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smilesvt · 4 years ago

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honey muffins | pt.1

pairing: seungcheol x reader

genre: fluff, suggestive, possible angst later on,,

warnings: slight suggestive but nothing smutty!

summary: a stranger who catches your eye leads to a swirling discovery of your fates. will you succumb to the forbidden love that lies between you?

‘You know we shouldn’t be doing this right now Cheol.' You whined, hands pushing against the mans broad shoulders.

Yet your complaints made him even more riled up. The fact he could taste you when he wasn’t supposed to made the adrenaline rush faster through his veins, the sounds of your sweet voice echoed in his mind and filled him with even more desire.

'Says who?' he whispered, his lips like shadows of your own, his soft breath seeping into your very self.

You had never wanted something so bad, to feel his lips against yours as he whined into your mouth, helplessly and at his very edge.

But you had self control.

And you would never let your desire get a hold of you.

~~~

You mustered the energy left in you to fully shove the man away, however his strong hands still gripped onto your sides.

'You know exactly who.' you sighed, as if you hadnt had this same conversation with him plenty of times before. The man scoffed, looking away with his tongue pressed firmly in the side of his cheek.

'Seriously? That’s all you can think of right now? Whilst you have that pathetic look in your eye thats practically begging me for more? Don’t make me laugh.'

Cheol had never got angry at you; and he wasn’t about to now. But the tinge of annoyance mixed with desperation hidden in the depths of his voice made you feel slightly guilty.

'Fine.' You managed to speak out, your voice calm and steady, yet your eyes looked down at your lap, unable to make eye contact with the man.

'Do what you want with me. Anything and everything. But you know what risk that comes with. Is it worth never seeing me again for a night of pleasure? I would hope I mean more to you than that.’

His hands fell from your waist and onto the cold kitchen counter you were sat on.

‘Of course you do. You know that.’

‘Stop coming so close to losing me then.’ You poked at his chest, and tilted his head up to look at you.

He smiled, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

——

Yours and Seungcheol’s families had never liked each other. It was a decades long feud, started when your great great grandfather opened a restaurant with his best friend, Seungcheols great great grandad.

The business had a slow start, what with the two men only being teenagers when they started selling their food to local people in the town. Little did they know, over the years, their seemingly perfect business would gain traction all over the country and earn them more than ever expected.

But as with most co-owned businesses, one half of the duo would become increasingly greedy, wanting more than the other.

And so the feud started. Seungcheols family had accused yours of stealing money from the joint bank account, and the business relationship crumbled.

Your great-great grandad opened his own bakery chain, specialising in his favourite, muffins: whereas Cheols turned his into a patisserie.

Fast forward to now, both of the families had stores around the country. You would have thought, what with the huge amounts of success from the two businesses, the family beef would have been quenched. Yet both of your families were stubborn: refusing to ever apologise or simply even acknowledge the other’s existence, despite walking past each others stores nearly everyday. And thats when you and Cheol came into the mix.

~~~~

You remember that day as clearly as if it were yesterday.

3 years ago, sometime in December, a fairly handsome man had walked into the bakery whilst you were working.

His beanie was pulled down low, with a few strands of espresso coloured hair peaking through. However the casual headwear contrasted the grey suit he was wearing, a burgundy tie pulled down in exhaustion and shiny black shoes at his feet.

You had had many weird and wacky customers walk in during your part time shifts at the family bakery (you worked in the heart of the city after all, weird was practically the usual) but something about this man had struck you. Your eyes had followed him as he perused around the store, occassionally stopping and observing the packs of bread. He looked way too interested in the baked goods, and you smiled to yourself as you looked down at the book you were reading.

'Excuse me.' A deep voice as smooth as honey had spoken from the other side of the counter. You quickly stood up from your stool and walked over to the till.

His golden eyes met yours over the rim of his thin gold glasses, with a sweetly intense gaze.

'How can i help you?' You had smiled at the man, your customer pleasing voice hiding your slight nerves.

'I was wondering, say you had a date coming up, and they really loved bakeries and such, what would you treat them to?'

The question had taken you aback, and he smiled as he noticed you pause to think of an answer.

'Well I’m personally a sweet sort of girl, so I would probably subconsciously choose something dessert like. A good neutral choice would be a muffin of some sorts-' you glanced over the array of treats that lay on the counter in front of you. 'I’d strongly recommend the blueberry honey one, it’s sweet yet not too overpowering, but I guess it’s all down to their personal preference.' You looked back up at the man, who flashed a warm smile at you.

'Perfect. I’ll take 2 of those then.'

---

It had been the day of your graduation when you decided to treat yourself to the slightly boujee patisserie down the road from your bakery.

Seungcheol remembered it as clearly as day.

The bell at the front entrance had jingled as a familiar girl waltzed through, a bright smile plastered on her face. He instantly recognised her; the pretty one from the bakery just up the road. She seemed to have recognised him too, as she slightly bowed her head towards him as she walked over to the till.

'How can I help you on this fine day mademoiselle?' he had questioned, taking the girl aback as she slightly giggled.

'Well I was wondering, say you had a person you wanted to impress and they really liked sweets, what would you treat them to?' He smiled at the words coming from her mouth, the ones that mirrored his own.

He gazed upon the small crescents your hazel eyes made as you laughed, a warmth seeping through his body.

His heart had never felt that way before.

---

From that day on, Seungcheol visited your store more often than he would like to admit. Sometimes he wouldnt even buy anything, he just wanted an excuse to be able to speak to you.

When the shop was filled to the brim with customers, he would simply wait at the end of the long line and you would smile at how stubborn he was.

~~~

'Its raining and you still stood out there.' You sighed as he shook his wet, curly hair in front of you. 'Worth it.' He flashed you his comforting gummy smile and your heart burst into smithereens.

'No work today?' You asked, looking down at the mans grey sweats and oversized hoodie, a backpack strewn over one shoulder.

'Fortunately not. There’s only so much pretentious business ladies in pencil skirts buying mille-feuille that I can handle.’

'I can imagine.' You sighed, glancing out at the thousands of raindrops hitting the shop window.

'At least its your day off tomorrow.'

You smiled internally: he knew your work schedule probably better than he knew his own.

'You might as well get something since you were stood out there for so long.' You started, opening a brown paper bag and waiting for the mans response.

'Hmmm...Is this new?' He pointed through the thick glass of the display.

You giggled. 'I’m glad you noticed. It’s a little something new we’re trialing, made by yours truly.'

'You shouldn’t have said that, I’ll end up buying the whole stock for you.'

'Don’t be stupid.' You chuckled, handing him the treat over the counter. 'Get going you idiot, I have to clean up.'

He took the bag with a smile. ‘I’ll see you soon, and let you know how good it tasted.'

---

Yet you never did see him soon.

The man stopped turning up after his shifts finished, he stopped waiting behind the long lines of customers. You would catch yourself staring out of the shop window, waiting-or maybe,hoping- to see a familiar mess of jet black hair pop into view, a gummy smile that made your heart burst, an outstreched hand waving excitedly at you.

But you never saw it.

'Are you expecting someone?' Your mother had asked you one day, when the shop was calm and empty, shaking you out of your daydream.

'No, why do you ask?' you wondered.

'You keep looking out of the window as if someones meant to be there.'

You nearly sighed, running a hand through your hair.

'It’s fine, just bored.'

‘Well the banquets tonight, hopefully you wont be bored there.'

The banquet had slipped your mind. It was a fancy dinner for corporate directors of companies around the country. Of course, you and your family had been invited. You knew your mom was hoping for you to meet some handsome rich man; she was always asking when you were ever going to get with anyone.

It was dumb you thought, constantly thinking of the man from the patisserie. You knew nothing about him, just his name and where he worked. Other than that, his whole existence was an enigma. That’s why it hurt when he stopped visiting, because you couldn’t even call him to ask what was up, or visit his home to check in.

He was a mystery man.

Then why did you care so much?

---

The truth was, Seungcheol wasn’t allowed to come see you. As he walked into his house, munching on the chocolate tart you had so carefully handed him, he couldn’t wait to tell you how good it was.

'Are you actually being serious?' his younger brother had said to him as he walked over to the fridge.

'What is it?' he turned around, chocolate circling his mouth.

'That’s from THEIR bakery... oh you are in so much trouble when I tell dad.' His brother ran off in the direction of their fathers study.

Dumbfounded, Seungcheol wondered. What was wrong with the bakery? It was just a local joint, surely no place his father would have any issue with.

However, as he turned the brown bag around to see the logo adorned on the front, he nearly dropped the tart.

There was no way.

No way he had fallen for someone he couldnt have.

----

So when you saw your parents disgusted faces as they looked at the family on the opposite side of the banquet hall, and your eyes fell upon a disgruntled Seungcheol, you had to stop your jaw from falling open.

It suddenly made sense, why he had seemingly ghosted you for weeks. His family mustve found out about him seeing you at the bakery.

His eyes met yours as you sat down at your table, and you swore you saw them light up.

You weren’t going to give up on this mystery man just because of your parents.

So fast forward to now, nearly 2 years later, where you were sat on your kitchen counter, the now not so mystery man in front of you.

Over the years, you and Cheol had been secretly hanging out without your parents' knowledge. You thought it was dumb, how the two of you, both adults with stable jobs and social lives, were meeting up in secret like teenagers hiding a relationship. Yet you knew if either of your families were made aware of this, they would do anything to stop it.

‘I’m sorry.' The man breathed out with a heavy sigh, his eyes suddenly glistening with the type of glow you hated to see. 'It’s okay.' You replied with a soft smile, patting the top of his head. You were used to this, Cheol getting too ahead of himself and apologising like a child getting caught stealing sweets.

It wasnt like he had never felt you before, the hotness of your skin against his hands as he ran them down your arms, your spine, your legs was something he knew well.

He had had all of you: apart from one place. Your lips.

You knew if your lips ever grazed upon his, you could never go back. And as much as you wanted it, as much as your body was craving it, you knew of its consequences.

'I’ll get going now.' He whispered, pushing himself away from the counter and picking up his suit jacket from the sofa.

You leant against the corridor doorway, watching the man pull on his dress shoes.

'See you tomorrow then? I’ve got some new cupcakes coming in that I think you’ll like.'

His ears shot up at the sound of sweets, and you giggled.

Some things never change.

He kissed the top of your head before opening your front door.

'See you tomorrow muffin.' he smiled, before walking out and closing the door behind him.

And everytime you saw his back in front of you, you hoped it wouldn’t be the last.

~~~~

a/n: ahhhh this is my first ever fic on here so if anyone reads this- which honestly im not expecting much- i hope you enjoyed, heres to many more xo

#seungcheol #seventeen #svt #svt imagines #svt fluff #seungcheol fluff #svt x reader #seventeen seungcheol #seventeen imagines #seungcheol imagines #scoups #scoups imagines #scoups svt

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sooghostwriter · 5 years ago

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Chef Soo. Three meals a day

Pairings: Do Kyung Soo x OC (Nameless, but I refuse to use Y/N)

Genre: Romance, AU, fluff, slow burn I guess. A molecule of angst.

BREAKFAST: Lemon Pie

The coffee owner and the baker

An important part of opening a cake shop/coffee shop was having an actual baker. She only had the good ideas and the money.

Fives chefs applied to the job and only one of them was smart enough to bring a taste of his cooking. Kyung Soo arrived with a lemon pie that tasted like heaven. It was also her favorite sweet. A match made in heaven. She hired him on the spot.

And she thanked that decision every day.

If she had to describe Kyung Soo in one word it would be an ant. Working none stop, focused on his job and a great team player. He was quiet and a bit serious, but he was her voice of consciousness. Whenever she came out with an idea that was unusable, he would tell her, with a lot of respect but stern. In other words, this is stupid, don't do it. Although sometimes that made her feel restricted. Because yes, macaroons were expensive and hard to do. But they were in trend. And a cake covered with macaroons could tempt anyone. It would be expensive, but she was sure they could sell at least two cakes per day. Or two cakes during the weekend “What about the work involved? Personally, I haven’t had good experiences making macaroons, and if we make them, I would have to neglect something, like the Mille-Feuille that sells great during the weekends” She felt smaller and smaller sitting on her chair. She knew he was right, of course he was. But her vision! She has seen it on her mind, a round cake covered in sweet almond pillows in pastel colors, maybe with some edible glitter on top “I know you have this Pinterest image in your head, and I can see it too, but we can’t risk that much yet, maybe in a couple of months…you could get another chef and they could be in charge of more complicated sweets, but for now, I don’t think we can do it” “I get it Kyung Soo, thank you for your honesty” “Are you ok? You look very disappointed…I mean…I could..” “No, don’t worry, Kyung Soo, you are the chef you know better than me, and I like that you are like this, just…don’t be so bland about it, this is my dream and I’m happy because it’s working, so I may get excited about it” “I’m sorry” He looked less stoic when he said it. Apologetic. He patted her shoulder and went to take the muffins out of the oven. The day Kyung Soo came to work for the first time they spend an hour talking. She shared her vision for the coffee, a cozy, calm and familiar place where people went after work when they didn’t want to go out with their coworkers, where a mom could go and read a book after leaving the kids with her husband, maybe where students could go for the wi-fi and regain some energy for the last class of the day. Of course she wanted to gain money, after all, she quit her job, took all the money from the unemployment insurance, sold her car, the jewelry her grandmother gave her and took a loan so she could open her coffee shop. She told him that for now, they needed to focus on flavor and quality. A small assortment of sweets to buy, and a menu of sweet things to serve like crepes and pancakes. He was immediately on board. He came up with the menu and the tarts, cakes, cookies, and desserts that they would sell. The first month was slow but steady, the second month was better, but not what they expected. By the third month, things took off. Kyung Soo’s Eclairs were always sold out by lunch, the Mille-Feuille cake needed reservation and people bought the chocolate mousse in bulks. They were extremely busy, but every day they reached their goal of the day. Kyung Soo worked as hard as she did. She never asked him, but she always had the feeling that for him this was his business too, his dream. Or at least he treated her dream has his. They were a perfectly synchronized team.

By the sixth month, she had already paid the loan. Just a couple of months and she would be able to hire a couple of people that could help Kyung Soo, now he had to do magic with his own hands and a part-timer. They grew closer too. Very slowly. Kyung Soo wasn’t distant or cold, but work was too much, and the only relationship they could have was a working relationship. Friendship was impossible when they were busy building up the business, cooking, fighting with the suppliers and putting down small fires, figuratively of course, except for one time. But under those circumstances, you end up knowing someone better than you know yourself. You end up getting used to that person’s company, voice, presence even his little habits. Like how he would tight his apron after putting something in the oven, or the cute face he made when whipping cream. She knew them all, since her eyes searched for him most of the time.

By the end of the year, Kyung Soo was interviewing someone for the position of baker. But the situation was better than what they expected, so they hired two new people. Kang Jisoo was a great patisserie with expertise in food styling “She can be in charge of the pretty sweets” Kyung Soo told her when they were going through her CV. She beamed in excitement. Jisoo was going to be Kyung Soo’s right hand. One of the CV’s caught their attention. He was also a baker, but he had an internship in France making bread “People keep asking us if we sell bread” “Can we hire him?” He asked with controlled excitement. She gave it a little thought, she liked the idea, but she was thinking on giving another use to the extra money they were making “Kyung Soo, actually, I wanted to give you a raise” He looked at her warmly, and she felt it all over her body. His eyes were always so expressive, he didn’t need to say anything. He was grateful “Thank you, but I can manage for now with the money I make, let’s hire him, and you raise my pay later” Kyung Soo was expecting something like that. Not because he wanted it, but it was something she would do. He heard her talk about it with her mom once. He could always hear her conversations in her office due to the glass door. She told her how she thought Kyung Soo wasn’t getting paid what he deserved. But she told him once that they were a team, they were in this together, and he promised himself to support her in this dream. So if now the right thing was to hire two new bakers instead of raising his paycheck, so let it be. So on Monday, the lovely Kang Jisoo and the bright Byun Baekhyun arrived, ready to start working. Kyung Soo took Jisoo and didn’t release her for the rest of the day. She did the same with Baekhyun, they came up with an assortment of 6 types of bread and his schedule. That day after a long day at work they went for dinner. They were very tired but excited to survive their first day at work. At one point in the night, she saw her new two coworkers with motherly eyes. They were cute, cheerful, with such a great disposition and most importantly, very talented. She caught Kyung Soo looking at his new coworkers too, stopping at Jisoo for a long second. She was surprised by how that made her feel. --- Since Baekhyun arrived, her mornings were more energetic. Baekhyun’s shift began at 5 am and ended at 2 pm. Since he was in charge of bread, those needed to be done during the morning. She arrived at 8 am, and was welcomed by a nice loaf of warm bread and a coffee that Baekhyun prepared for her. She got to share a lot with Baekhyun. He was the typical happy go lucky guy, who was always chirpy and who’s second language was flirting. Not on purpose, it was just part of his personality.

Byun Baekhyun was the typical energetic guy. He was always laughing, always making everybody laugh, your instincts would always tell you to like someone like him. And he has won her trust and friendship in a matter of days. Kyung Soo was always jealous of guys like him. He was so jealous of Baekhyun. But it was impossible to hate him. He enjoyed being around him, although they didn’t have a lot of time to share he enjoyed watching him. But he didn’t enjoy watching her laughing with his jokes. He never made her laugh like that.

It was Friday and Jisoo asked them if she could leave earlier for a friend’s birthday. They looked at each other and nodded at her at the same time. She was still young, she deserved to party, she commented as Jisoo left “She is a couple of years younger than you, don’t be so dramatic” He answered with a chuckle. She giggled with him, and Kyung Soo was sure this was the first time that happened, and he felt stupidly proud of himself. It was time to close and they were the only ones left working “Like the old times” He commented. He was right. It was like the old times. She couldn’t believe that her little but ambitious dream was going strong. The income now was steady. The coffee shop was never empty and Kyung Soo’s cakes were very popular. She stayed at the door of her office looking at Kyung Soo washing his hands. She knew she was looking at him lovingly, but he wasn’t paying attention so she allowed herself to do so. Their time to leave was closer, but she didn’t want to leave yet. She wanted to be with him a little bit more “Hey, I got emotional all of the sudden, wanna go for dinner, also known as drinks?” She asked as soon as the idea formed in her head, so in that way her common sense wouldn’t get in the way “Sure, let me go change” Kyung Soo dashed into the dressing room and left her there in shock. This was the first time they would go out together. They went to the usual spot where the four of them would go for dinner after a good week of sales. Kyung Soo ordered fried chicken and she went for a bowl of ramen. They ate in silence, a comfortable one. She took a spicy wing from his plate and he ate several spoons of broth from her bowl. The place started to get packed and the buzz in the air made them began to talk. It started with work talk, plans for next week, the menu for the coming summer, and the possibility of changing one of the providers “How do you feel about Jisoo and Baekhyun?” He asked her, moving the empty plates aside, resting his elbows on the small table “Great, I think we made a good decision hiring them, are you ok with Jisoo?” “She is perfect, she works diligently, her cake designs are terrific, and she is very nice to be around” The word Perfect kept resounding in her head “Baekhyun is good too, he makes amazing bread and he knows how to use the coffee machine” He commented, but it sounded very robotic “I’m always the one making coffee, so is nice to be served for once” Kyung Soo came to the realization that the only time he cooked for her was when he made that lemon pie for his job interview. He was her right hand, she put all her trust in him, and he couldn’t bake her a simple cupcake. He would change that as soon as possible. He couldn’t allow Baekhyun to win. He immediately felt embarrassed by his childish thought. They stayed there for an hour and a half talking. As always, about work, but there was something more. He took advantage of the situation, the atmosphere and the sensation he got from having her so close, smiling, joking with him, sharing with him. He felt hopeful, and when he went back home, for the first time he allowed himself to…imagine.

She arrived the next morning ready to fight with a couple of suppliers and to work on finances. Those were her least favorite things, but she was the one in charge of them, and she was kind of good at it. She was halfway done with her first task when Kyung Soo knocked at her glass door and went in “I brought you this” He said, leaving a mini lemon tart on her desk “For the old times” He said, not meeting her eyes and turning around quickly, disappearing into the kitchen. She grabbed her tart and bit into it without the need of a fork “For the old times” She mumbled to herself, giggling. She remembered with effervescence that afternoon when they met. She wondered if she liked him from that very moment. When she noticed that he was smart enough to bring a sample of his baking, to the interview to become baker at a bakery. Maybe her standards were too low.

As Kyung Soo was beating the eggs for the merengue of the lemon pie, he began thinking about her. He has been doing so since last night. Having a one on one time with her was unique, to say the least. On his ride home, and then on his morning commute to his job he kept recalling those first months working with her. Her determination, her strength, her curiosity. The times he could hear her from her office being passive-aggressive with the fruit providers. Or every time he arrived and found her sleeping at her desk. He wished he was caring enough, or brave enough to have made her coffee when that happened, to bring her a freshly baked donna. Baekhyun would have done it for sure. He also remembered the days he left work, just to come back to pick something he had forgotten and found her crying in her office. Always out of frustration or fear. All those times that he saw her so vulnerable and hurt he wanted to hug her. His arms itched to reach her and pulled her into his chest. To take the worry away. Just pass some of his calm onto her. But he was never brave enough. What they had was too precious to risk. Was too new to risk.

But then one day he realized that it wasn’t too new, but old. His feelings were well settled in his chest, and he had lost time. He could risk things now. But she was looking at someone else now. He would have to live with the craving his arms felt for her.

--- That Friday they had a terribly busy morning. And they would have some problems for the afternoon too since Jisoo cut her finger and was currently at the ER with Baekhyun. She left the part-timer on front and went to the kitchen to check on Kyung Soo “How are you doing? Need any help?” “Yes, I need to finish decorating these cupcakes, someone is going to pick them up in an hour, could you do that so I can take care of the orders?” She could do that much. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work “Wait!” Kyung Soo stopped her, holding one of her arms. He pulled a scrunchy from his right pocket and turned her around, sliding his fingers in her hair “What are you doing?” Her voice was a bit higher due to the surprise “You can’t do this with your hair down, so I’m braiding it” She stood still. Although she was sure her hands were shaking. She was sure this was the closest he had ever been. She was sure this was the first time he was touching her. His fingers brushed her neck burning her. His movements were a tiny bit clumsy but efficient. “You are good at this” She commented, trying to relieve the tension “I have practiced a lot with Jisoo, she always forgets to pull up her hair” She closed her eyes and released a long sight. He was already so close to her. Of course, they were. They work arm to arm, moving around the kitchen like a unit. But she and Kyung Soo also functioned as a unit. For a long time. Sure, she wasn’t a chef, but they were partners. Not officially. He was a worker, just like Baekhyun and Jisoo. Bur for her he always felt like more. He built the menu and signature of the coffee shop. People went there for his cooking. This coffee shop belonged to both of them. -- She arrived the next morning and found Baekhyun moving around the kitchen slower than normal “You look blue, is everything okay?” He sighed heavily, resting his body against the wall “Not really, You think Kyung Soo hates me?” “I don't think he knows how to feel that, why are you asking?” He walked with a heavy step to her side and rested his head on her shoulder like a gloomy puppy “I try to get close to him the little time our schedules overlap but he is so cold with me, he laughs but is always a shy laugh, meanwhile, Jisoo almost chokes to death the other day because of something I said” “He is very stoic” She tried to divert his line of thoughts “No, he kind of ignores me and I want to be friends with him, he is so cool” “You want me to talk to him?” He lifted his head and went to the dressing room with slow steps “No, what are you going to tell him anyway? I just hope he doesn't have a bad image of me” She followed him patting his back, understanding his feeling. She also wished Kyung Soo could give her more attention. “Good morning” Kyung Soo arrived, greeting and walking past them, into the dressing room “See?!” Baekhyun pointed, shaking her arm “Yeah, that was a bit cutting, you make us some coffee, I will check on him, maybe there's something going on” He nodded pouting and went back to the shop. She knocked the dressing room door, asking him if he was dressed “Yeah, come in” She opened the door and walked in, looking around, being nonchalant “Hello there chef” “Hello boss” She stood behind him and notice him having trouble tightening his apron “Let me do that, is everything alright?” She asked him as she tightened the straps around his waist “Yes” He answered, his voice low “Everything alright with Jisoo?” “Couldn't be better” She made a double knot and tapped his shoulder telling him she was done “Everything ok with Baekhyun?” “Sure” “You like him?” He sat down, taking off his shoes “He is great, although we don’t share the kitchen that much, why are you asking?” “No reason, just making sure everything is ok” “Sure, ok, then if you are done, I need to change my pants” She turned around quickly and left the room. When she went to the front of the shop, Baekhyun had already served three coffees and had a plate with a loaf of bread and butter “He says everything is ok” “You think he would tell you if he hated me” “I trust he tells me everything, so yeah, don’t worry Baekhyun” “Ok, if you say so, you think he would come to have breakfast with us?” She went to the back again and invite Kyung Soo to have breakfast with them. Kyung Soo accepted and when she arrived with him, she saw how Baekhyun’s imaginary tail began wiggling.

When she asked him to go and have breakfast with them, he really wanted to say no. He had some things to do, and also, if he could avoid seeing them act like old buddies, he would do it. But her questions in the dressing room told him something. She wanted to know how he felt about Baekhyun. He knew she cared about his input about everything, and if she wanted his approval on Baekhyun, she would have it. He liked him after all. He was a good guy. And share breakfast with them could be good.

----

She was talking over the phone with her lawyer when Baekhyun knocked on her door. She gave him a signal to come in and he sat at her desk waiting for her to finish. She was about to end a 20 minutes long call to ask her lawyer what she had to do to make Kyung Soo her business partner. There was a lot of paperwork involved and a lot of visits to the public notary, but it could be done if they both wanted it. She hadn’t asked him yet. She didn’t know how. She hung up and Baekhyun asked immediately what was she talking about since he could hear the last part of the call “I’m thinking about making Kyung Soo my business partner” “He isn’t already?” “No, but he is my right hand, this business his almost half his in terms of development and success, so I want him to have a part of it” Baekhyun looked lost “What are you talking about?” “What?” “I thought you and he had something, no?” She felt her cheeks blush “No, no... Why would you think that?” Baekhyun moved on his seat awkwardly “I don't know, there's always this weird tension between the two of you, and you guys are always business business business, but you are all the time stealing glances from each other when the other is not looking, and when you talk you guys are always way too close” His voice lost volume by the end of the sentence “I.. We just..” “You don't have to explain anything... But I may have told you something that you didn't know, so I better go now” She tried to stop him, she needed to know about this weird tension and the stolen glances, but Baekhyun was quick and left the coffee before she could reach him.

----- One Monday morning she got an envelope from a tourism website informing her that the coffee shop was selected as a “One of the coffee shops to visit in Seoul”. The four of them went for dinner that night to celebrate. As always Kyung Soo took care of grilling and serving, always putting more meat on her plate. When Baekhyun and Jisoo complained he said “She’s our boss” His voice was serious, but he was grinning. After a bunch of beers and maybe half a pig she was ready to go. She told the rest they were free to stay and handed her card to Kyung Soo. She got up and Baekhyun grabbed her wrist, stopping her “Let’s share a cab” She agreed gladly, she hated the idea of riding the taxi alone in those conditions.

Kyung Soo felt sick all of a sudden. They were so friendly. They were so friendly since day one. And he was aware that Baekhyun was that kind of person, even he felt close to him the first time they met, but this was different. Baekhyun knew where she lived. He had known her and been working with her for more than a year and he still didn’t know her address. Meanwhile, Baekhyun was holding her arm to help her stand up. It was over for him.

He had lost his chance. And Baekhyun took his.

-----

She had a good night of sleep that night. She woke up before her alarm went off and the warm water reached the perfect temperature. On her way to work, she didn’t meet a single red light and the coffee Baekhyun prepared for her was especially good. She greeted Jisoo at the kitchen and ran into Kyung Soo when he walked out of the dressing room. She greeted him happily because she was feeling happy and seeing him added to the feeling, but he only nodded at her. It was like a bucket of cold water. All her happiness faded away. Not even in his worst days he had been so cutting. Why was he acting so distant? She tried to convince herself that she was overreacting, reading too much into it, but during the morning she realized that she wasn’t. Even Baekhyun noticed it. Before leaving he commented to her between whispers “Did you say something to him?” “No, no that I remember, Did I? Something happened last night?” “No, nothing, when we were there everything was alright, we talked a lot and laughed with everything I said or did, he even poured me several drinks, and then we…oh crap” Baekhyun mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ “What? What is it?” “You don’t get it? I’m sorry, I feel that this is my fault, at least part of it, ok… I need to go” He grabbed his backpack and left in a hurry, without giving her the chance to ask for more. She cursed at him, still clueless of why Kyung Soo was acting like this, and only with her. That day they had to close the coffee shop early due to the cut of the water service. By 6 the shop was empty, everything washed and ready to close. She arranged everything at her office, moving languidly around the room, still sad about Kyung Soo’s cold shoulder. She wanted to go home and cry maybe. She didn’t like it, she hadn’t heard his voice all day long. He didn’t come to her office not even once to ask her to call the suppliers, or for her to taste something. She was going to steal some donuts from the refrigerator, go home and cry on the shower maybe. She was about to get her period, she was especially emotional, that’s why she allowed herself some self-love. She almost got a heart attack when she walked into the kitchen and met Kyung Soo with his jacket on, reclining against one of the counters, his head down, looking at his hands. When he heard her, he looked up, and hold her stare for a while “Can we talk?” She couldn’t find her voice, so she only nodded and walked next to him. She was terrified. She knew there was something going on with him, and his face of worry and shame prove her right. She wanted to make him feel better. To get rid of that dark stare, help him. Maybe this was the right time to talk to him about becoming business partners, maybe like this, his mood could improve “I need to talk to you about something… I have been thinking about this for a while, is an idea that in the last months has been developing in my head” She saw her hands shaking. She knew he wasn’t talking about a cake or a change in the menu, no one gets so serious to talk about that, not even him. Her last boyfriend said some similar words when he broke up with her. Those words, with that voice and that somber disposition never meant something good. Kyung Soo was about to tell her something terrible “Are you ok? You went pale all of the sudden” She looked up from her hands and found him looking at her face, his hand so close to her cheek she could almost felt its warmth. His entire semblance changed. He was still serious, but worried, his eyes big and round scanning her, searching what was disturbing her. He asked her a couple of times and she didn’t answer until she felt slightly better and under control “I…it’s just…you have been acting so weird today, and now you are being so serious now, I can’t tell why… I’m terrified” She was sure she wasn’t crying, but she heard her voice break. Finally, finally after months of craving it, he grabbed her face with careful hands, caressed her cheeks down to her neck and shoulders and pulled her into a hug. He held her by the nape, his right hand sinking in her silky hair, and his other arm held her softly, pulling her against his chest as close as he could. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms went around his waist and although his hug wasn’t tight, it calmed her down a little bit. She felt him speak. She felt his breathing against her shoulder but couldn’t hear what he was saying. She let go of him and searched for his eyes, but he didn’t meet hers “What did you say?” “I’m sorry” “For what?” He let go of her, his arms falling from her back to his side “What I was going to tell you is that…I have been thinking about moving jobs, maybe is time for me to move on” Her arms went to his waist again. This time her grip was tight. The panic his words caused her stirred her with desperation. If she had to stay like this, hugging him for the rest of her life so he wouldn’t leave, she would do it. She kept asking him not to leave, begging for him to stay. At first, he just let her be, he hugged her too, rubbing her back trying to calm her down, but it came to no avail. Kyung Soo grabbed her arms and unclasped them with a lot of difficulties. He called her name, trying to calm her down, but she held to his arms, still shaken by his news “This could be good for me, and for you too, Jisoo will stay in charge, she cooks the kind of things you like, and maybe a new chef with a new approach could be better for the coffee shop” She was in tears, her lips shaking as the air left her mouth in short and quick puffs. He got worried about her, he felt guilty too “No! No Kyung Soo, you can’t leave me, this coffee is what it is because of you” “Is not, this is your dream, I just helped you” “No, without you I couldn’t have done this, you are my chef, you are my partner Kyung Soo, please don’t…” Kyung Soo took a step back releasing himself from her grip. He looked unsettled, shaking his head, his eyes saddened “Just that? You want me here just because I'm your chef?” “What do you mean?” She asked, cleaning her tears with her sleeve. Kyung Soo took a deep breath after another until he could speak calmly “That's the only thing I am to you right?” She looked into his eyes for a long time. Kyung Soo now was being inquisitive giving her back a stare that intimidated her because she felt naked in front of him. She was sure she never showed her adoration in front of him. She was always professional, they were never flirty or platonic. They did trust each other and talked a lot, but she never felt anything from him, and she was sure she never showed anything more than admiration and respect towards him. She needed to change that “No! No, you are more” Build up the braveness to say more than that was harder than she would expect. “What am I then? And please don’t say your business partner” She noticed in his voice that they were equally desperate. They were equally frustrated and scared about what was happening. There was a lot to lose with this conversation. She could confess and lose her chef and a friend. But if he was so decided to leave, she needed to share with him how much she had fallen for him, because she loved him. And if he decided to leave after her confession and not look for her ever again, at least she got to tell him how she felt. She just wished she could have told him sooner “Kyung Soo…you are all that, but since always you have been my friend” He closed his eyes sighing in frustration “And I love you, I just… I love you so much, you can’t leave me, please don’t leave me” She finished with a string of voice, her hands in fists, her eyes closed, scared. Kyung Soo took two long steps whispering her name, and as she looked up, he cupped her jaw and covered her mouth with his own. She gasped and it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. Kyung Soo grunted softly in return as he dragged his fingertips along her jaw. Kyung Soo’s lips were soft and warm, but calm. It wasn’t a hungry kiss or desperate. He was testing, keeping himself in line. Despite the shock, she still thought she could spend the rest of her days kissing him without getting tired of it. He pulled back just far enough to let the air back into their lungs. His eyes gazed deeply into her eyes, asking for permission, although it was a bit too late now. She closed her eyes and he couldn’t resist too long away from her. He tilted his head catching her breath, and this time he kissed her with intensity. Intensity that she matched. The kiss itself was more tentative than anything, mostly because they were both unsure of what was going on. But she was the first one settling it when she caught his lower lip and suddenly sucked on it. Kyung Soo’s warmth was almost suffocating, and she wanted to taste it. He encircled one arm around her waist, placed the other hand on her nape as if locking her with his body so she wouldn’t leave him. He didn’t want to hold back anymore, he wanted her, he loved her, and she loved him too. Now it was the time to make up for the lost time. Her hands were on his shoulders, his neck, his arms, the sides of his face. It was desperate, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about the tiny frustrated sounds spilling from the back of her throat. She didn’t care that he was leaving her. He was quitting and leaving her behind. She backed away, looking at him wildly “You…Kyung Soo, you…you are lea…” He moved quickly to grab her by the nape, tugging her close so they could rest their foreheads together “It’s ok, I’m here, I’m not leaving” He breathed, stroking the back of her neck tenderly. She still looked fairly terrified, her pupils blown wide and shaking all over, but completely still in his hold “Kyung Soo” She called again, but he shook his head and moved his other hand to stroke her cheek softly “I love you” He whispered, although he knew it was not enough to reassure her now, even after the kiss “You really do?” “We kissed” He whispered against her lips, feeling stupid by saying that, but his mind couldn’t form better words. His fingers caressed the sides of her mouth and god, he wanted to do it again, wanted to seal his mouth over hers for another taste, just to feed that need he has been feeling for months. But he held himself. Instead, he took one of her hands and placed it over his chest, the spot where his heart was beating like crazy. Closing her eyes, she let her senses take over everything, wondering for how long she has been feeling like this, if this is what falling in love feels like, if this is what he feels like. She called his name again, and Kyung Soo called hers. They giggled together, feeling some of the tension dissipate “And…and what does this mean?” She stuttered "No idea" He whispered, and they giggled again. She knew what this was, he knew it too, so she leaned in and kissed him again. When they pulled apart and she opened her eyes she found him smiling brightly. He grabbed her by the waist, lifting and dropping her on the counter. She hugged his shoulders and rejoiced in the feeling of his arms holding her “You are not leaving right?” “No” “Why did you say that?” His ears went red and he looked down ashamed “I thought you liked Baekhyun, and I just couldn’t go through that” She called his name softly, feeling sorry for him, “Just to be clear, I don’t like him” “I know now” She made him look at her again, rubbing his nape “That’s why you were so cold to him?” He nodded, looking at her again “Ok, make sure to be nicer with him ok? He was very sad because he thinks you hate him and he really likes you” Kyung Soo’s eyebrows went up funnily “That’s why you asked me if I liked him?” “Yeah” “I thought it was because you wanted my approval to date him” She was shocked to hear that, and also felt incredibly guilty “Kyung Soo, for how long have you being suffering?” She caressed his face, kissing his cheeks “Kiss me some more so I can forget about that” She grabbed his cute face and kissed him softly, like a caress, an apology. Kyung Soo pulled back from the kiss, his hands moving to her thighs “What you wanted to say before?” She looked clueless for a while, not quite remembering what happened before. She took half a minute to go over the most recent events “Oh yes! I had a proposal for you, here” She grabbed his hand and jumped down the counter, walking with him to her office. If she was lucky enough, after that afternoon she would get a new boyfriend and a new business partner.

The End

Notes: Please, some feedback.

I think the next story will be up in two weeks. Miso.

#do kyungsoo #exosnet #Kyungsoo #d.o #kyung soo #d.o fanfic #d.o fluff #exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #dokyungsoo

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dragon-temeraire · 7 years ago

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Fool For Your Pastries

Summary: Derek the food critic meets Stiles the pastry chef.

Notes: Sorry I haven’t posted fic in so long! My real life has been a series of disasters lately, and I’ve just gotten behind on my writing. Also, I’d like to say that I know nothing about fancy pastries—I’ve just been watching too many episodes of The Great British Baking Show. (This is how I found out that ‘choux’ is pronounced like ‘shoe.’) (On AO3)

Derek stares down at the pastry, the taste of the first bite still lingering in his mouth. The choux is wonderfully light, a perfect juxtaposition to the thick, rich crème patisserie that it’s filled with. Not only that, but it also looks elegant, with a light dusting of cinnamon sugar and a swirl of dark chocolate ganache.

“Wow,” he says after savoring another bite. “Whoever made this, I want to marry them.”

“That’s quite a compliment,” someone says suddenly, sounding amused. “But I’m not sure I’m ready to settle down just yet.”

A young guy pulls out the chair across from him and sits nonchalantly in it, a smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth.

“You made this?” Derek asks, not insulting, just a little disbelieving. French pastries are difficult to make and harder to master, and this guy doesn’t look older than twenty.

“Sure did,” he says easily, clearly not taking offense. “Choux is one of my favorite pastries to make, I love how much it puffs up.” He slants Derek a look, gives him a more genuine smile, and says, “I’m Stiles, by the way.”

“I’m Derek,” he replies, a little shortly. His conversational skills have never been great, but they’re worse around someone as attractive Stiles, and the fact that he’s an accomplished baker only adds to Derek’s interest.

“Nice to meet you,” Stiles says. “You offer your hand in marriage after eating dessert very often?”

Derek has to swallow down his embarrassment before he can answer, with a straight face, “Only if it’s really good.”

“Well, don’t get ahead of yourself—you haven’t even tried my mille-feuille yet, or my delicious—”

“Please don’t tell me,” Derek cuts in quickly, smiling a little at Stiles’ enthusiasm. “Or I’ll never leave.”

“Would that be so bad?” Stiles asks softly, in a way that makes Derek’s heart race. He cocks his head, fingers lightly tapping against the table, and asks in a more normal tone, “So, what brings you to the restaurant?”

He’s polite enough not to end it with all alone?, but Derek hears it anyway. “I’m a food critic,” he says, hoping Stiles will want to keep talking to him anyway.

“Oh, cool,” Stiles says brightly, and Derek breathes a tiny sigh of relief. “I have nothing to do with the entrees—those are Lydia’s domain. And she’s pretty, uh, exacting, so quality is very consistent here. I only make the desserts—which is a lot more fun, in my opinion.”

“You make all of them?” Derek asks, eyebrows raised. “By yourself?”

“I usually have an assistant,” Stiles says easily, shrugging. “But I learned to make most of them by myself, so that’s usually when they turn out best.”

“It obviously works,” Derek says, taking another bite of pastry. “Because this is perfect.” He watches Stiles’ expressive face for a moment, the way his eyes dart from Derek’s fork to his lips and then back again. “What’s your favorite thing to make?”

“Honest answer?” Stiles says like it’s a secret, eyes practically glowing. “My favorite thing is a batch of chocolate chip cookies, hot and fresh out of the oven. I know my job is to make all these beautiful, complex desserts—and I love them, I do—but sometimes I’m just in the mood for something more simple, you know? Is that weird?”

“I don’t think so,” Derek says, eyes catching on the slight flush on Stiles’ cheeks. “I love to cook fancy things myself, and obviously I eat expensive food for my job, but sometimes when I go home I just make myself a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner.”

Stiles gives a delighted laugh. “But are you one of those people who makes a ‘simple’ grilled cheese with fresh herbs and three different kinds of cheese?”

“Not at all,” Derek says, grinning. “In my opinion, nothing can top the perfect simplicity of crispy, buttery bread and rich, melty cheese.”

“Agreed,” Stiles says, and even though it’s for nothing substantial, Derek still feels pleased. “And I did want to tell you: my favorite thing to make here at the restaurant are the buche de noel cakes I do for the holidays. I make a dark chocolate one with mocha buttercream and ganache, and a white chocolate one with maple-vanilla buttercream and thin slices of fresh strawberry.”

“You’re killing me,” Derek groans. “It’s only April.”

“Don’t think you can make it until December?” Stiles asks teasingly.

“No,” Derek grumbles, trying to hide his smile. It doesn’t work. “And I’m going to end up in here trying all your pastries for the next few months, I just know it.”

“I think you’ll like them all,” Stiles says, just a little bit smug. “But I’ll make you a deal.”

Derek’s eyes narrow. “What kind of deal?”

“Well, as I said before, I’ll have to turn down your proposal—” Stiles says, and Derek pointedly rolls his eyes, “—but I am interested in a date with you. I usually make a few batches of the buche de noel throughout the year, just to keep in practice. You could come over after we have dinner, try a slice or two, and then we can do whatever you want after that,” he adds with a wink.

Derek’s pretty sure he flushes all the way down to his toes. “Yes,” he manages to get out around his surprise.

“Awesome,” Stiles says brightly. He tears off the corner of Derek’s napkin and scrawls his number across it. “The restaurant is closed tomorrow, so I’m free. But now I better get back to the kitchen before my assistant starts freaking out.”

Derek nods, trying to hide his disappointment. Of course Stiles can’t stay with him all evening. “I’ll pick somewhere amazing,” he says, fingers curling around the scrap of napkin.

“I’d expect nothing less,” Stiles says cheerfully, and gives Derek a little wave before he goes.

Five minutes later, a waiter brings Derek a lovely, delicate pastry that he didn’t order. There’s a smiley face drawn on it in chocolate glaze, and Derek laughs.

(True to his word, Stiles makes a buche de noel for him, and it’s just as delicious as Derek thought it would be. He monologues about the perfect combination of flavors and textures for a while, until Stiles rolls his eyes and pulls him into a kiss. Derek leans into it and kisses him back, grinning. He’ll tell Stiles the rest later.)

#sterek #eternalsterek #fluff #food critic derek #pastry chef stiles #it's short and sweet okay #my fic

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semper-invicta-aeternum · 6 years ago

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You bake a lot of different things. What never fails to be a crowd pleaser?

“A good delicate patisserie always makes people happy. Something truly pretty.”

“tartlets, raspberry crowns, Mille-feuille...”

“Put a dusting of powdered sugar on anything and it makes anyone think it’s pretty. Add any stencil work and they’ll ‘ooh’ and ‘aah.’“

#Anonymous

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emmieapples-blog · 8 years ago

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Aix En Provence

Day 1 - I woke up late morning to a bright warm day, although the French don't dress like it, wearing light weight colourful scarves all through summer. It's a French thing? I walked to the old part of Aix, following my dot on the phone map which I don't need wifi or i internet for. At least the streets and alleys are all named, in England findings a street sign was difficult. I passed lots of patisseries and fruit and veg shops, deciding I wouldn't eat at a restaurant but instead bought a courgette quiche and a Mille feuille. I also picked up raspberries at a fruit shop and walked to the Place forum des Cardeurs, where I sat and ate my lunch, half in the shade and half in the sun. A day of wandering the old streets, particularly interested in the doorways... wooden carved doorways, elaborate door knockers. Often you'll find yourself at a square, a centre place surrounding a fountain. I love the way the moss grows on the fountains, after days of sun and rain. I found myself in a huge old church, "Paroisse Cathédrale Saint Sauveur" which was a drastic temperature change upon walking in, it was so cool, dark and quiet. I sat for a while trying to take in every small detail which had been built and rebuilt from the 12th century through to the 16th... the soft glow through the stained glass, part of the ceiling dotted with gold stars, gothic and Romanesque detail on every surface. I make my way back to the apartment in the evening, have a refresh and fall asleep, waking up at 7:22pm for my 7:30 booking 8 minutes back up the road. I dash out, the moon high in the still blue sky to restaurant "MITCH" who were very kind with me, I think they are much kinder because I am on my own. I have the asparagus and clams, rightly so as asparagus is in season, the monkfish and vegetables, and mango and passionfruit Mille feuille. Day 2 - The plan for the markets has been rained on heavily with thunder and lightning so I potter about getting ready, putting my favourite and only pink polka rain jacket on, hood up, I walk to the Musee Granet to admire marble sculptures and paintings by Rembrandt and Cezanne, a few Picasso and a lot of renaissance, which can be quite weird (especially renaissance babies that look like aliens). Beautiful streets empty today, with no one dining outside but the rain has stopped. I follow people through a passage way and find a pretty looking bistro where I have a lobster roll and a tiramisu and continue to walk onwards to digest. The sun has come out, and not shyly but in a way that I feel like it is a new day, the sky bright blue and the clouds moving so fast. I get back to my room early evening, thinking how tired my legs are and maybe I'll go to the supermarket and make myself a simple dinner. Upon walking outside I end up in a square of restaurants, not hard to do and try for a table at a restaurant I had my eye on, no luck. Then I find a very French looking bistro, Jacquou Le Croquant. Again I am greeted by all male servers, something more common here than Australia. My French is terrible but I guess enough that they reply in French sometimes which I stare at them blankly back, thinking how did I manage to make it to this point. "Aves vous un table?" Yes they do, I sit near the window. Menu french is fine I can do that and decipher it pretty well, ordering the "confit du canard" "tarte tatin" and "un cafe". I don't bother getting cafe au lait, the standard response to un cafe is either "espresso?" or no question, an espresso. So I drink espresso like the good french girl I am. A lively walk back to the apartment under the black street lamps and people coming to and from bars and restaurants. After all, it is Saturday night.

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theelectricfilmdiary · 8 years ago

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We spent two glorious days walking the streets of Paris, and despite the constant rain it was amazing. Nine hours was spent on a bus travelling from London to Paris – via the channel tunnel aka chunnel, which was kinda freaky: locked inside a bus, in a large train, in a tunnel, under the sea for 40 minutes …..still gives me the shivers!

When we arrived in Paris, it was dusk and we made the decision to avoid the trains, busses and wrong turns (not to mention the arguments where we blame each other for being lost) and caught an Uber to our accommodation. We got lucky with a driver who had spent three years in the states learning english and we chatted away with him about Paris. He told us a bit about the local culture and the goings on with the numerous recent terror attacks. Feeling slightly more educated we were dropped at our gorgeous lil’ apartment in the 4th Arrondissement. The apartment was super cute; small and cosy but had everything you could need and was a perfect haven to return to each day. It was about 8:30pm by the time we arrived and unpacked so we walked to a nearby supermarket and stocked up on cheese, baguettes (of course), olives and cured meats as well as an AMAZING bottle of red wine, and watched… French Kiss! I know, cliché, but it’s so funny. Well sated we then fell into bed.

Morning arrived (11th Jan) and we got up, made a coffee and then departed for a day of site seeing. The first stop – a bakery where I had my first authentic French croissant – and holy fucking shit it was good – too good. I’ve been ruined for life now! The next stop was the Père Lachaise Cemetery. Sounds a bit morbid and weird that we would visit a cemetery, BUT there are a tonne of famous musicians and writers (as well as a host of others) buried there and it has become a bit of a tourist attraction in its own right. The first grave stop was that of the one and only Jim Morrison of The Doors. The grave was sectioned off because unfortunately some extreme fans are partial to theft (headstones) and there is one recorded incident where a group of students dug two meters down in the hopes of recovering his hallowed bones before being caught. There are now a couple of hidden cameras recording the grave site visitors. Weird. The next stop was Edith Piaf, an extraordinary French singer who I absolutely love. We also tried to find Oscar Wilde’s grave site, but after searching for about 20 minutes we gave up – more to see in Paris aside from graves anyway…

James, as per usual, needed to pee so we stopped in a cafe and ordered one of the days many espressos so we could use the luxury bathroom facilities (luxury at this point is anything that doesn’t have pee – or worse – on the floor/toilet seat/walls etc and also provides the most basic of amenities – toilet paper and hand wash). The coffee of course was better than most we had tried throughout this entire trip – and soo much cheaper than the ones we had in London, Denmark etc – though you have to drink it at the bar, otherwise you pay more for the pleasure of your seat.

From the cafe warmth we strolled the streets until we reached a market selling produce, clothing and nick nacks. The food – OH MY GOD – each vendor (fish mongers, bakery/patisserie’s, fruit and vege, fromagerie (cheese), butchers, Pate and terrines (yes a stall just for them), jams and sauces, olives, flowers, everything you could imagine) had their wares displayed so beautifully – it was art itself. Every part of it was quality too. We came across a stall selling hot food for lunch, french stews, chicken, beef – all doused in amazing gravies and sauces. We had been told that street/market food in France is amazing and that you should try it if presented with the option, so Jim ordered up the vegetable stew with couscous…. SOOO GOOD. We stood on a side street digging in while the rain sprinkled down, and a passer-by commented “bon appetite” – no shit a Frenchman actually said that haha.

We walked along the River Seine admiring the beauty of the Parisian buildings and architecture until we hit the Notre-Dame de Paris – not before being harassed by a few wandering gypsy types trying to scam money out of us. We declined and were promptly sworn at… ahh Paris. The cathedral was beautiful, the front arches ornately decorated with hundreds of carvings, and the inside… dark, brooding, and the stained glass windows shone down a multitude of colours and images. The entry was free also which was great for us backpacking on a budget. After spending about an hour in the cathedral we walked outside to the Point Zero des Routes de France square in front of its big doors and watched people scaring flocks of pigeons into the sky – James of course had a go and leapt/skipped through them like an overgrown, semi-bearded child. Great photos.

From there, another pee stop for James and another espresso – seriously half of the conversations this trip have been based around his bathroom requirements… to which he blames the cold… rather than the two gallons of water he consumes each day. We walked the last hour of daylight home – our feet nearly bleeding stumps by this point – I actually have a bruise on my foot from walking so much. I ran back down to the supermarket and got more bread and cheese, salmon, beans and their rotisserie chicken and potatoes. Perfect dinner to finish the day – We sat in front of the laptop and watched something… so tired I can’t remember!

The morning of the 12th, we were up and out of the unit – this time the agenda was Paris Catacombs, Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe…. Not seeing the Louvre this time unfortunately… we have done so many museums and galleries over the past weeks that we were more keen on seeing the behemoth-monument side of things. Croissant and espresso breakfast was consumed and we walked our way to the nearest metro station where we caught the train to the catacombs. GUESS WHAT?!? They were closed… only through January of course. Apparently we chose a particularly good time of the year to travel. Every city seems to do their renovations just after Christmas. Makes sense really…

So. Rather than getting back on the train we decided to walk… feet be damned… to the Eiffel Tower (we had noticed it towering away in the distance). On the way through some side streets we passed a store which only sold art and books by one of Jim’s favourite artists – Jean Giraud, aka MOEBIUS. He’s a French comic book artist who creates really bizarre, colourful, other worldly scenes. Kind of futuristic/sci-fi as well. He also inspired the look of the film The Fifth Element. We walked in and looked through all the amazing prints while chatting to the store manager. Before leaving, we bought a poster print as well as a signed print of one of the artists comic book pieces from Blueberry, which is his longest running comic book and is set in the wild west. Moebius died in 2012 so it was pretty cool that Jim got to visit his only store and get something signed by him.

On to the Eiffel Tower – not before yet another bathroom stop… then we were queuing up for security searches, and tickets before being bundled into a small room sized elevator with a hundred other tourists and slowly ascending to the second level of the tower – The third and top most floor was closed… I know… big surprise aye! The view was great though, despite the rain and clouds covering the sky, you could still see a surprising amount of Paris. It was fecking cold. We held out as long as we could taking pictures and looking around before getting friendly with more strangers in yet another elevator. We could have taken the stairs but as I mentioned earlier… our feet are bleeding stumps at this point. Once back on the ground we walked the short distance over to the Arc de Triomphe, again it was surrounded by tourists. It is massive though, much bigger than we had imagined and is covered in colossal stone sculptures. Beautiful.

A train ride later and we were back on our side of town. A patisserie stop later… more croissants, a lemon tart, and mille feuille….healthy aye. We enjoyed our sugary treats with coffee back at our apartment as night closed in and rain started to pour rather than drizzle (for shizzle). The wind howled up and down our apartment alleyway and we munched away on scrambled eggs for dinner. The next day we were to be up, packed and catch a train to Orly airport for our flight to Lisbon, Portugal so a few movies later it was lights out.

The morning of the 13th of January flew by in a blur of coffee, meticulous packing, and train tickets. Before we knew it we were sitting in the departure lounge drinking Italian beer and prosecco. Paris was amazing, and we wished we had a few more days to explore… next time we return it will definitely be spring or summer. Winter was still great… it’s just a lot was closed and it was cold and raining most of the time which made getting around that bit more draining.

One thing I will mention to anyone planning to visit Paris, or any European city for that matter, is always watch where your walking… dog shit is plentiful, and Jim experienced a good caking a couple of times… hahaha

View from the Eiffel Tower

Dinner at the apartment – night two

Fontaine Saint Michel, Paris

View from the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower details

Inside Notre Dame de Paris

Arc de Triomphe details

Paris street art

Paris street details

Fontaine Saint Michel, Paris – Details

Paris street details

Arc de Triomphe details

Fontaine Saint Michel, Paris

Inside Notre Dame de Paris

Arc de Triomphe details

Moebius art shop

Sweet treats and coffee at the apartment

Railway overbridge, Paris

The Eiffel Tower

Inside Notre Dame de Paris

Paris

Arc de Triomphe

This is how our bakery treats came wrapped – so cute

Arc de Triomphe details

Paris, la ville de l’amour et merde de chien… We spent two glorious days walking the streets of Paris, and despite the constant rain it was amazing.

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