#have fun in christmas land canaries

[bandana-enthusiast]

ah. so it does get worse.

[vivwritesfics]

Lando Norris HC's

I'm burnt out and exhausted and I just want someone to love me haha

Masterlist

Lando

Where to begin?

He's... something else

Don't get me wrong, he's amazing

What's not to love?

High performance athlete who also streams on Twitch

Every bit the golden retriever boyfriend everybody wanted

Every bit the golden retriever boyfriend Y/N got

This man? Attention WHORE

He doesn't stop

Comes out with the weirdest stuff

It's so much fun

Wants his girlfriend with him for race weekends

Because he hates going a long time without pissing her off

Very important that his girlfriend gets along with Carlos

She's there when they're pissing about

During their McLaren days?

Mayhem

You kind of have a love every minute of it if you're dating Lando

Sitting in while he streams sometimes

Not every time

But being in the room, doing something while he streamed

Y/N could be doing her own work while Lando gamed and streamed

Chief cuddler

But can't sit still long enough for them to properly cuddle

Loves getting his hair played with

Oooooo running your fingers through Lando Norris' hair? Literally can't imagine anything better

Stealing hats and hoodies purely because they smell like him

Lando loves snogging

Kissing by lamp light, hands on her hips, grip almost bruising

Or his hands would be on her face, pushing away her hair

Man loves marking up

Marking up his girl and being marked up

Aka, hand prints, hickies, scratches down his back

Lando loved that the most

Feeling her nails raking down the skin of his back

Plus, it was easy to hide

Unless he was participating in an ice bath

Then he'd mark her up twice as good, since she couldn't leave marks on him

Out in the club, Lando is very touchy

Aka, doesn't let go of her

Holding her hand

Holding her hips or her ass as they danced

Y/N becoming one of the more photographed WAG's

Simply because she didn't want to stay hidden

She wanted the world to see her with Lando

She wanted the world to know how much she loved her man

After a race, when Lando was in the top three, he'd climb of the car, wave to the crowd, run over to the McLaren team at the barriers to celebrate

And then he'd pull Y/N against the barrier and she'd kiss his helmet, where she'd think his lips would be

Holidays with Lando!!

Oh my god, literally the best

Fancy hotels and Yachts

Adventuring together

Holidaying with other drivers

There was one particular holiday

It was very spontaneous, they hadn't booked anything

Just hopped off a plane and off they went

To the Canary Islands

It was difficult to get a hotel

When they landed, they could only get one

It was... hell

Kids everywhere, booming music like baby shark playing around the pool all day

It was all inclusive, with drunk, neglectful parents spending every minute getting burnt on the sun loungers or around the buffet

Y/N and Lando found themselves as far away from the pool and buffet as they possibly could

Y/N would be reading her book as Lando did... something

When parents came and took their kids for dinner, they got a break from it

They could go in the pool without kids swimming into them

The hotel had crazy golf

Happy Lando

Happy Lando dragging Y/N around the crazy golf course, giggling like a child

Driving with Lando

Ugh, simply the best

Driving around Monaco in the Fiat Jolly (before he sold it) with his hand on her thigh

Driving in any vehicle with Lando's hand on her thigh

Hitting every red light

Kissing at the stop signs (darling)

Lando belting out the lyrics to any song that comes on

Having a car playlist so that the both of them could sing along

Going to Lando's parents for Christmas

Traditional British Christmas

Aka, roast dinner, pulling crackers, drinking, playing board games and ending the night with a cheese board

Taking his girlfriend around Guildford while they're in the UK

(I'm pretty sure it's Guildford - a youtube video from five years ago just popped up which said Guildford)

(Guildford is the halfway point between where I live now and where I actually live)

After a year and a half, Lando asks her to move in with him

Six months after that, they get a dog

A Doberman, collie, or golden retriever, I think

The name? Badger

Why? Daniel

Aka, Daniel knew the couple were going to adopt a dog

He had to get himself involved somehow and

He placed a wager - if Lando finished below P5 he'd get to name the dog

Y/N readily accepted

Lando DNFed that race

And so, the dog was named after the honey badger himself

To this day, Lando doesn't know

Lando is such a good dog dad

The dog doesn't come to the race weekends like Roscoe does with Lewis

Either Y/N stays home or the dog stays with a trusted friend if they had both gone

Lando's social media becomes a fan account for the dog

Having oh so many pregnancy scares with this man

Who doesn't love a late night run to the shop to get a pregnancy test or two?

They do eventually get pregnant

Y/N finds out on a race weekend

She was at home with Badger when she saw the pregnancy test in her bathroom cabinet

Video calling her best friend, Y/N took it

She waited the mandatory couple of minutes before she checked the little stick

She had to hang up on her friend

It was just meant to be for fun

Nothing serious

But then it turned serious

What the fuck was she going to do?

When the fuck would she tell Lando?

Should she tell him now, before he's about to go and race?

Yeah no, not a chance

Not with how much she was currently freaking out

She waits until he gets home from the race weekend

The test (and all of the others she'd done) had been thrown in the bin

All she had was herself

This was fine

She wasn't freaking out

(she was freaking out big time)

Y/N stayed up, waiting with Badger for Lando to come home

As soon as the door opened, she jumped up and faced him

Lando dropped his things when he saw her

He'd assumed she'd been asleep when he got in

But no, she was still awake

And he'd been waiting for him

Warmth spread through him

Normally, when Y/N waited up for Lando, she'd jump into his arms

But not this time

No

She just stood there, staring at him

"I've got something to tell you"

Anxiety spread through Lando

Y/N told him

He dropped to his knees

Well, his one knee

For the longest time Lando had been looking for a sign that he should propose

He wanted to, he desperately wanted to

He was just looking for some sort of sign

This wasn't a sign, it was a slap in the face

With all of the racing, Lando hadn't yet managed to buy her a ring

He'd really meant to

When he got down onto one knee, it was at the very back of his mind

"Marry me?"

Yeah, that was how he asked

Of course, Y/N said yes

Lando began running around, looking for some rope or yarn or twine that he could wrap around her finger until he got a proper ring

[dccomicsimagines]

Christmas Misunderstandings - Young Justice Imagine

Requested by Anon -  May I request a reader x yj season 1 team where reader is tony stark level sassy and sarcastic and everyone doesn’t really like them until one day it’s Christmas and they plan a special Event for the team and they realize that’s just they’re personality and that they are trying to be nice but it’s just harder for them xxxxxx

***

“Great work, Water Boy.” You ran past Kaldur, knocking into his shoulder. 

“(Y/N)!” Kaldur reached out to grab your arm, but you slipped out of his grip as you jumped off the building. You flipped through the air to land hard on the truck just before it zoomed off. “Kid Flash, pursue the truck. (Y/N) is on top.” 

You growled through the mindlink. “I don’t need Baby Flash’s help. He’ll just slow me down.” You clung onto the top of the truck as it took a sharp turn. 

“I’m faster than you any day, (Y/N).” Wally’s annoyance made you roll your eyes. You slowly made your way up to the cab of the truck. 

“Why do these guys have to make trouble on Christmas Eve?” M’gann appeared in front of the truck. The driver swerved and you almost rolled off the truck. 

“What are you doing, Green Jeans? You almost got me knocked off here,” you snapped. A thump sounded from behind you. “Oh great. Bird Boy is here.”

“Nice to see you too, (Y/N).” Robin was unimpressed. The truck swerved again when Superboy jumped in it’s path. 

You hummed, crawling your way to the cab again. In one motion, you flipped down and broke through the windshield to kick the driver unconscious. “(Y/N), what are you doing?!” Artemis screamed. “The truck is going to crash.” 

“Oh calm down, Arrow Girl.” You pushed the unconscious guy out of the way and took the wheel. Slowly, you brought the truck to a stop before climbing out. Robin hopped down from the roof of the vehicle.

“You know we’re a team, right? What the hell, (Y/N)?” Robin snapped, getting in your face.

You smiled calmly at him, flicking him in the nose. “Settle down, Bird Boy. I know you’re just jealous you didn’t get to stop the truck.” 

Kaldur marched up to you. “(Y/N), we are going to have a discussion back at the cave.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Woah, I’m so scared.” You walked off, bumping Wally hard in the arm when he appeared next to you. 

“Jerk,” Wally hissed under his breath. You almost stopped, a knife cutting into your heart at the word, but you kept moving. It didn’t bother you. You wouldn’t let it. 

*** 

“Good work, team.” Batman studied each of you. “You successfully stopped the robbers from stealing the toy donations.” 

Wally snorted, crossing his arms. “Yeah, only (Y/N) stopped them. Apparently, they don’t understand we’re a team.” 

“I can’t help it.” You snorted. “If you people would just get a move on instead of sitting around all the time.” 

Conner growled. “You ran off!” He narrowed his eyes. “And you made fun of M’gann.” M’gann blushed, ducking her head when you glanced over at her. 

“Yeah, yeah, Rage Boy. You get so mad all the time at everything. It’s your thing.” You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms. “I mean what else could be your thing? Looking like Superman?” 

Conner screamed in anger, about to charge. “Enough,” Batman snapped, frowning deeply. “It’s clear there are some things you all need to work out.” He looked to Kaldur. “I suggest you take your Christmas Eve celebration as a chance to work this out or I’ll bring in Black Canary.” With that, Batman turned and left through the zeta tube.

“I don’t know if I want to go ice skating now,” Artemis said, glaring at you. 

You threw your hands in the air. “Fine, Arrow Girl. I get it. You guys don’t want me.” You spun on your heels, heading for the zeta tube. Your eyes burned, but you blinked back the tears that threatened to form. 

“Good riddance,” Conner hissed. You heard Robin and Wally agree. Your heart felt like it was being torn in two. It was just fun and games to you. You thought everyone knew you were kidding, just having fun. However, no one ever saw it that way. You were used to it by now.

“(Y/N), you are coming ice skating with us,” Kaldur ordered sharply. You turned back to face him in surprise. 

“Kaldur, it’s clear we don’t want (Y/N) along.” Robin glared at you. You rolled your eyes, trying to stop the tears. 

Kaldur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “(Y/N), we need to work this out or we will not be our best on missions.” Kaldur looked at you. “Come along, so we can figure this out.” 

You sighed. “Fine. Whatever.” The rest of the team looked annoyed. You wished you could walk right out of here, but you wanted to be on the team even if no one wanted you there.

***

Artemis laughed as she helped M’gann around the rink. You watched them, skating by yourself. Wally, Robin, and Conner sneered when you skated past them. They sipped their hot chocolate. You licked your lips, wanting some for yourself.

You left the rink. Taking off your skates, you went to get yourself some hot chocolate. 

“(Y/N)?” Kaldur said suddenly from behind you. You jumped, almost spilling your cup as you made your way to sit down on a bench.

“What do you want, Fearless Leader?” You narrowed your eyes at him. 

Kaldur sighed and gestured for you to sit down on the bench. You did, taking a sip of the chocolate. “We need to talk.” He sat down next to you.

You swallowed hard. The hot chocolate burned your throat. “Look, I’m sorry.” You pursed your lips. “This is just how I am.” Tears burned your eyes.

“What do you mean?” Kaldur looked confused. “You mean you are not acting like you do on purpose?” 

“No.” You watched Artemis and M’gann skate by again. “I...” Your gaze fell to your feet. “I was always this way. It’s just how I tend to act around people.” The hot chocolate warmed your hands. “I know most people tend not to like me because of it, so I try to stop.” You blinked away tears. “But you guys made me feel so comfortable and I just let my natural self show.” 

Kaldur frowned. He noticed Robin, Wally, and Conner watching from afar. With a nod, he brought them over. “(Y/N), we do like you. We did not understand that you were...attempting to be nice.” 

A tear slipped down your cheek. You took a sip of your hot chocolate, blushing when Artemis and M’gann joined the boys. “So you don’t really hate us?” M’gann asked, smiling slightly.

“I like you. I wouldn’t treat you like I do if I didn’t.” You bit your bottom lip to keep it from trembling. 

“That’s great.” Wally snorted. “It’s good to know that you don’t hate us.” 

“No, I actually like you guys.” You closed your eyes. “To think I was actually excited for this Christmas Eve. I thought I would actually have friends this year.” You got to your feet, needing to escape.

Conner caught your arm. “(Y/N), stop.” 

You shook your head, unable to hold back tears. “I need to be by myself.” 

“Let’s start over.” Artemis came to your side. She took your hot chocolate from you and handed you a tissue. A smile pulled at her lips. “It was pretty cool what you did to that truck.” 

“Really?” You perked up, wiping your eyes. 

“Yeah, I didn’t know you could flip almost as good as I can.” Robin laughed, elbowing your side. 

Kaldur cleared his throat. “We could start over and promise to have more understanding for each other.” He crossed his arms. “More communication.” 

“I could do that.” The blood rushed to your face. You finally looked to the rest of the team. “As long as you can?” 

The team shared looks. “I suppose we could try,” Wally said, snorting softly. “But stop calling me Flash Baby.” 

You smile. “Sorry, Flash Kid.” 

“That’s not...” Wally gasped, insulted. The rest of the team laughed.

M’gann came to your side. “Why don’t we go ice skating some more? You’ll have to help me though.” 

“I can do that.” You grinned. Your heart glowing as you all headed out into the skating rink again. It quickly became a Christmas you would never forget.

[musedblues]

Between The Lines

a/n: Here it is! Nothing but pinning and fluff for the much anticipated STL Event! This is my gift for the lovely wonderful @joemazzmatazz​ I really hope you enjoy this, lovie! And I hope that your day is beautiful regardless of this silly little holiday. 💖

w/c: 6k

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

It was Valentine's day. Usually, you were only excited about the day that followed, when all the chocolates went on sale. But this year your roommate had plans to throw some big ridiculous party. Tilly had been planning this bash for over a month now, and you had agreed to help set up and mingle with mutual friends. But until later tonight, you had far too much more to worry over.

"I've gotta go get Joe from the airport." You sighed, sliding your arms into a thick jacket.

"Oh," Tilly realized with a playful roll of her eyes. You let out a frustrated mewl at her disregard as you scrambled to grab your purse.

"I just don't get it." Tilly continued smirking. "Why are you nervous, again?"

"Because." You hissed. "I've gotta tell him. And I don't want to."

Tilly must have registered the true dread bubbling closer to the forefront of your system; because she slouched closer to the door as you stepped out into the hallway. She said, "You have no reason to be nervous. Trust me."

Oh, but how wrong she was. Since Joe had up and left overseas to film his latest project, you missed him. But you came to realize the magnitude of your feelings for your dear friend smack dab in the middle of a grocery store's freezer section, last month. After spending too long debating on ice cream flavors, you chose cherry, because Joe loved cherry and you loved him. Oh shit. The thought seamlessly pieced itself together in your mind as if it were a fact as clear as any other. You raced home in a panic and spilled your guts to Tilly like she was a priest and you, a dirty sinner. Your roommate helped you through that night, and several more that followed when you regretfully avoided Joe's phone calls. You were afraid of letting your true feelings seep through the phone speaker,  or at all. But time was up. You had agreed to fetch your dear friend from the airport some odd weeks ago, and according to the time on your phone, his flight just landed.

Joe deserved to know how you felt, so why not rip the plaster off right away? He'd be pissed if you kept this from him for too long, and you couldn't act like everything was fine. You knew you had to tell him. You just really didn't want too.

As you slid into the driver seat of your car, you reached toward the visor for the pair of sunglasses you stashed there. From out of nowhere a tiny piece of canary yellow stock paper came fluttering into your lap like confetti.

"Oh, wonderful." You huffed a laugh. It was a note from Joe. He was always stashing these tiny pieces of yellow paper in odd places for you to find later, with silly little sentiments jotted down. This one read:

"You're only a day away!"

He must have left this one before he left to go film.

Some notes Joe left were inside jokes. Some were thank you's for dinner. Some were doodles of dinosaurs and maps. You kept them all in a ball jar on your dresser. But all you could do with the latest note was stash it in your jacket pocket with a frustrated groan as you began to drive off.

It all started the first night you went out to dinner with your hoard of mutual friends, who were the only reason you'd met Joe in the first place. They each left one by one, and soon you and Joe were alone with a basic knowledge of each other's existence, finishing dinner at a six-person table. By the end of the night, you'd exchanged life stories and ended up rambling over the topic of arcade games. You marveled over how fun they seemed growing up, but how you came to understand the sad reality that most arcades were just scams to collect change in disguise. But then Joe brought up some bowling alley he swore had a rigged Pacman machine that spit out tickets that won some above-average prizes. He decided he would invite your group of friends there, next weekend. Then, he exchanged his phone number on a slip of canary yellow stock paper because your phone had died and he left his in the car.

The following weekend you met up with all your friends at that bowling alley. They were shocked to see you'd come out of hiding two weekends in a row, and invited you to pick a team to bowl to the death. But then you locked eyes with Joe, walked past the lanes and headed straight for the arcade in the back. Joe had been right about the rigged Pacman. He showed you how to pause the ghosts by holding down a broken button to cheat. But after racking up mega points, the machine was out of tickets. You both presented this sob story to the jaded arcade prize gatekeeper, who simply did not care. Not like you did, either. Even though you had your eye on a silly looking plush green crocodile from the midlevel prizes; the time you'd spent with Joe was reward enough for you.

He called it a night soon after, leaving you with the few friends who couldn't be stopped from bowling. You joined their team, even though you already felt like you'd won something.

You were at ease that evening as you headed toward the dusty car park.

You notice something was resting against your windshield. You were alarmed enough to wonder if this was one of those trafficking tricks, where a kidnapper left something for you to be distracted by long enough to snatch you. But then you noticed just under your windshield wiper, a canary yellow slip of stock paper. It read:

"Sorry I couldn't win you the alligator you insisted was a crocodile. Hope this will do until next time."

Next to where Joe had left the note, you found a tiny keychain with a neon green frog attached. It wasn't quite the river monster you'd been hoping for, but Joe had left it just for you, alongside a note; the latter of which would become a tradition. You stashed both mementos in your pocket and wondered when you'd see Joe again.

One long year had passed by, and you managed to see Joe at least once a week since those first fateful meetings. You added the frog charm to your keychain.  And every time, without fault, Joe would leave behind a note for you to find.

You spent days accidentally snowed inside each other apartments. He bought you Christmas presents and you took him out for his birthday. You watched terrible movies for fun and wound up alone together even in the midst of your group of friends, who were the reason you'd known Joe at all. You'd seen each other cry and fought over things that did and didn't matter. But it wasn't until he flew across the ocean for a while that you realized exactly why you missed him so much.

Considering the time you'd spent with Joe, practically attached at the hip, your heart sunk at the realization that if anything romantic had been blossoming between you, Joe would have done something about it by now. But you had to tell him how you were feeling, waiting any longer would only complicate things further. So as you pulled up to the airport gates and marched into the waiting area, you practiced a speech in your head one thousand different ways. There was a swarm of people buzzing in different directions hardly paying you any mind, but soon one voice cut through the crowd.

"It's you! It's really you! You haven't aged a day in the hundred years I've been gone!"

You spun toward the sound of Joe's excitable greeting and barely caught a glimpse of his bright smile before he was pulling you into a hug. You couldn't help but laugh as you hugged him back, welcoming the boy home, but selfishly longing to be so much nearer to him all at once. Oh no. This was too weird.

"Welcome back." You grinned as Joe reached for his suitcase once more. He was still smiling that stupidly pleasant smile.

"That's all I get?" He playfully jeered. "No, 'I almost died of boredom without you? '"

A nervous chuckled escaped your throat as Joe started walking toward the sliding doors, right up to your car right outside.

"Uh, actually... I. Well." You began, sheepishly following Joe out of the airport. "I was going to tell you something but we can worry about it later."  You feigned passivity, all the things you practiced to say melting off the page in your mind. That wasn't the plan, but the words were out before you could think of reforming them.

"What? You found someone funnier than me to add cometary to hallmark movies?" Joe quirked a brow.

"Impossible." You assured, opening your back car door so he could lift his luggage inside.  "How was your time?" You scurried to change the subject, not really sure what happened to the plan you'd promised yourself to stick by.

Joe didn't seem to notice your internal battel as he eased into your passenger seat, already rambling about where he'd been and what he'd done. You listened with care, truly interested in knowing what he had to say. But one half of your mind buzzed with worry and confusion while you drove Joe home.

You unlocked his door while he managed his luggage from your car. When Joe made his way inside you remembered the plans you'd made for the rest of the evening. He was apart of the group chat where your roommate birthed the idea for her Valentine's day party. Joe was invited, and one late night over the phone (before you started having this strange crisis) you offered to spend the rest of this afternoon with Joe so he could hitch a ride with you to the party.

"So Tilly's party isn't until nine, now. I promised to pick up Zoey and Lyla  and stop for dinner someplace." You chatted naturally as any other time you'd spoken to Joe. Regardless of your feelings, Joe was still your friend and you had plans. You naturally expected Joe to shrug and agree like he always did when your shared plans became altered. He was standing before you, bright forest colored eyes searching your face as his usually permanent grin began to fade.

"Actually..." Joe frowned, flicking his eyes to the floor then back up to yours. "Well, is it okay if I just meet up with you where you stop for dinner? I kind of need to do something. Alone."

"Oh... sure." You tried to hide the shot through your heart as you processed this. Of course, he wanted to show up alone. Lyla always had a thing for Joe, never one to hold back her lingering stares. Joe was single and it was Valentine's day. And right now, you had to pretend like you couldn't care less.

"Thank you for picking me up, Y/N. Text me where to find you." Joe shifted, dawning a little smile.

"Of course, Joe." You smiled brightly, stepping out of the already opened door.

"I'll see you tonight! And you can tell me whatever it was you mentioned earlier!" Joe promised as you skipped down the steps toward your car.

"It doesn't matter anymore!" You waved a hand, opening the driver door, trying like mad to remain casual. Shit. Why did I say that? You just dug a deeper hole for yourself.

"Oh. Well okay! See you later!" Joe waved from the door, shutting it as your engine started.

Okay... Was it just you and your twisted, jumbled up mind, or was Joe acting weird, too? Maybe he picked up on your vibe and didn't want to spend any more time near you than he had too. You boggled your brain all the way home, wondering why you were such a wimp. When you unlocked your apartment door, Tilly was pinning bright red cartoon hearts across the living room wall.

"Oh." She cocked her head at your arrival as you shut the door behind you. "You're alone."

"He's meeting up with us later, I guess."

"You guess?" Tilly wondered in a curious tone.

"I didn't tell him." You huffed, kicking your shoes off.

"You were supposed to bring him here either way! He said he'd help decorate." Your roommate pouted, nodding toward a box of Valentine-themed tinsel on the sofa.

"This is all a bit ridiculous don't you think?"

Tilly's excuse was that every holiday deserved a party, even the one couples famously spent alone together. You proceeded to help decorate, draping streamers and tossing flower petals in place. Your roommate made 'Love Potion' with peach schnapps, red grapefruit juice, and vodka, while you jammed strawberries onto the side of clear plastic cups.

"I'll be handing these out. Take your pick." Tilly held out a bin full of plastic headbands. Some were pink with cartoon hearts attached to a couple of cheap springs, like an Instagram filter come to life. Others were deep red devil horns covered in glitter. You just rolled your eyes and went on setting up snacks.

"When are you going to tell him?" Tilly asked from across the room as she placed her bin of headgear on a table near the door.

"Oh, you know what?" You raised the pitch of your voice. "I think I'll do it right in the middle of your bangin' Valentine's party." You pointed toward Tilly, as if this idea had just come to you like a message from cupid himself. Tilly let out a dry mocking, "Ha Ha."

"You can break out that Prince vinyl, and I'll stand on the coffee table and rip my own heart out in front of everyone!" You really hoped you sounded more like you were joking, and less like you wanted to cry.

"I'm sure we'd all love a bit of a show. But babe, it's gonna be okay." Tilly softened.

"Isn't it funny how you keep saying that and I keep on feeling the opposite way?" You groaned, abandoning the kitchen past a doorway full of shiny maroon ribbon.

"You have exactly an hour to dress up for seduction!" Tilly comically hollered your way, skipping toward her bedroom.

"You mean confession!" You shouted back, sulking toward your own room. After shutting the door, you unearthed Joe's latest note from your pocket. The one that fell from your visor. How hadn't you found it sooner? Without too much thought, you opened the jar on your dresser where other notes had been collecting and went about getting ready.

You stared into your closet for far too long, almost talking yourself into throwing on a pair of leggings and calling it a day. But then you found an unassuming longsleeved dress, one that was passable in the cut-throat world of party fashion, but somehow remained supremely comfortable. It would do.

Then you hurried to fetch your friends from across town. Zoey and Lyla were dressed in tight velvet and equally as confused when you showed up to their door without Joe. "He's never not with you." Zoey pointed out. "Is he okay?" Lyla worried. This only made your heart hammer despite all your efforts to pretend everything was perfectly fine.

You pulled into a shitty diner because Zoey wanted breakfast for dinner. Both girls were enjoyable company, laughing over memes and telling you their latest gossip. The three of you were nearly through your meals when Joe finally showed up to join the party. He was dressed for the occasion, in a cozy blue sweater and dark jeans. You had to turn and sip your soda to keep from staring. Joe slid into your side of the booth with an arm across the seat, trapping you into his side and unknowingly making your guts twist up. Lyla seemed unusually unassuming. Every time before now, when Joe was in her line of sight, Lyla hardly ever hesitated to throw her self near him. You wondered why the hell everyone was being so insanely weird tonight, but then the thought brought you comfort, hoping you weren't alone in all the unease.

While Zoey and Lyla waited in a long queue to pay, Joe dragged you around the corner to an empty section of the diner. For just a moment, Joe stalled and looked to you with a barely noticeable furrow in his brow. It was as if he had something to say but forgot in a flash. Just when you were about to question Joe's antics, he turned away from you and walked deeper into the unused room. There was a giant, brightly painted claw machine in the corner, stuffed with prizes of the highest caliber.

"I dont have any quarters." You frowned, looking toward your friend. His smirk was back, the one you'd missed seeing all this time. Joe just chuckled, reached into his pocket and stepped up to play the game.

You should have been distracting him with a joke. You should have been saying something. He dragged you all the way back here to be apart of the fun. But all thoughts faded while you kept an eye on your dear friend. Joe was surprisingly good at operating the machine, eyes focused on the claw, fingers moving the control in just the right direction. It was becoming a challenge to keep your lovesick thoughts from burning your skin.

Joe broke out into a celebratory jig when the claw latched onto some plush toy and you laughed all the while, snapping back to reality. Joe retrieved a small plush bear from the prize slot and tossed it your way. You caught the thing without missing a beat, but the action caused your head to clog up all over again.

Luckily, Zoey and Lyla popped around the corner, excited to leave for your roommates long-awaited Valentine's day party. You kept a hold of the claw machine prize while you drove the girls in your car, watching Joe's following close behind.

The party was in full swing by the time you arrived. With the plush bear dangling by its paw from your grasp, you led your crew inside. Past guests who had all already shown up, mostly Tilly's friends. Men with sharp jawlines and nice cologne. Girls in tight dresses, lingerie peeking out from hemlines. And a couple of people you knew, offering hugs and demanding selfies in their matching themed headbands.

Your friends grabbed some from the bin next to the door. Joe chose a headband with cartoon hearts but turned to put it on your head like a crown. All you could do was hope to high heavens that you weren't blushing.

"Snacks in the kitchen. Don't forget to try the 'Love Potion' it's actually pretty good." You shrugged, passing a massive bowl of pink alcohol nestled behind a row of already filled cups. Joe grabbed one as he followed your lead.

"Everyone is in there." You gestured toward the living room entryway, where a group of girls lingered, taking selfies. Zoey and Lyla scurry hand in hand into the dim dance party.

"And you should be too! Nice of you to finally make it." Tilly twirled into your vision, toting an empty tray, her sequined dress sparkling right in your eye.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Joe greeted with a smile. She gave him a half-hearted hug, complaining about running out of finger foods. Your roommate loaded her tray with cups full of candy hearts and dashed back into the room where the party raged on.

The kitchen was empty and quiet now. You reached for a skewer of cherries and plucked one off to eat. A distraction.

"You look really nice. I like this." Joe actually honest to God tugged at the hem of your dress. And somehow, you magically managed to keep from fainting into a puddle.

"Thanks. You too." You shrugged, eating another cherry. You were being weird again. Usually, you'd make a joke or sashay around the kitchen to show off your look. But your feelings were collected in a mess of worried thoughts, and you were being weird. You knew Joe noticed, but if he cared, that didn't show.  He just downed his 'Love Potion' and reached for two wine glasses from the rack near your stove.

"The usual?" He asked in a funny voice, already reaching for the bottles of wine on your counter.

"Of course."

You liked white wine, but not too sweet. He liked red wine, but not too bitter. So you learned one night, to mix them together. Everyone around you practically shrieked in terror, because of etiquette or whatever. But you and Joe eventually figured out the perfect proportion to mix, and he made a show of it every time. You were laughing again, as Joe poured each wine in a separate glass and went on pouring one into the other until he was satisfied. It was like watching a middle schooler at a science fair. He offered you one of the experiments and leaned across the counter to enjoy his own glass.

Then you settled into conversation, like always. He talked about his flight. You bit your tongue. You kept waiting for Joe to mention anything about being occupied earlier. Where he might have gone and why. But he never did. So why did he skip out from you in the middle of the afternoon? And why was he acting like nothing was strange at all? Why was Joe standing in the kitchen with you, instead of flirting with one of Tilly's pretty friends with sparkly devil horned headbands peeking through their silky hair?

Your intrusive thoughts were quieted as Joe asked about you. And somehow you both stared laughing about stupid old jokes, reaching for another love potion and gripping a little tighter to the plush bear in your fist.

When Tilly turned off too many lights and cranked up some tasteless raunchy record, Joe rolled his eyes. You watched him move to the other end of the kitchen, snatching the two bottles of wine, and an unopened box of frosting covered cookies.

"Come on!" He snickered, clearly headed right toward your room. You giggled, pushing yourself from the counter to follow behind him, toward your bedroom.

Usually, when Joe hung out at your flat, you'd had to hide away in your room together often. At first, because Tilly would bring dates home who couldn't keep their hands to themselves far past the living room couch. Later on, because it became a normal and relaxing spot to unwind.

So when you shut and locked the door, to keep any drunken partiers from breaking in, it didn't feel weird. And it wasn't unnatural the way Joe flung himself toward your bed. He reached across the empty blanket-covered space to grab your remote. You ripped off your stupid cartoon heart headband and rested it on the dresser with your plush bear, the same space the jar of notes had taken residence.

Before you knew it, Joe had queued up 10 Things I Hate About You, kicked off his shoes and settled in for one of your favorite stories. Naturally, you floated to his side and tore into the tin of iced cookies, much like any other normal movie night with your friend.

Joe made you screech like a loon, adding his own commentary and laughing too hard to even go on doing so. Maybe it was the wine, but either way, it was paradise. And Joe always made you laugh that hard. Between the sweets and all the wine, You and Joe nearly laughed yourselves sick. When the film cut to the scene where Kat was meant to read her poem, Joe lunged for the remote and clicked pause.

"Okay, name ten things you hate about me, Go!" Joe laughed, laying back and looking up to where you sat cross-legged, sipping some water you'd earlier filled your cup with from your bathroom sink.

"One..." You thought for a second, glancing at the bottle Joe kept a loose clutch on. "That you're hogging all the wine." You laughed, swiping the bottle from his grasp. He gave it up easily, chuckling with you.

"Nine more to go." Joe rose a brow, searching your eyes as you held the wine bottle to your chest. You couldn't think of anything besides the way Joe's eyes peered into yours, how they still seemed so bright in your low lit bedroom. You were suddenly a little too flustered by the sight of Joe laying against your pillows.

"I can't think of anymore." You looked away from Joe's gaze and took a swig of wine right from the bottle.

"I'm sure that's not true," Joe chuckled again, egging you onto listing off the things he did that annoyed you. But you couldn't seem them right now, you couldn't see much of anything past the way your eyes fogged over with a rosy sheen.

"I dont hate you, Joe." There you went again, speaking without thinking and letting your tone reveal more than intended. You hadn't even considered a response before that one came tumbling past your lips, like a half-hearted confession. It was quiet then, with the movie on pause. Even the heavy thrum of music from past your closed-door seemed light-years away.

"What were you going to tell me? Earlier?" Joe asked, propping himself up a little so his eyes could catch yours again.

"Oh uh- no. Nope, not yet. I should probably wait." You decided, feeling vile for admitting you had something to say but holding it hostage all because you were suddenly not at all ready to give up this moment. You figured Joe would catch on to any way you acted trying to hide your feelings, but when you froze up, Joe had yet to call you out. So now you were trapped in feeling too frightened to give any of this up. Say how you felt would ruin all the fun. You didn't want to confess, watch Joe leave and spend the night locked away alone while strangers made out in the hallway outside your door.

Thankfully, Joe didn't push you any further. He just watched you watching him. You knew better than to say another word. But then, Joe shifted. He slid off the side of your bed onto the floor beside you, kneeling with one knee on the ground.

"What the hell are you up to?" You couldn't help but cackle, out of nerves mostly. Joe had that look in his eye, the one he got before telling you a story or showing you something he was proud of.

He reached into his back pocket.a Joe pulled out a pretty velvet wallet. He held it out in front of you.

"I uh... I tried to give this to you at the diner. Unzip." Joe demanded, still holding onto the thing.

You glared suspiciously out of the corner of your eye, taking a beat to try and figure out what this is all about. After setting your bottle of wine on your bedside table,  you did as he said. Inside the wallet was a tiny yellow note.

It read "Happy Valentine's Day" in Joe's writing. Nothing more. Nothing less. It was the first note he'd given you in ages, even though you'd only just found the last one he left, today... This one felt different. Your heart seemed to grow three sizes as you glanced over his holiday greeting once more.

"It always takes you way too long to find my notes. Keep this with you, I'll put them in here for you to find, from now on." Joe explained with a sleepy smile.

"I do." You mocked his kneeling on one knee, ignoring the butterflies multiplying in your belly. Joe's smile was soft as he slowly shifted to sit on the edge of your bed next to you.

"There's something else in there." His voice nearly caught in his throat, it was so quiet. The muffled music from the party outside your door was beating as heavily as your heart inside your chest. Joe was so close to you that you could practically feel him, just far enough away to leave you wishing you really could.

You let those thoughts seep into the back of your mind while you reached into the wallet once more. You pulled out another piece of trimmed stock paper. This note was an unusual shade of tea green, and three words were meticulously scrawled in dark marker.

"I love you."

I love you?

"Joe..."

"I 've had this plan forever, but I started overthinking everything. So I waited till the last minute and I had to go buy more of this paper and I felt really bad about sending you away without earlier any explanation. But I wanted you to have this. It's like a promise. You keep the wallet, I'll keep giving you these notes." Joe gestured toward the gift as you gapped at him. "And also I love you. I know it's a cheesy holiday but it doesn't matter, I couldn't as hold it in any longer and I wanted to do something for you anyway but I didn't wanna freak you out and -"

"That's what I was gonna say. Earlier. I was gonna tell you that I'm in love with you. But then I got scared. I... I never thought you'd. .. " You look back down at the note. His confession.

"Well, I do."

"You really love me?"

"I love you a whole fuckin' lot."

"I love you." You grinned in near disbelief. The irony of this situation was almost unreal. Joe was here, something you'd been so nervous about. If only you could have spoken up at the airport, maybe this day would have gone differently. But a wave of affection washed over you thinking back to Joe's sweet presentation. You wouldn't have wanted this day to have gone differently, after all.

And slowly, you both leaned in. Joe was the first to brush his lips against yours. You pressed yours back with all the care in the world. That must have been enough of a confirmation for Joe, as he moved to cradle your head in his hands while proceeding to part your lips and kiss you like a soldier coming home after too long gone. Your head spun as you registered the way he smelt like fancy cologne and the way his fingertips pressed into your head, pulling your lips closer to his. You thought of nothing but the way he kissed you, warmly and deeply. You lifted a hand to rest on his shoulder. But you couldn't tell if it was because you longed to touch him, or if you needed the extra support from how dizzy his kisses were making you. But they slowed after then and turned into lingering pecks. As you parted ways to catch your breath, you glanced to his gift still in your grasp.

"Thank you for this, Joe." He looked to the wallet you'd fixed your gaze on. "You've got a lot of notes to catch up on, ya know?" Joe had been gone for longer than you allowed yourself to keep track, feeling void grow vaster every day he wasn't around.

"I hope those two will suffice for now," Joe smirked, searching your face. His eyes were still sleepy but they were filled with all kinds of multitudes; flecks of gold and green you'd always wanted to look at a little longer each time your eyes managed to meet his.

"They're the best notes you've ever left me." You beamed, glancing at Joe with a wide smile. Then you were struck with the realization that everything still felt normal. Exceptionally normal. Tilly was right when she warned you not to worry. You rested the wallet on your side table next to a bottle of wine and turned back to throw yourself toward Joe, wrapping him in a hug that was more like a tackle. He laughed at your antics, chuckles dying down when you pressed your lips against his, again. Joe gave you a sweet kiss back before he broke out into quiet laughs once more.

"Were you really gonna lay all that on me at the airport, earlier? Why didn't you? We could have gone viral on Facebook, or something." Joe teased. Yep, still normal.

Even though some shitty pop music still blasted from the living room, you reached for the remote to start the movie over and turned up the volume. The rest of the night faded into some pulsing daydream version of all the things you longed to do with Joe. Lingering touches you'd never let yourself wish for, because you were so sure they'd never come true. Sweet, hot kisses that each lasted a little longer each time you met again after pausing to breathe. You laughed the whole night long, about how you stopped Joe from leaving marks on your neck long enough for you to focus on your favorite part of the movie. You laughed over one of Joe's stupid puns. You muffled your giggles when some drunken party people tried their luck at your locked door handle. You marveled the colors Joe was made up of and he traced every shape of you, with focused eyes and a smile you could have gazed at forever. After the deed was done, and done again, you ended up wearing Joe's sweater, polishing off the last of the wine from the bottle. Joe had somehow found that stupid Valentine's day themed headband (the one with the cartoon hearts) and wore it a little crooked while he snacked on those cookies he'd stolen from the party earlier. He actually ate the last cookie, even as you protested. You were actually kind of hungry, by now.

So once you noted that the music from the living room had been turned off for a while, and noticing the clock on your wall ready somewhere around 2 in the morning, you had no qualms with sneaking to the kitchen for a midnight snack. You collected all the trash you'd accumulated and skipped out of your bedroom door as quiet as a mouse, really hoping some of the fruit skewers were left. There were a couple of guys passed out in the frame of the hallway entry, and you had to maneuver around a few more sleeping beauties in the living room. By the time you rid your arms of two empty wine bottles and an empty tin of cookies, someone else pushed open the kitchen door.

"Holy shit, I thought everyone was asleep." You gasped with a hand on your chest, watching Tilly groggily shuffling toward the refrigerator.

"Fuck!" She cursed weakly. "Someone stole my Gatorade."

"Take one of my coconut smoothies from the back." You shrugged, knowing your roommate only sought to prevent feeling like shite in the morning.

"God, you're an angel." Tilly croaked as you snagged the last skewer of cherries and kiwis from the fruit stained cutting board. Tonight had really turned out in your favor.

"But you look like hell." Tilly went on, shutting the fridge and moving to make her exit. But before she could leave she kept an eye on you while you snacked on the leftover fruit. And the look in your roommate's eye shifted as she gave you a once over.

"Care to explain in explicit detail why you're wearing Joe's sweater?" She asked with a grin and a look in her eye that made you believe the girl would have acted far more excited if she wasn't so partied out.

"You don't need to know everything..." You turned slightly to hide the blush on your cheeks, even in the dark kitchen. But Tilly already knew everything, even what you weren't telling her. "Yet."

After you shared a hardy laugh, Tilly sulked back to her room with one of your favorite smoothies in hand. But not before she said, "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Of course, she had been right all along. You wondered how Tilly could have been so sure all this time as you walked back to your bedroom. There you found Joe had tidied up the colossal mess you'd made of the sheets and was in the middle of queuing up one of your favorite shows. You performed the ritual of locking the door and throwing yourself on to your bed, and into Joe's arms. He engulfed you in a familiar hold and chuckled as something on the television. As much as you enjoyed being with him, you couldn't get over the fact that he was here with you. You laid next to Joe in the stillness of your bedroom, considering the whirlwind your day had been, reveling in how everything ended up.

You used to only like the day after Valentine's day, when all the chocolates went on sale. It was three in the morning on the fifteenth, and you had a whole lot more too look forward too, now.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

[phantomhydeoftheopera]

Hello @chengsang!  I am your person for the MDZS network gift exchange!  I did my best to include as many of your favorite pairings as possible, so I hope you like it!

Jiang Cheng stared down at his phone with a deadpan expression.  He sighed and gently banged his head back against his bedroom wall.  He peeked back at the screen.  Nope, the text from his brother was still there.

Jiang Cheng!  Don’t forget about our party tonight!  And remember the gift exchange!

His phone slipped from his hands and fell onto his purple duvet cover.  Sure, work was busy, apparently so busy that it had pushed all memory of his brother’s holiday party out of his mind.

His brother was annoying as hell, he wasn’t going to lie.  His husband was scarily straight faced, and they were all.  Over.  Each.  Other every time he saw them.

Still, free food was free food, and his sister’s restaurant was catering.  The only problem was that now he had to get a gift for whoever Wei Ying picked out of his ridiculous Santa hat.  It was totally rigged anyway, he always ended up with some random person Wei Ying had invited just to set him up with them.

It never worked but nevertheless his brother was determined.

Jiang Cheng got himself ready and left his apartment.  He figured he could treat himself to breakfast while he was out.

It was snowing lightly as he walked into town and he buried his chin further into his coat as the flakes settled onto his hair.  He appeared to be one of the many people doing some last minute shopping.  He thought that all of his shopping was done; he had gifts for his siblings and their families, his parents, and his nephew.  This was the only thing in the way of having a relaxing holiday.

He ducked into the least crowded store he could find and stomped his boots on the mat to get the excess snow off.

Jiang Cheng didn’t think he’d ever been inside this particular store because he would have remembered taking an immediate liking to the cozy atmosphere, the aroma of coffee permeating the air, and…

… oh boy.

Here’s the thing.  Jiang Cheng has had high standards since his first year of college.  The only time they had ever changed was when he expanded his tastes to include men.

But the boy behind the counter made Jiang Cheng want to throw those standards out the window.

The first word that popped into Jiang Cheng’s head was “cute.”  He was sitting on a high stool feeding a… was that a bird in his hand?  A little yellow canary was seated on his knuckles and the boy was feeding it seeds like some kind of Disney princess.  The bird tweeted and he laughed, a sound Jiang Cheng thought sounded just as sweet as the birdsong.

Jiang Cheng walked closer, trying not to disturb the boy.  He didn’t notice after a while, but the canary turned around and flew to the boy’s shoulder.

“What is it, little guy?  Do you see- shit!”  The boy cried, nearly falling off the stool in a hurry to tidy his already neat shoulder length hair, and greeted Jiang Cheng with a too-wide grin.  “Hi!  Welcome to Little Bird Gifts!  May I help you with anything?”

Now was the time to say something smooth.  Something that would instantly charm the boy and temporarily convince him that Jiang Cheng wasn’t a complete moron.

“... Are you selling that?”

Or maybe not.

The boy turned to the urns of coffee behind him with the tall stacks of paper cups that Jiang Cheng was pointing to.

“Oh, the coffee?  Yes, it’s thirty yuan.  Care for a cup?”

“Yes please, thank you.”

He poured a cup and handed it to Jiang Cheng.  Their fingers touched and he noticed that the boy’s hands were soft.  The boy leaned on the counter and rested his chin in his hands.

“Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Oh he sure was and he might’ve found it.

“Just something generic.  My brother is having a party that involves a gift exchange.  I just need something that anyone would like.”

“I have some ideas, follow me.”

He hopped off the stool and came around the other side of the counter and led Jiang Cheng further into the shop.  The boy was wearing a green turtleneck sweater and tight black jeans with low heeled black ankle boots.

Jiang Cheng tried really hard to focus on how the jeans hugged his ass perfectly and his height was great for cuddling.

“There’s some incense sets, scarves and gloves, nice glasses, cheese knives, and my personal favorite, fans hand painted by me.”

Jiang Cheng curiously unfolded one of the fans.  It was beautifully painted with an image of gentians and curling vines.

“You really made this?  It’s stunning.”

The boy grinned, a real one this time and not a customer service smile.

“Just a hobby of mine.  I’ll leave you to your browsing.”

Jiang Cheng wandered through the rows and displays of items.  He decided that he might have to come back to this shop for other occasions, or just to get something fun for himself.  Not to mention the cute employee…

Suddenly something landed on his head and started to tangle in his hair.  He swatted at it only to be met with a sharp bite on his finger.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry I don’t know what got into him,” the boy cried as he ran over to untangle his bird from Jiang Cheng’s hair.  He had to bend down so the boy could reach the top of his head.  God, he even smelled good.  The bird flew out of Jiang Cheng’s hair and nested on the boy’s head instead.

“Do you always let him go free?”

“Well, yes, he’s sort of my mascot.  I promise he doesn’t fly into everyone’s hair all the time.  Maybe you’re special!”

Well if the bird likes him then Jiang Cheng was one step closer.

The boy reached out to smooth down his messed up hair, but ended up running his fingers through it.  “I’ll just… leave you to it then.”

God was he whipped.

After some careful deciding Jiang Cheng chose a pretty mug with some coffee and tea.  A safe choice, everyone was bound to like one or the other.

“Good choice,” the boy commented as he rang up the purchases.

“Thanks.  I’ve never been in here before, it’s nice.”

“I’m glad you like it,” the boy leaned forward and scribbled something on the receipt, “let’s hope I can convince you to come back some time.”

His number.  The boy had written his number on the receipt.

“Oh, I’m sure you can.”

———————-

Jiang Cheng arrived at his brother in law’s ridiculously large house that evening with his gift and a small host gift for his brother.  Every edge of their mansion was lined with lights and Jiang Cheng has to shield his eyes as he walked up the driveway.

“Jiang Cheng!”  His brother exclaimed as he opened the door, “so glad you could make it tonight!”  Wei Ying gave his brother a tight hug and led him into the house.  “You can put that under the tree, there’s wine and food over there, most of the people are here and- oh is that for me? You shouldn’t have!”

“You would have complained otherwise,” Jiang Cheng grumbled.

“Oh don’t be like that!  Have some cheer!”  Wei Ying plunked a headband down on Jiang Cheng’s head, which turned out to have a pair of antlers on them.

“You’re lucky I don’t want to make a scene at your party.”

“I know.  Now, go mingle.”

Wei Ying vanished from his side and left Jiang Cheng to fend for himself.  He wove through the crowd of people and tried to locate the alcohol.  If getting wasted was going to get him through this party then so be it.

“Nice antlers,”

… It couldn’t be.

What are the odds?

Jiang Cheng turned around and, as he suspected, it was the cute boy from the gift shop.

“Believe me, I’m wearing them against my will.”

“Well if that’s the case, let me help with that.”  The boy took off the headband and placed it on his own head.  “How do I look?” He asked with a twirl.

Cute.

“Good,” Jiang Cheng said.  “I’m Jiang Cheng, by the way, I didn’t say earlier.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Nie Huaisang.”

“I haven’t… seen you at one of my brothers parties before.”

“Ah, I was a last minute invite,” Nie Huaisang explained, “Lan Xichen is, was, a good friend of my brother, but after his death I would have been alone on Christmas so he asked if I could come.”

Jiang Cheng had met the eldest Lan brother a few times and that sounded something like he would do.

“I’m glad you’re here though, someone’s gotta cut me off at some point, and you get to try my sister’s cooking.”

“Well, if it’s as good as I’ve heard, I’m in for a real treat.”

They spent the rest of the evening together, just talking and enjoying the company of another lonely soul.  Jiang Cheng found himself opening up after a while, and not because of the alcohol.  He learned that Nie Huaisang owned the store and had two more birds in his apartment.  He had been close with his brother who had been a martial arts instructor and world champion before his sudden death.  Nie Huaisang had taken it pretty hard but was doing okay.

“It’s hard, but you have to remind yourself that they wouldn’t want to see you moping around, you know?  Can’t be sad for too long,” he said before taking a sip of spiked eggnog.  “But enough of that, let’s get some of that good food I’ve heard so much about.”

Jiang Cheng introduced Nie Huaisang to his sister and her girlfriend, and said hello to his nephew, his sister’s son from her previous marriage.  He was talking with one of his friends and was about to enter the kitchen when Wei Ying stopped him.

“Look up, you too, I’m not letting you in my kitchen unless you kiss.”

Wei Ying had hung a sprig of mistletoe on the doorway in hopes of catching unsuspecting victims.  Instead of complaining, Jin Ling blushed as his friend Lan Jingyi gave him an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek.

Jiang Cheng made a mental note to go through that doorway with Nie Huaisang.

After dinner came the anticipated, or dreaded, gift exchange.  Everyone gathered in the living room and one at a time Wei Ying would take slips of paper with names on them out of his Santa hat, and the person that was given the name had to give their gift to whoever’s name was on the paper.

He knew for a fact that Wei Ying color coded the slips of paper so he could try and play matchmaker.

“Your turn A-Cheng!” Wei Ying said, ignoring Jiang Cheng’s protests against the nickname, “You have… Nie Huaisang!”

“What a coincidence!” The adorable boy on his right laughed.

“Yeah, a coincidence,” Jiang Cheng grumbled.  Wei Ying grinned cheekily.

“Well, I guess I don’t have to open this.”  Nie Huaisang accepted the gift anyways, “but it’s the thought that counts.”

“But that’s not all!  Nie Huaisang has… Jiang Cheng!”

“Oh good!  I picked this with you in mind.”  Nie Huaisang placed a box in Jiang Cheng’s lap.

“How did you know you would get my name?”

“Oh, I have my ways…” Nie Huaisang said mysteriously.  “Open it.”

He carefully unwrapped the gift and pushed apart the tissue paper.  A black and purple plaid scarf was nestled in the layers.  “I saw that you weren’t wearing one when you came in, so I thought I’d give it to you.”

“This is…” Jiang Cheng picked it up and held it against his face.  It was soft, felt like cashmere, and even smelled like the shop.  Smelled like him.  “I love it, thank you so much.”  Feeling brave, he pulled Nie Huaisang into a hug, which he returned.

“I’m happy you like it.”

Someone next to them cleared their throat, and Jiang Cheng looked to see Wei Yong holding the mistletoe that was previously in the doorway.

“Come on, you have to do it!”

Nie Huaisang laughed.

“Well, if you don’t mind…”

He turned Jiang Cheng’s face towards his and kissed him right on the lips.  It took him a minute to register what was happening, but he pulled Nie Huaisang closer and kissed him back.

“I don’t mind at all,” Jiang Cheng whispered when the broke apart.

“Good, because I plan to do that again.”

[blueboxesandtrafficcones]

Barcelona is for Lovers - Chapter 9

Many thanks to @stupidsatsuma for beta’ing.  @doctorroseprompts​

The final chapter will be posted on June 16th.

General warnings for: hanky panky.  Take the ‘lovers’ part of the title seriously.

Masterlist

Summary

Three months after Rose and the Doctor are reunited and promptly ditched on a beach in Norway, they are still trying to find their feet.  Rose plans a trip to Barcelona for them to relax, reconnect, and hopefully consummate their relationship.

Rose ran for her life.

The moment she landed she knew, deep in her soul, two things.  One – this was, finally, the right universe.  She was home.  The second was that something was terribly wrong.

Some instinct, some knowing sense that she got sometimes in moments of great danger, tugged her towards the river, and with every step she ran faster until she saw a barricade of UNIT vehicles, and a single woman walking slowly away.

“What happened?” she begged, skidding to a halt, a terrible knot in her gut, two words running through her mind.  Something’s wrong.  Something’s wrong.  Something’s wrong.  “What did they find?”  Spinning on her heel she confronted the red-headed woman.  “Sorry, did they find someone?”

Something’s wrong.

“I dunno,” the woman shook her head, looking a bit bewildered as Rose glanced over her shoulder.

Something’s wrong.

“Um, bloke called the Doctor, or something,” she continued.

Rose glanced at her, naïve hope fighting through the fear.  “Where is he?”

“They took him away,” the redhead said, completely flat and unsympathetic as she delivered what, to Rose, was a crushing blow.  “He’s dead.”

He’s dead.

He’s dead.

The Doctor is dead.

Something.  Is.  WRONG.

“No,” Rose cried, bolting upright, her gasps for breath quickly turning to deep, shuddering sobs.  “No, no, no!”  Her hand fumbled at the other side of the bed, reaching for him but finding only cool sheets.  “No!”

“Rose?  Rose!”  The Doctor appeared in her line of vision then, throwing himself on the bed in front of her and gathering her in his arms.  “It was a dream, it was just a dream,” he tried to soothe her, holding her close, but it didn’t help.

“You were dead,” she cried, leaning into him and clutching tightly at his tee, “you were dead and I couldn’t do anything.”

“It was just a dream,” he repeated, making soft sounds and stroking her hair, keeping her against his chest as she wailed.

Finally, after far too long, she was reduced to sniffling, clutching him tightly and trying to burrow into his very skin.  He took one arm away from around her, and it reappeared a moment later with a handful of tissue.  “Here, sweetheart.”

Accepting them one-handed, afraid if she let go he’d vanish, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.  “Thanks.”

He tsked dismissively, taking advantage of her loosened grasp to shift her onto his lap more comfortably.  “D’you want to talk about it?”

Rose shook her head, cuddling into him and letting his single heartbeat remind her that that universe didn’t exist, that she’d fixed it.  She’d had to kill that forced-parallel-universe Donna to do it, and while that grieved her… as much as she’d liked Donna, it was a choice she’d been willing to make.  

Ironically, it had made her feel closer to the Doctor than she had in awhile, to recognize all over again the kinds of terrible compromises he’d had to make in his lives to keep everyone else safe.

“It was just a dream,” he repeated, kissing her head, and she stiffened.

“It wasn’t.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t a dream.  It was a memory.”

The Doctor pulled back enough to see her face, frowning.  “I don’t understand.”

“Donna got pulled into that bubble universe, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Did she have time to tell you anything about it?”

He tilted his head in thought, pursing his lips.  “She said… the stars were going out.  That it was bleak.  That you told her to say ‘Bad Wolf’.  After that… well.  I was a bit too focused on you, so not really.”

Rose took a steadying breath, forcing her fists to unclench his shirt and rest open-palmed where his hearts had been.  “Basically, it was based around the day she started at… whatever the locksmith company was.  Instead of taking that job she took a different one, closer to home.  She never met you, and everything that happened during your travels didn’t – it was like an apocalyptic wasteland.  No,” she corrected, “it was.  It was horrible.”

“What, because I didn’t meet Donna?”  He wrinkled his nose.  “I mean, that seems a bit extreme.”

“You died.”  Though her exhale was shaky, her voice held.  “Under the Thames, something about a spider and Christmas – you drowned, and didn’t regenerate.”

He stiffened, and she bit her lip.

“I… can believe that.  It would’ve been right after- right after I… ran out of time saying goodbye.  To you.”

Rose rubbed lightly at his chest.  “I got there too late – UNIT was already taking you away – but that was how I met Donna.  It pretty soon became clear that something was terribly wrong, and I started a plan to fix it.”

“And you did.”  He shook his head when she scoffed.  “You did.  Rose, you saved all of us.  Every universe – practically on your own.  But I’m sorry you had to see… whatever it was that made you a little bit more like me.”

“I’m not,” Rose argued quietly, steel in her voice.  “I’m sorry those things happened, and I’m sorry I had to see them, but I’m not sorry to be a little more like you.  I knew what I was signing up for, long ago.  I knew it every time I got back on that ship after a visit to Mum’s.  I have no regrets, other than for those I couldn’t save.  But you already know that.”

The Doctor nodded sharply, and they sat in somewhat comfortable silence as her heart calmed and her tears dried.

When the clock said they’d been up for more than an hour she finally shifted in his arms, meeting his eye.  “Will you make love to me, please?”

“Of course.”  He laid her down gently, taking his time with her.  It was tender, and sweet, and by the time he entered her she’d forgotten everything she’d ever known, everything in the universe except for him and the pleasure he brought her.

She slept dreamlessly after that.

When she woke the next morning, it was to find herself draped across the Doctor’s chest, ear pressed to his heart.

“Good morning,” he said quietly, fingers combing through her hair, and she sighed into the touch.

“Hi.”  Stretching her neck she kissed him, and they snogged leisurely until they were both on their sides, touches growing bolder.

“Wait,” he panted, pulling away, and she laid her hand flat on his hip.

“What is it?”

Brushing hair away from her face, he caressed her cheek as he gazed steadily at her.  “I had terrible nightmares for months after Canary Wharf.”

Rose exhaled sharply; it was such a tender wound at the beginning that no one had dared say the name after the first time she collapsed in agonizing grief, that she hadn’t heard it in years.  “Me too.”

“No- I mean, I’m sure you did, but- just let me- What I mean is, the dreams… most of the time, they ended differently.  You crashing into the wall and breaking your neck.  You getting sucked into the Void.  Every time was devastating, a far more horrible way to lose you – all things considered, what did happen was one of the better potential outcomes.  And I told you about my time senses, that I can see every possibility – and they were all in high definition in my dreams whenever I tried to sleep.”

He paused, and Rose pressed kisses to his chin.  “I’m sorry.”

“When my psyche got tired of those, it dredged up old favorites I’d managed to pack tightly away – the bunker in Utah, with the dalek, or the Coronation when the Wire took your face.  Every time I almost lost you, crystal clear whenever I closed my eyes. My point being, I’m intimately familiar with the kind of dream you had last night.  But it was just a dream.  That universe is gone, and you saved the day.  We’re here, now, and that’s ancient history – literally, in some cases.  So try not to dwell on it.”

Rose sniffled, tears leaking out of her eyes as her heart ached for the lonely, heartbroken Time Lord left on his own.  In her darker moments she’d hoped he was suffering as she was, that he hadn’t just moved on without looking back like he had with Sarah Jane.  To find out she was right, that he’d been just as miserable, only made her feel worse.  “I love you so much, and I always have.”

“I love you too,” he promised softly.  “And I’m so happy for the future we get to have, together.  The scars of our past will always be there, but it’s up to us in the here and now to… to tattoo over them.  To turn something ugly into something beautiful.”

She smiled, snuggling closer and throwing her leg over his hip.  “You did a good job at that last night,” Rose winked suggestively, pleased when he laughed.

“Why thank you.  I think I could use some practice, though.”

“It that so?”  She shrieked with laughter when he rolled her onto her back.  “Well, practice does make perfect.”

Holding himself above her, he smirked.  “And I am perfect.”

“I hardly think so,” Rose giggled, tugging him down, “but you’re perfect for me, and that’s all that matters.”

Hands on her hips, Rose surveyed their setup.  After an emotional morning they’d decided on a beach day, hauling down sand toys, floats, and a variety of other things to do – provided they could keep their hands to themselves.  “Looks good.”

“I’ll say,” the Doctor winked, giving her a thorough look over before moving in front of her, grasping her hips firmly to haul her against him in a bruising kiss.

She moaned, surrendering completely until he tried to lower her to the blanket.  “No, no, no,” Rose panted, struggling away.  “We are not having sex on the beach in broad daylight.  Again.  I want to go for a walk.”

“But shagging is so much more fun,” he pouted, trying to tug her back to him.

“A romantic walk on the beach,” she said sternly, grabbing her hat and settling it on her head.  “Then some innocent fun on the beach.  You can shag me when we go up for lunch.”

“Fine.”  He found his sunglasses, scowl already perched on his face.  “Shall we?”  Extending his elbow to her, she took it gladly as they struck out heading north along the sand.

Walking in silence for a few minutes, Rose just enjoyed the sand between her toes, the occasional lapping of the waves, the warm sun, and the Doctor’s lean body next to her.  In the daylight she felt a little silly about her extreme reaction to her nightmare, but she was determined to put it behind her.

“Yes,” the Doctor said abruptly, apropos of nothing.

“What?”

“If you want kids, I want kids.”

Rose stopped dead to gape at him.  “Where did that come from?!”

He couldn’t quite meet her eye, but his voice was dead serious.  “I was thinking, after I thought you hit your head yesterday, about what I wanted- really- out of this incredible, impossible future the universe has gifted me- us- with.  A life on the slow path.  And I’m not saying we don’t grow the TARDIS and have adventures, I’m just saying… I’m open to a third, permanent member of our team.  Preferably one that understands to stay when told to.”

“Sounds more like you want a dog,” Rose said shakily, starting to walk again.  “Cause no way is a kid of ours going to be able to stay out of trouble.”

“Very true,” he considered, taking her hand.  “Maybe both?”

She nodded.  “Let’s maybe start with the dog, but… okay.  We’ll have kids.”

“If you want.”

A family was playing far up ahead, two small children running around and shrieking with laughter as their father chased them, bringing an involuntary smile to Rose’s lips as she pictured the Doctor chasing spiky-haired toddlers.

“Only if they’re just like you.”

Fifteen minutes into their supposedly romantic sunset cruise with a crying baby, Rose’s last nerve was fraying quickly.  Rationally she understood that children cry and that she shouldn’t be judging, especially with helping raise Tony, but it just seemed like a sign given their decision that afternoon.

“Erm, let’s maybe put the baby idea off for a year or ten,” the Doctor muttered in her ear, returning from the bar with two glasses of wine.

“Deal.”  They toasted, taking a sip before moving to another section of the railing and staring out at the darkening sky.  The sun was still high, but it would be setting soon and she didn’t want to miss a moment.

Leaning on the rail, the Doctor gazed contemplatively out to sea.

“Penny for them?”

“Hmm?”

Rose laughed softly, resting her head on his shoulder.  “What’re you thinking about?”

“I’m wondering what the hell I ever did so right in my life to get you,” he sighed, turning dark eyes on her.  “Everything I touch turns to dust, yet you’re still here.”

“Blimey, you’re not Thanos,” she teased, winking at him.

“Rose!  That’s still in the future,” he hissed, looking around wildly to see who might be listening.  “Don’t spoil it!”

Shaking her head, she smiled fondly at him.  “My point is, stop being so melodramatic.  I’ve seen the very heart of you, true, and there’s dark spots, but they’re bruises – it’s not rotten.  I love you for you, you daft alien, but I think you need to just enjoy the moment.”

“I can’t just ‘enjoy the moment’ forever!”

“Of course you can.  You focus on being happen in the moment you’re in, then the one after that, and the one after that, and suddenly you’re old and gray and have a lifetime of happy memories.”

The Doctor grimaced self-consciously, ruffling his hair.  “Gray?  I don’t know…”

“I’ll still love you then,” she promised, “long as you still love me when I’m old and gray and fat from having too many babies.”

A soft, happy smile crossed his face, his eyes lightening.  “Oh, Rose Tyler, I’ll love you forever.”

He kissed her then, and she could feel the truth of it there, the weight of his promise.

Forever.

[costello-music-cr]

Merry Christmas @thebluejayawe! Here is your gift for the winter whumperland/ @whumpexchange. It has been a while since I've seen Young Justice so this has been fun. Hopefully this has fixed the formatting but posting via mobile is apparently a nightmare.

Prompt: bc of previous injury, character A passes out and falls into water, team has to rescue

It was all because he was looking out for Robin it happened in the first place.

Dick knew better. This was not his first rodeo after all and Batman had trained him better than that. But this was Jason’s first mission with the team and he was a bit distracted. A rookie mistake of course but he had promised Batman that Jason would be ok and he at least nailed that.

It was supposed to be a simple mission, not that the team ever knew how to handle them without at least something small blowing up. They were supposed to get in, grab the intel, and make it back out without anyone seeing them. Hence why it was him, Robin, Batgirl and M’Gann to maximise the stealth of the team.

They got in without a problem and it didn’t take long for him and Robin to decrypt the security and transfer all the information they needed. It was sheer dumb luck that one of the guards happened to look up at the wrong time while they were heading back out and had to be silenced. M’Gann and Batgirl had already made it out and Robin was just ahead with the guard directly underneath him. Nightwing saw the guard’s eyes widen and had two seconds to jump down and take him out before an alarm could be raised or the gun he was holding be pointed at Robin.

Taking out that one guard wasn’t that hard. It was the one behind him that was trouble. It was a brief fight, over before Robin had a chance to jump down himself, but it was long enough for the second guard to pull a knife and sloppily slice it through his side. It was only a well-timed aerial that saved him for getting properly stabbed instead of the light scratch he actually received. It was further dumb luck however that the knife happened to find the only weak spot in his new suit and allowed it to actually reach his skin. The guard was out before he could get a good look at who he was stabbing and well before he could strike again.

It didn’t really hurt. He was just mad it happened in the first place. And there was no way in hell Batman was hearing about this. No way, not after all the fuss he just made about ‘being his own hero’ and ‘too old for a mentor anymore.’

“Whoa Nightwing, How’d’ya do that so fast?” Robin half whispered excitedly as he landed with his own little flip.

Nightwing grunted as he stood up from examining the now unconscious guard. “Practice,” he replied stiffly, not annoyed at Jason but very annoyed at himself.

Jason looked like he was about to add way more so Dick cut him off.

“We need to get out of here before more guards come and notice these two. Once they do our cover is well and truly blown,” he said, before adding via the psychic link. ‘Is the ship ready M’Gann? We might have some trouble.’

Nightwing was able to jump back up to the rafter while Robin needed to grapple his way up.

‘Yes. She’s all good to go,’ M’Gann replied.

‘What’s taking you two so long?’ Batgirl added.

Nightwing was ready to ignore them but Jason didn’t give him the chance.

‘There were these guards, and Nightwing took them out before I could even get down. It was so cool,’ Jason replied in a rush as he reached the window that would take them outside. Nightwing could see the outline of the ship just by the window sill, only faintly visible because he knew what to look for.

Nightwing sighed to himself before adding. ‘Somehow we found the one guard who knows how to look up. Don’t worry, they won’t be a problem.’ Out loud he said quietly to Jason. “Be careful. The ship is just there. Wait for M’Gann to open the door.”

He could feel Batgirl’s judgment as he entered the ship. Jason had already rushed up to the window so he could watch the country side as they made it back to the cave.

“So, what happened to make sure nobody knows we were here?” She asked as he made his way past her to sit down.

“He wasn’t investigating a noise. He just looked up at the wrong time. Not a lot I could do about that. He was about to see Robin though. I don’t think either of them saw me as I took them out,” he replied.

“Uh huh,” Batgirl didn’t look convinced but dropped the matter as she took her own seat.

“Everything ok?” M’Gann asked cheerfully from the control panel, ignoring the vague iciness coming from the back of the ship.

“Yeah,” Dick added, forcing the annoyance out of his voice. “All good.”

xxx

Debrief could have gone a lot worse. They almost got away with delivering their mission report to Black Canary before Batman walked in right at the worst moment. Which was typical of his and Dick’s interactions since he’d become Nightwing.

“We got the files without a problem. Only two guards needed to be subdued on the way out but there were no casualties, and no alarms raised,” Dick finished, unaware that his mentor was behind him. Black Canary nodded as she watched the files transfer from the USB to the Cave’s main computer.

“Are you sure no one saw who you were?” Batman asked with no trace of emotion in his voice. Dick stiffened.

“Fairly. It was a dark corridor,” he replied neutrally.

“It was over so quick B! I didn’t even have time to get to the ground he got them so fast,” Jason added from the other side of the room, barely able to keep himself still.

It was only because Dick knew him so well that he could see the faint tug of a smile at Batman’s lips as he turned to face Jason.

“Is that so?” he added. “Well just in case we will need to monitor their security. I would recommend that anyway, just to be sure they haven’t noticed the security breach. But now it is even more important. Nightwing, you and Mal could keep an eye on that.”

“Of course,” Dick responded.

“Robin, it’s getting late and we have our own patrol to do,” Batman added before giving a brief nod to Black Canary and heading towards the Zeta Tube.

This appeared to be everyone’s cue to leave as Jason started too bound towards the door and Batgirl and M’Gann followed at a more sedate pace.

“One last thing, I take it there are no injuries to report?” Black Canary asked as the team headed towards the kitchen, and in Jason’s case after his mentor.

“No, none to report,” Nightwing replied, having forgotten about the knife that had almost become acquainted with his kidneys not three hours ago.

“Ok then, enjoy the rest of your night.”

xxx

It wasn’t until later that night that Dick remembered he’d been stabbed. He was back in his room, and he could finally relax, and his side started itching. It was more annoying than anything else, he was tired and wanted to go to bed and now he had to deal with treating this. It was a small thing, long but not very deep. So he bound it up and gave it no more thought. It was odd though. It had looked like the slightest scratch but in the morning it appeared to be red and slightly inflamed.

Dick just sighed and decided to ignore it after pouring iodine over it. They had another mission today, one with only original members, which meant chances were low that he’d be that distracted again.

Breakfast was a loud affair. Much louder than it had any right to be. But otherwise nothing noteworthy happened. Even prepping for the mission was relatively mundane. Wally and M’Gann did not need much, and Kaldur always prepared the night before a mission if he could.

He was grateful that it was Black Canary giving their mission brief, he wasn’t sure he wanted Batman to notice anything was off about him. Not that anything was of course.

“How long has it been since it was just us? Pity Conner and Artemis are needed for the beta team,” M’Gann cheerfully said as they boarded the Bioship.

“Well it cuts down on the couples by 200%, so I can only hope the focus will drastically improve,” Kaldur said mildly.

Dick smirked at this, throwing an arm around Wally.

“That’s fine Kaldur. There will still be enough bromance to fill the team quota right here,” he replied, barely managing to avoid wincing as the motion pulled at the wound at his side. Dick had not been so grateful for the psychic link to not be active in a long time.

“Yeah, there’s enough love to go ‘round Kaldur,” Wally cheerfully added, not noticing his friends discomfort.

Taking his seat Dick shivered slightly. The Bioship was normally this cold, but he brushed it off. The trip was going to take a few hours, so if it became a problem he could easily ask M’Gann to turn the heat up.

He almost didn’t notice at first, the pain at first was vague and easy to ignore. But by the time they reached their destination it was a lot harder to ignore. It seemed that the cold he’d felt earlier wasn’t from the Bioship after all. Everything was starting to hurt. One minute he was freezing and couldn’t get warm for the life of him, and the next it felt like he was stuck in the middle of a volcano. There was no in between and there was no relief.

He should say something. He knew he should say something and that it was dangerous not to. But he couldn’t. There was no good way to explain this and if he gave in now it would seem like he’d given up Robin too soon. That he’d made a mistake.

Lucky for him his stubbornness was relieved by Wally.

“Dude, you ok? You seem, I dunno, kinda quiet?” Wally asked, with enough tact to keep his voice low.

“I’ll be fine,” Dick replied as another shiver ran through him. Even through the mask Dick could see his friends’ eyebrow rise in disbelief.

“Yeak, ok. Sure. You wanna try again?” Wally replied.

“I mean I feel kinda crappy, but I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I’ll make it through.”

“Ok. You wanna tell me what’s wrong? Before we start?”

“Dude, I’m good. Let’s just catch up with the others alright.”

Dick didn’t give his friend a chance to respond as he went to leave the ship, but Wally was far faster than him. Not that he should have expected anything less. Wally gave a hiss as he grabbed his friends arm.

“Yeah, wow, you’re really warm. I really don’t think you should go now.”

“Wally. It’s cool, I got this. We’ve got to go,” he replied, shooting his grappling hook down.

He was wrong. He was so, so, wrong. He did not in fact have this. This was probably one of the biggest mistakes of his life, and he’d worked while sick and injured before. This shouldn’t have been any different, he couldn’t understand why this time was different. He had to be missing something.

The mission started out fine. He was able to ignore the pain in his side and what was clearly a growing fever. Now that he didn’t have an over excited kid to look out for anyway. They had worked long enough as a team by this point that everyone knew their part well and the main objective went off without a hitch.

The trouble came while they were making their way back to the Bioship. He and Kaldur were skulking along the dock towards the woods where the ship had been left. As she usually did M’Gann had flown ahead to prep the ship, and after a long moments consideration Wally had run after her.

The pain in his side had grown now, and any clumsy attempts he’d made at warding off infection had clearly failed. He was too close to the dock. He wanted to stumble away but he couldn’t see where the solid land was and where the water was. He wanted nothing more than to be in Bioship, or his room at the Cave, but to achieve that he had to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

He couldn’t focus on anything else. He as getting dizzy and lightheaded, and it was lucky for him that this section of dockland had been all but abandoned because he wasn’t feeling particularly stealthy at that moment.

“..wing. … ok?”

He didn’t see the water coming towards him. He didn’t even realise he was falling in until he was in the water and suddenly couldn’t breathe. It was cold, far colder than he had been before, and it dark. He had to kick up to the surface, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out where that was. He was still dizzy, he hadn’t started in the best position and he didn’t think he could help himself. One of his last thoughts before fading from consciousness was that his rebreather was in his belt and his he couldn’t find the surface he should at least grab that. His last thought was, what was the dark glowing shape coming up to him.

The next thing he knew he was staring at the sky. The starts were far brighter than they had any right to be, but he was glad he could see them.

“Nightwing, can you hear me?” a deep voice came from beside him. A very familiar voice. “Don’t move. M’Gann is coming with the ship.”

It was Kaldur. That explained the glowing at least. He sat up, hissing at the pain in his side.

“I’m ok,” he clearly wasn’t but he meant it in a more I’m-alive way then everything-is-good way.

“I don’t doubt that my friend,” he did, but saying that was pointless. “But I think it would be best to get you checked out.”

Nightwing just nodded, beyond the point of caring now.

xxx

Wally hadn’t been the only one to notice Nightwing had been struggling. It hadn’t been obvious at the start of the journey over, if it had there was a good chance Black Canary wouldn’t have cleared him to come in the first place. And he and Wally had been their usually almost slightly obnoxious selves for the first half an hour. It was after that that Nightwing had gradually become quitter and quitter until he was barely saying anything. Kaldur didn’t mind the permission banter, he had long ago gotten over the need for silence before starting a mission, but he did appreciate it when it happened. Wally didn’t say anything about it so Kaldur didn’t think anything of it.

That was until they were making their way back to the ship.

There weren’t many circumstances where Nightwing lost his grace, and any opportunity he got he would show off his acrobatics. But tonight it seemed he was off, and there were a lot less acrobatics coming from him. But they achieved their mission and all they had to do was get back to the ship.

It Nightwing had seem a little off earlier, now he seem completely off. He kept wondering over to the side of the docks and back, and even though this area was allegedly abandoned that did not mean they didn’t need to be vigilant.

“Nightwing? Are you ok?” Kaldur asked when they both paused. Rather than in the shade of the buildings they were beside the water, which made Kaldur a little uneasy by the way his friend was stumbling back. Because he was half paying attention to if anything was coming from behind them, he almost missed it when Nightwing fall into the water.

Even as the splash his friend caused rose from the water Kaldur swore and jumped in after him.

The bay was far deeper than it had any right to be, as shipping bays usually are. Swimming towards him Kaldur could see Nightwing struggle, kicking the wrong way towards the surface and then reaching for his belt. Right as Kaldur got to him he stopped struggling and was limp as he dragged him towards the surface.

As they broke the surface of the water there was a heart stopping moment where it seemed like Nightwing wasn’t breathing. But the moment passed and though he was still limp he was gasping for breath, so Kaldur’s worst fears were not realised.

“M’gann,” he called into the comm link. “I’m going to need you to bring the Bioship to the docks. Nightwing is down.”

“Oh my gosh! Is he ok? I’ll bring it right down,” she replied.

Satisfied with this Kaldur pulled Nightwing onto the dock’s surface. It did not take long for him to regain consciousness, though with the mask the only indication of this that Kaldur got was the soft groan he gave.

“Nightwing? Can you hear me?” he asked, crouching down next to him.

xxx

The wound on his side was a deep streaky red and very clearly infected.

As he had lifted the side of his suit up Wally gave a long whistle. “Wow, where did you get that? And don’t say you didn’t notice because wow,” he said.

“Last mission, I didn’t want the guard to engage Robin and I didn’t see the second one. It was pretty much fine this morning, looked like a scratch,” Nightwing replied as M’Gann came over with the first aid kit.

“So why didn’t you say something yesterday?” Kaldur asked. Nightwing shrugged in response.

“Honestly I had forgotten that it’d happened,” he replied, before groaning. “And this means Robin won’t take me seriously when I tell him to report everything. Batman is going to kill me.”

Wally whistled again.

“Yeah, the new Robin seems, enthusiastic to say the least,” he added unhelpfully.

Nightwing winced as M’Gann dabbed antiseptic over the wound and bound it up. Once that was done he rolled his suit down again. M’Gann was looking at the team thoughtfully, he could almost see the gears turning in her head.

“Well, I don’t think we can hide this from Batman, sorry Nightwing but you clearly need treatment. But I do think we can keep this from the rest of the team. Besides Conner and Artemis, they don’t really need to know,” she said after a moment of silence.

Wally nodded. “Yeah, we got you bro.”

Kaldur nodded. “It would be best to not broadcast this I agree.”

Nightwing smiled. He still felt awful, and he was certainly going to hear about this from Batman. But at least his team had his back.

“Alright,” M’Gann said cheerfully, now that the danger seemed to have passed. “Let’s get you back to the Cave.”

Wally nodded. “Yeah, we got you bro.”

Kaldur nodded. “It would be best to not broadcast this I agree.”

Nightwing smiled. He still felt awful, and he was certainly going to hear about this from Batman. But at least his team had his back.

“Alright,” M’Gann said cheerfully, now that the danger seemed to have passed. “Let’s get you back to the Cave.”

[lizartgurl]

“Back To You” (Aqualad x OC)

Day One of Aqualad and Nightingale going into hiding. Things aren’t going very smooth. But what did either of them expect?

@staar-sailorr​ @betteonit​ @the-shadow-of-atlantis​ @lesbianstargirl​

This part goes out to Clark, for their kickarse playlist that fits the ship and the story perfectly. Listen to it on Spotify.

PART THREE.

(part one) (part two)

Wildcat gave them headphones and mic to be able to communicate on the flight, but no one really talked. Wildcat wasn’t exactly the chattiest of heroes, and even if they weren’t currently exes, Emma and Kaldur wouldn’t have wanted to have a conversation that excluded him.

They landed hours later, each one blurred to the next for Emma, and as the chopper lurched to the side, all three occupants wondered how they'd made it that far.

Ted hopped out first, dragging their luggage from the secure compartment. Kaldur went after him, and offered a hand to Emma to help her down.

As she wobbled between the choice to refuse or accept his help, she stumbled out of the helicopter and into his arms.

She felt her heart beat three times- pounding painfully against her ribcage, as she took him in. He wore a dark gray Star City University hoodie- one she knew for a fact was stolen from Roy- and a navy blue beanie, the one she bought him one Christmas after her attempt to learn knitting with M'gann had gone terribly wrong.

The skin around his eyes was pale, and his eyes were more gray than green, reminding her of a cloudy day where it wasn't  sunny and it wasn't rainy. Caught in the middle, unable to figure out how  the day should be spent. He didn't smell too bad, though, but the sea-salty scent she was so used to from him had faded.

Wildcat threw their bags at them, refusing to carry their crap for them. Emma shouldered her bag, embarrassed at being caught like that. But she couldn't help but wonder, what did Kaldur see when he looked at her?

“Alright, kids,” Ted’s voice made both of them snap to attention. He reminded Emma vaguely of stuck-up Captain Atom.

“This is the JSA’s only safe house, so if you blow this one up, you’ll be moving in with Doctor Midnite.” The had landed at the southernmost tip of Moose Factory Island, the helicopter was situated on the only bit of ground solid enough to hold it. To their left was the river that surrounded the island merging back into one. Directly ahead was a small wooden cabin, behind it was the beginning of a forest, which arced around to their right and behind the helicopter, blocking the rest of the island from view.

“What of Batman’s safehouses?” Emma heard Kaldur speak for the first time in months.

“Don’t know which ones Demon Head knows about. Wanted to stay on the safe side,” Ted grunted. He unlocked the peeling-paint-red door before dropping the key in Emma’s hand.

“No wifi, watch your electricity, the generator’s been running for forty years now.”

Emma’s hand fisted around the key in her pocket, the hair on her fingers tingling with static electricity. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

“This island is owned by the Cree tribe. The only reason we’re allowed here is because I’m on good terms with most all of them. Don’t ruin that. Batman told you about credit cards?”

Emma didn’t feel like talking, so she simply held up the envelope Bruce had given her.

“There’s a trading post in town on the other side of the woods. You can buy most everything there. ‘N they’ve a landline there too, but only in emergencies. You can send messages to your little sidekick friends through letters when Midnite stops by every month with your allowance. They’ll send you letters too, I’ll bet. Least Dinah will.”

He slapped his palm down on the vanilla-colored countertop. “Map to Midnite’s is in the fridge. Memorize it.”

Emma could sense Kaldur nodded just as she did.

Wildcat sighed looking between the two of them, trying to decide if it would be more or less awkward if he left.

“Well, that’s it. Tolerate each other, don’t burn the house down, and don’t get caught.”

He propped his hat- the one with the kitty ears- back on his balding head, and the slamming door behind him echoed emptily. Neither Emma nor Kaldur made a move until the whirring of chopper blades had faded away into the crisp, autumnal air.

She turned, and Kaldur was staring at her, mouth open as if he was going to say something. “Thank you” maybe? “I’m sorry for the past year”?

He thought better of it, dragging his duffel down the hall to the first available hall.

Grumbling under her breath, Emma shouldered her own bag and went off to find the other room that Dinah had promised would be there. If Black Canary had lied to her there would be very strong words spoken between them.

Emma found the other room soon enough, thank goodness. It was sparsely furnished, a safe house wasn’t supposed to be a vacation rental, after all, but the whole house seemed to have a plaid thing going on. The front sitting room was green with the kitchen as yellow and black, both having dark brown walls to match the house exterior. The room Emma had found for herself had solid red pillows, with a red plaid comforter and a single dark brown dresser, and a white closet to match the walls and the bathroom. Emma was willing to bet that Kaldur’s room was exactly the same, only in blue. It was simple, but comfortable. She almost felt at home, if the room didn’t feel claustrophobic compared to her suite at the manor. She really needed to shed her privilege more often.

The clothes that she’d packed filled about two of the drawers, so she spread them out to make them feel of more use. She hung up the one dress and a couple of her nicer shoes, and shoved the duffel into the shelf above. She stacked her books on the shelves and paused to see Brandon Sanderson’s “Elantris”,her immediate thought being that Kaldur might like to read it.

After she did, of course. Bruce said that there was a bookshelf stocked full for electric-free fun, and although Kaldur was dyslexic, he was quite an avid reader. He’d be well occupied before Emma should take it upon herself to keep him entertained.

It wasn’t her job to keep him entertained anyway, she was there to keep him safe. Nothing more, nothing less, and she’d been guilted into that anyway.

She let herself fall face-first into the thick comforter, wishing for Justice or something to cuddle.

Her eyes fell on something bright red- brighter than the dull tones of the cabin decor. An article of clothing having fallen from her bag?

She picked it up, staring at it with disdain. It was the plush dragon that Kaldur he won her at the Happy Harbor Festival. Well, technically, he’d won her a bright green plush, with yellow wings instead of purple, to match her own, but that was lost in the chaos when the Terror Twins became more than a little ticked off at the fact that they were not allowed to enter fair grounds. The double date Emma and Kaldur had been on with M’gann and Conner was disrupted, and in the aftermath of the fight, the boothkeeper offered them his one surviving plush as a thank you for saving the rest of the festival (and keeping the Terror Twins from stealing all his sketchily-earned cash).

After Kaldur was discovered to be working with Black Manta, recently revealed to be his birth father, Emma had to admit she went a little berserk in her reaction. All his messages deleted from her phone. His letters and little gifts boxed up and given to Alfred to “get rid of them”, though if he actually did so remained a mystery. After Malina Island, she even went into his former room in Mount Justice- the first to do so in months- and eviscerated one of his pillows with her lightning. At the time, it made her feel better, but it didn’t make her less mad, and the cave smelled like burnt cotton for weeks. Until Kaldur blew it up anyway.

Out of everything, Emma rationalized keeping the dragon. It wasn’t the one Kaldur had given her, though she always felt it was meant to replace the one she lost, and she did love dragons, even if the green and yellow one had been prettier.

Emma felt her heart beat distinctly, and she held the dragon close, curled up on top of the covers.

“Thanks, Tim,” she whispered.

She didn’t know how long she lay there, back stiff, eyes red, mind numb, door open.

The next thing she knew, she smelled cookies.

Not just any cookies, Miss Martian’s cookies. Chocolate chip. Freshly baked. With extra cinnamon.

She sat up, but before she went to investigate, she hid the dragon beneath the pillows, between the mattress and the wall.

Kaldur was in the kitchen, alone, pulling a cookie sheet out of the oven, and sliding the cookies off to cool on a plate on the table with the others.

Emma stood there, just staring at the cookies for a moment, before Kaldur spotted her.

“Would you like some?”

It was the first time they had spoken directly to each other since...the summit. Three months ago.

“Yeah,” She was embarrassed that was all she could bring herself to say. No “sorry for threatening to kill you if you touched a hair on Mara, Tim, or Gar’s head,” or “I’m sorry for freaking out and being so willing to believe that you’d actually side with Manta over us.”

She shoved a cookie in her mouth to keep from embarrassing herself further. It appeared Kaldur had the same idea, but then they both started choking.

Kaldur immediately procured two glasses of water.

“It appears that I used too much cinnamon,” He lamented.

“Well, that, and I kind of forced mine down my throat,” Emma admitted sheepishly.

“”As did I,” Kaldur’s attempted to smile made Emma giggle. Just a little bit.

“Did...did M’gann teach you to make these?”

Kaldur nodded. “I have had plenty of free time as of late, while there are no missions to assign.”

Emma nodded. “Well, if we aren’t totally alienated from cinnamon at the moment, I think I still have a couple of Alfred’s cinnamon rolls, and then some potato casserole for dinner that we can heat up.”

“That sounds delicious, just let me clean up.” Kaldur placed the cover on the spicy cookies, and went about brushing the spare ingredients off the counter and into the small trash bin.

Emma bit her lip. “Need any help?”

“No, thank you. I can handle it.” Kaldur assured her.

“Alright,” Emma whispered under her breath.

She only hoped that Bruce and Aquaman could bring in those threatening Kaldur sooner. If today was any indicator, the coming weeks, maybe months, were going to be terribly painful for both of them.

[artsekey]

This... is the Christmas present that I’m giving to my DM and fellow players.I know I’ve posted a lot of work-in-progress sneak peeks of it before now, but this is the final version for print, and I’m really, really proud of it. It definitely challenged me in a hundred different ways, and even now I’m not sure if I’m completely happy with it, but I think my friends are going to love it. 

We’ve been playing for almost a year and a half now! It’s my first ever D&D game, and my DM is extremely talented. She’s built a world and a narrative that we love to get lost in, and if you’re interested in it, please feel free to read below the cut!

We started playing because we all had a passive curiosity as to what D&D entailed. It sounded fun, kind of, if a little weird. We were supposed to roleplay our characters? Wouldn’t that be awkward? 

(Yes, our DM assured us, it would be awkward at first, but we’d grow into it.) 

So we all decided to give it a try. Our DM got us our first sets of dice-- mine were lime green, translucent-- and we built our characters. 

Katia, my friend who’s just been accepted to medical school (yay!) wanted to roll our team’s healer. She came up with Gira Sol, a gnome druid who remembered living another life as a flower before waking up in a field with no real direction or memory of who she was.

Michael, my friend who’s a software engineer, wanted to be a bookish sorcerer. He made Bolark’skor, the three-quarter orc who’d managed to find his home inside the library of a monastery. After his mentor died and left him a cryptic message meant to send him on a quest, Bolark left his home in search of a riddle-giver. 

Then there was me, an animation student. I wanted to be a sly magic-user, and no class seemed more fit for the task than bard. I made Isiah Bellan, a half-elf abandoned at birth only to be picked up by a traveling group of musicians. 

And so our adventure began in a tavern. A local town, a mysterious disappearance, and a mine full of secrets and goblins. A vile duchess, murdered at our hands in the bowels of an ancient cavern. A summoning ritual, foiled. 

And the three of us, now claiming that duchess’s mansion as our own. 

But of course, murder doesn’t go unnoticed. Vellie and Vindiya, two siblings that we’d conscripted to take down the duchess-- their former employer, in cahoots with the King’s Advisor-- were arrested in our stead. One, the brother, sent back home for trial. The sister, held in prison. 

Acting for the first time as a party, Gira, Bolark, and Isiah staged a massive jailbreak that became legendary throughout the city and got them forbidden from ever returning. It involved copious amounts of orc flexing, some giant star-spangled goating, and a prolific use of the spell knock. 

With Vellie in tow and, admittedly, our bard to blame for their sorry state of affairs, Gira and Bolark convinced Isiah to accompany them to the capitol where they would testify on Vindiya’s behalf. 

Little did they know the journey would be so arduous. Leaving murdered wanderers by the wayside, they eventually arrived at Stormhold, a great fortress barring passage through the mountains. It was, Vellie said, possible that Vindiya might be there! 

Isiah forged a document granting them passage, “signed” by the king’s right-hand man himself-- a devious enemy, we’d come to understand, but one that Isiah had managed to perfect the handwriting of. 

But Bolark, strong and fit, seemed a perfect candidate for the hold’s army. He was conscripted, as was Isiah (while trying to talk him out of it). They were tasked with scouting to the north with Vanda and Ront, an orc mother-and-son duo. 

They found an army thousands strong, and in trying to escape them, ended up in a stone spire. It was here that they fought Nazereth the Mind Flayer, had their first run-in with blood magic, and, most importantly, found the Black Pyramid. 

A home for the Black Wardens, guardians of the Celestial Plane. And, as we eventually learned, the origin of our big bad.  The pyramid is our base, and it travels as we will it. We use it to escape the mountains and land in the capitol-- after a brief stint elsewhere, thanks to Isiah’s selfishness.  We finally get to the trial. It’s about to adjourn. Bolark and Isiah jump into the arena where the trial is being held, claiming to have evidence that proves the execution of the duchess was just, and that the right hand man to the king is, in fact, a piece of shit. 

We walk up and Isiah hands the judge the incriminating documents. 

Little did we know, the judge is the right hand man to the king. We’d never seen him before, never heard what he looked like, but Isiah told him he was guilty to his face. 

We were banished, along with Vindiya and Vellie, into the Feywild with a snap of his fingers. 

There, we learn of the Green Pyramid, and the warring courts of the plane. We learn that there’s a bastard child of the two courts -- who is the cause of all the chaos-- that was sent, reincarnated, to the material world in order to keep her out of sight and forgotten. 

We decide we need to find her to get answers, but our search leads us to Lily-- an archfey-- and Dandelion, the legitimate sister of the girl we’re trying to find. Dandelion promises she’ll send us home if we settle matters between the two factions. 

So, we finally confront Lily for information. She a few of Isiah’s memories as well as a few pieces of rock he’s been holding onto; pieces of the diety The Silver Flame.  After realizing the memories she’s been collectively hoarding and deleting pertain to the fact that members of both courts were once part of the Green Wardens, protectors of the Feywild, we confront her more physically...

https://youtu.be/qbgPOApie20 (The fight was pretty legendary).  They manage to win, Isiah having made himself invisible and distracting her long enough to get and release the memories she’d been hoarding, giving Dandelion reason to impale her, thus killing her permanently-- as only an archfey can kill an archfey. 

With their memories restored, they remember that Gira is the banished child. She’s crowned between the two courts, who now understand the source of their quarrels was their modified memories rather than any genuine strife. 

And thus, with the blood of both courts, she opens and claims The Green Pyramid. 

And, as promised, the party decides to search for Isiah’s family next.

There’s more, but I don’t want to summerize anything before the arc is over! 

Just know we’re headed to the Abyss,

Isiah’s effectively lost his mind, 

Bolark has been told to kill his already-deceased mother,

and Gira just killed a man for soul science using nine man-eating canaries. 

If you want to know more, send me a message! I could talk about our campaign all day-- 

And, hey. Would you want to hear it, if it was a podcast? Our DM’s a voice actor! 

[dragonydreams]

The Grinch Who Couldn't Stop Christmas From Coming - Captain Canary

Title: The Grinch Who Couldn't Stop Christmas From Coming Fandom: DC's Legends of Tomorrow Rating: Teen Pairings/Characters: Sara Lance/Leonard Snart Summary: Sara doesn't take well to Ray's idea of celebrating Christmas on the Waverider and Leonard wants to know why. Timeline: between S1 & S2, Leonard Lives Word Count: 1,384 Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Berlanti Productions, DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Television. Betas: Thank you to shanachie for looking this over for me. Author's Note: For @pir8grl who is having a bad week.

 "What are we doing here?" Leonard complained as the team gathered in the galley at Ray's insistence.

Mick started rummaging through the cupboards until he found some chips to snack on, planning on using the crunch of the chips as an excuse for why he wasn't listening to Haircut.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, back home it's getting to be Christmas time," Ray started.

"No," Sara said, standing up from the chair she'd been straddling. "No way."

Ray's eager expression drooped. "You don't even know what I was going to propose," he said with a pout.

"You want to do Christmas on the ship," Sara guessed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah," Ray said, beaming again.

"You're okay with this?" Sara demanded, turning to Rip.

The captain shrugged. "I don't see much harm in it. After defeating Savage, we could use some celebration."

"C'mon, Sara, it'll be fun," Jax cajoled. "Just imagine the ship with trees, ornaments, stockings, and mistletoe." He waggled his eyebrows.

Sara rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to glance at their resident Crook, whom she wouldn't mind kissing again.

"I don't believe that's why she's objecting," Leonard chimed in.

"It'll be fun," Kendra said. "Cheery."

"What do you say, Professor?" Leonard drawled.

"I have been looking for an excuse to make my grandmother's latkes for Jefferson," Martin admitted, with a shy grin.

Sara threw her hands up in defeat and sank back into her chair, pouting.

"Why are you so against Christmas?" Ray asked. "I mean, I get Leonard and Mick not liking it, but you had a happy childhood."

"Hey," Leonard and Mick objected.

"Love Christmas," Mick quietly added.

"That's none of your business," Sara snapped and stood again, stomping out of the room.

"Easter's more her holiday," Jax joked.

"Not funny," Kendra said, slapping Jax's arm.

Leonard turned and went after Sara, not caring what the hyper puppy had planned for his Christmas celebration.

He found her in their cargo bay, throwing knives at a target.

"Remind me to never challenge you to a game of darts," he commented dryly as he leaned against the door frame.

Sara glanced at him over her shoulder and threw her last knife without looking away from him, smirking when it landed dead center.

"Impressive," Leonard acknowledged. He pushed out of his leaning position and sauntered closer to Sara. "I never would have pictured you for being a grinchier Grinch than me."

"Yeah, well, I guess it's good that we can still surprise each other," she commented, going to retrieve her knives.

"I know why I don't much care for the holiday, but I doubt that's the reason you're so against celebrating."

"You'd be correct," Sara said.

"That's it? No explanation?" he asked.

"You didn't ask for an explanation," Sara reminded him. "And I'm not much in the mood to share right now."

"Not even with me?" Leonard cajoled.

"Not even with you," Sara said, heading up the stairs.

As Leonard watched her go, something niggled at the back of his mind. He gave her time to clear the hallway before heading up the stairs himself and walking to his bunk.

When he'd first joined this team of misfits, Leonard had accessed files on all of his new teammates, needing to know exactly who it was he was aligning himself with. There was something from Sara's file that was tugging at his memory now.

Back in his room, Leonard pulled out the files from where he'd hidden them and smirked when he found it. A plan was already formulating.

Over the next couple of days, the Waverider became progressively more festive. A tree appeared in the galley, and another in the library. Most of the crew helped to decorate them, but Rip put his foot down when Mick tried to put actual candles on the trees.

On "Christmas" morning, Ray rounded the crew up early with all the enthusiasm of a five year old on a sugar high.

Luckily for him, he'd prepared coffee and a breakfast of muffins and assorted pastries before rousing his teammates.

The team slowly stumbled into the galley, with Leonard being the last to arrive.

Jax handed around stockings for everyone. Most of the team received an orange and other treats, but Sara and Leonard only had coal in their stockings, which they happily gave to Mick, much to Rip's horror.

Presents were passed around, all fabricated by Gideon, and everyone exclaimed happiness with their gifts. Even Sara was pleased with her new daggers.

As the party broke up to go get changed out of their pajamas, Leonard walked with Sara back to her room.

"What's this?" Sara asked, seeing a present wrapped in birthday wrapping paper sitting on her bed.

Leonard entered behind her, letting the door close behind him.

"A little birdy told me why you hate Christmas," he said, slowly.

"You stole my file from Rip," Sara guessed.

"Guilty," Leonard admitted.

"That's not exactly what I've been hoping you'd steal," Sara admitted, broaching a subject both had been ignoring since she'd kissed him just before Leonard narrowly escaped death at the Oculus.

Leonard smirked and nodded towards the present. "Open your present, Assassin."

Sara quirked an eyebrow at him, but reached for the present all the same. She ripped open the paper and lifted the lid of the box. Looking inside, she was unable to contain her giggle of surprise.

"Really? That's what you chose to give me?" she asked, lifting the sprig of mistletoe out of the box.

"It seemed thematically appropriate for what I really wanted to give you," he answered.

Sara's breath caught at the flash of desire that crossed his face. "Yeah?" she breathed.

Leonard lifted the mistletoe from her fingers, allowing his to brush hers as he did so, relishing that brief contact.

"Mmm-hmm," he hummed in acknowledgement as he lifted the branch above their heads and closed the distance between them.

His lips softly brushed against hers, their breath mingling until he couldn't hold back any longer and he kissed her fully. His free hand slid into Sara's hair, holding her to him as he couldn't do the last time they'd kissed.

Sara wrapped one arm around Leonard's back, the other mimicking his hold on her as she grasped the back of his neck, keeping him right where she wanted him.

Leonard wasn't sure which one of them moved to deepen the kiss first, but at the first touch of her tongue against his, he dropped the mistletoe and cupped Sara's jaw, angling her face so that he could properly claim her mouth.

The kiss ended slowly, sometime later, both of them breathing heavily as they leaned against the other for support.

"That's one of the best birthday presents that I have ever gotten," Sara said, her eyes still glazed with desire.

"Only one of the best?" Leonard asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"Nothing will top the year that I got a Felicity American Girl doll with all the outfits," Sara said. "Best Christmas and birthday ever."

"So you didn't always hate it?" Leonard said, smirking.

"No, I didn't," Sara agreed. She moved to sit on her bed, pulling Leonard along with her. "I guess I don't really hate it now. It just reminded me that I haven't really celebrated either since before I got on that boat with Oliver."

"I suppose that the League wouldn't celebrate something like Christmas, but wouldn't birthdays still be acknowledged?" Leonard asked.

Sara shrugged. "Not really. Not that I ever told anyone there when it was. A birthday celebration would have been considered frivolous to the League so I never mentioned it."

"I guess that means that we have several years' worth of birthdays to make up for," Leonard said.

"Don't tell the team," Sara rushed to say. "I don't want them making a big deal about it."

"I'm sure that Rip knows what today is to you, but if he hasn't said anything, I promise not to tell," Leonard assured her.

"But you said…"

"I said that we have several years of birthdays to make up for. Just me," kiss, "and you," kiss.

"And me and you," Sara finished, capturing his mouth in a heated kiss. They didn't talk again for a very long time.

 The End

[gashinamoon]

Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon week 17: Silver Lining

Words: 1153

Tags: Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Neighbours AU, Fluff 

Week 17 submission for the OHFAT hosted by @thebookjumper!

Notes:Tried something slightly different with this week's prompt! I've always wanted to write a fic that's composed entirely of texts/emails etc, and this was just me seeing how much fun it would be! (Hint: a lot. I wanna do a full length fic like this one day.)

Please let me know what you think when you're done!

Read on AO3

Hey, so we have really thin walls and I just heard you crying. Are you okay? I live across the hall and I gave you my number when you moved in but we’ve never actually spoken since. So I'm sorry if this is weird. But yeah. Thin walls. Felicity x

Felicity?

Yup. That's me. I walked right into you the day you moved in and made you drop a box of plates on the floor. Which I'm still sorry about, by the way. And I'm not at all surprised that you've never spoken to me since, so don't worry about that. Those plates were probably expensive. Or family heirlooms. Oh god, were they family heirlooms?

Nope. Not family heirlooms. You're safe.

Thank god. I panicked for a second there. Anyway… are you alright?

Yup. Fine.

Really? You don't look like the kind of guy who just cries unless it's for a genuine reason?

What do you mean?

I mean… someone like you probably would only cry if they were like, really upset about something.

Someone like me? You don't know me.

I know! But you just look like the kind of guy who wouldn't be phased by anything. You know? Just from seeing you around and stuff. Guys who look like you don't usually cry a lot. Not that I'm playing into male stereotypes! Guys can cry as much as they like. I actually am a real advocate for that. It's healthy. But what I'm trying to say is that guys who look like you, you know with muscles and expensive looking suits to work everyday, are generally the kind of guys who boast about never crying.

Not that I spy on you! Because that would be weird. I just do my makeup at the window every morning and I see you come and go a lot. I promise I'm not checking you out ever.

Okay maybe sometimes. But just a little.

And please tell me to shut up and leave you alone at any point. Please.

Oliver… Can I hear you laughing?

I'm not laughing at you, I swear. I'm just laughing.

I don't care. I'm just glad you're not crying anymore.

Me too. My sister just moved across the world. She's 6 hours into a 12 hour flight right now. She's never been further away from me than she is right now and she still has thousands of miles to go. And I can't even call her and talk to her because she's on a plane. She's never been the best flyer either and I'm just glued to the flight tracker and counting down the hours to when she lands. I got a little emotional about it all. I didn't realise you’d be able to hear. I'm sorry.

Don't apologise! I'm so sorry you're worrying about your sister. I know it doesn't mean much now, but I'm sure she's going to have the time of her life overseas and she’s probably gonna call you everyday to tell you all about it. I mean, I don't know her obviously, but if I had a brother I'm pretty sure that's what I’d do. And for the record, the chances of dying in any kind of plane related accident are 1 in 29.4 million, just in case you were worrying about that. You're much more likely to be hit by lightning actually.

I had a dog when I was a kid that was hit by lightning.

You're kidding?!

Yeah, I am. Sorry.

That wasn't funny. I thought I'd just triggered a traumatic childhood memory.

I'm sorry. Seriously. I never had any pets when I was a kid, actually.

Oh god, that's so sad. Almost as sad as your made up lightning story!

Not really. My best friend next door had 3 so I could go around and play with them whenever I wanted to.

Good. No child deserves to grow up without dogs.

My sister and I begged our parents every Christmas to get us a dog. But it never worked. My mom liked to keep the house super clean and she insisted that a dog would ruin it. We gave up asking after about 10 years. It was a lost cause.

My mom first bought me a puppy as a guilt present when my dad left. I had 4 by the time the year was out. I may have pretended to cry a couple of times when I realised how easy it was to get myself another dog. And before you ask, as a fully grown adult, I hate myself.

There have to be perks of divorces, right?

You know all about them, I'm guessing?

Beer and video games and no curfews were my guilt presents.

Nice. I was 7 so I don't think beer would have worked for me no matter how hard I cried.

Probably for the best really.

Yeah. There's underage drinking and then there's, well… just giving your 7 year old child beer. Also known as child neglect.

Anyway, are you sure you're okay? I know we’ve now bonded over childhood divorce and you laughed at me digging myself a hole where I accidentally admitted that I sometimes check you out a little bit, but are you alright? What you told me about your sister is a lot to deal with.

Yeah, I'm honestly feeling a lot better. Talking to you has really helped. You're pretty cool.

Just not when I'm breaking your plates.

That was a long time ago. I forgive you.

Thanks. But I still feel bad. How about I buy you some new plates?

Are you free tomorrow? We could go get some plates from Ikea and then have dinner in the restaurant. I hear their meatballs are sublime.

I don't want to read too much into this but… are you asking me out on a date? Like a date, date?

It doesn't have to be a date. It could just be dinner. Besides, I like to think I have more class than to ask a girl on a date to a furniture store.

No. A date is fine. I like dates. And I like meatballs. And furniture.

I can't wait to tell my sister that I'm going on a date with the girl who broke all my plates. She’ll probably want to thank you. Because of that, we ate takeout for a week straight because we had nothing else to eat off of. When Thea finally went home, she said she felt 10lbs heavier. And apparently that was a good thing.

Silver linings, right?

I think the entire day leading up to this conversation with you has been one of those.

I'm glad I could make you feel better. And I just really I hope I live up to your expectations tomorrow.

I'm sure you will. How does 8pm sound?

Perfect.

I'll meet you in the hall?

Romantic.

That's me. See you tomorrow, Felicity.

Goodnight, Oliver.

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[willridgard]

Norwich pubs, beers and breweries: What’s not to love?

They often say that ‘you do anything for the people and things you love’.

For me. If I had to pick, I’d highlight football, my favourite Chinese takeaway, my girlfriend Poppy, former Ipswich Town striker Shefki Kuqi, and my Mediterranean tortoise named Coco as some of the most valuable things in my life. Not in that order I might add!

Oh. I almost forgot. Cask ale, often known as ‘real ale’ or ‘ale from the hand-pump’, is mostly certainly now in the upper reaches of that adorable list. You see, my taste buds have strayed from the mainstream lagers in the last few years, and cask ale is now known as my ‘new love’ that I seemingly can’t go anywhere without!

Especially on celebratory events like Valentine’s Day. Days full of laughter and fun and days to cherish and remember. Valentine’s Day 2020 was therefore spent trying to please, and spend valuable time with, the people and things that matter the most! OK, I’m not Superman, and didn’t manage to fit everyone / everything in, but I’d say that attending a Beer Festival with more than 60 ales to choose from was the perfect setting for Valentine’s Eve💖!

Of course, I didn’t go on this quest alone. If I had to guess some of Poppy’s ‘priority list’, I’d go for: exploration, visiting new places, sightseeing, culture, food, wine, socialising, travelling, shopping, talking, and Pickled Onion Monster Munch 👾. Hopefully I’d be somewhere in there too!

Norwich was the chosen location for our Valentine’s getaway. Norwich. Home of Colman’s Mustard. Home of The Cathedral. Home of The Canaries: Norwich City FC 🟡🟢. The Canaries. Oh how Ipswich used to beat them regularly and proudly perch as the ‘pride of East Anglia’. But such dreams are now a distant memory for many increasingly-poignant Ipswich fans like myself, and come to think of it, I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to cheer on the Tractor Boys 🚜 in another ‘Old Farm Derby’ again! Such is the current demise and perilous position of the boys in blue and white 🔵⚪.  

But, “forget the football for once,” I told Poppy. It was time to explore a beautiful, cultural, vibrant and historic city blessed with an array of fantastic shops, market stalls, and of course pubs and breweries. Our getaway was planned at the very last minute – and Norwich was perfect for our plans and interests. I think the conversation in the car on the way to work on the Monday went something like ‘Shall we do something for Valentine’s Day this year?’ Four days later and we’re living our best life. After all, they often say: ‘Live in the moment’, ‘life is for laughing’, ‘treat yourself’ etc.

Talking of treats. Naturally, a treat = beer. The airport beer. The shower beer. The hotel balcony beer. The kitchen beer while she’s getting ready. The straight to the pub from work beer. The Sunday afternoon beer garden beer. The Friday before Christmas beer. There are so many great beers everywhere. Especially, in Norwich where a plethora of tasty, excellent beers are produced by Norfolk breweries and then sold in great numbers at various watering holes across the city.  

One of which, the Georgian Townhouse, was where we were lucky enough to stay. With an excellent choice of boutique bedrooms and luxury apartments, the Georgian Townhouse offers a truly unique retreat in a glorious setting in the heart of the city – and I’d highly recommend it. Boasting a Roberts Revival digital radio 📻, a Smeg fridge and a Nespresso machine ☕ , we were in some kind of hotel heaven when we unpacked our bags. Blimey! Heaven turned into paradise when we saw the size of the humongous bath in the en-suite🛀. I thought about going swimming at one stage 🏊 !

But that’s not it. The fantastic Georgian Townhouse staff even presented us with two local beers from St Andrews Brewhouse – Wensum Ale, a best bitter, and Grocers Ghost Pale Ale (more on those later) – to sample on arrival. And with a small bottle of champagne, and a bunch of freshly picked, roaring red roses that definitely were not bought from Tesco (how did they even get there!?), the scene was set for a cracking couple of days!

And a cracking couple of days were had. Starting with dinner in the restaurant: Delicious roast chicken served with coleslaw, chips and salad. Just what the doctor ordered. 

The service was also very good – and after scanning my QR code to record my visit on the CaskFinder App – significant interest in the App generated as some members of staff wanted to become ‘beer experts’ by vowing to learn all of the tasting-notes for the 10,000 beers on show! I opted to wash dinner down with two lovely pints of Woodforde’s Wherry. A beer that has grown on me in recent times, with its delicious citrus aftertaste going down very well indeed.

From here, we took the mutual decision to move onto The Trafford Arms for the Valentine Beer Festival! With Storm Ciara beginning her windy, wet warm up, and the choice of 60+ beers to look forward to, it’s fair to say that Poppy was not the most enthused on the chilly walk through the housing estates en route to The Trafford. In fact, I’d say she was uncharacteristically quiet. Which really is a rarity! But that soon changed as we entered the pub’s welcoming doors. Bingo! Their Cask Marque certificate greeted us at the door. After registering the visit on the CaskFinder App, it soon became apparent that we were to make this public house our home for the next few hours.

Of course, I’d done my research, and found that the Valentine Beer Festival was a popular annual, week-long event. With a huge variety of beers ranging in appearance and ABV%, as well as live music, what’s not to love about it really? So as Poppy sipped on her fruit-filled gin n’ tonic, I tested my taste buds. All while listening to the dulcet tones of The Rum Dogs, who, in their own words, perform ‘funky, folk music with humour and passion’.

If I had to pick a ‘beer of the night’, I’d go for Ampersand’s ‘On the wing’, a hop forward pale session ale brewed with oats and heaps of late Amarillo, Citra, Ekuanot & El Dorado hops. But I wasn’t alone in trying new beers. The pub had a very friendly, absorbing vibe about it, and it was great to see it packed full of drinkers – young, old, male and female – all testing their taste buds and indulging in some beautiful cask ales.

We were sad to leave The Trafford, armed with our packets of Salt & Vinegar crisps to detract our attention away from a strengthening Ciara, but will certainly aim to visit again. I believe the Beer Festival continued to be a hit – and, whisper it quietly, I think beers were being served at £2 a pint towards the end! We’ll definitely be back if that’s the case!

After a well-deserved sleep (this drinking business can be tiring), we went down to breakfast – the most important meal of the day. Apparently! We were not left disappointed. There was plenty of choice: from cereal and fruits to pastries and yoghurts to cooked meals, the menu was expansive – and partnered with excellent customer service. Personally, I opted for a few slices of cantaloupe melon – after demolishing a freshly-cooked Full English that smelt as good as it looked!  

This set us up perfectly for the day’s activities, and, as avid believers of living life on the edge, we just immersed ourselves in the beautiful, windy Norwich lanes, streets, and marketplace. We bought a few birthday gifts (happy 23rd to my sister Ellie), and enjoyed our time stumbling across many a hidden gem – including Chef Ron’s Kitchen and Roman’s Juice Bar, who really sold us their appetising pizza slices🍕 and tasty smoothies🥤.

After eyeing up quirky rugs, lampshades, and other home essentials, we then fell upon FREE ping pong and table football inside Castle Quarter. Which was an absolute game-changer! Unfortunately, the table tennis was so popular that we didn’t have the patience to wait, so Poppy’s interest and undenied passion for ‘the beautiful game’ intensified even further when she challenged me to an encounter of table football. And, after a comically entertaining match, which saw the Ipswich Town Blues defeat a Norwich team, playing in their red away kit, 10-5, I fully expect our game to be shown first on Match of the Day this weekend. Shefki Kuqi top scored (there’s only one f in Shefki) with eight of Ipswich’s 10 goals. If only these dreams became a reality…

In all seriousness, both facilities are well-maintained and are cracking ideas. In a world being domineered by iPhones and other such technological advances, they offer a great opportunity for family members and friends to enjoy one another’s company – and with a competitive element thrown in too. Hey, I won lunch! Wake me up, I’m dreaming again… Talking of lunch, once our match, which included full-match commentary, much to the amusement of several passers-by, reached its conclusion, the quest for good food and drink was on. In my book, the clock striking 1pm means only one thing: beer time! As we all know, shopping can be tiring and can work up an appetite so it was imperative we found a place that could satisfy our bodies and minds.

Step forward, St Andrews Brewhouse! It’s easy to see why this brewery-turned-pub is regarded as one of the best food and drink establishments in Norwich. Home to their very own microbrewery, which produce some amazing beers, St Andrews Brewhouse is a real favourite among Norwich folk with their popular restaurant, bar area, and functions room nearly always fully populated.

See it for yourself here:

In my opinion, one of the best things about pubs is the range of people they attract. People-watching is also a proven, favourite past-time of the human race! The guy sitting by the window at St Andrews Brewhouse with just a book and a beer for company looked like he was having a great time. As did the three suitcase-carrying friends hungry for a good meal after landing from their holidays. Of course, Poppy and I were probably seen by others as ‘the Valentines’ – enjoying one another’s company, alongside the superb Macaroni Cheese and two pints of lovely Wensum Ale – a best bitter with a sweet, malty and fruity finish. Spot on.

And, as we made our way out, hand-in-hand, looking for the next stop in our exciting jaunt, Poppy declared that ‘the St Andrews Brewhouse is one of the best pubs I’ve been in; I loved it’. And I’d have to agree. Good food. Good beer. Good times. It’s simply a must-visit! Add it to your Norwich bucket list!

It was then by complete accident, that after crossing the bridge on St Georges Street, that we found the Playhouse Bar! Again, Miss Brown wasn’t overly keen when I suggested that we gave it a look as ‘it’s different’. But, again, her opinion quickly changed when we set foot inside! The adjectives quirky, funky, and mesmerising are ones I’d used to describe a unique bar setting and atmosphere! Playhouse Bar’s ceiling is a colourful collection of artworks portraying a city scape. 

The project was started in 2011 by members of bar staff, many of whom are former art students. Art was probably my worst subject at school, but I had a serious case of ‘ceilingopolis’! We couldn’t help but stare at the ceiling – and managed to find The Olympic Stadium, an IKEA and Jurassic Park – to name but a few places of interest on top of us. It’s certainly very interesting and worth a visit. The sucker fish was entertaining too. I wonder what he’s seen – and forgotten – in his lifetime. In all honesty, we could’ve stayed people and ceiling-watching for hours…

It was at the Ribs of Beef where our journey ended – obviously after taking some selfies and photo-bombing one another first.

I opted to try a trio of tasty local beers to round up – and was not left disappointed with some fruitful tasting beers from Lacons, Wolf and Moon Gazer Ales cleansing the palette perfectly. Norfolk is the home of these fine breweries – and it was fantastic to see each of the pubs I visited support local breweries.

That’s the thing. Norwich really is a community of beers, breweries, and pubs. Partnerships between all will certainly heighten in May, when the 10th Norwich City of Ale Festival officially opens. An 11-day celebration of some of Norwich’s finest pubs, and the region’s excellent brewers, City of Ale 2020 promises to be packed with Ale Trails and fun events to keep consumers entertained. I really can’t wait for it to begin! Thursday, May 21 to Sunday, May 31. Save the dates! Plan the action! Come and see what Norwich has to offer.

With a handful of the 45 pubs involved in City of Ale also being Cask Marque accredited, they appear on the CaskFinder App’s ‘World’s Biggest Ale Trail’. May 2020 seems the perfect time to tick off a few pubs yet to visit and a few beers yet to try! The never-ending, full-of-fun, beer adventure just keeps continuing…

[awkwardlyamusing-blog]

Things To Do This Weekend In London: 7-8 September 2019

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Things To Do This Weekend In London: 7-8 September 2019

All weekend

The Classic Boat Festival moors up at St Katharine Docks

EXHIBITIONS ENDING: It’s your last chance to see several exhibitions around town:

SKULLPTURE: Artworks by sculpture students from the Slade School of Fine Art, inspired by the many weird and wonderful creatures in the museum’s collections. Grant Museum (UCL), free, just turn up, until 7 September

LEONARDO DA VINCI: A look at items belonging to the famous polymath, including notebooks containing his diagrams and thoughts, and his mirror handwriting. British Library, £7, book ahead, until 8 September

KALEIDOSCOPE: A free exhibition of photographs taken by first and second generation immigrants, celebrating diversity. Somerset House, free, just turn up, until 8 September

MODERN BRITISH PRINTMAKING: 120 prints by 10 artist from the Grosvenor School of Art, showcasing the spirit of the 1930s. Dulwich Picture Gallery, £16.50, book ahead, until 8 September

KISS MY GENDERS: The curation leaves something to be desired, but Kiss My Genders is still a forward-thinking look at at gender fluidity. Hayward Gallery, £15.50, book ahead, until 8 September

TOTALLY THAMES: Get stuck into celebrating London’s river with the first full weekend of Totally Thames events. Watch objects made from river clay being fired on the foreshore, enjoy an outdoor promenade show of spoken word performances, and see a new artwork created through typography. 1-30 September

DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL: The Open City Documentary Festival celebrates the art of making non-fiction films, through a series of screenings, exhibitions, talks and masterclass. Our picks this weekend include rhino documentary The Last Male On Earth, and Breathless Animals, about growing up in Maoist China. Various locations and prices, book ahead, 4-10 September

Car fan? Concours of Elegance is bound to get your motor running.

ART BOOK FAIR: Art books and magazines from around the world are for sale at the London Art Book Fair. Small and large scale publishers are represented, with work by artists, curators and poets available. Whitechapel Gallery, free entry, just turn up, 5-8 September

CLASSIC BOATS: Engage your sea legs and step on board classic boats — including Dunkirk Little Ships — at the Classic Boat Festival. More of a land lubber? Stick to the docks for live music, street food and a programme of watery talks. St Katharine Docks, free, just turn up, 6-8 September

RARE CARS: Petrol heads, head to Hampton Court to gawp at rare (and yes, expensive) cars at Concours of Elegance. More than 60 unusual cars park up in the Fountain Garden, many of which haven’t been seen before in the UK. Hampton Court Palace, from £40, book ahead, 6-8 September

Who knows what you’ll find at Peckham Salvage Yard.

PODCAST FESTIVAL: Earbuds at the ready for the London Podcast Festival. See famous and little-known podcasts recorded in front of a live audience, and attend events aimed at budding and experienced podcast producers. Highlights this weekend include LGBTQ+ show A Gay And A NonGay, and Nobody Panic, about the trials and tribulations of being an adult. Kings Place (King’s Cross), various prices, book ahead, 6-15 September

CRAFTY FOX: Go on a spree or simply browse at Crafty Fox Market’s latest outing. The curated range of stallholders include painters, jewellery makers, ceramicists, printmakers and textile artists, and it’s a chance to buy gifts and homewares directly from the local artists who made them. Mercato Metropolitano (Elephant & Castle), free entry, just turn up, 7-8 September

SALVAGE YARD: Rummage out a bargain or two at Peckham Salvage Yard, home to 50 different traders. Items up for grabs include vintage clothes, homewares, furniture and other oddities — but before you buy that retro armchair, think about how you’re going to get it on the bus. Bussey Building (Peckham), free entry, just turn up, 7-8 September

Saturday 7 September

Natural History Museum opens early for children on the autism spectrum.

DAWNOSAURS: The Natural History Museum opens its doors early, solely for children and the autism spectrum and their families. There’s a sensory room available for anyone in need of a bit of calm, a chance to touch some of the objects, and other activities led by autism-aware facilitators. Natural History Museum (South Kensington), free, book ahead, 8am-10am

OPEN ALLOTMENTS: Did you know that there are allotments in Regent’s Park? There’s a rare chance to visit them today. Have a go at apple pressing (and taste the results), purchase jams and other produce grown on site, and there’s a garden hunt for children too. Regent’s Park, free, just turn up, 10am-5pm

FINANCIAL TIMES FESTIVAL: The Financial Times hosts historians, journalists, authors, chefs, activists, barristers and others for a day of thought-provoking talks and discussions on a range of topics, from capitalism to climate change to London’s housing crisis. The action takes place across nine different stages — pick one, or move between them. Kenwood House (Hampstead), £95, book ahead, 10am-8pm

The Financial Times Festival is at Kenwood House.

OPEN STUDIOS: Gasworks Studios opens its doors to the public for an autumn open studios event. Get to know the artists who work there, including sculptors and textile and collage artists. Stick around until 4pm to hear some of them talk about their work. Gasworks (Vauxhall), free, just turn up, 12pm-6pm

AUTHORS ON STAGE: National Theatre’s Authors on Stage series continues with a trio of events today. Documentary presenter Stacey Dooley chats to BBC3 Controller Fiona Campbell about Dooley’s investigative journalism career to date. (£15-£35, book ahead, 1pm), Candice Carty-Williams is interviewed about the success of her debut novel Queenie, (£15-£35, book ahead, 4pm) and Matt Haig tackles questions about how the world is messing with our minds (£15-£45, book ahead, 8pm).

DOCKLANDS REGENERATION: Join a Museum of London Docklands tour guide for a walk around the Docklands area, covering how derelict docks were transformed into a thriving business hub. The event also looks at Crossrail, and the continued effect the much-awaited railway is having on the Canary Wharf area. Museum of London Docklands, £12.50, book ahead, 2pm

Don’t miss Chihuly Nights at Kew Gardens.

FEMINIST RIPPER: There are many Jack the Ripper tours available, but this one tells the often-overlooked stories of his victims. Katie from Look Up London leads the walk around the streets of Whitechapel, focusing on the hardships that Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly would have faced in the 19th century East End. Aldgate East station, £30.44, book ahead, 2pm

ANIME FILMS: A mini-festival of anime films takes over Picturehouse Central. New and classic anime films are covered, and all films are shown in Japanese with English subtitles. Picturehouse Central, various prices, book ahead, from 2.20pm

JENGA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Got Jenga skills? Show them off at this rooftop Jenga championship, the first of what is intended to be an annual event. 30 teams of two people compete in rounds including building the tallest tower, and erecting a structure while wearing ski gloves. Roof East (Stratford), £10, book ahead, 3pm-5.30pm

Thank You For Having Us tackles plastic pollution. © Sylvie Poupardin

CHIHULY NIGHTS: If you’re not yet been to Chihuly Nights, we thoroughly recommend you put that right. Taking place every Thursday-Saturday until October, it’s a chance to see Dale Chihuly’s colourful glass sculptures illuminated against the backdrop of Kew Gardens. Follow the trail outside and into magnificent conservatories, before stopping for a drink and a bite to eat. Kew Gardens, £18/£12, book ahead, 7.30pm-10.30pm

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US: Part of both Totally Thames and the Feats of Architecture event programmes, Thank You For Having Us is a free street performance by French street-theatre titans Générik Vapeur and flying trapeze experts Gorilla Circus. It’s raising awareness of the plastic problem, by transforming the City’s streets into the ‘eighth continent’ — a giant rubbish dump in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. City of London, free, just turn up, 8pm-9pm   

Sunday 8 September

Make friends at the Mayhew Open Day

VINTAGE CAR SHOW:  The Classic and Vintage Car Show at Capel Manor Gardens has vehicles dating as far back as the 1920s on display. We’re promised an RAF flypast, food stalls, miniature train rides and live music. Capel Manor (Enfield), £8, just turn up, 10am-5pm

DICKENSIAN LONDON: Join a guide from the Dickens Museum for a guided walk around the Borough area, a locale that would have been familiar to author Charles Dickens. Among the sites, see part of the surviving wall of the Marshalsea Prison where his father was incarcerated, and a graveyard which may have inspired a scene from A Christmas Carol. Borough station, £10, book ahead, 11am-12.30pm

DOG SHOW: Bow wow wow your way over to east London for the All Dogs Matter dog show. The canine care charity offers competitions in areas such as cutest pup, best rescue and golden oldies — take your pooch along to show off their mettle, or just go along and watch for your daily dose of cute. Victoria Park, £5 to enter your dog, just turn up, 11am-3pm

Stock up on plants at the Green Rooms Market

THE MAYHEW: Animal welfare charity The Mayhew hosts an open day, inviting the public in to find out what it does, and have some fun. Meet some of the cattery’s residents, browse stalls selling products for you and your pets, and get stuck into a veggie barbecue, live music and games. The Mayhew (Kensal Green), £3/£2, just turn up, 11am-4pm

VINTAGE FASHION: Refresh your wardrobe at The Vintage Collections, a vintage fashion fair with items dating back more than 100 years. More than 50 traders sell women’s, men’s and kids’ clothes, along with accessories and homewares — have a rummage through the racks and see what you come up with. Freemasons Hall (Covent Garden), £5/£2, just turn up, 11am-5pm

PLANT MARKET: Buy a lily for your living room or a cactus for your kitchen at the Green Rooms Market. In addition to offering greenery for sale, the plant-centric event has a range of green-fingered experts on hand to offer advice on buying and caring for your plant, as well as the tools and accessories you’ll need for it to thrive. Brixton Village Market, free entry, just turn up, 11am-5pm

Browse rails of vintage clothes

HACKNEY CARNIVAL: Line the streets of Hackney between Mare Street and Landsdowne Drive (route map here) to see the floats of Hackney Carnival go past. Reggae bands, gymnasts, marching bands and dancers are just some of the performers in the procession, while other performances and events take place in clusters around the area. Hackney, free, just turn up, 11am-7pm

FOLK FESTIVAL: Family-friendly entertainment takes place all day at Bermondsey Folk Festival, with performances by local musicians. Things really hot up from 6pm when east London folk band Stick in the Wheel headline the evening session. Street food and craft beer available all day. Biscuit Factory (Bermondsey), free entry, just turn up, from 11am

Enter your pooch into Victoria Park Dog Show

COMIC FAIR: Over 40 comic artists, writers and publishers are present at the Hackney Comic + Zine Fair. The one-cay celebration of the comic art medium covers a range of styles and genres, with a focus on self-published and small press works. Comic fanatics and complete newbies all welcome. London Fields Arches, free entry, just turn up, 12pm-6pm

PARK KLEZMER: Annual event Klezmer in the Park celebrates its 10th anniversary with a free afternoon of entertainment for guests of all ages. BBC Radio 3’s Max Reinhardt is the special presenter at the open-air event, organised by the Jewish Music Institute. There’s also a kids’ activity area to keep younger guests busy. Regent’s Park bandstand, free, just turn up, 12.30pm-6.30pm

Malorie Blackman introduces her new novel

MALORIE BLACKMAN: Author Malorie Blackman introduces her new novel Crossfire, a much-awaited sequel to Noughts and Crosses, set 34 years after the original. Blackman chats about writing the new book, and about the upcoming TV adaptation of Noughts and Crosses. Southbank Centre, £20, book ahead, 2pm

SARA PASCOE: Comedian Sara Pascoe chats about her new book, Sex, Power, Money, with podcaster Deborah Frances-White. The book takes a not-entirely-serious look at the things that matter most to humans. Southbank Centre, £15-£25, book ahead, 7.30pm

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[itsyokythings-blog]

My Five Acres. Travel. Adventure. Yoga. My Five Acres. Travel. Adventure. Yoga. - Travel. Adventure. Yoga.

If you’re tired of trips that leave you feeling stressed and exhausted, these destinations for in Europe are the answer. Read on if you want your s to be truly transformational!

This is a guest post from blogger and translator Rebecca Brown of Rough Draft.

What’s in our guide to Mindful Travel in Europe?

1.

Mindful lers are not the same as tourists. We don’t visit places only to take pictures and post them on Instagram (though that can be fun, too). We are looking for experiences, adventures, and life-changing moments — and that is why we sometimes even forget to take out our cameras. 

Mindful lers are interested in the soul of a place, in its people and their culture. We don’t only go to busy capitals, but also to hidden places that can enhance our extraordinary journey. 

If this sounds like you, or something you aspire to, keep reading to discover some of the best destinations for in Europe.

Best Destinations for Mindful Travel in Europe

Also don’t miss these posts:

11 most romantic cities in Europe → 19 best places for Christmas in Europe → 7 best destinations for yoga →

Croatia

There are a few European countries that have something magical, and Croatia is one of them. Most lers who set foot here end up dreaming about never leaving. Some fall in love with Croatia’s spectacular coastline, exquisite wine and mouth-watering food. Others are taken by the friendliness of the Croatian people. 

But most lers are completely converted when they visit the country’s spectacular islands. 

The Dalmatian Islands are a mesmerising island group located just off the coast of bustling Split. With a great range of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking and surfing, this is heaven for active lers. There are also many yoga retreat centres where you can unwind and forget all about the daily routine. 

Besides yoga, what relaxed me most during my vacation in Croatia, was snorkelling. The crystal-clear waters that surround the Dalmatian Islands are a paradise for anyone interested in the underwater world.

Activities in Croatia for Mindful Travellers

Sustainable Tours | Yoga Retreats

Portugal

With beautiful beaches, a multitude of historical towns and villages, delicious dishes, and amazing wines, Portugal is a great destination for lers. 

Whether you choose to explore charming medieval villages or you want to relax in one of the less touristy areas of the Algarve, your vacation will be restorative and very far from expensive. 

If you want a truly memorable trip, spend part of it exploring the streets of alluring small towns, and part of it surfing or relaxing in one of the many Algarve yoga retreats. 

I was fascinated by the landscapes of this area. My favourite spot was Boca do Rio, a charming little bay located on the western coast of Algarve, between the beaches of Burgau and Salema. 

Wherever you go, you will be welcomed by warm locals and have a chance to indulge in incredible foods. And if you are a real foodie, don’t miss tasting the famous Port wine and the sweet Pasteis de Nata.

Activities in Portugal for Mindful Travellers

Sustainable Tours | Yoga Retreats | Cooking Classes

Scotland

Are you a ler whose favourite colour is green? In this case, hiking in the Scottish Highlands should be on your must-explore list. This mountainous region attracts nature lovers and hiking enthusiasts from all over the world. 

If you are passionate about myths, you might want to know that right at the centre of the Scottish Highlands you will find Loch Ness, overlooked by the Urquhart Castle’s ruins. You will not see Nessie, of course, but you will love the view. To make sure you have the best weather, between May and September, but try to avoid the busy months of July and August.

Activities in Scotland for Mindful Travellers

Yoga Retreats

Iceland

If relaxing on a warm beach isn’t your cup of tea, consider exploring Iceland and its magnificent wilderness. Not only is this charming country filled with spectacular landscapes, but it also offers your choice of yoga retreats and hot springs.

What can be more life-affirming than walking on a glacier, doing yoga, and relaxing in a natural hot spring afterwards? And depending on when you plan your escape, besides geysers, glaciers and impressive waterfalls, you can also see the northern lights.

Activities in Iceland for Mindful Travellers

Sustainable Tours | Yoga Retreats

Spain

No matter which part of Spain you decide to visit, you will encounter the peace you are seeking. The country is known for its natural beauty, relaxed people, diverse food, and, of course, its great local celebrations. 

For a truly transformational trip, you might want to avoid Barcelona and Madrid and go to lesser-known places such as Cuenca, Ronda, or Vigo. And if you want to disconnect from your daily stress completely, to a Spanish island. 

La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands, is a great option for hikers and yoga aficionados.

The Canaries offer the perfect weather during the whole year, lots of water sports and your chance to explore amazing natural spots. Plus, the locals are very friendly, the food is delicious, and everything is affordable. 

Activities in Spain for Mindful Travellers

Sustainable Tours | Yoga Retreats | Cooking Classes

Greece

With so many islands, Greece is heaven for lers who love spending time on the beach and in the water, but who are also passionate about history and culture. 

Greek people are famous all over the world for their love of life and for how warmly they treat their visitors. Go to one of the smaller islands such as Anafi or Ithaca to experience life like the locals. Expect spectacular views, clear waters, archaeological sites and, of course, top-notch food and wines.

Activities in Greece for Mindful Travellers

Sustainable Tours | Yoga Retreats | Cooking Classes

Romania

Though Romania is not so famous among lers, this European gem is filled with small towns and villages perfect for slowing down and restoring your balance. 

Visit Maramures, the Land of Wood if you want to explore old villages where centuries-old traditions are still kept. The wooden churches, captivating landscapes, and mythological richness will conquer your heart instantly, making you feel like you have led back in time. 

Winter is my favourite season in Maramures. People in this area remember their past, and during Christmastime, you can catch a glimpse of some of their most interesting traditions.

If you want to be transformational, try one of these European destinations, perfect for . Whether you are interested in beach destinations, exploring villages, or spending time in the mountains, these destinations offer plenty of places and activities to feed your soul. Bon voyage!

Activities in Romania for Mindful Travellers

Sustainable Tours | Yoga Retreats

Rebecca is a freelance translator passionate about her work, and grateful for the s it has taken her on. When she is not ling around the world, she is writing about it at RoughDraft. You can follow her on Twitter. 

♥  Happy adventures, Jane & Stephen

We’re not going to lie, it takes a LOT of work to create guides like this. But it’s easy to help us out! If you book or buy something using one of our personal links in this post, we’ll earn a small fee at no extra cost to you. Of course, we would never recommend anything we didn’t 100% believe in! Huge thanks in advance! –S&J

Pin this for your s in Europe.

The post 7 Perfect Destinations for Mindful Travel in Europe appeared first on My Five Acres. Travel. Adventure. Yoga..

[chubsonthemoon]

two idiots, one date

summary:  For their very first date, Kageyama and Hinata go to the zoo. General dorky shenanigans ensue.

pairing: hinata/kageyama

words: 2664

also on ao3

thank you so much to @madamredwrites for commenting they would like to see more of these dorks! your support means the world <33

“A date. A date. A date, a date, a date a date…”

“Ugh, big brother! You’re being loud again!” Hinata pauses and sees his little sister at his bedroom door, her little face scrunched up in annoyance.

He flings himself onto his bed dramatically. “I can’t help it, Natsu. The world is ending soon.”

She makes a running head start from the doorway and lands straight on his stomach, laughing. “You’re so silly. The world isn’t gonna end just because you have a daaaate with your booooooyfriend.”

Wheezing, Hinata pokes Natsu in the cheek. “Don’t you have any ideas about what we can do?”

She thinks about it for a moment. “Ooh! How about you catch dragonflies? Me and my friend did that the other day, and it was really fun!”

“Hmm…no.”

“Swimming!”

“Next.”

“Volleyball?”

A pause. “But we do that everyday, Natsu,” Hinata says glumly, which is kind of an odd feeling. Sadness and volleyball should not be on the same plane of existence. “Will it still be special?”

It’s volleyball, right? It’s always special, no matter the day.

He just doesn’t know if it’s necessarily good date material…

“I dunno,” Natsu says, after hard deliberation.

He tugs at the little baubles in her pigtails with a groan. “Thanks a lot, Natsu.”

“You’re welcome, Shouyou.” She elbows her way off his stomach, earning her another indignant huff. “Ask Mom instead!”

~

“Hey, Suga-san?��

Suga looks up from his desk, surprised. It’s very unlike Hinata to show up in the third years’ classrooms, if the familiar way he’s clutching his stomach is any proof.

Still, Suga is never one to turn down a cry for help, especially since he's grown rather fond of all the first year volleyball boys (even Tsukkishima). “What’s up, Hinata?”

Hinata’s eyes dart all over the room, as if searching for eavesdroppers, or perhaps an angry Kageyama. “I, uh…well…I have a…”

Suga nods encouragingly.

“I have a date,” Hinata whispers like he’s going to be sick. “And I don’t know what to do.”

He blinks, surprise flitting through his gray eyes for a moment. Then, he smiles.

(Hinata wonders how Suga-san can look so nice, but at the same time also look like the cat that just ate the canary).

“A date, huh?” he says, all cheery-like. “Well. Let’s see…”

“I was thinking that we could play volleyball! Or maybe go for a run?” Hinata stutters out. Suga doesn’t respond, brows knitted deep in thought.

“...Or something?” he finishes lamely.

Then, his senpai snaps his fingers, beauty mark next to his eye dancing. “How about something you both enjoy? Like…”

Hinata perks up. “Like volleyball?” 

Suga smiles. “Maybe something else. What do you like to do in your free time?”

He thinks. Before school, he has practice. During school, he mostly thinks about how or where or when his next spike is coming (and, by extension, where his new boyfriend-teammate-partner is). After school, he has more practice. After practice, he goes home, eats, avoids homework, and goes to bed with thoughts of volleyball.

Volleyball, volleyball, and more volleyball.

Heck, even meeting Kageyama was because of volleyball. 

Hinata groans, pressing his hands into his face. “There’s literally nothing but volleyball.”

With a laugh, Suga says, “How about Kageyama? Is there anything he likes? Other than you, of course.”

This whole dating business is way harder than he thought it would be. Hinata tries to think about everything he knows about Kageyama.

He likes volleyball, obviously. Hopefully, he likes Hinata more than he lets on. He likes milk and beating Hinata at everything and receiving compliments from their senpai and being number one (although Hinata obviously likes that way more than him) and trying to pet small animals (unfortunately, the small animals don’t seem to like him as much).

Hinata relays as much of this as he can to Suga-san, who thinks for a moment.

Then, he smiles, face all lit up like a Christmas tree.

“How does the zoo sound?”

~

This is a bad idea.

Really, Kageyama should have known, from the moment Hinata brought up this…whole date thing. Whatever.

“Hey, Kageyama! For our date, I was thinking we should go to the zoo!”

"Why the fuck would you want to go to the zoo?"

"O-obviously because it's super fun, you meanie! And all the animals and stuff are in cages, so they can't run very far away from you!"

The conversation hadn’t really progressed past that point. (Hinata had been too busy fleeing).

But here he is now, as promised, eleven-thirty sharp, at the gates of the local zoo. He shoves his hands into his pockets and tries to look as nonchalant as possible. It’s just a date. With Hinata. What could go wrong?

“Hey, Bakageyama!”

He turns and sees Hinata’s trademark hair bobbing excitedly, and elects to ignore the swooping sensation in his stomach. “You’re late,” he says instead, by way of greeting.

Hinata pouts a little, mouth turned up in a way that Kageyama would almost call adorable if it weren’t for the person it belonged to. “It’s not my fault! I had to watch Natsu this morning, and the trains were running late.”

“It’s still my win.”

“You suck, you know that?”

They bicker as they make their way to the ticket booth, and then it’s a race to see who can pay the bewildered man behind the window first. Kageyama wins, thankfully (long arms really are a blessing sometimes).

Once past the entrance, they stroll around the gift shop, near a snow-cone stand, and up to the large billboard-map with a little red dot that reads YOU ARE HERE. With two wins under his belt (arriving first and ticket buying first), and a not-cute-at-all spiker pointing excitedly at all the labeled enclosures beside him, Kageyama could almost say that this might not turn out to be so bad after all.

“Oi, are you listening? I think we should look at the bird exhibit first! Maybe they have crows!” Hinata says, eyes shining.

Kageyama snorts. “Dumbass. There are crows everywhere. If you wanted to see one, you should’ve gone to a garbage dump.”

“You’re a garbage dump.”

The aviary, as it’s apparently called (Hinata reads the sign, eyes squinted), is not actually a garbage dump. In fact, it’s quite interesting, with all kinds of colorful birds perched in the trees, the occasional twitter or caw or some other noise ringing throughout the enclosure.  

Hinata leans over the railing, face a few feet from the perimeter of the cage. “Look, Kageyama! That one kinda looks like a crow!”

“That looks literally nothing like a crow.” 

“It has black feathers, doesn’t it?”

“I mean, I guess.”

They move onto the next cage.

“Ooh, an owl. It kinda looks like Bokuto-san!”

“Huh.”

“We should take a picture and text him!”

Kageyama flicks Hinata in the forehead. “Do not bother one of Japan’s top spikers with your bullshit.”

Wincing, Hinata puts down his phone. “Alright, alright. Geeze.”

Next up are the monkeys. Kageyama looks in interest at the orangutan enclosure, and nudges Hinata with his elbow. “Hey, they have the same color hair as you do.”

Hinata nods. “Yeah, but I’m a lot more handsome than a monkey, though.”

Yes, you are.

“No, not really,” Kageyama says.

“Shut up!”

The rest of the day continues like this, with various insults and back-and-forths. Really, it’s like any normal day, minus the volleyball, plus few more animals. Most of said animals don’t even run away from him, which is nice (he refuses to think that it’s because Hinata is with him).

By the time lunch rolls around, Kageyama could almost say that dates aren’t so bad after all.

The universe acknowledges him shortly afterward when the sky begins thundering. Dark clouds gather in the distance, the wind picks up a little, and families begin to glance at the sky worriedly. Kageyama turns away from the penguins and asks, “Was it supposed to rain today?”

Hinata looks up from his popsicle and shrugs, lips ringed with blue. “I didn’t check the weather.”

Kageyama presses his fingertips into his temples. “So you knew we were going to spend the entire day outside, but didn’t bother to check if it was going to rain.”

“It’s just a little water.”

As it turns out, just a little water begins to escalate into a whole shitton of water. The sky cracks open, rain pouring from the clouds in literal sheets, so Kageyama is forced to grab Hinata’s stupid hand and run towards the sanctuary of the small aquarium.

“I’m really sorry, ok?” Hinata pants, hands braced on his knees. Kageyama tries to catch his breath before taking a half-hearted swing at him.

“Dumbass,” he says, wiping water from his forehead. “You should have checked the weather.” He takes another steadying breath. “Dumbass,” he says again, because he can.

“Aghhhh dumbass, dumbass, dumbass. Is that the—” Hinata gulps more air, gasping “— the only word you know?”

They gather themselves for another moment or two in the darkness of the aquarium, and then—

“Wow...” Hinata whispers.

Kageyama looks up and sees enormous tanks of water, spanning the width of the room and set into the walls. Each are full of eerie, colorful fish, neon coral, fluorescent hues of green and red and purple, filling the room with an ethereal glow.

“This is so cool!” Hinata squeals, and he dashes towards the nearest tank, fingers trailing along the glass. “Just look at all of them!” Before Kageyama can say anything more, Hinata begins to run, one hand still smearing droplets of water against the tank, the other splayed out freely, as if he were about to hit a spike.

He runs and laughs and jumps and sings—and all Kageyama can do is stare. Stare and stare and stare.

(Blue water and orange hair and pale hands stretched free, like he’s flying).

Finally, reality hits him. “Oi, Hinata! You’re getting the glass all dirty, you little—!”

Hinata, having made one complete loop from one end of the room to the other, simply pulls Kageyama along. “Let’s go, Bakageyama! There's probably more!”

“Still, that doesn’t mean you can act like a monkey!” Kageyama hollers back, voice unsteady.

They run wildly, hand in hand, through the nearly empty hall, ignoring the pounding rain and the annoyed stares. Kageyama feels like he’s hanging on for dear life to some kind of lifeline, which is stupid, really, because Hinata’s hand is not a lifeline and is actually really sweaty and still wet with rain.

“Kageyama! Look at the jellyfish!” Hinata says, pointing his free hand at the archway above them. “The ceiling is the fishtank! How cool is that?”

“It’s pretty nice, yeah—HEY DUMBASS, don’t push me!”

Finally, they reach another tank, a little ways off from the main hall, and Hinata slows down. This tank is the largest yet—and the most beautiful, Kageyama thinks. He’s not entirely sure if it’s because the room itself is a little darker, or perhaps the fish here are a little brighter. Weird.

He turns to Hinata to tell him something—what, he’s not entirely sure—when he notices the pale blue light encircling them, reflecting off the planes of Hinata’s face, turning the water droplets in his hair and—holy shit, his eyes— into starlight.

A short breath escapes him, which has nothing to do with the rain, or their run through the halls of a half-empty aquarium.

“Wow…” Hinata says, for the second time, face turned upwards towards the blue, blue light.

Kageyama looks at him for a moment, face feeling a little warm.

“Wow,” he agrees.

Then he turns and steps forward before Hinata can see his burning cheeks, eyes as close to the glass as he can get. He closes them, gives himself a moment to regain his composure. 

It's just some stupid fishtank. Nothing weird about it. 

But behind his eyelids, he sees not blue, but orange. Not fins, but wings.

After a heartbeat, he opens his eyes, and screams.

“What?  What is it? Is it a shark?” Hinata asks, surging forward, just as Kageyama stumbles backwards. They both hit the ground, Kageyama’s back pressing Hinata’s chest against the floor, the latter’s elbow jabbing painfully into the former’s head.

“Jesus,” Kageyama groans. “Watch where the fuck you’re going, you idiot.”

“Well, if you hadn’t yelled like a big baby then maybe we wouldn’t have fallen!” Hinata wheezes back. He shoves Kageyama off of him. “What did you even see, anyway?”

With a groan, Kageyama sits up, gingerly testing out his limbs. “I dunno, some kind of fish?”

Hinata springs up and marches up to the tank, determined to find the source of their distress—and begins to dissolve into a fit of hysterical giggles.

“That? That’s what made you all scared? What a baby—not even Natsu would scream that loudly!” He wipes a stray tear from his eyes. “Aah, you’re so stupid, Bakageyama.”

Kageyama, never one to take such a blow to his pride, stands up indignantly. “It was way scarier than… whatever that thing is!” he spits, jabbing a finger at the offending fish. “It was really small at first! And then it, like, blew up or something!”

“How does it even do that?”

“How the fuck would I know?”

They end up scouring the entire room for some kind of label or sign that can help them identity the mysterious fish—and they find it.

“Apparently, it’s a puffer fish,” Hinata reads, traces of laughter still in his voice. “‘When threatened, the puffer fish often fills its stomach with water as a defense mechanism, exposing its poisonous spines, which act as a deadly poison.’” He glances at Kageyama slyly, a shit-eating grin spreading across his face. “Your face is so scary even the fish freak out when they see it.”

Kageyama figures that Hinata may have the reflexes of a crow, but he must not have the survival instincts of a puffer fish, because he’s seriously asking for an ass-beating. “Hinata, you…”

“But!” Hinata continues brightly, not even noticing the danger. Almost against his will, Kageyama halts his attack and listens. He knows that tone of voice.

He's going to say something really stupid, isn't he?

“Even if the ball was a puffer fish," Hinata says, "—even if it was poisonous and gross and scared of your face, if you set it to me, I would spike it!” He places both hands on Kageyama’s own, eyes aglow, fingers warm. “Because, remember? If I’m here, you’re invincible!”

Kageyama just stares blankly, not quite registering.

When he finally does, he realizes that he is no longer capable of intelligent speech.

So instead, curls his long fingers over Hinata’s smaller ones (they fit perfectly he thinks distantly), and wonders how the hell he can feel so strongly for someone so…so…

“You’re so stupid,” he says, almost in awe.

And before Hinata can protest (Kageyama can see it coming; the indignant flush of his cheeks, his mouth opening slightly to retort back), he bends down and kisses him, right then and there, on his stupid face, in the middle of the world’s stupidest aquarium full of stupid poisonous puffer fish and stupid blue lights that make everything look weird and a fucking stupidly cute boyfriend.

He steps away, and notes, with a sort of detached sense of satisfaction, that they're both really kind of screwed.

“Dumbass,” he says; this time, perhaps, a little softer.

~

“Hey, Hinata. How did your date go?”

“Oh, it went great! Thank you so much for your advice!”

“No problem! I’m glad it went well. Whatcha reading there?”

“It's a book on marine biology! Tsukkishima said he didn't care if I borrowed it."

"That was nice of him."

"Ooh, Suga-san, look here! Did you know that there is enough poison in a puffer fish to kill 30 people?”

“Um. That’s nice, Hinata.”

“Ahhh, man. I want to spike one.”

“Spike what?”

“A puffer fish!”

“Eh?”

[beautiful-bau-beau]

Tale As Old As Time: Chapter 1 Provincial Life

((Lmao the last thing I should be writing is another series right? But I saw beauty and the Beast the other day and I was inspired.))

I give credit to @dontshootmespence​ for helping me organize everything.

Contains: Fluff, Eventual Spencer x Reader- but sorry, you don't have a really appearance in this chapter yet.

Tale As Old As Time Masterlist

--------

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young princess lived in a shining castle. Her name was Y/n.  Although she had everything her heart desired, the princess was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.  But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered her a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the princess sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned the girl not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when she dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.  The princess tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in Y/n's heart, and as punishment, she transformed her into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there. Ashamed of her monstrous form, the beast concealed herself inside her castle, with a magic mirror as her only window to the outside world.  The rose the enchantress had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until her twenty-first year.  If Y/n could learn to love another, and earn his love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken.  If not, she would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.  As the years passed, she fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?

-

A young man exited his home, an unseen smile blooming on his face at the valley he and his mother lived at. The dirt roads, leading to the cobblestone village were earthy and coffee-like, light in the rays of the sun and sapphire skies. The grass wasn't too green, but his mother's garden did brighten up their yard, and brought a sweet smell to his nose.

His name was Spencer. The man was past his twenties, not too long ago turning 37, and still without a bride, content in looking after his mother. Her brain wasn't too sharp anymore, but she had her moments where the young woman he grew up with shone through.

Spencer smoothed down the white smock he wore over his light blue trousers, and matching vest, a white shirt to cover his arms. His shoulder-length hazelnut locks were tied back with a blue ribbon he had stolen from his mother. He grabbed the basket that lie next to the stone stairs he walked down from, placing the book he had thumbed over the last few hours into the weaving.

Every morning Spencer went into town to grab some ingredients for food that day, and to head to the bookshop in town, his favorite place in the entire world. Unfortunately, not everyone in the town really respected him. Some people were cruel, teasing him for being so odd, or being Diana Reid's son. As he reached the buildings and shoppes, he could already see people staring and whispering about him.

He ignored everyone whispering about how he was a 'funny man' or making fun of him for being smart. Although the townsfolk boasted of his beauty, he felt upset and annoyed that that was all they cared about. His mother had always warned him that one shouldn't judge a book by their cover. Speaking of books...

"Ah, Spencer!" The librarian, Emily Prentiss, got down from her ladder where she had previously been dusting to hug her favorite (and most frequent) patron. "Let me guess, you've finished the book already, and no, I'm sorry, we don't have anything new." She pretended not to notice Spencer's embarrassment as he nodded. The library had maybe twenty books to it's name and not many people came to visit. But her business was held afloat by the absence of taxes.

"Can I borrow...this one?" He asked shyly, holding up a familiar leather cover. She nodded, but still felt confused. "I know, I've read this one too many times but...it"s my favorite. Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!" A dreamy look overcame his face as he rambled on.

"Well, if you like it all that much, it's yours!" She proclaimed, laughing at his dumbstruck look upon his face. "I insist! You're the only one who really likes it anyway!"

"Well thank you.' Spencer's voice was quiet, reaching out to hug her once more.  "Thank you very much!" He left the shop, looking like a boy on Christmas morning.

Spencer held the book in his hands that he had already read so much like he had just received a chest of gold. He could practically recite it from memory, but he still contained as much joy as when he first read it as his eyes hungrily ate up 'Once upon a time'. He was careful to avoid damaging the book or running into anyone as he whisked by the market, digging out coins from his smock pockets and paying each merchant for bread, eggs- which were quite expensive- and some slivers of meat from the butcher.

"There he is...." A young girl watched from afar, sipping from her teacup. She wore an expensive tea gown, hair curled and styled high in the fashion that was popular in Paris, looking through the window of a shoe shoppe. Diane Turner was a young, weathly orphan who never stopped reminding Spencer that she was eligible for marriage. It seems the only reason she was so infatuated with him was because he didn't make a bumbling fool of himself offering himself to her like the small group of men she had attracted in the village. She had just returned from Paris, another trip to buy more expensive things and had set her eyes back to on as who she referred to as her future husband.

"No one stands a chance against you Ms., especially against any man." Her friend/servant since birth Maeve Donovan stood by her side, voice gentle, as if merely speaking would anger Diane. Maeve never knew what mood her mistress would be in, but she seemed happy enough with her 'cat ate the canary' smile

Diane set her teacup and saucer down on the windowsill, standing and promptly walking out of the shoppe, ignoring the owner's frown as the rich customer didn't buy anything. Maeve quickly followed suit behind her, amazed how Diane could walk so fast in heels. "I know Maeve, and my eyes are set on that man right there." She pointed up ahead where Spencer slowly walked, softly humming to himself and he flipped through the book.

"You mean crazy Diana Reid's son?" Maeve gasped, furrowing her eyebrows. "But he's-"

"The most beautiful man and town! That makes him the best! And I dare say I do deserve the best don't i?" Diane interrupted with a sneering tone. Maeve stopped in her tracks, blushing as she apologized.

"It's just his mother....you really want to marry into that family?" She mumbled, scurrying back after Diane. Diane made a rude noise, clicking her tongue loudly as she moved to face Maeve.

"You're so simple-minded. His mother is old, she'll probably die soon. Then it will be just Spencer and I. Imagine it... his latest kill roasting on the fire, and I, his little wife massaging his feet while our six or seven little ones play with the dogs."

"Spencer? Hunting?" Maeve had to stifle a laugh, questing down as the pair finally reached the aforementioned man. The idea seemed positively ridiculous. "Spencer!" Diane greeted, smiling and giving a polite nod.

"Bonjour..." Spencer quickly finished the last sentence of the page he was reading and looked up, bowing slightly. He wasn't expecting Diane to pry the book from his hands as she did, flipping through the pages.

"What's this about hm? Shouldn't you be out hunting with the other village men? I heard they were all out today." Spencer had to hold back scoffing at her statement. It wasn't that he was against hunting, he just preferred staying inside and reading with his mother.

"There's more to life then chasing an animal." Spencer nodded politely, taking the book back and trying to end the conversation and walk away but Diane stood in his path. "Yes, there is, I am delighted you've noticed. You know, most of the townsfolk think that you might not be looking exactly for a wife due to your...lack of..." She rambled on and his face turned a light pink, eyebrows furrowing. "You should join me for tea one day." She proposed and he shook his head, declining.

"I can't, my mother needs my help." He gestured to the path that led to his house, grimacing when Diane started laughing at him, elbowing Maeve harshly to join in. Spencer bit back a sigh, almost rolling his eyes.

"Your mother? She's just a peculiar old spinster....I guess that would mean she needs all the help she can get." Spencer' saw clenched, making Maeve stop her forced laughter out of fear, Diane being completely ignorant.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother that way." He walked around her to head back to his house, ignoring the four heels that pitter-pattered behind him, biting his lip harshly when Diane tried to pass the comment off like Maeve had set it. Spencer practically ran up the path when he finally saw the fence around his house.

"Spencer!" Diane cried exasperatedly, corset and excessive exercise making it hard to breathe. "Listen, we've lived in this town our whole lives, yes?" She waited for him to agree before she continued. "Let's not beat around the bush then. We're both in our prime, and let's be honest, you really can't do better then me... let alone being in this small town or not...." She trailed off, giving him a pointed look.

"What are you...why...is this your way of getting me to propose to you?" He almost laughed but the fear of being Mr. Diane Turner overpowered his hysterics. His pace started getting quicker. "Diane, you're right about one thing, we've lived in this town our whole lives. I've known you since we were little, but the one thing that has never changed is your arrogance." His hands finally reached the wooden gate and he tried to quickly shut it but Diane, with a furious expression tore right through behind him, not caring if she stepped on any flowers.

"All I'm saying is that we could never be happy together, so therefore, after thinking, and realizing I'm too poor to buy you a fancy ring or anything really, maybe, perhaps, we shouldn't get married at all. Have a good day!" He opened and slammed his front door shut, leaning his back against the heavy oak and sliding down until he almost hit the floor. After he was sure she was gone, he bolted out of his house, muttering to himself.

"Mousier Turner- ha! Can't you just see it? Her husband! No sir!" He ran off into the wide open lands behind his house, practically collapsing as he stared up into the sky. Didn't anybody realize that he wanted to leave this village? He wanted adventure so much he dreamt vivid dreams about traveling. Why couldn't anyone understand? -

"I cannot do this anymore Spencer." His mother sighed, quill in hand, scrolls of various chapters about her novel she had been working on. Every year she would write one but no one ever picked them up. "Too intimidated by your genius" Spencer would tell her.

"Mother you always say that, and every year you finish it." Spencer waved off his mother's rambling, trying to find a place to set down a meal for her. It was crunch time, her leaving tomorrow meant he needed to finish editing today.

"I mean it, this time.  I'll never get this boneheaded story to sound even remotely good at all." Diana ran her hand through her hair, elbows on the desk in front of her. Spencer shook his head, making his way over to her.

"Yes, you will.  And you'll finally get that publication." He continued as she groaned, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.  "...and become a world famous author! Soon every person in the world will have their very own Diana Reid story.

"You really believe that?' Her tone became soft, unbelieving.  "I always have." he reassured her, kissing his mother on the cheek. She seemed satisfied with that so he had started cleaning up, making sure not to step on any pages.

"So, did you have a good time in town today?" She mumbled as she worked, adjusting her spectacles.

"I got a new book." He shrugged and stayed quiet for a few moments. "......Mama, do you think I'm odd?"

"My son?  Odd?" She tutted, shaking her head.  "Where would you get an idea like that?"

"Oh, I don't know.  It's just I'm not sure I've ever really fitted in this town. There's no one I can really talk to."

"What about that...' She snapped her fingers for a moment trying to think. "Diane?  She's a pretty little thing! Rich as well...." Spencer snorted. "She's pretty all right, pretty rude and conceited and...Oh Mother, she's not for me!"

"Well, don't you worry, cause this book should be the start of a new life for us. I think that's done it.  Now, give it a read." She thrusted the stack of papers over in his direction. It took him about 20 minutes to get through the whole thing, well, everything he was given while Diana almost paced a hole in the floor. "Well....It's wonderful. My favorite book so far."

"It works? It works!" She shrieked, grabbing him in a hug and kissing his face.

"You did it!  You really did it!" He hoped his mother's words rang true. He so badly wished to get out of here, one nice he knew for certain his mother was safe, maybe then he could try thinking about love. -

The next morning Spencer watched with a frown as his mother got ready for her yearly trip to Paris. He was never allowed to go, and although he wondered why, he never fought his mother's decision. She went every year not only to go and publish her books but to go and learn new things, get new books, and bring back new ideas. Diana had always wanted to be a teacher, but she wasn't allowed to, as a women, for they were too "fragile".

"My dear, is there anything you would like?" Diana was bustling around outside, getting all of her bags and books. Spencer pitched in to help, his added strength unfortunately making the job done quicker.

"I only wish for a rose." He replied, smile growing when Diana turned, slightly puzzled. "You ask for that every year..." She wondered out loud, giving him a look.

"There are no roses that grow in this part of town... I've looked everywhere. I can remember when I was younger, they used to be all around us..." He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck, stopping his bashful activities when his mother leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Then I will continue to bring you one." She cupped the side of his face with her hand, saying her goodbyes and heading on her way. Spencer ran behind her, shouting and waving his own goodbyes until Phillippe pulled the carriage too fast for his liking.

It wasn't until early the next morning, earlier then the crows of the roosters that Spencer heard violent whinny's outside of the house. He opened the door to find Phillippe, no carriage, his mother not in sight. Without a second thought he climbed on the horses back, flicking the reins.

"Take me to her."