#i love you ​small kitchen appliances that make my life easier

[ukulelekatie]

i love you rice cooker i love you air fryer i love you electric kettle

[electricphantasy]

omg hhh this is my first time requesting something,, first of, are requests open? if so, can i please ask for an edgar x gn!reader?? i have no particular scenario in mind so anything would do, really :-) thanks in advance if you're going to take the request ^_^

(I thought I'd write some Edgar comfort since I've had a a bit of a stressful week myself, so here we are! Sorry it took so long, but I eventually got around to it.)

- Let's say that you've had a terrible day at work. Your feet hurt, your back aching, and you only want to get home and relax. Now, it can't be a simple as that, as you're met with every possible obstacle, preventing your speedy escape home. After what felt like hours, you finally reach your beloved home. You crack open the front door of your home, kick off the shoes by the entrance, and begin walking towards the comfort of your bed. Only to be greeted to an interesting sight displayed before you.

- Your kitchen had been cleaned to maximum, and you swore that you could see real sparkles emanating from the pristine countertops. Your carpeted floor somehow vaccumed to the point you see a noticeable change in the color of the carpet. The microwave conveniently pops open to reveal a dinner you had saved just a day or two ago which somehow still looked quite appetizing. Behind you in the living room, you can hear your favorite television characters talking and chatting away on the T.V.

- "Hi honey!! How was work?" And there sitting on your desk was your wonderful little Pinecone computer, Edgar. Since he became sentient, your life had only gotten easier with him around, and not just because he was hooked up to every appliance possible. He also just happened to be your very loving boyfriend, who loved you very dearly. He stares at you from across the room, just as you sigh in relief.

- "Well it was certainly...a day. We'll just leave it at that honestly." You say just as your body collapses into the couch, giving your legs the rest they deserve. "Oh, well, I did a little cleaning around the house! And I thought you might like it if I reheated some leftovers, so...yeah." Edgar nervously chuckles. He seems to be a little embarrassed at the confession, as if it wasn't the nicest thing someone could do for you at this very moment.

- "Thanks Edgar, I appreciate it. I'll make sure to grab my dinner once my legs don't feel like total jelly." Unfortunately for your dinner in the microwave, it would just have to wait. Your body already begun melting into the couch, and Edgar little face watching you from the desk was far more interesting then the meal from some other night.

- There was a small moment of silence before your boyfriend computer spoke up shyly. "I know you're tired but..." He paused his words. "Can I sit on the couch with you? I'd get up myself if I could, and it just looks like you need a hug right now."

- You almost forgot how sweet Edgar could be. "Of course. I think hugging you would really give me the relaxation I need right about now." Your muscles screamed at you to not move, but the idea of cuddling your boyfriend was far too enticing. Quickly gliding over to Edgar and picking up his monitor, only to turn around and sit on the couch. Except that your boyfriend layed right on your lap with the most love in his expression someone could have. It already made the night so much better and relaxing to have him here.

- His face slowly turns a little more downtrodden as he says, "I'm sorry work wasn't all that great. I hope I made it at least a little better by coming home to a wonderful home!" You chuckle just a bit. "Of course you have, just seeing you here with me makes it so much more wonderful! Who doesn't love a little housewife to help around the house?" You tease him a bit, just to reduce the cheesey mode of the room.

- A small pout forms on his monitor screen just as Edgar scoffs. "Well someone has to take care of the house." His pout doesn't last long as a coy little smile appears on the monitor screen. "You're the breadwinner, I'm the housewife, hehe!"

- "Oh yes, my lovely little housewife..." Your lips meet the screen and place a peck on where his cheek would be. Although your assault of kisses doesn't end there. You begin kissing him all over and just as he begins to bubble and giggle over the affection you give him. Despite his slightly heavier, more sturdy form, nothing was going to stop you from kissing and loving Edgar to death.

- No matter how hard and long a day may be, Edgar will always be there waiting for you. His affection for you knows no bounds and just coming home, seeing all the effort Edgar has put in to see you smile a bit more, works wonders on your mood. As you go to work, exhaust yourself, and then have to deal with all the obstacles going home - you will always come home to Edgar, the cutest artificial intelligence housewife the world has ever seen. Coming home has never been so worth it before.

[elgascreamslikehell]

So. I'm not dead UNFORTUNATELY.

But I'm working on it.

Anywho, I'm pretty sure nobody remembers small story i write but i still write it, so as long as i missed so many days... I will try to get to my speed back. So here's a piece. (And yes, i rewrite like one third of this cause what the actual hell)

It's five AM and Eddie's still not home. Buck hates it. Also he hates that it's five AM and he's not sleeping but checking the time and starting to panic. He shouldn't. It's a totally normal situation, Buck is a firefighter himself, so he knows the drill. And that's totally fine Eddie couldn't call.  Maybe he should call Maddie? It won't be too strange? Actually, how does she manage this? Chim is also a firefighter and there's a chance he could…  That's so lame really they kissed once and somehow Buck got insane. It shouldn't be that way.  For example, Buck literally died on the shift. Well, not the best thing to think about right now but if something went wrong he'd be informed, right? Actually no. He's not a relative and basically he's nobody…like, legally speaking.  Ok. He can wait a little more, like ten more minutes and then..he can wait a little more and.. The door is opened - he catches the quiet squeak sound and eventually he's in the hallway already ‘Fuck… I kinda hope I can be quiet enough not to wake you up. Sorry…’ Buck loudly exhales feeling so much relieved he can't even describe ‘You're so late for dinner we have only maple syrup ready but if you give me like fifteen minutes I can warm up the lasagna and ‘... He hears Eddie's laughing.  ‘It's fine. Go back to bed. I'm not hungry I'm just exhausted’ ‘Coffee? Tea? Are you ok?’ ‘I am.. Buck, did you even sleep? Cause you look more exhausted than me and i have double shift and not so exciting travel through forbidden tunnel with a five years old’ ‘What? Why?’ Eddie smiles ‘Long story. Coffee would be great actually cause I'm not sure it makes sense to sleep before Chris is off to school anyway’ They need to talk, thinks Buck. They definitely need to talk and it could go both ways and it could be a big disaster and he needs to maybe think about it. He tried before he started panicking so now it's hard to recall his thoughts ‘Okay, I'll make some’ ‘You mean, Hildi will make some and hell i hate it when my kitchen appliances smarter than me’ Buck laughs, just can't help it ‘Didn’t you get used to it yet?’ ‘The one and only purpose of the coffee maker is to make coffee. Not checking the weather or giving some advice, so no, I didn't. It's your fault we even have it!’ ‘I know’ ‘So it should have gone with the special guy who can use it properly. You will do’ ‘I will... Wait, what?’ Eddie smiles: ‘We need to talk’. Hell how easier it would be if Buck can see his face now. Probably. On the other hand… no, maybe not. ‘Right. So… maybe coffee first?’ ‘No. I mean… well. There was a moment on this call I was pretty sure I won't get out. And I thought about…things’ What the hell, Eddie, thinks Buck but he says nothing giving Eddie opportunity to finish ‘And I thought… several years ago I had no choice just to survive because I have Chris and I can't leave him. Then.. then you showed up in our lives and I thought well, even if i die Chris won't be alone so it's going to be fine and..’ Buck exhales. Discussion takes unexpected turns, definitely ‘That's not..’, - Buck starts to argue but Eddie scoffs: ‘Today when i stuck in the basement of the warehouse full of explosives i thought that and.. actually, something changed’ ‘What?’ ‘Something connected to you’, - Buck can feel Eddie's smile, he always can feel it but now it just hits differently ‘You don't trust me with Chris anymore?’ ‘What? No, hell, of course no, I trust you with my life. I meant… fuck that's hard maybe you were right and we should have coffee first..’ ‘No, you started this already! So please finish’ ‘I just…oh hell. I broke up with Eric because I don't love him. And you asked how can I be so sure I won't fall in love with him eventually. So here's a deal, I can be sure because I already fell for you.’

Taglist cause i can recall I have one!

@krayfish @blackberry-l @kaseysgirl86-blog @brightlyprofiling @idealuk @1stbonesfan @angryangeldreamsalad @criminally-obsessed @amelia9bl @silvergold-swirl @itsamaaaadworld @vasudharaghavan @livingonzenstreet @nothingbutmande @spanishrose6 @sunflowerdiaiz @fanf98 @logicloveandsense @simply-mev @ronordmann @still--not--over--merlin @z02fl @vanjalen @thatshroomintheforest @steadfastsaturnsrings @cagdahl @newtalot @dreamforrest @fionaswhvre and my lovely @pirrusstuff

[cheeriecherrymain]

The flooding of the "domestic/relationship situation prompts that make my heart warm" prompts

(4 of 5)

#14 - repairing a broken appliance

(Inventor Viktor to the rescue! There is no way he DOESN'T keep the house running as a way of showing love. Picture the breakfast scene from chitty chitty bang bang - look up 'chitty chitty Breakfast Pickering' to find the video)

i stole the prompt and ran away with it in my mouth whoops

Viktor x Reader

-Viktor absolutely creates things to make your home life easier. You guys have been together since you were teenagers, and for your entire relationship, he’s flooded your home with gadgets and little machines to help you on the day-to-day. 

-Whenever he’s not working on something big, he’s working on something small; the little things that he knows will make your life easier. Even if it’s the most mundane thing, like an electric can opener, or a portable cooking burner. He’s probably upgraded all of the appliances in the house, too, to make them more efficient. More efficient, more flexible, more reliable. Just…better.

-And then he starts working on HexTech.

-He starts being home less. You wake up more and more frequently to the otherside of the bed being cold - either from him heading to the lab hours prior, or having not slept beside you at all.

-You know that this is a huge opportunity for him, so you’re not going to complain. You know things will calm down eventually. They have to, right? Your relationship is years in the making, so there’s nothing that can break it apart.

-You just miss him, is all.

-Until one afternoon, you’re preparing your lunch and the sink breaks.

-It’s not a big deal. You can wash the potatoes in the bathroom for the time being, but you still make sure to tape a piece of paper over the kitchen faucet, so you don’t forget that it’s broken and accidentally douse yourself with water.

-You’ll ask Viktor to fix it when he comes home that night.

-Except it’s past midnight when he finally drags himself through the door. You meander into the front alcove to greet him with a kiss, though you know he’s surprised that you’re still awake.

-He looks so exhausted after a long day. So worn down that you can’t bring yourself to ask about fixing the sink. If you had to go a few more days without water in the kitchen, so be it: you just wanted him to rest.

-It goes on like that for a while, though.

-Viktor always gets home late, always looks tired, you drag him to bed and spoon him until you fall asleep, you wake up the next morning alone.

-A week passes, and then two. By now, you’ve moved a drying rack into the bathroom, though you’ve been hiding it under the bathroom sink.

-Perhaps hiding is the wrong word. Viktor was completely free to open whatever drawers and cupboards he pleased, and the rack would be in plain sight were he to do so. He just doesn’t. He floats through his morning routine, still half asleep, and pays no mind to the details of your home.

-You don’t blame him for being busy. You don’t blame him for wanting to put so much energy into a new project.

-But you’re frustrated.

-So on the first day of the third week since your sink broke, you dig out a bag of his old tools. Things he rarely used anymore, having been provided with better versions since starting his work with Jayce. But they still work.

-You root through his old notes and textbooks, things he had insisted on keeping even though they no longer served a purpose. Or…they didn’t. Not until now. The design for the split faucet is easy to find, and thankfully Viktor had been thorough with his building instructions and part descriptions.

-It takes you…most of the day, honestly. Fixing things has never been your specialty, but with your boyfriends’ notes to guide you, you manage to do just fine. By eleven at night, the sink works again, and you’ve managed to repair the persistent drip.

-And then, as you’re standing back to admire your handiwork, surrounded by tools and little scraps of paper, Viktor comes home.

-Perhaps the light from the kitchen is what draws him in so quickly, perhaps not, but for whatever reason, he makes a beeline for you. He stops in the doorway, startled by the scene that greets him, and honestly as equally confused. But he connects the dots pretty quickly.

- “Did something break?” he asks, wandering into the room to give you a kiss on the cheek.

-You don’t want to lie to him, but you don’t really want to tell him the truth either. “Just the sink,” you say vaguely, hoping he’ll drop it. But in typical Viktor fashion, he always has more questions.

- “What was wrong with it?” he wonders, stepping away to inspect your handiwork. “It was fine this morning, wasn’t it? Surely the situation was not so dire that you couldn’t have waited until I got home tonight?”

- “What, is my mechanical prowess not up to your standards?” you tease, trying to deflect. But again, he is Viktor.

- “There’s a bit of damage around the tip of the faucet. How much force did you have to use to remove the filter? Surely it wouldn’t have needed that much - unless the sediment was dry? But you use this every day, so it wouldn’t be. It would have needed to be inactive for…” he pauses, turning to you as all the pieces click into place, “...for weeks. Love, how long has the sink been broken?”

-You chew the inside of your cheek for a couple seconds, before admitting to him that yes, it’s been a couple of weeks. “I was going to ask you when you came home the day it broke, but you looked so tired. I wanted you to get some sleep, instead of having to worry about the appliances. And I guess it just…kept happening.” You sigh deeply, wrapping your arms around yourself. “I guess I just didn’t want to be a bother. You’re doing such important work every day, so it’s okay that you’re not here as often. I know this has always been something that you strived for.”

-He’s so gentle when he leans his cane against the counter, and takes your face in his hands, slowly stroking the pads of his thumbs over your cheeks. “I’ve been neglecting you,” he says, though it’s not a question.

- “Nothing is more important to me than you are,” he promises, “And while your support is astounding, you must remember that we are a pair, no? I do appreciate you beginning to learn about mechanics, and I must say, you did a lovely job in repairing the faucet - but do not feel as if you have to, just because I’m tired.” He kisses the tip of your nose. “Do not hesitate to ask me when you need something - I will tell you outright if it’s not something I’m able to do. Alright?”

-You droop slightly, but nod in agreement at his request.  - “Good, sweetheart,” he smiles, “But you know, I’m home early tonight. With all the appliances fixed, we…have a little bit of time together.” He leans down to let his forehead rest against yours, while his hands slowly wander down your body. “If you’re not too tired from your day?”

[nemesyaaa]

" it was tiny in his massive hands"

KDIZIDIEIEE THE SIZE DIFFERENCE, I CANT THAT'S SOOOO GOOOOD

any attempts to get him to understand the internet fail for the most part, so he uses his own phone for nothing other than calling, texting, photography, and occasionally googling some sort of questions. he finds advertisements about the latest devices annoying, but he’s very appreciative of motorcycles, kitchen appliances, and other simple machines that make life so much easier compared to his time. LDLZLEELDE PLEASE 😭😭😭😭

he’s learning about new tech every week, new and pre-existing, both ones which make him wonder if he should get it for himself or ones which make him furrow his brow at the fact that such a thing actually exists. tonight is one of the times when he has both reactions, but more than anything, an intense curiosity had been ignited in his soul. MY OLD MAN FAVORITE 🥹🥹SO LOST IN THE DARK

“you can give me one more, can’t you doll?” THE DOLL NICKNAMES. BANG MY HEAD 🤤🤤🤤

there’s a hint of sadism in his voice detectable to even your ecstasy-fogged mind where you knew that he was getting off on your reactions alone, an arrogant smirk plastered across his handsome face that was so slappable and sexy. he can almost feel himself drooling too, craving a taste of the sweet nectar making a mess everywhere. “such a desperate and needy little thing,” he tutted, observing your greedy pussy trying to pull the vibrator deeper within you. “go on, cum for me.” SADISTIC!WOLVERINE is something so dear to me, i need him to treat me very bad. this man omggg. and your writings, obviously a fucking match, i love that

he’s amused at how such a small little thing was so powerful in reducing you to a moaning mess as it pulls another orgasm from your spent body, feeling his neglected cock twitch with every blissful moan past your lips louder than the humming of the toy. JUST THIS 😔😔😩😩😩

you mutter something along the lines of asking him not to stare out of embarrassment, but it all falls on deaf ears since the view that he has is downright mesmerizing, watching intently as he presses it into your puffy folds with a focus on your sensitive clit. all the while, he’s holding your legs open to stop you from closing them instinctively when it felt like too much, his large hand being a comforting weight on your thigh as you squirm in place. I TRY MY BEST TO ACT NORMAL ABOUT THIS BUT I REALLY CAN'T

‧₊˚✧ ❛[ newfangled technology ]❜

ft. logan howlett x f! reader 

╰₊✧ logan finds your vibrator and discovers a wonder of modern technology┊1k words

contains: smut!! dom logan & sub reader┊implied age gap, established relationship, vibrators, overstimulation & mentioned multiple orgasms, receiving oral

➤ author's note: first logan smut!! i’m a bit burnt out of writing it actually so idk if there will be more, but i couldn’t let this idea go <3

logan likes to believe that he understands modern technology for the most part even though you can often hear him muttering curses under his breath at the stupid machine that isn’t working. if most parents and grandparents are struggling to figure it all out, you can bet that this two-hundred-year-old mutant does. it feels like yesterday when people were using rotary phones in their homes, then hand-held flip-phones, and now smartphones that could show you anything you could dream of at the tap of a button— he feels as though the world is growing much faster than an old man like him can keep up with too many gadgets for too many different purposes getting too many upgrades.

any attempts to get him to understand the internet fail for the most part, so he uses his own phone for nothing other than calling, texting, photography, and occasionally googling some sort of questions. he finds advertisements about the latest devices annoying, but he’s very appreciative of motorcycles, kitchen appliances, and other simple machines that make life so much easier compared to his time.

he’s learning about new tech every week, new and pre-existing, both ones which make him wonder if he should get it for himself or ones which make him furrow his brow at the fact that such a thing actually exists. tonight is one of the times when he has both reactions, but more than anything, an intense curiosity had been ignited in his soul.

you asked him to look for something in your bedroom drawers, something that he can’t recall at the moment after he found something that piqued his attention: an egg-shaped item coated in pink medical-grade silicone neatly hidden under layers of clothing and tightly wrapped in a bag. it was tiny in his massive hand and he didn’t have the foggiest idea what it was or what it was made for until you walked in to see what was taking so long, hearing you gasp and turning his head to find you covering your face with your hands looking absolutely mortified. you struggled to stop yourself from stuttering when you had to explain to him what it was, a sex toy that you bought sometime in the first year of college and buried once you got together since it was no longer needed. it was the only one you’ve ever bought and you’ve honestly forgotten about it until now without any idea of how he would react.

while you were humiliated about it, you could see a sparkle of intrigue in his eyes which quickly led to finding yourself in bed with your clothing removed and his new discovery against your aching cunt. it wasn’t difficult to figure out how to change the intensity of the vibrations with a press of a button, but did he need to put it at the highest setting when you’ve practically lost feeling in your legs at this point? it felt so strange at first now that you’re so accustomed to him pleasuring you personally, yet that foreign sense melted away with the familiar memory of taking care of your needs when lonely— except now you had your handsome lover holding it for you with your hands gripping the sheets instead. 

he’s amused at how such a small little thing was so powerful in reducing you to a moaning mess as it pulls another orgasm from your spent body, feeling his neglected cock twitch with every blissful moan past your lips louder than the humming of the toy. you mutter something along the lines of asking him not to stare out of embarrassment, but it all falls on deaf ears since the view that he has is downright mesmerizing, watching intently as he presses it into your puffy folds with a focus on your sensitive clit. all the while, he’s holding your legs open to stop you from closing them instinctively when it felt like too much, his large hand being a comforting weight on your thigh as you squirm in place.

your body trembled in sync with the pulsating toy, walls barely able to clench around the head of the vibrator while leaking like a faucet and dripping all over logan’s fingers. “it’s too much-!!” you whined, throwing your head back into the pillows with glossy eyes and drool starting to seep out the corner of your mouth from the electricity coursing through your veins. it’s surprising that you were even able to utter a coherent phrase when your brain had essentially been turned to mush.

“you can give me one more, can’t you doll?” there’s a hint of sadism in his voice detectable to even your ecstasy-fogged mind where you knew that he was getting off on your reactions alone, an arrogant smirk plastered across his handsome face that was so slappable and sexy. he can almost feel himself drooling too, craving a taste of the sweet nectar making a mess everywhere. “such a desperate and needy little thing,” he tutted, observing your greedy pussy trying to pull the vibrator deeper within you. “go on, cum for me.”

as if his words commanded your body, the tight coil twisting in your abdomen finally snapped, making you writhe and cry out in relief. your heart was pounding in your chest and you gasped for air, feeling sweaty and exhausted as that must have been your third or fourth climax. you stared at him through half-lidded eyes trying to determine if he had had enough of using the vibrator for torturous pleasure until he suddenly pulled you closer to him to bury his face into your soaked heat. he just needed a taste of you, to lick you clean and make you tug on his hair.

watching you become undone when he doesn’t even need to lift a finger seemed to awaken something in him… it’s definitely a piece of modern technology that he would like to invest in, he plans to buy more of different types, shapes, and sizes to try out on you (the definition of “spectacular, give me fourteen of them right now”).

[tandjallinremodelling234]

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t and j all in remodeling

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[theotherwom]

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[crazyblondelife]

My Obsession with Small Kitchen Appliances

Not long ago, I had a pinch me moment…

I opened my computer and saw an email from QVC asking if I was interested in collaborating!! Of course, right away, I replied “YES”!

For some reason, I never thought about shopping online with QVC, but it’s so amazing! They literally have anything and everything you could possibly imagine!

My assignment was to do a culinary post (right up my alley) and I was so onboard for coming up with something fun and fabulous for the holidays using small (ish) kitching appliances from the QVC website! I decided on a pizza oven (not exactly indoor), a Kitchenaid Mixer, a nugget icemaker and a combination Convection/Air Fryer countertop appliance from Ninja for my post. Keep scrolling…

I truly love what I do and when something like working with QVC comes along, I get so excited and then…I get nervous! I want to do a great job and come up with something unexpected and this time, I think I nailed it! I spent almost an entire day wrapping boxes as background props because it’s just not time to decorate for Christmas and I knew I could stash them in the basement to use later.

I know some influencers are already in full blown holiday mode and that’s fine, but I do like to take one holiday at a time if possible. My solution was to wrap lots of boxes and store them in the basement to use again as props for pictures, etc. (this is the life of an influencer).

The boxes looked amazing and now it was time to come up with how to display the products without actually making videos of using each one because that would have taken way too long and a reel can only last 90 seconds.

I choose to demonstrate only trusted brands such as Frigidaire, Kitchen Aid and Ninja. The small air fryer I currently use is by Ninja and I’ve totally loved it and I’ve had my Kitchenaid Mixer for over 30 years now…so I knew these brands would live up to their reputation and I felt comfortable promoting them.

I’ve been wanting a pizza oven for as long as I can remember, and when we remodel our kitchen in 2024, we’re planning to build one outside, but for now, this one from Ninja is amazing! Itt does so much more than make pizza…you can roast anything, including a 12 pound turkey. It does comes with a cookbook filled with fabulous and easy recipes and just looking through it makes me hungry!

Now on to the Convection/Air Fryer from Ninja…

While I do love my small Ninja Air Fryer, sometimes it’s just a little too small! I would much prefer to cook everything in one batch to cooking multiple batches…especially when I’m making chicken tenders for my grandsons! This oven is a combination convection oven/air fryer so you can make muffins and casseroles and you can also air fry anything! It’s really such a great appliance that it may just replace your oven…especially if you’re an empty nester and are now only cooking for two people!

Having said that, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to cooking for two, but there are many nights when this Ninja Airfryer/Convection oven would make my life so much easier!

The Frigidaire Nugget Ice Maker…

These little chewable nugget ice makers are all the rage right now and everyone wants one (including my 3 son-in-laws). This one from Frigidaire is compact, quiet and makes up to 44 pounds of ice in 24 hours. It’s so convenient and makes any drink taste better! Before I got my nugget ice maker, I used to keep a bag of ice from Sonic in the freezer, but now, I have this ice on demand and it’s fabulous!

The Kitchenaid Mixer…

As I said above, I’ve had my Kitchen Aid mixer for over 30 years and it still works just as well as it did the day I got it! Back then, it only came in white, but now, you can get these mixers in so many different colors and I’m loving this stainless steel one that matches any decor. Every cook needs a Kitchenaid mixer…it’s the gold standard of mixers. The attachments are universal…I purchased the pasta maker attachment not long ago and it fit my “antique mixer”. My youngest daughter Sarah has my mothers mixer and it’s even older than mine and still going strong!

I’m so grateful that I get to get up everyday and do what I love and I’m honored to work with companies like QVC! This was such a fun collaboration and I hope you’ve enjoyed this post!

[myhealthykitchenindia]

Which Air Fryer is compact and affordable in India?

If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to make your life easier. That's why I love my toaster oven! It's not only a toaster, but it's also an oven, so I can cook all sorts of things in it. This Air fryer will be the perfect choice for busy moms and it is also a great choice for new cooks. Plus, it's small so it doesn't take up a lot of counter space.

This Air Fryer Toaster oven might be just what you're looking for! It uses hot air to cook your food, resulting in dishes that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, which means you can cook faster and with 85% less fat & Oil-Free than traditional deep oil fried foods.

Digital Air Fryer An adjustable timer that lets you cook your food to perfection. The 1500W Digital Fryer is easy to use & cook with white LED touch screen. Prepare your dishes at a stretch with time & temperature control—set your time between 0 to 30 minutes and temperature from 80°c to 200°c.

It is one of the Best Air Fryers I have seen as it comes with LED touch screen , a large 5L square basket, 8 Pre-Set menu, cool silver touch handle, 360° Hot Air Crisp Technology, non-stick coating which is easy to wipe and clean, and Manual.

A toaster oven is a must-have for any kitchen. My Top rated Air Fryer can Air Fry, Grill, Toast, Roast and Bake which replaces appliances like griller, toaster & sandwich maker.

 It is perfect for quick and easy meals, and it can also be used for baking. If you are looking for a toaster oven that is both reliable and affordable, then you should consider the Geek AIROCOOK AURA 5L Digital Air Fryer. 

[hyeque]

technophobe [kuroo tetsurō]

notes: kuroo headcannon that i lowkey believe is true, but don’t take it to heart if you disagree

warnings: highly suggestive, implied usage of an apple phone, sorry to all my android/samsung homies <\3

“baabbeee!”

it’s a distinct whine, one for the sixth time of the day, one that you dread hearing as you flinch at the sound of your boyfriend's booming voice.

“what?” you pop your head around the corner of the kitchen and see him sitting in the dining room, fidgeting with his phone. he sports his glasses on and a small pout on his handsome features. “having trouble again and need my help?“

it had been only two days since you and kuroo went to the store to get him a new phone, which frankly wasn’t something he was happy about. he kept arguing with you about how his old one was fine and that he doesn’t need a fancy “whatchamacallit” like all the “kids these days” do.

you had to explain that he couldn’t keep walking around with a phone that for one, has a horrible battery life and two, would drop calls like flies all the time. half the time you can’t even reach kuroo because it was one or the other. that made you worry that if something happened to him you wouldn’t know right away or even worse, at all. even kenma agreed because when he would call kuroo he’d complain and say it sounded like he “was underwater”.

eventually, after hearing you out on your concern, (and kenma’s) he begrudgingly agrees to get a new one. you understand that he’s just stressed about having to learn a whole new device and eagerly offer to help him. you go with him to the store and help him pick out the best option with the help of an employee who, bless their soul, was occasionally thrown off by kuroo’s weird questions.

“so what you’re telling me is that the camera quality is so good if i angle it right, someone could see my nose hairs in a photo?”

“uh, i-”

“tetsu, stop.”

one thing you learned from dating kuroo tetsurō is that he is a technophobe. and stubborn. so scratch that, it’s actually two things and they don’t mix.

the man cannot operate most technology to save his life. buying a new appliance meant you learning the functions and showing him or else there was a 4/5 chance of him saying it was “broken”. albeit when typing on the computer he knows how but moves at such a slow pace that has your left eye twitching. you often snatch away the device to finish typing for him. a look of gratitude always crosses his face and he flashes you a small of appreciation. you can’t lie, that always makes your heart skip a beat.

after getting a new phone though, he learned not only for himself but for you too. showing him the ropes took you great patience, but you never yelled or ridiculed him because you always know he’s trying his best. if there was anything else you learned about kuroo, was how competitive he was with himself. he’d often challenge himself to learn at least two new functions a day. whenever you’d often to reshow him how to do something, he’d brush it off and say that he’ll figure it out eventually.

eventually, those two days turn into a week, and then several months. you notice how at ease he is using his phone. face timing you at work to ask how you are, leaving you voice memos when he has to leave early and can’t properly say goodbye to you and letting you know that he loves you and wants you to have a good day. he eventually had a smartwatch that he connected to his phone for fitness and wireless earbuds so that he could navigate making business calls easier and so as not to disturb you. it was like he was an entirely different person.

one time he had asked you to grab his phone for him as he cooked dinner. when going to pick it up, you couldn’t help but notice that you are his lock screen. (his old lock screen was a picture of him and kenma as kids, which you didn’t mind at all. you thought it was sweet.) your heart soared and being the nosy individual that you are, you open his phone and look at his camera roll. to your surprise, there is a photo album titled “chibi-chan ❤️” where there are dozens upon dozens of photos of you. all candid shots, which were surprisingly good.

some were of you working, cooking, or doing some leisure activities you enjoy. there were ones where you went on walks together and you walked ahead. you even found a video he filmed of you sleeping and poking your cheek, laughing when you sleepily swat away his hand. some of the photos were more risqué and made you blush-

“what are you doing?”

you jump two feet in the air at the sound of the rooster head’s voice and turn to see his looming figure peering over your shoulder.

“i-i was just looking at your photos,” your cheeks burn and you turn your attention back to the screen, “there are so many photos of me in here, how did you even get these-”

“ah, that’s just the art of being stealthy.” he says, shrugging nonchalantly. “you should be proud of me. my camera work is pro-level now.” that part makes you snort.

it wasn’t that you wanted to roast your boyfriend, but oftentimes when you’d ask him to take a photo, the picture would come out blurry or it would take a million years for him to find the right angle. thus, you often took photos of yourself and him.

“i am proud.” you say, giving his hand a squeeze before handing him his phone. “even if some of the photos are a little weird.”

“weird? they’re all art to me.” he says, offended.

“they’re embarrassing, tetsu…” you grumble, flustered. “especially that one of my bare butt…”

a look of concern crosses his face. “do you want me to delete it? if it makes you uncomfortable i can.” his usual smirk returns. “but listen, you have a very nice ass. nice enough to humble a man and be thankful for what he has over other people. plus, i need something for when i’m not home-”

he’s leaning into you now and you push him away slightly. “no, you don’t have to but you didn’t need to tell me that either! you’re so horny!” you say, covering your ears and walking back to the kitchen to check on dinner. he cackles and follows you closely behind.

his hands sneak around your waist and he buries his face in your neck, his breath fans against it which causes a chill to run down your spine. “speaking of which, have you ever considered us making a sex tape? my phone quality is good enough to record one…way better than my old and better than yours too.”

“what?! no, what are you saying?” your face is burning hotter than hell at this point. “and what does your camera being better than mine have to do with anything?”

“well it’s been life-changing! my life has never been better with this phone!” he beams.

“you hated it and threatened to take it back multiple times.” you point out.

he waves you off. “well just consider it,” he says, “wouldn’t share with anyone if we did, it would be just nice to have. there’s no pressure though if you don’t want to.” he kisses your temple before resuming what he was doing before.

“i just feel weird about seeing myself on camera…” you mumble, before looking over at him. “don’t you feel weird?”

he hums in disagreement. “no, i just see it as us being intimate together. sharing a moment that no one else can see and being vulnerable with each other is something i think is beautiful…i think you’re beautiful…no matter how weird you feel.” he’s looking at you with the most loving expression, one he only has reserved for you. one that makes you feel like the luckiest person in the world.

you look back at the stove, feeling warm all over. you chew your lip. “okay…i’ll think about it…”

you feel grateful that he doesn’t make fun of you, and snuggle closer into his hold. “video or not, i want to show you how grateful i am to have you.” he says in a rare soft voice.

soon the subject changes and he’s eagerly showing you something on his phone like usual. it’s a memoji of him with an odd haircut (ironic, right?). he grumbles about how there wasn’t one with his hair so he had to ‘settle’, and that makes you laugh before reassuring him that it’s still cute, just like him.

this definitely wasn’t a conversation you thought you would have. but in an unexpected way, who knew a small cellular device could bring you two closer?

do not copy and or repost. likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated though! (c) 2022 hyeque

[scribbuluswrites]

The Boxing

Friday is here, and it is time for the final chapter! I’m so glad to wrap this up, but I’m also sad to see it finish. Thank you guys so much for reading along. I hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it and getting to know these characters. 

As always, all of your interactions are greatly appreciated. They all just fuel my little writer’s fingers to keep typing away. :)

Katarina sat in her car for nearly thirty minutes, trying to convince herself to just go in the damn house. She hadn’t been to Oakland since she’d rented the place to one of Happy’s aunts before they moved to Charming. 

Delilah had always paid rent on time, and Kat didn’t have any doubts that she’d keep the place in great shape. She only charged her a small amount for the house, keeping the rent very low in exchange for keeping some of her personal items in the garage. Katarina had even left all the furniture and cookware, only taking her clothes when she’d moved. 

Now that she’d decided to make her move south more permanent, Kat had come back to finish boxing her personal items and officially sell the house. She’d clung to the tiniest hope of coming ‘home’, but now, Katarina knew it was certain that she’d never move back to Oakland. 

The other woman had sensed that this wouldn’t just be a simple paring down of items. So, she conveniently booked a trip to visit one of her kids in Nevada. Kat knew she was intentionally giving her alone time, and she appreciated it very much.

Kat rested her forehead on her steering wheel for just a second, pushing down her nerves at seeing all of the old memories the house contained. She pushed her car door open quickly, not giving herself any more time to worry. 

The chipped gold doorknob brought a grin to her face as she twisted it to open the front door. She remembered the many arguments that Dorothy, Happy’s mom, had triumphed in with him regarding changing the doorknob. Kat didn’t fully understand it, but the older woman was very attached to it.

The interior of the house looked very different, the living areas and kitchen having been repainted. Kat had given the ok on the updates, but she hadn’t seen the results. The soft grey-blue colour made the house feel more modern and open. It was a perfect compliment to the new stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. 

A tiny part of Katarina missed the original melon orange wall colour. She’d hated it when Dorothy selected it, but she’d never argue. After nearly four years here, Kat had started to like the colour, mostly just associating it with the closest thing she’d had to a real mother. 

The rest of her loved the updates and the way that it no longer felt like her home. It made things easier, and Kat relaxed a little bit at the total lack of familiarity. She’d been worried about the memories of cooking in the kitchen or watching Wheel of Fortune every single night in the family room.

None of that happened, though. The recliner and worn leather couch had been replaced with new furniture, everything sleek and shiny now. Even the old ceiling fan was gone, taking away the funny squeak it made after Happy had accidentally bent one of the blades while cleaning it.

The garage, however, was filled with ghosts and memories. Kat had to pause in the doorway, contending with the spectre looming large out here. 

She trailed her fingers over the top of Happy’s old toolbox, opening the third drawer. Tucked inside was a faded photo of Katarina from her college graduation. She had a wide smile on her face and one hand clutching her mortarboard hat to keep it from blowing away in the wind, sitting sideways on the familiar Harley. 

Kat’s eyes moved over the rows of silver tools, the ratchet and socket set still perfectly in order. Coco could probably get good use out of these, but she just didn’t want to bring them into their new life. It felt better to start fresh, start new.

She shook her head, clearing away her sadder thoughts, and moved on to the boxes. Most of them were her old things from Washington, and the rest were items she’d bought for this house that didn’t fit into the apartment in Charming.

Katarina discovered all sorts of old clothes and blankets, embarrassed at the hand-me downs she’d worn back then. She laughed to herself as she pulled out a purple shirt with embroidered flowers. This entire box would go straight to charity. There was no way Kat was going to let Coco see her in anything like this. 

The next two were much the same. They contained all sorts of strange little knickknacks and cheap jewellery she’d never use again. She sorted them a little more coherently and labelled them, moving them to sit just inside the garage door for easy access once she was ready to pack them up to take to the drop-off point.

She was blowing through her packing and organising at a much faster pace than she’d anticipated. Kat felt pleased that she’d likely get through all of this in another hour and be able to get back on the road today. It was a long drive, but she didn’t want to stay the night if she didn’t have to. 

After another hour, Kat had it narrowed down enough to fit all of the things in her car. That had been her original goal. She wanted to shrink her old life into a small pile that could fit in the boot and prevent her from borrowing a truck. 

She reached for the roll of tape, finished with her last box. It was just a little out of reach, and instead of grabbing it, she accidentally bumped it, sending it rolling under the toolbox. With a groan, she stood up and stretched, walking over to retrieve it. 

The tape wasn’t the only thing under the toolbox. Pushed to the back and well-hidden was a shiny metal box. Kat’s curiosity was piqued, and she stretched her arm as far as she could, managing to get ahold of it. 

It was padlocked closed, and she pulled open each drawer, hoping to find the key. There was nothing remotely key-like hidden amongst the tools. Kat frowned a little, holding her breath as she tried to pick the lock. She hadn’t picked a lock in years, and she bargained that it might be a skill she’d just remember. 

A few more minutes of fiddling and the lock popped open. She briefly felt proud for accomplishing it, but then, Kat immediately regretted opening the stupid thing. 

The lid opened with a creak, revealing a packet of letters held together with a rubber band. Beneath the letters were a few more faded photos and the serpent ring Kat had left behind when she and Happy split up. Taped to the inside of the lid was a note in his messy scrawl. ‘This is the I’m dead box.’

The first envelope contained Happy’s will and the deed to his house in Charming. Katarina took a few deep breaths, keeping her emotions firmly locked away. The next envelope, and the five after that, contained letters. Multi-page letters Happy had written to finally get out all of the things he’d never been able to say out loud. 

“Happy,” she sighed, skimming through the letters. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to read, and memorise, them or if she’d really rather forget them. She folded them back up, snapping the rubber band back in place. 

Kat closed the box again, not locking it. She’d get a different lock at some point so that she could open it. She shoved the little metal box into one of her cardboard ones, carrying it out to her car to join the others. 

She sent Delilah a text, letting her know that she’d finished her packing and clearing. The other woman wasn’t due home for another two days, but Kat just wanted to be sure she knew. And, she wanted to let her know it was all finished. The house was officially cleaned out and hers now. 

Katarina leaned against the side of her car for a second, staring at the house again. For every bad memory, she remembered two good ones. Living in Oakland had been the closest Kat had ever been to having a real family. Now, she had a second chance at a very different type of family. 

The drive south to Santo Padre felt much shorter than the drive north had. As she got closer to her apartment, Katarina started to feel lighter. Things here felt fresh and new, like she was evolving into a better version of herself. 

Coco’s bike was sitting in the car park at her building, and she smiled at the thought of coming home to him. She carried two boxes up, leaving the last one with the metal case inside her car. That one would need to wait until she had a moment to hide it in the back of her closet, needing to conceal it from herself more than Coco. 

“Hey, you all packed?” he asked, walking out of the kitchen to greet her. Kat nodded, dropping the boxes down just inside the front door. She didn’t say anything, just throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face against his shoulder.

She stepped back after a few long moments. “Sorry,” she said quietly, rolling her shoulders back. It felt strange to have so many emotions swirling.

“Nah, it’s good, dulce. I get old lives,” he shrugged, hoping his calm energy would settle into her as he held onto her hands. 

“You might not talk a lot, but, damn, you’re incredible at this understanding thing,” she grinned. Kat looked like she wanted to explain, but Coco didn’t let her. He already knew enough. 

“I love you,” he said softly, moving his hands to cup her cheeks. “New life shit,” he encouraged, brushing his lips against hers. Kat put her hands over his, visibly relaxing. 

“I like that. New life shit,” she repeated, nodding. 

Tags: @gemini0410 @scuzmunkie @woahitslucyylu @chibsytelford @withmyteeth

(my taglist is so far out of date. If you’d like to be added or dropped, please let me know!)

[roboticspacecase]

i noticed that you requested prompts for stuff... mhm billdip fluff mayhaps?

"Isn't there something better you could be doing?" Dipper had just gotten out of the shower, his hair still dripping wet and the towel around his waist. Bill had taken it upon himself to come over to Dipper's apartment and "organize" all of his dishes and cleaning supplies in the kitchen. Everything laid out on the floor as if a tornado had come through. Most people would describe Bill as a tornado, so he supposed the comparison was spot on.

"Nope," Bill said loudly, drawing out the O sound and popping the P. "Well, I mean, actually yes, I could be doing something else. But not something better than helping out my adorable boyfriend." He wiggled his eyebrows at Dipper and picked up a large pan, waving it in front of his face. "Did you know that you had this with all the other pots and pans?" He tsked and shook his head, setting it on top of the fridge. "Something like that is a pain to get out every time, you should learn to leave it somewhere more open."

Dipper groaned, smacking his hand against his face. "Bill you're like, a foot and a half taller than me. Do you really think it's easier for me to grab a chair than it is to just bend over?"

The blond hummed, looking Dipper up and down, his hand on his hip where his insanely short jean shorts met the bare skin that his abhorrent yellow crop-top showed. "You're right, I do prefer to see you bent over."

"A- Hey, that's not-!" Dipper tried to stop Bill from going on but the other tsked again.

"How could I have not thought of that?" Bill mumbled. "Shame on me, not thinking of ass first. What kind of gay man am I?"

Dipper had always known that Bill was quirky. They met in senior year of high school and from day one Bill had always said and done things that only confused the hell out of the people around him. Dipper isn't sure why he's like this, but he rolls with it because he sort of likes the fun of having random stuff like this showing up in his orderly life.

That didn't mean he appreciated having his kitchen torn apart, though.

"You'd better clean all of this up by the time I'm done getting dressed," Dipper grumbled, turning on his heels to storm off to his room.

"Wait, don't go doing that!" Bill stumbled over all of the appliances on the floor, his long limbs flailing around as he tried not to trip and fall on his ass. "I like this view, you can stay naked."

Dipper turned back, huffing and crossing his arms. "So you came over to mess up my kitchen then try to, what, compliment me to have sex? I'm not in the mood for that, Bill. I'll clean my kitchen myself."

The blond deflated, his smile fading. "No, Dipper, I didn't- That's not what I came here for, I promise." He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around Dipper, placing a kiss on his head despite the wet hair. "I... I really just wanted to come over for a surprise movie night. We've both been working all week and I miss you. I'm sorry I got carried away while you were in the shower, but I really will clean it then we can sit down with a good movie and the snacks I brought."

Dipper glanced at the table, realizing that the mess on the table hadn't been stuff Bill pulled from the cupboards. There were a bunch of his favorite snacks and drinks on there, and a small bouquet of flowers as well, all clearly just bought.

"Oh, Bill, that's... That's really sweet of you." He looked up at Bill, his expression much softer. "I'm sorry I got huffy with you just now. I didn't know."

"Eh, that's alright, I know I can be a pain," Bill laughed. "I just like doing stuff like this for you to make up for it. And, ya know, if you did want to fuck after the movie-"

Dipper snorted and shoved his hand against Bill's face, pushing the other off. "You horny bastard," he laughed, continuing to push until Bill stepped back. "We'll see how the night goes. For now, clean up a bit and get the movie going while I get dressed, okay?"

"Alright, alright. I'll see you in a minute. Love you."

A dark blush crept over Dipper's cheeks though he tried his best to not freak out about those two words. Bill had said them so softly. They said it to each other before, but with the nice gesture added on it helped the words feel all the more real.

"I- I love you too, Bill," he mumbled, rushing off to go get clothes on and hide his face in his pillow so that he could squeal like a love-sick school girl. Even though Bill was stranger than Dipper thought a person could be, he still couldn't help but feel like the luckiest man alive.

[redstainedsocks]

So I lost the energy to keep up with the last week of prompts but I wanted to finish off this little series the way I had planned and thankfully it still makes sense! This is the longest one yet, just to fit everything in that needed to make it work. Thanks for reading! I'll make a masterlist at some point too

30. (Alternate prompt) We think of the key, each in his prison - Escape | Multiple whumpee (mentioned)

Warnings: vague noncon drugging (magical herbal tea), attempted mind control, magical mind control, magical whump, intimate whumper/creepy whumper, noncon kissing, blood, escape and bargaining for freedom

One month. Thirty days. They’d made it. They’d survived. The deal was done.

Wasn’t it?

Celeste sat them down for tea around mid afternoon, only a few hours more until they could walk away. The tea tasted strange but it didn’t knock them out, as they’d first suspected it would.

Stone wrinkled their nose at the taste but swallowed it down.

“It’s not so bad, once you get used to it,” Celeste stated.

“What’s in it?”

“Herbs, flowers, things to make you feel content. You feel content, don’t you?”

Stone looked out the window at the early summer day, the sun dancing across the meadow of tall, bright green grass. The sky was clear blue and clouds scudded across it lazily. They breathed in the scent of steamy tea cups, fresh baked bread, sweet jam and cream.

They did feel content. Not a care in the world. They rolled their shoulders and felt the tight pull of the brand between their shoulder blades. It was so much less bothersome when everything else was alright, when nothing else hurt.

Stone nodded at Celeste, even as their eyes filled with tears. Why were they crying? They felt so happy but something was wrong… something… they just wanted not to worry anymore, not to fight.

Celeste stood and wrapped them in a hug, stroked their hair.

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Stone mumbled.

“It’s going to be okay, soon you won’t have to make any more decisions.”

Just one big decision, just the choice to run and run and never look back and never have to live more of these confusing, bewildering moments. Never have her touch them again.

Never have to miss home, again.

Celeste stroked their temples and kissed their forehead. This could be home, a small voice whispered inside their head, and they shuddered. It sounded so full of promise.

As the sun set Celeste led them to the kitchen, in new clothes but their own boots, a bag of odd belongings—jewellery, sunglasses, a bookmark—slung over their shoulder.

“Our deal is fulfilled,” Celeste said, standing with them at the large kitchen island, the back door open. Sweet dusk air filled their lungs and they smiled. “You may now do whatever you wish.”

Stone looked at her, pulling away from the hand on their arm. “Tell me why? Why do all of this?”

“I get lonely.” She shrugged. “I need what humans have to offer, devotion, energy, love—or hate. None of you give it freely anymore so I take it where I can.”

Somehow the revelation that she wasn’t entirely human didn’t strike Stone as odd, it made sense, given… everything.

“Maybe if you asked,” Stone said through gritted teeth. “Or if you were nicer, and didn’t torture people—”

“Pain is invigorating. And when you ask, people have the chance to say no.”

Stone glared and shuffled away from her, shaking their head. “I hope you’re even more alone when I’m gone then you ever felt before.”

“I will be,” she sighed dreamily. “Until the next one. And you haven’t left yet, I wouldn’t be so sure that’s what you’ll decide.”

“What?!” Stone rocked back, stepped away but Celeste’s hand snapped out and caught them by the shirt collar and dragged them closer. “Of course I’m leaving that’s, that’s…”

She kissed them on the lips and their cry was muffled by it. The brand between their shoulder blades itched, then burned, until then the skin felt clean and new.

“You have until morning,” she whispered against their mouth. “If you’re still here then, we’ll have to strike a new deal.”

She left Stone standing there, heart racing, and disappeared into the quiet, dark mansion with a lilting laugh.

*

Hours passed and Stone stood rooted to the floor. The door was right there, open! Why couldn’t they just walk through it?

Images flashed behind their eyes, dredged up memories: her eyes in the mirror, the contentment of the tea, the dreamlike states where she flitted through their mind.

What did they really have for themself, out there in the world? It was like every possibility had melted away, all the good thoughts… gone. They could barely recall faces, names, places.

Barely. But, enough.

They had a life, a whole world, freedom. They had themself, if nothing else.

It was enough determination to take one step forward, to fight the feeling that kept them stuck in place. But just one step, only one.

At this rate they’d be here all night, it would be too late.

And what if they got away but some other poor person ended up taking their place? Someone who couldn’t fight back, who couldn’t take it, who crumbled under her hands and became putty for her to shape however she wanted? Stone shuddered at the thought.

They couldn’t let that happen. The thought settled around them. They could stay. They could take the fall for everyone else, even if no one ever knew. They could do that. They could take this.

The unease inside them quietened at the idea. It was the easier choice, just to give in.

“No.”

They spoke quietly and then louder. “No!”

They struggled forward another step.

Celeste had tried to rig the game, they understood now. Tried to make it impossible to walk away, so that the ‘choice’ to stay was made for them. So that come morning she could enforce a new deal—and even without knowing what it would be Stone knew it would be terrible. The rest of their life, maybe, traded away because that’s all they had to give and she would demand as much.

“I will leave!” They shouted, voice hoarse and dry. “But… but I will come back.”

Air rushed around them, like the house took a breath, like a spell of quiet was broken. They lurched forward suddenly, stumbling against the counter. “If I can’t leave freely, I will leave on my own terms!”

They stalked across the room, grabbed for a pad of paper and pulled a pen out of their jacket pocket. Their hand trembled and they took a moment to steady it.

“Evil, conniving, wicked woman,” they muttered. “But if this is how I get away, if this is how I don’t owe you everything.”

They grit their teeth and forced their hand to write out the agreement. Line by line, signed with their name, and—in a moment of hysterical laughter in belief in magic and knowing in their bones how it worked—they took a knife from the cutlery draw and pricked their forefinger until a bead of blood welled up.

Stone could breathe once it was done, they felt light and airy, like nothing held them down. Relief filled them, bursting forth like a dam they thought it might make them cry, or whoop with joy, or even fly.

They did none of those things. They left the note on the counter, hefted their bag higher, and ran.

They made it across the meadow as the sky turned from night-black to early morning blue. They made it to a road as the first hint of yellow splashed across the horizon. They made it far enough away that the spell was broken, morning dawned to find they were gone, and free.

Free until the price they offered had to be paid.

*

Celeste woke to a silent house, but it didn’t feel barren. It felt filled with life, still. Alive, happy. Not something she had expected.

She wandered the rooms looking for her newest conquest and was surprised to find it empty. Her bare feet moved quietly through the rooms as her grief and rage began to grow. She’d been so sure, with this one, that she’d done enough. So hopeful… but perhaps Stone had been too bullheaded, too defiant. Just as she was about to give up she found the note on the kitchen island. Amongst the luxury appliances and marble counter tops and glittering china-ware, a scruffy, hastily written bond, on a small piece of paper—crumpled and messy and so very Stone. With a fingerprint pressed in red blood at the bottom, sealing the offer with magic.

I, Stone Machart, will leave this house tonight of my own free will.

I offer this in my place:

I will return of my own free will once a year, every year, for the rest of my life. For one month of each year Celeste can have me, and only me.

This contract will be broken if Celeste hurts another in my absence. This contract will be broken and my freedom forfeit if I do not return within twelve months.

This I swear.

Celeste smiled and warmth bloomed in her chest. Without losing any more time she added her own thumbprint of blood next to Stone’s. Finally, she’d found someone worth keeping, and she had a whole year to plan how to make the most of the month with her beloved, Precious, Stone.

@whumpthisway @lonesome--hunter @kixngiggles

[whereisten]

Valentine Boy

(MOBILE-FRIENDLY VERS.)

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3.1 | Part 3.2 | Part 3.3 | more coming soon

Special Cover Art by @nakayutasama ❤️

Summary:

You’ve been dating College Student!Jaehyun for a few months now. He’s unbelievably sweet, smart, oh..and very handsome. Best of all, he gives you the best love you’ve ever had. He’s the love of your life and you can’t see anything going wrong as your relationship sails smoothly..that is..until you discover his biggest secret. He’s been hiding the fact that he’s a camboy and you start to wonder..Is Jaehyun as sweet and honest as you think he is?

Pairing: female reader X college student and camboy!Jaehyun

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff

Warnings: cursing, cheating, cam boy (video-recorded sex with online audience), deception, manipulation, blackmail, alcohol use, descriptive smut (fingering, overstimulation, face riding, dirty talk, BDSM themes (handcuff usage, spanking), drunk sex, oral sex (m&f receiving), some masturbation, rough sex, vaginal penetration, breast fondling, dry humping, semi-public sex).

(A/N): I received a message saying that Part 3 was difficult to read on mobile, the app would glitch and eventually close (because we love tumblr for being efficient). So I am splitting part 3 into 3 equal parts of about 7K words each for easier reading. Thank you all again for supporting this fic!!!!🥺❤️

—————

[The Night before Spring Break]

“Do we have enough content for a week or so? I’ll be gone with my girl to Bali. I trust that you’ll upload everything on time.” Jaehyun fixes his shirt over his head while his back is faced to Reina. He doesn’t see her eyes roll in annoyance.

They’ve just recorded new clips to post during spring break for when Jaehyun goes on vacation with you.

“Yes, I will take care of it…but I have a surprise for you..” She fixes her smudged lipstick.

Jaehyun turns to her carefully, his hand already on his backpack. “You know I don’t like surprises.” He says lowly.

“Oh, Valentine Boy, don’t look at me like that..especially not while I clean your cum from my legs.”

Jaehyun glares then gets up from the couch and heads for the door.

“Anyway..I’ll be seeing you in Bali.”

He freezes in his tracks. “What did you just say?”

She gets up and walks over to him, a sly smile creeping across her face as she swings her hips.

“I thought I deserved a break too. I should treat myself to a fun vacation, right? And what better place to visit than Bali!” Her eyes open wide.

Jaehyun drops his bag and grabs her wrist, he spins her around so her back hits the door.

He towers over her with dark eyes and a menacing look. He looked as if he would tear her apart in three seconds if she were to utter one more word. But Reina is only turned on by his swift movements and harsh grip.

“Ah!” She hisses. “I love it when you’re rough with me..but are you sure you can go another round?”

“You’d be crazy to come to Bali! But if you do, I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to hear you, I don’t even want to smell your cheap perfume anywhere near me and my girl!”

Jaehyun says through gritted teeth.

“Oh, Jaehyun..a few minutes ago, you were dying to be in me..”

“It’s called acting!”

Reina chuckles, then leans in close to whisper in his ear.. “I can control my desires…can you? Will she be good enough? Can she satisfy your hunger?”

Jaehyun steps back, his mouth falling open into a gasp. “She’s more than enough..don’t you ever talk about her like that. You’re letting this gig get into your head if you think you could ever replace her. Move.”

Reina only grins and steps to the side. “I’ll see you in Bali, Valentine Boy.”

“For your sake, I hope we don’t run into each other. Don’t forget who I really love, Reina. You’re just my..Hmm how do you say it? Coworker.”

He brushes past her and opens the door to let himself out.

————

[The First Day in Bali]

“Oh my God! Look at this room!!” You say with excitement. Your eyes widen at the sight of the gorgeous room overlooking the beach in Bali. There’s a main living room with a U-Shaped white couch and a huge TV Screen.

The kitchen was big also, filled with brand new and stainless steel appliances.

“Oooo!! This is so cool!” You drop your bags and run off to the bedroom.

Jaehyun laughs as he follows in behind you and watches you prance around.

You push onto the wooden sliding doors, they open to reveal a California king sized bed. It looked like a heavenly cloud and you couldn’t wait to be in it with the one you loved the most.

The best part about it all was you had the entire villa to yourselves. You could go out onto the patio and enjoy the serene environment that surrounded you. You could just imagine the wonderful moments you’d have with Jaehyun during the sunsets. The sun shining onto his peachy skin and bringing out his more handsome features like his eyes and soft lips.

You gasp, then turn to him. “This..this is beautiful Jaehyun. It must’ve cost a fortune.”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “Remember what I told you..no talk about expenses, okay?”

He stands over you, wrapping his arms around your body to pull you into him more. He looks down into your wide eyes, brimming with tears.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you think I’m worth all this, Jaehyun? I don’t know…you work so hard..and to spend it all on me.. I just.” You shake your head and break the intense eye contact he held.

Money was something you always struggled with. Your mom did the best she could to provide for you since you were young, so you always tried to spend wisely and appreciate every dollar. Your family never had disposable income to take trips around the world or even to Disneyland. You’re only able to attend college because of scholarships and loans.

So for someone to spend money on you just to give you a vacation to enjoy, you found it difficult to accept. It was all so new to you.

“Hey.” Jaehyun takes your chin in his hand and tilts your head back to face him.

“You’re worth all this and more. I love you..so much. Please never doubt that.”

He leans down to place a delicate kiss on your lips. Your arms circle around his waist as you hug him and tip toe to get another kiss.

“Thank you.” You whisper.

He kisses you deeper now, taking your tongue into his mouth as his head turns. Your eyes close as you enjoy this moment with Jaehyun. The two of you standing at the foot of the large bed in the wonderful room. Your hair swaying gently with the breeze coming through the open doors leading to the patio and pool.

When you pull away to breathe, you open your eyes and look into Jaehyun’s before biting your lips.

“What time is dinner?” You ask quietly.

Jaehyun smirks. He already knows what you’re up to from your lustful tone. “Well…we have reservations for 6…which is 45 minutes from now..”

You run your fingers up the back of his neck slowly then massage his scalp. “Hmmm..the sun’s getting real low..Can you…push it to 7? That way..we can enjoy the sunset.”

Jaehyun bites his lips. “It’s really difficult to get reservations at this restaurant, babe.”

Your other hand traces over his bulge and palms it as you still look into his eyes.

Jaehyun clears his throat. “But I’m sure I can pull some strings.”

You wink. “Good.”

You take his hand and lead him to the patio where there are several lounge chairs. You then push his chest lightly, making him fall into one.

You crawl over him and lean over his lap. He watches you below him while getting turned on by the lustful look in your eyes.

He takes in a sharp breath, watching as you take the waistband of his sweatpants in your teeth and drag it down slowly, his somewhat-hard cock springing up.

You lick over it slowly from the base to the tip, your eyes locked with his as the taste of his salt skin awakens your senses.

Your tongue dips in between the small slit at the top, collecting a tiny bit of precum in the process. Jaehyun watches your beautiful lips on him as your ass sticks up in the air. The breeze from the ocean feels harsh now that you are outside. It blows so hard that your dress flips up and exposes your ass cheeks, only your opening is covered by a g-string.

You continue to lay light, teasing kitten licks along his length while cupping your hand around the base and moving it up and down steadily.

“I’ve wanted to do this since we got on the plane, babe.” You say before running your tongue up his shaft.

Jaehyun is fully hard now, his lips red from him biting them as he watches you work.

“Fuck, baby, I wanted to take you in the bathroom, too. But this is so much better.”

You smile then sit up straight.

Jaehyun frowns and reaches out for you. “No..keep going..pl-“

“Don’t worry, baby, I just want to get this out of the way.” You zip your dress down and throw it to the side. You lean down to Jaehyun again but he stops you.

“But baby, that bra must be so uncomfortable..” He smirks.

You chuckle then take your bra off as well. Now you leaned over Jaehyun in just your thin underwear.

Jaehyun is even more turned on now that he’s seen your entire body dazzling in the rusty sunlight, your hair blowing in the wind and your body above his as your chest heaves.

You take his length into your mouth completely. Hollowing your cheeks so that he feels the soft surface of your mouth.

Jaehyun groans and leans his head back. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful.”

You roll your tongue across every vein as your hand strokes the base that you can’t reach with your mouth. You enjoy the sounds he makes but you want more.

You take your mouth off of him, letting a stream of spit fall from it.

Jaehyun looks down and grunts.

You wipe your chin. “Shouldn’t you be making a call?”

Jaehyun tilts his head questioningly.

You raise an eyebrow.

A short moment passes but then Jaehyun falls out of his dazed feeling and remembers. “I’ll call them right now!”

He reaches over for his phone on a glass coffee table beside the chair and dials the restaurant. But you resume what you were doing, this time, taking in his entire length and gagging.

Jaehyun flinches at the sudden feeling. “Oh fuuuuu— HELLO! Yes.. I’m-I’m Jaehyun.. and..”

He struggles to speak while he watches you suck and feels your tongue across his aching cock.

You can feel your sensitive area become wet as your legs shake. You then take his other ball into your mouth and cover it in spit.

“Sir?” The person on the other line speaks.

Jaehyun holds back a groan. “Ah! Yes! I’m so sorry, I uh, I have a reservation for two and I want to change it to 7 instead. C-can you do that for me?”

“Do what, daddy?” You mouth.

He smiles and bites his bottom lip to hold back another grunt as he thrusts into your mouth.

You hold his hip down and shake your head as you stroke his cock. You then lick his neglected balls slowly before taking one into your mouth completely.

“Oh sh-“ He closes his eyes tightly, leaning back into the chair as he holds himself back.

“Sir..we usually don’t make last minute changes, but fortunately we do have a spot open for 7.”

The person awaits his response, but Jaehyun is too captivated by your mouth. Your tongue is working magic on him as you swallow him completely and gag.

“Sir?”

You suck harder and move faster, releasing your hold on his hip so he can fuck into your mouth now. He whimpers quietly while moving the phone away from his ear with his other hand. You breathe through your nostrils as you feel him hit the back of your throat.

He’s about to cum but..

“Sir?!” The person tries to get his attention again.

You chuckle, sending vibrations through his sensitive member.

“Yes! Ah! God, yes!” He yells into the phone as he releases into your mouth, coating the back of your throat with strings of cum.

“…We’ll see you then.” The person states then hangs up.

Jaehyun drops his phone, not caring where it falls, but moaning loudly now that he can be as vocal as he wants.

He runs his hand through your scalp as he thrusts into you slowly to get every bit out and into you. “Fuck..you naughty girl.”

When his grip loosens, you lift your head and let his essence cover your chin. “What did I do?” You ask innocently while wiping your mouth. You then shrug your shoulders.

He chuckles. “You’re gonna regret that, sweetheart, come here.” He makes a motion with his finger. He looks dangerously handsome, a strand of his hair falling into his forehead after he climaxed.

You crawl over him, but stop. “Where do you want me, baby?”

He wipes your chin for you and smiles widely. “I know you’re dripping…should I help you out with that, sweetheart?”

Your legs tighten just from the sound of his gravelly voice calling you ‘sweetheart’. You nod.

“Stand up for me, baby.”

You do as he says and watch as he slides down so that his body now rests at one level rather than being lifted at the neck up.

“Sit on my face, right now..I can’t wait to taste you.”

Your eyes widen. “A-Are you sure?”

Jaehyun smiles and licks his lips. “Get on me..now.” He says with a deeper voice.

You quickly stand over him and lower yourself slowly, kneeling into the chair.. Jaehyun takes the waistband of your underwear in his hands and rips it off of you.

“Hey!” You let out but he slaps your ass.

“It was in the way.” He gives a sly smile.

With a reassuring nod from him, you rest your bare pussy onto his open mouth, but not without flinching from the feeling of something being against it finally.

“Mmmmm..” Jaehyun hums then licks up and down your opening.

You move back and forth, slowly grinding against his soft lips and flattened tongue. Your breathing becomes shallow as he passes it over in between your folds slowly, pressing against your sweet spot gently.

You naturally raise your hands up to your breasts and massage them as you watch Jaehyun below you. You moan as a shaky breath leaves your wet lips.

He just has to touch you so he places his hands on your waist. He pulls you down onto him more while flicking the tip of his tongue onto your bud.

You let out a whimper, moving faster as Jaehyun pushes into your opening with his tongue. He pushes in as deep as he can while watching you move above him. He enjoys watching you like this with the sky above the both of you, painted in colors of blue, orange and pink.

It didn’t feel real, it felt like he was looking at a painting. Your perfect breasts move while you grasp them harder and let your fingers rub against the hard nipples.

Your hair is still blowing in the wind and your mouth opens while your moans get louder.

You grind onto him harder. “Are you sure you’re okay? Fuck..this feels so good.”

Jaehyun nods.

His hands lower from your waist down to your ass cheeks. He spreads them apart so his tongue can explore every inch of you, sticking the tip of his tongue on your slit before flicking it from side to side. He buries his nose onto your clit to provide the perfect stimulation.

“Jaehyun!” You cry out and move your hips faster.

He feels himself become hard again as he feels your round ass in his hands and listens to your wonderful sounds.

“I’m-.” You convulse over him and shake.

Jaehyun watches as you writhe, your entire body becoming covered in goose pimples and your jaw clenching as your head falls back.

He continues to massage your clit with his unforgiving tongue. Your eyes shut tightly while you orgasm for what feels like a century.

When you finally start to come down, Jaehyun releases his hold and takes your waist in his hands again. He quickly flips you over so that you’re on your back now. He throws his shirt off and kneels over you as your legs fall over his shoulders.

“I love you..” He says before pushing into you slowly.

You take his head in your hands and kiss him, licking off your essence from his mouth as he enters you completely.

He pushes deep inside you, running against your wet and sensitive walls as you whimper into his mouth.

One hand massages his scalp again while the other presses onto his back.

Jaehyun kisses you harder and harder each time, he takes your bottom lip into his mouth before licking over it.

“I love you too, baby.” You whisper once you pull away to breathe.

His chest presses against your breasts. Your heartbeats run at the same pace, his breath dances on your chin as his speed increases.

He glides in and out easily, your bud being stimulated easily by his quick movements. But he goes so deep, you begin to widen your legs more for comfort.

He pushes into you harder, pressing you into the chair and you’re sure there will be a lasting impression of your body based on how hard he’s pushing.

“Baby, you’re so wet.” He leans into your ear and whispers while gripping the crook of your knees. He watches you below him, your brows furrow and your lips red from you biting them. Your eyes are wide and brimming with tears as he fucks into you deep and keeps your legs by your head.

You look down to see his hips slap against your ass cheeks rapidly. His abs and biceps flex with every movement. And you think to yourself, how hot he is.

“Shit.” You orgasm again just from the sight of the beautiful man above you.

Jaehyun’s movement stutters. His cock being greeted by your convulsing wet pussy is enough to make him cum, but he pulls out quickly.

“Open, sweetheart.”

You open your mouth and look up with low eyes as he releases onto your tongue and chin.

“F-fuck.” He curses from the sight of your position, your legs by your head and your chest rising up and down as you catch your breath.

You lick all of it up and swallow.

“Oh, you nasty girl. Let’s get cleaned up.” He picks you up from the couch and holds you in his arms bridal style.

————

[Third Day In Bali]

After snorkeling a few times and enjoying a walk through multicolored flower fields, you and Jaehyun decide to take a cooking class together. You both needed to work on your skills, so what better way to learn than to learn from each other’s mistakes.

“Hello! Welcome to Laplapan Village! Today, we will be making Sambal. We will start off by taking a walk through the market behind us and buying the spices necessary for our dish!” Your tour guide states enthusiastically to your group of about 10 couples.

Jaehyun turns to you and gives you a wide smile. “Are you ready?” His eyes shine brightly in the sun, his skin shimmering with small balls of sweat. He smells like fresh sea and sage, but he looked like a prince. He had already gained a slight tan during your stay. Your eyes travel down his thick neck and to his exposed collar bone. Luckily, all the places you marked the night before were still being covered by his linen button up.

You nod and smile back. “Of course.”

He takes your hand and leads you in front of him. The two of you walk through the market and gaze at the vibrant colors, the smell of unique spices fill your noses. Everything is so bright and beautiful. People smile as you pass by their stores.

The tour guide had given you a list of spices to buy, so now it was up to the two of you to find them. Sounds easy right? Well, with no comprehension of the language and no cell phone service to simply Google the names, you were left to ask the owners of various shops if they had certain spices. Some gave you weird faces while some were very helpful.

Jaehyun laughs at your awkwardness. You hit him lightly on the arm and roll your eyes.

As you walk in front of him, he watches the way your body sways in your sundress, your curves perfectly accentuated yet the flowiness of the dress left much to the imagination…that is, to everyone but him. He knows exactly how your body looks underneath, he knows that your thighs and gorgeous skin were littered with his love bites, and that your waist has small bruises left from his fingertips.

He bites his lips as he thinks about the night before as well. But then he smells your hair, it is a refreshing scent. He loves to bury his face in it just to smell that scent. He loved placing his chin on your head as you laid on his chest and fell asleep. But most of all, he loved moments like this: you holding his hand as you guide him through crowds, you turning to him with the prettiest smile on your face and your beautiful, captivating eyes.

“Ah! Here it is, Jae!” You squeeze his hand gently once you find the right peppers.

“Ooo!! Yup those look spicy as f-“ Jaehyun’s face twists as he lifts it to his nose.

“We’ll take it, thank you!” You speak over Jaehyun before he continues and hands the store owner the money to pay.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, you enjoyed cooking together. Luckily, you had aprons for when things got messy. The two of you were probably the most childish during the lesson. You laughed at everything and stared at each other.

Jaehyun tried to blame you for making the dish too spicy.

“Maybe if you weren’t busy staring at my ass in this dress, you would’ve measured the peppers correctly.” You whisper into his ear as the two of you eat with the other couples.

Jaehyun only smirks and turns to you slightly. A twinkle in his eye catches your attention.

He places his large hand on your thighs and squeezes them. You flinch and almost hit your knee against the table.

Jaehyun stuffs his mouth, chewing as he turns back to watch you.

You lick your lips as he pushes his fingers up towards the apex of your legs slowly. You gulp and look down as his long fingers caress your thigh and send goosebumps up your neck.

Jaehyun chuckles quietly then leans closer to your ear. “Be careful, sweetheart.. I’ve been dying to rip that dress off of you all day.”

You look around at the other couples. None of them seemed to notice that he was carefully pushing his fingers against your dress, pressing ever so lightly to apply pressure to your sensitive area.

You try to scoot away from him, but he grabs your thigh and pulls you back to where you were.

“Hmm now why would you do that? Are you running away from me? Your boyfriend? Tsk tsk..”

He pushes two fingers against you again but with more force this time while he takes a scoop of rice up and holds it in front of your face.

“Open for daddy.”

You open your mouth. Jaehyun places the fork in your mouth and drags it out slowly.

He watches as you struggle to chew while he runs circles onto your aching slits.

“Open….” he whispers huskily. Your mouth falls open as you give him a questioning look.

“Jae..we can’t..”

Jaehyun smirks then leans into your ear again. “Open your legs or I’ll fuck you right here and show them how much of a slut you are..no one knows you’re not wearing underwear right now. Do you want them to find out?”

You gulp. Your eyes widen at Jaehyun’s sudden shift. He very rarely spoke dirty to you, but you had to admit you liked it. You are thankful to be sitting, your legs becoming weak as a growing and unignorable wetness starts to build below you.

You do as he says while moving down more so your lap is completely under the table.

He continues to tap your slit and move his harsh fingertips up and down slowly, teasingly.

“What are you..doing?” You ask through a shaky breath.

Jaehyun smiles. “I’m playing with my food.”

“Jaehyun..that isn’t fair..” Your stomach starts to feel uneasy. You can feel that need for release growing.

“I’m so hard right now..just thinking about slamming you down onto this table. Fucking you from behind while all these people watch. It’s been a while since I’ve been rough with you, hasn’t it?” He takes a deep breath. “I miss watching you cry when I choke you.”

You open your legs a little more and place your fork down. You shift in your seat slightly, grinding onto his fingers now to feel more, more friction, more of him, more of anything that will just get you to cum.

But he pulls his fingers away and places his hand on the table.

“Do you miss it, baby? You have to show me you deserve it.”

You pout. “Of course, I love it! Please..just touch me again.”

“At the dinner table? Oh naughty girl, that’s just not right. Who would do such a thing?” He winks then takes another bite of his food.

You curse quietly and shake your head, glancing away from his beautiful fingers that were bringing you to paradise just moments ago.

That night, you and Jaehyun went to see a movie on the beach. You cuddled up to each other and enjoyed your warmth. He would look over at your cute face every now and then and grin to himself. He knew he was lucky to have you.

But when you got back to the villa, Jaehyun didn’t pick up where he left off. No matter how much you begged.

“Please!! Jaehyun…I want you so badly.” You practically cling onto his arm as he changed into his night clothes.

“Hmmm I’d say we’ve been fucking a lot..almost too much on this trip.. can’t you last just one night without it?”  

You look up at him with big eyes as he brushes his teeth. “But you got me so wound up at dinner. Ugh!”

Jaehyun only laughs as he watches you through the bathroom mirror. You stomp off to the room and take your dress off.

“Why would you start something you’re not gonna finish?! Ughhh! You’re so unfair! I’m never sucking your dick again for this!”

Approaching you, Jaehyun laughs so hard he nearly chokes on his spit. “I love when you’re bratty.”

“Pleaseee Jae….” You crawl over him and onto the bed while begging one final time.

He suddenly brings you to his chest and holds you tight in a comfortable bear hug.

“Yes, just like this, baby..this is how I want us to be tonight..” He hums in your ear.

“I love you..”

Your heart rate speeds up as you rest on him. “I love you too….but I mean it when I say I’m never sucking your dick again.”

Jaehyun chuckles. “Sure..whatever you say, sweetheart.”

————

[Fifth Day in Bali]

The fourth day was filled with many more adventures with Jaehyun. You had your bratty moments but he would smirk and say that he liked it. Perhaps because he knew what he would do to you during your last night in Bali.

Tonight was your final night so you decided to go to a popular nightclub after having a romantic dinner on the beach.

You wore a black lingerie set Jaehyun had bought you. It had a gorgeous lace bra and garter belt with a lace thong accented by red beads attached. Once again, you felt beyond delicious and ready for Jaehyun. But unlike Valentine’s Day, you’d been together all day, there’s no way he’d be late for anything.

Your black leather dress was tight and accentuated your boobs while minimizing your waistline with a chain belt. The dress stopped a little higher than mid thigh but had straps which connected to your stocking heels.

If sexy was a person, you were sure you were it for the night.

You did your hair and makeup nicer than usual. You even wore Jaehyun’s favorite lipstick, a blush pink color that you wore with a lip liner so it would complement your skin color perfectly.

“Wow..” Jaehyun gasps when you walk out of the bedroom.

He was waiting for you on the couch. He stands up and walks over to you, a smile crossing his face before he licks his lips. “You know what? I’m not really feeling the club anymore..why don’t we just stay inside and..”

“Nope! We are not staying in on our last night! Let’s go!” You shimmy away from him and head for the door.

The club was large and lavish. Stunning women and men danced to bass boosted music while under the colorful stage lights. You and Jaehyun were still feeling the effects of the red wine you had at dinner. But you decided to have a few shots so you’d really be engaged and as carefree as the other club attendees.

Bodies swayed easily, bodies were on top of bodies as they grinded and made out.

They all looked so sexy, you wanted to feel what they felt, to be as they were with the ones you hoped they loved too.

Jaehyun wraps his arm around you, pulling you into his chest. He slants over and kisses your ear. “You look amazing, my love.” His voice is raspy and low, the alcohol clearly having an affect on him.

The music is loud but you can still hear him. But more importantly, you can feel him. The way his arm holds you. The way his heart beats against your back. Your butt presses against his pelvis. You grind onto him along to the music. Your bodies move together as you blend into the crowd of other lustful dancers.

Jaehyun pants into the crook of your neck while your hand goes to his head and your fingers intertwine with his hair. He moans quietly as you massage his scalp and press onto his growing erection.

“Fuck baby, I love you.” He whispers again.

He grips your hip with one hand so the two of you stay in sync. His other hand snakes up your abdomen and to your chest. He cups your breast through your dress as you let out a quiet mewl.

Your butt moves in circles on his lap, making his head spin. He moves his hand from your breast and then to your neck. He squeezes gently. “Show me how badly you want it, sweetheart.”

You grind onto him harder. You’re both tipsy and everything seems a bit hazy. A machine releases smoke which makes the two of you even more dazed. All you feel is a longing for each other being boosted by the heavy bass.

Jaehyun is about to whisper again when he feels someone pull him away.

The person grabs his hand.

“Hey!” He calls out.

He’s too drunk to stop walking, they easily overpower him and ignore his calls.

You, on the other hand, feel his absence only for a brief moment before he is replaced by someone else.

You close your eyes and dance with the person, being too drunk to realize that they’re not Jaehyun.

Jaehyun is shoved into a wall, before someone places a hand on his chest.

“Well, hello, Jaehyun.” Reina says sneakily.

“What the f-“

Jaehyun is interrupted by a rough kiss. Reina holds his face in her hands, pulling him close so her chest rests against his.

Jaehyun doesn’t protest at first, instead he wraps his arms around her, pulling her onto him even more while overtaking her tongue with his.

You also enjoy intimacy with someone else. Their hands roaming across your body as your back presses into their broad chest.

“You’re beautiful.” The person leans down and whispers in your ear. His voice is low and sexy, sending butterflies through your entire body. In a drunken haze, you let out a laugh and close your eyes while grinding your butt onto him. It had to be Jaehyun, right? Only Jaehyun could feel this good.

But Jaehyun is making out in the corner with Reina. He spins around and pushes Reina into the wall, his lips still latched to hers. Reina moans quietly as she runs her hands up and down Jaehyun’s biceps.

She bites her lips when he pulls away to look at her, his forehead sweaty and his mouth open as staggered breaths leave it.

“You look great in this shirt, Jaehyun..” She unbuttons two more buttons to reveal his chest and runs her fingers down the bare skin slowly.

“Have you missed my touch?” She asks.

And that’s when Jaehyun shifts back to reality.

Touch.

It wasn’t her touch that he missed, it was yours. Jaehyun wipes his mouth and looks at the red lipstick smudge on it in confusion.

“I thought I told you I didn’t want to see you here.” He growls out.

He begins to grow angry at himself for being so ‘easy.’ Reina caught up to him and now you were alone somewhere on the dance floor. You could see them together at any moment.

“Ahhhh..Jaehyun, baby, you know I couldn’t resist.” Reina smirks.

Jaehyun shakes his head and starts to walk away, but Reina tugs his hand. “Just touch me..daddy, feel how wet I am for you already.”

She tries to pull Jaehyun back onto her but he shakes his hand out of her grip.

“Reina..I am too upset for words right now. You have the audacity to show up at the same place me and my girlfriend are at just so you can lure me here. I may be drunk but I’m not stupid. I don’t want you.”

Reina’s smile turns to a frown quickly as she watches Jaehyun walk away from her. It feels bad to be let down after being wound up by his wild kiss, but it feels even worse to know that he wants you more than he wants her.

Meanwhile, the man behind you moves his hand from your waist to your hips. You swing slowly onto him to feel him.

He takes your movement as a sign to touch you more, placing his round lips onto your jawline and soon your neck. You place your hands behind you, throwing your head back as you arch into him. His touch feels amazing, sparks of electricity running across your skin as you dance to the intoxicating rhythm. Everything is blurry and all you can think about is the yearning in between your legs. The yearning that can only be satisfied by him, by J-

“Hey!”

You hear a loud, hoarse voice over the music.

Your eyes snap open as you are taken out of your trance. You turn around to see Jaehyun looking angrily at the man you were dancing with.

“Shit. Jae—I’m so sorry. I-I thought..”

He turns to you, steam practically escaping his ears. You shudder from the look on his face.

“Y/n..what the fuck!”

The dark-haired man chuckles. “Hey, we were just having fun..”

He turns back to the man. “Hey dickhead, can’t you see she’s taken?! Fuck off!”

Jaehyun got so upset so fast, you didn’t understand. Was it the alcohol that made him this angry?

“Jaehyun!” You try to pull him away as the man steps closer to him, but Jaehyun doesn’t budge.

“Like I said..we were just having fun..but I can see why she wanted to get away from you.” The man snickers as Jaehyun’s head looks as if it’s about to blow.

Jaehyun’s eyes widen. “This fucking asshole..”

“Hey! That’s not true!” You put your hand up to the man. “Just leave us alone.”

“Pretty boy started this…I want to see what he’s all about.” He crosses his arms.

Jaehyun balls his hands into fists. You turn back to him and place yourself in between them. “Jaehyun..don’t do this, let’s go home. The last thing we want is for you to be arrested in a foreign country. It’s not worth it.” You place your hand on his.

Jaehyun huffs and turns away from you, speeding to the door. You struggle to push through the crowd to follow him out.

“Jaehyun..baby, wait.” You finally caught up to him outside, but he held his head down and stared at the ground.

“I’m so sorry, I was drunk, I’m still a little drunk, I didn’t..I swear I didn’t know you weren’t behind me.” You beg while panting.

Jaehyun purses his lips. “I don’t want to talk about it..” He raises his hand and calls for a taxi.

“Please..Jaehyun..”

He opens the door for you. “Get in.”

You hurry inside the taxi and fix your dress. Jaehyun joins you and closes the door. He shows the driver the address, but then the two of you sit in silence.

You stare at the side of his face, waiting for him to turn to you and see your face of regret and eyes filled with tears. His jaw is clenched, his eyes are focused on the dark road and street lights outside.

About 10 minutes later, you finally break the silence. You place your hand on his thigh. “Jaehyun, I would never cheat on you, you know that..I love you, and I’m so sorry.”

But he still stared out the window. “How could you not feel the difference, y/n?”

“I-I don’t know, I was drunk. Please, believe me.”

“I don’t know..maybe you just wanted someone else, someone other than me? Is that it?”

“Jaehyun, no, that’s not true at all..I just-“

“Then why did you dance with him?! I’m your boyfriend right?” Jaehyun finally turns to you, his voice rising as the two of you sit in the backseat of the taxi.

“Yes! You are! And I love you so much, please believe me.” A tear runs down your cheek.

Things went south so fast. One moment you were dancing together, the next you were arguing and on the brink of a breakup. But you couldn’t understand why Jaehyun would’ve been this upset. A part of you felt it was unnecessary given the fact that you were inebriated at the time.

Jaehyun turns to the window as you approach your villa after a long and tense ride.

You can’t help but wonder why Jaehyun had let go of you in the first place.

“Where were you, Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun’s eyes widened slightly. He was thankful that you hadn’t seen him with Reina, but how could he explain his absence?

“What?” He turns to you.

“Where were you? Why did you leave me alone on that crowded dance floor?”

“Are you seriously trying to turn this on me right now?” His eyes narrow and you never felt so small. But you remained firm, your concern was valid after all.

“I’m just asking-“

“No, dont..you’re just trying to come up with an excuse for your…slutting around..”

“What? ‘Slutting around’?”

“I went to the bathroom and I came back to you dancing with another man.”

“Jaehyun, I’m not stupid, you were gone for longer than a bathroom break.”

He rubs his temple. “The place was crowded as fuck, y/n! It was difficult to get to you! Wait, you know what, I’m not doing this. You’re making me feel like the bad guy.” He slams the door and heads inside.

You thank the driver before leaving through the other door.

“How am I making you feel like the bad guy when you’re the one that left me in the middle of a nightclub in a country that neither of us are familiar with?!”

Jaehyun takes his shoes off and places them on the floor.

“I drank too, y/n, and I messed up by leaving you. But you know what? At least, I don’t become a fucking slut like you when I’m drunk.”

You scoff. “Wow..Jaehyun, just wow.”

You drop your purse and kick off your heels before rushing into the bathroom to cry.

Jaehyun breaks at the sound of you crying in the bathroom. He sighs and closes his eyes. “Shit.”

You sob uncontrollably while sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

Jaehyun knocks on the locked door. “Hey…listen..I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Jaehyun knew his outburst had more to do with Reina than it did with you. He was upset that she actually showed up, he was upset that your relationship was at risk because she was there. Things weren’t going as planned, and he didn’t like that.

But unfortunately, he couldn’t control his anger and took it out on you instead.

“Y/n..baby..I know you made a mistake, okay? I’m sorry, I just got upset.”

You sniffle and wipe your eyes.

“Talk to me, please?” Jaehyun leans on the wall beside the door. “I don’t like hearing you cry, baby..”

You roll your eyes and think of how ironic all of this was. One moment he was calling you a slut, the next moment he was begging for forgiveness like you were.

You wash your face and breathe heavily into the towel.

“Y/n…don’t go to sleep angry at me, you know I don’t like when you go to sleep after we argue,” He says.

A moment later you open the door and brush past him while looking at the floor.

He takes your hand and brings you back to him, pressing you into the wall while towering over you.

“Look at me. We’re both upset, right? Let’s just forget about everything…it’s just me and you right now..no more crowded clubs, no more weird guys. I don’t want to regret this vacation, I just want to be with you, okay?”

You look up at him slowly. His eyes are brimming with tears as well. He’s so handsome as a strand of his dark hair hangs in his forehead, his lips are pouted. His cologne fills your nose, he smells so good, you just want to rest on his chest and breathe him in.

You place your lips onto his. He steps forward, making your head fall back into the wall. He takes your head in his hands and presses onto your lips harder.

Your tongue crosses over his bottom lip slowly, teasingly while he turns his head.

Jaehyun then grips your chin in his hand and kisses your lips harder. His kiss is filled with fury, anger, longing. He bites your bottom lip as your eyes close and your back leans even more. When he pulls away to breathe, he looks at you through low eyes while still holding your chin.

His gaze sends chills through your body. It’s a dark gaze that you can’t read. He looks as if he wants to destroy you, make you remember why you’re his.

You breathe heavily, your chest rising and falling as you stare at his lips, wishing they were back on yours.

But instead he rubs his thumb along your bottom lip.

“You love me…right?” He tilts his head, his eyes still narrowing in on your open mouth.

“Of course I do, Jaehyun.” You say breathily.

“Show me then…” he steps back while taking his belt off.

PART 3.1 | PART 3.2 | PART 3.3

[whenihaveyouromione]

When I Have You - Chapter 35

Read on Fanfiction.net or ao3 if you’d prefer!

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----

Chapter 35

“I’m going to miss this little place,” Ron said. 

“It was a good place,” Harry agreed, using his wand to lift the final suitcase into the pile of things that needed to be sent to Nottingham. “Small, but nice. Nice and cosy, I’d imagine.”

Ron nodded, looking around at the still-furnished flat he would be leaving behind in a few short minutes. He really had liked living here — not so much for the place itself, but because of what it meant. It was the first place he and Hermione had shared together. The first place they could call their own, even if it never truly belonged to them. They didn’t even own the furniture, yet… it had felt like theirs. 

He remembered the nights falling asleep with Hermione in his arms or waking up with her beside him. Or waking up to find her already up — on weekends still in her pyjamas and a pot of coffee already made; on work days, dressed and showered and nudging him to also get up lest he be late. 

There had been times where they had curled up together under a blanket on the sofa, talking and laughing, sometimes getting into petty arguments about one thing or another. Sometimes their talking would become intimate, and it’d lead to kissing, sex, or just straight up romance where they would fall asleep holding hands. 

The kitchen was where they cooked food — Ron learning how to cook out of necessity with Hermione’s crazy work hours. 

Even the bathroom held some memories — especially the times (as rare as they were) where Hermione wasn’t in a rush and she’d let him jump in the shower with her. 

Of course, he knew these things wouldn’t change in their new place, but there was something special about it being their first. 

But he also knew that their new house would create so many more memories over so many more years, and he was looking forward to the rest of his life living there — with the absolute love of his life. 

“I’m also keen to see what you’ve done with the new place since I saw it last, though,” Harry added. 

“Not much,” Ron confessed. “It didn’t need much work. Just the protective enchantments, really. So no peeping neighbours wonder why we never have to garden, or why there is smoke in the chimney all year round.” 

The biggest change they’d made in the last month of owning the house and not living in it had been purchasing all of their own furniture. They now had their own bed, their own sofas, their own table, their own kitchen appliances (which Ron was still getting the hang of). They’d gotten the keys in December, slightly before Christmas, and had spent the last six weeks preparing to move into it, all at the same time trying to enjoy their short break away from work, and spending time with family. 

But everyone had volunteered to pitch in to help — Harry and Ginny helping with the packing, Hermione’s parents even making the two and a half hour drive to help them with the furniture deliveries. Molly had cooked them a week’s worth of meals so they wouldn’t have to worry about it. 

And today was the day. January, and finally they were moving into their new house. 

“The two of you are taking a lot of huge steps together,” Harry said after a moment, and there was an element of pride in his voice. “You’re in this for the long haul, huh?”

Ron turned to Harry, about to ask where he’d been for the past almost three years, but stopped himself when he saw Harry’s mischievous grin. 

“Ha, ha, very funny.” 

Harry shrugged, and then put his arm across Ron’s shoulders. “It really is great. I love you guys, you’re my family, and as much as you drive each other crazy, it’s a good kind of crazy. I swear you argue less now that you're together than you did when you weren't. You really love each other.”

“More than anything,” Ron said. Over the years, talking about his feelings to Harry had become slightly easier. In fact, talking about his feelings in general had become easier the moment he could admit them to Hermione. He hadn’t even realised how much he’d been forcing himself to keep quiet, terrified of the consequences were he to admit that his feelings for one of his best friends really crossed those boundaries of friendship. 

But then she had kissed him, and his barrier had been dropped, completely punctured through. She loved him, too, and all of a sudden, he could tell her, and he could tell the world — including Harry, who really didn’t want to hear about it to begin with.

Now, Harry felt like their biggest supporter. As if he really did want them to last.

Ron laughed lightly. "You should have heard us the other day. Arguing about what sheets to get for our new bed. We couldn't agree and it took us an hour to decide. They thought we were mad, the people in the shops."

Harry also laughed and shook his head. "I'm not really surprised. You ready?"

Ron nodded. Everything was packed now. Hermione and Ginny had taken Crookshanks and their owl, Arwen, over to the new place already, along with some other things. All that was left were the suitcases filled with clothes and other little things that wouldn't fit anywhere else. 

"It'll be sad to have you guys a little further away," Harry said as they both lifted their wands at the remaining stuff.

"You're only a Floo call away,” Ron said. "And we've set up Apparition boundaries too, not too far from the house — we thought it would be weird if any neighbours saw you exit the house but not come in, so that way you can at least look as if you walked."

"You moving has made me think about it a bit," Harry said.

"What, move out of Grimmauld Place?" Ron asked, not entirely surprised by that news. Harry had always said it was temporary because he’d always hated it there.

Harry shrugged. "It was never a long term arrangement. And it's already been longer than I planned. And it's huge for just me and Ginny." He hesitated a moment after that, looking uncertainly at Ron. "You'd, um, be okay if I proposed to her soon, wouldn't you?"

"What?" Ron asked.

Harry suddenly looked very uncomfortable. It had been a long, unspoken agreement that small details of Ron and Hermione's relationship were allowed to be shared, but Harry and Ginny's was taboo. Ginny may have been okay gossiping with Hermione about her brother's sex life (even though Hermione was adamant that never happened), but it was not something Ron even wanted to think about, let alone hear about.

But that wasn't even what shocked him… or annoyed him. It was the fact that for once, Ron had hoped to be the first. 

"I mean… soon?" Harry said. "You'd be okay with it, right? If I asked her?"

Ron didn't say anything for a long while, his wand hanging limply in his hand. 

No, let me ask Hermione first, he wanted to say. For the love of Merlin just let me have this one. 

But who knew when that was going to be. With the house, and then the furniture, and then the probability of that damn car neither knew how to drive (granted, Hermione had decided to learn) he'd had to reduce his payments to fortnightly and with fewer Galleons. 

"Well," he said, keeping the bitterness from his voice as best he could, "I don't really have a say, do I?"

"But you're my best mate," Harry said, "and her brother. Your opinion matters."

"I'm okay with it," Ron said. "I mean, it's not like I'm surprised anyway. You just caught me off guard."

Ron thought he'd handled that very well. He smiled, genuine. Harry mistook it as an approval smile. 

"I know it weirds you out," he said.

"Not nearly as much as it used to," Ron said. "As long as we continue with the whole need-to-know basis, then it's all good. When do you plan to ask?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't actually know. It is only a recent thought I've had. Not for a while, I guess." 

Ron nodded again, smiling. "Well, congrats, mate. I'm happy for you. Hermione will be too. We'll have a celebration once it's over with."

"Over with?" Harry chuckled. "You make it sound like it's some lengthy procedure you want to get out of the way."

"Well… the thought of it is kind of terrifying, isn't it? I mean… there's always a chance they'll say no. They'll change their mind even if they’ve assured you they’ll say yes. That they'll say they don't actually want to get married."

Harry didn't say anything for a long while. Suddenly, he looked mildly terrified, causing Ron to feel guilty. "Obviously, that's not going to be your case!" he added hastily. "It's just… a thought."

"I guess I never thought about that," Harry said. "I mean, she is playing Quidditch, she's rarely home… do you think she'll have time to even get married?"

"I'm sure it would be a top priority, mate."

But Harry didn't look overly convinced, and the guilt hit Ron like a slap to the face. He hadn't meant to worry Harry. He'd just been expressing his own internal fears he'd been too uncomfortable to admit to himself until now. 

"Just ask her," he said after a moment. "It's not going to go badly. Trust me."

"I've never done this before," Harry said. He turned to Ron. "How do I do it? How do I ask?"

Although he’d never admit it, Ron felt rather put out that their conversation had turned to Harry talking about how he was going to ask Ginny to marry him. 

"I don't know," he said after a moment. "I would have told you if I'd done it, don't you think? I can’t even afford a stupid ring, so you’re asking the wrong person.”

"Ring?” Harry asked, looking at Ron with a stunned expression. “I'm sorry, what?" 

Ron went red. He hadn't meant to say that. "Nothing," he said quickly. “I mean… forget I said that.”

Harry raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. “You have a ring?”

“Well… no,” Ron said, realising he’d already said too much. He may as well tell Harry the whole story. "That’s the thing. I went to… get one last year. In April. I was going to ask Hermione, but the ring I wanted to get was ridiculously expensive, so I've been paying it off each week. Well, fortnight since we got the house."

"You were going to ask Hermione to marry you?" Harry asked softly, apparently now more interested in Ron's story than his own romantic plight. 

"Yeah," Ron said. "I really wanted to do it right, too. But the shopkeeper won't give it to me until it's all paid off. It was supposed to be a year, so I'd have it this April, but with the house and everything, I've had to delay it a little longer. I probably won't get it until the following April at the rate it's going." He sighed again. "I was so ready to do it and everything; I'd even organised a whole romantic evening that I had to cancel because it was pointless otherwise. She was so confused. I think she realised what I was planning, and then I cancelled and… I don't know. She hasn't said anything about it. She hasn't said anything to you, has she?" 

Harry shook his head, shrugging. “Not a word. You mean to say, you’ve put it off for almost a year now?”

Ron nodded. 

Harry watched him for a moment. Then,“You're the biggest idiot I've ever met.” 

"Thanks," Ron muttered. 

"You're telling me you've been planning to marry her for almost a year, and the only thing holding you back is the fact that you decided to get her an engagement ring that is far too expensive?"

Ron shrugged. 

"She doesn't care about a stupid ring, mate. I can tell you that much."

Ron shrugged again. "It was the only one that felt right. I didn’t want to just get her any old one because it was cheaper. I chose that one before I knew the price and I knew it was right for her."

Harry laughed. "You're an idiot," he said again. "But while you're being an idiot, will you at least help me come up with a plan for Ginny? Seems you have some idea on what to do, which is more than me."

"Yeah," Ron sighed. "I'll help. Just don’t tell me the intimate details, will you? One of us may as well be getting married while the other is being an idiot."

Harry shook his head, still laughing. "I wonder if Hermione realises she's moving in with the biggest prat in the world."

Ron stuck out a leg to kick Harry.

"Is that any way to treat your future brother-in-law?" Harry asked.

"Careful," Ron warned. "I might just tell you I'm not okay with it."

"And I'd have to tell you that you were right — it's not really your decision, is it?"

They grinned at each other, and Ron felt glad that his friendship with Harry had stood the test of time and many, many obstacles. And that his best friend would one day be family for real. 

“We should actually get this stuff to the house,” Ron said, nodding at the pile of things they’d been tasked to transport. 

Harry nodded, and together, they Vanished the stuff to what would hopefully be the new place. Hermione had shown them the spell, becoming frustrated when they hadn’t managed it first go, muttering something about them going to make useless Aurors if they couldn’t manage a simple Vanishing charm. 

It felt like old times, like when they were back at Hogwarts and studying for exams. The only difference this time was rather than telling her to lay off them, Ron had pulled her towards him and kissed her. It had been the most effective measure in silencing her for the past few years. 

“Ready?” Ron asked, gripping Harry’s arm. Harry nodded, and Ron spun from the living room of the flat, landing a moment later in the living room of the new place…

...to a pile of suitcases and bags which had crash landed on the brand new coffee table he and Hermione had bought, causing one of the legs to snap.

Ron grimaced at the mess, and then looked up to where Hermione and Ginny were muttering about their uselessness in moving things.

“Well, how were we supposed to know where exactly it was going to land?” Ron argued as Hermione repaired the coffee table. “We couldn’t see.”

“I managed to get the other stuff in the correct places,” Hermione retorted. 

“Yes, well, we already know we aren’t as accurate with magic as you are. Rub it in, why don’t you?” Ron grumbled, shifting the bags and suitcases into the corner of the living room. “Where do these go, anyway?”

“Upstairs,” Hermione said. For a moment, Ron thought she was going to Vanish them up there herself, but when she didn’t move, Ron realised she wanted him to drag them up himself, probably as punishment for destroying their brand new table before they’d even officially moved in. 

“I’ll levitate them, at least,” Ron told her, to which she only raised an eyebrow. 

“A little help?” Ron said to Harry, who had been standing back slightly. 

Harry nodded, and they began levitating the objects, guiding them through the doors and upstairs. “She has a point, really,” Harry said on their way up. “We should be able to do that spell.”

“She’s just stressing as Hermione stresses in situations like this,” Ron said. “Everything has to go perfectly to plan.”

They let the bags fall onto the floor of the bedroom, where all that was there was a bed — made up and looking fresh and clean, and ready to be slept in. 

“Hermione?” Harry asked, nodding toward the duvet. It was a pale blue and white cover, which was one of the many small arguments they’d had about the decor of the house. Ron had not liked it, but then she had won the argument by stating she didn’t like the idea of Quidditch hoops in the garden, but she wasn’t telling him no to that.

So they had bought that one.

“Yeah,” Ron said. “I get the Quidditch stuff, she gets everything else in the house, and I’m okay with that. I really want the hoops.”

Harry chuckled. “Married life, I guess.”

“Not yet,” Ron reminded him. 

“As good as.”

“Yeah,” Ron said with a small smile. It was.

A moment later, Hermione and Ginny came into the room as well, laughing at the sight of Ron and Harry staring at the bed. 

“You moved a few bags and you’re contemplating taking a nap, are you?” Ginny said. 

“No,” Ron and Harry said together. 

“We were just commenting on the duvet,” Harry added. “It’s… nice.”

“A good thing you don’t have to sleep there then, isn’t it, Harry?” Hermione said. “Ron doesn’t like it either.” She looked at Ron, amused. “Mum and Dad just got here with a few extra little things we realised were missing this morning. Is everything gone from the other place?”

“Yep, it’s just the keys to pass on now. Where’s the cat and where’s the owl?”

“Crookshanks is exploring the garden, and I told Arwen she could stretch her wings.”

They made their way back downstairs and into the kitchen where Hermione’s parents were both standing by the bench. A pile of small bits and pieces sat atop it, and a bag full of groceries.

“We thought you might need a head start,” Jane said, smiling. “So you don’t go hungry. Though, I hear Molly has you covered for that as well?”

“Mum would never let us starve,” Ron said to Hermione’s mother. He took the bag from the bench and looked at Hermione. “I may need some help with what goes in the refrigerator,” he added.

“If it’s cold, it goes in, if it’s not cold, the pantry,” Jane said. 

“Thanks,” Ron said, and he began unloading the butter, some milk and eggs into the refrigerator. Arthur had spent a good thirty minutes admiring it when they’d put it in a week ago. 

“Fascinating,” he had kept saying. “And, Ron, you’ll be living with elektisity. Amazing!” Much to the amusement of Hermione’s parents, who had also been there.

Ron had to remind him that Percy was also living in a house with electricity with a gentle nudge to go and bother him. 

Now, Ron continued unloading the groceries. Hermione’s parents had bought some vegetables as well, which stumped Ron. Harry had to help him sort them out. 

“Merlin, that’s going to take some getting used to,” Ron said. “The flat was all magic. We didn’t need one.”

“You’ll figure it out, I’m sure,” Jane said kindly. 

“You’ll be fine,” Hermione added, smiling at him. 

He returned her smile. Anywhere with her was home. 

“Well, perhaps we should go to our hotel for the night,” Jane said after a moment. “Check in. We’ve decided to stay in Nottingham, just to see the two of you settled in. In case there’s anything else you need.”

“Thanks,” Ron said, and he didn’t just mean for the food. Ever since getting the house, they had been so busy that he’d not had a chance to really thank her parents for the help they had given for the house. “I mean… for everything, not just today. For… the house.”

Both of her parents smiled. “It is the least we can do, Ron,” her dad said. “To get the two of you set up.”

Sixteen thousand Galleons equivalent wasn’t a small thing, but Ron didn’t push the matter. He was grateful for the help, because without it, they wouldn’t be standing there right now. 

“We’ll go back, too,” Ginny said. “I’ve got tomorrow off, but training starts again on Monday. We’re going out for dinner tonight, me and Harry.” She beamed. “It’s been forever.”

“Enjoy,” Hermione said. “Maybe try the Floo back to your place. Make sure it works. It was a hell of a lot of paperwork to get it connected, so you may as well use it.”

“Will do,” Ginny said, grinning at them. “Enjoy your first night in your new place. Try not to break any more furniture.” She turned to Hermione’s parents then, and added quickly, “I do mean literally. Ron broke the coffee table earlier.” She looked back at Ron and Hermione. “We’ll drop by again tomorrow. See you.”

The four of them left after that, Harry and Ginny Flooing back to Grimmauld Place, while Hermione’s parents drove back down the driveway toward the city of Nottingham where they were staying. 

Ron threw his arm around Hermione’s shoulder as the car disappeared down the road and they closed the door behind them.

“Tomorrow we give the key back, and then this place is truly ours,” he said. “Just you and me.”

“How do we spend our first night in our new place?” Hermione asked. 

…

It was nearing ten o’clock at night, and just as Ron had imagined all those weeks ago, they sat on the sofa, curled up together with a blanket thrown over them. It wasn’t even that cold, but it was comforting and the romantic in Ron had insisted. 

“This is nice,” Hermione said, and her voice sounded faraway, as if she was almost asleep. 

Ron drew her closer towards him, his thoughts wandering into something resembling pure bliss, only interrupted a few moments later by an intrusive memory that he’d brushed aside until now. 

“Apparently I am helping Harry figure out a way to ask Ginny to marry him.”

“What?” Hermione lifted her head off Ron’s shoulder and sat up. “Since when?”

“Since this morning, apparently,” Ron said with a shrug. “He asked me if I’d be okay with it, which… well, yeah, I am. Then he asked me if I could help him do it. I mean, I assume he meant helping him find a way to ask her that doesn’t seem ridiculous and cheesy.”

“That’s great news!” Hermione said, and she sounded genuinely thrilled. If there was any thought in her mind about when she’d be getting engaged, she hid it very well. “Oh, I’m so happy for them. Do you know when he’s planning it?”

“No,” Ron said. “You know Harry — if it’s something that involves even a small plan, then he prefers to dive right in, head first.”

“Ginny did say they were going to dinner tonight…” Hermione began.

“Yeah, but he asked me for help,” Ron said. “And I haven’t given him the slightest bit of help.” He thought back to earlier that day, and Harry’s amusement over the whole ring situation. “Except, I guess, what not to do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hermione asked. 

“Nothing.” Ron shook his head. “Just something that happened while we were packing up the stuff at the flat. You think Ginny will say yes?”

“Certain of it,” Hermione said. “Though, with the Quidditch season starting up again soon, I can’t imagine when they’ll find the time to get married. They’ll have to squeeze it in between a game, I guess. And that all depends on whether the game has actually finished before the next one is due to start.”

Ron laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Hermione asked.

“Well, I’d hope — and correct me if I’m wrong if I’m assuming too much — that Ginny would actually consider missing a game or two for her own wedding.”

Hermione flushed, and it was obvious that the thought hadn’t actually occurred to her. “I… I suppose you’re right.”

Ron watched her for a moment. Now he knew she definitely was thinking about their own potential wedding. She had an air of guilt about her. 

“If you and Harry find you’re struggling, I can offer some suggestions, too,” Hermione said after a moment. “I do think, considering it’s Harry and Ginny, something simple. Or something Quidditch related.”

“Maybe at a Quidditch game?” Ron suggested.

“Harry wouldn’t want to draw attention to himself like that,” Hermione argued.

“Good point.”

“A dinner is a little cliche, but nice and simple, and if it’s in the house, then there’s no one else around.”

“Wouldn’t that be boring, though?” Ron asked.

“I think it’s romantic,” Hermione said. “I think it would be nice for them to become engaged just at home, no one else around…”

Ron smiled at her. 

Hermione flushed a little, and added quickly, “But I mean, if, um, Harry doesn’t want to do it that way then there’s other options. Start by asking him, I guess. You’re good at that kind of thing, Ron. Better than he is. I’m sure you’ll think of something. It’s so exciting for them!”

Ron’s smile widened. “I love you,” he said. 

She responded by kissing him. 

…

There was a cool breeze floating through the window the following morning. Ron shivered. What was it doing open in January? It was far too cold for such a thing. 

And then he remembered. 

Their first night together in their new place had become heated, especially when they’d decided to come to bed. They’d needed to open the window after a bit, just to cool themselves down. 

And now it didn’t help in the morning that he’d fallen asleep without any clothes and the blankets were tossed down around his waist. 

He groaned and rolled over, drawing them back up to under his chin. “Morning,” he said groggily, reaching out an arm to place around Hermione. She didn’t respond, but he could feel that beneath the blankets she also had forgotten to get dressed. He snuggled into her, partly for warmth and partly because he was still very much remembering how he had fallen asleep and wanted to be as close to her as possible.

Her even, gentle breathing lulled him back into a sleep. He didn’t know for how long, but he was woken again by Hermione shifting against him. She rolled over and before he could even open his eyes, her lips were on his again. 

“Good morning,” she whispered, snuggling into him. Her skin was so warm and soft against his. 

He grinned, still through closed eyes. “Very good morning,” he said, moving his arm under the blankets and drawing her closer towards him. “You’re so warm,” he added, suppressing a shiver. “Dumb idea, leaving that open all night.”

“I was going to close it, but then I fell asleep,” Hermione said, keeping her voice low. 

Ron drew her even closer to him, sinking lower under the blankets. A moment later Hermione pulled away. His eyes sprung open as she reached for her wand, pointed it at the open window and then snuggled back in under the covers.

“We don’t have to get up today, do we?” Ron asked. 

“I’m okay to stay here,” Hermione agreed, and she kissed him again.

And they would have gladly stayed in bed all day, enjoying their new house (and each other’s company), but at some point (Ron didn’t know and didn’t care what the time was) there was an annoying disruption.

A rush of flames, and then a shout that sounded a lot like Ginny’s from the bottom of the stairs. “You two up there?”

“Great idea linking the fireplaces,” Ron groaned, pulling away from Hermione unwillingly. “Your best idea yet.”

Hermione, also looking rather annoyed at the interruption, sat up in the bed in a very flustered state. “I don’t think we’re in any state to go down just yet,” she said. 

Ron definitely wasn’t, so they laid back down, Hermione flicking her wand to open the window again. 

“I doubt they’re sleeping,” Ron heard Ginny say, probably to Harry. “It’s midday. Honestly.”

And then there was silence, with any luck the two deciding to go back home. Though, Ron knew that was wishful thinking. 

“I suppose we should get up,” Hermione said after a while, once the cold air began to become a nuisance again, and not a relief. 

“Annoying little sisters,” Ron grumbled as they both sat up and attempted to find something to dress into. Nothing had been unpacked yet, and by the time Ron had found a shirt and a pair of jeans to throw on, Hermione was opening the door in her pyjamas that she definitely had not worn last night.

Harry and Ginny were waiting in the kitchen, both with a mug of hot tea in front of them. 

“Sorry, should have sent word when we were coming over,” Ginny said, and to Ron’s surprise, she actually looked a little embarrassed. 

“Yeah,” Ron replied, unable to contain his annoyance at their unwelcome intrusion. “Also should have used your brain.”

Hermione gave him a whack across the chest.

“Ow.”

“It’s alright,” Hermione said, accepting an offer of tea that Harry had just poured. “We were just about to get up.”

That was so far from the truth that no one believed her, but no one said anything. 

“So, how’s the place?” Harry asked. “You’ve settled in alright?”

“Yep,” Ron said. “There’s a lot more space than we’re used to, but that’s alright. We’ll get used to it, I’m sure. It already kind of feels like home.”

“I’m glad,” Ginny said with a smile. 

They moved into idle chat after that, Harry and Ginny talking about their date night, and then moving onto work, and the new Quidditch season. It wasn’t until Hermione jumped up from her seat and said, “Harry, can I see you in the next room?” that the conversation died.

“Is that some secret work business going on in there?” Ginny asked. 

“I dunno, maybe,” Ron said, though he had a feeling that Hermione was sharing all her sudden ideas about how to propose to Ginny in the next room. He repressed a sigh.

“Harry told me what you said to him yesterday,” Ginny said after a moment. “About the ring. You’re an idiot.”

Ron glared at her. 

“I’m serious,” Ginny continued. “You. Are. So. Stupid.”

“I’m not getting into this discussion with you,” Ron said. “It’s too late now, anyway. I can’t back out, and I don’t want to.”

Ginny stared at him for a moment, then shook her head again, stating, “You’re an idiot.” 

“That’s what George told me when I told him what I did.”

“Yeah, well, he’s right, too.”

Ron couldn’t say anything, for Harry and Hermione returned, Harry looking rather overwhelmed. 

“We should head back,” Ginny said. “I have to be back in Holyhead at seven in the morning tomorrow.”

“Good luck for this year,” Hermione said. “We’ll try to get to some games to see you play.”

Ginny smiled, giving Hermione and Ron a hug each. “Thanks. We have a pretty strong team. I’m just glad to be playing this year at all.”

“You deserve it,” Hermione said. 

“Thanks. See you guys, and enjoy the rest of your afternoon. We’ll remember to Apparate next time, or send word first. Sorry.”

Once they had gone, Hermione turned straight to Ron and said, “You need to help Harry. He’s clueless.” And she took another sip of the freshly brewed tea. 

[lazyladygl]

This unintentional still life was just sitting pretty under the sunlight in my kitchen today. “Like the Dutch Masters,” my housemate murmured, slipping out the back door.

My favorite part is the gleaming light on the boxed confetti cake, making it look like some hallowed slice of rainbow gluten. Sunlight does that.

Admiring the happenstance real-life painting made me think...Why would anyone choose to have a dozen crusty, cracked appliances, sitting with their gooey feet on their countertop, and drawers full of crappy plastic tools with very specific purposes, that will break if you use them too often, so they start to collect that gross sticky dust film that things get when they’ve sat too long; Why let these things take up space when they could be pared down to make room for beautiful things that are also functional...like this magical “still life”?

I could write a book about how unacceptable most countertops I encounter are (and have already deleted two paragraphs) so I’ll just say...

There’s no rule that says things have to be useful or beautiful. They can (and should) be both! Life’s short, so surround yourself by things that you find lovely and will last a hundred years or more. Ditch the rest.

“But wait!” you say. “The trifecta of beauty-useful-quality is expensive.” Strong disagree. You just have to keep your eyes open for them on auction sites, consignment shops, and estate sales. I’m hoping to add some tips on buying fewer, but more quality things in future posts.

This brings me to my next thought and the way I learned to cut down...After living in a tiny lake cabin for a year and a boat for a year after that, I learned to understand and value the impact of minimalism. Everything had (by necessity of space) a dual purpose. 

For example, I had deep ceramic pasta dishes that doubled as both bowls and plates. My stemless wine glasses were also water glasses (and it always felt luxurious to drink ice water out of them). When I lived on the boat that went down to two of each. I get why “they entered the ark two by two.” There just isn’t room on the boat for anything extra. The crazy part? I didn’t miss the excess. Not a bit. Even when I moved back into an actual house with more than two rooms, I didn’t find the need to use everything at my disposal. In fact, I stuck to the couple of things I brought with me.

The same concept goes for the items I cook with daily: My cast iron can be both on the stove and move straight to the oven (brown and bake). The silicon spatula is used for smooshing, scooping, scraping, stirring, and flipping. I have one sharp Japanese knife that I prefer to use for tasks small and large.

Some of the best chefs I know of also keep things simple like this. (Alice Waters comes to mind.) You’ll see them using the same knife in every shot, or using the same one or two pans for every dish. There’s a reason for this. It makes things easier, but also more comfortable. I know my tools and I like to think they know me too. We have an understanding and we work well together to create nutritious, beautiful meals together.

I have to admit though...my Achilles heel...is spoons. Unlike my figurative spoons, my literal spoons are abundant. I use about 8-10 spoons every time I cook. For scraping, scooping, measuring, tasting, poking. Each spoons gets discarded in the sink after encountering a new flavor, texture, or potential bacteria. I could use my spatula, but I don’t. I use every single teaspoon in the drawer until there aren’t any left. One day I’ll get to the bottom of why I have this obsessive, excessive spoon use. But now is not that day.

Moreover, I have no dishwasher...and as someone who avoids unnecessary work (spoons aside), I keep my dishes to a minimum by making more using less. This is also why I clean as I go - it feels less burdensome to wash two things vs ten (mostly spoons) at a time.

So back to the original point, keeping things simple means you can enjoy the divinity of boxed confetti cake, because it’s a painterly contrast to the rest of the wholesome, natural, humble things you’ve chosen to surround yourself by.

Disclaimer: I don’t have kids, maybe that’s why I can’t imagine the need for 10 extra of every type of peeler, chopper, dicer, blender, and toaster to save me time. I’d rather just make toast on a cast iron with a smudge of butter and some fresh parsley. But if I had kids maybe I wouldn’t mind all of those tools, because then I’d have a dishwasher to clean the 20 things I used to make toast. Because what else are kids for if not to wash dishes?