#it was one of the best tikka masala’s I have ever had

[confused-bat]

I still think about how on my flight to India me and my family where the only white people.

They served us tikka masala (a British curry) and sticky toffee pudding with custard for our main meal.

The family next to me looked very mad and upset.

I think about this daily

[mikhailwrites]

Keep your Sergeant happy / Ghost x Soap

Kinktober #18 - Cooking (from the SFW prompt list, made a bit NSFW)

Soap stares. Shocked out of his wit, which is almost unheard of. A confused “You… cook?” is the only response he’s capable of.

“I do. Been told I’m rather good at it, too,” Ghost adds, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Two weeks. Soap and Ghost are holed up in a safe house in the middle of nowhere for two weeks, and the Sergeant is seriously starting to lose it. They don’t even know if they’re really in danger; all Price told them was, “There’s been a leak; lay low, don’t return to the base until you hear from me”. It’s just their luck they’ve been out on a deployment to Germany when it happened.

They’ve been living off canned food and stashed MREs for too long, and Soap’s had just enough. He looks into the cupboard for the umpteenth time as if he doesn’t know what he’ll find there. More cans. “Ah swear Ah will throw up if I have tae eat one more canned meat.” Johnny groans, going through the stash in hopes of finding something else.

Ghost hums in acknowledgement but doesn’t say anything encouraging or otherwise. Soap is sure his Lieutenant could live from berries and roots if it came to that. Or hunt a rabbit with his bare hands or something. He’s seen Ghost’s survival skills first-hand many times. Fuck, Soap would kill for a rabbit. Or a fish. Or anything other than a disgusting piece of pseudo-meat in the sleazy gravy. But there’s nothing else, and his stomach has been growling for over an hour.

By the third, slowly chewed bite, Soap is willing to call this shit worse than actual torture. Closing his eyes as he feeds himself another piece, Soap feels his face contort in a mixture of disgust and apprehension.

“You look like you’re about to die, Johnny,” Ghost says without a hint of emotion.

Soap sighs, putting the dreaded can away as he hopes the few bites would be enough to calm his stomach and give it at least an illusion of sustenance. “Might as well if I have to eat one more of these.”

Ghost chuckles, shaking his head slowly. “Any food is better than no food, trust me.”

Soap knows, truly, but that doesn’t mean he can’t bitch about it, does it?

“Tell you what, if you can manage two cans a day, I’ll cook something nice for you when we get back,” Ghost offers and… he sounds almost cheerful as he says it.

Soap stares. Shocked out of his wit, which is almost unheard of. A confused “You… cook?” is the only response he’s capable of.

“I do. Been told I’m rather good at it, too,” Ghost adds, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Only the sly glint in his eyes betrays the truth that he enjoys teasing Soap.

“What… uh… okay? Alright.” Soap stutters and reluctantly takes the half-eaten can.

Ghost nods his approval. “That’s the spirit, Johnny. So… what’d you like? And I swear to God, if you say haggis, you’re not gonna live it down.”

“Why? Ye cannae do haggis?” Soap teases but quickly reconsiders as Ghost turns to him fully, casually flipping a knife. “Alright, alright! I dinnae even like haggis, ye British twat! Tikka masala fine with ye?”

“Butter chicken it is,” Ghost agrees, hiding the knife away.

The following week is a blur. They get back, Price briefs them, and then they have to catch up on the piles of work that, somehow, could wait up until then but couldn’t wait any longer. Johnny was looking forward to returning home, but now that he’s home, it’s not as happy a reunion as he hoped.

Soap is just finishing up for the day, tired, apathetic and irritable. For the first time ever, he’s seriously considering taking a few days' leave. Ghost’s voice stops him as he reaches the door. “Soap, meet me at the mess hall at 2300.”

It’s a weird request at best, and Soap blinks a few times before he turns around. The Lieutenant doesn’t spare him a glance, still typing away on his keyboard. Maybe Soap didn’t hear right? “Come again?”

“Mess hall, 2300, be there,” Ghost repeats without any further explanation.

Soap nods, too tired to bother. “Sure.”

As a matter of fact, he’s too tired to ponder on it. Ghost tells him to be somewhere, Soap does it, easy as that—no thinking required.

The moment he steps into the mess hall, five minutes to eleven, he realises what’s going on. The smell of masala, garlic and turmeric is enough to make his mouth water immediately. He remembers Ghost’s promise now.

Entering the kitchen, he sees Ghost dressed in his usual black attire, with a white apron. The balaclava is tucked up on his nose because, obviously, he needs to smell and taste the sauce. Nobody would ever believe Soap if he told them.

“You were actually serious,” Johnny says as he leans against the counter, watching in astonishment as Ghost prepares the meal. No, not Ghost, it’s Simon now. And Simon’s moves in the kitchen are just as steady and well-practised Ghost’s on the battlefield.

Simon chuckles, stirring the sauce. “I was. Now, hand me the plates.”

Soap does, feeling a bit nostalgic. He used to help his maw in the kitchen when he was but a wee kid. He watches Simon fill the plates with rice, pouring a generous amount of sauce over it and adding a healthy amount of chicken on top. “Here you go, one chicken tikka masala.”

They sit at the table; it’s a bit weird being the only two people there, but Soap doesn’t mind. This feels nice. Unsure of what to expect, he scoops some rice with his fork, adding the sauce to it, before he tenderly tastes it.

“Holy shit,” Soap utters in disbelief, staring first into his plate, then at Simon, who looks very pleased with himself as he eats his own portion. “This is so good!”

“Thank you,” Simon smirks. “Told you I can cook.”

It’s true, but for some reason, Johnny really thought he was joking. Ghost. Cooking. And acing it, as he aces pretty much anything he does. On a closer inspection, it shouldn’t surprise him. Soap opts for not saying anything and just enjoying the amazing treat. When he tastes the chicken that was probably soaking in the marinating sauce for some time, he moans obscenely. The food is honestly much better than it has any right to be. So good, in fact, that it strips Soap of his brain-to-mouth filter. “If you’re at least half as good a lay as you are a cook, I wanna marry ye.”

Simon pauses, fork with another bite lifted halfway. His eyes are wide with surprise.

“Oh fuck…,” Soap breathes out as he realises not only what did he just say but to whom.

Simon smiles, one of his slightly scary, feral smiles. “Technically, this could count as a dinner.”

Soap is fighting the overwhelming mixture of confusion and panic. He has no clue what’s going on, but Simon doesn’t seem offended, which is good. In fact, he looks… intrigued. Okay, Soap can work with that. “You think me some easy lad, letting you have your way with me after just one dinner?”

“It’s a damn good dinner,” Simon shrugs. He watches Soap intently, and the intent is dark and hungry.

Johnny slides his foot under the table until it nudges against Simon’s. It’s a safe touch, nothing overt or inappropriate. “Aye, it is. Makes me want to ask about the dessert.”

Simon’s foot nudges him right back with more strength, forcing Soap to spread his legs a little. Bleedin’ Jesus, is this really happening? “I might have something… back in my room.”

Soap finishes his plate in a record time, feeling genuinely sorry because it was definitely good enough to savour. Maybe he could convince Ghost to cook for him again. He’s determined to try.

It’s a small miracle they make it to Ghost’s room without any incidents. The moment the doors close, however, Simon is already yanking the balaclava off, mashing their mouths together as he wrestles with Soap’s clothes.

Johnny helps with that and then promptly returns the favour, eager to touch every inch of exposed skin, to kiss and taste everything Simon offers. And he offers plenty. They kiss, and they rut against each other, desperately trying to relieve some of the tension. However, it’s not that easy because it has been building up for months. The banter, the flirting, the seemingly innocent touches. It all culminates right here, at this moment.

Johnny has no idea when exactly their dynamic shifts, but at one moment, Simon is kissing him, licking his way into Johnny’s mouth, and the next, it’s Johnny, pressing on, forcing Simon to take a step back, then another, until they get to the bed. He’s never imagined Ghost as anything other than pushy top, but it seems that he was wrong. Still, he needs to clarify. “You want me to…?”

“Yeah, Johnny, fuck me,” Simon says, almost painfully blunt but perfectly clear. Johnny pauses to take a deep breath.

“It’d be my absolute pleasure, Simon,” Johnny grins, pushing Ghost back, causing him to fall on the bed. Ghost could immediately turn the tables if he felt so inclined, and it turns Soap on. He gets Ghost to cook for him, he gets him to be manhandled, and he gets to fuck him. He might just be the luckiest lad in the whole fucking world.

It’s good, so good. Simon is far from passive; he wants Johnny, and what Simon wants, Simon gets. Slowing down and speeding up again, changing the angle ever so slightly, they work together in nearly perfect sync to prolong their pleasure. Despite their best efforts, it cannot last.

Johnny is the first to succumb, gasping, only barely managing to keep reasonably quiet as the sweet respite takes him. Simon is close behind, grunting and arching his back as he grinds against Soap.

They lay on the bed, side by side, sticky and messy, yet unable to do anything about it for the moment.

“I’m doomed. You are as good a fuck as you are a cook,” Johnny laughs, quiet and light, tracing invisible patterns on Simon’s skin.

“I’m not marrying you, Johnny,” Simon retorts in a tone just as light.

“You say that now, but wait until the second date.”

[arcplaysgames]

I AM FULL OF TIKKA MASALA AND SPICED SWEET TEA AND GULAB JAMUN, I AM INVINCIBLE also i might crash and sleep from Too Much Food, let's GO

Got Yukiko's updated persona. Weirdly, given how much I like her SLink, her bonus scene wasn't really much to write home about. EH. They can't all be Kanji and Chie, I guess, who have had the best so far.

Oh I finished up Naoto's SLink actually?

Caaaaaaaalled it. It was pretty transparently an act put on by Naoto's grandpa to remind them of the joy of their youth, yeah. In that sense, it's really sweet!

This bit is the most I've liked Naoto in the entire SLink. The bubbly excitement about having made Reverie a detective badge. It flashes! She made one for herself to match! Reverie is now obligated to be their assistant. lol.

Yeah I've now reached the end of Naoto's arc and got the upgraded Persona, and mostly I'm just ambivalent to Naoto. Again, in the MSQ, they're kind of great and I really enjoy his chemistry with the rest of the team? But solo, it feels like the SLink just didn't have much bite too it. It doesn't really do much except got "yeah Naoto really likes detective stuff and also needs to loosen up a bit." Much like Chie's was "Chie feels like the spare and wants to protect people." It's not bad but it pales compared to other options.

Though, SIDEBAR.

Man, Chie and Yukiko is crunchy huh.

I have a tremendous amount of sympathy for Chie. I've often had that feeling like i was the spare, the person left behind, who just wasn't as bright and talented as others. I feel very acutely Chie's desire to make herself useful to the people around her because she needs that niche or she'll be left behind.

I, uh, get that vibe from Yukiko honestly. She could do and go anywhere, and leave everyone behind her. Including Chie.

It's.... an uncomfortable, complex dynamic between them. It's not as simple as what you get from the start of the game, and I like it because it's conveyed a lot in how Chie's arc has a LOT of mentions of Yukiko but Yukiko's.... doesn't. To such a degree that it's, uh, telling.

Teddie wants to play tag with Nanako in Junes, and Yosuke is at his MOST older brother. For a guy who didn't have a younger brother six months ago, he's taking to it swimmingly.

everyone loves nanako so much sob

wow kanji that sweater is so nice, did you sew it yourself? what's it made of, boyfriend material? hey where are you going

do you ever think about teddie and when he chooses to be in the suit and when he chooses to be a humanboy. do you think the humanboy is more of a guise for him than the suit. does anyone else think about this? even when he is humanshape, he moves the exact same way as when he's a bear

I love Teddie and wish I still had a modicum of his joy at simply being alive. He's so good.

Teddrick Hanamura is my fave, I love him so much. He's so fucking stupid and heartfelt and loving and can bring people back to life with his love and he did sit-ups until he Pinnochio'ed himself and he's JUST SWELL AND I LOVE HIM

if kanji is my favorite character, it's very possible teddie is my second, and lemme tell you!!!!! what the fuck.

[quackquackcey]

Ch. 6: Hedgehogs, Honey, & Hazelnut-Covered Strawberries

Written for @hdcandyheartsfest day 6 prompt: bakery. 708 words. Many thanks to my beta @wqtson​! 💛

Start from beginning on AO3 here, or click the #fic: HHHS tag.

Summary:

A chance meeting—or is it a setup?—leads to the start of a relationship filled with buttery baked goods, sweet smelling flowers, and hedgehogs.~ 🌹🦔

They fell into a little routine. After Draco visited Potter’s flower shop, Potter visited his patisserie-bakery shop, and they sort of visited back and forth like that to the point that Draco didn’t have to make up excuses for wanting a bouquet anymore, and Potter would intentionally come near closing time to chat with Draco over pastries. 

Draco had just flipped the sign on the shop door to ‘CLOSED’ and sat down in his flat’s sitting room to flip through the ‘Meanings of Flowers’ booklet with hazelnut-covered strawberries and a cup of Earl Grey tea when a familiar mop of inky hair popped up outside the window.

“Potter,” greeted Draco as he walked downstairs to the shop and cracked open the door. “We’re closed.”

He moved to shut the door, but Potter wedged the tip of his oxford shoes in before he could, then widened the crack enough to stick his head inside. “Don’t be like that,” said Potter with an easy grin that caught Draco off-guard every time. “I brought takeaway.” He raised a paper bag and wafted the smell of spices and creamy tomatoes towards Draco. “Your favourite,~” he sing-songed.

Draco begrudgingly opened the door, as if he wasn’t going to let Potter in all along. “Butter chicken?” he asked as he peeked in the bag.

When he looked up, Potter’s face was much closer than he thought it’d be, and he nearly headbutted Potter in surprise, but lost his balance instead.

Potter caught him by the small of his back. “Alright there?” murmured Potter. His breath blew hot against Draco’s cheek.

“F-Fine.” Draco straightened himself and put some distance between them, although Potter immediately walked past and poked around as he usually did—a very nosy, curious creature, Draco had noticed, just as he’d been at Hogwarts. 

“Everyone’s gone,” noted Potter after a peek into the kitchen. “It’s just you?”

Draco huffed and walked back upstairs. “If you’re disappointed, you’re welcome to leave.”

“I didn’t say that,” said Potter, nabbing a few leftover pastries from the kitchen before catching up to Draco. “I brought some Muggle video games for Nott and Goyle to try out, but I can just get you to pass it on to them.”

“What, so you’re treating me like an owl now?” 

Potter made himself at home on Draco’s sofa. “Strawberry lemonade, please,” he said, completely ignoring Draco’s question as he took the takeaway boxes out of the bag and set them on the coffee table.

Draco rolled his eyes, but went off to the kitchen to fetch two pitchers of homemade, fresh-squeezed strawberry lemonade he’d prepared this morning and two glasses. It was one of his daily pleasures, and ever since he’d let Potter try it, Potter had become hooked as well. 

Perhaps a little too hooked, since Draco found himself making triple the volume that he used to.

“It’s like crack,” said Harry over their butter chicken chicken tikka masala when Draco told him he needed to start bringing him lemons and strawberries if he was going to drink nearly two pitchers in one sitting. 

Draco stared at him blankly.

“It’s an illegal Muggle drug,” clarified Harry. “Very addictive.”

“...You just called my lemonade an addictive, illegal Muggle drug.”

Harry shoved another big bite of chicken tikka into his mouth. “In the best way. You know, without all the dangerous side effects.”

“Mm.” Draco pointed his spoon at Potter as he sipped his lemonade, clearing the rich, buttery tomato taste coating his tongue. “Has anyone ever told you that you suck at giving compliments?”

“No,” said Potter, “because I’m great at them.”

“A twelve-year-old would be better,” muttered Draco.

Potter set down his spoon. “Oh, yeah? Then give me a compliment if I’m so bad at it.”

“What? Why are you turning this on me now?”

“You’re the one griping about my inability to compliment, so now you have to back it up,” Potter settled back on the sofa, arm propped on the backrest, and it was unfairly hot how his forearms looked with his sleeves rolled up. “Go on, then. I’m waiting.”

So Draco sat there, mind short circuiting with many, many thoughts that he probably shouldn’t voice, and not for the first time, he cursed his big mouth.

[fuchsea]

hiii it’s me again, sorry i vanished, got caught up in christmas things. now it’s the day after christmas so i’m back 😅 it was lovely, i got some very nice gifts !! including some fancy perfume i wanted, a red panda plushie (my fav animal), a projector, and a massage voucher which i have been dyingggg forrrr. how have ur last few days been?

yeahh we’re not too different in age but we’re very different people lol. had a bit of a crisis last night that i’m gonna be 27 this coming year that i forgot my half birthday isn’t until january 1st which means im still 26 for over half a year…. but that’s what my anxiety does unfortunately. i’m rly trying to just enjoy where i am and not care how old i am yk? i feel more like a teenager now than when i was a teenager! just figuring everything out for the first time.

waittt the kpop choreo with bollywood music sounds sick?? what’s the account name? yeah the production level is crazy it blew me away when i first got into kpop. there are 5 ppl in txt! they’re a super easy band to get into imo! one of my fav groups (seventeen) has 13 members lol a lot more to catch up with. still, once u get into kpop for the first time, it’s rly easy to learn everything about new groups rly quickly. i loveeee bts but i totally understand, esp as they got so popular, getting into the fandom part is hard sometimes. (fun fact txt are actually bts’ juniors in their company!) i still don’t rly have many friends who are into kpop, and my kpop blog has almost no followers. getting into a new fandom in general is hard! but i’m actually not exaggerating when i say, for me personally, getting into kpop as a whole thing is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. ik that sounds dramatic and it’s not for everyone but it’s true for me! if u wanna start easy on some good easy songs my top 5 would be:

lo$er=lover,

devil by the window,

farewell neverland,

frost,

opening sequence,

if you do give them a shot, i highly recommend the music videos or performance videos instead of just the song!

yeah i think so too. ^-^ my name isn’t similar to my url and u don’t follow me as far as i’m aware, so i can tell u my name if u waaant! and ok fun fact, my parents wanted to name me grace, but then my first and last names would’ve rhymed. so they gave me a name that MEANS grace, but then spelled it differently?? and it’s also japanese (tho i am not), and my middle name has two meanings. so technicallyyyy they wanted my name to mean “grace from the heavenly ocean” but it actually ended up meaning “flower of the sea and sky”

i’ve never been into hard liquor but i used to get drunk on white wine and peach juice a lot. or maybe a white wine spritzer. maybe a white claw or two but usually just wine. when i was like 19/20 (yea underage but just at home or when i was house sitting) as it only took like a glass or two for me to be drunk lolll and drunk for me just meant like….. crying over movies and getting rly flirty and silly and dumb. and then i got a little older and was like oooookay enough of that. u don’t like clubs ur not social u just drink alone in ur room reading so why don’t u just have tea instead. so i switched to tea, then lost my taste for alcohol. (also got very very drunk on halloween while my friend was visiting and was like alr never drinking again!). wine made me soooo sleepy tho and like a few months ago i had half a glass of wine for the first time in ages and immediately fell asleep on the couch for an hour lmao.

my fav pizza topping is pineapple! yes i’m that bitch. i think it goes perfectly. or mushroom, depending on my mood. and i lovveee the heart shaped pasta! i have it every year on valentine’s day. we actually buy shaped pasta for every holiday, a week ago or so we had snowflake shaped pasta! can u not get it where u are?

honestly i don’t remember everything we had, my mom ordered it all. i know we had chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, palak paneer, some sort of veg curry thing? lots of naan….. a couple other things i don’t rly remember what they were sorry. i’ve liked every indian dish i’ve ever tried tho!

yessss well spanish is our official second language, there are a loooot of spanish speakers here, and there were a lot when i grew up on the west coast bc we border mexico. so california has a lot of mexicans. i would be so anxious moving to a country where i didn’t speak their language well, im so impressed by immigrants that come to the states and anyone who moves somewhere like that! it must be soooo hard.

yesss we’re very close, and i’ll def send pics of stuff off anon! and pls, we joke all the time that my family is SO similar to the dunphys lol. i did dress up for halloween! i was like a dark fairy. i’ll tell u my ig after and u can see the costume if u want ^-^ it snowed where i USED to live, and hopefully i’ll move again soon to where it snows again, but rn i live somewhere hot and i hate it. my dog’s name is oliver! very basic unfortunately i was not in charge of the name lol but oli suits him too. do u have any pets? christmas tree farms and pumpkin patches are so funnn, if u ever visit the states during holiday season i will take u to do those things u can tag along with the modern family gang lol

ooo i would enjoy working at an ice rink! i love being in there. i’d be annoyed stuck working when i wanna skate tho ngl.

there’s a big chinese new year festival here in a couple of weeks im excited for!! i would lovveee to go to some indian holiday festivals too, they always look so so festive and fun! i do not have a partner, i have been single my whole life, which rly adds to my yearning writer vibes lol. i spend valentine’s day with my family and we get each other gifts, my mom gets rly into EVERY holiday so we decorate and get themed foods and treats, and then later my parents go out to dinner and my sister and i have a self care night.

for italian food in boston, i always get a margherita pizza and just like pasta pomodoro, but last time i had a pizza with goat cheese and caramelised onion

and arugula and it was absolutely incredible. i also have a lot of cannolis and tiramisu :P i go to boston every so often, it’s actually a small possibility i will move there this year? but im not 100% that’s happening yet so im trying not to get my hopes up too much. it’s very cool there tho one of my fav places.

i feel like i’m doing all the talking when i should be asking u questions !! what’s smth good that happened to u this week? anything ur looking forward to? only a week until i reveal my identity! tho i have a feeling u already know who it is based on smth that i know 👀

happy thursday hehe ❄️

hiiiii hellooo sorry for the late reply x

i knew how big christmas is for u so i assumed u were having a lovely time with ur family! very pleased to hear that it went lovely! how was watching the holiday this year? 👀 ooh i love perfumes, do u have a signature perfume/scent that u always use or are u more the experimental kind? i love love love plushies and i demand a picture when u are off anon <3 just today i went and got myself a blue penguin. i saw her last week and was contemplating whether to bring her home and today i finally said fuck it i'm getting her and i was SO lucky because it was the last blue one in that size so here u go say hello to zula 💙

i feel u so much about the age thing because it hit me out of nowhere when i was 23 and i just felt too much™ about being 23. like just a complex web of untangled emotions and i couldn't believe i was 23. turning 21 in the pandemic really did a number on me huh 😬 and 24 came with a very settled feeling of how i just can not wait for my 30s like i'm looking forward to it SO much. am i right to assume that ur birthday is june 1st? 👀 my sister's birthday is in june too!

it genuinely is so funny that account because it mashes up all the popular bollywood songs to really good kpop choreos. i remember seeing some with bts on there! i found two videos here and here both songs are very popular in india! i think i remember my sister explaining to me how the kpop industry works. correct me if i'm work, but it's usually these entertainment companies that aspiring artists register to and go through rigourous training before getting put together as a band right? a friend of mine who is a bts fan explained to me how there's different lines based on the vocal skills within a band! oh my god 13 members sounds like a lot 😭 i would need so much time to be able to recognise and differentiate each member but doesn't it make the music very chaotic with the vocals? i think i have an odd mutual or two who's into kpop but i'm completely blanking on who rn 😭 honestly it doesn't sound dramatic at all because i completely get the feeling (i'm a 1d girlie after all 😬) and i love how music has this ability to intertwine with ur life! ooh i love the song titles that u mentioned i'll definitely check them out and get back to u 👀 have u been able to pick up on korean since getting into kpop?

i love how ur parents put so much thought into naming u and came up with a creative name because flower of the sea and sky sounds! so! amazing! i was just talking to my mum last night about baby names because we have naming ceremony coming up in our family and i asked my mum whether they gave that much thought into naming me and my sister and she was like nope 😬 although! i have never met a single person with my name so that's a win for me <3

yeah i only just started drinking this year and i really like some gins and ciders but i can never become a beer person 🫡 i love how u are saying 19/20 is underage because in india technically 21 is the legal drinking age but everyone starts drinking wayyy before that and in the uk it's 16 😭 i've never really gotten drunk and from everyone's experiences i don't intend to either. i get u about wine making u sleepy though because whenever i have had alcohol i get so sleepy too! what's ur favourite tea? do u like herbal ones?

i have actually never tried pineapple on pizza but i'm surprised by how many of my friends actually do like it. i'm in general not a pineapple fan though :( and i'm a mushroom hater (i also found out im allergic in the weirdest possible way 😬) but my go to toppings are onions, peppers, jalapenos and olives! snowflake pasta oh my god that is so cute!! pls send me a picture if u have one <3 i actually haven't looked around for different shapes of pasta yet so i'm gonna do that next time im out grocery shopping!

all of those dishes are definitely india's popular ones so u definitely had some of the best ones and im so glad to hear u liked it!!! i know u mentioned tea so if u get a chance u should definitely try masala chai!

i actually didn't know that spanish is the official second language! i'm only just learning spanish now and i'm honestly so glad that the people here have been so warm and welcoming towards me while i learn a whole new language!

exactly u guys sound so much like the dunphys and i love that for u!! ooh a dark fairy! was it inspired by any of ur favourite characters or was it an original outfit? and yes i'd love to be besties on insta too 💖

oh u missed snow this year :( here's me manifesting snow for u next year with snowflake pasta and soup 💖 oliver is a cute name i like it!! say hello to oli from me 💙

i don't have any pets yet but i do intend to adopt cat by 2027 so let's see how that goes 🫡 i would looveee to join u guys for all the fun festive activities it sounds so warm and filled with joy <3 working at the ice rink was fun but listening to the same christmas playlist made me go insane 😬

ah very excited for the chinese festival! let me know how it goes! and honestly u should see at least one of our festivals because we are very loud celebrators 🫣 god i feel u on the yearning because it's been too long™ for me too, i've always been single and i better get a girlfriend in 2025 because what is this 😭 i loveeee ur valentines celebration tradition because it is filled with so much love!

honestly pomodoro goes really hard and omg i love goat's cheese and caramelised onion and especially if it's a thin crust pizza with some rockets on it, it's so so good! i tried cannolis once and i didn't much like it🫣 but i do loveeee tiramisu!

i'm actually hearing so much praise about boston recently that i want to visit it now! seed wrote about boston so fondly and noah kahan also loves boston and now u are mentioning moving there! manifesting it so so much for u! does it snow in boston?

oh no u are not doing too much talking, this is definitely a two way street and i love chatting to u too! i went to get some clothes and then of course i got zula the blue penguin so i'm very happy about that! i'm getting a laptop for my sister and we finally managed to select one and my parents should be getting it by tomorrow so very excited for her!

also oh my god my perception of time is so off rn thank u for reminding me that we're supposed to reveal ourselves soon because otherwise i'd just continue to yap on anon (and hehe i do think i know who u are and i kinda figured it out around ur second message itself 👀)

hope u had a very lovely weekend and hope ur new years celebrations are filled with joy 💖

[balapann-blog]

Day 93 - 8 December - Mumbai

Went for a run on the beach in the morning and there were loads of people playing cricket and football on the beach on the wet sand. There were lots of games happening simultaneously which felt a very Mumbai experience! On the way back I turned off the beach too early and had to run for 200m on the soft sand which was definitely took quite a lot off the time! We went for a swim on the roof and then went for breakfast, which was without the best breakfast we have had on this trip. I had a masala omelette and hash browns, puri and a potato masala, some rice, and a couple of other masalas, a chia seed pudding in coconut milk, coffee and masala chai. The people knew we were leaving and gave us a cupcake saying thanks for staying which I think was maybe a bit much but he stay was really nice!

We checkedout and got an Uber to the gateway of India which was about an hour away. The gateway was fine but crowded. We didn’t go inside but looked from afar. We then went to the Oval Maidan which was cool as there were hundreds of people playing cricket. It was insane there were multiple wickets side by side with games going on on each of them and then in the field there were multiple teams all concentrating on the game that was going on on their wicket but sharing the same space. We briefly spoke with some people who were playing and in the field. It seemed crazy but great fun. There was a more traditional game going on at one end. We watched for a bit it then walked to marine drive by the sea.

We walked down Marine Drive for a bit then decided to go to this Irani cafe a bit in from the coast. It was a really cool ambience, you can understand why Dishoom want to bottle that vibe. We had some chai, a delicious salty lime soda and a paneer tikka bun. Revitalised we walked down to Chowpatty Beach and then got an Uber to the hotel and picked up our bags and went to the airbnb in Bandra. We then walked into Bandra proper and had a nice drink in this bar called Bonobo (thanks Dalo/Alice) and then went to this pretty glam fish / Asian restaurant called Bastian (thanks Daly/Alice) which was good but quite expensive so we kept it pretty simple and then headed home. I watched the Spurs / Chelsea game and then we went to sleep.

Day 94 - 9 December - Mumbai

Woke up quite slowly as we didn’t sleep amazingly. We did some washing and got ourselves ready to go. Nin was going to the dentist so I decided to go and get my beard cut off as it was annoying me being so long. The guy egged me on to get it cut short which I was very willing to do. I picked Nin up and actually booked in for Tuesday morning for a teeth clean! We were both feeling a bit tired and the thought of going all the way into town before our food tour was a bit much, so we went to a cafe and got a drink and wrote our diaries (does this constitute breaking the fourth wall?) and then went back to the flat before we got picked up. I had a video call with Ben which was lovely as it was the first time we had spoken since we left.

We were picked up by Harini our guide who was a very lovely and chatty lady who I think had started doing the tours over the last 6 or so months (I imagine it was for something to do now her last child had gone to university). We drove the same way we had driven before into downtown Mumbai. Harini showed us a few famous buildings on the way, such as the absolutely ludicrous sky scraper house of Mukesh Ambani of Reliance industries which I had read about in university in the excellent essay Capitalism a ghost story by Arundhati Roy. It is the most expensive residence ever built and is only for 8 family members!

We got to the place where we were going to have our first food, near the famous Shivaji terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) The first food we had was:

Puri - in a place that had been around since the 1840s and was set up by a guy who saw a market for people who would get food after public hangings that happened nearby! The puri was very tasty - we had 5 flavours; plain, paneer, masala, spinach, potato. They came with a pumpkin and potato subzi. It was a great start!

Veda pau - We then walked about 200m to the place where we got our Veda Pav which was right opposite the terminus this was also really tasty and much more spiced than the veda pavI had had before.

Irani cafe - We then hopped back in the car and drove a bit to an Irani cafe that it turned out we had gone to the day before, so I guess we have good taste. We had a delicious chicken cutlet and a chicken puff all with some Irani tea (which we had also had the day before). Both the dishes were delicious the cutlet had lots of interesting spicing and the puff was like a spiced vol-au-vent. We also had a delicious semolina cake which was in a little tin wrapper and was very comforting. We also spoke with Harouni about the Parsi community that runs most of the Irani cafes which I think is such an interesting part of the story of Mumbai.

Bombay sandwich - We then walked around the corner and got our Bombay sandwich, which again was very delicious. Harini said that the sandwich was created for industrial workers to have a snack or meal that had all the food groups in it with the energy from the bread.

Pani puri and bhel puri - we then drove to a sweet and chaat shop near the opera house where we had pani puri with a sweet and sour sauce made from tamarind and a green chutney. We then had bhel puri which I can’t remember if I have had before which is kind of a mix of different snacks all mixed up with sauces. I wasn’t crazy about it at first but I did get more into it as it went on.

Dosa - Getting into the final stretch we were getting very full and were coming up to the dosa which is a South Indian food which we have had quite a lot of so far. We decided to go for a more plain dosa itch some masala and onion rather than a full potato masala or paneer as it was a bit lighter. Still very good

Pav badji - the last savoury thing we at was a pav badji which if pav/pau (a delicious Mumbai bread roll made by Parsi and Muslim bakeries) and a mix of lots of different vegetables in a kind of ragout with spices. Again this is an industrial snack as it has carbs and all the food groups. We were very full but kept at it and did manage to finish it feeling quite relieved there were no more tasty snacks to have.

We walked round the road and got a kulfi which is an ice cream hat is usually on a stick. This time it was in a disk in a mix of milk solid, mango, pistachio and orange. It turns out we had room for this and we had it willingly, so much so that I got another full disk of mango which I think was the most delicious one.

After this we rolled back into the car and drove home feeling very full and very happy with our day.

[thisislizheather]

October Occurrences 2023

Above Photo: This backyard is all I need sometimes

That was one of the longest Octobers I’ve ever experienced and it couldn’t have been better. Here’s everything that went down last month:

The best tweets of October can be found over here, and I also did a post about the best Halloween tweets.

Our costume!

I started doing weekly Fall Fridays recaps because I can’t shut the hell up.

Made Halloween cake pops with Maya with meltable chocolate from Michaels (the funfetti vanilla is the best one) and I think these might be among my favourite desserts now. Nothing says ‘I’m almost 40’ like discovering how good cake pops are 15 years after they became popular?

Above Photo: Maya’s Halloween cake pops

Got a drink at Beetle House (the Beetlejuice-esque bar in the East Village) and that place is a party. Cocktails with dry ice should be mandatory at all bars for the prices we’re paying these days (I’d run on this platform alone if I were up for mayor).

Above Photo: Cocktail from Beetle House, NYC

I used a few of the single packets of the Dennis Gross triple eye serum and I could really see slight results in only a couple days. So annoying when expensive skincare products actually work well.

This chicken marsala remains one of my favourite top three dinners to make.

Above Photo: It’s a tall order, but please serve this chicken marsala at my funeral

TIP: if a recipe calls for softened butter but you forgot to soften it in advance, you should just brown the butter instead. This works for me literally every time. Browned butter is incredible.

Finally went to the Oscar Wilde bar and it was beautifully decorated for Halloween. It also had one of the best lighted washrooms I’ve ever seen in NYC.

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A post shared by Liz Heather (@lizheather)

It’s one week into November so have I already had the Thanksgiving dumplings from Mimi Cheng’s as well as the Bobbie (Thanksgiving) sandwich from Capriotti’s? We both know the answer, don’t make me say it.

Made pecan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but they were only okay. I think I’ll steer clear of the baking recipes from Bon Appétit for awhile. Independent bloggers almost always have better dessert recipes.

Above Photo: Underwhelming pecan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Okay, the flagship Nordstrom in Manhattan? New favourite place to shop for dresses. There’s also a great happy hour bar on the fifth floor with this incredible locker that charges your phone while you walk around.

I’ve made the Chrissy Teigen jalapeno corn pudding for the past few years as part of our Thanksgiving meal and I might finally be sick of it? Looking for new corn recipes.

Above Photo: Jalapeno corn pudding

My favourite freezable meal right now is this short rib bolognese.

Walked through a section of Central Park that I’d never seen before (the north woods) and it felt like an entirely different park.

Above Photo: Look at that little face

Made apple cider doughnut cookies that turned out great. I thought the cinnamon sugar topping sounded a bit boring, but it was perfect.

Above Photo: Apple cider doughnut cookies

It is both a blessing and a curse that I learned of Nuts Factory existence (it’s basically American Bulk Barn).

Made this coconut chicken tikka masala in the slow cooker and it was pretty good. I doubt I’ll make it again though because I never cook rice anymore and this is a recipe begging for rice. (Why don’t I like to cook rice? Um, it takes forever? And I threw out my rice cooker because I hate having useless appliances that I’ll use once a year.)

The focaccia ready-made sandwiches at Eataly? Holy shit. Unbelievably good.

Above Photo: Focaccia sandwiches at Eataly, NYC

Went to Canada for Thanksgiving and it was so lovely, as always.

Some things I watched:

Sabrina The Teenage Witch (the movie): I had no idea it was a movie before it was a show. I’ll always love Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina, so this was a great find.

Urban Legend: totally forgot about how good this movie was. With the exception of the dog-in-a-microwave scene, obviously.

Knock At The Cabin: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, M. Night Shyamalan’s movies are always so hit or miss and this one? STUNK. I really hate that he insists on making cameos in them, too.

Prom Night: Great! Jamie Lee Curtis is a phenomenal dancer. Nobody talks about that.

Blades: it’s literally just a Jaws parody but with a lawnmower instead of a shark. So what I’m saying is that it was fantastic.

Trick R Treat: so terrible.

Halloween (the Rob Zombie one): UGH! Awful! Nathan claims that I hated it because apparently I don’t like “dysfunction or reality.” WHO DOES.

Coherence: so good! Everyone should see it.

The Fog: loved it! So fun when the villain is weather. And I LOVE the fact that when it was first released, they installed fog machines in some movie theatres where the movie was showing. God, that’s great.

Some things I’m looking forward to this month: Nathan’s big Gramercy show this weekend, buying new cookware finally because our pots specifically are pretty toxic, might make these salted chocolate pecan pie bars for (fake) Thanksgiving later this month and I can’t wait to finally eat at the Christmas restaurant in the city Rolf’s.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went on in September over here. And my autumn highlights on Instagram can be found here.

Above Photo: October 2023

[steelmagnolia12]

The worst part of being friends with someone who ghosts you out of the blue is that I have all this useless information about this person taking up space in my brain. Everywhere I go, I see reminders of him.

I walk by a pickleball court every so often and think about all the games we used to play.

I go to a baseball game in my city and it reminds me of him being a former baseball player. I wonder if I’ll run into him, knowing he has season tickets.

I order chicken tikka masala and it reminds me of the dinner he cooked for me.

A watch commercial comes on TV and I wonder if he’s still doing vintage watch repairs as a hobby.

Golden retrievers are his favorite dog, and of course I see them quite often and it reminds me about the time we took his brother’s golden out for a walk at a local nature preserve. It sounds unexciting, but that was one of the best dates (and best day) I’ve ever had. Something about the simplicity, and the easy and natural connection we had was wonderful. I’ve always said that I know I found the right person if I can have fun with someone doing something as mundane as grocery shopping. And I felt that with him.

His birthday was on May 2*, but I did not text him. It took every ounce of self-control not to, because the rational part of my brain says why should I give my energy and love to someone who doesn’t return the same feelings?

The truth is, being with him was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I didn’t expect to feel that way, but I cared about him deeply. It’s been months since he suddenly dropped out of my life with no explanation, but I still think about him every day when I wake up and every night when I go to sleep.

It’s scary because I thought he was the perfect person. Kind, funny, goofy, easy going, intelligent, generous and all around such a joy to be around. I felt this overwhelming sense of comfort, ease, and pure happiness just being around him. We didn’t even have to talk. Being in his presence was more than enough for me. Maybe I had rose-colored glasses on, and that’s what makes the split even more devastating. I didn’t see any red flags or even the slightest warning sign this was going to happen.

He always seemed interested in me and our friendship (situationship?). Until he wasn’t.

Looking back, here are the only potential red flags I might have overlooked:

- He didn’t text me on my birthday, even when I told him when it was the week before - He would take 5+ hours to respond to my texts - Didn’t invite me to a holiday party he hosted for his friends

Why would this guy call me sweet, beautiful, smart, etc. - all these nice these about me if he didn’t like me? Was it all a lie? The last day I saw him we had pizza for dinner, and watched Jake and Amir. He went away on a trip, and never saw or heard from him again. What the hell happened, because I have no idea.

I’m terrified my intuition is off. I’m terrified that I’ll meet another person I love, and they’ll abandon me like he did.

Maybe I was a fool to think we ever belonged together. He’s the affable, all-American guy next door. And I’m not the pretty blonde, loud, former sorority girl type that he probably likes. I’m never going to be that girl. I never fit into his world.

It’s sad that I poured my heart and feelings into a person who didn’t mean what they said. That all of the experiences I had was one-sided. That I liked him so much more than he ever did for me. It makes me feel stupid and worthless that he could just toss me away, while I’m still clinging onto memories of him.

I hope one day I can look back on all of this without feeling pain. The good times were good, while it lasted. I’m trying to appreciate that.

[dryococelas01]

I don't have anyone else to really tag but sure!

3 ships: ooh, this is a hard one. I've never been a big shipper.

It's a largely meme ship but I do think it has interesting potential for exploration, so celestine and greyfax from warhammer. Though if we count anti ships I absolutely despise the Guilliman/Yvraine meme ship. Additionally I have a sortof antiship but also I entirely understand the ship for Trazyn/Orikan and Zandrekh/Oberyn, who are all the best boys in the universe. I just prefer the bitter intimate distaste for the first and the caring for grandpa feel of the second without making it romantic.

I have a fondness for Marika the Eternal and Rennala (Elden Ring), just because of all the weird shenanigans that ship implies. And especially the uh, spoiler reasons I won't mention.

I'm having to proper wrack my brain for this.

Oh of course! Vimes and Sybil from discworld. Just a genuinely loving couple that are both amazing people.

First ever ship: Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson, when I read it as a kid. One of the few ships where I accept no other partners for the two of them haha.

Last song: the song of Beren and Luthien by Clamavi de Profundis on YouTube (well originally by Tolkein but they recorded themselves singing it). I listened to it a while back and YouTube reccomended it to me again.

Last movie: weirdly enough, Hellboy. My dad wanted to rewatch it and I thought, what the hell, why not. It was alright, the effects were pretty cool, didn't watch it with a mind to analyse it though so don't have much to say about it.

Currently reading: random stuff I find online and I've started my reread of the stormlight archives. Currently on book 1, last I read it oathbreaker had recently come out, so that's the furthest I've got.

Love the series.

Just finished a little science book called taking flight by Lev Parikian, which is just a bunch of stuff about the evolution of flight in animals. It was a lot of stuff I'd already learnt in my zoology masters, but there was some new stuff and it was interesting enough. I'd say it would also be a read for interested non biologists, the author I think isn't a scientist, so if you're interested in flight maybe give it a shot.

Currently watching: nothing really to be honest. Always found it hard to connect with most movies and series. The medium doesn't usually speak to me. I have been sitting in the room while my brother watches Taskmaster, if that counts.

Currently consuming: also nothing (im about to sleep - its 7:20 in the morning haha), but the last thing I ate was a slice of a ginger cake I've made for the family. It's a nice and simple BBC recipe, nothing amazing but it works. Though you do need to modify it by adding like, triple the ginger and a bit of icing on top.

Currently craving: more ginger cake haha. More realistically, an unhealthy takeaway pizza. Haven't had one for a while, and sometimes you just need to eat trash. But also I'm now craving a good chicken tikka masala from this local curry place that's really good.

tag 9 people to get to know better

tagged by @fallowhearth & @wormbraind Wow i'm kinda honored never been tagged in one of these before

3 ships: Rachel & Taylor from Worm ofc. Shen Qingqiu & Liu Qingge from SVSSS. Kim Dokja & Yu Junghyeok from ORV. Charlotte & Anri from Hello Charlotte

First ever ship: Spike & Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My childhood OTP lol

Last song: Obsessed with Moonlight Magic by Ashnikko. Saw her in concert recently <3

Last movie: Think it was also Barbie lol. P decent

Currently reading: Finally finished reading Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint and my reread of Worm. Currently finishing up with the scarce few good wormfics before I start reading Tian Guan Ci Fu/Heaven Official's Blessing

Currently watching: Heaven Official's Blessing donghua season 2 just came out - watching that & I'll be reading the book afterwards

Currently consuming: Hot & sour noodles, my go-to

Currently craving: Spicy curry or maybe sesame noodles or seaweed salad. Idk i'm indecisive

Tagging with great caution and fear: @krousenoelle @chaoticrushu @seroquelfan @tranz-regent @z1zb0mb @dryococelas01 @trans-queen-administrator @bronzethunder @thepariahcontinuum No pressure ofc

[filtercoffeeonsteroids]

Why I love desi tumblr:

1. Every other person is expressing their love for chai

2. Moodboards for the most obscure and wonderful things, that I can't seem to live without now

3. SO MUCH INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. I can find anything from krishna-subhadra to panchali-arjun to bheem-duryodhana. It's fantastic. I'm in love.

4. The vibes. The VIBES >>>> . I feel like I'm sitting in front of a window, and it's raining and I'm having chai and pakoras whenever I open my tumblr and it's the best feeling ever.

5. Love the fact that people rant about their exams on here. Especially CBSE. I'm in college now, so it gives me immense and a somewhat twisted joy in laughing about the torture CBSE is putting them through, because, well, my time with that wretched institution is done.

6. The correlations between the supposed western world with indian mythology have my heart. I love how this generation of desis finds similarities in real life to what is written in the epics. For instance, I read a note on krishna and subhadra arguing over the TV remote!!

7. I just witnessed the circulation of Mahabharata memes and desis hating on yudhishthir (and rightfully so, he was an idiot who thought that keeping his wife as a prize in a fucking ludo game was wise) and I have never felt more content.

8. Just had an indepth argument/conversation/whatever we do on tumblr about how a golgappa's rightful name is gol gappa and not panipuri Or phuchka. I feel obligated to let you know that I have crowned myself the winner of this debate.

9. Just found out that draupadi invented golgappa. I owe this discovery to point no. 8. We, as a nation, owe her everything.

10. Found a really nice krishna-balram-subhadra appreciation post a few days back and I love how it was so eloquently written <3

11. SO MANY RRR FANFICS. I absolutely love the ram x bheem love stories ohmygod. I've also come across some smutty ones on tumblr and I've got to say- we have an active imagination 😏

12. All my mutuals loved the latest dad joke I posted- it's getting so much attention, I love it 😌

13. All of desi tumblr us freaking out about the indian origin candidates for the position of Britain's prime minister and I love the irony of how the country that colonised us for 200 years will maybe have an Indian origin prime minister 😌

14. I recently posted about how chicken tikka masala was Britain's national dish and I LOVED the responses xD

15. Adopting recent Instagram trends into indian mythology!! I just saw the "she's a 10" Trend being adapted to Indian Gods and Goddesses 😭💓

16. The shayari on the moon by desis is the reason I live.

(I'll be editing this whenever I find more reasons, but please add to the list!!!)

[cevansbrat0007]

hi!! do u know if ur still gonna write the fic where reader and her friend get spanked together?

Good Girls & Little White Lies: Dubai

Summary: You and Mya are tired of being cooped up in the Avengers Compound, so you plan a quick trip while your boys are away on a mission. They'll never find out... Steve Rogers x Black!Reader Sam Wilson x WOC!OFC

*Warnings: Slightly Bratty Reader, Slightly Bratty OFC, Name Calling, Angry Avengers, Cursing, Spanking, Punishments (mentioned), Ridiculousness for no real reason,  Minors DNI

A/N: Not super proofread. All mistakes are my own.

The first time the thought of escape crossed your mind was three weeks into your newfound captivity at the Avengers Compound when Peter had asked you and your best friend, Mya, why you two “always seemed so on edge” on Thursday nights. You two had shared a glance as you picked at your respective Lamb Curry and Chicken Tikka Masala, unsure of how you were supposed to answer that one without admitting the new lifestyle you now led, courtesy of Captain America and Falcon.

Why weren’t you ladies a fan of Thursdays? Simple. Thursdays with your men meant that it was Maintenance Night, which also meant that spankings were in your future. The awful thing about maintenance spankings was that it didn’t matter how good you’d been over the course of the week. Oh no. No matter how well behaved you were, you still had a hand or a belt or, worst of all, a paddle, in your future. And it hurt.

“Oh do we? That’s weird. Probably because the same show we watch comes on tonight or something.” She shrugs and goes back to grazing on her Masala. You take a bite of your shared garlic naan. 

Peter shrugs and walks away. Thank you, bestie.

“I’m going to burn that fucking paddle.” Mya murmurs. 

“Do you really think that’s a good idea, honey?” You respond as you dip your naan in the gravy of your curry. “That might just make things worse.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N, but have you ever been spanked by a very determined and very thorough Sam Wilson?” She jabs her fork into an innocent piece of chicken. 

“Can’t say I have, Mya. But my boyfriend happens to be a physically enhanced super soldier. He spanks me well and often. I can tell you that it hurts.” You grace her with a pointed look. It wouldn’t do either of you any good to fight about this. No matter how you shook it, this shit sucked. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just can’t keep living like this. It’s like, no matter how good I behave, here comes a motherfucking spanking.” 

You nod at her words. “I understand. This is not…ideal. The bastards are lucky we love them, because this shit is for the birds.”

Steve and Sam pick that moment to walk into the kitchenette.

“Good evening, ladies.” Sam rumbles. “Mya, are you almost done with dinner? It’s nearly time for our…conversation.” He strokes a large hand through her hair.

“How’s your food, Y/N?” Steve asks before stealing your fork to take a bite. “Mmm. Tastes good, baby. But speaking of conversations…” He pins you with a knowing look. “C’mon now. You’ll have leftovers for tomorrow.”

“Can’t we just skip tonight, please? I don’t want to…”

“Yeah, what she said.” Mya whines. 

“That’s enough out of you two.” Sam growls. “Mya, you have ten minutes to finish and clean up before I come back and get you.” He leans down to peck her lips. 

Steve’s hand goes to the back of your neck, giving it a light squeeze. “Same goes for you, baby. See you in ten.”

They leave the room, leaving you and Mya to look at each other. “Alright, Mya.” You manage to grit out. “They leave to go on a mission in a couple of days. When they do, we’re going to burn those paddles and take a fucking trip out of this damned country. We can be there and gone before they even get back. They’ll never know, and it will keep me from murdering Steve Rogers in is sleep.”

“I’m down.” She lowers her voice. “Where do you want to go?”

You giggle softly. “Remember that one time we went to Dubai and how much fun we had? Let’s do that again.”

“Fuck yeah.”

—

Somehow, you both survive your punishments. And then, the moment you see your boys off for their mission, you get to work.

Paddles? Burnt.

Tickets? Purchased. 

Hotel? Booked.

Natasha and Tony had tried to advise you both against your plans, but you were done. When it was said and done, they had agreed not to say anything. And Stark had even offered you access to his private jet. 

Ticket refund? Accepted. 

And then it was just you and your girl. Three days. In Dubai. We’re talking drinks, dinner, days spent curled up reading books by the beach. Everything had been wonderful. And the best part? You were both able to sit down comfortably without a fucking pillow.

“This was a great idea, baby.” Mya wraps an arm around your neck as you stroll back to your shared hotel room. “Too bad it has to end tomorrow.”

“I know.” You sigh. “This was amazing. I’m so glad you’re my best friend, Mya. I love you.”

“Aww. I love you too. I would not be able to make it through this life without you, Y/N. Especially not with these men. Why do we love them?”

“Dunno.” You grumble. “Maybe because they’re cute and they’ve helped save the world a couple times? I’m just spitballing here.” You toss a wink in her direction as you go to open your door, only to be stopped dead in your tracks when you see Steve and Sam…

Sitting on your respective beds. You don’t have to look at Mya to know that she just about shit her pants. Fuck!

“Hello, girls.” Steve says. “Gotta say, tracking you two down was fun. We’re here to take you home.” 

“We sure are. We’ve already got your stuff packed and everything.” Sam growls. “Ready to go?” 

“Oh, but Sam. I think we need to take care of something before we get our girls on the jet, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do. Come on in, ladies. Unless you two want an audience.” You and Mya both shake your heads and attempt to back out of the room. 

“Don’t you do it.” Steve snarls. “Don’t you dare even think about it.” You and Mya share a glance and then take off in opposite directions. She goes left, you go right.

“Goddamnit!” Sam snarls. “Get back here!”

You hear your bestie squeal when Sam manages to capture her before hauling her limp body back to the room. Steve is on you seconds later. He picks you up around your waist as he drags you back to your room as well. How did they even have a key? That had to be some kind of violation on a number of levels.     

Just that quick, the four of you are back inside. And you watch in slow motion horror as Sam lowers your best friend facedown over his lap. Oh no. This couldn’t be happening. You watch as she struggles, prompting Sam to throw one thickly muscled leg over her much smaller thighs.

And then you realize Steve is doing the same thing. “Wait, baby…no. Don’t do this. I’ll get on the jet with you. We - we both will. Please don’t do this.” 

"Yes we will!" Mya yells.

“Quiet!” Both men bark at the same time. 

“You two want to act up at the same time, you get punished at the same time. You need to learn.” Sam grunts. 

“Thanks for your input, Daffy. Gotta tell you, I cannot wait until it’s duck hunting season. I swear to god I’ll - oww!” Steve smacks your ass hard before raising the skirt of your dress to deliver another resounding smack. “Oww!”

“What have I told you about insulting Sam?” He smacks your ass again. “Apologize, now!” Another smack.

“No. He’s annoying.” You whimper. Smack! Smack!

“I’m sorry. But please note that I’m only apologizing under duress.”

“I’ll take what I can get.” He mumbles as he lays a series of hard swats on Mya’s exposed butt. “Sammy, stop! It hurts!” You watch out of the corner of your eye as she tries to surge out of his lap. 

“Good. Spankings should hurt. Ah ah, don’t you even think about putting your hand back here, little girl.” You can hear her crying now. You’re not too far behind.

You on the other hand were struggling in Steve’s lap. “Keep still, Y/N. We’re going to finish this spanking and then you’re going into the corner to think about your actions while I make sure I’ve grabbed all of your things, you naughty little brat.” Smack! Smack! Smack!

“Steve, please, baby!” You wail as your boyfriend hits a particularly sensitive spot.  You could not believe your bare ass was out in front of your friend like this. This right here was fucking embarassing. You wince when you hear Mya cry out.

“Don’t you hit her that hard, you brute.” You hiss at Sam.

“Quiet, Y/N. Don’t make me roast this ass even more than I’m already about to.”

END

[talkingharrystyles]

🍭anon again😁 So sorry it took me longer than I expected to put this together. I love London and I feel so many people miss out on experiencing the best parts. Some of the places I wanted to add to this have also closed down which is a shame but I tried to include as much as I could so that there’s a bit of variety here. This is going to be long so bear with me!

For eating out there’s quite a lot here to choose from. London is extremely multi cultural and actually our most popular food is Indian cuisine (Tikka Masala curry was invented for the British palate hehe) so I would really recommend going for a good curry whilst you’re here. For more typical British food, I’ve listed out a mix of different things as you asked with both sweet and savoury tastes in mind. Afternoon tea is a must and as a wild card I’ve also put in my personal favourite which I insist everyone should try at least once when they come for a visit (Where the pancakes are). In terms of budget, I would say try to mix eating at restaurants and getting a picnic to enjoy in one of the parks. Hyde Park is so lovely and you can hire city bikes to get around it. Regents Park is right next to London Zoo and really nice for a chill afternoon. It’s also right next to Camden market as well so you can take advantage of the street food fare whilst you’re here.

Now, down to the list 😈 :

Food

Sweet

1. Said London (Best chocolate in the city hands down)

2. The Worsley (best afternoon tea EVER)

3. Where the pancakes are (a must)

4. Dunn’s Bakery

5. Bageriet or Fabrique (not British cakes but the only places in London I think where you can try Swedish pattiseries - totally worth a look)

6. Dyce London

Savoury

1. The Riding house cafe (amazing brunch)

2. Smiths bar and grill

3. Old Crompton Brassiere

4. Blacklock

5. The Cadogan Arms

6. Holborn Dining Room (for really good pies)

7. The Jugged Hare (for Sunday roast)

8. Dirty Bones (you’ll thank me for this one)

9. Kricket Soho (favourite for traditional curry)

10. Wingmans (chefs kiss)

11. Chotto Matte

12. Bao Soho (I had to throw this one in)

13. Brother Marcus

14. Farmacy Kitchen

15. Daisy Green

Entertainment

1. The O2; outlet shopping and food, there’s also a massive trampoline centre and you can buy tickets to climb on top of the dome for views of the whole Greenwich peninsula which I really recommend.

2. Greenwich Market is fantastic on weekends and the local pubs are really welcoming.

3. Cycling and picnic in Hyde Park

4. All the museums are free but the best one to visit is V&A and Science Museum which are next to each other her in Kensington.

5. Box Park (this place is great to hang out and they often have live entertainment like DJs and food stations)

6. Pergola rooftop bar is a nice place to hang out and they do amazing cocktails.

7. The Barbican Center usually have really good theatre plays on and they are cheaper than going to the west end.

8. If you’re going to do the west end, don’t book online- there is a kiosk outside Leicester Square station that sells Matinee tickets for the day so have a quick look early in the day for an afternoon show.

9. Chinatown is a lot of fun and it’s right next to the National Gallery as well so you can hit two birds with one stone.

10. Thames Rocket Speed boat on the Thames - I did this recently at a work event and it was honestly the most fun I’ve had for ages.

11. Bounce Ping Pong; it’s basically a bar centered around ping pong and you can order food and drinks as you play. Lots of fun if you’re coming with friends and you want something fun to do in the evening together.

Let me know if this is useful but I hope you’ll be able to plan a lovely trip to London soon ❤️

-🍭

🍭🍭🍭🍭

[gstqaobc]

Our dear Queen: never alone THE MONARCHIST LEAGUE OF CANADA 🍁🇨🇦

FOR TOMORROW, OUR QUEEN'S ACTUAL BIRTHDAY,,,We invite members to respond by return email by completing one of the following sentences in no more than 25 words  of which we will publish an assortment of the most interesting tomorrow. You never know what might happen if yours is judged best.  NB: this challenge is not  the place to express condolences to The Queen or refer to her recent loss, which we each will do in our own way, with a full heart and no interest in publicity or reward. 1) I find The Queen's most endearing trait to be... 2) If I could ask HM one question, it would be... 3) If I were asked to give one piece of loyal advice to our Sovereign, I would say...   LEAGUE POETRY COMPETITION ON THE NINETY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY OF THE QUEEN THREE WINNING POEMSWe were surprised and delighted by the number of entries in this first poetry competition of the League. But then, given its subject, perhaps we should not have been taken aback. The sentiments were universally heartfelt and the loyalty clear.   We are therefore awarding three prizes. Two were written in English and one in French: naturally, we are not translating them! The first is a subtle evocation of The Queen’s sense of duty and her love of horses - the poet’s reference to giving up riding was of course an allusion to HM’s ceasing to ride at Trooping the Colour - she enjoys riding as relaxation to this day!  The second is true to the spirit of Holst’s stirring melody, known to many as “I Vow to Thee, My Country.”  And the third, the winner, explores HM’s Realms whimsically with a touch of gravity by means of their national foods.  The poems could not be more different - which is as it should be. Our thanks to all who entered the competition!  SECOND PRIZE TIED by Tom MacGregor, Ottawa ON QUEEN ELIZABETH’S 95th BIRTHDAY                On her ninety-fifth birthday,                I think of the Statue on Parliament Hill                Of her confidently seated                On a horse named Centennial                Given to her by                The Royal Canadian Mounted Police.                The small woman unveiled it                In 1991 after she had given up riding.                Still, she carried on                More than 60 years as Queen                And 95 of service.   FIRST PRIZE by an anonymous member who is donating  the value of the prize to supply a food treat to the homeless today in honour of The Queen’s birthday QUEEN OF THE SIXTEEN REALMS On the 95th birthday of Elizabeth II   PROLOGUE Elizabeth, to your Realms grandmother, sister, friend and Queen: How can we embrace you, and today let you know That we would your sorrow share, wish you could lean On our sixteen hearts, like the drums, beating slow. We look back as you must on Philip’s decades: Your strength and stay during storm and fair days. We gaze also to our future wish: grief ‘midst memories fades To joy of life full-lived, walked on the fields of praise.               So follows our birthday wish, from Realms richly diverse, Who now tune their heart-strings to the happier times Which will follow, dear Ma’am, as sure as sunrise: A great truth of life, which we need not more rehearse, But, rather, assure you: north, west, east, southern climes Gather round to uphold you, dear Queen - loving and wise!                   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~    ~ ~ ~ Elizabeth, our Queen and friend, the nations’ joy and pride, Her 95th today is hailed through Realms both far and wide; And since all share in most fond wish to serve special birthday treat - These lines some local fare suggest - loyal banquet so replete!         In ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, small islands to be sure, But big in heart and loyalty - FUNGIE ‘tis special allure: Polenta-based and spicy hot, with pepperpot ‘tis served, A treat for their beloved Queen, one surely well deserved!         Down Under,  AUSTRALIAN mates present their VEGEMITE: This brewers’ yeast extract not yet the world’s delight! But served on toast throughout the land, a tribute singular - quite - Antipodean Queen finds on Aussie plate a most distinct delight.           THE BAHAMAS offers special dish: folk there pluck CONCH from sea: And dressed with lime and vegetables - ‘tis rich in Vitamin C!  Bahamian Sovereign will enjoy devouring “Queen Conch” recipe, Dressed with fruit, offered with love and Island loyalty         BARBADOS, amidst disloyal dance, bakes up its famed RUM CAKE On which Monarch’s pain at such dalliance might well her sweet tooth slake; Since toothsome confection is topped up with frequent rum infusion: EIIR hopes (though’d never say) “Drink deep: to republican confusion!”                 BELIZE proffers its BOIL UP, reminiscent of the pie in rhyme: No blackbirds for its Queen today, but fish, eggs, veggies: good time! Tis topped with broth and dough, then baked - a treat fit for a princess, The Central American domain diverse could offer her no less!         CANADA may indeed be home to most loyal Maple Throne: Thus on this day POUTINE shall stand in prominence, alone: Like the Dominion, flavours many, with toppings beyond measure - As each in own way toasts our Queen, the True North’s splendid treasure!                     GRENADA’s OIL DOWN, savoury-sweet, a one pot dish of stew, With coconut leaching flavours out to make each casserole new To taste - and variegated ever for all this island nation. Which prospers under Reign of she whose birthday brings elation!             Next in our roll of Realms, JAMAICA, island, of many peoples, blest To keep cool ‘neath tropical sun with ACKEE AND SALTFISH zest: Its spices mirror nation’s mix, from planters to Bobsled team; And dread-locked Rasta men, who share deepest love of Queen.                 PAVLOVA is NEW ZEALAND’s gift to the arts culinary, Its Kiwi, cream, meringue mix cherished by settlers as by Maori; Whether Hobbits share such taste, brave Frodo first and foremost, We know not - but all in the island realm drink to EIIR a toast!               If MUMU you were offered while exploring  PAPUA NEW GUINEA shore, Polyglot island lines hot coals with leaves - adds meats, fruit, veg and more, To make a stew from ground oven of savour nonpareil, Thus honouring their Queen and friend with two Hemispheres’ “hooray.”         SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS to birthday brings STEWED SALTFISH, which they blend With coconut dumplings and plantains for feasting without end, As no close they ever sight in good Queen’s service to tiniest sovereign state In Hemisphere - large  they be in duty, love - thus this day they fete!       SAINT LUCIA pairs fish and fig, GREEN FIG AND SALTED COD! Antilles population takes a week to give the nod To stew that melds, as island does two seas, Atlantic and Caribbean, And mix a Bounty cocktail to raise their glass to Queen!               A BREADFRUIT ROASTED in iron pot, add fried jackfish for great repast,   Is SAINT VINCENT & THE GRENADINES’ entrée, not easily surpassed: Its thirty-two islands celebrate their Monarch’s special day, Sing “...Land, so Beautiful” to big drum, calypso, steel pan and reggae!             Now Taro roots make sticky POI, SOLOMON ISLANDS’ favorite food, The wise old King lends his name to 900-strong island brood; Thus Melanesian Queen presides, with Governor-General elected: Their birthday bouquet beauteous, as from 200 orchid strains selected!                     TUVALU brings to feast PULAKA, swamp taro cooked for hours: Raising ocean discourages cultivation - ‘tis time for Commonwealth powers To use their world wide fellowship to save this crop essential: Their Queen fears global warming looms, Polynesian threat potential.               The UNITED KINGDOM is Elizabeth’s home, of sixteen Realms The Queen: No longer a colonial power, but from Empire’s legacy yet seen: Its “national dish” CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA now claims pride of place, Transcending old-style differences of climate, Raj and race!       ~! ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~ EPILOGUESo, all hail, dear Queen, gracious Lady: your true realms lie deep within, Not geographic, to be sure, but values kingly. gracious, human; Constant Commonwealth care for its nations great and small, Reflects deep-reciprocal, hailed to your heart, one voice echoed by all!     So here’s to Elizabeth - long may she reign, long live our monarch so great! Here’s to her courage in fair weather or foul, duty done, chosen not - happy fate! Here’s to the faith ever kept, beyond clamour of sectarian creeds; Here’s to the hope she brings all, so nourishing humankind’s needs; Here’s to her ninety-fifth birthday, her years’ gift to us, thus today we proclaim:God willing, all your Realms do their duty And each subject in turn do the same! 

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

[2seokfan]

Scarlet & Hazel | Ch. 1

pairings: hoseok x reader x yoongi

genre: fluff, very light angst, smut (future)

word count: 3.6k

chapters: ch.1, ch.2, ch.3, ch.4

summary: 

Just cause you’re living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny apartment even after graduating college doesn’t mean you’re not happy. So what if your best friend is working her dream job making close to six figures every year?  So what if she’s in a loving, committed relationship with her perfect boyfriend that you’re 99% sure is going to propose to her sometime next year? It doesn’t matter that your idea of a perfect relationship is a $9.99 bottle of wine on Friday nights while you binge watch Netflix specials.

Ok so maybe you’re a teensy bit miserable. Maybe you have no idea what you’re doing with your life. Maybe all you need to do is accidentally cross paths with two hybrids who will drastically change that.

Meet “Scarlet” and “Hazel”, two of the most gorgeous hybrid men you have ever laid eyes on. With their help, you learn that life is an adventure, a rollercoaster with ups and downs, and you were too preoccupied with yourself to climb out of your own predicament. And hey, you’re not much of a romantic, but with these two, you just might change your mind.

note: Hi! This is my first fic ever! I don’t even know if anyone’s gonna read this but I’ve had this idea in my head for awhile so fuck it.

You kicked off your shoes and threw your purse on the couch.

“God my back hurts!” 

Honestly with the amount of random bodily aches you experience on a daily business you could pass for being 70 years old. But this time you knew where the pain stemmed from. You just had to fall asleep awkwardly after a night on your phone. And of course today was a work day and you slept past all THREE of your alarms. But you know that feeling when you sleep for a suspiciously long amount of time and something doesn’t feel right? That’s the sixth sense that saved your ass this morning because your internal body clock was like sweetie I think you’re late. 

You only had time to slap on some makeup, hoping it looked semi decent, and throw your greasy hair into a messy, but passable bun because no one wants to see an ugly receptionist. You had to skip your morning Starbucks drive-through routine because you’re about to be LATE, late so you grab your keys and start your car, booking it to work.

You work at a private hybrid clinic which pays a little better than most but that means you also have to deal with a lot of attitude from rich “owners” (you hate that word). And you sat weirdly at work today so that did nOThing to help your back pain. Also how come everybody decided to book an appointment today?? It’s Friday for god's sake why does everyone and their mothers decide it’s time to call the clinic and book a checkup. They get so mad at you when you say this whole month is filled. You can’t change the schedule though?? The calendar’s filled lady either get over it and settle for next month or fuck off (of course you don’t say that out loud cause you’ll get fired). Also someone yelled at you today because they didn’t like the magazine choices in the waiting room.

Anyways your day sucked and you couldn’t be happier being back in your tiny apartment to binge watch netflix stand-up comedies until you collapse. Well you say it’s your apartment but you actually have a roommate. She’s nothing like you though, she’s the epitome of responsibility. You agreed to live with her even though you met her through Craigslist because once you met her in person you deemed her genuine enough, and also found out she’s hardly ever at the apartment but she still pays rent on time?! You really hit the jackpot with her honestly. Cause you can be a little bit messy sometimes but even when she is home she never complains. The only negative side of having her as a roommate is that you never really had time to bond with her cause she’s so busy and over your league that even after a year you two still aren’t anything more than friendly acquaintances.

Alright time to get out of your work clothes and into nothing but your favorite oversized t-shirt with no pants on because that is what you deem home-appropriate attire. But before you turn on netflix your tummy is making “feed me” noises so it’s time to check the fridge. Damn no leftovers. Time to crack open one of those Trader Joe’s frozen meals you have stacked in the freezer. You blindly pick a box. Guess you’re having vegan tikka masala tonight. Not gonna lie though those frozen meals are actually not half bad. Or maybe you’ve been away from good home cooking for so long you’ve become desensitized? Who cares, you’re hungry. Also it’s Friday, so no harm in cracking open a bottle of wine right?

When you’re all settled on the couch with your favorite plush blanket on your legs, a random comedian on tv, and a full tummy, your mind drifts away. It’s Saturday tomorrow and you have the weekends off. Maybe you should do something fun for yourself to make up for the crap you had to deal with today. You text your best friend Karli. You know she’s awake since it’s only 10pm.

You: Hey girl wanna go to the beach or smth tmrw?? <3

Karli: Yaaas ok I don’t work!! What time?

You: and we can walk around all the fancy stores and get coffee from that place we love.

You: hmmm how bout meet there @11??

Karli: Sounds good sweetie want me to pick you up?

You: no its ok ill meet u there i need to buy groceries after

Karli: Kk love ya see you then!!!

You: love ya! night bby

Karli knows that when you say “go to the beach” you really mean walk along the beach and the nearby stores because it’s early June and prime tourist season. That means the sand is packed with people and their kids and the water’s probably filled with pee so you’re not really down for that. Also the expensive shops near the beach are so cute and you love walking around window shopping, pretending like you can actually afford any of the items on display.

The wine is now getting to you cause before you know it you find your eyelids getting heavy. You muster up your last ounce of strength to turn off the tv and force yourself out of the couch cause your poor back doesn’t need another excuse to keep hurting. As much as you don’t want to wash your face and brush your teeth, you have to because you don’t want makeup on your pillowcase tonight. And when you finally crawl into bed you knock out instantly.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

“Oh fuck…”

You forgot that drunk you last night set an alarm today for 9am. Thank you drunk Y/N. 

Why 9am? Because you need to shower and get ready, plus the beach you’re going to is near the north part of the city, which is also the expensive part of the city, meaning it’s a LONG ways from where you live. But the stores are aesthetically pleasing and it contains both you and Karli’s favorite coffee shop so you’re willing to make the 25 minute drive. Karli doesn’t have to worry though because she lives a lot closer than you do. Girl has got her shit together. Honestly you’re just glad she decided to move back after graduate school cause the long distance friend thing sucks balls.

You hop in the shower and rinse yourself awake. The weather is perfect, warm but not too hot. Unlike many people who prefer to dress up for a nice outing, you’re just the opposite. You’ve been forced to dress in nice business attire with a full face of makeup all week. Hell no are you dressing up on your days off too. It’s a sweatpants and tank top kinda day so that’s exactly what you wear. Ever since college you’ve spoiled yourself into only wearing comfy clothes whenever you have the chance and it’s become a minor problem in your life. You have some perfectly nice jeans in the closet but you haven’t worn them in forever. And you’re not gonna wear them today either. And makeup? Who needs makeup? You’ll just go barefaced since you have no one to impress. Actually just kidding maybe a little concealer just to cover up a few rough spots but that’s IT. You’re still a little self conscious and you know you have to work on that but not today.

It’s now 10:15. You grab your purse from the couch, slip on your favorite pair of slides and head to your car. You’re the kind of person who absolutely needs music when you drive so you quickly start blasting your favorite playlist. Before you know it, you’re pulling up to the beach area. Parking is hard to find on the weekend but your lucky ass managed to squeeze into a street parking spot right as someone pulls out. You lock your car and make the trek to Cozy Coffeehouse, your favorite coffee shop hands down.

Karli is already here and she’s hopping up and down, waving at you. She looks super cute today in her little black dress and fishnets. She’s had the same taste since high school and you’re glad that even a Master’s degree hasn’t stopped her from dressing all punk on her days off. You jog over and give her a quick hug.

“Hey girl look at you!! You’re so cute!” You take in her makeup and you swear if she didn’t go the corporate route she definitely should have been a makeup artist. Her eyeshadow is amazing and you’ll never ever have the blending talent that she has, nor could you ever get your eyeliner to look that sharp.

“Aw thanks! You look comfy though I’m kinda jealous now maybe I should’ve dressed down.” 

“No I love your outfits! Besides, someone has to look nice in this relationship.”

You link arms and march into the cafe. It’s located near the fancy designer stores on a large hill overlooking the beach. When you step inside the whole atmosphere screams ‘cozy’, fitting its name perfectly. The interior is littered with mismatched sofas and armchairs but it somehow still looks aesthetically pleasing. Soft piano jazz is playing through speakers and when you step inside the delicious scent of freshly ground coffee beans immediately invades your nostrils.

You glance at their pastry display first. Today must be your lucky day because they have tiramisu and you absolutely love tiramisu but it’s usually sold out. No way in hell are you letting this chance slide, fuck breakfast norms you’re definitely getting a bite of that. Unfortunately you’re not a fan of sugary treats on top of sugary drinks so to balance things out you choose to order their house brew.

After you two order, you find a spot in one of the plush armchairs near the window and sit. You really are lucky today since window seats are usually taken. But not this time! You guys get to enjoy the gorgeous scenery displayed before you. The sun is bright, people are laying on the beach tanning, and kids are splashing each other with water. For the first time in awhile, you feel content with life, if only for a bit. 

Before long your orders are called out and you stand up to retrieve them. Once you’re settled, you break into conversation with Karli, eager to catch up on everything that happened since you two last spoke face-to-face. You talk about work, Karli’s boyfriend Sunny, that new pizza place that opened up near your apartment that actually has really shitty pizza.

“Like seriously how do you fuck up pizza that badly?” you exclaim in between generous bites of tiramisu.

“No I get you,” Karli responds, slurping her iced mocha frappuchino, “everybody knows what pizza is supposed to taste like, I mean it’s gotta take talent to actually fuck it up to the level you’re describing girl.”

“Exactly!!” You wave your arms in the air, wanting to physically demonstrate your frustration at the situation and your passion for good pizza.

“Anyways…” Karli gently sets her drink down and takes on a more serious tone. “How are you though, honestly.”

“Hmm, me?” You swallow your last bite of tiramisu, “I’m doing good. Works ok, life’s ok. You know. Everything’s… ok.”

“I get that everything’s ‘ok’ but you know I want you to be more than ok. I want you to be happy”

You see the genuine concern in her eyes. Bless this girl for being so soft-hearted.

She continues, “And when was the last time you dated? Like, what, 2 years ago??”

Of course she has to mention dating. Karli has always been a romantic. You? Not so much. Your brain tended to err on the logical, practical side, which is not always a good idea since it keeps you away from many potential relationships.

“I date!” You scoff, but you’re not convincing anybody, least of all yourself.

“Oh really?” Her eyes widen in mock surprise, “Tinder one night stands don’t count babe. You know what I mean.”

“Well you didn’t specify…” You mumble, trying to come up with any excuse to defend your pride. You know she’s just being a good friend and that she’s asking because she cares about you, so you don’t let her questions irritate you.

“Sweetie I’m not trying to make you feel bad and I’m sorry if it comes across that way. It’s just… you mean a lot to me and you’re my bestie and I just want to see you be happy.” She takes your hand from across the table and looks you in the eyes. “We don’t get to see each other as much as we used to, so when I do I want to check in on how you’re doing.”

Then she averts her eyes, which you find highly suspicious. “Also I may or may not have found someone who I KNOW will be a perfect match for you.”

“AHA I KNEW you were leading up to something!”

“Wait but hear me out. He’s an accountant and at first I was like hmmm is he too boring for Y/N? But then I realized I was judging him by his job and that’s not cool so I talked to him and he’s, like, actually super cute and super sweet and I think you two will get along so well!” She’s speaking very fast at this point, trying to squeeze out as much information as possible before you can interject. Then she finishes with one of her signature Karli smiles, big and wide and all teeth and she knows you can’t say no to that face.

“Dammit. Fine.” You lost this round. “Alright if he wants to meet up I won’t say no. How bout that?”

“Gee that’s so thoughtful of you Y/N.” Her tone is sarcastic but she’s still smiling so you know she means no harm.

After another half hour of conversation, locked in a heated debate about food again (this time she’s defending her stance that pineapple belongs on pizza), Karli’s phone rings. The sound scares the poor girl half to death, and watching her jump a mile from her couch had you snorting into your coffee mid drink.

She looks at the caller ID, muttering under her breath, “It’s Saturday what do they want?” then glances up with a sad little pout, “Sorry Y/N it’s work gimme a sec…”

From what you can hear on her side of the conversation, something has come up and she has to head to the office right away. 

“Ok I’ll be there in fifteen,” she hangs up and gives an exaggerated “Ughhhhh”. She takes one large gulp, finishing the last of her ultra sweet, ultra whipped frappuccino. “It’s like they can’t do anything when I’m not there.” She looks especially apologetic when her eyes land back on you, “I’m so sorry I have to cut this short…”

“Hey it’s ok! Duty calls ya know,” you give her a reassuring grin, hoping it passes for a smile instead of a grimace. You were really hoping to hang out today.

“No it’s not ok. We didn’t even get to walk around today! And I know how much you like to do that.” She stands up, slipping her purse onto her shoulder, “so next time I’ll plan a day where I guarantee I won’t get interrupted. It’s the least I can do.”

“Mk sounds good babe,” you give her a big hug, “Go get ‘em tiger!”

After she exits the cafe you finish the last bit of your coffee and glance out the window, staring at the people on the beach. Wow it’s really crowded down there today. You zone in on two kids attempting to build a sandcastle, but it’s too close to the water so the waves flatten it in two seconds. But it seems they didn’t learn their lesson because they keep rebuilding the castle in the same spot. Just move it further up little dudes.

You find yourself lost in thought again. Just because Karli’s suddenly busy doesn’t mean you don’t still have a whole day to yourself. You can walk around on your own. Also why not treat yourself to another drink? A fun one this time from their specials menu.

Ten minutes later you find yourself wandering around the various shops, hot hazelnut latte in hand, gazing at display after display of designer clothes and bags. Look, you may not be a huge fashion person, or have any expendable cash, but a girl can still appreciate art, especially when it’s laid out so nicely in front of you. 

Speaking of art, there’s an art gallery coming up that you absolutely love. You’ve always been too afraid to go inside because you’re the type of person who feels obligated to buy something if you enter a local store and you DEFinitely can’t afford anything there. So you opt to loiter outside, like some creep, looking a little too long at the featured art through the window. This time it’s an Impressionist style painting of a ship on hazy waters with a sunset in the background. You’re no artist but you can appreciate good quality work when you see it. The piece is mesmerizing and serene, transfixing you to the spot. Before you know it, you’ve been staring for 15 whole minutes.

While admiring the artist’s use of color on the display piece, you overhear a lady raising her voice not too far away, snapping you out of your trance. It sounds like drama, so being the nosy bitch that you are, you’re definitely gonna check it out, if only to satisfy your curiosity.

“What do you mean ‘no’?! You’ll be perfect for each other!! Where’s your owner I bet he’ll listen!” At this point the lady’s voice is sounding downright aggressive.

As you shuffle closer to the scene of the noise, you spot a middle-aged, blonde lady pointing her finger at two hybrid men, almost jabbing one of them in the chest with her sharp, ruby nails. Behind her stands a gorgeous female arctic fox hybrid who clearly belongs to her as she pats her owner’s shoulders, trying to calm her down.

“I’m sorry miss but we just aren’t interested.” The taller of the two hybrids with orange hair speaks up, gently pushing the lady’s hands away. “Please leave us alone.” He’s being surprisingly calm, even after getting yelled at in public.

“Yeah lady get out of our faces,” the other white and grey haired hybrid is definitely more agitated, crossing his arms as he huffs in annoyance. You don’t blame him since the blonde lady is being ridiculously rude.

You can’t really make out the two males’ faces, since they’re turned away from you, but they are obviously hybrids. Both having incredibly bushy, soft-looking tails and tall, pointy ears sticking out of their heads.

Even if you can’t see their expressions, you can tell they’re uncomfortable with the harassment. Since you’re still somewhat unaware of the context, you stay out of the argument but decide to keep an eye on the situation in case the lady steps out of line. You’re just slightly around the corner, able to stay a safe distance away so that no one, especially the lady, can catch you eavesdropping. Pretending to admire the Gucci purses displayed in front of the shop you’re now standing at, and almost choking at the price, you cautiously side-eye blondie as she refuses to back down from the hybrid boys.

“Listen here you rude little pets, I’m not leaving you alone until I see your owner. My Sylvia here,” she gestures to the fox hybrid behind her, “would make a perfect partner for you.” She pokes the orange haired hybrid again, “I’ve been searching so long for her to find a mate and I’m not giving you up! Now where the hell is your owner!”

What the fuck?! How dare this lady talk to them like that? And in public no less! You now know exactly why she’s yelling at them. Working at a private hybrid clinic has opened your eyes to the harsh world of hybrids, and their selfish, rich owners. It’s not uncommon for owners to negotiate with each other and breed their hybrids. If two pretty hybrids mate, their children can be sold for loads of money. It's cruel and disgusting, with many of the children sold off before they can even get to know their parents. You’re all too familiar with this tradition, often catching owners in the waiting room of your clinic discussing in whispers about buying and selling hybrid children as if they’re livestock.

“Hey what the fuck did you call us?!” The white and grey hybrid is now also raising his voice. “Listen you wrinkly bi…!” He is quickly silenced by the orange hybrid, who abruptly clamps his hand over his buddy’s mouth.

Orange hair clears his throat. “What he means is, we don’t appreciate the tone you’re using with us. Please leave us alone ma’am. We’ll be on our way. Goodbye.” They attempt to brush past her.

“Hey hold on a minute! I’m not done with you!!” This lady even has the balls to grab onto orange hair’s arm. “I demand to speak to your owner!” Then some sort of realization dawns upon her because her eyes go wide, then quickly narrow. “And where are your collars? Aren’t owned hybrids supposed to have collars on? You know I just might have to call Hybrid Services.” 

You can see the boys visibly tense at her words as she sports a satisfied smirk. Poor Sylvia is now gently tugging on her shirt. “Please calm down, miss…” she says desperately trying to remedy the situation.

Before you know it, and without any plan of action, you round the corner and march up to the boys, standing defensively in front of them.

“Um…” You gulp, then clear your throat, speaking in what you hope is a more confident tone. “Sorry I took so long guys! You wouldn’t believe the line at the coffee shop!”

Next

[s1utspeare]

Get To Know Me!

@foxofninetales tagged me in this ask game and since I LOVE HER i will now be doing it (i mean i’d do it anyway but now it will be filled with love for FOX i am not accepting CRITICISM ON THIS POINT)

Part I

name: Brigid! I’m named after the Irish goddess of like, poetry, healing, smithcraft, and protection, or the Irish saint (they’re both pretty similar it’s just whether or not you’re talking about Celtic religion or Catholicism). She’s very cool, and I think it’s a very fitting name for who I turned out to be!

pronouns: she/her

star sign: i’m an insufferable theatre kid of course I’m a Leo

height: 5'8″ babeeeyyy (172 cm). I’m not short like, at all, but all of my family members are over six foot, so I’m like. tiny in comparison. they all make fun of me all the time for it :(

time: 8:49pm! A delightful time of evening!!! 

birthday: July 31st, same day as Harry Potter lol.

nationality: american :P

fave bands/groups/solo artists: hnnnngggghhhh why would u ask me this I don’t KNOW jk i just have a lot uhhhhh all time faves would be Bastille and Mumford and Sons, but I’m SUPER into kpop right now, so my top groups are BTS, Stray Kids, and One OK Rock (who are technically jpop but I really like their stuff). I also am a Broadway BITCH (hello, theatre kid) so before this year all of my Spotify library was basically just show tunes. 

song stuck in your head: Get Away by VeriVery. I think they’re a pretty new group? idk i saw them on one of those tumblr promotional things and checked out the music video which is like??? really interesting conceptually? so I’ve just been listening to the song for a while lol. 

last movie you watched: Train to Busan! I’m gearing up to write a dmbj zombie apocalypse AU and so I was like “this is a popular zombie film! I’ll watch it for inspiration! :)” holy shit. holy shit i was so wrong. It’s one of the most viscerally affecting films I think I’ve ever seen, I was like. On the verge of an anxiety attack the entire time but in like the best possible way?? it’s a mastery of character introduction and action/horror and I cried for like the last ten minutes straight. SO affecting. I do NOT RECOMMEND IT if u are already made anxious by zombie apocalypse scenarios, blood, violence, and a Lot of Death. 

last show you binged: hmmm uh like I’m currently watching Mystic Nine but at like a normal pace, so the last show I probably binge watched was maybeeee The Uncanny Counter on Netflix? HIGHLY recommend that one, I made @cross-d-a watch it and I’m living for her liveblog reactions lmao. Idk most of my free time has been spent writing the past few months which. After months of only having the energy to watch shows is kind of really invigorating? the things u can do when u fix ur health I’ll tell you what

when you created your blog: in 2012 asldighalsdkfjladskjga i came on here to like burdge’s pjo fanart :)

the last thing you googled: "is it bad not to have an air cap on your tire” ALSDIGHALKDFJLADFJA FUCK ME (i learned that it’s not necessarily bad but it can get dirt and stuff built up in there so I went to the store after work today and replaced it)

other blogs: everything is here bc i am too lazy to create a sideblog! so sorry to everyone who does not follow me for cdrama content bc this is all I am now. 

why i chose my url: cause it’s my ao3 username and i wanted people to be able to find me more easily on tumblr! :) the long answer is because i love shakespeare and also i think that slut is a really funny word and concept for me especially because i am one of the most sexless people u will ever meet in ur life so slutspeare is like. an aggressively ace joke that only I think is funny. 

how many people are you following: 588

how many followers do you have: ah just over 200?!??!!? which is like. a lot for me. I think it was like 75 up until like last year omg 

average hours of sleep: my sleep app says I average around eight! which is very good for me! I do have to get enough sleep consistently or I will Have A Bad Time so my sleep schedule is pretty good and luckily I don’t have the Insomnia depression I have the Sleep Lots one which I am glad for bc idk what I’d do if I couldn’t Be Unconscious regularly. Die probably. 

lucky numbers: I don’t think I have lucky numbers?? my favorite number is 21 for no reason other than the vibes alone. 

instruments: i’ve played the piano for uhhhh.... eighteen years now? and I can play the ukulele and am surprisingly good with the recorder since I’ve had to play it in Multiple Theatre Performances. I was also an honor choir singer back in high school so I’ve done a lot of select ensemble stuff which was super fun! 

what i'm currently wearing: a Life Is Good long-sleeved t-shirt that says “Not All Who Wander Are Lost” that I got in a military surplus store like a million years ago and red Adidas athletic shorts that I found at the thrift store a couple weeks back

dream job: playwright! I just wanna be a playwright! playwriting is like drugs i literally go nuts for it

dream trip: I don’t know??? I don’t really like traveling tbh aslidhalkfdj umm I do want to see the grand canyon sometime before I die tho so maybe a road trip down there? I definitely like traveling solo so I’d probably just hang out with myself and drive and go to whatever places I want and see dumb tourist attractions and sing loudly in the car

fave food: CURRY i know i said eggs the last time it asked me this but I miss my local Indian restaurant I want to eat literal Platefuls of tikka masala at 12pm at the Indian buffet after my physics class again :(

top three fictional universe you'd like to live in: hmmm i don’t know, actually! probably one where I have Powers and could do Cool Hand Motions and make Lights Appear. If I were anywhere with like. An Actual World-Dooming problem tho I would not be helpful at all. I would just die. Besides, I already live in fictional universes half the time, I’m a writer! 

Part II

last song: Basquiat by Pentagon! The music video is like. Very whumpy. So if you’re into that... the song’s also a bop

last stream: i don't watch streams very often, I just watch clips from them, cause those usually just give the best parts lol 

currently reading: mmmmmbbbaaaaahhhhh literally nothing? I’m trying to get caught up on the backlog of dmbj fic I haven’t gotten around to so Binding by @vishcount is next on that list! oh I guess I’m also reading Johnny Tremain with my kids (one of them SPOILED THE END and I forgot how it ended and now I’m big sad). 

currently watching: Mystic Niiiiinnnneeeeee! love those gay history bitches. everyone in that show is so funny. I just finished the Fuba Side Plot tho and now we’re back to Politics so i’m like >:( someone give zhang baby rishan a hug (and then i write angst about him what is wrong with me)

what is antipoetry to you: antipoetry??? what the heck is antipoetry hold on... uhhhh that’s just poetry. who came up with this term. i guess like lyrical fiction would be the technical correct definition but idk I consider anything to be poetry! like that’s the whole point! poetry is poetry is poetry as long as it’s focused on intensity and emotions it’s poetry! a haiku? poetry. the random one-lined mess of words on my phone? poetry. a literal drawing of a cardinal with the word “bird” written next to it? poetry. idk I’ve been trying to teach my kids that there are no wrong ways to write creatively; if you’re expressing yourself and making emotions, then you’re writing! also like half of my work could be considered antipoetry lmao. I love emotionally supercharging the mundane.

currently craving: i have noooo ideaaaasssss i’m literally just vibing. uh. water? ok i took care of that one my water bottle was right next to me. 

AH IF YOU READ THIS MUCH THANK YOU???? i love u 

uhhhh no pressure tags for @xia-xueyi, @nope4ever, @bookjoyworm, @elletromil, and @gaiahenshin, as well as anyone else who would like to give the full-rundown on themselves! :D

[ladyofmaidensandwine]

9 to 5

A request by @herfalsegod

“Hey, hon! I’ve been obsessed with Dean Smith, would you consider writing something for him?”

Absolutely, darling, Dean Smith really just satisfies all my normal life Dean fantasies, and who doesn’t fancy the business suit?

Characters: Dean Smith, Fem! Reader

Summary: Reader is a no-nonsense, business-oriented woman. Her boss is less concerned with protocol, and entirely too stubborn. Dean Smith has but one goal in mind- finally get his assistant to go out with him.

Wordcount: 2,107

                        You clock in for work with a smile and a nod to the secretary by the time cards, offering polite greetings as you hurry through your morning routine. You’ve been working for Sandover Bridge and Iron Inc. going on four years now, having climbed the ladder from secretary to personal assistant quickly, and you loved your job. Your life was built on routines and schedules, and you thrived when organizing the chaos of the world into manageable lists and calendars, helping your boss, Dean Smith, do the same. 

                     By nine in the morning, your tea is steeped to perfection, you’ve got your laptop running, and you’re already working on clearing the list of daily tasks. You have a reputation for handling the complicated things, known as a great negotiator and a woman with a one-track mind, kind but focused, and you have earned your seat at the table with the company’s higher-ups. They count on you to make ideas reality, to take care of the issues and details they don’t have time for, and to be on top of everything going on in the company so that you can ensure it runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Dean Smith was the sort of man with an ambitious drive but a scattered mind, meaning you had to pick up the pieces to keep his momentum going steady. He’d always been a fair and polite man towards you, but as his assistant, you’d gotten to look behind the curtains, and knew he wasn’t as business-only as he appeared.

               “Good morning, Mr. Smith. Your coffee, Sir.” You greet him, stepping into his office. Dean offers a quick smile, and you wait patiently for his call to end. “Morning, Y/N. Looking lovely as always. How many times do I gotta tell you to just call me Dean. We’ve been working together going on two years now.” Dean chides. “A few more times at least, Sir. You’ve got Andrea from Delaware’s architecture in ten, I’ve made a file for you to look over. She’s going to try to sell you on the price cut, but the long-term expense isn’t worth it, so either compromise on the royalties or no deal.” You advise, handing Dean a thick folder you’ve compiled on what angle to take with the negotiation and the relevant statistics. “Thanks, Y/N. What would I do without you?” Dean grins. “Probably spiral downwards.” You say with a sly smile. “What else is on the agenda?” He asks, sipping his coffee. “Your sister is dropping by for lunch, I’ve already got it on standby at the cafe on mainstreet, you have two more meetings, tech service at one and marketing at two, and I have a few things for you to look other whenever you’re ready. Oh, and a Lisa Braeden called, should I send a message?” “No, no, I’ll talk to her. Ex-girlfriend.” Dean explains. “Ah. Anything else I can do for you?” You offer. “Actually, yeah, mind joining the meeting? You know these numbers better than me.” Dean shrugs. “Of course, let me forward the phones first and I’ll let Andrea in.” You nod.

                  “Y/N, you are a life saver.” Dean says, sighing as he slumped into his chair. You smile wryly, shaking your head. “It’s just maths, Mr Smith.” You raise a brow, grabbing the files and the signed deal to put it in the neatly organized system you have. “Says you. Say, Y/N, you free for lunch?” He asks. “I am, but you’re not. Jo?” You remind him. Dean’s face falls slightly. “Tomorrow, then?” “I can schedule it in. We can go over the marketing data for this quarter.” You agree. Dean smirks to himself, but doesn’t say anything as you walk back out to your desk.

               “Jo.” You smile at the blonde as she walks over, waiting for you to tell Dean she’s arrived for lunch. “Hey, Y/N! ‘S been a while!” She smiles. “Too long. Please take your brother to lunch, I can’t work with him calling me in for every little thing.” You plead, joking like the pair of you always do. You and Jo had been fast friends, bonding over making fun of Dean, though she’s just as quick to tease you about the crush she thinks you have on her brother. “In that case I’d better steal him away quick.” Jo winks. You lead her to the office doors, Dean smiling the moment he sees you, and standing up to greet Jo.

                 “Don’t you take a lunch break, Y/N?” He asks as they walk by. “Mhm. I’ve got chicken tikka masala to heat after I finish filing these records.” You nod. Dean frowns slightly, but lets Jo lead him away.

                If there’s one thing about Dean you admire, it’s his persistence. The man truly didn’t give up- the company leaders agreed, giving him more projects to take on quickly. You hadn’t known that it would be a quality invested in you, however. Dean had flirted with you when you’d first started working together, but you’d made it clear that you weren’t going to put your position in jeopardy, and he’d seemed to drop the subject, though the occasional comment about your outfit or a patented Dean Smith lady-killing smile was unavoidable. Since he’d broken up with Lisa, Dean had returned his attentions to you, though his approach was far more sincere than the first time. 

               You remind yourself that no matter how charming he is, he’s technically your boss, and you can’t risk losing your job, not when you’ve worked so hard to climb the corporate ladder. You admit to yourself that it’s a difficult task, pretending Dean’s affectionate gestures didn’t leave you flustered. He truly was sweet- a bouquet of peonies, your favourite flower, on your desk one morning, lunch and tea from your go-to cafe, odd trinkets now and then. You asked him once about the random items he left for you, and his response was that he’d seen them and had been reminded of you, your heart flipping in your chest. Damn that Dean Smith, him and all his endearing qualities.

                “Hey, Y/N, I heard about this new restaurant down on fifth street, sounds pretty great. Maybe this weekend you and I could try it?” Dean offers, smiling hopefully at you. You pointedly ignore Nora from accounting as she stares at the two of you, and give him a gentle smile, shaking your head. “Thank you for the offer, Mr Smith, but I’m busy with these reports.” You reply, his expression falling slightly and tugging at your heart. “Yeah, sure, I get it. I, uh, better get back to it.” Dean says brightly, masking his hurt at the rejection. “I’ll be in with the statistics on customer satisfaction in fifteen minutes, Sir.” You nod, pivoting in your seat and focusing on the documents in front of you. Dean hesitates a moment more before retreating into his office.

                “Y/N!” Nora exclaims the instant he’s out of sight. “I cannot believe you, turning down that man again!” She sighs, shaking her head at you in disappointment. “You can’t tell me he’s not attractive, and he’s such a sweetheart towards you! What on Earth is wrong with you?” Nora demands to know. You pinch the bridge of your nose and swivel in your chair to face her. “Yes, Mr Smith is attractive and very kind, but he is also my boss, Nora, and I’ve worked too hard to lose it all now over a man, no matter how much I fancy him.” You say shortly. Nora is gaping slightly and you frown. “If that’s all, I have work to do.” You dismiss her, going back to the report you’d been reading. What you don’t notice is Dean Smith in the doorway, flushed in pleasant surprise with Nora staring at him wide-eyed.

                    A prompt fifteen minutes later, you walk into Dean’s office, neatly organized reports tucked under your arm. “Mr Smith?” Dean looks up at you, smiling softly. “Those the reports? Thanks, Y/N,” he says as you nod and take a seat, “but it’s Dean.” He adds. You smile wryly, but don’t correct yourself, Dean smirking slightly as he shakes his head. “I’ll start in chronological order from the oldest to the most recent.” You say, opening the first report. “Wait, Y/N, I wanted to ask you something first.” Dean halts you. You look at him quizzically. “I may have... overheard your conversation with Nora.” He admits. Embarrassment courses through you. “I’m so sorry, that was highly unprofessional of me-” “Y/N, you’re not in trouble.” Dean chuckles. “I think it’s fairly obvious that I like you, and I have for some time now. Obvious to everyone including Jo, who threatened to ask you on a date for me if I didn’t do it myself.” He shrugs. You fidget with your wrist-watch, eyes darting away from the warm jade pair fixated on you. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, and if you’re really not ok with me flirting with you, I’ll stop, but I just want to know something.” Dean says, taking a breath. “If you didn’t work for me, would I have a chance? If I wasn’t your boss, and you still worked for Sandover, and I asked you out, would you say yes?” Dean questions. You furrow your brows, looking back at him. “I- I s’pose so, yes. You don’t make me uncomfortable, Dean, I just really can’t risk my career. I do like you.” You confess, looking away again. He grins at you. “What?” “You called me Dean. You always call me ‘Mr Smith’.” He says, still grinning stupidly at you. You balk, thoroughly flustered. “Well, I-” You cut off, unsure what to say. “Why are you asking me questions like this?” “Don’t worry about it. Go ahead with the reports, Y/N.” Dean smirks.

                  A week passes, and while Dean still flirts with you and is just as sweet and attentive as ever, the more obvious gestures are less. You do your best to pretend you haven’t noticed, nor missed, the lack of flowers waiting for you, or some strange object you laugh at but tuck away with a secret smile. Things seem to be normal- meetings, emails, reports, negotiations, business deals, quotas, and gossip, falling back into the routine you cultivated so meticulously. And then, like a stone tossed into a still pond, your life is disrupted, that constant swept away in the current, and none other than Dean Smith is to be held accountable for it.

                 You don’t bother to knock- you knew his schedule, and knew he wasn’t busy. The doors to his office are flung open, and closed just as dramatically while you storm into the room. He has the audacity to look amused, but you’re glaring at him. “What did you do?!” You demand. “What d’you mean, sweetheart?” He asks innocently, but you’re not buying it. “The company’s big-wigs called me into a meeting, Dean. They offered me a job as project manager for the contracting division, huge bonus off the bat.” “That’s amazing, Y/N!” He grins. “Cut the rabbiting, Dean! What did you do? Why? Was I doing something wrong?” You ask, tone significantly quieter. His expression changes, a frown forming. Dean quickly rounds his desk, taking your hands in his. “No, Y/N, c’mon, you’re the best there is. They were looking for someone to fill the position. All I did was recommend you, you got the job on your own.” He assures. “What?” “Yeah, I mean, I’ve told you before, you know the numbers better than me, and you’re one hell of a negotiator despite not being a lawyer.” He shrugs. “Oh.” You say, the anger draining out of you instantly. Dean laughs slightly. “Before you ask, I didn’t give them your name just because I fancy you either. You earned this job, and you’re a smart woman, Y/N, too smart to be an assistant your entire life.” Dean says with a fond smile. You nod your head, taking it all in, a wide smile growing. “But you do fancy me.” You state teasingly. He laughs. “I don’t buy flowers for just anybody, y’know.” He winks. “Well then, Dean Smith, I think there’s celebrating to be had, and I happen to know this restaurant on fifth street. Care to join me, this Friday perhaps?” You offer boldly. Dean’s brows shoot up in surprise. “You’re serious?” “Yes.” “Hell yeah. I’ll pick you up at seven?” “Perfect.” You beam. Before you can walk away, Dean tugs you towards him, leaning in slowly. You meet him halfway, grinning uncontrollably against his soft lips. “It’s a date.”

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