot of first with Ma.koto, like going to a fair, actually celebrating a holiday, walking into and buy things from a 7-11 and drinking a Slurpee, etc. For Ma.koto also does a lot of first with Bya.kuya, like going to another country for the first time, eating more foods he’d never thought he’d ever have, squeezing his ass into 900$ jeans, etc.

(more undercut cuz I talk too much)

💕Anyway Bya.kuya has no problem spoiling the absolute shit out of ma.koto despite his protest. Clothes, things and especially food. He has a bit of a rule for certain foods which is that Ma.koto finishes the food he (as in Ma.koto himself) orders.

💕We are establishing this RIGHT NOW, Ma.koto has the Fat ass and Bya.kuya’s is and shall remain flat. This is not up for debate.

💕I feel like Bya.kuya would definitely be touch starved, but he feels embarrassed about asking to cuddle so he his method into getting Ma.koto to cuddle with him is to just like lay on top of him till he gets the hint lol (Yes To.gami is the big spoon and Nae.gi the little, he likes to knead Nae.gi like he’s stress toy.)

💕Sometimes Bya.kuya likes to lift ma.koto and use him like he’s gym equipment. Ma.koto panics every time.

💕The heavier Ma.koto gets the more he worries about sitting on bya.kuya and crushing him or something. And bya.kuya’s like ‘I literally have no problem dying by your ass’ and he would be dead serious.

💕some of Ma.koto’s eating habits have rubbed off of Bya.kuya but that bitch still be up in the gym so I bring you all the possibly cursed idea of a beefy Bya.kuya-

🎃 It's spooky month so let’s get festive! Byak.kuya discovers why the brunette piles on more weight in the Fall-Winter. He brings home a bag of candy one day and within two days its gone.

🎃Ma.koto gets so baffled when he hears the blonde never celebrated Halloween, so he drags Bya.kuya around to do fall activities. He won’t admit it out loud but he had fun. (Ma.koto was actually surprised when Bya.kuya sat down with him and started scooping out the pumpkins with him.)

🎃They do couple costumes, and byakuya gets his first stomach ache due to Halloween candy. The rest of Halloween night was spent the two of them watching horror movies on the couch, ma.koto rubbing Bya.Kuya aching stomach while he eating some pastries (not candy in respect of Bya.kuya’s tummy ache).

--

I probably wrote too much but yeah, I hope ya like these!

[nikethestatue]

Dreamland

Elriel Month- Day21

thank you to @123moiaussi​ for supplying the idea!

This is Fluffy Fluffington Fluff. But basically, it’s how Elain, Nuala and Cerridwen became friends

Dreamland

That’s what Elain called it. Her dreamland. A state of nebulous nothingness, where her head was an animal. A wild animal that could not be controlled. It was a landscape of visions, nonsense, lucidity, periods of terror, and periods of pleasure.

The pleasure came from when she was with the handsome one…what was his name? Azriel.

He was kind to her. Always. And such sadness in his eyes—she thought that they were green? They looked green, a lively forest-green���when he looked at her. Sadness, but not pity, exactly. There was understanding in his eyes, on that beautiful, but utterly cold face—like he knew her inside and out, and understood precisely what was happening to her, even if she didn’t know herself.

Moments with him was when she was the most aware. He was always unbearably gentle, taking her by the hand, like she was a little girl, and leading her out into the garden. Weather permitting, they’d sit together, in companiable silence, never needing to chat or annoy each other with words. He always worked. Truthfully, she thought that he worked much too much, with endless stack of reports that he was reading through, sorting them into different piles, sometimes drinking tea with her, sometimes, sipping on a whiskey. She liked it when he drank whiskey and sometimes, she dreamt that she could lick his lower lip and taste the bitterness on her tongue. When such thoughts crossed her mind, he always raised his eyes to her, a small, handsome smirk on his lips, his face changed somehow, amused.

One time, he was frowning. Something in the report that didn’t sit well with him. She didn’t know why she did it, but she reached out and pressed her thumb between his bunched brows and smoothed it gently, rubbing at it. If he was surprised, he didn’t show it.

“Don’t frown,” she said. “You’ll get wrinkles.”

She made him laugh that time. He never truly laughed, not like that. But it was just the two of them, and he threw his head back and laughed. And maybe, she wanted to kiss his neck.

But he was absent a lot, and she sat by herself, waiting. Waiting for him. For her head to clear. She knew that when he returned, he’d seek her out. Why, she had no idea. Maybe she gave him peace.

He couldn’t possibly be interested in sitting with her, in silence. He was probably bored to death, shuffling through his papers. But…If he’d only known what it meant to her. That one person, one man—male—didn’t treat her like she was insane. Her sister thought that she might be. That read-headed male, who was her ‘mate’—whatever that meant—he thought that she was mad as well. The High Lord looked at her with some sadness, incomprehension. He also didn’t know. Even the tiny angry angel among them, she wasn’t sure either. Though her quick silver eyes were knowing, like she saw her the same way as Azriel.

When Azriel was with her, she left the dreamland.

He’d find her, and take her by the hand, and sometimes, when no one was watching, he’d thread his fingers with hers. His hand was massive, horribly scarred, and unfailingly gentle. She had thoughts about that hand as well, but she kept them to herself. She was engaged after all, and such thoughts were improper. But she couldn’t help herself. Those hands were magic.

They’d find a quiet corner in the townhouse and sit together, and it was a good day in Elain’s life. But then, he’d be gone again, and she’d return to the mental whirlpool of confusion and pain, until the next time. Until Azriel returned and took her hand in his.

It started with a cardamom bun.

Sometimes, Azriel and she ate together. Not meals. Snacks. He always worried that she was too thin, and she heard whispers among the others how they were concerned about her not eating. Azriel, true to form, never said anything to her, but when they drank their tea, he sometimes attempted to sneak something to her—a dainty finger sandwich, a scone, a pastry. Up until today, he was unsuccessful. She always smiled softly at him, but did not eat.

It was early, but Elain was awake.

Her head felt clear today, unusually so. She came downstairs and saw the shadowy twins working at the counter, preparing breakfast. She said ‘good morning’, and then, she felt him behind her. He didn’t touch, or say anything, and his steps were feathers-soft, but she knew. She always sensed him around her. Maybe it was his scent.

Today, he rested his hand on the small of her back, for the first time. It just rested there, touching lightly. She did not look at him, but stepped into the touch. ‘Good morning,’ he greeted all of them. He was always polite, and the twins liked him—Elain could see it—more than others. There was a special kind of relationship that he had with them, but Elain was too confused to discern the nature of it. He gently nudged her forward, towards the table and pulled the chair for her, before sitting himself across from her. Wordlessly, he extended his hand and she lay her palm across it, giving him a glance over. “You look beautiful today, Elain,” he said simply, as if they were discussing the weather.

Nuala set coffee and tea service on the table and then a basket of pastries, quiche, and smoked meats. Azriel poured Elain her tea, and then…she reached out and set a sweet bun on his plate. “Thank you,” he said a little stiffly. She wondered if she broke some protocol, some unspoken rule. “You don’t want it?” she asked awkwardly.

It was as if some strange internal battle was taking place, his eyes stormy, even if his expression remained stoic and unreadable as always. The twins looked at the two of them with the same unreadable, placid expression. He chewed his lip for a moment and then said, “Thank you. Of course I want it. But will you do me a favour?”

Elain nodded. She wanted to do him a favour. Anything he asked her, really. She’d do anything for him. As long as he held her hand like this.

“Will you eat for me?”

When she did not answer, he tried again, “It would please me very much if you ate with me. I don’t like eating alone.”

A pretty, sweet lie. Elain saw right through it. But she wanted to please him, and she was…hungry. Maybe for the first time in months, she was feeling a pang in her stomach, a clench of hunger. “Alright,” she agreed. He smiled that luminous rare smile of his and then placed a cardamom bun on her plate.

Elain sipped her tea and then bit into the bun, and it was a revelation. Suddenly, a new world opened up to her. The bun was pillowy and buttery, subtly scented with cardamom and lemon and as she chewed it, her head began to settle, and her taste buds awoke. She’d never tasted anything like this before—sweet and savoury, comforting and homey.

She didn’t know what ‘homey’ even meant anymore. Was it Greyson? It didn’t feel like Greyson. The bun didn’t feel like her old life, like the human lands. The townhouse? Velaris? Probably not either.

She raised her eyes and met a pair of forest-green ones. They watched her. They always watched her. Maybe this was home? Her new home, a dreamland inside those eyes.

“I’d like to bake,” she decided resolutely, surprising even herself.

Azriel looked at her and nodded, calm as always, like he was expecting this declaration from her, and then a quick glance at the twins. Perhaps an order? A command?

“We’d love to bake with you, Elain,” said Nuala at once, nodding as well.

“Bread, if possible?” requested Elain. The twins nodded in unison. “I’d like to learn to bake like you two,” she proposed. “And pasties. I have some recipes I can share, if you’d like.”

“Absolutely,” said Nuala.

“I make blackberry tarts,” Elain finished her cardamom bun, and then, found another one on her plate. Azriel was silent, allowing the females to talk baking. “They are quite good. It was my nanny’s recipe.”

“Blackberry tarts are Azriel’s favourite,” piped in Cerridwen, as she arrived at the table and handed Elain a folded piece of cloth.

She was rewarded for her unexpected honesty by a sharp look from Azriel, but she only shrugged and went back to the stove, to stir the porridge.

“Are they?” Elain looked at him shyly.

A small smile from him and he opened his palms to her, “They are,” he confirmed.

“Then I shall make you some,” she decided and unfolded Cerridwen’s gift. It was an apron.

Resolutely, she stood up, stuffing the rest of her bun in her mouth. “Then let’s make some bread,” she decided and tied the apron around her waist.

“You, madam, look like you are a beast with sugar and yeast,” chuckled Azriel, and the twins laughed as well.

Elain looked at the three of them—her friends. Her new friends. The four of them were friends.

Only later did she notice that Azriel did not eat the pastry that she had offered him and placed on his plate. She did not know why. But she vowed to make him something that he would eat, and enjoy.

So she stepped out of the dreamworld, never to return, and went to her new home, which smelled like fresh bread, tasted like blackberry tarts and looked like forest-green eyes.

[olivarryprompts]

Fanfic Friday #6

Welcome to Fanfic Friday! Each Friday I will post a new fanfic here and on A03. Enjoy x

Read and save it on A03 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/32370130

{Peter Parker’s Field Trip to Stark Industries}

Ships: peppertony, wandanat, sambucky

Warnings: mild anxiety, swearing

Status: married or dating

Wc: 3,281

“-and so that wraps up this lesson. Your homework is to do this worksheet, please hand a sheet back to everyone. I have a quick announcement, and it is very exciting. Given that this is one of the most advanced classes we offer, the school has arranged for us to have a field trip!”

Peter refocused on the word field trip. He didn’t have a good track record for those.

“We will be going to Avenger’s Tower! This is a very exclusive opportunity and you all should be very excited-”

No, no, no, no, this couldn’t be happening to Peter. Not now. Oh god. He had a suspicion this was set up by his basically-father. He was going to kill Tony. His teacher went on to blabber about permission slips and NDAs.

“Class dismissed. Please hand your forms in tomorrow as the field trip is on Friday.”

FRIDAY? How could it be so soon. Peter wanted to die. He headed for the door, but was stopped in his tracks by Mr. Blaze calling his name.

“Yes?” he said, turning around. The class had mainly cleared out by now.

“Peter, you're a good kid, and I understand not being the most popular student in school, but we need to talk about the lie you made up about working at Stark Industries.”

“But the internship is re-”

“This field trip is a great opportunity, and I do not want your lies ruining it for yourself or your classmates. Please do not mention it whilst we are there, or there will be serious consequences.”

“It’s a real intern-”

“Please Peter. You should know better than this. See you tomorrow.”

He was tired and fed up of school when he headed into the hallways to see his best friend.

“Hey,” Ned said, meeting him in the hallway.

“Hey,” Peter replied weakly.

“What’s up? Something happened?”

“Nah, just that field trip.”

“Oh the one to Stark Tower! It’s going to be so fun!”

“Right..”

“You’re not excited? I know you work there and stuff, but still.”

“Hmn uh yeah. No it was more Mr. Blaze being a bitch,” he replied, half lying.

“Still thinks you're lying about the internship?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Wanna come over to mine? Build some lego?”

“Nah, got to be home. Too much work to catch up on with all the patrolling I’ve been doing.”

“Gotcha. Well, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah see you.”

Peter walked to the carpark expecting to find Happy in his black SUV. He was, instead, met by Black Widow.

“Nat?”

“Hey spider boy.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Figured I’d pick ya up and bring you home. Had a second free.”

He jumped into the passenger seat of the jet black convertible.

“How was school паук?”

“Не очень хорошо,” he said easily slipping into Russian. (Not very good)

“Зачем? что-то случилось? (Why? Did something happen?”)

“Да. У нас есть производственная практика в Stark Industries. Что было бы не так уж и плохо, но мой глупый учитель не думает, что я действительно проходил там стажировку, поэтому он отругал меня. Плюс мое паучье чутье сегодня сильно пошло на убыль.” (Yes. We have a field trip to Stark Industries. Which wouldn't be so bad, but my stupid teacher doesn't think I really have an internship there, so he told me off. Plus my spider sense were going off so much today.)

“бедный ребенок. Я могу чем-нибудь помочь?” (Poor kid. Anything I can do to help?)

“Убить Tony за это? (Kill Tony for setting this up?”)

“Нет, детка. Сожалею." (No can do kiddo. Sorry.)

“Разве ты не можешь рассказать другим Мстителям? Особенно папа.” (Can you not tell the other Avengers? ‘Specially Dad.)

“Я не обещаю.” (I won’t, promise.)

"Спасибо.” (Thanks.)

They’d arrived at the tower. There was more to it than he was telling. Ever since he’d moved into the tower, he’d been his safe space. It was his and his families. And he knew it was supid because so many people used it, but still. It felt awful for people from his school to come there. Peter pulled his security card out of his bag, scanning it.

“Peter Parker-Stark, clearance level Alpha 5, all access. Hi baby boss,” Friday, the building's AI called out, “Shall I tell Mr. Stark you’re home?”

“Yeah sure. I’m going straight to my lab, though.”

“Okay sir. Morgan would also like to inform you that she is looking for you.”

“Send her down to the lab.”

“As you wish.”

He hopped in the lift and allowed Friday to take him to floor 89. It was his personal lab. Oren, he’d reprogram Karen, allowed him entry through the glass door.

“Hello Peter, welcome back. What would you like to work on?”

“I’m going to do some work on my web shooters. Play my “workin after school” playlist on, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

He worked peacefully on his shooters design and mechanics for about 30 minutes before Oren alerted him that Morgan was coming up.

“Morgan Stark is requesting entry.”

“Granted.”

The door opened and revealed his basically little sister.

“Hey Mo,” he said, picking up the little girl, “Who let you roam around all on your own?”

“Mummy sent me up,” she smiled.

Peter nodded.

“What are you working on Petey.”

“I’ll show you,” he said, placing Morgan on his work table. He’d quickly made sure there was nothing that could hurt her.

“Web shooters?” she guessed.

“Yep. See I wanted to make them even more efficient so I changed the gears and trigger mechanism.”

She nodded knowingly. She was very smart for her age.

“Nice! Can we build our robot?”

“Sure thing. Oren, pull up the files for Petey-Pie and Morgana’s Robot.” He’d let Morgan handle the name for their creation.

Peter went and grabbed the box that had all their pieces in it. Being careful around the young girl, they continued to work on building the robot, Peter teaching her little things on the way.

So he had a normal evening. Did some fun work, some homework, ate dinner with the lunatics called the avengers, and went to bed.

“If it isn’t my two favorite small children!” Tony said, entering his lab.

“Daddy!” Morgan said, running into her father’s arms.

“Oren, I thought I told you to lock Dad out.”

“Unfortunately your father runs the building, so I could not follow your wanted protocol.”

“Love you too kid.”

“You set up the field trip.”

“Field trip?”

“Yeah. My school’s coming here on Friday!” Peter said, looking up from his work.

“Really? Nope wasn’t me. It was likely someone from PR, kiddo. You do go to one of the best STEM schools in the country.”

Tony had a point.

“Right...sorry.”

“It’s good, kid. What’s got you so wound up about it?”

“Daddy, I’m going to Mummy.”

“Okay kiddo, Friday take little Potts to bigger Potts,” he said with a smile.

“Yes sir.”

Once Morgan left, Tony asked again, “So wanna talk about it?”

“Just, just this is home. My home. And I know that’s stupid because it’s a fuckin 100 floor tower, but I know it. I know it so well, and I just don’t really want kids from my school here. I know I can’t gatekeep a building bu-”

“Hey, hey, it’s not stupid. It makes sense. This place is home and you don’t want them messing with any part of it. I bet most kids in your class wouldn’t love it if people came into their home for a field trip.”

“Yeah. And i-its my safeplace. From everything.” Everything being all the people he lost. His parents and uncle and aunt.

“I get it. Want me to have Pep cancel the trip?”

“N-no, no. All the kids in my class were so excited.”

“Always so selfless,” Tony smiled, “When is it again?”

“Friday.”

“Kiddo, I promise it’ll be fine. If anything, anything happens just get Fri to call me or Pep. Most of the avengers will be around too so you can call ‘em too.”

“Yeah. Thanks. They’ll just try to embarrass me, though,” Peter laughed.

“They will. Do I need to sign something?”

“I’m just going to have Mum do it because her signature is less recognizable.”

“Yeah, okay. Your teachers still don’t believe you?”

“How did you know th-”

“Come on kid, I’m Tony Stark.”

Peter smiled, “Fair enough. Yeah they don’t. I mean they will after the trip.”

“Yeah, that’s the bright side.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it then. Don’t stay in here too late.”

The night before the field trip he was so nervous. He ended up eating dinner in his lab. Pepper complained but Tony just told her he’d had a long day and deserved a break.

He knew he should have gone to bed but as each hour passed, he got more and more anxious about the trip. He needed something to take his mind off it, so he just kept working and working. Suddenly it was seven in the morning and he needed a shower. Finishing his eighth coffee of the eve, he headed to the 91st floor where he stayed. Hoping that neither of his parents would notice his all nighter he crept into his room.

After getting ready for school, he made his way back out of his room.

“Morning,” Pepper greeted him, “How was last night?” She wore a knowing smile as she continued to tap on her computer, presumably doing work.

“Fine,” he smiled, “Don’t tell dad.”

“I won’t. You're turning into him, though.”

“What else was expected?”

Pepper just smiled, “Sam and Bucky had loads of pastry delivered to the main kitchen if you wanna pop in there.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Thanks.”

“By sweetie, have a good day at school.”

“Thanks. Love you.”

“Love you too, hun.”

Peter jumped in the lift taking him up two floores to the Avengers hang out space.

“Spiderling!” Sam and Bucky greeted

“Old Man, bird boy,” he smirked.

“You look like shit, паук,” Nat said from the sofa.

“Thanks,” he said, putting a few of the delicious looking treats onto his plate. He also grabbed himself another cup of coffee. He plops himself down next to Nat on the sofa.

“Did you not sleep again? You look like hell.” Tony said, entering the kitchen to get himself another cup of coffee.

“Right back at you dad.”

“Fair.”

Steve entered, coming back from his run.

“Hey,” he said, addressing the room, “God kid, you look like yo-”

“OKAY NEXT PERSON TO TELL ME I LOOK SHIT IS GETTING IT!”

“Oh sorry,” Steve said, rolling his eyes. Clint came in with Pietro at his side, “What’s this about Peter looking shit?”

“I hate you all,” he said, finishing his last bite. He laid down on the sofa.

“Oh ah kid, something I needed to tell you. Right, you can stay here. No need to go to school and back. Pepper wrote a note saying you’d meet at the school because you had a doctor's appointment or some shit.”

“Why is spider boy here?” Sam asked.

“School field trip.”

“Only you Parker,” the White Wolf laughed.

“No embarrassing me, please,” he begged.

“Hell no, this is a great opportunity,” Sam said, looking over to bucky.

“I won’t,” Nat said with her hands up.

“I’m in, team embarrass Peter,” Clint said, high fiving Bucky and Sam. At that moment, Wanda walked in heading straight for her girlfriend’s arms. Nat happily let her fall into her lap.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Nat asked with some level of concern.

“Everything,” Wanda said.

“Drama queen,” Pietro scoffed. Peter closed his eyes and let the conversation happen around him. At some point, Tony had left. Clint had gone off to train with the Dumb and Dumber, and Steve claimed he had a mission brief.

Friday’s voice startled him, “Peter, I recommend you head downstairs as your class is arriving in 5.”

“Five what?” Peter questioned.

“Four,” The AI continued.

“A LITTLE MORE WARNING WOULD BE NICE!”

Peter grabbed his shit and jumped into the private elevator as fast as he could. Luckily, he was in the lobby mere moments before the class entered. He pretended just to be standing around.

“Peter,” Mr. Blaze called, “Please come and join the class.”

Peter nodded, spotting his best friend amongst the crowd.

“Hey,” Ned greeted.

“‘Sup.”

“Good morning everyone,” said the tour guild, “My name is Tamiko Hiroki and I will be taking you on your tour today. To start, I will be giving you all badges. When I call your name please step up and collect it.”

She made her way through the basket and by the time she was done only one student had not received a badge.

“Hey, Peter didn’t get a badge,” Cindy Moon, a kind girl in his physics class, called.

“Apologies, there doesn’t seem to be one in here for a Peter.”

“Uh I-i, I have m-my own. Thanks Tamiko.”

“Oh okay, cool. Please follow me to security.” The class seemed shocked. Was the kid telling the truth about his internship?

“So, there are many different levels of pass here. Guests get Beta levels 1-5 depending on what they are doing. Then there’s Omega’s who are interns and such. Next is the scientist and important employees with Zeta. Finally there’s Alpha for major important roles such as department heads. The top level, Alpha 5, contains the most important people like the Avengers who live in the tower and CEO Pepper Pots.

“Tamiko Hiro, Clearance level Beta 5.”

“Don’t worry everyone, that's Friday, the AI who runs the building. Just keep passing through.”

“Philip Maiko, Clearance level Beta 1.”

“Michelle Jones, Clearance level Beta 1.”

Peter headed towards the back, allowing all the students to go in front of him. He prayed they didn’t hear his security protocol. The rest passed through with Beta 1. Then, Peter came up.

“Peter Parker-Stark, clearance level Alpha 5, all access. Hi baby boss,” Friday, the building's AI called out, “Shall I tell Mr. Stark you’re home early?”

“I’m on a field trip, Fri. No need to tell D-Mr. Stark. Thanks.”

The class, once again, looked shocked.

“Why does Penis Parker have all access?” Flash called to Tamiko.

“I do not believe I have clearance to disclose that information, but Peter here may answer,” Tamiko said, glaring at Flash.

“I mean I’ve said it before. I am a personal intern of-”

“PETEY!” Bucky yelled, giving him a hug from behind.

Deflated, he responded, “Hey Buck.”

“Is that all I get?

The two settled on one of the many sofas in the lab. Pete’s head in Tony’s lab.

“Sorry about that, Pepper explicitly told all tours to stay off this level, but it seems as though her assistant made an exception because she thought it was okay as you were on the tour. Pepper fired her.”

Only his mum, “She didn’t have to do that.”

“She was furious.”

“Oh I’m sure.”

“I know this is your safe space, so-”

“It’s okay. No one came in.”

“Yeah.”

“You feeling any better?”

“Just tired. Thanks.”

“Always kiddo. You wanna go upstairs? Take a nap?”

“Sure.”

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Traveling with you - Victor

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for an event, 与你同游, which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

This is an event for Chinese New Year, where you get to visit a Spring Festival Temple Fair with the love interests :>

Players are able to select the order in which they visit various locations, so they aren’t meant to be in chronological order!

Prologue: here

More: Gavin l Kiro l Lucien l Shaw

🌹 TEXT 🌹

MC: Mm, hmph.

Victor: Are you done with your work review?

MC: ???

MC: It’s prohibited to talk about work after working hours.

Victor: You stick to the rules when it comes to these things.

Victor: Why did you message me?

MC: Ooh... could you accompany me to the Loveland Spring Festival Temple Fair this year?

Victor: Give me a reason.

Victor: Don’t tell me it’s because you want to try different types of milk tea again?

MC: I vow to the heavens that I won’t rush to the snacks this time!

Victor: ...it’s truly easy to guess the thoughts of a dummy.

Victor: So when’s the temple fair?

MC: It has already started. Since we’re on the topic, shall we take a look tomorrow?

Victor: You could consider changing your habit of acting on the spur of the moment.

MC: Mister, it’s already close to the Spring Festival, so can’t you agree to the tiny request of your diligent and sincere, 10/10 employee?

Victor: I could get Goldman to adjust my schedule, but your work review report can’t be delayed.

MC: Yes, CEO Victor! I’ll see you at the temple fair tomorrow then, goodnight.

Victor: Rest early, and don’t make a fuss about not being able to walk tomorrow.

Victor: Goodnight.

-

🌹 Location: Traditional Snacks Stall 🌹

I sink into deep contemplation at the sight of various posters.

Victor: It’s unlike you to hesitate on what to eat.

MC: I’m not hesitating about what to eat, but worrying about whether or not they’re delicious. After all, I'm someone who has grown used to Souvenir, so I won’t be swayed easily.

Thinking about the sweet fragrance of pudding, my eyes sparkle at the sight of a pile of boxes at a particular stall.

Victor: Boss, I’ll have two boxes of flour pastries.

[Note] The actual cake is called 步步糕 (“bu bu gao”), but there isn’t an English name for it.

MC: I didn’t really expect you to buy such traditional flour pastries.

Victor: Aunt Grace likes them, so there used to be some at home every year during the festival. Why? Is it very strange?

MC: Not really... I just didn’t think you’d pick it unhesitatingly despite the variety of snacks here.

Victor: Weren’t you staring at it earlier?

After being stunned for a moment, I grin while opening the cover, stuffing a piece into Victor’s mouth.

This Spring Festival is fragrant and sweet. It tastes like clouds.

-

🌹 Location: Firecrackers Stall 🌹

Setting off firecrackers is pretty dangerous. If you’re a minor, do light them up only when supervised!

Victor looks at me, and I return his stare confidently.

MC: I. Do. Not. Need. Guidance.

Purchasing the spiral firecracker I eyed earlier, I head to an empty spot. Setting the rope alight, I toss it out.

Crackle--

Sparks burst along with the spinning fireworks. I tug on Victor’s sleeve, pulling his dazed self a little further away.

MC: Isn’t it really interesting? Want to try it for yourself?

Victor: ...I'm not interested.

Despite what he says, Victor takes another look at the spiral firecracker.

MC: Didn’t you play with these mini firecrackers when you were young?

Victor: When I was young... I didn’t really understand them.

Come to think of it, Victor had a strict upbringing, and it was probably very difficult for him to come into contact with such things.

MC: It’s okay. Let’s make up for it with these little amusements today.

-

🌹 Location: Auspicious Stall 🌹

A little different from the usual traditional fortune sticks, the “Auspicious Booth” involves slips of paper tied onto red strings. There are ladders provided, allowing visitors to step onto them to retrieve the slips.

But with Victor’s height, he just needs to stretch his arm.

He retrieves a slip of paper that I have my eye on.

MC: It’s reads “Great Blessing”!

Victor: Don’t celebrate too early.

The moment he finishes speaking, the people who step down from ladders behind us raise their slips in excitement.

Passer-by A: Amazing! “Great Blessing”!

Passer-by B: I also picked “Great Blessing”!

Victor: Mm, not bad. There’s quite a high probability.

MC: ...wait! I’ll look at the words again! Look, it says “Luck will follow in the coming year, and you’ll become the support of people close to you.” Victor, I might become an important person to you this year.

Victor gives me a deep look, then chuckles.

Victor: In that case, I wish that your accomplishments this year can match this “importance”.

-

🌹 Location: Game Stall 🌹

Victor and I wait in the queue at the pitch-pot game area. 

[Note] Pitch-pot is a traditional East Asian game that requires players to throw sticks from a distance into a large canister!

Approximately half an hour later, eight arrows are finally handed to us.

Victor lifts one, subconsciously tugging on the plume. 

Before I can react, he tosses it.

The tip of the arrow successfully strikes the ear of the canister, falling onto the ground.

MC: ...

Victor: ...

MC: Victor, successful people not only have to invest. They also have to throw the arrow into the canister.

Victor doesn’t look at me. Pursing his lips, the second arrow responds with a thud.

Clatter-- it falls straight into the canister.

The surrounding crowd releases a series of fervent applause.

Meanwhile, I don’t have such luck, and fail to get even one in.

MC: My profits were supposed to pour in from all sides...

With a half-smile, Victor places the prize into my hand - it’s an antique coin.

Victor: Here it is.

-

🌹 Location: New Year Handmade Items Stall 🌹

Taking the paper and pen from the stall owner, I lean towards Victor in an ingratiating manner.

MC: In this new year, my wish can be summarised in three words: “A Sudden Windfall!” If you draw the Spring Festival picture, it’d be more effective.

Giving in to my repeated requests, Victor ponders for a moment before very quickly drawing a long-haired figure on the red sheet.

The little figure is carrying an ingot in her right hand, and a proposal in her left, her eyes crinkled into crescents..

Victor: Satisfied?

MC: One thing’s missing.

Taking the pen from his hand, I mimic what he did earlier, drawing a short-haired figure which looks dead serious, next to “me”.

MC: Since the stall owner said that the Spring Festival picture symbolises the wonderful expectations for the new year, it definitely can’t do without you.

Victor: So why is this “Victor” carrying a pig?

MC: ...it’s obviously a pudding! Oh yes, want me to draw you a picture? I think you could hang it in the office.

Victor: No need. Looking at you is sufficient.

[highonchocolate]

Take Two: The Guardian in Gotham Chapter 3

First   Previous   Next   Ao3

Bruce sat at the head of the long oak dining table and waited for his children to make their way into the room for dinner. They came in as a staggered group; Jason arguing about some novel with Dick while Tim and Damian brought up the back as they discussed their patrol routes for the night. After Alfred and Damian helped serve the food, Bruce cleared his throat pointedly and waited for everyone to pay attention. 

Once everyone had looked up from their discussions he spoke. “Alfred has a friend named Gina; and she had called this evening to see if her granddaughter could stay with us. She lives in Paris; but her classmates were bullying her and her parents thought a change of scenery would do her some good. I have agreed to let her stay with us in the Manor.” Even before he had finished speaking the table erupted with different questions from his children.

“Bruce are you sure this is wise?” Tim questioned over Dick’s ecstatic squealing (“I’ve always wanted a little sister!!!”), and Jason’s grumbling (“Shut the fuck up Dickhead. I don’t know why the fuck B is bringing someone into this house to live with this dysfunctional family.”). Ignoring his siblings; he pressed on “I mean, how are we going to hide Batman and the vigilante stuff from her?” As Bruce paused to answer Damian stood up and scowled. “Tt. This is a moronic decision. Inform me of when this girl is to arrive and inform  her to stay out of my way.” He lifted his chin and crossed his arms before marching out of the room.

After Damian’s outburst, Jason looked over from where he was arguing with Dick and added his input “Timbo’s right, B. How are we going to hide that from her?” 

“We’ll have to make sure at least two of you remain in the manor each night so that she doesn’t get too suspicious.” He answered. “Now, the only reason I agreed to letting her stay here was namely for Alfred, and also because of what her classmates did to her” 

“What do you mean, Bruce?” Dick questioned. “Did they like assault her or something?”

“Or something” He responded grimly before sending the photo to all three of them. 

As they looked at the photo, he observed their reactions to the image. Dick was not smiling for once, and his sunny blue eyes had darkened to an icy frost. His whole body was tense; and his jaw was so clenched his teeth were grinding together. Jason was standing up with two guns locked and loaded in his hands. He had also managed to procure a knife from somewhere, which appeared as he leant forward and asked “What were the names of the people who did this again?” in a completely lethal tone. Tim, already hacking away at his computer responded “Not there yet, but from what I can find out, she goes to College Francois DuPont and she’s fifteen.” He briefly looked up and made eye contact with Bruce before asking “How fast do you think we can get our lawyers onto those kids B?” At the declarations of his children, Bruce closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “We can not file any lawsuits yet, not without Marinette’s permission.” He answered, sighing tiredly. “Marinette?” Dick questioned. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Tim responded instantly. “That’s her name.” 

“She will be coming on Monday, and Alfred will be picking her up from the airport. She is also going to attend GA, so someone please tell Damian.” Bruce said as he stood from the table. “Now hurry up, we have patrol tonight, and there have been rumors about a drug ring near Crime Alley.”

---

After coming back from the hospital and having a sleepover Thursday night, Chloé and Adrien were completely sleep-deprived as they trudged into school the next morning. Settling into her usual seat beside Sabrina, Chloé silently thanked all the Kwami that she didn’t have to sit next to Lila. Halfway though class, Mrs. Bustier suddenly frowned and looked at the back row. “Does anyone know where Marinette is? She still hasn’t arrived yet!”

“Probably still sleeping at home! She’ll come in completely late as usual!” Alya cackled. At her words, Chloé felt her entire body heat up with righteous indignity. She opened her mouth to tell that wannabe tabloid reporter to get her facts straight, but then Adrien caught her eye and shook his head. He then pointed at his phone, and mimed unlocking it before pointing to her. Catching the hint, she checked her messages to see that Marinette had sent them a text.

FashionableBug: Mari said to tell Chloé and Adrien not to do anything to Lila or anyone else that starts making stuff up. (From Luka btw)

You’reUnderAgreste: Me-ouch, My Lady. I would never!

QueenofMean: shut it with the puns, Noir. Maribug, I will only listen to you because you’re injured and I’m not going to go against your wishes.

Putting her phone away, Chloé resigned herself to a miserable school day. 

---

After school, she walked into Marinette’s room and flopped dramatically onto the chaise, before letting out a long groan.

“That bad?” Mari chuckled as she scribbled sketched one-handedly in her design notebook. 

“You have no idea.” Chloé responded. 

Their conversation continued into mundane things, such as everyone’s patrol routes, and various theories on who Hawkmoth was. Totally normal topics for teenagers. As the day drew to a close, they made plans for everyone to come over to start packing the next day before Chloé left the bakery and headed home.

---

Come Saturday, Marinette, Chloé and Luka spent the morning playing board games one handed “to level the playing field” as Luka put it and eating lots of cookies and pastries-provided by Marinette’s parents of course. Adrien and Kagami were attending their various classes until afternoon, so the remaining three spent their time relaxing, and coming up with a list of things to pack for Mari’s stay in Gotham. Two o’ clock rolled around, and the bells over the bakery jingled to announce the arrival of the final members of the packing committee.  

Any plans to begin their assignment of somehow fitting all Marinette’s fabrics into the suitcase were cut short by an Akuma. 

They all transformed, even though Kagami and Luka has been  extremely reluctant to let Mari go even though the suit temporarily healed her injuries. Climbing through her roof hatch, they set out across the rooftops to defeat their latest villain.

---

Five hours later, the teen heroes dropped into her room, and detransformed in various flashes of multicolored lights. They collapsed onto the bed and chairs and silently agreed to just  sleep , and get the packing done the next day.

---

All of Sunday was spent throwing various clothes and accessories into Mari’s pink and black suitcase. There were several sweaters and hoodies (added by Chloé), as well as several leggings and many thick pajama pants (Sabine).

Adrien (with the help of Tom) had somehow managed to pack over ten different pun-covered t-shirts, and by the time they were discovered, they had been buried under piles upon piles of fluffy socks from Kagami. Luka also threw in some scarves before Marinette added some toiletries, her sewing kit, and her computer.

Picking up the backpack she had decided to use as a carry-on, Marinette rifled through it to make sure she had everything in there as well.

Spare change of clothes in case she loses her suitcase? Check. Phone, headphones, and charger? Check. Sketchbook and pencils? Check. Disguised Miracle Box? Check.

She turned to her family (Not her teammates, not her friends, but her family.) and smiled. It was small, and bittersweet, but it was a smile. “Alright guys, I guess I’m all set.” She said, before joining them all in a group hug. They offered her soft, tearful smiles before Tom carried her big suitcase down the stairs. 

That night, Marinette fell asleep surrounded by all the people she loved, and she couldn’t have been happier.

---

The next day, her Papa carried her downstairs and placed her into her wheelchair (since she had a broken foot, and couldn’t use her leg, they had given her a wheelchair) before wheeling her outside and placing her into the car waiting by the street. 

Her friends were all inside, and she gripped Adrien’s hand tightly as they drove to the airport. 

As she stood to board the plane, she turned back to catch one last glimpse of them all. Chloé was leaning into Kagami’s side who was holding her girlfriend’s hand tightly. Adrien was waving wildly, and Luka and her parents all raised one hand in farewell. Her Maman and Papa has some red rimming their eyes, but they smiled at her as she was wheeled into the plane. Next stop: Gotham, New Jersey.

Since her flight left Paris at 10 AM, she was set to arrive in Gotham at around 12 PM/noon. With that in mind, she decided to stay awake for the entire flight so that her body could adjust better. 

As they crossed the Atlantic, Marinette, sitting in first class thanks to Chloé and Adrien’s combined nagging; popped her earbuds in, and began to sketch. 

She stared out the window as she touched down, shocked by all the dog and darkness in the city. As she collected her bags, and wheeled her way outside to look for her host family, she couldn’t help but notice how everyone in this city was much more on edge than most normal people. ‘They act as though they are expecting an attack at any second of the day.’ She mused to herself. Her train of thought was cut off by the sight of an elderly man with a powerful aura standing next to a limo with a sign saying “Marinette Dupain-Cheng”. She wheeled her way over to him and smiled brightly. “Salut! My name is Marinette! What is yours, Monsieur!” She questioned, holding out her hand for a handshake.

“It’s lovely to meet you Miss Marinette, my name is Alfred Pennyworth.” Alfred responded, smiling gently down at her. “Now let’s get you and your bags in the car, shall we?” He reaches out to shake her hand, and the moment their fingers touched her vision was filled with dark blue and red. She laughed and smiled up at him. “It is an honor to meet you, noble Peacock.” She greeted him in the Guardian language, honoring his position as a True Holder. “And it is an honor to meet you as well, Ladybug.” He answered. She grinned and allowed him to help her into the back of the limo before he climbed into the driver's seat and they sped off to Wayne Manor. 

---

When he saw the young girl, Alfred was shocked to say the least. She was roughly 5’ 4” (162.5 cm), and was very petite. Her stature, combined with her wheelchair, wrist brace, and the cast on her leg, all strengthened his resolve to protect the young girl from any further harm. That was only intensified when their auras recognized each other. How could anyone place the responsibility of upholding balance on such a young child? 

As he drove to the Manor, she informed him that the Cat, Bee, Dragon and Snake were active on her team. Before he could ask her what the threat they were battling was, they had arrived at the Manor, and she had immediately tensed and gone silent.

Deciding that it was better to ask more questions later, he got out of the car to retrieve her bags and chair. Master Bruce and three of his children except for Master Damian were waiting in front of the doors to the Manor, and they all waited patiently for her as she exited the car. 

---

Marinette was nervous. Sure, taking to Monsieur Alfred was really fun, and she couldn’t wait to tell him more about Paris, but now she was meeting her actual host family! What if they didn’t like her? What if they decided to send her back?! Then what would she do?? A small cough interrupted her downward spiral, and she looked up from her lap to see Monsieur Alfred waiting in front of the open door with her wheelchair. Grabbing her backpack, she awkwardly maneuvered herself into the chair and allowed herself to be wheeled out in front so she could meet Monsieur Bruce Wayne.

---

Note: Alfred doesn’t know that Marinette is the Guardian. He just knows she’s a Ladybug holder.

[imnotwolverine]

LOVE IS LIKE - Women and Wine

< PART 2 | PART 3 Women and Wine

Summary: Things don’t always go as planned. But Henry has learned that’s quite alright. If anything, it may just make you closer to loved ones. Also, the banana sock wearing princess is her clumsy-as-ever self. 

Word count: 2.178

Disclaimer: Breakup, teenage insecurity, fluff and wet dicks. I mean. In the fluffy awkward sense of the word. 

--

LOVE IS LIKE - Women and Wine

--

‘So far for an outdoor date.’ Aurora scrunched up her nose and looked down at Kal who didn’t pay any mind to the drizzle, nose sniffling through some bushes.

‘Sorry..’ Henry pouted, making her laugh.

‘You know, my apartment isn’t far from here. We can dry off, have some tea? I mean..’ She hesitated, looking back to Henry who got a particularly large drop of rain in his eye.

‘Mmpfff.’ He groaned, wiping furiously at his eye.

‘OH! Are you alright?’

Kal looked up and Henry chuckled. ‘So your initial reservations of not wanting to meet at someone’s place are...gone?’

She shrugged. ‘Drastic times, drastic measures. Come on!’

Kal yapped in agreement and Aurora laughed heartily, the heaven’s cold tears of rainwater not bothering her one bit.

‘Why..?’ The woman who had once kept his heart sobbed, thick tears rolling down her sweet cheeks. Henry swallowed as he clutched her hand a little tighter, her whole body shaking with agony. With every tear on her face he was less sure if he made the right decision.

‘Why don’t you love me?’ Her wine-red lip trembled. ‘Did I..’ She sniffed and burst into another onslaught of tears. Henry sighed quietly. Why did love have to be so hard? With a quick glance he looked at Kal who was lying in the corner of the living room, careful eyes looking back at his owner after he had been told off by the woman - the two had never quite gotten along.

Perhaps that had been a sign.

Henry waited for his mom to pick up the phone. It was Sunday, it was raining in London and he had nothing better to do then..

‘Hello dear.’

‘H-hi mom.’ Henry quickly clicked back to the flower webshop on his browser.

‘Are you alright dear?’

Henry laughed - even after all these years his mother was straight to business when her children called. ‘Mommm…’

‘What?! You never call so early in the day. I can remember the days when you called every hour of..-’

‘Mom, I’m fine.’

‘Alright alright. So there’s nothing the matter?’

‘Nothing. Or well, I just wanted to check if you’re home on Thursday, so your package won’t get lost like last time.’

‘Oh.. OH! Mother’s day. Henry sweetie. You know you don’t have to buy me flowers every year.’

‘And yet I do it anyway, mom.’

Marianne laughed before the line crackled, her voice hushed as she spoke to someone else - probably his father. ‘Alright. Oh! You are too good for me! Also, Colin’s at home. I’m picking up Nick’s cat, since they’re going on a holiday. So no lillies please!’

‘Noted.’ Henry stared at the pictured bouquet on his screen and smiled. 100 roses. ‘No lilies, got it.’

With a confirmative nod he pressed “order”.  

‘And say hi to dad for me!’

Awkwardly tugging at the far too tight and strange looking noose of a knot around his neck, young Henry waited for his father to answer his phone. Nerves were tickling his loins and the more he looked back at the reflection in the mirror, the redder he seemed to get. He had seen his father tie a tie a million times, and yet doing it himself left him suffocating and disappointed in his own abilities.

‘Henry boy.’ His father’s low voice crackled through the bad phone line. He was probably abroad right now.

‘Pa..’ Henry tugged at the tight material around his slim neck.

‘How’s it hanging, hmm?’ -- Colin tried his best to stay hip and cool, but it only made conversations between him and his sons more awkward. Henry silently rolled his eyes.

‘Ehm…’ He cleared his throat, wishing that for once his voice wouldn’t get pitchy mid-sentence. ‘I--’ He pulled at his tie again and managed to let the knot slide out like it had never been there at all. ‘I need your help dad.’

‘Something the matter? Henry, you know you can ask Mr. Mindel for help.’

‘Yea well..eh..I want to learn it myself.’ He squared his shoulders as he looked at his mirror reflection again.

‘And what is..”it” exactly?’ A mix of mirth and pride was heard in his father’s voice.

‘A tie. I’m..I’m trying to get this stupid thing on and ..’ Henry voice got pitchy and unleveled again and he groaned in annoyance.

Colin chuckled and hushed his teenage son. ‘Alright alright. First step..’

With a trained tug at the knot, Henry released the silk tie from his neck. Perhaps it had been a bit over-the-top to wear a suit and tie when going out for lunch and walk Kal with Aurora. But Henry just couldn’t help himself. These clothes just made him feel powerful and secure. Like a modern day armor, shining, sleek and - right now - also terribly uncomfortable and wet.

They had been caught by one of London’s infamous rain showers and had been soaked to the bone. Suit included.

Removing his tie, Henry let his eyes glide over Aurora’s cosy but luxurious apartment, Kal trotting behind Aurora as she ducked into one of the closets in the hallway to fetch some fresh towels.

‘You want one as well, hmm?’

Henry looked up and noted that she wasn’t talking to him, but Kal, the dog happily wagging his tail as he pushed his nose in the fresh towels in her hands. She laughed.

‘Alright then.’ With a quick swoop she pulled another towel from the closet before bumping it closed with her hip, offering one of the towels to Henry who accepted it graciously.

‘Shall I see if there’s some clean clothes that ..fit...you?’ She looked him up and down, obviously unsure whether ANYTHING would fit the colossal form of bulking muscle that was Henry. Henry shrugged.

‘I’ll keep this on if you don’t. Don’t worry.’ He smirked perhaps a bit too temptingly.

They both laughed and Aurora turned around before he could see the blush on her smiling cheeks.

Left alone in the hallway, Henry dried his face and hair, removed his jacket and sauntered over to the living area, which reminded him in a strange way of the 70s decor of some other woman’s home. Letting his eyes glide over the furniture he smiled; large leather couch with a bounty of pillows, Pilea pancake plants, the tiniest tv he probably had seen in his long life and then on the long wall on his right, one absolutely hu-freaking-mongous bookcase.

Turning his attention to said bookcase, he let his eyes roam over the more empty shelves, finding a book he knew well; it once had been his. But there was also her copy. The berry juice ruined one. King Arthur and His Knights. With curiosity Henry opened her berry ruined book, not sure what to find there other than exactly the same exact text. His eye fell on the personal note that was scribbled on the inside. Apparently it had been gifted to her.

‘To the woman who “doesn’t need no knights in shining armour”. Andy.’

‘I eh..oh!’ Aurora shrivelled away as she found Henry. Henry quickly shut the cover of the book, near stumbling back as he tried to apologise for snooping around.

‘I’m sorr-’

‘Sorry!’ She looked away. 

‘No I’M sorry, truly.’

‘No.’ Aurora shook her head and her voice sounded terribly queasy. ‘I’m sorry. Here. Hope it fits.’ She pushed a pile of what looked like a white shirt and jogging pants in Henry’s arms with a quick little glance in Henry’s blue eyes.

Did he fuck it up? Looking with a pained expression at the soft white and grey fabrics in his hands he sighed, forgetting all about his wet clothes and the way a little stream of water was running straight into his butt crack right this instant.

‘I didn’t mean to..snoop.’ He tried, but Aurora shied away even further, making a clear demonstration of turning away from Henry.

‘Aurora? Will you forgive me please?’

Aurora nodded with her head still firmly turned away.

‘Will you at least look at me?’

And then, with the slowest of head turns in human history, one beet red head looked back at him, lips biting to keep a chuckle at bay. Henry frowned, before realising that he had completely, utterly miscalculated the situation. She was not mad at him, she was.. With a slight slip Aurora’s eyes moved back down - before quickly shooting back up and away. So that was it huh? She was trying to look anywhere but to the very clear outline of his …

Dick.

--

So this is why men don’t partake in wet T-shirt contests.

‘Oh my gods!!--’

‘It’s like sugar--’

‘TURN IT OFF.’

‘So sweet.’

‘HEN.’

‘Good enough..’

‘HENRY.’

‘..to eat.’

Grumbling a hand appeared from beneath the fluffed up blankets, searching blindly for the phone that was blaring out happy tunes into the dark bedroom. In the background a shower was heard, Henry totally oblivious to his very displeased bedbug.

Turning off the hot stream of water, Henry wrapped himself in a towel, hair dripping wet as he brushed a hand over his cheek to check if it could do for the moment. Geralt could have a little stubble right? He grinned at himself in the mirror and made for the bedroom, silent feet padding to reach for his gym gear like he did every morning.

‘Baaaabeeeeeee.’ A groggy voice that in no way fit his pretty girlfriend erupted from the sheets. Henry halted his tiptoeing.

‘Your phoneeeeeee.’

‘OH! oh.. Sorry.’ Henry bit his lip as the groggy voice mimicked in horrid echo:

‘All I wanna do is get ye

Body next to mineeee.’

Henry chuckled as the sheets folded back a little so a grabby hand could reach for him.

‘Haha..oh why love, I’m WET.’

‘AS AM I. Now get in here.’ The blindly grabbing hand searched like a needy worm for anything it could attach to, making Henry chuckle even harder.

She truly was atrociously cute in the morning. With a quick flip of the hand he managed to slip back under, making the room echo with a loud squirming squeak.

‘HENRY.. YOu!’

The both of them laughed.

With a little kick in his step Henry stepped into his parent’s kitchen, the rural stone tiled room filled with the smell of fresh baking pastry and female chatter.

‘A rose..’ He pulled one of his hidden away hands from behind his back to offer a rose to his mother. ‘For my dear mom.’

Marianne chuckled and rolled her eyes at Henry’s antics, before smiling even wider when the other hand served an even prettier rose to the brunette with the princess name. Aurora snorted out with laughter.

‘YOU DORK!’

Henry gasped in mock-hurt and grasped for his chest. ‘My heart, my love! Why must thee hurt it so.’

Aurora stepped in and pressed a little kiss on Henry’s pouting lips. ‘For love cometh of the heart and not by constraint.’ She smiled and smelled the rose ‘..for love is free.’

Marianne chuckled. ‘Well it’s from the garden, so I guess it’s free. Can you call your dad for me? Lunch is almost ready.’

‘Why of course I can mother dear!’

Marianne widened her eyes, urging him to move on. Henry laughed and winked at Aurora before he made his way to the back of the house.

‘These men of ours. They wouldn’t know what to do without us.’

Aurora leaned into the kitchen counter and smiled. ‘It takes a lot to make a man. Tis true. But I do think Henry is a man enough on his own.’

‘You do?’

‘You raised him well you -- all of you did.’

‘Two books?’ Aurora frowned as she pulled the books from their pretty packaging. Henry was beaming with a smile from ear to ear.

‘The same exact..books?’

Henry nodded eagerly.

‘Hen..I know I might be a little clumsy, but…’

‘Nooo no. I thought..’ He scooted a little closer to her on the couch, making Kal grumble who had just found the perfect spot atop Henry’s feet. ‘I thought we could read together. On the plane? It’s a long way to Canada.’

Aurora flipped open the cover of the book on top, shrugging that Henry might have a point, before letting her eyes roam over the little note written in the inside of the cover page.

‘Careful with that berry juice, princess. x. Henry’

‘Youuu…’ Aurora moved to jab at Henry, but he managed to reflect her hand with practised ease.

‘Me?’ He grinned.  

‘Oh yes you.’

‘What about me?’ His smile grew wider.

Aurora shook her head then sighed in defeat. ‘Alright then. You win.’

‘I win?’ Henry acted overly victorious and smug.

Aurora’s smile melted away. ‘I..’ She swallowed. ‘-I think I love you. I wanted to say it when I meant it an--’

Henry’s smile dropped as well, eyes widening.

‘You..? You mean..’

‘You have to kiss me now okay? I mean..that’s what princes do when..--’

Henry didn’t skip a beat. 

And good gods did they kiss a lot. 

--

Also: good gods, who in their right minds places red wine on the edge of the couch seating with a pristine looking book like that nearby? Let’s just say the plane ride to Canada only had one copy of Pride & Prejudice - The Illustrated Edition on-board. 

--

End. 

--

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@beck07990

[rpmemes-galore]

angel: season 1 ... sentence starters

“You're not human.“

“Is that it? Am I done?“

“You've got pensive face.“

“Stop calling me pastries.“

“If that was my gift, I'd return it.“

“It was rude. We should go kill it.“

“I really hope they kill each other.“

“Get away from me. You're insane.“

“No, seriously, I wasn't hitting on you!“

“I'm just asking you not to go in there.“

“It's nice that she's grown as a person.“

“Yeah, there's not actually a cure for that.“

“You're supposed to help people. Help me.“

“I really don't like it when people shoot me.“

“Well, as vampires go, you're pretty cuddly.“

“You can't be alive. You... you're not human!”

“Demons. Is there anything more disgusting?“

“Where's the crabby scowl, the morbid gloom?“

“Am I intimidating? I mean, do I put people off?“

“I've got two modes with people: bite and avoid.“

“Then get over it! I mean that in a sensitive way.“

“I guess the single life's particularly tough on you.“

“Do you know what anger is? It is nothing but fear.“

“You realize this is the whitest sport known to man?“

“What are you talking about? He can't defeat me now.“

“Well, perfect, that should make it easier for you, then.“

“So I'm a little reserved, that doesn't mean I don't care.“

“Look, you should lie down. We should take you home.“

“Yeah, well, I know what fear is. I can smell it right now.“

“Maybe you're changing. And that could be a good thing.“

“It doesn't end. It never, ever ends. It just goes on and on.“

“I know you're not planning to kill me. But you're willing to.”

“I don't think I've ever realized just how disgusting that was.“

“Look, if you ever need me, or if I can help you in any way...”

“He's right. That was rude. I'd be honored to eat your brains.“

“I really don't want to hurt you. Bruises bring down the price.“

“No. You're not scaring me. You're not scaring me. Not one bit.“

“True. But the games are indoors and they usually play at night.“

“It's beautiful, and if it goes away it's like... I’m still being punished.”

“It was like the Soviet Secret Police if they cared a lot about shoes.”

“Do you two need to be alone or can we get on with the ouchy part?“

“Well, stranger things have happened. No, wait... they really haven't.“

“What do you think you're doing here? You never should have come.“

“I'm sick and tired of you blaming me for everything you can't handle.“

“I mean, honestly, what kind of statement is this thing trying to make?“

“Good. That's out. It's done. Would you ask me out for dinner already?“

“How can I thank you, you mysterious, black-clad hunk of a night thing?“

“Maybe you might wanna think about mixing up the black-on-black look.“

“I think I know a vampire when I'm... alone with him in his fortress-like home.“

“You don't know who he is, do you? Oh, you are so gonna get your ass kicked.“

“I didn't ask for this responsibility, unlike some people who shall remain lifeless.“

“I think you're gonna pack your little ghost bags and get the hell out of my house.“

“You're not the type who takes the easy way out, which is why I like you so much.“

“Wow, what a nice place. I love your curtains. Not afraid to emphasize the curtains.“

“I'm gonna thrash you within an inch of your life. And then I'm gonna take that inch!“

“I'm glad were not playing friends anymore, and I'm real sick and tired of your attitude.”

“Here's the plan: We go in, I start hitting people hard in the face, see where it takes us.“

“If you ever wanna, you know, spend one night away from the place, maybe give me a call.“

“Well, I'd better get mingly. I really should be talking to people that are somebody. But it was fun!”

“You did terrible things when you were bad, didn't you? And now you're trying so hard to do good.“

“I finally get invited to a nice place with no mirrors, and lots of curtains... hey, you're a vampire!”

“Hey, you look troubled. Or is that just your lazy eye? ...Anyway, call us, we're very discreet.“

“This socializing thing is brutal. I mean, I was young, once. I used to go to bars. It was never like this.“

“Hey, the last thing I want is to show up at the office and find that I'm working for a homicidal monster.“

“Because, we deserve a night of fun, don't you think? I mean, it breaks up those nights of death and mayhem.“

“I think you gave up on being loved a long time ago, and now you're just another creep who gets off on pain.“

“Oh, you wanna talk about being mature? Maybe it's time you grew up and realized that you can't have everything.“

“I don't know about you, but I had a nice day. You know, except for the bulk of it where I was nearly tortured to death.”

“You don't know me anymore, so don't come down here with your great new life and expect me to do things your way.”

“We've only done one of the five basic torture groups. We've done blunt, but that still leaves sharp, hot, cold, and loud.“

“Hey, you know, maybe we should go over this thing again of you getting out in the world and involving yourself with people.“

“Maybe he has an accomplice, or he has a hidden camera. Not everything has to be creepy and supernatural, you know.“

“Everyone just simmer down here, okay? Violence is not gonna solve a thing, alright? ...On the other hand, it's kind of festive.”

“You're makin' me wanna fight some more. You get lucky, you might last ten minutes; really lucky, and you're unconscious for the last five.“

“You need someone to organize things, and you're not exactly rolling in it, Mr. ‘I was alive for 200 years and never developed an investment portfolio’.”

“People will be attracted to my positive energy and help me achieve my goals. I am right where I'm supposed to be, and... not dying for something to eat!“

“You think you're bad? All mean and haunty? Picking on poor, pathetic (name)? Well, get ready to haul your wrinkly, translucent ass out of this place, 'cause lady, the bitch is back.“

“I grew up in a nice home. It wasn't like this, but we did have a room or two that we didn't even know what they were for. Till the IRS got all huffy about my folks not paying their taxes for, well, ever. They took it all.“