#hot sauce expo

[justlemmeadoreyou]

2. the offer (restaurant owner!harry x chef!y/n)

(part 1 here)

summary: as you settle into the grueling routine at Haus, you find yourself seeking out any moment of praise or feedback from harry. you two develop an understanding, but it's still hard to focus when he's being...him. safe to say, it ends contrary to what you would have done if you were still the 16-year old smitten fangirl.

words: 5k

warnings: flirtations, some inappropriate behaviour, cursing

finally managed to use this pic in a fic!

***

"Keep your eyes on your own work, newbie!" Thomason's gruff yell made you jump, nearly burning your knuckles on the hot grill. 

You whipped your head around guiltily to see the grumpy head chef scowling at you from across the kitchen line. His eyes followed your sheepish gaze to where you had been not-so-secretly watching Harry chatting easily with the maître d' by the kitchen's swing doors.

Feeling your cheeks get hot, you stammered an apology to Thomason before fully focusing on the sizzling food under your tongs. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the burly man roll his eyes in disgust before barking at someone else down the line.

Ever since that surprisingly nice interaction with Harry a few nights ago, you found your wandering thoughts kept getting...preoccupied whenever you had a free moment. You hated to admit it, but some unprofessional part of you kept replaying his words praising your potential while those kaleidoscope green eyes held your gaze with seeming sincerity.

Just remembering the slight rasp of his voice was enough to give you butterflies in your stomach anytime Harry was nearby. You tried to push those feelings down with shame, scolding yourself for entertaining even a hint of inappropriate conduct.

This was your dream job, your long-awaited chance to finally prove yourself in a real professional kitchen. Getting distracted by your silly childhood crush could derail everything you'd worked so hard for.

But despite your internal pep talks, you couldn't quite shake the electrifying tingles that spread through your body whenever Harry was within fifteen feet of you. As embarrassing as it was to admit, just his nearness alone was enough to make you flustered.

You blinked hard and refocused with renewed determination on assembling the line of beautifully seared steaks. Keep your head down, you firmly reminded yourself. Don't mess this up over some silly fantasies about your boss!

As if testing your resolve, you looked up from garnishing the plates to see Harry striding through the pass, easy grin in place. He opened his mouth to speak to one of the sauce cooks but seemed to notice you watching. His lips curved a bit smugger as his jade eyes met yours from across the sizzling line.

With a subtle but obvious look up and down your body, Harry winked before turning to murmur his instructions. Your heart nearly stopped in your chest as an unexpected spike of nerves shot through you.

Was...was Harry actually flirting with you? Or had you just been so obviously drooling over him that he was amused to throw you a bone? Your face burned as you ruthlessly shook the thoughts away. 

In any case, this was no time for getting flustered - the height of Friday night dinner service was upon you. With sheer willpower, you blocked out everything except perfectly executing each plate and order. Harry Styles was now off-limits in your mind.

Until, that is, you heard Thomason's gravelly shout over the din: "Styles! We need you over here!"

You risked a quick glance to see the head chef gesturing for Harry's attention from across the kitchen. With one last considering look in your direction, Harry sauntered over to join Thomason at the expo station just as the evening's first orders began flying in.

You watched, trying to be subtle, as Harry fell effortlessly into the choreographed rush. He moved with an easy confidence as he inspected each dish, adding a sauce here, delicately plating a garnish there. His broad shoulders flexed under his snug black t-shirt as he reached over cooks, communicating with nudges and gestures.

This kitchen was clearly his domain; Harry commanded the space with the born ease of a natural leader. You stared, captivated by the smooth fluidity of his motions, the barely contained power in his lean, tall frame. It was mesmerizing watching him work like a master conductor.

Without seeming to think about it, Harry's brow would furrow in concentration whenever a plate arrived at his station. His gaze would rove over each element, those full pink lips pursing as he scrutinized the arrangement intensely. There was something utterly gripping about watching him wield that intense focus on each dish, his large hands deft and precise.

Your mouth went dry as you caught the shift of taut forearm muscles beneath tanned skin as Harry wiped an artistic streak of sauce. He gave a curt nod to Thomason, his chiseled jawline tightening in approval.

You realized this raw charisma and talent was putting on an entrancing performance for you...almost like a private show if you let your thoughts wander inappropriately. Smacking your forehead sharply, you earned a concerned side-eye from a nearby cook. Yanking yourself back to the present, you redoubled your focus on the tickets before you. No more watching Harry, not when you couldn't afford a single mistake.

Despite your best efforts, the rest of the evening flew by in a blur. You cooked and plated automatically with precision...yet couldn't stop tracking Harry in your peripheral vision. 

You saw him ducking out to handle a special order, then return with a rare olive oil for a dish alteration. You watched him joking with the bread server before snatching a buttery roll to taste the fresh bake. No matter where you turned, Harry always seemed to orbit nearby, that addictive charisma and easy grace undercutting your indifference attempts.

By the time Thomason finally called for station breakdown, your knees wobbled from the marathon stress combined with subtle Harry overload. You couldn't even feel good about handling such intensity because you were so emotionally drained.

As the crew began the process of cleaning and sanitizing, you heard a polite throat clearing behind you. You turned, already flushing, to find Harry watching you with an unreadable expression.

"Uh, hey," you croaked, shocked at your own cracking confidence around him. Harry arched one perfect brow but said nothing, seemingly waiting for you to gather yourself.

You swallowed hard before trying again. "Was...was there something you needed, Harry? I'm just about to start shutting everything down."

A slow grin spread across his lips as his eyes crinkled at the corners. For a strangely open moment, you felt like you could see straight into Harry's core - the intelligence and intensity normally hidden behind his lazy facade.

"You did brilliant tonight, you know?" he murmured, looking you up and down consideringly. "Thomason worked you hard, we all did - but you kept steady through the chaos no matter what."

Your stomach clenched with surprise at his open praise, tingling warmth blossoming outwards.

"O-oh. Um, thank you?" You winced at how flustered and uncertain you sounded.

But Harry's smile only deepened as he took an unhurried step towards you, decreasing the distance to mere inches. You could now catch the woodsy, leathery notes of his cologne taunting your senses.

"Nothing uncertain about it," he murmured, voice lowering an octave. His eyes traveled over your face before lingering on your chest. You felt unable to breathe under that smoldering gaze. "You're really getting the hang of this kitchen, aren't you?"

Despite your racing pulse, you bristled slightly at the implication. "Well, I still have a long way to go to be the cook you and Thomason are."

Those full lips curved at one corner. "True - but we both see the potential there, don't we?" Harry's voice had taken on a low, gravelly timbre that made something in your belly stir.

He took another casual step forward, crowding you back until the counter dug into your thighs. This close, you could see the gold and amber flecks in his green irises, feel the clean warmth of his body heat between you.

"You've got a long road ahead," he continued, so close now his words rasped against the side of your neck. "But I'd be lying if I said I haven't noticed how quickly you're accelerating."

The way he said that last word made you shiver despite the kitchen's heat. Harry's gaze dipped to your parted lips, then flicked back up, intense.  

"Tell me," he said in that same rumbling baritone. "Would you be open to my...personal mentorship? I could help get you up to speed even faster."

His meaning slammed into you like a shove. Was Harry...propositioning you? In an utterly inappropriate way that could get you fired?

Heart pounding, you could only gape at him, at a total loss. Part of you screamed at how wildly wrong this was, how you needed to shut it down immediately. This was your celebrity chef boss, for God's sake!

And yet, another part of you was utterly enthralled by the clear want in Harry's gaze, the visceral attraction crackling between you. All you'd need is to give a single nod and you could potentially experience pleasures you'd only fantasized about with one of the world's most desirable men...

Harry must have seen the conflict on your face because his lips twitched in a knowing smirk. Another half step forward brought your bodies almost flush, the hard planes of his chest brushing against your soft curves through his thin t-shirt. Your breath caught at the heated friction.

"Tell you what," Harry purred, his voice thick with suggestion. "Take a nice, hot shower after your shift tonight. Really think over my offer while you're alone."

With a searing look that felt X-rated, Harry reluctantly leaned back, restoring a sliver of propriety between you. Still, he held your heated stare as he reached out with one large hand and trailed his fingertips feather-light down your flushed cheek.

The barely-there caress sparked tingles everywhere. Your lips parted helplessly on a silent gasp as every nerve ending in your body felt sensitive.

A devilish glint sparked in Harry's eyes at your reaction. With a final wink, he turned to saunter off through the kitchen doors. You watched him go in a stupefied daze, unable to process anything beyond the strong throb now pulsing between your thighs.

What...had just happened? Your brain whirred trying to comprehend what precipitated that completely unprofessional come-on. Had you unconsciously encouraged Harry's advances somehow? Led him to believe you were open to that kind of...inappropriate relationship?

The mere thought of anyone perceiving you as willing to use your sexuality to get ahead made your stomach churn with shame. You had worked too damn hard to get here - you wouldn't risk tanking it all for some secret fling!

Yet a tiny part of you couldn't stop replaying Harry's scent, the timbre of his voice calling you "pet"...the unmistakable promise of illicit thrills in his heated gaze. You gave yourself a harsh internal shake, appalled that you could be so quickly led astray by such baseless temptation.  

Steadying your breathing, you forced yourself to refocus on meticulously cleaning your station. One step at a time, that was all you could think about. Allow yourself to get distracted by Harry's appeal and you were doomed.

Though it took every ounce of willpower, you managed to lose yourself in the monotony of scrubbing and sanitizing. The rhythmic motions gradually purged those unwelcome jolts of arousal, until you felt more like yourself again.

Some twisted part of you couldn't resist a bitter laugh. As if Harry Styles, world-famous millionaire, would ever seriously pursue someone like you. No, whatever sparked that bold flirtation, it was undoubtedly just him amusing himself by yanking your chain hard. 

Shaking your head disgustedly, you stacked your clean pans. This kind of negative self-talk was just as unproductive as indulging fantasies. Squaring your shoulders, you decided to follow Harry's advice - a hot shower was wise after a shift like tonight, then straight to bed.

Tomorrow was a new day to refocus and earn your place, plain and simple. As you hung up your apron, you resolved to greet Harry with a clear head, a smile, and firm professional boundaries from now on. Time to nip this nonsense.

Unfortunately, maintaining those boundaries proved far easier said than done. Over the next couple weeks, it seemed like Harry launched a campaign to slowly chip away at your sense of propriety.

It was like a game, seeing how far he could push before you combusted. Every time you'd settle back into your usual groove, Harry would level you with flirtatious comments.

Like when you restocked the walk-in shelves, so focused you didn't hear the door open behind you. The first hint of no longer being alone was the heat of Harry's chest against your back, molding from shoulder to hip.

His raspy exhale ghosted your neck as he purred, "Need any...extra hands to reach those hard-to-reach places, love?"

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the suggestive comment. Whirling around, you found yourself centimeters from his chiseled jaw, close enough to feel his amused chuckle.

He took a single step back, eyes shamelessly roving over your body before meeting your gaze, one eyebrow arched invitingly. You could only gape, robbed of coherent thoughts.

"I-I didn't hear you come in," you eventually stammered, trying in vain to will your blush away.    

Harry simply tipped you a wink before squeezing past you through the narrow opening, his body dragging against yours with every micro-movement. By the time he sauntered out whistling, you were gripping the shelves to keep upright.

It wasn't just the innuendos and lingering looks Harry leveled at you that made you feel like you were losing it. He'd instigate small, casual intimacies while you worked, completely eroding your focus.

Like when you labored over a roulade during prep, Harry hovered at your shoulder to murmur appreciated groans about "how good you are at working that lengthy meat with your bare hands."

You froze, blood rushing to your cheeks as Harry's heated gaze bore into you. His lips twitched as he deliberately looked you up and down, taking in your flushed throat. 

"Among other things," he added in a tone dripping with innuendo, making you nearly drop the roulade. Harry threw you a scorching look before sauntering off, leaving you flustered.

Another time, you garnished a plate when you felt Harry's hard body press against your back. His large hands caged you in as he leaned down. You froze, breath catching, as his nose skimmed along your neck to the soft spot beneath your ear.

"Mmm, you smell delicious," Harry rumbled, his gravelly voice sparking tingles everywhere his warm breath hit. "I could just eat you up, petal."

You barely suppressed a whimper at the heated promise in his tone, squeezing your thighs together as arousal flooded you. Harry chuckled low, leaving you feverish and shaky after brushing his lips along your ear.

Moments like these rapidly became the norm - heated glances, suggestive remarks laced with innuendo, lingering casual touches far past professional boundaries. It left you feeling unmoored and disoriented, certain the prize was something deliriously illicit.

You tried to shut it down at first, offering polite reminders about conduct. But Harry only grinned, as if you barely registered. "Relax, love. Harmless flirting between coworkers never hurt anyone."  

As the incidents persisted, your token protests grew weaker. Though you refused to admit it, some part of you began craving Harry's heated focus and suggestive teasing like an addiction.

He always paid you those inappropriate compliments while deeply engrossed in showpiece cooking. As if he derived pleasure from flustering you amid such intense artistry. 

Truthfully, it did add an undercurrent of charged tension to mundane tasks - feeling Harry's eyes tracking your hands as you worked, knowing he was eye-undressing you. Though you refused to meet his gaze, a delicious shiver inevitably rippled through you.

He'd hover nearby with a murmured narration: "Oh yeah, petal...use both hands to really get a good grip on that shaft...fucking gorgeous watching you stroke it like that..."

No matter how disciplined you tried to be, Harry's sly innuendo always made your mind race with X-rated visuals of intimacy. You'd bite your cheek to keep from whimpering, consumed by arousal and shame equally.

By the time work ended each night, you felt punch-drunk and disoriented, like you'd run an erotic marathon. More than once, Harry would further mercilessly bait you in those vulnerable moments.

"You look thoroughly debauched, petal," he'd purr, eyes burning into yours before dragging down your sweat-dampened form. "Care to skip the hot shower and come home with me instead? I'll give those talented hands a real workout..."  

You swore Harry could make any phrase sound filthy. On too many nights, you fled to your car - face flushed, breath uneven, core throbbing - envisioning how those invitations might unfold.

In quieter moments, bitter self-recrimination was your companion. How had you let yourself become such a pathetic, distracted mess over meaningless flirting? No matter how heated Harry's stares felt, he was your famous boss while you were nobody.  

Your entire career and reputation rested on maintaining a strict professional boundary, no matter how electrifying and tempting your boss's overt sexuality. You resolved on more than one drive home to simply start shutting things completely down as soon as inappropriate comments began, no matter how intoxicating they felt.

Sadly, as soon as you stepped back into the thick of Harry's potent charisma and sensual magnetic field, your willpower tended to erode embarrassingly fast. 

One morning during a high-stress meal prep, you trudged towards the walk-in in search of more chives. Harry looked up sharply from his sauce station as you passed his station and snagged your wrist to halt you. The unexpected gesture made you jump, and you whirled to find his  eyes already roving hungrily over you.

"Wait," he rumbled, not bothering with any professionalism as his heated stare settled on your lips. Before you could question him, Harry tugged you flush against the long hard planes of his body, caging you against his workstation with his pelvis slotted snugly between your thighs.

The sheer eroticism of that ardent man-handling and friction punched the breath from your lungs. You could only stare up at Harry with wide, lust-blown eyes, momentarily bemused into stillness as his forearm came to rest beside your head, his deliciously musky sandalwood scent surrounding you in an intoxicating cloud.

"You've got a smear of sauce right..." Harry breathed against your mouth, so close now you could taste the earthy spice on his warm breath. His free hand came up to cup your jaw tenderly, rough thumb swiping out to trace the seam of your parted lips. "Here."

Your chest heaved against his in tiny, panting gasps. Any remaining illusion of boundary, lay in crumbling ruins around your feet. There was no mistaking Harry's seduction for mere playful teasing at this proximity, and indecency.

This was him finally making his play, naked want and desire radiating off his tall frame in scorching waves as his searing gaze clung to your mouth. Every ounce of blood in your body rushed straight between your thighs in anticipation.

You remained utterly motionless, rendered speechless and hyper-focused entirely on the sizzling feedback of sensation Harry's proximity inspired. He was absolutely everywhere - the heat of his body seeping under your skin, the slow rhythmic rise and fall of his chest brushing against yours, the gravelly white noise of his ragged breathing surrounding your senses.

Every rational thought in your mind screamed at you to gather some shred of control and push him away, firmly shut this down before it escalated further than you could ever recover from. But you remained frozen in place, utterly possessed by the intoxicating anticipation of what those plump, virile lips would feel like finally slanting over your own.

Just as your last vestiges of propriety and worry threatened to shatter, a ringing clatter of trays against metal echoed in the hallway. Both of you jumped as if electrocuted, the tension between your pressed bodies dissipating in an instant as reality came crashing back. You stumbled backwards, putting several feet between you, just as one of the prep cooks rounded the corner lugging a heavy trolley.

Harry cleared his throat roughly and shifted to put more workspace between you, drawing in a deep, steadying breath. The aborted moment seemed to penetrate the fog of arousal, harsh light returning to his dilated emerald eyes as they flickered across you. You wrapped your arms around your midsection defensively, suddenly feeling small and skittish under the weight of his palpable discomfort.

The prep cook sailed by with a polite nod, oblivious to the fraught tableau he'd interrupted. As soon as he rounded the corner again, Harry shook his head and grasped the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, squeezing his eyes shut in clear frustration.

You watched with bated breath, anxiety coiled in your belly, as he seemed to wrestle with some internal dilemma. When Harry finally opened his eyes again, the naked hunger that had consumed him only moments ago was carefully veiled once more behind that affable, dimpled mask.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, more to himself than you. Straightening, Harry met your uncertain gaze head-on, his own shuttered and inscrutable. "That was...completely out of line. Unprofessional of me."

Your heart stammered in your chest at the curt dismissal, warm arousal rapidly cooling into brittle rejection. Of course this had all been a mere game to Harry, one he lost interest in as soon as the threat of consequences loomed. You were such a fool to have let yourself get caught up in the fantasy.

Fighting to keep your expression neutral, you gave a small, tight nod. "It's alright, Harry. I understand. We got...carried away there for a moment." The flimsy excuse felt pathetic even to your own ears, but you pressed on. "It won't happen again, I can assure you."

Something flickered behind Harry's gaze at your reassurance, though you couldn't parse its meaning. He maintained the weighted silence for a heavy pause before finally replying.

"See that it doesn't," he replied evenly, a subtle edge to his deep timbre. "We're professionals in a workplace, after all. No matter what harmless games we play at, I'd hate to see you get...distracted from your goals here, petal."

You flinched at the petname, once again. Color bloomed hot across your cheeks at the insinuation that you would be the one unable to draw the line between flirtation and flat-out unprofessional conduct.

Disappointment and shame swirled sickeningly in your gut alongside lingering arousal. Before you could formulate a response, Thomason's bellow echoed across the kitchen, shockingly close. "Oi! Either get back to your stations or take the grope fest to the alley already! Some of us got shit to do today!"

If you thought you were flushed before, it was nothing compared to the full-body conflagration sparked by the head chef's words. You opened and closed your mouth soundlessly, utterly mortified at being caught out in such compromising circumstances, as Thomason stomped closer into view with a disgusted scowl. 

"What the fuck are you two playing at, huh?" he demanded gruffly, stabbing an accusatory finger first at you then Harry. "Styles, I expected this kind of shitty lack of focus from a prima donna rock star jackass - but you?" He swung his narrowed glare your way, making you shrink back involuntarily. "If you want to keep getting world-class knowledge dropped on your dumb ass, try keeping it in your goddamn pants around the maestro for five fucking minutes!"

If possible, your flush deepened even further at his harsh reprimand. Shame roiled nauseously as you struggled to meet Thomason's furious glare, much less Harry's eerily impassive one. This was it, the humiliating moment you'd been dreading - getting outed as just another silly starstruck girl unable to rein in inappropriate impulses around her famous boss.

Just as you began mentally drafting your letter of resignation, Harry finally broke the tension by letting out a low chuckle. You shot him an incredulous glance, but he simply shook his head, dimples creasing his cheeks ruefully. Raising placating hands, he turned to the seething Thomason with an engaging grin.

"Easy there, Paulie. No need to get your apron twisted, nothing skeevy going on here I assure you." Dropping one hand to your shoulder, Harry gave it a firm squeeze, muscles in his bicep flexing enticingly. "Our young prodigy and I were just engaged in a bit of innocent culinary mentorship. You know how hands-on and intense those private tutorials can get."

His lascivious emphasis made it clear there was nothing 'innocent' about the nature of contact you'd nearly devolved into. But Thomason seemed to relax marginally all the same, giving a grunt of grudging acceptance.

"Fine, but keep your dick out of the dough while you're on my clock, capisce?" he growled at Harry, ignoring your scandalized gasp as he turned on his heel to stomp away. "Christ, I feel like I'm running a fucking fry shack instead of a Michelin kitchen..."

You watched his retreating back, utterly stunned into speechlessness by the unbelievable turn of events. Was...that seriously it? Harry had just implicitly outed your unprofessional indiscretion, and the consequences amounted to mild ribbing and a halfhearted reprimand?

Slowly, you pivoted to face Harry once more, utterly at a loss. His hand was still a scorching brand on the cool exposed skin of your shoulder, eyes glinting with that same indefinable mischief you'd witnessed him deploying to charm countless others.

As if sensing where your thoughts were headed, Harry quirked a knowing smile before finally withdrawing his touch. "Don't look so stricken, love. Paulie likes to play the crusty hardass, but far as he's concerned - as long as the work gets done right, whatever happens off the clock is nobody's business but our own."

His emphasis on those last few words rang with clear unspoken suggestion. But unlike before, you felt firmly centered in yourself enough to shake off any arousal. Lifting your chin defiantly to meet his smoldering gaze, you replied in a low, measured tone:

"Then with all due respect, Harry...I believe I'll pass."

For the first time all evening, the suave restaurateur looked briefly taken aback. You refused to let the flicker of uncertainty show as you pressed on, keeping your voice carefully modulated.

"I've put in far too much time and hard work getting here to jeopardize it all over some...tawdry infatuation. So while I'm flattered by the attention, and your willingness to keep things discreet, I have to draw the line at anything more than a professional mentorship."

Harry's eyes narrowed fractionally, clearly unaccustomed to such outright rejection. You refused to quail, squaring your shoulders as you laid it all on the table.

"My dreams are bigger than being another disposable conquest for my famous boss to slum with in secret. If you can't see me as more than that...well then, I wish you the very best. But our relationship can only be strictly chef-to-chef from here on out."

You paused to let the weight of your impassioned words hang between you, searching Harry's expression for any flicker of reaction. For several tense moments, the only sounds were the distant murmurings of kitchen noises and your own thundering pulse.

Then, as if an invisible switch clicked, Harry's stony demeanour melted away - replaced by a look of grudging amusement and what could only be begrudging respect. The familiar dimples you adored so much reappeared as his lips curved into a wry half-smile.

"I see," he replied at last, voice low and considering. "Well then. If those are your terms, I can hardly expect any less from such an admirably principled young chef, can I?"

Another beat passed between you, the tension slowly bleeding out to be replaced with the subtlest charge of intrigue. Harry's emerald gaze roamed over you in a way that felt far more evaluative than outright sensual before he spoke again.

"Very well then. A professional mentorship it shall be, with all the rigor and boundaries that implies. But make no mistake..." Here his lips stretched into a lopsided smirk that somehow felt both conspiratorial and vaguely provocative. "I expect you to rise to every challenge and be an exceptionally eager pupil, my dear."

You couldn't quite suppress the shiver that rippled through you at his lilting promise, despite your best efforts. If anything, the glint in Harry's eye only sharpened at your reaction, his grin taking on a hint of satisfaction.

Wanting to flee the weighted tension before it could reset that dangerous gravitational pull between you, you quickly gave a curt nod before turning on your heel to walk away. "Then we have an understanding. I won't let you down, Chef.”

♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡

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[carnal-lnstinct]

☆☆ Pairing: sick!Toji x Reader ( afab ) ☆☆ Content: domestic relationship, domestic fluff, oral ( female receiving ), Toji recovers from being sick and takes full advantage of it ☆☆ Warning: M/18+. MINORS DNI. explicit language ☆☆ insp/fic recommendation

He’s become so temperamental and unbearably curt over the last two days, though it’s hard to take him seriously when he punctuated his gripes with congested sniffs. The worst of his cold had passed when his fever finally broke and his appetite gradually returned in full swing. Whatever he caught had run its course, but it hadn’t yet improved his foul mood. Toji just didn’t seem to let his pout go, stubbornly holding onto it until he could get around as he pleased again unburdened by the aches and chills tiring him and your “nagging” keeping him lying around in bed. He didn’t care much for being too idle for too long. It gave him too much to think about.

As he got better you were relieved in the shifts of his tone, the softer he spoke and the less he kept trying to brush you off. In his own way, Toji began to embrace your tender love and care with his teasing little quips. Referring to you as too doting over a little sniffle and fever but done so with his suave grin. It got him an eye roll in return and he didn’t overlook the way you bit your lip to contain the smile it brought out of you. But you were not deterred in urging him to eat the soup you brought with you.

The warm smell found his nose long before you came into the room with it and he would be lying if it didn’t get his stomach growling. With his appetite restored he was in the mood for a real meal now, not soup. Definitely something hot and meaty, dripping with sauce and fully loaded with all the trimmings. He openly turned down your soup and made his craving known in great detail to you. Such a request was well received with a grin for his restored appetite, but when you told him something that heavy would clash with his antibiotics, his annoyed pout returned. Toji glowered, sucked his teeth and turned over in bed with his back to you.

In response, you frowned and sucked your teeth back at him followed with an exasperated huff. You’ve never known a more brattier man. While he’s never delved into where he came from, the repeated snuffs like that leads you to believe it must be from somewhere pompous and acceptable to reject free food. His attitude— as annoying as it may be— is still a reassurance of his improved health. If he had enough energy to make that big a fuss, he was well on his way to getting that meal sooner than he thought.

“Would you please just eat the soup?” You would like to say you were trying to reason with him, but your miffed tone didn’t get the message across. “You’ll be eating the way you want by dinner tomorrow, at the earliest. Come on, Toji.” His head tilts back lazily, letting his green eyes peer over his shoulder at you. “...Please?” You try to take the sharpness out of your tone, moving closer to the bed and holding out the bowl of soup. Toji’s eyes flick between you and the bowl once, then he rolls back over and extends his hand to take it without a word of fuss.

However, it’s a fake out! In a swift motion, your body bounced against the mattress and you found yourself on your back where the sheets and pillows were still warm from his body. Your head turns hearing the soup bowl safely placed on the nightstand among his emptied water bottles gathered over the last couple of days. Toji lets out a soft huff above you, hungry eyes darkening under his messy bangs. His tongue peaks from between his lips as it slid from one corner to the other of his smirk.

“Toji!” You cried out in surprise when he easily slipped your bottoms off and tossed it without care. “Toji, wait—”

Another reflection of his improved health was his display of swiftness and strength. You were yanked down away from the pillows in a single strong pull effortlessly and your knees were pinned back to your chest, completely exposing you to his lustful intentions.

“Look at that.” His hot mouth pressed into the warmth of your folds, giving an affectionate kiss. His voice vibrates in between with an approving hum at the taste on his lips. “Dinner’s served.” He wasn't going to waste another day in this bed living off soup, tea, and bitter pills. The taste of your clit between his lips prompts him to hold your thighs in his large hands, an appreciative squeeze at the flesh as he holds your legs apart to fit his head in between.

Your delicate whine fuels him to wash between your folds with his tongue until you shudder under his hands. His heated mouth engulfed you and you gasp feeling his tongue penetrate you, lapping for more of your aroused flavor. You can feel how much he was getting into it by how fervently he breathed through his nose and groaned as he drank in your essence. 

Toji pulled back with a husky breath as he licked his lips, feeling you tremble again under his hold at the loss. “Think a damn cold is gonna keep me away from this, huh?” He taunted as he looked up at you through his bangs taking in your crumbling disposition. His hands give you a squeeze, pulling your pussy back up to his mouth to dine on you, feeding into your squirms and helpless moans until you arched in desperation. 

“T-Toji, please. You…shouldn't!” You whined out loud, your willpower weak. Hands finding a handful of sheets in one grasp and black hair in the other.

His response is a deep chuckle into your pussy. “No turning back now.” Toji further encourages your submission, flicking your sensitive clit with his tongue until your insides twitch and leak to his delight. He went on like this until you came twice in his mouth and he just couldn't take the lack of friction between his own legs.

With your legs against his shoulders, Toji gripped your hips, fitting your tight and sensitive hole around his cock and enthralled with the way your legs continued to shake. He couldn’t resist popping your ass and the side of your thigh before bouncing you off his hips in deep, quick thrusts. You arched further at the sensation of your insides opening up further as his tip kissed that sweet spot, naturally eating away at your ability to think and building you up for that third orgasm. You bit into your bottom lip just trying to keep your wits intact and breathe, your eyes finding his smug smirk above you when you could open them.

His name was a breathless and broken sound leaving your lips and when you thought you felt all of him inside, he adjusted and moved his closer, shallow thrusts filling you with his entire girth and leaving your mouth hung open in a silent whine. Your legs wanted to squeeze him, trembling even more and he groaned with his mischievous glint watching you come undo before his eyes at the tremulous spasms around his cock.

Badly he wanted to kiss that pretty, howling mouth of yours but he restrained that much at least, antibiotics or not. He lowered your legs to hang open around his waist giving you back some freedom. His warm chest pressed to yours and your arms wrapped around his wide back to pull him in. Toji grinds into you as you bury your face into his neck, which you found more hot than usual either due to his waning fever or just the way his body heated up as it craved to cum. 

As much as he wanted to test every limit per his norm with you, there was that uncomfortable heat building back up inside him. He was sweating more than he usually would be by now and even found himself panting the longer he fucked you, that sickly chill snaking up his spine. Rather than admit you were right to push for this, he adhered to his own stubborn words and continued to pump into you with longer thrusts. His momentum was steady and everything around him was squeezing just right from your suckling pussy to the clinging of your hands in his back and legs around his waist. 

You rocked beneath him with your voice crying out, tensing up suddenly as the waves of your orgasm took hold and pushed Toji over the edge along with you. You were pushed further into the bed with his ragged thrusts and shivering pants. The sensation felt endless, even after he slowed down upon filling you up with his seed and his cock still holding it in.

Then, he suddenly felt heavy on top of you, his hands up flat upon the bed by his head and yours. His face was flushed and sweaty, resting beside yours as you lifted your face over his shoulder. He doesn’t seem to be moving away, the heated skin of his body beginning to become unbearable against you.

You swallowed, finding your voice again as you took in a deep breath. “...Toji?”

“Hm?” Toji's voice was slightly muffled in the cool, untouched sections of the sheets.

“You okay?��

“...No.” He admitted to the downfall of his hubris. His special body was not yet freed of this infection to consider himself invincible once again. A reassuring hand brushed down his nape.

“So…soup.”

Toji turned his head to you, a gentle nuzzle as he rested his face against your cheek. Grumpy, but needy. “...Yeah.”

[hueylengyong15]

Everything I did at Pavilion Damansara Heights.

Since it was the third day of CNY last week, I decided to go for an exploration around the soft opening of the mall. When we first arrived at the MRT station, I saw an advertisement promoting new restaurants that caught my attention to try them one day after its grand opening.

After exiting the car park, we used the escalator to go up to the first floor, I saw a giant red teddy bear holding a pink heart that said LOVE for Valentine's Day. Before stopping for food, I noticed an important Chinese Calligraphy banner quoted "The illusion of high humming is suitable for the eyes" which defines my mind for important things in the future as I work hard for this semester.

For lunch, I decided to eat at OMI Japanese Wagyu restaurant for an early Valentine's Day celebration since this holiday was coming up on Wednesday. I ordered the Grapefruit Yuzu soda which was sweet and sour with the fruity blueberries on top.

I tried their Signature Wagyu Udon which came with an excellent onsen egg and Black Pepper dressing. The sauce was delicious and tasty giving it a peppery kick. As for the wagyu, it was cooked to perfection as I was dipping the meat in the beef broth.

As for my father, he ordered the torched tofu rice bowl with a fish roe topped with onsen egg, edamame, red pickled radish, spring onions, Furikake (rice seasoning), and a black truffle sauce that was super savory and nutty that helped balance the flavor to the tofu. After taking a bite, the tofu was bouncy which was accompanied by the delicious ingredients that were added to the meal.

A side dish that we also tried was the Fried Okayama Oysters with their homemade sauce. The deep-fried oyster was completely coated with panko which gave it a good taste which topped it all up with a healthy piece of lettuce, white carrots, and purple cabbage strips.

Overall, I would recommend this Japanese restaurant because it has a peaceful atmosphere, fancy light decorations, and authentic wagyu for everyone to enjoy if they are interested in trying it.

After lunch, I went to the exhibition display filled with CNY decorations. I saw a Cherry Blossom memo tree filled with people's wishes in their memos. After seeing the tree filled with notes, I decided to write a wish that quoted, "May Everyone have a good CNY for this year!"

Once I wrote my wish on a small piece of paper, I hung it up on the artificial tree branch, so that people would prosper and live a longer life. My favorite part of this CNY expo was photographing a picture of the pretty, giant flower with a white pearl on top that reminded me of the National Flower of Malaysia.

Before heading back to the train station from Bandar Utama, we stopped at the PAUL French Cafe to get the Orange Brioche for the Lunar New Year festival. Unfortunately, the waiter at this establishment told me that the pastry was sold out due to the Valentine's Day celebration happening this Wednesday.

Luckily, I ordered a heart-shaped Brioche with a cup of PAUL's Hot Chocolate and a mini-Madeleine sponge cake. The Brioche was fluffy and soft, especially the chocolate icing that gave a sweet taste which made me fascinated about visiting Candyland.

I tried their famous Hot Chocolate, and it was chocolatey and sweet which gave it a rich cacao taste with the added sugar inside the drink. I also love the cozy interior that reminded me of an aesthetic French cafe in Paris which I planned to go there one day during the summer break.

Although some of the stores were not fully opened yet. I'm very grateful that I tried new foods and took a lot of photos in the exhibition that excited me the most during this trip. Hopefully, in a few months, the management team will construct the biggest movie theater for everyone to watch.

[brookston]

Holidays 1.22

Holidays

Answer Your Cat's Questions Day

Apple Macintosh Day

Black Tables Day (Posaf)

Bóndadagur (Man’s Day; Iceland) [1st of Þorri]

Butcher’s Broom Day (French Republic)

Celebration of Life Day

Come in From the Cold Day

Curious Cat Day

Customs Officers’ Day (Tajikistan)

Dance of the Seven Veils Day

Day of Hungarian Culture

Day of Unity and Liberty (Ukraine)

Dia de la Fundación del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Multicultural State Day; Bolivia)

Franco-German Day (Germany)

Grandfather’s Day (Dzień Dziadka; Poland)

Hi, How Are You? Day (Texas)

Justin Turner Day (Los Angeles)

Lord Byron Day

National Heroes Day (Cayman Islands)

National Law Enforcement Spouse Appreciation Day

National Ty Day

National Vincent Day

National Yorkshire Territory Day

Nuclear Ban Treaty Day

Nude Beach Day

Our Town Day

Polka Dot Day

Public Holiday (Saint Vincent and Grenadines)

Reunion Day (Ukraine)

Roe vs. Wade Day

Talk to Your Cat Day

Trans Prisoner Day of Action & Solidarity

Unity Day (Ukraine)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Curry Day (Japan)

National Blonde Brownie Day

National Hot Sauce Day [also 11.5]

National Southern Food Day

4th Monday in January

Better Business Communication Day [4th Monday]

Blue Monday [Monday of Last Full Week]

Community Manager Appreciation Day [4th Monday]

Independence & Related Days

Plurinational State Foundation Day (Bolivia)

Ukraine (Unification; 1919)

Wellington Province Day (New Zealand)

Festivals Beginning January 22, 2024

Global Organic Produce Expo (Hollywood, Florida) [thru 1.24]

Howard County Restaurant Week (Howard County, Maryland) [thru 2.4]

Indiana Hort Conference & Expo (Danville, Indiana) [thru 1.23]

Triangle Restaurant Week (Raleigh, North Carolina) [thru 1.28]

Washington Oregon Potato Conference (Kennewick, Washington) [thru 1.25]

Feast Days

Abraham (Positivist; Saint)

Anastasius of Persia (Christian; Saint)

Aquarius zodiac sign begins (Astrology; Pagan)

Basil Wolverton (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Erotic Festival Day

Feast of St. Vincent (Old Agricultural Calendar; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Festival of Invoking and Banishing

Festival of the Orgone

Francis Picabia (Artology)

Gaudentius of Novara (Christian; Saint)

Imoinu Iratpa (Celebration of Emoinu, Sanamahism Goddess of Wealth, Prosperity and Vital Resources; India)

Joseph Wolf (Artology)

László Batthyány-Strattmann (Christian; Saint)

Laugh at Life Day (Pastafarian)

Laura Vicuna (Christian; Saint)

Moise Kisling (Artology)

Nicolas Lancret (Artology)

Quantum Cheese Day (Pastafarian)

Vincent Pallotti (Christian; Saint)

Vincent of Saragossa (Christian; Saint)

Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (Christian; Saints)

William Joseph Chaminade (Christian; Blessed)

Xomfey and Melg (Muppetism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

All’s Well That Ends Well, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1742)

Bad Luck Blackie (MGM Cartoon; 1949)

Broad City (TV Series; 2014)

Caprica (TV Series; 2010)

Chappelle’s Show (TV Series; 2003)

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller (Play; 1953)

D.E.B.S. (Film; 2004)

Dirty Grandpa (Film; 2016)

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, by Elton John (Album; 1973)

Extraordinary Measures (Film; 2010)

Five Corners (Film; 1988)

French Freud (The Inspector Cartoon; 1969)

Get Low (Film; 2010)

The Happy Highwayman, by Leslie Charteris (Short Stories; 1939) [Saint #22]

Hello, Ma Booby or Pleased to Beat Ya (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 197; 1963)

Innertube Antics, featuring Ol’ Doc Donkey (MGM Cartoon; 1944)

A Knock for the Rock or The Lamp is Low (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 92; 1961)

Knock on Wood or Bullwinkle Takes the Rap (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 91; 1961)

Lady Soul, by Aretha Franklin (Album; 1968)

Legion (Film; 2010)

The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (Film; 1964)

Neil Young, by Neil Young (Album; 1969)

On Broadway, recorded by The Drifters (Song; 1963)

Ophelia (Film; 2018)

The Paneless Window Washer (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1937)

Peggy Sue Got Married, recorded by Buddy Holly (Song; 1959)

Please Don't Eat the Daisies, by Jean Kerr (Essays; 1957)

Robin Hood (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1933)

Safety Not Guaranteed (Film; 2012)

Scrap For Victory, featuring Gandy Goose & Sourpuss (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1943)

Shoot the Moon (Film; 1982)

The Soul Cages, by Sting (Album; 1991)

Spinach Fer Britain (Fleischer//Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1943)

Sugar Blues, by Clyde McCoy and His Orchestra (Song; 1931)

The Tin Can Tourist, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1937)

Tooth Fairy (Film; 2010)

Under Bullwinkle’s Bowler or The Wide, Open Spaces (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 198; 1963)

The Virgin Queen (TV Mini-Series; 2006)

The Vitamin G-Man (Phantasies Cartoon; 1943)

We Are Family, by Sister Sledge (Album; 1979)

Wouldn’t It Be Nice, recorded by The Beach Boys (Song; 1966)

Today’s Name Days

Vinzenz (Austria)

Anastazije, Irena, Vice, Vinko (Croatia)

Slavomír (Czech Republic)

Vincentius (Denmark)

Luule, Luuli (Estonia)

Visa (Finland)

Vincent (France)

Dietlinde, Jana, Vinzenz (Germany)

Anastasios, Timotheos (Greece)

Artúr, Vince (Hungary)

Domenico, Esmeralda, Linda, Smeralda, Teodolinda, Vincenzo, Vinzenz (Italy)

Austris, Meinhards, Vincents (Latvia)

Anastazas, Aušrius, Skaistė, Vincentas (Lithuania)

Ivan, Vanja (Norway)

Anastazy, Dobromysł, Gaudencjusz, Gaudenty, Marta, Wincenty (Poland)

Anastasie, Timotei (Romania)

Zora (Slovakia)

Vicente (Spain)

Viktor, Vincent (Sweden)

Tin, Timothy (Ukraine)

Enoch, Piper, Vicenta, Vicente, Vince, Vincent, Vincentia, Vincenzo, Vinnie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 22 of 2024; 344 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of week 4 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Luis (Rowan) [Day 2 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Yi-Chou), Day 12 (Yi-You)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 12 Shevat 5784

Islamic: 11 Rajab 1445

J Cal: 22 White; Oneday [22 of 30]

Julian: 9 January 2024

Moon: 91%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 22 Moses (1st Month) [Abraham]

Runic Half Month: Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 13 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 33 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 1 of 28)

Calendar Changes

Aquarius (The Water Bearer) begins [Zodiac Sign 11; thru 2.18]

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 1.22

Holidays

Answer Your Cat's Questions Day

Apple Macintosh Day

Black Tables Day (Posaf)

Bóndadagur (Man’s Day; Iceland) [1st of Þorri]

Butcher’s Broom Day (French Republic)

Celebration of Life Day

Come in From the Cold Day

Curious Cat Day

Customs Officers’ Day (Tajikistan)

Dance of the Seven Veils Day

Day of Hungarian Culture

Day of Unity and Liberty (Ukraine)

Dia de la Fundación del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Multicultural State Day; Bolivia)

Franco-German Day (Germany)

Grandfather’s Day (Dzień Dziadka; Poland)

Hi, How Are You? Day (Texas)

Justin Turner Day (Los Angeles)

Lord Byron Day

National Heroes Day (Cayman Islands)

National Law Enforcement Spouse Appreciation Day

National Ty Day

National Vincent Day

National Yorkshire Territory Day

Nuclear Ban Treaty Day

Nude Beach Day

Our Town Day

Polka Dot Day

Public Holiday (Saint Vincent and Grenadines)

Reunion Day (Ukraine)

Roe vs. Wade Day

Talk to Your Cat Day

Trans Prisoner Day of Action & Solidarity

Unity Day (Ukraine)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Curry Day (Japan)

National Blonde Brownie Day

National Hot Sauce Day [also 11.5]

National Southern Food Day

4th Monday in January

Better Business Communication Day [4th Monday]

Blue Monday [Monday of Last Full Week]

Community Manager Appreciation Day [4th Monday]

Independence & Related Days

Plurinational State Foundation Day (Bolivia)

Ukraine (Unification; 1919)

Wellington Province Day (New Zealand)

Festivals Beginning January 22, 2024

Global Organic Produce Expo (Hollywood, Florida) [thru 1.24]

Howard County Restaurant Week (Howard County, Maryland) [thru 2.4]

Indiana Hort Conference & Expo (Danville, Indiana) [thru 1.23]

Triangle Restaurant Week (Raleigh, North Carolina) [thru 1.28]

Washington Oregon Potato Conference (Kennewick, Washington) [thru 1.25]

Feast Days

Abraham (Positivist; Saint)

Anastasius of Persia (Christian; Saint)

Aquarius zodiac sign begins (Astrology; Pagan)

Basil Wolverton (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Erotic Festival Day

Feast of St. Vincent (Old Agricultural Calendar; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Festival of Invoking and Banishing

Festival of the Orgone

Francis Picabia (Artology)

Gaudentius of Novara (Christian; Saint)

Imoinu Iratpa (Celebration of Emoinu, Sanamahism Goddess of Wealth, Prosperity and Vital Resources; India)

Joseph Wolf (Artology)

László Batthyány-Strattmann (Christian; Saint)

Laugh at Life Day (Pastafarian)

Laura Vicuna (Christian; Saint)

Moise Kisling (Artology)

Nicolas Lancret (Artology)

Quantum Cheese Day (Pastafarian)

Vincent Pallotti (Christian; Saint)

Vincent of Saragossa (Christian; Saint)

Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (Christian; Saints)

William Joseph Chaminade (Christian; Blessed)

Xomfey and Melg (Muppetism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

All’s Well That Ends Well, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1742)

Bad Luck Blackie (MGM Cartoon; 1949)

Broad City (TV Series; 2014)

Caprica (TV Series; 2010)

Chappelle’s Show (TV Series; 2003)

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller (Play; 1953)

D.E.B.S. (Film; 2004)

Dirty Grandpa (Film; 2016)

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, by Elton John (Album; 1973)

Extraordinary Measures (Film; 2010)

Five Corners (Film; 1988)

French Freud (The Inspector Cartoon; 1969)

Get Low (Film; 2010)

The Happy Highwayman, by Leslie Charteris (Short Stories; 1939) [Saint #22]

Hello, Ma Booby or Pleased to Beat Ya (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 197; 1963)

Innertube Antics, featuring Ol’ Doc Donkey (MGM Cartoon; 1944)

A Knock for the Rock or The Lamp is Low (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 92; 1961)

Knock on Wood or Bullwinkle Takes the Rap (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 91; 1961)

Lady Soul, by Aretha Franklin (Album; 1968)

Legion (Film; 2010)

The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (Film; 1964)

Neil Young, by Neil Young (Album; 1969)

On Broadway, recorded by The Drifters (Song; 1963)

Ophelia (Film; 2018)

The Paneless Window Washer (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1937)

Peggy Sue Got Married, recorded by Buddy Holly (Song; 1959)

Please Don't Eat the Daisies, by Jean Kerr (Essays; 1957)

Robin Hood (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1933)

Safety Not Guaranteed (Film; 2012)

Scrap For Victory, featuring Gandy Goose & Sourpuss (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1943)

Shoot the Moon (Film; 1982)

The Soul Cages, by Sting (Album; 1991)

Spinach Fer Britain (Fleischer//Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1943)

Sugar Blues, by Clyde McCoy and His Orchestra (Song; 1931)

The Tin Can Tourist, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1937)

Tooth Fairy (Film; 2010)

Under Bullwinkle’s Bowler or The Wide, Open Spaces (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 198; 1963)

The Virgin Queen (TV Mini-Series; 2006)

The Vitamin G-Man (Phantasies Cartoon; 1943)

We Are Family, by Sister Sledge (Album; 1979)

Wouldn’t It Be Nice, recorded by The Beach Boys (Song; 1966)

Today’s Name Days

Vinzenz (Austria)

Anastazije, Irena, Vice, Vinko (Croatia)

Slavomír (Czech Republic)

Vincentius (Denmark)

Luule, Luuli (Estonia)

Visa (Finland)

Vincent (France)

Dietlinde, Jana, Vinzenz (Germany)

Anastasios, Timotheos (Greece)

Artúr, Vince (Hungary)

Domenico, Esmeralda, Linda, Smeralda, Teodolinda, Vincenzo, Vinzenz (Italy)

Austris, Meinhards, Vincents (Latvia)

Anastazas, Aušrius, Skaistė, Vincentas (Lithuania)

Ivan, Vanja (Norway)

Anastazy, Dobromysł, Gaudencjusz, Gaudenty, Marta, Wincenty (Poland)

Anastasie, Timotei (Romania)

Zora (Slovakia)

Vicente (Spain)

Viktor, Vincent (Sweden)

Tin, Timothy (Ukraine)

Enoch, Piper, Vicenta, Vicente, Vince, Vincent, Vincentia, Vincenzo, Vinnie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 22 of 2024; 344 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of week 4 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Luis (Rowan) [Day 2 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Yi-Chou), Day 12 (Yi-You)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 12 Shevat 5784

Islamic: 11 Rajab 1445

J Cal: 22 White; Oneday [22 of 30]

Julian: 9 January 2024

Moon: 91%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 22 Moses (1st Month) [Abraham]

Runic Half Month: Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 13 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 33 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 1 of 28)

Calendar Changes

Aquarius (The Water Bearer) begins [Zodiac Sign 11; thru 2.18]

[msbarrows]

Sept 25 - Finished off the tomato sauce (2 cans of crushed tomatoes fixed the consistency, and then we added some additional seasonings). Then took many hours to can it, as unfortunately the gas stove he has is kind of crappy and is very slooowwww for things like bringing a canning pot full of (hot tap) water to the boil for processing. And before THAT we had to bring the jars, rings, and lids to a boil in a different pot to sterilize them before filling them. Argh.

Nephew made a grilled chicken with pesto orzo dish for supper.

Sept 26 - Got nephew's laptop set up to work with my scanner, there's no way we're getting all the scanning done before I head back north next week, so I'm going to leave it here for now. He's invited me to come back down again in late December for a combination of helping him with some more sorting through of things, plus getting to spend Christmas with our side of the family down here.

For supper I pan-grilled a pork tenderloin (after rubbing it with salt, pepper, and ground allspice) and cooked some small new potatoes and green beans then mixed them together with butter and fresh rosemary.

Sept 27 - went through most of the drawers of an old wooden desk that the BIL and his father before him had both used. Lots of evidence of the grandfather's career as an engineer (multiple slide rules) and aging (many difference magnifying devices), not to mention a few decades worth of old bank books tossed in a drawer, dozens of old stamps (both used and unused), coins of varying denominations and ages, unused blank cards and notepaper etc. One drawer is entirely ancient files of the grandfather's that we'll need to do a folder-by-folder pass through to sort out potential keepsakes from recyclables.

Also did more scanning of photos. Most of today's were of a trip to the 1986 Vancouver Expo, plus of BIL hanging out with friends or co-workers. Slightly weird to see him playing with a little blond girl in that phase between toddler and child, and realize from the 80s hair and clothes everyone is sporting that she's probably in her 40s now.

Only one photo had anything written on the back to identify the people in it, and it's just first names.

Nephew made toad-in-the-hole and mixed steamed veg for supper.

[blusheedane]

Went to a hot sauce expo! My mouth was numb after 😅

[notimefornames]

Happy 🦃 Day!, well not so much for the turkeys lol but check out this side dish, It’s a Chicken Pasta Salad, made with well I can’t tell you cause that’s my secret but I did use tomato’s, bell peppers, celery and this Smokin Hot Threesome Hot Sauce from @pepperpreppersllc that I picked up at The Holiday Market last weekend at expo center. If you missed it, there’s always next year. S/O to @tarericksen for helping me by chopping the celery and bell peppers. ❤️💯 (at Portland, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClXemIDpEEq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[alleventsalert]

Nyc Hot Sauce Expo 2021

Nyc Hot Sauce Expo 2021

Nychotsauceexpo.com – Nyc Hot Sauce Expo 2021 are organized by High River Sauces, It will be held on 16 October – 17 October 2021 in New York, USA How To Enter Nyc Hot Sauce Expo? You just need to follow the steps to participate in Nyc Hot Sauce Expo. Open your default internet browser.Type www.nychotsauceexpo.com in your address bar. Fill in all the required details.Fill in the verification…

[kenpiercemedia]

NYC Hot Sauce Expo Reschedules Annual Event To October

The Statement: We wanted to reach out and let you know that we are moving the dates of the NYC Hot Sauce Expo to October 16 & 17, 2021. As more and more people are getting vaccinated and businesses are starting to open up we thought it would be best to postpone the event for just a little longer. Safety of ticket owners, staff and our hot sauce vendors has and will always be our top priority. The…

[creepycrag]

i got invited to the Hot Sauce Expo today. should i go

[xxiamtiebrousxx]

(Pre) Expo (The Howling Commandos Chapter Three)

Your P.O.V:

Once I got back to my apartment, I immediately began to pack up my army clothes in my bag. I grabbed my essentials that she would need, food for the journey, and money. Everything was packed and she dressed out of her current clothes into her favorite dress. It was f/c, with floral patterns, and a ribbon around the waist that was a darker shade of f/c.

Y/n put her hair up and tied it with a ribbon. I applied her makeup and sprayed rose- scented perfume. I quickly made spaghetti without the red sauce and ate it. Really fast. I left some leftover food that I didn't finish.

**ーー**

Bucky’s P.O.V:

Across the street from Y/n’s apartment, I nervously fixed myself up. I gripped the flower I was holding and made my way across the street. Once inside, the apartment’s security let me pass once I entered the building. They knew me since Steve and I liked to visit Y/n here a lot. It was her home. I walked up the stairs to the second floor, where room number (favorite number) was.

I stood in front of the door and took a deep breath before knocking. Shoes were heard making their way to the door. The lock was unlocked and the door opened.

“Hi Bucky,” Y/n said. She was holding her purse and had her coat on.

“Hi Y/n,” I gulped down the nervous feeling. I handed her the flower. She took it.

“Awe, thanks,” she said.

“Anything for you doll,” I replied.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked, smiling. I smiled back and nodded.

“M’lady,” I said, holding out my arm to Y/n and she took it. The two of us walked down the streets until we got to Steve’s house.

“Hiya Steve!” Y/n exclaimed when Steve opened the door.

“Y/n! Bucky!” He hugged both of us. The three of us hugged until I stopped hugging.

“So, are you ready to meet your date?” I asked Steve.

“Where is she?” he asked. Y/n looked around her but didn’t see anybody at all.

“She’s waiting for you at the expo,” I answered. Steve and Y/n’s eyes widened.

“You’re taking us to the expo!?!” they both exclaimed at the same time.

“Yup. And we’re taking a nice, fancy car,” I said, jangling the keys. Of course we had to stop by the dealership to pick it up.

“Come on now, we have an expo to go.”

Your P.O.V:

After we picked up the car Bucky was talking about, we drove for an hour until we made it to the convention center. We had finally made it to the Expo. There were a lot of new innovations and ideas everywhere. We went to the Stark exhibit, hoping to see amazing inventions and the show, but what caught my attention was the food.

The spaghetti apparently did not satisfy. I held my stomach with my hand, trying to calm down its screams of hunger. My throat was parched.

“Wanna hot dog?” Bucky asked, noticing my stomach’s growling. I nodded in desperation.

“Could I also get a pop?” I asked.

“Sure,” Bucky said. He went over to the hot dog stand and ordered my hot dog and pop. Stark’s show was about to start and I feared that Bucky wouldn’t make it back in time for the show but luckily he did. I smiled.

“Here’s your hotdog, doll.” He said, handing me the hotdog.

“Thanks Bucky,” I replied, taking a HUGE bite. Bucky chuckled as I devoured the hotdog. The hotdog was very good. By the time the announcer had announced the start of the show, I had already finished the hot dog and was halfway done with the soda pop.

[beauvibaby]

go swimming? - j.benn

requested [] yes [x] no

a/n: idek what this is, but I love it bc it’s Jamie, enjoy (not proofread)

You pushed open the back door, eyebrows instantly shooting up when your co-worker gasped in relief at your presence. “Y/N, thank god, there’s a line out the front door.” Mark gasped, and you hoped out of sight line from your boss, knowing you were early and he would have you clock in right away, the downfall of being slightly above the regular hourly employees, a shift leader, really but the only difference is you wore a different shirt. “Y/N, clock in!” Your boss, Tom, called from the front line, already beginning to put an apron on and get in the kitchen, “good luck!” Mark called from his prep station, shooting you a smirk when you glanced back with a glare. You shoved your things into the office, silencing your phone and shoving it into your pocket, you clocked in, in record time before turning to the expo counter and gasping at the nearly twenty minute tickets that hadn’t even begun to be prepared. “Read it off, Y/N, come on!” Your boss snapped, you pushed the annoyance aside, knowing despite him being a manager of his own store for years, he didn’t handle stress well. You began rattling off orders, food being slide over to you left and right, you continued to quickly tray it up, turning around and placing it on the counter, shouting out the name on the order into the full dining room.

This went on for over an hour, the lunch rush continuing, but finally once it slowed down enough you went out into the dining room to help the other girls clean up. Garbage was overflowing, the soda machine was out of more than a few things, napkins were empty, ketchup spilt on the counters by children. You held in a sigh as you made your way around the dining room, plastering that work smile on your face, taking empty bins and trays from people’s tables, the only thing that made today even a little better was seeing some of the regular guests in there. You chatted with them for a while, laughing at something the older gentleman said to you, his wife chastising him for keeping you up. “It’s alright, we all need a good distraction sometimes.” You shot him a wink as you walked off, silently telling him thank you. He chuckled, going back to playfully bickering with his wife, you shook your head with a smile, hoping one day that you and Jamie would be that lucky. You made your way to the back, gasping as you and Mark rounded the corner at the same time, sending his freshly cut food flying to the floor and the dirty dishes you had in your hands smushed to the front of your shirt. “Oh, I’m sorry!” Mark rushed, scrambling to help you pick up the food and plates, “it’s fine, I’ll get it, go cut more food before-“ “Mark, I need those tomatoes!” Tom shouted, rushing to the back and freezing when he saw them on the floor. “Jesus Christ.” He snapped storming back to the front, “waiting on tomatoes.” Tom muttered to the assistant manager who was looking at him expectantly.

“Go, Mark, I’ll clean this up.” You assured him, carefully squatting to scoop up the mess. You walked over to the sink, putting the dishes into the water, gasping at how frigid it was, you scrambled to drain it and replace it with the hot soapy water. “Y/N!” Lola gasped running over to you, “code brown.” She snapped, watching as your face fell, code red meant corporate was here, code yellow meant the healthy inspector was here, but code brown, that meant they were both here. “Go, go, go!” You demanded, jumping into defensive mode, “change the Sanitizer buckets.” You demanded, knowing that would be the first thing they checked. You ran over to the prep kitchen, “code brown!” You snapped, everyone went into a panic, scrambling to make sure everything was purposefully to code. “Nose goes!” Mark shouted, his finger shooting to the tip of his nose, everyone followed suit before you could even process it. “Fuck.” You muttered, going to find Tom. “Health inspector, and corporate just pulled up.” You mumbled, and he froze, muttering under his breath, he turned to give you a list of things to check. “You need to change your shirt.” He snapped, only then did you realize it was covered in smeared sauce from the dishes, “and then the normal routine!” He called into the kitchen as you ran towards the back door, you nodded, thankful for your decision to keep an extra shirt in your car for work.

Once you scrambled to change in the bathroom. You came out and were greeted by even more of a disaster, the health inspector shaking his head at Tom, along with Tom’s boss from corporate, Adam. Tom shot you a look and instantly you knew you’d be getting an earful from him once they left. The labels in the walk in freezer had timed out, and that was one of the things on your list. You shot them a smile, playing coy as you rushed towards the dining room, at least going to make sure everything up there was maintained properly.

***

“Y/N, office now.” Tom snapped, storming into the office, paperwork from the health inspector in hand, everyone shot you a look as they knew you were going to get ripped to shreds, as if it’s your fault that his employees don’t follow the rules. “I did my best, ok? Keep that in mind.” You grumbled daringly when the door shut, “I know.” He snapped, “we barely passed!” He slapped the paper down in front of you. You picked it up, and looked at the inspection, you scoffed, “these are all your problems, these are all kitchen markings, the dining room and cash registers were good!” You exclaimed, placing the paper back down. He looked at you, eyes ablaze, “don’t talk to me like that, Y/N, you’re pushing your luck.” He demanded and it pushed you over the edge, “no, I don’t think I am, I’m overworked and underpaid, you treat me more like a manager than your actual managers! So unless you want to pay me what I deserve, I think I might have to start looking for another job.” You crossed your arms, staring him down. “So are you saying you want me to put an ad out for a shift leader?” He retorted, sitting on his chair, making you feel belittled even though you were still standing. “If you don’t want to give me a raise like you should’ve done when I started wearing this special shirt, then yes, you should put an ad out.” You demanded, grabbing your purse, “would you look at that, my shift is over.” You scoffed, opening the door, “Y/N!” Tom stuck his head out of the doorway. You froze as your time card printed out, glancing over your shoulder at him as he spoke, everyone’s eyes ongoing between the two of you. “Be prepared to train your replacement.” His voice had venom dripping from it, and Lola gasped, nearly dropping the food she had in her hands, Mark shot daggers into the back of Tom’s skull. Everyone was shocked, to say the least, you’d been through so much here, you’d been here since the restaurant opened, people in corporate knew you by your first name alone, they wanted to use you in nationwide training videos. “Fine.” You hissed, pulling your composure together long enough to calmly walk to your car, but the second you shut your car door, you lost it, the weight of what has just happened hitting you. You pulled your phone out, dialing Jamie’s number before pulling out of your parking spot. “Hi, baby, heading home now?” He answered cheerfully, oblivious to how your voice was about to come out as a cry. “Jamie?” You whispered, “I think I just quit.” Your voice broke, you heard him sigh softly, “it’s alright, Y/N, don’t cry, please.” He mumbled, “drive safe, please, I’ll be here waiting for you.” He added, knowing you couldn’t speak about it while driving, he knew you, and he knew that you’d be too emotional. “Ok.” You whimpered.

***

The front door opened the second you parked your car in the driveway, Jamie had a soft, comforting smile on his face, arms opening when you climbed out of the car. “Hey.” Jamie spoke, frowning when you pouted up at him, “I hated that job, why am I so emotional?” You questioned, suddenly feeling stupid for the way you were reacting, and feeling like this only showed Jamie more of your age gap. “Because, that’s been your only job, baby, you’ve been there for years.” He brushed your stray hair back, “just because your boss was a prick, doesn’t make it any easier to leave, you made friends there, they’re family to you.” He explained, making sure you absorbed his words, you looked up at him, eyes wide, slightly teary, but mostly just nodding along with him. “Yeah.” You mumbled, “Wanna tell me what happened?” He asked, pulling you in for a quick kiss, before guiding you inside, you went on to explain everything to him, watching the way he clenched his jaw a little tighter when he listened to you tell him about the way Tom treated you. He never liked him, the first time Jamie met you, not shockingly at your job, he walked in with Tyler and a freshly drafted Miro, they all gave an odd glance as you walked back to the cash register, your boss angrily going to work on the expo counter.

“Hi, my name is Y/N, I’ll be taking your order, what can I get started for you today?” You spoke the rehearsed line, looking up you met Jamie’s eyes first, and that’s all it took, you were a grinning fool the rest of the day, your co workers teasing you all day, making fun of the blush that had stayed on your cheeks. When you went over to grab the stuff from their table, you were more than shocked to have the cute guy, who’s name you had finally learned was Jamie, had left his number on a napkin, his hand writing sloppily saying “please make sure Y/N gets this”

“I’m sorry, but you know what this means?” He questioned, voice raising a bit in excitement, you looked up from your spot on the couch, your head lazily resting in his lap while you spoke, “what?” You questioned, confusion covering your face. “You get to stay home with me while you look for a job, a job that you’ll love.” He spoke happily, fingers tracing your jaw. “That’s true.” You pondered, you would have the ability to find a job you really loved, you had money saved, you and Jamie lived together, it would be nice. “There’s that smile.” He hummed happily, you hadn’t even realized you’d begun beaming until he spoke up. “Thank you.” You whispered, sitting up to kiss him, laughing against his lips when he held you there. He finally released you, helping you sit up properly. “You are the best thing that came out of that job.” You spoke with one hundred percent certainty, moving to straddle his lap, he grinned childishly at your words, brown eyes showing his happiness. “Really?” He questioned, “Jamie, of course.” You giggled, cupping his bearded jaw, “that hell hole gave me my forever.” You told him cheesily, watching as he processed your words, his head falling back in laughter.

“Way to ruin the moment.” You scoffed teasingly, climbing off of his lap, “no, baby!” He whined, reaching for you, “it was sweet.” He added, gasping in fake shock when you stepped out of his reach again, you loved the moments like this, when you both just forgot about life and just had these fun childlike moments. “You know you can’t outrun me, right?” Jamie raised his brows, seeing the way you kept glancing at the hallway out of the living room. “Doesn’t mean I won’t try.” You teased, setting your phone on the coffee table, as well as taking your belt off from work that was suffocating you. “Five second head start, because I’ve had a bad day.” You pouted down at him, tilting your head just the right way to make your hair fall over your shoulder, you knew it always killed him when you did that, and you could tell by the look in his eyes that his mind was already wandering elsewhere. “Five seconds, that’s it.” He mumbled, arms grabbing the back of your thighs, you leaned down and gave him a quick teasing kiss, “that’s not fair.” He groaned, chasing your lips when you pulled away. “Sorry, bub, I never said I played fair, and I happen to think you like it a bit more this way.” You smirked, stepping out of his hold. He pouted at you, looking absolutely ridiculous with a pout surrounded by his bushy beard. “Love you!” You shouted, laughing as you took off down the hall, hearing him counting down, you grinned as you heard his feet rushing up behind you. “No!” You shrieked, laughing hysterically when he grabbed you from behind, easily swinging you around as he swayed over to the bed.

“Told you.” He mumbled against your neck, chastely kissing you there, dropping you onto the bed, laughing when you gasped face falling into the mattress. He flipped you over, hovering over you, admiring the way your eyes shined as you looked up at him. “What?” You whispered, blushing under his gaze, “nothing, you’re just so cute.” He complimented, “and pretty, and smart, and funny.” He added, watching the way you sheepishly looked away. “Don’t hide from me.” He chastised, tilting you back by your chin. “Stop making me blush.” You whined, wrapping your arms around his neck, “never.” He grinned, allowing you to pull him down for a kiss. Before it could get too heated you pushed him off softly, “want to go swimming?” You asked, smiling softly, it was a scorcher out today, and the thought of getting into the pool and floating around with Jamie sounded relaxing. “Mhm, but doesn’t it sound better to stay up here, in bed.” He tried to persuade you, but you didn’t budge, “please, baby.” You mumbled, knowing he would give in from the way you were looking up at him. “Fine.” He grumbled, rolling off of you, watching as you stood up, tossing your shirt off over your head, “well that’s just rude.” He sat up in record time, smiling as you winked at him over your shoulder, mischief dancing in your eyes. You giggled to yourself, as you changed in the closet, not that it mattered, Jamie peeked his head in, smirking when you looked over as you slipped the straps of your bathing suit onto your shoulders. “You’re a perv.” You teased, approaching him, seeing he’d already slipped into his swim trunks, tattoos on full display.

“Only for you.” He winked, following you down the stairs, and out towards the pool. He immediately got into the water, splashing you teasingly as you walked in slowly, hair tied in a messy bun on the top of your head. “Sometime today, baby, you’re really testing my patience.” He groaned, floating around in the water as he watched you slowly sink into the water, your body covered by the black one piece, cut outs adorning your sides. “Aw, poor boy.” You quipped, swimming over to him, arms circling around his shoulders, his resting in your hips, “yeah, you should really take pity on me, my girlfriend is being a huge tease today.” He mumbled, hiding his face in your neck, leaving some sloppy kisses, “oh is she?” You mumbled, smirking against his shoulder as you rested your head against him, soaking up this one on one time, he squeezed your sides. “Doesn’t take much to get you going.” You commented, smiling when he laughed softly, floating around in the water, your legs wrapped around his waist. “How could it when I’ve got this beautiful girl hanging off of me?” He retorted, holding under your thighs, letting you lean back in his hold, “such a sweet talker.” You giggled, smiling wholeheartedly at him, toying with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Not really.” He tilted his head, smiling at you, splashing some water onto your shoulders as they already started turning pink under the sun. “I like it.” You shrugged, knowing sometimes he wondered if he treated you the way you wanted to be treated. “Hey, don’t get all shy on me now.” You mumbled, catching his lips, “you’re my flirty man, but you know when I’m not in the mood, and you drop it, and you let me cry on you, and you go swimming with me even though I was just teasing you. You take me to your games, you give the best hugs, and you love my family as much as your own.” You rambled, stopping when a grin etched onto his face. “Alright, alright, I get it, I love you.” He murmured, kissing you softly again, but this time you let it progress. “I love you too, now let’s get out of this pool, you’ve been patient enough.” “Thank god.”

Taglist: @softstarkey​ @kempe​ @wtfkie​ @mtkachuk​ @literarycharleton​

[weltonreject]

Thoughts on... condiments? Also, HELLO, this is the writing retreat anon from a while back and I've been meaning for like a month to sort of check in about that but I am a MMMMMESSSSSS so 😔 but, like, preliminarily, thank you for your reply <3

okay i am a condiment BOY i love a good mustard OR hot sauce. i was actually just at the hot sauce expo last weekend and found this really great miso ghost/reaper hot sauce that i have been thinking about EVERY DAY.... but anyway. HI SWEETIE i remember you and have been thinking of you lately!!! hope you're all right and everything went well. sending love

[send "thoughts on ____" asks]

[fourdaysofrain]

A Short, Sharp Shock

Prompt:  “You just called me Dad.” 

(This is my gift to @aslanscompass for the IronDadGiftExchange! I had a lot of fun writing it, I hope you enjoy!)

Read on AO3

Peter would have to wear sunscreen next time he came to the lab. That, or convince Tony to buy some curtains. The summer sun cut perfectly through the window and beat down on the back of his neck as he leaned over his workspace. He rubbed it absentmindedly. There were too many small parts on the table in front of him to move to another area if he wanted to escape the heat. Besides, he only had to wait another hour or so for the sun to set past the window. He shook his head, trying to ignore the heat as he continued to take apart his drone. 

If he ignored his uncomfortably hot neck, it was actually turning out to be a good day. He got out of school a week earlier, and this was the first of hopefully many days spent in the lab while May worked a shift at the hospital. Even though he spent most of his free time taking down criminals with no back-up, May still didn’t want him to be by himself in the apartment for too long. Thankfully, Tony was willing to step in and babysit (his words, not Peter’s). 

Tony was working on the table behind him. If Peter were to describe this to himself from a few years ago, he would have been sure it was a dream. As it was, the only way Peter knew he was still there was from the intermittent clinks of tools being picked up and placed down. Their companionable silence was only broken by the soft music playing through FRIDAY’s speakers. It took Peter a while to admit Tony normally played music that was too loud for his enhanced senses, but once he did, Tony made sure to keep it at a comfortable level.  

They had just finished with their lunch break and Peter had snuck in another couple of slices of pizza back into the workshop despite Tony’s only-semi-joking glare. He continued to eat them as he worked on his project. His suit’s drone had been a little jerky the last time it flew, so he was hoping to get it back into working order by the time the night was over. A drop of sauce fell onto one of the bigger pieces and, without thinking, Peter licked his thumb and swiped it across the spill to clean it off. As a reward, he got a short, sharp shock from the piece. He hissed through his teeth.

“Bad…” he scolded, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together to try and get rid of the buzzy feeling. 

“Yeah, Pete?” Tony called from a few feet away. Peter looked up at the mention of his name just to see Tony freeze. 

“What’s up, Mr. Stark?” Peter cautiously asked, his forehead creasing. 

“You just called me Dad,” Tony spoke as if he was talking down a wild animal. Peter’s eyebrows flew upward. 

“I--” Peter blinked a few times. His brain was having a difficult time processing the words Tony said. He shook his head a bit, hoping to make sense of the situation. “No, I--”

“It’s okay kid, I know it must be weird having me be so involved in your life. I can back off if you want me to.” Tony took off his tinted glasses as he stood from his chair. 

“No, Mr. Stark--” Peter was about to say he wanted anything but that when Tony interrupted him, continuing with his rushed speech. 

“I don’t want you to think I’m replacing your father for you. Or your uncle, for that matter. I figured it was only a matter of time before this happened.” Peter felt like he was going to get whiplash from this conversation. Tony was starting to pace around his desk and Peter could tell he was getting anxious. 

“Only a matter of time? Listen, Mr. Stark--” Tony was a freight train. Peter couldn’t get a word in. 

“If you want to call me Dad, I’m okay with it. Really. It’ll just take some getting used to, but as I said, I’m trying to break the cycle of shame. There’ll be some ribbing from Rhodey, but I can handle that. I’ll make sure I get the brunt of it. Wait ‘till he sees me tell you about the time I caught him cuddling his pillow like a--”

“Tony!” Peter’s shriller-than-usual voice finally got his attention. Tony’s head snapped to Peter, his mouth hanging slightly open before he shut it with a click. Peter huffed out a breath before saying, “I didn’t call you Dad.”

Tony’s eyebrows drew together as he said, “No, you did. I just heard you say it.”

“I said bad, with a B. Droney shocked me.” Peter looked back over his shoulder at the offending piece of tech. This was all Droney’s fault. 

“I definitely heard Dad. FRIDAY?” They didn’t have to wait more than a second before FRIDAY came online. 

“Peter’s right, boss.” FRIDAY’s Irish lilt washed over the room and Tony slumped back into his chair. 

“Oh. Nevermind then, forget I said anything.” Tony cleared his throat and put his glasses back on before returning to the tools laying on his desk. 

Peter turned back around and looked at the drone guts in front of him. He tried to remember where he was at in the process, but couldn’t stop thinking about the way Tony looked at him when he thought he had called him Dad. For just a moment before he closed it off, Peter saw a look of pure affection and pride on his face. He could count on one hand the number of times he’s seen Tony look like that, and he wouldn’t need most of his fingers. 

The same piece shocked Peter again while he was lost in his thoughts. He made sure not to say anything out loud this time, instead just letting the slight zing make its way through the tip of his finger. 

Tony was the main male adult in Peter’s life. It didn’t help that he had looked up to him since even before he saved his life at the Stark Expo in 2010. Peter did see him as a father figure, but he couldn’t just say that to him. Tony’d probably be weirded out by the creepy Spider-Kid that’s overstepping his personal boundaries. He sighed. 

They had to talk about this. Peter knew how Tony avoided anything to do with emotions. If he didn’t say anything now, they would both just ignore it and never bring it up again. He had to bite the bullet. It was the mature thing to do-- May would be proud of him for being so adult. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought about where to start. 

“Mr. Stark,” Tony looked up from his hands at the sound of Peter’s voice, “do you want me to call you Dad?”

There’s a dull clang as Tony loses his grip on the screwdriver he was holding. 

“Give a guy some warning, Pete,” he finally sputters, his voice reedier than normal.  

“You’re avoiding the question.”

“Yeah, I’m avoiding the question, it’s a big question!” Tony sputters out nervously, and Peter tries to hide his discomfort at the slight increase in volume. 

“That’s-- I’m not mad at you.” He lowers his voice back to a normal level. He sighs and runs a hand over his face, removing his glasses in the process. “Listen, you can call me whatever makes you comfortable. I just assumed that at some point, you’d call me Dad on accident. I did it to Jarvis a few times when I was younger, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Plenty of tykes call their teachers Mom or Dad, and I’m certainly teaching you enough.”

“I’m not ashamed. I just haven’t called anyone Dad in almost a decade, so it’s not going to happen by accident.”

 A beat of silence. Peter hated the sad look that crossed Tony’s face when he alluded to his dead parents. There was only so much pity he could handle in one day. He pretended to be focused on the hem of his shirt so he didn’t have to look at Tony. 

“You still haven’t answered the question,” Peter murmured. 

He didn’t know why he was pushing this question so hard. What did he want Tony to say? It’s not like Peter wanted to call him Dad, he just… wanted some validation, he supposed. It was so hard to get a read on Tony. 

“I don’t know, Pete. I don’t know. Calling me Dad is a lot of pressure and I’m definitely not the ‘Dad-type.’” Tony punctuated his words with finger-quotes. He looked away from Peter and added in a lower voice, “For a while, I thought that I could be.” 

Peter looked back up to Tony to see him leaning over his desk. He looked tired. Peter had read the articles online about him and Captain America. He’d also read a few of the many stories published about Tony’s life. He knew that the people close to him kept slipping through his fingers. Peter didn’t want to be another name on that evergrowing list.

“I mean,” Peter let the words flow slowly out of his mouth, feeling the curve of every vowel, “you don’t have to be called Dad to be a big part of someone’s life. I never called Ben my dad and I don’t call May my mom, but they both still mean a lot to me even though I call them by their names.” 

He let his nervous words hang in the air, hoping that Tony would understand what he was saying without him having to explicitly say it. Tony was his family in a way that didn’t have a label on a standard family tree. He was paternal in an estranged uncle sort of way, with just a dash of older brother. Peter could already picture him being there for his graduation, his wedding, the birth of his child… But he’s only been actually spending time with him for a handful of months, so he couldn’t shove all of his emotional orphan-baggage onto him. He glanced up at Tony, expecting the worst. 

Tony was looking at him with warmth in his eyes. The tension in his shoulders had finally started to dissipate and he looked away with a small grin. Whatever message Tony had interpreted, he must have liked it. Peter found himself smiling in return. 

“Alright kid, back to work.” If Peter didn’t know better, he would have thought Tony was ignoring what he said. But he knew that Tony kept his cards close to his chest; he showed the majority of his affection without words. “I want that drone to be in ship-shape before you go on patrol again. Can’t have Queens’ favorite vigilante going around with a faulty suit, imagine what the press would say.”

Peter couldn’t suppress his smile as he turned back around and started working again. He was finally able to focus clearly on it. As he continued searching for the fault in the electronics, Tony started to hum along to the music. 

After a few hours had passed, Droney was finally flying smoothly around the lab. Peter was busy piloting it around the machinery when he felt Tony clap his hand on his shoulder. 

“Good work, kid.” Tony’s words caused a flush of pride in Peter’s chest. He mumbled a thank you. “And for what it’s worth, I like having someone else around in the lab. I’m looking forward to the rest of the summer.” Peter tried to control his inner child at being praised by Iron Man. He knew a statement in passing like that was the Tony Stark equivalent of singing praises from the rooftop. 

“I am too. I’ve just got that Decathalon field trip to MoMA next week, ‘cause they scheduled it for after school got out for some reason. But after that, I’ll be over here practically every day. I mean, if that’s cool with you. I don’t want to--” Tony cut him off with a slight squeeze on his shoulder.

“Kid, May and I already talked about it. You can come over whenever you want. God knows she deserves a break from putting up with a certain spiderling.” Peter huffed dramatically as Tony took his hand off of his shoulder and leaned against the desk. “Speaking of a certain spiderling, we need to take a break so you don’t get scoliosis, hunched over the table like that. What do you want to do? Your choice, as long as it involves a bit of movement.” 

Peter thought for a second before lighting up with an idea. 

“Do you want to go patrolling with me?” He hoped he didn’t come off as too excited. He leaned back in his chair casually (he hoped). Tony smiled knowingly at him. 

“I was thinking of something more along the lines of walking to the freezer to get some ice cream, but huh. Saving kittens from trees, helping with directions, returning bikes? I certainly don’t have anything better to do.” He gave Peter’s shoulder another pat before walking back to his own workspace where his nanotech housing unit sat. Peter couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across his face. 

“Go get your suit, Underoos. We’ve got some petty criminals to scare the bejeesus out of.”

Peter wasted no time in grabbing his backpack and finding a bathroom to change into his suit. Once it was on, he gave himself a moment to bask in the state of his life. He thought he would never recover from losing Ben. But now, about to fly around New York with Iron Man, he felt happy. Genuinely happy. He grinned at himself in the mirror from behind the mask before rushing out to meet up with Tony. He hoped summer would never end. 

He had all the time in the world. 

Tag List:  @ironfamjam @addi-is-amazing @mysterio-is-a-little-bitch