#i do have toast prepped from today and meant for tomorrow

[baekuras]

I am seated at the base of the mountain or whatever this oversized hill is classified as in a small room with thin walls, ooooooooold windows, right next to a church AND they removed the fridge previously instated in every room

lovely

i get to climb 15mins every morning for training that if it had gone unnoticed for 2 more months i’d never have to absolve anyway (: 6hours away from home (: in a small like...town with like 1 general store AND work saturday as well when i’ll come back friday around 10pm (:

yeah i’m pretty annoyed actually <3

[elizabethemerald]

Spring in Nicodranas

Jester leaned over the prow of the ship as the Nein Heroes slowly pulled into port. A bright smile was permanently pulling at her lips. Nicodranas in the spring was always a welcome sight to behold. With one hand still holding a line while the wind whipped her skirts around her ankles, she wove her hand through the air, pink sigils hanging in the air for the sending spell. 

“Hey Caleb! It’s Jester, Fjord and I are back in Nicodranas for a few days. Could you pick up the others so we can watch momma sing?”

She felt like maybe she had gotten cut off there at some point but she wasn’t worried. Caleb knew what she meant. Sure enough only a few seconds later Caleb replied, a slight laugh in his voice. 

“Ja, Jester, We will meet you at the Chateau. Could you message Beauregard to ensure she’s home and decent? I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

Jester nods to herself as she preps another sending spell. One of the biggest problems of being able to teleport directly into the living rooms of the their friends is it sometimes had fun consequences. Well Caleb would probably consider it awkward at least. 

“Hi Beau! Caleb is coming by to pick you up, are you home? Are you naked? Oh! Are you and Yasha having super hot sex?”

“Hey Jessie, thanks for the warning. We’ll be dressed when Caleb gets here. Looking forward to seeing you again. Tell Fjord we’re working out tomorrow.”

She cackles to herself a little, Fjord is going to be so upset to have to work out again. He enjoyed their time at sea because he didn’t have do Beau’s super difficult work out routine. She had one last message to send, as her fingers danced through the air. 

“Heya Veth!! We’re meeting at the Chateau today, momma is singing. Bring Yeza and Luc and we’ll all have fun together. Oh my gosh, I saw the craziest seagull yesterday!”

“Sure thing Jester. We wouldn’t miss it. I have to pick up Luc from daycare and we’ll be there. Also you got cut off there.”

Jester smiled to herself and was about to send another message when she realized the Nine Heroes was moving alongside the dock. She jumped to get her hands on the ropes. Getting a ship this large properly docked took a lot of work and needed all hands. Including hers. 

When the ship was finally tied off and Orly had started to unload the cargo. Fjord pulled Jester aside, gently wiping her bangs out of her face. She was surprised to see he was wearing his fanciest captain’s outfit.

“Ah, Fjord! Look at you! Why are you dressing all fancy? We’re home, we can relax!”

“Well your mother is performing tonight. I feel silly showing up looking like a mess.” He said smoothly. 

“Ooh, should I dress up too? We can make it a fancy date night!” 

“That sounds like a great idea, you go get dressed, I’ll finish up here.” Fjord said. 

Jester dashed off to their cabin. She only rarely got a chance to wear her fanciest dresses, so it would be nice to get super dressed up. It took her a few minutes to find which dress she wanted to wear and to make herself as dolled up as possible. 

Soon enough she and Fjord were walking through the evening air of Nicodranas arm in arm. She had a wide smile on her face as they walked. 

Waiting outside the doors of the Chateau were the rest of the Mighty Nein. Jester was surprised that they were all dressed just as fancy as her and Fjord. Caleb was wearing his Xhorhasian jacket and a suit. Yasha was wearing her crushed velvet black dress. Beau of course looked as stunning as her fists in her gray suit. Essek and Caduceus had also dressed for the occasion and to her surprise, Kingsley was there! He had his own ship now and she rarely saw him. 

When the group stepped through the door they found Veth, Yeza and Luc sitting around a table. Jester cheered and hugged her friend, chattering happily with the Nein as they all settled down at the table. Food was ordered, drinks filled, and they all seemed ready for the performance to start. 

Jester looked around, normally her momma’s performances completely filled the seats, but now there were only a few people sitting around. As she looked around closer there were other things that seemed off to her. Why were all of the Nein dressed in their fanciest? Fjord was sweating, why was he so nervous? Some of the conversation seemed stilted, like the others were waiting for something. Even Sprinkle was acting differently, relaxing on the table top, watching her and Fjord. 

She was just about to ask about the strangeness when the music started up for her momma’s performance. Whatever was going on would have to wait until after. The other guests seemed to fade away as Marion stepped down the stairs, her voice already carrying through the air. 

Marion’s performance was breath taking as it ever was. She sang a new song, about a sailor and a princess and the adventures they got up to as they fell in love. Jester sighed dreamily, as the song ramped up to a crescendo. Then just as the sailor was going to propose to the princess, Marion stopped singing, her arm outstretched towards the table the Nein sat at. 

Jester looked around in confusion. The people in the crowd had all disappeared. And Caleb’s programmed illusion had changed to show scenes of the Mighty Nein in amber. Meeting up for the first time, saving each other, fighting side by side. Scene after scene of their adventures drifted through the air around her. Sprinkle sat and stared at her with twinkling eyes, a small barely visible green cloak wrapped around his shoulders. 

Fjord stood up, straightened his jacket, then knelt down in front of her. 

Her hands flew to face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. 

“Jester Lavorre. I have loved you for so long. Would you do me the honor of making me the happiest man on land or sea. WIll you marry me?”

Jester gasped, tears sparkling in her eyes as she nodded as fast as she could. When Fjord stood up to put the ring that had been in the box on her finger, she wrapped her arms around his middle, lifting him up off his feet and spinning him around. She realized she was laughing and her smile was so wide her face was starting to hurt. She finally set him back down and let him slide the ring onto her finger. 

The rest of the Mighty Nein immediately started clapping and cheering. The illusion around them changed to miniature fireworks. A few actual fire works may have gone off thanks to Beau. Jester kissed Fjord, holding him tight as around her, her family cheered. Soon the kiss evolved into a group hug as one by one the rest of the Nein piled around them clapping their backs. 

Drinks were called for as they once again took their seats, Marion moving to join beside her daughter. Jester held Fjord’s hand for the rest of the night. Her heart felt full to the bursting. Love for Fjord. His love for her. Their love for their strange family. The love of the Mighty Nein for the two of them. Marion raised a toast to the pair. 

“To the future stories you two will share. May you find yourself surrounded by this love at the end of each adventure.”

[jaesqueso]

Chef’s kiss (m)

pairing: chef!xiaojun x fem!reader

summary: a food tasting turns into a steamy session

word count: 1,861

warnings: quite a few terrible food puns, fingering, oral sex (receiving), unprotected sex (when in doubt don’t go without!)

a/n: this is terrible so I apologise in advance, I was just incredibly turned on by The Lonely Master Chef Xiao... anyway, do give me some feedback please! ❤︎

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

“So sorry I’m late, I-”

You stumble inside the room but stop as you come face to face with probably the most handsome man you’ve ever seen in your life.

“Y/N!” Your coworker calls as she walks towards you. “It’s ok, we barely even started. This is chef Xiaojun.” 

“Hi…” You mutter not being able to take your eyes off him.

“Hello, nice to meet you.” He extends his hand to you and you quickly shake it before he’s able to tell how he’s making you feel.

“Come, let’s sit.” Your coworker takes your arm and leads you to two chairs next to a table with a few utensils on it. “He’s cute right?” She whispers as the chef places himself on the other side. You throw her a death glare and then look back at the gorgeous man.

Your company was having a fancy dinner with some new investors so they appointed you and your coworker to try out the menu to guarantee the food would captivate them into closing the business.

The chef starts by presenting you the appetisers: prosciutto-wrapped avocado with goat cheese and arugula, sausage stuffed mushrooms and some oysters Rockefeller. You each taste the three dishes as he explained the components. You were melting at the way he talked about each ingredient as if they were meant to be put together to create a feast in your mouth.

Next were the main courses: bourbon pecan chicken, crab-stuffed lobster tail and Scandinavian roasted venison tenderloin. Again you two tried a little bit of each and you couldn’t believe the burst of flavours in your mouth. You both giggle at his food related puns, he’s not only incredibly skilled in the kitchen but he also has a quirky sense of humour. Joining that with his beautiful features and you almost melt in your seat.

“Excuse me, I gotta take this call.” Your coworker left the room as the chef set up the deserts. 

You admire the way Xiaojun carefully plates the food with his delicate hands making your mind wander at the thoughts of what other amazing things his hands might be capable of… You shake the hot imagery away as your coworker comes back inside.

“I’m so sorry but I have to go, I just got a call from the kindergarten and I really need to pick up my daughter.” She apologetically says as she picks up her things.

“Oh is she ok?” You ask in concern.

“She will be.” She walks to you grabbing your hand. “Y/N are you ok to finish up on your own?”

“Y-Yeah, sure.” You stutter as you realise that will leave you alone with the chef.

“You are a life saver!” She hugs you and then turns to the man. “If the desserts are as good as what we’ve tried so far this will be a very successful dinner! Thank you so much and see you tomorrow!”

He smiles and bows as she leaves the door. You take a deep breath and look back at him.

“Shall we continue?” You nod and match his smile trying to hide your sudden nervousness.

The desserts were then presented in front of you: rum raisin crème brulee, coffee caramel panna cotta and lemon merengue pie with sorbet.

“Crème brulee is one of my favourites desserts to serve,” Xiaojun lights up the torch and moves it closer to the container melting the sugar on top, “it’s a beautiful dish with an amazing flavour, best served when heated up on the spot.” He looks up at you and winks.

You gulp trying not to make it obvious that the dessert was not the only thing heating up. You take a spoon and damn if it wasn’t one of the best crème brulees you’ve ever tasted in your life. He smiles at the pleasant look in your face moving on the next dish.

“This panna cotta is perfect for coffee lovers, adding a sweet twist with the caramel.” He explains moving the plate in your direction.

You taste it and are amazed with the perfect combination of the flavours. You look at him and he seems to be staring at your lips. You widen your eyes as he leans over the table brushing his thumb in the corner of your mouth. So he did not have the same burning desire of kissing you, you just made a fool of yourself getting dirty like a child. What you were not expecting was that he would take his thumb to his mouth sucking it clean. That vision went straight to your core.

“Last but not least,” he continues as if he did not just made your legs weak, “the merengue can be served with a lime sorbet to increase the sour flavour or a simple vanilla sorbet to smooth it out.”

“Why not both?” He raises an eyebrow at your sudden teasing tone as you decided to test the waters. “I like to try new things… In my desserts.” He chuckles as he walks around the table to come stand next to you.

“Do you know why I became a chef?” He asks as he leans against the surface.

“Why?” You stand up so you are at his level.

“Food can be very intimate, but also very intense.” He licks his lips.

“Are you sure you’re still talking about food?” You smirk.

“Sure. Food can be sweet,” he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, ”or spicy.” He turns your bodies around, your butt now hitting the rim of the table as Xiaojun stands in front of you. “It can be warm,” he comes closer, hips against yours, “or cold.” He reaches behind you taking a bit of sorbet and bringing it to your lips. “If you mix it just right,” you open your mouth taking in the dessert, “and you’ll have the perfect level of intensity.”

Oh you’re definitely not thinking about food anymore. You feel a drop of sorbet falling from your mouth to your chest as he removes the spoon placing it back on the table. You look down and next thing you know he’s licking it clean looking up at you.

“That’s a very good sorbet, it would be a shame to let even a drop go to waste.” He lifts up his head to stand inches away from yours.

“Do they teach you to be this smooth in culinary school?” You tease.

“Well,” his hands smooth the sides of your body, “they do teach us to prep the ingredients before we get cooking.”

And with that the distance between you two fades in a delicious kiss. Your lips are cold from the sorbet while his are warm from all the smooth talk. He was right, if you mix it just right you get the perfect level of intensity.

Your arms wrap around his neck as the kiss develops. You moan softly when his mouth moves to your neck knowing exactly where to kiss and suck. His hands start to unbutton your blouse and you run your fingers through his hair. His mouth keeps moving down to the mounds of your breasts as his hands cup them over your bra.

He lifts his head back to take your mouth and his hands busy themselves hiking up your skirt and pushing down your panties. You yelp as he lifts you up to sit you over the table. One of his arms wraps around your waist as his other hand caresses your thigh until it reaches your folds.

You moan into his mouth as he circles your clit. You were right, his hands are capable of much more than cooking.

“You know,” he breaks the kiss and kneels down between your legs, “a great chef always tastes the food he prepares and you seem quite ready, mind if I do?”

“You’re the chef.” You smirk as he leans closer to your throbbing core.

He takes a long lick through your wetness and you lean back supporting yourself with your hands on the table. He takes his time eating you out like he’s savouring his favourite meal.

The heat builds up inside you and you bite your lip to prevent your moans from getting louder. His fingers are pumping in and out of you and within minutes you cum all over them. He licks off your juices and stands up again.

“Finger licking good.” He winks licking his digits.

“What can I say,” you chuckle, “you are a great chef.”

He kisses you again grinding his still clothed crotch against you naked cunt. You lower your hands and start unbuttoning his pants. He helps you out by pulling them down to his ankles along with his underwear. You take his dick in your hand and almost gasp at how hard he already is. You move your hand up and down his length and he breaks the kiss to let out a low moan.

“Ready for another meal?” He asks rubbing his tip on your wetness.

“I’ve never been so hungry.” You bite your lip.

Xiaojun aligns himself with your hole and you moan in unison as he penetrates you slowly. You hold his face and bring your mouths back together as he grabs your waist to steadies you while he starts moving inside you.

Muffled moans and skin slapping sounds fill the air. Sweat forms on your bodies like somebody turned up the heat to more than what human beings were made to withstand.

He takes his cock out only to turn you around, your back against his chest. He thrusts back in from behind and you lean your head back to rest on his shoulder. He kisses your neck massaging your clothed breasts as he thrusts into you harder and faster.

You clench around his length when he takes his hand back to your clit. You know you two won’t take long to give into the pleasure. And in no time your juices mix inside you like your moans mix in the air.

“So,” he breaths out as he removes himself from inside you, grabbing some napkins from the table to clean you two up, “You think your boss will like my menu?”

“Well,” your turn around to him as you two get dressed, “I wouldn’t recommend this last dish, I’d like to keep that one for myself.” You wink and Xiaojun leans closer kissing you one more time.

✦

“Good job you two, this night definitely made their minds, they’re ready to sign the deal.” Your boss raises his champagne glass to you and your coworker as you toast.

“I don’t know why but it felt like the food tasted even better today!” She nudges you as the older man steps away to mingle with the guests.

“I guess sometimes you have to keep tasting it to get the full experience.” You say with a smile as you glance at the food preparation area earning a wink from the chef.

“W-what was that?” She widens her eyes to you.

“What was what?” You take a sip from your champagne to hide your smile.

“Y/N, what happened after I left!?”

[the-girl-in-the-box]

Not Today X

A/N:  A liiiittle late with this update- whoops! But hopefully Sunday morning wasn't too long to wait as opposed to Saturday night :) Finals prep last week, so I should be set to update as usual again this upcoming Wednesday! By then, finals should be over, and I'll be a free woman for the summer! But, until then, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, even if I had to push through some writer's block with it and it's a little shorter than usual XD Skål!

Summary:  When Ivar takes the throne of Kattegat, Lagertha flees to Wessex along with Björn, Ubbe, Torvi, and the Bishop Heahmund. There, they seek the aid of King Alfred. This aid comes in the form of his sister, Aethelind, who agrees to travel to Kattegat and try to reason Ivar, who she spent some time with during their youth, when her grandfather King Ecbert hosted Ragnar Lothbrok in their castle. Now, she is the only hope for Lagertha and her supporters to retake Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless.

Masterlist

--

The feast came quickly, it felt like, and Aethelind found that Freydis was easy to get along with. She was polite, kind, gentle, easy to talk to… If nothing else, Aethelind was happy to know she’d found another friend in Kattegat already. They’d gotten prepared for the feast together, with Freydis braiding Aethelind’s hair, and helping her choose one of the dresses from the trunk Hvitserk had brought up from the docks.

In the end, the women had settled on a deep green dress, one that was very flattering to the Princess, and highlighted the green of her eyes. Freydis had commented that the dress made her eyes stand out quite a bit, and with the style of her hair, the features of her face were already highlighted. Just a touch of cosmetics, and Aethelind felt fully ready to go into the feast.

The Queen herself had chosen a silky blue dress, one which Aethelind insisted would compliment the blue of the blonde woman’s eyes. It also fit Freydis in such a way as to not be uncomfortable, as Freydis was with child, and far enough along that her stomach was beginning to swell. This had brought quick congratulations from Aethelind, who realized this meant Ivar and his wife would be parents. Though she was there on behalf of Björn and Lagertha, as well as Ubbe and Torvi, that didn’t mean she didn’t still like Ivar, didn’t mean she had come quickly to like his wife, and didn’t mean that she wasn’t happy for them to be having a child.

It could have been a complication, considering this would mean an heir for Ivar, but she was more focused on the happiness she thought a child would bring the young couple.

Now, the two were walking out to the Great Hall of the longhouse, where they could already hear the feast in full swing. It was far louder than what Aethelind was used to feasts being in Wessex, but it also sounded like it was filled with far more joy and laughter. Excitement bubbled in her chest as she and Freydis walked arm and arm to the hall.

As soon as they entered, Ivar stood from his seat at the main table, using his crutch to support himself, and he gestured to his wife and their guest. “My friends!” he called, getting the attention of all those in the hall. “We are joined now by my wife, and also by an old friend. It is my pleasure to introduce to you all, the Princess Aethelind, of Wessex. I met the Princess when my father and I journeyed to her Kingdom, and he was often in council with her grandfather, King Ecbert. We spent much time together, and it gladdens me to see her come to our shores. Tomorrow, she and I will do business, but tonight! We celebrate old friendships, and her arrival here. Skål!”

Aethelind wouldn’t have understood hardly a word of what he said, as he said it all in his own tongue, but Freydis was whispering a translation of what he said to her. She smiled, even if her cheeks dusted pink at how she was suddenly the center of attention.

Freydis guided her up toward that table where she was to sit with herself and her husband, and Aethelind smiled. “Thank you for your generous welcome,” she said to Ivar. “Ever since our friendship in Wessex began, I have been curious to see Kattegat, and to walk amongst your people. And now I am here, I find it is far more exciting than I could have expected it to be! It is my belief that my journey here, on my brother’s behalf, will be one of the highlights of my life.” A cup of mead was handed to her by Freydis, who whispered the word they used to toast in her ear, and Aethelind nodded, lifting the glass and announcing, “Skål!”

Despite not understanding a word she’d said, most of the room, they erupted into cheers at her toast, and all began to drink and talk amongst themselves. She chuckled softly at how easily they’d seemed to agree with her words, and then as Ivar sat again, Freydis to his right, Aethelind sat down at his left, thanking the thrall that served her meal with a polite smile and a nod. She would have thanked her verbally, but she didn’t know enough of the Viking tongue to do so.

Right after the meal was served, Aethelind’s attention was taken by Hvitserk settling in to her right, and taking a drink from his cup. “Hello, Princess,” he greeted.

Ivar rolled his eyes and immediately quipped, “Oh, she does not need you pestering her Hvitserk. At least let her settle in before you start your nonsense, hm?”

“It’s not nonsense, Ivar,” Hvitserk defended. “I just want to be sure she feels welcomed!”

“Did the feast not do that?” Ivar questioned him. “Give the girl some space.”

Hvitserk scooted away from Aethelind the tiniest bit, and said, “She has space. Now, Princess-”

Ivar groaned, interrupting Hvitserk and earning a giggle from Aethelind. “Boys, please, stop fighting,” she said. “This is a happy night. I’m happy to be here, happy to get to know you all better. So let’s just celebrate, and not fight.”

Hvitserk chuckled a little bit, and waved his hand dismissively. “Talk to Ivar,” he said. “He’s the one who can’t help himself from starting things.”

Ivar feigned hurt as he looked at Hvitserk, and Aethelind noticed Freydis giving a good-natured roll of her eyes. “You will have to get used to this,” Freydis told her, earning another falsely offended look from Ivar.

Aethelind giggled softly, and shook her head. “No, in truth I don’t mind it,” she confessed. “My own brothers in Wessex were far too reserved for anything like this. The freedom for this sort of bickering is a relief.”

The Vikings seemed a bit surprised by this confession, and Hvitserk even questioned, “You don’t like the ways of your Kingdom, Princess?”

“Oh, it’s not… that, exactly,” she said, chuckling. “No, it’s just… They were both raised to be more mature than their ages. So seeing brothers actually bicker with each other, the way I’ve heard they do… It’s nice. Relaxed. It seems to me your people as a whole are less...” She paused as she searched for the right word. "Stuffy, than those of Wessex."

The three Vikings nodded a little as they took in what she said, and Ivar answered, “Then it is good if I argue with my brother,” to Freydis, who huffed and shook her head. “It will entertain our guest.”

“Look what you have done,” Freydis quipped to Aethelind, who giggled once more.

“My apologies,” she said. “Perhaps if we spend more time together than with them, we can make it more bearable.” She winked playfully at Freydis, who then began to laugh softly.

Hvitserk cracked a smirk, and said to Ivar, “It seems your wife and friend are joining forces against you, brother.”

Aethelind shrugged slightly, grinning, and said, “Can I help it? As an old friend, I’m essentially required to torment poor Ivar.” She put her hand on his back and gave it a pat. “And, as his wife… Freydis is the perfect ally for me in this.”

Hvitserk couldn’t help but laugh at this, and Ivar looked at her as if she had betrayed him.

The feast continued in this way, with the four of them conversing easily and laughing amongst themselves. To the surprise of the people watching on, it seemed the Saxon Princess was getting along perfectly with their King, their Queen, and their Prince. (The latter was hardly a surprise, as Hvitserk could get along with nearly anyone- especially if said anyone was a beautiful Princess.)

And so, by the end of the night, Aethelind found that she had something of a slight buzz from the mead she had consumed, even if she hadn’t consumed a large amount, and she walked back to her chambers with Freydis. Ivar and Hvitserk were still in the hall, discussing something, and so the two women had chosen to return to their chambers together.

The Queen made sure the Princess found her chambers alright, but stopped just at her door. “I must say,” she began. “Your presence seems to be a good thing for my husband. Hvitserk explained to me the bond you once shared with him.”

Aethelind turned a curious gaze to Freydis, tilting her head slightly. “Did he?” she asked. “And what did he say of it?”

“That you spent your hours with him in your youth, on the journey to Wessex which claimed his father. Without even understanding his language…” Freydis gave her a knowing look. “Did you care for him, Princess?”

This earned a slightly nervous smile from Aethelind. “Of course,” she answered vaguely. “I care for all my friends.”

Freydis chuckled softly. “I am sure,” she said. “And that included Norse boys, when your Kingdom had long been at war with the Norse people?”

A slight pink dusted Aethelind’s cheeks. “He was my friend,” she managed. “We were young. The wars of our fathers and grandfathers had not yet become ours. He wasn’t just some… Norse boy. He was Ivar. And just the same, I wasn’t just the Saxon Princess. I was Aethelind. What more did we need to be than that at such an age? We were friends, even without understanding the other’s language.”

Freydis smiled at the sentiments shared with her by Aethelind, though she wasn’t quite settled just yet. Yes, she liked the other woman, but the circumstances of her arrival were strange, she couldn’t deny that. She couldn’t yet be certain she trusted her.

“And now?” she questioned. “His father’s war has become his. Has your grandfather’s become yours, with his passing?”

“With his passing, it became my father’s,” Aethelind said. “And with his, my brother’s. It is true I have come on his behalf to speak with Ivar, and it may be true he is hoping Ivar will listen to me, concurrent with the bond we once shared. But I have come in pursuit of peace, Freydis. On my word, I have not come to betray your hospitality, nor your good faith. It is my hope that there will be good relations between our people.”

Freydis nodded a little. “And this is the business you will have with him in the morning, yes?” she clarified, and Aethelind nodded in return. “Then, if your word is honorable, I pray you will have a productive meeting with my husband. If you are lying to me now, and betray him, then I will pray that your plans fail, and that you will not succeed in your betrayal.”

Aethelind reached out to Freydis, putting a hand on her arm. “Freydis, I would never hurt Ivar, not if it is at all within my power to avoid doing so. I still consider him a friend, even if many years have passed. Unless I am betrayed, I do not turn on my friends. I will not turn on him, unless he does so first.”

The sincerity with which Aethelind spoke, and the certainty, soothed Freydis’s anxieties. And if she were plotting anything, Ivar would discover it come morning. That much was just as certain as Aethelind’s words. So she smiled, and took the Princess’s hand in her own.

“I believe you,” she said. “And I pray you will find the peace your brother has sent you to seek. Our people have been at war since Ivar’s father first journeyed to England. Your grandfathers, and my husband’s father, were casualties to this war. Countless others have been lost as well, and though I believe many have gone into Valhalla… The winter will be on us soon, and we will need those numbers at home, hm? Peace would be good for both our lands, and enough have been lost to this war.”

“I’m glad to hear you agree,” Aethelind said, smiling warmly. “Then pray for peace to be reached between Ivar and I tomorrow, or whenever it will. I trust it will come when it is meant to do so.”

Freydis nodded a little at this. “Very well,” she said. “I will pray for this, but you must rest. Perhaps my husband and his brother will stay in the hall until well into the morning, but Ivar is not a late sleeper, even after a feast. I am sure he will wish to see you early.”

Aethelind nodded, and said, “Then I will rest now. Thank you again for your hospitality, Freydis.”

The two women embraced, and it struck Freydis that she really did quite like this woman. Aethelind was kind, and gentle, though she could tell from having watched her with her husband and his brother earlier that night that the Princess had a fire within her as well. She doubted that Aethelind wouldn’t be able to fit in well in Kattegat, if she ever, for any reason, desired to remain there.

So, they said goodnight, and Aethelind shut the door to her chambers. There were a few candles lit within her room, and she found that it, with the furs on the floor and on her bed, was a rather comfortable room. There was also a little desk, with parchment, a quill, and ink on it. It was there she sat and began to write her brother. This letter she would send back with his men which had followed her at dawn, knowing this would be how they had to communicate in the coming weeks, and perhaps months, that she resided in Kattegat.

Alfred,

So far, I have found a very warm welcome in Kattegat. I have already met King Ivar once again, and I am pleased to report he has not changed toward me in the years since he was our grandfather’s guest. He has since married a very sweet woman who is called Freydis, and she is with child. They threw a feast in my honor this evening, which I have just returned from attending. In the morning, I will meet with Ivar concerning our negotiations, and I pray it will go well. If it does, then I will have excellent news to report in my next letter to you. I also pray this letter will find you in good health, and I pray it will find you victorious over our Northern invaders who pushed me from our borders so suddenly. Give my love to our mother, our brother, and our guests, and tell them I look forward to our reunion.

With all my love,

Aethelind

The next morning, Aethelind took that letter down to the docks, where she met the men who had made the journey to Kattegat with her. Sealed officially by the Princess, they were instructed by her to deliver this letter only into Alfred’s hands. They agreed to this, and set off immediately. With that done, Aethelind turned, and started back toward the Great Hall.

She had a meeting to attend with the King.

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius, @wilhelmyna, @katfett, @fangirl-nonsense, @zuzus-sun, @heavenly1927

If you want to be added to the taglist, feel free to reach out either by commenting, reblogging, DMing me, or sending an ask, and I’ll be more than happy to add you!

[hockeysweetheart]

Please Don’t kill me for this one.. Okay you prob will already.

Okay Yall are gonna hate me for this one.... But Because I listened to the people I made a few changes  just minor ones because I don’t feel like being Murdered today or any day.. I was ready to send out something worse... 

It’s the night Before their Wedding tho its with Someone who you might not think. But Twist and turns happen and Life happens. And they find themselves. Ex lovers return  new Realtionships happen and all and all they find out how it their past mistakes made them stronger... 

Also a Remider I am somewhat new at this... so it is a little rough... 

He might be 7 years older then me but it’s doesn’t matter.  I came  here a few years ago to clear my head.  As I was walking on the beach I ran into this guy. Never meant for anything to happen but it did. When I met him  I fell for him Hard… I live in this place by the sea now.  I don’t hear from him who is in my past… It got hard to travel form place to place so I moved here.  He would visit me I’d visit him. As I look at my engagement ring I cannot help but think about him who I left behind so many years ago… Is he happy.. Is he Married… Does he have children? Not that it matters now… We have been going out for 3 years now. Tomorrow I will get in a white dress and walk down the beach to him. Look into those sea green eyes..

How we met I noticed a sea turtle took his hat and I rolled my eyes then I fell into the water such a klutz and he came over to make sure I was alright… From then something was there. He asked me out for dinner and I almost said no. But then I remembered I am single and there are plenty of fish in the sea no harm  in going out after all I’ve been though I deserved it. To go out… He picked me up in his car and we went to The Ocean Blue restaurant He was a gentleman. He cleaned up nice to I’ll admit.  We talked about what brought be here. I explained why… From then  on I knew I was crazy about him. And also quiet a good looker.

He knocks on the door and enters my turns into A bright smile at him as he enters he says “ How is my Beautiful bride” and gives me a kiss.  I Tell him “ Wonderful now that your here”. I was wearing a black dress and he makes a comment  "You're absolutely terrifying me in that getup. What happened to the pretty little-girl dresses?” I smile brighter at him  And say “ Don’t worry Tomorrow I’ll be unrecognizable”. And give him a hug…He whispers in my ear “ How did I ever get lucky to get you”. I Say “ I am only human Odair” and  I give him a kiss… then The door opens and Johanna enters and says “ Getting to the honey moon before the wedding I see”   I let go and give Johanna a hug and said “ Thanks for coming you really didn’t have to”…

“ Honey I’ve been there though your break up I wouldn’t miss your wedding day” Johanna says. Finnick says “I’ll let you two be I better go check on caterer Details… He leaves the room and Johanna says “ So Katniss have you told you know who” I look out the window and say “ No could never find the right words to say to Peeta about Finnick and Me.  Plus I have no way to contact him”…  Johanna just says “ Love is weird. But I am happy for you and Finnick”..  I frown and look at my ring “ Yeah I am pretty lucky to have him” I say.. Johanna says “ But your still thinking about Peeta, Honey you burned that bridge over 3 years ago, hes probably moved on too”… I Say “ Ya your right” .. Then there was a knock at the door.. Madge and Delly and Prim   came in��� “ Were here ready for a wedding” They all squeal. I said “ Well okay we better get ready for dinner tonight”  The dinner is amazing we do some last minute prep and I go to bed Tomorrow will Wake up as Katniss Everdeen and Go to bed as Katniss Odair…

For the day Finnick Hired the Photographer the Caterer the Stylist for me. When I walk into my bridal suite  I find my friend Cinna is here to do my hair and Makeup for the Day My Brides maids arrive… we all get ready… About time  to get are pictures taken and the Photographer knocks on the door. I am shocked when I see the face is Gale Hawthorne… He is just as shocked as I am...to see him, But as a pro he says “ Miss Everdeen your due for your Pictures”. I say in a voice. “ You must be the photographer nice to meet you I’m the Bride Katniss and you are”… He smiles a little and says “ Well I Had that coming didn’t I”… Its everything not to slap him I think.. I say “ Well were all ready”… We get our photos done and go and wait for the time for the wedding to start. Johanna tries to get the tea I brush it off… We didn’t want to see each other until I was walking down the aisle…  

When it is time My Father comes to my side kisses my cheek and says “ You look beautiful” Then the doors open up and I start the walk down the Aisle and see my groom. He smiles sheds a tear. And my father gives me away to him … We exchange our vows, Put on the rings  Signed the papers. and kissed and were announced and Mrs and Mr Finnick Odair. We  Walked out got some couple pictures ( I might of made sure to look extra in love with Finnick). Then we went into our reception…. The food was amazing we did our first dance speeches happened it was all perfect…

Then they wheeled out the cake I knew the second they wheeled it out who hand crafted this Cake… Peeta Mellark… I whip around and see him looking at me his face is not  happy or angry or sad or Shocked … But almost a mix of everything… I Freeze in the moment and Johanna whispers in my ear “ Cut the cake first then I’ll cover for you”  We cut the cake feed each other… Peeta is  glaring at me the entire time.  I tell Finnick “I need to go to the bathroom I’ll be right back” my brides Maids start to follow and Johanna says “ I’ll go hold her dress while she pees its fine”…. We go in the direction of the bathrooms and turn to a corner. Peeta meets us there. Johanna  says “ Well I’ll leave you two to talk”. Peeta says “ Hey” I say “ Hey” Back His voice cracks when he says “ you look nice”…. Then It’s silent for a while then I break the ice and ask “  Did you know I was his bride is that why you agreed to make the cake”… Peeta says “ Nope Finnick called and said I wanted the best for my wife. I wouldn’t dream it would be you”. I suddenly say “ You never called me back”… Peeta says “ I know I am sorry I was stuck not knowing what to do”… I Say “ Well its a little late now” He whispers quietly “ I know, Listen he is lucky to have you anyone would be”. A smile escapes me and I say “ You too, I am sorry it didn’t work Between us”… He says “ We could try to be friends but you need to stop looking at me like I’m wounded and keeping stuff from each other”  I say with a grin “ I’d like that”…I can tell Peeta is thinking if he should tell me something or not…I tell him I can take it since were friends now. He says so quiet I almost don’t hear it. “ I have a girlfriend”. I say “ What ?” …He said “ Yeah it happened suddenly” I ask “ Well who is it?”. All the sudden she hears a voice that says “ Surprise” Johanna Mason  who comes in and hugs him. I look at both of them shocked and say these next words slowly “ You… two … are … Together?”...Peeta says “ She crept up on me, But hey you got Finnick who your married to know and I got Johanna both Happy right..” Fighting back anger I say “ Yeah guess we are all happy around I better get Back Finnick will be wondering where I am”. I got back to our table and see Johanna and Peeta walk back in hand in hand in the corner of my eye. Finnick Startles me when he whispers in my ear “ I got a little worried when you took so long that you ran off with your ex or something”… I tell him “ No I only got eyes for you”. And kiss him… Then my sister makes a toast “ To Katniss and Finnick this beautiful couple on this wonderful day.” We dance the night away but at the back of my mind I have one thought Peeta with Johanna…

The next morning I wake up to Finnick beside me… He’s still asleep does everyone look younger asleep. He wakes up and gives me a smile and pulls me in for a long kiss … After it’s done he says “ good morning to my beautiful wife”…I say “ good morning.. did you sleep good?”… Finnick said “ Prob my best sleep yet knowing your here”… I say “ what do you want to do today Finny?”  He says into his pillow “ Spend every possible moment with you” I roll my eyes and say “ Well we better get up then”…. We go to our kitchen to get breakfast… Finnick pours me tea and asks in a seductive voice. “ Want a sugar cube?”. I smile because this is how we met when I ordered tea on our first date. And I finish “ I heard it improves the taste.” That gets a smile out of him…

We leave for our honey moon today we are going to a tour of the districts. I get on the train hand in hand with Finnick.. He scoops me up and carries me though the train doors. We walk to our room in the train… He drops me on the bed and comes on beside me and starts to kiss me slowly… when I wake up and day light is breaking… our clothes are still on the floor .. Finnick is still out cold… I just cannot stop looking at him...Hes beautiful hair… his strong body… When he wakes up he does what he always does smiles and says “ good morning to my beautiful wife”… I return it. As always… He doesn’t have to say anything about last night because it’s not like we’ve not done it before. That smile is all I need to remind myself how much I love him. We get dressed and head to the dinning hall for breakfast hand in hand… Then he pulls out my chair for me to sit down and he sits right beside me.. That's when I noticed him looking at me… and this Time he is not alone. Some sort of sound escapes me and Finnick give me a look then see’s him to and say’s “oh and says want to go back to our room”.. I tell him “ No it’s fine plus I am hungry anyways”. He gives me a quick kiss and said “ Well my lady I’ll go get you some food” I laugh because hes just silly… When he returns Peeta and Johanna come over to our table and say “ Hello”… I hope he doesn’t notice my wrinkle clothes which is stupid since I am married… I say “ Hello you two traveling to 7 or 12?” Johanna answers “7 I want to show Peeta where I am from”…  Finnick Chimes in “ You’ll like 7 I’ve been there myself when I was on a research project a few years back”. I glare at him even tho he said nothing wrong… I then ask “ So how long have you two been together for I forgot to ask the other day?” Peeta says “ Six months”…  “ and you two are already sleeping together?” I say giving my self away… Peeta gives me a look to shut up but say’s slowly but clear as day “ We are taking it slow don’t want to rush into things”… Johanna and Finnick just give each other a look… The whole situation is uncomfortable for everyone.  Finnick says “ Johanna have you seen the windows in the end train?” Johanna says “ But I am enjoying this”… Finnick gives her a look and she says “ Fine I’ll go” and loud whispers in Peeta’s  ear “ I want to hear how this ends”… After they leave it’s awkward quiet between us and I think what happened we used to be madly in love… I guess things change and people change as well. He breaks the silence “ I thought we agreed to be friends this is not how friends act”… He’s right this is not how friends act at all… I say in a low voice “ I am sorry but the fact your dating my good friend and announce it at my wedding I got a little offended”… with the smirk I know well he says “ A little but we did  agree to be open with each other”.  Hes right we did… as always his words speak a thousand more then being said… he says “ I’ll tell you as my friend I think Johanna is the one.. I want to marry her”… A bit shocked I say “ She’s will be lucky to have you”.. Peeta looks me in the eye and says “ So your okay with if I ask her to marry me” I say “ Of course I just saw finnick in his underwear… and more I am a married women after all,.. You have my blessing. But you really didn’t need to ask me”… Peeta smiles “  I know but I knew I could count on you”…  Little does he know I keep the pearl he gave me so many years ago in my pocket to always keep him with me…

When I finish my Breakfast Finnick Appears and says  “ were almost at District 7  we could skip it if you want… “ I say “ No it’s alright” and smile at Peeta across the room  “ We are going to be okay”…  we go from District to district and return home in 4. And Finnick goes back to work and I start working in a coffee shop…We do this everyday… then one of the day’s I feel ill. I pass out at the coffee shop I am rushed to the hospital Finnick gets word and is by my side every second… I am there… The doctor comes in with a smile on his face and say’s “well Katniss and Finnick congrats your going to be parents”… I was beyond shocked because I never planned on having children. But Finnick hugs me puts his hand on where our baby is growing… We go home and Finnick is treating me like I am glass will break at any moment it’s kinda cute actually… Peeta has been sending me updates he said he will wait a year until he asks Johanna to marry him… I haven’t told him I am expecting yet I am waiting for the right time to do it… We find out we are having a girl… On October 3rd I give birth to a beautiful baby  girl with her fathers green eyes and my hair colour named Olivia Paige Odair. We are beyond happy to be parents to her… I get a letter in the mail shorty after her birth… Its from Peeta It says

“ Dear Katniss I know about the baby, Finnick told me. I am so happy for you.. I am sure she is Beautiful like her mother and have quality's like her father. I come to write you to Let you Know Johanna and I decided not to get engaged not yet. We are still together but not ready for that step… Also I’ll be in District 4 in mid November Hope we can meet up and I can meet that beautiful baby of yours. She is lucky to have parents like you two...Hope I am not a burden for us to meet up but I would really like to talk to you in person…”

I write back

“ Dear Peeta Her Name is Olivia Paige she is the most beautiful baby  I’ve ever seen But I’d prob say the same thing  of all my children. We are  doing well here.  And Sorry that it’s not time for you and Johanna but you will some day find that time. I would love to meet up with you when your in I work at the coffee shop in the district. And of course you can meet her… we’d be happy to put you in a room  while you stay…”

Mid November Peeta arrives to District 4… A lot has happened since I wrote that Letter… We meet at the coffee shop. Even tho we might not be in a relationship when he comes I give him a hug. So I ask him how things are going and he says “ Johanna and I broke up.” I said “Oh I am sorry”… he continues “ Better now then down the road… when we get married have kids or something”..  That hit me like a ton of bricks. By the look in his eyes He instantly knew what happened and says “ I am sorry Katniss”. … Me almost in tears “ I say it’s okay I figured out he was not the one for me better now then years down the road”…Peeta reaches out and holds my hand. As a whip away a tear I say “ Oh Olivia here she is we agreed to co parent her. He moved out 2 weeks ago, he  is taking her tonight for me”. Peeta stays silent while holding Olivia. I say “ Sorry for crying” Peeta says “ Don’t be  we have all been though a lot. There is that  perfect guy out there for you… I nod and agree and I say “ I should get Olivia home for her Nap.. Do you wanna come over now”.. He says “ Sure” and Puts Olivia back in her stroller

We walk out of the coffee shop Hand and Hand. And on the way back to my house   Peeta did something unexpected tho. He kisses me and says “ I never forgotten how that feels like” I kiss him back and said “ Me either”…  I drop off Olivia at Finnicks and We somehow end up in my bed  at my house and it felt like we never left each other. Peeta says “ I never stopped loving you” I kiss him.. The clothes on us end up on the floor… It feels like such a luxury, sleeping with Peeta again. I didn't realize until now how starved I've been for human closeness. For the feel of him beside me in the darkness. I wish I hadn't wasted the last couple of years shutting him out. I sink down into sleep, enveloped in his warmth, and when I open my eyes again, daylight's streaming through the windows. When we Wake the Next morning He says “  I forgot what a real sleep felt like”  and I kiss him give him a long kiss it feels so good. We just lay there for a while not talking just taking it in…. We get up eventually and have breakfast together… It feels like the old days of just us… But then I realize I have a child so those days of just us are over but  I can enjoy him all I want on days she’s over at her fathers. Peeta moves in eventually. We decided to get Married.. Finnick says it’s like this was meant to be this way  anyways. I knew this would of happened anyways.  I just got lost along the way. So on one those nights it was just me and Peeta alone I whisper in his ear. “You ready to be a daddy?” Peeta looks at me confused at first then he gets it and whispered “ of course”. And gives me a kiss.

[rhetoricalrogue]

31 Days of Wayhaven, Day 17

Prompt: AU Rating: PG for Nicky’s language Words: 2,222 Characters: Unit Charlie, brief mention of Units Alpha and Bravo, as well as Detective Aubrey Miller. Summary: What happens when the coffee shop co-worker and the University co-worker get tired of their partners sighing over the other and decide to take matters into their own hands.  

For the @31daysofwayhaven event.

Penny rolled her eyes as she came into work, hanging her coat on the nearby staff coat rack.  Nicky had gotten there earlier than she had, which meant that he got to pick the music for the day, which also meant that she was going to be in for a day of listening to him sing along with Dean Martin.  Not that it was a bad thing, but they’d done an entire shift of the Rat Pack the other day already.

“You’re late.”

She grimaced as she pulled on a dark brown apron and quickly pulled the strings around her waist to make a tidy bow at her hip.  “Yeah, car trouble.”

Nicky shook his head.  “You really ought to sell that thing, get you a new one.”

“With what money?  No, the car trouble was because my brother decided to borrow it without asking me.  I woke up to a note and had to grab the bus.  Then the bus wasn’t on time, so I walked the rest of the way.”

He poured her a drink, a smooth hazelnut latte with a dusting of chocolate on top that he made perfectly to her tastes.  At least that was something to cheer her up on a rainy morning, especially since he was practicing his foam art and made her a graceful looking swan on top.  She caught a glimpse of herself in the stainless steel overhead countertops and winced.  The soft, drizzling rain wasn’t  enough to soak her or anything, but it had played hell with her long, silvery blonde hair.  The sleek braided bun she had put it in earlier was now a frizzed out mess and her cheeks were unnaturally red from practically running to the cafe in order to be there on time.

Penny hated being late to anything.

“You’re too soft on Lars,” Nicky told her, pushing half a toasted bagel loaded with cream cheese her way while eating the other half.  “He needs to have some responsibility, especially if he’s couch surfing at your place.”

Penny chewed on her bagel.  “You don’t understand, he’s my baby brother.  It’s my job to look out for him.  Besides,” she took a sip of her drink.  “He was going out for a job interview.  Hopefully this one takes.”  She adored her youngest brother to pieces, and she understood that he was in a rough patch, but at the same time, she was quietly frustrated that he showed up at her doorstep without calling first, ate all her food without shopping for replacements, and left his dirty laundry on the bathroom floor.  She was going to have to have a talk with him once they were home to set some boundaries down.  If not, then she would happily call their eldest brother Andreas to see if he could help out before calling the big guns in and contacting their mother.

She hated to jump around in the family pecking order, but enough was enough. 

“I can relate, seeing as I have a little sister, but I still say you’re being too soft on him.  There’s a fine line between older sibling responsibility and being a doormat.”

“I know, and you’re right.  Taking my car without my permission and making me late for work is definitely something I’m going to talk with him about.”

Nicky made a mmhm noise as if he didn’t quite believe her.  “Don’t worry, Pen.” Nicky told her, changing the subject as he made his own cortado and leaned against the counter to sip on it.  “You didn’t miss him.”

She was glad that her red cheeks could hide the sudden blush that she felt rush up from her throat to her face.  “Miss who?”

“Oh, don’t play coy with me, donna forte!”  He elbowed her in the side.  “The Tall London Fog with the soft Scottish accent.  The one who looks like a golden retriever if a golden retriever was over six feet tall and had dimples when he smiled.”

“Careful, you make me think you’re the one with the crush on him,”  Penny muttered as she sipped on her drink.

“Please, I know I’m handsome and charming, but I’m not an asshole.  I wouldn’t steal anyone from my dearest friend and co-worker.”

“You’re not stealing anyone from anybody,” she grumped.

“Maybe if you actually got off your ass and asked him out.”

“He’s a customer!” 

“Like that’s ever stopped anyone that works here!  I mean, have you seen what the Bravo shift is up to lately?  There’s good money on when Adam’ll get the courage up to ask Miss Grande Half-Caff Nonfat Latte with Caramel Drizzle out before the end of the month.”

Penny rolled her eyes.  “Adam?  Admitting he has feelings for anyone?  I give him a year, minimum.”

“Hello, Pot.  I’d like to introduce you to Kettle.”  He turned to wash out the things he’d used to make their drinks and kicked at her calf.  “Speaking of not admitting feelings, here comes London Fog and Dirty Chai.”

Penny masked the sudden lurch in her pulse by twirling around and grabbing the loose leaf tea from an overhead shelf and measured enough into a French Press, adding a spice mix and a little bit of fresh ginger before pouring in hot water to steep.  She grabbed the canister of lavender Earl Grey she knew he liked and did the same in a separate French Press while Nicky called out a greeting, confirming that they both wanted their usuals.

“Actually,” London Fog said, coming up to the counter.  “Could I add something a little more substantial?  Perhaps one of those sausage rolls and a slice of pumpkin loaf?  I fear today is going to be a long one, seeing as it’s grading season.”

“Oh?  You’re a teacher then?”

“He’s a professor,” Dirty Chai interjected, already setting up her laptop.  She’d moved from their usual two-person table to a larger four-person one so the both of them could spread out.  “Don’t let him get modest; he’s brilliant in his field.”

Penny looked over her shoulder as she brewed a double shot espresso to add to the chai.  “Where do you lecture at?”

The soft question had him looking up at her with an equally soft smile before he quickly looked down, suddenly very interested in the counter’s bakery display.  “Wayhaven University.  I’m one of the Professors in the Folklore and Ethnomusicology department.”

Nicky took over building their order when another person came in and distracted Penny.  “What a coincidence,” he all but purred.  “Our dearest Penelope is studying on that campus!”  He caught the sudden interest London Fog gave and leaned conspiratorially against the counter. “She’s going back for her master’s degree, if I remember correctly.”

“Oh?  What study?”

“You know, for the life of me, I can’t recall.  Sounds like an interesting question to ask her though, Professor…?” Nicky trailed off, realizing that neither he or Penny knew their regulars by name, only by order.

“Buchanan.  Cameron.”

“Call him Cam,” Dirty Chai said, taking her order and sipping with a happy sigh.  “I’m Winona.”

“Nice to finally meet you both.  I’ll go warm up that sausage roll for you.”  On his way to the back kitchen, Nicky nudged Penny with his shoulder, silently winking at her.  She turned her face so Cam and Winona wouldn’t be able to see her expression and narrowed her eyes at her partner before going back to helping the short line of customers that had already started to form for the morning, shaking her head as the first heartfelt strings of Come Back to Sorrento could be heard coming out of the kitchen, Nicky’s smooth baritone making one of the ladies in line sigh dreamily.

Penny transitioned from building orders to taking payment while Nicky bustled in behind her on cleanup and prep duty, the two of them working well.  Every so often, her eyes would stray to Cameron and Winona’s table, the two of them with their heads down and fingers clacking over their laptops. Two hours later, Cameron was looking at his watch and cursing under his breath while quickly packing his things away.

“Thanks for letting us stay so long,” he said, sticking money in the tip jar.

“It was nothing,” she told him, fiercely hoping he didn’t catch the way the tips of her ears were a bright pink.  “I’m glad you could stay with me - us long enough to get some grading done.”

He smiled and she couldn’t help but mirror the same smile back.  “I’d have loved to spend more time, but my office hours are going to be starting soon and I usually have a few students wanting to talk around this time of the year.”

“We’re always here in the mornings!”  Oh, smooth one, Fisher, she thought, mentally kicking herself for forgetting how to talk to people when the person in question was one she had a silly crush on.  Don’t flirt with customers, it’s just an awkward experience for everyone involved!

Cameron nodded.  “And stopping by is always a great start to my day.  Your partner mentioned you were studying at the university?”

“I am.”

Cameron shouldered his laptop bag and smiled again.  “Maybe we’ll run into the other on campus then.”

“I’d like that.”

“I would too.”  He blinked, as if he had been reluctant to break eye contact.  “Well, I’d better get going, or else I’m going to miss some student appointments.  I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Bright and early!”  Or so she hoped.  She really was going to have to speak with Lars about him getting his own transportation.  Penny sighed as the bell over the door chimed and tried - and failed - to not watch as Cameron walked down the street.

“He’s not that old.”  

Penny jumped at the sudden appearance of Winona at the counter.  “Pardon?”

“Cam.  He’s not that old, just in case you were worried he was some stuffy professor with a really good skin regimen.”

She let out a nervous laugh.  “I wasn’t…” Penny nervously tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear.  “I mean, I didn’t want to presume…”

“Like I said, Cam’s brilliant in his field and made career moves way before the usual timeline.  I’m guessing he’s around your age.”  She put more money in the tip jar.  “You know, if that was a deal-breaker for you.”  Before Penny could say anything in response, Winona waved and left.

Penny ran a hand down her face before frowning.  There was something other than money in the tip jar.  Curiosity getting the best of her, she fished it out, finding it was a business card with all of Cameron’s information on it.

FYI, a woman’s loopy handwriting in bright red ink read at the bottom, your partner wrote down your phone number on a napkin when he gave Cam his order.  Thought I should even the playing field and give you his too.

Penny’s eyes widened as she flipped the card over.  And BTW, he thinks you’re cute too.

“Whatcha got?”  Penny all but jumped out of her skin at the sound of Nicky’s voice unexpectedly at her ear as he tried to look at the card in her hands.

“Nothing!” she yelped, clutching it close to her chest before sticking it into her apron’s pocket.  Turning around, she grabbed Nicky by the ear.  “And what are you doing, giving strange men my phone number!”

Nicky winced, leaning down as he tried to wiggle away from her grasp.  “He’s not strange, Pen!  He’s a regular!  Practically family!  Ow, fuck!”

She let his ear go.  “You could have asked me if it was okay first!”

Nicky rubbed at his ear and rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, and at the glacier pace that either of you were moving, you may have gone out for drinks when you were both eighty.”  

She washed her hands at the prep sink and started making sure that everything they’d used was washed and ready for a new order.  Lunchtime was a sort of quiet lull, they got a few regular orders in, but it wasn’t anywhere near the morning rush.  She checked the schedule.  The Alpha shift was coming in for the afternoon to evening times, which meant that she needed to come in a little earlier tomorrow morning to make sure that things had been properly cleaned and organized and that the morning breakfast items were fully stocked.  She loved them to pieces, but Tane and Maaka weren’t the most organized of duos.  She made a mental note to check the to-go cups as well: Tane had a habit of using a marker to black out the Warning, your contents are extremely hot and make it read Warning, you are extremely hot instead.

The good thing is that on dead nights, the brothers would come up with some interesting off the menu recipes and leave notes for her and Nicky to try in the morning.  Maaka was more organized than his brother and the notes were always fun to read, especially when he added his own commentary.

“You never know,” she told Nicky, the business card in her pocket weighing far heavier than it ought to.  “I just may surprise you.”

Cha cha cha d'amour

Take this song to my lover

Shoo shoo little bird

Go and find my love

[athingthatwantsvirginia]

Really, Marcia?

PART THRTY-FIVE OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: mentions of parent death, mentions of anxiety, plentiful pop culture references, lack of dialogue because this is exposition and foreshadowing for the next chapter just hang in there with me friends

Word Count: 4.6K

Summary: Jess and Ella return to Stars Hollow once again during graduation season.

Dropping the bags again in the apartment above Luke’s almost made Ella want to laugh out loud. Maybe she shouldn’t have made such a big deal of leaving the diner to move to Philadelphia; she felt like she almost couldn’t escape Connecticut. The trip, this time, was planned in advance, however. Both Adam and Rory were graduating, and Jess’s new sister had been born only a week earlier. Much was to be done, many people to visit. It made Ella feel slightly overwhelmed, the prescribed familial nonsense. Going back to Stars Hollow was easier when she could just casually pop into Luke’s or her home, and then drive away in the Station Wagon with Jess in the passenger seat and Liz Phair on the radio whenever she felt compelled. But the graduation had a scheduled time, Rory’s graduation party had a scheduled time. There was no getting out of it.

For a moment, she had thought about staying back in her old room in the little blue house. She felt as though they were taking advantage of Luke staying over at his place as often as they did. But then it occurred to her that she had no real idea what her room looked like anymore. The few times she’d been over in recent years, she hadn’t even ventured past the threshold of the small hallway, her door the second on the right. She felt maybe it was better to leave the room the way it had been in her memory. She was not in the business of reopening old wounds for no reason other than curiosity.

There was also the issue of her father. Fiona had been cagey at best about Jake on the phone. Would he even show up to the graduation? Surely he would. Even Noah had traveled back home, for the first time in years, though without his fiancé. She was a nurse, and hadn’t been able to get away from the midnight shifts. He was a paralegal, though, and had been able to swing a Saturday afternoon graduation. But, still, there was a gnawing feeling in her stomach. A fear he would simply not show. He had been at her high school graduation, with his robotic hugs and teary eyes and the usual detached way about him. It hadn’t been warm and fuzzy, but he had been there for her. He had clapped as she crossed the stage. And, as far as Ella was concerned, Adam deserved more than she ever got from Jake. Adam called often, and seemed to get along rather well with Fiona, but remained flighty about their father. She could count on him changing the subject every time Jake was brought up.

“Hey! Eleanor,” Jess said, breaking her from her reverie.

She blinked harshly and jumped at the sound of his voice. Slowly, she turned her gaze away from the view of the window above Luke’s kitchen sink. Town square was decorated with florals, and the troubadour stood playing an upbeat, folksy tune on one of the corners. And, as she thought about her family, it had all struck her as a bit plastic. It seemed impossible for so much heartache to happen to her while living in a place like Stars Hollow, but it had. In spite of the sunshiney smiles and the constant offerings for help. Probably why she got along with Jess so well, who understood more than anyone she had ever met what it was to feel a pain she could truly recognize. Luke, too. She wondered at how many people milling down on the sidewalk were concealing all of their hurt for the sake of maintaining a positive, cheerful facade. The farther away the years took her from her upbringing, the more reasons she felt she was better off somewhere other than her hometown. She had never quite been able to polish her outward mold, could never keep it all under wraps. Instead, she ended up cursing out kids who tried to steal random shit from the diner or punishing herself through constant schoolwork and lack of sleep, all to keep her problems from making it from her mind to her mouth. And, most of the time, she had slipped up eventually. Once more, her father came to her mind. He hadn’t been able to wear a convincing mask, either.

“...yeah?” she asked, then looked down to realize the glass she had been filling with cold water from the tap was overflowing onto her hand.

Quickly, she shut off the sink and sipped carefully at the drink, until it was back down to a manageable level. She switched it to the other hand and shook off the wetness, though it hadn’t felt unwelcome after having just come in from the May heat. Jess smirked quizzically at her, from where he stood at the fridge. They were meant to have a late lunch and then go over to Liz’s house and meet the baby, Doula. Despite how much Luke was making fun of it, Ella couldn’t say she hated the name.

“Jeez, Stevens. Where’d you go?” Jess’s voice was lilted and smug as he pulled some leftover sandwiches from the fridge. Luke had instructed them to finish off whatever diner cast-offs they could find. It reminded Jess of his teen years, tense dinners with Luke at the small kitchen table, eating stale food which had been prepped but never actually ordered. And he felt an odd, surprising jolt of nostalgia. But his face didn’t show it.

She shook her head at herself, placing her glass down on the table and grabbing the cutlery as Jess put the leftovers out on the table buffet-style. It reminded her of the way he arranged a meal on her kitchen table the night they’d watched the prom scene of Carrie together, when he’d brought her a care package because she had a migraine and then refused to admit to it later. And, for the most fleeting of moments, she was in the past and they were the people they had once been. A fond smirk tugged at her lips as she sat down, plates and forks in hand.

“Nowhere,” she replied finally, her voice a sigh. Before Jess could ask anything further, she gave him a pointed glance as she piled some cold mashed potatoes onto her plate and continued. “You sure you’re okay going to Liz’s house today? We could always wait until tomorrow morning, then we could have an excuse to leave and go get ready for the graduation.”

He seemed to consider the idea of a moment as he took his first bite of meatloaf, then shook his head. “No. Let’s just rip the bandaid off.”

“That’s the spirit when you’re going to see a new baby,” she quipped.

“I can guarantee the baby will be easier to handle than Liz and TJ, no matter how much she cries,” Jess grumbled, looking down at his food.

Ella bit the inside of her cheek and leveled him with her eyes. Each time they returned to Stars Hollow, he seemed to get more anxious about it. At first, it was because the entire town had hated him as a teen. But it got much worse when Liz moved there. She thought it strange how much everyone seemed to discount how Jess felt about this, how much Luke complained about her. How much they expected Jess to get over what he was feeling and play dutiful son. It reminded her of the way she felt she needed to treat her own father after her mother died. Though the sexist bullshit about her being the ‘woman of the house’ had also played a part. She knew how Luke felt about family, how he would always show up for family regardless of circumstance. Maybe Jess was the same way, loyal to a fault. But maybe it was only for his chosen family. Maybe the rest of it was more because of all the outward pressure he faced.

She reached over and ran a hand through his hand, smoothing it out. For a moment, she thought of saying something, but decided it wasn’t the right time to start a conversation about Jess’s childhood, or the lingering effects he still wouldn’t acknowledge. Not right before seeing his mother. She was trying hard lately to be patient, despite the way his eyes became guarded at the mention of his new sister or his mother, or the increased frequency of his nightmares. It was getting worse before her eyes and she didn’t know why. But Jess was Jess. And he wasn’t going to see it until he was ready to. It almost physically pained her, the effort of swallowing down the words, but she bit her tongue nonetheless.

He offered her a lazy, lopsided smile in return.

.   .   .

His grip on her hand was tight as they made their way into Liz and TJ’s house, just as gaudy and eclectic as Ella remembered from the baby shower. She might’ve even found it charming if it weren’t for the screaming color of the decor. The place smelled of burnt toast and sour milk, and Ella was instantly glad she and Jess had chosen to eat beforehand, just in case Liz asked them to stay for dinner. The scent was overpowered only by the strong perfume Liz was wearing, which Ella couldn’t ignore as Liz pulled her in for a big hug of greeting.

“Come in, come in,” Liz said in her high, sing-song voice as she led them down the front hall and into the living room. “She’s just waking up from nap!”

The room was littered with toys, empty bottles, blankets, story books Doula wouldn’t be able to read for years. But it was sweet. Ella could see how much they’d been preparing, planning. For a second, she was relieved about it, but then the feeling mixed with a distasteful sadness. Jess had never specifically addressed his bedtime routine as a child, but Ella was fairly positive Liz had never read him Goodnight Moon. She gave his hand a final squeeze before disentangling their fingers and sitting down on the paisley patterned couch. Liz lifted Doula up from the bassinet in the corner by the rocking chair. Ella could barely see the baby beneath the patchwork quilt she was swaddled in. Doula fussed for a moment, and Liz smiled at the two of them apologetically.

“She needs a change. I’ll be right back!” she said, retreating back into the bedroom. “Make yourselves comfortable!”

“Okay. Thanks,” Ella replied cordially. She looked back at Jess as his mother exited the room. “You okay?”

He shrugged, his eyes surveying the clutter. “I guess so. It’s just weird still. All of this.”

Ella hummed, nodding.

“And I’m not really used to the whole baby thing yet. I’ve never even held one before,” Jess said, slightly sheepish and slightly curious. He crossed his arms over the Metallica logo on his worn t-shirt. He’d taken a half day working at Truncheon before they left for Connecticut, and was always happy to change into less professional attire after his shifts.

“I know, but it’ll be easy. Unless TJ pops out and sings that song the frog does in Looney Tunes. Then is the only instance when you’d be even slightly at risk of dropping her,” Ella assured him, leaning back into the overstuffed couch.

She’d gleaned from their conversation the night before that his inexperience with children was also not helping his nerves. The only time she’d ever recalled Jess interacting with kids for any real length of time was the one Thanksgiving she’d brought him to meet her family. But even then, she’d been surprised how easily he’d wowed Erin with his card tricks, and played along with her jokes. Not something she’d exactly expected from the boy who wore a battered leather jacket and a constant scowl and a scarred heart on his sleeve.

“Why do you always worry he’s gonna do that?” Jess asked, cracking a smile for the first time since they’d walked in.

“I told you! He sang it to me one time when I was working and he was hanging out at the diner. He was trying to figure out what song to serenade your mom with,” she explained, eyes wide and utterly serious. “I was just wiping down the counter, minding my own business, and he just appeared, like, right over my shoulder.”

Jess rolled his eyes at the story, remembering when Ella had first told him about it over one of their phone calls, back when they were hundreds of miles apart. “Well, it doesn’t seem like he’s here right now.”

“I didn’t think he was in the diner when it happened,” Ella countered, her voice jokingly grave.

Jess chuckled but didn’t have a chance to respond as Liz reentered the room. A large smile stood out on her face, the baby dressed in a soft punk onesie in her arms. Doula squirmed around a little and cooed, but didn’t seem altogether unhappy.

“Ready to meet your little sister, Jess?” Liz asked, coming over and preparing to put Doula in Jess’s arms before he even had a chance to answer.

“Guess so,” he muttered hastily, eyes widening.

“Just be careful with her head,” Ella offered, watching as Liz hovered over her son, placing her daughter’s head in the crook of his arm.

Jess was surprised at how naturally his other arm moved to cradle her. She felt so light, it was as though he was holding nothing at all. Her skin was slightly flushed from the warmth of the quilt she’d been napping in, and he could feel the heat against his arms and his chest, through his t-shirt. His heart fluttered around anxiously in his chest, and he couldn’t help the slight trembling in his hands, but he was pretty sure he had a good grip on her. Liz straightened up again, looking down at the two of them. Jess almost couldn’t take his eyes off the baby, embarrassed at how awestruck he was. Ella’s nieces were the youngest kids he had ever been in contact with. He had never met someone when they were only a week old before.

“Isn’t she something?” Liz said, hands on her hips. “She looked a lot like Danny Devito when she first came out, but I think she’s finally getting past that early ugly baby phase.”

Jess hummed in absent acknowledgement, but said nothing. Doula had thin wisps of blonde hair, and pudgy, rosy cheeks. Her fingers were curled into small fists, her legs scrunched up. He wondered vaguely if she was going to fall back asleep, since it seemed she couldn’t keep her eyes open for very long. She smelled like rash cream, but he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed at it.

“Yeah, she’s beautiful, Liz,” Ella answered, though her gaze went back and forth between the baby and Jess. She couldn’t think of a time when she’d seen his eyes so clear and full of wonder before. She’d been too young to hold a newborn when Adam arrived, but she remembered the feeling of holding Erin as a baby, in the hospital just hours after Julie had given birth to her. It was certainly a unique feeling, and she felt her heart swell at the thought of Jess getting to experience it.

Glancing back at the kitchen for a moment, Liz once again gained a frantic tone in her voice. But, after having known her for so long, Ella knew it wasn’t unusual. Liz was the kind of person who put her coffee cup on the top of her car while unlocking the door, and then drove away without remembering it, the mug shattering and coffee splattering on the road behind her.

“Damn, I was just makin’ a bottle when you guys got here. TJ usually does that stuff, but dinner got a little burned. He had to go get some Plan B takeout. Let me finish with the formula,” Liz said, making her way back towards the opening into the kitchen. “You guys okay with her for a second?”

“Yeah. Fine,” Jess answered, surprising Ella.

Just as Liz left again, Doula opened her eyes once more. But instead of letting them shut, she kept them open. She stared up at Jess, her large brown eyes meeting his and doing their best to focus on his face.

“She’s got a withering stare,” he murmured.

“Isn’t so hard, is it?” Ella shifted a little closer to him, leaning over his shoulder to see Doula. “You didn’t have to be nervous.”

“Yeah, maybe not,” Jess said quietly, a small smile on his face as he glanced over at Ella.

.   .   .

Back when she graduated high school, there had been rain. The day before, they’d had to move the ceremony preparation into the small auditorium. People were squished inside, standing up in the aisles once the seats ran out. Ella’s valedictorian speech had been a bit more than daunting with a bunch of irritated family and friends facing her, those who had traveled miles to Stars Hollow only to be packed into the smelly room like sardines. She supposed having graduation outside in the gazebo was better. The class size was small at Stars Hollow High, but it was best when everyone still had personal space. The one downside was the heat. Connecticut was not usually up near ninety degrees in late May, but a pocket of dry air was currently sitting atop the state, moving at a glacial pace.

Ella and Jess had sat sweating on some lawn chairs. While Julie and her husband Michael, who still lived in the same small house in New Britain, were on Ella’s other side, trying to get their girls to sit through the ceremony to moderate success. Annie’s wild curls were blowing in the scorching wind as she sat on her father’s lap, reading the small storybook she’d brought with her. Erin, on the other hand, just about to cross over into adolescence and middle school, had folded her arms sullenly over her chest and rolled her eyes at nearly every name called up to receive a diploma. Ella didn’t imagine she would’ve reacted much better at that age, being forced to sit out in the heat for hours only to watch Adam be handed a piece of paper. Noah had been on the far side of their row of seats, in his plain clothes, looking stoic as usual. He would be leaving just after the fanfare ended. He’d stayed at a motel the night before, with perhaps even less desire to stay in the little blue house than Ella had.

The valedictorian speeches were actually pretty good, but long. Adam would’ve been giving one if he hadn’t stopped trying in every one of his classes except for those involving science during his senior year. Ella respected the decision though. She had never found any application for calculus in adult life, no matter how hard she had worked at it in high school.

Fiona and Jake had shown up, together for some reason, ten minutes late. No seats were left near Ella, or anyone else in the family. Instead, they were relegated to the far back row. Her brows furrowed at their entrance, but they didn’t get close enough to Ella for her to say anything. Jess had brought her arm around her shoulder as she watched them pass her without so much as a look, and took to whispering jokes about their old principal in her ear. It didn’t work as well to distract her as he had hoped, but it had still earned him a laugh or two, which was far from nothing.

As they all stood around afterwards, under the shade of some trees behind the old gazebo, congratulating Adam, Ella couldn’t shake the thoughts of her parents from her mind. She wondered how different the day would be if her mother had lived. Would her parents still be together? Probably. Despite the problems they hid, the ones Ella had become more aware of the older she got, they did love each other. No matter how much her mother laid down and took Jake’s outbursts and his alcoholism, and no matter how much her father ignored Sophia’s distracted nature and inability to decide on anything in life, they loved each other. And, the thought struck her suddenly, that maybe everything would have been easier to swallow if they hadn’t loved each other so much. It would have been easier to accept how quickly everything fell apart, and how quickly her father had found someone new to fill the hole in his heart.

“You okay?” Jess asked, close to her ear as they lingered amongst the group, pictures having been taken and pleasantries having been exchanged.

“Just peachy,” she replied, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice.

“Yeah, I can see that,” he said, pressing a kiss to the crown on her head and giving her hand another squeeze. It hadn’t taken him long to gather how angry seeing her father again had made Ella. He wondered when the last time had been.

“I could do without the Brady Bunch performance,” she whispered back to him, gesturing to the members of her family as they continued with fabricated niceties.

“Really, Marcia? But you’re the oldest sister! That means you would’ve been prom queen!” Jess teased.

She rolled her eyes and snorted a laugh. “Whatever, Wally Logan.”

Approaching the two of them with narrowed eyes, Erin still had her arms crossed over her frilly dress. She had more than one bandaid on each knee, and she had already pulled the french braid out of her red hair. Speaking mostly to Ella, she sized Jess up.

“I remember him,” Erin said suspiciously.

A confused, bemused grin crossed Ella’s face. “Yeah. At Thanksgiving. You were like five. You remember that?”

“I have a really good memory,” Erin said, shrugging, confident and casual.

Ella chuckled at the flippant ten-year-old.

“Photographic, huh?” Jess asked, eyebrows raised.

“Pretty close,” Erin replied, then focused her eyes back on Ella. “Did you ever figure out his middle name?”

“Sure did,” Ella answered, smirk growing. “You wanna hear it?”

“Of course,” Erin said. “I know for a fact it’s not Santa Claus.”

Jess rolled his eyes.

Ella leaned down and whispered in Erin’s ear. Straightening up again, Ella watched Erin’s gaze roam over to Jess doubtfully.

“What kind of a name is Cosmo?” Erin asked.

“Listen, my mom’s into crystals and-” Jess began, but Michael called Erin over for something.

“Gotta go,” Erin said, and skipped off towards her father without another word.

“C’mon, Elle,” Jess groaned, a blush creeping up his neck and warming the tips of his ears.

She chuckled, nudging him with her shoulder. “Sorry, Cosmo.”

Before Jess was able to retort, Fiona and Jake approached them. Considering they were split up, the peculiarity of the two of them arriving together wasn’t lost on anyone, not that it would ever be mentioned. At a closer proximity, Ella was surprised to see how different Jake looked. His hair was greyer, he was skinnier, there were dark circles under his eyes. Whatever has been going on in Maryland didn’t seem to be conducive to health. She had to bite back her sigh at the sight of him. Fiona was more or less the same, though Ella had visited her more or less recently. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laid eyes on her father. The shadow of the man he had been when she was a child was almost completely gone. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest.

“Hey, kids,” Fiona said, giving Ella a quick hug.

“Oh, hi,” Ella chirped, surprised at her instant warmth.

She also hugged Jess, shocking everyone involved.

“So good to see you guys! How are things in Philly? Adam tells me you just got a new apartment?” Fiona asked, buzzing and bubbly. Her black hair was cropped close to her head. Ella remembered how she used to let apprentices at the beauty salon experiment on her locks during breaks.

“Yeah, we’ve been there about a month,” Ella said. “It’s only a few blocks over from school. I can walk there.”

“How nice,” Fiona smiled.

“It is,” Jess agreed.

Shifting uncomfortably from foot-to-foot, Jake finally interjected. “Hi, Ellie.”

“Hey, dad,” she said, biting the inside of her cheek.

“Young man,” Jake greeted Jess coldly, nodding.

Jess gave a curt nod and a thin-lipped smile in response.

There was a long pause before anyone spoke again, filled with distant, amiable chatter of other families and shrieks of congratulations. Out of the corner of her eye, Ella could see Adam was already off with his friends. Soon, they would be headed to dinner and Project Graduation. Part of Ella was glad Adam didn’t want a big day of family celebration. No one would’ve survived any extended period of false positivity.

“I see you’ve got tattoos now, Ellie,” Jake said, looking down at the tulip on her arm, exposed in her spaghetti strap dress. “Your mother would’ve called that sinful, you know.”

The corners of Ella’s lips tugged up into a resentful smile, the words dripping with venom as they left her mouth before she could stop them. “Well, it’s a good thing she’s dead then, isn’t it?”

Both Fiona and Jake’s jaws dropped and it seemed all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air around them. Ella’s stomach dropped and she brought her hand over her mouth just after she said it. Her hazel eyes grew to the size of saucers. Immediately, Jess took her by the shoulders and began leading her in the direction of the diner, blurting out excuses.

“Hey, nice to see you folks, but we have to get to Rory’s graduation party tonight and it’d be pretty rude if we were late so…” he trailed off, stopping once they were far enough away, leaving Fiona and Jake flabbergasted and speechless.

“Oh my god,” Ella muttered, chewing at her thumbnail for the first time in what felt like forever. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I was gonna try to be nice if he came, because...at least he showed up, right? Fuck. Oh my god. Jess. Oh my god.”

“It’s okay, Daria. Just try to relax,” Jess breathed, steering her towards the diner as she instantly began melting down.

“I can’t relax, Jess! Don’t fucking tell me to relax! Did you hear that?! Did you hear what I just said?!” she muttered hastily. “Fuck me! Fuck! Every time I see him, my fucking mouth-”

“Hey, language!” Luke scolded her as they entered the diner, the bell jingling jovially above the door. There were only a few customers scattered around, the mid-afternoon lull.

“God, Luke, I thought age was supposed to negatively affect your hearing!” Ella snapped as Jess directed her to a stool and sat her down, hopping up on the seat next to her.

“Joe Pesci here is having a bad day,” Jess explained shortly as Luke shot Ella a bewildered stare.

“What happened?” Luke asked, arching a brow.

Ella heaved a great sigh and placed her head in her hands, elbows on the counter. “Bigmouth has struck again. And apparently she has even less of a filter now than she did in high school!”

“Right,” Luke said, increasingly confused.

Running a hand up and down over Ella’s back as she continued fuming, Jess gave Luke a dejected glance. “Green tea?”

A shadow of realization passed over Luke’s face. “Comin’ right up.”

[irwinkitten]

to find peace | a.i

pairing: reader x ashton requested: no notes: so after the suffering @plainwhiteluke put us thru with fading (i’m so fkin proud of her omg) and the weekend from hell, this got written and it is pure fluff. enjoy.  warnings: none word count: 2k

---

The week was already overwhelming.

It was like the world was testing her resolve and her limit was slowly being reached.

She could feel the stress headache that was forming alongside the earache that had been building up for weeks. Today seemed to be the last straw for her temper as she reached the shop floor, a foot colliding with hers which sent her sprawling across the ground.

“Watch where you’re going shop girl!” A sharp voice snapped and she pulled in a deep breath, willing herself not to snap or cry.

“Sorry.” She managed to convey an apologetic tone, despite the bubbling emotions under the surface.

“Bloody useless staff members.” The customer muttered before leaving the shop. She pulled herself up off the floor, collecting the cash control book and banking stuff.

“You want me to lock the door?” Her sales assistant, Marley, called over and she nodded, tugging the lanyard that held the shop keys on and chucking it over as she walked to the tills.

Once the door was shut and locked, she kept her anger in as she set the tills up to be cashed up and began to get everything sorted out. The cashing up didn’t take too long, mercifully the tills being spot on. She got the sales posted off whilst Marley bagged up the tills and handed her the floats.

“Thanks for staying late today, I know you had plans.” Her voice was filled with gratitude towards the younger girl who shrugged.

“It’s fine. I know this week’s been tough, so I figured one evening isn’t a total loss. You got plans tonight?”

“I should be heading home, but I got a text from Ash asking if I wanted to do the shopping tonight so I could sleep in tomorrow.” Marley chuckled at that as she entered the office and locked up the safe keys and the floats. Once she checked there was nothing needed doing to keep her longer than necessary, she headed into the staff room and collected her stuff from her locker.

“At least you can enjoy tomorrow. Is it a big shop you need to do?” Marley enquired as the two of them tugged on their coats and scarves. The January was not as forgiving and they knew the temperature had dropped even more now the sun had set.

“No, I think Ash just wants to do some basic meal prep for the week. Since I’ve got it off, he doesn’t want to spend too much time cooking and at the moment, with how I’m feeling with my earache, I’ve not had much of an appetite, so he’s determined to try some new soup flavours.” The two of them giggled at that before they headed out, checking the lights were all switched off and the heating was turned off.

“Any big plans for the week?”

“Recovery day tomorrow. Then I don’t really know. The boys have been itching to show me around LA since I moved here, but never had the time.” This part was true, since the move from England to LA to manage a new store, the boys had been ecstatic and determined to show her the best places in LA.

But being a manager of a new store meant almost no time off, especially over Christmas.

“Does this mean you get to take them to some of the best places back home?” Marley inquired as she set the alarm.

She laughed as she unlocked the door and let the two of them out.

“I’ve told them that there’s nothing interesting about the town I lived in for a few years before I moved out here. But they won’t hear anything of it. That’s why the company are eventually giving me an assistant manager and deputy manager because when they head back to the UK, I’ve requested the time off to go with them and the company agreed on the basis I head to a couple of the UK stores and meet up with the Heads at their main offices in London.”

Marley grinned as the alarm set once the doors were locked.

“Well, I hope you enjoy this week off and let me know if you need me to book you into the spa.” She laughed.

“Are you that determined to get your hands on me, Marl?” They giggled together, their laughter echoing on the empty street.

“Of course. You’d get boss’ discount too.”

“I’ll text you and see if I can fit it into the week. See you later Marley.” She waved Marley off as the younger girl headed in the opposite direction. You headed to the corner of the street, waiting only a few more moments before Ashton pulled up next to you.

“Ride for lovely girlfriend of mine.” He teased as she slid into the car. She leaned over and kissed his cheek in greeting before getting her belt on and he peeled away from the side, making his way to the grocery store.

“It’s only a small list. I’ve got a bunch of recipes that I want to try, and I’m determined to make the broccoli and cheese soup.”

“Works for me.” She hummed softly, leaning back in the chair, her eyes falling shut in relief at being able to sit down. A hand slid into hers and a smile twitched at her lips as Ashton lifted her knuckles to his lips, a small kiss to them making her heart melt.

“The day is nearly over, love.” He murmured.

“I know. It’s just been a day filled with assholes. My ear has really been hurting today and we had some bellends just as we were closing up. Apparently I’m just a useless shop girl.” She snorted at that, finally opening her eyes to glance over and an amused smile was on his lips.

“Bellends, huh?”

“I have another word I could use, first letter beginning with c, last letter ending in t.” Came the tart reply and Ashton outright laughed.

“Wow, they must have really upset you to use that word.” He murmured as they pulled into the parking lot and she nodded.

“Honestly. The last couple were lucky that I didn’t swear at them as they left. I know you wanted to get this out of the way tonight so we don’t have to leave the house tomorrow or even unlock the door, but I’m just so damn tired.” He squeezed her hand tightly.

“We’ll be in and out before you know it. Promise.” He hummed and she sighed before nodding.

When they got into the store, they didn’t rush, he could see how exhausted she was. His arm slid around her waist and placed a kiss to her temple.

“How ‘bout you go and get some bread and a pizza for us. I’ll grab the last little bits on the other side.” He murmured and she nodded her head, turning her head to meet his lips before they split off.

The bubbling emotions returned when she couldn’t find the pizza that she’d already settled on having, reminding herself that it was a small thing, she didn’t need to fret over it.

It was when she couldn’t find the usual bread that she had that she could feel the tears bubble to the surface.

“Are you alright there ma’am?” One of the shop assistants caught her attention, hastily wiping at the tears of frustration.

“Sorry, it’s been a long day and I can’t find the super seeded loaf.” She explained and he smiled kindly before his own eyes scanned the shelves. It took him a few minutes before he pulled a tray from the bottom, replacing one of the empty tray with it and there it was, the bread she was looking for.

“It seems someone didn’t change over the trays. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, thank you.” Once she collected the bread, she slowly made her way down the aisle, spotting Ashton with ease as he exited one a few rows from her.

His eyes took in her exhausted frame as she reached him and he opened his arms up immediately.

“I cried because I couldn’t find the fucking bread.” Her soft mutter reached his ears and he wrapped his arm around her tightly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“Let’s get home.”

Once the shopping was done and paid for, she could feel the struggle to keep her eyes open as she responded to a few texts, her hand resting on his on the gear shift.

As they got home and put the shopping away, she made some toast to nibble on as they moved around the kitchen and she could feel her exhaustion so close to the surface and Ashton could see she was dipping.

So he finished packing the stuff away quickly and before she could even protest, he’d swept her up into his arms bridal style, a soft grin on his lips as she nestled her face into his neck.

“Too tired to argue.” She muttered and he laughed as he carried her upstairs.

His fingers were soft and delicate as he helped her get changed, handing her one of his old graphic shirts she was so fond of wearing. She sat down in bed, her eyes watching him as he promised he’d be back soon, he just needed to lock the house up.

When he returned to the room, he found her slumped down on the pillow, legs still hanging over the edge of the bed and a soft snore escaping her lips. His heart twisted at the sight of her exhaustion, it wasn’t even eight pm and she was out like a light. But he could feel his love swell for the beautiful sight in front of him as she slept.

He was slow and careful not to wake her as he tucked her under the covers, climbing in beside her, switching on the tv. He knew his own sleep wouldn’t come to him till much later but he knew they both slept better next to each other and he knew she needed this.

Once he was in bed, she shifted in her sleep, her body moulding against his and he smiled as he flicked over to one of the sitcoms, his arm sliding around her shoulders as her arm settled itself over his waist.

Had he not heard her soft snores, he would’ve sworn she was awake.

It was the following morning when he woke up before her, both of them still tangled together and her breathing was soft and slow.

His fingers were gentle as he traced her skin, eyes memorising such a sweet moment before he pulled away carefully.

He headed into the kitchen and made breakfast for the two of them and it was as he was cooking the eggs, he felt a set of arms wind around his waist and felt her soft lips on the back of his neck, where his tattoo sat.

“Morning love, I figured to treat us both to breakfast in bed.”

“Okay.” Her reply was soft and he could hear the exhaustion still as he listened to her pad back up the stairs.

When he returned to their bedroom, he smiled at how she’d curled herself back up under the covers, eyes half closed as she looked through her phone.

“Thanks for the picture.” She hummed playfully and he smiled as he settled next to her, meeting his lips with hers.

“You looked too sweet not to take a picture. You wouldn’t let me move from the bed that’s how tight you were holding onto me.” He teased playfully and she groaned before accepting his plate of breakfast.

They ate quietly, her head resting against his shoulder as he switched on the tv once more, putting on some background noise as they finished their breakfast.

Her body twisted into his, arm thrown over his waist as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, his hand lifting to trace gentle lines along her back.

He could feel the smile against his skin as he placed a soft kiss to the top of her head, his eyes closing for a moment as he just enjoyed the rare moment of peace that they could share together.

“I love you.” She breathed and he smiled.

“I love you too.”

---

tag list: @cals-babylons , @plainwhiteluke , @calumspeachy , @wrappedaroundcal , @cosmocalum , @mistletoemichael , @merryashmas , @hereforlukescruff , @astroashtonio , @catchinqcalum , @roselukes , @5saucewho, @babylon-uncrowned , @dontstopisagoodsongchangemymind , @therainydays4 , @asht0ns-world , @silverchainbee , @hidd3nfangirl , @doodleasouarus , @hemmomfg , @mylovehes , @songforhema , @kinglyhood , @youngblood199456 , @makecoffeenotwars , @5squash , @negative-love , @softboycal , @kinglycalum , @you-of-ghost , @meetyoutheremgc , @lmao5sosimagines , @lietoash , @aw-hawkeye , @biggestslutforcalum , @drummerboy794 , @itjustkindahappenedreally, @mycollectionofnuts , @coreybryanttrash , @abitloudforanaccousticset , @boytoynamedcalum , @teampreator , @dukehoods , @hoe4hemmo , @calumhampton , @lashtoncurls , @toofadedtofight , @gigglyirwin , @blue-skies-are-alright , @hearts-to-the-sky , @tiddlerrr , @all-i-want-is2b-loved-by-you , @thesensationalcalum , @ashtxns-hxe , @cakeassx-blog , @dancingonanemptywallet , @rotten-kandy , @vipclifford , @musiclover1263 , @irwinsbambi ,  @rosecoloredash , @jpgluke , @cathartichaoss , @5secondssofssummer , @cozyfivesos , @balsamichood , @cliffordstxngue ,

[eveningstarcatcher]

Day 27: Champagne

“Oh, just one more shop, dear.” Aziraphale pulled Crowley out of the cold into what felt like the hundredth shop that day.

“What are you even looking for, angel?” Crowley grimaced as he looked at the goods of this shop. Frilly pillows, candles in every shape and color, canvas prints of cheesy phrases meant to brighten up homes, but instead pulled Crowley’s lips down even more.

“Nothing in particular, just browsing,” Aziraphale cheerily inspected the items on the shelves and displays. 

“Is something going on? You’ve dragged me into every single shop on the way back from the park.” Crowley leaned against a built in shelving unit and crossed his arms. 

“Of course not!” Azirpahale looked just a little bit jumpy. “I just wanted to prolong our outing. I’m having a lovely time.” He smiled, making Crowley’s annoyance soften.

“We could have a lovely time back at the bookshop, you know.” Crowley rolled his eyes.

“Of course, dear. If you really want to go…” Azirpahale started toward the door.

“No, finish looking here, but no more.” Crowley gently took Aziraphale’s arm and pulled him back.

“You’re sure?” 

“M’Sure,” Crowley pressed a quick kiss to Aziraphale’s cheek, causing him to blush, which was quite a lovely look on the angel, then released him to finish browsing.

Thirty-five minutes later the two finally emerged from the shop. Aziraphale had bought nothing, but had made Crowley promise to return to that shop with him another day to pick out some items for the cottage, something they had chosen together.

They made their way slowly back to the bookshop, arm in arm, Aziraphale chattering happily away about the cottage and how thoughtful Crowley was to buy it for them and how excited he was to see it. Crowley just smiled and nodded as they walked.

As they neared the shop, Aziraphale quieted down.

“Okay, angel?” Crowley asked.

“Oh yes, just thinking.” Aziraphale assured him.

“About…”

“Nothing really. Just planning which books to bring to the cottage first. So many to sort through, you know.” Azirahale wasn’t lying exactly, which was good because he wasn’t very good at lying, but this was enough of a lie to set Crowley on edge. 

“You’re sure nothing’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, love.” This definitely wasn’t a lie. Crowley relaxed a bit.

“Ah, here we are!” Aziraphale stepped to the front door of the shop, and unlocked the door. He held his hand out to Crowley before stepping inside, partner in tow.

Inside, the lights were thrown on and Crowley nearly screamed as a room full of people yelled ‘SURPRISE!”

“What the heaven is this?” Crowley yelped.

“A surprise party, darling!” Aziraphale beamed. “I may have phoned Madame Tracy and mentioned our engagement and she insisted on hosting an engagement party for us! Isn’t that lovely?”

“Sorry for the fright, but it is a surprise party. Congratulations!” Madame Tracy stepped forward. She looked quite different than when they had seen her last. Her hair was blonde, straight, and tied back in a ribbon and she wore a simple navy dress with a gold brooch at the waist, black fringed shawl around her shoulders. She held two champagne flutes in hand, which she handed to the happy couple and then gave them each a quick hug.

“All these books and you still had to take mine?” A dark haired woman stepped forward, dressed in heavy navy and forest green skirts, thick rimmed glasses framing her face.

“Anathema! How lovely to see you! I’m so glad you could make it on such short notice!” Aziraphale hugged her.

“I told you we’d meet again under better circumstances and this seemed like one of the best circumstances one could have. Couldn’t pass it up.” Anathema grinned at him, then turned to Crowley.

“Congrats.” She hugged him and stepped aside, long skirts swishing and swirling. 

“So happy for you!” Newt was shaking Aziraphale’s hand with gusto. He looked much the same as before, bespectacled, slightly disheveled, but infinitely happier. 

“Ah, thank you so much. So glad you could come.” Aziraphale said with sincerity.

“I’m glad we could be here to celebrate,” he turned to Crowley and shook his hand. Aziraphale hid a giggle as Crowley shot him a small grimace. Newt had quite the grip.

“I’ve set out all the snacks just there, and drinks just beside them. Please enjoy!” Madame Tracy ushered Newt and Anathema out of the way, so the others could congratulate the couple.

Shadwell was still highly suspicious, but was polite, at least polite enough for Shadwell. Adam Young was there with his parents, who were kind, but seemed confused as to why they were there. Even dog barked his congratulations before trotting off after his boy. The rest of them Them were in tow, having tagged along with the Youngs. Pepper seemed especially excited in her congratulations. Aziraphale even thought he heard her whisper something about how happy she was that the nice queer couple was getting married, such a great example for the queer youth of today.

“Do you mind terribly, love?” Aziraphale asked Crowley quietly once everyone had congratulated them and moved to the snack table.

“Surprised, but I don’t mind. It’s actually kind of nice to have people to share the news with. Even this lot,” he inclined his head toward the seemingly random group assembled. Newt and Mr. Young were talking animatedly about something, while Anathema and Madame Tracy were deep in conversation beside them. Mrs. Young was pouring more champagne for the group while Shadwell was eyeing Dog warily. The Them explored the bookshop, looking for new ideas for games and being particularly respectful of Aziraphale’s collection.

“It is nice to have people to share it with, isn’t it?” Aziraphale looked dreamily across the shop.

“Why don’t we?” Crowley’s face lit up.

“Why don’t we what?”

“Share it? Let’s have a proper wedding so they can be there!” Crowley turned to face Aziraphale and grabbed both his hands.

“A proper wedding?” Aziraphale echoed, unbelieving. 

“Why not? Let’s do it up all nice. No churches, of course, we could do it here! In the shop! Or in the park! Anywhere you like.” Crowley’s golden eyes were wide behind his glasses.

“That sounds lovely!” Aziraphale beamed.

“Champagne! We need more champagne!” Crowley dropped Aziraphale’s hands and sauntered toward the crowd. “Everyone, refill your champagne!” he announced.

The crowd looked puzzled, but gladly received more bubbly. 

“Angel, come here!” He held out an arm, which he wrapped around Aziraphale’s waist when he was by his side. “We’ve got an announcement. We’re getting married and we want you all to be there!”

A chorus of “oooh” and “when” rang from the assembly.

“Today!” Crowley cheered.

“Ah, not today. We do need a little bit of time to plan the ceremony.” Aziraphale laid a hand on Crowley’s chest, so as to not deflate him.

“Right,” Crowley agreed.

“I’d love to help with that!” Madame Tracy spoke up.

“Me, too!” Anathema smiled. “I could even perform the ceremony if you’d like.”

“Oh, we would love that!” Aziraphale looked on the verge of tears.

“We can spend tomorrow planning and prepping and have the wedding the following afternoon!” Madame Tracy announced. “Will you be able to make the trip back?” She turned to Mrs. Young, who nodded.

“Adam, would you be the ring bearer?” Crowley asked and he could hear Aziraphale choke back a sob.

“I’d be honored,” the boy replied solemnly. 

“Good lad.” Crowley nodded to him.

“I’ll help with music,” Newt volunteered. “No computers, though.”

“Could you handle a record player?” Crowley asked.

“Absolutely!” Newt nodded excitedly.

“Oh Crowley, this is wonderful!” Aziraphale was wiping tears from his cheeks. “I love you so very much, dearest.”

“I love you too, angel.” He kissed Aziraphale softly, ignoring the soft “awww” from the group.

“This calls for a toast!” Anathema lifted her glass, prompting the others to follow suit. “To the happy couple!”

“To the happy couple!” the group echoed, then clinked glasses together.

“To our side,” Crowley whispered to Aziraphale, who pulled him into another kiss.

[gyu-nim]

Touch

Warning: 15+ Topics 

OKAY, I know I’m writing another Sungkyu one but I’d straight up be lying if I told you I didn’t have an incredible time writing this. I know I haven’t been updating as frequently. I’m still on vacation right now and tbh I’ve been busy keeping up with the promotional activities of a certain movie series that I’m a fan of :) I was sitting in front of my laptop today, still on a high from enjoying a few days of full-on fangirling when I thought about this. What I’m writing about in this one, is something I plan to do to my future husband (lol). Hence, I channeled my future wants onto Gyu because I would like to imagine the man I’m going to marry has somewhat similar qualities to him. Also, let me know which member you want me to write about next. I’m thinking of writing my first Jong scenario but currently still at a loss for topics. Let me know if you have any ideas~

Listen:

Birthday - JP Cooper 

Witchcraft - Frank Sinatra 

- Nas

“What did you just say?”

You couldn’t help but giggle at the expression plastered on his face, “You heard me.”

“Yeah,” he scoffed, “I just wanted to make sure you were in your right mind and not possessed.”

Smiling, you crossed your arms, “Oh I meant it, alright.”

“You want us to not have sex for the next three months?”

As you nodded, his eyes widened. All the things he did over the past 24 hours flew back to his mind, was it possible he did something to piss you off? What did he do so wrong that you actually requested ninety days of no intimacy with him?

“Okay, I don’t know if I did something to you but if I did, I’m sorry.”

You burst out in laughter, “Relax, you did nothing wrong. It’s just that, I want us to be able to resist ourselves at least until our wedding night.”

“Just why exactly are you doing this?” he raised an eyebrow.

“I feel like, you know, we didn’t take the traditional route,” you shrugged, “and so I wanted there to be some sort of tension leading up to our wedding night. I want to feel excited about us sleeping with each other on our first night as husband and wife.”

He stood up, “I can tell you right now I’d be just as excited to sleep with you then if you let me sleep with you now!”

“Gyu,” you smiled and placed your palm on his cheek, “do this for me, please?”

“We can do other stuff though, right?”

You shook your head, “No. Physical contact is limited to hugs and kisses for the next three months.”

“You’re kidding!” he groaned.

“Nope,” you held his hands, “come on, you can do this.”

Sungkyu pouted, “How do you expect me not to touch you? That’s going past all my basic instincts.”

“You can touch me just…not like that.” You said and slapped his hand away, which had been creeping its way up under your shirt.

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.” He let out a sigh.

“Oh come on, three months will go by in a flash.”

…

One Week Later

“Oh come on!”

Sungkyu was now in a cranky mood. A whole week without touching you nearly drove him crazy. Of course, he had to opt to pleasuring himself – which he realized only gave him a temporary distraction before going right back to wanting you. Because the two of you still resided in the same house, he made sure you knew just how bad he was suffering. He would come out of the bathroom with a smug look on his face, only to earn a grin from you telling him well done, another few weeks and he’d get his prize.

You were seated next to him on the couch, wearing one of his t-shirts and shorts, with your legs stretched on top of his thigh. For the past hour, you had been concentrating at the movie which was playing on the television while he relentlessly attempted to get you naked. You had to swat his hand away ten times before he finally had enough of it.

“How are you putting up with this?” he threw his hands up in the air in defeat.

You laughed, “In general, I’m more patient than you are.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” he glared, “it’s been a week! Come on, let’s go on the sex strike next week and have fun tonight.”

You scrunched your nose up and poked his stomach, “No.”

He rolled his eyes and tossed your legs off this thigh. You stifled back a laugh as he made his way towards your bedroom while mumbling angry nonsense.

“Going to the bathroom again, I suppose?” you called out.

He poked his head out by the door, “Glad you noticed, this is all your fault you know?”

“Have fun!” you wiggled your fingers and waved.

He scoffed and slammed the door shut.

…

One Month Later

He paced around the bedroom nervously as he hissed, “Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up.”

“Hello?”

He sighed in relief as he heard your voice, “Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself. What do you want?”

“Well I just wanted to see how you were doing, since, you know, you’re staying at your parents’ house from now on until the wedding.”

You giggled, “I just moved out this morning, Gyu.”

He groaned, the truth was, he was desperately uncomfortable and hearing your voice only made him way more aroused than he was before. That was the reason he couldn’t resist himself from calling you.

“I was thinking,” he cleared his throat, “you said that I couldn’t touch you? Touch, that’s physical right?”

“Where are you going with this?” he could almost see your expression.

“Well, that means phone sex isn’t off limits, isn’t it?”

There was a silence on the other side of the phone for a couple of seconds before you burst out laughing, “Goodbye, Kim Sungkyu.”

“No, wait! Don’t hang-” and the phone line went dead.

He yelled in frustration and plopped himself onto the bed. Turning towards your pillow, he inhaled your scent deeply and prayed to God for some sort of comfort that night, because it was going to be a long one. Hell, every single night he spent without you will really push him to limits he’s never been in before.

…

One Week Before the Wedding

“I can’t believe you made him do that.”

“What?” you shrugged as you sipped from your cup of coffee, “There’s only a week left.”

Your best friend sat in front of you with eyes as huge as tennis balls, “You basically forced him into abstaining from sexual activity for three months! And you, come on! Don’t lie to me and say you haven’t been aching to touch him.”

“Of course, I’ve been turned on a couple of times over the past few weeks. But that’s what I like about it – I know my wedding night will be…mind-blowing.” You sighed and giggled.

She rolled her eyes, “You’re marrying Kim Sungkyu, don’t you think you’ll be getting a scolding instead of mind-blowing sex because you’ve done this?”

“I think he’s way too aroused to have his mind straight.”

Clucking her tongue, she picked up her coffee, “How’s he dealing with it?”

“Well,” you pursed your lips, “for the first month he basically begged me for it every single night. Christ, it was as if he was going to die without touching me. But all of a sudden, two weeks ago, he went silent and stopped asking for it. To be fair, we haven’t met up in person for a while since we’re both busy which each other’s side of the wedding. But even the texts he’s sent me are different.”

“Different, how?”

“I think he’s playing ball with it – he’ll make sure I learn my lesson on our wedding night.”

Your best friend’s coffee was now suspended mid-air, “Hot.”

You winked at her, “Exactly.”

…

Rehearsal Dinner – the night before the Wedding

Dinner went pretty smoothly – the two of you were seated next to each other at the head table surrounded by family and close friends. Laughter filled the air and a playlist of all your favorite love songs was looped. You loved every second of it, but you were quite concerned at your fiancée’s behavior.

Throughout the entire night, Sungkyu had only touched you a handful of times. First, when the two of you saw each other he placed a gentle kiss on your cheek. Second, he held your hand as he gave a mini-speech. And then there was the little tap on your thigh as he asked if you wanted more champagne.

“Everything okay?” he snapped you out of your daze.

You shook your head and smiled, “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

“You’ve been floating around for a while.”

“I’m just distracted.” You said as you quickly took a sip of champagne.

Sungkyu, on the other hand knew exactly what he was doing. He enjoyed watching you squirm at his gaze, because it let him know that you wanted him just as much as he wanted you. He had resorted to working out (for the first time in his life) as a method of distraction for the past few weeks. He was prepping himself to – literally – drown you in pleasure tomorrow night.

He leaned into your ear, “Turned on?”

Your eyes widened, “No.”

“You can tell me, baby.” He smirked.

You turned towards him and let out a scoff, “So you’re doing this on purpose?”

“You said no touching.” He shrugged.

Rolling your eyes, you bit your lip, “Game on, Gyu.”

“Oh it is so, on.”

…

The wedding had gone by exactly the way you wanted it to. You were incredibly grateful to have had the best day of your life and everyone you loved with you. Of course, you and Sungkyu had proceeded to take the game to a whole other level today. He had been constantly touching you – even at unnecessary times.

Of course, you hadn’t been such a saint yourself. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself every time you imagined the look on his face as you swayed your hips to him on the dance floor. He had grinded back into you as a response – which made you turn red in front of everyone watching.

The two of you were now making your way towards your designated cabana, which was secluded from every other part of the resort. He held out his hand to help you down from the golf buggy. Opening the door, you sighed at the sight in front of you. The entire room was lit with candles with roses spread everywhere.

“Who did this?”

He smiled, “Let’s just say I made sure you were going to like the view tonight.”

You turned towards him, “Why Mr. Kim, such a charmer.”

“Mrs. Kim,” he smiled proudly, “more champagne?”

Nodding enthusiastically, he laughed and shut the door behind him. The two of you popped open a bottle of champagne and made a toast to the prosperous life to come. Placing the champagne flute back on the table, you let out a squeal of delight as he swept you up in his arms.

“I have to carry you over the threshold.”

You raised an eyebrow, “Shouldn’t you have done that at the front door?”

“Front door, bedroom door, same thing.” he said as he kicked the bedroom door open, entering it and placing you back on the ground, facing him.

His gaze was all you needed to know what exactly was about to happen. You encircled your arms around his neck and brought your lips to his. Sungkyu released a sigh of relief as he placed one hand around your hips and the other buried into your hair. Happily letting his tongue in, you felt him mess around with the clips in your hair until it fell, covering your back.

He pulled away, “You have no idea what I have in store for you tonight.”

Amidst your heavy breathing you smiled, “Whatever it is, I think I’m going to like it.”

“Turn around.”

You obeyed his command and felt his fingers unbutton your dress one by one. As soon as all buttons were off, he carefully slipped the dress from your shoulders and it soon fell in a puddle onto the ground. You heard him gasp at the sight in front of him. You smirked, you knew exactly what made him react that way.

Earlier this morning you had purchased the most beautiful set of lingerie – hell even the sight of is was arousing. You had been giddy the entire day waiting for him to undress you just so you could see his reaction.

“Face me.” He told you as he released a sigh, “Goddamn, you are one beautiful woman.”

Smiling, you stepped closer towards him, “Three months worth it?”

“Fuck baby,” he released a breathy laugh, “if I had known, I would’ve waited an entire year.”

You giggled as he pushed you onto the bed and climbed on top of you. He worked a trail of kisses from the top of your head all the way down to your legs. Moans emanated from your lungs as he did his magic on you.

“I’ve missed your touch.”

He pulled you up to straddle him and looked into your eyes, “I’ve missed you.”

You caressed the top of his head, “You have me forever, now.”

He took your palm and kissed the finger which had both your wedding and engagement rings, “And I’ll make sure that you enjoy every single second of it.”

[my-one-love-is-music]

Be My Player 2? Chapter 9

Whew. So I actually struggled quite a lot writing this chapter this week and didn't know it I'd get it posted over the weekend, but here we are! I got motivated and figured out where I wanted to go and I gotta say that I'm very pleased with the result. ^.^

I hope that you're ready for more of our two wonderful boys.

Also on AO3!

             Keith jolted awake as his alarm started blaring right next to his head.

               “Who? What? Huh?” he asked, frantically looking around. He stared down at the kitchen table that he’d apparently fallen asleep at last night and the crick in his neck that was quickly making itself known helped him understand that he was never going to do that again. He pulled his headphones from where they’d settled around his neck and swiped a finger over the trackpad of his laptop while silencing his phone with his other hand. His Voltron account was still pulled up from the night before and he had a message from Shiro waiting for him in his inbox.

 Spacedi: Great job, tonight. I’m pretty sure that you just fell asleep in the middle of our conversation, but I can’t be mad when you sound so peaceful. Sweet dreams and I’ll talk to you later. : D

                 Keith immediately felt his face heat up at the words. He couldn’t believe that he fell asleep. He felt like it was always him doing something embarrassing. But he also couldn’t help feeling utterly triumphant over last night’s gaming session. Flashes of the missions that they’d played through flitted through his brain and he remembered how petulant Lance had gotten when Keith had stolen so many points and battle opportunities from him. It also didn’t hurt that Shiro took every chance to throw a compliment his way and let him know how much he as benefiting their team.

               He sighed happily and stretched his arms over his head, feeling several parts of his back and spine pop as they loosened and readjusted themselves where they needed to be. He groaned, feeling so much better despite his neck not being in the best of shape and his level of exhaustion that would no doubt get worse as the day went on. He quickly packed his things into his backpack before pushing his chair back and heading for his bedroom, picking up his laundry bag on the way.

               He threw the bag onto his bed and began to rifle through it, pulling out a clean pair of clothes for the day and his fresh work clothes. Keith changed quickly, foregoing a shower since he could probably get away without taking one until that night. He did take the time to brush his teeth really well since he’d missed doing that the night before and his mouth honestly felt disgusting. He blamed the chocolate cake. Too much sugar.

               As he put two slices of bread in the toaster he finally managed to glance at the clock and realized that he wasn’t running late. He had quite a bit of time before he had to leave for class actually. He shook himself, feeling like he was going a bit crazy with the stress of everything. He just had to remember that it would all be fine and he wouldn’t receive any bad news when he had his financial appointment that afternoon. And then he would have work tonight and tomorrow was Friday which meant he was one step closer to the weekend and to his movie night with his friends.

               When his toast was ready he let himself sit down at the table and eat it slowly, enjoying the relief of leaving a morning rush behind and taking his time. Once he was finished, he left his dirty dishes in the sink and grabbed his backpack before heading out the door. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he hit the sidewalk and ducked his head against the cold wind. He’d have to remember to pull his gloves out from wherever they’d been stowed when he got back home that night. At least that would help keep his hands warm during the upcoming fall and winter months.

               Keith sat down in his first class and pulled his jacket off, enjoying the warm air that had already heated the room since classes began earlier that morning. He pulled out his computer and waited for his professor to walk in and begin their session. Their mid-term was going to happen during their next class so he knew that some of today was going to be spent talking about that. It was reassuring in a way and he was ready to get it over with.

               He nearly ran into someone as he pushed his way into the stairwell after his last class, half of his mind still on the lecture and the other half of his mind already seated in the office of the financial worker who he was on his way to meet. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to shake his mood until the mid-term was over. It was going to keep nagging at the back of his mind and prophesize some form of doom for him. Tests were the worst.

               Keith made his way across campus to the main building and headed down the staircase towards where the lower offices were kept. He’d made this walk so many times that he could probably do it in his sleep. Yet that never seemed to calm him down when the threat of his ability to go to school was on the line.

               The secretary smiled at him when he walked through the door. “How can I help you today?”

               “I have an appointment with Sarah.”

               The sound of keys being pressed filled the silence between them. “Keith, right? She’ll be with you in a few minutes so feel free to have a seat.”

               He nodded and sat down on the hard bench. He hated this. The tight smiles and false hospitality. They wanted to make you try and be as comfortable as possible, but when you whole future relied on what they were about to tell you…it was a little hard to do. He’d be glad when he’d never have to step foot in this office again and never have to be greeted by tight smiles and people who were tired of dealing with poor college students.

               Keith ducked his head and clasped his hands together between his thighs, one of his knees bouncing impatiently as he waited to be called back. He was glad that there wasn’t any chipper music playing like he’d heard in some of the other offices. He knew that the melody would drive him insane as he sat in tense silence.

               A woman who he immediately recognized pushed a side door open and he got to his feet. She smiled at him and beckoned him back to her office. He followed quickly, moving past mostly closed doors, indicating that most of the other advisors were hard at work with students in similar situations to his own.

               The soft click of Sarah’s office door behind him almost felt like the sound of him being locked in prison. He took a seat without being prompted and watched as she made her way around her desk. Sarah didn’t immediately speak, instead pulling up what he knew would be his file and his other academic information that they’d need to discuss with regards to his finances.

               “Okay,” she finally began, sitting back in her chair and giving Keith a warm smile. “Everything is in order with your currant finances and you’re doing an excellent job of keeping up with some of the payments as well as ensuring that your loans are maintained. Your GPA is currently more than enough to maintain your academic scholarship which means that you won’t have any more financial burden at this time. Other than that, my only recommendation is to keep up with your studies and maintain the grades that you’ve been getting especially now that mid-terms are here. It might seem like a long way off, but finals will also be coming around before you know it and then you’ll be in your last semester of college. Do you have any questions for me at this time?”

               Keith shook his head. “No.” He never did.

               “Okay. You’ll be receiving another email from me as we get closer to the end of the semester and we can talk about next semester in a bit more detail and make sure that everything works out. Next semester you can also expect to be meeting with me a few more times than you’re used to since we’ll need to make sure that everything goes smoothly as you finish up and transition into the working world. Unless you’re going on to graduate school right away. If that’s the case we can talk about options for schools and how to handle finances. Right now, I just need you to sign this form as proof that we had our meeting today and you understand your current situation.”

               Keith nodded. He’d done this so many times already and quickly scratched out his signature.

               Sarah took the paper back and smiled at him. “Perfect! You’ll be hearing from me in several weeks. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

               He nodded again and picked up his backpack, pushing out of her office quickly and making his way back through the building. The bitter wind biting into his cheeks was a strange relief. God, he hated this. Hated the worry that was always there. He just wanted to feel secure for once and not have to worry about everything. He turned away from the building, knowing that the day he would step in there for the last time would be a welcome one indeed.

               Keith pushed through the back door to the restaurant and headed towards the computer to clock-in, half-heartedly returning the greetings that the kitchen staff shot his way as they worked on preparing the current orders and doing a bit more prep work for the evening ahead. He slipped into the bathroom and quickly changed before making his way behind the bar. He wasn’t in the mood to make conversation, but was still sad to see the other bartender go. He just didn’t want to be left alone with his thoughts.

               More than the usual number of orders came in for a week night and it seemed that quite a few business workers were treating themselves before the weekend. He’d pity any of them who drank a little too much and would have to go to work with a hangover the next day. Or maybe they wouldn’t. Hell, they could probably afford to take a day off if they were feeling a bit shitty. He shook himself from the thoughts and tried to focus back on the drinks that he was making. It wouldn’t do to think about that now. He really needed something else to focus on and making drinks wasn’t doing much to distract his mind from what it really wanted to latch onto.

               Closing came as a major blessing. He was happy to leave and get back to his apartment where he could more thoroughly distract himself from his current despair and misery. Or at the very least, let himself wallow in misery in the safe confines of his bed. Keith finished his last tasks pretty quickly and was just clocking out when Linda stopped him at the computer.

               “Keith can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked.

               He frowned. She seemed nervous. Linda was never nervous around him.

               “Sure. What is it?”

               She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. “Look, I’m really sorry to do this, but we’re going to have to pull you from the double shift on Sunday. We’ll have you working in the evening, but we accidently over scheduled and I don’t want to take anyone off that day to ensure everyone has at least one shift. I know that the doubles are important to you and I can give you priority next weekend if that would help.”

               Keith felt his stomach drop. This day just kept getting better and better. “Yeah…I…thanks. I’d appreciate that for next week. Sorry to rush, but I really need to get back and finish up some last minute work.”

               The last part was a lie, but Keith needed to get out of there now. He ignored the calls from the kitchen staff and pushed through the back door impatiently. His mind raced, focused on recalculating his expenses and trying to determine if he’d have enough to cover the rent for the month. The consideration for the next weekend would be generous, but he wouldn’t get that money for another month which wouldn’t help out with his next round of rent. His payday was tomorrow after all.

               He nearly sprinted back to his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him, wincing at the loud sound. He leaned back against the wood heavily and rubbed tiredly at his face.

               “Great. Now I’m going to get a noise complaint,” he muttered. He kicked off his shoes and hurried into his bedroom, tossing his backpack onto the bed and pulling at his clothes. He exchanged his jeans for a pair of pajama pants with red lions on them and a worn in grey shirt.

               Once he was changed, Keith nearly fell onto his bed and pulled his laptop from his backpack, kicking the bag to the floor with his foot. The action made him feel a little better, but did nothing to the quickly rising panic within him. He needed a distraction. Now.

               As his Voltron account began to load, he reached over and grabbed his headphones, plugging them in and jamming them on top of his head. His fingers tapped anxiously next to the trackpad as he waited. Every second felt like a minute and his mind kept moving faster and faster, coming up with worse and worse scenarios if he wasn’t able to make his rent for the month and then couple that with his mid-term coming up. He felt almost as though he was being sucked into a black hole-not that they actually sucked and he wouldn’t survive the gravitational pull anyway, and even if he did survive that the amount of trapped light inside the black hole would incinerate him in a second.

               Keith closed his eyes, cursing himself for his interest in space. He just wanted to have a breakdown and make references to space phenomenon without his brain analyzing every aspect of it to provide a more accurate and believable metaphor. His thoughts quieted for a moment when the Castle popped up and he was relieved that Shiro was already logged on. He sent the call through quickly. He shut his eyes as his anxious thoughts reared their ugly heads again and nearly missed Shiro’s greeting.

               “Hey, Keith! How’s it going?” he asked, sounding incredibly pleased with himself.

               “How many two player missions do we have left?” he asked, ignoring the greeting. He didn’t want to have to wait for anyone else and he couldn’t guarantee that if anyone else joined them, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from snapping at them and that was something they didn’t deserve. It was hard enough keeping himself together at the moment. He just hoped that Shiro’s kind demeanor would help him stay in check.

               “Keith…is everything alright?” he asked after a moment.

               “Fine,” Keith snapped and then winced at his tone. So much for keeping himself controlled.

               “Really? Because you don’t sound fine.”

               He shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead. This was it. This was the moment that was going to break him, because he couldn’t stop thinking about everything soon enough. Because all of his worries couldn’t leave him alone for once. And because Shiro was nice enough to ask him what was wrong, because he knew that Keith wasn’t fine. He sighed and slowly began to explain.

               “I’m sorry. I just…God it’s so hard sometimes. Working my way through college. I have to make sure to keep my GPA up or risk losing my academic scholarship and if that happens, I’ll be put into some serious debt. And then there’s this class that I’m struggling with and I’m worried if I do poorly on the mid-term then that’ll bring my GPA down which means less money. And then my double shift on Sunday got cut and I’m really hoping that won’t affect my ability to make rent and I-I-“ Keith cut himself off with a sob and forced a hand over his mouth to try and quiet the sounds. The tears flowed quickly. They always did.

               “I’m so scared, Shiro,” he whispered. “It gets to be so much and I feel like I don’t have anyone to rely on and don’t have anywhere to go. I’m scared of being booted out of college and being left with nothing and sometimes I just don’t know what to do.”

               “You have people to rely on. You have friends,” Shiro said, earnestly. “If you need someone even I…I can be here, too.”

               “Wh-what?”

               “I know that we barely know each other and have only been gaming for a short time, but I think you’re a really great person and would like to be here for you. As a friend if nothing else to try and give you the support that you need.”

               Keith stared at his computer screen, really wishing that he could see Shiro in that moment. Wanting to know how true is words were even though they rang with complete conviction and honesty.

               “Do you have skype?” he blurted, mouth acting faster than his brain.

               “I…yeah?” Shiro asked, obviously confused. “Wait-are you-do you-really?”

               Keith took a shuddery breath and prepared himself for what was to come. “Yes. If you want to.”

               “Yeah. Yes. Absolutely. Message me your username and I can send the call through.”

               Two minutes later and they were staring at each other through the screen for the first time. Shiro just gaped at him and he felt himself flush, trying to brush away the last dredges of tears. It was unfair how ridiculously attractive Shiro was and here he was with a tear-stained face. His cheeks were probably an ugly and blotchy red, too.

               “Shiro? Could you say something? Please?” Keith pleaded, looking anywhere but at his screen.

               “Uh…hi,” he said, still sounding a little dumbstruck.

               “Is everything okay? You’re making me a little nervous,” Keith said, fidgeting.

               “Yes!” he responded, too loudly. He cleared his throat. “I mean, yeah. Yeah, everything’s fine.”

               Keith squinted, wondering if it was just the lighting or if Shiro was actually blushing. He swore that his cheeks were tinted with a light pink. He was probably just embarrassed by this whole situation.

               “Are you feeling better?”

               Keith looked down at his hands in his lap. “Yeah. I feel a bit better after crying. All my worries and anxieties are still there, but they aren’t going to go away in one night.”

               “Good. That’s good. That you’re feeling better, I mean. Not that you’re still worried or anxious.”

               “Yeah.”

               Silence fell between the two of them as they each obviously didn’t look at each other.

               “Hey, Shiro?”

               “What is it?”

               “Thanks.”

[paigeo119-blog]

Day 14

This morning started off amazing, I was driving to my hike and at one of the lakes I passed, there was a bear.  It was frolicking along the edge of the lake, playing in the water, jumping in and out.  I pulled over and watched for a bit.  This is after I saw the cutest little old couple at the gas station this morning.  They were dressed exactly the same, probably a little over 5 feet tall, and in their late 70s or early 80s.  I mean, who doesn’t want to be twinsies with your significant other when you’re old in some national park on vacation?

Now, you would think I would know the conversion for meters, I teach second grade which includes a measurement unit specifically including meters, but it escaped my brain I guess.  I decided to head to Miette Hot Springs today as it was just about the last part of the park that is available at the moment that I have not explored in some way, shape, or form.  I looked and there is a hike that leaves from there, it was about 8k, but it said it took 3-4 hours to do the trail.  This is where the disconnect happened, I somehow decided that it was only 400 meters in elevation gain, (I went back to my book and it is in there, it just is in a sentence in the hike description/instructions) and that must be the only part I zeroed in on), which is still a lot but not practically double which is what it ended up being.

The entire hike was uphill and it just never stopped.  It reminded me a lot of my first hike in Yosemite last summer but there was no waterfall at the top.  Most of the hike was in the sun, (yes, this is my fault, I had a hard time getting moving this morning, so I could have left earlier), and it was pretty rocky the entire way up.  It was also more switchback hell.  Within the first maybe half mile, I was sweating, not just in the normal places but everywhere.  My arms and legs were glistening, which meant that the mosquitos were just swarming around me in a cloud waiting for my bug spray to fully drip off; I actually had sweat dripping into my eyes, plus by the end of my hike, the little band that attaches my backpack across the front had gross white sweat dryness on it that I definitely cleaned when I got back to the car.  There were bugs the whole time, so you didn’t really want to stop, although I think I came up with the perfect combination of bug spray plus my bracelet as I wasn’t getting eaten.  I was tired though, holy cow, there were a lot of switchbacks and a lot of trail that was just straight up.  When I was getting about 2/3 of the way up, there was a couple that was coming up behind me.  They were running!  And they were in their 60s, if I had to guess; it was completely crazy, they were cruising all their way up!

I thought I was getting near the top, I could finally see a break in the trees above me and it looked like I was close.  Then a family was making their way down and said I was almost there.  Well, not exactly, you get to the top of the switchbacks and the trees, but you’re not there!  There is a grassy area that is pretty big where you can sit and look at the view but it’s not the peak.  The top is even farther up and it’s a very steep rocky path, you just get to see the last brutal, no shade, quarter mile while you go up it.  I was almost tempted to just stop there but of course if I had gotten that far, I was going to finish.  It took a couple minutes to collect myself for the task though.  On my way up the final part, the older couple were coming down, the husband told me I had kept a great pace, and I responded, well you guys were making awesome time!  To which he responded laughing, it’s always a race with her, we were racing our way up, and he threw in a little exclamation in another language.  After that, I finally made it to the top, the view was beautiful and I sat and had a snack while I caught my breath and stopped sweating for a bit.  From the top, you could see where I had left from which was neat because a lot of the time on hikes you don’t get to see where you start.

After my rest, I made my way back down.  I think it took maybe 1/3 of the time it had taken me to go up, if that.  I went quickly down as I had my poles for balance and the steepness propels you forward at a good pace. When I got to the bottom, there was a whole little herd of sheep near my car.  They even had a couple little babies with them.  Not a bad way to end it!

I made a stop at Punch Bowl Falls on my way down from the hot springs.  Then I spent the afternoon reading at the beach again after I went into town to restock on a couple of things.  My legs were toast and the cold water was the perfect thing for them!  I’m heading to Banff tomorrow for the next week and a half.

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Day 15

Today was mostly spent driving my way from Jasper to Banff.  I slept in which was really nice, the extra hours of sleep felt awesome.  I got my cooler repacked and some more food prep finished before I left also.

It was a good day to do a lot of driving because it has been a little bit cloudy the last couple of days.  It is supposed to burn off tomorrow and then not be overcast for another week until I head to Calgary for a couple days.  I made a reservation at a condo in Calgary for two nights in between Banff and when I head to Waterton.  It is your own condo all to yourself that includes a washer and dryer, so I figure I can do all my laundry there although I may need to do a couple pairs of shorts hand washed before then but otherwise I’m set.  So if you have any Calgary suggestions or not to miss spots, let me know!

Most of the day I listened to my audiobook, which I’m now on to book five in the series, and only two to go.  I stopped at a couple of places for some scenery on the way to Banff but mostly drove through because I am heading back to Lake Louise area next weekend when camping there and will do more then.  I got to my campsite, where I was warned that they have a mother and two cubs in the campgrounds lately looking for food, they have these warnings everywhere.  I set my campsite up with some extra rain proofing as it was pretty damp and there had been rain on and off the last couple days.

From there I headed just down the road to Lake Minnewanka.  It was beautiful, even stuck under cloud cover.  It’s a 30k hike around the lake so I thought I would just do a small part of it but I got to the trailhead and there are warnings that if you go past the first canyon there are restrictions; you must travel in groups of four, with bear spray and many more because of grizzly feeding grounds, they even close the campground nearby.  They also have a big warning that if you don’t follow the restrictions you can be fined $25,000.  Serious business I guess!  I went as far as I could go which was a nice little hike and then headed back to the car. 

I explored downtown Banff a little bit and then it started to rain so I headed to a Starbucks to upload my pictures and finish downloading my audiobooks.  Tomorrow, I think will be hiking in the morning and either a short hike or town in the evening.  I’m ready for a meal out!

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Day 14 & 15 – There is 3 feet and 3.37 inches in 1 meter, just to be clear… Day 14 This morning started off amazing, I was driving to my hike and at one of the lakes I passed, there was a bear. 

[canaryatlaw]

Today was okay-ish. Not great really. I'm still just in a weird space, mentally. Still can't get my mind to stop racing. I did call my psychiatrist today but he wasn't in that office today, but they took a message and said they'd have him call me, and asked if I needed to be today, so I said I mean it's okay if it's tomorrow but today would be preferable. I didn't get a call back today. Sigh. And it's just that much more difficult now that I'm working 9-5 because when am I supposed to do things like call my psychiatrist or anyone else that is only open 9-5? When am I supposed to go to the doctor ffs? I have one appointment scheduled for late June at 8 am. I'm sure that's gonna go over well with my brain. Sigh. Now I'm getting worked up over this which is the last thing I wanted to do. I think I'm gonna go up to 4 mg of Xanax a day though. It's still within the threshold he said I could try to figure out. I just want to talk to him about it because this guy knows my brain better than probably even me and when something that used to work is no longer working it's not a good sign. I should move on now though. Alarm went off at 7 and I successfully convinced myself to get out of bed by 7:01. Got ready, poured my cocoa krispies and then looked at my milk and it had apparently curdled when the refrigerator does was stuck open for some reason when I got home yesterday. Great. At least I figured it out before I poured it onto my cereal. So I hurried around grabbing some oatmeal (one of the disposable cups) and some cinnamon toast eggos. Made the bus so that's good. I got to the office and went to go see my supervisor but she wasn't in her office, so I just went back to mine and started working on the stuff she gave me yesterday. Not that long after she showed up at my office and said she was gonna be taking a personal half day but would make sure I had enough work, and that she'd probably be going down to court at 10:30 if I wanted to join her so I said sure. Kept working until then, then went down to court and absolutely nothing interesting happened when I was hit by another one of my wow you're going to close your eyes every 3 seconds now and be incapable of keeping them open spells that I've been getting lately when I'm sitting still and focusing on one thing, and at some point after that started my supervisor came over and said it looked like all the cases were just getting dates so it wasn't gonna be interesting if I wanted to go back upstairs. I'm not sure if she saw that I was visibly falling asleep or not, lol, but I took the out. It was a little past 11 at this point and I think then was when I called my psychiatrist. Then I didn't really have any work to do so I closed my door and set my alarm for noon and took a nap. I woke up at like 11:45 so I was probably only "out" for like 30 minutes, which I figured I'll just work through my lunch to make up for so it'll be fine. I mean, power naps are a thing right? And as long as I get the work done it's not like anyone cares, so....not a big deal lol. So I then opened my office door and started conversing with the two ladies who have the offices across and next to mine. The offices are kind of set up mostly in these 3 pod systems, and this is the first time I'm actually in a full 3 pod, since first semester the office next to mine was empty and last semester I was just kind of off in a corner. So we talked as we worked and that was cool. One of the ladies gave me some DCP packets to do, which they seem to think is like the worst thing ever and kept apologizing for giving me such a boring assignment and I'm like.....dude, I spent an entire semester doing this basically. This is child's play lol bring on the packets I can do them all. So I did all 4 then reported back to her and expressed my concern about the investigation into the last one that was somewhat lacking (whenever an allegation gets unfounded on the grounds that "it's the kids word versus the foster parents word so I'm gonna believe the foster parent" the kill bill sirens start going off in my head). So that was good. She then asked if I wanted to do some trial prep for a TPR, so I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through a rather large file to write up a timeline of services that mom and dads 1&2 did or did not do (no polygamy, just two different dads for two kids). It wasn't terribly thrilling but it was fine. I left right around 5 to catch the 5:13 train, which I'm gonna have to start leaving a little bit earlier for because the last two times it's been a few minutes early and I've barely made it (it's typical for me to get in anywhere between 8:50 and 9, so I figure 5 minutes here or there evens itself out). Trip home was fine, quickly threw some dinner together and tuned into the flash, most of my excitement stemming from knowing that watching this week's episode meant getting to next week's episode when my bby Len is coming back haha so more of a means to an end than anything else, but I actually really liked the episode! I definitely like, snorted when they showed that in wiping Barry's memories they screwed over Savitar too and now killer frost was like welp, gotta help them fix it lol. The scene with her and Cisco though, like stop it broke my heart so much <\3 like JUST LET CAITLIN BE HAPPY DAMMIT IT ISNT THAT HARD UGHHHH so that made me sad. The main part with Barry was pretty comical, him and Iris were adorable together even with the inevitable this isn't their reality looming over their heads. And they managed to get the probable cause hearing fairly by the book, so I didn't get too pissy over that (I mean, there's no way that would be the only possible way to keep the guy in custody and he would HAVE to be released otherwise, so that part was totally unrealistic, but I realize that was just a necessary plot point). But overall I really liked the episode and then of course the first shot of the preview had me flipping a shit immediately because LEN IS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE WAVERIDER and we already know he was wearing oculus clothing in other shots on the sizzle reel and ugh.......I really don't want to get my hopes up but I can't help it, they're already sky high. I really wouldn't be surprised if it's another fake out, though I would probably be the angriest I've been with them at this point. I guess we'll see where that goes. It took me about 6 minutes to remember that prison break comes on right after the flash (and by remember I mean going to the my shows list to watch B99 and see oh shit it's recording) but I caught up to live pretty quickly. I felt pretty distracted during this week's episode, probably just due to weird mental head space again. But I'm glad they're making progress and then they were like 3 episodes left!!! and I was like what????????? This is way too short lol. But I'm very much looking forward to that teased Michael/Sara reunion for next week because I know it's gonna be epic. Lol, at the end of the episode they're like "Michaels dying!" and I was like lol, when is Michael Scofield not dying? Also, at this point I'm just convinced Michael doesn't know how to give up on anything so he just keeps trying crazier and crazier ideas until one of them inevitably and inexplicably works. But I am enjoying that. So after that, I did watch Brooklyn 99. I may be totally wrong on this, but I could've sworn B99 used to be a half hour show??? I'm probably just wrong but I definitely thought that. This episode at least seemed very distinctly split into two parts, both of which were pretty great. The Rochester partying was hilarious of course as was them recreating what happened. Then there was the whole Amy/Jake storyline with her taking the sergeants exam that led to that super sweet scene of him just being like this is your dream and it's been your dream before we started going out, I've always known you were gonna be my boss anyway and it was really adorable (and then he went all die hard and it was really funny). And yeah, that pretty much capped my tv for the night. I got into a Twitter DM convo with one of the DCTV podcast hosts (I'm being intentionally vague here) regarding the appearance of the waverider in the trailer and they weren't happy about it and was just kind of ranting at legends and normally we just have stupid and amusing conversations about our shows so it got kind of awkward for a minute there but we both calmed down and were like okay it's fine people have opinions lol. And plus they have an entire podcast to rant to about their opinions, so the need to do it to me personally isn't really there. We're fine though, I like them and I enjoy talking to them. And that was pretty much my day. Tomorrow is Wednesday and my third day at "work" for summer. Did I mention I'm the only law clerk in the office right now? My name looks so lonely on the sign in sheet, lol. Most people are still in finals, I just finished really early and wanted to make sure I made it back in time for the child death case to be up so here I am. I'm probably the only law clerk in the building at this point 😂 but yeah, as far as I know I'll finally be going iron the field (maybe I should pack a change of clothes? We didn't discuss this) or maybe she's coming to the courthouse but I'll be interviewing a 5 year old girl who was removed from her mother's care about 2 weeks ago after reports of physical abuse and that mom was a heroin addict with visible track marks on her arm, and she was always referring to her daughter as "that little bitch" and like throwing her around, and also they were living in like complete desolation, like there were holes in the floor and no heat (and this is Chicago and even though ITS FUCKING MAY it's still been freezing) and many other such examples and yeah, it wasn't good. The DCP investigator seemed to think the girl appeared as a normal happy, healthy 5 year old so that's encouraging. I guess we'll see how that goes. Okay, time for bed now. Goodnight punks. Stay awesome.