#so just some quiet and calm birthday celebrations at home. while a snow storm is happening outside haha

[wigglebox]

Suptober - Day 4 | Birthday

[sope-and-shine]

Christmas Special: Day 3

-> Pairing: Namjoon x Reader -> Roommate!AU // Best Friend!AU // Fluff // Non-Existent Angst ->Word Count: 2.3k ->Summary: Bedding, Blizzards, and Namtiddies? Oh my! -> Warning(s): None???

A/N: I guess now is a good time to mention that all of these were randomly generated and randomly put into order. There was too much planning and effort that went into this for me to not mention any Namtiddies.

When you agreed to stay home with your roommate and life-long best friend this Christmas and spend Christmas together, it was more of a bonding thing you were going for. You still expected to wrap yourself up in your blankets, sit by your window with a cup of hot chocolate in your hands, and watch the city below you get covered in snow. You agreed to binge watch every crummy Christmas movie you could find and make shitty cookies from the package together in your very tiny kitchen. You agreed to wake up early - but not too early - on Christmas morning to open the presents family and friends had been sending to your apartment together.

What you did not agree to was your best friend dumping his stupid science project all over your bed and forcing you to clean your only bedding, quite possibly staining it and the clothes you were wearing. Why was he in your room? Well, he had a question. Why did he have his nasty science project in his hands? Well, that’s a great question he hasn’t answered yet. Why did he dump it on your bed? 

He got a cold chill and lost his grip on it.

Were you angry? Absolutely. You weren’t just mad. You were big mad. Of all the clumsy things this man has done, this had to take the cake. And that’s saying something considering he literally wore Jin’s birthday cake when you celebrated the other week. Yeah, he was never bringing the cake out ever again. Nor would he be allowed in a three legged race again either, but that’s for another time. 

The only thing you could focus on right now, was the loss of you favorite and only bedding. The sounds of your mother nagging you about taking more than one set of bedding with you was clouding you thoughts, “You should take it with you. Don’t come crying back to me when you realize that one set of bedding won’t work! Your sister regretted it and so will you.” 

Oh, how right she was. And you should’ve known better with a roommate like Namjoon. He was nicknamed the god of destruction back in middle school when he tripped over a chair and broke an entire desk. Of course at the time it was the funniest thing in the world, but being on the other side of the destruction felt like karma for all the times you watched him demolish something and enjoyed it. 

You were so mad that Namjoon didn’t just see it. He was feeling it. He felt it the minute his liquidated project landed on top of your plush sheets. The look you gave him as you sat up covered in green and purple slime - at least you hoped it was just slime - as well as the silence that followed you, screamed how much trouble he was in. Now, you’re not an angry person, and you very rarely hold grudges, but you had your moods just like any other person and this definitely pushed your buttons to the limit. It pushed you enough to go through with the one punishment you always promise to give him.

The silent treatment.

Another thing about you: You’re not exactly the shy type. Not with him anyways. You act like he’s barely even there sometimes, allowing yourself to be embarrassing or to sit right next to him on the couch and cling onto him. You were just a tiny koala that demanded food for compensation and he gave it to you every time you asked, and he’s felt your rage plenty of times. But you never went through with your promise of not speaking to him. Until now that is. But Namjoon is a determined guy. He won’t back down from a fight, especially not with you. He’d get you to talk one way or another.

Sitting on the couch with his laptop resting on his lap, glasses slightly low on his nose from working on his paper and looking up to you, he can’t help but be amused. You were trying to make a show of your anger with him, and he could tell instantly. You would walk by him every 5 minutes, make noise in the kitchen, sigh heavily as you say by the window with no comfy blanket. You deserved an Oscar for most dramatic at this point, staring out at the blizzard raging outside with your arms and legs crossed like a child.

“They say the storm is only going to get worse. We could be seeing power outages across town.” Namjoon says, typing away at his essay. You don’t move, continuing your little game of ignoring his entire existence. He shakes his head, “We should watch The Polar Express now in case ours goes out later tonight.”

You don't exactly respond to him, but The Polar Express is your favorite movie, and it was almost impossible for you to ignore his offer to watch it. You hesitate at first, but you do eventually slide off the windowsill of your apartment window and shuffle across the wood floors in your fluffy green socks to the shelf that holds all of your movies and games. Namjoon has to do everything he can to not laugh at you, pretending to be mad even though he can see you bouncing in excitement. If he was right, then you’d be yourself again in no time.

Unfortunately, Namjoon wasn’t aware of how determined you actually were. As soon as you put the movie in, you were sitting on the opposite side of the couch from him with your knees pulled into your chest, acting like his existence meant nothing to you. It caught him off guard, but it didn't totally convince him. You’ve always turned into a child the minute this movie turned on, and there was no way you’d be able to hold out through the whole film. He’d play your game, but he wouldn't lose. You - on the other hand - were having a very hard time. You were still mad with Namjoon, you didn't want to forgive him yet. Everything this week had gone wrong for you, and his accident was just the icing on the cake. But at the same time, you know it was an accident, and he apologized for the first 30 minutes until he realized you really weren't going to say anything. A part of you felt bad knowing deep down that he didn’t deserve this, but a part of you just needed to let it out. 

Or keep it in, in this case.

You both sit quietly on the couch watching the movie, Namjoon tapping away on his keyboard in between dialogue. He’d add in his own thoughts about the movie in between to get you to talk, sometimes asking about your family or even trying to talk about the weather outside. But just like you, it only seemed to rage on.

“C’mon, (Y/n)! I know you’re not talking, but you can’t keep quiet when you know this song slaps! Could you imagine if there was a rap?!” He faces you on the couch and starts bouncing on the couch to a new rhythm, “Hot!Hot! Hey! Break it down now. I know the chocolate is hot, but you’ll like it a lot! Never sip, never drip, never set it down like-“ As much fun as he seemed to be having in his own little world, you were not as amused as he was. He could tell by the look on your face that he only had one option in this situation, “Yeah, I didn’t think it was that great either.”

He let the movie continue on without interruption for a while longer, letting you enjoy the movie playing. It was nice and comforting to enjoy it, at least until you hear a loud popping noise followed by the room going almost completely dark besides Namjoon’s laptop. His prediction of the power going out came a lot sooner than you both expected.

“Well, it looks like the power finally went out.” He says, trying to lighten the mood. Your lack of response wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for though. He sets his laptop aside on the couch and stands up, “We should probably check how much water and food we have so we can decide where we may need to go tomorrow, if at all.”

You follow behind Namjoon quietly, not ready to speak but not yet ready to be alone. Your apartment is an older one, so the darkness wasn’t as inviting as it would be in other houses - but darkness isn’t all that inviting anyways so-

“Did your bedding finish drying?” Your eyes go wide, the realization hitting you. You just put your bedding into the dryer for the first time run before the movie, and it always took at least three for it to actually be nice and fluffy for bedtime. But knowing how well your dryer worked, there was no way it wouldn’t be a sopping mess when you pulled it out. 

“Damnit...” You sigh.

“Ah, so you’re back to talking to me now?” He asks, his knowing smirk being hidden away in the darkness.

“Yeah, well I can’t glare at the darkness and get the same reaction, now can I?” You scoff. He was right in the end just like always, only now it was more unpleasant with the cold weather seeping into your older apartment, “It’s already cold in here, Joonie.”

“Hey, don’t worry. Go put on some extra layers and I’ll figure everything else out.” No matter what situation, Namjoon always knew how to keep you calm and feel a little better - even if you were ignoring him harder than the plague. He remained level-headed even if you were at your worst.

A few minutes later, after much shuffling around with only your phone light, you managed to pull on some sweatpants and a sweater. Not the best options, but they were the best you could do at the moment with your really warm clothes being tucked in the dryer with your sopping wet blankets. You meet Namjoon back in the living room only to find him sitting on the couch with his laptop wearing a hoodie instead of his NASA shirt from earlier. 

You approach him from behind the couch and rest your chin on top of his head, taking a peak at the screen with his English essay on it, “Did you figure something out?”

“Yeah, you can sleep on my bed for the night and I’ll just wing it on the couch tonight.” He says, continuing to type away like that wasn’t what he’d been doing all night anyways. You weren’t as unbothered as he was though. “Namjoon I-” “Don’t start with me, (Y/n). It’s my fault that you don’t have any bedding, so I get to suffer the consequences.” His typing slowly fills the room again as you stand behind him in silence. You were annoyed with him, but making him sleep on the couch with no blankets when it was only getting colder? Not happening. 

You hesitantly wrap your arms over his shoulders, tucking your head into his neck, “But I don’t want you to suffer. What if I wake up to a Namjoon-Pop? I can’t count on anyone buying you in this weather.”

“Wow, you’re really heartbroken over this.” He says with his voice laced in sarcasm.

“Can we just share the bed?” You ask. You lift your head and press the side of your face into the side his, rubbing very softly against it like a cat, “It’s already below freezing outside right now, and it’s only supposed to get colder. I’d feel better if I knew you weren’t freezing...and if I could steal your body heat.”

He shoves you away, “You, Vixen. You just want me for my body.”

“Body heat, there’s a difference.” You say.

“So, you don’t want my cuddles?” He asks, turning his head ever so slightly to look at you. Thinking about it, he wasn’t that far off. His cuddles were the best, and you really can’t help but to agree with him, “Okay, so maybe I do want your body. Who could resist those Namtiddies?”

“Forget it, you can sleep on the couch.” He returns to his laptop, not fond of the name you’d given to his pectorals after he started showing results from hitting the gym.

Eventually - after convincing him you’re not going to speak of the ‘Namtiddies’ for the rest of the night - you both end up lying in his bed, facing his desk chair where he’d placed his laptop with The Polar Express running. His chest is pressed into your back, his warm covers that smell like his Old Spice: Original body products tucked all the way up under your chin. His arms wrap around your waist to keep you as close to him as possible, and you can feel his breath on the back of your neck. It’s intimate, but it’s nothing that’s really new for either one of you. Cuddling like this really wasn’t new, and it actually felt natural for you to be wrapped in his arms. You felt safe with him, and it just made you feel even worse for treating him the way you had today.

“Hey, Joonie?” You ask quietly, unsure if he had fallen asleep yet. He grunts in response with a slight tug to pull you closer, a small ‘hm?’ leaving him. You shrink back into his warmth and grab onto his hand laying in front of your face to play with his fingers out of nervousness, “I’m really sorry for acting like a kid earlier and ignoring you. Even though I was really angry and I’m still not really over it, you didn’t deserve that.”

“(Y/n), you and I both know that you weren’t and still aren’t mad at me.” He mumbles, grasping onto your hand to keep it still and nuzzling his face into your neck to get more comfortable. 

“Okay, but that wasn’t my point.”

He lets out a sigh and pulls at your waist to get you to turn, pulling you into his chest as soon as you turn over enough. He fixes the blanket covering the both of you and holds you against him in hopes to get you to settle into sleep instead of your thoughts. “You forgive me. I forgive you. Can you just listen to The Polar Express so we can go to sleep before it gets colder?” 

And that’s how you fall asleep, your head resting on Namjoon’s chest wrapped up in blankets and his comforting scent. No snow to look at, no hot chocolate in your hands, but at least you have his heartbeat drumming next to your ear to keep you at peace.

[nerdy-bookworm-1998]

Masterlist

Last updated 23/03/19

Marvel

Gretchen's 200 Follower Writing Challenge Masterlist

Takeout Night - Reader introduces the boys to a new cuisine

A Gift-Wrapped Christmas -(Bucky Barnes x reader) Reader helps Bucky with some wrapping

Big brother - (platonic!Steve Rogers x reader) Steve helps reader after a breakup

Christmas Angel - (Bucky Barnes x reader) Reader takes Bucky Chrismtas shopping

Christmas in the Woods - (Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes) The boys pick up their Christmas tree

Happy Birthday - The team throw a surprise birthday party for reader

Christmas Fever - (Steve Rogers x Reader x Bucky Barnes) The boys find reader crying in the middle of the night

Snowed In - (Bucky Barnes x Reader) Bucky and the reader get stuck in a snow storm

Christmas Claustrophobia - (Steve Rogers x Reader x Bucky Barnes) Reader has a panic attack when she gets stuck in the attic

The Gryffindor and the Hufflepuff - Reader helps the boys find their Hogwarts Houses

Mistletoe Kisses - (Loki Odinson x Reader) What happens under the mistletoe, stays under the mistletoe 

Belonging - (Bucky Barnes x Reader) Bucky comes home to find reader locked up in her room

Teacher’s Pet - (Student!Steve Rogers x Professor!Reader) Steve Rogers is a teacher’s pet

Lost - After a terrible accident, reader ends up in the Marvel universe

Widow's Bite - Imagine Natasha beating the shit out of your abusive ex

Puppy Eyes - What happens when the boys use their puppy eyes to drag reader into an animal shelter

I’ll always catch you when you fall - (Peter Parker x Stark!reader) Peter’s first mission with the team after the dusting doesn’t go to plan, reader cheers him up

Trust Me - (Bucky Barnes x reader) Bucky takes reader on a ride

Confident - (Stucky x reader) What’s wrong with being confident?

Birthday Surprise - (Stucky x reader) It’s your birthday

Welcome to the jungle - Tony turns the team into animals

A Father’s Fear - (Steve Rogers x Reader) What happens when you tell Steve you’re pregnant

Sickday - (Steve Rogers x Reader) Steve takes care of a sick reader

Concussion - (Stucky x Reader) Reader has a concussion

Thunderstorm - (Skinny!Steve Rogers x Reader) College AU where Steve and the Reader spend time together in the library while it rains outside

Full Throttel - Biker AU! What happens when a bar owner gets caught in a war between two rival MC’s

One Call Away - (Steve Rogers x Reader) Steve is always one call away

Scorpia - What happens when the Barton sister no one knew about shows up at the Avengers Compound littered with injuries?

Jazz Girl - (Stucky x Reader) Reader takes the boys dancing

Heart of the Ocean - (Stucky x Reader) Mer! AU Steve is a selkie who is mated with merman Bucky. What happens when they discover a group of merpeople hunting a human woman?

Sparring Time - (Stucky x Reader) Steve and Bucky decide it’s time for the reader to learn hand to hand combat, but she has a few tricks up her sleave

The Bet - (Stucky x Reader) Tony, Sam, Nat and Wanda take a bet on how fast the reader will show her hand (companion piece to Sparring Time)

Love Machine - (Bucky Barnes x Reader) Reader gets a big surprise when meeting Bucky's furbaby for the first time

The Arranged Marriage - (Prince!Steve Roger x Princess!Reader) Victorian era au where Steve and the reader are betrothed but cannot stand one another, will the sparks fly or will everything go down in flames?

Baby Blues - (Stucky x Reader) The boys come home to find the reader near tears because she can’t calm down  their daughter

Puppy Love - (Bucky Barnes x Reader) Bucky and the reader find a box of puppies for sale and decide to take them home

Beg for Mercy - (Hades!Bucky Barnes x Persephone!Reader) Even the king of hell bows to his queen

The Distraction - (Steve Rogers x Reader) Steve is shocked to learn it’s his turn to play the distraction

Yes, Alpha - (Alpha!Bucky Barnes x Omega!Reader) Reader is being stubborn about staying in bed until her alpha steps in

Home - (Stucky x Reader)  After a rough day at the compound Steve and Bucky find out what home means to them.

The Howling Commando - (Stucky x Reader)  tony organises a Halloween party and fem!reader goes dressed in a howling commandos uniform and Steve and Bucky are just: 'error. Supersoldier.exe has stopped working'

Occupational Hazard - (Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff)  Steve learns the hard way that Natasha always carries a blade wherever she goes.

Super Soldiers and Panic Attacks -  Steve and Bucky help the reader with a panic attack in the happiest place on earth.

Christmas in July - The team wake up to find the compound full of the smell of Christmas

The Necromancer - Necromancer Bucky is encouraged by deceased reader to find Steve

Festive Spirit - The reader loves Christmas and Bucky is a bit of a Grinch

Snowballs and Hot Cocoa - Day 1 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. It’s the first heavy snowfall of winter and the team spends it playing in the snow before snuggling up with some hot cocoa.

The Annual Cookie Baking Bonanza - Day 2 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. The reader wakes up early to bake Christmas cookies, only to be sent back to bed once Bucky, Steve and Sam arrive back from a mission

Operation: Deck the Halls -  Day 3 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. The reader is on a mission; to decorate the Avengers Tower living spaces before the team wakes. Will she succeed or will she fall asleep before the task is complete?

Carols and Cuddles - Day 4 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar.  Steve, Bucky and the reader are enjoying a quiet evening at home when they get a very, not so very unexpected surprise.

Girls’ Night In - Day 5 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. The girls spend the night relaxing after a long week of missions.

December Date Night - Day 6 of my 25 Days of Chrismtas Celebration Calendar. It’s date night for Steve and Y/N. Steve plans on making it absolutly magical

The Christmas Tree Lighting -  Day 7 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. The town closest to the compound is holding their annual tree lighting ceremony and have invited the Avengers to attend but not everything goes smoothly, luckily Steve and Bucky are there to save the day.

The Annual Stark Christmas Gala - Day 8 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar.  It’s time for the annual Stark Christmas Gala, but Y/N isn’t really in the mood. Maybe a new friend can turn that around.

Online Shopping - Day 9 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar.  All Bucky wants to do is go home, curl up with his best and do some online shopping, but she has other plans

Signed, Sealed and Delivered - Day 10 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar.  Y/N gets Fury an early Christmas present. Fury is not very jolly, or so they think.

The Annual Avengers’ Family Christmas Card - Day 11 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. It’s time for the annual avengers family Christmas card and Steve gets a little more than just a photo out of the deal.

The Mystery of the Secret Santa - Day 12 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar.  The Secret Santa strikes and Clint knows exactly which lab tech with their own secret and a supersoldier boyfriend is responsible.

Crafts for Christmas - Day 13 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar.  Peter helps y/n make some Christmas baubles.

Snowstorm -  Day 14 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. Y/N is stuck in a snowstorm on her way home, but not everything is as bad as it seems.

Going Home -  Day 15 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. Y/N is on her way home for Christmas when Steve drops a bomb on her.   

Turkey Sandwich with a side of Vomit - Day 16 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. Y/N gets food poisoning from a turkey sandwich. Luckily Doctor Barnes is there to make it all better.

Snowy Slopes and Broken Bones - Day 17 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. Y/N, Steve, and Bucky go on vacation and Steve wants to go snowboarding.

A Disney Christmas -  Day 18 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. When Tony announces a Christmas vacation Y/N is the personification of the energizer bunny, but not everything is as it seems.

Avengers Pajama Party - Day 19 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar.  It’s time for the avengers family holiday pajama party and y/n has a little surprise for Bucky.

A Snowy Engagement - Day 20 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar.  Bucky and y/n go for a snowy walk in Central Park.

The Winter Wedding - Day 21 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. Bucky and y/n get married in a Christmas Eve wedding. Part of my Lost universe.

A MC Christmas -  Day 22 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. It’s Christmas time at the Howling Commandos MC. Part of my Full Throttle universe.

Flannel Shirts and Reindeer Skirts -  Day 23 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. Y/N takes Bucky home for a family Christmas at the Barton farm. Part of my Scorpia universe.

The Festive Education of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes - Day 24 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. Y/N teaches Steve and Bucky about Christmas.

The Yule Feast -  Day 25 of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration Calendar. Y/N and Steve have their own private yule feast with their children. Part of my Arranged Marriage universe.

The Ice Queen’s Secret - When Bucky and Y/N get stuck together in a dingy cabin during a snowstorm secrets are revealed

Steven’s Secret -  Y/N has been very busy lately with juggling her job, studies and spending time with Steve Rogers, her boyfriend of two years, causing Steve to distance himself from her. What will happen when she hears him talking to Sharon about telling his girlfriend where he’s been for the last three weeks?

A Pep Talk From The Past -  Bucky gives himself a pep talk before asking y/n a very important question.

Solving the Mystery of the Secret Valentine -  Two months after Bucky finds out y/n is keeping secrets from him it all comes to a head when the compound is attacked, or is it?

The Misunderstanding -  Bucky thinks y/n is cheating on him with Steve, but everything is not as it seems.

A Dinner to Die For -  No one goes after y/n family and gets away with it, no one.

Audiobook of Love -     Steve and Bucky are missing their best girl while on a mission, but she has a special surprise  for them.

Migraines and Movies - Tony drops everything when his daughter needs him.

Scrapes and IHOP Pancakes - Nat and y/n have a post-mission breakfast

Trick or Treat - It is Brooklyn and Sarah’s first time going trick or treating, and their Avengers aunties and uncles love their costumes

Tolkien

The Royal Artist - (Thranduil x elf!reader) Thranduil meets the reader on a beach and is so entranced by her that he invites her to stay at the palace, but she has her own past that she is running from, will it finally catch up with her?

The Bookelf - (Thranduil x Elf!Reader) Thranduil finds a distraught reader in the forest and takes her under his wing

[londonlanded]

Week 33

Alright folks, rolling two weeks into one here since not a ton happened the first one.

Monday rolled in, and so did a true winter storm? I've seen London reduced to rubble by weather before, but this was some next level disruption. The tube stops when there's so much as a leaf on the tracks, so when you factor in an entire 'blizzard' by English standards, the world stops. Amusing how something as simple as frozen water can paralyze an entire country that's previously withstood everything from guns, germs, chemicals and everyhing in between. I was the only one whose shoes weren't seeing me slide across the pavement uncontrollably, my seasoned snow-walking ways allowed me at least a giggle as I passed my somewhat less-fortunate comrades who, well, looked kinda drunk walking on ice for the first time in, likely, a very long time. Maybe even ever?

Anyway, I made the mistake of taking the tube one morning (instead of the bus which is significantly more weather-worthy), and found myself listening to the most profoundly annoying train operator I have yet come across. We found ourselves stuck between Baron's and Earl's Court stations, and instead of just leaving us to suffer in peaceful silence, our conductor decided that telling us over and over that 'we will be moving AT SOME POINT' was much more comforting??? It was the most vague and simultaneously amusing and frustrating 10 minutes of my time in London. It also led me to think I might die underground more than it encouraged me that I wouldn’t. Anyway, I wouldn’t be much of a Londoner if I didn’t complain about the tube right?

Still, barring my one moment of train frustration, my week went by as smoothly as any second week of a job could go. I woke up Saturday morning to find a strange chocolate bar in my cupboard, and decided to make it my breakfast (#cleaneating). I tasted what could only have been alcohol, and I heard from my Hungarian flatmate later that morning that it was actually an old-fashioned chocolate bar flavoured with brandy. As sweet of her as it was to give me something from her home, I wasn't counting on tasting liquor that early on a Saturday morning!

By the way, not sure when I actually received these, but ready for something hilarious?

If someone could enlighten me as to how I’m meant to get rid of 250 of these I’d be hugely appreciative thank you. I only have like...30 family members, not sure who’s going to be on the receiving end of these cards but I’ll let you know if anyone ever actually takes one off me! Amusingly a friend of mine likes to take her friends’ business cards to dole out when she’s tipsy and gets asked out by boys she doesn’t want to give her number to, so at this rate the only call this card’s going to earn me is from one or two very disappointed gentlemen...

Monday, I spent my day wishing it away since that evening after work, I headed out to Hammersmith Apollo to see my hands-down favourite artist play the last of a series of 8 sold out shows he played in London. I've been a Bon Iver fan for years, but the only other time I've seen him live, I was in the wrong company and it was in the wrong venue (drunk and loud, open air aka the concert wasn't loud enough amazingly enough). This time, I didn't make the same mistake, I set out on my real-life clothes from work (much to the amused surprise of my colleagues who had never seen me out of a dress), and took the same bus that I usually take home.

As expected, the opener's become the most played artist on my itunes since the show, and unsurprisingly, Justin swept us all off our feet the second he took to the stage for his short but phenomenally good set. I walked the 20 minutes home with a smile on my face and a quiet thrum in my chest from the music that had just finished reverberating through it.This is the calm before the storm, but I was too distracted to take many good photos during the show. In any case, you can’t capture sound on camera anyway, it’s safe to say that my eyes didn’t really need to work for me to be fully and wholly consumed by what I could have been looking at. 

Wednesday, met up with Paris after work to go to his new favourite place in the city, which happens to be feet from where I work. The top of the Picturehouse Central cinema holds a members-only seating area that allows you a view over all of Picadilly circus, and we stopped there for a drink and a chat. If you know me at all, you know I've seen a total of 3 movies in the past decade probably, so buying a membership to a movie theatre is probably the last thing you'd expect from me, but hey, I'm full of surprises what can I say. And for this view?? Worth it I think.

Thursday March 8th meant happy international women's day! I learned that it's a massive deal in Eastern  Europe, so much so that 4 bouquets of flowers were delivered to our office for the director of the Russian Worldwide Sales Office (based in our building). I always thought it was something created in the West, but evidently not. My way of celebrating was with a few friends for dinner, but soon after arriving I found out that I couldn’t escape my past as a pad-lady since there’s truly nothing more empowering than being the face of sanitary napkins apparently... They forced me into it, here for your viewing pleasure. 

Friday after work, I met Paris at the very same place he’d shown me the week before - we’ve had to have a lot of marathon catch-ups recently to make up for the time we’ve lost together in the office, and I have a feeling I’ll be visiting this theatre overlooking Picadilly Circus a lot over the coming weeks to do just that. 

Saturday, came across this funny little street sign that reminded me of home. Even more amusing was the fact that I was in a neighbourhood near one called Forest Hill. I always gave the people who named my area a bit of flack for having been so unoriginal, but perhaps they were inspired by someone even less innovative than them. To make things worse, I was visiting someone named Emily. Too many parallels thank you. And yes, under the sign is a box of Yorkshire tea, in case you needed any more proof that I’m in England. 

Saturday night, headed to a vegan restaurant called Chloe where we celebrated one of my ex-colleagues birthdays under a sign that displayed how my generation looks at the monarchy. 

Sunday morning, I finally headed to one of the markets I’ve been most desperate to go see, with the most fantastic company I could have imagined of course! I met Paris and Giulia at the entrance to Liverpool Street station, and from there, we walked to the first of our two markets of the day.

Spitalfields market is a mix of food and clothing, textiles, wares and art and trinkets, anything you can imagine wanting you can probably find there. It’s not somewhere you want to go if you’re tight on your budget or bad with temptation, the three of us had to resist the urge to empty our pockets at least half a dozen times. Didn’t take too many photos since my iphone wasn’t giving me what I wanted in terms of photographic standard, but I did manage to snap this photo of a legit wood-fire stone pizza oven contained inside a food truck, which I found quite impressive I must say. 

Thanks to my mom’s recommendation, the three of us knew exactly what to order when we finally made it to the mouth of Brick Lane market. Dark Sugars is a chocolatier that’s more than just a storefront. Staff walk around with trays of samples, there’s a fantastic soundtrack, and they sell truffles in every flavour under the sun, including some that have tiny liqueurs that you inject into the truffle just before digging in. 

As cool as all that is, the reason we came was for their famous hot chocolate. They don’t use powders or syrups - instead, they take chunks of milk, white, and dark chocolate and shave them in front of you, displaying them in a tasty rainbow on top of steamed whole milk.

 It’s your daily requirement for sugar and everything else no doubt, but it was worth the inevitable sugar high as well as the small dent on my wallet. 

From there, we walked along to the second spot we were adamant on hitting that morning - the Beigel Bake is one of Brick Lane’s most well known and longest-standing attractions. 

Opened in 1974, they serve classic ‘Jewish-style’ Beigels and salt beef for a relatively paltry price tag. They’re open 24 hours, though walking into the place at high noon made it hard to imagine in any state other than packed to the brim busy. If any of you are familiar with the soup nazi from Seinfeld, that’s the vibe you get when you walk in. The line was out the door and almost to the corner, though it moved at a decent pace thanks to the no-funny-business, military-efficiency being demonstrated by the staff. 

Even though my body doesn’t agree with bread, I ordered the classic salt-beef beigel with gherkins, and though my body must have taken issue with something else I had consumed that day, it was entirely worth it. Paris added to his meal a 99p piece of cheesecake that honestly blew my mind when he offered me a bite, I swear if anyone you know is down to their last few pence and needs to feed themselves for a week, stocking up on that dense and perfect cheesecake might do the trick to keep them going. 

Brick lane really is all about the food though - there are a number of warehouses that you pass while hopping between stalls, and they’re all filled to the brim with stalls of vendors selling food from all around the world. From italy to the Netherlands, you can find your country - there’s even a poutine stand being run by some Canadian ex-pats! Of course, there are thousands of other things available like any market, and I went home with a map of England and Wales from 1900 that cost me a grand total of £5. See, it pays to be into things no one else wants!

And with that, I headed home with a happy belly and happier heart. 

Next week, my last week of training, the beginning of some real sales work, and some blasts from my PBX past!

e