#i bought her family cake too and we ate it for dessert and it was sooo fuckin good im so glad i brought them smth

[imakle]

my friend invited me over for dinner for lunar new year and we ate together with her family and I washed the dishes and she washed fruit for me and we all watched tv together and her mom gave me red pocket money and sent me home with leftover dumplings and I. ough. oufhhhh T-T

[vanaglorie]

((I believe this is my first drabble thing for you. The way this works is that you are free to do with it as you please. Post it, hoard it, reply to it, or post as is. You can consider it a canon interaction between our muses or not. Whatever you wanna do with it is up to you! I hope you like it! 8D Of course, it’s the Akkun-verse))

-

The convenient thing about having similar majors was that some of their classes aligned. Who didn’t like having a guaranteed friend in a given class?

Haru Miura was a studious individual who was always prompt, usually getting to class early to pick out the best seat. She’d sent a message to Akkun earlier that day asking him to come to class early if possible because she had something to give him.

It shouldn’t be a surprise as to what she could possibly give him on this day. She’d have to question their friendship if he honestly didn’t think that Haru would’ve prepared a gift for him on Valentine’s day.

Every single year Haru would go through the effort of handmaking chocolate desserts to distribute to people, and of course Akkun was going to be one of the recipients.

Admittedly, she put a bit more effort into the gift for him compared to some others, and that was due in part of them such great friends. Also, it was a matter of how much sweets Byakuran could consume in a single sitting. The amount of chocolates she was gifting to others just wouldn’t feel enough to give him.

“Oh Akkun, you’re here!” Haru waves at him from her seat, motioning for him to come over quick. When he settles down in the seat next to him, she slides over an insulated box to him. Inside was a whole chocolate cake roll (and a fork, of course).

“Happy Valentine’s day! Akkun gets a whole cake roll because it just feels fitting considering how much cake we both know you’re able to consume in a single sitting.” To a regular person, that was a number of servings sitting in the box, but for the both of them? That’s a single serving of cake.

The cake was chocolate and so was the whipped cream filling on the inside. Haru dusted the top with powdered sugar to add at least another color to the dessert.

Haru had kept the cake in the fridge up until she had to leave for class and she’d carefully transported onto campus. She wasn’t concerned that he couldn’t finish it all, but it would taste the best if he ate it all soon.

Though a lot of people took the easy way out and bought chocolates to hand out to people, Haru was the diligent sort who preferred to make things herself. When she was very young, she settled for melting chocolate and pouring them into new molds. It was something!

As she grew older, she started to do more with the treats she gave out to people as thanks for being so kind to her throughout the year. It was a show of her appreciation for all of her friends and family. What better way to convey that than to make the treats yourself?

“Haru made the roll cake herself, so it’s not going to be as good at the professionally made roll cakes,” so don’t go expecting the quality that they get on Appreciation Day. “Haru made the cake as thanks for being Haru’s great friend, Akkun. Haru hopes that you like it, even if it’s not up to par to what we normally get.”

“Now, you can eat cake throughout class. Back here, the professor shouldn’t pay too much attention to you.” Haru cracks a small joke.

How to con your friend into coming into class and staying there: have cake.

( Baking a cake for Byakuran? An entire cake, at that? Such a heroic feat would not go unnoticed nor unrewarded. Henceforth Byakuran would willingly lay down his life for his beloved friend Haru. )

( Cut to Byakuran digging into a whole roll cake in the back of the lecture hall with absolutely zero shame. The greatest honour he could bestow upon Haru was to then, of course, save her a slice. )

[chelleztjs18]

Hello you mrs. honey nut cheerio lefty eyebag 🎅

Yeah it was me who sent that greeting 😁 I didn't want to bother you with a long message, so I kept it short and simple hahaha

How are you? How was Christmas morning? Did you get some good presents?

I want that heat.. yeah, today it is at 9 degrees, will snow sometime later and there's wind chill of -2. So I am bundled up while working.

So I made the tiramisu..with a little twist. Have you ever had biscoff cookies? Instead of the lady fingers, I used that. Let me tell you.. it was amazing. Then I almost made this thing called a mango float.. it's a dessert from the Philippines and it's like a frozen cake. It was so good too.

The ham, it was a small 2 lb honey ham.. it came out perfect. I was very happy and content with the food yesterday. I ate an extra slice of the ham just for you. I thought to myself, "poor lefty eyebag, she is going to have turkey, while I am enjoying this nice honey ham...oh well" 🤣🤣

Hm so when I listened to that song, it made me think about something like a chaotic couple. Someone is obsessed with the other person but the other person is just stringing them along because they like the attention. The person that's obsessed is okay with it though and doesn't want to let it go.

I know what you mean about tumblr being a safe space hahaha when I was younger, I had a different tumblr account,and it was filled with angst and it was my diary. Of course now I don't know what the username and stuff is for it, and I think I deleted that tumblr.

Aw its good that Emily is having her fun since she is with her cousins! Poor adults though who can't sleep in hahaha but at least the best thing is to see the kids happy and enjoying themselves! Did she like all her presents from grandma?

What foods did you get from the Indonesian place? Was it all good like you expected it to be?

I hope you enjoy your Christmas celebrations 😁 don't party it up too much though, you aren't as young as you were... just kidding 😂

-CuriousGeorge

Hii hii curious corn-punn righty eyebag!

How r u? How is everything after christmas? Tell me what did i miss..😁

I'm back! Haha. Sorry for the late answer.. the last days of the trip were busier because we tried to do more stuff n hang out more. I went to my friend's christmas party though. Had some great indonesian food, my friend made huckleberry champagne mule too n it was so good! I had a few of that n some shots. 😅

Christmas morning was fun,Em got a lot of presents n she didnt even know where to start n she was kinda done opening gifts.after opened some.lol. one of my brother in law got covid so he n his family couldnt come to have turkey dinner with us.

We made turkey dinner with corn bread casserole, sweet potato casserole with marshmellow, gravy, mashed potato, sweet rolls, stuffing and candied carrot.

Wow the tiramissu u made sounds really good! I wish i could try some. I found a new place that sells tiramisu n it has espresso with grand marnier liquor in it. Oh my god! It's so good! I love it. It's one of the best i hv had.

Did u do the mango desert too? Aww did u really think of me when u ate that ham?😆 honey baked ham is so good, i love it.haha.

N yes thats a really good theory u got from that Glass Animals song. I love it, the relationship sounds toxic. 😅 but i bet it will be fun to write.

Yes, Em likes all the presents she got. She is so spoiled haha.

Well the indonesian restaurant i went was the one i used to go so i already know how good their food r. I bought 3 different dishes. 1 panfried thin rice noodle thats kinda the same with philipines pancit noodle i think.. 1 chickem poridge with curry sauce n spicy, with chunks of fried bread n green onions n i also got something thats called ketoprak. It's hard to explain but u can google it. It's a dish with thin rice noodle, with steamed rice cake, tofu, sprout n with garlic peanut sauce n some friedncrackers.

The desert i got is a thick pancake cut in half n folded with some toppings in the middle of it. I got the chocolate peanut one.

Now, the curious Q & A session is back.. so give me next question, curious george.😅😆🤭

Cheerio!

[ejzah]

In Miss Blye’s Class, Part 10

***

Dinner turned out surprisingly well. Despite Deeks’ worries, the food was delicious, and Caleb kept them entertained with a series of loosely connected stories. Every so often, he would glance over at Kensi with a little smile.

When his plate was about two-thirds empty, Caleb pushed it back with a long sigh, leaning back as he rubbed his stomach.

“Daddy, I can’t eat anymore,” he said pitifully.

“Oh, then I bet you’re way too full for dessert,” Deeks teased, and Caleb immediately straightened up, fully alert and without a hint of discomfort.

“I’m not that full.” He gave his dad a worried look as Deeks unsuccessfully smothered a laugh. “And look, I ate all my green beans.”

“Ok, give me a second you little fiend.” He ruffled Caleb’s hair before heading back into the kitchen and returned with a small store bought chocolate cake. Caleb ate his slice enthusiastically, much to their amusement, completely silent for the first time this evening.

“Daddy, can I go play?” he asked when he’d scraped up every last crumb.

“Yeah, go ahead, but clear your place first.”

Grabbing everything from his spot, Caleb quickly rinsed his plate and glass at the sink and then put them to the side. Normally, Kensi might have been suspicious that Deeks was trying to show off or give a false representation of their home life, but it was obvious this was a normal routine for them. Plus, aside from Deeks’ worries about the meal, he’d been refreshingly open about his faults.

“You wanna play with legos with me, Miss Blye?” Caleb offered on his way out of the room. “I got a new set that makes a farmhouse.”

“I’d love to play legos with you, but first I have to help your dad clean up from dinner.”

His head dipped a little at her response and he sighed heavily.

“Ok, but don’t take too long, alright? Because It’s super cool. There’s a tiny cow, sheep, and even a tractor that you get to construct.”

“Alright, we’ll be out in a little bit,” Deeks told him, bending to give him a quick kiss on the very top of his head. “Remember, it’s a school night so don’t make a big mess.”

“Uh-huh.”

While Deeks started clearing the rest of the table, Kensi went in search of storage containers.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” he said after she opened the the third cabinet and found a collection of plastic and glass Tupperware.

“I don’t mind helping,” Kensi said. Which is how she found herself standing side-by-side with Deeks, drying dishes as he washed them. There was something oddly comfortable about doing the simple task together.

“So, what does your mom do that she was called in so last minute? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“She runs a catering business,” Deeks answered easily. “Someone called off so mom had to step in for a 200 guest wedding. It’s a crazy life, but she loves it.”

“I assumed you didn’t have anyone close by because otherwise you seem very family oriented,” Kensi observed, realizing a second too late that it sounded extremely judgmental. Fortunately, Deeks didn’t seem offended; he nodded in apparent agreement.

“I love my mother deeply and she is a wonderful people, but we tend to drive each other crazy when we spend too much time together. It’s better for everyone if we’re not in easy driving distance of each other which is why I purposely chose a house two hours away.”

“I’ll bet she wasn’t a fan of that.”

“She wasn’t at first. But I reminded her what happened when we stayed with her for a week after the divorce.” Deeks chuckled softly, pausing with a sponge in his hand. “We nearly annoyed each other to death within the first two days. And that was while mom was working part of the time.”

“Well, those kinds of situations are hard on everyone,” Kensi offered diplomatically.

“Yes, they are. It doesn’t help that Mama tends to be brutally honest. Which can be a beautiful thing, just not when you’re trying to keep a mildly civil relationship with your ex,” he said.

Deeks handed her a baking dish, and rubbed beneath his nose, leaving behind a streak of soap.

“And your dad?” she asked as she dried the dish and set it to the side.

“Out of the picture. He was, to put it nicely, a grade A ass,” he answered, smiling sarcastically. “My mom eventually got tired of his crap and filed for divorce when I was about 11. Best decision she ever made in my opinion.” It was the most negatively Kensi ever heard him speak about anyone so far, including his ex.

It explained a lot thought. While some adults mirrored their parents behavior, it was obvious that Deeks had done the opposite. His relationship with Caleb was proof enough of that.

Although he hadn’t said anything specific, she would bet Deeks’ gentle form of parenting was in direct reaction to his father’s methods.

“What about you? I feel like all we do is talk about me and you’re still kind of a mystery. What deep dark secrets are in Kensi Blye’s closet?” He said it jokingly enough that Kensi knew he wouldn’t push for any information, but she heard the curiosity in his voice.

“Well, my mom is a realtor and dad’s a colonel in the Marines. They’re divorced too. Fortunately, very amicably.” In the beginning when their relationship started to wane, they’d fought some, but it was never violent. Mostly, they’d drifted apart and didn’t have the resources to fix it. “I was old enough during the divorce to choose who I spent most of my time with and I picked my dad.”

“Wow, and he was still in the military all that time?” Deeks asked, resting his forearms on the edge of the sink basin. There were a few more plates and piece of silverware left but he didn’t seem in a hurry to finish.

“Yeah. Traveling and moving across country pretty frequently was rough sometimes, especially as a teenager. We got through it though and sometimes I stayed with mom if I needed a break,” Kensi said. “I guess that might seem like a horrible situation and crappy parenting.” Despite her best efforts, she knew she sounded defensive. Over the years, teachers, friends, and colleagues had expressed everything from sympathy to outright disapproval. “But it’s all I ever knew and most of the time I loved it. I got to experience things that no one else would.”

Deeks shrugged, bracing his arms so he was half-bent over the sink. There was a soft look in his eyes as he faced her.

“I don’t think that at all. It sounds like you had two loving parents who

listened to you and tried to do what was best in difficult circumstances,” he murmured. A touch of wistfulness crossed his face. “It’s commendable.”

“A lot of people would disagree with you.”

“Well, then they’re idiots,” Deeks said bluntly enough to make Kensi snort in surprise. It was a simple statement, but Kensi appreciated it more than Deeks could ever know. After so many years of defending her parents, her lifestyle as a child, she expected judgment and derision. It was a welcome relief to have someone who accepted her as is.

Her appreciation must have been apparent as she stared at Deeks for far too long because he dipped his head, cheeks reddening beneath his beard. Now that was an interesting reaction. She’d noticed he didn’t handle compliments very well a couple other times.

“So, uh, what are your parents doing these days?” he asked, focusing his attention on washing a steak with extreme thoroughness. Kensi hid a smile, though she continued to stare intently at the side of his face.

“My mon moved to Nevada a few years ago when she remarried and my dad still travels a lot with the military,” she explained. “Mom keeps trying to convince me to move closer, but, I don’t know. I think I’d like to settle for a little while. I’ve got friends and a good job that I don’t want to lose.”

“I don’t blame you.” Deeks sighed heavily. “As nice as it was to have a clean break, it was hard to leave everything I knew behind.”

“Well, you have new friends now,” Kensi reassured him. “LA is a big place, but the St. Bridget’s community is close knit, in case you haven’t noticed. Admittedly, a little too much sometimes,” she allowed, thinking of Nell and Candace’s ability to spread gossip faster than any form of social media. “If you ever need anything, there’s usually someone to help.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it. And everything you’ve done for me and Caleb.”

“You’re welcome.” She accepted the final plate from Deeks and quickly dried it in a few swipes of her towel before adding, “Just don’t spread it around too much, cause not everyone gets the Kensi Blye special treatment.”

“Deal,” Deeks agreed with a chuckle. “Alright, well I think that’s about it.” He pulled the plug from the drain and wiped any stray water from the counters.

“Just one more thing,” Kensi said, taking his shoulder to turn him towards her. “You have a little bit of—” she gestured to her own face before running her thumb across his upper lip to wipe away the bit of soap suds. Deeks inhaled sharply at her touch and suddenly it wasn’t quite so innocent.

She should have pulled away, but instead she lingered, enjoying the feeling of soft hair against her skin. Shifting her hand, she trailed her fingers down his cheek and saw his eyes dip to the slight V of her shirt before he caught himself and hastily pulled his gaze back up.

Kensi swayed towards him, heart beating impossibly fast as she rested her other hand on Deeks’ chest. He licked his lips, tongue darting out for a second and drawing her eyes while the tension grew between them. Kensi rose up on her toes towards him—

“Daddy?”

Deeks jerked back instantly, turning to face the sink again, and settled a hand on his hip, running his hands through his hair. He let out a sigh of frustration.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“No, it’s ok,” Kensi assured him. “Let’s go see what he needs. Nodding, Deeks offered her a wry smile and made a quick retreat towards the living room.

As she followed him, Kensi couldn’t decide if she was relieved or disappointed that they’d been interrupted. For one thing, it certainly made things more complicated.

***

A/N: My apologies for the lateness. Today was my nephew’s fourth birthday party, so I spent a good part of the day there. Hope you enjoy the chapter as always and that for all your support!

[vickyvicarious]

Eliot sweet talking Nana into sharing her secret family recipes so he can get more vegetables into both Hardison and Parker.

I was just going to write a short headcanon post about this but then the first line popped into my mind along with a line about Eliot utilizing his retrieval skills, and then next thing I knew this was a fic. First in this fandom so go easy on me.

(AO3 link.)

.

The carrot cake was the final straw.

Eliot knew his partners had terrible diets, okay? It was impossible for anyone to miss that, the way Hardison would just fill up any empty space in any fridge with orange soda, or Parker would get more cereal than was physically possible to store in the cupboard until there was at least one box permanently sitting on the table. He was well aware, and he’d been taking steps for a while to deal with matters.

He bought Hardison a fridge of his own - a mini fridge - and just poured out any soda he found anywhere else. He impressed upon Parker that just this shelf was for cereal and solemnly swore to her that he would never let it get beyond half-empty before filling it again. In the meantime, he filled the rest of his kitchen with actual ingredients, and always had a bowl of fruit out so they would have something healthy as an easy-to-grab snack. He didn’t put anything Parker liked hidden on a high shelf, because she’d find that fun; just small decoy portions while he kept most of his chocolate inside an old Wheat Thins box at the back of the cracker shelf. Speaking of chips, if he opened the bag of a good brand, then Hardison would gravitate toward it once he’d finished his Cheetos instead of going out to buy more, so that was just a matter of letting him buy one bag and then watching the level and timing when to get the other stuff out.

They both ate meat well enough, though Hardison liked to put in requests for absolutely sacrilegious misuses of various cuts; when Eliot humored him and actually destroyed his fish or brisket or whatever else as requested, he actually did seem to enjoy it, which was... very wrong, and disappointing, but at least the food was still going in his body. Parker quite liked some types of pasta now, and she seemed to enjoy when he put effort into plating things up nicely, but she was still a work in progress on any actual mealtime like a family (or a date. Not that Eliot hadn’t had to eat on the run plenty of times before, but - he’d had to. You don’t walk in to a table set for multiple healthy, delicious, innovative courses he’d been cooking for hours and then just grab bites as you wander around the room! He’d had wine out! Norah Jones playing softly in the background! No candles because he wasn’t an idiot, but it was clearly a romantic meal! What the hell kind of untrained toddler behaviour-).

Breakfast was easy, since they both liked eggs and there were a lot of ways to go from there. Breakfast potatoes were a hit too, and bacon, and they’d even eat oatmeal if he smothered it in sugar so that was something. For lunch, Hardison at least appreciated a good sandwich. Granted, usually only a stolen one because he didn’t like to make any kind of food at all that didn’t come out of a plastic package with microwave instructions on the side (and that had been an argument for the ages, the microwave one. Frankly most things could be heated better on a pan or in an oven, and those that were meant for the microwave were usually mass-produced garbage Hardison really didn’t need in his diet, but he disagreed vehemently and in the end that was one battle Eliot had definitively lost), but once Eliot caught on, he just started making double whatever he ate. Parker scoffed at the idea of lunch, for some reason, claiming that a granola bar or a brownie would get her through till dinner, but if he packed a lunchbox to look interesting and then gave it to her, she’d usually eat it. He just stocked up on bento boxes and made various kinds of colorful and/or childish looking foods and they came back mostly empty so that was good enough.

(Hardison claimed to have gotten jealous about it. Eliot was pretty certain he was making fun of him, so obviously he said he’d be caught dead before packing a lunch for him. He was a grown man and could do it himself.

“She’s a grown woman!” he complained, pointing at Parker, who was sitting perched on the back of an armchair nibbling away at her kraken bento - black noodle limbs, gyoza face, and grabbing a little egg scuba diver. “Sh-she should have to - this is discrimination!”

“Stay away from my octopus,” she squinted menacingly. When Hardison just glared mulishly back, she hugged the food closer to her chest. “It’s not for you, this is my little dead man.”

She popped the egg into her mouth and chewed, never breaking eye contact.

He turned back to Eliot to complain some more, but apparently that was only an attempt to fake her out, because he tried to grab the gyoza barehanded and she screeched, flinging her chopsticks at his face before fleeing across the room. Noodles got everywhere, Hardison had two little round bruises on his cheek the next morning, and somehow Eliot wound up packing everyone lunches every morning after that, and putting notes on them to label who each one went to.

He did not put sappy notes instead the boxes. He wasn’t their parent, okay. The notes inside the lunch were only ever reminders they needed for the con, like Parker’s character’s peanut allergy and how she needed to have the attack exactly two minutes after the mark joined her at the break table, or for Hardison to lock Lucille II behind him because even if he could track down someone who took off in her, he really shouldn’t have to again.)

Anyway, Eliot had something of a system down at this point. It wasn’t perfect, but it was workable for the most part. The one exception was vegetables, which they both hated. He’d tried to hide them several times, but they often picked them out or he just couldn’t stand to puree broccoli into a little garnish/dip just because his girlfriend and boyfriend were both giant babies about actually eating them whole. He had to eat the food too, and he enjoyed himself some veggies like any sane person would. They ate the ones hidden in their lunches almost half of the time, and sometimes other varieties, so he tried not to focus on that too much. Baby steps, he thought. First regular meals at all, then vegetables later.

But the carrot cake.

That was just too much.

It was cake. It was covered in cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake wasn’t anything but decadent, at least not the way Eliot made it for Hardison’s birthday. It was sweet, had just the right texture from the roasted pecans, the perfect hint of cinnamon and ginger. Not a complicated dish by any means, but pretty well near perfect, in Eliot’s no goddamn need to be humble opinion.

Hardison scrunched up his nose.

“Oh,” he said, not accepting the large slice Eliot tried to give him. “Eliot, I’m hoping this is a joke and you have my Red Velvet in the fridge?”

Parker let him hand her the plate, ate a bite, spat it out, then just started eating straight frosting off all the sides.

Eliot could feel his hands twitching. He very carefully set down the knife.

“What’s wrong with my cake?” he asked. Gave them the benefit of the doubt, and tried a bite: delicious.

“I mean... it’s a carrot cake,” Hardison said delicately, as though Eliot had made some kind of mistake and he felt a little bad pointing it out to him.

“So?”

“Carrot, Eliot.”

“Cake, HARDISON.”

“I like the frosting,” Parker interjected, and Eliot glanced over to her. She’d moved on from her own plate and was just scraping fingerfuls of frosting directly off the top of the cake. His cake. His cake for Hardison’s birthday, his beautiful cake -

“Babe, we love you but you gotta know vegetables don’t have any place in a dessert, that’s just wrong. C’mon, you really didn’t make me something else? Really?”

“THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!” Eliot bellowed and stormed out of the apartment. He took the cake with him.

.

He brought it to Sophie and Nate, since they were in town and they weren’t insane like some people he knew.

“People you’ve, uh, chosen to dedicate the rest of your life to,” Nate pointed out around a mouthful. “I mean, you knew what they were like.”

“Oh, hush, Nate, don’t you get it? They’ve hurt Eliot’s feelings,” Sophie explained. She ate another bite, hummed approvingly, then waved her fork around to emphasize her words: “For Eliot, food is life. He wants them to lead long and healthy lives, he wants to live with them and show his love for them and keep them safe, and they just rejected that. It’s not all about the vegetables, y’know?”

Eliot was never sure whether he loved Sophie best or least of all.

“It’s definitely all about the vegetables,” he said, crossing his arms. The pair of them exchanged a look and then smiled at him warmly, like he’d just done something cute.

“Fine! Forget it,” he snarled, pushing himself roughly to his feet.

Behind him, Nate grunted the distinctive grunt of someone receiving a pointy elbow to the side, then cleared his throat.

“Okay, okay - wait! Wait, all right, I might have one idea.” When he turned back, Nate was rubbing thoughtfully at his chin. “You’ve tried featuring the veggies, right, and hiding them. I’m sure you’ve lectured them both to death about why they should be eating more vegetables, but that’s not going to work on them, is it, because there’s no connection there. Ad novitam is only going to get you so far, you need the, the personal touch, a little ad misericordiam if you will.”

“I am not telling them it makes me sad when they don’t eat their greens,” Eliot said firmly.

“But it does,” Sophie said lightly. She met his glare with a soft smile, and popped another bite of cake into her mouth.

“N- Well, no, obviously, but you’ve got to think it through, Eliot. Step away from the situation. How can you imbue the food itself with emotion? Not for you -” Nate spoke a little louder as Eliot started to answer, “you’re not our mark here. What kind of food, with vegetables, is going make them feel an emotional connection?”

Eliot subsided, frowning down at his own plate. That... was actually a pretty good point.

“Hm, my favorite is still that little restaurant in Paris, with the exquisite quiche. But, I suppose hard-scrambled eggs are a bit of a guilty pleasure,” Sophie mused. “Mum was never any good at cooking.”

“You too?” Nate turned to her. “Yeah, my dad could set water on fire. I remember eating from my meal plan at college - the cafeteria, mind you - thinking how good the food was in comparison.”

The solution clicked into place. (Of course it did, they’d practically hand-fed it to him.)

Eliot stood up and grabbed his coat.

“Oh, are you leaving, Eliot?” Sophie asked.

“Yeah,” he said, and turned back to smirk at them. “I’m gonna go steal Hardison’s childhood.”

.

Once upon a time, Eliot had been a retrieval specialist. You name it, he got it back. Sometimes it was actually a they or even a them, on occasion. He’d committed arson for a pair of scissors, had gathered up a scatted set of Fabergé eggs from seven different countries and two different mafias, had traveled more than once through airport security with a live frog in his pants. The business was a strange one, but he’d been the best at it. And in the years since he left, his life hadn’t exactly gotten less weird; Leverage saw to that.

Breaking into an old woman’s home and stealing a book of recipes would be easier than taking candy from a baby. Of course, Hardison made sure to keep his Nana safe, and from everything he’d heard she could certainly take care of herself, but still it wouldn’t be any great challenge for Eliot to just break in and take what he wanted. He could do it and leave without her ever knowing he’d even been there.

He rang the doorbell, and gave her his best smile when it swung open.

“Hello ma’am, I’m Eliot. Can I come in?”

(This was Hardison’s Nana, he’d never do wrong by her like that. Anyway, it wouldn’t even work. For this he needed her direct input.)

Nana was a short, soft-looking woman. Her hair was pushed back with a purple headband, and she wore loose comfortable pants and a clearly old t-shirt covered in child-sized paint handprints. She exuded a sort of maternal air that had Eliot relaxing into the visit almost despite himself. They’d only ever spoken on the phone, and he’d admittedly felt a little awkward about his plan due to that detail alone. He knew Hardison would love for them to meet her, but it just hadn’t happened yet - honestly, Eliot had been reluctant before, worried that she would find him wanting, and he’d always been relieved that no plans had crystallized into anything solid.

Certainly, despite welcoming him in and getting them all set up on the couch with home-made lemonades, it was clear she felt suspicious. A few minutes in, she dropped the small talk altogether to pin Eliot with a steely glare.

“I’m fairly certain Alec wanted to be here when we met so he could brag some more about how hot his partners are,” she said, making Eliot flush. “And I’m just as certain nothing has happened to him, or it wouldn’t be you here to tell me, so that just leaves me confused.”

She raised an eyebrow, letting him take his time responding.

He looked down at his lap. Ran a hand through his hair, feeling... not less confident that he’d get those recipes by the end of this visit, but certainly more bashful about it.

“Uh. Yes ma’am,” he said. Quickly corrected himself, remembering her insistence over the phone, “uh, Nana. See, he doesn’t actually... know I’m here...”

“I’d guessed as much,” she said wryly.

“Right. Um, I actually wanted to ask you something. There’s something I want to do for him - well, for them - but I need your help to do it right.”

She stared him down a moment longer. Then her eyes widened, and she sat back in her seat with a little gasp, hand over her heart.

“Oh, Eliot,” she said warmly, leaning forward again to grab his hand and hold it between hers, “Oh, sweet boy, of course he’ll say yes. You should hear the way he talks about you, Alec’s been head over heels for years. I may not have met Parker personally, but I’m sure she will too. You don’t have anything to worry about, trust me on that.”

“What?” he croaked. “I... w-what?”

His voice broke in his throat. He wanted to yank away but he felt frozen in place. He didn’t understand how she’d - okay, no, he could easily see how she would draw the wrong conclusions from this situation, but they were the wrong conclusions! He’d never even considered marriage since Aimee, let alone proposing to Parker and Hardison. It wasn’t like a three-way marriage was even legal, and even if it were he would never. It was too much - not too much commitment, he’d already promised the rest of his life to them both, but still too much, somehow. He’d never dare.

“I know Alec doesn’t think too much of the institution in general,” Nana said, waving a dismissive hand, “but if you do he’ll understand that. He might not need it but he won’t say no if you ask, hon. I can promise you that.”

Eliot meant to deny the very idea. Instead what came out of his mouth was a shaky:

“...Are you sure?”

.

Hardison’s Nana - his Nana too, she insisted, even after Eliot finally managed to clear up the misunderstanding - was truly a gem of a woman. He could see so much of who Hardison had turned out to be in her kindness, her cleverness, her sense of humor. She’d broken out the picture albums for him, and had even kindly let him keep one photo of a gaptoothed little Alec in a horrible bowl cut, grinning proudly and brandishing a blue ribbon next to his science project. To Eliot’s complete lack of surprise, he’d won every year with zero competition from his peers.

(He told her that he wanted the picture to make fun of Hardison with. It was true, but she still just patted him on the shoulder and told him to keep it. Didn’t say a word when he tucked it into his wallet with unnecessary care.)

They talked for a long time. She gave him a journal to copy directly from her personal recipe book, a lovely clothbound thing spattered with grease and burnt at one edge, smelling of spices and old paper; clearly well used. She told him it was passed down from her mother, who’d put in lots of her mother’s recipes. Eliot took notes as she talked him through every one. He had a good memory but he didn’t want to miss a thing, and her recipes as written were bare bones. He could cook a delicious meal from them easily enough, but it wouldn’t have her heart in it, not like what he wanted to make.

Just talking could only do so much, and eventually they found themselves in the kitchen, demonstrating techniques and favored spice blends. It was nice, just in and of itself. Eliot rarely got to talk shop with other cooks, and it had been a long time since he’d eaten anything home-made by someone else. Nana never went to school for this stuff, but clearly her long years of experience carried their own weight, because she knew what she was talking about. 

It was late in the night by the time Eliot left her house, feeling himself flush to his ears as she kissed him on the cheek before waving until he’d driven away. And this after wrapping him up in a tight, warm hug just inside the front door.

“Alec’s done well for himself,” she said, and winked. “Now, next time I want you to bring that young lady of yours as well, you hear me? Make that a promise.”

“I will,” he said.

.

It was nearly three AM by the time he got home. Parker crashed out of the dark the second he stepped inside, clinging to him as he caught her midair.

“You made Hardison sad on his birthday,” she told him sternly, and headbutted him hard on the temple. As he winced, she pressed her nose down against his shoulder and took a long sniff. “You smell like lemons.”

“You made me sad on Hardison’s birthday,” Eliot sighed. “I mean, mad.”

“Doesn’t matter, you made him sad so I’m not sorry,” she said, and snuggled close.

Eliot carried her through the apartment, avoiding bumping into any furniture through the ease of experience, and into the bedroom. Hardison was sprawled across the mattress, fast asleep with a frown.

Setting Parker down, Eliot got undressed and climbed into the bed. He scooted behind Hardison, leaning up on an elbow to swipe a gentle thumb over the furrow between his brows. It came back, so he wiped at it again, and kissed Alec’s shoulder when he huffed a little and his face relaxed. Eliot kissed him one more time, then lay down behind him with an arm draped over his side.

Rather than going around the bed to the free space on Hardison’s other side, Parker crammed herself onto the mattress right behind Eliot, pushing him further into Hardison and determinedly spooning him.

He craned his neck up to look at her in the dark. She met his gaze solemnly and squeezed tighter, slipping a leg between his.

Eliot fell asleep warm, entangled in the two loves of his life.

.

He woke stinking hot, still entangled but a lot less happy about it. This happened every time he slept in the middle; he didn’t know why he kept letting it happen. Every single time he’d wake abruptly, heart thrumming in an instinctive alert to something wrong... Only to realize that something was just Parker drooling on his ear, or Hardison’s morning breath in his face, and (every time) both their limbs all wrapped up around him and each other in a very sweet, sweaty, and constricting mess.

The first few times he’d suffered through it, unwilling to wake them. Still basking in the fact that he was here, that he got to be a part of this. But Hardison slept like the dead, and Parker had the ability to wake up and go back to sleep pretty much indefinitely, so Eliot had no compunctions about shoving them aside anymore. He also knew that the other two were night owls who would happily sleep in to eight or even ten if left undisturbed. Eliot woke habitually at five regardless of how late he’d been up, maybe six at the latest; morning snuggles just really weren’t practical.

He wriggled free, clambering over Parker and catching her when the bed dipped and she nearly fell to the floor. Her eyes shot open, clocked him, then dropped shut as she went right back to sleep. He left them there and went to go take a shower, then wandered into the kitchen, grabbing up his new cookbook from his jacket pocket on the way.

Eliot was operating on only a couple hours of sleep; Nana didn’t exactly live next door, and he was frankly lucky he’d got out the cake relatively early in the afternoon, to be able to catch her awake at all. It wasn’t like he’d ruined Hardison’s whole birthday, just that last part they’d set aside for the three of them. They had already hung out with Nate and Sophie in the morning, and Hardison had a long phone call with Nana even before that. Parker had even given Hardison her present: a little statuette originally from a museum in Delhi if Eliot wasn’t mistaken. It was some god or something, but bore a striking resemblance to an Ewok, a detail she’d correctly guessed Hardison would love. He’d been planning on giving his present after the cake, at which point they were going to, on Hardison’s specific request, have a very normal and boring date at home. There had been a lot of jobs lately, so that must have tied into his desire for domesticity - that and ‘birthday rights’ to force them to watch all his nerd movies and lose at various video games.

They hadn’t planned anything for today either, so it wasn’t like those plans couldn’t still happen... And in fact yesterday hadn’t even been Hardison’s real birthday, just the replacement day they’d agreed to celebrate on when a con ran through the actual day. But in the cold light of day he felt a lot more stupid about taking a vegetable-related risk on Hardison’s cake, and then reacting stupidly when they didn’t like it. To be fair, he hadn’t considered it a risk at all, hadn’t even been thinking of his ongoing quest to feed them better so much as the fact that carrot cakes were good and he knew Hardison liked cream cheese frosting - but still. Sophie may have hit the nail on the head, but it was still a stupid and immature nail to let get in the way like he’d done.

He had to at least try to make it up to him.

Accordingly, the breakfast casserole Eliot put together was about as far removed from a healthy meal as any non-dessert in Nana’s cookbook. A baked blueberry French toast creation with lots of sugar, it actually was more of a dessert than anything else. It also took hours in the fridge, but that was alright; not the first time Eliot getting up so much earlier came in handy.

He took the time that it spent in the fridge to clean the apartment. He got out his gift to Hardison, swept and mopped and watered all the plants. Did some laundry, meditated a bit. Pretty much just puttered around for hours, steadily feeling worse and worse about his outburst the day before. Parker had been accepting if not forgiving, and didn’t need an explanation; Hardison might not feel the same. Eliot didn’t expect him to; he was the one clearly in the wrong. He really couldn’t regret the outcome of meeting Nana and getting her recipes, but it should have been on any other day.

He managed to time the casserole just to when the other two got up; just as Eliot pulled it from the oven, Parker wandered into the room.

“Ooh!” she said, and approached with a clear intent to stick her fingers directly into the hot food. Eliot intercepted her with a glare and a whap with his oven-mitt. She retaliated with a vicious pinch to the back of his hand and grabbed a blueberry off the top, tossing it into her mouth and wincing as she burnt herself chewing it.

“Quit that, it’s Hardison’s,” he told her.

“Hardison!” Parker yelled in what appeared to be terror, because of course she would. “I need your help right now!”

He came tumbling into the room, still only half-dressed and clumsily wielding Parker’s taser at the couch. When he saw only the two of them calmly watching him, he attempted to hide it behind his back.

“Oh hey, what’s up everyone,” he said nonchalantly. “Breakfast? Awesome. Smells like something Nana used to make.”

Parker went over and kissed him as she stole the taser out of his hand. She held it up in front of his face.

“Mine,” she scolded.

“Hey, I was ready to defend your life,” Hardison said, mock-offended. “What, you want me to run into an ambush empty-handed? Come on, baby, look who you’re talking to.”

“If you’d let Eliot teach you MMA like me then -”

“Then what, you’d use it as an excuse to choke me out again? I know what you’re after, I recognize that look in your eyes -”

“Hey, come’n eat.” Eliot put two full plates of breakfast  casserole down on the island. He braced himself, ready for Hardison to keep giving him the silent treatment or outright call him out on his behavior.

It didn’t happen.

“Morning Eliot,” he said as he came over to grab a stool. He leaned across the island; when Eliot was too surprised to meet him halfway, he rolled his eyes and reached out a hand to grab his face and pull it close enough for a quick kiss. Then he plopped down into his seat, inhaling deeply at his food. “Oh man, this smells exactly like Nana’s Blueberry Thing, I loved that as a kid. How’d you know?”

Eliot slowly sank down from his tiptoes. His stomach hurt a little from being yanked up against the edge of the island, his lips still felt the impression of Hardison’s. He... really didn’t understand.

“Uh, Nana said you liked it best,” he replied a little too woodenly. Neither of his partners seemed to notice.

“You been talkin’ to her without me?” Hardison asked, before taking a bite and moaning. It wasn’t a sex moan - Eliot knew what those sounded like - but it was damn near. “Did you turn into her? What the hell, this is it, this is the Blueberry Thing!”

Parker was at her own plate the moment Eliot said Nana; she was always fascinated by any mention of the woman, and would probably taze him for meeting her first. Right now, she was digging into her own plate, eyes closed.

Eliot cut himself a serving too and sat down to eat with them. He felt tentative, somehow, embarrassed.

“Yeah,” he grunted. “Went to talk to her last night. Got some recipes.”

The food was good. Sweet, warm, filling; clearly a comfort meal. He dug in.

When he looked up, Parker and Hardison were both staring at him. She opened her mouth, paused, and then fell silent with a glance to Hardison. He was staring at Eliot, mouth open.

“What the hell, hon?”

Eliot clenched his jaw. He knew what he should say. He’d spent all morning prepping himself to say it.

“...You never opened my present,” he said instead.

Hardison squinted at him.

“Yeah, I wasn’t gonna without you there,” he said pointedly.

“Right, well, here,” Eliot said and shoved it his direction before going back to his food. He could feel them staring at him but didn’t lift his head, kept shoveling bite after bite into his mouth as he heard Hardison final tearing at the wrapping paper, grumbling incoherently to himself.

A moment later, the angry mumbles got louder when he opened the first box to reveal the second one.

By the time Hardison got down to the final layer, a small paper booklet six boxes in, Parker was snickering rudely and his muttering was about half swear-words. Eliot still didn’t look up, kept waiting until Hardison actually read the gift.

(He’d thought it would be funny, obviously. He’d thought it would be hilarious, to watch Hardison getting more and more irritated by the wrapping paper. And he knew the gift itself wasn’t anything much, but Eliot usually prided himself on being good at getting people things they didn’t know they wanted, or didn’t think they’d ever get. He knew it was childish and kind of stupid right from the jump, but money didn’t really mean too much to Hardison, and he was confident he’d love this.

After his behavior last night, he wasn’t so sure anymore. Immaturity took on a different tone right now.)

“‘Eliot Tickets,’“ he heard Hardison read off slowly, then - “no.”

He glanced up sharply, but it’d been a sound of delight. Hardison’s eyes were wide and he was flipping through the pages rapidly with an ever-widening grin.

“No nerd jokes for twenty-four hours, back massage, favorite food, favorite sex, get-out-of-scolding free, dessert for dinner, oh my god Comic-Con?! Get to play with your hair, get to pick your cover, computer lessons, videogames, sleeping in, what kind of goldmine is this -”

Parker leaned over his shoulder as he kept going, pointing out her favorites as they worked their way quickly through the rest of the little booklet. It wasn’t horrendously long, but long enough: one ticket for every year. Twenty-eight in all.

Twenty-nine, including the piece of paper Eliot had slipped in front of the last page at seven-thirty this morning, before carefully re-wrapping every box.

“‘One I’m sorry,’” Parker read out loud. She met Eliot’s eyes as she asked, “Are you gonna use it?”

Hardison hummed thoughtfully, then picked it up to reveal the last page.

“No, I’mma save this for just the right time,” he said, waving it in the air. He looked Eliot in the eye and smirked meaningfully. “You messed up, man, you didn’t put an expiration date on any of these.”

“Dammit,” Eliot grumbled, like he’d just realized.

(It hadn’t been a mistake.)

“Don’t need that right now anyway,” Hardison continued, tucking it back into the middle of the book. “This, on the other hand - this one I’m cashing in now.”

Eliot took the little piece of paper Hardison ripped free. He sighed.

“Really?”

“Hell yes, now get in here - and no complaining, them’s the rules you made your own self. You too, Parker, c’mere.”

Eliot stood up and rounded the island, halting with a sigh just before reaching Hardison, who stood to meet him. He ripped the coupon in half.

“All right, here goes.”

Tucking the pieces into his pocket, Eliot stepped forward into Hardison’s outstretched arms, tucking himself in close and hugging him back tightly. A moment later, he felt Parker collide with them both, one arm over his shoulders and a leg around his hips. He sighed again, this time into Hardison’s shoulder, and let himself sway when they did, a gentle rock back and forth.

He closed his eyes when they started to sting.

“Sorry,” he mumbled into Hardison’s shoulder after a long minute. “Shouldn’ta left.”

“That does not count, Eliot,” Hardison told him firmly, and didn’t let go. “I did not use my coupon, I still got my coupon, you aren’t getting out of anythin’ with that you hear me?”

Parker snickered behind him.

“Not getting out of anything at all,” she said, and squeezed tighter. “We’ve got you trapped.”

.

(The next time he fed them vegetables, it was a Nana recipe and Hardison ate without complaint. Parker ate because she wanted to know what it felt like to be a little Hardison, and proclaimed the experience ‘like one of my harnesses’ which was obviously a very positive review.

The next time he fed them vegetables and it wasn’t a Nana recipe, they exchanged a look and then each ate exactly half of their servings. The rest they snuck back onto Eliot’s plate one bite at a time like he wouldn’t notice. He let them get away with it and looked down at everyone’s empty plates afterward with a weird content feeling relaxing his shoulders.

The next time he saw Nana, her words on Hardison’s bragging proved embarrassingly correct. She and Parker got along like a house on fire, and if left alone too long would probably cause a house on fire, and Hardison just watched them with a giant grin like he didn’t see the danger. Nana asked Eliot if he’d considered what they talked about last time right in front of them both, proving beyond all doubt that she shared Hardison’s love of driving him goddamn crazy for fun.

The next carrot cake he made was for Sophie and Nate. He refused to call it a thank you, but she did and also asked him to make that little French quiche she’d talked about like she honestly expected “it had spinach, I think, something green anyway, it was very light, and some kind of unexpected spice too?” would be enough to go on. Nate was no help whatsoever.)

[elliethesuperfruitlover]

*sings* the family REUNION

A/N: A nice Klaus x Topazi. I’m projecting, and this is also comfort for me right now xx. I’m sick of this country, I want to get the fuck out, but I can’t, so this is what’s happened. I’ve thought about writing this one before, but I think what we all need right now is some tenderness and warmth, so what better way to do it than through fanfiction. This is the first time I’ve written for an OC, and I like it so far. This was initially for a black reader, then I thought, literally today “oh topazi” so here we are.

Warnings: food (and lots of it), mild drink, knowing myself small mentions of racism, mention of sex

Cheeky Tag List: @misskittysmagicportal, @super-unpredictable98, @badsext, @sean-falco, @the-freckled-luba, @iamsexytrash, @crabstick, @robertsheehanownsmyass, @frogs--are--bitches, @seancekitsch

“KLAUS, COME ON, I CAN’T BE LATE” Topazi yelled through the house, checking herself in the mirror one last time before springing to where Klaus was.

 He was sitting on the kitchen island, nibbling on some chips. His feet tapped against the counter every other second.

“I told you, don’t eat yet, you won’t want to eat before we get there and that’s forbidden fruit sir.” she sternly stated, fauxly crossing her arms at him.

“Fine, by the way, your pasta salad is amazing.” he said, making a small chef’s kiss motion with his hands.

  Topazi facepalmed as Klaus kissed her cheek, and he walked to the door and put his sandles on. Jesus sandles, actually. To spent hours making two tins of pasta salad, and he ate almost a full corner of it. He must’ve eaten some of it while she was in the bathroom, or when she was lightly scolding the cats for disturbing the resident mice. She rolled her eyes and packed into the car, but not before saying goodbye to the houseplants.

“How long is the drive supposed to be?” Klaus asked, long limbs extending in the car.

“Just about an hour. It won’t be long, trust me. You’ll wish the drive was even shorter when you get there too.” she said, smiling and Klaus grinned back at her, and he kissed her once more before shuffling over more to his side of the car.

  About 45 minutes of time passed, and during that time, Klaus had opened a plethora of tangents, including pegging, ketchup being a smoothie (to him), why he doesn’t personally trust roaches(they just look weird, and they live forever), as well as why it took so long for him to cut that god-awful beard. All the while T was swerving in lanes, and glancing every now and then at the clock in the car. Klaus sat guzzling water while talking, and she knew the question was going to come up at some point, so she slapped her big girl panties on and took it.

“Are we there yet?” Klaus asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. His stomach was poking out, but just barely, and Topazi sighed heavily.

“Klaus, come on. We’ve got a little less than 20 minutes left, it’s not my fault you drank all that water.”  she said, half stern, half jokingly.

“But I have to gooo. Can’t you pull over or something?” he whines, puppy dog eyes showing.

‘We’re on a highway, Klaus.” she muttered, gritting her teeth before pulling into a lane. That caused him to cross his legs, and close his eyes, groaning.

“Please, I really have to go. I’ll try to repay the favor when I can, I promise.” he begs, hands covering his crotch. T thought about it for a moment, and she’d been meaning to have Klaus eat her out again, so why not. She reached in the back and pulled out an empty bottle, and he picked it from her hands.

“I’ve been meaning to do this for a while.” he says, turning away from her and she gagged lightly, but at least he didn’t wet his pants....this time.

Topazi continued to drive for the promised 20 minutes, and she arrived at her parent’s house, cars already piling onto the lawn. Klaus quickly headed to the trash can outside, and threw the bottle away, getting sanitizer from the car. She grabbed a tin of the pasta salad, as well as Klaus, and he followed her to the front of the house.

“Are they even going to like me?” Klaus mumbled, eyebrows scrunching. They’d  had discussions about it before, and his worry was extremely valid. She didn’t want Klaus to feel left out, or bad about anything. He was still a really good lover. He’d voiced his concerns multiple times, and time and time again, she reassured him.

“You’ll be fine. If they say one thing you’re uncomfortable with, I won’t hesitate to leave this place and drive all the way back. You know that.” T replied, using a hand to softly rub his cheek. He leaned into her touch, and the door opened, right as she was reaching for the doorbell for a second ring.

“Hi! Come on it! And you bought a guest, who is this?” Alena asked, ushering her daughter and guest into the house.

“Mom, this is my partner Klaus. Also, pasta salad, which is getting warm as we speak, so let me set it down.” Topazi rushed into the kitchen, shuffling quickly into the house, Klaus bumbling after her, looking around. She opened the fridge and shoved her dish in, gently patting it before stretching mildly, an aftereffect of staying in one spot.

  T walked back over to Klaus and he smiled at her mom, who was walking him outside to meet the rest of the family. She followed closely behind, and she noticed him getting more and more comfortable. He went around meeting everyone and shaking their hands, or hugging them. T met up with her siblings, hugging them, and letting her nieces and nephews up on her hips. She played with them and chatted for a while, and Klaus came back to her, almost skipping.

“Did you know that your dad served in the Army?” Klaus asked her, a small sparkle in his eye.

“Klaus....he’s my dad. Why wouldn’t I know?” she replied, tilting her head to the side. She giggled at his look, and her siblings noticed him, and gave him a collective small rundown. She did argue with her siblings a fuck ton, but they always tended to come to her aid if needed.

  Klaus went around and introduced himself to T’s aunt that just came in, and she giggled as he was almost crushed by the force of her hug. She patted his back and looked him up and down.

“Goodness, you need somethin’ to eat, one more gust of wind, we won’t see you ‘til Christmas!” she stated, shaking her head jokingly.

  He giggled at the effort, and prodded about needing to go to a chiropractor. She cackled, and he went back to T, placing a tiny kiss to her cheek.

“This is going surprisingly well, what the fuuuck?!” he whispered, and she wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him. He placed his chin on top of her head and sighed in her touch. The moment, however, was short lived, as one of Topazi’s nieces came between them and giggled around their ankles, and Klaus picked one of them up, asking their name.

  She was pleasantly shocked at his reaction with the kids, and soon enough, the two of them were running in the yard, playing tag. She was currently in the lead, and her siblings were bounding towards her, waiting for there to be a chance to tackle her. Klaus came up from behind her and tackled her, causing the both of them to crash to the ground.

“Oh come on, that’s nowhere near fair!” she yelled, trying to wiggle away from him. He looked into her eyes, and pecked her lips. They sighed against each other and the sun baked their skin. Klaus eventually rolled off of T, and just as they were getting hungry, dinner was called.

  She ran to the backyard, dress billowing behind her, Klaus in tow, and she washed her hands before getting in line. Her mouth simply watered at the selection of southern food placed in front of her. Klaus was somewhat surprised at everything, but welcomed it happily when confronted with....wait a minute....sweet potatoes with cherries?? Topazi laughed at him, and promised to explain it to him once they sat down. Your family, and you could practically hear their thoughts “Shouldn’t he get more?”. It half sickened her to think of that though, so she found a lawn chair to sit in, carefully placing it to avoid the ant beds and tree roots.

“Okay so, what the fuck is with the sweet potatoes?” Klaus asked, shoving a spoonful of potato salad in his mouth.

“They’re called candied yams. The cherries help them become sweeter. And don’t take the fucking breadcrumbs off the mac and cheese. I’ll slaughter you, that’s the best part.” T whispered, slowly becoming more and more full.

  She went back for another serving (or two) and stopped at dessert, which was provided graciously. Many cakes and pies laid in front of her, as well as tarts, and, wait, who the fuck brought Krispy Kreme?

“Who got lazy?” she mumbled, walking back to Klaus with her plate full of sweets, and she immediately took a bite from the glazed donut, eyes closing. “Still warm though.”

“I mean, Honey only taught me to make a couple things, and donuts weren’t one of them.” he stated, sipping his tea.

  The sun began to set, and the drinks started pouring. The stories began to filter out, and Topazi saw Klaus start to nod off, and she announced their leaving. He sleepily said his goodbyes and when they got into the car, Klaus knocked out almost immediately. The drive home was very quiet. Music played quietly on the radio, and T hummed along quietly. Klaus shuffled every now and then in his sleep, and his breathing fogged the window on his side of the car. When they arrived home, Topazi gently woke Klaus, and he slowly made his way into the house, practically sleepwalking. As they were undressing and getting into bed, Klaus quietly whispered a couple words. Topazi barely heard him, and he repeated himself.

“Thank you for letting me meet your family. I enjoyed it. I’m happy I got to know the people who raised you. They did a damn good job too.” he whispered back, gently kissing Topazi’s head. She got a bit flustered from the compliment and gently thanked him as well, and the two of them fell asleep to the sound of their respective partner’s heartbeats.

Masterlist

[jobrookekarev]

The Batter Always Taste Better

Chapter: 1/1

Words: 1820

Summary: Jo comes home to see Alex baking cake and steals a taste for herself and her baby.

Fandom: Grey's Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson.

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson Karev, and OC:Helena Karev.

Rating: Gen. Audiences.

Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff and Chocolate Cake.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

AN: For Belle @only-freakin-sunflowers, Happy Birthday!

……………………………………………………………………

Jo walked through the door of the house and was greeted with the wonderful and excited squeals of her seven-month-old baby girl. Helena up as she excited squeals reach her ears as she bounces up and down so excited to see her. Helena stood against the baby gate that separated the mudroom from the kitchen of their new house. Jo quickly took off her shoes and dropped everything to pick up her baby.

“There's my girl, are you excited to see me? I’m so excited to see you!” Jo said as she leaned down and picked Helena up. Jo planted a dozen kisses on her cheeks as Helena grasped at her shirt and babbled to her. “Where Daddy is should we go find him?” 

Jo put Helena on her hip and opened the baby gate before she turned the corner out of the pantry and into the kitchen. what greeted her was her husband standing in a mess of box cake mix which was scattered around the counter along with other various ingredients and store-bought frosting and sprinkles. Alex looked up from the box of cake mix to greet her with a warm smile.

“Hey you,” Alex said, putting a box down and wrapping his arms around her waist as he greeted her with a kiss. “Long day?”

“Ugh yes, I delivered three babies today, one of which was an emergency C-section. Just when I finished up with one mom another one went into labor, I barely even got a chance to see my clinic patients,” Jo said, as she kissed Alex again before she moved to sit on a stool in the kitchen. 

Jo put Helena on the counter as she held her and continued to coo at her baby. The long days were hard, especially since she couldn't pick up Helena from daycare, but she made sure to spend extra cuddle time with her when she got home.

“Sounds like my day, I had two appendectomies, one anaphylactic shock, and one kid with a Lego so far up his nose we had to put him under just to get it out. I spent nearly the entire day in the ER in the OR,” Alex said as he went back to stirring the big bowl of chocolate cake mixture. 

“I didn't miss somebody's birthday did I?” Jo asked leaning over the counter to see.

“No, but apparently, it's our turn to bring a snack for the daycare class tomorrow, so I thought I'd make chocolate cake?” Alex said as he mixed up the batter with the spatula.

“Alex cake is not a snack, a dessert yes, but not a snack,” Jo said as she blew raspberries at Helena who giggled and tried to grab at Jo's mouth.

“Yeah well, I'll send along some ants on a log or something,” Alex said with a shrug as he turned around to grab the eggs out of the fridge.

With his back turned to her, Jo reached over and stole the spoon from the bowl, licking off the chocolate batter before Alex could react. Helena reached for the spatula as well, but Jo pulled back and took another lick as Helena squealed in protest.

“Seriously,” Alex asked, turning around and setting her with the look as he reached for another spatula. 

Jo only smirked and raised her eyebrows at him and continued to lick off the rest of the cake batter from the spatula. Alex looked up and scoffed when Jo gave the spatula to Helena who eagerly put it into her mouth, her eyes going wide as she tasted the batter. 

“Really Jo, it's bad enough that you do it, but you're teaching our kid to do it,” Alex said as he gestured to Helena who gnawed at the spatula in delight. 

“Oh please if it's not the end of the world besides look at how happy she is,” Jo said Helena looked between both of her parents with a smile as she continued to chew on the spatula. 

Alex’s glare dropped as he watched Helena and the softest little smile appeared on his face. Jo loved watching Alex with Helena, one smile from her and his grumpy attitude melted. He was absolutely head over heels in love with her, from the moment she was born. Helena had her Daddy wrapped around her finger and Jo knew she could get away with anything if Helena was with her. Which was why she reached for the new spatula and swiped more of the cake mix before Alex could react.

“Stop, what are you doing?” Alex said, reaching out to try and grab the spatula from her, but Jo just pulled back out of his reach, so he put his hands on his hips and glared at her. “It's for the daycare kids.”

“Kids or not, you can't stop me from enjoying cake batter,” Jo said as she smirked at Alex and then shrugged. “Besides, there's a rule against bringing sweets. which you would know if you had actually read the instructions for the snack day.”

Alex continued to glare at her for a moment before he grabbed the piece of paper for snack day and quickly read it over. “Seriously since when is sugar off the menu?” 

“Tyler K. is sugar-free and his mom makes a big fuss out of it, plus there's like two kids allergic to chocolate anyway,” Jo said with a shrug as Alex got that grumpy look on his face and she couldn't help but laugh.

“It’s a stupid rule, and I'm only changing the menu because there are kids that are allergic,” Alex gruffed as he dramatically tossed the paper away. 

“Well their loss is our gain,” Jo just giggled as she continued to lick the spatula. 

Alex leaned against the counter and seemed to come to play his next move as Jo looked down at Helena. She had licked the spatula clean, but was still completely focused on it as she happily gummed on the soft spoon. Jo reached out again and dipped her spatula back in the cake mix and grabbed another spoonful before Alex could protest again.

“Jo stop, you can't double-dip,” Alex said, moving the bowl away from her. 

“Why? It's just the three of us, what's the big deal? You and I constantly swap spit when we kiss and it’s not like this little one doesn't drool all over us all the time. Besides, we're gonna bake it anyway,” Jo said with a shrug as she looked down at Helena and tickled her side. “Who cares about a few little germs between family, not you baby girl, no you'd happily drool over Mommy all day long.”

Helena excitedly squealed at her and swung the spatula around, almost hitting Jo in the nose, before she pulled back with a laugh. Jo continued to tickle her sides and Alex shook his head before he laughed too.

“Okay, enough,” Alex said, after Jo tried to get another spoonful of the batter. He grabbed the spatula from her hand and moved the cake mix over to the other counter. “Out of the kitchen or you won't get a piece of cake once I’m done.”

“Seriously?” Jo asked, setting him with her best puppy dog eyes and a pout.

“I mean it Jo, go play with Helena in the living room and stop stealing my cake batter,” Alex said, waving her off, not even giving her pout a second look.

Jo huffed as she picked up Helena and walked over to the living room. “You know once upon a time Daddy wasn't able to resist my puppy dog eyes.”

“That's a lie,” Alex shouted back at her as Jo threw him a dirty look. 

Jo plopped down with Helena in her lap as she leaned against the couch in the living room. Ever before they brought her home from the hospital, their living room had become a second playroom for Helena. Her toys were scattered around and in bins under the side tables and the fancy rug they had bought had been replaced with a play mat. Helena crawled over to grab her favorites shape sorter box the two of them started sorting pieces. Even though they have been banished from the kitchen, Jo was happy to just spend time with Helena, especially after a long day at work. Soon enough the smell of baked cake filled the air and Jo patiently waited, despite how her mouth watered. 

“Okay Princess here you go,” Alex said, bringing over two pieces of cake complete with frosting and one baby spoon.

“Yay,” Jo smiled in delight and couldn't help but bounce her legs and excitement. Helena bounced as well, jumping up and down in Jo’s lap as Alex walked over them, knowing that she would get a taste as well.

Alex smirked as he sat next to them taking in the sight of both his excited girls. “Like mother, like daughter.”

Jo just smiled as she grabbed a cake from the top of the place before Alex had even sat down next to her. “Thank you.” 

She took a bite of the cake and moaned as it hit her taste buds. The warm chocolatey moist cake seemed to melt on her tongue. Alex smiled at her and got a spoonful for Helena, who immediately sucked it into her mouth. Jo and Alex laughed as her eyes widened and she tasted her first bite of cake.

“So was it worth the wait,” Alex asked if he smirked at her and ate his own piece of cake.

“Ah the batter always tastes better,” Jo shrugged as she struggled to keep a straight face, but she just had to tease him.

Alex just shook his head and laughed as he got another spoonful for Helena who had crawled over to his lap. The three of them sat on the floor and took turns feeding Helena cake.

“So what are you going to make for the daycare snack,” Jo said as she moved Helena’s hands away from her. Helena had crawled back over to her and was pulling at her top eager to nurse.

“Well I figured I'd just grab some fruit and the umm...” Alex said as he trailed off as he looked to where Helena had pulled down the front of Jo’s shirt and exposed her bra and cleavage.

“Like father, Like daughter,” Jo said as she shook her head and pulled up her shirt, and picked up Helena so she could get her settled to feed. 

Alex shook his head and laughed as he put an arm over her shoulders leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek before and Jo leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder. Alex grabbed the remote and flipped through a few shows as they decided what to watch and the family of three cuddled on the couch and enjoyed their cake.

[bruh-haikyuu]

A miya osamu scenario where he’s having a quality time together with fem s/o in a quiet little coffee shop 💕💕💕 Thaaaaanks

A/N: miya osamu. your hand in marriage. now. ALSO SPOILERS IF YOU HAVENT READ UP TO CHAPTER 378 OF THE MANGA.

apricate. | miya osamu

word count: 2040

warnings: MANGA SPOILERS, slight hints of sexual content

(v.) to bask in the sun

The silver band wrapped around your left ring finger glittered warmly at the amber beam of light streaming from the tiny shop’s window. From behind the mosaic counter adorning the back of the cafe, the aroma of caffeine and freshly baked fruit tarts poured between the tables in the room. At this hour of the day, the establishment was unusually quiet, but you weren’t exactly complaining about that—

“Osamu, I wanna go home.”

You were almost apologetic that your husband was into his third sigh of the day. At some point of time, you would be the reason behind his slowly settling wrinkles. “Y/N, it’s only been 5 minutes since we’ve sat down.”

It wasn’t like he could blame you for it. You weren’t just upset, you were distressed. A parent to three rambunctious children, and you had left them with the family shop on their own. Though it was only for the day—and seeing that they had demanded that the both of you “go and enjoy your day off”—you didn’t get much of a wink of leisure.

“A-Are you sure it’s alright to leave Setsuko to take care of her younger siblings?” you rattled, a soft image of your precious ten-year old daughter forming in your head. “Oooh… what if Eiji causes her too much trouble and insists that he keeps workin’ instead of eatin’ ? And ‘Samu, did you remember to tell her where Kaori’s diapers are kept? M-maybe, I should call her just to check…”

As you unclasped your purse to look for your cell phone, your face paled at its obvious absence from where it should’ve been. When you looked up to meet Osamu’s lax face, his expression had said it all.

Raising your “missing” phone in his hand, he crossed his arms and shot you a smirk that said: I took precautions.

“Y’know, if Secchan’s been pesterin’ us to get out of the house for so long, she knows exactly what you’d do to her if we came back to the house up in flames. Plus, Eiji and I had a talk the other day about over-workin’ himself, so rest assured, he ain’t going to be doing that for a loooong, long time… And yes. I did tell Setsuko that Kao-chan’s nappies are on the bottom drawer of her room. ‘S all good. Anything else, Miya Y/N-san?”

Now it was your turn to sigh. “They’re my children, ‘Samu. Can’t help it.”

“Hey, I’m also a part of the family. Why ain’t I stuck on your mind all the time too, huh?” he said gruffly, a tone reserved to cheer you up whenever you needed it.

That’s right, you could never help it. They were your babies, the angels that were growing up too fast for your liking. It felt like it was just yesterday that your firstborn Setsuko, now at a double-digit age, was curled in your arms. Practically attached at your hip 24/7. The moment she’d bashfully asked you to stop plaiting her hair for her, you swore you could hear your heart shatter.

Moreover, it didn’t help that eight-year old Eiji (despite still being pegged as a “Mama’s boy”) was becoming more and more of a carbon copy of his father—too hard-working, but too oblivious. You weren’t one to scold your children about their grades, but with Eiji’s frightful progress at school, the lingering thought of your son saying that he’d consider dropping out of school to “be an adult” so Osamu would let him work full-time at the shop hindered you from any good night’s sleep.

But Kaori… Oh, your darling treasure Miya Kaori. Just a year old, fresh from your womb. Like so, “Kao-chan” was the apple of your older children’s eyes and the jewel of her father’s heart. The lone salvation of your livelihood was her innocent youth and you were desperately begging the gods to keep it that way. As soon as Kaori would start tying her own shoelaces and everything, you were sure you were going to turn into stone.

Your knees bumping under the picturesque, wrought iron table, Osamu gave you an endearing smile. “Relax. We have Fuji-san to keep an eye on ‘em in the shop, right? That guy’s got more nerves than his own body. If we’re worried about anythin’, it’s that the kids would get bored with him telling them to sit still.”

Your mind drifted to the thought of the young but unusually high-strung college student who’d been working part-time at the onigiri shop for two years. Osamu did make a point though. The bespectacled Fujiwara Chiaki was probably more dedicated to working than your own husband—a trait that he had likely passed on to your only son Eiji. The idea was concerning, but not to the extent where your head throbbed from it.

“They say if you think too much, you’ll grow old faster,” Osamu poked teasingly, while pushing a plate of a fragrant confectionary towards you. “You didn’t even notice that I’d brought back your favorite cheesecake.”

At the mention of the dessert, your eyes shot downwards to the platter. It looked just as sweet and luscious as it always did. From the first time you had it in high school as a “thank-you gift” from Osamu for helping him study for his exams, down to your wedding party where your friends had surprised you with an entire tower of it. You were sure Osamu would’ve been sick of tasting the velvety cream for 20 years and counting, but there was another suspicion you had that he’d feel gratified whenever he got it for you.

Holding out a forkful of cake, he said smugly at your twinkling gaze. “Open sesame, Y/N-chan.”

You didn’t hesitate for a second. When was the last time you got to enjoy yourself without any sniffles or pleading demands from your children? They’d inherited you and their father’s affinity for eating after all; a meal would never go untouched when it came to the Miya household. And if you’d brought this cake home, you know they’d bulldoze it down before you could grab a slice for yourself.

“So good…” you murmured, savoring the lightness of the dessert. Tangy and tethering on the border of being sweet and too sweet, this was indefinitely your next favorite thing after your family.

Osamu chuckled as you ate, tucking the loose strands of hair behind your ear. “Ain’t this getting too sugary for you? Y’know, I only gave you this the first time because I’d felt my teeth would fall out if I ate a bite of it.”

“You practically bribed me with it so I’d date you. If you think about it, you used this to bribe me into a lot of things!” your pout did not mask your amusement at all.

“Like how I used this so you’d finally catch a break from coddlin’ Secchan and have a better ‘time’ with your lovin’ husband? I’d say that it was a profitable compromise, my dear.”

You scoffed. “Profitable until you learn that having a second child was harder that you’d thought. How’d it feel tryin’ to feed Eiji the first time, huh?”

“It was a coincidence that Eiji just had to be a picky child growing up,” he shrugged. “Should I point out that you made it harder with spoilin’ him rotten, Mama Miya?”

You gave him your best, dramatized expression of offense. Oh, two could play this game. “Excuse you, Papa Miya. But who was the one who bought Setsuko an entire 50,000 yen-pretend kitchen as soon as she gave them one small tug on the sleeve?”

“C’mon, Y/N, you knew if I could afford it I’d buy it for her, no questions asked! The face she pulled when we brought it home could add ten years to my lifespan. There’s no way I would want to miss it,” his cheeks flared a vivid crimson. Hiding a snicker, you wondered how long it had been since you’d last seen that look on him.

“Miya Setsuko, the heiress of Onigiri Miya, already interested in the way of the stove at four years old! I couldn’t believe it. Ain’t she pretty darn cute in that apron we got in the set? Nah… that’s probably because Secchan’s pretty darn cute herself…” He was rambling now, eyes glossed over at the image of his daughter. Six years ago, she’d happily hopped into his lap when he’d finished tying up the frilly, daffodil-yellow apron, and gave him a hug that nearly pushed him to tears. Oh, how you wished you were there to see it.

“Osamu… Your gap moe* is showin’.”

“Oh, hush!” he spat, averting his gaze from yours as your leaned back on your chair, nearly doubling over in laughter. Though part of his face was covered by the large, ornate coffee mug, you knew he was smiling through and through.

The soft tinkling of the fake crystal chandeliers in your wake, your insides felt tingly in a way you haven’t felt for so long. What felt like hours, you spent talking with your husband about your little family, the shop, his brother (though this was quickly interrupted by another conversation about what Kaori’s first word would be), and all the things you’d never had the time to talk about since you were both so busy. It was just like high school all over again, only less melodramatic and more… wrinkly. But just as colorful as it always had been.

However, when Osamu fell silent, you knew something had gone terribly wrong. Setting down your fork, you leaned over the small table to observe his wallowing features.

“Osamu, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

As if he was being forced to shove an entire rock down his throat, he whispered, “… I miss ‘em.”

You stared at him, then did a double take. “S-sorry, say that again? Didn’t hear you.”

With reddened cheeks, he repeated himself anyway. “ I miss ‘em! All this talk about the kids… I know it’s only been a couple of hours but I miss Secchan already! M-my baby. My princess. Y-you know what it’s like, right, Y/N?”

You felt like a colossal force had lifted from your back. Grabbing your husband’s shoulders from across the table, you shook him while exclaiming, “Me too! I miss ‘em too! God, the entire time I was wishing I was feedin’ this cake to Eiji instead of myself. The way his cheeks puff up when he chews something… I have to see it…! And especially—”

“Kao-chan.”

“Kaori.”

And just as the planets aligned, your cell phone that had been sitting in Osamu’s coat the entire time rang. Taking it out of his pocket, he showed you the screen, displaying the name of the caller. Fujiwara Chiaki.

With your husband pressed close to your side, both cramped on one dainty seat of the cafe’s chair, you listened closely to the other side of the phone. “Hello? Fujiwara-kun?”

Chiaki’s meek but strangely jovial voice responded through the speakers. “Ah, Y/N-san, you picked up. The children wanted to speak with you about something. I think you’ll like this—”

“Chiakiii! You’re takin’ too long on the phone~ Hi, Mama! Can Papa hear me too?!”

Looking at your husband, you exchanged a smile. Eiji. Leaning his head on your shoulder, he cooed at your son. “I’m right here, Eiji.”

“Great! Because we have some ultra, big, super, important news to tell you—!”

A pop, a crackle and Eiji’s exuberant voice turned into Setsuko’s huffy, light one. “Eiji, Mama and Papa put me in charge so I’m gonna tell ‘em! …Mama, Mama, Mama, you won’t believe what happened!”

“Oh? What happened, Setsuko?” you giggled, heart softening at the lilt of your daughter’s voice.

“Kao-chan said her first word today!”

Literally swiping the phone from your grasps, Osamu, practically gleaming from the announcement, excitedly quivered as he spoke. “R-really? She did that, Secchan? What did she say? Was it ‘Papa’ or ‘Mama’?”

“Hmm… I think it was—”

“Second thought, don’t tell us. I want to see and hear it for myself.”

That was your cue. Unravelling your right arm into the air, you shot the waitress your biggest smile. “Check, please!”

══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════

Glossary:

gap moe - when someone does something that is the complete opposite of their habits

[shypotato-translations]

QTVW Chapter 6

Future* President's Fiancee (VI)

----

An Mu Lan ignored Ye Zixuan's teary eyes, she patiently stared at her until the other party's face watering expression stiffened and looked stricken, then she tilted her head, a puzzled look on her face, and asked,

"Who are you ......?"

Ye Zixuan seemed to be choking as she asked with her jaw dropped,

"You don't know me?"

An Mu Lan snorted and sneered,

"That's a funny question, I don't seem to have met you on such occasions, do I? Are you some kind of earth-shattering big shot? Someone I have to remember?"

When Ye Zixuan heard this, she immediately shed a few tears of grievance, then she looked around and saw that no one had noticed her, she quickly wiped the tears from her face and told herself in her heart: she must be strong, the world doesn't believe in tears, she can do it!

With this in mind, Ye Zixuan's behaviour finally returned to that of a normal human being, turning to a different strategy, a scene that was like a change of face, as she quickly gathered up her previous aggrieved little daughter-in-law look and changed it to one of reserve and condescension the next second.

She lifted her chin, looked at An Mu Lan and said slowly,

"Miss An, it doesn't matter if you don't know me, I know you just fine, I have something very important to tell you now, if you want to know, come with me."

When she finished, she turned and walked towards the open space. After a few steps, when she saw that An Mu Lan was not following her, she stopped again and looked at her with a scornful expression.

Seeing this, An Mu Lan's eyes went cold, the corners of her mouth curled up in a cold smile, an indignant expression on her face, looking as if she was enraged by Ye Zixuan.

But in reality, the rest of her eyes were focused on Zhang Yao, who was standing beside Ling Xihan, only to see Zhang Yao's face, showing an expression that everything was within her grasp. An Mu Lan lowered her eyes, clenched her fists, and made a very angry face in place, but in reality, she was watching out for the prying eyes that were everywhere.

Now was the perfect opportunity, she thought to herself, and the flexible plan she had outlined all afternoon would soon come in handy.

As An Mu Lan thought this, her breathing heaved and her chest rose and fell, making it appear to outsiders as if she was seething with rage.

Seeing that those around her had noticed her reaction, she smiled apologetically at them before stepping slightly heavier on the ground and walking towards Ye Zixuan's side.

Ye Zixuan took An Mu Lan to an empty corner and said with a heavy tone of anger,

"Miss An, do you know what kind of people your brothers are?"

An Mu Lan expressed some surprise at her choice of the topic to begin with, and when it fell on Ye Zixuan's eyes, she paid attention to a very different content.

She laughed coldly and then shouted angrily at An Mulan, "Your four brothers, QJ'd me at the An family mansion, is this what you call the so-called thousand year old family? Where have your morals and manners gone? If this matter is publicized, it will definitely ruin your reputation!"

An Mu Lan froze, although she knew that Ye Zixuan was a Mary Sue heroine with big breasts and no brain, she really didn't know that the other party would be brain-dead like this.

What does the 'good' deeds done by An Mu Lan's brothers have to do with her, a married woman? ; Besides, what makes this woman so naive? Doesn't she know that one word from her could make her, from this world, disappear silently?

In this future world, with the lineage as the division of power, what on earth did this Ye Zixuan grow up on that she dared to threaten her?! She herself was the lady of the An family, and if she wanted to take the life of a pariah, who would dare to stand up and say a word against her.

An Mu Lan was a little torn and determined one thing, that Mary Sue was indeed a strange creature and it would be better to ignore it in the future and avoid feeling like an idiot just by talking to her.

Despite this thought in her mind, An Mu Lan immediately reacted with a pale, surprised expression as soon as she thought of her plans for the evening. Then, when she looked around in a hurry and saw that no outsiders were here, she made a sad face and said,

"This matter, do any other outsiders know about it? What is your ...... relationship with my brothers?"

Ye Zixuan pouted and said,

"I definitely won't tell outsiders that I'm your family's maid, but that doesn't mean that I have to serve the men of your family on bed, this is simply too horrible, your brothers are simply beasts ......, no, no, they are even worse than beasts. "

A string of black lines slid down An Mu Lan's head, she sank her face in grief and said,

"I ...... I moved to my fiancee's house some days ago, I don't know anything about the An family or my brother's affairs, please don't involve me in this and keep this secret, as long as you promise me that, I can do anything for you, whether you want money or a villa, I can give it to you if you ask."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ye Zixuan immediately became furious and she shouted shrilly,

"What do you take me for? Am I the kind of person who smells like copper? You should not think that the world is full of people who are all like you, there are still people of noble character in this world."

She roared under her breath, and when she saw An Mu Lan look like she had seen a ghost, thinking she had come to her senses and realised her narrowness, she was satisfied with the first smile she had of the night, and she said,

"I'm sorry I shouldn't yell at you like that, but you're not thinking healthy and that's not good. As for this matter of your brothers, I will keep it a secret, as long as you arrange for me to leave the An family and help me with everything."

When she finished, she nodded in self-satisfaction, and seeing that An Mu Lan did not retort, she continued in a serious tone,

"I'm someone who keeps her words, you can rest assured of that, I'm not like you hypocrites, I'm ......"

An Mu Lan couldn't listen any longer, she overestimated her tolerance.

With apologies and sincerity on her face, she said to Ye Zixuan,

"You're such a good person, I'll make all the arrangements, we owe you these from the An family."

Seeing that things were going in the direction she had expected, Ye Zixuan finally relaxed and she grumbled at An Mu Lan,

"You don't know those men in your An family, they are so rough, they overpower people at every turn, and they always want to control my mind. Hmph, who do they think they are, even if they get my flesh, they will never get my spirit, I belong to me."

An Mu Lan smiled weakly and suddenly showed an alarmed expression as she said,

"We've been out for so long, if my brothers and my fiancée found out, they would definitely think more about it, I'd better go back and check it out first, we'll continue to discuss the details later, you stay here and wait for me ah, don't run around, I'll be right back."

Without waiting for Ye Zixuan's answer, she ran away as if she had been there, thinking: The next time I choose a Mary Sue novel that kills people like this, I will be the first to fund a replacement when I have enough points.

An Mu Lan returned quickly to the table, picked up her previous dessert, forked a spoonful and fed it into her mouth, then with a contented expression, she slowed down again beside Ye Zixuan, who was discussing her escape plan with her while looking at the cake in her hand with a hesitant look.

Ye Zixuan had been serious about the conversation, but when she saw An Mu Lan running away, she followed suit and focused on the cake, followed by a drumming sound in her belly.

She was busy covering her stomach apologetically and shyly and said,

"I haven't eaten today, your big brother and second brother are always pressing me, and ......"

Before she could finish her sentence, a piece of softness was shoved into her mouth. She subconsciously chewed it, and as her tongue tasted the sweetness, she immediately forgot about the previous conversation and said to An Mu Lan,

"Give it to me to eat, I'm so hungry."

With that, without waiting for An Mu Lan's reaction, she took the plate in her hands and ate it quickly.

An Mu Lan watched her eating rudely, her eyes were dark, she looked at the dress on Ye Zixuan and found that it was the princess dress she had bought some days ago, it was seven or eight percent similar to the one she was wearing, she knew that she had made the right move with that layout at that time. Her and Ye Zixuan's figures are very similar. In such a dimly lit night, it would be easy to mistake the two.

She was thinking deeply in this way, before her feet suddenly went weak and she fell to the ground in a smooth motion, Ye Zixuan froze, then squatted down and looked at her, asking in confusion,

"What's wrong with you?"

An Mu Lan's whole body was weak and her tone was low,

"It's hard for me, go and tell Miss Li for me, just say I wish her a happy birthday, I ...... we're best friends but I'm in this state ...... hey......"

Ye Zixuan automatically filled in the ellipses in her words, and without knowing what she had made up in her head, she only saw her eyes filled with tears and ran away crying loudly.

An Mu Lan, who remained in the same place, had a dark look on her face, leaving this scene just now behind her.

She rolled over, took out her personal terminal, remotely controlled an unaddressed communication device and sent the email she had prepared to Li Jiarou.

Then sent another confidential email to Ling Xihan, telling her that she was not feeling well at the moment and was going to the rest room. Within half a minute, she received a reply, which read: Wait for me, I'll be right there.

After doing so, An Mu Lan stretched and quickly stood up, raised her hand to scatter her carefully decorated hair, then with her head hanging low, following Ye Zixuan's walking posture, she walked to the An family's third brother and gave him a truthful account of Ye Zixuan's affairs.

Finally, she concluded reluctantly,

"Brother, do not exceed the limits when you play ...... Besides what is good about this maid, you and your brothers are young masters of the An family, how can you get involved with a pariah, if this gets out, your reputation and the reputation of the An family, both have to suffer losses."

When she finished, she walked slowly to the lounge without waiting for his answer, timing it almost just right as her body began to heat up and burn.

She lay on her **, smiling smugly. She had arranged everything for tonight.

She spent the afternoon going over the plot and the points mentioned in her memory, carefully combing through them multiple times and then pinpointing every point in time to do them right.

When she went out and came back to get the cake, it had been drugged and she only tasted a bit of it, leaving the rest for Ye Zixuan.

Then, instructing Ye Zixuan to find Li Jiarou, who has the Zhang family's eldest young man by her side, with the heroine's Mary Sue aura, the Zhang family's eldest young man will definitely have a fling with Ye Zixuan, who is unconscious and passed out.

After this, she sent the message signed by the Li family's secret service to Li Jiarou, who would be suspicious and wary, but she would more or less pay attention to this matter. She would arrange to have everything around her carefully searched, so that she could always find traces of Zhang Yao's brother's crime.

The Li family has a thousand-year legacy and is entrenched in the political world, so their minds are bound to be nimble and they will take advantage of this matter in return. No one will suspect her, and she will just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Everything went smoothly, and the only surprise was that the medicine was so effective that it was beyond belief.

At that moment, she felt dizzy and in the midst of the chaos in her brain, An Mu Lan felt a familiar slight coolness that landed on her forehead.

An Mu Lan struggled to open her eyes to look over and caught a glimpse of a pair of dark, narrow eyes. She deflated at her in aggravation, and finally, under the effect of the medicine, she passed out weakly.

[kayliemusing]

38

1. favorite dessert? - New York Style cheesecake

2. if you could have your hair dyed any color you wanted, which color would you choose? - Probably a super light blonde or a blonde with a pink hue to it.

3. favorite fictional character? - Nesta Archeron from A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas

4. do you swear a lot? - Not a whole lot, but a lil even tho I want to stop

5. favorite disney film? - There's SO many! I think Mulan might be my favourite, but I also really love Onward, Coco, Soul, and Zootopia!

6. favorite youtube channel? - Game Grumps (also megan batoon!)

7. who's your favorite person on the planet? - my mom, but also taylor swift lol

8. which color do you wear the most? - I think tan or white. I like neutral colors but I do wear some bright colors, but I'm generally into sweaters that are tanned or cream or something like that.

9. do you have any pets? - 2 cats

10. favorite horror film? - Don't have one

11. how many languages can you speak? - 1

12. favorite band? - Of Monsters and Men

13. what's your spirit animal? - I don't actually know.

14. do you prefer to watch movies online or go to the theatre? - Either, but mostly online I think or through netflix

15. show a sample of your handwriting. - n/a

16. have you ever visited another country? - No

17. how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? - I don't have any cash in my wallet currently. I think I have like a nickel lol. I have all my money on debit/credit card.

18. do you know how to sing or play an instrument? - No

19. what do you wear to sleep? - Jammies

20. have you ever stuck a foreign object up your nose? - No but also what the hell

21. when was the last time you cried? - Last week I think

22. do you like ghosts or skeletons better? - Ghosties

23. what food are you usually craving? - Chocolate mostly

24. be honest, do you masturbate? - no

25. what kind of phone do you have? - iphone 11 pro

26. what was the last song you listened to? - Lover by Taylor Swift

27. what's your favorite object in your room? - I really like my lamp because it's scented so when I turn it on my room smells like vanilla

28. do you like claymation or cgi better? - CGI

29. how would you describe your style? - Classy, elegant, a little bit business-casual, a little bit Parisian

30. have you thought about sex in the last 24 hours? - no

31. are you tired right now? - yes

32. favorite sea creature? - Maybe a starfish

33. favorite flower? - I like water lilies

34. would you ever get a tattoo? - Yes, but I think I'm too chicken to go through with it lol

35. what's the riskiest thing you've ever done? - I don't think I've really ever done anything that risky lol

36. which social media site do you use the most? - Tumblr probably. I scroll Instagram probably just as frequently, but I'm usually on tumblr way longer.

37. favorite decade? - I really like 50s aesthetic as well as 80s and 90s

38. are you a feminist? - Yes

39. would you say you sleep too much? - No

40. how many piercings do you have? - None

41. what's the last thing you bought online? - Cinema Secrets brush cleaner from sephora

42. are you an introvert or an extrovert? - Introvert

43. are you underage? - no

44. which fictional character's house would you want to live in? - Probably the house of wind which is technically Nesta and Cassian's house now or Feyre and Rhysand's house (both from the A Court of Thorns and Roses Trilogy/A Court of Silver Flames spin off)

45. what did you dress up as for halloween last year? - I didn't on actual halloween, but I work at Sephora so for the ten days leading up to halloween we have to do certain makeup looks so I did a few looks. My favourite was the barbie theme or the harley quinn look that I did.

46. what's something you want for your birthday? - Jewelry box

47. have you ever skipped a class while in school? - Yes

48. have you ever gone skinny dipping? - No

49. do you ever get zits? - my entire life is just zits.

50. have you ever sent a nude photo? - no

51. are you religious? - Yes

52. what's your ringtone? - It's just the default one on my phone lol

53. would you rather go to a zoo or an aquarium? - Zooooo

54. how tall are you? - 5'2 and a half-ish

55. do you like kids? - I don't hate them but I don't love them either

56. what are some of your pet peeves? - People who drag their feet when they walk so it makes that scuffing noise, Kanye west, when I have my hand out to accept the cash and people put it on the counter instead of my outstretched hand, chewing sounds.

57. would you say you have a popular blog? - no

58. last thing you ate? - Pizza

59. waffles or pancakes? - Pancakes

60. favorite fruit? - Raspberries or pomegranate

61. are you in any physical pain right now? - No

62. what is your gender identity? - She/her

63. shoe size? - 6.5 US women's

64. last concert you went to? - Marianas Trench when I was 15 which was like eight years ago

65. if you could have one superpower, what would it be? - Healing of all kinds

66. could you go the rest of your life without smoking a cigarette? - Yes

67. favorite singer? - Taylor Swift

68. how old are you? - 23

69. what's something you know a lot about? - Taylor Swift lol. Also writing (grammar, story structure, sentence structure, etc)

70. which of your tumblr friends have you known the longest? - I don't have tumblr friends lol rip me

71. what color was your hair in 2013? - Blonde, but it was my natural hair so it was kind of a brassy blonde.

72. cake or pie? - I like both, but maybe cake? I feel like i've answered this before and I said pie lol

73. are you a hopeless romantic? - Yes, truly, but I pretend I'm not around my family lol. Call it self preservation or something.

74. would you kiss the person in your icon? - On the cheek, yes

75. what were you doing at 12 in the morning? - Sleepin'

76. can you draw well? - No lol

[wexlerkimberly]

oh god, yearly round-up.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

side note: this is my TENTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! year of doing this!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have been on this website for OVER 10 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!! jesus christ.

ok. on a completely personal level, last year was so fucking dreadful that i remember falling asleep at my friends house on new years eve and thinking: “well, at least this year can’t be any worse”. HMMMM. in all seriousness though, despite everything, i have had a mostly decent year. i’m very lucky in lots and lots of ways. i’m lucky none of my closest family or loved ones have been effected too deeply by covid. just mild inconvenience, at most. i am lucky that i live in a house with such a large garden, so i could enjoy fresh air and family-free time if i needed to. i am lucky the weather has been mostly nice this year so i could go for plenty of walks. i’m lucky that i’m naturally a very quiet, anti-social person anyway so i haven’t felt the strain of isolation as severely as others. 

most of all, this year has been boring, if anything. but there’s still been things that have made it nice. january - birthday!!! i don’t usually go hard or anything for my birthday but it stands out to me as a really lovely day. i went for a walk to one of my favourite hills with my dad & dogs during the day. in the evening, i had badminton with my friends as i used to most thursdays (INDOOR SPORTS?!?!?!!? REMEMBER INDOORS SPORTS?!?!!?!?!) and then, as per our tradition, i went back to their flat for take-away chips and halloumi burgers. because they are so unbelievably generous and lovely, my friends bought me a new badminton racket for my birthday. i feel like i’ve barely got a chance to use this year, for obvious reasons, but i can’t wait to use it so much more as soon as possible. the following day, i went to work as normal but then went out to a really nice italian place with my family for a meal and we did birthday cake & candles when we got home. feeling stupidly grateful for so many thoughtful people in my life. february - again, this year has been so dry that a trip to the cinema could be considered a high point. but it was my only cinema trip of the year and just a really nice day. me & my friend saw jojo rabbit (which was great, if you haven’t seen it already) and afterwards we ambled around town looking at things in shops. it sounds so simple but i haven’t done any of that stuff since really, so it feels so exciting and exotic when i think back on it. 

february - stayed at my grandma’s house for the weekend. we do that as often as we can, usually, and it’s always nice. but - obviously - we haven’t been able to see my grandma much at all this year. it was nice to sit in front of the fire with her and watch tv and be given access to all sorts of baked goods and walk up the hills around by her. on the sunday, we managed to pop-in on my nana & grandad too and eat many baked goods there too.

march - meal out for my brother’s birthday. i feel like a lot of my “special days” this year revolved around someone’s birthday this year. but i think this was our last day of ‘normalcy’ before things went a bit crazy here. my family went to a caribbean pub with my brother and his gf and we had lovely tasty food and a nice night out. i think that was the last day i wore anything other than pyjamas or leggings for a long time.

april - no joke, i remember going to the vets during the peak of lockdown when the whole country was essentially shut down and it felt like THE most exciting day of my life. my cat was fine (she’d been bitten and needed painkillers for an infection but she was absolutely fine!) but i remember being near giddy in the car. my sister came with us too even though she didn’t need to because of how exciting it felt. 

may - my brother’s birthday. the other one. the first of our lockdown birthdays. we popped in to drop a card off at a friend’s who shares the same birthday as him. then we drove (DROVE! IN A CAR!) to a stretch of really lovely canal that my brother likes to walk on and had a great walk. in the evening, we ordered in an indian take-away and my sister had made a FAT four-tiered chocolate cake to celebrate.

may - ok this is very dumb but i finished breaking bad this year and i set aside a special date to watch el camino. i made a very sickly millionaire’s cheesecake and my whole family gathered round the tv to eat and re/watch el camino. it’s so dumb and silly but i was so excited, it felt like a special cinematic event. i cried. 

june - my dad’s birthday. my dad, my brother & me (plus dogs) drove out of the county (rogue fugitives!!!!!!) to meet my grandad for a socially distanced chat and picnic. it was a bit weird not being able to hug him and sitting on separate benches but it was still great to see him. we had a takeaway chinese for dinner and a chocolate cake for dessert.

july - my sister’s birthday. we technically celebrated it 4 days earlier because she had to move into her new flat but we had a nice indian take-away and another bloody chocolate birthday cake.

july - my mom’s birthday. i honestly cannot remember what we ate - i think we had homemade pizzas in the garden??? it’s weird when food dictates the differences between days. anyway, i definitely made another birthday cake.

july - went for a socially distanced walk with a friend i haven’t seen in ages. it was lovely and the weather was very kind to us and it was great to go walking across fields and to a reservoir i hadn’t been to in years and years. 

august - my brother got his GCSE results and we ate pizza in the garden to celebrate. after the monumental government fuck-up with results, we were a bit nervous about how badly they’d ruin his chances but he did very well.

september - went to visit my grandma. she had been living by herself for the entirity of the pandemic (she doesn’t mind, she’s loves to garden and she does online latin and pilates classes, she’s a very busy lady) but i think she enjoyed seeing us. we were plied full of food once again. we went for a lovely evening ramble on the hills right by her house. on the sunday, my dad went for a walk with a friend he hasn’t seen in ages while me, my brother and my grandma went for another hill walk elsewhere. i think my grandma really enjoyed that because she hasn’t been able to go walking much because she was so anxious about tripping and being completely alone, or being rescued by someone carrying The Virus. so it was nice to accompany her. after that, we had a nice socially distanced meeting with my grandparents in their garden. it felt very risky to me because i am insanely anxious but my grandma, my grandad and my nana are all very safe and healthy.

october - halloween!!! i never celebrate halloween BUT this year, i was so sick of being the house every single day i decided to organise something different. so in the evening, me, my dad & my brother went for a halloween walk in the countryside through a graveyard, then through a field where there used to be an old abonnonded saxon village, and then finally through hagley wood where bella of wych elm was found. my dad & my brother were completely uneffected but i was absolutely shitting myself at every tiny little thing. my dogs had their little flashing colours on and we all had torches but i was still so pathetically spooked by everything. after the walk, we met my mom in the car (i had to get changed in the car from my walking stuff to vaguely presentable clothes) then we went to a goddamn PUB!!!!!!!!! to eat a meal!!!!!!!!!!! i went a bit overboard making my family santise their hands every 5 minutes but we definitely had a lovely meal.

november - did a bonfire in the garden for bonfire night. ate homemade vegan chilli and then apple crumble. it was freezing cold and we tried to stay out there for as long as we could. i even managed to find some sparklers and me & my brother waltzed around the garden with them, likesay we’re not an adult and a child-grown. the others melted marshmallows on the fire and i just enjoyed watching the fireworks i could see and throwing balls for the dogs.

november - we’re brits lmao but when joe biden’s presidency was finally confirmed, we celebrated with an indonesian take-away because fuck it!!!!!!!! gotta celebrate where we could this year!!!!!!!!!! 

december - christmas!!!!!!!!!!!! we usually have christmas every year at my grandma’s house with my aunt and her boyfriend. it’s a fairly decent sized house out in the countryside and she has a wood-burning fire and it just Feels more christmassy there, especially as i’ve literally only ever spent one single christmas at home before. but we still managed to make it very special this year i think. my sister came on the 13th and we got quickly into a routine of watching christmas films in the evening. on christmas eve, i made vegan gingerbread biscuits and vegan mince pies and my sister made a chocolate yule log cake and then we watched a film. on christmas morning, we all opened our presents in our own living room which felt weird but was still lovely. afterwards, we went for a family walk. my mom pretty much single-handedly (me & my sister helped) cooked a whole christmas dinner for the 6 of us with all the trimmings. usually it’s my grandma, my aunt and my mom but the fact my mom managed to cook such a goddamn feast with our shitty oven where the grill doesn’t work and you have to slam the oven door at least 5 times before it shuts.......... i’m convinced she Might be superwoman?!?!!?!? and it was SO good. in the evening, we had cheese & crackers and my sister’s tasty yule log and we watched many a film. boxing day was much the same but still nice. this whole stretch between christmas and new years day is usually painfully boring but this year has been good, i think. i have consumed an entire army’s worth of cheese and chocolate and i have definitely enjoyed the snow we’ve had here recently.

so. yeah. this is very basic and boring. none of these things would usually end up in my write-up of the year. but i haven’t been to a single concert or theatre trip or even really left the midlands at all. in my round-up last year, i wrote some stupid sentimental bullshit about romanticising “the most basic and boring aspects of life” and never has that been so apt. on the face of it, this year has been SO boring. but i’ve managed to make it enjoyable in the tiniest ways.

for example, i enjoyed every single sunny day. i would jump on the trampoline and listen to podcasts. i would go running and listen to podcasts. i would go walking and listen to podcasts. i owe a lot to podcasts, i think. but i definitively owe a LOTTTTT to walking. i walk for a living (i’m a dog-walker lmao) but i would still go out for walks with my own dogs in the evening or go out for walks with my dad in the morning where i could. if we thought we made good use of the pizza oven last year, this year has been insane. i have made and cooked SO! MANY! pizzas this year and they were all excellent. i feel like food has been really important this year. like i said, it helps distinguish the days, especially “special” or “treat” foods. like everyone i have done a lottt of baking this year. especially when it’s been such a great year for fruit!!! there’s a field near me and there’s just simply shit loads of blackberries and raspberries that grow there. i remember one evening sat in the garden eating some mango sorbet my sister made with some raspberries i picked from the field and thinking that life simply does not get better than that. idk. it’s nice to take pleasure in the smallest things i think.

but, like i said, i have been so lucky this year. i was only off work temporarily and none of my immediate circle have been directly impacted by the effects of covid. as annoying as they are, i’m very lucky to have spent so much time with my family - as opposed to be being by myself - because it’s nice when we make food for each other and watch tv and films together or go for walks together. 

god. this is long and waffley. if you read all this: what the fuck is wrong with you? but also: thank you! i know 2021 is definitely going to start off rocky but i strongly believe - and i’m a massive pessimist - that things are going to get better.  love and strength to everyone. wishing you peace and comfort x 

(again: i cannot believe i have been writing up this silly little incoherent things for a decade!!! sometimes i like to go back and read the earlier ones and remind myself of old fun times and cringe at teenage me. here’s to... 10 more years??? hahahahaha. anyway:here’s the other 9 years of nonsense: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and, finally, 2011.)

[tk-productions]

Mystic Sisters- Ch.3 Deja Vu

Hikari’s pov

I kept running through the dark and cold woods. “Why do we have to keep running?” I call out. There were heavy footsteps getting closer. “No matter what happens keep running.” Is what the familiar voice in my head kept saying. Why do I know that voice?

I woke up breathing heavily and confused. This was the 3rd time I had this nightmare. The nightmare was always the same. There was always a voice telling me to run away but what was I running from? I sat up running my hands through my hair. Yua has also been having nightmares but she never told me what they were about. She was always secretive when it came to things like that. We were usually in sync feeling each other's emotions but this is something new. I laid back down staring at the ceiling. Did these nightmares mean something?

I woke up the following morning to the sound of my alarm blasting Bad boy by Red Velvet. I hit snooze a few more times before finally getting out of bed before my mom came and woke me up. I worked some weekends at the local cafe Mystic cafe and today I had an early shift. As I headed downstairs I could hear Yua snoring from her room. Why does she always have to snore like that?

“Hikari I made you breakfast. It’s sitting on the dining table!” my mom yelled peeking her head out of her office door.

“Thank you. I have to close so I’ll be back late. But don’t worry Yua said she’ll meet me after work.”

“Okay sweetie have a good day. And don't stop at the park to pet random dogs.” I laughed remembering the last time I was late to work because I saw a puppy on the way and got distracted causing myself to be 15 minutes late.

“Hikari, there's a huge cake order being picked up later and I need you to ice them.” my boss Mrs. Hino said as soon as I walked into the stop. She was a middle aged woman with long black hair with bangs swept across her face. She had the warmest brown eyes that always made me feel warm inside. Mystic Cafe was owned by Mrs. Hino and her husband. The shop was passed down to her and has been in her family for 5 generations. When Yua and I were little we would always stop by on Fridays after school and get boba with our allowance before going home. Mrs. Hino would always give us extra treats with our order. “Anything for my favorite customers.” is what she always said.

She wasn't kidding about it being a big order. Walking in the back room there were 3, 4 layered cakes waiting to be frosted. Luckily the decorations were simple so it wouldn't take me too long.

I was so focused on finishing the cakes I didn't even hear Mrs. Hino tell me it was time for my lunch.

“Hikari, I said you can take your lunch. And change your apron when you get back.” Mrs. Hino said, laughing at my appearance and wiping the flour in my hair.

I nodded before looking down at my apron seeing I had different colored frosting over it. I grabbed my phone and headed out the back door. I stood there for a minute soaking up the sun. It had been sunny the past few days in Tokyo despite it being early Fall. I walked to the nearby convenience store and bought ramen along with a side of kimchi for lunch. Yua always made fun of how much I liked kimchi. She told me when I was little that I would turn into kimchi because I ate it so much. As I ate I kept thinking about my nightmare. I couldn't remember when or why I started having these dreams. I forgot about my food getting lost in my thoughts. Suddenly the air felt cold just like it did in my dream and I had the same uneasiness. Instead of being chased I felt like I was being watched. Is this how Yua felt a few days ago walking home? I could feel someone’s gaze on me but there was no one in the store besides me and the cashier. Before I could leave, someone was standing next to me.

“Boo!” said the girl jumping out in front of me.

“Hisako-chan you scared me.” I jumped clinging on to my phone that I almost dropped. . “I thought someone was after me.” I said letting out a shaky laugh.

“Hino-senpai told me you were here so I stopped on my way back from delivering my order but I didn't think I would scare you.” she laughed. I rolled my eyes, grabbing my things. On the way back to the cafe Hisako unlinked our arms and stopped walking.

“You look tired. Are you okay?” she questioned my face.

“Mh im fine. I didn't get much sleep last night.” she reached out now holding my hand.

“Are you having nightmares again?” I nodded letting out a yawn.

“You can always stay over if you want to.” she smiled. “My mom loves when you come over.”

“Thanks Hisako.” she smiled brightly not letting go of my hand as we walked back to the cafe.

The rest of the day went by fast. The weekends were always busy but especially now that we brought out our fall drinks. Hisako and I worked a cookie order together while we caught up. I had always admired Hisako. We met last winter outside the cafe. The first thing I noticed about her was her long silky white hair and her tough exterior. She had green eyes that you could get lost in. She gave me a warm smile.

“You must be Hikari. Hino-senpai told me to look out for you. Aww you're just as cute as senpai said” she squealed running over to pinch my cheeks.The cafe was busier than normal and we were two people working that day. Between running the cafe and baking desserts we somehow boned. The following week I saw her at school sitting under the apple tree with her eyes glued to the book in front of her.Hisako was known for the “mysterious” girl. She kept to herself and didnt have many friends.

“Kimoto-chan?” I called out to the older girl. She looked up and smiled brightly. She motioned for me to sit next to her.

“People usually avoid me because of my white hair.” She said drinking from her water bottle. I looked back at her confused.

“They don't talk to you because of your hair?” She nodded.

“They think it’s weird.” I had to admit Hisako did have a cold exterior but she wasn't like that on the inside. We talked the rest of lunch and ate together everyday after that. I really look up to Hisako. She’s like another other sister to me

“Thank you so much for locking up tonight.” Mrs.Hino said, grabbing her things.

“No problem, have a good night.” Replied wiping down the table. There were only a few more customers that came in before closing time.

Finally. I sigh resting my head on the counter. It was a long day working 10 hours. I wrapped up the pastries that didn’t sell and put them in my backpack. I texted Yua telling her that I'm on way before cleaning up the last few tables and locking up. I shut the back door behind me double checking to make sure it was locked. The cold air blew across my face sending chills down my spine. I started to walk down the alley when I felt something. It was that same feeling I had at the convenience store earlier. I held onto my phone tighter and walked faster. I could hear the footsteps behind me now. I'm definitely being followed. I picked up my pace and the footsteps got louder. I ran down the rest of the alley with the person on my tail. I just needed to get to Yua. “Keep running.” This was just like my nightmare. Where was this voice coming from? I kept running as fast as my feet would.

“Ow I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention.” I said after running into the larger man in front of me.

“Hikari-san?”

“Sensei?” I questioned looking back at my homeroom teacher. He reached out to help me off the ground.

“Are you okay? You seem like you were being chased.”

“I was. I left work and someone was following me.” I explained out of breath brushing the dirt off my pants. Before I could say anything else Yua came running over.

“Hikari what happened? You were taking forever so I came to get you.” I hugged my sister and sighed in relief.

“Im fine. Let’s go home.” I whispered.

“Would you girls like a ride home?” Mr. Hara said.

“No we're fine. Thank you. I’ll see you on Monday.” I interjected pulling Yua towards the train.

“How did you know where I was?” I asked unlocking the front door. No one's home. Mom and dad must be working late.

“Your location is turned on.” Yua answered, following me to my room. She shut the door and sat on my bed next to me.

“So are you gonna tell me what happened? You wouldn't talk to me on the way home. And you we were suppose to meet me at the tr-”

“I was being followed.” I interjected.

“Why did you call me during lunch? I could have stayed with you for the rest of your shift.” Yua asked a little while later from behind me as she braided my hair. I shrugged, pulling my knees to my chest. We stayed silent as she finished my hair.

“There’s obviously something you're not telling me so spill.” I sighed resting my head on my knees.

“I think it might have been the person who was following us last time. I don't know but I just get that feeling. I’ve been having nightmares again and now someone is following us.” I said but it came out more as a mumble. Yua tied the elastic around my hair and sat in front of me on the floor.

“Hey.” she cooed, “whatever this is we’ll be okay. Okay?” I nodded finally meeting her gaze.

“Cmon lets go downstairs and watch anime.”

“Only if we make popcorn.” I smiled following her out the room.

[multific]

Soulmates

Harrison Osterfield x Reader

Soulmate AU!

Summary: Soulmates are real. But only men can feel them from the moment they see their partner. Women will only feel the connection when they get kissed by their soulmate.

 You envied men. It was so easy for them, they could just find their soulmate with one simple glance. Meanwhile, you, you had to wait.

It really sucked. And the fact that there were people who used this to get one night stands, disgusting.

You often wondered, why couldn’t both parties feel connection at the same time?

Why did women had to wait?

Gays were probably the luckiest.

Lesbians tried and many succeeded.

It felt like everyone was good at finding their partners, except you.

Every friend of yours found theirs already. Some even had children by now.

And there you were an office worker, alone in front of your desk. You wanted to find happiness, as did everyone else. But you weren’t desperate, there were times when you looked at other and envied them for their happiness, but it was only a natural reaction. You worked your way up in the company while others were having dates and weddings.

You felt like you achieved everything you could in regards to your career. You were one of the most important people in the building, you worked directly with the CEO who respected you in many ways.

Your income increased to the point where you got yourself a rather fine way of living. You bought everything you ever wanted. A house, a pet, designer clothes, after many years of using public transport, you finally had enough of the people and bought yourself a car and many more.

You lived the high life. But you worked for it.

You had a weekend off and decided to go to a nice spa hotel and relax, refresh and have a great time alone, away from work, family, friends and the amount of people that lived in the big city.

The hotel that you choose was in the mountains, had amazing view and the rooms were to die for, with a personal pool to every room, during the winter they had warm water in it, so the guests can use it.

Sounded like the perfect mini-vacation after working so hard.

The only problem was that you had to drive for four hours, up a mountain and the whole road was slippery due to the winter weather.

You drove always very cautiously.

It was your last ten minutes and you’d be finally at the hotel.

You were to cross a small village, turn left then a bit more forward and finally, you’d be there.

Unfortunately, when you stopped to let a pedestrian cross, the car behind you couldn’t stop in time and bumped into you. It was nothing serious since it wasn’t coming fast. Your car started to call the authorities, but you stopped it from doing so. You pulled the handbrake on and after you took a big breath, to calm yourself, you got out of the car.

The guy from the car behind you was already out and expecting the damage. When he noticed you, he stopped for a second then he immediately rushed to you.

“Are you hurt? I’m so sorry Miss, I saw you stop and the road is just bad and I couldn’t.”

“It’s all right. Things like this happen, the important thing is that no one is hurt.” you offered him a small smile.

Was he blushing?

“I’ll give you my insurance, one moment.” he got back to his car to get his details while you waited in the cold. Thank Gucci for those amazing fury warm coats. You got your phone to drive down his details before he came back.

Lucky for you the traffic in the village was very light, so you didn’t have to move the cars and you could speak there.

“Okay, my name is Harrison Osterfield, and my details are…”

“Got it. My name is Y/N Y/L/N. I’ll give you a call when I get an estimate and then we can figure things out.”

“S-sure. Thank you for not getting mad.”

“I kind of expected it. You know, slippery roads, new car, it was meant to happen. And I just knew that I wouldn’t be able to drive my new car without something happening to it.”

“I’m really really sorry.” he looked very apologetic and the fact that he was cute helped a lot with your calmness.

“I said its fine. We are not hurt, and that’s the most important a bumper can be replaced.”

After that, you took a few pictures and then both of you said your goodbyes.

Other than the minor incident, your weekend was perfect. The hotel was amazing. You had massages and even got yourself a nice manicure-pedicure treatment.

All in all, it was worth it.

But you couldn’t stop thinking about the guy. Harrison.

He had a nice accent as well. He was English and those eyes. But you couldn’t figure out why was he so shy at one moment than in the next so confident.

As you thought about it, he was only shy when he…

looked at you.

You sat up in bed.

“Don’t tell me. Is he my…. No.” You convinced yourself that you just imagined it.

He couldn’t be your soulmate, right?

***

Three days passed, and you finally had your estimate.

When you told about the incident to your boss, she laughed at the situation. But then she told you that she met her husband during a meeting. He accidentally spilled hot coffee on her and he apologized with a date. She got a kiss from him that night, a simple peck on the lips and it was enough. She felt the connection since then.

“Soulmates are interesting Y/N. Especially, how you meet them. Because even if your first impression of them is bad, they will steal your heart with a kiss.”

She also said that she hoped that it is him and you finally found him.

You texted Harrison during your lunch break.

Hey, it’s Y/N. I got the new bumper, I sent a picture of the bill, but you don’t have to worry about it. You seemed genuine and the accident wasn’t truly your fault. You don’t have to pay me back for it.

It only took him about five minutes to reply.

Hi! It’s Harrison, sorry, I’m at work right now. But I cannot leave you with that bill! I’ll pay for it, but I cannot give you it at once, can we make out a plan or something for weekly or monthly payments.

You thought about it for a second, you really didn’t want him to pay it, it’s not like you’d go bankrupt or anything. It just meant that you couldn’t buy the new fridge you wanted this month.

Can we meet somewhere? I’d rather speak in person. When do you finish work? I can get off early so I’ll be able to leave around four.

Maybe this way, you can find out if your assumption was right or not.

Sure! Meet me at…

***

He asked you to meet at a small café shop. It was a very cozy café with flowers and small decorations.

You sat down and soon a waiter came to pick up your order. You read his name tag.

Tom. And he had the same British accent as Harrison.

“Welcome to our shop, my name is Tom, what can I get you?”

“Do you have any specialties?”

“Yes, our cappuccino with vanilla or if you prefer tea, we have a new green tea from Singapore.”

“I’ll take the coffee please.”

“Sure, any dessert to go with it?”

“Yes, please, I’ll leave it up to you. Thank you.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back with your order.”

Tom arrived back with your coffee and a slice of cake in a few minutes.

Harrison said that he would get off of work at five. You checked the time, it was a quarter to five.

You looked around the small café one more time, you noted the counter and all the different cake, cupcakes, and cookies on display, they were all Christmas themed, since it was near. You wished you’d known about the café before, you’d have loved to see the Halloween decorated ones.

You happily ate the delicious cake, but you didn’t have to wait long, as you saw Harrison walk out of the kitchen wearing an apron.

He smiled at you.

“Hi”

“Hi, so you work here!”

“Yes, I’m one of the owners and the pastry chef.”

“Really? Then I must say that this cake is the best I have ever had.”

“Thank you.”

Then an awkward silence came between you two. You went back to drink your coffee.

“So, about your bumper, I have to take responsibility. It was my fault that I bumped into you, I knew the road was slippery and I didn’t keep my distance.”

You offered him a smile.

“It’s fine, really. It wasn’t that bad either, you don’t need to stress it.”

“Yes, I have to! It was my fault! And I saw the bill, don’t tell me it wasn’t bad.”

“You see, I earn enough to afford it, I wouldn’t have bought such a car otherwise…. You know what? How about you pay me back, but not with money!” his eyes suddenly widened and that’s when you realized how bad your words sounded.

“No! No! Don’t think about that. I meant like… Bake me a cake, please. For Christmas. You see, we will have a little party in the office, and I bring the cake every year. I used to make it, but since my promotion, I don’t have much time so I just ordered it from a place, but it wasn’t too good. So, how about you make me a Cake for ten people, some cupcakes and maybe if you have the time a few cookies?”

“That’s…That’s a great idea, but it isn’t the value of the damage I caused.”

“Stop worrying about that! So, give me the goodies, and we are even fine?” you held your pinkie out for him as a promise. He, a bit hesitantly, but agreed in the end.

***

On the day of the party, he said he would deliver the sweets himself, so now you were waiting for him to call so you can pick it up.

But of course, meanwhile, your lovely co-workers were teasing you up and down about him.

“Is he cute?” many asked, and the answer was always, very.

Then, you got his call. You took the elevator and surely enough, he was standing right in front of the building with boxes in his hands.

“Harrison! Hi.” you called when you noticed he was paying more attention to the height of the building then you approaching him.

“Wow, you work here?”

“Yes.” you thought that he just realized how different the two of you were. Him, owning a shot and you working for a huge business, literally.

“I brought you everything you asked for, I’ll help you bring them in.” he said after he was finished admiring the tower, but as he turned his head and looked at you, he noticed that you weren’t wearing your usual clothes. It was a more casual look on you, and he liked it. “You look beautiful,” he said before he can even think.

“Thank you!”

During the elevator ride, silence was between the two of you, with only him and you there, you wondered if it would be fine to ask.

“H-Harrison, can I ask you something?” he looked at you, facing him, you took in his gorgeous sea-blue eyes. You blushed a little.

“Sure.”

“Is-Am I… how should I ask this? Are we- what flavor is the cake?” you couldn’t do it.

“Oh… Chocolate and vanilla.” he looked, disappointed?

The elevator came to a stop.

“OH Y/N’s back! And look she brought someone!”

“Yes, this is Harrison, he made the sweets for us.”

“Good, good. Now, will you stay and celebrate with us, Harrison?”

“I don’t think he wants to, but if you do…it is fine…”

He ended up staying. Thankfully no one mentioned that they knew who he was. Harrison looked like he enjoyed himself.

You didn’t notice the time and when it was time to leave, you offered Harrison a ride, which he took.

So now, you were in the car with the man you thought might be your soulmate, other than that, you barely knew anything about him, but the way he looked at you, you wanted to find out the reason behind it.

“Turn left here. We are nearly there,” he instructed.

“Okay. Oh, you live close to the shop.”

“Yeah, it’s more convenient this way. That’s it with the blue fence. You can stop there.” he pointed at a parking space.”

After you stopped you thought he might get out fast and just forget you, but no, he just sat there, deep in thought. Finally, he decided to speak up.

“You know, I never found it to be fair. This whole soulmate-thing. I always wanted that both men and women would feel the start of the connection at the same. A-and that day, when I ran into you, I just wasn’t expecting it. For it to happen this way.” he let out a laugh, you decided to just stay silent and let him finish. “Leave it to me to find you like this. I was terrified, running into such a car, I thought I will pay with my life. But instead of a thug or some mobster, you got out and smiled. Now I know what that feeling is when others say ‘they just knew’ because I did too. When I saw you… I just knew. You think I’m weird right?” he laughed at himself. He didn’t expect an answer though.

“No. You are not weird. I somehow knew as well. Just the way you’d look at me, it was pretty obvious, but I didn’t want to let myself believe in dreams. But now, you confirmed them for me.” you smiled at him a genuine, sweet smile. He finally looked at you.

“What did you think of me when you first saw me?”

“Honestly?” he gave a nod, yes. “My exact thoughts were ‘Wow, it’s not fair for a man to have such beautiful eyes.’ and then I went to your shop. And I felt like it was just like you. With the flowers and plants. That baby blue wall. The pictures on the wall. Even the dark wood for the display. It was like a piece of you. But we can only be sure if you kiss me.”

He started to lean over and close his eyes. But you stopped him.

“Not here, mister. Maybe bring me on a date, Friday? Sound good? At eight? How about the park near here? They have a really good bar there, the wine and the cocktails just amazing.”

“Yeah, right sorry. I’m the man, I’m supposed to say these things.”

“Who says?”

“Um… masculinity?” you laughed at his answer.

“Right, so drinks there and maybe but only if I truly like you, you can kiss me in front of the pond.”

You looked into his eyes and they were full of determination. He wanted to prove a point and make you like him, even before the soulmate connection.

“Fine by me. Be prepared to be blown away. I’m quite the romantic type.”

“I’m more than ready. Text me.” you said as you kissed him on the cheek.

“I will.”

***

Friday evening came.

It was currently almost midnight and you may or may not be tipsy with Harrison helping you walk straight. The problem? You were a rather horny drunk.

“I told you the wine is gooood.”

“I was. But it was expensive as hell.”

“Yeah, my taste is rather… what’s the word?”

“Fancy?”

“YES! Fancy, like me.”

“Sure is, Love.”

“Oooooh, do that again!”

“Hm?”

“Call me Love again and I will lose my panties right here, right now. With that accent and lipppps and eyes. How can you be real? WAIT are you an alien? Did someone sent you for me?”

“No, Love.” he whispered the last word into your ear, making you shiver in the winter evening.

Suddenly you stopped, but Harrison didn’t notice for a minute. The next thing he knew your hand was inside his jacket’s pocket.

“Where to now?” you asked.

“To the pond. You said I can kiss you there.”

“I said maybe Mr. Gorgeous Eyes.”

“Is there anything else you like about me besides my eye colour?”

“Hmmm…. Lips, jawline. But you are funny, I nearly peed myself in there. I like how much patience and affection you have for others and me. And I also happen to like your butt. OH OH and those biceps….hmmm.” you let out a sigh. “HEY and what about you, what do you like about me? Since it seems like you are already connected to me.”

He started walking again before he answered.

“I love your laugh. Your smile is beautiful it brightens up the room. I love how smooth your hair looks even if I never touched it. And you know. You are so fucking sexy, it drives me wild.”

“Gooood. At least I know Chanel is worth its money.”

“Oh please, even with a paper bag on, you’d look like a Goddess.”

You didn’t even notice that when he stopped this time, it was right by the pond. You blushed a little.

No words were spoken after that. There was no need as he leaned down to your level and captured your lips with his.

It was a simple kiss. Like a looong peck.

And that’s when you felt it. As soon as his soft lips connected with yours, your heart also did with his.

The feelings confused you a little. It was love, passion, lust, affection, and longing at the same time.

When he pulled away all you could do was look into his eyes, the moon and the lights around the park reflected on the surface of the pond which gave his face light. Only a second passed before you pulled him in for more, but this one was different. This one was full of passion. This was a kiss between two souls who had finally became one.

When you ran out of breath you pulled away from him, he gave out a groan of dissatisfaction. You hugged him with your head on his chest.

“So this is how it feels like.”

“Pretty good right?”

“Amazing.”

A few minutes of hugging passed and you became tired.

“Can you take me home?” you asked him.

“Sure, where do you live?” you lifted your hand and pointed at a skyscraper.

“Up there.”

“Very funny, Y/N.”

“I’m not joking! I live THERE!”

“So, you are telling me that you drive an expensive car around, have designer clothes and you live in a penthouse up THERE?”

“Yessss, and I love you.” his heart skipped a beat.

“I love you too. Let me kiss you again.”

You didn’t need to be told twice.

And after another hot kiss, you pulled back and started to walk away from him.

“It’s cold, let go home.” you said as you stopped and turned back for him. You put your hands into your pockets and waited for him. When he mimicked your movement and placed his hand into his pockets, you smirked and started to walk.

Harrison became confused, something was in his pocket. He couldn’t help but look at the thing with opened mouth and round eyes.

A thong.

“I told you. Calling me Love without any consequence? I think not.”

He placed the clothing back to his pocket and jogged to catch up to you.

“Love” he whispered into your ear, as you turned your head, he gave you a final kiss.

Soulmates or not, you definitely loved this guy.

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Feedback means EVERYTHING to me, so please take the time and tell me how you liked my story. Thank You~

[toadallytickles]

Hi hi~ My 23rd birthday was last Monday, and we celebrated all week! Hence my inactivity! I remember being nervous for 22- though that year was the best one yet with all the growing and exploring I’ve been doing! I feel like I can say this is all my lifestyle now! It’s really exciting to me!! At first I thought I was gonna miss 22, I mean, I did a little- but I’m already feeling 23 and really good about it! :D

Celebrations started the night of Saturday February 29th! My mum and I had a girls night- just the two of us~ We got high and drank and ate a ton of food while watching shows on murders, and then Live PD LOL. My mum is one of my best friends, so it was lovely to spend time with her before my birthday!

Sunday morning Clay came by and we attended a small local rope gathering in my hometown so he could see the kink and sex positive club during the day and have a tour, meet my local kink community, and practice some ties on me~ Of course we sneaked off to the back dungeon to play and test the ties~ Later into the evening, community friends and I did a thing I’ve been craving to do; go out for all-you-can-eat-sushi while high~ (〃˘▽˘ ʃƪ )*:・ﾟ✧♡ I mean- we arrived late and I ordered too much food and couldn’t eat it all because I was given too much power, but it was so much fun and we’ll definitely do it again~ properly!

We stayed up for my birthday so they could be the first ones to wish me a happy birthday~ Usually I am with my family on my birthday, so this was extra sweet and special to be celebrating and surrounded by great friends and my partner~ also birthday gang tickles~ 👀

Monday was spent with my family + Clay back in my hometown! We went to Red Lobster for lunch, and had hamburgers for supper, and for dessert my moms bought ice cream cake in my favourite flavour, and Clay made brownies~! Not weed brownies, maybe some day, though they were delicious~ Aaah~ only the finest of foods for a good little pet~ :)c

Tuesday we took off to Clay’s for the week~ We had delicious ribs (not mine nor his) for supper and lunch, and our favourite Little Caesars pizzas, and visited his parents for supper- though a majority of the time spent was playing Breath of the Wild asdfghjkl. We played all day erry day. I’m a really big Zelda fan, and love video games- though I thought it wasn’t something Clay and I could really connect on (besides old school Pokémon) since Clay doesn’t really play video games. I watched this YouTube video where this guy lets his non-gamer wife play video games to test how the game is for beginners and/or people unfamiliar with video game mechanics. One of them was on Breath of the Wild, as it is massive and there’s multiple solutions and ways to problems and obstacles, and that inspired me to make Clay play it and see how he interacts with the virtual world! I only expected him to play through the first part of the game, but he’s beyond that now! He only has 3 more regions on the map to unlock, and has been upgrading armour, and completing a lot of shrines and side quests I haven’t even done! He’s catching up to me- I’m super impressed and proud~ But yeah- it’s a really addicting game! I’m more in love with the game because Clay enjoys it~♡

Friday it was back to my hometown to attend a party at the club to celebrate my birthday more! I’ve been there a couple of times before, though once a month there’s a big themed party, and I’ve been too shy to attend on my own! This time I got to bring Clay and friends to attend for the first time too! It was so much fun and so different, I’ve never been to a club before! Now that I’ve been once, I’ll definitely attend future parties~ Oh and perhaps I got gang tickled.. twice..~ whatever though~

Saturday the group and I went on a mall adventure before going to Cece’s for a double birthday hangout~ We got day drunk, which I have never done before but wow it was really fun I really like gin and coke asdfghkktjllr I think that was the most feral I’ve been lol and we played Mario Kart and Mario Party which ensued a lot of screaming and angy behaviour. Oh we also recorded a TikTok for Cece LOL heck kids these days smh. But yeah- I love that I get to hang out with community friends- and they’re becoming great friends I hang out with casually and frequently. I’m starting to feel I belong in a group again~ I also love that we can be feral and nasty in front of each other, and then can switch to having deeper talks and conversations and heart-to-hearts. It’s the most satisfying thing to be able to talk openly about kinks and the community, and they get it. It’s surreal- though it’s interesting to think about how this is the beginning for a lot of us, and one day this will be our lifestyle and we’ll be so much closer and experienced. :)

I think that is all I want to say~ Though this is why I’ve been inactive! Now that Clay has left- it’s back to reality, and I’m going to go on Tumblr and be put into all the moods rip it’s always worse when he’s away..!

I have read the many messages for my birthday and those who want invites to the Server! Sorry for the wait, and thank you for waiting and being patient too! I will eventually get to everyone’s messages! I may need some recovery time!

Thank you so much to everyone for the love, birthday wishes and to those who were apart of the celebrations! I felt really loved and happy and wanted this week! This was a super fun-filled week and a wonderful way to start off 23~ ♡

[motiveandthemeans]

When Dan met Abbey

He’d met her at a random lunch meeting on the Affordable Care Act he’d been forced to attend. She was the arguably the youngest (his junior by at least five years), and the most beautiful woman in the room. Probably the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Abigail Holland, RN, MSN, CEN. Blonde hair, blue eyes, long legs, the strangest accent he’d ever heard. Not quite southern, not quite west coast Cali girl. She’d been brought in as an expert on primary care deficiencies and for some reason the Senator Feinstein insisted Dan go in her stead, despite health policy being 100% not his area of expertise or interest.

Everyone noticed her pillowy lips but Dan had noticed her smile, the way she tried not to appear intimidated, surrounded by politicians and political players alike. She was clearly out of her comfort zone as well. He didn’t miss the once over McDonough had given her, how it disgusted him a married man could be so blatantly attracted to someone else.

They’d been inadvertently sent to the background of the meeting, clearly not the key note speakers at this particular luncheon.

“Is it always like this?” She asked quietly.

He chuckled. “Yeah, pretty much. I’m usually sitting against the wall though so this is new for me too.”

She smiled, grateful for companionship. “I’m Abbey. You’re Dan Jones. You work for Senator Feinstein, don’t you?”

He gave her a quizzical look. “How did you know? Is it that obvious?”

She laughed and he felt his heart skip a beat. “No, no. I just...I saw you in her office a couple of months ago. Just in passing.”

“Really?” He couldn’t think of a scenario how he could not have noticed her. “Do you know the Senator?”

“Her granddaughter and I were college roommates. We spent many spring breaks at their house in San Fransisco.” Abbey said. “She and my father were on a couple of committees together when she was in the house.”

“You’re Dad is Dr. Benjamin Holland?” He sputtered. “The director of the NIH?”

“Yep.” She said awkwardly.

“I didn’t know he had a daughter.”

She shrugged. “Four boys ahead of me so, it’s not like it’s all that important. Also I’m a nurse, not an MD, so it’s a stain upon the family name to be sure.”

Dan smirked. “Because you’re the ones actually bedside and know what’s going on with the patient?”

She looked at him, shocked.

“My mom was a nurse.” He clarified.

Her powder blue eyes lit up when grinned. “She must be awful proud of you, making it big in D.C.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m making it big, but yes. She’s your typical Jewish mother. Anytime the Senator makes a big move, she’ll say ‘My son did so and so...’”

“Don’t be too humble now, D.C. is cut throat. People might think you have morals.” Abbey said with faux disgust on her face.

“Not a fan of politicians, are you?”

“I have a healthy enough tolerance.” She countered with a wry smirk.

Dan couldn’t help the smile Abigail brought to his face and was going to tell her so when he was interrupted by McDonough calling an end to the luncheon. He lost her through the crowd, heart sinking at the idea he’d have to find some asinine way of contacting her when he felt something slip into his hands. It was a napkin and it had Abbey’s number on it.

She grinned over her shoulder as she walked away, he smiled back.

He’d agonized over how long to wait to call her, it’d been years since he’d dated, well out of the convoluted dating scene of D.C. it was early, almost six thirty in the evening when he finally dialed her number.

“I was beginning to wonder if you’d call me.” She teased. “Hello, Dan.”

“I’d give you some bullshit excuse about being busy with work and not worrying about seeming too interested, but I get the impression lying to you wouldn’t go down so well.” He grinned. “Hey, Abby”

“Am I that easy to read?” She asked with a laugh. “What are you up to?”

“Working, to be honest.” He said dryly. “You?”

“About to leave for work, actually. They’re short tonight and it’s my turn to pull call.” She answered.

“Sorry, do you need to-“

“No, I have a while till I need to clock in. I live around the corner from GW.” She said. “Is it getting late for you?”

“No, technically I’m supposed to be off work and enjoying the weekend but well...”

“Duty calls?” She mused.

“Yeah.” He chuckled breathlessly. “Something like that. Do you work tomorrow night?”

“No. I’m off till Tuesday after tonight, thank the gods.”

“Let’s have a drink.” Dan wondered if he sounded as casual as he hoped he did.

“Alright, when and where?”

“Old Ebbits, eight o’ clock?”

“Sure.” He could hear the smile in her voice and he wonder if she could hear his too.

—

She wore black slacks that accentuated her slim waist and a black lace top he could make a tell tale sight of her bra through, such as was the style for women these days. Christ she made his mouth water.

“Dan.” She greeted, her make up was light, natural. Her blonde hair fell in waves to her back. He wore his nicest jeans and button down. Naturally, people gave them strange looks. He knew she was out of his league, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Hendricks and Tonic, please.” She said to the bartender when asked what she wanted.

“Hungry?” Dan asked.

“Nah, I already ate.” She shrugged. “You?”

“No, I actually remembered to eat today.”

Abby grinned. “It’s a rare day I get to eat lunch, too. Much to my mother’s dismay. All five children grown and out of the house and she can’t seem to kick the habit of ensuring we’re all fed.”

“My mom still sends me care packages like I’m a college freshman.” He joked.

“That’s sweet.” Abby took a sip of her drink. “What kind of nurse is she?”

“Labor and delivery.” He answered.

Abby made a face. “That was my least favorite in school. I passed out in my first delivery. And naturally the OBGYN was buddies with my father so, that was a fun congressional Christmas party.”

Dan winced. “I can only imagine.”

“You never told me what it is you do for the senator.” She said.

“I’m basically a liaison for her intelligence committee.”

“And that’s about all you can tell me, isn’t it?” She ventured.

“You do know your D.C., don’t you?”

She smiled. “So what do you do for fun? Since work is clearly a subject we must steer clear of.”

“It doesn’t bother you I can’t talk about it?” He asked.

“Why should it? Anybody who asks you to jeopardize your position is no friend, Dan. I’d hoped you know that by now.” Abby replied. “Also, we are more than our job designations. For instance, I love to bake, but I’m terrible at making cakes.”

Dan laughed. “Really? Is that a thing?”

“Hey, don’t mock till you’ve had my key lime pie. It’ll make you forget cake is even a thing.”

She grinned.

Dan sipped his whiskey. “I run five miles every morning.”

“I swim.” She replied. “I love the ocean. I was born in Hawaii and lived there till I was 12 while my Dad was in the navy.”

“Never been.”

“You should go sometime.” She joked.

“Yeah, it’s on the bucket list.” Dan smirked. “I grew up outside of Pittsburgh.”

“Steeler Nation?” She rose her brows.

“Of course.”

“My father is a die hard Steelers fan.” She said.

They carried on back and forth, laughing and lightly teasing. Regalling childhood stories of growing up with four older brothers and a single mom in Pittsburgh. Abbey wasn’t what he initially expected, she’d had a job all through public high school, bought her own car, worked during the summers in college. Her father paid for her BSN from Chapel Hill, but she went on for her masters of nursing directly after graduating. She was 27 and head charge nurse of one the most prestigious hospitals in the nation. Dan made a perfect score on his SAT and took a full ride to Elizabethtown, earning his masters from John’s Hopkins and his post doc from Harvard. He grew up Jewish, but only attended temple on high holy days and definitely did not keep kosher. His father had died in a car accident when he was three and his mom remarried a nice guy when he was in college. David owned a landscaping company and treated his mom like she was gold so Dan couldn’t complain.

“Walk me home?” She asked. “But just so you know I won’t be inviting you up for coffee. I do have my standards, Dr. Jones.”

“I expect no less, Miss Holland.”

She lived four blocks from the bar in a nice neighborhood, clearly her salary out ranged his, not that it bothered him. They laughed and joked more, especially when he made a pop culture reference she didn’t understand.

“Hey! You’ve got like five years on me!” Abbey joked defensively.

“Almost seven, actually.” He looked down into her smiling eyes when she came to a halt in front of her townhome. “Nice place.”

“My brother, Anders, owns it, he rents it to me cheap.” She shrugged. “Well, cheap for D.C. anyway. And he lets me keep Frog.”

Dan gave her an incredulous expression. “Frog?”

She grinned. “My cat.”

“You have a cat named Frog?”

“Are you gonna kiss me or what-“

Before she could finish the sentence, he swooped in and kissed her. Gently at first, then as Abby leaned into it Dan wound his arms around her deepened the kiss. She tasted like tonic and cherries and he thought he’d died and gone to heaven at how soft her lips actually were. They were both a bit breathless when they broke apart.

“What are you doing Sunday?” She asked.

“Working, though I could be persuaded otherwise.” He chided.

“Come over for dinner.” She said. “I’ll make you something, however there will not be sex for you in lieu of dessert.”

“How can a man refuse such an offer.” He laughed. “Should I bring anything?”

“Frog is kind of mean. A cat toy would not go amiss.”

“Ever think it’s because you named him Frog?” Dan joked, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

Abby rolled her eyes benignly. “Everyone says that!”

Dan kisses her gently once more. “Goodnight, Abby.”

“Good night, Dan.” She smiled, unlocking her door and disappearing from sight.

As he hailed a cab, Dan couldn’t get rid of the grin stuck on his face.

[finalforms]

01: The Framberry

The creating and eating of food has always been synonymous with love and contentment for me, and so sharing it feels personal. This is by no means a unique feeling, and I am by no means an accomplished cook or food writer, but here I am anyway. 

As a Major People Pleaser, I need to have the food I share with someone be great, regardless of whether I made it myself. At my worst this has led to crippling anxiety when I have to make a decision about what to cook or where to go out to eat because what if it’s not great that means I’ve made a mistake and that means a regret we have to think about in the shower and drown out with Netflix. At my best, I am in my kitchen, chatting and laughing about everything and nothing with people I deeply care about, as they dot in and out to help me with chopping this or washing that, and eventually, magically, there some food for us to eat, and I am totally at peace with the world. Also at this happy end of the spectrum is when I find a restaurant or an item of food so good that I can’t help but shout about it to anyone and everyone. 

There’s a little French bakery on King Street near Ravenscourt Park called Patisserie Sainte-Anne. It’s run by a Franco-Japanese family and almost all of the bakes are sublime and very French bar the Japanese loaves of Pain de Mie (aka Chocupan aka milk bread) which they make every Saturday. West London has a particularly high French-speaking population, which was never clearer to me than when I visited the shop and tout le monte parlait français. An ideal version of me would be speaking French to the bakery owner too, but alas I never did gagné cette baguette. 

As I’ve always lived within a mile of the bakery, I’ve been there a many times, either to sit in or take something out. I seem to have a solid memory of every single time I’ve visited, most likely because I’ve always been happy stepping through their jingling pastel pink door. I don’t know whether that’s more to do with the bright pastel decor and the smell of fresh croissants, or because I’ve almost always gone in with or to buy something for someone I care about, but I’ll credit both in equal measure.  

One particular piece of patisserie that is top 2 and not #2 is something they call ‘the Framberry.’ It’s a raspberry mousse cake and chocolate ganache on an almond biscuit base finished with a Barbie-pink white chocolate mirror glaze and raspberries and macaron shells on top. It’s gorgeous to look at and a complete joy to eat. Even though I can’t eat it myself anymore, I’m always excited to gift it to someone dear to me. It’s sort of become my ‘default’ gift, but I’d wager this is a better default than a bottle of wine. No seriously, just look at the thing.

And now,  presenting, ‘To All The Framberries I’ve Bought Before’:

I bought my first Framberry along with some macarons for me and E to share in 2015. I was probably/definitely more hyped about it than he was, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. 

I loved it so much that I bought it again just for myself a few months later. It was still perfect.

My mother and I shared a Framberry on a bench in Ravenscourt Park, as a last hurrah before the transplant. We’d actually go there quite often over those months, to get a pain au chocolat and coffee to take on a walk, and/or (but usually ‘and’) a pear Normandy tart for later. This was my last one, and therefore tasted the best. 

For C to eat on the bus home when she came to visit. Her additional birthday cake that year was also from Sainte-Anne, an insanely good chocolate torte on which they iced a birthday message. She texted to say she ate the Framberry on the bus home and that ‘oh my god it’s amazing.’

For Y’s birthday/cheer-up present, along with her hand-painted JVN birthday card. I think it was a good move because we’re similar in our approach to showing affection; she got me a box of themed doughnuts on Valentine’s Day.

For K, J’s girlfriend, as a birthday preset because food is always good and I didn’t feel we knew each other all that well yet and of course I needed her to like me. Am I buying favour? Yikes. It’s cool, we’re closer now. 

For A & Z, for having me over for dinner after exams, along with flowers for Z and a small jar of my grandmother’s homemade chilli powder for A (the only food gift that could ever surpass the Framberry). I walked to the station with a bouquet of irises and chrysanthemums in one hand the Framberry in its little box with the bakery’s pink & purple cat logo sticker in the other, wanting this to be my life always. A made incredible broccoli mac and cheese and I admired their beautiful plant-filled flat and related very hard with Z over lo-fi hip hop beats to study to. I got a text from A an hour after I’d gotten home telling me the Framberry was a revelation and I wanted to Han Solo it out with an “I know” but I, Lieutenant Commander People Pleaser (that’s right I promoted myself), just felt validated as hell.

This little dessert is one I fully back myself on to the point where I secretly want to watch everyone I’ve ever bought one for take their first bite and tell me how much they love it, but that’s creepy so I’m just about restraining myself. If I could make it myself you bet I’d rave about it more than I already do. For now, there is Patisserie Sainte-Anne.