#i want to have tea with them and go to venice | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

daydreamgoddess14 · 4 months ago

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this love left a permanent mark - Chapter 1

Hi!! Need something for your Sunday reading?

In an assignment that takes them undercover as a married couple, Sid and River must navigate the fine line between their cover story and their growing feelings for each other. As they infiltrate a defence contractor to uncover a secret insider threat, they must balance their mission objectives with the undeniable chemistry that sparks between them. Will their real feelings compromise their mission, or will they find a way to keep both intact?

River Cartwright x Sid Baker, no warnings required aside from a bit of bad language.

Approx 8.5k words

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River Cartwright x Sid Baker Masterlist

Taglist: @a-sunflower-in-bloom @sad-quality @linkpk88

She didn't miss them. Not any of them, not at all.

She didn't miss Ho's incessant chatter, or Louisa’s ‘don't you dare speak unless I've had three cups of coffee’ attitude.

She didn't miss Lamb using belching as punctuation, or Catherine's disappointed frown when she saw the state of River's desk.

She didn't miss River. Or Shirley. Or any of them.

But god, her new co-workers were boring.

It was draining, having to be so nice all the time.

If she'd been this nice for consecutive minutes - let alone weeks - at Slough House, River wouldn't let her hear the end of it.

Being nice was boring.

She missed the fire at Slough House, the snippy little arguments. Knowing that you could be yourself without having to tread on eggshells.

No one expected nice, or even polite.

You want to be in a foul mood and keep your headphones on all day? Go for it.

Equally, you wanted to make a round of tea - with biscuits - without being forced? Go for it.

No expectations.

Now that, she did miss.

She'd been on her best behaviour for weeks.

“Oh, Sid! Thank you so much for your help on the Callahan project,” a bright, happy face appeared next to her desk. “I owe you, big time!”

“No problem Dilly. I told you, Polish translations are easy.” Sid smiled.

“For you maybe, I just can't seem to pick it up the way I did German.”

“Apparently German is an easier language to learn.”

“You need anything for lunch?”

“No thanks, I've got to go and get a click and collect order,” Sid closed her laptop.

“Have you ordered anything new for the weekend trip yet?” Dilly asked eagerly.

“Not yet, is it really that important?”

Dilly’s jaw dropped. Sid wondered if she might have to scrape it off her desk.

“Important? It’s only the event of the year! Everyone is going to be there. If you want to get on in this place - or down the road at Westminster - you just have to go.”

“I’ve only been here a few weeks, I’m probably not even on the list -”

“You are, and you get a plus one. Honestly, you underestimate how crucial it is. The company uses it as a team-building thing, they invite a few government heads of department, next thing you know you’re an MP for some shitty town up north and you’ve got a cushy job for life.”

Sid frowned.

“I don’t want to be an MP -”

“That’s just an example. The weekend gets you in… to the clique, the top set y’know. My first time I was so nervous! I've been going a few years now.”

“And did you get anything good out of it?”

“Well… not yet, but Diego reckons I’m in line for Warwick’s job when he moves across to government - which he will. Probably after this year’s weekend away.”

“Right,” Sid’s frown deepened.

“Besides, it’s in Venice?! Surely you’re not going to miss out on that?”

“And I get a plus one?”

She fiddled with the ring on left hand, a simple, narrow gold band.

“Yep! Which means I get to meet the hubby at last, is he fit?”

“He’s… gorgeous.” Sid smiled.

“Got a pic?”

The smile on Sid’s face froze. Shit.

She didn’t have a picture. Hell, she didn’t have a husband! Or even a plan for one.

‘He’ was just part of the backstory, to get people talking.

And now… she needed one. Not just a picture of any old internet stock photo. A real, breathing human who could survive a weekend in Venice.

Lamb would have to come up with a plan. Maybe the Park would send someone.

“No… I -”

“Not even a wedding picture?”

Shit. Was this girl for real?

“They’re not back from the photographer yet.”

“Yeah, but like, your mum took some pics though? His mum?”

“It was super intimate. Just the two of us.”

Dilly looked put out.

“I’ll be back in a bit, I’ve really got to collect this order before it goes back to the warehouse. I’ll have a look when I’m back, see if I can find a photo for you.” You nosey cow.

The offer did the trick, Dilly squealed with delight and went back to her desk.

“Can’t wait! I looked for you on Facebook and nothing,” seriously, was this girl for real?

“I’m not on social media.”

“Don’t I know it! Insta, Snap, girl, I looked everywhere for you!”

“Why would you need to do that?” Sid asked, trying to act as if Dilly’s actions were totally normal. The younger woman shrugged.

“I like to know who I’m working with, silly! We spend sooo much time working, don’t you think it’s nice when it becomes such a family environment?”

Sid thought about Slough House, which admittedly, she now felt a pang for.

“Love it,” she smiled through gritted teeth, “love it so much when that happens. So much.”

She made her escape, letting out a huff of relief as she entered the lift.

She moved quickly down the road towards M&S, jumped in the queue at the cafe next to the Click and Collect desk and ordered a round of toast and a coffee. She slipped into a booth in the corner, one side already occupied.

“Mind if I sit here? It’s a bit busy!” She asked brightly.

“Help yourself,” the man replied, busy with his newspaper.

“Anything good in the news?”

The man grunted.

“Yeah, lots of impatient people.”

“Aren’t they always?”

“They hoped for more by now.”

“Well, these things take a little while.”

“Hmm.”

“They could just do it themselves if they’re that bothered.”

The paper moved away from the man’s face.

“They’d rather leave it with us and then complain that we’re doing it wrong.” Lamb rolled his eyes, reaching for the other slice of Sid’s toast.

“That’s my lunch.” She pulled the plate towards her but it was too late, he’d already lifted it.

“Boo hoo.”

“I need a husband.”

“Sorry Sid, I’m just not the marrying kind.”

“You know what I mean. You gave me the stupid newlywed backstory, now I actually need to fulfill it. There’s a work event coming up - a weekend away - lots of bigwigs there, plenty of time to try and work out who the mole is.”

“And where, pray tell, is this weekend away?”

Sid blew the top of her coffee and looked around the cafe innocently.

“Venice.”

She noticed Lamb catch himself before raising his voice.

“Venice, Italy?”

“Are there any others?”

“Been a long time since I did Geography, Baker.” He sighed. “Let me get this straight, you expect her to sign off the expenses for a weekend in Venice for you and someone else?”

“If she wants to find out who the mole is, then yes. I also need some clothes, got to look the part.”

She hid her grin behind her mug.

“Great, I’ll tell Cartwright to dig out his tux.”

Her smile fell.

“What?”

“Well, unless you want to be temporarily married to Ho?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then Cartwright it is. Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll look the part as you said.”

“It’s not the looks that worry me.” She frowned, “I just mean -”

“I don’t care what you meant. I’m sure he’ll survive. He’s got you to keep him on the straight an’ narrow hasn’t he?”

“You seriously expect me to pretend to be married to him for a whole weekend?”

“Sid, in case it has escaped you, you are a spy.” He lowered his voice, “I expect you to continue the undercover work you’ve been doing for the last month, and I expect you to work out who the mole is that’s selling defence secrets to foreign governments… got it?”

Sid nodded.

“Got it,” she mumbled.

“Pardon?”

“Got it.” She said a little louder.

“Good. I’ll tell Cartwright to get packing.”

“He’ll need to meet up with me so I can give him an idea of who’s who. If he’s supposedly my husband then I’ll have been talking to him about them for the last few weeks. I also need his passport details.”

Lamb folded his newspaper and finished his coffee.

“Alright, alright. You already sound like his wife,” Lamb sniggered. At Sid’s glare, he raised his hands in defeat, “just a little joke. Go on, back to the office with ya, time to whack-a-mole.”

He tapped her on the head with the paper and then tucked it under his arm, whistling as he headed for the escalator.

~~~~~

Lamb’s return to the office was announced by the thumping on the floor of his office.

When River poked his head around the door, he was digging around in his desk drawers.

A small black box sailed through the air towards River’s head, his hand darted out to catch it.

“What’s this?”

“Congratulations,” Lamb muttered, opening another drawer.

River opened the box to find a simple gold wedding band.

“On?”

“Your wedding, idiot. I hear it was a lovely intimate affair. Just the two of you, then back home for a night of passion.” He gave River a withering look up and down. “Maybe not a whole night.”

“Oi!”

“You are getting on a bit now.”

“I’m 34.”

“Might as well start on the viagra then.”

Lamb pulled an envelope from the draw - victorious at last. “Passport, phone, credit card, cash. Don’t bankrupt us.”

“Where am I going?”

“Call the wife and ask her, she needs to get you up to speed anyway. Not sure she’s got a millenia to spare, but hey ho.”

“I don't have a wife?”

“Have you noticed anyone who seems to have taken temporary employment elsewhere?” He took River’s silence for a yes. “There you go then. Give her a call, number’s in the phone already. You are in love. You are happily married newlyweds. I don’t give a shit how you sell it, but make nice with her new work pals and find out who this sodding mole is before we find ourselves being bombed by one of the Koreas.”

“North.”

“Honestly, could be either of them. This mole has got our knickers down, we need to stop them. Now fuck off and call Baker.”

River took the envelope and made his way down to his office. The phone unlocked without a passcode and revealed a smiling photo of Sid as the wallpaper. He brought up the contacts list and hit the green button.

“Hi babe!” She cooed. He took the phone from his ear, and stared at it. “Can you hear me?”

He blinked at the phone. “Love? Can you hear me?”

Typical, he heard her say, I think he’s bum dialled me. She giggled. An alien sound that jolted him his stupor.

“Sid?”

“Oh! You can hear me, you ok babe?”

She did not sound like Sid. Not his Sid anyway, this was a bubbly, labrador version of Sid that he was having serious trouble picturing.

“Uhhh, yeah?”

“Great, did you get my text about Venice? I’m so excited!”

River coughed.

“You’re so right,” Said continued, covering for his absent side of the conversation, “we should go out for dinner tonight. Where do you fancy?”

“Uhhh -” he stuttered again.

“Côte? Barbican one? Can you book, I’m swamped here. 6 o’clock ok?”

“That’s… that’s fine.”

“Fab, see you later. Love you!” She rung off, leaving him staring at the phone. As he stared, a message came through and covered the Sid wallpaper.

Get it together you twat. I’m not being fake married to Ho.

Well. That was him told.

~~~~~

He was already there when she arrived.

Her stomach swooped as she crossed the room to him. He was reading the menu, his brow furrowed in decision mode.

“The beef cheek is beautiful here usually.” She told him, dropping her bag in the chair next to him.

“S’what I was going to have, actually.”

“Better make it two then. Red wine, or are you sticking with beer?” She gestured to his half drunk pint.

“Beer for me.”

“I’ll have a cocktail then,” she pulled up the menu and read through.

“How’s the new job?”

“Needs more gin,” she grimaced.

“Better than the other one, surely?” He asked.

“You’d be surprised. The grass, believe it or not, isn’t always greener.” She smiled at the waitress. “Two beef cheeks, another pint and a rose negroni please.”

“You didn’t witness the Shirley and Ho thumb war this afternoon. Riveting.”

“At least you don’t have to be nice all day every day.”

“That bad?”

“For people who work in something as dull as defence contracts, they’re very… smiley.” Her negroni arrived and she took a long, grateful sip. “Oh, that’s lovely.” She sighed.

River waited patiently.

“Right, I’ve been there a month. Trying to find… y’know,” she looked around at the dining room of full tables. “They’re a nice enough bunch, bit too happy for me. You’ve got Dilly and I who are reviewing all current contracts and handling the renewals. Diego and Jonty are like… sales, they’re trying to get new companies on board. Warwick is the head of the department I’m in, but he’s apparently in line for a move to Westminster at some point. Dilly would be up for his job then, she’s been angling for it for a while. Then there’s Angela and Kasim in accounts, that’s a bit of a hole at the moment. They keep the finances very close, I can barely catch sight of an invoice. Then we have Lilly, Pete and Hassan who are all like… they move around the office depending on where they need more help.”

“That’s a lot of people.”

“That’s why it’s taking a while to get what Lamb needs. I’m hoping the weekend away will be a chance to get to know them all away from work, get a bit of booze into them and see if they talk a bit more freely.”

“And they’ll all be bringing partners?”

“Yep, more names to try and remember.”

“And the weekend?”

“Every year they go away for a long weekend. They invite some government people as well, it’s a bit of a posh boys club where they can all get pissed and mingle. It’s pretty much how anyone moves further up into the company - or out of it and into government. It's basically just a piss up. This year, it’s about an hour outside of Venice. They’ve hired a small hotel - 25 rooms all taken by the company - and they put on an agenda of stuff to do.”

“Sounds nice, and Lamb decided you were married?”

“He gave me the background before we learned about Venice. I sprung it on him today. I thought…” She looked thoughtful. “I thought he’d get someone from the Park.”

“But you’ve ended up with me. I can do it, you know?”

“I’m sure you can, it’s just a lot of people. I’m the newest, and I’m supposedly only just married. It has to be convincing.”

“It will be. It can be.” He assured her as their food arrived.

She bit her lip and sighed.

“Ok,” she nodded. “Ok, let’s do it.”

After they’d eaten, she pulled her phone from her bag and read the agenda aloud.

“I had the official invite today. We fly out a week on Friday - gives us about ten days to get organised - and fly back on Monday. Friday night is a drinks reception and ‘get to know you’ thing, Saturday is a hike through the town, a stop off at the oldest Grappa distillery, and then a cooking class in the afternoon. Followed by a three course dinner at the hotel - that’s black tie, by the way - and ‘evening games’,” she pulled a face. “God, what does that mean? Then Sunday is a trip into Verona followed by an afternoon by the pool and then dinner. Monday is brunch and then off to the airport.”

“Plenty of time to get to know this lot,” he gestured to his napkin where he’d scribbled everyone’s name.

“Smile,” she requested, holding up her phone. She took a quick picture and set it as her phone wallpaper. “Dilly keeps asking to see a picture of you. I’ll try and get all of the partner’s names over the next couple of days. You could do some research on everyone?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“You also need to go shopping, make sure you have a decent suit.”

“I have a decent suit.”

“Do you, though? I mean a really nice one, River.”

“Relax, I’ve got a suit. Do you have everything you need?”

“There’s somewhere I usually hire evening dresses from. I’ll get a few.”

“So we’re all set then? Easy.”

“It’d be easier if Lamb had made me single.” She muttered.

“Good luck handling this lot alone, sweetheart,” he held the napkin up.

“Literally cannot believe I have to be married to you.”

“Til death do us part,” he grinned, wiggling his ring finger.

“That can certainly be arranged, babe.”

She signalled for another cocktail.

~~~~~

Sid slammed the door of the taxi behind her and dragged her case to the pavement. The airport looked daunting. More than twenty people inside were ready to party and mingle all weekend. She felt River's hand join with hers, interlocking their fingers.

“C'mon then, Mrs Masterson,” he frowned. “Sounds weird.”

“At least we kept our first names,” she agreed. “I need to make sure I don't call you Cartwright,” she panicked.

“It'll be fine. You're ready?”

“Ready,” she nodded. “Remember,” she hurried to keep up with him, “tactile but not like, gross PDA.”

“I know,” he looked back with a grin.

“Stick your tongue down my throat and I'll bite it off,” she warned.

“I know.”

“And I swear to god, try and touch me and I'll murder you River -”

“Sid, I know.”He told her firmly. “They're in the wine bar?”

She nodded, looking over his shoulder for the departure area. “Yeah but we might see some people before we get there, so it starts right now. The only time we drop the act is when we're totally alone, in private. Any other time, we have to assume that anyone could see us.” She sounded nervous, she knew she did. Her eyes flicked around the busy check in desks, the stairs towards security, on high alert for colleagues.

He took a step towards her, blocking most of her view.

“Breathe,” he said quietly, leaning down to talk in her ear. His lips brushed her earlobe. “We're going to be fine.” He promised.

“Sid?!” A loud voice cut through the noise of the crowds. “It is you!”

“Dilly,” she whispered just before River moved away.

“I'm River,” he turned to greet her, holding out his hand, “you must be Dilly? I've heard so much about you.”

Dilly beamed.

“I've hardly heard a thing about you other than you're gorgeous - and she was dead right about that! No wonder she kept you quiet!”

The smile on River's face didn't falter as Dilly talked a mile a minute.

“Ah, she's the gorgeous one,” he insisted, not missing a beat, putting an arm around Sid's shoulder.

“This is Tom, my boyfriend. Six years this year! Still no engagement,” she shook her head. Tom raised his hand, his half smile indicated that he was very used to Dilly making the ‘no engagement’ comment.

“Let's ditch these cases and get to the bar, start the weekend as we mean to go on.” Dilly breezed through them and towards the check in desk. “I'll need to stay half cut just to put up with Amber,” she muttered.

“Amber, Warwick's wife of eighteen years,” River muttered partly to himself, partly to Sid.

Sid soon realised that as long as she held River's hand and occasionally looked lovingly up at him, she could rely on Dilly to hold court.

Letting Dilly talk allowed her time and space to get used to the weight of River's hand in hers and helped her get used to being his ‘wife’.

The queue through security moved quickly, Sid dumped her bag and phone into one of the trays along with her fake wedding and engagement rings.

“Mrs Masterson?” River asked at the end of the conveyor, holding out her rings. Sid blushed and held out her hand.

“Thank you,” she murmured. A little further ahead, she could see Dilly watching them, enraptured. She reached up on her tiptoes to kiss him. She hesitated for a second, suddenly unsure of herself, until his arm wrapped around her and pulled her in.

“Sell the first one, and they'll buy the rest,” he whispered quickly before kissing her firmly. Sid felt herself freeze in his arms but quickly remembered it was her face Dilly could see, not River's. She let her eyes flutter closed and leaned into him. It was a chaste, closed kiss, functional and nothing more. He broke it first, took her hand, and led her to Dilly and Tom who were getting their bearings.

“Still in the honeymoon stage then?” Dilly giggled at them.

“Oh look, there's the bar,” Sid ignored the comment and pointed hers and River's joined hands towards the wine bar.

“Yesss, I hope Warwick has put his credit card on the tab. I intend on camping out here till I have to run for the plane.” Dilly said gleefully.

“No, Dil. No running!” Tom sighed. “Had to leg it through Terminal 5 when we went to New York. They literally cheered when we got on the plane.” He looked pained.

River clapped him on the shoulder.

“Don't worry mate, Sid’s an airport Queen. She's forever keeping me in check.”

He let go of her hand and put an arm around her, pulling her in close and placing a kiss on her hairline.

“She keeps me in check too,” Dilly grinned, “the best work bestie!”

“My first work bestie,” Sid forced a smile.

She felt River pinch her waist lightly and as Dilly turned toward the bar, he frowned.

“First work bestie?” He nudged her, “rude.”

“Idiot. C'mon, are you ready to meet the others?”

“A weekend with twenty odd strangers, can't wait.”

“Worst weekend of my life,” she grimaced.

“Thanks,” he laughed. “Look, we've not been married long, we can use that as an excuse to stick together, watch them. If there's a mole, they're going to struggle to be on form all weekend.”

“Being undercover is no different,” she reasoned.

“It's our job. Just… keep the lie going. Like you said, this is it now unless we're in private.”

“What're you drinking?” Tom asked from a few meters in front of them.

“Gin,” they responded in unison.

Sid felt River suck in a breath as they continued beyond the bar with their drinks in hand. Near the back of the room, their group was gathering, taking up multiple tables and filling the space with noise and laughter. On spotting Sid, a stocky man in his fifties with a well kept salt and pepper goatee split the crowd like the red sea to greet her.

“Sid Masterson! Our newest recruit.”

“Morning, Warwick.” He smiled widely, waving his hand to quieten the group.

“Guys, guys! You all know Sid?”

A chorus of voices and waves barrelled towards her and she felt herself take a small step closer to River. “This is -?”

“My uh,” she cleared her throat, “my husband, River.”

Warwick shook his hand vigorously, welcoming him warmly. Then he turned and began reeling off names.

“Hope you've got a memory as good as Sid's,” he winked. “Are you ready for this?” His laugh boomed. “Let's see if I can get it right! This here is my wife, Amber, then we have Diego and Stella, Jonty and Sam, Angela and Lucy, Kasim and Issy, Lilly and Dave, Pete and Deb, Hassan and Priya and finally, you already know Dilly and Tom.” He took a long drink. “That gets harder each year. I'll have to stop employing people!”

Everyone laughed politely. “We'll be joined later by a few others from outside the business, but I've kept the number nice and low.”

“Darling, twenty-five people is not a nice, low number,” Amber withered. Her blonde hair was curled, her tan perfect. She looked at least twenty years younger than Warwick. Behind Amber, Sid watched Dilly fake being sick. “Sid, it's lovely to meet you at last. Congratulations on the wedding! Just before you started the job, wasn't it?”

“Thank you,” Sid smiled serenely, “about a week before the job, I think it was.”

“I can't wait to hear about it, I do love a wedding!” She giggled, taping Sid's hand lightly. She continued on her way to make small talk with Jonty and Sam.

They stayed to one side of the group, she watched River as he observed them all, embedding the names into his brain. He looked down at her, catching her off guard.

“You're watching me.” He murmured.

“Just… appreciating my husband.”

She leaned into him, her arm sliding across his back.

“Overwhelming isn't it?” Tom declared. “So many people to remember. Don't worry, I still get it wrong!” Dilly joined him with a giggle.

“I'm pretty sure we used the first trip away as an excuse for a dirty weekend! That was about four years ago.” She nudged Tom with her elbow. “Remember that one?” She turned to Sid and River, “Athens. All we saw was the hotel room!” Her laughed pealed through the room. “So when you two skip dinner,” she wiggled her finger at them, “I'll know what you're up to!”

Sid blushed.

“Drink up, you lot, the gate is open,” Warwick called out, his authoritative voice was enough to encourage everyone towards the exit.

~~~~~

The view from the window was incredible.

Sid leaned over River who’d bagged the window seat.

“Shame we’re not going to Venice itself.” She whispered, looking down in awe at the maze of canals.

“Verona though, that’ll be good?”

“True, so romantic.” She sighed, thinking of Dilly and Tom being able to hear them in the row behind.

“Have you been to Venice before?” Dilly asked, peeping through the gap between the seats.

“No, you?”

“No, I tried to get Warwick to put it on the itinerary but he picked Verona instead,” she complained.

“Verona is supposed to be so underrated,” Warwick insisted from across the aisle. “Amber’s never been.”

Dilly arched her eyebrow at Sid. She’d made her feelings about Warwick’s wife dictating the itinerary very clear.

The plane turned again, exposing more of Venice beneath them.

“We’re going to the home of Grappa, I can’t wait!” Tom piped up. “I wonder how much I can fit in my case,” he winked at Dilly.

“Not that much, Tom.” She sighed, going back to her book.

“I'm going to need Grappa to survive this trip,” River whispered, tucking Sid's hair behind her ear.

“You and me both,” the afternoon sun filled the plane with a honey glow, highlighting flecks of gold within the blue of his eyes. Sid held her breath. Steeled herself. She wasn't sure she'd looked at him before, really looked at him. Staring openly at him was not something encouraged at Slough House and she couldn't remember ever sitting so closely that she could see every detail of his face.

The tinny sound of a cabin crew announcement startled her and she reluctantly looked away.

“Ladies and gentlemen we'll shortly be landing if you could take your seats and fasten your seat belts please.”

Without Sid mentioning it, River took her hand in his.

When the plane had taken off, she'd gripped the armrests so hard her knuckles went white. He'd offered his hand but she'd gritted her teeth and shook her head.

This time, he didn't ask.

She held it tightly while his thumb rubbed circles on the back of her hand.

She stared nervously out the window at the seemingly endless water, frantically wondering when solid ground would show up.

River twisted in his seat, blocking her view out of the window. She instead focused on the narrow weave of his t-shirt.

When the wheels met the ground with a thud, her eyes flicked up to meet his.

“Don't laugh at me,” she warned, her jaw still held taut.

“I'm not laughing,” he said quietly.

The plane slowed as they taxied to the gate, Sid felt herself relax and loosen her hold on River's hand.

He shook it, encouraging the circulation to return. “Tight grip,” he winced.

“Baby,” she stuck her tongue out.

Warwick hustled them through customs and baggage claim to a small coach with a chatty Italian driver.

Sid grabbed the window seat this time, with Dilly jumping in next to her.

“Leave the boys to chat,” she insisted, linking arms with Sid and pointing out of the window as they got further away from the city.

Sid looked around for River and found him a couple of rows back and across the aisle. Seeing Sid looking for him, he winked.

She felt her smile grow, wide and real.

He returned it.

“Holy shit!” Dilly hissed next to her, physically taking hold of Sid's face and turning it to the window.

She heard River laugh.

When she turned, she saw a glimpse of the villa as they arrived up the wide, sweeping driveway.

“Oh,” she breathed.

“Sid it's beautiful,” Dilly squeaked in awe.

Sid was met with a breathtaking view of the countryside and the city in the distance. The hotel was a traditional villa, with stucco walls, terracotta roof tiles, and charming Juliet balconies overlooking the picturesque gardens with rows of ancient olive trees and a pool.

“Welcome home guys,” Warwick announced proudly.

A team of valets waited with trolleys to take the cases from the coach, Sid waited to take River's arm and followed the group into the luxurious reception.

Elegant and expansive, the polished travertine floors gave way to high ceilings painted blue and adorned with intricate carvings in soft golds and creams.

A mix of classic and modern furniture littered the space, with a grand desk for the reception staff.

The scent of fresh flowers and espresso floated through the air.

“I will never complain about my job again,” River swore.

Sid looked around, equally gobsmacked.

“This is… wow.”

She caught sight of Angela and Lucy, eyes like saucers as they looked around the room. The other couples were equally astonished, with the exception of Warwick and Amber who assisted the hotel manager as they identified each set of guests and paired them with a room key.

While they waited, a tray of champagne flutes made its way through the group.

“Go and freshen up, everyone. Drinks reception at 6pm sharp! You've got a couple of hours to explore.”

Sid found herself in no rush to move. She sought out River's hand and went to the huge doors which opened out onto the poolside. Around the pool were small tables with umbrellas dotted along the cobbled pathway. He wrapped an arm around her, looking out at the view of the surrounding hills and villages.

“Remind me to thank Lamb for this,” she sniggered, finishing her champagne. “In fact,” she put the glass down and pulled her phone from her bag. She opened the camera app and held out her arm to take a photo of them both. She held up the message to show River.

“He's saved as dad?”

“Well, I can't exactly put him in my phone as who he really is, can I?” She defended.

“Want to see our room?”

Her face lit up.

“Lead the way, Mr Masterson.”

She gratefully retrieved the key from Warwick and found the way through the wide atrium and up the elegant staircase.

River held the door open, letting Sid step into the luxurious bedroom.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the king sized bed, draped in soft white linens and framed by four towering wooden pillars.

The room exuded opulence, with the bed overlooking a huge window with a small balcony, open to show off the view over the pool and out towards the village.

In the bathroom, she discovered a deep roll-top bathtub and rainforest shower.

“Oh my god,” she murmured, dropping her handbag on the bed and looking around. “Have you ever been somewhere so fancy?” She laughed.

“This is insane,” he agreed.

She looked at the bed again, and then at River.

“There's only one.”

“Well, yeah. I kind of expected that.” He told her.

“You did?”

“Warwick thinks we're married, what did you think was going to happen?”

Sid sighed.

“Oh… yeah.”

The door knocked, interrupting her thoughts. River answered, opening the door wide to let the valet in with their cases and another tray of champagne.

“It's a big bed,” she reasoned once the valet had gone.

“Huge. Hope you don't snore?”

“Me?” She scoffed. “I will suffocate you in your sleep if you keep me awake, Cartwright.”

“I think you'll find that's Masterson. This weekend at least.” He grinned, handing her a glass of champagne.

“Hmm. We should get caught up on anything we've noticed before we go to this drinks thing.”

“Think we're safe to sit outside?” He asked, looking over the balcony to the pool below. He could see Diego and Stella already enjoying the sun, with Kasim and Pete carrying drinks out to meet them, with their partners following closely behind. “They won't hear us from down there.”

She sank into the lounger next to him.

“How'd you think it's going?”

“So far so good. The amount of booze Warwick is spilling is going to mean people are going to be very, very drunk.”

Sid frowned at her glass of champagne.

“Yeah we should probably…”

“Try and stay somewhat sober.” He finished.

“Exactly. We need to be able to think straight and pay attention. Have you noticed anything yet?”

“Dilly never stops talking, those three,” he nodded towards the pool at Diego, Kas and Pete, “are very pally -”

“With Jonty too, the four of them are really tight.”

“Any of them short of money? Stella sounds like she enjoys the high life.” He wondered aloud.

“You're thinking they're doing it for the money? Fund a lifestyle?”

“Why else would they do it?”

“If that's an angle then we need to consider Angela. Dilly said she and Lucy had paid thousands and thousands for IVF.”

“Warwick obviously likes to splash the cash a bit,” he gestured to their room. “Who hires a whole hotel for their workmates?”

“OK, so money would be a tricky one to use as a reason. They all have their own worries there.”

“I don't even think I've spoken to Hassan or Lilly yet.”

Sid frowned.

“Maybe we need to divide and conquer a bit this evening?” He nodded in agreement.

“I'll have to take some cues from you on being friendly,” he teased.

“Ugh don't,” she rubbed her cheeks, “my face hurts from smiling.”

“Tell you what, I'll go down and join that lot,” he gestured to the group downstairs, “you enjoy that huge bath or something.”

“Yeah?” She brightened.

“Yeah, have a break from them for a bit.”

He headed for the door, pushing the room key into his pocket.

“Thank you,” Sid said, taken aback. “I wasn't sure you'd be up to this but… I think we're doing OK.” He smiled shyly, closing the door behind him.

~~~~~

She lay back against the curve of the bath, surrounded by bubbles from a very expensive looking bottle on the counter.

After the champagne during the day, and the gin at the airport, she wanted to collect her thoughts and take stock of everything so far.

Goosebumps raised along her arms as the first thing that came to mind was River.

Sell the first one, and they'll buy the rest he'd said right before he'd kissed her.

She hoped they were doing a good job of selling it. She'd watched Dilly and Tom at the airport, planning to use them as a model of sorts. After six years together though, it was clear they weren't romantic enough to base her ‘new’ relationship with River on.

With no frame of reference in her own life, she was winging it.

She couldn't remember the last time someone had held her hand, comforted her during a flight, or tucked back her hair.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been kissed.

And now she was left knowing how River sighed right before he'd kissed her, the way he tasted, the size of his hand wrapped around hers.

She took a breath and tipped backwards, submerging herself in the deep bath.

Her eyes closed and she saw blue flecked with gold.

When she got out of the bath and opened the door, he was back sitting on the balcony.

“Feel better?”

She swallowed.

“Yup, bathroom's all yours.”

He took his suit on its hanger with him.

Sid shook off her nerves and settled at the vanity with her make up bag.

He emerged later, stubble trimmed with his tie loose around his collar. He'd timed perfectly with Sid finishing her hair. Still wrapped in the soft white robe, she took her dress to the bathroom to change.

The first dress she'd picked for the weekend (and she'd chosen a few), was a navy blue gown bejeweled with gold. It made her smile as she opened the long skirt to step into it. She pulled the spaghetti straps up her arms but couldn't untangle them on her back, nor could she work the zip.

“River? Can you come in here for a minute?”

“What's up?” He asked from the other side of the door.

“I need a bit of help with my dress. The zip is stuck and the straps are all messed up,” she huffed.

He knocked before joining her in the large bathroom. She held the front of the dress to her chest with one hand still trying to untangle the straps with her other, “I can't…” she stretched and twisted, she puffed her fringe off her forehead. “It's stuck,” she whined.

“Just stop,” he held up a hand, “stop moving a minute,” he laughed.

When she was finally still, he stood behind her and traced the line of each strap from her shoulder to the waist of her dress, untwisting and untangling them one at a time.

With each brush of his fingertips on her back, Sid shivered. When they were finally straightened out, he pulled the tiny zip from its starting point at the back of her thighs, to her waist.

“Thank you,” she breathed.

She fanned her hands, trying to cool herself down from getting worked up over the dress.

She eyed his crooked tie with a frown. “Let me just,” with her tongue held between her teeth in concentration, she undid the tie and remade it.

She smoothed her hands down the lapel of his jacket, scanning for stray threads and pieces of lint. “Very nice,” she said at last.

“Thanks,” He grinned. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

Her blush crept down her neck, probably all the way to her toes, she decided.

She used him for balance to step into her shoes and stole a glance at his watch.

“Thank you, we need to get downstairs,” she handed him the room key and his phone, leaving her own hands free with no need for a bag or money.

She took one last look in the full length mirror by the door, side by side.

“Not bad, Cartwright.” She smiled.

He held out his arm for her to take.

“None of that, we can't fuck this up because you got pissed and called me Cartwright.”

“You're right, I can imagine what Lamb would say to that. Come on then, my lovely husband,” she stressed with a giggle. “Let's go and pretend we're not total dickheads with no friends.”

Sid and River descended the grand staircase together.

The smooth oak steps curved elegantly towards the expansive foyer, magnifying the sound of chatter and the clink of glasses from the open doors of the main hall, the soft glow of candlelight spilled out onto the stone floor.

Sid couldn't help but feel a flutter of anticipation as they prepared to enter the reception. The luxury and opulence of the surroundings made her feel a little giddy, she was excited to get her hands on her ‘colleagues’ outside of work to try and bring her undercover mission to an end. Working at Slough House, she hadn't had much opportunity to work in such beautiful surroundings, but she couldn't deny she missed the place, and its occupants.

The walls were adorned with intricate Italian artworks, the floors were made of gleaming hardwood, and the high ceiling was painted with the image of a beautiful blue sky.

They reached the grand foyer, where the rest of Sid's co-workers were mingling and chatting, glasses of wine in hand. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, it was clear that Warwick worked his team hard, and that this was their reward.

He'd spared no expense on hiring the whole hotel for their sole use. Everything screamed exclusivity. Warwick had gone all out, the elegant decor, the glittering lights, the sound of laughter and clinking glasses - all of it combined to create an atmosphere of unbridled extravagance and luxury.

"Oh you look beautiful!" Stella greeted them immediately. She and Diego looked straight off a designer runway. A picture perfect couple, they stood, as usual, with Jonty and Sam.

“Oh, this old thing!” Sid swished the skirt. “This is incredible,” she gestured to Stella's jumpsuit.

“Thanks,” she grinned, “my namesake, Stella McCartney. Yours?”

Sid froze. She wasn't even sure if her dress was designer, she'd just picked it out.

“She's got no idea,” River filled in, “I saw it and thought of her.”

“God, that's so fucking cute,” Stella farmed. “As if I could trust D to pick anything out for me!”

“I pick the swimwear,” Diego winked, reaching for Stella who blushed.

“Babe!” Dilly squealed from across the room, “you look lush!”

“Thanks Dil, you too.” Sid let out a laugh as she was embraced by Dilly, who looked like she was going to burst out of her pink taffeta dress at any moment. River couldn't help but smile at the sight, his eyes scanning the room for Warwick, who was nowhere to be seen.

As the drinks reception wore on, the smaller groups of people started to join into a much larger group, the room filling with the hum of loud conversation.

Everyone was eager to compliment each other's outfits and catch up with each other, as if they hadn't spent the whole day together already.

River and Sid found themselves chatting with different people, the room becoming almost stifling with the mix of laughter, chatter, and the clinking of glasses.

River didn't leave Sid's side, his hand rested on her hip. He occasionally pulled her a little closer, and to the other unsuspecting guests, looked utterly in love with her.

Waiters brought around canapés and drinks galore, they were careful to give the impression that they were drinking as much as everyone else without actually doing so.

River reached out and picked a canapé from a passing waiter's tray, holding it out for Sid. He kept his eyes on her, a hint of affectionate playfulness in his gaze.

She tilted her head slightly to one side, only enough for him to notice, and narrowed her eyes at his suggestion.

He brought the canapé ever closer to her mouth, making it increasingly difficult for her to avoid. Finally, she had no choice but to open her mouth, and he gently placed the food inside.

As he placed the canapé against her lips, his thumb brushed against her lower lip, sending a shiver down her spine. The intimacy of the gesture was not lost on them, nor on any potential observer.

Sid's heart pounded in her chest as she released his thumb with a slight pop.

"Do that again, and I'll bite you," she whispered, covering her threat with a smile.

River chuckled at her warning. He leaned closer, his voice a low whisper against her ear. "Be careful," he replied, "I might be into that.”

"Come on you two, everyone's dancing!" Amber called out. River and Sid both turned towards her voice, seeing her standing nearby with a glass of champagne in her hand. Her skintight gold gown made it seem as if she was actually covered in melted gold, a striking sight under the bright lights of the hotel lobby.

"Looks like we've been summoned," River murmured, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Can't ignore the boss's wife," Sid agreed.

She allowed herself to be led to the dancefloor, a mix of excitement and trepidation running through her. The others were already dancing to the blaring music, the lobby had transformed into a make-shift dance floor.

The transition from soft classical music to Italian pop was surprising, and it appeared the shift had invigorated her colleagues, as they were now dancing with enthusiasm and energy. River looked down at Sid, his eyes gleaming, "Feeling up for some Italian pop, princess?”

As the songs played on, Sid found herself becoming increasingly more relaxed, her body moving naturally to the rhythm of the music. The beat was infectious and she couldn't help but get swept up in the energy of the crowd.

Sid couldn't help but notice as she danced, that River had moved to the side of the makeshift dance floor, standing amongst a small group of her male co-workers.

They appeared to have accepted the situation, resigned to letting their partners turn the hotel into a nightclub. He was in close conversation with Jonty, Diego and Hassan as they watched Sid dancing with Sam, Stella and Priya.

As the music shifted to a slower rhythm, Sam shed his suit jacket and with a grin, grabbed Jonty by the hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. The sudden movement took Jonty by surprise, but he couldn't help but laugh and follow Sam's lead.

Sid went to take her opportunity to stop dancing and made a beeline for River. As they met in the middle, he placed a possessive hand on her hip and pulled her in close, their bodies falling into a slow, intimate dance.

As they danced, River placed a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder, pulling her closer so he could speak into her ear. "Jonty's hiding something," he murmured, his voice low and almost lost amidst the music. Sid leaned closer, her ear almost touching his lips as she strained to catch his words.

Sid nodded in acknowledgment, her skin tingling as River's hand caressed the small of her bare back.

"Also haven't seen much of Warwick tonight," he continued.

"True," she agreed, her eyes scanning the room as if searching for Warwick, "he's been pretty much MIA.”

As their bodies moved in time with the music, Sid's fingers linked around River's neck, pulling them closer together. The closeness allowed the couple a rare moment to speak intimately, shielded from the chatter and dance of the crowd around them.

River lowered his head to speak to Sid, their bodies intertwined in the slow dance.

"We should try to get time with the others tomorrow, the ones we haven't spent much time with yet,” he suggested.

Their bodies swayed to the music, Sid responded in a hushed tone, "I'm going on a run with Angela and Lilly in the morning. That's another two off the list," she said, her fingers absentmindedly tracing small circles on the back of River's neck.

River chuckled at her declaration of a morning run. "Good," he agreed, "I'd rather watch than join you on that run." He gently teased her with a grin, his hand moving lower down her back, the touch a little less than gentlemanly.

She leaned up to whisper in his ear. "You're doing a very good job so far, I could almost believe that this is what 'boyfriend' River is like.”

River chuckled appreciatively, the warmth of her breath against his ear sending a shiver down his spine. "Keep up the sweet talk and I might start believing it myself," he quipped playfully, pulling her even closer as the song drew to a close.

Dilly and Tom stepped toward them, looking flushed and a bit out of breath from dancing.

"Nightcap?" Dilly asked, a wide smile on her face.

"Sure," Sid agreed instantly. The group had slowly started to disperse, and the night was now winding down.

The waiter circulated with the tray of grappa, and those still standing eagerly took a glass each. River looked at Tom and raised his glass.

"Distillery tomorrow," he reminded them of the group's planned visit.

Tom chimed in, agreeing wholeheartedly, "I think we'll need a bit of a sleep before the black-tie dinner tomorrow night. We're going to be sloshed.”

"I need sleep now," Dilly lay her head on Sid's shoulder and yawned, looking as though she could fall asleep on the spot.

"I'm with you," Sid added, stifling a yawn herself, "I need sleep too.”

River placed his empty glass down on a nearby table and turned his attention to Sid. "Come on, sleepy beauty," he teased affectionately. "Time to head back to the room.”

"Night babe, enjoy your run.” Dilly giggled as Tom pulled her to her feet.

"Goodnight, guys," Sid replied with a warm smile, giving Dilly a fond kiss on the cheek.

River, ever the helpful partner, wrapped an arm around Sid's waist as they prepared to head back to their room.

Once back in their room, Sid shed her shoes and began the frustrating search to find the zip on the back of her dress. She twisted and contorted, trying to reach the fastening.

While she struggled, River appeared behind her, gently brushing her hands aside as he took over the task.

The zip slid down effortlessly, and he then leaned in as if to place a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. He stopped himself at the last moment, remembering that they were alone, the act could be dropped. "Sorted," he murmured, catching her eye in their shared reflection.

"Thanks," she said, hushed.

"You're welcome," he replied quietly, watching her as she held the dress to her body and headed into the bathroom to change.

As they took turns in using the bathroom to change for the night, Sid took advantage of the moment and arranged a wall of pillows in the center of the bed, creating a physical barrier between their sides.

When River emerged from the bathroom, he noticed the pillow wall and raised an eyebrow at Sid.

"Seriously?" he questioned, a playful grin on his face.

Sid responded with a casual shrug.

"Just being prepared. You could be a snuggler for all I know.”

“Hmm, you never know.”

"I think we're getting somewhere. It's going pretty well so far."

In the dark, surrounded by silence, Sid's whisper hung in the air, her voice tinged with both relief and optimism.

"Are we?" River asked, his voice a soft murmur. He reached out and found her hand, their fingers intertwining. "I think you're really good at this," he said quietly, his tone betraying a glimmer of satisfaction and something more.

"Goodnight River," Sid's reply came softly through the darkness.

"Goodnight Sid," River echoed, his hand still holding hers.

In the quiet solitude of the hotel room, they both lay silently, they held onto each other's hands, even as the night slowly crept in and claimed them both in the embrace of slumber.

CHAPTER 2

#river cartwright #slow horses #jack lowden #river cartwright x sid baker #river x sid #sid baker #slow horses fanfic

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bengiyo · 10 months ago

Text

Marahuyo Project Eps 1 & 2 Stray Thoughts

I am so excited about this show! Anima Studios was behind Gaya sa Pelikula (Like in the Movies), and JP Habac is back directing. They even got Adrian Lindayag from The Boy Foretold by the Stars and Love Beneath the Stars, and they got Tommy Alejandrino from The Day I Loved You. I am so ready.

Episode 1 – Amihan

I do like opening with a quick queer history lesson reminding that much of our modern homophobic experience is a byproduct of imperialism.

Look at them!! I missed you, boys!

Hold on, I’m already ascending over these two giving each other the signal to kiss in front of the dean.

Homophobe down!

I wonder if we’ll see the macho dad later. I’m looking forward to the mom drama.

Not the fish going flying during a Crash Into You moment.

Points to grandma for knowing more terms, but you can’t just ask this boy that kinda stuff!

I think the actress playing the mom is Sue Prado, who also played Cairo’s mom in Gameboys.

Okay, I love his internal monologue and that he chides himself with feminine pronouns. Good shout out on that @lurkingshan

OOF. It’s missing my grandmothers hours.

Oh hey we’re gonna keep going with the spectrum. Very relieved to be outside of the bubble again.

Oh, I like the name Venice.

That reaction to the extended LGBTQIA+ was really elegant. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in some of the internal politics, but folks away from major population centers are so isolated that the specific terminology is just not their priority, and they don’t get the updates.

Lovi Poe mentioned!! Everyone go watch Sleep With Me on GagaOOlala!!

I want you all to know that @yankeebastard and I call each other “sis” all the time. I’m having a great time.

Oh no they’re gonna throw my boy into the pool.

There it is.

You win this round, President Fish Boy.

Episode 2 – Dios Buhawi

Oh, that was too aggressive, King, but I feel you.

Yes! Call your friends! I was worried they’d be out of the picture after the expulsion.

Damn, it really be your own people dragging you. Juvy called out King’s crush so fast.

It’s really refreshing to watch a show wearing its politics on its sleeves.

I’m really intrigued by the way this show breaks the fourth wall. I’m going to have to think about what role we fill in King’s existence.

Okay, the gibberish bit was funny.

Lorena Gomez, are you family?

About to cry about this dress scene.

Lorena and Lili, are you two best friends in love with each other in an unexpressed way??

Yes, drag his ass. Shut the fuck up, Marco.

Venice suffering in the heat should not be this funny.

I am curious what “friendly recruiter” King looks like.

Yes, what is the tea on Archie?

I do love King. Reminds me of a boy who protected me when I was a refugee. I watched him fight four boys on a stairwell and win.

Crash Into You again??? And in front of everyone!

Now, Marco, what the fuck was that look?

Ino, you ain’t fooling me trying to suss out how much King likes you, or if he has a boyfriend back in Manila.

Ino, you ain’t gotta stand that close to King.

Interesting. I think Archie was warning Venice to hide after the dean showed up.

Thankfully the front of his mullet blends in with the background.

BESTIES, WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK! This is so good right out of the gate. I love that King is such a warrior. He’s not passive at all, and everyone clocks him so quickly. I’m so ready to see what Ino is going to do since he can’t help but flirt with King. I have big hopes for Lorena and Lili. It feels so good to be back in a well-produced show from the Philippines with a huge heart and a lot to say. I feel restored.

#Ben watches #marahuyo project #filipino bl #pinoy bl #bl series

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wildwinterlunas · 2 years ago

Note

Share us your wisdom of the Overwatch cookbook

Alright so let's get started on the little bits of lore sprinkled in this book! In the book the recipes are separated into continents so I'll do the same here.

Also please not this book came out awhile ago so many characters are not going to be included. I am forever asking for a new cook book everyday.

I'm only really going to get into the descriptions but if people want I can analyse the recipes themselves, but I think you would need to specify the specific character.

Anyway let's get into it!!

The Americas

Cassidy

Cassidy always got Carne Adovada when he was in New Mexico, he specifically got it from this whole-in-the-wall on Route 66 just outside Albuquerque. It also states that he got a "hearty serving" of it.

Cassidy often has Bizcochitos when celebrating or just when he's having a break. It also seems like he enjoys them specifically because they remind him of home. I personally read that as they were something his family made pre-crisis.

Cassidy's cocktail of choice is called "Deadeye", it's sold at the Calaveras bar. It contains four black tea bags and four ounces of bourbon. making it like that gives you two servings. Also the description of this drink implies that Cassidy regularly put bourbon in his coffee.

The drinks name being "Deadeye" could imply that the bartender named it after Cassidy. The description of Deadeye also comfirms that Cassidy is a regular at Calaveras.

Ashe

Corn pudding is a comfort food for Ashe, B.O.B often makes it after a heist has gone sideways. She also eats it after every encounter with Cassidy. B.O.B makes it without being asked.

Ashe doesn't like a lot of deserts because of her parents neglect and the amount of bad birthday's she's had, however, Orange Crème Caramel, a flan dessert, is one or the few deserts she likes, even calling it one of her favourites.

Ashe's choice of drink to unwind with after a long day of running the Deadlock gang is Texas fizz. It also seems like her drinks of choice are more on the fizzy side.

None of her recipes imply that she cooks anything herself.

Soldier 76

Jack and Ana often made pancakes in the morning before Overwatch collapsed, Jack often adding cinnamon and orange zest to the batter to give it more flavour. When asked Jack would say the flavour would give the pancakes a little extra pick-me-up first thing in the mourning.

Jack's family had a meatloaf night and a chicken-and-biscuits Sunday.

Jack often makes an old family recipe when he's feeling wistful, specifically he makes a "Tater Tot hot dish", it basically a shepherd's pie with potato gems (tater tots) instead of mash potato. The reason he makes this dish specifically is because of how flexible it is, allowing him to use whatever meat and veg is on hand.

Before he and Vincent broke up Jack tended to make Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie for them both during the rare peaceful weekends.

The 76 was a milkshake Jack used to get after working on his families farm in the summer.

He grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. (idk if that's been mentioned anywhere else)

From all the recipes he has I think it's safe to say that Jack has a sweet tooth (like seriously all the recipes have a ungodly amount of sugar, even the tater tot one-)

Reaper

Reyes go to breakfast is a Breakfast Quesadilla, something that he has always made even when growing up in Los Angeles.

Even as Reaper he can still eat regular food, something I have seen people ask if he can still do.

In the early OW days Ana, Jack and Gabe often sat down and shared some churros. His go to food after a rough day is Chili Con Queso.

Reyes made his own cocktail, called the "Scythe", to drink after a difficult Blackwatch mission, such as the Venice Incident... when I say there is a lot of alcohol in this drink I mean it-

Sombra

Molletes are Sombra's go to food while she's working (I've made this recepie and same girl same)

Sombra's Sopa Azteca recepie implies one of two things about her, one she was taken in by a family at some point, or two she managed to get a home on her own when she was a kid. My bet is on the former since it's implied she doesn't really make it herself. Though this does seem to be a comfort food from her childhood.

Sombra likes Conchas and it's implied that she gets them from the Bakery Alejandra and her mother work at/own.

Sombra favouite cocktail is the Dorado Sunset, something that seems to be a common cocktail in Dorado but the Bartender at Calaveras makes the recepie shown in the cookbook specifically for her. This confirms what it does for Cassidy and that is the fact that they are both regulars.

Lucio

Lucio's go to snack is Pao De Queijo.

Lucio tends to go fishing, or that at least what his Moqueca recipe description reads to me.

Lucio's father made him Brigadeiros on his birthday, leading to Lucio considering them a very special treat.

(in all honesty the descriptions for Lucio's recepies are small and don't really reveal much so-)

Africa

Ana

Ana never learned how to cook because of missions and training, so her go to meals were salad and soups.

Most of the recipes Ana did know were recipes she made for or with Fareeha.

The descriptions of Ana's recipes never mention Sam, only ever mentioning sharing these recipes with Fareeha, further signifying that Ana and Sam are divorced though it seems to me that it was earlier in Fareeha's life then I initially thought.

Pharah

Baked Kibbeh is a recepie she learned from Ana and after Ana's "death" it was a comfort food for her.

Canadian Butter tarts are something that both Fareeha and her father bond over and often share during the holidays.

This is were Cassidy and Sam's relationship is described as "complicated". It's also implied that Pharah was often sent to spend the holidays with Sam, meaning Ana seemingly had majority custody over Fareeha.

Sometimes, Pharah dreams of just sitting down with her mother and sharing a glass of Sahlab.

Doomfist

Doomfist seems to be similar to Ashe in being implied to just... not cook for himself.

Before missions he eats a bowl of Jollof rice, something he did bac when he was doing martial arts.

When he was a kid his favourite sweet was shuku shuku.

Doomfist considers gin over rum because it's more sophisticated.

Orisa

Puff Puff's are one of Efi's go to foods, they are also mentioned a lot in the Hero of Numbani novel.

Efi made a Sundae inspired off of Orisa.

Efi's go to drink when working is hibiscus tea.

Europe

Tracer

Lena comfort food is Sticky Toffee Pudding, she often makes it whens she's feeling low to remind herself of what she's fighting for.

Lena's favourite meal is fish and chips, specifically the ones from Bell's Fish and Chips.

Lena and Emily like to share Battenberg cake, usually after a date at the movies.

Lena got a Primm's cocktail renamed after her after her efforts in restoring peace after the Kings Row Uprising. The drink was renamed the Cavalry Charge and it is something even Torb enjoys. Though he does mutter to himself that he should have never given her that catchphrase.

Moira

Moira's go to breakfast is a Full Irish Breakfast washed down with a cup of coffee

Moira and her family had regular Sunday Family Dinners, to the point were Guinness Stew is a comfort food for her. It is something she makes when she's craving the warmth and comfort of home.

Moira makes Barmbrack after a day in the lab though she sometimes changes the original recipe to fit with the tastes of Oasis, implying that she sometimes shares this dish with her colleagues there.

Torbjorn

Torbjorns favourite thing to cook is kroppkakor because how easy it is to tinker with.

Ingrid is a chemical engineer and she a very inquisitive, something she passed down to Brigitte, and to the surprise of no one her apple pie the favourite of one Angela Zeigler.

Brigitte

Toast Skagen seems to be her go to brain food, often eating it when she's working on something.

Brigitte like donuts, but not more then semlor buns.

Brigs go to drink is the Saft Drink, however she often changes the recipe to include a variety of different things each time, only ever using a template to help her make the drink.

Widowmaker

Widow often cooks herself since she is now living in her the abandoned Château Gilliard, one of her go to meals is Vichyssoise, which she finds fitting due to it being served cold.

Gratin Dauphinois was a favourite of Amelie and Gerard's, now she only really eats it for sustenance.

Widow loves pavlova, both when she was Amelie and even now as Widowmaker. She often eats it after a successful mission.

It's implied in the desciption of her "Widows Kiss" drink that she drinks it at the end of every day, she likes the bite of the drink.

Reinhardt

To no ones surprise Reinhardt eats a lot.

Kasespatzle is a comfort food for Reinhardt, often eating either for his own enjoyment or because he is feeling discouraged.

One of the things that help Reinhardt remember the possotive memories he has in Eichenwalde is the cake that is made there.

Reinhardt is a loud but fun drunk.

Bastion

Bastion likes Bird-Shaped Pretzels

Bastion knows how to make treats for birds.

Mercy

Mercy's go to meal is Bircher Muesli, she often recomends it to patients and even made Genji eat it while he was in recovery. Though he seemed to have not enjoy it at the beginning he has since grown to like it.

Like Cassidy, Angela takes enjoyment in eating cookies while taking a break or just when she's feeling overwhelmed, her favourite cookie is the Basler Brunsli.

Angela often mixes brandy in with her tea after a life-threatening ordeal.

Australia

Junkrat

Junkertown has a local burger called, well, Junkertown loaded Burger, which is one of Junkrats favourite meals.

Honestly these recipes confirm my belief that Junckrat should not be allowed near a kitchen.

Junkrat like Boba, idk if this is in his emote or not but it's not just a little reference, Junkrat just likes boba.

Roadhog

Roadhog often makes snack mixes because he and Junkrat never really have time for a full meal.

Roadhog used to be a farmer before the crisis, from this time fairy bread has become a comfort food.

Asia

Genji

Genji and Hanzo both loved the Rikimaru ramen shop when they were younger, often challenging eachother to see who could eat the spiciest bowl. Though Genji has made peace with his past those happy days with his bother still weigh heavily on him.

Soba-cha custard was something invented by the Shimada chef as a way to reward Genji and Hanzo for studying. Genji used to eat his on the roof of Shimada castle in order to look over the rest of Hanamura.

Green Dragon Tea seems to be something Genji made while he was under the teachings of Zenyatta.

Hanzo

Hanzo seemingly doesn't know how to cook complex meals like the ones he used to eat with the Shimada clan, right now he often eats simplistic dishes like Tamago Kake Gohan.

When he was younger Hanzo would have Shimada Tempura to reward himself after getting all his jobs done, his doesn't eat it anymore but the smell of it brings him back to a simpler time.

As a child Hanzo used to enjoy Sakura Mochi during Hanami

DVA

Hana's favourite food, other than chips and nano-cola, is Kimbap, so much so that when her fanbase found out MEKA made an official MEKA Kimbap, specific to all of Hana's favourite fillings.

When Hana finally takes a break, Dae-hyun tends to make her his Japchae.

Hotteok are Hana and Dae-hyun's go to victory food.

Hana has a drink named after her, well more specifically her mech, called the Bunny Hop Punch, it is one of her favourite drinks to order

Mei

Mei often cooked for her friends at the Ecopoint, now when she cooks she gets a bitter sweet feeling. Even so, she still cooks the recipes she did back at the Ecopoint to relive the good times she had with her team. This includes when she makes hot chocolate.

Despite cooking a lot, Mei was never able to make certain recipes out in Antarctica, now though with her travelling the world she can make more of the food she wanted.

Zarya

Her favourite soup, Borscht, might be the inspiration for her hair colour. This was also something she had often as a child, along with being one of her favourite meals.

Like many others Zarya got a drink named after her called the Super Nova, it is a pink twist on the White Russian.

Symmetra

Pakora is a childhood favourite of Satya's, though she can't eat it a lot with Viskar, she still enjoys a plate when she can.

Symmetra often enjoys the flaovors of the food from her home, even though it is worlds apart from the food Vishkar serves. It is a comfort food for her.

Symmetra likes making Kaju Katli because she can make the dough into any shape she wants.

Zenyatta

Zenyatta often uses food to spread empathy and understanding, often using it as a way to bond with the people he encounters.

Zenyatta often make Vegan Momos to share with those met meets during his travels, Genji being one of these people

The go to Tea for the human Shambali pilgrims is Tibetan Butter Tea.

The Moon

Winston

Winston likes Pineapple on Pizza, this type of Pizza was often enjoyed on Gibraltar and other Watch points, often being on the centre of the table

Harold Winston used to make Lunar Colony Pies for Winston before he died, Winston still has fond memories of these pies

Bananas are WInstons least favourite food, only tolerating them if they are dipped in peanut butter

Wrecking Ball

Hammonds favouite snack is a wrecking ball made out of cheese... because it's a wrecking ball made out of cheese.

That's all for now, and if you'll excuse me, I am very tired after writing that all out-

#overwatch #overwatch 2 #overwatch lore #overwatch headcanons #analysis #cole cassidy #ashe overwatch #elizabeth caledonia ashe #elizabeth caledonia calamity ashe #pharah #food

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harrietvane · 2 years ago

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Perfume chat, because it's hot, summer's ending, and I'm of a mind to list out some of my favourite Hot Weather Perfumes. To be fair, once it gets above 30C/86F, I don't tend to wear scent, but all these I ones I could, and have worn in hot weather, and worth mentioning. Lot of citrus going on here, not much floral, and heavily leaning towards citrus cologne strenght (and away from big floral, gourmand, or sweet eaux de parfum). BYO gender, none of these are marketed specifically one way or another.

-Cédrat Enivrant (Atelier Cologne): the 'cedrat' here is not referring to cedar, but to the ur-citrus known in english as the Citron, aka the mighty Etrog. It's one of the original citrii from which all others spring: it's lumpy, bitter, like 60% rind, and doesn't care what you think. Cedrat Enivrant is a bitter cocktail cologne resembling a French 75 - which is gin and champagne - but dry AF. There's a mintiness, and a pine needle dryness as well. Starts off very high and tart, dries down herbal.

Paris-Deauville (Chanel): part of their Eaux de Chanel cologne-style lighter series, this is an orange/basil combo that stays fairly light and dry - the sweetness is from orange, but otherwise the addition of basil heart note keeps this summery and green. Starts off quite juicy, but 'dries' as it dries, ending in mostly sweet herbs, and the basil is unexpected. Light enough to be a splash bottle though, not a typical Chanel.

Blenheim Bouquet (Penhaligon's): despite going all-in on flashy, heavier things lately, Penhaligon's keeps the old BB on the shelf because I'm p sure it's still one of their best sellers: it's a classic for a reason. Despite listing notes of lemon, black pepper and pine, this comes off mainly with a 'clean pencil shavings' vibe on me, and it suits that freshly-sharpened pencil image. Lemony, sharp, dry, precise. if it was a person it would be Anton Lesser's character in Endeavour.

Melograno (Santa Maria Novella): I sought this out after seeing it on-screen in Casino Royale as one of Vesper Lynd's few belongings in Venice, and it did not disappoint. A warning: despite the name, if you go in expecting a syrupy bath and bodywork's style fruity pomegranate, or dislike things 'that smell like perfume' this perfume is not for you. There is very little, if any, fruit in Melograno, and I confess it's a surprise entry to a cologne-y summer list because it lists several flowers (and oakmoss! and patch!), BUT the reality of it on me is dry dry dryyyy. I have worn this in very hot weather, and the impression is a herbal soap in the cleanest italian bathroom that's ever existed, with a rigid linen handtowel, and some dried flowers in a bowl on the window.

Bergamotto di Positano (Floris): if you DID want fruit, but not syrup, Floris has you covered for orange and mandarin. It steers away from Body Shop fruit with marine notes, but don't let that dissuade you if you avoid CK One types: there's a softness to this from some ginger, green tea, and vanilla in the background. Never goes overly gourmand on me despite the fact that these are all edible things.

Ouarzazate/Series 3 (Comme des Garçons): whaaaaat, an incense in a summer list?? Adding it here as we can't have an entirely citrine list, and this makes the cut due to DRY. CdG did a little series on incense of various styles (the most infamous being Avignon, which does actually smell like a realistic in-use thurible, so hats off to them), and Ouarzazate is their desert incense vibe. It's clean in that dry sauna/spa room sort of way. It's the driest and woodiest of the 4 they did imho. Like walking into a shady, cool, dark wooden room when it's hot outside.

Le Pamplemousse (Miller Harris): MH perfumes divide into those made when Lyn Harris was the nose (interesting, lots of werird herbal combos), and those after she left (generally bigger and sweeter) - this is one of the former. Obviously grapefruit as a theme, which is always a nice bitter citrus for summer, this wears like a crisp white shirt. Despite mentioning things like rhubrarb, the notes are kept in strict order by rosemary, sage, and vetiver. The grapefuit fades as the herbs take over on drydown, manages to evoke clean laundry with no musk. (Bonus points: I have also loved Le Petit Grain from the same house for its twiggy orange tree bundle vibes, but it's discontinued)

Budget options: some countries get great sampling or decanting services (not mine, booooo), and getting 10mls of the above might be easier for you than me, but if not: here's some you can get for a lot less cash but still give you quality-

Vetiver Pamplemousse (Zara): done by theee Jo Malone, so that gives you an idea of the vibe (light, approachable). It's grapefruit, tangerine, and vetiver. Vetiver keeps it dry, quite linear development. Might be slightly 'spicier' than the MH Pampelmousse, or at least more vetiver-forward. Comes in a rollerball for those wanting a short commitment!

4711 (Mäurer & Wirtz): how could i not end on the OG, the classic, the unbeatable 4711. Four-Seven-Eleven has been freshening up people's bathroom routines since 1799, and boasts of a recipe (mostly?) unchanged since Napoleon was tramping around the area. It's citrus, it's lavender, it's romemary, it evaporates in 8 seconds, it's fresh lemony goodness. It's an aftershave, it's a cologne, it's a linen spray, it's a bath soak, is there nothing it cannot do? M&W have started to do endless 'remixes' of the base cologne, in many fruit and floral varieties, but the classic is where it's at. And it costs almost nothing.

#perfume #text post shenanigans #some of these do travel sizes and giftsets (floris and pen's mainly) and SMN does an amaaazing cake soap in that perfume #might do an autumn/winter list later in the season #[edited for typos after posting!]

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rjncore · 6 months ago

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Unexpectedly Yours (Chapter 10)

It's already been a half a month since you first stepped foot in the country. You went here for work, and to fulfill your dream. But your stay was made even more special with a newfound love – a love that changed you for the better.

Mayu will be leaving today for their upcoming game. As she was preparing to leave, you and Yuki are still in bed, covered in a blanket because of the cold weather.

"Heyyyy lovebirds, I'll be leaving now!" she shouted in a teasing tone. You decided to get up, to bid her goodbye. Your hair is still a bit messy as you get up from the bed. You poked Yuki to wake him up. "Mayu's already leaving, at least say goodbye to your sister." but he didn't even budge at all. Mayu was already by the door, when she saw you coming out of the room.

"Mayu, have a safe trip. I'm sorry I tried to wake your brother up but he didn't even budge... And I hope we see each other again in the future." Mayu just nodded and flashed a small smile. "He's always been like that, I'm used to it. Anyways, I hope we can have a girl's time together in the future too, with our older sister." You felt warm on your cheeks before you nodded. "Of course."

It's still 6:00 am and Yuki usually gets up at 7:00 am. You opened the fridge to see what you can prepare for breakfast, only to see tons of vegetables and meat. You scanned your eyes in the fridge thoroughly, and you found eggs. You started preparing for breakfast. Since the weather is cold, you decided to prepare an egg drop soup and a warm cup of tea. As you were stirring the pot of soup, you felt his hands wrap around your waist. His tall figure easily hugs your small frame.

"Mhmmm, it smells delicious already." he said, as he inhales the tasty smell of the soup. While eating, there was a peaceful silence. You noticed he was quiet, so you didn't even bother to disturb the silence. Not until Yuki spoke. "I-I'm going to say something.." Yuki trails off, nervousness evident in his expression.

"Go on, what is it?" you replied. "Well, my parents just landed here in Italy. I saw the message as soon as I opened my phone today. They said they will be watching my game later." he then cleared his throat and continued, "I haven't told them yet about us so I was hoping that I could introduce you to them. But it's okay if you're not ready yet." Your eyes grew wide, surprised because of what Yuki has just said. You're still in the early parts of your relationship, so you're unsure if this is the time to do that.

"Uhm, it's not that I'm against it but we're still in the early part of our relationship. I would love to meet them of course, so I'm fine either way. Besides, Mayu already knows about us so.." Yuki smiled, as he slurped down the soup.

Yuki still has a few hours to spend before the game, so the two of you sat down together in the living room. "Where do you want to go here in Italy? Any cities? Even before you started pursuing architecture, you already had a dream of going to Italy. But now that you're already living your dream in the country as an architect, it makes you want to strive for more. You want to stroll around and visit the historical buildings and sites. You thought you were going to do it alone though, but you're wrong.

"Well, I want to visit Rome and Venice.. And if we still have time, I want to see the Leaning tower of Pisa. Florence would be great too." Yuki chuckled, as he noticed how excited you were for the trip from the tone of your voice. "Miss architect is so excited for this trip huh." You playfully slapped him on his chest, as you rolled your eyes. "Of course, it's been my dream for a while now... to visit Italy. I thought I would fulfill my dream alone, but fate decided to do some work and.." he was listening intently, his eyes beaming with affection. Out of the blue, he gently reached for your face and leaned close. He cupped your cheeks before your lips met. It was a slow and tender kiss, full of reassurance and support for each other. The two of you were left breathless after the kiss, as he leans his forehead to yours.

"Let's reach our dreams together" he said calmly. Before you could even respond, he continued. "S-so, I'm formally asking you now. Will you be my girlfriend?" You gasped and you could feel the tears forming in your eyes. "Of course, Yes!!" You hugged him tightly, as your first meeting replayed in your mind. Yuki then stood up and went back to the room. When he returned, his hands were behind his back, seemingly hiding something. You were curious what it could be and when he finally showed it, it was a small box. He delicately opened it and what was revealed is a necklace with a snowflake pendant.

"Yuki, my name means snow. I want you to think of me whenever you're wearing this" he said. You turned around, as he put the necklace on you. You faintly touched it and replied, "This is so beautiful. Thank you, Yuki". He smiled and kissed your forehead.

A few hours later, Yuki already started to prepare to leave for their game later. As he was already tying his shoes, you left a light kiss on his cheek.

"Good luck on your game today. I know you can do it, I believe in you!" He laughed quietly. "Thanks, love. Please wait for me before you sleep later, they might come with me after the game you know..." You grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. He was already by the door and you sneakily shouted, "Good luck again, love you!!" you said it as if you were rapping. Yuki's face looked confused before he let out a chuckle. "Love you too" he said, before he closes the door.

The game is already about to start and you're here in front of the television in his apartment. You wanted to go, but your wound is still in the process of healing so it's better to take a breather for now. The commentators are still having a pre-game commentary that you don't even understand, so you decided to change the channel. What you just saw sends a chill down to your spine. "A man suspected of stalking women in Milan is arrested." Wait, this is him?? Or? You covered your mouth in utmost shock, as the incident replayed on your mind. The news delved deeper into the story, saying that most of his victims were particularly beautiful women that he tried to scare off. "The suspect might undergo a psychological test to check if he is mentally challenged."

You immediately changed the channel of the television to the game. It was a traumatic incident that you didn't want to remember again, but knowing that the suspect was already arrested gave you a sense of relief. You sighed and wiped the tears in your eyes. You collected yourself, as the game is already starting. Yuki's team started great and whenever he scored, the cheers in the arena got even louder. Their opponent called a timeout and the camera focused on a pair of a not-so old couple. Your eyes narrowed as you realized they resembled Yuki and Mayu, especially the woman. Wait, is that his parents? you slapped your face a couple of times before coming up with the conclusion. "This is Yuki's parents, I'm sure" you mumbled. You thought of what Yuki said earlier – he might introduce you to them after the game. The game went on and although the scores were close, Yuki's team managed to pull off a straight set victory. You stood up and clapped in front of the television, as Yuki was being interviewed since he's the MVP of the Match. Despite coming from a tiring game, he still looked fresh in your eyes. It was evident in his expression how satisfied he was about the game, even though you didn't understand much of it since he spoke in Italian. Yet you couldn't help but feel your heart swell with pride, witnessing him achieving his dream slowly but surely with you by his side now. Right after the broadcast ended, you realized that there's no cooked food yet and since they might be hungry, so you decided to prepare an easy pasta recipe. After cooking, you hurriedly went to your apartment and changed clothes and fixed yourself a little to look presentable. As you returned to his apartment, you could feel your heart beating fast and your palms sweating. At any moment, they would arrive now. You were fidgeting as you texted Yuki. "Congratulations on the win, love. Where are you now?"

You already wiped your palm a few times. You weren't even this nervous when Yuki confessed to you. But this is his parents, of course it's nerve-wracking. I'm.. scared. A few minutes later, you heard a knock on your door. You stood up from the sofa to open it, only to see Yuki alone. He was chuckling as he saw you dressed up. "Why are you dressed up?" You raised your eyebrow to him, and roamed your eyes around. "Your parents... are they not coming?" The two of you went inside. Yuki's face is unreadable. "Well...." he trailed off. "They're coming!! They just said I should go home first since they would order some food for all of us to eat" Yuki said in a slightly louder and teasing tone. "Ah, I thought they were not coming.. I forgot to text you that I already prepared pasta for us to eat. I was in a rush I'm sorry" you said. You cleared your throat and clenched your fists. "Yuki, I-I need to tell you about something." Intrigued, Yuki leaned closer. "What is it?" You sighed heavily, trying to break the news to him as calmly as possible. "About what happened to me that night.. The suspect was arrested already. I-It was on the news earlier." He listened to you intently, before enveloping you in an embrace. He didn't say anything, but you already felt all your worries fading away. And although that incident was a bad memory for the two of you, it made your relationship stronger. "Let's not tell this to your parents, ok?" you whispered to him. He slowly reached for your hand and nodded, along with a faint smile. "Of course."

Moments later, Yuki's parents finally arrived. Yuki opened the door with you standing behind him. He stepped a little to the side to show you. "Mama, Papa. T-this is my girlfriend" he said, his voice a little shaky. You let out a beaming smile, as you bowed respectfully to them. "Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Ishikawa!" they smiled back at you, before you and Yuki helped them carry the food they've bought. The two of you sat side by side, while his parents sat across the table. His mom spoke first, as she was getting a slice of pizza. "So, how did the two of you met?" her tone, serious. You intentionally held Yuki's hand under the table, gesturing that you will answer the question. "I was new here in Italy, so I strolled around the plaza but I got caught in the rain and while I was in a rush to return to my apartment, I accidentally met Yuki who was just living nearby." Both of them nodded slowly. His mom spoke again and you noticed that Yuki's dad was quiet, just listening to the conversation. "What do you do in life? Why are you here in Italy? You were slightly taken aback by the question, as you gulped the drink. "I work as an architect, I was sent here by our company for a project.. It's been my dream to go here in Italy too." The awkwardness eased up a little bit, as Yuki's mom smiled upon hearing your answer. His dad looked at the two of you, before briefly looking at his wife's eyes. What do they think of me? Do they like me? Yuki sneakily held your hand under the table and spoke up. "Actually.. We're planning to have a short vacation and tour around Italy since I have no scheduled game in the upcoming week." His dad replied. "It's nice to be young, isn't it? Just don't give us any grandchild for now, though. Take your time with each other first" Mr. Ishikawa said in a playful manner. Yuki sulked, while you let out a chuckle. Yuki got his smile from his dad while him and Mayu resembles their mom a lot.

Yuki offered his parents to stay for the night at his apartment, but they left after the dinner. As they were at the door, you waved your hands to them to bid goodbye. "Take care of each other, ok?" Mrs. Ishikawa said before closing the door.

"I think they like you, really" Yuki said with a bright smile. You looked up at him. "Really? I hope they do." He nodded, as he gently put your hand on his to reassure you.

Even if difficulties arise, one thing will remain certain — the two of you will face it together. Each moment will be special, as you navigate this journey called love.

writer's note: final chapter next! might put up at least one or two bonus chapters after~

#ryujin nippon #yuki ishikawa #fanfiction #volleyball

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paeliae-occasionally · 9 months ago

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Writeblr interview!

Thanks for the tags @drchenquill and @theink-stainedfolk.

Short stories, novels or poems?

I am currently only working on novels, but I consistently have to write little short stories when parts of the world come up that aren’t relevant to the story. I haven’t written a poem in a while, I might do that.

What genre do you prefer reading?

I read fantasy, sci-fi, the usual but then the other half of my bookshelf is physics and psychology books. I also read lots of books about Ancient Greece and Rome and have recently purchased one on Venice.

What genre do you prefer writing?

The world I am currently writing starts high fantasy then falls, so in the time of the main plot it is more of a general fantasy.

Are you a planner or a write-as-i-go kind of person?

I do plan because otherwise my vague concept of a story will never become a plot, but the outline can change as I go if I feel like another idea would be better.

What music do you listen to while writing the story?

I can’t listen to music while writing. It distracts me. I do however have a constant internal playlist and while working on Kell in the Xaeren WIP I have she used to be mine playing. It is not consistent.

Fav books/movies

Ooh, ok favourite books include: Strange the dreamer, Babel, Piranesi, The wind singer series and The mistborn series. I don’t really watch many movies.

Any Current WIPs?

Yep, They don’t have titles yet but the two I work on the most are Xaeren and Paeliae.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

Dark blue cloak with many pockets for runes or spell components. I also hide trinkets in there. I would have a flowy blue starry top and black leggings. It would be very breathable and easy to move in and would blend in well with shadows.

Create a character description of yourself.

You look over to the side of the room, and there was nobody there. It was confusing, like a vacuum in space where you knew person should be but they just weren’t. They didn’t break the silence so you couldn’t hear their offer to join them at the table, yet you accepted all the same and sat down. Despite their absence they filled the chair opposite you and didn’t smile because they weren’t there. Still you could feel the amusement that managed to escape them.

Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing?

No. It feels weird to write real people. I do steal names but that is about it.

Are you kill-happy with the characters?

I don’t like killing heroes without good reason. I will do it to show stakes or for tragedy but for it to mean anything you have to use it sparingly.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Neither. Lemonade sometimes.

Slow or Fast writer?

Depends on my mood. If I can focus I can write quite quickly but if I am not on task it takes ages to write anything.

Where/who/what do you find inspiration from?

daydreams, other people’s writing.

If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be?

I would have magic even if I have to study for another 10 years to get there. Whoever I have to bribe or kill, I will get magic.

Fave book cliche?

Hmm… I love magic/action prologue then cut to our main character on a farm or in regular life somewhere. I use it all to much just to set a tone but it is a bit cliche.

Least fave book cliche?

I hate miscommunication. It can work in comedy settings but if you want a dramatic story and the threat to the characters could be resolved by a short conversation then I get frustrated.

Fave scenes to write?

Conversations. Especially conversations where something new is implied about a character. I love getting a vibe from a character’s dialogue and then seeing it come true later.

Most productive time of day for writing?

Whenever the motivation hits. I schedule writing for the morning around 8-10 I have to get stuff done.

Reason for writing?

The people have to go somewhere. I have had stories before that I have forgotten and it is so sad, I just want to put them somewhere more long lasting than my mind.

Tagging @illarian-rambling, @phoenixradiant, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @leahnardo-da-veggie and @the-golden-comet

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing #writing community

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shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary · 4 months ago

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On the second day of Christmas fanfic gave to me a very cold date

'I don't think this will be very fun for you but seeing you on the ice will at least be entertaining for me,' Vale did not mutter something rude under his breath but Irene knew that he was thinking it.

Irene had never had the luck of seeing the frostfair in London, she hadn't thought it possible with the intense pollution in Vale's world, but he had invited her to go and see it, set up by a man he called a mad scientist but she called amazing. She had wanted to see it for years but never had the chance. So what if it was research. She could still have a good time.

She linked her arm through his and together they stepped out onto the ice.

'Just like Venice,' Vale said. Irene looked at him out of the corner of her eye. 'Though hopefully without anyone trying to arrest us today.'

'The day is still young and opportunities for mischief are everywhere,' She smiled. 'Mischief and hot tea.'

'There are tents that house cafés at the ends of the fair. We can stop and compare notes once we have finished,' He said, looking around, to anyone else it would look like a man trying to catch his bearings, to Irene it was a man carefuly scrutinising the ebb and flow of people, spotting unusual groupings and gaps where there should be people but there was no one.

'We are splitting up?'

'Of course. I'll let you know when I think you should be on a leash, but that is more of Strongrock's thing.'

'He wishes,' Irene muttered. 'Stay safe.'

'I will meet you under Blackfriars bridge in thirty minutes,' Irene checked her watch. Irene watched him shuffle away, normally elegent and graceful, Vale was reduced to penguin shuffling around people. Irene on the other hand dipped and weaved in between people, reminded of times in school when the pond had frozen and they had skated on it, skidding around in school shoes whilst teachers screamed at them to stop.

Vale dawdled around stalls, striking up aimless conversation with anyone as his eyes seemed to linger on the goods for sale. He listened for the telltale signs that someone was lying to him, the slight inflection, the speed in which they answered, the eagerness to say goodbye to him. He made a mental note of which stall was stoked mainly by stolen goods and another which was a blatant front for a gang of opium smugglers.

Irene bounced from stall to stall playing the role of hapless woman desperate for gifts to purchase, it was fun and easy, and she did need to find a few more gifts.

Someone bumped into her and Irene managed to catch herself before she was sent flying, the man who had walked into her was hurrying off before Irene could even turn around. She patted down her pockets, everything was still all there, she had spotted the pickpockets darting between groups of people before running off with purses and wallets clutched in hand.

Irene's nose was red and burning from the cold when she met up with Vale again. He took her hand and guided her into one of the tents holding a cafe and pulled out a chair for her.

'This is amazing,' Irene said. 'I can't believe I've never had the chance to come before today.'

Vale looked amused.

'What was a I supposed to be looking for though? You never told me. I've seen some fake jewellery? A couple of pick pockets?'

'Nothing. I just knew you'd keep working unless I came up with a fake case,' Irene's jaw dropped. 'And I will do it again to see your face right now.'

#the invisible library

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belle--ofthebrawl · 9 months ago

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Hiya 💚

Just popping by off anon today to say I hope you’re having a good weekend. What’s something that’s made you smile recently? Have you been watered, fed, and provided some sunlight today?

You’re amazing, don’t forget that 🤘

I'm having a little snack of some fruit and toast before I go to bed. Usually I have some valerian tea as well but I'm coming off a flareup and strong valerian tea can cause stomach pains which I'm not interested in experiencing again anytime soon. Woe is me and my "mysterious illness" that I can easily avoid by eating foods that do not trigger symptoms. Tragically, I work downwind of a food court on the weekends and the smell of roasted meat, baking bread and deep fried whatever calls to me like a siren. Hard to believe I used to be afraid to eat anything!

I have lots of reasons to smile lately. My new job is going to take up more time but that's alright because this is a place I really want to believe in. I've had a friend working there for a year and she's loved it so I finally jumped ship. I like what they do and I like what they pay. It's a job I want to improve myself for and be the best I can be, since my last place had me clawing at the walls in despair of all the bullshit and regulation breaking that went on. I'm really pissed at that place, can you tell? And working at the Faire on the weekends is always fun. I'm always smiling there and it's a genuine smile. So let me tell you a story about something that happened today. It's about a man in a boat and a peep show.

(Don't worry. It's safe for work.)

It starts at the end of the day. For any not yet aware, I work at a Renaissance Faire. I'm comfortable disclosing this because I don't live anywhere near the faire, it's thirty acres of land and my shop is known for other things besides what I've talked about here. I use a different name there, too. There are three jousts at the fair, with the final one taking place at around 5:30 ish. So the streets of the little town were fairly empty save for a few dozen or so patrons, the Fantastikals (fairies) and one very special independent performer.

My assistant manager calls me over to the door with a grin. I come out from behind my counter to see what she wants and she points to this very special performer. "Ask him for the peep show". She tells me with a grin and because I'm down for anything at the Faire, I leave my shop to where this man is standing, in the shadows stretched long across the roads.

Words can not describe the experience of meeting him but I'm going to try. You heard him before you saw him, because he had a cleverly hidden speaker playing Italian opera. Classical music? Something masculine and passionate and bellowing. He wore black tights and shoes. His frilly shirt may have been yellow. He wore a perfect painted circle of white outlined in blue on his face and there was a pin that said "Yes, I work here!" on his shirt. There was a hat and finer details to his makeup but they all escape me because the man was also a boat. Or, in the middle of one. Jutting out four feet from his front and four feet behind was a gondola. There must be a harness of some kind under his shirt to help keep it up. Because in the gondola were buildings. Anywhere from a foot to eighteen inches tall. Think of Venice. Think of beautiful towers and elegant façades.

The man was a city.

In a boat.

I asked him for the peep show.

"Ah, my dear." He said, a twinkle in his eyes. "You're in for a real treat."

He directed me to a certain building on his other side. As I rounded him, I made eye contact with a little harlequin puppet placidly rowing the boat. It may have winked at me. I went to the building and noticed an open window. Putting my eye to it, do you know what I saw?

Two candy peeps on a platform, staring serenely back at me. I told him I loved it and he smiled.

"Sometimes people are nervous. They think I might scare them or poke them. But this is the level we're at here, my friend."

His other buildings had windows too. The tallest had several with cleverly angled mirrors so that the person looking in the bottom would see the person looking on top and vice versa. Another one, an opera house where your reflection was on stage. So many others, but I can't remember them! I was also still in character and interacting with patrons and very much still on the clock. But again, end of the day. My boss was very forgiving.

People like him are the reason I love the Faire so much. My hometown had one and the childhood memories of visiting are so clear and vivid it's like I could open a door and step back into it. I danced with the Queen, you know. She looked like one of my teachers, but I'll never be sure.

It's nice to keep the spirit going. Thank you for spreading positivity, Mr. Barnes. A good example for the fandom to follow 🩵. I hope your weekend is going as amazing as you are.

#he's also on tumblr so I'm NOT NAMING HIM I DON'T NEED HIM HAVING EYES ON THIS BLOG #EVEN IF HIS LAST POST WAS LIKE 2015 I AM NOT TAKING THE RISK.#but i can dm a photo from the website upon request because truly my words do not do the experience of this man justice.

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apoptoses · 2 years ago

Note

“And now I really can't stop thinking about how similar Riccardo and Daniel could be (and the notes they could compare on Armand lol). I just really want to do more with this guy” you REALLY shouldn’t stop thinking about it 🥹 the possibilities here are endless I mean… they all come back together in the end, Armand has his best boys right by his side, and there’s no way Riccardo hasn’t made himself known to Daniel by now. The tea they must spill whenever they get together, lord 🫣

“There's going to be two versions, the usual explicit fic but also an uncut X-rated version with some more extreme kink that maybe like five people will enjoy” lmao it’s me I’m five people ☝️ I can’t wait!!! If anyone can make extreme kink work it’s you AND them.

“The annoying part is that his body is aroused by this. That his blood rushes from the pain, his cock twitches in his jeans from the utter loss of control. The shame of having Armand peer into parts of him that no one was ever meant to see is outweighed by the thrill of Armand knowing some secret about his body.” 🥵🥵🥵 my boy never!! stood!! a chance!!

xoxo DA sending you a big hug 🫂

there’s no way Riccardo hasn’t made himself known to Daniel by now. The tea they must spill whenever they get together, lord <- Right! I have this loose concept that involves Armand taking Daniel back to Venice post-canon so he can try to figure out what part of himself he lost in that city, and reconnect with his physical self. And Riccardo is absolutely going to show up. I need Armand to heal some wounds in the form of having a loving older boyfriend in the room watching him horse around with his best friend. I think that would really, really break open something within him (but what remains to be seen as I work through the idea)

God, I'm so glad you trust me with kink. I mean you might not once you see the tags, but hopefully if people enjoyed the watersports they can enjoy this. I mean it's only blood but- they really take it to a place lol

I'm hoping (should life be kind to me) to have it published by the weekend. So be on the lookout for that update, just gotta polish it up, split the two versions, and get a title. This is do able, I can do this.

(I also might have a smaller, pure fluff ficlet too so if you need healing post kink fingers crossed that will be up too)

Thank you DA xoxo Sending hugs right back!

#apoptoses answers #dungeon anon

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malkaleh · 2 years ago

Text

Tagged by @nurselaney <3333. (I hope it all went fantastic)

Relationship Status: Single

Favorite Color: Pink and also blue (mostly I love soft pale blues but really all kinds of blues)

Favorite Food: When I’m not negotiating my relationship with food quite So Much I am really loving experimenting with reclaiming my heritage through food - so looking up Persian recipes, Jewish recipes, Syrian recipes and Persian Jewish recipes. I’m also extremely fond of Greek food.

Song Currently Stuck In My Head: The Great War (Taylor Swift)

Last Thing I Googled: genuinely it was about the symptom progression of a bruised bone from a horse falling on you (I am just tagging @wheresonichedgehogwnt and any other equestrians in this - basically if someone falls off riding in the countryside type thing) for a fic.

Time: 2:38

Dream Trip: There are so many places I want to go but right now, it’s the planned 2026 trip - I want to go to England - see the Tudor/Anne Boleyn/Tolkien sites. Visit Bath and go the spa there. Have afternoon tea in Kensington Palace. See the synagogue(s) and eat Persian Food and swim so many places. Go to Oxford again. Go to Cambridge. Hug so many friends. Go to Vancouver - swim and eat Persian food. Eat Jewish food. Hug so many of my heart friends. Just be amazed that I might actually still be alive then (if). Hug my saatis. Talk and eat and dance with flowers in my hair.

The other one is the big round the world dream trip. First Class everything. Go to Greece and to Italy (Venice and Florence especially) - swim and eat and go with friends. Go to Paris and have hot chocolate and pastries and sketch and wear pretty dresses. Go to Israel. Go back to the US - Charlottesville, Boston and New York. San Francisco. I wanted to go to the lands of my heritage other than Israel - to Syria and Iran. To New Zealand because Tolkien Nerd. Morocco.

Something I Want: I would very much like a chocolate chip cookie (home baked with the correct amount of chocolate chips) but I don’t want to actually have to make them. Also Starbucks tbh.

#meme #jewish biracial fairy princess me

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braveclementine · 9 months ago

Text

All of Them

Warnings: 18+readersonly, could be uncomfortable for some readers since their are a lot of mentions and descriptions of an OC on her period. If you don't like blood or mentions of periods, perhaps skip the chapter.

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OCs, which consist of Penny Fury, Elizabeth Nelson, Elijah Chan, Katya Venice, Violetta Moscow, Lan Le, Josh, Trang Tien, Ahni Jallow, Mai Ito, and Ghaida Kashual as well as other OCs that will come up throughout the story.

Elizabeth at her wedding. Violetta put a filter on the picture.

🦢😡 𝐒Ⓣᵒя𝓨 🫓🦻

Elizabeth was pretty sure she was dying. She was curled up on the bathroom floor, a strange pain radiating in what felt like a circle just below her hips. She couldn't tell which side hurt more: her front or her back.

She was also bleeding from somewhere she had never bled from before so she was pretty sure she had some strange disease. It felt like she was being stabbed with tiny knives, but not in a hurtful way. It would fade and come, but it always came back so hard.

She felt the stab to her gut and she whimpered, curling up even more, but that seemed to hurt her back.

"Doll?" She heard a worried voice outside of the door. "Doll are you okay?"

"James." She cried out in a soft whisper.

Bucky came into the room and quickly surveyed the crime scene. He chuckled softly under his breath, kneeling down next to the bathtub and started to fill it with hot water. "Aww doll."

"It hurts. I'm dying." She pouted at him for laughing at her.

"You're not dying doll, though I'm sure you feel like it." Bucky said softly. "Let me help you out. Give me one second." Bucky said, turning off the faucet and then picked Elizabeth up in his arms. He put her down in the hot water and said, "I'll be right back."

He left the room and then he called Elijah while going over to the medicine cabinet and looking for Advil. "Hey, Elizabeth's on her period and she's in a lot of pain-"

"Don't give her any medicine." Elijah said quickly. "She never does medicine when she's on her period. She only does natural remedies."

"Okay." Bucky closed the medicine cabinet and then went ahead, searching for the heating pad. "What about heating pads?"

"Sparingly. She's read articles that says to much heat near a woman's ovaries can affect them. Women who are pregnant and go into hot springs consistently mis-carry and such. But she's not pregnant so if you use it for a couple of minutes every couple of hours I can't see it hurting. Though usually I just put my hand on her back." Elijah answered. "Don't let her have sugar. Just fruit and high protein like steak. I'll see if we have that in the kitchen. Oh, and hot water and I'll make tea."

"Got it." Bucky said, looking down at the heating pad. He hesitated, and then tossed it into the trash. No reason for any of them to use it then if it could affect their reproductive organs like that.

"Thanks for taking care of her. Let me know when she wants to eat. She gets really snippy and moody. Just be patient with her." Elijah chuckled.

"I will." Bucky smirked and then headed back to the bathroom. He knelt on the other side of the tub. Elizabeth still looked like she was in a lot of pain and he grabbed one of the washcloths off the counter.

"How are you feeling now doll?" He asked.

"It hurts. Why does it hurt?" Elizabeth asked.

He never thought in a million years that he would be explaining this to her. Or anyone.

"As a female, your body will shed your eggs every month to help um, drop the egg for fertilization for children?" Bucky said like a question. "It's usually five days long, but I've heard it's only really bad the first two days."

Elizabeth whimpered, "I don't want this."

"Sorry doll." Bucky said, almost habitually leaning forwards to kiss the side of her head. He jerked himself a little, heart pounding. Shit, he needed to be more careful.

"Is there no cure?" She asked.

"There are remedies. Elijah is making you fruit and protein. I'm going to get you some hot tea. You can soak in this hot water and relax. And then if you want, you can fall asleep in bed and sleep for most of the day." Bucky said.

"Will you stay with me?" Elizabeth asked, "You're kind've like a teddy bear."

Bucky chuckled, his heart going out to her, "You used to call me that you know. Your um Bucky Bear."

"Did you call me anything?" Elizabeth asked.

"Mostly just doll." Bucky admitted. "It was a common nickname for dames back in the forties. But uh, it's not really used anymore. But I can't break the habit and you like it anyways."

"I do." Elizabeth said softly with a slight blush. "It's a cute nickname. I like American girl dolls. I like being your doll I think."

Bucky willed his hard on to go down.

He chuckled. "Yeah?"

"Mm." She hummed, closing her eyes. "I'm kind've tired."

Bucky pulled the plug in the bathtub and grabbed one of the towels. He wrapped her in the towel tightly, smiling as she had already fallen asleep. He quickly carried her into the bedroom, laying her down on the bed in there. Whose bedroom even was this? Vi's maybe? What was she even doing in here?

He quickly went to the bathroom cabinet and found the pads. He hesitated, looking at all the different types, then just went with the biggest for the safest bet. He struggled a little, but eventually got everything situated and then pulled back the covers to lay her down.

He wondered why women didn't just wear pullups or diapers. Wasn't that easier than trying to arrange these slender materials that ended up leaking through the underwear and jeans anyways?

Well, he was sure they had a reason for what they used.

Elijah called him, "Um, what room are you in?"

"We're in. . . I think it's Violetta's room." Bucky said. "I was looking for Vi cause Trang needed her. Long story short I was just on this floor and I heard Elizabeth whimper. But um its a lilac painted room with a Vampire Dairy calendar on the wall-"

"Katya." Elijah chuckled.

"Oh." Bucky said, then realized it made sense. Elizabeth and Katya's rooms were the only ones on this floor.

"Alright, I'll be there in a second." Elijah said.

Elijah came in soon after he hung up, with a bowl of fruit and a cup of red raspberry leaf tea that was steaming in spirals of gray whisps.

"She's asleep right now." Bucky said. "I can carry her down to her room-"

"Nah, it's fine. Kat hasn't stayed in this room since. . ." Elijah drifted off, putting the food down on the nightstand. "She won't care. Are you staying with her?"

"She asked me to." Bucky answered, "But maybe you should-"

"She asked for you." Elijah shrugged. "I'd say only leave if you have somewhere you need to be. She'll understand."

"Nah, I've got her." Bucky said. "I guess I'm just. . . a little nervous is all."

Elijah clapped him on the shoulder. "She's still the same. She's just a little bit more clueless."

Bucky chuckled and carefully climbed into the bed as Elijah left. He didn't touch Elizabeth as she was probably comfortable the way she was. He did hold her hand however, lifting it so he could kiss the back.

"I love you. And when you're ready, I'll say that to your face." Bucky whispered, and then fell asleep too.

💈🤬 𝓹ᗝש ℂᕼ𝔸几g𝔢 👩‍🍳🤯

Ghaida sighed as she woke up that morning, heading for the bathroom first thing to start getting ready for the day.

'So anything interesting or new that I should know?' She asked inside of her head.

'You're pregnant with twins. Congratulations!' Viden seemed to be smirking inside of her head. She, on the other hand, nearly swallowed her toothbrush.

"I'm Pregnant!" She shouted out loud, spitting toothpaste into the sink.

'With twins. That's what I said.' Viden gave her the sass now.

"Whose are they?" She continued to speak out loud, sitting down on the toilet. Her parents were going to kill her. She was pregnant with twins of some man that she wasn't married to. She was definitely disowned.

'Both of them are Thors, surprisingly, despite the fact that the night you conceived them you were also with Steve Rogers.' Viden answered.

"So before Penelope was kidnapped by Lucinda?" Ghaida asked, trying to breath.

'Precisely.'

"Is anyone else pregnant by any chance?" Ghaida asked, standing up. This was news she would have to share with the entire group very soon.

'Yes.'

Thank Allah. She wouldn't be the only one.

"Who else?" Ghaida asked, walking out to the bedroom to quickly throw on a pink sweater with bows at the elbows and wrists. She paired it with jeans and brown heel boots.

'Would you like a list?' Viden asked.

Ghaida frowned a little, 'What do you mean?'

'I mean, that every woman in the building except for Elizabeth is pregnant.' Viden answered.

Ghaida dropped her phone. "Pardon?"

'It's in the book.' Viden yawned.

Ghaida stopped talking to Viden, going over to the closet, kneeling down and unlocking the safe. She pulled the somewhat large book out and into her arms. She opened it up and flipped through the pages as she headed for the community room.

As she stood in the elevator by herself, she asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to ask the other Avengers to come to the community room so she could address them.

"How is everyone pregnant in the first place?" Ghaida asked out loud.

'Thor and Loki.' Viden replied smoothly. 'And some Asgardian magic.'

Ghaida snapped the book closed. Well, weren't they in trouble.

🦩🥪 ｐ𝐎v ᑕ𝓗αŇᎶє 🐇🅱️

"THOR! LOKI!" Ghaida shouted as she entered the community room. Steve glanced over at the Indian girl who seemed strangely angry. Which he almost never saw from her.

"What'd I do?" Thor asked confused, looking like a puppy with his tail trapped in a door.

Ghaida slammed something that Steve couldn't see, down on the table and he knew that she had her book on her. "Really? A pregnancy spell?"

"Oh." Thor said, glancing over at Tony, "Well Stark wanted to see if Trang could find a way to have children and Loki and our mother helped us fix it up. . ."

"Do you know what your spell did?" Ghaida sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Am I pregnant?" Trang asked immediately.

Ghaida looked down at her book and then said, "Yes."

"YES!" Tony shouted, scooping Trang up into his arms and kissed her passionately right then and there. "Fuck yes."

"The thing is. . ." Ghaida said and Tony and Trang broke apart, looking at her apprehensively. "Trang isn't the only one pregnant."

"Who else?" Nat asked in curiosity.

Ghaida was silent for a moment, running her finger down something in her book. Then she addressed the rest of the group. "Every single female in this building except for Elizabeth is pregnant."

The room was silent for a moment and then everyone turned to look at Thor and Loki.

"It's not that bad." Thor protested. "Is it?"

"Well, no." Ghaida answered. "Most of everyone is probably impregnated by their soulmates anyways. . . but there still will remain those who. . . well um Sharon is-"

"Oh fuck that." Sam growled. "Whose child?"

"Scotts." Ghaida answered.

"Well, I'm happy for all of you." Nat said, looking a little sad. Steve just wanted to hug her tightly, but knew she wouldn't appreciate it.

"You're pregnant too." Ghaida answered.

The room was silent again and then Natasha almost collapsed. Bruce managed to catch her quickly and helped her into her seat. "Nat?"

"W-who is the father?" Nat whispered.

"Vision is." Ghaida answered. "The night of the um. . ." Here she blushed darkly. "The night we showed off the pole dancing was the night that it happened." She looked over at Thor. "I know you know-"

"We're having twins." Thor said happily, hugging Ghaida.

"Wow, congratulations." Penny said in excitement.

The only people, Steve noticed, that didn't look thrilled were Katya and Elijah. Elijah stepped forward for a moment and everyone look at him, "Who was Elizabeth with that night?"

"She was with Bucky and me." Sam said quietly.

Elijah nodded, but said nothing, instead glancing over at Katya, "Who were you with?"

"Lan and-"

"It's Lan's child." Ghaida answered softly.

Katya sunk into the couch, crying. Clint immediately joined her side.

"Does that mean Vision is the father of my children too?" Wanda asked, "Because Vision was the only male that we spent the night with."

"Yes." Ghaida and Thor answered at the same time and they both also continued in unison, "Twins."

"And me?" Vi asked hesitantly.

"Bruce." Ghaida answered.

The two of them looked at each other in surprise and both of them blushed as well.

"Oh damn." Trang groaned, "If we're all pregnant at the same time, then we're all giving birth at the same time too."

Penny smiled a little, knowing that she was a few months ahead of them all, looking over at Steve who smirked back.

Elizabeth and Bucky came in at that moment. Bucky was carrying Elizabeth in his arms and they went to sit down on the couch. But Elizabeth came out of his arms suddenly, rounding to stand next to Ghaida. "Whoa, this is such a cool book. Where did you get it? Why are all of the names. . . my name isn't in here."

Everyone stared at her. Even Ghaida stared at her in shock.

"You can see the book?" Tony finally blurted out.

Elizabeth gave him a confused look. "Huh? This book? Yes. It's glowing. I think it would be pretty hard not to see."

Clint looked over at Thor and said, "Maybe you should see if she can lift your hammer too."

"She already can." Loki, Thor, and Elijah all answered together without looking at Clint.

Steve threw his hands up in the air, "Why do we never know this stuff?"

"Because I didn't think it mattered that much." Elijah answered. "She doesn't really like electricity so she was never going to touch Thor's hammer. It comes with the water persona."

"When did she lift it? I feel like this is stuff I would've remembered seeing." T'Challa said.

"Oh, well when Fury was trying to figure out whether or not to trust us, Loki said he'd help if she could pick up Thor's hammer. She didn't know what it meant, of course, because she didn't have any recollections of Thor's hammer. So she just reached over and plucked it off the table. And Fury trusted her immediately." Elijah shrugged.

Elizabeth winced, holding her hand to her lower abdomen and then went back to Bucky, crawling into his lap, snuggling into him. Bucky looked right pleased with himself and when he caught Steve's eye, he smirked, taunting him by raising his eyebrows. Steve gave him the finger.

"So everyone but Elizabeth is pregnant? Even the staff and Agents?" Tony asked.

Bucky looked bewildered and Steve mouthed 'I'll fill you in later' to him.

"Yes." Ghaida said. "Everyone except. . . ya know."

"Why can she see the book? This isn't freaking anyone else out?" Clint asked.

"Does Viden know?" Trang asked, putting a hand on Ghaida's shoulder.

Ghaida paused, her eyes flashing the normal golden colour as she talked to him. Then Thor lunged and caught her as she fainted.

🦝👃 𝐩𝐨𝔳 ᶜⒽ𝔸𝓝𝕘𝑒 🫀🦨

When Ghaida was three, she met her soulmate. He lived across the house from her and was only a year older. He was also of Indian descent and his name was Navi. They were playing tag one day and he touched her skin as he caught her and their tattoos appeared. There was a small ladybug that sat behind her ear. There was an Eagle across Navi's back, but also an Okapi on his chest.

Their parents went looking for answers of the two tattoos, while also celebrating that their families would be family one day.

When Ghaida was five, she was hit in the street by a car as she chased her ball. Navi screamed and ran to her side, putting his hands on her.

His parents and her parents couldn't pull Navi away from her, for when they touched either of them they felt pain. Navi screamed and screamed until Ghaida awoke suddenly, and Navi fell to his side- dead.

When the parents realized what had happened, they called to the Gods. Calling to Yama and Vishnu, the Gods of death and life, afraid that the transfer would bring down vengeance upon them.

Navi's parents moved away after that, full of sorrow. Ghaida had forgotten everything and being so young, she wouldn't have remembered that bit of her life anyways.

When she showed up on the doorstep of Navi's parents, they recognized her immediately and knew she had forgotten when she asked about her soulmate.

And that was why Elizabeth could see the book now.

They had both been marked by death.

And that was what an Auraling was.

A reader, of death.

🆎🥾 ρ𝕆ν c𝔥𝔸η𝐠𝐞 🦡🦫

"Are you feeling better doll?" Bucky asked as he cuddled with Elizabeth in bed. His heart was a little heavy, knowing she had been pregnant with either his or Sam's child when she had died. Part of him wanted to know whose child it had been, part of him never wanted to know.

"It still hurts but these really warm blankets make it better." She said happily, though she was moving slightly unconsciously against his leg. He was honestly starting to get turned on as she continued to rut against him. She pouted up at him through her long lashes, "I don't like the. . . the thing. . ."

"The pad?" He asked gently.

"Yes. It's giving me a rash." She dipped her head in embarrassment, but he wasn't uncomfortable.

"Well," Bucky answered, "Let me go and see if there's another solution, okay?"

He went to the bathroom and searched and found a box of tampons shoved in the back of the cupboard. These would be better, right?

"Do you want to try this doll?" He asked, showing her one.

Elizabeth eyed it warily. "I don't know. Will it feel better?"

"I don't know doll. I'm not a woman." Bucky grinned a little. "You'd have to ask one of your friends. But I know it won't give you a rash."

Elizabeth whimpered a little, burying deeper into the blankets. "Don't wanna move."

"You're a little baby today aren't you." Bucky cooed, wrapping the blankets tightly around her in a little nest. She was reminding him a lot like a cat. He gently kissed her forehead, making sure he wasn't overstepping any boundaries, but she pretty much just purred, "I'll be right back."

He went ahead and downstairs to find Violetta and told her of Elizabeth's predicament.

"Hold on." Vi said, disappearing into her room and then coming back with a package of what looked like normal underwear. "These are basically what you were thinking about with diapers, but they're much more comfortable."

"Thanks." Bucky answered and went to go back upstairs.

"Who are those for?" Steve asked, looking over as he and Sam were standing in the elevator, heading up to their floor.

"Himself of course." Sam smirked and Bucky smirked back.

"Nah, they're for Elizabeth." Bucky said, shrugging. "It's just that time of the month." He glanced side-eyed at Steve to see his blonde soulmates' face had gone slack, his eyes glazed over in fantasy.

He clicked his tongue in faux disappointment, "Stevie."

"Sorry." Steve blushed, casually running a hand through his hair.

Of all the people in the world to have a blood kink, Bucky wasn't quite sure how it ended up with Steve. Of course, Loki, Thor, and Stephen both had it as well and Bucky wasn't to shy to admit he had a small one. But Steve's was huge.

"You're so cute." Bucky kissed his cheek and chuckled. Steve blushed darker. "Take care of him tonight Sam." He kissed Sam on the lips and then headed back to Elizabeth's room. He snickered quietly to himself when he heard Sam groan behind him as Steve immediately took over right then and there.

Bucky was a little worried when he saw that Elizabeth was asleep. She normally wouldn't mind if he changed her when she was asleep, but as she couldn't remember. . .

He didn't want to wake her up though, she was finding it hard to sleep today. . .

He sighed, shaking her shoulder lightly. "Elizabeth? Doll? I need you to wake up baby."

Elizabeth grumbled, curling up in the way that she did when her back was in pain. He opened up the package and pulled out the first pair. "Elizabeth sweetheart?"

"I'm sleeping." She whined.

"I need you to put these on for me." Bucky said softly. "It'll stop the rash from growing."

Elizabeth flickered open her eyes and then rolled onto her back. "You."

"You sure?"

"Mhmm." she said, drifting off to sleep.

Bucky hesitated for a second, then took care of everything. Once he was done, he turned out the light and climbed into bed with her again, pulling her into his arms. "Sweet dreams doll."

Sorry if this was a little uncomfortable to read. I was on my own period writing this and I just wanted to write some fluff about how I would want to be taken care of. I did delete some details that I thought were more TMI and tried to make it more vague.

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