#cafe coffee pods

[bridgetownbites]

Slow Haste’s grand opening is Saturday, May 31, 2025. Be there if you can!

https://bridgetownbites.com/2025/05/29/slow-haste-coffee-joins-collector-bar-daily-northeast-portland-oregon/

[vixonspixels]

Ocean View | Cafe Download

The Ocean View boats some of the most breathtaking views that Sulani has to offer. Grab a coffee and a croissant while pulling up a seat on the terrace, rumour has it there a large sized pod of dolphins near by..

Placed on a 40x30 lot in sulani

More information available over on my patreon page here

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Give and Take 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, stalking, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Steve Rogers

This AU is called Watcher Anonymous and will include different series for different characters. This is our introduction to Steve and Charity

Summary: the women’s shelter harbours a particularly suspicious character.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

Another dull day. Steve’s tired. He never sleeps well, but lately, he’s been kept up not only by the pesky feline that shares his space, but its owner. His roommate is even more restless than him. He didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be more addled than himself. 

He yawns and pushes back a stray blond lock as it falls down his forehead. As he does, the tip tickles his too big nose. If only the rest of him had caught up to that beak. 

He mills by the fourteenth-century altar pieces and ponders a coffee. The break room pods give him heart burn and caffeine makes him jitter. Still, that cafe down the block is pretty popular. He hears a lot of patrons talking about it. 

The silence is punctuated by a steady cadence of steps. Little taps that pluck at his brain. He recognises the footfalls. As he turns, Charity sweeps around in a shade of yellow that would put a canary to shame. She wears it well; a wrap dress with a bow on one hip, a pair of white mary jane heels, and a white purse decorated with lilacs. 

He hesitates and thinks of hiding. His mind is racing. How did she get there? Why is she there? Is this some coincidence? He’s not stupid. It’s not for him. He’s not ready for her. 

“Steve!” She waves as she flits towards him, “hi. It’s me.” 

Her excitement startles him. He doesn’t know what to do. Did he fall asleep? Is this a dream? 

“Uh, h-hey, what are you doing here?” He clears his throat as his voice turns creaky. 

“You said you worked at the museum and it reminded me how I’ve been meaning to come down. I have the day off so...” she pauses and looks around. “Oh, gee, it’s so quiet around here.” She flutters her fingers along her chin bashfully, “I’ve just come in here squawking like a bird.” She glances down, “looking like one too.” 

She giggles. His cheeks burn. Can she see? 

“I-- I like the dress. Pretty colour. Pretty on you,” he stutters and swallows a cringe, giving a heavy blink. “Er. Uh. A tour?” 

“Oh, you are so nice. Thank you. Patti at work said the dress was like Sesame Street,” she trills. “And I would love a tour around. I have to be honest, I wandered into the dinosaur room.” 

He chuckles. She has a way of easing him even as she makes his heart pound. That’s what he likes about her. The way she talks to the women at the shelter, listens to them, and cheers up the kids with her finger puppets. She’s just a natural at everything. 

“I’ll try not to knock anything over,” she moves clear of triptych, pressing her skirt smooth to flatten the volume. It only enhances the curve of her hips. His mouth fills with saliva. He thinks of her sitting on the floor with him and how she didn’t realise her panties peeked out when she shifted around. 

“We’ll go slow,” he says and spins, shakily brushing his palms over his hair. 

“So, er, what’s your specialty? Do you have one of those?” She catches up to him, walking shoulder to shoulder. Like a friend. No, he wants more. “I don’t know much about the academ—academ-i-a,” she struggles with the word, “but I like to read about history.” 

“Hm, I my undergrad, I focused on art masters, I focused on revolutionary depictions...” he explains, “but I dabble around. Medieval stuff was always more interesting but oversaturated.” 

She does that. She makes you talk without thinking. And he knows what he’s talking about. That makes it easy. Even with her. 

“Oh, wow, I just got a book on the War of the Roses... Wars. Plural, I forget,” she chimes. “It was on sale. I’ve never read much about that.” 

“I think it’s interesting, as long as you can keep your kings straight,” he says. He pauses at the picture of a plump Venus. Her eyes stray over and she gasps. “Oh, she’s so pretty. Look... the way the paint is textured...” 

She steps closer to admire the strokes. He tends to focus on something else. He watches her eyes as she fawns over the centuries-old art. The delicate hours, days, weeks, even years of someone’s life. He glances at the Venus then at Charity. If she thinks the deity is gorgeous, she should look in the mirror. 

“Barely escaped the Bonfires,” he intones. “They burned art at the orders of the Pope. Blasphemy and all that. Strange how iconoclasm has such nuance.” 

She nods and turns to smile at him, “you’re so smart. You must know everything.” 

He gives a bashful grin. “Not really.” He doesn’t know how to talk to women. Especially her. He doesn’t know how to be taller, stronger, or handsome. He doesn’t even know what else to say. 

“You know, I’m getting such good ideas.” She says. 

“Ideas?” He wonders. 

“Oh, yes, I have some scarves,” she slithers her hand down her figure, “I could bring some draping back into style.” 

She giggles. He laughs at her joke. If she really wanted to recreate the paintings, he’d have them request a showing of The Sleeping Venus... 

“This one...” he distracts himself as he turns to another painting, “uses a sfumato. See how the shading is so soft--” 

She listens intently and marvels at the next piece. She nods along with his explanation as he goes on, pointing out the tiny little error he always fixated on. 

“I would’ve never noticed,” she tilts her head. “You have a good eye.” 

“Well, I could never paint something as nice as that, flaws and all,” he shrugs. 

“You paint?” She asks. 

He winces. He shrugs. “Sometimes. Just a hobby. I prefer pencil and paper.” 

“Wow. That’s so cool. They’re having painting classes down at this studio across town. I’ve done a bit of work for their promotions... which don’t launch until next week so don’t tell anyone.” She smiles guiltily. “But yeah, I was thinking of it.” 

“That’s... fun,” he says. “I’ll keep an eye out.” 

“Really? Well, let me know if you’re interested. I feel a bit ridiculous going alone.” She sweeps around to look at a statue of the archangel. “Wow, all these things... to think they’ve been around so long.” 

As she dotes over the art, he is transfixed by her. She is the art. She is made exactly for him.  

[unhingen]

If the midnight burger pod ever release merch, one of them should be a cook book that starts off like a regular cook book that focuses on diner staples (burgers, fries, sandwiches etc) but then it transitions to mexican recipes (im thinking chile rellenos, pozole, cafe de olla). But then it transitions to weirder recipes like how to not burn coffee and how to make moonshine. Then Like the end of the cook book is like diagrams of quantum machines and math notes calculating the universe.

[emsprovisions]

Happy Sunday y’all! Here’s way more than seven sentences from chapter 2 of my spring break au I posted on Friday! 💕

TK pours coffee into his mug, then dumps half a packet of Sweet’N Low and no less than six hazelnut creamer pods into his coffee.

Carlos wrinkles his nose as he watches TK. “What the fuck is that abomination?” He asks, stirring all of two creams into his own cup of otherwise black coffee.

TK grins and takes a sip, closing his eyes at the flavor. “I like my coffee like I like my men.”

Carlos nearly chokes on his own coffee, his face reddening as he puts his mug down and looks out at the ocean.

TK cackles and leans back in his chair with his mug. His foot brushes Carlos’s leg and neither of them makes a move to stop touching. TK looks back out over the water, and watches the sun rise ever higher into the sky, bringing the heat with it.

“I’ve never been to the gulf before now,” TK comments, the sea breeze gently tousling his hair.

“What do you think?” Carlos asks, watching TK. “I’m sure nothing beats what you’re used to on the East Coast.”

TK meets Carlos’s eyes and shakes his head with a smile. “I’m just starting to see why it’s like paradise here.”

Thank you for the tags @nisbanisba @heartstringsduet @annoyingcloudearthquake @bonheur-cafe

No pressure tags @carlos-in-glasses @carlossreaders @ironheartwriter @alrightbuckaroo @butchreyes @strandnreyes @reyesstrand @tellmegoodbye @eclectic-sassycoweyes @lightningboltreader @henrygrass @everlastingday @rangersoup @chicgeekgirl89 @decafdino @paperstorm @captain-gillian @lemonlyman-dotcom @lavenderrdaughter @welcometololaland @futures-tense @neversleepuntilfive @your-catfish-friend

[bluestrawberrybunny]

First time posting here in the SMG4 fandom-

Anyway, I made an Apprenticeship AU where SMG3 and SMG4 are basically forced (volun-told) to mentor 2 new meme guardians: SMG5 and SMG6.

But the thing is, when 4 was told about them, SMG1 and SMG2 didn’t exactly know where these new guardians came from, or why their pods were so damaged. So, while 1 and 2 try and figure out more about these two new guardians, 3 and 4 are basically stuck babysitting and training them.

Some basic information about the two new guardians:

SMG5 is a lot more timid, but very eager to learn all they can from 3 and 4 to be the best meme guardian they can be. They got the nickname Bunny from SMG6 because their 5 logo looks like bunny ears. He technically does have a YouTube channel and Twitch, but he never uses them, instead preferring to draw and write fanfiction with Boopkins. He does post animations to his YouTube channel every once in a while. Due to the damage to his pod, his left eye is badly damaged, causing him to be blind in that eye. Also, they got into calling 4 “Scrub” because of SMG3 and he gets a kick out of it. SMG3 has also basically adopted them as his younger sibling and is absolutely fine with 5 calling him “Brother.”

SMG6 is the one who calls 3 and 4 “Sensei,” mostly in a sarcastic manner. He’s a lot more impulsive, usually dragging 5 along with whatever crazy stuff he does. He also has a YouTube channel, which mostly focuses on gaming and let’s plays. Due to his clothes, he doesn’t show it, but he actually has 2 robotic arms due to losing them both in the crash. SMG1 and SMG2 gave them to him, but didn’t tell SMG3 or SMG4 about the arms because they didn’t deem it as vitally important. He has been banned from 3’s Coffee & Bombs due to a love for fire and explosives, which may have caused a reconstruction to be needed- He also refers to SMG4 as “Dad” whenever it is just him and 5. He has accidentally called 4 Dad to his face and wanted to bury himself in a hole immediately after. 4 is still confused about it to this day.

The two are basically inseparable, and are best friends. They also act a lot like siblings, twins to be more exact. 5 mainly attempts to keep 6 out of trouble, but he does encourage him sometimes. The two care about each other a lot, despite not seeing eye to eye on everything, especially when it comes to 3 and 4. While SMG5 looks up to their elders and wants nothing more than to make them proud, SMG6 keeps saying they’re better than their mentors, mainly due to SMG1 and SMG2 congratulating them on using their powers so well, and better than their mentors had their first time training.

Some information about SMG3 and SMG4 in this AU:

Since this takes place after “SMG4 Doesn’t Meme For 1 Second,” SMG4 is kind of still in recovery, especially since I’m adding that the whole “removal of the meme lobe” caused some nasty physical side effects for him because a meme guardian has to meme. SMG4 takes his mentorship role very seriously, but does treat 5 and 6 more like kids. He gets easily annoyed with them, specifically 6. He also puts a bunch of pressure on the two without realizing. it, which causes an… “incident,” as SMG3 calls it.

Because 5 has such a drive to make his mentors proud of him, he decided it was a good idea to head into Peach’s castle. Alone. The crew went down there to get him back home safely. But SMG3 is far more protective of 5 after that.

SMG3 also has a very… rocky relationship with SMG6. He sees a lot of his villain self in 6, which is why he is very avoidant of him, and it got worse when SMG6 blew up his cafe.

Both SMG4 and SMG3 have scars from IGBP, and 4 suffers from PTSD from the event still, but he’s gotten better at hiding it as time goes on.

And yes, there is SMG34 in this AU. 5 and 6 are working with Mario to make it canon throughout the AU.

Fic for the AU is in the works, and I might make an ask blog if people like this enough-

[padmesweetheart]

A London Made of Us

Pairing: Kit Connor x Reader

Genre: Pure fluff / established relationship / sightseeing in London

The morning starts like a dream.

You wake up to the softest touch on your cheek Kit’s knuckles brushing your skin, his sleepy smile already in full bloom. The sky beyond the windows is a hazy blue, the kind London specializes in cloudy with the occasional golden glow peeking through, like the sun is playing hide and seek.

“Rise and shine, love,” Kit murmurs, his voice rough with sleep as he dips his face close to yours. “I’ve got a surprise day planned. No phones. No work. Just you and me, yeah?”

You blink up at him, still cocooned in the soft duvet of his flat, your heart already melting. “A whole day? Just us?”

“All yours,” he says, brushing a kiss to your forehead. “London’s waiting My love .”

—————-

Stop One: Borough Market

The smell of fresh bread and sizzling food stalls wraps around you like a warm scarf. Kit’s hand is tucked firmly in yours as you wander past bakeries and flower stalls and an old man selling homemade jams. He insists on buying you a croissant (“for strength,” he claims), and you end up feeding each other flaky bites as you go.

You snap a silly picture of him holding up a sourdough loaf like it’s a trophy, and he grins at the camera, cheeks dusted with powdered sugar.

“That one’s going on the fridge,” you laugh.

He shrugs, smug. “I look good next to carbs.”

———-

Stop Two: South Bank Walk

You walk along the Thames, the wind playing with Kit’s hair as he points out every little detail “That’s where I used to sneak off with Joe after auditions,” he says, or, “That cafe over there has the best oat milk lattes in the city. You’re trying one. It’s law.”

He buys you a coffee and wraps both your hands around the cup because “You always forget gloves.”

When the London Eye looms in the distance, Kit tugs you toward it. “You’ve never been, have you?”

You shake your head, a little bashful. “I always thought it was too touristy.”

“Then we’re doing it. For the vibes.”

—————

Stop Three: London Eye

You’re in one of the pods, hovering high above the city. Kit stands behind you with his arms wrapped around your waist, chin resting on your shoulder. The view is stunning rooftops stretching into the distance, Big Ben standing tall, and the winding Thames like a silver ribbon.

But you can’t stop looking at his reflection in the glass, the way his eyes never leave you.

“This is my favorite view,” he whispers, his lips brushing your ear. “All of London can wait.”

You blush, ducking your head, and he just presses a kiss to your temple and holds you tighter.

————

Stop Four: Bookstore Date in Notting Hill

Kit knows all the cozy, off-the-beaten-path places, and he takes you to a little shop tucked between rows of townhouses, its wooden sign hanging crooked over the door. Inside, it smells like old pages and rain.

You both split up to find a book for each other something that “reminds me of you.”

Kit returns with a worn poetry collection, and as he hands it to you, he says, “Because every line in here is soft, and smart, and full of feeling. Like you.”

You pretend you’re not crying. He doesn’t call you out on it—he just pulls you into a hug and sways a little, like you’re dancing in the quiet.

——————

Stop Five: Picnic in Hyde Park

He surprises you with a blanket, snacks he packed himself (even labeled them with cute sticky notes), and your favorite juice in a glass bottle.

You sit under a blooming tree, sharing strawberries and little stories from your childhoods. Kit lies back with his head in your lap, staring up at the sky while you card your fingers through his hair.

“I think I could live in this moment forever,” he murmurs, looking up at you like you hung the stars.

“Me too,” you whisper.

And he reaches up, tugging you down for the softest kiss slow and sweet and so full of love it hurts a little.

————

Stop Six: Home Again (But Not the End)

Back at his flat, you both collapse onto the couch, tangled in each other. Your feet ache, your cheeks hurt from smiling, but you’ve never felt so full.

Kit pulls the blanket over you, settling in close. His hand finds yours automatically, and he brings it to his lips for one last kiss.

“I love showing you my city,” he murmurs.

“I love seeing it through your eyes,” you reply.

And just before sleep tugs you under, you hear him whisper:

“You’re my favorite view in the whole world.”

THE END

(Or maybe just the beginning.)

[drarry-lets-play]

🎮 DLP 2024 | Fic Master List 🎮

🎮 The road to Baldur's Gate 🎮

16th september, by @gnarf

Rating: Explicit Word count: 19.360k Warnings/Tags: Alternative Universe - Baldur's Gate, Abduction, Tadpole | Illithid Parasite Powers (Baldur's Gate), We'll fuck because we'll die mindset, Blow Jobs, semi public blowjob, Rimming, Bathtub Sex, Fast Paced Enemies To Lovers, everyone is horny, Poisoning, Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Explosions Summary: Waking up in a fucking pod on a fucking Mindflayer ship with a worm dangling in front of his eye was one of the weirder experiences Harry had during his short life. Twenty-one years of absolute fuckery made him immune to most of the bullshit happening around him, but this must have made it into the top five immediately, making it into the top three the second the Mindflayer attempted to put a parasite into his eyes.

🎮 A Boyfriend Among Us🎮

17th september, by @Skotini

Rating: T Word count: 6,636 Warnings/Tags: Impostors to lovers, Humor, Getting Together, Flirting, Secret Crush, POV Harry Potter, Characters Playing Among Us (Video Game) Summary: There's something sus about one of the players in Harry's new game. And Harry's got to work it out, even if it means tailing Eltanin all over the ship. Repeatedly. He’s just doing it because he’s dedicated to justice… right?

🎮Gems 🎮

18th september, by @definitelynotafanficwriter

Rating: M Word count: 20,413 Warnings/Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply, Getting Together, Crime Fighting, Metaverse (Persona 5), Palaces (Persona 5), Guns, Masks, Fights, Infiltration, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Pining, Mutual Pining, Flirting, Cafe Leblanc (Persona 5), Banter, Kissing, Justice, Past, Fluff, Coffee Shop Owner Harry Potter, Shop Owner Harry Potter, POV Harry Potter, Games, Teasing, Good Draco Malfoy, Sassy, Partners in Crime, Post-Second Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter), Fans, feathers - Freeform, Harry Potter loves his life in Japan Summary: Harry Potter was done with the war. He packed all his stuff, said his goodbyes to his friends, and left for the muggle world... in Japan. It was a last minute decision, just like opening a coffee shop was. Good thing he found a last-minute supplier. Then, one fateful morning, everything went crazy and it had something to do with Draco Malfoy.

🎮 Lesson Learnt, Vault Dweller 🎮

19th september by @xrvge

Rating: E Word count: 6,343 Warnings/Tags: Post-Apocalypse, Kidnapped Draco Malfoy, Fallout Video Games References, Gun Violence, Smut, Virgin Draco Malfoy Summary: In the post-apocalyptic wasteland, lone wanderer Harry Potter happens to stumble upon a vault dweller trapped within a raider camp.  Well, there's rarely any stumbling when Harry is involved. Maybe he just loves running head first into danger. 

🎮 Mnemosyne 🎮

20th september by @thunderfiction

Rating: Mature Word count: 20,442 Warnings/Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Department of Mysteries (Harry Potter), Unspeakable Harry Potter, Unspeakable Draco Malfoy, Pensieves (Harry Potter), Memory Magic, Ancient Greece, Glamour Charms (Harry Potter), Secret Identity, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, simulated character death, Blood and Injury, Grieving Someone Who Isn't Even Dead, Presumed Dead Character, Demisexual Harry Potter, Demisexual Awakening, Swearing, POV Harry Potter, POV Third Person Limited, Past Tense, Inspired by Assassin's Creed, Drarry Let’s Play Fest 2024 Summary: Deep within the Ministry of Magic lies the Department of Mysteries — and within that, the Animus Chamber. When Harry gets recruited as an Unspeakable, he embarks on a quest into his ancestor’s memories, searching for a mystical weapon that could wreak havoc in the wrong hands. What he does not expect to find inside the Animus, though, is a mentor, a companion, a friend and a lover — especially not all wrapped up in one prickly coworker whose true identity he can never know.

[nicholas-quinn]

Who: @oliverxsutton When: Early May Where: Cobblestone Cafe

Give it a week. (Give it two)

The morning rush was shoved shoulder to shoulder, like crayons in a box, before the countertop. The hiss and bubble of the espresso machine underlining grumpy conversations; music bleeding from a teenager's air pods. And dropped between all of this, bright as a floodlight to Nicki, was Oliver. He'd clocked him the minute he stepped into the cafe. Seven days no contact. Seven nights waking up with the sharp memory of him crying. Waking up knowing he was the reason. Nicki could have turned on his heel and played the coward, and as he left the cashier to wait for his order, he wished he had. He found himself, in that crowd, just a pace or two behind Oliver. And he tried not to look at him. He tried to stare at the board or his phone, but like a compass, his gaze pointed north. It ran the length of Oliver's neck and traced the edge of his hairline. Did he look paler than he had a week ago? Smaller? He tucked those questions into his cheek, his gaze lingering, a minute too long. Two minutes-

He stepped beside Oliver. He'd blame the nurse juggling half a dozen coffee orders a foot away. Ostensibly, he'd say he wanted to protect him from the inevitable spill, but excuses were just that. Excuses. He didn't let their shoulders brush, but this close he couldn't keep quiet. "Good morning," he said, voice stiff. "I didn't realize you liked this place."

[elliebyrrdwrites]

AU Dramione Drabble

The night was dark outside the cafe window. Only the glare of street lights and the occasional headlights of cars reflected off the wet asphalt provided a glimpse of what lay outside. Punctuating the whirl of a blenders or the soft growl of the espresso machine was the usual blare of sirens as an armored truck rushed by. Lightly blanketing it all, jazz music that belonged in a different time. Sometime before Hermione was born. Before the world turned into this. Sometime.

Just not this time.

It was one of those nights where life, simply, felt surreal. As if, perhaps, she could pluck herself from existence and let herself go off into the ether. Floating, floating, floating…until she could drift just outside of the atmosphere, stuck within the gravitational pull of the world. Stuck in orbit. 

There was no more rain predicted for the rest of the night, but the cafe never filled up. One, two, maybe three or four people occupied the tables at a time. When there was only a half hour left until closing, she was all alone. All alone and floating as she ran through the mechanics of cleaning behind the bar. Wiping down tables long ago left vacant. Rings of coffee and tea pressed into the pores of the wood and she didn't want to erase them. 

To her, the stains were pretty. To her, the stains were normal. 

With a sigh, she rubbed the damp, sanitized towel in a circle, mimicking the circular memory of a cup left alone while someone absorbed themself in something else. Something good, or something sad.

They vanished when she picked up the towel, just as the bell to the door sang out, pulling her attention to the entrance to find a tall figure ducking inside. Some of the cool warm glow of the cafe lights bounced off his pale blonde hair, but the rest was absorbed by the dark coat around his sharp, broad shoulders. 

His pale blue eyes met hers as he began to unbutton his coat, starting with the one at his throat. But paused when he saw the rag in her hand as she straightened. 

“Are you closed?” His eyes narrowed in, causing the rest of his features to pinch with them. 

Hermione shook her head. “Not yet.” Forced a smile. “You’re just in time.”

One of his brows lifted as his lips pulled into a frown. “I’ll have a double espresso with an inch of steamed whole milk.”

Masking her own frown, she went behind the counter, tossed the towel into the sanitizer bucket and quickly washed her hands before drying them on her green apron. She moved to the machine as he approached the counter. She eyed him over the large espresso machine. One he towered over as he watched her hands uncap the jug of milk. 

She glanced at the clock that sat over the swinging door that led into the backroom. It was nearly midnight. “Got a long night?” 

The man’s eyes kept watching her hands. Watched as she lifted the pitcher to the steam wand and pulled the lever. This machine was one of the easy, quick working kind. The espresso beans were automatically ground and packed into pods, all with the press of a button. Single. Double. Decaf. 

Steaming the milk was less automatic. She pulled the lever down once the steam wand was pushed to the side of the pitcher and the soothing whirl of steam frothing milk filled the space between them. 

With his eyes finally flicking up to hers, he replies. “It’s always a long night.” Despite his drawl, there was something about it that told her he came from money. Raised taking etiquette classes. Raised to roll his shoulders back and keep his chin up. She was raised by herself, just like the rest of those who were just like her. 

As she stopped frothing the milk, he went back to unbuttoning his coat and shrugged it off before folding it over his forearm to reveal the black uniform of the regime. On his lapel, the cobra was printed in charcoal gray. It was because of the glare of lights that she could even make it out. But she knew it well, regardless. She knew it was there. 

She lifted her chin as the shots of espresso poured into the waiting shot glasses. She reached for a paper cup. 

“For here.” His voice cut in, forcing her hand to snap back and instead grabbed a small mug from the top of the machine, where it was kept warm. With a nod, she poured the two shots of espresso into the mug before pouring the inch of steamed milk. 

She carried the mug to the counter and set it down. 

He tilted his head and eyed the perfect layer of foam. “Could you add some honey?” 

She obliged. Added a teaspoon and stirred it in. When she returned to the counter again, his eyes pinched up as he chewed on his lower lip. “Cinnamon?”

Hermione had to fight the roll of her eyes as she forced a smile created just for men like him and dusted the top of his drink with cinnamon powder. 

When she returned for the third time, he nodded in approval. 

“Anything else?” She asked as she punched his order into the computer screen. 

He curled his left hand around the mug and lifted it to his lips. “Your name.”

Her eyes jumped from the screen to find him smirking at her. It was playful and so unlike the look he had when he entered the cafe. His eyes were scanning her face. She could feel heat crawl up her neck, into her cheeks. Did he, somehow, sense what she was? His pale eyes settled onto her eyes and clung on. 

“Hermione.” She was surprised to find her voice unaffected. 

“Hermione.” He repeated it back to her, slowly, his lips kicking up a little more. “Charming.” 

She had to duck her head to hide her blush. She had to hide the shock that she was unable to hide. An officer was openly flirting with her. It was unheard of. She had always worked so hard to go unnoticed. She didn’t need any extra attention. Especially not from another man. 

He ducked his head to try and catch her gaze again. “Don’t you want to know mine?” He won and pulled her in, forcing her to shake the hair from her face and put her manufactured smile of cordial transactions back on. 

“Of course.” 

The officer tilted his head as he straightened his shoulders. “I’m officer Mafloy.” He took a sip of his espresso and hummed in appreciation. His pale gaze kept her rooted to the ground. He licked a dollop of foam from his lips and said, “but you can call me Draco.”

She knew the name, but had never put a face to it. He was the son of the notorious General Malfoy. A cruel man who sought out people like her, throwing them into jail cells and were never seen again. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Draco.” Her voice was much less affected this time. 

But Officer Mafloy looked pleased as he nodded and slid a Gold Mark across the counter for her. He said nothing as he walked away, leaving the change for her to add to the tip jar. Hermione watched as he went to a table near the window. 

He gazed out at the window while she cleaned the milk pitcher and shot glasses. Stared out at the cold, dark world that had accepted people like him, only to toss people like her aside. She lived like a sewer rat, disguised as someone like them. 

But she wasn’t even close to someone like him. 

She was born with magic in her veins. Her parents never registered her as a witch when the new regime demanded that all magical folk get organized into a new demographic. Her parents must have sensed what was to come. They must have sniffed the lie when it was announced. 

But there were others like her who were less fortunate. Many of them were her friends, growing up down the street from her. Her parents were caught sneaking one of them onto a train headed for Mexico. Many disappeared. 

Including her parents. 

Now, Hermione didn’t just live her life in fear, but in constant grief. She lost too many people. But not all of them. 

The regime was terrible. They didn’t just want to control the magical population. They wanted to control everyone. They wanted to determine who you would marry and how many children you could have. 

Hermione had plans to run away, eventually. One day.

It was time to close the shop. She approached Officer Malfoy and cleared her throat. “Did you want a refill before I shut the machine down?”

His eyes slowly dragged away from the window, and for a moment, she thought he looked lost. Like maybe he could also pluck himself from existence and float away. 

But with a blink, his eyes brightened as he shook his head. He didn’t smile, as he declined her offer and stood from his seat. She reached for the mug that was now empty. 

His hand reached out, and gently wrapped around her wrist. Something charged sparked between their skin.

Her eyes lifted from where he held on to find him staring down at his hand. She wondered if he had felt it too. Was it her magic, reacting to him? Was it the anxiety that has been slowly building inside of her chest, forcing her magic to respond? To lash out?

Officer Malfoy licked his lips and slowly dragged his eyes up to meet her. “Will you be working tomorrow night?” His voice was cool, similar to the drawl he had when he had first entered the cafe. 

She was working tomorrow. Hermione didn’t get many days off.

She nodded. 

His eyes hesitated, as if trying to root out any dishonesty in her response, before he slowly pulled his hand away. “Okay.” He stood, forcing the wooden legs of the chair to drag across the stone tiles. He avoided her eyes as he shrugged his coat back on, fastening each button with quick, deft fingers. He kept a watchful eye on the street outside as he did it. When he was done, he shoved a loose lock of hair back and turned for the door. 

She watched him, his mug still in his hand, as he paused and looked at her over his shoulder.  “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Hermione.” 

She couldn’t respond as he pulled the door open and disappeared into the night. If it wasn’t for his pale blonde hair, the night would have swallowed him up completely. 

Her eyes fell to the table where he had sat. A small curricular stain was left behind on the wood. She couldn’t bring herself to remove it. Not this one. 

She didn’t know why.

Instead, she slid her hand into her apron pocket as she walked away and thumbed the slender engagement ring tucked inside, reminding herself what it was she had to fight for.

Also posted on AO3

[wehangout]

hiii. for the kiss list, 6 or 30 😊

Send me a number and I’ll write a gallavich kiss 👄

Thank you! I went with 30 because 6 is just not my thing 😊

30. - - as comfort (I've struggled with this one, but was inspired by the to shut them up kiss here, so this continues from that.)

You took the L to the clinic just because you know Ian likes the walk from your apartment to the nearest L stop. You have to pass a bunch of little shops that sell crystals or coffee pods or customised dog accessories. Ian calls them boutiquey. You call them bougie.

The little shops don't seem to help - even on the walk home when he's seen the doc and got his meds adjusted, been given the usual don't-worry-Ian-this-is-incredibly-common-and-things-will-settle-soon speech. Even when you casually remind him of how long the last set of meds lasted which "is really fucking awesome, Ian". None of it seems to work.

Which. Obviously.

But you'd hoped it might have at least put a smile on his face.

And when he pauses outside the vegan cafe he convinced you to try once (and there was no talking you into it, but he sure as hell used his mouth), he looks at you with a look you know and hate. A look you haven't seen since he tried to give you a fucking promise ring.

You open your mouth, but he gets there first.

"Just another version of me, huh?"

You stare at him, so many thoughts and feelings running through your head that you don't know what to say. Finally, you step closer and reach up to cup his face.

"Look at me, Ian." He does, but you can tell it's grudgingly. "Clearly my vows weren't enough to make you realise I'm in this for the long haul, sickness and fucking health, so listen up. You're fuckin' stuck with me."

He sighs. "Mickey."

"Every single goddamn version of you is stuck with me, Ian. And not a single one of them will ever succeed at pushing me away."

The breath he lets out is shaky. "Shit, Mick."

Maybe outside the vegan cafe wasn't the best place for your declaration of love if the shininess of his eyes is anything to go by, but you push on, making sure he's still looking at you.

"Love you, man. And you signed that marriage certificate, so fuck you. You're stuck."

His laugh is wet and weak. "Stuck, huh?"

"Forever."

His eyes close, and for the first time that day, he looks somewhat peaceful. You lean in, smooth his hair away from his face with your other hand, and kiss his forehead, his nose, his lips. You don't give a fuck what pretentious douchebag is around to witness it, you press your mouth to Ian's in a short but lingering kiss.

He sighs into your mouth and murmurs against your lips. "Every version is stuck with you? All of them?"

You smirk into your next kiss. "Every fucking one of them."

[wolfofcelestia]

@lisharchivez

I like my coffee pretty sweet so I'm going to assume his preferences are similar to mine

For regular brewed coffee, I usually take mine with 3-4 spoons/packs of sugar so I'd say he'd lean towards 4 sugars

But I'm willing to bet he'd be more into custom espresso drinks where he can choose different flavours to make his caffeine-intake more interesting. He always works long hours so there's going to be a lot of coffee involved. Having a plain latte every day is going to get boring fast, so he's going to have a mocha one day and a hazelnut caramel macchiato the next day

He's probably gone through the entire menu of the hospital's in-house cafe and started requesting unique combinations to the point where the staff even started putting some of his custom drinks on the menu

"Dr. Zayne's drink of the week" probably helps the hospital cafe bring in customers who aren't patients there but know him as that hot young super surgeon who's always on the news or on youtube/tiktok or memes floating around social media

Despite all that, he probably has a small espresso machine in his office, probably one that uses pods instead of a standard machine because he doesn't have time to prepare proper espresso shots when it's 3am, the cafe is closed, and he just needs a boost to make it through his last surgery

In those cases, he'd probably just drink the espresso as shots with a pack or two of sugar in it, or as espresso con panna (with just whipped cream)

He has a mini fridge/freezer in his office too, though. So when MC comes in for an appointment or just to visit him on his break, and she mentions being tired, he can make her affogato - ice cream with espresso poured over top - and they can chat for a bit

Coffee gets him through the day, sure, but coffee with MC gives him more of a boost than any espresso ever could

[around-the-world-in30-days]

Day #8 4/12/25

Today turned into a culinary tour of Sydney! We had breakfast at our hotel, the Park Hyatt Sydney, where they have a sumptuous spread of fruits, pastries, and yogurts buffet style then you can order off the menu as well.

Then we headed straight for the ferry boats and headed to Manly. We saw a pod of dolphins swimming near the boat which was fun. I of course spotted their fins breaking the water first🤣.

From the ferry boat you get a totally new perspective of the city. I hadn’t realized the Sydney was so hilly, and from the water, you can see how all the surrounding neighborhoods and towns are built on small hill sides on the Bay.

It seems everyone in Australia is always being active outside and Manly Beach was no exception. And I also didn’t see people on their phones capturing the “perfect” shot of whatever they were doing either. They were playing beach volleyball, running into the surf, surfing, swimming, or playing a beach version of pickleball!! Or just running/walking the beach but whatever they were doing they were 100% in the moment.

The beach itself was nice soft sand without tons of shells that hurt your bare feet.🤗

Manly the town is super cute with lots of shops and little cafes and restaurants. We popped into a cafe for an iced coffee and to try to get out of the sun a bit, but there weren’t sufficient table umbrellas and we kinda had to squeeze close together which was fun anyway 🤣.

We took a lap around Manly’s main square area and found a cute pastry shop called Roller’s Bake House that served sweet and savory pastries. I heard the people behind us talking about how amazing the lamb sausage croissant was so we ordered that!! It’s definitely not an order I would have normally placed but I’m so glad we did. It was buttery and flaky as croissants should be and the lamb sausage filling had just the right touch of spice and mouth watering texture. Sooo good- I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.🤣

Next we made our way to Newton- we took a boat then a train and then walked to Tokyo Lamington’s. I had never heard of a Lamington but clearly they were a huge deal in Sydney. There was even a sign in the place asking which side of the debate you were on New Zealand Lamingtons or Aussie.🤣

Basically, it’s a rectangular layer cake with jam in between and a frosting on every side. We ordered the OG flavor, an iced matcha and a salmon onigiri. They were all very yummy!😋😋

To end the evening, we went to the Sydney Opera House to see a performance of Mozart and Bruckner.

It was a lovely day!

[captainofthedefiant]

tell me why i paid $5 for a coffee at a cafe that was made w a nespresso pod

[dabisblueflamebaby]

A single pistachio muffin sat on the kitchen counter next to the coffee maker. It was wrapped in pink cellophane and tied with a pink ribbon. Beside it, there was a pod of her favorite coffee and a red envelope; her name scrawled on the front in black marker. Touya's handwriting was unmistakable. The sight brought a smile to her lips. Kyira picked up the envelope, tracing each letter with a fingertip before opening it.

The card was beautiful; black with red roses and words written in a delicate script. Inside, she discovered a sheet of paper. Carefully unfolding it, she sat then began to read:

Hey Little Mouse,

You know I'm not the best at putting my feelings into words unless it's in a song, and I've already written you a hundred of those. So, I'm gonna try this. What should I say? Can't believe we've been married for over a year. Being with you makes the days pass so damn fast. Guess it's because you distract me from the bullshit that usually drags people down. I notice the difference every time I'm on tour, and Keigo's snoring next to me on the plane. I count the minutes til I can get home again. Don't get me wrong. I love the music. Love performing. I just hate it when we're apart, but I know you've gotta do your thing, too.

Fuck. I'm rambling. The point is I love you. The minute I saw you in that stupid cafe, I knew I was doomed. Not doomed. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I mean, I knew I wanted to be with you, and I'd do whatever it took to make it happen. Back then, I was a villain, so I did things in my own way. I'd have been screwed if I played by the rules. How else would I have found out where you lived? Wasn't my greatest plan, but I didn't know how the hell to talk to you. I'm damn lucky you didn't turn me in to the heroes after the first night I dropped by.

Too late to make a long story short, but I need you to know how damn grateful I am you came into my life when you did. If it wasn't for you, who knows where the hell I would've ended up. Don't even want to think about it. You changed everything. Turned my life around. You're the reason I became who I am. All because I wanted to be a guy you could count on.

We've been through plenty of shit over the years. There're still times I can't believe you stayed. It got rough, but you saw something in me that nobody else did, especially not me. You refused to give up. So, now, here I am, a damn international rock star with a gorgeous, successful wife and a crazy bunch of friends. I've even got most of my family back in my life. How insane is that?

I know we've both gotta work on Valentine's Day, but Saturday night, I'm taking you to Kunpekina Shunkan for dinner and then to Sukairain for drinks. I've got something extra special for you this year. Don't bother trying to get it out of me. It's not gonna work.

Damn. I didn't mean to write so much. Gotta wrap this up.

Never doubt how much I love you, Little Mouse. You're my everything, and that's never gonna change. Kick some ass at your meeting today. I'll be home around 9.

Yours~

Touya

[oldfarmhouse]

Coffee is such a massive part of life for so many people, but it can be incredibly unsustainable in many ways.

Here are 5 ways you can be more sustainable in your coffee consumption:

☕ Choose sustainably sourced beans for home and support local cafes who do the same

☕ Opt for reusable coffee filters

☕ Try a French press or Moka pot

☕ Grab a reusable pod if you own a pod machine

☕ Keep a reusable cup in your bag for cafe trips

Do you have any other sustainable coffee tips to add?

📷 @thequickjourney via @coffeesock