#she got eggs this morning and ice cream after dinner!

[whatafirefeelslike]

made my dog wear her party hat for her 5th* birthday today

*she’s most likely older but the rescue said she was 3 when we got her so. she’s 5 and also a baby puppy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[gurugirl]

The Big Tease | bfd!harry

*photo is for t-shirt placement visual only. please picture who you like as reader.

best friend's dad!harry x reader - forbidden relationship au

Summary: based loosely on this request - Harry comes to your place to make sure you're taking care of yourself and you find that as hard as you try to tease him, he's not giving in to you and then some high emotions are exposed.

Word Count: 7.8k words

Warning: 18+ only, NSFW, smut, angst, age gap, cheating

bfd!harry masterlist

You tried not to feel guilty about what you were doing with a married man. Your best friend’s dad. It was hard when it came to keeping it a secret from everyone. Keeping it a secret from Fae.

“Where’d you get this?” Fae brushed her fingers over the pretty little bracelet Mr. Styles gave you a few nights before. It was gold with three round light-colored opals in the center and two round-cut tiny diamonds on either side. It was dainty and sweet and you knew it was expensive after googling the brand and finding the exact item available online and in high-end shops nearby.

“Ahh… my mom and dad got it for me a while ago. Just haven’t worn it in a long time. Forgot it about,” you lied with a shrug. Lying to her made you nauseous.

“Really? How could you forget about this? It’s gorgeous! Looks really pretty on you too,” she complimented and you frowned as you looked down at it.

You hated lying to your best friend. But what could you do? You certainly wouldn’t admit to your affair with her father. And of course, you weren’t quite feeling guilty enough to put an end to it either. Mr. Styles was the best you’d ever had and you were completely smitten with him.

When you two finally made it back to your apartment after shopping and eating and stopping at the ice cream shop for a treat you’d also forgotten all the lovely flowers you had sitting around your living room and kitchen.

It had also become a thing where you’d get the most exquisite bouquets delivered to you every Monday morning. Peonies, roses, phalaenopsis orchids, and gardenias all stuffed with hardly any filler. You knew the bouquets he was sending you were hundreds of dollars a pop. But they were breathtaking.

You quickly assessed in your mind whether or not you’d removed the cards from them which would have given everything away should Fae see. Unlocking your door and letting yourself in first you quickly glanced around and the freshest bouquet clearly still had its card poking out of it. You made a beeline across the room as Fae closed your door behind her and plucked the tiny card out, crumpling it in your hand, and then bent down next to the table to pretend you were doing something else.

“Those are so pretty, Y/n. Oh my god. Do you have a flower service or something?”

You had three bouquets placed around your living room. One was clearly old and some of the flowers were drooping, losing their vibrant colors, while the newer ones were full of soft pinks and purples, crisp white and cream…

“Yes. I decided to start treating myself to nice flowers every week.” You smiled. Another lie. You couldn’t afford a weekly delivery of these kinds of flowers and if Fae bothered to research how expensive bouquets like this were she’d have questioned you further. But luckily she didn’t.

The bracelet, the flowers, your glow… all things she noticed, could have been an indicator of a lover but as far as you could tell she hadn’t connected the dots. Or at least she didn’t voice it to you.

Of course, everything could be explained. But she was your best friend. If you weren’t more vigilant, she’d be catching on soon, you were sure.

.           .           .

The following day after a morning shift at the restaurant you arrived home and collapsed on your couch. It was exhausting. The restaurant was only open for breakfast and brunch on the weekend (where normally it’s only a dinner spot the rest of the week) and it was slammed. Mimosas, eggs benedict, fancy French tarts, and pastries, huge parties of people, music, guests nursing hangovers… The restaurant was well known for its weekend breakfast and brunch with bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys. The clientele were usually upper-class folks who didn’t mind spending $35 for their mimosa and then only ordering 2 when they could have had as many as they wanted. A local creamery provided butter, yogurt, and milk for your special breakfast dishes, and a bowl of fancy yogurt and some in-house granola was $15. The cheapest food item on the breakfast menu. The cheapest item on the menu was a cup of black coffee, refillable. Unless you ordered the free tap water.

You got lucky to eat anything while you served breakfast. It was typically too busy to take a bite of anything. But the tips were excellent because everyone was usually in a great mood.

You were startled awake by your phone vibrating in your back pocket. You’d fallen asleep without even realizing you’d closed your eyes.

Pulling the phone out from under your body you realized it was Harry calling you (he normally didn’t call unless it was prearranged).

“Hello?” You sat up as you answered.

“Baby! I was worried. Are you okay? I didn’t hear back from you.”

Harry had a thing where he wanted you to text him when you got home from work to let him know you made it safely, even if it was a morning shift. He was always so worried about you but you kind of loved it.

“I’m fine. Sorry! I fell asleep as soon as I sat down on the couch. God, I’m so exhausted. Fae was here late last night and then I had the breakfast shift so I only had like four hours of sleep…”

“Hey, it’s okay. I was just worried. I texted you and then never heard back. Just started to panic. Have you eaten?”

You smiled and his soft deep voice made you feel so comfortable and safe, “I haven’t eaten yet. I had a bit at work but just passed out as soon as I got here.”

“So you’ve only had something to eat at work? It’s already dinnertime, Y/n.”

Harry did have a tendency to sort of scold you like he was your dad. Maybe it was ingrained in him in some ways. To try and take care of you and remind you to do things like eat.

“Geez, Dad. I’ll get right on it,” you teased.

Harry was silent for a moment, which had you worried. Perhaps calling him ‘dad’ had been unwise.

But then suddenly his voice broke through the line, “I’m coming over. I have a feeling you don’t have any groceries and I’m gonna make you dinner. Something to eat.”

You scoffed, “I mean… I have food here. I will eat. You don’t have–“

“I’ll be there within an hour,” he interrupted and you nodded to yourself.

“O… Okay. Um… yeah. In an hour.”

.           .           .

You quickly showered and tossed your dirty clothes into your clothes hamper so they weren’t strewn about your bedroom floor. You tidied up and kept yourself busy until he finally arrived. You were getting all worked up knowing he was coming over.

You didn’t know what he had been telling Mrs. Styles about why he was leaving or when he’d stay with you overnight, or spend hours in your bed every week. Though there were times he could only come over quickly, most of the time he stayed with you long enough that he’d need a good cover story. You kind of hoped you could have him for the night.

When he knocked at your door and you opened it up for him you saw he had his hands full. One arm around a sack of groceries and in his other hand the bag he normally packed for when he was staying the night.

You smiled when you saw his handsome face and ushered him into your small apartment. He leaned in to kiss you quickly, “Just showered?” He asked.

“Well yeah,” you spoke as you closed the door and followed behind him to your kitchen, “I didn’t have the chance earlier because I fell asleep as you know,” you laughed.

“Mmhmm…” he grunted affirmatively as he began to remove the grocery items from the bag one by one.

You saw tomatoes, fresh basil, flour, mushrooms, cheese…

“What are you making?” You picked up the container of buffalo mozzarella and then looked at Harry.

“Margherita pizza. One of my favorite little recipes my mom used to make.”

You placed the container down, pulled his arm to drag him toward you, and stood on your tiptoes to kiss him.

He immediately paused what he was doing and wrapped his arms around you, deepening the kiss and then giving you a taste of his tongue.

But then he pulled away with his signature teasing smirk and went back to his task.

“You brought your bag. Gonna stay the night with me?”

He nodded as he folded the paper bag up neatly and then looked at you, “If that’s okay. Have to leave early, though.”

If that’s okay.

You laughed to yourself and nodded, “Of course, it’s okay, Harry. God, what I wouldn’t give to have you with me every–“ You stopped what you saying when you realized how suddenly serious that thought was. You did want him every night. You wanted him to yourself but you hadn’t discussed that with him before.

Harry placed the neatly folded paper bag down on your little counter and then pulled you back toward him with his hands on your hips, “Yeah? Every…? What? Every night? Want me every night, baby?” That same sneaky, devious smirk on his face had you melting and warm.

“I just meant, you’re always welcome,” you slid your hands up his chest and bit your lip. You were a little embarrassed that you admitted that but it was obviously too late now.

“I’m always welcome or you want me every night? Which is it?” He gripped you harder so you couldn’t escape his questions, his gaze.

You puffed a breath out through your lips with a laugh, “Both.”

He loosened his grip and brought a hand to your face, his eyes fixed to yours, “Both. I’d much prefer to be here with you every night too. Would if I could.” The thumb that trailed over your cheekbone and to your temple was soft and loving. You knew he meant what he said.

Harry’s pizza was superb. Your oven wasn’t quite right, he kept saying as he baked it but to you, it was the best thing that had ever come out of that cheap appliance.

“Usually like to make this in a brick oven. The one I’ve got in my backyard, but this will do in a pinch I suppose.”

Your mouth was full as you nodded, “So good.”

Harry laughed at your stuffed cheeks and the way you were gobbling down what he’d made.

“Aren’t you going to eat more?” You asked him finally when you’d swallowed your bite. He’d only had one slice.

“Already had dinner. But I wanted to feed you. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

For some reason with a tummy full of Harry’s pizza and the kind gesture of his cooking to help take care of you had you reeling and needing more than just food.

Of course, it would have been impolite to just abandon cleanup but you were suddenly aware of how his sleeves were pushed up his forearms and how his dimples were extra deep accompanying his attractive smile. And his hair looked too tidy, you needed to get your hands in it. Needed to get him out of his clothes. Get those long fingers around your neck and touching your body immediately.

You set your plate down on the small kitchen table you were both sitting at and slid your hand up his thigh, “Oh is that why you came over here? The only reason?” You grinned and he leaned back into his chair and looked at you, keeping his own grin in check.

“Need to make sure my girl is healthy. Has everything she needs.”

“Yeah? And sometimes I need more than just food too, Mr. Styles.”

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and spread his legs slightly as you continued moving your hand upward, “Oh I know, sweet girl. You need a lot of things, don’t you?”

You nodded, “What about you? Do you need things too? From me? Anything I can help you with?”

Now his grin was breaking out over his face but it was cheeky, playful, “Of course I do.”

But he wasn’t giving in to your little game. He liked having you be the one to ask for it. You didn’t know why but he loved hearing you beg him. You always resisted begging. At first anyway. Sometimes he’d give in without you needing to.

“And what do you need from me?” You stopped short of putting your fingers over where you knew he was tucked under his pants. The obvious natural bulge he sported giving away where he normally liked to position himself.

“Whatever you’re willing to give me, love. But I’m here because you needed to eat first and foremost. And you needed some groceries.”

You laughed and skipped over his lovely cock and put your hand up to his chest, scooting your chair in a little closer, “I’ll give you anything you want, sir. All you have to do is ask.”

Harry smiled and licked his lips slowly, “I’m as content as I can be here with you right now. Could sit here all night listening to you talk. S’that what you want? Want to touch my chest,” he flitted his eyes down to where your hand was before looking back into your eyes, “and my thighs, and chat all night about my pizza making skills and your lack of healthy food?”

You folded your lips into your mouth to keep yourself from laughing. He was playing a game of chicken with you. You really wanted to win this time.

“Well, that does sound really nice. You’ve filled me up so good with your yummy pizza. Guess I don’t need anything more than stimulating conversation with you if that’s all you’re interested in.”

Harry swallowed and breathed a laugh out of his nose, “Fine. Pizza and conversation it is.”

You wanted to huff in frustration. He still had his arms crossed over his chest, just under where your fingers were toying with the buttons on his shirt. He wasn’t giving in. But you had a thought.

“I’ll be right back.”

You hopped up from the chair and pranced to your bedroom. If he wanted to tease so would you. Stripping off your sweats you dug out your thin white Hey Lover t-shirt and tied it up just under the center of your breasts, and black cheeky boy short panties. You’d pretend you were only getting comfy since it was already late in the evening. He’d know what you were up to but you could play it off like you just wanted to get into your comfy house clothes.

When you got back to the kitchen Harry was already cleaning up.

“Hey, let’s do that later. Wanna sit and talk a bit.”

Harry tsked you, his back still turned as he wrapped up the rest of the pizza in foil, “I worked hard on this. Don’t want it to go bad. You can go sit–“ when he finally turned his full gaze back to you he stopped mid-sentence. You saw his jaw clench and his nostrils flair.

Not fair. That was not fair of you.

You knew your top especially was going to drive him mad. It was thin and your nipples were poking through the material and he could certainly see the shadow of the deeper color of your areolas popping through.

And he did. You noted where his eyes roamed, pausing over your tits for a good few seconds before licking his lips and turning back around to finish his job.

“Go sit.” He said without a single note of sweetness or desire.

You smiled to yourself as you walked into the living room and sat on your couch. Putting on a little music you selected a good little playlist that you knew he’d like.

Trying to act as unbothered as you possibly could you found a comfortable position on the couch and leaned into your cushions as you waited for Mr. Styles to join you.

It wasn’t long before he was casually strolling into the living room and sitting on the couch, leaving a few feet between you two. He draped an ankle over his knee and sat back, looking totally cool and unbothered.

You stretched and gathered your hair into your hands to expose your neck as you spoke, “So, how was your day today, Mr. Styles? You already know all about mine.”

Harry nodded slowly as he looked at you, keeping his eyes on your face, “Normal. Woke up and worked out, read an article, and played some golf with a colleague. That’s it really. Now here I am feeding you and entertaining you with conversation,” he grinned and you saw his eyes quickly take in your neck.

You smiled and sighed, “Sounds nice. I’ve played golf a few times. I’m terrible at it, though. Once a guy who took me tried to straighten out my stance but it did no good. No matter how many times he helped me adjust my grip or pushed my legs to spread them out properly it just didn’t work,” you chuckled. It was true. You’d gone with a guy a couple of years back on a date. He was flirting with you when he tried showing you the proper way to stand and hold the club but it turned into making out in the golf cart and a quick fuck in his car before he dropped you at home.

“S’that so? He probably wasn’t a good player either if he couldn’t give you any tips to help you improve your game.”

You shrugged, “I don’t know. I think he was more interested in getting my clothes off than anything,” you kept your eyes on his to asses but there was nothing there that indicated jealousy.

You had to amp it up. Do something to make him lose it. Wanted to watch him thicken up in his pants.

Dropping your hair you tucked your legs under yourself and turned to face Harry. You knew he was trying his hardest not to let his eyes drop below your neck. He knew he’d be fucked if he took in the way the soft cotton stretched over your breasts.

“Anyway. Are you any good?” You allowed your own eyes to take him in fully. His composure was sure to falter at some point.

“Yeah. I’m all right. I can hold my own.”

His short answer was not exactly what you were hoping for but you didn’t let it deter you. For some reason, his standoffish behavior was getting you even more worked up.

“Bet you can hold your own. You’re just so naturally good at everything you do,” you moved your finger over your tummy, keeping your eyes on his, “I know first-hand.”

Harry raised his brows and the movement of your hand over your torso and then down toward the top of your panties had him dropping his sight to where you were softly ghosting your fingers along the elastic band. You tugged at the knot on your shirt before moving your hand back up toward your chest, your thumb pressed between your thin cotton t-shirt-covered tits.

He watched your fingers and then looked back up at you, “Do you? And what do you know of my skills?” He smiled softly. Still appearing totally unbothered.

You sighed and tilted your head, keeping your eyes on his before stretching your arms over your head and allowing your shirt to lift the tiniest bit, revealing the bottom of your breasts. You only put your arms down once you were satisfied that Mr. Styles had gotten a good look, “Well, for example, you just made me a pizza that was to die for. Also, you recently got promoted at work and now you’re some big shot,” you unfolded a leg from underneath your bum and stretched it out, pressing your bare foot onto Harry’s thigh, “And I’ve seen you work out,” you nudged his muscled thigh, “You put men half your age to shame. You’re so athletic…” you began to pull your foot away but Harry gripped your ankle and pulled your leg to drape over his thigh making you smile in triumph.  Though you’d not yet won this round, he was clearly giving in to you bit by bit.

“Hmmm…” Harry nodded and hummed quietly. He kept his hand on your shin and his eyes a safe distance from anything below your chin, “I know I’m good at a lot of things. Can make you dribble all over your chin by just pulling my pants down,” he licked his lips, “Feel like that’s a great skill of mine. What else…” his hand began to brush over your leg softly and you scoffed at him but of course, he was right. You both knew it. He made you drool and whiney and hot. He didn’t even have to do anything.

“That was one time. And you had your fingers in my mouth. It wasn’t because of your cock,” you lied. Well, his fingers in your mouth did have you drool down your chin and when he pulled his pants down, he teasingly pointed out how your chin was shiny and you’d dripped saliva down your neck and to your chest.

“No? Hmmm… but you were so desperate to get it in your mouth that you tried grabbing me and when I told you to be patient you whined and drooled all over the floor. You can pretend all you want, little girl. I see what you’re trying to do.”

You watched as his hand traveled up your leg and past your knee to your thigh, “Wearing this little getup… trying to seduce me. So desperate for me. But you’re gonna have to try a lot harder than this, Y/n. You can lie to yourself and pretend you're not bothered and change the subject and show me your pretty tits all you want. S’not gonna change the fact that you’re gonna wind up a messy little puddle begging me for anything I’ll give you. Isn’t that right?”

Your mouth dropped open in faux shock. He was right. But you weren’t ready to give up yet.

“Whatever you say, Mr. Styles. I know you like having your ego stroked. So go ahead and keep telling yourself that you’ve got the upper hand. We both know you’re already folding. I can sit here all night and chat with you like this if you want. Doesn’t bother me one bit.” You folded your arms across your chest with a grin.

Harry laughed quietly and shook his head. You were fun. He loved these moments with you. Loved giving you a hard time. Loved when you gave him a hard time. He softly pinched the inside of your thigh and you laughed, attempting to pull your leg away but he held you in place, large palms keeping your leg over him, fingers digging into your skin.

“Darling, you forget who you’re dealing with. I’m not the one resorting to skimpy clothes and trying to hide how turned-on I am. I see you trying to keep your legs pressed together. Hiding something,” he jutted his chin toward you and looked over the spot between your legs where he knew your panties covered up a tiny secret.

You wore black panties on purpose. Any wetness would be easier to hide, but keeping your legs pressed together could ensure he didn’t see the wet patch that had begun to spread. However, the way he was holding your leg over his lap made it quite difficult for you to not open your thighs a little.

“You just love to imagine that you’ve got me all bothered. But you’re wrong. I’m totally fine.”

Harry smiled and pulled at your leg further, causing a small yelp to slip out from your mouth followed by a tiny bit of laughter at the way you lost balance when you were pulled toward him, your other leg being tugged at to drape over his thigh.

“Good. Then we can just sit here and talk about the weather and maybe politics if you’re into that. Or is there another topic you had in mind since you’re so keen on just sitting chatting all night?”

You steadied yourself, back against the cushion as you pressed your legs together again and looked up at him innocently, “Randy called me the other day. Said he missed me. Apologized for being rude when we were together. That was nice to hear. The apology,” you wiggled your hips to fix your seating so you could appear more casual, despite having your legs in Harry’s possession over his lap.

Harry’s large palms ran up the outer sides of your thighs slowly before dragging back down to just above your knees, keeping his eyes on yours, “Oh really? Thinking about getting back with him then?” He spoke trying to tamper the playful smile on his face.

You snorted a laugh and grinned teasingly, drawing your fingers across your breasts, “Nahh… I can do better. I mean… maybe if I’m desperate and just need to scratch an itch. You know? Being a single girl gets hard at times. My dildo is only gonna give me a small taste of what a man can. Even if he’s not great in bed.”

Biting the inside of his cheek he nodded with dark eyes, “Would be such a shame to waste a good fuck on Rudy like that when you’ve got me at the helm. Of course, you're too stubborn to admit it. All you have to do is ask.”

 You sighed and dropped your hands to your lap with a pout, “Randy. His name is Randy. But anyway… I don’t have to beg Randy to fuck me. He’s never pretended he was unbothered by me. Always quite straightforward really. If he wanted sex all he had to do was tell me. You on the other hand,” you poked your finger into his arm, “like making it hard for me, which is quite impolite. So I’m okay with not having sex if you just aren’t up for it.”

Harry pushed a laugh out through his nose at your tease, “Rudy sounds like a fucking bore. And he never gave you an orgasm. Either you have really bad taste or you’re just a tease. I have a feeling I know which it is, too. Little girl likes to play games. I can play games if you want. But you know I’m gonna win.”

You knew he was right. You wanted his cock but he wasn’t budging. All you had to do was admit it. Ask him politely. And you would when you couldn’t handle it any longer but you were having fun and the back and forth was like foreplay for you.

He kept one hand grasped around the outside of your thigh while his other smoothed inward, fingers pushing your thighs apart the tiniest bit and then gently dancing upward. If he moved his fingers too far up he’d feel how damp you were already.

“I’m not playing games,” you spoke matter-of-factly, watching as his hand traveled over your skin, “I can just tell maybe you’re tired Perhaps you’ve had a long day and it’s almost bedtime for you. I mean I get it,” you laughed in preparation for what you were about to say, “When you get to be your age things just slow down a little. It’s okay if you’re not up for it tonight, sir.”

Harry pulled his lips into his mouth and closed his eyes as he laughed at your attempt to provoke him.

When he looked back at you his expression was serious as he pried your legs apart, swiping the pad of his pointer finger right over the wet material of your panties and raised his brows as if he was shocked. Though you knew he was goading you, “You know goddamn well that my age has nothing to do with my libido. Difference between me and you is that I have incredible willpower and I know that you’re gonna be begging me to stuff your pussy before the night is over.”

You laughed and shook your head, “Nope.”

Harry pressed his thumb right over where your clit was already aching and grinned, “Yep.” Popping the p for emphasis. “See I’ve already got you soaking your panties. Goosebumps on your legs. Your nipples are hard. Your face is warm. I bet your heart is pounding too, just wishing you were getting the life fucked out of you right now. And you could be,” he spoke lowly as he slid a finger under the fabric of your panties and smoothed it over your skin, but not touching your crease or your clit like you hoped, “If you just admit it.”

You noticed that his cock had plumped under his pants. A good sign, you figured, “Nothing to admit. I might be turned on but I can hold out. In fact, I’d bet you’re not in much better shape with your cock swelling up like it is. You need this wet pussy to soothe that big dick, don’t you?”

Harry’s undisturbed body language was a concern because even though his prick was growing harder by the minute, you were starting to boil while he still seemed unphased.

“Oh, honey…” Harry smiled at you like you were a pitiful thing, “I’m doing just fine. In fact, probably just gonna fuck my own fist before we go to bed since you’re so stubborn. Maybe I’ll let you watch me too. I’ll be just fine. Just love being here with you. We don’t always have to have sex.”

You clenched your jaw and huffed imagining that scene. Having Harry yank his cock with his big hand until he was coming on your floor. You’d want to lick it up off the floor too. Scoop it all up and swallow it down. He had you obsessed with his come. Well, with him in general.

You tried to think of something to say but your brain was stuck on the image of him slowly stroking his fat cock and saying filthy shit to you while you tried to hold it together and not give in to your own urges.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Harry lifted a hand to your face and brushed his thumb along your jaw and up over your cheek, “Need to tell me something?”

Your lips parted and you breathed out a small whimper and squished your eyes closed. Your determination was crumbling with his soft touches.

“S’okay. If you don’t mind,” Harry pushed your legs off of him and quickly began to unbutton his pants, “S’getting tight in there…” he pulled his pants down just a touch so that the bulge under his briefs was now poking out and he had a bit more space to breathe.

He pressed over his erection and straightened himself out and suddenly the tip of his cock was peeking out over the band of Calvin Kleins. You closed your eyes again and tried to will yourself to not give in to him. But what was fair was fair. You were teasing him with your body and now he was returning the favor.

When you heard Harry chuckle you opened your eyes to look at him and your head was fuzzy. He was literally mouth-watering. He’d unbuttoned his shirt so you could see his tattoos and the large erection poking out from his briefs was like an actual cherry on top of it all. You licked your lips and swallowed down your saliva as you stared at his swollen head. It looked like something you could just pop into your mouth and suckle on if you weren’t so stubborn.

But Harry loved how stubborn you were. You really did make him work for it. You were exciting and sweet and he loved the way you teased him.

“If you want some you can have some, sweetheart. I know you’d like a taste. S’right there for you if you just ask politely.”

You groaned and looked away from him but your eyes were burning and all you could think about was straddling his lap and pushing his briefs down so you could fuck yourself on him. You were actually vibrating and pulsing you were so turned on.

And when you thought about it all… how this was all just a game anyway. How you both knew you’d end up with his come dribbling out of your cunt and satisfied and fucked out before you went to bed you laughed, “Fuck it…” you said as you crawled yourself over his lap and Harry’s hands found your hips, “I want you. Okay? You win.”

He had a pleased smile on his face when he felt you press your soaked panties over his briefs and plaster your lips over his in finality.

He would have laughed and teased you for giving in but he was thankful you did. Because he was aching for you.

You were desperate too. You pulled away from the kiss and put your hands down to his briefs and pushed at the material before sliding the crotch of your panties to the side and letting your wet hole kiss his tip softly as you looked into his eyes, “Can I please have it?”

Harry’s smirk fell from his face the moment you began to lower yourself, coating him in your slick arousal, “Yes. Take what you want. Fuck…”

The music was soft and you could barely hear the lyrics as you began to work yourself down and up along his length. You moaned as you felt him poke deep and keened, sucking in a sharp breath, “So thick…” you panted.

You were wetting Harry’s briefs and the tops of his pants but he didn’t care in that moment. He’d take care of the issue after you were done, “Yeah? Needed to stuff yourself with my cock didn’t you darling? Feels good?”

You nodded and held onto the back of the couch as Harry moved his hands from your hips up to the bottom hem of your top and pushed the material up so he could finally look at your pretty breasts. His favorite. He leaned in and suckled your tit into your mouth and you gasped softly.

You began to ride him a little faster, sticky slick noises coming from between your bodies as you writhed up and down his cock.

“Harry!” You shouted his name in a desperate plea. You didn’t know what you were pleading for but you just wanted more. His tongue and lips and teeth on your tits and his heavy, hard dick inside of you were really all a girl could ask for.

Harry moaned and licked over the spot he nipped next to your nipple and moved his lips over your soft flesh as he spoke, “Poor thing… so needy for me. Should have just given in the first time I told you to, baby.”

The couch under you squeaked gently as you rose and fell over him. The relief of having him inside of you had you tearing up.

Harry tilted his head back to look at your face. And just as he expected you were completely insatiable. Your expression was hungry and lusty with your lips parted, a pained look across your features.

Harry cooed at you and slid his hands up from your soft breasts to cup your face and make you kiss him. Your mouths moved together slowly as you shifted over him, slowing down a little now that your mouths were connected.

Harry pulled away, keeping his hands at your face, “Slow down a little bit. Here…” he dropped one hand to your hip and stilled you, pushing you down all the way over his shaft until you were firmly seated in his lap and his tip was stuffed so far inside of you it hurt making you whine and quiver.

“Like that. Just sit and feel me. No need to hurry. Gonna always take care of you. Okay?” His lips pressed over yours again and you moaned into his mouth.

You acted as if you were starved. You canted your hips slightly to glide your clit against his pelvic bone and he gasped and pulled away again, “I know you need it, baby. Just slow down. You were so desperate weren’t you?” He thumbed at your cheek and wiped your tears with a grin, “Always my good girl. Aren’t you?”

You bit your lips and whimpered as you nodded. You felt like a pathetic girl. It was like the moment his cock was inside of you all your good sense flew out the window and you were a melty, needy puppy in despair, deprived of attention and love. You needed more and more and more every time he entered you. It only got worse as the months crawled on and your affair got more serious.

“I wanna be your only good girl. Please…” You slid your shaky fingers into his hair and smoothed your lips over his with a tremulous breath.

Harry rocked upward, dipping into your sensitive insides and you gasped again, parting your lips from his.

“Look at me, Y/n…” Harry spoke as he moved a hand to the back of your neck.

You locked eyes with him and your sad little pout had him leaning in to give you a soft kiss at the corner of your mouth before he looked back into your eyes, “You’re my good girl. No one else. Just you, baby. Understood?”

You nodded and sniffled, “But I’m not,” You jutted your bottom lip out like a child and felt ridiculous. You didn’t know what had you so emotional suddenly. Maybe it was the build-up and all the teasing. Or the way you always gave in to him and he was so cool and secure in himself while you were shaky and desperate.

Harry moved a hand down your back and kept his other hand brushing softly over your cheekbone, “Yes you are. You’re mine. You’re my only.”

You didn’t want to say it. Hated to bring it up but you couldn’t help it or you thought you’d explode if you didn’t tell the truth, “But you’re married. I might be yours but you’re not mine.”

He hadn’t quite expected it. You knew the situation. He couldn’t just leave his wife of 20+ years. It didn’t work that way. But to hear you say it was… well it gave him pause.

“Okay. I am married. But I’m here with you right now, Y/n. Because I’d rather be here with you. Wish I could be here every night. And I would if I could.”

You nodded. You knew he’d prefer to fuck you rather than his wife. That part was understood. But he’d never actually choose you over her when it came down to it. “I know. I’m sorry for bringing it up. I just… I’m starting to…” You swallowed the words your heart wanted to reveal but you stopped, “Just want to see you more I think. Once a week or every other week isn’t good for me. Need you more. I think that’ll make me better. I’m sorry… I don’t know –“

Harry shushed you and stroked your back softly, “I want to see you more too, baby. Should we think of a way to make it twice or three times a week even? Will that make it better?”

You smiled and nodded, “Three times a week? Oh my god…” You kissed him and squealed at the idea of having him three times a week.

Harry laughed and nodded, “If it makes you happy. Didn’t know you needed more, honey. Didn’t want to make you sick of me.”

You laughed in return and shook your head, “I could never be sick of you, Harry. I’m…” You stopped yourself once again. The words on the tip of your tongue but that wouldn’t be fair. To you nor to him. “I’m happy you want that too.”

Harry’s fingers on your face felt soft and comforting, “Of course I want that. I want you happy. And that would make me happier too.”

You felt dizzy with love and excitement as you pasted your lips to his and began to rock your hips slowly again.

You knew you were selfish. Knew you were getting in too deep but you didn’t care. Maybe down the road one day it would hurt but for now, you would be happy with anything he gave you.

Suddenly Harry shifted and brought his arm to cradle you close as he laid you down flat on the couch, his thick cock still inside of you. But now he was hovering over you with a dark smile on his face, “I need to fuck you like you’re mine. Show you I mean it,” he said as he pulled your legs up, calves pressed over his shoulders, and began to roll his hips into you. The springs in the couch cushions danced under your back and creaked as he picked up the pace.

You coughed out a moan and squished your exposed tits together. You still had on your shirt, tugged up above your tits, and your underwear, and Harry still had his clothes on, while his shirt was unbuttoned and his pants were down past his bottom. You were both the picture of neediness, not even bothering to take the time to undress fully.

Harry held onto the back of your thighs as he plunged in and pulled back to his tip, before plowing his cock into the hilt again. Every time his hips met the back of your thighs the sticky sound of your arousal on his cock was unmistakable.

He swatted at your thigh when you began to slip from his hold, your leg wobbling free from his shoulder, “Stay put. Keep your legs up,” he grunted.

You gasped and nodded, “Yes, sir…”

Every dip of himself into you felt divine. His cock pushing into your insides and slipping into your guts repeatedly was noisy and delicious.

Harry moaned, unable to hold back how good it felt to be inside of you.

You looked up at him and saw how gone he was. His soft raspberry lips were parted and his eyes were dark as he gasped and panted. His thrusts were becoming harder and sloppier and he was breathing hard. You wanted his come.

“Need it, Harry. Give it to me…” you whispered as you brought a hand up to his jaw and he kept his eyes on you. He was shaking with desire you could feel it.

“Fuck, honey…” he groaned and clenched his jaw. He wanted to make you come first but his own emotions were getting him keyed up and he was already leaking a steady stream of pre-come into your pussy with each stroke.

He stopped his motions and sucked in a sharp breath as he lowered a hand to your clit, “Need you to come first, okay? Then I’m gonna fill your pussy like you need, baby.”

With his thumb on your clit you cooed in ecstasy. You had no idea what you were saying as you felt electricity begin to thrum through your body, winding its way around your ribs and down your spine, and into your tummy where sparks began to turn to fire as he began thrusting into you again.

“Want you to fuck your come deep into my womb. Breed my pussy, sir…” You moaned your words unable to stop it.

Harry grunted and he popped his eyes open to look down at you in shock. He knew you were on birth control and knew it was highly improbable but still, your words had him reeling and feeding his breeding kink, something that had been dormant for many years. You tended to awaken old feelings he once relished in.

And he wasn’t sure if he actually want to get you knocked up but just hearing that fed into something deep and instinctual that had been pushed down. Something primal. You had unleashed a tsunami of emotions and now this?

He began to hammer into you and your legs fell from his shoulders as he fucked himself down into you so hard you saw stars and you gurgled as you came around him, unable to voice your dirty thoughts as your pussy pulsed and squeezed around him.

“Fuck!” Harry barked loudly when he felt you come and he allowed himself to indulge in the fantasy that you’d tapped into, “Gonna knock you up. Fuck you til your all bred and full with my cock and my babies. That what you want? Stuffed full of me in every fucking way?”

Harry throbbed as he finally poured into you, pushing his cock into you as deep as he could manage, balls tucked up against your bum as he whimpered with each tight roll of his hips upward. Imagining his come seeping into you and having it stick. Getting you pregnant. Making you his forever.

He collapsed over you and slid his tongue into your mouth as you brought your arms around his back to keep him close.

Pure hedonistic, rapturous oblivion.

Your heart pounded as he kissed you and you felt him trembling in your arms just as you were in his.

You longed to speak the words you knew you felt but it wasn’t right. You’d want him to say it first. Wanted him to admit it. Wanted him to want you.

But Harry was feeling it all heavy and deeply just the same. His own longing to show you exactly what he felt and that even though he’d play off those words he spoke as he came inside of you, he meant it in a way. He’d love to see you pregnant with his babies. Have you as his own for good. Tell you what he felt deep down.

You smiled into the kiss and Harry pushed himself up to look down at you.

“Just what I needed, Harry. Always know how to make me feel so so good.” You pushed your fingers into his hair and gazed into his pretty eyes and watched as his grin widened.

“Mmm… Ditto. Need you more than just once a week, baby. I did mean that you know.”

You bit your lip and closed your eyes to let that idea sink in a bit. Harry grunted as he moved and you suddenly felt a pinch at the back of your thigh and you laughed, opening your eyes.

“Did you hear me?”

You nodded, “Yes, sir. Three times a week is what you said. That sounds like as close to perfection as I could ask for.”

Harry nudged his nose to yours and let out a soft breath, “Just want more of you, baby.”

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[seramilla]

In the vaggie Carmilla related au, we already saw Carmilla looking to Vaggie for some sort of comfort, but when was the first time it was Vaggie who looked to Carmilla for comfort? I can't think of a specific situation (Just a generally stressful situation for Vaggie where the first and/or only person she thinks of and wants to seek comfort from is Carmilla), but I just want to see her have her first "I need my mom" moment.

Vaggie doesn't even hesitate to come over the next day when Carmilla asks if she wants to have dinner with herself and the girls. Telling Charlie she's going over for a visit, she kisses the princess goodbye, and books it to Carmilla's in less than 5 minutes. She's become more brave about flying over Pentagram City ever since the wedding was announced...no one would dare shoot Lucifer's daughter's fiancé out of the sky. Not if they wanted to keep their spine.

Carmilla meets her at the door, looking much more cheerful and domestic than Vaggie thinks she's ever seen her. When Carmilla goes in to hug her daughter, Vaggie raises her eyebrow and pushes Carmilla away. The matriarch is wearing a white chef's apron with what looks like blood splatters all over it. When Carmilla notices her staring at it, she laughs heartily. She rubs her large claw over the front of it, and it comes away clean. No blood.

"It's just the pattern," Carmilla says, grinning. "It's a Mother's Day present. Clara thought it was funny. I guess I kind of do, too."

Vaggie sighs and smiles back at her. What a relief! She moves in for a much-needed hug, and Carmilla squeezes her tight, running her hand down the back of Vaggie's head tenderly. She lets her large claws trail through the girl's long hair. Vaggie perhaps keeps her arms wrapped around her mother a little longer than necessary...but Carmilla doesn't protest or try to pull away. Coughing and blushing a little, Vaggie lets go and rubs her arm sheepishly.

"Sorry!" Vaggie apologizes. "Sorry. I just missed you."

"It's okay. Come on in. The girls are setting the table."

The evening's spread is hot tamales, soup, and some vegetables for a side salad. Clara mentions that their mother also got up early that morning to fix some home-made ice cream before work. Vaggie looks over at Carmilla in surprise.

"Mama!" Vaggie says. "I didn't know you could cook!"

Carmilla waves her claw in front of her face in a dismissive gesture. "Oh please. It's nothing special. I let the servants take the day off, so I thought I'd make dinner myself. I also made eggs this morning...it wasn't my best work. I just wanted to spend some time alone with you girls. We don't do that enough."

Vaggie beams inwardly. Before really getting to know Carmilla, she never knew the overlord could be so thoughtful. She digs into her meal wholeheartedly. It's not exactly restaurant quality, or like the stuff Alastor makes for her and the other hotel patrons, but it's good nonetheless. Homely. Authentic. Made exclusively from the heart.

Odette and Clara offer to clean up after dinner. Vaggie thinks that her sisters are trying to give her some alone time with Carmilla. Maybe they can sense the tension she's holding inside. She'd been leaning forward in her chair throughout dinner, with horrible posture, unconsciously trying to make herself appear even smaller than she normally is. Her body language is probably a dead giveaway.

She can't hide from Charlie. She can't hide from Odette, Clara, or Carmilla, either. Maybe that's why Carmilla directs her into the fancy sitting room just off the kitchen. The one with all the comfortable lounge chairs and a sofa, with large, comfy pillows that are so soft, Vaggie practically sinks into them when she sits. Carmilla shuts the large French doors, to close them off from the rest of the house. Vaggie lies down on the couch, looking up at the ceiling, and stares at a sparkling chandelier that dangles delicately above her head.

Carmilla lowers the lights in the room. Now the chandelier looks almost ethereal in the way it reflects the light from the dim bulbs. Vaggie can almost pretend like those sparkles reflected onto the ceiling are stars in a night sky. There is something that feels very cosmic and safe about her surroundings. Combined with the scent of Carmilla's potpourri that's scattered around the room, it just smells like her mother. Like how she feels a real home would smell on Earth after returning from a long and stressful day at school or work.

Carmila sits down next to her on the large sofa, putting Vaggie's feet in her lap to make room for herself. Vaggie almost gets up, but Carmilla shoots her a glance that says Don't you dare!

Carmilla leans back casually, with an arm stretched out along the back of the couch, using the furniture as leverage to arch her spine until Vaggie hears a pop! Then Carmilla groans in what can only be described as relief. She grins sheepishly down at her daughter, while Vaggie looks back at her coyly.

"Wow. Impressive," Vaggie chuckles.

"Pardon me. I know I'm dead, but these bones aren't what they used to be."

Vaggie laughs. "It's okay. Anyway...I hope I'm not imposing too much on you by coming over so late."

"Not at all," Carmilla assures her. "You know I love having you over. You said you had something to talk about? What's on your mind?"

Vaggie goes quiet for a moment. She does switch her position on the couch just then, trading her feet in Carmilla's lap for her head instead. She cuddles up into Carmilla, head laying over her thighs, while the matriarch begins running her long claws through Vaggie's hair again.

Vaggie had discovered early on in their new relationship that she loves having Carmilla comfort her in this way. She removes the bow from her hair, the one that Charlie gave her, to allow Carmilla better access. Carmilla cups her whole claw around the back of Vaggie's head, just holding it there, seeing how small the girl's head is in her large hand. Everything about the fallen angel is small. Except her innate kindness, and her indomitable spirit. Those are without measure.

"It's the wedding," Vaggie says, after letting the silence linger a little too long for her comfort. Carmilla resumes petting her hair. "I keep having nightmares about it. Charlie is so excited. And I am, too. But every time I think about it...the closer we get...I'm scared."

"Pre-wedding jitters are normal," Carmilla says matter-of-factly. "When I thought I was going to marry your father, I felt the same thing."

"Well, we know how that turned out," Vaggie teases, looking up at her. Carmilla pokes her side, tickling her, making Vaggie squeal and jump, almost hopping off the couch. "Wait, haha, no! Stop!"

"Don't test me, little girl," Carmilla teases back.

"I would never, Mama."

"Now," Carmilla says, trying to get back on track. "Talk to me. What's really going on?"

Leave it to Carmilla to detect that Vaggie's problem is more than superficial. Her problems are deeply buried, but Carmilla has a way of coaxing them out of her.

"I don't know," Vaggie responds, burying her head back in Carmilla's lap. "I was fine a few weeks ago. But the closer the day gets...the more the reality sets in that this is actually happening...I just worry Charlie is making the wrong decision. To be with me."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I'm just...me. And she's the princess of Hell. She's going to be queen someday. Maybe not for a long time, but still, that scares the fuck out of me. Eternity is a long time to be with someone. What if she gets...bored, or falls out of love with me? Like Lilith and her dad? I don't want that to be us, Mama."

Vaggie sits up. As she'd spoken the words, an overwhelming sense of anxiety had washed over her. Like as soon as her thoughts were out of her brain and let loose into the world, they'd become a living, tangible thing, threatening to gobble her up and swallow her whole.

She leans into Carmilla's side, pushing herself as close as she possibly can to the other woman. She tries her best not to cry. It's very difficult to hold back in Carmilla's presence. There is something so safe, and warm, and secure about the strength in Carmilla's arms as they wrap around her. Something that, despite how much she loves her fiancé, she just can't experience with Charlie.

Is this what a mother's love feels like? The type of steadfastness that can only come from the person who once supported and protected her as she grew in her own body? Who cherished and mourned her potential existence, even when she thought she'd lost Vaggie forever?

Vaggie never had a childhood. Doesn't know what that feeling is like, and doesn't know if she ever will. But she thinks she gets it now, at least. Why children can form such bonds with their caretakers. When that emotional attachment is so strong, nothing else can ever compare or replace it. Vaggie can't believe she had to die to experience some modicum of it, but she's counting her lucky stars now.

"I'm such a terrible partner," Vaggie says, wrapping her arms around Carmilla's waist, and letting the woman return the gesture. "I don't deserve her. I never did. I don't know why I thought this would work."

"Oh, mija, mija," Carmilla repeats, patting her back gently as Vaggie cries into her neck. "It's all right. I know this is a big change for you. Life-altering. But everything will be all right. I've seen the way Charlie looks at you. And when she asked me for my blessing, you should have seen her face. She has nothing but love in her heart. I doubt myself about many things, but please don't doubt me about this. Nothing will ever change the way she feels about you. I promise."

Vaggie hiccups a little, turning her head so she can feel Carmilla's warmth against her cheek. Carmilla wipes the tears falling from her eye. Her claws come away wet and salty, but Carmilla doesn't care.

"How can you possibly know that?" Vaggie asks.

"I'm your mother. I know everything."

Vaggie can't help but laugh a little at that.

Somehow, in some way, even though she's not totally convinced she's not an eternal, cosmically ordained fuck-up of a person, she's relieved that Carmilla, at least, doesn't buy into her bullshit. That she is convinced she and Charlie will work in the long-term is a comfort.

It will probably take Vaggie a long time...if not forever...to get over her own issues about herself. But Charlie...goddammit, Charlie...she loves that woman. More than she can characterize with feelings and more than words in a dictionary could describe. Her love for the daughter of the devil is everlasting. Unexplainable. Beyond the material.

If Carmilla belives it...hopefully she can. Someday. Preferably on the day that she says "I do." But if it doesn't come later, she will live vicarously through Charlie and Carmilla's combined faith in her. Their strength will see her through.

"I love you, Mama," Vaggie says, hugging Carmilla tighter.

"I love you, too, my baby," Carmilla responds, giving her daughter a lingering peck on the forehead.

Vaggie decides to spend the night again. She wants to talk to Carmilla more. About the wedding, and about other things. When she returns to Charlie the following day, she feels lighter, and more confident, than she's felt in a while.

She doesn't dream that night. No nightmares, or intrusive thoughts at all. Just a wonderful sense of wholeness, and a renewed vigor the following day, that she desperately needed. There's only a few days left until the ceremony. They have a lot of work to do, and seemingly not enough time to do it.

[yourlostmotivation]

Food and activity log:Nr 10&11

(I forgot to the log for yesterday so I’m just putting it together with todays log)

Tuesday 8th of October

In morning I ate rice with cooked egg. I didn’t go to school since we only had one class and we weren’t going to do much.

I went over to my mom’s place and during lunch I ate kebab. Then it was my friends birthday so I went over to his place and helped them clean and prepare for the birthday. It was just going to be a small little family birthday nothing big. I ate some chips, cake was served but I don’t like cake or at least the cake that they served so I got some vanilla ice cream instead.

Wednesday 9th of October

I toasted some bread and added cucumber and drank some hot cocoa before heading off to go to school. At school we ate spaghetti for lunch so I ate around 1/4 plate of spaghetti. Came home and just chilled because school fried my brain (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

Then it was dinner and I was only gonna put a little food on my plate cuz I liked the feeling of me starving iykyk then my lovely grandmother of mine but to much rice on plate and she dosent like it when people throw away food so I had to eat it all 💀

I really wanted to step on the scale and see how much I weighed but because I’m doing the challenge were your not supposed to weigh yourself until the 31st of this month I didn’t. I really wanted to but I didn’t. (If that scale dears to show me anything else then the number 87 by the end of this I’m gonna be so pissed)

But after that I exercised which made me feel so much better. I thought the exercises was gonna be hard but it was actually quite easy (๑💗ᗜ💗)

I washed my hair today and I feel clean so that makes me feel a bit better.

Bye bye void!

[silverynight]

Comfort omega

<---Previous

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Izuku wakes up with a smile on his face even though he knows he's alone in bed; Katsuki has gone to work early that morning and the omega knows he probably didn't want to wake him up.

He keeps smiling anyway, still having the sensation of his alpha's arm around his waist. Katsuki has gotten into the habit of wrapping his arms around Izuku's middle and pulling him closer to his body while he's asleep. The omega doesn't mind it at all, he loves Katsuki, although he also has become a lot more overprotective lately.

Izuku thinks it's because of the beautiful biting mark Katsuki has left on his scent glands or the fact that it's been a month since they got married.

Still, Izuku doesn't mind a protective alpha, as long as he doesn't start to tell him not to go to work or something, which of course Katsuki hasn't and probably never will because he's proven he's a very good alpha.

The omega finally gets off the bed, takes a quick shower and decides to make himself breakfast before going to work. Breakfast for one since Katsuki won't be coming back until later that day.

He makes himself pancakes and eggs... But as soon as his mouth touches one of those he starts feeling dizzy and nauseous. That's when Izuku decides that maybe breakfast is not meant for him that day and drinks a little bit of orange juice before heading to work.

***

After putting on his safety glasses, Izuku grins at the new piece of equipment for Uravity's suit. He knows she's going to love it.

"Bakugo, are you alright? You look a little bit pale." One of his co-workers asks, concerned.

"I'm fine, but thank you for worrying about me," Izuku says, smiling at her, although he's a little bit flustered now. It's been a month and he still gets warm and fuzzy inside whenever someone calls him by his new last name.

"You also smell more sweet than usual this morning," Hatsume points out, without taking her eyes from Red Riot's suit.

"What?" Izuku blinks in confusion, he hasn't noticed, even though he's a very intuitive omega. "I'm not going into heat, that was a couple of weeks a-ago."

He feels himself blush as he remembers he had to take a few days off (and Katsuki had to do the same) to spent it with his husband.

The omega shakes his head to push those memories away; that's definitely not the time to think about that.

"It's probably nothing to worry about," another of his co-workers says, waving his hand dismissively. "I mean... What if your scent is a little bit more sweet than usual? You still smell good to me."

Izuku nods and decides not to think about that for the rest of the day.

***

By the time he gets off work, Izuku is starving and since Katsuki is not back home yet (they've been texting each other every now and then) he decides to go get some dinner with Aoyama.

"I want the spiciest noodles you have," he finds himself saying to the waiter.

"Your explosive alpha asked you to bring him some?"

"No, this bowl is for me," the omega says, prompting Aoyama to quirk up one of his brows at him. "I know, I know... I mean I usually don't like food that burns my tongue, but today I'm craving spicy food... I don't know why."

"Sure. Just be careful, mon ami," Aoyama nods, although he observes him with curiosity for the rest of the evening. "Why don't you tell me about your day?"

Izuku does and when he finishes telling him, there's something different in Aoyama's eyes.

"So you felt dizzy? Only in the morning?"

"A couple of times during the day, especially around food, but there's nothing to worry about! I mean I'm perfectly fine now."

"You know what? Why don't we keep chatting for a bit in your fancy apartment?"

Izuku buys another bowl for Katsuki and gets into Aoyama's car, however, the blond omega stops at the pharmacy and tells Izuku to wait for him.

"Did you need suppressants?"

"Something like that... I also bought ice cream!"

Izuku can't help it, he gets a little bit distracted by the mention of ice cream.

"Chocolate?"

"Of course, mon ami."

***

Whenever he's back in their apartment, Izuku likes to put on comfortable shorts and one of Katsuki's t-shirts. He sits on the couch while Aoyama finds another two bowls to eat ice cream together.

However, at some point his friend approaches him without ice cream. Izuku feels tempted to pout, but then he notices Aoyama has a funny expression on his face.

"What is it?"

"Listen... I don't want you to get your hopes up, but I think you should take these two to the bathroom."

"What do you–" Izuku doesn't get to finish the question because that's when he sees the two pregnancy tests in his friend's hand. "Really? I mean..."

"I just thought about the things you told me... Especially about you feeling nauseous in the morning. This doesn't mean... Just don't get too excited yet."

Izuku can't help it, his heart is already beating happily and his hands shake a bit when he takes both tests and runs towards the bathroom.

He doesn't come back with an answer yet, because they have to wait a couple of minutes. Instead, Izuku tries to distract himself with a bowl of chocolate ice cream.

It doesn't quite work.

"It's okay if you're not. Don't get all sad because of that, you can keep trying..."

"It's time!" The green haired omega jumps off the couch, almost dropping his bowl in the process. He leaves it on the counter before he rushes towards the bathroom again, right where he left them.

"So?"

Positive. They're both positive.

Sobbing, Izuku runs out to hug his friend.

"I'm going to have a pup!"

"Maybe a couple..." Aoyama smiles back at him. "I can't believe I'm going to be Uncle Aoyama soon!"

Tearing up, Izuku touches his own belly, even though the pregnancy is not noticeable yet.

"Well... It's time for me to go because you have to tell something to your explosive alpha. Call me tomorrow, alright?"

Izuku nods, shaking a little. He feels nervous, even though he knows Katsuki is going to like the news.

***

By the time Katsuki comes back, Izuku has calmed down or that's what he thinks. He heats his alpha's noodles again and puts them in a bowl.

"Kacchan, I brought your favo–"

The alpha ignores the food completely and instead takes Izuku in his arms and buries his face in the curve of his neck.

"I missed you," Katsuki takes a deep breath, right before he starts kissing his cute omega all over the face.

Izuku can't help it, he starts sobbing, which prompts the pro hero to immediately take a step back and look at him with concern.

"What is it, Izuku? Did I hurt you?"

"No, no! Of course not!" The omega assures him, feeling Katsuki's thumbs on his cheeks, trying to wipe off the tears.

"Do I have to kill someone?"

"No," Izuku chuckles then, rubbing his nose against Katsuki's. "These are happy tears."

"But... Izuku..."

The omega cradles Katsuki's face in his hands and the smile on his face becomes wide despite the tears.

"Kacchan... I'm pregnant."

The pro hero freezes, even though there's a lot of emotions and thoughts glimmering in his eyes at once. Izuku bites his bottom lip with worry, a concern that only grows when Katsuki blinks, drops to his knees and puts both arms around Izuku's middle.

"Kacchan!"

"Are you sure?" The alpha has tears in his eyes as well, but he's fighting them, trying to keep it together.

"Yes! We're going to be parents, Kacchan!" Izuku squeaks with delight when he feels kisses on his belly before the pro hero carries him towards the couch and cuddles with him.

"You're the best thing that could've happened to me, Izuku."

That's when Izuku bursts into happy tears again. Katsuki tries to kiss them away even though he's tearing up too.

***

They tell their friends a couple of days later. Although they don't exactly get the opportunity to actually say the words because Ashido guesses right away.

Then Izuku is attacked with hugs; Katsuki growls at Todoroki when the other alpha pulls Izuku into his arms, but calms down when Izuku kisses the blond pro hero on the chin.

It's been a little bit challenging already, Katsuki has become a bit possessive and overprotective and has a hand on Izuku's waist most of the time.

Fortunately, he doesn't let his instincts get the best of him and their friends are more than used to his grumpy behavior already so none of them get mad at it.

"Congratulations!" Uraraka grins, before squeezing Izuku into her arms.

"Careful, round cheeks!"

"I'm fine, Kacchan!"

Of course, Katsuki's friends don't waste the opportunity to tease him about his overreactions when it comes to Izuku and his safety and even though he growls at them, the omega can tell he's having a good time.

He sits Izuku on his lap and keeps one of his big hands on Izuku's belly the whole time as the omega happily tells their friends how he found out he was pregnant.

"Did Blasty cry?"

"NO."

"Yes, he did." Izuku chuckles before giving his grumpy alpha a kiss on the forehead. The pro hero immediately softens. "He's actually very sweet."

Katsuki doesn't even deny it this time.

"You're going to be a great Dad, you know?" Izuku whispers against his ear, giggling when he notices the blush on Katsuki's cheeks.

He can tell his alpha is desperate to meet the pups, because even though they haven't gone to a doctor yet, Izuku is sure now that he's having two pups.

***

Patreon

[aimwigs]

remind about it (a mom qt fic from the dadwig universe) gen | rated t | 1.5k

The summer after she and Ludwig break up, QT takes her daughters to Texas to see their Aunt Maya.

The summer after she and Ludwig split up, QT decides to take the girls on a trip to Austin. The nature of being the parent the kids live with for most of the week is that she doesn’t get to be the fun one. When they stay with Ludwig it’s all ice cream and movie nights and when they stay with her it’s driving them to school and trying to get them to eat their vegetables for once.

It’s not like it’s Ludwig’s fault, really. They’ve been stumbling their way through the whole co-parenting without living together thing and she’s the one who’s lucky enough to have her daughters in her house almost every night. With the limited time he has from the nature of the arrangement they’re currently working with, she doesn’t blame him for wanting to make all his weekends special.

It’s just like, fuck. QT wants to be a fun parent too. She gets to have all the little things with the girls but she wants to make those fantastic unique memories too. It’s hard to measure up to the guy who’s been taking them to France alone pretty much every year since they were born.

So, she decides to take them on a trip to Texas to see their Aunt Maya. It’s a little more special than the trips they take up to Washington and kids fucking love animals. Their vacation is going to be fucking fun and something different that the girls remember forever.

In hindsight, taking a six-year-old and a four-year-old on a twenty-hour road trip without a second driver might have been slightly ambitious. Even though they stop for the night in some New Mexico town that QT forgets the name of the second they leave, the trip is not without its fair share of tears, emergency bathroom stops, and calls to Slime when she needs to hear the voice of another adult for an hour or so just to stay awake.

They do get there in one piece, though, long after the sun has already set. Maya welcomes them to the bigger house that she had built on Alveus property after she got married and all of them sink into their beds without much time for chatting. As much as she wants to catch up with Maya, if QT doesn’t get some fucking sleep tonight she’s going to spend the entire week as a miserable husk of a human being.

The next morning is buttermilk pancakes and farm-fresh eggs. Both of the girls are super talkative— it’s been almost two years since the last time Maya was able to come to Los Angeles and they want to tell her about pretty much everything that’s happened in their lives since then.

They spend the day walking around the property and introducing the girls to all the animals. Lucy takes a particular liking to Stompy, who she awkwardly hugs about six different times despite being way too short for it to work and Ryan happily talks to Maya about bugs pretty much the entire day. She seriously has no fucking clue how her older daughter managed to pick up Maya’s bug obsession despite living several states away. Considering that she’s typically quiet, QT is just happy to see her so animated about something.

“Mom, can we get a donkey?” Lucy asks as she holds out a carrot to Serrano in her open palm, just like Maya showed her.

“Where would the donkey live?” she asks, an amused smile on her face.

“The backyard.”

Ryan frowns. “Aunt Maya says that donkeys need a lot of land to graze in. Our backyard is small.”

“We have a donkey at the sanctuary in California. Maybe I’ll meet you guys for a visit sometime,” Maya offers, crouching to ruffle Lucy’s hair. For someone who claims to not be huge on kids, she’s fucking great with the girls.

They have dinner outside, sitting on the deck and enjoying the gentle summer breeze. Sometimes QT forgets how nice it is to be in a place like this, surrounded by people you care about and the beauty of the Earth. She wishes that she had driven out here sooner.

The girls don’t last long after dinner and luckily, they both go down to bed pretty easily.

QT returns to the deck afterward to watch the sunset.

When she hears the sliding door behind her, she turns to see Maya walking toward her with two wine glasses, a bottle of some sort of red, and a corkscrew.

“Caleb picked it out special for us,” she explains as she sets down the glasses on the small table between their chairs. “Don’t tell him this, but I still can’t taste the difference between this and the cheap shit.” She holds out the corkscrew to her. “You’re on opening duty.”

QT snorts. “You know I still don’t like wine,” she tells her as she pops the cork off the bottle and passes it back to Maya. “The taste never really grew on me.”

“God, me neither. It’s fucking gross,” Maya replies. “But it’s like old times, right? I’m going to do the pour.”

Maya does what is frankly the least satisfying pour she’s done, which just makes QT laugh and take the bottle to show her how it’s done with the other wine glass. This might just be for them but she still wants it to be right.

When Maya takes a sip of her wine, she wrinkles her nose. “Still gross.” She takes another sip anyway.

QT sips from her own glass. She still isn’t really a fan of wine whatsoever, but this is definitely one of the better ones that she’s had.

“Any goss?” QT asks, turning to her as she sets her glass back down on the table next to her.

“We’re opening a third sanctuary in Colorado, if that counts as goss.”

Where QT has two actual children, Maya has plenty of her own in the form of all the animals in her care. All the shit she’s done to promote conservation is fucking insane and QT is proud of her for it every day. Three animal sanctuaries and countless people more invested in conservation from all the educational content that she’s put out. It’s fucking impressive.

“We’ve grown up, haven’t we?” QT smiles a little as she says it. She isn’t sure the version of her that started a podcast in a shed with her best friend could even imagine where they are now.

Because they’ve both been through so much fucking shit throughout their lives and even though they have gray streaks in their hair, they have wrinkles from smiling instead of frown lines. They’ve both achieved and continue to achieve the things that they want out of life. Maya has all of this— the sanctuaries and the educational directive— and QT has two daughters, a few big regular events she still streams, and is working on her first cookbook.

“A little bit maybe.” Maya holds her glass in front of her pensively. “I know that we’ve changed a lot but I like that this still feels the same.”

It does. Staying connected is harder than ever with both of them being so fucking busy without the excuse of a podcast or streams to drive them together but their relationship manages to stay the same anyway. There’s a reason that she’s Aunt Maya, even if she lives several states away.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” QT admits. “I mean, I still feel fucking inadequate sometimes but I think that this is the life I’ve always wanted. I’ve got my daughters, my career, and I’m sitting on a deck pretending to enjoy fancy fucking wine with my best friend.”

Maya holds up her glass. “Cheers to that. I’m so fucking happy you’re here. It’s been so long since we’ve had time for us, and you know I love to see the girls too. Plus, I don’t have to deal with Ludwig anymore.”

She says his name like it’s a bad world.

QT rolls her eyes. “He’s a good guy and a great dad. We’re still friends even if things are weird right now.”

“I know.” Maya smiles. “I just like giving him shit. I’m glad you guys are on good terms even if it didn’t work out.”

“It did work out. This is how it was supposed to happen,” QT tells her, even though it probably sounds insane. “We’re both happier this way, and that means we can be better parents for our daughters.”

“You’ve always been an awesome fucking mom but I see your point.”

QT drinks her wine and takes in the scenery again. “I think maybe we’ll make this a yearly thing, if you’ll have us. The girls won’t be kids together, and I want them to have time with you and experience places like this one. The drive is a fucking bitch but it’s worth it.”

“I’d have you here every fucking day if I could, QT.”

The two of them sit quietly, drinking their wine and watching the sun fall below the horizon. Something comfortable and unnameable passes between them. This is how they love, sitting together with a drink and just enjoying being in the same space, physical or virtual.

QT smiles, immensely grateful for everything she has, her friends and family especially. When her girls get older, she hopes that this kind of stuff is what they remember.

[yessoupy]

harry, i love u. (part 1)

but more to the point, i love my harriatrics.

i am home, emotionally exhausted, physically ill, and still awaiting my delayed luggage to be delivered, but here is my slane and wembley 1+2+3 review.

i spent a few days roaming around counties clare and galway prior to linking up with the ladies in dublin for slane. straight off the plane i hired a car and drove to the west. i needed to kill some more time before checking into my airbnb so i hit the cliffs of moher (again) because it was SUNNY and DRY. it turns out, the west is/was in a drought. dust everywhere.

my airbnb this time around was in fanore. perfect for one person and a nice location for what i like to do. my next day i took the doolin ferry to inishmore and rented an e-bike. rode around the island, had a lovely lunch of a salad and a coke, and hiked up to dun aonghase where it was WINDY and i almost lost my tourist hat but i have catlike reflexes. view from the fort:

aran goat cheese salad:

kilmurvey beach, where i did not get in but will next time for sure:

on my final full day, i went to the doolin cave to see the third-largest stalactite in the world. the scale is hard to convey in a picture:

it was really cool! literally and figuratively. also a pleasant 95% humidity which i needed because it was SO DRY the whole time i was there.

on saturday morning i lit out from the west and dropped my car off at the airport, then got a taxi to the hotel to meet up for the rest of my harries for breakfast. @papiermachecat did a great job of summarizing that except she left me out, which i'm not bitter about at all. lol.

marathon did a great job of organizing all of us to get to and from slane. here is an employee manning the coach pickup:

here's mitch opening!

annie mac in the "rain"!

wet leg!

inhaler!

and our boy!

it's hard to convey the size of the crowd. i took some pictures, but i'm sure you've seen overhead shots that are much better. knowing about the historical nature of slane shows ... i'm so glad i got to be there with some of my very best fandom friends. also, much like the men of easy company would say, "at least it's not bastogne" whenever they had a cold winter, after every trek home post-show we can all say "at least it's not slane."

the day after the show, @chasm2018, @aggresivelyfriendly, and i walked around dublin. we had dinner at the bank which was cool, and i got some very good fish and chips:

dublin put on a show for us, sunny and warm:

we tried to find ice cream and failed:

but eventually ended up at instagrammable cloud nine and it was very good, will try the gelato in july. no pics, because ice cream.

one environmentally regrettable thing about the impact of the 2021 grammy outfit are the molting boas. here is the day-after shot of where the coaches let us off in dublin:

after a final breakfast at our hotel (my eggs florentine below), we took a (delayed) flight to london.

my relationship with london is .... like yes, there are cool old buildings but i hate the monarchy? the one thing i wanted to do in london besides see harry was go to the british museum, which we did on our off-day. anyway. @chasm2018 and i stayed at an airbnb in fitzrovia. we had a late lunch/early dinner at wahaca (yes i know) which was surprisingly good! the rainbow bowl:

(i took a lot of food pictures for my dad and sisters, so this is what you get too i guess.)

me in front of wembley!

wembley 1 saw us in bishopsgate, which was a much smaller pod than at slane. @chasm2018 and i helped to remove an interloper (some guy who was being obnoxious and bragging about sneaking into the pod who didn't end up having a ticket at all?). look don't brag about sneaking in AND be obnoxious.

harry was incredible, of course, and when i have the energy to go through the pictures on my camera (this is ALL from my phone) i will share those with you.

london was done up for pride month:

on wednesday, @chasm2018 and i got bottomless chai (chocolate chai pictured) at dishoom and gorged on indian food.

also apparently that night (or the next? idk) my platonic baseball soulmate spent 3 hours behind olivia in line for that restaurant. she was offered a pass to go to the front of the line but refused it! what a woman.

idk what this was but it looked neat and that far building looks suspiciously like the dorm in maynooth that looks like a prison on the inside.

for wednesday's show i had seats with my friend from the leadership conference i do in ireland, so i entered separately and hanging out by the red zone was this guy

our boy was ALSO great during night 2, from the seats:

he played love of my life and i just love YELLING that at him!!!! from the seats I got a better idea of just how fucking massive the crowd is, and how full of love the stadium is when he plays. more of that later.

post-show activities included leftover indian (wow was it spicier) and harry talking to zane lowe about absolutely nothing.

thursday we had afternoon tea at the savoy (fucking delicious) with @accidentalharrie and went to the british museum to see things stolen from other places. this included THE rosetta stone (wild) and bits of the parthenon.

i really do love a greek vase!!! they can be so funny, like this one with drunk satyrs:

on the reverse is a .... kylix-stand?

she!

by friday, the hay fever had put me into quite a state. i was a bit of a drag!! we walked around the tower of london and westminster abbey. goddddddd i hate tourists so much.

here's white tower, the oldest bit of the tower of london, built by william the conqueror. my 27th great grandfather invaded england with william, so we're like family. lol.

notice not a cloud in the sky. so much sun and no rain which means .... every bit of pollen was in the air, wreaking havoc.

and i'm out of room for photos, so hang on for part 2.

[pagan-stitches]

Hagging Out: Veneration

Great-Grandma Hazel has been on my mind a lot this Thanksgiving weekend.  We used her china at Mom’s dinner and while tracking down the pattern to answer a question from @hrusewif I started looking for an old photo of my great grandparent’s wedding and stumbled on her recipe for poppy seed torte.  So I decided that since she seemed to be reaching out to me I’d spend some quality time with Great-Gran.  I went ahead and made the poppy seed torte and after lighting a candle and some incense I moved into the other room and had a cozy, informal sit down with her over a cup of tea (this time for real the very last teaspoonful of Russian caravan, I actually threw the packaging away this morning) in one of her old china cups (pattern: Homer Laughlin “ferndale”), and a slice of the torte.

Transcript from an article I wrote over a decade ago:

John Marlow and Hazel Caldie Marlow on their Wedding Day in 1912

After I got off the phone with Mom and then my maternal grandmother ("Granny") this Mother's Day morning, I was thinking about food--as you know I often do. Go figure! Several years ago I was reading a book about ethnic food traditions in America and the foods we inherit through our mothers. I remember quizzing Mom and Granny to death on the foods that they both grew up on. I have tons of notes somewhere that I took, probably buried with my genealogy stuff that is a come and go hobby, but some of the things I remember them talking about was the huge gardens (Granny was raising twelve kids on Grandpa's small salary) and all the potatoes down in the cellar, about night-time smelt runs, and kolaches, the Friday fish fries at Grandpa Thibodeau's ice cream parlour, and my mom's paternal Grandma Hazel Marlow's frosting--which was evidently something amazing.

Great-Grandpa Thibodeau's ice cream parlour (in an earlier incarnation as a "confectionary store") in Ashland, WI. Pictured are his brother William and sister Gertrude, circa 1910. My Granny, Lorraine Thibodeau Marlow, grew up in the above apartment.

You may have gathered from the above description that my Mother's family is not from the South! Mom is mostly descended from French Canadians who immigrated to Wisconsin at the turn of the century. Except that my Great-Grandfather married a half Scottish lady (the other half, of course, was Canadian French), Hazel Caldie, whose grandfather Thomas Caldie had hacked their farm out of the wilderness in 1862 near what would become Stiles, Wisconsin.

The extended Marlow family sometime in the twenties, probably on the farm (I think outside Denmark, Wisconsin). Grandma Hazel Caldie Marlow is circled, one of my great uncles is directly below her, the man above her is my Great-Grandpa John Marlow, and on his lap is another of my great uncles (my Grandpa wasn't born yet). I believe the rather stern looking lady in the top row center is my great-great Grandma Marlow (doesn't she just look like the matriarch of a farm family?), and the graying gentleman with the moustache and white shirt to the left is my great-great Grandpa Marlow.

I never did get the frosting recipe, but Mom managed to track down some of Grandma Hazel's other recipes from my Great Aunt Bev, who still had an old recipe box of Grandma Hazel's. My Aunt Mary requested this recipe, which she had childhood memories of:

Grandma Hazel’s Poppy Seed Torte

Ingredients:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup poppy seed

1/2 cup sugar

6Tbls. flour

Dash of salt

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

1t vanilla

3 egg whites

6 TB sugar

Directions:

Mix crumbs sugar & butter. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping.

Mix poppy seed, sugar, flour, salt & 1/2 cup milk to smooth paste.

Scald 1 1/2 cups milk, add the flour mixture slowly.

Boil 5 minutes (turn the heat down if necessary)

Beat egg yolks & vanilla, add slowly to custard white stirring rapidly & cook five more minutes.

Cool.

Put the mixture of crumbs, brown sugar & butter in pyrex pan. Pour custard over. Beat egg whites stiff , add 6Tbls. sugar, beat until thick & holds peaks.

Put over top and sprinkle with crumbs. Bake 15 minutes at 325 degrees.

Like most of the family recipes from Wisconsin, this is not Scottish, or French Candadian, but Eastern European! Which, I always find rather amusing, since it is actually on my Dad's side of the family (Nebraskan pioneers) that I'm descended in part from Moravia (the Tesars, Yuraceks, and Ludvics).  

One of my favorite pics of my great grandparents--what are they smiling about?

Great Grandma with one of my mom’s 8 brothers.

End Transcript

Doing research this morning I realized that what we thought was an Eastern European recipe is actually German, however it is very much a regional Midwest, especially Wisconsin, traditional favorite.

I’ve been told I look a lot like my Great-Grandma.  She, my mom, and I are tall ladies and all exactly the same height!

I really enjoyed going down this rabbit hole of memories and spending some time with my Great-Gran.  Thanks for hosting @graveyarddirt​ I know I’m early, but I wanted to get it all down while it was fresh.

[thegrassisaalwaysgreener]

Our First Cruise

            Every other year, we get to spend March Break with Henrik. Naturally, we thought we would do a big trip with him. I have to say, travelling during March break is not my cup of tea but it is what it is. We had planned to go on a cruise with my parents so spent many hours sorting out which cruise line and where we wanted to go. My parents had been on several cruises before and had enjoyed them. We decided on the Norwegian Dawn as it was a happy medium for us all. The price was decent, the stops had something for all of us and the dates worked with when we wanted to travel.

            We surprised Henrik with the cruise cleverly as a Christmas gift. He was SO excited. He couldn’t stop talking about it. The cruise left from Fort Lauderdale on Saturday March 12, 2023. The weather in Hamilton/Toronto had been super dodgey and mum was worried we wouldn’t be able to fly out. She almost drove down to Florida! Luckily, we were able to fly out on an early morning flight out of Pearson. We did however, feel very nervous about getting to the cruise terminal on time. Luckily, we had booked everything through Norwegian, so they had to ensure we made it onto the cruise. We took Norwegian bus to the terminal and waited in the very long line to check into the boat. I had no idea what a production this was!!

Since we were so late to board, we were unable to go to our room before the safety briefing (which may have been the most useless thing I have ever heard). Having everyone at a muster point outside where you can’t hear any of the safety announcements seemed silly. We were finally able to make it to our joining rooms and check them out. We booked windowed rooms since it was Henrik, Mikes and my first cruise and I was worried about getting seasick. The room was quite small but big enough for the 3 of us. Henrik had a twin bed that folded down over top of our bed and he just loved it!

            Once we checked out our room, we made our way to the main pool deck to see what there was to eat. Unfortunately, there was no food available, which was not ideal since we hadn’t eaten since the morning and it was about 4 pm. Burgers and fries came out eventually so we enjoyed them along with a beverage while we explored the ship a bit. I had no idea how big the ships were!

            We explored the ship, swam in the pool, signed Henrik up for the kid’s club (thank goodness they had this!!) and enjoyed some bevvies before our first dinner. Since you had to book several of the restaurants in advance, we had dinner at the buffet that was surprisingly better than I thought. We had prime rib, veggies and potatoes.  

March 13, 2023- Sea Day

            Since our first day on board was a ship day, we enjoyed a bit of a sleep in before we took a lap or two around the deck before our breakfast. The breakfast at the main dining room was quite good! We had eggs and smoked salmon along with fruit and pastries. Henrik was just in his glory ordering whatever he wanted! Since we had an at sea day, we made sure Henrik got into the kid’s club for the day which he was nervous about at first and then was obsessed. The kid’s club was open during the day and then closed during mealtimes. While Henrik was at the kid’s club (with a fanny pack with an airtag in it just to be sure), Mike and I wandered around the boat and hung out by the pool and on the loungers with my parents.  We picked Henrik up after kid’s club and enjoyed ice cream and hung out by the pool. It was such a lovely afternoon. We all had dinner together before dropping Henrik off at the kid’s club again for another couple of hours. Mum and Kelly went to bed while Mike and I went to the karaoke show (which was hilarious).  We picked Henrik up 2 hours after his bedtime (What a party animal) to get a good night’s sleep before a big day in Cozumel.

March 14, 2023- Cozumel

            We tried to book as many excursions as we could ahead of time (which I highly suggest as the customer service desk has bizarre hours and is difficult). Kelly was going on a tour of Chichén Itzá. While Mike, Henrik, Mum and I were going to a beach front water park resort in Cozumel. The resort was called Playa Mia Grand Beach Park. t had an amazing inflatable waterpark along with waterslides and pools. It was approx. $80 per adult and $40 per child. We all had a blast playing on the beach, jumping around the inflatable water activities/obstacle courses and enjoying traditional Mexican food (which even mum enjoyed!). The water slides weren’t very busy which was extra fun for us. We spent the whole day at the beach and headed back to the port.

            We all freshened up after our long day and caught up with Kelly who had a less than fab day of history. Unfortunately, he did not get to enjoy the history of Chichén Itzá.  long enough due to the distance they had to travel and those on the trip with limited mobility. We all had dinner together (pasta, fish and dessert of course) before dropping Henrik off at the kid’s club. Mike and I enjoyed some drinks at Gatsby’s champagne bar while Kelly hung out in the cigar lounge before heading to the other wine bar. The wine bar was having some sort of singles event that was fun to people watch at. Mike and I went to the 90s night at the “club” for a little bit before picking up a very sweaty Henrik at 11 pm!! He had the best time at kid’s club which was amazing to hear.

March 15, 2023- Roatan

            Buffet breakfast are what dreams are made of when you have kiddos. It is so great to a) not have to cook anything and b) that there is always something they will eat! Luckily, Henrik’s taste buds are maturing so he is quite agreeable to trying lots of new things. We had booked a private tour of Roatan for the day which we were all really excited for. We would be learning about chocolate, going to a sanctuary and the beach as well.

Roatan is an island of the northern coast of Honduras and is the largest of the Bay Islands. It approximately 77 km long and 8 km wide with a population of 110, 000. It is known for its barrier reef (the 2nd largest in the world) along with conservation and institute for Marine Science.

Once we disembarked from the boat, we had a hard time finding the pick-up spot for our driver, but we managed to make it work. Our driver/tour guide Charlotte was a woman born and raised in Roatan (which was super surprising as she had such an interesting accent). She gave us a history lesson on the island. Our first stop was AJ’s Monkeys and Sloths where we got to take turns snuggling guinea pigs, sloths and beautiful birds. The sloths were just so precious! We each got to hug them and they were so sweet and cuddly. After hanging out with the birds (and even holding them so bravely!), we went into an enclosure with sweet white-faced monkeys. They jumped all around us and played with us- it was so fun. Henrik was very brave and enjoyed playing/seeing all of the animals.

            After our time was up at AJs, we made our way into town, we visited the The Roatan Chocolate Factory where we learned how to make chocolate. It was such a neat process! I had not idea how many cocoa beans were in one cocoa plant and how much was needed to make chocolate. We enjoyed many taste tests which we all loved. Charlotte brought us near the more touristy west end of the island which was a bit nicer but far busier. She dropped us off at a restaurant that allowed us to use their beach if we ate which was something we had already planned to do. Many of the other beaches were far more expensive so we were happy to enjoy lunch in a covered little bar area and still have access to the beautiful Roatan beach. The water was so crystal-clear blue- it was so crazy! We all enjoyed various tacos and burgers along with the fun beach bar vibe.

            Once our time was up, Charlotte took us back to the cruise terminal where we played some card games before our dinner. We booked our a la carte dinner for today (teppanyaki) which we were very excited about. While it was a bit pricey (that is the one thing about cruise ships, lots of hidden fees I have found), it was delicious! We shared the table with a lovely family from the states (the mum was also a nurse!). Henrik loved watching the chefs cook our food and the show they put on.

            Henrik got to head back to kids club after dinner while Mike and I people watched the big dance party and enjoyed a beautiful evening outside.

March 16, 2023- Belize

            After another delicious breaky (mimosas, eggs bene, fruit and pancakes for Henrik), we headed to the amazing poolside loungers that Kelly had gone and prepped for us ahead of time. We were on Harvest Caye, Belize which was owned by the Norwegian Cruise line. The island was well maintained but we had to pay for anything we ate or drank which was kind of annoying. Since it was a full beach/pool day, we wore our matching bathing suits which the boys just LOVED (haha!). We spent the whole day swimming in the pool, going into the ocean and wandering around the small island. We ended up going back to the ship for the buffet lunch since the menu at the resort was less than appealing.

            There was a little trolley from the cruise ship to the main entrance to the island so we took that back after lunch and continued to enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and hot weather. We took photos in front of the ‘Belize’ sign (as was a tradition at each stop) before Henrik and I enjoyed a fresh coconut. While we enjoyed our time in "Belize" it would've been great to be in another part of the country in order to really get an idea of the culture and people. Guess that just means we will have to visit again!

            There were so many fun activities to do so in the evening, we played shuffleboard after our dinner at the irish pub- O’Sheehan’s. Henrik loved the done up hot dog and desserts before his nightly trip to kid’s club. As a side note, we ended up going in line for kid’s club 30 mins (minimum) before it opened as there were only a certain amount of spot and we didn’t want a sourfaced munchkin. Once Henrik was at Kids club, Mum, Mike, Kelly and I went to the comedy show which was highly inappropriate but so funny. The comedian’s name has escaped me (and my notes apparently) but he was ridiculously funny. Mike and I enjoyed a few more bevvys at the bar while watching another show before picking Henrik up and heading to bed.

March 17, 2023- Costa Maya

            Our last stop on the cruise was Costa Maya Mexico. There weren’t a ton of activities or excursions that we thought we would like at this spot so we decided to stay close to the cruise ship and enjoy a beach day. While the sand wasn’t nearly as nice as the sand in Roatan, the area had a swim up bar, restaurant and dolphins in the area. We hung out drinking fancy slurpee drinks (for mum and Henrik) along with some beers for the rest of us. Henrik, Mike and I went on a bit of a mission to explore the rest of the area which was FILLED with tourists. We saw some flamingoes and bought some souvenirs at the shops before taking our photo outside of the ‘Costa Maya’ sign and heading back to our room to read and chill. The boys went out to enjoy some games while I walked some laps and had a green beer at O’Sheehans in celebration of St. Pattys Day

            Henrik had his dinner at the buffet with Mum and Kelly and Mike and I enjoyed a steak dinner once we dropped him off at kid’s club. We checked out the casino and then met our parents at the theater for the Cirque show (which was amazing). The parents headed to bed, and we went up to the mojito bar on the upper level and watched/danced with everyone at the white party. It was super fun and was basically like a club in the middle of the ocean under the beautiful sky.

March 18, 2023-Sea Day

            Sadly, it was our last full day on the cruise but it was a beautiful sea day. We spent the day swimming, playing games and enjoying numerous bevvies (mainly Aperol spritz for me and ice cream/smoothies for Henrik). We got lots of shopping done (including a new stuffy for Henrik) before heading to the buffet for a delicious surf and turf dinner. Sadly, the kids club was full when we arrived so Henrik hung out with us as we wandered around the casino and checked out the final show  of the trip. After putting Henrik to bed, Mike and I went out for one last adventure finding the “secret” hot tub which was in an area that super windy and crazy but fun.

[laurenetuttle]

Japan Day 2 (September 7, 2024) 

Today was our first full day in Tokyo. We had a lot of fun today. We got a pretty good night sleep last night. Both of us woke up a couple of times but I still got a good amount of sleep. Unfortunately, the beds are a little bit on the firm side. But I think they were just so exhausted. It doesn’t really matter. we had breakfast this morning at the hotel buffet. It’s a very nice buffet with lots of options, including churros for breakfast! We both enjoyed some eggs and fruit toast. We then set out for our day and oh my goodness was it hot today. It was in the 90s and very humid. I think we were both sweating a lot before we even got to our first destination. Thankfully, mass transit in Tokyo is very easy to navigate. Our first activity for the day was called team lab planets. this is an immersive art museum. They made us take our shoes off and also put our stuff in lockers. We chose to use the restroom before we started in the museum and they provide bathroom sandals so you don’t have to go to the bathroom barefoot which was really funny. The whole museum was a pathway of different rooms with different things. The first pathway had running water going over it. There was also another room that had a deep water with colorful projections of fish. After each water activity, they provided towels to dry our feet off, which was very mindful. We also walked through a room with hundreds of thousands of strings of LED lights. There was also a room with these giant, colorful balls, another room with lots of orchids, and a room with these metallic egg shaped things. Spent a little over an hour in this museum, and we both had a lot of fun and also very much so enjoy the air conditioning. 

We then took the bus to a neighborhood called Ginza, which is a fancy pants shopping neighborhood with lots of high-end designers. We decided that we needed a snack break so we stopped and got some Italian gelato which really hit the spot. In Japan, it’s not a thing to walk around and eat. This ice cream store had a roped area outside, which was designated as the standing and eating your ice cream area. We then decided to wander through some of the stores, including she is a nice Japanese skin care company that I Like. We also wandered through some other stores in a mall and we wondered around for about an hour and a half before we took the subway to the next neighborhood where we had a tea party at a café called hot couture Café. I booked this as a celebration for my birthday. It was fully decked out and all these white flowers and it was a really beautiful scene. They also had the table set up for my birthday birthday sign a special birthday cake so it was really nice. The food was a little bit different than American tea party usually includes. There were no Sandwiches. The savory items were a little questionable. I tried today and cod. I avoided the shrimp, scallops, and oysters. But I enjoyed the parfait and moose and macaron and tart. It was great themed almost everything had some sort of grape in it , it was not quite as filling as we had anticipated because it was a different menu than we are accustomed to in the US. 

We then headed to the neighborhood called Shibuya. We did some more wandering around them all and then went up to an observation deck on the roof of a 45 story high building called Shibuya sky. Interestingly, they also had us lock up all of our stuff and lockers, but thankfully, we got to keep our shoes on this time. Thankfully we lucked out and had really clear skies today so we could see across Tokyo into the ocean probably for miles. We spent about a half hour at rooftop and really enjoyed it and then decided to go back down to the street level and cross the Shibuya scramble and do some shopping. We stopped in a store named loft and purchase some stickers for scrapbooking. We then were losing steam pretty quickly. So we decided to eat dinner at a place called Ichiran Ramen. it’s this well-known Ramen chain where you place your dinner order on a computer and get a printed out ticket you, you fill out a little sheet about your preferences for your Ramen like how spicy you want to be. And then you wait for an individual booth to open up for you sit down. It’s an introvert dream. Everybody gets their own private booth so you don’t have to talk to anyone or see anyone. the Ramen was great. We both really enjoyed the food. It really hit the spot after a long day after Ramen we decided to hit a photo booth spot and took silly pictures and printed them out. We then went to the mega Don Quijote store, which was an 8 story convenience store. We purchase some snacks and souvenirs. Then we both hit a wall. And decided to come back to the hotel. We had been out of the hotel for about 12 hours today. We spent all day sweating and walking around. We took over 16,000 steps today. We both had a lot of fun. And we are looking forward to a good night sleep and a fun day tomorrow. I spent probably 20 minutes typing up this blog today. And then when I went to post it, it didn’t post and it deleted everything that I typed up. So now I’m too tired to retype it all up. So I’m dictating it. I’m sorry for any typos.

[captainmartinisblog]

Another Change of Plans….!

Monday 17th June 2024 – 2nd Day at Sea.

It’s amazing what a difference a few degrees of latitude can make. Last night, it actually got dark for a while!

However, as we continued to track south, well clear of the ice-fields, the sea was a mite choppy this morning and all the outside decks were closed. A bit frustrating really, because while quite a few of us can handle ourselves in such conditions, I guess there are those on board who really shouldn’t be let out – probably not at all, actually!

Mind you, none of this stopped Angie, who decided to go in the Infinity Pool all the way aft on deck 7. If she had told me she was going, I would have taken a picture but here it is later in the day. (I sneaked out the side door everyone forgets about!)

How she got out there though is anyone’s guess but then she couldn’t get back in and was wandering the decks in a wet costume, in a sub-artic gale, trying to find a door that would open! (These things only happen to Angie!)

Otherwise, it was a quiet morning of Captain’s Coffee and a talk on the life of Agatha Christie by Dr. Ainslie Waldron. She was not a bad speaker but after Lucy Worsley’s excellent series on TV recently, her content was a little ‘pedestrian’.

However, in today’s noon announcement from the Bridge, our delightfully dour Captain Olaf told us that there’s pack-ice blocking all the southern ports and we aren’t going to Qaqortoq tomorrow after all but we are making for a place called Ivittuut some way further up the coast.

According to Captain Olaf, there’s nothing there but a few huts and some Musk Oxen (!) but at least we’ll be able to say we set foot on Greenland – though there may be “a much bigger ship” (his words) also going there (most likely Zuiderdam, which we have been following since Isafjordur). Oh Joy!

At the port talk later in the afternoon, I don’t think I’ve seen so many people in the Theatre since the time Andrew & I spent 22 hours there….! All the senior officers were lined up at the entrance and they were giving out glasses of bubbly and nibbles; clearly, Viking were buttering us up because, so far, it’s been nothing but bad news!

Captain Olaf was dragged-up on stage to ‘prove to us’ that there really is a lot pack-ice, as well as ice-bergs, blocking all the south of Greenland. On the above map (thanks to Sally for the photo) All that grey swirly stuff is pack-ice and our new destination of Ivittuut is in the top left of the map.

Dinner tonight was once again in Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant but there was a ‘Live Lobster Event’ poolside and in the Café, so we dropped by there first for our Lobster Starters (Sally, Angie & Me that is) Although as Angie pointed out, all the lobsters we could see were definitely dead and cooked!

Sadly, Andrew has come down with a cold and since he doesn’t like anything ‘fishy’ at the best of times, I don’t think watching us three eating lobster helped any! It was very good though.

Down in Manfredi’s, I had another starter of Asparagi con Polenta. I don’t care for Polenta but I enjoyed the Asparagus, poached egg, truffle and Parmigiano Reggiano.

For my main, I had the Brodetto all’Anconetana aka Seafood Stew. I’ve had this dish before and the Langoustine dressing the top is such a messy fiddle that I completely forgot to photograph the dish – so in true ‘Blue Peter’ style, the photo is one I prepared earlier!

Dessert proved a bit of a surprise because the Caramello was much nicer than I expected, although the hot caramel sauce drizzled over vanilla ice-cream was extremely sweet.

To round off the day, we saw our first Ice-Berg. Now that’s a nice thought to go to bed on; maybe I’ll watch Titanic…..

[withabackpackandcamera]

August 23rd, 2023

Day 8: Last Day Errands and One Last Family Meet-Up

On our last morning, we tried to visit the Shepard's Bush Market but we arrived too early and they were closed...

After skipping out on the market, we bussed down to Putney to run some last minute errands, like buy a notebook for Cynthia and purchase some confections and goodies from Waitrose to bring back home.

While walking over to Fulham, we ran into our recently-arrived aunt and uncle, Vi's parents, Di Trang and Bac Nhuong, who had just arrived from Georgia to visit her for a couple of weeks. After hanging out at Vi's apartment for a little, we strolled over to Mabelle's Cafe for brunch with the family. The cafe restaurant had a cute interior and a nice outdoor patio area where sat and enjoyed some good brunch that we shared: Egg Mushrooms and Chickpea Shashouka. Because we were running a bit late with brunch, we had to really limit how much we were going to eat because we had another reservation right around the corner.

Trained to Kensington and went bakery hopping in the area for some baked goods to bring home before arriving at Dishoom for our lunch reservation. We definitely weren't hungry by the time we sat down but ordered a ton of food to enjoy and take home anyways. Some yummy Ruby Chicken, a Paneer Roll, Garlic Naan, and rice. And I was given a surprise birthday complimentary dessert, birthday chocolate pudding with chili ice cream. Strange, but I'll take free any day!

Picked up some pastries from Gail's Bakery before taking the train home to clean up, shower, and check out.

Trained to the airport and arrived early enough to enjoy a short break in the Priority Pass Lounge. Lots of snacks, food and drinks there but we were too full to enjoy too much...

What a whirlwind trip to London! It was fun! But jetlag is definitely getting worse and worse as I get older... and all the work I've been doing at the hospital really has weighed on me. Whew, what a tiring trip. But very glad we did it!

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

Waitrose is definitely the nicer market of many of the markets we visited, like Lidl, Tesco, and Sainsbury.

Unlike way back when, probably pre-pandemic, you can no longer return your Oyster Card at your final destination (usually at the airport) for a refund of the card's cost. So now, you just lose it. Maybe this is a reason to not do the Oyster Card and just tap your credit card for everything. Lame.

There are two Tube lines to the airport: the Piccadilly Line and the Elizabeth Line.

Virgin Atlantic definitely does not do complimentary upgrades. But they're nice enough to offer a glass of champagne for honeymoon goers on their flight.

The origin of English afternoon tea: In 1840, Anna Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, couldn’t bear the wait until the next meal and was particular hungry and in need of food between lunch and dinner. So she started ordering tea and bread during that time and invited people to join her and made it a social occasion. English afternoon tea time was the result. Essentially, this lady got hangry and made afternoon tea time a thing that we still do today.

[mental-mario]

Part III: This Ain't for Me

Shockingly enough, the next morning came (at 7am with a knock to take vitals while half asleep at edge of bed), and I still wasn't "cured." Breakfast was French toast and powder eggs with decaf coffee and a side of meds. As I looked around at the other patients on the unit, most were much like myself: quiet, reserved, low energy. I don't like to say they seemed "normal" because that is an old stigma attached to mental health, but I will say there weren't many behaviors displayed except for a couple of instances. One rather tall gentleman kept jumping around, hogging the phone (probably with fake calls), and repeatedly asking everyone their names because he couldn't remember. Another patient seemed to move in slow motion and spoke inaudibly. Another paced the floor and talked to himself much of the time, as one might expect to see in a setting like this.

At 10am, it was group time! Group runs from 10-12 and then again from 1-3. "Group" in this case was not quite what I thought it would be. Patients from both units (some still opted not to go) met in a small room with two recumbent bikes, an elliptical, a treadmill, and a radio. There was also a table with playing cards and Guess Who, in case you didn't get enough of playing with yourself and board games. During this light exercise time, a member of the psych team would pull you for a one-on-one interview. Keep in mind, this has been over 24 hours since I checked into the ER, and finally getting the first opportunity to speak to someone with any authority to do anything. I spoke with the psych doc for probably 15-20 minutes while he took notes, and he was very friendly but didn't offer much insight. I then met briefly (less than 5 minutes) with the psych team, including some students and the attending physician, but this was just to reiterate what I said earlier in the one-on-one. They did say they would consider my discharge request but that legally they could still hold me for up to 72 hours after I signed the request. They also had me transferred to the front unit, which was smaller and quieter, since I don't do well with noise and had traumatic experiences in dorm living. After the interview, I had a few minutes sitting idly and zoning out. A patient at the adjacent table asked what I was staring at and yelled at me to stop. Naturally, I fired back with a, "I wasn't staring, and while we're on the topic, WTF are you staring at me for?!" This accomplished my mission of getting this person to get up and leave.

My wife came to visit me at lunchtime. I was the only one who had a visitor during my stay, and that made me even sadder. My kids were too young to be allowed to visit, and they were at school anyway. It was a surreal experience to have my wife visit and see me in this jumpsuit and in this atmosphere. She was highly supportive, but I felt deep embarrassment and shame. Still, I was happy to see a glimpse of my outside life. My wife already knew that this place was only making me worse. After lunch, which was by far the quickest hour of the day, my wife had to leave because it was time for group again! This time, they put us in teams and had us play a round of Scattergories as well as a rousing round of Jeopardy with a theme of OTC meds and remedies. If you're reading this and wondering how this was supposed to improve my mood and SI, I am still wondering as well. After that was mercifully over, we had idle time again all the way until bedtime, with the exception of dinner. We mostly sat around the dayroom area watching tv, with the highlight being when Mean Girls came on! I felt very aware of a sublime feeling in that moment of realization that I am trapped in a psych ward and watching Mean Girls. All I could do was laugh to myself. 8pm was snack time, and I got to get TWO snacks! So I chose a vanilla ice cream cup and a pouch of cinnamon golden grahams so that I could complete the nostalgic feeling of being completely controlled in my childhood. I did lose a few pounds over these few days, but I managed to gain it all back quickly when I could binge again. Anyway, my nighttime meds came on time this night, at 9pm, and I was able to go to bed from there. No reason to keep staying up. Trazodone did help me get to sleep, but my door kept opening and shutting all night. I'm pretty sure I was on 15 minute checks, even though that didn't happen the night before.

Next post will be Part IV and likely the conclusion of this story. Hopefully you've enjoyed it so far. If you have, please tip your blogger accordingly! I learned growing up that money and gifts were the way to express love, so shower your love and other bodily fluids all over me!! And while you're filling me up with your love, friend me on Switch! My friend code is on my profile page, or use the QR code in my pic. I am lonely and need more of you in my life! I'll be online either playing Shredder's Revenge or Cowabunga Collection and looking to go online! I've been on a real TMNT kick lately, and by "lately," I mean the last 30 years. The feeling of taking out my anger and frustration on a bunch of Foot soldiers just doesn't get old! Of course, that will get put away for a while come midnight Friday! I want to thank my sugar daddy/mama, who wants to remain anonymous, for their generous donation so I could afford to purchase Super Mario Bros. Wonder! I will see you online!

[takeeachdayonebookatatime]

Why did you elbow me? 112

Achilles Castle part 17

Alexis: pov our group is still a little shaken up. I'm ordering the corn dog and fries which Dave is carrying for me. He is ordering the burger and fries, my dad wants the triple cheese pizza. Gram wants a hot dog with fries, I'm carrying gram and dad's food.

Ryan: pov Sarah Grace wants the nugget and fries, I'm ordering the clam strips with onion rings, Esposito is carrying my food he is ordering the spicy Buffalo wings with corn bread. Jenny wants the lobster Mac and cheese.

Lanie: pov I'm ordering the clam chowder and it looks amazing. Kate doesn't know what she wants, Kate finally decides on grilled chicken with Spanish rice. All of our food comes with water, after we finish eating we are going to get funnel cake and ice cream. We talk about what plans we have for the rest of the day.

Castle: pov me and Ryan made plans for tomorrow after lunch we are taking everyone to the mall that way Sarah Grace can get a build a bear. Ryan also has a surprise for Jenny while he was at one of her obgyn appointments he asked for a recording of the baby's heartbeat without her knowing to put in a bear. I have a recording of Kate's heart beat post shooting I got from her cardiologist at one of her many appointments. I'm going to put it in a bear and surprise her dad Jim.

Jim: pov after dinner we hit the funnel cake stand Katie is so excited to have some, she can only have a little bit, the fair has a type of ice cream called dippin dots. They are round little ice cream balls that are about the size of beads. We all ordered different flavors. Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. All of us decide to head home Jenny's feet are hurting her and Katie looks tired.

Castle: pov the ride home was short. Ryan is giving Sarah Grace a bath while Jenny relaxes on the sofa. Lanie and Esposito are relaxing and talking in Lanie's room, which is the guest room that Esposito is staying in. Lanie has been sleeping in Kate's room in case of an emergency.

Martha: pov Jim is sitting on the sofa watching tv, Katherine fell asleep with her head resting on him. Ryan is having trouble getting Sarah Grace to bed because she is scared by what happened today. Jim starts shouting that the news is talking about the fair, hurry, Katie's on the news.

Alexis: pov Me and Dave come running downstairs. The rest of the group is in the living room, the news lady Jill first shows the clip of the guy who owns the fair Nathan giving a statement then Chief Brady talking and Kate. Afterwards Jill says she has obtained video of the incident. where Captain Kate Beckett, who has a heart condition from previous chest trauma she suffered as a result of a shooting years ago, takes down the armed suspect. The video is from someone who was at the fair.

Jenny: pov I had no idea how seeing this video would affect us. The whole group is crying, Jim's screaming woke Kate up. I doubt any of us are getting any sleep tonight. Everyone spent a little bit longer in the living room before heading to bed. Kate is asleep again so Esposito offered to carry her to bed.

Lanie: pov thankfully Kate is already in her pj's. In the morning Kate takes her meds, everyone is getting ready for the day. Martha is making breakfast, I'm wearing an end gun violence shirt and Kate is wearing her. I survived a bullet shirt with gray shorts. Martha is making corned beef hash with eggs. I don't want Kate eating the corned beef hash but I have decided to let her have a tiny bit that way she feels included. I will just put more egg on her plate and some fruit. Everyone has their bathing suits under their clothes because we are going to the beach.

Castle: pov Ryan and Esposito are helping Jim pack sandwiches for the beach so that way we can have lunch there. Jenny is getting Sarah Grace ready, while Alexis and Dave pack snacks and water bottles. The boys, Aexis and Dave are carrying the cooler and chairs. Lanie has incased my leg in plastic wrap to prevent sand from getting in. I will use my crutches on the beach, once I'm sitting I should be good.

Kate: pov I grab my swim shirt that goes on top of my bathing suit, it protects me from the sun. Lanie grabbed my sun block and emergency bag I go everywhere with. I don't handle the heat very well. At the beach Alexis and Dave help Castle settle down with his feet up in his chair with a book. It is a folding chair that turns into a lounge chair so his feet are off the ground.

Esposito: pov Lanie is putting a special sun block on Kate, before she puts on her swim shirt. I make sure Kate's chair is in the shade. There are a good amount of people on the beach even though it's private. One of Castle's neighbors comes up to us and says he saw Kate on the news and wanted to congratulate her. Alexis and Dave are going in the water. Kate wants to join them which means Lanie goes in the water also. I offer to switch with Lanie so she can finish her book and take a break. She does so much for Kate to make sure she is 100 percent.

Dave: pov Esposito is helping Kate into her life vest so she can go into the water. Castle just filled up the pool raft/float for Kate so she can relax in the water if she wants. Me and Alexis are splashing each other. Ryan is with Sarah Grace in the shallow end near shore. There are 2 teen boys in the water splashing everyone. To be continued. …….

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Kimmer told me the Lake Perris area is desert. And while I don't know if that's true or not, definitely it meets my expectations for desert climate. With cold nights, hot days, and transitions in which temperatures either plummet or suddenly BAM.

It's hot.

The night before last, we definitely experienced the plummet. The following morning, stepping out of the campervan, we definitely experienced the BAM hot with the sun beating directly at us.

So yeah. Desert.

Kimmer has us all good 'n set up for our campervan time here, by the way.

That's our Big Foot over there on the left. 😁

Now, camping's not strictly my thing. But I will say that one of my favorite things are the meals crafted by Kimmer, her cousin, Derek, and sometimes both.

The night we arrived, dinner was grilled, ground, and seasoned meat over Fritos, topped with sour cream and guacamole. There was also supposed to be salad in there... but since I'd already had a Caesar, I went with the meat, Fritos, sour cream, and guacamole. 😁

Then yesterday morning Kimmer conjures a breakfast sandwich from lightly toasted flat bread, overeasy fried eggs, avocado, and a bunch of other goodies including bacon as well as fried sweet potatoes on the side. 😁😁😁

Like I said before, camp time moves differently than city time. Especially when you're staring up at a fantastically bright and clear and near and nearly full moon... sometimes you lose all sense of time.

For sure we went to bed earlier because the temperature plummeted. We turned in around 930 or 10. A bit early for us.

Definitely we got up and on our feet much earlier than usual. Around 730 for me. A little earlier for Kimmer.

Because of that, the morning seems to have lots of time in it. Lots of time to hang out. Lots of time to break down the bed in our campervan. Lots of time to get ready to whatever degree we like. Lots of time to perfect breakfast and appreciate breakfast. Lots of time to consider the day. And so on.

There's more room inside these mornings than we're used to. It's instructive how much there is.

Around 11, we headed out with the boys to check in on Kimmer's uncle's old place...

...and then to check in on Kimmer's aunt Jacquie for entertaining, the painting of finger and toe nails, walking around together, and delivering gifts.

Once upon a time a family friend was taken to Memory Care after struggling for the longest time. And the first time we visited her there, she. looked. fantastic. She was under such a great care. She was being cared for with such great care.

And so it is with Jacquie. She looks great. Plus she was more engaged this visit, conjuring a bit of her old self with that laugh and smile of hers.

Later, we're pulling into the parking lot at McDonald's for some vanilla ice cream cones... when a memory comes to Kimmer from last October or November when she and Derek took Jacquie and Dave out for ice cream cones here and, as they're sitting in a booth enjoying their creamy frozen deliciousness, Jacquie turns to Kimmer and says—

Isn't this great?

And it is! It is!

It's a reminder of little moments. Meaningful moments. Moments that stick just because they do. Because of something in those moments that speaks to us. Not only just in those moments but even across time. Even after someone's gone.

It's a reminder of what's most precious to us. And what it is, amidst this cacophony of modern life, we should be consciously and relentlessly pursuing.

☺️

[umichenginabroad]

Eating & Drinking my way through Prague

Dobrý den! 

This past weekend, I stayed in Prague and had my friend Morgan come and visit me! As I have been in Prague for 8 weeks and have had many visitors over that time, seeing Prague Castle, although beautiful, has become quite repetitive. I have mastered the art of the 2-day Prague itinerary, but I was itching to show my friend something that was also new for me! 

This is where my love for trying new food comes into play. Over the past few years, I have been running an instagram account @sheeeeats (shameless plug - check it out). This is where I document all of my food experiences and it has helped me figure out that one way I love to explore a new city is through its restaurant scene. Luckily, Morgan was on board with my plan of going on a food-tour of Prague. 

When she first arrived, we headed over to New Town. This part of Prague is the historic center of modern Prague and is filled with cafes and stores, and most importantly, Kantýna. Kantýna is home to one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. On top of that, they had the softest puffy bread in a delectable vanilla cream custard.

After walking up to the top of Prague Castle, walking past Lennon Wall and over the Charles Bridge, it was already time for our next meal! I took Morgan to Lokal, a chain of Czech restaurants that always has the longest line out of the restaurant. Luckily, with a reservation, we got to try the amazing food for an even more amazing price. Beef tartare, Talián sausage, fried cheese, and 2 Pilsners (Czech beers) later, and we were stuffed for a whopping $32 total. 

Traditional Czech food is often bland and boring, but these items were absolutely delicious, and definitely kept us warm on the cold walk home!

The next morning, we started our morning off with brunch in Old Town. The Prague half-marathon was happening that morning, so a lot of the streets were closed to cars which made walking through the streets much more enjoyable. At breakfast, we decided to share pancakes, which is one of the smaller things in life that gies me lots of joy, and get our own egg dishes. The highlight of this meal was my iced dirty chai latte. One thing I’ve learned from being abroad is that iced coffee and drinks often don’t exist. So, whenever I find one, I immediately know that it will be a great day!

After brunch, we walked through the Jewish Quarter and did a tour of the many synagogues that Prague has. There is so much Jewish history in Prague and it's incredibly well preserved, which makes the experience incredibly moving. My favorite part of the tour was the Spanish Synagogue. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s right next to a Cathedral, which highlights the diversity of religion that Prague had before WW2. 

After our tour, we headed to the Prague Beer Fest. Although I’m not a huge fan of beer, the Czechs drink an average of 150 liters of beer per capita annually. This means that they are the biggest beer consumers in the world. Because of that crazy fact, I’ve been trying to dive into the beer culture while being here. This event was so fun as it had different beers from all over the Czech Republic, but also a bunch of countries around the world. 

We were pretty tired and beer-ed out after this day that we went home to hang out before our next meal. Obviously, we still made our way to our sushi dinner in Old Town. This was by far one of the best meals I’ve had since being abroad. We got udon noodles with chicken and a bunch of different sushi rolls, sashimi, and nigiri. 

At the end of this trip, it’s needless to say that I was full and happy. We managed to see a bunch of the highlights in Prague, while also exploring a bunch of new restaurants. All of these restaurants were on streets I had never seen before, so this was a really fun way to explore Prague and try a bunch of different restaurants! 

Emily Walker

Computer Science & Engineering