#infusion in like twenty minutes I'm.

[maraeffect]

ketamine is. different. what the fuck is going on.

[steorransaluki]

this was probably the worst long weekend of my life, tbh

[eyesthatroll]

my love, mine all mine | quinn hughes

pairing: qh43 x fem!reader

warning(s): kissing, established relationship, nothing else i think. barely edited

summary: a lil somethin’ i wrote while listening to my love mine all mine by mitski

word count: 1.5k

author’s note: i am the most tired i have ever been right now and i have to get up in an hour or two for a ten hour shift 😔 but i hope you enjoy this lil number, it’s my first time writing for quinn n i hope i did alright. as usual, sending my love. go canucks! —mari

Yawning softly, you nestled yourself deeper into Quinn's warm embrace, allowing your eyelids to gently shut as you turned your back to the crackling fire. The animated conversation among the boys continued, the sound providing a soothing backdrop to the peaceful moment. Quinn's right hand moved in soothing circles on your back, while his other hand held onto a half-finished beer, the cool glass a stark contrast to the warmth you found in his arms.

During the sporadic lulls in the conversation, the mellowness of country music, Jack's choice, enveloped the space. The soulful chords of "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton, dominating the atmosphere. As you rested against Quinn's comforting presence, he quietly hummed along with the song, his voice adding a subtle layer to the music just low enough for only you to hear. Your fingers aimlessly toyed with the drawstring of his gray sweatpants, a futile effort to battle the creeping fatigue that had been amplified by the day's events. You were determined not to squander the night by retiring early, as the impending end of summer loomed overhead, casting a bittersweet shadow as it heralded the departure of everyone you loved, including your boyfriend of nine months.

Lowering his head, Quinn tenderly places a kiss on your forehead, his affectionate gesture infused with fondness and adoration. His hushed voice carries a gentle suggestion as he speaks to you, "Why don't you go up to bed, Baby-Doll?"

In response, you lightly shake your head, brushing aside his words. "I'm okay."

He doesn't press further, recognizing that your decision to head to bed will likely come only when he joins you. Nevertheless, he doesn't mind this compromise. Every moment in your embrace is precious to him, particularly with the imminent knowledge that in a week, he'll be heading back to Vancouver while you remain here. He keeps his inner turmoil hidden, unwilling to burden you with his feelings, but the strain of a long-distance relationship is slowly taking a toll. With your final year of university on the horizon, he hopes that you might consider moving to Vancouver with him, yet he's well aware of the magnitude of that request and the challenge it poses to both of you, so he's yet to bring it up.

Quinn spends the next twenty minutes or so caught in his head, his thoughts consumed by you and the possible future you might share. He absentmindedly nods at whatever topics the boys are discussing, their voices blending into a background hum as he drifts through his contemplations. In his mind, he envisions the two of you sharing a home, the two of you building a family together, and he can't help but smile at the idea, even if it remains unsaid in the midst of the casual banter.

"What do you think, Q?" Trevor asks, raising a beer to Quinn from across the flickering fire pit, where the warm glow dances in the darkness.

Quinn blinks, momentarily drawn from his reverie. "Huh?"

The group shares a collective chuckle, their laughter adding to the background melody of the evening. "Another beer, you want one?" Josh offers, extending a cold bottle towards Quinn.

A sudden hush fell over the group as they waited for his answer, emphasizing the gentle, rhythmic snores that escaped your lips. You looked utterly enchanting, cocooned in an old, oversized Michigan sweater of his, your delicate features half-hidden beneath your tousled curls. The dancing firelight painted your silhouette with warm, flickering hues, casting a soft, otherworldly glow around you.

In that poignant moment, as he looked down at you, all Quinn yearned for was to steal you away to your shared room. Just the two of you, wrapped in the comforting embrace of the warm duvet. He offered a tired smile. "No, actually, gonna call it for the night." The murmured words sounded like a gentle promise to both himself and the alluring vision before him.

You had always been a notoriously light sleeper, a trait Quinn found endearing. It was, therefore, a genuine surprise to him that you didn't stir the moment he scooped you into his arms and began carrying you into the house. However, as he carefully closed the screen door behind him, its echo resonated through the stillness of the house, and you stirred to consciousness. Blinking your eyes open, an expression of confusion graced your features as you tried to make sense of your surroundings. Your voice, soft and laden with sleep, slipped through your lips. "Quinn?"

"Goin' to bed, Baby-Doll," Quinn replies simply, his gaze momentarily fixated on you before he turns his attention to the path ahead, ensuring a safe ascent up the stairs with you in his arms.

He gently sets you down on the bed, and you flop back dramatically, savoring the comforting embrace of the sheets against your back, releasing a contented moan. Quinn chuckles at your playful display, beginning to shed his day clothes. And as much as you admired his physique, you spring out of bed, heading towards the en-suite bathroom, your intention to quickly wash your face and brush your teeth.

Soft footsteps echo through the bathroom as Quinn follows you inside, his tall and muscular frame comfortably settled in nothing but his boxers. The intimate setting feels soothing, and he joins you at the sink, standing side by side as you begin to brush your teeth.

You sneak a peek at him from the corner of your eye, and a playful glint in your eyes prompts you to initiate a playful toothpaste battle. Quinn's eyes widen as you start flicking tiny drops of toothpaste toward him, and he quickly retaliates, with laughter filling the room. Soon, both of you are playfully dueling with your toothbrushes, smirking and giggling like teenagers.

After the impromptu skirmish, Quinn doesn't put up any resistance when you give him your best puppy-dog eyes and plead for the privilege of conducting your nighttime skincare routine on him.

A comfortable silence envelops you both, the bathroom's soft lighting casting a warm, intimate glow. Perched on the bathroom counter, you have Quinn standing between your legs, your feet just barely wrapped around him. With gentle motions, you apply moisturizer to his flushed skin, your fingers caressing his cheeks with care.

Quinn's gaze is fixed on you, his eyes locked onto your face with an intensity that doesn't go unnoticed. As you work the moisturizer into his skin, you can't help but sense a subtle tension in his furrowed brows, a hint that something might be bothering him. You break the tranquil silence, your teeth grazing over your bottom lip, a nervous habit surfacing. "Are you okay?" You ask, your voice tender with concern, your eyes searching his for answers.

His response comes swiftly, as if he's been waiting for the right moment to share his thoughts. "You graduate this year," Quinn replies, his voice carrying a mixture of pride and a touch of uncertainty.

Your smile beams at him, and you gently place your hands on his strong shoulders, a gesture of reassurance. "I do," you affirm with a nod.

Quinn lets out a deep, contemplative breath, his hand instinctively moving up to run through his unruly, dark brown hair. His lips part and close a couple of times, as if he's grappling with the words he wants to convey, caught in a moment of indecision.

Your sudden, sweet kiss catches him off guard, his initial surprise giving way to a warm, affectionate response. Before he can fully process the gesture, you've already withdrawn, leaving a subtle, bashful grin dancing on your lips. "What's on your mind, My Love?"

He exhales another sigh, his tongue moistening his lower lip in contemplation before he voices his admittance. "I can't stand this long-distance thing."

Your lips contort into a pained frown, and an instinctive retreat pushes you further away from him, your back connecting with the mirror's cool surface. "Are you breaking up with me?" Your voice quivers at the fear of Quinn ending things so suddenly.

His eyes widen in alarm, a rapid motion closing the gap between you as he firmly grasps your waist, pulling you back into his comforting proximity. "No, no, baby, I'm not saying that at all." He emphasizes with a reassuring tone.

Relief floods your entire being, a soothing balm to your anxieties as the erratic thud of your heart settles back into its regular rhythm.

"What would you think about moving in with me, in Vancouver after you graduate?" His head tilts to the side, a distressed look on his face as tries to gage your reaction.

You crush your lips against his once more, the fervor of your kiss matching the intensity of your emotions. A delighted grin creeps across his face as your hands weave their way into his hair. Your mouths mold together in a harmonious dance, each movement executed in perfect synchronization. A subtle exploration ensues as you lightly trace your tongue across his bottom lip, coaxing it between your teeth, which elicits a throaty moan from him. With his defenses down, he grants you access, and your tongues engage in a sensual tango, his fingers pressing into your side involuntarily.

Breathlessly, you break apart from him. "I thought you'd never ask."

[lou-struck]

Strawberry Baskets

Tanjiro Kamado x reader

~ When it comes to finding the ripest strawberries in the patch, Tanjiro has an unfair advantage. 

WC: 2k

~This is one of the requested prompts for my Summertime Fun Event. Feel free to check it out. 

There is nothing quite like spending a warm summer's evening on your back porch. A hummingbird flits about your garden, sucking nectar from the buds on your hanging baskets. Its sleek, jewel-colored feathers glint in the slowly setting sunlight as you admire its hovering form. 

When it drinks its fill of nature's bounty, it flies away, leaving you alone once again. 

You return to the book in your lap as you take a small sip from your glass of cold, fruit infused water as you wait for Tanjiro to return home from the village. Although there hasn't been a demon attack in years, the soon-to-be-setting sun makes you feel quite uneasy, and you hope he hurries along. 

Twenty minutes later, your keen ears pick up the slight sound of crushing pebbles on the path leading up to your little cottage. Tanjiro's shadow appears over the ridge until finally, you see the rest of him. He looks a bit tired from a long day of work and his hair is a bit tousled from the summer wind, but it does nothing to diminish his captivatingly bright smile.

You place your arms on either side of your chair to stand, but he stops you. "Stay there, I'll be up there soon."

He does a casual little jog up to the porch and stands over you with a smile. "There, you just looked so comfortable. I didn't want you to have to get up because of me."

"You're sweet," you say as he leans down, his arms on either side of you, caging you in as you get lost in his presence. His warm breath makes your lips tingle as he presses his lips to yours. At times like this, when he has left you far too long he tries to make it up to you with his tender affection.  

His dark red eyes glimmer like fine gemstones when he pulls away, but you notice something else written on his face. Your honest man seems to be buzzing with excitement, just waiting for you to ask him what is on his mind. 

"You look happy, Love; what are you thinking about?"

His grin goes from ear to ear; he loves that you know him so well. He is terrible at hiding even the smallest things from you; just the thought of deception turns him into a steaming kettle, seconds away from bubbling over under the heat of a secret. "You know me so well, y/n; I never could hide anything from you, even if I wanted to. What are you doing tomorrow?"

You tilt your head to the side and furrow your brow, thinking about your schedule. "Nothing really, why?"

"That's wonderful," he beams with the enthusiasm of one who had just won the lottery, "The reason I asked was that when I was in town earlier, I met an old man who needed help carrying his groceries back to his home."

"And you went with him?" you ask worriedly. You know that he is strong, almost inhuman, so he had to be to survive everything he has gone through. But anything can happen, and most of the monsters in this world are not demons but human beings twisted by sin. "Tanjiro, not everyone has your goodness."

"I know, Love, but I felt like I could trust him," he smiles gently, "and in this case, he ended up helping me more than I helped him. It turns out he lives on a small farm just outside of the village. He is actually going out of town to visit his children tomorrow and said that we are welcome to the last of his strawberry patch.

"He has Strawberries?" your eyes widen at the mention of the sweet berry, and you completely forget your earlier lesson about stranger danger. 

He laughs; that's what he told me, a whole patch of them. It was extremely generous of him to offer; at first, I felt guilty about taking some of his crops, but he told me that the berries would go to waste if we didn't pick them. "

"Well, if it's for the greater good, then I'm happy to help him." You say sarcastically. In your mind, however, you are wondering what kind of strawberry treats you can make with the harvest.

"I'm glad to hear it. Are you all right with leaving in the morning?"

You nod and he passes you to go inside to set his stuff down. A faint smile looms on your lips as you turn your attention back to your book. These simple moments in life make the hard parts more than worth it.

~

The morning sun is low in the sky as you and Tanjiro make your way down a little dirt road. There is a slight chill in the air that makes you shudder and lean in closer to him for warmth. You grip his arm with both of yours and peer over at the empty harvest baskets he insisted on carrying for you.

"I believe we're getting close to the farm, y/n. Are you sure you don't want my Haiori to keep you warm?" he asks, offering the very clothes off his back for the fourth time in ten minutes. 

"I'll be alright," you say, once again, declining his offer. It may be chilly now, but that rising sun will warm up the air soon, and you'll find yourself complaining about the extreme temperature.

You see a small farm just around the bend; the sprawling fields and demure farmhouse make this place look straight out of a painting. 

With your hand firmly in his, Tanjiro steps up to the wooden porch and raps politely on the faded oak door. Your ears detect the faint sound of approaching footsteps until the knob twists and the door opens to reveal the dapper-looking old man you have ever seen. His eyes twinkle beneath his grey Panama hat, and his face is shaped by prominent laugh lines. Clearly, this is a man whose life has been full of joy. 

"Ahh, Tanjiro, you came." he smiles, stepping out onto the porch in a light grey little suit with a cluster of baby's breath pinned to his lapel. "Did you two have any trouble finding the place?"

"Not at all. You have such a lovely farm, Mr. Honda," Tanjiro compliments; there is a dons expression on his face as he looks at the man, no doubt coming to the same conclusion as you.  "Is it really okay that we pick your strawberries?"

"Of course. If you don't take them, then I'm afraid they will just go to waste. It's the end of the season, so there won't be too many left, but I wanted to thank you for your help yesterday," he smiles, grabbing the handle of a well-cared-for leather suitcase. 

"That is very generous of you," you say, eyeing his luggage. "Are you going on a vacation?"

The man's smile grows impossibly large as he nods. "Of a sort. My daughter just gave birth to twins, and I am ready to go meet my grandchildren and spoil them the way a PeePaw should. That's why I needed a bit more help getting home; you see, I went a bit overboard buying them and my daughter's presents."

"Congrats, that is wonderful," Your heart melts at his sincerity; you know that those grandkids of his will be lucky to have such a kind and caring grandfather doting on them. 

As happy as he is to have visitors. However, you know that he cannot entertain you for much longer; with a quick look at his watch, his eyes widen, and he reaches for a few more parcels at his front door. "Oh my. I Best be off to the train station now. The strawberry patch is just to the left of the rice paddy. Happy Picking, you two."

He lifts the mountain of gifts and his little suitcase with Herculean strength and scurries off down the road with a jumbled little wave. 

The two of you wave back and watch as the kind old man disappears down the dirt road. 

"What a nice man. I hope he makes it to the station in time," Tanjiro comments now that the two of you are alone, "Shall we start picking the berries before it gets too hot?" 

He extends his hand, and you walk through the farm, passing a large duck pond and what looks to be a well-protected cabbage patch before you get to a field full of strawberry plants. The lush green leaves seem to crawl along on the dirt for as far as the eye can see. Your steps are careful as you make your way down the cracked dirt path so you do not step on any vines down to his strawberry patch. 

"Wow, this is quite the impressive field," Tanjiro praises, glancing over at you; the midmorning sun brings out the richness in his reddish brown hair. "Mr. Honda must be a hard worker, I cant see any weeds at all. 

"Then the berries must be extra tasty," you agree. "What should we make with them? Shortcake? Mochi? Dorayaki?"

Instead of answering, Tanjiro's stomach beats him to it; it growls loudly. His cheeks turned a flushed pink color as he embarrassedly rubbed the back of his neck. "sorry about that; just thinking about all of those treats is making me hungry. Maybe if we find a lot of strawberries, we could bring some to Tomioka, Mr. Uzui, and the others."

"That would be fun," you smile, excited to have an excuse to see everybody. You can continue to walk down the path, looking out for any glimpses of strawberries, but all you see is green. Crouching down, you gently rush past the strawberry leaves to get a closer look, but it appears that the plants are without berries.

Still, on an awkward couch, you moved down the line, unable to find anything. Do you know it's late in the season, but the fact that you haven't seen any sign of fruit is a little concerning.

"What's wrong?" Tanjiro asks, making you aware of the frown that has formed on your face. "Love?"

"It's nothing, I'm just having trouble finding any strawberries. Have you found any?" You ask, hopefully. Tanjiro is searching in the row across from yours, and his basket is just as empty as yours. 

"Not yet," he says with unwavering determination. "But we only just started searching."

"I guess you're right, but do you think it's possible Mr. Honda was confused?"

"I suppose it's possible," he murmurs, placing his hand on his chin in thought, "But I swear I can smell strawberries."

Of course, you can… You forget about your fiancé's superhuman sense of smell.

You watch as he closes his eyes and, walks calmly through the field and searches for a smell that your nose simply cannot pick up. If it was anyone else, you would be doubtful about whether or not he can actually smell fresh strawberries, but if anyone can, it's Tanjiro.

He walks like a man on a mission and doesn't stop until he is several meters away from you in a different row of plants entirely. He crutches down, and you can see his victorious smile from meters away.

"Is that the spot?" You call out to him. As you try to step harmlessly over a row of plants to get closer to him.

"I think so," he nods. His scarred hand brushes aside the large leaves to reveal a bush full of ripe berries untouched by bugs and wildlife.

" Wow, there's so many of them," you exclaim, staring down at the abundance below you. "They look perfect!"

"And that's not all," he says brightly. He nods his head, and you can see hundreds of berries dotting the bushes around you. "It looks like we'll have more than enough to get out to our friends later on."

You look down at your two woven baskets thoughtfully and chuckle. 

"What was that for? He asks, looking up at you quizzically. 

"It's nothing," you smile, ruffling his hair. "But I think we might need a few more baskets."

[uchihaharlot]

I didn't mean to break their hearts, I was just curious, srry!😭😭 (but Itachi's one was kinda funny-)

But anyway, now I'm wondering about how they would react if they found out that you can draw really cool and beautiful.

(I'm an artist, so😎)

Nonny 🥹🥹

That put me in an really good mood; lol. That was way too fun to write; maybe I can one day write a super angsty break up (but I love them too much!!!).

I love all artists 😭😭😭 Painters, writers — digital or paper. Anything that expresses the inner workings of someone’s mind and the fact that they can manifest it to reality is so so so beautiful. I hope I’ve secretly seen your art, I’d probably simp over it. Always simp over art. 😂😂🥹🥹

N/SFW; very cute Uchiha men adoring your artwork! 🥹🥹🥹 (ooc Madara??); Simpy Obito; …Scandalous Shisui; abnormally observant Itachi 😂 suggestive themes rolled out the further I got. For some reason, I just had to. (P.s. I should not be allowed to write when tired??? Half of this was done while my eyes rolled shut in bed).

Madara:

It’s not everyday that Madara is blown like a leaf in the wind. When you mentioned being a patron of the arts, he thought maybe the art of battle?? Didn’t expect your weapon to be a paint brush with some acrylic paint. Thought it was some weird jutsu infused shit.

And then you just had to go above and beyond and do a portrait of him for his birthday!!!!! It’s hung on the living room center wall so that it’s the first thing anyone sees! Honestly, this man is a brute, but your art envokes his softer side! A side that he hasn’t been in touch with for…well, a long time.

Makes sure that everyone and I mean, everyone, is aware of your talent! Still, he tries to find the side hussle in it, soliciting customers for you and all. 😭😭 Will trash talk the chalk art children make on the sidewalk, which ‘��that’s not nice, they’re children..’ you say. He shrugs, nobody is as good as you.

Obito:

Finds out and tries to ‘secretly’ commission you lmao. Makes it totally obvious too, his handwriting is shit and eveeeerrryyyyone knows who Tobi really is…. Plus how can you even begin without discussing what he wants done!! Duh, Obito! Unfortunately for him, you are more interested in drawing matters of the flesh. He’ll only show his chest, nothing more.

‘That’s fine.’ You shrug, and get to work. Obito, however, does not have the resolve to sit still! It’s frustrating to no end, but alas, after what seems an eternity— its done. Sort of. Still much to add, but the basics are there and you’ll work better when he’s not asking how does it look every twenty minutes.

Eventually you do finish this beautiful piece of him, and Obito cries. You made his scars tolerable and beautiful with your mind’s creativity, he feels less self conscious about them, only a little.

Shisui:

Is the least normal about it when he discovered your sketchbook — more like snatched and played keep away. Had to fight him for it, literally. Will ask you to paint/draw him naked…many times lol and you respectfully say no... Not that he likes people to see him naked (ok maybe a little?) but he secretly hopes it might happen one day. It would be a private thing for the two of you, cause he wants that ass.

And when you do cave to his whim, just to satiate him. He’s nervous lmao. Had this oh so macho man idea of rocking a hard on but Shisui simply maintains his usual semi. It’s nice though, you make sure it’s extremely detailed..as he asked for.

But, ‘(y/n)… this is chibbi!!!’ Lol, jokes on Shisui!! He didn’t say how to draw his pp.

Itachi:

Is the most normal about it. Though he still will praise you every time you finish a piece and show him, he is still massively impressed. How does your wrist not get tired? …maybe this is why your hand jobs are so good. 😈 Just watching you try a new technique (pointillism, which is my favorite style) makes his wrist hurt. Enjoys when you ask him for ideas! He has lots of them! Mostly…obscure and derelict landscapes though.

Would not be opposed to having his portrait done, but it’s really not his style. He is disciplined enough to sit still but doesn’t see the value in it. Not until the final product is revealed, does he truly understand how important this piece was. You’ve captured his personality in a new light.

[luvrlou]

What Happens in Mykonos Stays in Mykonos

Pairing: Wroetoshaw x fem!reader

Warnings: Swearing, Drinking

Summary: After a drunken night of clubbing Harry and Y/N exchange some intoxicated words.

A/N: Heart eyes for Harry

Word Count: 1.8k

"Harry and Cal are sleeping, and Y/N is watching a movie, I think?" Callum told his camera, this made me look up.

"I'm seeing how close we are to landing," I replied, Callum zooming his camera into me. "We're landing in about an hour and a half."

The man nodded, "we should probably wake up the boys, they'll want drinks before we get off." I agreed, going to wake up the boy on my left, Cal.

"Fuck off Callum!" He groaned, coming to his senses, "oh, hey Y/N!" He smiled seeing it was me waking up.

"Hello Cal," I replied.

"Here, what's this!" He chirped, looking at the drink on my table, "a cheeky malibu and pineapple juice, interesting." He observed, reaching to take a drink.

"Woah there! That's mine!" I replied, grabbing the cup before he could. I swiftly downed the drink, before muttering a snarky, get your own to the lanky boy.

I looked over to the end of the row to see Harry groggily talking to Callum. The plane was separated into rows of four, an aisle splitting them in half. I sat in the window seat, Cal in the seat next to me, Harry and Callum sat in the other side.

Before we knew it the flight attendant was back to cruising up and down the aisle with the drinks trolley. When she reached our row we all gave her a list of drinks, a Guinness for Callum, Malibu and pineapple juice for me, white wine for Cal and a vodka coke for Harry.

Since we were at the back of the plane the woman seemed to have all the time in the world, she handed the boys their drinks. While she handed me mine she spoke, "so what one of these lucky boys is your boyfriend?"

The question caused me to laugh, "none of them, I'm just an old friend!'

"Really?" She seemed extremely shocked by my answer, "I mean you're gorgeous how could they not be all over you!" Her comment made Callum laugh while Harry reddened.

"Awk thank you!" I smiled back at the attendant. She smiled back before walking back up the aisle.

"Did you see Harry's face!" Cal cackled, looking at the embarrassed boy at the end of the row.

"Shut up Cal!" He shouted back, sipping his vodka-infused drink. His clear irritation made me, Cal and Callum laugh between ourselves.

We spent the remaining hour or so on our phones, sparing a few words between the four of us every few minutes.

"This is your captain speaking, we will be touching the ground in about fifteen minutes, the weather is lovely so the landing should be smooth." The strong Scottish accent, which belonged to the captain, boomed over the speakers that lined the sides of the aircraft.

Much to my surprise, getting through the airport was extremely fast, I'm assuming everyone was in need of a cocktail. Luckily our villas were about twenty minutes in a taxi.

"Okay, who wants what villa?" Cal said, as we all arrived in front of the two villas.

"I call dibs on this one!" I shouted, running up to the door of the one on the left, "I saw on Booking.com that this one had a hot tub in it!"

"Oh yeah! I want that!" Callum exclaimed, joining me at the door.

"Okay, Harry and I will take this one," Cal concluded, walking towards the one on the right, Harry following.

Callum and I chose our rooms, despite them being almost exact parallels to each other. Mine had a king-sized bed with white and dark blue bed sheets, and a bathroom attached. It also had a large mirrored wardrobe and a small balcony with a deck chair.

"Y/N! Callum! We're going out soon!" Harry's voice echoed up through the white bricked stairwell.

I could hear Callum run downstairs, "I'll be like twenty minutes!" I shouted down.

I went over to my case looking for something nice to wear, I was thinking of a summer dress of some sort since I've been sweating buckets since I got here. I rummaged through my case, picking out a white lacy dress. I put it on and coated my eyelashes with some mascara and slipped my feet into a pair of wedge sandles.

"Coming!" I yelled as I approached the top of the stairs.

I jogged down the stairs, when I reached the boys they had just finished their cans of beer. "You look lovely Y/N," Harry commented as they all stood up.

"Aw thanks, Harry!" I gushed at the boy in front of me. "Right let us go! I need to get pished!" My statement received cheers from the boys.

We all ventured out of the villa complex and found a club which was about five minutes away. "What does everyone want to drink?" Callum asked.

"A piña colada please," I asked, the boys all asked for one too, sending Callum on his way. "I needed this getaway." I stated.

"Same, London is getting too stressful these days," Cal replied, causing Harry to hum in reply.

We all grinned thirstily when Callum came back with four piña coladas, we all grabbed one.

"To Mykonos, and Harry for suggesting this holiday!" Cal cheered lifting his cocktail. We all clinked glasses and took a sip out of them.

About four cocktails later we got up to leave, I could tell that Harry and Cal were on the tipsy side, surprisingly Callum and I were more on the sober side.

At the next club Cal immediately got up to get tequila shots from the bar, Callum's face was full of regret. "Getting flashbacks to the last time we did shots?" I laughed.

"Fuck off Y/N!" He groaned.

"Shots!" Cal bellowed, returning to the table with a tray of sixteen shots on it.

We all took four each and sat them in front of us. "Last to finish them buys the next round!" I challenged, picking up one of the shots.

I downed mine quickly, taking the next one as soon as the liquid slipped down my throat. "Harry! Drinks are on you!" Callum laughed, pushing him towards the bar.

"We'll all have margaritas, make sure they have limes on them!" Cal ordered.

When Harry returned we all started to drink our margaritas, "Y/N, what are the odds, out of ten, that you'll do body shots off of Harry!" Cal asked.

Harry's complexion instantly grew rosy, "okay." I agreed, waiting for Callum to count us in.

"3.. 2.. 1.." He counted.

"7!" We both shouted.

"Yes!" Cal and Callum shouted in unison, high-fiving each other. "We'll go get salt and a lime!"

"Are you okay with this Harry?" I asked the blonde boy next to me.

"Yeah," he hummed, "it's all a bit of fun, yeah."

When the boys returned they had massive smiles on their faces, Callum with a tub of salt, and Cal with a lime and a tequila shot. "Come here Harry," Callum said to the red-faced boy.

Callum dipped his finger in his margarita and put some salt on it, rubbing the salt and sticking it to Harry's neck. Cal handed him the lime and sat the shot on the table.

"Have fun Y/N!" Cal drunkenly giggled. I made eye contact with the boy and went to lick the salt off his neck. I downed the shot, receiving whistles and cheers from the two boys. Lastly, I took the lime from Harry's mouth.

"Look at Harry!" Callum yelled, making me burst out laughing and remove the lime from my mouth.

"Sorry, Harry," I smiled softly, kissing his cheek chastely.

We got one last round of shots, this time they were Sambuca shots. "Come on, I need some chips," I announced. The boys all hummed i agreement.

Luckily, there was a street food shop down the street from the club we were sitting in.

"Excuse me," Harry asked the man who as behind the counter, "do you guys do just chips?"

"Yes." The man answered.

"Can we have four portions, please," He asked, the man nodded in return.

"Where's Freezy?" I asked, looking for my lanky companion.

As if on cue the blonde boy entered the restaurant, a bottle of white wine in his hand, making me grin wildly.

"God bless you Cal Freezy!" I beam, running over to him, stumbling drunkenly. He handed me the bottle letting me take a swig before snatching it back.

Cal and I sat up at the high window tables, swapping the wine between us, waiting for Callum and Harry to arrive with the chips.

When they came over they chucked the styrofoam boxes of chips down on the table and flung themselves onto the chairs. I smiled when I felt Harry drop his head onto my shoulder.

"You can have the last of the wine," Cal mumbled, handing me the bottle. I quickly downed it before digging into my chips.

"Are we going to head back to the villas after this?" Callum inquired, finishing his chips.

"Nah, I want to stay out!" I argued back.

"I'm going back after," Cal stated, clearly having had too much to drink.

"I'll stay out Y/N!" Harry answered, which made me cheer with happiness and embrace him tightly.

After eating we went our separate ways, Callum and Cal went back to the villa complex. Harry and I went further into the area we were staying, looking for yet another club.

After about 10 minutes of walking, we came across another brightly lit nightclub, we both entered, going straight up to the bar. I ordered a pink gin and Harry ordered a vodka and lemonade.

After drinking both of our drinks we got onto the dance floor. Wrapping my arms around his neck we swayed together to the music, one of his arms draped over my waist.

"You look beautiful tonight Y/N," he mumbled, his face extremely close to mine.

I could feel his hot breath fan over my face. "You're just saying that because you're drunk." I whispered.

"No Y/N, I've always thought this, I think I'm falling in love with you," his drunken voice raved.

I was speechless, the only thing I could think to do was kiss his soft lips. Our mouths tasted of straight alcohol as they fought against each other. When we leaned back he sent me a goofy smile.

"I think I'm falling in love with you too."

"Let's take this back to the villa, yeah?" He asked, leading me off the dance floor.

"Fuck yeah!" I giggled following him out of the venue.

"What.. the.. fuck." Cal's shocked voice echoed through the now lit-up room, I looked up and around the room. It was Harry's room, the flashbacks from the night before started to fill my once hazy memory.

"Oh shit!" I shrieked, waking up Harry, who had an equally shocked expression.

"Fucking hell! Callum will love this!" Cal burst out laughing, cackling as he left the room.

[autobot2001]

Can't Eat

@juneofdoom

Day 12 Fainting | Trembling Dehydration

The Whumpee has been safe with their team for a month, but they struggle to realize they're safe. They struggle to realize it's ok to eat. Even water is still considered a luxury to them. The team is struggling to help Whumpee while trying not to cause Whumpee to think they're a group of people working for Whumper or being captured by another group like Whumper. Trying to get Whumpee to leave their room is also a challenge. Even to see the team's psychiatrist. It's hard to keep track of when Whumpee eats or drinks water.

Whumpee ignores the trembling as they get ready to meet the psychiatrist. They still get anxious attending these appointments, but this doesn't cause dizziness. Whumpee ignores this.

As Wgumpee walks down the hall, they feel worse but keep walking to the appointment rather than the medbay. "Hey, are you ok?" someone asks. "I'm f—." The Whumpee falls forward, allowing teammates to catch them and slowly get them onto the floor. Relieved other teammates see what's going on so they don't have to leave Whumpee in the hallway to get the medic. Whumpee wakes before the medic gets to them, but they feel tired and weak. The teammates and medic know what caused Whumpee to faint but worry about how sick Whumpee is. The teammates wait in the waiting room.

Within twenty minutes, the medic confirms the teammates' concerns. Whumpee had gone without food and water for almost two days. It's not life-threatening, but this is a problem they need to figure out how to deal with this problem. "They're getting fluids and nutrients infusions," the medic explains, "and asleep." Within minutes the leader finds out and decides it's time to meet about this. Aware the physiatrist has been trying to help Whumpee.

The psychiatrist isn't sure if inviting Whumpee to eat — whether in their room or not — will help. At this point, the decision is to take the risk Whumpee won't feel safe here or watch them die. Most agree they need to work on getting Whumpee to feel safe so that they can eat and drink water. Aware at first, they'll think they're being told to eat or drink. "What would they think if we only shared their favorite food?" One teammate asks, "wouldn't someone who kidnapped not do this? They'd give their captive crap to eat when allowed to eat." "They have a good point," the psychiatrist agrees. The teammate who suggested the idea goes to make one of Whumpee's favorite dinners.

Whumpee wakes up to the smell of food. Whumper would never have food waiting for them. Still, is this a cruel trick by Whumper? That they'll watch Whumper eat? "Look, I made one of your favorites," teammate smiles, showing Whumpee the food and putting the plate on the table. They poisoned it. whumpee thinks. I'm not safe here. "It's safe, see," teammate takes a bite of the food, "it's ok, you're safe. remember?" Whumpee is still uncertain, but they fear their punishment if they don't eat. The teammate knows this is what Whumpee thinks and will be for a while. Even as they show Whumpee their favorite cookies. This could take months, but this is good as long as they're eating and making progress. The medic thinks, watching Whumpee eat.

[mimisempai]

I want to know all of you

Summary:

Through the taste of his tea, Aziraphale discovers how well Crowley knows him.

Notes

28 days of domestic fluff

Today Prompt : Making tea/coffee just how they like it without needing to ask.

On AO3

Rating G - 885 words

Aziraphale, sitting at his desk in the bookshop, was focused on the store's accounting and frowning.

Crowley, who was watching him, sitting a little farther back in an armchair, asked him inquiringly, "What's the matter, Angel? A problem with your precious bookkeeping?"

Aziraphale looked up, and, shaking his head, replied, "No, no, you can be sure, my dear, that everything is absolutely in order."

Crowley replied with a slightly sarcastic tone, "Of course, it would be unthinkable for you to be wrong in the slightest calculation. What an unforgivable mistake on my part!"

Aziraphale rolled his eyes and replied gently, "I forgive you, my dear."

Crowley insisted, "So, if it's not the accounts, what made you frown?"

Aziraphale, showing him his cup of tea, replied, "This. This tea tastes a little strange, almost bland to tell you. This has happened to me several times this week. Yet I use the same tea as usual. I don't understand."

Crowley smiled knowingly and asked simply, "Do you want me to go make you a new cuppa?"

Aziraphale shook his head again, "No, there's no need, don't bother with that. I'm almost done anyway so I'll go make myself another cup later."

Crowley didn't answer and waited for Aziraphale to get back to work. When he was sure that the angel was perfectly focused again, he got up, took the cup and headed to the kitchen in the back.

When he returned, he carefully put the steaming cup down exactly where it had been before and went back to his armchair. All the while, Aziraphale was still concentrating on his accounts and hadn't noticed anything.

Then, without looking at his cup, the angel grabbed it and took a sip of tea. Instead of a frown, this time his lips stretched into a smile of bliss, as he raved, "Hmm... delicious."

Crowley merely said, a small pleased grin on his lips, "Isn't it?"

This brought Aziraphale out of his focus and he realized that first, his tea was hot and second, that it tasted nothing like the one he had made for himself. He took another sip and exclaimed again. "It's really amazing! It's exactly how I like it. The amount of sugar and the intensity of the taste are exquisite."

He looked at Crowley and asked, looking slightly puzzled, "Did you prepare it?"

Crowley chuckled slightly, "Yes, Angel, I did."

Aziraphale looked even more puzzled and stammered, "But... How- How did you do it?"

Crowley squared his shoulders and straightened in his armchair. Unable to hide his proud expression, he replied, "Because I know exactly the recipe for making the tea the way you like it best."

Aziraphale replied, skeptically, "Crowley, my dear, it is not possible that you know the recipe for my tea in the slightest detail, not even I know it."

Crowley patiently replied, "My angel, how long have we known each other? How many times have we shared a cup of tea? You don't really think that after all this time, I wouldn't know the exact recipe for tea as you like it? I know this recipe by heart. Listen to me. First I boil the water, then I pour it into a cup so that it is the perfect temperature. Then I let the leaves infuse for exactly four minutes and twenty-three seconds, no more, no less, and finally, half a teaspoon of sugar that includes exactly 6227 grains.”

Aziraphale interrupted him, "Come on my dear, it's impossible for you to know how many grains of sugar there are in half a teaspoon."

Crowley just shrugged "and yet..."

Aziraphale raised the cup to his face, inhaled deeply and then took another sip. With a delighted expression on his face, he said in an almost amazed tone, "It's really perfect. But..." he hesitated a bit before continuing, "How come you know perfectly how I drink my tea?"

Crowley smiled slightly, stood up and came to lean against Aziraphale's desk. Then, looking down at him, he said softly, "Because, my dear angel, I want to know everything about you, everything that makes you happy. Even if it's something as trivial as the way you drink your tea." 

Then he bent down, and pressed his lips into a light kiss on the angel's stunned expression.

Aziraphale, snapped out of his stupor by the tender gesture, held Crowley by his tie and pulled him closer, pressing his lips to his in a kiss that was much more heated than the previous one.

When they parted to catch their breath, Aziraphale said softly, a look of wonder on his face, "Every time I think I know you, you surprise me with something new!"

Crowley pecked his nose, then straightening up, he went to take his spot back in his armchair. He replied with a slight smile on his lips, "And you've known me for 6000 years already!"

Aziraphale replied in the same tone, "I can't wait to see what the next six thousand years will bring!"

Crowley gestured to the accounting books and cheekily replied, "Then hurry up to get back to work and finish, so I can give you a little insight."

Aziraphale didn't respond and got back to work, the only difference was that now his pen seemed to run much faster over the accounting books.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here

[entireoranges]

A bit of a mess but here are my thoughts

I was hesitant to watch because I was never into the Goosebumps books and the other shows; always respected them and what they represented (represents?) but it's never been for me. Different strokes for different folks! However the preview/trailer for the new Disney + (Hulu?) series did look pretty good and I enjoyed Isa Briones in Star Trek: Picard, so it was on the back burner of a maybe. Yesterday during his infusion where I like to watch things that take awhile and didn't feel like taking twenty minutes of picking something I went with Goosebumps. Did not regret.

Best ever? No. Overall I am enjoying. I think it helps since I'm not familiar with the lore/history of the books I don't know what's gonna happen. Though I have a pretty good idea, but it's not enough to make me not want to watch more. And I'm sure that holds true for those who do know because this version is unique and has its own spins.

The cast is amazing, though it's painfully clear those aren't high schoolers and if you focus on that while watching it can sort of take you out of the experience.

PS The first thing I did this morning was watch the new episode that's how much I have been enjoying it.

I do find it unrealistic that all the kids from the 90's events all had kids at the same time. You'd think one or two would be childfree, or some have babies earlier or later ... but all had their kids within a few months of each other? Sorry but I don't see that happening. Plus they all still in the same town; with the semi exception of Sarah? Again not buying it LOL.

I am loving the soundtrack. Curious if on Spotify...

[virgolarity]

Ode to NewJeans;

on this day, a year ago; calling for attention without traditional K-pop announcements by releasing their music video “Attention” on Hybe Labels YouTube channel. summer’s warmth getting eased by the hissing air conditioner as I played the video, a group of girls whose serene voices and youthful vibrance filled the room as they danced through a familiar early 2000s beat in this high-school-crush-themed video, nothing like I've seen before yet brimming with nostalgic familiarity.

The following days were graced with “Hype Boy” visually captivating, angelic vocals bouncing along a playful choreography that quickly became a phenomenon on the internet, instantly making itself joyously memorable. another day and there was “Hurt” at a time when it seemed as though K-pop is incapable of producing a soft-toned track whose sweet serenade fills the house, NewJeans had yet another surprise before the release of their now eagerly anticipated debut ‘EP’ breezy close-up shots capturing the expression of girlhood.

in a 9-minute introduction video, NewJeans members playfully introduce themselves; Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, as if they’re inviting a new friend to their group chat before officially debuting on the first day of August where the video for “Cookie” was uploaded following the release, performing the track that perfectly outlined their unique sound in monochrome fits on a bench at the center of a plain studio, addictive and as sweet as the best chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever had; By having their signature sound, visual aesthetic, and fashion, NewJeans solidified themselves as one the most outstanding girl groups to date, fresh off their debut.

“Ditto” arrived with the ghostly wind of winter; the girls running through the hallways of the school, there's no indication of a high-budget production, and girls with silky hair wearing designer dresses or dancing in perfect sync, in “Ditto” the passage of time and its bittersweet aftertaste haunt the melody like a vacant school during holidays, the suspense in their voice infused with yearning and melancholy, the sudden realization of the fleetingness of everything, you might not have these friends or experience this joyful youth again!

so say it back, say it ditto.

By the way, I've been listening to “OMG” nonstop since January which took the internet by the storm again, and I'm writing this right after crying over “Cool with You” and “Get Up” music videos, because what’s a girl in her twenties if not haunted by the sudden rush of melancholy!

Summertime is here again, and we're joking about how it’s likely the coolest summer of the rest of our lives; as eerily true as this sentence might be, we go on with our lives, we hear “ASAP” over aesthetically pleasing short videos on the internet from each other's phones in our girl’s night sleepovers, we talk about resonating with the topics that NewJeans convey in their music, and how healing their authentic expression of girlhood in its truest most vulnerable form is.

One of us starts mumbling the lyrics to “Super Shy” while we're getting ready in front of the mirror the next day followed up by the rest of us singing along, lost in our reflections, I put on the new ‘EP’ on the stereo, and by noon we're all fluently singing and dancing to “ETA” in the pool.

[legion1227]

IDK: F65 album review

This was a big step up from the last project, and I am so pleased. 

Last year, rapper IDK dropped a short album called Simple, and that's exactly what it was. With eight tracks and rounding out to eighteen minutes in length, it made for a quick listen. I feel he didn't make the most of his short time on Simple. Alternating between singing and rapping, he faired better with the former. His bars lacked impact, but his flow was decent. Overall, Simple was an okay project, but nothing to praise. 

His latest album, F65, is a step up from last year. Nowhere near perfect and still flawed in some areas, but I enjoy this much more than Simple. 

F65 is packed with more songs, more features, and more commanding instrumentals. With twenty-two tracks running out at fifty-two minutes, Simple felt like an appetizer as IDK serves F65 as a main course. For Simple's mediocrity, I appreciated its brevity. F65 was a luscious listen but does not need to be fifty-two minutes long. 

The biggest issue stems from pacing, as the album is too long and the tracks are too short. 

Songs like Pit Stop and Salty feel like they're just getting started as IDK raps braggadocious and gets into a groove. But before it feels like he can shift into second gear, the song suddenly ends. There would be more to savor if he could at least fit in one more verse sometimes. Consequently, he has one song, Superwoman, that takes up seven minutes. Broken into parts, the song peaks in beauty with the first part as IDK and features Musiq Soulchild wax poetic with their vocals. If anything, he should've taken the extra five minutes and distributed them amongst the other songs on the album. 

Among the other features, it's hit or miss. Fat Trel works well in unison with IDK on Thug Tear. NLE Choppa was doing a fine job on Salty but could've used more time. Jucee Froot and Saucy Santana are among the best as they flex and boast sexually on Pinot Noir. And as a Benny The Butcher fan, I absolutely could've used more Benny on Up The Score. That was nowhere near enough. 

In the end, IDK delivered his fourth studio album. I'm hoping for his next project, he can assemble more talents for the features and find a decent middle ground for the pacing. Interludes and skits plague the project and could be cut for time. The jazz-infused production helped carry a really good album along with serviceable bars. If his next project is similar to this in sound and content with around twelve tracks and thirty minutes in time, then he will have something truly great on his hands. 3.5/5

[copperbora]

Today I hiked for the first time in months again; I only did about 7 km but I did them very swiftly over the space of an hour on the Okanagan Rail Trail. Bizarrely to me, this was an active rail line back when I was a kid and I still feel slightly torn over them not turning it into a light passenger transit line - and what they did, making it a trail. I love walking on this trail now - with its flat grade and soft pea gravel it is gentle on the legs, if often very icy in winter - but I believe that its real value is in being a safe corridor for local wildlife to utilize at night when humans are not present. Since it stretches from the north Okanagan to the central Okanagan it's pretty long, meaning that its impact as a wildlife corridor isn't insignificant. Cougars, black bears, mule deer, coyotes, mallard ducks, Canada geese, amphibians, snakes, raccoons and songbirds all now have this lengthy, quiet band of protected space in the very populated Okanagan Valley to utilize. I like that; it helps me feel good about it, and I love imagining cougars lounging on the cliffs above, watching as mule deer come down to Kalamalka Lake for a midnight drink. With the daytime humans and their bikes and dogs at home the wildlife now have a safe serenity in the darkness.

It was weird how trepiditious I felt setting out, like a nervous horse playing with its bit and prancing. I'm an experienced thruhiker, yet after months of not hiking due to my mom's condition and being glued to her side I took a long time to settle back into my favourite sport. It was cool - -1 Celsius with a windchill of about -5C - but this late into the winter I'm acclimated to freezing temperatures. Still, I was a bit sweaty from work earlier in the day and feeling hesitant to embark, but I made myself go anyway. Eventually, after ten minutes or so I settled back into my usual stride - albeit slower than personal speed records - and I felt okay in my habitat by myself again. (Honestly, the worst thing about growing older is having parents who can no longer keep up with me on the trail. Last year in Jasper National Park it depressed me to the point of flopping in the middle of the trail mid-climb of a pass and staring miserably up at the sky for a good twenty minutes.)

I hiked until civilization fell out of sight, with Rattlesnake/Turtlehead Point adjacent and stopped to admire the pure lack of humanity. I pray that everyone gets to have moments like this of even just perceived wilderness, with not a single building in sight, with just you and the wild for company. After a moment or two (because I never pause long,) I turned back for the trailhead where I had left my car and then wandered a mall for an hour to kill some more time before going to my second doctor's appointment about my newly diagnosed ADHD. There I learned that my ferratin/iron is too low, so I won't be allowed to donate blood as planned this spring. In fact, there's talk of an intravenous iron infusion happening. (On the bright side this gives me a fine excuse to move forwards with my self-tattoo plans since I am not allowed to get tattooed while actively donating.) My thyroid is well though, and I got prescribed a stimulant for my ADHD, which the government will supposedly be helping with financially.

I came home to my mom having a Bad Day. Just in case you don't know, being a caretaker to a beloved family member with cancer is really f***ing awful - you're stressed to the nines almost constantly, terrified, uncomfortably familiar with the Emergancy Room at your local hospital (the staff know you,) plus horribly familiar with hearing your loved one whimper all night in agony. This has been my dad and I's absolute hell for years now and I can firmly tell you: cancer is not a battle, it is a WAR.

So now I lay down to sleep, in my day clothes, because I know there's a very real terrible chance that we'll have to take Mom to the ER again tonight. F*** cancer.

Here's my tattoo design which insisted on coming to life though - a cougar, a cat sacred to my family, especially my mom but also me. For years I kept dreaming of this big benevolent kitty coming to visit me, to the point where I became fond of her and named her Mud.

[wearethewitches]

I'd have to search it out, but there's a great herb & spices book I got last year that, despite being pretty hefty, is a very deep dive into general world origins (ex. Indian spices versus Iranian spices) that does actually have a lot of anecdotal instructions on timekeeping (and shelf life).

In general when it comes to cooking, I find it easier to classify which herbs & spices need shorter or longer cooking time by A) their reaction to heat and moisture, and B) whether they were a leaf, root, seed, plant, etc.

I know not everyone will know how to identify plants on sight (and if you can't tell the difference between a leaf and a root, I gently but genuinely encourage you to search out education on these topics, its very useful, and also neat to knkw) but basic visual and textural understanding of what you're cooking, both in full on plant/etc. form, and the jar in your spice cabinet, is really fucking handy.

For example, a lot of French and British slow cooking recipes will have the same herbs (most often leaves or plant stems) because the rate of infusion is slower at a lower temperature and exactly in the same way as tea, herbs are delicate. They do have a max infusion, and it's easy to make a "tea" in soup and stews. You can use their dried versions the same way, but dried herbs react differently than fresh to heat and moisture: they slowly secrete their flavour. Dried herbs as a general rule have a max flavour/cook point of twenty minutes, and I'd recommend a five minute minimum. Fresh herbs react to the proverbial trauma of being cooked by sweating out their flavours in the space of 2-7 minutes. More than seven is beating a dead horse, at that point.

Building on this: spices.

Spices are dried. The potency of spices cannot be underestimated flavour wise, as you may already know. The burning point of spices comes quicker than you think due to the size of the individual grains, but unlike herbs, spices have a higher tolerance to heat. This comes from actually being a different part of a plant. Leaves are delicate, roots and barks are not. The actual design of a plant before becoming the jar in your spice cabinet affects it's resistance to being cooking once dried.

I'd also like to clarify at this point that I'm writing this on a bus and am too tired to provide many examples of "strong" spices. Weak ones, yes - chilli powder is weak. Chilli can burn, though you might not be able to tell due to the spiciness. The giveaway there is usually the texture. Chillies are high moisture peppers prior to becoming powder, but if you give it more moisture than heat - the same way as herbs in a slow cooker - the flavour enhances and you've basically won yourself a soup effect.

A great tip for if you're unsure about how long to cook spices is to "toast" them, then chuck them into your recipe halfway/a third from finished cooking. Toasting spices involves heating up a pan without any oil and warming up your spices for literally only 1-2 minutes. No more.

Basically: if it was a leaf, hold off. If it came out of the dirt, longer. If it was a seed, even longer. If the moisture point was high to begin with, it won't need long.

I have a massive headache and I might add to this later, but everyone else feels free to add/correct for now lmao. I am a trained chef, but that means shit if I'm wrong 👍.

"Which spices go with which foods" lists are of limited value to me because, like, I have functioning taste buds. What I really need is a "spices that need to be added at the start of the cooking time in order to properly develop versus spices that need to be added in the last five minutes because extended heating fucks up the flavour profile" list – that shit is not intuitive.

[agentnotok]

How Did You Get A Handler, Exactly?

--

[Open to anyone who. Uh. Wants to try and handle... all of this.]

--

At least she got some warning.

That's the only thing Oklahoma can think as she closes the comm. It had been brief, although it still contained almost double the usual amount of information; for a medic there wasn't much detail that could or should be sent in a mission alert. Just, come, and where and when; and they'd sort out the details and the body count later.

First mission with your assistant. Briefing room A, ten minutes.

Room A, too. She never gets to go in there. It's usually busy with missions for the top twenty, which she is definitely not; the few glimpses she's gotten don't look like anything special, the briefing rooms are all identical, but still. Room A. Who do they have her with? Who could they possibly spare? She's getting anxious hives just thinking about it.

As she forces herself out of bed, her body protests. That last mission left her with two hairline fractures, a concussion, and--thanks to the need for several emergency transfusions--missing a third of her blood volume. Her left shoulder is still throbbing from the intraosseous line they'd had to place to give her IV fluids; that much blood loss meant her veins had practically retreated into her body, and there was no way they'd be able to hit one. She'd cried when they started the infusion, unable to even hold still-- one of the techs was holding her down, apologizing the entire time. She can still feel every place his hands rested. They're the only bits that don't hurt quite as bad.

But that was last mission; she's been fixed now. Six hours of sleep, a few liters of saline, a little biofoam for the fractures, and she's-- theoretically-- good as new! She winces as she zips up her blacks, tightening the close fitting, stretchy fabric over sensitive bruises, and starts putting the armor on, piece by piece. At this rate, it might actually take her the full ten minutes. She has to back up against the wall to get her chestplate to click into its locks; her shoulder just doesn't want to flex. She sighs. Whoever this "assistant" is, she's sure they aren't having this problem. Who could it be, anyway? Who was unlucky enough to be stuck with her? Is it some kind of punishment for them? She'd been assured it wasn't one for her...in fact, when she walked into the Director's office, that had been the first thing he said. His slow drawl had been almost comforting after getting yelled at so much on the way back from Chorus.

"You're not in trouble."

"Are you sure?"

She'd been on the verge of a panic attack all morning, and her voice shook, but she couldn't help questioning what sounded like a complete impossibility, not even when it meant questioning him.

"Oh, I'm very sure, Agent. You've done very well. Sent out to care for ten patients, and you carried a roster of... eleven, twelve? Outstanding." Was he being sarcastic? He must be. Had to be. Was he, though? She could never pick it up. It was always a guessing game.

"I didn't... I just... he was..."

"Once again, Agent, this is not a disciplinary meeting." He leveled those sad blue eyes at her and she did her best to maintain eye contact, even though it doubled her already splitting headache to do it. "In fact, not only did you do exceptionally well on your last mission, your performance has taught me several new things about you as an operative." That didn't sound good, but despite his slow, languid speaking style, he didn't leave her any room to explain herself. "Someone as hardworking and tenacious as you needs our support... some assistance, perhaps."

"Oh. That's-- that's very kind of you, sir, but um, I'm capable of handling everything on my own. The last thing I want to do is place any additional burden on the program."

"Burden? Perish the thought. You've been a great asset to the program so far, Agent-- even on Chorus," he added, seeming to anticipate what she wanted to ask. "Your persistence and dedication have been very..." his eyes got a faraway look for a moment, "...helpful, to the Project, and to me personally..."

That had caught her off guard. To him personally-- when? How? But he didn't give her a chance to ask.

"You've done a lot for us, Agent. Allow us to return the favor." It was not a request.

"....yessir?" she tried. There was no keeping her voice from rising at the end of the word. She was not the confident cocky spitfire that she'd like to be in this moment. She felt about two feet tall. But he gave her a big, slow smile that seemed to take ages to fill up his face... so she must have gotten it right.

"Excellent, Agent, excellent. I knew we could count on you."

Ah, that one she knew the right answer for. "Of course, sir. Always."

"Glad to hear it." His smile had brightened, and he had seemed almost a little relieved. "Dismissed."

Two missions later, they'd found her a lackey... or so she'd thought. Until they mentioned where they'd be meeting, and how little lead time she had to prepare. She had assumed they'd pull someone from the high 40s who wasn't doing anything at the moment; but clearly, that's not the case. She's a ball of anxiety as she arrives to the briefing room, still two minutes early, and goes inside to find a seat.

[tarlos-spain]

You smell like love

Chapter 15

Chapter Text

It took almost an hour, a couple of infusions at the coffee shop and the silent company of his parents and Owen for almost twenty minutes while he caught his breath, for Carlos to begin to feel better and be able to think with some coolness... though not too much either.

"Sorry," he said to them all with the cardboard cup of tea, still steaming, in his hand.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, mijo," Gabriel replied, rubbing his back. "I can assure you that I was a bag of nerves the times all of you were born, Carlitos, and I assure you that they were all natural deliveries. Long, yes, but without complications and two days after birth, we were all at home."

Carlos smiled, that was what he had wished for. The moment to do the cesarean would have been decided by them, TK would have been ready to bring the twins into the world and both Luna and Daniel would have been in his arms now because they would have been big enough not to be in the incubator. Daniel would have no problem with his hip and his leg and TK would be ready to rest a few days at home.

He had dreamed of this moment so many times and, in the end, the dream had turned into something more like a nightmare, or at least something that was not what he had wished for.

"TK's birth was complicated," Owen said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "It was long, I remember we spent over a day in the delivery room. Gwyn wanted a natural birth because then...she'd heard a lot of stories about cesareans and almost thirty years ago it was riskier. So she was determined to have TK with a natural birth. And I can assure you that Gwyn will always be my hero because of the strength she showed that day."

“She was exhausted and barely had any strength left. The doctor was saying that TK didn't want to come out, I remember that sentence, that moment when I was told that maybe I should make a decision about mother and baby."

“But I didn't have to. Gwyn, just like TK now, was and always will be one of the strongest people I have ever met in my life. She put every last bit of energy into bringing our boy into the world. They had to give her two blood transfusions and she spent almost three days in recovery, but you see it all worked out in the end.

“You know TK is extremely strong, and I would like to say that comes from me, from his Strand blood. But, no, the strength my son has always shown is from being a Morgan and having had Gwyn as his mother." Owen's eyes filled with tears; Carlos was having a hard time but he had forgotten there was someone else so concerned about TK.

"Owen, I'm sorry I...I should have told you, I should have talked to you and..."

"Hey, no reproaches or feeling bad about not caring about other people, Carlos. It's your family in there."

"And your son and grandchildren."

"Then let's take care of them together." Carlos nodded. "How about we go back to the waiting room until they tell us we can go in to see them?"

Carlos thanked the captain for his words and, although he had to lean on his mother, he managed to get up and made his way to the elevator.

[cassidystarks]

Defy (Adam Cole x Reader)

!! DISCLAIMER !!

This is a smut fanfic so please beware when reading! If you do not like smut, I HIGHLY advise you to click off of this post! I haven't written smut in years so I hope it's good! Thank you for the submission @your-darkdiva I hope you enjoy :)

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Keys:

y/n: your name

y/r/n: your ring name

y/f/m: your finishing move

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There were about five minutes left on the clock, the twenty-time limit had gone by so fast. I was facing off against one of my best friends Anna Jay. She knew about my rivalry with Adam, though no one else did, or so I had thought. There's no telling of all the shit that goes down back in the locker room. I head back into reality and jump up to the top turnbuckle, jumping off to do my finishing move "y/f/m" I landed it just as I had predicted to do so. I hear the three count and I win. I slowly get up, holding onto my abdomen which was in pain due to the match. The referee raises my hand, signifying I had won the match. I walk over to Anna and reach my hand out to help her up.

"You hear the news?" Anna says while walking with me to the backstage area to go grab some water.

"No, what's happening?" I ask curiously.

"Adam has been looking all over the place for you. Not sure why he just has been."

"He's really asking for me to kick his ass, isn't he?" I say stopping and putting my hands on my hips.

"Don't get yourself in trouble. You have a title match next week."

"I know, I know...I'm just gonna go talk to him."

"Y/N, I know you...you never 'just talk'"

"Oh well, I gotta go, I'll text you later."

I start jogging up to my room. I pull out my phone and walk inside. As I shut the door I feel someone grip my arm and yank my phone.

"You know," I hear a familiar voice say. "You shouldn't go leaving your personal belongings out for someone to grab."

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" I yell irritatedly.

"Well Y/N, we have unfinished business we have to tend to."

"No. Now give me my phone and get out."

"Afraid I can't do that."

"What did I ever do to you? Huh? You have hated for my ages and you practically have no reason to." I say doubling up my fists.

"You know damn well what you did," Adam says rolling his eyes.

I don't know why I felt something, but part of me felt turned on, and the other part wanted me to rip his face off. His gaze stared at me in the soul, piercing through my body. And I liked it? No...no, he is my rival, this isn't some enemies to lovers arc in a stupid fanfiction. Right?

He walked back towards me and traps me between his arms.

"You knew I liked you...you knew it, but you went off and dated Ethan. That's why I'm pissed." He said.

"You...liked me? How long?"

"Since you arrived here."

"Ethan and I didn't even make it to a month. You still liked me, even when you hated me?"

"I mean, what's not to like about you. You're perfect in every way."

He gazed at me, but never like he did before, his gaze was infused with lust, and I bet mine was too. He leaned in as I felt the distance between us close off. His lips latched on to mine as pure ecstasy rolled in. He let the kiss break off, me wanting more.

"Do you trust me?" He says reaching his hand out for mine to interlock with his.

I nod and take his hand as he locks the door and walks me over to the couch. We kiss again and time glides around us. He slips his tongue out, asking me for entrance which I accept. I start to remove my clothes, breaking the kiss for the slightest second. We both wanted this deep down inside, we just never had the courage to express our true desires. He ponders with my bra, trying to remove it with one hand, the other gripping my lower abdomen. His hand lowers to my inner thigh. He squeezes it as his mouth latches onto my left breast. I let out a small moan as I hear Adam chuckle. He lightly bites my breast, leaving small hickeys on both. He begins taking off my shorts, revealing my panties. I whimper lowly as his hand lightly brushes against the pad of my panties. His thumb pushes up to my clit as he slowly makes circles on it, making me squirm.

He lowers his face between my inner thighs and moves my panties over, exposing my vagina. He starts off with a light kiss and then starts sucking hard, licking up and down into places I didn't know could bring so much pleasure to me. I feel myself clench up and start rolling my eyes in the back of my head.

"I-I'm gonna cum" I say with my breath hitching.

He feels him pull away, not letting my cum. I whimper and cross my arms over my chest as I see him take off his pants. I notice him slip a condom on before facing me.

"You okay with this?" He askes me, I nod, allowing him to fuck me.

He slowly shoves into me, his pace slow and gentle.

"Mmm...Adam"

"You feel so good, princess."

After I had gotten used to his feel, he started to go faster, leaving me impatient.

"Faster...please," I say slowly as I surrender to my pleasure and release. Adam does as well a few seconds later. He pulls me up and helps me put my clothes back on.

"Hating me, wasn't so bad, it led to this," I say, smiling, and out of breath.

"Yeah, but maybe we should leave the past, and maybe, you could I don't know...be my girlfriend?"

I hug him.

"I would love to."

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I hope you liked this! Sorry if it's a bit rushed, I not used to writing smut anymore so hopefully I can get back into the process.