#plus who was it making rude words on the scrabble board

[jessieren]

HIA Final night: Part 1

It’s the final night of Here In America so I thought I’d do a recap of some of the amazing photos and content we’ve been lucky enough to have on a regular basis over the last couple of months.

Let’s hope that he does more theatre soon

Ahhh the black t shirt... how we love you

The navy sweater vest and the questionable pleated jeans.. but the HAIR

Still want to know what happened about the dark hair... there's a definite story in there somewhere...

Where oh where oh where did that SCRUFF go???

[i-am-bitterly-jittery]

The Great Dessert Caper

A quick fic from the Parent Trap AU I laid out a couple days ago (you don’t need to see it to read this)

Word Count: 2642

Rating: Teen

Pairings: Mociet and Remile (plus momceit and dadton)

Warnings: no warnings but some important things to know is that Janus is Remus and Virgil’s dad, Patton is Roman and Logan’s dad, and Virgil is selective mute

~~~START~~~

The last month of Logan’s summer had certainly been a strange one. First, Roman came home from camp acting strange. Then Logan learned that Roman has an identical twin brother who’s been living with Patton’s ex-husband and Roman’s father Janus, and that Roman and said twin ended up going to the same summer camp and decided to switch places! That led to Patton ushering them to New York to switch the two back (technically, Logan didn’t have to come, but curiosity had gotten the better of him and he just had to meet Patton’s ex-husband for himself). Once in New York, Logan was treated with the knowledge that Roman and Remus were trying to get Patton and his ex back together again, and uncle Emile was helping!

Logan was exhausted, so he was grateful to learn that Janus was taking the twins, Remus’s younger brother Virgil, and Janus’ (rude) fiancé on a camping trip before Patton took Roman back to California, leaving Logan, Patton, Emile, and Janus’ coffee-addicted housekeeper alone in Janus’ house for the weekend. It was Logan’s first chance for peace since Remus had taken Roman’s place returning from camp. Remy and Emile had both disappeared within two hours of the others leaving, but that didn’t bother him, it just meant a little more peace (and that he and Patton were now alone in a practical stranger’s house, but Patton had no qualms about making himself at home, so Logan let that one go).

Of course instead of the three days of peace Logan had been promised, Janus and the kids returned the very next day, sans fiancé. 

From what Logan gathered while the twins were being frog-marched to Remus’ room, the twins and Virgil had spent the entirety of the trip terrorizing Janus’ fiancé until he couldn’t take it anymore and ended the engagement. It was clear on both the twins’ faces that they had no regrets, even as they ended up grounded until Roman went back to California. 

Logan was currently trying to salvage what was left of his peaceful weekend by reading in the living room, as far away from where the twins were blasting Disney CDs on Remus’ old CD player as possible. Patton and Janus were outside on the balcony overlooking the lake, probably discussing how this joint-custody thing was going to work. And with Remy and Emile still gone, that left only one culprit for the hairs standing up on the back of Logan’s neck, and the acute feeling of being watched. 

Still, Logan was resolute in ignoring the five-year-old as he continued his reading. 

Five minutes passed and Logan was no longer reading, he stared at the page blankly as he waited for the child to get bored and leave. Weren’t five-year-olds supposed to have short attention spans? Why was this kid still staring at him?

It only took another minute for Logan to break.

“What do you want?” He asked the child, quietly so as to not attract Patton or Janus’ attention. 

Virgil grinned and crawled over the back of the couch to sit next to Logan. Then he took the two folded pieces of construction paper he was carrying and spread them out over the coffee table. 

The first sheet of paper featured two stick figures — one short and purple, the other tall and navy (presumably meant to represent Virgil and Logan) — going through a series of steps that appeared to be a plan to steal the desserts Logan had smelled Remy making yesterday morning from the kitchen and taking them to the twins upstairs. The second sheet featured a relatively well done schematic of the house, complete with yellow and blue stick figures to represent Janus and Patton on the balcony, red and green stick figures representing Roman and Remus in their room on the second floor, and numbers correlating to the different steps in the plans, demonstrating where in the house they would be for each step. 

The whole thing was very impressive, and Logan was almost shocked at the detailed planning of the child — of course he’d already met Virgil’s father and older brother, so he was well aware of where Virgil got it from — there was only one flaw. 

“I’m not helping you steal snacks for those delinquents,” Logan informed him sternly. Virgil pouted, but Logan held firm. “No, your father said they were grounded, and that includes no treats.”

Virgil’s lower lip began to wobble, and his eyes filled with tears. It was like taking a wrecking ball to Logan’s defenses. 

“No, no wait!” He rushed to say. “I’m sorry! Don't cry! I’ll help you steal the desserts just don’t cry!”

Virgil instantly perked up, grabbing Logan’s hand and dragging him towards the kitchen. Logan wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or horrified with the kid’s manipulation tactics. Clearly Roman and Remus had overthought their plan to get Patton and Janus together, obviously the only thing they needed was for Virgil to pout them into submission; Patton would have caved before Virgil’s lip even began to tremble, and Logan seriously doubted that Janus was any more adept at resisting the kid than Logan was. 

Virgil stopped in the hallway just short of the kitchen and brought a pudgy finger up to his lips in a shushing motion. Logan nodded seriously because clearly this kid was a professional thief and to treat this caper as anything less than completely serious would likely get Logan blackballed in the world of children thieves (which was apparently something that was important to Logan now). 

Virgil peaked around the corner into the kitchen, then quickly pulled his head back, flattening himself against the wall. After a moment of silence, Virgil motioned for Logan to take a look as well. 

Logan leaned over Virgil to get a look at the kitchen. It was the same as it had been earlier when Logan made himself some tea, and had Logan’s intentions been innocent, he’s sure that the sight of Janus and Patton right outside the French doors wouldn’t have even given him a second of pause. But that was then, Logan was a criminal now, and as such, he was grateful that both of the adults had their backs turned and didn’t see Virgil and Logan looking at them. Janus and Patton were standing rather close together — much closer than they really needed to be to discuss custody — and Logan wondered idly if the twins’ plan was working. Glancing down at Virgil, Logan realized that he wouldn’t mind if Patton and Janus got together, having two more brothers might not be that bad. 

Virgil held his finger to his lips again and slowly crept into the kitchen. Logan followed behind him, keeping a careful eye on the adults outside. Virgil snuck up to the fridge and carefully pulled the door open, the seal made a noise, and the door squeaked a little, but neither sound was loud enough to draw attention to them. Virgil pointed to the top shelf of the fridge, and Logan realized what his part of the caper was: the desserts were stored too high for Virgil to reach them on his own. 

With one last glance at the men on the balcony, Logan stepped up to the fridge. First, he got down a Tupperware of cookies which he carefully placed in Virgil’s arms. Virgil continued to stare at him expectantly, so Logan proceeded to grab both the Tupperware of cupcakes and the plate of cinnamon rolls as well. Virgil gave a satisfied nod, so Logan closed the fridge, sent one last look at their dads, and followed the child out of the kitchen and up the stairs. 

The door to Remus’ room was wide open — no doubt because both the twins were of the mindset that when they’re grounded it’s their job to make it into everyone else’ problem — so Virgil walked right in with his stolen cookies held aloft triumphantly, Logan followed without the same gravitas. 

“Way to go Vee!” Remus cheered as Roman took the Tupperware from Virgil and offered the five-year-old the first cookie. “You got the nerd involved!”

“Careful, or I might just go tell Patton and Janus what the three of you are up to,” Logan threatens, with no real intent behind it. 

“Aww come on, specs, you wouldn’t do that to Virge,” Roman teased. Virgil pouted at him for emphasis and Logan just melted further. 

“No,” Logan sighed in defeat. “I wouldn’t.”

Virgil grinned and hugged Logan’s legs, and Roman let out a victorious whoop. 

“Sit ‘own, Lenny,” Remus ordered. “We’re playing scrabble. You have to be on Virgil’s team.”

“Lenny?” Logan asked as he joined the twins in sitting criss-cross in front of a scrabble board. As soon as he was seated, Virgil climbed into his lap. 

“Cuz Virgil is clearly the George here,” Roman explained. Ah, Of Mice and Men, got it. 

Unfortunately, the rules of scrabble mean very little to everyone who wasn’t Logan, and the new rule is that any ‘word’ goes as long as you can provide a plausible definition for it. Fortunately, Virgil is more than willing to put any combination of letters that even vaguely resemble a word onto the board, and the twins were both willing to accept any fake definition Logan gave them as long as Virgil was using his pout against them. 

It’s safe to say that Logan didn’t mourn the loss of his quiet weekend too much. 

~~~

Patton and Janus’ conversation was going rather well if you asked Patton, it was clear that Janus was also harboring unresolved feelings. Unfortunately, right as Patton was certain that they were about to kiss was when Emile and Remy chose to come home. 

“We’re back, babes!” Remy threw the porch door open, with a grin that made it clear he knew exactly what he was doing. 

“Back from where exactly?” Janus asked, looking for all the world like he was trying to set his friend on fire with his mind. 

“We went out for a picnic,” Remy smirked. 

“You left yesterday!” Patton exclaimed. It was a good thing Emile sent him texts to check in, otherwise Patton might think that his brother had gone missing!

“We had dessert afterwards.” 

Patton blushed and stuttered something about not needing to know what his brother was doing. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Janus watching him fondly. He wondered how he was ever going to build up the strength to leave again. 

“So where are the ragamuffins?” Remy asked once the three of them had returned to the kitchen. “I’m surprised they’re so quiet.”

“Remus and Roman have been grounded,” Janus informed him. “It seems that they just didn’t get along with Marcus.”

“Oh? And where’s Marcus?” Patton had to fight to keep a grin off his face at just how smug Remy sounded. 

“Probably on his way back to the city. He’s decided to pursue… other options in his life.”

“Good riddance.”

“Thank you, Remington, you’re so tactful about my feelings.” Janus rolled his eyes. 

“Gurl, that guy sucked. One time I saw him throw a stick into the yard and tell Virgil to go fetch.”

“He’ll be truly missed,” Patton said, sending his most innocent look at Janus when the other turned to glare at him. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what part you played in this!” Janus pointed an accusing finger at him, but Patton continued to bat his eyes, the picture of purity.

“Looks like La Femme Rouge was here!” Emile called from the living room. 

“What?”

Emile entered the kitchen a moment later with two pieces of paper in his hand. On the paper were a bunch of stick figures drawings. 

“I’m guessing the desserts are missing from the fridge.” Janus said, sounding exhausted. 

Patton opened the fridge to find the top shelf completely devoid of sweets. 

“Someone’s committed a sin-namon,” he joked

“How did the squirt reach the top shelf?” Remy asked incredulously. “He’s like this tall!” Remy waved his hand around the height of his knee. 

“It looks like he got help,” Emile said, pointing to a drawing of two stick figures, one purple, one dark blue. 

“And to think,” Patton said dramatically. “That my oldest son is a criminal!”

“If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen,” Janus said, making his way towards the stairs. “I have to go put our criminal mastermind in jail.”

Patton chuckled and followed behind him. He had been planning on saying goodnight to the twins anyway, might as well return whatever was left of the treats to the kitchen. 

The door to Remus’ room was wide open, Janus strode right in while Patton hung back at the doorway, watching his little family fondly. Roman and Remus were on the floor playing Guess Who? while Logan read a book, his back leaning against the bed. Virgil was in the bed, already asleep, which was good since it was well past his bedtime. 

“Guilty of conspiracy to burgle, and tomfoolery!” Janus declared as he marched into the room. 

“Objection your honor!” Remus cried out. “We’ve received no legal counsel!”

“Logan,” Janus turned to the teenager who looked a little startled. “How do your clients plead?”

“Guilty,” Logan answered immediately, much to the chagrin of the twins. 

“Then I sentence them to no more sugar tonight, and veggies in their omelets in the morning. And how do you plead, Logan?”

“Guilty.”

“Then I sentence you to return your ill-gotten gains to the fridge.” 

Logan nodded and started collecting the remaining sweets. 

“And you, you little monster,” Janus leaned down and picked up his youngest. “Are guilty of thievery, conspiracy to burgle, and of being the cutest criminal ever, how do you plead?”

Virgil mumbled sleepily against Janus’ neck, but didn’t answer. 

“Then I sentence you to one night in jail. Go to bed, boys!” Janus called as he carried Virgil to his own room. 

“Night, dad!”

“Goodnight dad!” 

“Brush your teeth before you go to bed,” Patton reminded them. “You wouldn’t want to get cavities from all that sugar you just ate.”

“‘Course, pops.”

“We will, padre!”

Patton smiled, he could stay here forever, with his perfect little family. 

Of course they weren’t quite a family, and Patton would have to go home sooner or later, he would have to take Logan and Roman with him, and they would have to leave Janus, Remus, and Virgil behind. 

“Logan, let me walk you to the kitchen. Goodnight boys!”

The boys called their good nights, and Patton closed their bedroom door. 

“You just want the cookies for yourself,” Logan accused as soon as the door was closed. 

“Of course!” Patton took the cookies from Logan, leaving the teen with only the cupcakes and cinnamon rolls. “Did you have fun today?”

“Yes,” Logan admitted, a blush covering his face. Patton beamed. 

“Are you going to get back together with Janus?” Logan asked once the desserts were returned to the fridge. Emile and Remy were gone again, and Patton doubted that he wanted to know where they went. But Logan’s question threw him for a loop. 

“It wasn’t my intention when we came here,” Patton admitted. 

“But you tried to get rid of his fiancé,” Logan pointed out. “You’re just as guilty as the twins in that regard. And you wanted to look your best when you saw him again.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Patton trailed off. He gazed out the window. Outside it was dark, Janus owned a considerable amount of land, and not a house was visible except one tiny cabin on the other side of the lake. It was a beautiful home for kids, and Remus and Virgil were very lucky to have grown up here. 

“I like it here,” Logan admitted quietly, reluctant to break the peace that had settled over the house. 

“So do I.”

~~~END~~~

I wrote this in four hours nonstop this morning

I don’t know if I’ll write more for this AU, but if I do it probably won’t be in chronological order

I just love kid!virgil he’s so cute and no one can resist his pout

General taglist

@royalty-of-all-things-snuggly @pixelated-pineapple

[violetlou2020]

DAY 02 of @flufftober2021

Sneaking Out Together

Title: In this Moment [Chapter 1]

Author: Vividly_Violet

Fandom: Tokyo Revengers | 東京��リベンジャーズ

Rating: General

Relationship: Mikey | Sano Manjirou/Takemitchy | Hanagaki Takemichi, Mitsuya Takashi & Takemitchy | Hanagaki Takemichi, Hanagaki Takemichi & Toman Gang

Word Count: 1864

Chapter 1

School just ended and Takemichi wanted nothing more than to go home, eat dinner and then pass out on his bed. It's been a tiring week what with the constant chaos his life has turned out since joining Toman and subsequently dating its leader.

Even before he joined the gang he was already a trouble magnet as the rest likes to call him. Attracting unwanted attention especially from other delinquents that has him ending up bruised and hurting, it's made 10x worst with Mikey added in the equation since anyone who has a grudge against Tomans president or wanted to increase their street cred keeps targeting him since word got out of their relationship thanks to said leader blabbering their status to everyone they meet as a form of showing his possessiveness.

He also has a very punchable face as Baji would laughingly put it and Chifuyu couldn't even refute nor defend him from that statement. At least tomorrow was the weekend. The mizo middle all have different plans for tomorrow, Toman doesn't have any scheduled meeting or any upcoming fight, Mikey and his sister along with their Grandfather are suppose to go on a trip today according to Hina who heard it from Emma herself. So no clingy boyfriend trying to monopolize his time. Finally. A weekend all to himself.

Or so he thought.

"What are you all doing here?" he asked flatly at the crowd gathered in front of his house.

"Takemitchy~ why a sleep over of course!" Mikey exclaimed excitedly.

"Sleepover? I didn't hear any of this. Weren't you and your family supposed to be on some trip." the teen exclaimed.

"Bailed on them, why do I have to hang out with them when I can spent my time with you." Takemichi blushed at that but shook his head. No he will not fall for Mikey's cliche yet none the less sweet words.

"But why at my house, no one informed me of any sleep over."

"Huh, didn't Mikey texted you." Draken asked.

"I didn't received any." Draken turned Mikey.

"Oi didn't I tell you to inform Takemitchy." the taller teen smacked their leaders head.

"Ehh I forgot. Uhhg you keep hitting me, that's why I keep forgetting things." Mikey whined.

"You've been hit by a freaking metal pipe before, the hell does my smack have anything to do with you not texting Takemitchy." Draken hissed at the shorter boy.

"It does so!"

"Why you—"

"I guess we couldn't impose on you like this." Mitsuya said side eying their commander and vice commander who were now pulling at each others hair.

"Who cares we're here, might as well get on with it." Baji said pushing himself from the crowd towards the front door before Chifuyu stopped him.

"Baji-san we came here unannounced. That's rude."

"Sorry for the trouble." Mitsuya apologized. Bless the only reasonable man in Toman, Takemichi thought.

"Ahh no no, don't apologize Mitsuya-kun, it's okay. We can uhh have the sleep over." Takemichi quickly said.

"You don't have to—"

"No, no its really okay. You guys are already here. It'll be rude to turn you away plus— wait where are they?"

"Huh? Oh those guys." the pale lavender haired teen sighed and face palmed as he watch his friends make their way into the house without letting its resident welcome them in.

"How'd you open the door!" the awfully blonde haired teen exclaimed.

"I have a copy pf your key!" said Mikey spinning the key on his finger.

"How!?"

After Takemichi successfully convinced Draken to take the key and compromising that he'll be the one holding it, much to Mikey's pouting or threat all of them gathered in the spacious living room.

"So what are we gonna do?"

There was a chorus of "Movies"

"Video Games"

"Board Games"

"Food"

There was a short pause. Everyone looking at each other and before you knew it the gang erupted into a shouting match on what to do first with Mikey loudly whining about being hungry as he threw wrappers on the others head and Baji almost breaking a vase. It continued for a while until Takemichi had enough of it.

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone quieted down, not used to seeing the crybaby loose their temper except for when Mikey and Draken broke some of his stuff but even then the pair couldn't take it seriously because of the dog shit situation.

"But I'm hungry." Mikey whined. Takemichi dragged his hand across his face. He went to the kitchen and came back with a pack of cookies.

"Here. Share." he glared as he handed it out to his boyfriend who reluctantly had the others get one before hoarding the rest to himself and nibbling on the treat.

"I guess that's the extent you're willing to share."

"Why don't we play some video games while others the boardgames before dinner then we can watch a movie after. How does that sound?" Mitsuya, being the only rational person in the group suggested.

"Tch fine." grumbled Baji.

"That sounds okay." Chifuyu said as he swatted his captains hands from taking his cookie. Draken shrugged in acceptance while Mikey gave a thumbs up as he stuffed his face with more cookies.

Takemichi gave Mitsuya a grateful look before showing Chifuyu where the video games and board games were stored.

"Ahh shit. I forgot, I don't have much in the fridge right now. I was planning on doing the groceries tomorrow but I guess I'll have to do it today."

"I'll come along with you. Might as well help out." The second division captain offered.

"Ahh thank you so much Mitsuya-kun! I'll meet you outside then, just let me change out of my uniform."

After Takemichi changed he rushed downstairs and shouted at Draken to keep the damage to his house to a minimum before grabbing Mitsuya's offered helmet and mounting the bike. The pair then drove off to the nearest grocery store.

🔹🔹🔹

After thirty minutes or so the pair returned to a still standing Hanagaki residence much to their relief even thou there were scattered scrabble pieces lying everywhere, Chifuyu sitting on Baji's back as he and Draken Play Mario Cart, the first division captain struggling to remove his vice off him and chess pieces in the fridge when Takemichi went to put away some of the stuff they bought.

"Why are there chess pieces in my fridge?"

"Mikey was being a brat, he put them there after he lost. Against Baji of all people. Now he's sulking at some corner." Draken explained without taking his eyes of the screen.

"I was not, Baji was cheating!" came Mikeys protest from the corner of the room. He was not sulking there. He just thought that the plant was better company than his friends. Takemichi just laughed nervously at them at least nothing was broken before going back to the kitchen to prepare their dinner. Mitsuya was already there preparing the rice. After he placed it on the rice cooker the two worked together to making karage.

"This is the last batch." Mitsuya said as he placed the floured chickens on the pan.

"Ahh thanks, can you ask the others to prepare the table. I'm also finishing up the side dishes."

"Sure."

It was Chifuyu and Draken who came up to set the table working carefully to not disrupt the two who were finishing up their cooking. Takemichi placed the bowl of Kinpira gobo — a salad made of braised burdock root and carrot — in the middle besides the platter of karage before washing up and removing his apron.

"Dinners ready!" he called out and Mikey and Baji came running to the kitchen.

"Calm down you dogs." Draken scowled, taking his seat besides Mitsuya.

"Ahhh this smells so good."

"Huh, You and Mitsuya sure are housewife material." Baji cackled as he shoved a piece of chicken in his mouth. Takemichi's eye twitched at the comment while Mitsuya remained unfazed.

"Hey if they're gonna be housewives I call dibs on Takemitchy." Mikey declared. Takemichi choked on his rice at the declaration while the others just collectively rolled their eyes.

"You— you can't just say stuff like that!"

After they ate, the group dragged some spare futons from the closet down the hallway and set it in the middle of the livingroom, pushing the couch back to fit it in. They then proceeded to raid Takemichi's room, his parents and even the guests room of its pillows. And dumping it all in the middle to create a small mountain of fluffy pillows which Mikey promptly jumped in to.

The rest of the night was spent on watching movies from horror films to comedy to some action films with a little disturbance along the way with popcorns being thrown and pillows hitting some faces that erupted into a pillow fight. But for the most part, the gang had fun till they all passed out in the living room at around 1 in the morning, Mitsuya being the last to fall asleep had the been the one to turn off the television.

🔹🔹🔹

Takemichi batted at the finger prodding at his cheek. After some time where the prodding hasn't ceased he groggily opened his eyes and was met with deep bottomless dark ones staring at him. He almost shrieked in surprise if it weren't for Mikey covering his mouth.

"Shhh" Mikey shushed and mouthed 'come' before he stood and made his way to the front door. Takemichi carefully extracted himself from Chifuyu's hold, the other teen had rolled to his side and clung to his arms. He placed a pillow in place of himself and chuckled when he heard his partner mumble 'baji' under his breath.

"Why are we sneaking out like this?" he whispered as he put on his shoes.

"No reason~" Mikey smiled as he pulled his boyfriend out the door who was struggling to put on the other pair of his shoes.

"Mi— Mikey-kun!"

"Shhh you might wake up the others. Now get your bike." Takemichi rolled his eyes but nonetheless locked the front door and pulled out his bicycle which Draken had thankfully fixed after breaking it again for who knew how many times already.

They rode is silence enjoying the cold breeze that wafted their face. The street was dead with the occasional business men staggering home, drunk or exhausted or both who knew. After a while Mikey pulled on his shirt and pointed to a konbini.

"Doroyaki, I want some Doroyaki."

"You woke me up for this?" Takemichi said exasperated but still followed his boyfriend inside.

Four packets of Doroyaki later the pair rode off again with no destination in mind just enjoying each other's company. A few minutes later just when he thought worriedly that Mikey has fallen asleep because of the quiet, he felt strong arms wrap around his waist. He almost swerved his bicycle but quickly righted himself.

"Mikey-kun?"

"Hmm can we be like this forever." Mikey sleepily mumbled against his back.

"I don't know about forever but we can stay like this for as long as you want or when my legs gives up peddling."

[rookieinbflat]

Stowaways

AN: I feel much better about this short fic than my last one, so I hope you guys like it too!

Ethan x MC (Levin Stern)

WC: ~2000

Levin is asleep in the front seat of Ethan’s Jaguar, she’s not been sleeping well since the start of the second trimester of her pregnancy, often complaining of headaches, nausea and back pain. All very common for a woman of her age, height and weight carrying twins but nonetheless, Ethan feels completely and utterly helpless to do anything to ease her pain. He tries to ease the uncomfort as much as he can but there’s only so much raspberry sorbet and shoulder massages can do. Levin is grateful never the less, she knows how far out of his way he goes to please her, like going to the linen store to get a soft blanket and cushion to keep in his car for drives like this. The older doctor doesn’t mind it when she falls asleep in the car, he loves driving, it's cathartic for him. He would drive across the country if he could. He plays Clouds by Debussy on the car's speakers and though he is yet to find enough scientific journals to confirm the long term neural effects of classical prenatal music exposure, he’s sure it can't hurt.

They’re going to spend the weekend with Levin’s family in Fairhaven, she gets very homesick when she’s feeling ill and this week has been riddled with headaches and cramps. So he took the weekend off to spend it with her, even though she’s fully capable of driving and it’s still very safe, Ethan feels much more at ease when he accompanies her on trips like this. Her parents live on a small block of land only a few minutes drive out of Fairhaven, the land is lush and green and whenever they’re there, Levin and Ethan feel immensely at peace. The stress and weight of the hospital are not on their shoulders, they spend their days on the farm soaking up the sun or horseback riding, though Levin might have to wait a bit longer before she can get back in the saddle. Ethan loves it here, the smell of fresh cut grass is his favourite but it’s not something you smell often in Boston. Levin’s older siblings are spread across the world, so it’s only the four youngsters occupying the house but Isa has made sure that Levin’s room remains untouched, awaiting her next visit patiently. Ethan loves Levin’s teenage room, the decor is green and lush like a forest with stunning photos she’s taken from her global living adorning the walls, lit up by strings of fairy lights. He’d never imagined he’d love the look of a room like hers but that’s what it is: hers. Ethan feels like he’s taken a step inside her mind, the serene part of her brain, that dreams in the sound of crashing waves and foggy mornings, dew on the long grass and rain hitting the roof.

Ethan loves Levin the most when they’re here.

The drive to Fairhaven is without trouble or excitement when they arrive at the small hobby farm just outside of town, Ethan shakes Levin’s shoulder gently, surprised she wasn’t awoken by the bumpy trip down the dirt drive. Levin rubs her eyes and pulls on her scarf before stepping out of the car and as if on cue, the front door to the farmhouse blasts open and Isa and Edda run up to greet the pair. They’re about to attack Levin with affection until they stop just a couple of metres short, remembering the two extra guests, stowed away beneath layers of skin and cashmere.

“Woah, your belly is really big,” Isa has a look of awe across her face and Ethan chuckles, moving to tousle her hair. She has obviously dressed herself today as she sports a bright silver skirt with farm boots and a Batman shirt.

“Our little stowaways are getting pretty big aren’t they?” Isa wraps her hand in Ethan’s as he leads the Stern women back inside the house, where Levin’s mother is now standing by the door, holding the dogs from escaping out into the yard.

“It’s rude to call out someone’s weight you big dork,” Levin retorts to the ten-year-old who laughs softly watching Levin navigate the stairs going up to the porch with a careful pace, leaning back into her steps.

Edda pipes up beside her, she had the biggest, most beautiful brown eyes and anyone who’s ever seen them says so, “I think you look gorgeous Levy,” Edda is beautiful inside and out, she’s a soft, empathetic soul and a bit of a sad sack at times, but she levels out the craziness of the Stern clan. Levin squeezes her hand as she makes her way over to the door, her mum enveloping her in a warm hug, she smells like Christmas morning - cinnamon and nutmeg. She must be making cinnamon rolls.

“Oh my lord, Levin, look at you!” Kina exclaims and holds her daughter at arm's length, Levin will be the first of her children to give birth to twins, “How many weeks now?” She asks as she leads Levin into the warmth of the farmhouse.

“Twenty-six weeks, not long to go now,” Levin replies as she walks towards the kitchen, on the hunt for something - anything to eat. The pregnancy cravings have got her eating more now than when she stress ate her way through the medical entrance exams and the final season of True Blood. Levin plants herself on one of the cushioned stools surrounding the kitchen bench, pulling a banana from the fruit basket less Ethan throw a fit over her not meeting prenatal nutritional needs. “Actually, I was hoping you could come up to the city next weekend, Ethan is going away for a medical conference and I’ll need help setting up everything in the new house,” Levin asks Kina as she brews a pot of tea, Edda has disappeared but Isa remains faithfully and loyally attached to her sisters side.

“Can I come? I promise I’ll be the biggest help!” She looks up at Levin with puppy dog eyes.

Levin has already demolished the banana by now, “Gotta ask mum dorkface, she’s the one that’s got to deal with you,” She hands the banana peel to Isa who dutifully disposes of the scrap in the compost bin.

Ethan is leaning against the kitchen counter chucking to himself, Levin has Isa completely entranced, ready to go to war for her fearless older sister, no task is too big or small for Isa to show her unending adoration. He knows that Isa has the same effect on his Rookie, who just last week, cried when she heard that Isa had the flu and she couldn’t go and take care of her little sister.

“I’m sure we could find something for you to do at the new house, maybe you could help set up the nursery?” Kina replies and Isa squeals with excitement, scaring the dogs and every human within a five-mile radius.

Ethan helps Kina make lunch, roast chicken with all the accompaniments and they take it out to the dining room to serve everyone. Marti, who is sixteen now has come out of her room to socialise, she’s studying hard to get into sports medicine and the ACTs are coming up soon. Jos, Isa’s twin brother, only speaks in four-word sentences and doesn’t sit still for long, he’s got pretty intense ADHD and keeping his attention for more than five minutes is more challenging than anything Ethan has encountered in his medical career. They sit around the table and debate on what to do for the rest of the afternoon - Isa wants to play board games, Edda wants to play lawn bowls outside, Kina thinks they should all sit in the sunroom and paint. Levin’s mother is an amazing artist, using art as her therapy on a daily basis, more often since she quit smoking cigarettes last year.

They decide on board games on the porch, so that Edda and Jos can run around as much as they please when they finish up with lunch, Levin forgoes boardgames to nap on the hammock, its the comfiest she’s felt in days. Isa and Ethan set up a game of Scrabble and as the game progresses, he’s sure this kid will run the world one day. How the hell does she know the word ‘liaison’?

“Are you excited for the babies?”

Ethan puts down his next tiles then looks up towards Isa, “I’m extremely excited but I’m also a little nervous,” he tells her truthfully, “I didn’t grow up in a large family like you and Levin, I haven’t had much experience with babies,” it almost feels like he’s talking to Levin when they have conversations like this, it’s like she has managed to clone herself into a pocket-sized version of Levin, though this version is almost more sassy than the original.

“I think you’ll be a good dad and me and Edda and Marti will help you, we know all about babies,” she nods with strong assurance, “plus you’re a doctor so you’re super smart so you can be good with babies,” Ethan chuckles at this as he tallies up the new score.

“I know a lot of babies in theory but the practice is a new field for me, Isa, I can tell you how many fingers and toes they have right now, but I don’t know how to stop them from crying when they come out,”

A look of wonder crosses Isa’s soft brown eyes, “You know what they look like right now?” Ethan can tell she’s completely forgotten about the board game as she leans across the table, “You have to tell me.”

Ethan leans across the table now too, resting his weight on his elbows, “Well,” he begins, “they have a thin layer of hair over them called lanugo which keeps them warm and they can hear things fairly clearly now - they know how to cover their ears if there’s a loud sound out here in the environment. They also open their eyes soon and they’ve fingerprints now as well,” the more he goes through the specifics of the babies life in utero, the more Isa’s face lights up, Ethan can see the cogs in her brain turning, trying to figure out what they look like and what it all means.

By the time they begin to finish their conversation, it’s well into the afternoon and almost time for the kids to wash up before dinner, the Scrabble game is long forgotten. Levin wakes from her slumber on the hammock and makes her way over to where Ethan is sitting, gently perching herself on his lap.

“You know we still haven’t thought about baby names,” Levin muses, interrupting Ethan from the trail of kisses he’s laying along her soft shoulders and neck. They haven’t asked the obstetrician about the sex of the twins, they want it to be a surprise.

“Hm, I guess you’re right, I haven’t been thinking about the names I do like so much as the ones I don’t,” he tells her, pulling her long hair back so he can kiss more of her décolletage, “but for what it’s worth, I like the name, Allegra,” Levin ponders this.

“I love that, I think its a gorgeous name, I like the name Laurence for a boy, Laurie for short,” she is hoping for two boys but she knows a girl would please Isa the most.

“Like Little Women,” Ethan points out, one of Levin’s favourite childhood books, she still keeps a copy given to her by her great aunt on the bookshelf, its pages yellow with age. Ethan would be happy with any combination of boys or girls, he just can't wait for the next and possibly most challenging chapter of his life to start. They sit out on the deck for hours, talking until Levin is almost falling asleep again. He takes her into the bedroom, turns on the strings of fairy lights and tucks a sleeping Levin into bed before sliding in next to her, the room is calm and peaceful with the soft, white glow of the lights as he places a kiss on her hair, “I love you, Rookie,” he murmurs into her hair, she smells like peaches and vanilla, “and our little stowaways.”

[tortuga-aak]

The best board games you can buy for game night

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

Board games are a great way to get friends, families, and loved ones together for some good old-fashioned fun. If you're tired of the same classic board games you've been playing since you were a kid, don't worry. We've rounded up some of our favorite board games, many of which you may not have played yet.

Despite our increasingly disconnected, virtual world — or perhaps in response to it — board games are back, and in a big way. We’re talking about face-to-face, players gathered together in one room, laughing and joking and moving pieces around an actual board here, not online games, or virtual reality, or video games.

If you haven’t played a board game since your Candyland days, or figured such games were only for old folks gathered around a Cribbage board, you’re in for a surprise. According to Adweek, board game sales in the US increased by 28% in 2016, while global sales reached $9.6 billion.

Many of the most popular new games were created in Europe. While old standbys like Monopoly and Scrabble have always sold well, most of the fuel in the board game fire is coming from newer hobby board games that millennials love, such as Catan, Pandemic, and Ticket to Ride. But it really doesn’t matter what generation you belong to. A well-chosen board game is a great way to socialize, have fun, and give your brain a strategic workout.

So get ready: It’s time for game night! And we’re here to help you choose the right game for the right crowd, whether it’s you against your significant other or a whole gang of your best buddies. 

Read on to see which of the awesome board games in the following slides pique your interest.

The best board games for large groups

Cards Against Humanity

Why you'll love them: Cards Against Humanity might be completely NSFW, but it’s a blast to play with a large group of friends. Apples to Apples is a great kid-friendly version if you need to keep things PG and PC.

The self-proclaimed “Board game for horrible people,” Cards Against Humanity is very easy to learn and play. Each player gets ten white cards, which have phrases such as “A super-soaker full of cat pee,” “A disappointing birthday party,” and “Michael Jackson,” while the Card Czar for that turn picks a black card, which might say anything from, “”What are my parents hiding from me?” to “I’m not going to lie. I despise _______________.” Each player then chooses the white card that they feel is the funniest response and sets it in a pile for the Card Czar to shuffle. The Card Czar reads all the responses, decides which is the funniest, and that player gets one point. Then a new player becomes Card Czar and the process repeats.

As most of the cards have phrases that are lewd, crude, rude, or just plain gross, this isn’t a game for children — the box itself recommends ages 17+ — nor is it suitable for adults who are easily offended, overly sensitive, or bothered by non-PC remarks. 

If you’re looking for a very similar game that’s entirely safe to play with kids or the easily offended, you’ll be happy with Apples to Apples. However, if you're none of these things, this is the card game for you.

On Amazon, this extremely popular game for up to 20 players has more than 37,000 reviews and an average of 4.8 stars. One satisfied buyer sums up the majority of comments with, “This is a hilarious game and is fun to play with family and friends on game night. I wouldn't recommend playing with anyone who is uptight or lacks a sense of humor/dirty mind.”

CAH has many expansion packs available, so you can add new cards as desired.

Pros: Very easy to learn and play, suitable for a large crowd of players, easy to end the game whenever players have had enough

Cons: Most of the cards have offensive, sexually explicit, or just plain gross comments, so some players might not enjoy the game, definitely not suitable for children

Buy Cards Against Humanity on Amazon for $25

Buy Apples to Apples on Amazon for $22.99

The best board games for date night

Carcassonne

Why you'll love them: When you want to spend some quality time with your significant other, break out Carcassonne, and start building a medieval town with your sweetie. Or, you can play the strategy game Hive for a change.

Forget about Netflix and chill, or yet another dinner out. This Euro-style board game sports the perfect mix of strategy and luck, is relatively quick to play and easy to learn, and yet is compelling enough to play over and over again. While you can play Carcassonne with up to five players, it’s most fun with two.

You create the game board as you play, working to lay out the medieval town of Carcassonne by arranging terrain tiles to establish roads, rivers, cities, and fields. Players claim various areas of the tiles, scoring points for placing thieves, knights, monks, and farmers. The game ends when all the terrain tiles have been placed, which generally takes around 30 to 45 minutes.

There are many versions and expansion packs for Carcassonne, but this newly designed version includes the original game plus the river and abbot expansions.

Considered an excellent choice for players new to Euro-style board games, Carcassonne has more than 600 Amazon reviews and an average of 4.7 stars. Buyers love the way the game is different every time and appreciate the need for both strategy and luck, as well as the fairly easy-to-learn rules.

But if medieval France isn’t your cup of tea, get your date night humming with a game of Hive, instead. This boardless game is played with insect-bedecked tiles and is something like a blend of chess, Scrabble, and dominos. The object is to surround your opponent’s queen bee while preventing him or her from surrounding your own. It’s all about strategy with Hive. This isn’t a game of luck.

Pros: Requires brainpower, not just luck, lots of fun for two players, game is different each time

Cons: If you prefer to just roll dice and move a playing piece, Carcassonne isn’t the game for you

Buy Carcassonne on Amazon for $26.89

Buy Hive on Amazon for $24.13

The best board games for game night

Codenames

Why you'll love them: Now you can be a spymaster with Codenames, the perfect choice for game night. Or, you can play The Resistance: Avalon for a magical game of good versus evil.

You’ve gathered up six or seven of your best friends, the drinks are flowing and the pizza is being devoured. You’re ready to break out the board games, and the one you’ll reach for first is Codenames.

Played with two teams, Codenames is great fun for up to eight players. Each team has a Spymaster, who is the only player who knows the secret identities of 25 agents, each identified with a picture card. The Spymasters give one-word clues while their teammates try to guess the identities of the secret agents, all while avoiding the assassin.

Codenames isn’t too difficult to learn or play, but it definitely sparks lively discussion. Because each game is short – generally only around 15 minutes – it’s easy to play several games in one evening, letting everyone have a shot at being the Spymaster.

As with most of the Euro-style games, there are several versions and expansion packs of Codenames available, but the most popular is the regular version, which has more than 1,800 reviews on Amazon and an average of 4.8 stars. Says one typical player, “Probably my favorite board game. You win at Codenames by being clever and knowing your teammates -no luck or chance involved. As long as the Spymasters know the rules, anyone else can jump in and out at any time, making it great for parties.”

If spies aren’t your thing, give The Resistance: Avalon a try. In this game of good versus evil, players – up to 10 can play – are randomly, but secretly, assigned to follow either Merlin for good, or Mordred for evil. All the players at the table work together to choose a team to go on a quest, but the evil players secretly work to sabotage the quest so it ends in failure. This is definitely a game for fun and thought, no luck involved here. Each game takes around half an hour to complete.

Pros: Lots of teamwork, strategy, and just plain fun

Cons: If one player is very competitive or bossy, they might intimidate less-outgoing players

Buy Codenames on Amazon for $12.79

Buy The Resistance: Avalon on Amazon for $17.01

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